First Week in Ukraine!!

(I did not edit for her so forgive the misspelled words)

Sorry no pictures this week :( I can't figure out how to send them and niether can my companions!  We will try again next week! I have like 50 to send though :( 

So I made it!! Thankfully!!! Let me explain some of my adventures that I had...

Ok so last Tuesday (can you believe that it was a week ago, already??) We went to the Salt Lake Airport, then onto the Washington DC Airport.  Flying was fun...I slept... Once we got to DC, I got to talk to my family, which was wonderful!  In DC, a worker from our airline came up and informed me that my carry-on was too big to carry on to the plane.  I was so nervous that they would make me check my bag but guess what?? They did it for FREE!  That made me so happy! :).  I was so grateful! So then we got on our airplane to fly from DC to Austria.  It was a little stormy in DC so we waited for an hour before we could take off.  NOT GOOD because our layover in Austria was only 70 minutes.  However the flight attendents told us that all would be good, so we relaxed. I'm telling you, flying across the ocean is actually pretty nice.  There are a lot of movies to watch and such...However, as a missionary, I tried to sleep the whole way.  I actually slept pretty well too! (about as well as you can sleep on an airplane)! They fed us some pretty darling meals, Austrian food.  The bread was super good.  They also have awesome muffins! :) So anyways... we got closer to landing and we realized that our layover was going to be close, so we told everyone that we needed to hurry...but the big problem was that some of our group was in the back of the plane.  So we got off the plane as fast as we could and ran into Customs. which had a huge long line. By the time we got through Customs, we checked in at our gate and were about to head down to the boarding area (downstairs, outside) when the plane called and said that they were leaving.  And we were stranded in Austria.  6 people in our travel group made it, 12 did not.  So we were stuck in Austria for 8 HOURS!  Luckily the airport was like a little mall so we bought some chocolate and explored a little bit.  Just imagine if IKEA built an airport, that is what this airport was like :) We originally were going to have a flight on our original airlines the next morning, but then we called President and he wanted a flight that same night, so we were rebooked on a different airline.  There was so much time to kill in the airport in Austria.  Sister Lee and I took like 2 and a half hours and gave each other make overs in the bathroom.  People thought that we were crazy!!  Kinda true...but... anyways... Finally we got on a plane (on a slightly scarier airlines) and fly into Kyiv.  We landed at like 8:30 and quickly realized that a few of us (Sister Lee, Sink and I) were missing bags.  We learned that they were in a seperate part of the airport (like a 5 minute drive away). So we went with the AP's to find our suitcases...Super sketchy luggage exchange. The AP's couldn't come back with us, but they let our driver come back as a translater.  Thank goodness because the luggage man was like yelling at us in Russian and we had no idea what he was saying! But we figured it all out and got our bags and finally (after eating dinner) made it to the hotel at like 1 in the morning.  It was crazy.  Sister Lee and I were rooming together so we dropped off Sister Sink then headed up to our room, which we couldn't actually get into.  So we ended up sleeping with Sister Hunt and Sister Clark.  They had both arrived on the earlier plane so they already knew where they were serving, but they wouldn't tell us ANYTHING! (Which is funny because that whole night, Sister Hunt ALREADY knew that we were serving together! and DIDN'T TELL ME!!) 

But anyways, the next morning we got up and ready, and went and met our trainers. That is when I met Sister Busch, our AWESOME trainer and found out that I was serving in Odessa! Funny story about Sister Busch, in Russian there is no difference between SIster Bush and Busch so EVERYTIME she is introduced, they ask if she is related to President Bush.  Pretty funny! :)  We spent that day doing a lot of training.  The next day was the same, a lot of training.  Just explaining some about the culture of the mission, and our goals, and such.  It was super good!  I was jet-lagged so bad though!  Still am a little bit haha :) We also had the chance to take pictures by the temple and do a little bit of street contacting.  With the help of Sister Busch, Sister Hunt and I placed our very first Book of Mormon!! YAY!  It was fun!  I quickly realized that I don't know very much Russian!  I went up to a lady and said, "Hello, do you want to hear a message about Jesus Christ" and she said, "I don't understand you".  And Sister Busch started talking and asked her if she understood Russian or only Ukrainian.  and the lady was like, Duh, I understand both, I just don't understand her.  Awkward.  But I am learning!  I can talk more now, which is nice! :) 

