My Missionary Journal

Eleven years and three months ago, I returned home from St. Petersburg, Russia, after serving an eighteen-month, full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When I stepped off the plane, I said to my family: "It's so good to be back in the Seshaw!" Ooops -- Russian had taken over my brain to the point that I couldn't remember the proper initials for my home country!

Alas, time has passed and seriously impairs my memory and now I'm embarrassed if I try to speak Russian with anyone who knows it. I can still read it well enough, which is good since I wrote in my journal in Russian. In an attempt to make sure that I don't forget so much that I can't share my journals with my posterity (one of the residual effects of therapeutic journal keeping), I've hired my wonderful friend Ksusha to type up my journals. Yes, yes, I did say that at this point I CAN still read and understand Russian -- however, I also have five children... so taking the time to translate and type it all out just isn't a possibility at this point in my life!!!

I must end this introductory post with my testimony. I have felt the blessed guidance of the Lord all my life! I am so thankful that He allowed me to chisel that time into my life when I could fully focus on sharing His gospel with His children, and I am incredibly grateful that He sent me to Russia to do it. I continue to feel of His directive inspiration and humbly strive to follow it as I now focus on motherhood, another form of divine partnership.

I pray that if anyone has come across this blog (I don't plan to privatize at this point but I also won't be telling people to come read it), that they will feel of the Lord's Spirit and know that He is alive! He is aware of us as individuals; He has a plan for us that is for our happiness! We can best know His plan and reap the blessings of it by becoming one with Him. He has restored His gospel in these Latter-days to give us time to prepare for His Second Coming. I invite you to investigate the Church that has a prophet, the priesthood, more scripture, and so many more necessary attributes that we might KNOW of Him. I stamp these words with the name of the Savior, the name I took upon myself at baptism, the name of Jesus Christ -- Amen!