Blessed.

I don't really know where to begin. This week has been a whirlwind. I don't think I have ever had a busier week in my entire life. It was the most perfect last week that a girl could have ever asked for. We met with every member at least once. We cut out our lunch and dinner breaks because we didn't have time to squeeze it all in. I don't really know how to explain anything right now because it's a little bit hitting me that I am going home. It hasn't been real because there has been so much to do that I just didn't think about it. But sitting here in our cute little branch building in Lipetsk, Russia home to some of the best people in the world, it's hitting me that my time as a missionary is coming to an end. And that's hard. I have loved my mission with my whole heart. It's the best thing I have ever done. I can't imagine not being a missionary, not getting to experience this. I love these people. I love Russia and I love that Russia has become a holy place for me. Here, I learned how to love, I learned how to pray, I learned what it means to put every ounce of effort, heart, and soul into something and see what comes from it. I learned of my Savior Jesus Christ and that his atonement is not just for sinners, it's for everyone. There is a strengthening power of the Atonement and I can say I have truly felt that power on my mission to be able to do all that is needed here. 

My mission has been a series of miracles. Even just this week there have been too many miracles to count. Maybe the time the member called me to tell me that her husband was coming home early from work so that they could do family home evening together, seeing our newly baptized members pass the Sacrament or teach Sunday School, seeing our Relief Society sing together in Sacrament meeting, and seeing one of the less active members that I love the most come to church with her family for my last Sunday when they hadn't been in over six months. I have been the most blessed girl in the whole world to be able to serve in Russia, to be able to serve these people. They are strong people, they know how to weather a storm and they have done so many times. They are kind people, good to the very core, it just takes a little time and effort to get to the core. They are loyal, they are giving, they are wonderful. I have been blessed by the missionaries I have been able to serve with. It's like they gathered the best people in the whole world and put them in one place and that's our mission. I have loved being around them, seeing their light here, seeing how they love the people. These people are my best friends, they are the people I have labored with day in and day out to see the Gospel take hold here. And it's happening. Russia has a wonderful future ahead of itself. The light of the Gospel is spreading, it started as an ember but the flame is growing, and it will continue to grow until it can be seen from across the world. The members here are strong, they are capable, and they have a testimony of Christ. I am honored to have been able to serve here. I cannot adequately express how much love is in my heart for this country, these people, this time in my life, and the opportunity I have had to be an official representative of Jesus Christ. I know that missionary work will be apart of my life, I am not worried about that. I will continue to serve and to work hard. My heart is breaking that it won't be here among these people whom I have grown to love so much. 

This week was everything I could have asked for. I mentioned one of my favorite moments earlier but I wanted to talk about it a little more. The members have made this week perfect. They all invited me over multiple times and fed us way more than any person should be fed. I have been here for about nine months and it's been amazing to see how these people have changed. They are growing in the gospel, they are rising to the occasion. I have every feeling of a proud mom as I watch them take huge steps in their lives that will bless the church here for generations to come. I have met with an inactive member and her little daughter (she's almost two and quite possibly my favorite human) every week since I have been here. She's only been baptized for two years and she's darling. She has a desire to come to church but her husband works all day every day and it's not possible for them to come. She told me she would adopt me if I stayed here in Russia. She invited us over this week and taught us how to cook a traditional Armenian dish. While we were there she told us she was going to try to come to church. I wanted her to come so badly but didn't think it would be possible. Sunday morning rolls around and I was running around like crazy as usual. One of the elders came in to the Sacrament hall and said, "You're going to want to see this." And I walk out in the hall and there they are. The whole family. The husband had brought them so they could see me on my last Sunday. He was even late to work so they could stay for part of Sacrament meeting. I hugged them and cried like a baby. These members are my favorite people. I love them more than I thought was possible to love someone. Because I've been here for so long, I have had the opportunity to know each of them and to become friends with them. My name was mentioned in every prayer yesterday at church, they asked Heavenly Father to bless me on my way home and to bless my family. One member found out my name was Amanda and said if they had another daughter they would name her Amanda. These people live very simply yet many of them gave me gifts. These people have taught me how to love, the importance of family and that family is everyone around us as we are all children of God. I have been changed by these people, by loving them, and being loved by them. I have been changed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He invites us all to come unto him, to rest from our burdens, to find joy. 

It's been the best 18 months of my life learning those lessons. I will miss these people, this country, this time of my life. I will miss the craziness of two American girls living in a random Russian town. I will miss being a missionary in Russia. I am sad I will not be here to see our mission reach the goal of 130 baptisms. But I know it will happen. I have every trust and confidence in the missionaries here that they will make it happen, because we know that it in all actuality, God's doing the heavy lifting. We live our missions, we work hard, we play hard, and we are obedient. We do everything we can and then God does the rest. We will reach our goal. There's no stopping it. Earlier this week we had someone ask us if we thought that anything could really change the world, really make people better. All the missionaries answered in unison, "Yes, the gospel." And it's true. The world is being changed by the gospel. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland says, " Take heart. Pure Christlike love flowing from true righteousness can change the world." The world is changed one person at a time. We have the opportunity to see that change, in others and in ourselves. We have the gospel of Jesus Christ which will facilitate that change quicker than anything else. Our message is that Christ lives, He loves us, and we will see Him again. Our message is of His love, pure and strong for every person on this earth. A while ago I wrote this: 

"I don't know where to begin to explain the feelings in my heart. Love. What is love? Not momentary or fleeting. But love, charity, brotherly kindness? What is love? Love is service; love is giving up your seat on a crowded bus. Love is a fresh pot of soup left with care. Love is endless flashes from a camera, desperately trying to capture every moment. Love is kindness. Love knows no boundaries, love feels no pain because love has overcome pain. Love is not dependent on returned feelings. Love exists despite all odds, despite fear, despite darkness. Love is warm, encompassing, overwhelming. Love leaves marks greater than any injury ever could. Love is the instruction set to life. It is impossible for us to know every heartache, every tragedy, every injustice. But there is something every human can share and that is love. Let life be a book, let our daily lives be recorded there, let the content matter less than the means by which it was accomplished, let the pen we use be love. Let us record our lives in love, let the pages of this book of life be so full of ink it is nearly impossible to distinguish one word from the other. Let us record in love. Let us live in love."

I don't think I have much more to say. I have been the luckiest girl in the world. I will be forever grateful for this mission and for all I have learned. I have seen change, real change, permanent change for the better. And I know I have more to do. "Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory!" There is much to do. We all have something to contribute. I love you all dearly. Thank you for sharing this mission with me. Thank you for your support, your emails and letters, and your love. I'll be seeing you soon. 

С любовью, Сестра Хэррис

Pumpkins and Blessings.

