Heeeeere's Johnny!....
Name that.

Hey fam!  Thanks Mom and Dad and Shon and Blayre :) for the e-mails!!
Cool that you got the Christmas card!  that was fun taking those pics for it!

This week has been a growing week.  Lots of testing and growing.  I'm trying to love Novosibirsk- haha- it's been a struggle.  I know that I said that about Barnaul, too, so I hope that it becomes home for me.  It is just SO BIG!  But we've really been blessed with new investigators almost every week.

This week we were at a member's house, and they invited their son to be on the meeting with us.  He's about 25ish I'd guess, and he's kinda the... I'm too cool for this kind of stuff... kinda guy.  Kinda like... why should this matter to me?...     But from his questions and stuff, we ended up teaching him about the plan of salvation.  He was still kinda 50/50 about the whole thing, but we came back again a second time, and he was on the meeting again.  We talked about Jesus Christ and what kind of role He plays in our lives.  This guy's name is Andrei, and he's really pretty closed.  But we hope that more and more he will open up to us.  He comes into the room and stays when we have meetings, so that's a good sign!

We also met with Masha again and taught her about the plan of salvation.  She was really interested and it was a cool meeting.  :)
Sasha is doing pretty good- still excited to get baptized!

So life is pretty good!  Glad to hear that all os okay for the most part at home!    

To answer Dad's questions-
Yes, my comp does a really great job on the meetings.  She's great.  I haven't really been offered anything super weird to eat on my mission ever.... just maybe liver, but it was fried, so it wasn't too bad!  And fish, but that's not weird; I just don't like it.  :) yes, I teach 1st group in english and it's pretty fun.  The people are way cool there.  The groups are a ton bigger, too!  So it's cool. :)
 And yes, dad, I'll try to take more pics.  :)  I trust in your advice.  :)  crazy about your crazy rain!  Hope it doesn't flood there!  :)

Mom- You look way good!  (thanks Dad for the pic! :) )  Excited to see ya all different-like!  :)

I love you all very much and I hope you have a marvelous week!  Sorry this is a lame e-mail.  I'll try to do better next time!

The church is true!  :)

Love,
Sister Reed :)

(Parents Note:  This email is here out of order, it came before the one below it.  Sorry!)


Привет, всем!!!

Thanks for the e-mails!  Glad to hear from those that sent em!  :)

Well I am now here in this HUGE city-- Novosibirsk.  I really miss Barnaul.  I don't know anyone or where to go, but hopefully I'll get used to it soon.  There are tons of youth here and that's cool!  In fact, last Sunday was the primary program!  It was so cute!  They sang lots of songs that I know- but in Russian!  So cool :)  They have the cutest little kids here.

We have some cool investigators here.  It's pretty exciting.  I'm excited to get to know them.  We have a goal as missionaries here to have 4 more baptisms by the end of the year.  There's an 8 year old girl who will be baptized on Christmas, and we hope that one of our other investogators, Katya, will get a baptizimal date soon.  :)

Besides that, I'm not sure what to tell about.  We're trying to work hard and do what we can here.  My comp is not a greenie, but I am her 2nd companion, so she's still pretty new and trying to master planning and stuff.  I'm trying to help,  but it's stinkin hard b/c I don't know anyone, and they actually have several areas here- meaning- people live far away from eachother and we have to plan in what area of town to be in for the day.  WAY different than what I'm used to- this small-town girl!  So it's definitely a new experience!

Our Thanksgiving in Barney turned out good!  We actually ate a goose!  Haha!  And we watched both Narnias.  :) Good times.  Then that evening I left for Novo.  Lilia came to the bus station to say good-bye.  Sad.

Dad- I didn't actually eat the fishy sandwiches.  I refuse to eat fish, haha!  I'm a wuss. Ideas for gifts could be anything like: a russian hat, warm gloves, socks, clothes, tie, uhhhh..... any kind of Russian cooley sounvenier thing.. haha.  Basically, if you want anything at all, let me know, and I'll think of what would be cool for ya.  :)  Hope you're not freezing your pants off!  Good luck with all that snow!  I understand- it hasn't stopped snowing since I got here!  Crazy!  I love you!  Keep being amazing!

Mom- WIPE-OUT!  Haha---
Good job with trying to be closer to Heavenly Father!!  When you turn to Him, He turns to you and shows you His love abundantly.  I know this for a fact that when we pray to Him, He really does hear us and answer us.  When we put Him first in our lives before all other things, He makes it so that everything else in our lives works out for our good.  He blesses us so much.  You are awesome!  I love you!!!  :)

Krystine- Good luck with your travels and new adventures!!!  That is so cool!!!  I'll be sad to not see you in Spokane, but I hope that we can visit each other soon after I get back and catch up!!!  Keep me updated on everything!  You are AMAZING!!  Love you!!

I hope you all have a most wonderful week!  Keep smiling!!  I love you all!!

с любовью,
Сестра Рид :)

Howdy!  Thanks Mom and Dad for the e-mails.  :)  You're the best.  :)

It is SO snowy here!  Out of control!!

Things have been good this week.  We've been able to meet with Katya again a couple times, and she's so awesome.  We popped her the question (asked her if she would get baptized) last night, and she said that she wants to receive a concrete answer about the truthfullness of the church first.  She's been praying, but she doesn't feel like she's receieved an answer yet.  Please pray for her that she will receieve an answer.  She is amazing, and I know that Heavenly Father has prepared her for this time in her life.  Also, we've still been meeting with Sasha, the 8-year old who will be getting baptized Dec 26th.  She's pretty excited.  Yesterday, we actually get a new investigator!  her name is Masha and she's 11 years old.  She doesn't know much about God or anything, so we're pretty excited to teach her!  She wants to know more, and that's awesome.
ALSO, we met with this inactive woman for the first time (did I already tell you about this?) and her daughter was there as well.  She's about 20-ish.  The whole time we were talking, I thought she was a member, but turns out that she's still not baptized!  The mom and her daughter who lives in America are members.  We asked her daughter, Katya, why she didn't get converted and baptized with her Mom and sister, and she just said that she doesn't really know... maybe it wasn't just her time.  Well we asked her if she would like to meet with us and know more about what we believe, and she said yes she would like to!  When we ended the lesson with them, they kept saying that there was a wonderful spirit in the room, warm and pleasant.  They recognized what it was.  It was neat.

So things have been moving on!  It's super cool!  It makes being here in this huge city better.  I still have no idea where I'm going... haha!

