large amounts of food

Dear Family and friends,
 This week, I ate chicken salad and croissants and cream soda and root beer and dr pepper and pizza and cheesecake and bannana splits and pizza and lasagna and panna cotta and a wierd pea meat thing and salad covered in dijon mustard (not a pleasant experience), apple pie, pasta, chips,and hot chocolate. We ate all of this at members houses this week. This place feeds us like crazy! I feel like they are trying to make fois gros soeur russell style. The members here love their missionaries like crazy. Soeur Rose loves the members here so much that she would jump in front of a train for them. As soon as she starts talking about a member, this visible aura of love shines around her. She is really sweet and she plays the recorder and likes to run ( she does 50 laps around the round about next to our apartment everyday). Valence is spectacular and gorgeous. and thankfully it is not snowing here like it is in Ohio.
 I love you all!!!
Dieu vous aime plus!!!
Soeur Russell

Valence!

Dear family and friends,
I'm writing you from Valence! My new companion is Soeur Röse. ( yes the two dots are supposed to be there) She is from Germany and is super sweet and has a really cool accent. :) I haven't seen too much of Valence but it is simply gorgeous! A lot of green and white buildings and flowers.......
I was definitely sad to leave Aix. The poppies were starting to come out and our amis were progressing so well. Saying goodbye to Jacqueline was especially hard. Funny story though, As she was walking us out of her house to say goodbye, her dog kamikazyed off of a  11 foot edge and Jacqueline was only just able to catch him on his leash. And he is one old dog. Soeur Robison was trying really hard not to laugh at her dog almost dying by jumping off a cliff. Soeur Robison is staying in Aix and will definitely take care of our amis there and I will miss her lots as well. She was lots of fun.
I loved hearing about Zachy's Prom and I loved the pictures even more I hope he had fun. :)
I got your easter packeage Mommy and I love the dress! It is extremely cute. :)
I love you all, we don't have much time today!
Have a great easter and help bring the light of christ into the lives of those around you on Sunday. He truley is the source of all happiness!
Dieu vous aime! ( et moi aussi)
Soeur Russell

Aix-en-Provence Photos

I love Conference!

Dear Family and friends,

This last week, we went to Montpellier on monday night and stayed until wednesday morning for an exchange with Soeur Modersitzki and Soeur Roberts. It was a really cool experience to work with Soeur Modersitzki again now that we both actually speak french ( well Soeur Mod kinda did already when we were in St Etienne, but I certainly did not) and we both have experience. We were both amazed at how quickly time has passed. Already we have been out a year. This last bit has really flown by. By the way, next friday is transfer calls, so next week I might be emailing you late and from a different place. We'll see. :)

On monday we taught english class and found out that the word sassy is very difficult to explain in french. This week, We also found out how much more friendlier people are when you are holding cookies or a balloon. On thursday we had district meeting with baguette pizzas (a missionary staple here in france). It was also Soeur Hirschi's birthday, so we had decorations and a couple presents and we sang to her. That was also my one year mark. ( A whole year!) Then friday, We had the soiree en musique at the church, all the missionaries sang beautiful savior together ( I love that song), Soeur Hirschi sang a song her friend wrote ( I love that song as well)  and I sang journey to the past from Anastansia ( the one that has that absurdly long note at the end). And a lot of members played the guitar, drums, sang...... It was lots of fun. On saturday, We went to a sports activity with Jean ( our ami), we played soccer, which is a sport that I am definitely not good at ( most sports I am definitely not good at), especially since some of the people there are on teams or used to be on teams in college  or high school etc. It was a dirt field, so when ever people were going agressively at the ball, a dust cloud would appear. a lot of the time, a huge crowd of people would go for the ball at the same time and a giant dust cloud would just engulf them. Whenever the ball would come towards me and the dust cloud of people would start moving my way, I would close my eyes and stand still and hope the ball wouldn't touch me or that I wouldn't get run over by avid soccer players. It was kinda like the parting of the red sea, everyone just parted around me. The magic of standing stiff and closing your eyes. It does miracles. I beleive there must be a force field that comes up whenever you close your eyes. ( i'm lying, sometimes it just means you get hit in the head more with the ball) Saturday night we watched The women's conference and the first session of general conference and sunday we watched the next two sessions and today we are going to watch the last session, I love general conference. How blessed we are to have a living prophet. All lot of people in the history of the earth didn't have one and many today don't know that we do have one, Go President Monson! i gotta run but I am sending pictures!

Je vous aime!

Soeur Russell

Mutton, Marseille, Bagels and Cheesecake

Dear Family and Friends,

I have a scripture for the plaque. Romans 8:35-39 or if that is too long just verses 38 and 39. I really like that scripture. My address is 3 parc gambetta Avenue Val St André aix-en-provence. Make sure to write les missionnaires by or above or under Soeur Russell. 