11/02/14

Well, hi there! This week has been one of the greatest of my whole mission. I loved it with my whole heart. We had our branch Halloween party on Friday and it was a hit. We had games, a photo booth, way too much candy and cakes and donuts, pumpkin carving, and we even had trick or treating from classroom to classroom in our branch building. Everyone worked so hard to put it together and it turned out so well. We ate sugar until it came out our eyes and we even had two of our primary kids put on a break dance show for us. It was quite the adventure finding pumpkins to carve. They don't sell them in the store but we found them at a rinok (outside market). We went with our senior couple and ended up buying 10 pumpkins. Everyone was flabbergasted that we didn't want to eat them but that we wanted to carve them. We took a picture of us will all the pumpkins and caused quite the scene. I love Russia. The best part of the week though was without a doubt Sunday. The day all of our dreams came true! Haha. But really. The Patriarch and his wife came! They are legitimately the coolest people. They have been members for twenty years and three years ago he became the patriarch of the Moscow Stake. They are the loveliest people. They seem like they have been members their whole lives. The Patriarch told us how he met the missionaries outside on the street and they asked him if he believed in God. He didn't really answer one way or another but wasn't against meeting. And now here they are, he's the Patriarch and she's the Stake Young Women's President. The whole day the Spirit was so strong. Our members were so excited to have them here with us and they just brought a special feeling to our meetings. It's really cool too because the wife is half Armenian so our Armenian members were thrilled to death. The patriarch had planned to do five blessings but in the end he had time for eight. How cool is that? Eight of our cute members got their patriarchal blessings in one day. It's honestly the best thing. I was so happy the whole day I couldn't even contain it. It was also so cool because I got to teach temple prep. That was one of the highlights of my mission so far. Getting to teach these people that I love so much about the temple and the blessings of the temple was mind blowing. It was one of those moments where life was just too good to even comprehend. As I talked about the temple with them I was filled with joy, I felt the goodness of the temple in that little room with all of us. I'm so excited for them to get to go and to receive those blessings. In Relief Society we each had the chance to bear our testimony. I listened to each sister bear her testimony of this Gospel, in all it's simplicity and grandeur. These people have testimonies of the Savior and they rely on him, they trust him, and they do their best to follow him. When it was my turn I couldn't really even talk because I just love these people so much and they are such examples to me. I have been the luckiest girl to serve here in the Russia Moscow Mission and in the areas I have served. I am overwhelmed by it. This week we have lots and lots to do. And it's going to be wonderful. I love you! I hope you have a great week. Love, Sister Harris 

18 months.

10/27/14

Well, hi there. 

This week was great. We were in Moscow for three days so my companion could get a new visa. I got to go on a split with Sister Southworth and it was a dream come true. We finally got back to our little Lipetsk town and had so much to do and so little time to do it. But it all worked out and was perfect. On my 18 month mark on Friday a few of our members left to Moscow to go to a training that the mission president and his wife put on for the auxiliary leaders. It was quite the ordeal to get our members to go because it was the first time they had ever been on a train and away from their kids. We finally convinced them to go and got them tickets. Then the day came and we got to go to the train station with them. We saw them get on the train and waved goodbye. I just felt so much happiness that somehow I ended up in Lipetsk, Russia where my best friends are these cute little people from Armenia. Watching the train pull away was one of those moments that I just felt so perfectly happy with. These people are learning and growing and magnifying their callings. And I'm the luckiest girl that I get to work with them and serve them. 

On Sunday the Mom of our family taught her first lesson as our new Sunday School teacher. She rocked it. She's the world's classiest, most put together human and she led a fantastic discussion. And the Dad passed the Sacrament for the first time. My proud mother feelings were definitely on overdrive. It's so cool to see them continue to progress and grow. 

A member came up to me this week and told me I was like a fairy from a fairy tale. That I just came here to do good for everyone and that even my clothes had good, kind fairy vibes. Hahaha. She's one of my favorite members because she's just this little tiny Russian babushka. She asked me to give her some of my skirts so she can wear them when she goes to the temple for the first time in the spring. She's the nicest soul for thinking I'm like a fairy when as you all know, I'm definitely not. I think one of the coolest things about being a missionary is getting to come here and live among these people and to truly gain a love and respect for them. They work hard, they love hard, and they do the best they can. I am happy to be here. 

Since the last time I wrote my 18 months mark on a mission has officially come and gone. Crazy. It has been the best 18 months of my life. I don't really have words to explain it, to explain the growth I've seen in others and in myself, to describe the way I feel about my time here so far, or to explain the love I have for these people and for my mission.  It's been more than I could have ever dreamed of. I love you all. Have a great week. 

Love, Sister Harris 

It's snowing. The what.

10/20/14

Yes. Outside, it is snowing. I was hoping that I wouldn't see any snow before I left but alas, Mother Nature had different ideas. It's okay though. I like it and it makes everything look very pretty. Today we are in Moscow. We got on a train early this morning and just got off about an hour ago. We'll be here for a couple of days so that my companion can get a new visa. That means I get to go on a split with cute Sister Southworth. I am the most excited girl in the whole world. 

This week was great. The Mom of our family is officially our newest Sunday School Teacher! And the Dad was ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood. I got to sit in the room while he was ordained and it was so cool. They are the greatest people and I feel like the proudest mom in the whole world getting to watch them grow in the gospel. We also met with a new family this week, their grandpa actually got baptized on Saturday. He was the elders' investigator and we had a great baptismal service on Saturday. It's really cool because every single one of the eight baptisms our branch has had this year have been member referals. That is one of my absolute favorite thing about Armenians. They love the gospel and then they tell everyone they know about it. Way too cool. 

We also met with the youth of the branch and with our senior couple who is also the branch president. We have the best youth in the whole world. They will be getting their patriarchal blessings next week when the patriarch comes. We had a really cool lesson with them and got to teach them about patriarchal blessings and how they can be a guide for our lives. During the lesson I was just continually blown away by how much God loves us and how he knows every single one of us. I'm so excited for them to hear even more about his love for them through their patriarchal blessings. They are the future of our little branch here and I know they are destined for great things. 

Also, one of the coolest things ever happened this week. Eight months ago when I got to this area one of the first people I met was an eternal investigator. He came around for all the activities and english group and had met with missionaries but never progressed. We all deemed him an eternal investigator who just would continue in his ways. We even met with him and he told us he liked his life without God. This week, the elders announced that they had been meeting with him and that he had a baptismal date. It will be the last weekend I'm here. THAT IS MIND BLOWING. He came to the baptism on Sunday of the grandpa and to church on Sunday. He's a different person. I honestly cannot describe to you how different he is. And it's been the coolest thing to see. If there's anything I'm convinced of, it's that we live in a world of miracles. 

I love you and hope you have a wonderful week. Love, Sister Harris 

Build Upon the Rock.