AND!!!! I got a way cool package!!  It came really fast!!!  I opened everything except for two things.... for Christmas.  THANKS SO MUCH!!!  I loved everything!  But I don't understand... are you wanting me to get fat right before I go home?!?  there was tons of candy!!  Haha!  I'm gonna have to pace myself and share a lot with people.  But thanks so much for everything!!  You guys are awesome!!  I also enjoyed the necklace and earrings.  From what they mean, I'll be well protected and I won't be having any stomach problems!  :) :)
You made my day!  It was very nice of you!!  :)

 Dad- the goose tasted like chicken really... but a bit different.  It was good, actually!  Better than a jack-rabbit!  (get it?  hah)
No, I will never serve in the office- yahoo!  Sisters usually never to that.  interesting, huh?
The branch here is pretty big it seems.  There are actually 3 branches in Novo, but I only have to go to one, which is good.

I'm excited to talk to you guys on Christmas!  When would you like to do it?  I'll send you the info about it, and you can tell me when is most convenient for you, ok?
I love you!!!  

Mom- That's hilarious about the man singing "santa baby"!!  WHAT IS THIS WORLD COMING TO?!?!?!?  Hahahaha.  I heard the "last christmas I gave you my heart..." song, but it wasn't the creepy version, and I was happy.  :)

My companion is good- we try our best to understand each other, haha.  I am her second companion, so I still have to train a bit, and also let her show what she knows.  She knows the city, so she's pretty much in charge of that.  So things are going alright.
Thanks for everything!  I love you!!!

Everyone have a great week!  Stay warm!!  Don't forget about me!  :)

Love,
Sister Reed :)

                        1) The elders carving the Thanksgiving goose

                                      2) happy Thanksgiving!

                        3) At the bus station leaving Barney

4) We took pics as a Zone one p-day.  This is one of just us Sisters.  Me, my comp Sis. Vasilevskaya, Sis. McCauley, Sis. Gneiting, Sis. Schwab

 Hello Hello my dear family and friends!

Whoa... way to steal my thunder... no surprise for you about my transfer calls!  Sister McCauley is so sneaky.  Yes, I will be staying in Novo for my last couple of transfers.  SO SO SO sad to leave Barnaul!!  This has really become my home.  I did see it coming, though, and I have peace about going to Novo.  I will have another Russian companion, so that will be awesome to get back into some hard core practice before I come home!  And I've met my future companion already, and she's way cool so it should be great.

This week has been busy so far with meeting with lots of people to say goodbye.  On Saturday, there was this musical salon at the branch. A lot of the members participated,and it was really cool.  However, it stunk for us because NO ONE could meet that day because they were all getting ready for it. And of course they have to prepare all day. haha  So me and Sister Fronk took our shot at tracting.  We tracted into the apartment building right next to the branch.  Of course it was interesting and kinda funny- people crack me up.  But the coolest part was when this woman let us in!!  We were able to talk with her about the Book of Mormon and give her one.  She agreed to meet again!! Her name is Tatiana, and she has a little baby boy, and maybe another child. Her husband is away a lot for work so she's kinda lonely.  :(  But we were way excited!  We set up a meeting with her for yesterday, but she got sick and could not meet. :(  I hope the sisters can meet with her in the future-- she seems really great.

Yesterday we met with Olga for the last time, and that was sad.  I hope that in the near future she will be baptized.  Perhaps it will take just reading the Book of Mormon, and she will receive her answer.  But at this rate, it will take her forever to finish it.  We have been giving her assignments and reading with her where she left off at each lesson.  But I think that things will work out for her.

Coming out of her house, it was dark and cold.  Winter is really here!  It snowed a lot, and then of course people walk on the snow and pack it down... then in the night it gets really cold and freezes the snow. So it's pretty slippery. Anyway, I did my first big fall for the season.  Hooray.  Haha.  I fell flat on my backside- it took me by surprise. All of a sudden, my legs were in front of me and I was on the ground.  But oh my goodness, it hurt so bad!  I felt like I broke my bum.  Hah- I had to tell Sis Fronk to give me a second before I could start walking again.  oof.  That night I iced my backside with our frozen veggies... haha.  It still hurts a bit- but only really when I walk.  

But anyway, seems like Mom and Dad, you know more about me coming home than I do.  Bummer that it will be midnight. yuck.  But that will be nice to just get a fresh night's sleep and relax after a nice long flight.  :)
Hey, is there any kind of souvenirs (sp?) you are going to want before I go home?  Just let me know!

Mom- I will be happy to go right after I get home on a trip with you.  Sounds way fun!  :)  Hope you have a fabulous Thansgiving!  We will be here in Barney for Thansgiving, so it should be interesting w/o having a senior couple!  Haha.  I love you so much!

Dad- Glad that you're enjoying your bus rides.  Sounds relaxing.  Does that mean that you have to leave earlier in the morning to ride the bus?  Are there ever weirdies on the bus?  heh.  You are great!  I hope you have a great week!  Take pics at Thanksgiving, ok?  :)  I love you!!

Good luck with the cold weather!  Doesn't sound too fun!  But I understand you!!

I love you all!  Stay happy!!

Love,
Sister Reed  :)

                  1) us at the famous Barnaul letters.  Very dirty day

                              2) Natalia and Djenna

                          3) Mmmm yummy fishy sandwiches....

4) Me in front of Baba Tatiana's house  (p.s.Mom- I hope you don't care that your grandkids will be calling you "baba" :) )

                                        5) Slick streets

6) haha... me with the Myromsev family.  Like that outfit they dressed me up in?

Hello!

Well thanks to those of you who wrote me!  You're the best!  Getting letters really makes my day!  :)

This week has been super rainy.  So the streets are FILTHY and there's muddy-nasty puddles everywhere.  I kinda just wish that it would SNOW already to cover up it all!  We'll see when that happens.  I remember last year this time it was FREEZING outside and there was snow everywhere!  I guess that means that it'll be a warm winter!  :)  Hope so!

This week we had a cool meeting with our investigator, Natalia.  Her daughter is actually a member.  We talked with her about prayer.  I love talking about prayer because it's one of my favorite things.  :)  She all growing up never really had much of a belief on God or prayer.  But she really has a desire to know if all of this that we are teaching her is true.  I really felt the spirit as we taught her about prayer and used the scriptures and our testimonies.  She promised that she and Djenna (her daughter) would pray together every night.  I just know that Heavenly Father would be so willing to answer her prayer if she would just turn to Him.  We pray that she will.

