Yo Yoooo...

 

another week in the coolest mission EVER cheeeeccckk!

So here's my bad news for the week. Jack went to Kitti (the other side of the island) for a funeral and we haven't see him this whole week! Worst. His baptism will be pushed back a little but that's ALL GOOD. There must be a reason! We'll just keep on praying that he'll make his way back over to Mesihsou SOON.

But other than that this week has been BOMB. On Saturday we had a baptism for Hillary and Depo! Their parents are recent converts of the elders who served here before we did and for some reason the kids weren't baptized yet! It was cute though because they got baptized in the ocean and the night was perfect! Right up until the closing prayer when a typhoonish storm decided to roll in. ahhaha good timing. Ohhhhh and right after the baptism we went to see one of our investigators, Olter! hahahah we walked up and realized that they were having a party so we thought we'd peace out and come back tomorrow but NO we got thrown right in! I've never realized how awkward missionaries are until you get them thrown into a Pohnpeian party! We just about died. hahah. gotta love being a missionary.

ALSO. We've been working real hard with the cutest 16 year old ever, Cynthia! We've be teaching her for some time but had big time problems with permission to be baptized! Howeverrrr with a whole lot of prayers my girl Cyn got permission! & not only that but she's helping us teach her family & now her brother & sister are on date tooooo! I'm sure on day her family is going to be REAL grateful for her sweet example. it's crazy how often you see little miracles like that as a missionary! Heavenly Father is in the details for sure!

OH and Tuesday was goooood! Birthdays are dang weird in the mission field. But I was on exchanges with Sister Bowers (not planned ;)) so you know it was the BDE. 20 is old. Like geez that's half way to 40!

it was a DANG good week! Like everyyyy week in the mission field! 

LOVE. Sister Russell

and the teenage years are over......

Hellloooo and happy happy Easter! So, if you guys didn't already know, Pohnpei is a little behind the rest of the world and so we got to watch conference yesterday and on Sunday! and oh geez wast that bomb. Watching conference is like being home for 33 seconds. And what made this conference even better was watching as Jack (remember him from last week?) listen to intently as if he was nervous to miss even one word. There were moments when I would start to doodle in my notebook or day dream about who knows what and when I would snap back into it I would look at him and realize just how fortunate I am to hold the calling I do! I thought I understood the Atonement before my mission, but as I watched a man who had been stuck in darkness before meeting with the missionaries and now was filled with so much light! The lord truly prepares His children to accept His Gospel! 

This past week the senior couple, Elder and Sister Fulton, joined me and Sister Fehoko to go see Jack. We taught of Jesus Christ's life and the great blessing of the Restoration. We each bore testimony of the Book of Mormon and of Christ's love for Him. We gave him a specific chapter in the Book of Mormon and asked that he read it before we came back the next day. As we returned on Wednesday we walked into his house and there was a new light in him! We asked about his reading of the Book of Mormon and he told us that he KNEW without a doubt that it was true. He had stayed up all night reading it side by side with the Bible and noticed that there was a different feeling as he read the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon has power in it! That's for sure!!

This week was a blessing! As is every week here on Pohnpei. I'm so so lucky to serve here on this crazy island! ALSO. Thanks for the bajillion emails and the birthday wishes! I've got a whole lot of support at home so thank you thank you thank you!!

Life is GOOD.  I feel like I learn 391705800 lessons every week in the mission field and a BIG one I learned this week is that your attitude changes everything! Which is really really REALLY true. If you've got a happy attitude then everything seems to work out!

THANK YOU again! sending loooots of love from Pohnpei!

LOVE. Sister Russell

Hey, hey, heyyyyyyy

Heyyyy Kumal koaros. menlau mahk on ngehi! I had NO time last week on email and didn't get to group email! But don't you worry! I'm good!! These past two weeks have been a little crazy. So about 3ish weeks ago I got REAL sick and when I went to Guam last week my companion pulled President Zarbock to the side and told him all that was going on and how she was nervous about me. Soooo I got pulled into President's office and he came to the conclusion that I would be given 1 week to get better and if I was still sick then I would be pulled to Guam to serve there! (I told him that wasn't an option but he wasn't really  listening) So as you can imagine on Monday I was pretty down, like WAY down. But Tuesday came and we were out and something just clicked! Being sad and upset wasn't going to make me get better and life is a whole lot better when we are happy! Life got a whole lot brighter on Tuesday! 