10/13/14

Hi! This week has flown by. And it was a really good one. This week we got to get all of our members ready to watch general conference. We met with all of them and did a lesson about the importance of prophets and how cool it is that we have the opportunity to hear a prophet of the Lord speak to us. We were running around like crazy trying to get to each member before we watched conference on Saturday and Sunday together. It was such a cool experience because we got to hear the members' testimonies about the prophets, Joseph Smith and Thomas Monson. They love the prophet. They honor him. And they were so excited to hear him speak. It turned out really well. Last conference I was also here and we only had 3 people come to the Saturday session of conference at the branch building. This time we had over 15, including all of our new members. It was so cool. On Sunday we had over 30 members come and it was a great time. We watched conference and had lunch together and watched more conference. One of my favorite parts of the whole day was sitting there listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing Praise to the Man. I felt so strongly that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that all the people sitting with me, no matter how long they had been members, no matter how much they knew or what age they were, they all knew that he was a prophet too. I like Elder Anderson's talk from conference where he invites to gain a testimony of the prophet Joseph Smith, or maybe just strengthen the one we already have. Do it! It'll be a good thing. Reread the talk here:https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/joseph-smith?lang=eng 

At the beginning of every transfer I like to think of a theme or a focus for the transfer. We had district meeting and decided that this transfer our theme would be Build Upon the Rock. We have such good members, so faithful and so ready to do anything asked of them. We want to use this transfer to strengthen their foundation and to truly build their lives on Jesus Christ. I did some scripture study and found the coolest scriptures about building upon the rock.

 D&C 6:34 Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail.

Our members are facing a lot of trials, probably like members everywhere. Probably like people everywhere. And we have this knowledge that we have no need to fear. We can do good, and even if we feel like everything's going wrong, we know that it's really not. That if we are built upon the rock, the gospel of Jesus Christ, everything will be okay. So we came up with an action plan and planned for each member and what we wanted them to be able to accomplish during the next six weeks. During this process we had an idea. We wanted our members to be able to get their patriarchal blessings but there is only one patriarch in our mission and usually people have to make an appointment with him and then go to Moscow which just takes time and money and isn't too feasible. So we had an idea, what if we prepared multiple members to receive their blessings and then the patriarch came here? We got permission to call the patriarch and explained our idea to him. He agreed! I think that will really be something that will strengthen these people and help them to build upon the rock a little more. Because that's what Christ asks of us. Day by day, little by little, we can come unto Him. And he'll make it possible, he'll give us the daily bread we need to be able to do that. I love this work. I love my Savior and I know that I have received that daily bread, that I receive that daily bread to be able to do all I need to do. I love you! Have a great week. Love, Sister Harris 

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2013-08-013-daily-bread-experience?lang=eng
https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2013-08-012-daily-bread-pattern?lang=eng
https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2013-08-014-daily-bread-change?lang=eng

These have been my favorite videos to watch on my mission. I watch them probably three times a week. Check them out! 

Walking blessings.

10/6/14

Hello! We have had a crazy week. I officially have a new companion. She's from Canada. We're working on it. Just kidding. Canadians are cool. We were in Moscow this week for transfer meeting. It was a great meeting mostly because I got to see Sister Southworth. I love that lady so much. And because we got to see Lenin's dead body that they keep in a building on red square. It was a dream come true. Truly. We got back to our little Lipetsk town and went right to work. We seriously have the best members ever. We met with our new converts this week and with a few other members and did a spiritual thought about fast Sundays and why it's so cool that we have the opportunity to bear our testimonies. Then we committed them to bear their testimonies this Sunday. It's so cool to work with members and to see the blessings that come from it. So we get to Sunday and everyone we had met with and committed to bear their testimonies bore their testimonies. Even our cute little 11-year old Son. It was the best testimony meeting I have ever been to. The overriding theme of the testimonies was love. Especially the pure love of Christ. That is something I pray for everyday and have learned a lot about here on my mission. How to love people and how we can strive to see them the way God sees them. The branch where I am is very young and very small. But we are seeing huge miracles. We had more people at church yesterday than ever before. We had all auxiliaries functioning. We had new members fulfilling their callings. Sundays are my favorite days because I feel like all the work that we do throughout the week just comes together and we get to see these people progress. The best thing. Our cute family are getting callings this week. We are so excited for them and to see all the wonderful things they will do as members of the church. Conference was so good. We have only seen the Saturday sessions but we are watching the rest today. We have been waiting and waiting for conference. It's pretty much been on the same level as Christmas. It's really cool to see the audience and to realize there are so many members of this church. 15 million. Crazy. And to hear how many missionaries there are! Over 88,000. I am blown away by that. My favorite talk so far was by Elder Holland. He spoke about love and about all we can do to lift the poor and needy. I love that he focused on what we can do and how that may not be to change the entire world but we can change someone, something. We have so much to give. We had a great meeting with one of our members this week. Their family is going through an extremely difficult time. During the lesson the member talked about how she would have never imagined that she would become friends with two girls from America but that she loved us. And we feel the exact same way. She told a story of how we were walking outside and she looked at us and thought, "There are my blessings out there walking on the street." It's mind blowing because we are just two 21 year old girls. We don't really know anything and I can guarantee that this member is more of a blessing in our lives than we are in hers. But I also can guarantee that God has a purpose for each of us. And it is to lift the hands that hang down. I am grateful to have this opportunity to do that and hope that it is something I will be able to incorporate into my whole life. I love you all and hope you had a wonderful week! Love, Sister Harris 

Three.

9/29/14

Well. You could say it was a pretty great week. And then you'd have to reevaluate and say that it was the best week ever. I am still reeling from how many miracles we saw this week. And yes. OUR FAMILY GOT BAPTIZED. Oh, it was so wonderful. So absolutely perfect. I will start from the beginning of the week. This week was just as bit crazy as it was perfect. We ran around the whole week trying to get everything ready for Saturday. It's not everyday that an entire family gets baptized so we wanted to make sure it was perfect. We planned the program, planned the food for the lunch afterwards, and wanted to make sure that our family was ready for this day. And by John, we did it. And by we did it, I mean Heavenly Father did it because there's no way it would have all gone so well if it was just two girls from America trying to do all of this. There were all sorts of little miracles all week long that prepared us for the baptism. For example, one day, all of our plans fell through. So we decided to get more things ready for the baptism. We got on a bus to head to a store and we ran into an inactive that I've been trying to work with since I got here. Total miracle. By the time Friday came around everything had been done except for getting clothes to our family and the people that would be baptizing them. There, we ran into a little bit of a problem. We had clothes for all the family. And for the missionary that was baptizing the Son and the Mom. But for the member baptizing the Dad, we could not find any clothes. It was a panic time. And then, miraculously right before we left the building we found more clothes and more sizes and were able to find something to work for the member. Saturday morning we were as pumped as we could be. Everything just fell into place. Here, we do baptisms in a sauna. They have a pool we use there. We met our cute family at a bus stop and all went together to the sauna. The elders helped us so much to keep everything going. Our family changed into their whites and we had a wonderful program before the baptism. My companion plays the flute and so the missionaries did a musical number to Be Still My Soul. The program itself was a miracle because our ward mission leader was supposed to conduct but then got called into work. So we got the first counselor to conduct. We found out later that the first counselor got a call right after we did to leave town to visit relatives. But he chose to stay because, as he said, "It's not everyday a family joins the church." The baptism was perfect. Even though during the baptism one of the primary kids accidentally switched on the jets in the pool and it started to fill with more water. Haha. Our lives. The Dad was baptized first. Then the Mom. And then they stood together and watched their son be baptized. After, they all stood together and gave each other a hug. I will never forget their smiles or the sight of them all standing there together in white, just glowing with happiness and sopping wet. After the baptism, we had a couple more talks. One from one of the primary kids. He did so well. He even had visual aids. Haha. What a champ. And one from our branch president. Our branch president is a senior missionary from America. He's also a convert and he talked about how as he watched the family be baptized today he remembered his own baptism 40 years ago and was filled with joy seeing them come into the gospel. Afterwards, we had a lunch at the branch. It was beautiful. White tablecloths and lots of Armenian food. The next day was wonderful too. They all came to church and received the Holy Ghost. My favorite part was when the Son received the Holy Ghost. In his blessing he was told that he will have the opportunity to be a missionary. And that's when it really hit me how amazing my life is. How blessed I am to know these people and to have had the opportunity to teach them and see them come into the gospel. The gospel is never ending. This 11-year boy that we taught will some day go on a mission and teach others and more people will come into this gospel. The ripple effect of missionary work is mind blowing. The Mom said the closing prayer and in it she said, "Please let all people on earth find this church." It was perfect. We also found out from the Mom that the night before the baptism they too had received a call from relatives inviting them to go out of town the next morning. They thought about it and then said no because they knew their baptism was more important. So cool. The Mom and the First Counselor both talked about choices. And how everyday we have choices put in front of us and then it's up to us to do what's right. And that's basically what the gospel is. Consistently making the right choices. And we mess up. A lot. And that's okay. Because we get up the next day and try again. The scripture on the baptismal program was Isaiah 41:10 

