Dear Family and Friends,
Hello! How is everyone? Happy March! Can you believe that this month is my YEAR MARK! CRAZY! :)
This week was CRAZY! We had so much going on, but it was so
good! It is definitely weird being in Ukraine at this time as far as I
know, everything is fine and will be fine. Things have been a little
different.
I'm doing a little chocolate fast. So we ate all the
remaining chocolate last night. So much chocolate
our swarma friend, cooking up for us today :)
Thankfully, Sister Lamoreaux and I found the answer to all the
problems in Ukraine... As we were in a taxi, coming home from an
exchange, the following words comforted us "Who ya gonna call?!?
Ghostbusters!" I have no idea why that was playing... but hey, with the
Ghostbusters on our side, I think we're safe :) In other words though,
they play the weirdest music here...
Yesterday, our church services could've been titled, "war, war, the
last days, and more war", but I think our church little branch is a
little dramatic! We just spent the day at church, where basically every
testimony
talked about war and the last days, then Relief Society which was about
"How to find Peace in Troubled Times", :) They even planned out their
emergency plan in Branch Council. You know, "If a massive atomic bomb
goes off, what is the plan? If aliens invade, what is the plan? If if
if..." So many Russian words that I have yet to learn!
It was really funny because in the midst of everyone talking
about all the problems in Ukraine, a little grandma stands up. Sister
Goncharova. She shuffles up to the stand, where they help her climb on
the kid's stool. This last week was the 20th anniversary of her
baptism. So we had taken her cupcakes and talked about baptism. But
anyways, she starts testifying about her baptism and how important
baptism is and then all the sudden she says, "Our sisters are so great!
They brought me cupcakes and we talked about baptism. and oh, our
sisters... Ford! Kelly! (then she forgot the names of the other sisters)
they are great! I love them! They are so good!" and just going on and
on. I was standing at the side of the room (standing hurts less) and all
the sudden everyone starts looking at me. I feel my face go bright red.
There was two returned missionaries in the back, they give me a thumbs
up, the old grandpa in the back winks, and yeah...sufficiently awkward,
but in a cute sort of way.... If you want to make a babushka love you,
celebrate the day of her baptism! :)
This week we spent a lot of time with Natasha, the recent
convert. She has really been having a hard time in her life, so we have
been trying to support her. We ate lunch with her one day, and another
day we went over to her house with the senior missionaries from Odessa.
That lesson was so good, and the senior elder was able to give her a
blessing! I don't think that she has ever received a Priesthood blessing
of comfort before, and she felt the Spirit so strongly. She was so
happy after, it was amazing to see! :) I love her so much!!!!
Also this week, we were asked by a man to come and visit his
English Club.So we did. IT WAS SO FUN! Imagine twenty 14 year old girls,
2 boys, and a teacher (who doesn't speak english as well as his
students think) :)! We introduced ourselves, I drew a somewhat decent
map of the United States and we showed where we were from. We sang the
National Athem. (and NONE of us -all 6 misionaries - hit the high
note...) and then they sang the Ukrainian anthem for us! Then we split
into small groups and just talked. I was with a boy names Vova and a
girl names Sasha! They were just the cutest! It ended with us inviting
them ALL to our english practice, I really hope they come! :)
My cute english friends :)
Wednesday, Sister Lamoreaux and I did an exchange! It was so
fun! I was with a cute Sister Steinaker and we ROCKED Tairova. We met
with a lovely less active, that I fell in love with (I hope I see her
again), helped a lady and her sad, cripply dog, accidentally went to a
lady that they had planned to see the next day, met a man on the street
that insisted that I come to dinner with him (who knows what happened
when I didn't show up...I think maybe the elders went...haha I don't
know), and taught English! It was so fun and just a typical missionary
day! Sister Steinaker is so fun and so self-confident! I have a great
respect for her and I love her! She is from Arizona, so that
automatically makes her awesome!
Sister Lamoreaux
and I are actually involved in war and the results are getting pretty
violent. It is usally intense at night, but we have a huge advantage
against the opponents. I speak of COCKROACHES! We have so many....I
don't know what to do anymore! I think that the more we clean, the more
we get... Doesn't make any sense.. But since when have cockroaches made
sense???... So bottom line, pray for Ukraine, and also pray for the
Sisters-Roach War of 2014. Because this week we are TAKING THEM DOWN! We
finally were able to withdraw money so we will be buying bug spray and
paste and traps and all that - TONIGHT! There will be no mercy.(except
for the good kind, that the gospel teaches about!) :)
so yeah...Nothing like walking down the street and getting a
phone call, answering and hearing, "hey, go inside" That happened two
different days this week, usually at the most inconvenient times. Once,
as we were about to teach English, the other as we were about to go on
our other exchange. So... hmm... hopefully there won't be anymore of
that :)
Lock down picture! :)
I'm glad to hear that everything is looking up! I don't like all
this talk and problems! :) But one thing I know for sure, the Lord is
watching out for his missionaries! I don't think I have ever once, not
felt safe on the street! I'm sure that nothing will happen to me or any
of the missionaries! God has a perfect plan for each of us! I read in
my personal study today President Monson's talk from the last
conference. I loved where he said, "Were it not for challenges to
overcome and problems to solve, we would remain much as we are, with
little or no progress towards our goal of eternal life". He also shared a
poem that I loved,
"Good timber does not grow with ease
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