On Friday we find out transfers already!  And then when Pres calls, he should tell us when our actual release date is.  So we'll find out in a few days hopefully.  

Mom-  I like those ideas. :)  I would LOVE to go to the San Diego temple and the Salt Lake temple.... Hmmm.... That's a hard choice!!!  That would be fun too to go to the beach or something in Cali.  :)  What do you think?  Would it be warm there in the winter?  Maybe we can even stop by the Oregon Coast or something.... Hmm....
Sad about Joslyn.  :(  What are you feeding the girl, anyway to get all those cavities?!?  ;)  Hope not too many more come soon!  What have you been doing lately to keep yourself busy?  How are you feeling?  I hope all is super good and you're feeling a lot better!  What's Thanksgiving going to be like this year?  Do Shon and Kimberlee go over to visit often?
I love you!!!  I hope you have a great week!  Thanks for the prayers!  They help so much!!!  :)

Dad- I don't know if we will do a Thanksgiving party.  :)  But I sure do miss cranberry sauce!  AND G-ma's sweet potatoes!!!  MMMMMMM!!!!  Do enjoy that for me, k?  :)
Look at you taking the bus to work... now you know how I feel everyday.  I might even miss it a little bit when I get home.  :)  I hope you have a wonderful week and keep up being awesome!!!  I love you!!


Have a great week everyone!

с любовью,
Сестра Рид  :)


p.s.- If Blayre Maynes reads this: You crack me up... thanks for the song. hahahaha!  *elbows up, side to side!*

Hey!

We had our first snow yesterday... but the snow didn't stick!  I personally think it's pretty cool that it's not snowing yet... hehe... the sooner snow comes, the sooner the dangerously extreme iciness comes!!  :)  Crazy Siberian winter!!

So times have been good... hard, but good.  I am learning more and more how threatening this work is to Satan because he is working hard on all sides.  It just shows me how amazing these people are here, because he is trying to destroy their progress in coming unto their Heavenly Father.  It must mean that they have a pretty great potential.  :)  I do love these people so much, and I am trying to fight this war, along with all the missionaries around the world.  Good thing this is God's work.  There's no way we can fail with Him on our side!  :)

I'm so grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ.  I know that Christ is our Savior and Redeemer.  I know that there is no way we can return to live with God again, except through the atonement.  When we repent, we are made clean and worthy to enter His presence.  I know that there is a loving Father in Heaven who knows us perfectly.  I know that we can never feel like no one understands us or what we're going through because Jesus Christ knows.  He suffered for us and He felt all of those unpleasant feelings.  We can turn to Him and feel complete peace and comfort that we can not get from anywhere else.  I am eternally grateful for that.
I'm so grateful for the power of prayer.  A free, unlimited source of communication to our loving Heavenly Father.  Always remember to pray.  Even when you don't feel like praying, get on your knees and pray.  It is amazing.

I love you all!  You are so wonderful!!  I'm so grateful for all the people I've met in my life!  I know that I've met each one for a reason!

Mom- Thanks for the e-mail and pics!!  You look beautiful!  And Grandma, too!  :)
I am SO excited to go on a trip for you!!  It will be GREAT!!!  You're the best!  I love you so much!!!  :)

Dad- Thank you for all that you do/have done for me!
The Halloween party was a bust... haha... we decided to just do it in 3rd group.  Only one guy ended up coming to class that day.  Lol.  OH WELL!  I love you!!!

Have a wonderful week everyone!!

Much love,
Sister Reed

                        1) Jack our Halloween pumpkin!

                                 2) Me and Masha

3) Us with Lilia.  They had this "Fall Ball" and she danced in it... our beautiful friend :)

Hello everyone!

Well, I just got back from another trip to Finland... I will be happy if I never get on a plane for the rest of my life!  Haha.  The traveling just takes a big toll on ya.  unfortunently we weren't able to go to the temple because we went on Monday and it was closed.  But we were able to go into Moscow again on the way back and roam around some more so that was pretty cool.   Weird that we won't be going back again....

It's weird that my mission is already coming to a winddown.... it's already depressing, and my mission hasn't even ended!  Haha.  But that means that I just have 3 months to work as hard as I can!

We are still meeting with Lilia. she came to church so that was awesome!  
We have these investigators, Elivira and Natalia who are "eternal' investigators.  We have really been trying to help these people progress.  Elvira expressed her desire to be baptized!  We talked a lot about temples and work for the dead, and she said that she wants to be with her family forever.  Her parents and grandparents are already dead.  I think that that is the key to her desire to be baptized.  So we are working hard with her to reteach her everything.  She doesn't really understand/remember too much of what the sisters have taugt her.  So that's been cool.  And Natalia, we see, is finally starting to come around and have a desire to change.  It's great to see the changes.

Me and Sister Fronk had a scary experience.  Haha- okay, not so scary. But we got stuck in our elevator for about 30 minutes, until the grandmas who work there let us out.  haha- it was crazy.

Mom- You're awesome, thanks for the letter!
Dad- Thanks for everything!  You are great!

I love you all so much!

Love,
Sister Reed :)

Hi!  Wow you people are hilarious.  Thanks so much for the letters!  :)  It made my day!

http://www.mormon22.ru/missioner.htm

Go there and you can see me.  It's a site that a member did for our branch.  Pretty sweet!  We already got a phone call from it!

Well this week has been super great.  I love being a missionary!!  We met with Lilia...  She is so cool!!

We also had a meeting with Olga, the "non-progressing" investigator.  It was... kinda awkward.  The first time I ever cried on a meeting.  And not because I felt the Spirit or anything.  We decided to have a good "heart to heart" with her.  Find out what she wants to do to really progress and come unto the waters of baptism so she can recieve eternal life.  She said that she is still not ready- she prayed to know the truth (which was AWESOME to find out), but hadn't received an answer yet.  We encouraged her to keep trying.  We explained what her responsibilities are as far as really changing her life for the better.  She explained that she might sometime in the future get baptized, but she really doesn't have a desire to do that.  We were at the point in the conversation that I was just really getting upset and discouraged and hurt because I had been meeting with this woman for almost 7 months... I had really come to love her and her 2 little girls.  And I want so much to help her change and really make these steps in her life for the better.  I began to cry and explain my love for her- and how we really want to help her.  I was embarrassed, but I think she felt the sincereness of it because at the next lesson, she had been reading the Book of Mormon and praying.  We together made the next goal for her, and she willingly accepted it and promised to do it.  I don't know how long it will be until she finally decides to get baptized, but she is very slowly moving in the right direction, and some lucky sisters will be able to help her enter the saving waters of baptism.  I pray for it.