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

We have no need to fear. Everyday we have the opportunity to realize that God is with us. We have the opportunity to push back darkness. And on September 27, 2014 in Lipetsk, Russia a little darkness was pushed back by a family who made a choice to follow the Savior. And I'm just the happiest girl in all the world that I got to see it. I love you all! Have great week! Love, Sister Harris 

And I'm okay.

9/22/14

Well. I will probably just start by saying what I always say. This week was so good. I loved it with my whole heart. Being a missionary is just the best thing that's ever happened to me. Here's the news we've all been waiting for: OUR FAMILY IS OFFICIALLY GETTING BAPTIZED. This Saturday. 11:00 am. They passed the interview yesterday with flying colors. We could not be any more excited. These people are so golden. They have been so prepared for this gospel. The Elders have been helping us get the Dad ready too and last week we found out that he quit smoking! So that was taken care of. The only thing left for them to do so they could all be baptized was for the dad to come to church one more time. We have a policy that for a person to be baptized they must have come to church at least three times. The mom and the son had already been four times but the dad had missed one Sunday because of work. We were nervous wrecks the whole week. I don't know if I have ever prayed more or ever wanted something more than for that man to be able to come to church. And he made it! The miracles. They are too good. Their interviews were done with the AP's who were here for our Sacrament meeting. It was great because the AP's are some of my dearest friends and I was so happy they got the chance to meet our cute family. While interviewing the son, the Elder asked how he knew about the first vision. The son said, "Because Sister Harris told me." Hahah. Cute little thing. But really, they are just so full of faith and so ready to be baptized. Here, we do our baptisms in a sauna because we don't have a fount. It'll be a party. A big Armenian one. Also this week I had my last zone conference of my mission. Crazy. I can still remember my first one and how blown away by everything I was. This last one was wonderful. The part that hit me most was a training done by the AP's. One of our AP's is uncannily talented. And he usually includes a song that he has written in his trainings. This one was called the Holy One of Israel. And the line that hit me was, " The Holy One of Israel, drew the water from the well, gave his life away to tell us, We can be okay. And I'm okay." It made me think of a baptism last year in Nizhny. It was a cute little guy from China. He bore his testimony right after he had been baptized and in it he said, "I know that with God, everything will be okay." And that has stayed with me. Sometimes when I mess up, I get really mad at myself. And the thing that I learned this week was that I'm okay. I'm not perfect. And that's okay. God uses broken things. He even asks us to come unto him with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Because he knows he can make it okay. I'm okay. The last line of the song from zone conference goes like this, " And I, though little I may be, I'll follow him with every piece of me. I've got his peace in me." It's so cool to me that people all over the world are choosing to follow Christ. And that our family is choosing to follow Christ and that they are going to show that through baptism this week. I love this work. I love these people. We had the craziest day at church yesterday. So many people running around and so many things happening. But the cause of the craziness was because the people were so excited to see us and see each other. There were hugs left and right, kisses, and so much love. That's why I love this work. Because it's a labor of love: love for the Savior, love for our brothers and sisters (Armenian, Russian, or wherever they're from.), and love for whatever life throws our way because we've got His peace in us. I love you! Thank you for all you do! Love, Sister Harris 

Go and get your one.

9/08/14

What a week it has been. This was a traveling week if we ever had one. Wow. We were in Moscow for the majority of the week doing splits with a couple of companionships of sisters there. We also had MLC and it was the coolest thing. I will tell you all about it. Our mission has a goal of 130 baptisms for the year. We've come a long way and we're working very hard to accomplish this goal. We already have more baptisms this year than we did the entire year last year. Before MLC, Sister Grover and I just talked and talked about how much we want the mission to accomplish our goal of 130. We even talked to President about it for about an hour on the phone, just trying to brainstorm ideas about how we could pump up missionaries to go and get this goal. And then the idea of, "Go and get your one" was born. And it's so cool! Basically, if every companionship can get one baptism before the end of the year we will have achieved our goal. One person for every companionship. And so that's what we're doing right now. We are all praying and working as hard as we can to find our one person. Obviously, that's always been the goal of missionary work is to invite people to be baptized but I think it makes it so much more personal to bring it down to just one person. I have the biggest testimony that we were sent on missions to find specific people. I know that without a doubt. And I know that Sister Grover and I were sent to find the investigators we are currently working with. They are so golden it's mind blowing. They are the biggest miracles. Our lessons with them this week were so perfect. We met at her house once and then they came to church the next day and we met with them after church. The lesson at church was my favorite because we had so many members helping. We had a newly baptized member who was just baptized a month ago, then a member who was baptized 2 years ago, and then a member who was baptized 6 years ago. All on one lesson! We taught about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how the hardest part is enduring to the end. But as I was sitting on that lesson I was just so filled with gratitude for how much these people do, how good they are, and how much the gospel has influenced their lives. They all bore testimony of the Holy Ghost and how they feel so much peace when they pray, how the world goes away and it's just them and God. They talked about how they knew they were on the right path for their families and that even though it's hard, they will be able to endure to the end. Even our investigator bore testimony that she would be able to endure to the end. I love her so much. I love the members here so much. They have become my family without a doubt. They all have hearts of gold. I haven't been feeling well lately and our members called me last week while we were in Moscow just to see how I was feeling and to tell me that they are sad that I was sick. So cute. Being in this branch and being able to serve these people has changed my life. Lucy Mack Smiths' statement, “We must cherish one another, watch over one another, comfort one another and gain instruction that we may all sit down in heaven together.” has become a reality in my life here. President Monson has encouraged us to remember that, "Now is the time for missionaries and members to come together." That is true. I want nothing more than to sit down in heaven with these people who have watched over me, comforted me, and taught me. I hope I have been able to do a little bit of that for them too. I love you all! Have the best week. Love, Sister Harris 