At the end of the second day, we found out that instead of taking a train, we were going to take a Taxi down to Odessa with the 1 other sister companionship that was going down there.  So instead of a 12 hour train ride, it was a 6 hour taxi ride.  Super sketch but awesome!  No seat belts, possibly no speed limit, and a very bumpy road!  At one point, he ZOOMED over a huge bump and Sister Hunt and I (we were asleep) went flying and woke up.  It was so freaky!  We finally got to the apartment though.  Our first night, we spent with the other sisters, Their apartment in named, "THE JUNGLE" and has SO many plants everywhere! But we squeezed in there and went to bed.  There was a super bad thunderstorm that night.  It like knocked over trees and such.  Scary!  We also saw 2 cochroaches!  AND road in a super sketch elevator.  IT WAS SO COOL!! :) 

The next morning, we moved into our new apartment.  We are in a different area then the other sisters so we traveled to our part of Odessa.  We cover Center Odessa and Sueborskey, 2 branches out of the 5 in the Odessa District.  Center is the biggest one and yesterday at church there was about 80-100 people.  Our apartment is one the fifth floor and is up the Sketchiest flight of stairs EVER!  but the actually apartment is super nice.  It is really small, but clean!  No bugs! :) It only had 1 queen sized bed (but the mattress is divided in two pieces).  So sister Hunt and I each have half of the bed and Sister Busch is on an air mattress.  It is fun! Our kitchen in bright blue and yellow and has a nice quote above the stove that says, (In english), "When we are in love, we love the grass and the lightpoles"...Maybe someone wants to explain it to me because I don't understand...at all! :) We have a washer and a clothesline out on our balcony, (that was weird today, hanging our clothes to dry 5 stories up in the air, which clothespins!  Haha!  Other new experience include using a water flilter or not drinking any water, using a European toliet, lighting the stove with a match (that is a little scary but I haven't burnt myself yet!).  Anyways...home sweet home!

Ok so our first real day at work was Sunday.  We woke up, studied and such.  Our branch meeting house is this super cute place in downtown Odessa.  It is by this huge cathedrial and right down the street from the Opera House and Black Sea, (Both of which I have seen in passing).  It is super sweet and bright and yellow.  We went and met a lot of people.  People are always so happy that there is a trio and AMAZED as Sister Hunt and I.  We are the first 19 year old Sisters in Odessa so they get so excited and start hugging us and talking really fast and we just nod and smile.  All three of us bore our testimonies, which was scary but fun!  Odessa has great members, it was like a race to get up and bear testimony.  They are so awesome!  There are so many great youth especially! The center branch has like 3 or 4 sisters that want to serve missions pretty soon, so they love helping the missionaries! :) We helped in Primary which was exciting.  A recent convert taught the Primary (they all meet together), and she did an amazing job!  It was good.  Then we went to Relief Society.  One of my favorite parts of church was all the members would come up and say hi and give us a hug and talk to us, even though we didn't really understand.  One lady told me that I was super sweet and spiritual.  And she was crying, which was so nice! She was sweet! 

This Saturday is a 20 year celebration of the church being in Odessa so there is a big celebration and the missionaries are in choir.  So we went to a practice for that.  SO INTENSE!  The choir director was intense and in Russian so we didn't know what she was saying.  But still trying to sing.  Opa!  But we are super excited for this celebration this weekend!

Oh and last night was institute and seminary graduation for the district.  We went to that, and it was AWESOME! The future of the church in Ukraine is with the youth.  They are AWESOME! :)

Tonight we have a first lesson with a new investigator that we found.  Her name is Ledia and she seems sweet.  We don't know for sure if she is interested in the gospel or something else so hopefully we can find that out today! We are going to teach her some about the Book of Mormon.  We also have a couple other investigators that we are working on.  But then a lot of this week will be finding new investigators because we are in a new area so we have to find the people still!

Letter to President:

 
Everything is going good for me so far! I love Odessa! It has beautiful scenery, but I think the most beautiful thing is the members! They are so strong and willing to help. When we figure out the best way to use members to be more effective missionaries, the work will be so crazy! They are willing and excited to help! Right now we are focusing on a few people and also focusing on finding new people in our area to work with. 
Training is good great! Sister Busch is so helpful and pushing us so much (but not over any cliffs!) We have even done our first Russian phone calls which we were super nervous for!
Sister Hunt and I are working hard and excited to see Miracles!

Anyways, I love this work!  And I love Ukraine and expecially Odessa!  I am so blessed!  I have great companions, and I love being here!  It is beautiful here and reminds me of Europe (like Italy!) We are in the absolutely prettiest part of Odessa which is so fun! Pray for me to learn the language and to be safe! 

I love you! 

SIster Kati Ford