And THEN on Wednesday Heavenly Father handed me and Sister Fehoko a perfectly prepared investigator. I've never met someone like Jack. he tries a new church every week because he feels like something is missing. Then on Thursday as we were in a lesson he looked at me and said "what am I feeling? I can't explain it, but it's warm and peaceful." THEN on Friday we had a lesson with him that I will never forget. I've never seen the adversary and Heavenly Father work so hard against each other. But it's a good thing that light will ALWAYS take over darkness. & don't you worry because Jack is now on date for the end of the month! He asked when was the soonest he could receive the gift of the Holy Ghost! like when the heck does that happen?? BEST DAY EVER.

 Heavenly Father answers prayers and He is in the details of our lives. I've never seen His hand so great in my life than I did last week. #blessed!

I know a lot of the blessings and success that I've found on my mission has come from the prayers of you all so thank youuuu!

Xoxoxox. Sister Russell

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Pepdiiiiaaaaas

Hellloooo everyone! 

Remay was baptized this week so boooo yahhh!! I was a littttttlllle frustrated this week because RJ (Remay's brother) backed out of the baptism on Friday night just before the baptismal interview. We went to their house with the elders and Sister Albert pulled me and Sister Fehoko to the side and explained to us that RJ wasn't ready to make that kind of commitment and that he would be baptized once the rest of the family would be baptized! So I kinda just wanted to be like "Soooo do you all wanna get baptized tomorrow orrrrr?" Geez I wish people would just understand haha!

But I'm counting my many blessings because Remay was still baptized and I'm not sure I've seen someone happier than her as she got out of the font! She was dripping wet and ran up and jumped on me and was so so happy! Then as she bore her testimony to the ward she started to cry as she thanked me and Sister Fehoko for teaching her about how she can follow Jesus! It was so stinkin cute.

Soooo what else is new? 

1.I got a new house this week! It's white and it's like living in a mini temple!

2. I found THE biggest dead spider this morning my bed! (at least it was dead, right?)

3. I learned how cut open coconuts like a pohnpeian! 

4. I'm still in the process of learning how to hula.

5. lots and lots and lots of new investigators this week! Boo yah!

Yikes sorry! This is short! But not toooo much to report this week! thank you thank you thank you for all the support I get from home! You guys are the bessstttt! 

Sending loooots of love from Pohnpei!

LOVE. Sister Russell

Cockroaches for Days......

Hey hey heyyy! 

(I know I always say this!) But this week was a GOOD one!

We had stake conference on Sunday and holy crap that is so so fun!! To see all of the saints on Pohnpei come together is seriously the sweetest thing ever. But also the church is really really new on this island so stake conference is a big mess and honestly it kinda stresses me out! Like holy crap Elder Yamashita from the seventy is talking and they are all just moving chairs and doing who knows what hhahaha it kills me. But you should have seen how excited Remay Albert (the girl who is getting baptized this week!) was when Elder Yamashita came up and shook her hand and wanted to meet her! She was so happy I thought she was gonna cry! To me it's become normal to see these general authorities around but to her it was something she will never forget!

So YES Remay and RJ Albert are getting baptized this week and holy crap I cannot wait!! The mom and dad need a little more time to get permission from their parents (Ya that's a thing in Micronesia) but they should be joining their kids and getting baptized soon!

Also, yesterday we had Zone Conference and a huge part of Presidents training had to do with Heavenly Father's love! and it made me just stop and think about really how much Heavenly Father loves His children. I know I've said this before but that is one of the sweetest things as a missionary! We get to feel just the smallest amount of Heavenly Father's love for His children as we teach them. I LOVE it.

Okay so funny story from this week. So it's like 10:15 and there are like 4 cockroaches running around our house (they were HUGE and real quick) so Sister Fehoko is chasing them with a Knife and Sister Bowers has a broom and then I had the plastic bag that we were gonna scoop them into! and as you can probably tell, it wasn't working. Sooooo after like 10 minutes of trying Sister Fehoko wacks one with the knife and it freakin flies! hahahahah So we all scream and then sister Wari (who was asleep) runs out of the bedroom screaming and runs right outside hahahahah I'm crying just writing this. She thought a man was in our house hahaha. What the heck.