I am about to go on another visa trip on Monday ( my last one!!!), and me and Sis Fronk are pretty excited for it.  SO next time I should have some cool pics.

We finally watched Conference on Sat and Sun and it was way good!  Lilia came too, which was sweet!  I really enjoyed Pres Uchtdorf's talk (he's so funny.... "you're probably thinking, 'Wow, that's a cool story, Pres Uchtdorf... but what does it have to do with airplanes?'.... Well... let me tell you...."  hahaha.  So cool.  I think that I will be home by the time I can read it again in English... haha.

Still no snow... but perhaps it will be coming soon.  I busted out my big ol coat today.... ugh.

Mom- Thanks for your funny stories... I laughed out loud here... hahaha!  You are so funny!  :)  I love you so much and so glad that you are my Mom!!!  :)

Dayton- I am excited to practice too when I get back!!!  Man, I just know how much my Russian is going to stink if I don't practice it.... You gotta help me, ok?  Thanks.  :)  I'm cool with a v6 firebird... will you get that set up also for me in this new life-after-mish you've got going?  :)  Thanks.  :)  Love yuuur guts!!!  Keep being cool, k?  You're the best!!!  :)


I love you all!!!!  Keep studying the scriptures and praying EVERY DAY!!!  :)

Love,
Sister Reed :)

Hey everyone! How are you all? Is it cold where you're at? I'm pretty cold... but this is nothing still. Bahahaha. I'm trying to prepare for the winter, but I don't think I'll ever be really ready... There's news that it'll start snowing in the next week... we'll find out...


So this week was way cool. We've just been working hard and having fun. :)

We had a cool meeting with a recent convert, Ira, where we talked about pioneers. I haven't had too big of a "testimony" I guess you could say, about pioneers, but when we were talking about it with Ira, I really felt overwhelmed with what they did and their sacrifice. And we reminded her about how she is a pioneer here too in Russia. It will require a lot of courage and strength like what they had to start up and strengthen the church here. She is so awesome- I know that she'll stay strong her whole life. I think it would be good for all of us to study up what the pioneers did for all of us so we can remember. When we remember what they went through, it makes us more willing to do our part. :)

Also, we got to meet with Lilia this week!! She's so cool- we are planning to meet with her today, too.

We met with Olya again, too! We tried to tell her about the Book of Mormon, and she had tons of good questions. We will be meeting again for sure. :)

We haven't met with Olya for a bit, so I'm not sure if she has prayed yet. I called her in between meetings and she had not yet. I hope she does by the next one!!!

I tried sending those movies, but they're too big :( Bummer.

Well, I love you all and I hope you have a super great week! If you haven't yet this year, go feed the garbage-eating goat! Love you! Thanks for the letters and support!

с любовью,

Сестра Рид :)

                                1) BIG pumpkin!! :)

                                        2) Me and Lilia :)

So don't judge me. :) There was nothing I could do... it just happened to be on at a member's house very quietly while their son watched it...... I'll just have you know that Jabba has the same voice in Russian and English. hahahaha.


So thanks for the letters! And the pics! Mom, I like your haircut!! It's pretty sweet!! You look way good, too! Thin and beautiful! :)

Well sadly there's not much to tell since last time. It's been a pretty good half-week. :)

On Sunday we were able to have a pretty powerful meeting with one of our investigators, Olga. She has been an investigator already for a couple years and has met with several sister missionaries. Her younger sister is on a mission right now. During the training last week I really thought about her a lot. About how we can help her progress. I was really excited to teach her using the training we received. She had not kept her commitment last week about praying. She still has a hard time accepting that God has a body of flesh and bones and that He is actually a person. It's hard for her to pray to someone/something like that. We had a good heart to heart, read out of Alma and Ether about faith. There is written in Alma about even if your faith is not quite a "seed" yet, but if it starts even with a desire to know, then it's somewhere to start. After we TEST our faith and ACT (move forward in the dark a bit), then we will see results and answers. She definitely has a desire to know, so like it says in the scriptures, that's a start. so we decided that we could make goals together to help her know that this is all true. We had her make the first goal. She promised to pray to know if God is a person and exists. It will be hard for her, but God knows her heart and desires and will bless her accordingly, with an answer that she needs.

Anyhoo, that's a story for the week. I wrote President and explained that you will be writing him. So go for it. His email is trejojon7@gmail.com

I am so excited for the next transfer! I hope you know that I am working my hardest, testing my faith more than ever in my life. It is tough being on a mission sometimes, but the BEST! And I would never take back this time that I have had here. I could not even imagine myself a year ago in the MTC... thinking that I would be here, speaking Russian (kinda), approaching and talking to people in Russian on the streets and in transports, helping people come unto our Savior, and making best friends. It is true----- you love those you serve. So if anyone has a problem with any other person in their life- serve them!!! I love being here and doing my best to forget about myself, and focusing on the welfare of other people. I'm not a genius, but I have grown to know the scriptures a lot more, and I've grown to know just more about life through this experience. Good thing I still have time because I have yet a long ways to go!!

I am also excited to talk at Christmas! Should be AWESOME!!

Toots- I am so glad that you are getting better! Keep it up!! Thanks for sharing funny stories- I love them :) Thank you so much for being my Mom. I am so grateful to have you. :) Keep being the person that you are. God gave you your talents and abilities for reasons- use them often! :) I love you soooooo much!!!

Dadiskis- Thanks for your love and understanding! I am glad to hear that all has been good with you guys! I hope it stays that way! (we are just eating rolls filled with this sugary stuff in the pic from last time :) ) I am reading Jesus the Christ and it's pretty interesting! You've read it, right? Thank you for all that you do and your wonderful example to me!! I love you very much!

Dayton- Thanks for the e-mail!! You are hi-larious. Can't wait to hear your music!! Are you going to introduce me to cool, new music when I get back? (which will actually be old to you by that time?) Your classes sound sweet! Good luck with that! You're gonna speak better than me by the time I get back!! Love you! And Ash and Clay! :)

Have a great week everyone!! You are all in my prayers!!

c любовью,

Сестра Рид :)


p.s.- there is only pooey Peanut butter in Russia!

Hello hello everyone!  Thanks for the e-mails!
Aunt Barbara and Krystine, it was way great hearing from you and all about your adventures!  I love you!

