Ariel's Mission in Russia: Ariel's Letter #8 THEY UNDERSTAND ME!!!! May 16, 2011

Hello!!!

WAHOOOO!!!! First of all i want everyone to know that i have the CUTEST NEPHEW IN THE WHOLE WORLD!!! Congratulations to Erin and Ian on the birth of their son Emmett Thomas Fillmore!! And don't worry, i will be pringing those pictures and learning the word for nephew and showing them to EVERYONE!! :)

This week was outstanding!! We had transfers this week and my companion was transferred down to Krasnador. Which then meant that I had to be the one to know the way around Rostov for my new companion! Her name is Cectpa Ivanova adn I actually knew her in the MTC! She is from a city near Moscow and she is SO wonderful! I seriously feel like I am serving with an angel! She is one of the most humble loving people that I know and I have SO much to learn from her!

The other good news is..... PEOPLE ACTUALLY COULD UNDERSTAND ME THIS WEEK!!! :) I feel like God finally loosed my tongue and I can speak!! I have been able to take more of a part in lessons and street contacting and I can understand more! Cectpa Ivonova's English is not extremely good, so when we're home I help her with English and sometimes I have to translate for her... from English to Russian! And then on the street and home she helps me with Russian! It is SO great to have her as a companion! As we taught a short spiritual thought with a member last night, I felt this burning urge to share my thoughts, but there didn't seem like a good pause, and I don't always understand everything... so I don't want to interrupt with a thought about the Holy Ghost when we've already moved on to another topic, but I felt like Jeremiah in Jeremiah 20:7-9 which says: "O Lord, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me. For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the Lord was made a reproach unto me, and a derision daily. Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay."

I thought it was an appropriate time and so I said what I had been thinking. They listened and then looked at me and Tatiana (the R.S. President in our ward) said that I just listened and watch and then I opened my mouth and I could really speak really well!! She said in Russian something that sounds in teh English alphabet like, Moletyetz and I think it is the best words that ever be said to me! It means like, way to go! You did a fantastic job!! YAYAYA!!! It was SO wonderful to feel like people can understand me and I can share my thoughts. I still can't express myself EXTREMELY well... but that's why we practice right?

We decided this week to pray specifically for opportunities to meet people who were prepared for the message about the Book of Mormon and living prophets. We met this man that day that had been looking for something in his house and run across the Book of Mormon that was on the shelf. He said that it was wierd that he had seen it that day and then that he had met us on the street! funny huh.... not coincidence! He wouldn't give us his number, but sometimes we are there only to plant the seed! I can't tell you how many people we've met this week who say that they already have a Book of Mormon! haha! The Lord definitely put them in our path because of our prayer I think!

It has been cool this week as I have studied and thought I have had some ideas about Alexander and what we can do to help him! I hope that this week we will be able to implement them and keep you all updated! This week we also went on splits with the Assistant to the President. Elder Dana is majoring in some kind of art at BYU-I and we went out and did another chalk drawing! This one was of the plan of salvation. It was way fun to just draw on the sidewalk with the chalk. Cectpa Ivanova and Elder Kempton did the contacting while Elder Dana and I drew. The minute we stop drawing people stop looking and asking what we're doing, but it is a great way to get people to ask about the church.

We also have been praying this week to find a new investigator and while we were on the street we stopped and talked with this girl. She said that she wasn't interested but she has a friend who is really interested adn so she took a Book of Mormon and our info! I hope that she'll get in touch with us. We also got a call from teh Elders of a girl that it is our area who wants to be baptized! She is pregnant right now, and so she wasn't able to come to church on Sunday because she wasn't feeling well, but we hope to meet with her this week too! We're excited and ready to move forward and get things rolling! It says in Moroni 7:27-29, 32-35: "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased because Christ hath accended into heaven, and hath sat down on the right hand of God, to claim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the children of men? For he hath answered the ends of the law, and he claimeth all those who have faith in him; and they who have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing; wherefore he advocateth the cause of the children of men; and he dwellth eternally in the heavens. And because he hath done this, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men....And by so doing, the Lord God prepareth the way that the residue of men may have faith in Christ, that the Holy Ghost may have place in their hearts, according to the power thereof; and after this manner bringeth to pass the Father, the covenants which he hath made unto the children of men. And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me. And he hath said: Repent all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me, and be baptized in my name, and have faith in me, that ye may be saved."

Thus, the miracle occurs when each individual person recieves that change of heart! Like President Eyring said in his amazing talk "Always!" The power of the church "comes from individual hearts changed by faith to keep the commandments of the gospel of Jesus Christ." We are here to help people learn to do that!!! :)

Thank you to everyone for your letters! I LOVE hearing from you all and sorry if it takes me FOREVER to get back to you, but hopefully i can find the time to write you all at least 1 letter!! :) Thanks to Katie Cutler, Simone!, Aunt Susan, President Hunt, Aunt Shirley, Sister Foster, Martin, Jessi Hansen, DaLynn!! And speaking of DaLynn!!! YOU'RE GOING ON A MISSION!!!!! Miss, I will never serve a mission! :) I love you girl!! I was laughing SO hard when I read your letter!!!! You better let me know ASAP where you are headed and when!! I'm SO excited for you and that you feel so much peace about it!! It's a lifechanging and crazy wonderful experience! Now we just need Alicia to go and then our whole apartment will be on missions... well, except the married ones... Jessica and Heather! :)

I love you all and hope that you are having a wonderful week!

Love,

Cectpa Cunningham