The Great Lipetsk Explosion of 2014

9/01/14

Today is a very eventful day in Russia. September 1st is the first day of school! It is quite the experience. All the school kids here wear uniforms. All the girls skirts, white shirts, and sometimes a tie. And always if they are over 12 years old the highest high heels you have ever seen. It's mind blowing. All the boys are in suits. Even if they are five years old. The girls wear huge bows in their hair with a lot of curls and elaborate braids. And they all bring the most beautiful flowers to their teachers. It's so fun. I love it. This week was one for the books. So many wonderful things happened. The best of which is this: OUR FAMILY HAS BAPTISMAL DATES!!! September 27th. They're getting baptized. We met with them twice this week and they are the most golden and elect people. We don't have to do anything. We just guide them and teach them and they do everything on their own. Their understanding and acceptance of the gospel is off the charts. The mom said this during the Plan of Salvation lesson, "I just want to be baptized. I know there is a lot I don't know but I know it will all come and I will accept it." The what. Who are you people. Armenians. They are just so good. We also met with one of the babushkas in our branch this week and I learned one of the coolest lessons of my whole mission. This babushka lives in a very sad place. It's dirty and she's so sick already and it's just a sad situation. This week she had to go to the hospital. We came a few days after she had gotten home and she told us a story. She was laying in her bed in the hospital and she decided to pray and ask God what she could do for him because she felt she hadn't done anything good for him for a while. Right after her prayer, her phone rang. She answered and her grandson began to yell at her. Right after the phone call, the lady in the bed next to her began speaking with our babushka and asking why her grandson treated her so badly. The conversation made it's way to a conversation about God and about faith. Our babushka found out that this woman didn't believe in God. And then she said, "I then realized God had given me work to do." And by the end of their conversation they had talked about God, about the Bible, and about faith. The next day the woman told our babushka that she now believed in God. Our babushka said that she had realized that missionary work, specifically the work my companion and I are doing is the most important work in the world and that it truly is the work of God. And I know that's true too. I was blown away that a little, sick grandma who was in the hospital could feel the desire to do work for God even though she was feeling so terrible. And that there was even missionary work for her to do there. If she can do that, then I can surely open my mouth and do my best to proclaim this gospel. And each of us can. Member and missionary. There is a lot for us to do. The work is going great! We are planning a group baptismal service for September 27th. Our goal is six people, one baptismal service. Picture it. It's a good thing. Your prayers are appreciated! I love you all. Have the best of weeks. Love, Sister Harris 

Fulfillment.

8/25/14

Hello! It has been quite the week. We had such a good Sunday yesterday. We have these members who have only been baptized for about nine months. But they are probably the best members of all time. They have already given the missionaries three referrals, all of which have gotten baptized. The gems are among the members of the church. It's a real thing! We were at their house this week and they said, "We're bringing our cousin and his family to church this week." THE WHAT? Okay. Thank you, best members ever. And they did! We now have three new investigators. A family. I love teaching families more than anything in the whole world. It's really cool because before I left Nizhny I got a blessing. In that blessing I was told that everything I had in Nizhny would be replaced in Lipetsk. And I was teaching a family in Nizhny. I've always thought about that part of the blessing because everything else had already been replaced, just the family was left. And now we are teaching a family. Miracles. Everywhere. We think they're going to have a lot of questions but when we taught them they were so attentive and listened so closely. They are golden. I'm running low on time this week but I love you and hope you have the best of weeks. Love, Sister Harris

Matchmaking: My calling.

8/18/14

Yes. I know by the title you may be feeling some concern. Do not be alarmed. I am aware that my actual calling is to be a missionary. But this week, that included some matchmaking. I will explain in due time. We had the best week. Seriously. It was out of this world. It was unique because we had the entire week in our area. No splits, just two sister missionaries, one city, and a million miracles to find. The elders' investigators got baptized this week and it was miraculous. We don't have a font here so we go to a sauna and use their hot tub/pool thing. For a lot of the week we were preparing for the baptism and helping the investigators to be ready. And then on Saturday it happened! And it was wonderful. So perfect. In our branch we only have four Russians and two of them are out of town. The other 25 are all Armenian and only the Armenians were able to come to the baptism. Our branch is very young in the gospel but they are growing so fast. They are learning and doing and accomplishing so much. I just love them all and it's so amazing to see the strides they are making. All of that being said, our baptism was definitely an event to be remembered. Everyone was talking loudly and giving direction of where to stand and commenting about how deep the water is. But for the actual ordinance, everyone was quiet. Then, after the first person was baptized, the witness started clapping and then everyone else joined in. Hahah. My companion and I just smiled. I imagined it to be something like the people in Mosiah 18 felt: 

 10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into acovenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?

 11 And now when the people had heard these words, they clapped their hands for joy, and exclaimed: This is the desire of our hearts.

The elders did the actual ordinance and it went perfectly. There was a woman that owned the sauna there and she watched the baptism from the doorway. Afterwords, our cute members asked her if she wanted to be baptized too. Hahaha. She said no. But they were so eager to share the gospel. They are just too good. 

We also had a meeting with a member this week and she does makeup for a living. She did mine but used her makeup so it was all so dark. Soooo dark on me. I came away looking more like a Vegas Performer than a missionary. The great thing was that on the way home from that we saw some people from China who we wanted to talk to but we couldn't think of a way to approach them that wouldn't be creepy. So we ended up asking them to take our picture. It turned out really cool because we got one of their numbers and he came to church the next day. Miracle. 

