Dear Family and Friends!

This week was awesome! I don't even know where to begin! I guess it wasn't that different from weeks in the past, but it was still a really good week! I hope that everyone at home also had a good week, despite illness, leg infections, broken bones, and anything else that may have happened!  

So the highlight of this week was that we found FIVE new investigators! The Lord blessed us so much! It was a testimony builder to me because we didn't spend 20 hours every day trying to find new people to teach. Instead as we went around to visit less actives, or do other activities that we needed to get done, the people that were interested in the gospel landed in our path. So we are excited to teach them and serve them this week! Their names are Nastia, Neonela, Vlad, Nina, and Laressa! Nastia was a referral from a former investigator, Neonela we talked to on the street, Vlad and Nina were referrals from a member, and Laressa walked into church on Sunday. 

Vlad and Nina have a really cool story. They are friends with a member named Katia and every time they are in Odessa they meet with the missionaries. They are really interested in being baptized, but there are no missionaries in their town (called a selo here). In fact, from what I understand, they aren't even part of a mission at all. It is so sad. So we are trying to teach them as much as we can before they return home. Vlad is only 11 and he is the cutest kid ever! I will take a picture with him next time we are together! He loves the missionaries! In fact, not only did he tell us that he wants to serve a mission, but he said that someday he wants to marry girls like us! It was so cute :) 

I don't know if you know this, but now that there are so many sisters serving, there is a missionary leadership position called a Sister Training Leader. They basically do what a zone leader does, but for the sisters.  Sister Leavitt is a sister training leader, so the next few weeks we are going to do a whole bunch of exchanges because she has to be with every other sister. So that is a little crazy! So we did our first exchange this week and we have another one starting tomorrow. I've gotten much better at packing lightly, thanks to these exchanges! 
 Sister Robertson
 Service during our exchange! service was wallpapering but then it got cancelled.  
 
On our exchange this last week, I started a conversation with a lady! She was super interested in the gospel, but the problem was that every 5 minutes, the conversation would start over because she didn't remember anything from before. I think that poor lady had short term memory loss. The positive news is that she wrote down our number like 5 different times, so hopefully someday she will call! 
 
 Odessa is bursting with tourists right now, which is kinda fun! We had an older couple come to church yesterday! They were from Las Vegas, only here for one day on a cruise stop. I thought that it was very cool that they came to church even though they didn't speak any Russian! We tried to teach them how to say Hello, but they couldn't even learn that! It was a good effort though! 

We are teaching an older couple, named Valia and Meheighal.  They are so sweet and always worried about our safety. It is cute :) Meheighal came to church yesterday, even though His wife had to go to the doctors! We gave them some banana bread so hopefully they enjoy it! 


Other news from this week... We spent a bunch of time trying to find less active sisters. We always take a member of our branch with us, which makes it so much easier! But it is such an adventure! Many of the sisters don't live in the same place anymore, which is sad, but good to have an update. On Saturday, we went with a lady names Galina. We went into like the oldest building I have ever been to in my life (Probably older then America..seriously) and climbed up these sketch stairs, and then come to a padlocked door. We can't get through so we just stuck an Liahona magazine in and a little note. It was so sketch! Seriously, part of the floor had fallen through!! CRAZY! 

Also, the Elders in our branch had a baptism this last Saturday. it was an awesome service! I was asked to play the piano for the opening and closing song so I got all ready to do that. Then while they were changing after the baptism, a member was like, "ok, Sister Ford will play and we will sing". So I picked a couple of songs that I knew that I could play, then towards the end, The member (Lisa) started saying no to every song that I offered. So I asked her what she thought and she picked a song that I had never played before! I was so nervous!! But the Lord blessed me because I was able to sight read better then anything that I had ever sight read before! It was a little miracle in my life! 

So... I am so excited because this week, English starts again! I am so excited! We have been doing a lot of advertising for English, which is fun! 
 
 Getting my haircut in Ukraine! So scary! the scarest part was when she styled it! It was SO ugly! Luckily it looked ok once I fixed it! We found like the nicest salon in Odessa, and it was only 100 g. So like 12 dollars! crazy!
 
 

 celebrating the 1025 (i think) anniversary of when the Kyiv empire became a Christian empire. It was a celebration. It was cool. We just walked by but the choir sounded so pretty! 

This saturday is Sister Leavitt's birthday! We are going out to eat next Pday! Also, this Thursday, our landlady is giving us Pedicures!  Also, today Sister Leavitt and I are going to go SHOPPING in Center. They have all the good stores here! Most are SUPER pricy but there are some cheaper ones too! I don't know if I will buy anything or not.
 
 
 taking pics before church on Sunday 


unfortunately, my clothes this morning. I don't know if you can tell, but it is pouring rain. I hope they will dry again someday. 


Sorry I don't have much to say this week! Just know that I am happy and enjoying the work!
Write me :) 
Love you all! 
Sister Ford!