Well this week was a bit different than usual.  We took a bus to Novo and had a 3-day training from President.  It was 8 sessions of training, and practice in between.  It was way cool.  He basically taught us about how we can teach better, and he pumped us up and helped our faith.  It was way cool.  What he actually taught us wasn't anything new- it was all out of Preach My Gospel.  But he taught us again, and it was a good experience.  Really spiritual. I'm excited to use everything I learned. So that's why this e-mail is so late. Sorry about that.

Last week we went to this BEAUTIFUL park they have here about 40 minutes away from the city.  Here are some pics from it.  It was sooo fun!  Nature is just amazing- I love it.  The two women that went with us were members, Larisa and Tatiana.  Tatiana used to work at this park (they have excursions there), so she showed us around.  There are trees and plants from all over the world.  See if you can recognize which bush is in the 4th pic (the sign says "plants of northern america")

We haven't seen Conference yet- not sure when we will.  I haven't heard about it yet.  I didn't even know that it was conference weekend!  Haha!!  But it sounds like from what you all said that it was amazing, so I'm really excited to see it. :)

There is this way cool girl, Olya, that comes to english who invited us to her house to look at her paintings she does.  She is way talented!  So that was way sweet.  I love talking to other people who appreciate art as well. :)  I'll send a video of her playing this Russian instrument- domra.  Tell me if you can hear it, ok?  So cool.

So at that training, Pres also announced transfers.  I was so stinkin nervous- he announced it while everyone was there in this room- I think they announce transfers like that in America, right?  At ZC?  And he made us all stand as zones to announce what it happening with us... just made it worse.  Haha.  So anyway, turns out that I will be staying here in Barny (which I'm pretty happy) and Sister Fronk is coming back to me as my compy!  I'm super excited!  Should be a sweet transfer.

I'm so glad to hear that things have been better for you at home.  I really tried to pray for you.  :)
I'm glad that you also had fun on your little trip together, Mom and Dad, and Dad you're awesome for setting goals and fulfilling them!  Such a good example!  Funny that Shon and Kimberlee had a little parenting experience... haha... I can only imagine.  :)  They're awesome.

Mom- I hope you find your ring!  Hopefully by the time you get this, you already have. :)  I get your letter, too.  Thank you so much!  You are such a good colorer!  :)  but the best part was the words you write me. Thank you for your support!  You are wonderful!  I hope you are feeling so much better these days!  I love you!

Dad- I'm so glad to hear that things have gotten better in all ways!  Keep up the hard work and I know that all will work out!!!  You are so great!!!   Thanks for all you do... you're the best Dad ever.  :)  I love you!!!

OH-- I thought about Christmas.  :)  Doritos and Reeses Peanut Butter Cups is what I have to say.  I realize that Doritos might not live, but it would be so sweet!  And any other American candy would be super de duper. Mike and Ikes?  :)  Anything your little hearts desire...I will love.  Most importantly that it will not be expensive!

I love you all and I hope you have a wonderful week!!!
Keep smiling!  Its contagious!  :) :)

Love,
Sister Reed :)

Hello everyone!  So... thanks for the e-mails!

Congrats to Dave and Melissa... I saw their pictures and that is so exciting!!  I hope that Melissa is doing well as well as the babies!  they will be super great parents!!

Dad and Mom, I'm sorry to hear about all the setbacks this week.  I hope things get better soon.  I know that this is a time we can show Heavenly Father how truly patient we are, and how dedicated we are to Him in accepting His will.
  
And yes, I found a pair of boots.  THANKS sooo much that I could buy them.  We actually went shopping with Lilia, and the fact that she knew a girl working there, she got us a discount!  So they should have been about $100.  I hope it's not too much.... !

This past week we did a lot of contacting.  We actually got 3 telephone numbers!  We were suppossed to meet with one of those contacts, Nadejda, on Monday but we waited and she didn't come.  We called her and she couldn't make it.  So we set up a meeting for tomorrow with her.  She asked us to call her in the morning to make sure she didn't forget, so that's a good sign, I guess.  Haha.  We have hopes for her!  She was way excited about the Book of Mormon when we told her about it, so we'll see what happens!

It hasn't gotten too cold yet, which is awesome.  I decided that September is my favorite month so far in Siberia.  Oh my goodness it is so beautiful with the trees changing color and everything.  That's awesome that it's still nice there, and you're enjoying some good weather!

Mom, I hope you are feeling better!!  Sounds like you're getting better slowly yet surely... which is good.  I pray that you will feel better ever faster.  We haven't watched the woman's conference yet, and it seems to me like we didn't last year... I don't remember to be honest.  It's kinda just like that here in Siberia... haha.  We're still waiting for the Liahona for August and September, lol.  But I'm so excited for conference coming up!  That'll be sweet!  How is Joslyn?  Is she doing okay?  Hope so! I love you so much and I thank you for your support!  You're amazing!  Keep up the optimism!  It's so great! :)

Dad, thanks for the updates on everything!  And thanks for the Alf picture!  Haha!  So funny.  Here are some pics of the autumn weather and just your goofy daughter.  :)  I hope you get some more good motorcycle riding in while you have the chance!  I hope you figure out everything- man, so much going on.  I really hope you get your truck back tomorrow like they promised!  I pray for you!!  That everything will be okay!  I love you very much!!

Have a great week!  Always remember to pray and read your scriptures!  They truly give a strength and peace that you can find from no other source!

Love,
Sister Reed :)

Hello my dear family!

Thanks for the letters!  :)

I really appreciate all your love and support.  I had a dream the other night that I finished my mission and went home.  And all I wanted to do was come back to Russia.  Yes, the mission is very hard... and sometimes I get homesick and just want to quit... but this really is the best time of my life and the best thing I could be doing right now.  I just love it.  :)  And seriously the miracles that God performs are amazing.  And they are real!!

It's starting to get colder, and I'm preparing for winter!  Haha!  Here it comes: ready or not!  :)

Mom:  Thank you for your letter.  No, I never get tired of hearing those things, they help me every single time. I love you!!  You are wonderful!!!

Dad:  Thanks for all you do!  You are so great and I love you!!!

Have a wonderful wonderful week!!  You are the best ever!!  And I pray for you all the time!