And now. The moment you've all been waiting for: DATE NIGHT. So, we have this investigator. And there have been so many miracles surrounding her. We met her while contacting in a park that we had never been to and just decided to try one day. That was about three or four months ago. After that we had never been able to get in contact with her. Then one night about a month ago I was looking through the phone, saw her name, and felt that we should call her. So we called and it turned out that she could meet the next day! We met with her and found out that we were the first people she's really communicated with since moving here. She's darling and has the cutest baby. She is from Tajikistan and doesn't really have any friends here. So we were the happiest missionaries in all the world that we could be her first friends. It was also a miracle because we have a member who is also from Tajikistan and when we met with her we told her about him and she was really interested in meeting him. Then. Tragedy strikes when she doesn't answer any of our phone calls for the next month. Then, this week we saw her when she was getting on a bus and we were getting off so we didn't have any time to talk to her. So then our member from Tajikistan shows up to the baptism on Saturday and we tell him about our investigator and how she's from Tajikistan too and how she's so great. We also may or may not have slipped in that she was very beautiful and had no significant other... Uh. Yes. So we told him we would try to get a meeting with her and then he could come with us. And miracle of all miracles: SHE ANSWERED. The date... I mean meeting was set up for the following day. We decided to meet in a park that was about 20 minutes away from our house. All was going according to plan until we got on the wrong bus and then ended up waiting for the right one for 15 minutes. We showed up 20 minutes late and they both were already there. Our member was nervous to meet her but we built up his confidence and told him it would be great. When we found where she was he decided to hide by a car instead of coming up to meet her. So we greeted her and then turned around to find him "causally observing" a car a few yards away. We beckoned him over and they hit it off SO FAST. Real. She had been a little standoffish but warmed right up. He was perfect too. Somehow it ended up so that just they were talking with each other and my companion and I were sneakily trying to take pictures of them without them noticing. Normal. Then she took her baby out of the stroller because he was getting fussy. So then we ended up pushing the stroller and being on our own date with each other. Life of a sister missionary. Dates with my companion while also being a chaperone-nanny. It's a good thing. But the member was so good. He talked about the gospel with her and found out she had read some of the Book of Mormon. He also told her about missionaries and why we are. By this time we had already made it all the way around the park and it was getting late so we started to say our goodbyes. Earlier, my companion and I decided that if the member held the baby then their fate was sealed, it would be a done deal. THEN. The baby started to fuss in the investigator's arms and the member said, "He wants to come to me. He wants to come to me." AND HE HELD THE BABY. We died. A thousands deaths of excitement. So perfect. After she left we told the member our plan of how we wanted her to get baptized and then marry him in the temple. He's down for it so all systems are a go. Sister Missionaries, we are in the business of eternal families and doing well. Then on the way home we had to get a taxi because our bus wasn't coming and it was so late. We called for one and then right after our bus came. We decided not to get on it and said, "Maybe our taxi driver will be elect." We got in the taxi and sure enough the driver was so cool. She's a woman and has a baby and a husband. Everything went so well and we were able to ask her a question that really opened the way for the Gospel to be discussed. We got her contact and gave her a Restoration pamphlet. We'll see what happens. I love being a missionary. This is the best. I love you all! Have a good week. Love, Sister Harris

The Armenian Expansion.

8/10/14

I don't really know where to begin. I feel like I say that every week but it's a real thing this week. The majority of this week we were in Moscow. We had two splits and Mission Leadership Conference. So we were the tiredest girls in all the world by the time that was over. I was so happy to come back to Lipetsk. I love that place with my whole heart. President and his wife were visiting our branch this weekend so we got to spend the day with Sister Borders taking her around to visit members. I have had the opportunity to do that a few times on my mission and I love it. We actually have big news coming from the Lipetsk Town: Two people are getting baptized this weekend! They are a referral from a member (MEMBER MISSIONARY WORK IS REAL. DO IT.) They are the sweetest people I have ever met. A man and his wife. Both from Armenia. The Armenian people are just so ready for the Gospel. We had the opportunity to teach the wife this week and it was such a great lesson. She was so open and so accepting of everything. She is a hairdresser and just the most humble person. We will be meeting with her again this week to help her finish getting ready to be baptized. And she's going to teach us how to make Armenian food. We love her so much. It's really cool getting to be in Lipetsk because a lot of the time we are speaking in Russian and then that is being translated into Armenian. So many languages.We had the funniest thing happen this week. One of the children in our branch reads the Children's Book of Mormon everyday. When we were over at his house he told us the story of the Restoration. The Children's Book of Mormon is an old translation so Joseph Smith's name is Yoseph instead of Joseph. So the child in our branch says to us, "It's very strange, this Yoseph man has the exact same story as Joseph Smith." Hahaha. We died.  This week was miraculous in the fact that when we got home from Moscow we were so tired and yet had so much to do. But Heavenly Father helped us so much. Sunday was the most miraculous day. So many miracles. We had two people from English Group come to church and stayed to hear me translate Sister Border's talk. We had a recently baptized member come to church and receive the Aaronic Priesthood. We had all the Armenian babushkas there which was quite the feat. We had another member recieve the Melechizedik Priesthood and members get their reccomends for the temple. Our Primary president was gone this week so I taught Primary. Plot twist: all the children there only spoke Armenian. What an adventure that was. These children needed to be entertained for over an hour and a half and we didn't even speak the same language. Hahah. If a couple of years ago you would have told me that I would be teaching Primary in the Russian language in Russia to 8 children from Armenia I would never have believed you. But now it's just a normal thing. I just feel so happy to be a missionary and to be where I am right now. These members are the cream of the crop. So humble. So happy. So willing to live the Gospel. I am blown away by them everyday with their dedication to the Gospel. And their sassiness. The sassiest people in the whole world. That's it for our week. We are working hard. We contacted a family last week and I hope that we'll be able to meet with them this week. I love you! Love, Sister Harris 

And let us not be weary.

8/04/14

Hi! What a week. We were in Moscow or on trains for the majority of this week so it was crazy busy trying to do that and keep up with our area as well. But we did the best we could and that was enough. (Secretly that's a huge principle that we've been learning lately. Just doing what we can and letting Heavenly Father do the rest. It's a good thing.) This last week we decided to teach all of the members the Restoration. And by that I mean we did Inception Teaching and just had them teach us and bear their testimonies. It was honestly the best thing ever. Some of the most spiritual experiences I have ever had with members. Our branch is really unique because the majority of them are from Armenia and have been members for less than three years. They're so young in the Gospel. And that has become one of my favorite things about them. They are so humble, so ready to be taught, so brave, working so hard to make the Gospel a part of their families, their lives, and their futures. While visiting with one of them this week we asked the 9-year old son to teach us the Restoration. He told us the entire story in so much detail and bore his testimony at the end. He's already such a good missionary it's mind blowing. We had a branch picnic and he and his brother invited their friend. The friend came and they talked to him all about the church and explained what prayer was before we blessed the food and just were so excited to share that part of their lives with him. It was so cool to see. We asked him what he would say if his friend asked him why the Restoration was important. He said that it was important because we know we are on the right path. We don't drink and we don't smoke and we don't do bad things. The Church will always help us to become better people. He's so right. That is exactly why we have the Church. It is so cool to hear such basic, yet vital truth come from someone so young. I have learned so much my mission about the importance of raising a righteous family and really basing everything off of Christ. I am in Russia, a half a world away in a branch of Armenians who aren't experienced in the Church and they are doing what people all around the world are doing: trying to follow Christ. The Church is true. This has been my favorite scripture of the week: "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."  Galations 6: 9

I love you! Have the best week. Love, Sister Harris

International love.

