Brianna's Writing From Russia: It's back to -30 and we had to put back on our big, ugly coats ... plus, PICTURES!

Hey everyone!

Sounds like you are all doing great! Life sounds like it is crazy, as usual...you're all amazing.

So, the warm spell is over...it's back to -30. It's ok though. Sister Hakes and I weren't too happy to put back on our big, ugly coats...but they are sooooooo worth it. The work is continuing to roll forth. I love Chelyabinsk. The branch here is pretty big - considering. I mean when I think about how there are 3 areas in the branch (the zone leaders have an area and we have 2), that can be kinda sad, but it's much bigger than our branch was in Ekat. (There are only branches and districts here). Chely has 2 branches and there are some VERY strong members. When the weather was warmer we had a lot of attendance at church, but yesterday it was really cold and not very many people wanted to venture out. It's the kind of cold that hits you the minute you open the door - you're body freezes and your breath catches in your chest, but after a few coughs you're good to go, as long as you stay bundled up and keep moving. This last week really was sooooo great. I absolutely LOVE my companion. The work we are doing is exactly what I always imagined missionary work to be like. We are working so hard - and there are so many people who are willing to meet with us. People in the branch are giving us referrals, even though we are two Americans who can barely speak the language. The Lord really is helping us. I am constantly amazed that we are meeting with people and speaking to them and teaching them all in Russian! I know that I alone, could never do that. This is the Lord's work and he is preparing the way for us. We worked sooo hard this week to try to get 20 meetings (that's the mission goal). and we ALMOST did. Don't worry, we'll get it next week. We had WAY more than 20 scheduled, but people are people so a lot of those appointments didn't end up happening. I've never had such a busy schedule before though, with so many people to teach, it's amazing.
One day, we had six meetings scheduled, but ended up only meeting with 2 people - it was probably the best day I've had though. We ended up in the completely wrong place, and the wrong time, and we had already gotten jaked a couple times, but if all of that hadn't happened, we wouldn't have found the 3 new investigators who were interested in the gospel! I love looking for, and seeing the small miracles every single day here. My companion is incredible - she is so fun and so dedicated to the work. She is from New Mexico and super cute. I think she has a blog (you should try to find it). She is so smart and has such a good work ethic - we are having the time of our lives and seeing so much success. I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY.

So, apparently I am not the most descriptive...I'm so sorry about that. I think my time limit on the internet has a lot to do with that. The minute I sit down I forget what happened this week and what I have told you before. So, let me tell you a little about Russia.

Chely is a very polluted city, but beautiful. EVERYONE, well almost everyone lives in a little apartment in the tall, ugly apartment buildings. There are a lot of cars on the street, but I've only met one family that has a car - everyone takes transportation. The buses and tramvys and marshrootkas. Marshrootkas are what we use the most here in Chely and they are just vans - tiny and squished - but cheap! :) Everyone smokes or drinks - I'm finally starting to recognize if someone is drunk or not. All of the women are beautiful and not very many people wear makeup. They put dirt on the ice to keep it from being slick, so everyone is always dirty, but upright. The other day we saw a homeless lady on the street, feeding a wolf. I SWEAR IT WAS A WOLF. haha sister Hakes and I couldn't believe it! There are forests all around the cities and little parks everywhere - I'm sure it's beautiful in the spring. When someone lets you in their house, they are extremely sweet and they insist on giving you scorching hot chai. My tongue has been burned since my first week here. I am thinking seriously about purchasing a black fur coat - they are so cute here - but I feel bad about thinking about it because my dad is environmentalist of the year...does that make me a terrible person?

There are flower shops at every bus stop, but I rarely see anyone with flowers. (except in Ekat there was a rose outside our door almost every day - I think I sent a picture of one). Our landlady in Chely decorated our apartment with little doilies and stuffed animals everywhere - that's like every home pretty much. The babyshki really are the cutest things I've ever seen. They are tiny and wrinkled to an extent that their previous face is completely unrecognizable and they always have their big felt boots and their scarfs wrapped around their face. I love it. No one has great teeth here, so sometimes conversations start with people commenting on my teeth. :)

K...I know that wasn't very descriptive...but that's all I got. I love you
all so much xoxoxoxoxox Have a great week!

Love always,
Sister Hansen