A Russian Weekend

What a weekend. 

Four years ago, if you had told me that I'd be fluent in Russian and drinking soda water outside I would have said you were crazy. 

Serving my mission in Russia has been the biggest adventure. Almost every week I'm influenced by the Russian language and culture. I find myself surrounded by situations where I can use my new language. The Lord moves in mysterious ways. 

Just this Saturday, one of my most beloved friends in Russia, Sveta, came to Salt Lake and I was able to take her out to dinner. We went to the temple beforehand so that my husband and I could do family names for her. What an experience. I had dreamed of going to the temple with members from Russia, but I never thought that would be fulfilled so soon. I look forward to finding out where the new temple will be and joining them at that time!

If that wasn't enough Russian love for everyone, the following day, my husband and I had shashleek with a Ukrainian family in our ward. We were thrilled to get to know them better and learn of their stories. What a great family!

At first, I was sad when I found out I did not make it into the Advertising Program at BYU. But diving deeper into my love for languages has really helped me see the beauty of language and linguistics. Languages define people and bring them together. Without the Russian language, I would have not been able to relate to people I love.