7/28/14

HI. What a week. What a crazy, crazy week. This week was absolutely perfect in all of it's insanity. We had splits and that means I got to see cute Sister Southworth! She's the best human. I love her with the whole heart. It's so fun to see her and to see how much she's doing and how much of a fantastic missionary she is. She gave a spiritual thought and I was blown away by how well she speaks Russian. She's a champ. I was with her companion this time and it was one of my absolute favorite days of all time on my mission. It was perfect. They have an investigator who is probably one of the most elect people I have ever known. They met her at a grocery store where she works and she wanted to learn more. Now she has a baptismal date. We watched the Testaments with her. **WARNING: Will get sappy from here on out.** We watched the Testaments and it was honestly one of the most spiritual lessons of my mission. The investigator has such a strong testimony and love for Christ. She loves Him. And she loves the Book of Mormon. And I have just been thinking lately about how much I love the Russian people. And how much I love teaching them the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We work so hard, day in and day out just to find somebody who will listen. And when they do, it's the most rewarding thing in the whole world. The Testaments is about the people on the American continent right before Christ comes. The story follows a dad and his children and how they are living before the Savior comes. The dad has been faithful his whole life and has been waiting for the Savior his whole life. The children were faithful but mostly dependent on the faith of their father. The son makes some bad choices and drifts away. The dad ends up having to save the son from being killed and in the process loses his sight. When the Savior does come, the son feels so bad because his dad cannot even see him because of his injury. He is standing with his father and the Savior is ministering to the people. The son expresses to his father how sad he is and how sorry he is that he cannot see Christ. The Father says to him, "It is enough that you can see him." At that moment when we were watching that movie with the investigator I was just blown away. It is enough that you can see him. That is perfect love. That is charity. I was especially struck that I had felt that way for the Russian people before. One of my favorite parts of being a missionary is getting to feel the love Heavenly Father has for his children. And in that moment I felt that whatever I had to go through, whatever I had to do would be worth it if these people could just see Christ. Even if I couldn't see Him, it would be enough if they could. We came back to Lipetsk and continued to have a crazy week. So crazy. But so good. A couple of weeks ago we met a vietnamese girl. Yesterday, we skyped with a man who is in america who is a member who speaks vietnamese so he could talk to our potential vietnamese investigator. Turns out she wasn't interested but her friend who was with us and is from Africa was. Cool, huh? And then to top it off we got to meet another girl who is from Tajikistan. We contacted her a couple of months ago and I've been thinking about her ever since but we hadn't been able to meet with her yet. I was looking through the phone on Saturday and had a feeling to call her. So I did and we set up a time to meet. It was perfect. She was so open and so willing and so great. And to make things even better we have a member from Tajikstan who can totally be her best friend. The miracles. They are unreal and the are never ending. I love you all. Have the best of weeks! Love, Sister Harris

The Great Mold Debacle of 2k14.

7/21/14

This is Sister Harris reporting to you live after a week of Russian Realty. Yes. As in the thing where people sell houses and there is a realtor and all of that jazz. This week we discovered our home had mold. And we set out on a quest to find a new apartment. And we found one and moved. And all of this happened in three days while we were still doing missionary work. The life of a missionary is off the heezy. But it was really cool because we did all the work and talked to the realtor and figured out everything by ourselves. Russian Language: 0 Sister Harris: 1. Just kidding. The Russian Language always wins over the Sister Harris. But it was still really cool because we saw the hand of the Lord so clearly through the whole process. We were able to find an apartment and move in such a short amount of time so that our missionary work can continue. Besides that we had a good week filled with lots of missionary work! We had some really good meetings with members this week. One of my favorite members is this Armenian girl who is 22 and her baby and her husband. I just love them so much. She's seriously one of my favorite people to visit because she always has so many questions. This week we introduced her to family history and talked about preparing for the temple with her. IT WAS SO COOL. I love talking about the temple because it's a place that's so dear to my heart. And the members get so excited about it. Pray for a temple to be built in Russia. I do. Because there are members here who want it and who deserve the blessings of the temple. I get blown away everyday that I have been so lucky to live so close to a temple, multiple temples even. We weren't able to meet with our new investigators this week but one of them called us and told us her sister is in the hospital and that when she gets out they would both like to meet with us. This same investigator also has a granddaughter who wants to meet with us. She's already giving us referrals and we've only met with her once. So golden. We also had another really cool miracle this week. When Sister Grover first got here we were in the elevator and this girl was like, " I know you." Which number one, never happens. Apparently I had contacted her a few months ago. And it turns out that she lives in our building. So we decided that we were going to make cookies and take them to her and see if she wanted to come to our game night with us. And it was a success! Except for a few hours before she called us and said she couldn't come but that her friends wanted to come. So instead her two brothers came and were able to meet the Elders and become friends with them. Missionary work will always move forward because it is the work of the Lord, it will always move forward even if it is in ways we don't expect. I'm so happy to be a missionary. This is the work of angels and I'm so blessed for the part I get to play in this. I love you all! Love, Sister Harris 

The Ecuadorians.

7/14/14

Hi. This has been the longest week of my entire life and I have zero idea why. But it's been so good. I have a new companion and we're doing good. We're already seeing so many miracles. We are loving life because of all of the miracles. Yesterday was such a good day. Number one, I just love Sundays so much. They're my favorite part of the week. I love being able to feel the Spirit with all of our members. I love being able to sing the hymns and partake of the Sacrament here in Russia. It's cool that it's the exact same all around the world. Same Church. Same Spirit. We had the best surprise ever yesterday. And it was this. Three people walked in at the end of the meeting and guess who it was? THE ECUADORIANS FROM LAST YEAR THAT I MET IN NIZHNY. The same ones. I freaked out. I made them take a picture with me and they probably thought I was just some crazy white girl. I love them so much. I think they are just so cool because they come to Church every week when they're in Russia even though they don't speak Russian or English very well. They come because it's where they should be on Sundays. Such a cool testimony to the truthfulness of the Gospel. We also had a homerun yesterday. Contact, lesson, and new investigator all in one. The coolest thing. We stopped this woman to talk to her and then she suggested we move to a bench, we got to know her, prayed with her, taught her about the Restoration, invited her to church, and set up a return appointment. It was fantastic. At the beginning of our lesson she said that sometimes she doesn't even want to live. At the end she said that she know wanted to live and that she was grateful she had met us. I LOVE MISSIONARY WORK. But really. It's the best thing that's ever happened to me. I love you all and hope you have the best week. Love, Sister Harris 

The Last of the Mohicans...