Love,
Sister Reed

Hello hello!  Thanks for the e-mails!!  It is always super good to hear from you!  :)  That stinks about the cars... man don't you love those little setbacks in life?  Hope everything will be back to normal soon.  In the meantime, sorry you have to drive around a Subaru.  Oh the shame...  :)

Well this week was pretty good.  As all weeks are.  Last week we actually went bike riding again and that was fun until my companion wiped out on her bike (haha... WIPEOUT!)  and hurt her arm.  We went to the doctor and they sent us to a free hospital... the worst medical facility I have seen in my life.  I felt like I was back in WWI.  The type of hospitals you see in movies.  But we went there and they told her she bruised her arm, and she needed to make a sling by herself.  Great service.  I was in shock.

Besides that, we've just been working and trying to do our best!

Mom: You haven't yet answered my questions... what did you find out? :)
Things with my comp are okay.  I miss the temple and I want to go back.  I agree with you that you should go.  There is such a power and strength there that cannot be found anywhere else.
I hope that things get better with you soon.  I hope you feel so much better physically and spiritually.  You are amazing, and I hope you always remember that!  I am praying for you all that everything will always be good with you.  Keep being good!  :)

Dad: I hope you all have fun at the fair!  That would be super cool!
Yeah things are way hard but I'm trying to stay upbeat.  It's for sure, that the harvest is a small amount right now.  I do feel like I'm working harder than I receive in return.  I do hope and pray that my efforts are making a difference.  When it's hard and I feel like thigs are standing still, I start to get homesick.  I pray for strength and help all the time.  Thanks for your prayers and help- it means a lot and I know that God hears them.  :)  I'm sorry for the depressing letter!  Know that I'm not moping around Russia, but I'm still trying to do my best and work my hardest even though it's difficult.  Don't worry about me.  :)  I love you and thank you for all you do!!  :)
 
Shon:  Thanks for the letter!  It's way good to hear from you always!  I love you!  Good luck with everything! :)

Much love,
Sister Reed :)


p.s.- I got the letter from G-ma.  Thanks!!!  :)

                                 1) Me, Lilia, Olya, Larisa

                            2) 2 youngest Klivakin kids.

                                 3) Bike riding trail

                           4) With Lilia and Olya  

Hello all of my loved ones!!

So life is pretty good.  Nothing much new to say.... but the work is going and we're working hard and all that good stuff!
I wanted to share an experience:

There is this babyshka (grandma) here named Tatiana.  (yes there's lots of Tatianas :) )  She is 70-something years old and is 99% deaf.  In order to talk to her, you have to literally shout in her right ear.  She is so cool.  Sadly, she is so lonely!  We make sure to visit her once a week.  We were over there the other week, and she was telling some story like usual... but this time she was more serious.  I was sitting closely to her and looking into her eyes as she talked and I could just see the wisdom there.  This woman has lived a long life and experienced, worked, and seen much.  Tears came to my eyes as I thought of, you know who?  Grandma Annie.  All of a sudden I really missed her.  I don't know why... but she popped into my head.  Leaving that meeting, I really had the impression that we need to do our family history and temple work.  Lately, it has been strong feelings to me that there are tons of people waiting and we need to do their work while we have the chance on the earth.  And I got a peaceful feeling as we were leaving that meeting, thinking about it.  Like a confirmation that it is true.
I just wanted to share that with you.... it's pretty special to me.

Mom- I thought for sure that my mission call paper was in that envelope with all the other papers.  I have no idea where else it would be.. eek!!!!  Thanks for taking care of all of that!  I guess if you don't find it in there, feel free to search my stuff... I hope it doesn't become too big of a problem!  Thanks for all of your sweet words!!!  I love you and adore you so much-- you are really the best Mom ever and the best example to me.  If you want to give me credit for anything, look at who raised me!  :)  I love you!!!!!

Dad- Keep being awesome!!  Keep doing good w/ family history and your missionary efforts! You are so great!  English is going well, there aren't very many people there lately which kinda stinks, but the people that are there are cool!  It's still way fun to teach, I love it. :)  Well I love you and you are awesome!!!!!!  Thanks for everything!!  :)

Keep staying happy and smiling!!  You are all so wonderful!!

Love,
Sister Reed :)

                                       1) Cool :)

                                 2) baba Tatiana

Hey fam!  Thanks Mom and Dad for the letters and pictures!  Glad to hear that the adoption and blessing went well and cool to see that so many people were there!  What a great time.  :)  That's so fun that you could all be together.  Thanks for all the details and stuff. :)

This week has for sure been interesting.  I was with a member, Oksana, for a week.  We had a good time... there's a pic of a day when we dressed alike and decided to take a pic.  We are twins with my name tag on.  :)

We got to visit with Tatiana again and as usual that was awesome.  We reviewed the first half of the Plan of Salvation with her and then told her about the second half.  It was way cool- she takes everything in so well and is always happy that she learned something new.  She is so busy- I wish we could meet with her more than once a week!!!  It's tough.

Also there is this really great woman who used to be completely non-active, but since we've met with her she's become just less-active.  Her name is Elina.  She is an english teacher and we've actually gone to her class to talk to her students.  They are adults of ranging ages.  She also has another class that is with beginners of the engish lang.  It was way fun.  But we finally squeezed in a little bit of time with her (because she is so so busy.  She works from the morning until maybe 11 at night.  She does all of this for her kids and to help support her family.  Her husband also works.)  and we decided to talk to her also about God's Plan of Happiness.  Things are hard for her because she is the only member of the church in her family.  We told her about what she needs to do to receive eternal life with God and with her family.  She said that she wants us to come back and teach her kids and hopefully her husband as well about this plan.  My heart just goes out for those people who are alone in their family as members of the church.  They need so much support from those members who are their church family, because they get it from no where else except the missionaries.  And eventually the missionaries leave.  But it's hard for her because she also works her heart out and she's trying to raise this family of two kids.  We testified to her about how if she places God first in her life always, He will bless her in all spheres of her life- family life, work, money.  We just have to show Him our love for Him and our faith that He will make everything work out for us.  But she's a really great woman- I love her a lot.