It was exciting to hear about that baptism in Daniel and Jennifer's ward. I love hearing about baptisms, especially of families and couples. Right now in the mission we are really focusing on finding families. Right now in aix, we are only teaching single people, but we are working really hard and findinf a family to bless the gospel with. So I have two weeks to go over since I wasn't able to write anything last week. So last week, highlights were district meeting, we ate sandwiches, a couple lessons with Jacqueline, Nihat, Jean ( a really cool guy from Iran who speaks english, he used to be muslim but now he is christian) And then we had church. We also had to make an emergency trip to Lyon for a sister going home because she was sick. We had to escort her, because she couldn't be alone. There are lot of sisters going home because of sickness lately. We stayed the night there at another sisters apartment. They had 8 bunkbeds that had 3 beds each ( for sisters that come in for confernces and such. So they had 24 beds. 24 beds in one apartment. Thats cool. Then on this last monday, We went to Marseille to visite Notre Dame de la Garde. That is an extremely beautiful chapel. Its on a hill and extremely tall, so it really sticks out from the rest of the city. The word Garde actually means watch, like the Chapel is watching over the city. After that we went and got bagels and cheesecake at this one place with the senior couple there. We were running around for the rest of the day trying to get ready for Zone conference the next day. On tuesday, the Roneys and the Lunds ( he is in one of the quorums of the seventy) came to Zone conference. We learned a lot. :) I also got to see Soeur Modersitzki and Soeur Bowman and S Bouennenotte ( I know I spelt that wrong) and S Roberts. So I was very happy. Soeur Bowman and Soeur BN actually sang a musical number too. We also ate sandwiches. This last week, We also started teaching a new ami named Esther, ( she has been taught before and is visiting her for 4 weeks about) I did an exchange with Soeur Grunke ( a german sister who is super funny)  and I ate octupus and mollusks to break our fast on sunday. And I ate about four mutton steaks last night. Nihat just stuffs us with different cuts or BBQed meat each time we eat over. Good thing we are not Vegetarien.

I love you all lots and I will be sure to send pictures next week!

Dieu vous aime!!!!

Vous etes ses enfants!

avec amour 

Soeur Russell

A Baptismal Date :)

Dear family and friends,

Jacqueline has a baptismal date! We are so excited for her. :) We still need to meet her children and she hasn't told them yet that she is getting baptized, but we are excited that she is planning on getting baptized the 19 of April. She is doing well, but we have a lot to teach her before then.  This sunday, Bishop Caussé was here along with other leaders of the church and the ward members were extremely excited about it. They talked a lot about missionary work and I remember that one of the leaders (who is, if I remember correctly, in charge of temporal affaires for most of Europe) told the members to start preparing to receive new converts, and baptisms will be increasing because the work here is hastening. What an amazing experience we have to be here. And now in Aix we have a teaching pool that is increasing bit by bit. It is also positively hot here. I'm working up a sweat sometimes. 

Oh, also this week, we were teaching Nihat, when he asked an awesome question about staying worthy and whether or not God punishes us. He was very concerned about repentance and mistakes that we make. So, Soeur Robison thinks for a second and says, I actually have a scripture that talks about that. So we open up to 2 Nephi 28:23 Please open up to that scripture. And please read that scriptrure. Feel free to laugh. I'm still laughing. I especially like how it repeats the first part twice and adds on the devil at the end. I also love that, not only is it extremely terrifying, but it even applied to the question he asked. At the end we were all laughing, but I think he was a little freaked out at first. But he did say he would stop drinking :) (don't worry, we explained what we meant to say) 

Quickly, I got a lovely package from the RS. Tell them thank you!!!!!

Je vous aime!!! Et Dieu vous aime!!

Vraiment!!!

Soeur Russell

Chateau d'If, bowing men with turbans, and unneeded pizza charity

Dear family and friends,
Yesterday, I didn't write because we changed our pday to tuesday (just this week) to go to Marseille. :) We took a bus there this morning and we went with the senior couple there and some other missionaries to visit Chateau d'If ( Yes, the one from Counte de Monte Cristo, cool huh :)) and a couple other islands nearby and we got gelato. It was really cool. The gelato was delicous, the islands were gorgeous and covered with wildflowers, the sun was out and it was warm/tshirt weather ( sorry usa, I know you haven't had you fair share of weather lately) and the Chateau was definitely a once in a lifetime experience. I still can't beleive that I'm in france sometimes. All in all, today was great. :)
That is so cool that Zach will be working at the zoo, just like I did. I'll have to write Zachy a letter of what I learned from there, handy advice, fun facts. First piece of advice, take advantage of your breaks. You'll be working at a zoo ( which is super cool) during breaks you can mosey over to the polar bears or elephants and hang out there. I really miss being able to wander around the zoo.
So highlight of this week besides today. We learned that Bishop Caussé will be coming to Aix-en-Provence this Sunday, along with a few other church leaders. We are really excited about that. This week, also, I was making a phone call while my companion contacted someone, when an arabian guy suddenly appeared in front of me, with a turban and beard and everything ( he was just missing the cool shoes), smiled, turned to me and gave me a very formal bow, stayed in that position for 3 seconds, then turned and left, all while I was talking to someone in french on the phone at the side of the road. Still trying to decide what that means. ( Maybe he's a genie? Or Arabian prince who bows at all the redheaded people he sees? Or maybe we met before and I am not remembering this trunbaned man who bows to people?) Also, we passed one man, holding a piece of pizza and soeur Robison said bon apetit and next thing we know this man is trying to give us his pizza in this very determined act of service and is showing us his new shoes and asking us if we can work for his wifes cleaning service. That was interesting.
I gotta run for reals!
JE VOUS AIME!!!!!!
Soeur Russell