I really feel like I just did this whole email thing... Oh wait, it was only 5 days ago... Oh well!
Here
is the LAST EMAIL FROM ODESSA! wow. Next week I will be in Kyiv. yay!
I'm excited to see where this next transfer will take me! But as for
right now, I'm still here in Odessa, where I spent the last 5 days
saying goodbye to EVERYONE! It's been CRAZY! This week. Seriously...So
much to do and people to see. It's a little stressful. But not too bad,
because people are literally "breaking their backs" (hehehe couldn't
resist) to meet and say goodbye. I have my little "Friend Book" and I've
been pasting pictures of me with members and having them write little
messages to me in it. They are the CUTEST and when I get home, I will
just have the best memories of all my favorite Ukrainians!
This
week we had the Odessa District (like stake but smaller) conference! It
was like an introduction to general conference for us :)! Seriously.
President and Sister Klebingat spoke and we had two members of the
seventy speak! So much spiritual feasting! It was almost all in
russian, even President and the Seventy so it was fun to realize how far
I have come in Russian. Whereas 1 year ago, I didn't know any russian,
now I can listen to talks in Russian and understand almost all of it and
take notes and learn from them! Russian is the COOLEST! :)
Oh yeah, some of the missionaries did a musical number, like me! :) So that was fun. We sang "Like 10 Thousand Legions Marching". Do you know it? if not, that's ok. Neither did any of us when the choir director told us that we were singing that one. But it was fun! We had our conference in a Office Center Place. But it was funny because all the pictures on the wall and everything were army and fighting and war and it was just kinda ironic because of the whole situation here in Ukraine right now. So that was humorous. haha :)
Oh yeah, some of the missionaries did a musical number, like me! :) So that was fun. We sang "Like 10 Thousand Legions Marching". Do you know it? if not, that's ok. Neither did any of us when the choir director told us that we were singing that one. But it was fun! We had our conference in a Office Center Place. But it was funny because all the pictures on the wall and everything were army and fighting and war and it was just kinda ironic because of the whole situation here in Ukraine right now. So that was humorous. haha :)
A
big theme from our conference yesterday and also from the Leadership
Council that I went too has been the importance of acting. President
Klebingat spoke yesterday in the conference about how becoming a saint,
isn't really about doing some big or crazy thing (like crossing America
with a handcart) but rather doing the small things everyday! :) He
talked about how if families aren't doing daily scripture study, or
family home evening, they just need to start. Today. Tonight. Not
tomorrow or next week, but right now. I thought about how that applies
to my life. I don't have a family to do family home evening with right
now, but I do have goals and desires that I want to achieve, so I just
need to start. right now. and do! And I will see the blessings that come
as I do the small things daily :) President Klebingat promised us that
being a member of this church becomes fun, not a burden, when we, with
energy, set and achieve our goals. Isn't that an awesome promise! I
don't really know about in America, but here a major stumbling block
that people face is that "the church requires too much work, requires me
to be too good of a person...so on...". So having President teach them
that the answer to the problem isn't to have the church require less,
but to have the individual members require more of themselves, was
exactly what they needed!!!
This
week, I said goodbye to alot of members, which was sad but also fun! I
love the members here in Odessa! I promised several of them that I would
come back with my parents and my husband someday, so prepare for that.
Also, on a more humorous note, Ukrainians have a special culture of
things they say to missionaries that are leaving. Like, "Sister, I
desire you good health and happiness, cute children and an amazing
husband". If my future husband got more attractive every time I heard
that, my husband would be more attractive than Moroni. So yeah...
Odessa
has really taught me a lot, especially about the church and early
pioneers! I have been blessed to see the church grow and mature in ways
that I would never be able to see in America! The church is small here,
but it is strong and the members are strong! They are incredible
examples to me and I love them so much! I really hope and plan to come
back someday and visit, because the bonds that I have formed are so
strong and eternal! I love being a missionary and forming these
relationships! I love this gospel and this church! I know that this
church is true and that Christ leads and guides it today through the
living prophet, President Thomas S. Monson. I know that he is a prophet
of God and am grateful that he called me to serve here in Ukraine, in
this SPECIAL part of the world!
Love you all!
Until next week, and KYIV!
Love,
Sister Kati Ford
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