Besides that, you would not believe it, but I've been using my haircutting skills... haha!  okay just once.  There's this girl Djenna, who is 15 and starting up 9th class today.  yesterday, I gave her a haircut.  :)  Her and her mom struggle with money, and she's wanted a haircut, but they haven't been able to pay for one.  So that was fun.  :)

And of course, so very important, we had the dedication of the Kiev temple on Sunday!!  Oh it was wonderful.  There were probably 30 members who came to the dedication.  Our bishop made sure that it was a very special occasion- they deep-cleaned the church building a week before the dedication., and no one had been allowed to go in until Sunday.  He wanted it to have a clean, pure feeling like is present at the temple.  When we walked in, there was a slideshow playing of photographs of inside the temple.  It was so cool.  There really was a very special spirit there.  And the temple looks soooo beautiful!  Of course Pres Monson talked at the dedication, and it was super funny.  Everything was of course also translated into Russian.  There was this guy translation for Pres. Monson, and he was pretty good because Pres. Monson just winged the whole thing and most of the time, he was cracking jokes. :)  But I was touched at how excited and inspired the members were here for a new temple even closer to them.  It was a great day.      

So I am still here in Barnaul and I have a new russian comp.  Her name is Sister Fesenko.  So I hope and pray that it will be a good transfer.

Well I love you all and I hope you have a super great week!  Mom, tell me how your B-Day was!  Dad, I hope you have fun riding your motorcycle!  Hope it won't be too cold too soon!  (p.s.- It is SO hot today!)

I love you!
Sister Reed :)

Hello loved ones!!  Thanks for the e-mails!  (And thanks Ashley for sneaking in an e-mail to me :) You're the best! )

Well as you know this week I was in Tomsk, a different city about 9 1/2 hours an a bus.  It's a pretty cool city!  It reminds me of Irkutsk because it's smaller and has cool buildings like they do there.  The best part is the beautiful, big church building they have there!  It's the nicest I've seen yet in Russia.  I was with a Ukraninan sister named Sister Tanadaichuk.  We actually knew eachother in the MTC and have seen each other since we've been on our missions.  We had a good time together.  The sisters in Tomsk have amazing investigators, and that's who we met with most of time there.  I barely knew them, but I loved them for their faith and willingness to test our teachings and act on faith.  We actually set a baptisimal date with one of their investigators, so that was awesome.

On Sunday we decided to fast for the investigators in Tomsk, and I also fasted for mine here.  I have such a testimony of fasting- it works every time I fast.  I always also receive some kind of spiritual revelation that I needed at that time when I sacrifice for the Lord and fast.  After we fasted we were able to set a baptisimal date, and I've only been back one day, so we'll see what happens here in Barnaul. :)  Sister Tanadaichuk is a great teacher, and I learned a lot from her.

So that was my week!  Now I'm with Oksana, a member here in Barnaul.  She's been on a mini-mission, so she knows how to work, and the importance of keeping busy!  :)  Tomorrow we find out about transfers, and this time it's really a mystery.

I'm excited to hear about how everything went with the adoption and such!  Also, I hope that the adoption party was fun!  Mom, I thought about it, and do you remember that book about the Hungry Catepillar?  I don't remember exactly what it's called, but I remember that it had holes in the page and the catepillar eats all sorts of fruits and veggies.  That was one of my favorites. :)  I promise I will write something for her scrapbook, too.  I need to take time to think about it, so I will write it and then write you, ok?

That's so fun that Dayton and Clay were able to come there... I wish I could be there too but I will see you all soon!  I've been looking forward to you all coming in a few months as well!  I'll try to find out my release date and then let you know.  It's crazy how time is flying.

I hope you have fun riding your motorcycle, Dad!  Sounds like a great time!  I hope that someday I can get one and ride with ya... :)  By the way, I don't remember what the driver says.... I have a hard time remembering any song these days... :(  I hope you're happy about the house you're in right now and not bummed about not buying the other one.  Well I love you and good luck with everything!  Keep up the family history work!  How's it going, by the way?  I love you and thanks for everything!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TOOTS!!!  Haha... I mean MOM!!  :) :)

I hope that it's super awesome for you!!  You're the best!

Well I love you all and I hope you have a great week!!!!  You're all super great!!

Love,
Sister Reed :)

1) Are these flowers familiar?  They totally remind me of my childhood

                          2) I love this picture

                        3) Hanging out in his yard

                                4) More flowers

                                           5) Me

                        6) Someone's little dacha house

7) Everyone by the new to-be building.  yes, right now it is called "Mirage"

                           8) me and Sis Tanadaichuk

Hey!  So I realize that I am writing earlier than usual, so I am excited to get extra cool letters next week!

So the reason that I am writing now is because I am leaving for a new city, Tomsk.  My comp left today to go to a youth conference, so I will be without a comp for the last 2 weeks of the transfer.  So for a week they are sending me to Tomsk to be with a sister there and then I will return and have a memeber be with me here in Barnaul for a week.  Fun times.  It is kind of a pain, but that's the deal.  So I will be leaving today and will be on a 9 1/2 hour bus ride (gross).

But the good news is that we finally saw Tatiana this past week!!  :)  Oh my goodness I just love her.  We decided to just stop by because we figured that it would be easiest and she ended up being home and having a few minutes to visit!  We were so happy!!  And she was happy to see us!  So when I get back we will for sure be meeting with her more often because she is almost done with the remont (construction) she's been doing on her house.  Going and seeing Tatiana was really healthy for me because it reminded me of how much I really do love Barnaul.  It was hard for me to come back here after my visa trip, but when I got the call that I would go to Tomsk, my heart sank because I did not want to leave!  Then I found out that it would only be a week.  But the people here are amazing.  They are so strong and such great examples to me.  The church is true!  If it were not true, I think that that these people who are pioneers in this country would quit and not stay as dedicated as they are in the gospel.  Heavenly Father does watch out for all of His children!  He knows and loves each and every single one of us.  He gives us tender mercies and performs miracles in our lives every day.  I know that He lives.

Also, something cool was that we went and helped Marina again on her dacha.  (Garden get-away place.  i.e.- Satan's tool for consuming time and energy on Sundays instead of coming to church)  It was way cool.  I love the dachas.  It makes me want to have a garden someday.  :)  Marina was a bit late, so we decided to walk around the little dacha community area and take pictures.  I got some really cool ones, but I can't plug my camera in here.  So next week I'll send them.  But yeah it was way cool.  So we pulled weeds again for a couple hours.  It was actually pretty fun- the neighbors had their radio going and it was like some retro station.  They played some old school Russian songs and American songs.  They played some Cher song, too.  Hah.  But anyway- it was cool spending time with Marina and helping her out a bit.

So the members here have been waiting for a new building for some time, and on Sunday we got to have an excursion of it!  They finally got the keys and everything, and now they need to do some remonting ( I don't know if this is an english word... but it means like construction).  They were SO excited to be able to walk through it and see some physical evidence that this building really is theirs.
Next Sat or Sun will be a broadcast of the dedication of the temple in Kiev!!  So that will be way sweet.  We get to watch it here and everyone's pretty excited for it.  I think it's kinda inspired the members here to work harder so there can be a temple someday in Russia.