7/7/14

And by the last of the Mohicans I mean the last of my time with Sister Kucheruk. You could say I am a sad girl and that would be correct. We got transfer calls on Saturday and found out that I will be staying here and Sister Kucheruk will be going to Moscow to be a Sister Training Leader there. She's such a rockstar missionary and I have loved being with her so much. I have come to love the Russian people even more from being with her and getting the opportunity to see how she serves her people. It's a beautiful thing. I have never known someone so full of so much love and light. Which is just a testament to the people of Russia. I know they are elect and I know that Heavenly Father has some of his most faithful children here. Our week was great. We were in Moscow for Missionary Leadership Conference and it was fantastic. We have the best leadership because they all love missionary work so much. We decided that the Transfer of Miracles will now be done every transfer but on a district level. So cool. Then we came back to little Ol' Lipetsk and worked like there was no tomorrow. We had a huge miracle in that we found an inactive member I have been trying to get a hold of since I got here. We were following the GPS system on our ipod and everything was going well except for I made us get off the bus one stop too early. So we ended up first in a sketchy storage unit area and then on a foresty trail. All the while I'm just following Sister Kucheruk and talking on the phone. All the sudden the foresty trail ends and we are right in front of huge train tracks. Including a hauling train racing down said tracks. After it passed us we could still see a train in the distance and all the sudden Sister Kucheruk turns to me and in english says: "We need to run very fast." I didn't even question her and we just ran across the huge train tracks with a train coming. INSANE. Do not ever do that ever. Then we ended up on another forest trail and finally found the member's house. It was such a good adventure. And it was even better because it was followed by a really good lesson with this inactive girl. The rest of the week was great too. I have come to love Sundays so much on my mission. I love that we have the opportunity to partake of the sacrament and to feel so close to Heavenly Father. I had the opportunity to bear my testimony this fast Sunday and was just struck all over again with the goodness and love of Heavenly Father and Christ. I know they live. I know they love me. I know there is so much happiness and joy that can be found when we do the small things; when we pray and read our scriptures and try to daily become a little better. I'm happy and healthy. We are working hard and loving life. Have a good week! Love, Sister Harris 

The bitter north.

6/30/14

Well. This week winter returned. I had previously vowed to never wear tights again. Because I hate them more than anything in the world. And this week, the tights were worn. And a coat. And a hat. IT WAS TERRIBLE. It was so cold we didn't know what to do. This week I have been on a split with a girl from St. George who went to Dixie. We were both so terrified of the cold it was legitimately comical. We turned on the oven and all of the stove tops to warm our house. Two girls from St. George facing Russian storms is not a good combo. Haha. This week has been wonderful. We have worked a lot with the members and I was reminded all over again about how much I love the members of the church in Russia. They are stalwart people. They are strong and they are doing their best to love the Gospel. I have a really strong desire right now to find inactives. I was going over our ward list and there are so many people who are inactive. I found a photo album in the branch that was made 5 years ago. Everyone in the pictures except for about five people have now gone inactive. I want to find them. I want to help them come back. We had a branch activity and watched 17 Miracles. It was fantastic. I think it's cool for people in Russia to learn about the pioneers because the Russian people are also pioneers. They are crossing the plains, they are facing persecution, and they are remaining faithful. It's an inspiring thing to be a part of. We have seen huge miracles in the branch here. When I first got here there was legitimately no primary. The kids just ran up and down the halls. Now, the Primary President is taking responsibility. She plans lessons. I help with the music and it's the best. I love hearing them sing the primary songs, bearing their testimonies through music. Last week one of the boys wanted to teach the lesson. And he did. He taught us about the first vision and about how we receive answers to prayers. It was beautiful and perfect and heart warming and all things good. I am just the happiest. I love you all. Love, Sister Harris

Lots of miracles and lots of puddles.

6/23/14

What a week. We started off the week with a zone conference. We gave a training and I was scared out of my mind before the conference started because our misison president and the assistants were going to be there. But it was okay because I got to sit next to Sister Southworth the entire conference and I stayed at her house the night before and I got to go on a split with her the day after. You could say I was the happiest girl in the entire world and you would be correct. And our training even went over well. It was one of the times I have concretely felt that the Spirit has worked through me. We talked about how we can teach with the spirit and learn from the spirit. My companion shared how she found the church and it was so cool because she is a miracle. She is Russian. She is exactly what we try to find everyday. And somebody did find her and now she's a missionary and changing other people's lives. I will send you what she said next week. Also, at zone conference they talked about my first district leader I ever had in Russia. He's a stellar human being. He has changed so much on his mission, physically and spiritually and just everything. He has lost over 90 pounds on his mission. But the change he has made spiritually is even more incredible. He talked about how the beginning of his mission was the most fun. He was with a lot of people who didn't care about the rules and they just did whatever they wanted. But then he talked about how that was not happiness. Wickedness never was happiness. And righteousness always was. He never had a lot of success on his mission. Until he changed. And they had 11 investigators at church last week. And he has four baptismal dates this transfer. He will baptize four people this transfer right before he goes home. So cool. This week was the first of the Transfer of Miracles. AND WE DID IT. We reached our goal. We got 56 new investigators as a mission in one week, more than has ever been done before. Miracles. And there was a lot against us this week. Including the weather. So much rain. So many people didn't show up for our meetings or didn't want to talk to us. I think that means we are on the right track because Satan is stupid and is working so hard against us. This week we had probably one of the most classically bad days it was on a comical level. But really, it was so bad that it wasn't even bad because it was so funny? Does that make sense? We had an awful meeting with this lady and ended up getting thrown out of the house by her sons. Then right after that this other guy yelled at us. Then it started pouring rain. And then while we were waiting for our bus (already in the pouring rain) a car drove by and splashed a wave of water on us. Hahaha. I honestly was so blown away. But that's what makes a mission fun. We have so many adventures. We see so many miracles. Even if they are not the miracles we expected. I listened to a talk this week about the expected good and the given good. They are different but because they are from God, they are still good. God will always give us bread if that's what we ask for, it just might not be the white fluffy bread we wanted. I love you all! Have the best of weeks. Love, Sister harris 

As happy as any man could reasonably be.

6/16/14

Hi. I honestly can't remember what I have talked about and what I haven't talked about anymore. So I'm sorry if this is repetitive. I was reading through my journal the other day and I wrote the exact same story down like three different times and thought it was the first time I had written it every time. Yup. Definitely have lost it. Anyways. This week was good! We were everywhere except our area. That was insane. On Friday I had my last ever visa trip. The last time I will ever grace the exotic country of Latvia. Haha. Our MTC district was reunited and it was the greatest. I love all of them so much and it was crazy to see how much we had changed after a year in Russia. They are all doing so much good, making such a difference here. It's so weird that was probably the last time we will all be together in Russia. I got thinking this week about missions and about how lucky we are to have this time to just do good. I had a district leader once, probably the best missionary I have ever known. At district meeting he read some of the letters from his great-great grandpa who had served a mission in the pacific islands. His name was Obinadi Olsen. And when he served a mission he was married with children. He left them for three years to serve a mission among people he didn't know. Three years. His third Christmas in the field he was reflecting on his mission and on his opportunity to be a missionary on Christmas and he said, "I am as happy as any man could reasonably be." And that has stuck with me my whole mission. Here is this man who is married, has three children, probably a comfortable home and he is saying he is as happy as any man could reasonably be when he is away from all of that? That is the power of missionary work. That is the power of our Savior, Jesus Christ. The last couple of weeks I have been trying to learn more about the Atonement and how that it is not only something we use when we sin, but something that can strengthen us everyday. The Atonement allows us to do things we could not do by ourselves. And I think the more we learn about that, the more we come to accept the Atonement in our lives the more we want to share that knowledge. The more we want others to know of Jesus Christ. It's like Lehi when he partakes of the fruit and then he is just compelled to share it. I have not made it that far yet. But I am trying. And I have felt that happiness, I have been as happy as any man could reasonably be on my mission. I am so grateful for this time. I love you all and hope you have the best of weeks. Love, Sister Harris