"This is not the Paris, France mission. We're a croc wearing, hard working mission!" - President Zarbock

so there you go!

LOVE. Sister Russell

Guam & MLC....

Helllloooo everyone!  

So first off. I'm DRAGGING. We were in Guam this weekend for MLC and ask me how much I've slept? Not enough! So I'll just apologize in advance if my sentences don't make sense. Plus my english is terrible so hahah there you go.

Sooooo things in Micronesia? Still the best!! Oh geez I love it. I think one of my favorite things about going to Guam and getting to see a bunch of the missionaries serving on the other islands is realizing that I'm in THE coolest mission ever! oh annnnd seeing Sister Zarbock. This weekend she spoke to us about finding joy in our trials and realizing that our trials come from a loving Heavenly Father and that as we are building the kingdom of God, we are also building ourselves! She talked about the story of the seagulls and the crickets and she asked us "If Heavenly Father had the power to send the seagulls, why didn't He just keep the crickets away in the first place?" Missions are HARD. like holy crap. But I KNOW that they are hard because Heavenly Father loves His children and sometimes trials are the way He shows that love!

So in regards to the work things are looking goooood! We have 4 (heck ya) baptisms coming up on the 25th so PRAY with me that everything will work out and that the Albert's and Roseleen will get baptized! OH geez I'm stoked. This week me and Sister Fehoko went to the Albert dad to ask for permission for his wife and kids to be baptized and when he said yes we both just started to cry! There REALLY are those people who are prepared and waiting for certain missionaries. 

and ALSO we have stake conference this week so guess who get's to see Sister Zarbock agaiinnnn? wahooo! BUT because we have stake conference on Sunday, we have Zone Conference on Monday so I'll be getting on email on Tuesday! SORRY. 

"We're living the dream!" - President Zarbock

It's true! I'm the coolest mission and I'm surrounded by the BEST people! life is gooood. 

Thank youuuu everyone!

LOVE. Sister Russell

tender mercies

helloooo everyone! 

Okay I'm gonna start off with the SWEETEST experience I had this week.

So on Thursday I got a call from Sister Fulton asking me if I could go to her house after district meeting! me and Sister Fehoko went and when I made eye contact with Sister Fulton I KNEW exactly what had happened. She hugged me and informed me that my Grandma Russell had passed away that morning. OF COURSE there were some tears but also this feeling of peace knowing that she was happy and that I would be getting a little extra help for the next few months!

I then went into the back room to call my family! & my mom told me the cutest thing! for the past few days my grandma had not known a whole lot about what was going on and yet right before my mom said her last goodbye to my grandma my grandma promised my mom that she would take care of me for the next 9 months! & then she passed away on my 9 month mark. That was a little tender mercy for me to see just how aware our Heavenly Father is of us. I'm so GRATEFUL to have my sweet grandma's help for the next few months! and also I think Heavenly Father knew I was at a point in my mission where I needed that extra help. I'm a lucky lucky girl!

So this week was GOOD! There is a family that I am teaching right now that is so prepared and is such a tender mercy, the Albert family! I met them at the bus stop one day and now they are on baptismal date for the end of March. So the other night we had planned to teach the Plan of Salvation (not really a good idea, I was in tears the whole time) but as we taught it I was able to share with them my experience with losing my grandma and how I KNEW that I would see her again. It was one of the most spiritual experiences I have ever had, it was as if my grandma was sitting right next to me holding my hand! I'm sure I got a whole lot more out of the lesson than what I taught them and geez. I'll never forget that!

and hahahahah my comp. things are BOMB with her! she's literally picked me up and carried me through the tough days of this week! bless her heart. 

Life's just good! Investigators are goooood. Area is goooood. The ward, my comp, everything is GOOD. I love serving here on Pohnpei! I LOVE the people and I feel so dang fortunate to serve with them! KALAGHAN EN KAUNO! hahahahah love you all!!

LOVE. Sister Russell

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