I was way happy to get a letter from Dayton and Ash!!  Thanks so much!   I love you!!!  Oh p.s.- Dayton, I found out what profession you need to look into.  I had this dream that last week that I went to the dentist to get a tooth pulled, and you were there assisting!  And it was in Russia, haha.  So the doctor allowed you to do it!!  Hah- I can't tell you how it turned out, but I think it was a sign that you need to go into dentistry!  :)  And hey... ты собираешься что бы ехать сюда?  

Hey, can anyone tell me when Kimberlee's B-Day is?  Thanks! :)

Well I love you all very much and I hope all is well with you!!  Stay happy and healthy and always remember to pray!!!

Love,
Sister Reed :)

Hey! How's it goin???

So you would not believe it but I made lasagna again this week... twice.  I don't know if I can look at lasagna again for a while...
But it is such a hit here and everyone wants to try it!  And I;m not gonna lie... I've gotten pretty good at preparing it.  :)

So life is pretty good.  Finally a few of my favorite members came back to Barnaul after being gone for a while.  One is this new convert, Vera.  She is soooo cool.  Another is Natalia, and she's just awesome too.  So I'm pretty excited about that.  :)

I've started reading the New Testament because I finished the Book of Mormon and the D&C.  So I'm pretty excited about that!  I'm really looking forward to studying more about the life of the Savior and His Teachings.  I know that we can come so close to Christ when we learn about His life and how He lived.  :)

In a week my mini leaves to go to youth conference, so I will find out what will happen with me.  I feel kinda tossed around.. haha.  It's kinda taking away from the stable-ness of missionary work-- if missionary work deserves that kind of description. :)  But I know that God knows what's best.  I have learned a ton from being in the situation I have been with my comp; I hope that I have become a bit more responsible, because there is no other choice in my situation, haha.  

Mom- Thanks for writing and I'm glad to hear that things are going okay.  I'm glad to hear that you have help during this time, and that you're not trying to do everything on your own!  Thanks for your love and advice and kind words.  I really really appreciate it.  I'm so grateful that you're my MOM!!!  :) :)

Oh and hey, is there any way I can get the Jolstead's home address?  I want to write Krystine, but for some reason I can't find their address.  Thanks!

                          1) Finland temple in the summer :)

                         2) What does this remind you of?

3) You would never believe me if I told you that I saw Anikan Skywalker on the bus, huh?

4) So it doesn't really look like it, but this guy looks just like Michael from the Office.  And that is his wife, Lena.  They are AWESOME!

But this time it was to the best place.... FINLAND!!!  Okay, it's the second best place... of course home is the first.. :)
So sorry that this is late... but that's the reason.  :)

HELLO!!!

I'm SO glad that everything went well with Mom's surgery!  Really, I prayed so much for you, Mom, and I hope you are feeling okay!
Good luck with the house-buying.  It will be interesting to come home to a new house, but I guess all the cool kids get to do it!

So this week was pretty.... amazing.  Yes, I just got back from beautiful, clean, wonderful Finland yesterday.  The trip back was way harsh... we had an hour flight from Finland to Moscow.  Then we had a 5 hour wait until about 2:15 am when our flight was supposed to leave to Novo.  But our plane was delayed until 3:55 am!!  Can you believe it? So we were on that flight for about 5ish hours.  Then we got to Novo and left on a 5 hour bus trip to Barnaul.  You know me and I can't sleep in transports, so I was dead tired by the time I got home.

But I'll tell you about our trip:
So we stayed in this was awesome HOTEL.  Usually we stay in the guest house by the temple, but it was full.  When we got there we went on a ferry ride to this island that has cool caves and stuff.  The caves were completely dark, so we took pictures along the way to light up our path.  :)  Oh and we were also eating ice cream in the cave so it made it a bit trickier.. :)  Then it started to pour rain!  So we got pretty wet.  After that we went back to our hotel and ate.  We were super tired so we went to bed.

The next morning we got a glorious continental breakfast that came with the hotel, and then we went off to the temple.  Oh my goodness, the temple was ....... wonderful.  I needed it so much and it was the biggest blessing to go there.  What's cool is that there we have little translator machines because everything is in Finnish, and there's about 5 languages on there.  Sometimes I would listen to English, and sometimes switch it to Russian.  :)  It's pretty cool.  So after the temple we went back to the airport and started our trek home to our cities.

To be honest, I know I need to repent for this, but I had the hardest time coming back to Barnaul.  I know what waited for me there.... not too much.  We are so dry of investigators right now... we have some, but are having the hardest time working with them or they have no time... blah blah.  And I really got quite cynical and didn't want to come back.  And I also found out that I only have about 5 months left on my mission.  I might have to go home a month early because of our visas.  (p.s.- you might want to look into tickets and stuff if you still want to come here... and will you need any kind of visa?)  So I was depressed about that and had a mini crisis.

Good thing today we had a great District Meeting and made some goals for the future of this city.  We got reminded that God has a plan for these people.  And I was only thinking about myself.  About how hard it is and the lack of success we are seeing.  But I know that if we just do our part and do our very best, God will find a way for us to find new investigators here.  Even in ways that we would not expect.  He truly does perform miracles, and I only have 5 months to do my part.  So that was a pretty big reality check for me.
So I hope that in some future e-mails I will be able to tell more exciting news!    

Mom: Thanks for such a wonderful letter!  I love you so much and am so proud of who you are!!  You are so wonderful, and I can't wait to go on our trip together!!!  Sounds like things have been great.  Yes, I did write Dave, I guess it just hasn't come in the mail yet?  I love you and keep being awesome!  Feel good!!!

Dad: Thanks for the letter and the support!  It was good to hear that all is well with you!!  I love you and can't wait for you all to come here!  :)

I love you all!  Keep being great and stay happy!!

Love,
Sister Reed :)

1) English class that I went and talked to... Elina is the woman on the left of me.  She is inactive and an English teacher.  We went to her school.

                                     2) VW in Finland... :)

                     3) Us excited to be here and waiting for our bus!

              4) Our hotel room-- the comfiest beds I've slept in in a year!

                                         5) The city streets

                       6) Us (sis Fronk and Sis Rivas) on the Island

                    7)Soaking wet and waiting for the ferry to pick us up