What a crazy week of emotions and firsts and love and reliance on my Savior! And it doesn't stop here...i'm like a fountain of tears and my neighbors are a little concerned :) Thankyou so much for your letters this week! They are all such huge spiritual boosters for me...just knowing i have an amazing family and friends back home that DO live the gospel...that DO love me...and HAVE testimonies...and can't even say how much that means to me. A mission is all sorts of twists and turns with all sorts of things that aren't really in the job description. Remember that family we found? Well we called natalia and said we wanted to meet with her and help her. She was like, "alright, help me quit drinking". haHA desire! We agreed to meet later in the week. The next night she called us at 930 and said she wanted us to come and talk to her, but we're homebound by then. She told us that she was talking to her ex-husband that day and just felt so strongly that she "needed to talk to these girls...I need to listen to them" This whole thing is so miraculous. We met with her and her ex-husband said that the next three days she was on cloud nine. Then she called us yesterday on our way to internet and was crying and said Vladimir beat her and locked her out of the house. So we went to her...she was so drunk. We caught Vladimir leaving and he told us what happened...she was so drunk that she started hurting Sasha so he forced her off of him...He left and we went to her. I was terrified when she opened the door...she looked terrible and said through sobs "So you prayed again?" Their tiny apartment (smaller than our living room) was torn apart. A hammer throught the microwave, food everywhere, a bathroom that had never been cleaned, carpet with food smashed in it, the book of mormon and bible that we gave her were ripped apart on the floor...but sure enough there was Sasha smiling on the bed. Cectpa took Natalia in her arms and calmed her down and I took Sasha. We couldn't reason with her, but we scrubbed down their apartment, cleaned up all that she broke, gathered the pages of the Book of Mormon...we played with sasha as she threw up a bottle of vodka and wine...we cleaned her up when she was sober, made sasha some dinner, took their laundry to our house to do (they don't have a washing machine), and just prayed with them. I have never experienced first hand how drinking is such a serious disease...it's not funny, it's not a cool past-time...it's literally crawling into the hands of satan as her tears apart your life and the life of those around you. This family needs so much help...I keep on thinking back to Christ's ministry though. Nothing was too low for him...nothing was too much. I'm trying every day to do what He would do. We gave Vladimir, the dad, to the elders, and we'll work with natalia and sasha seperately. They need this gospel...sasha needs a supportive home...it says in the bible how without the word of christ through the prophets, we're tossed to and fro on every "wind of doctrine" with no stability. Pray for this little family.
Era is so slow...but we are being patient with her. She has started praying which is amazing! We've given her everything and every time she says the same thing "The hardest thing in life is to change"...this is true! But when we change our lives taking steps towards our Father in Heaven, he takes our hands. She will take those steps...
OK everyone is asking about the city and stuff...i'll do it...sorry i just get so distracted...my life is other peoples lives...ha...i love it...my life is so boring compared to Spartok's, for example...he runs so funny. He's a physist and speaks perfect english through his funny facial hair...his desire right now is to learn and says he's far from religion...but he came to church on sunday :) there i did it again...sevastopol is amazing! The coast in balaklava looks like hawaii. There's this really famous sailer school here so there are a ton of sailers. it's so funny, you get this little black and orange ribbon when you graduate i guess, and everyone wears it with pride...on their head, pinned in their marshrutka, on their zippers...i want one so bad, but it's kinda hard to swipe something off a huge russian head. Sevastopol is a Greek name...i think it was either invaded or founded by greeks...probably founded...i dunno, i'm not way into history. We eat all sorts of concoxtions...a lot of pellmenee (like pot-stickers) and cectpa loves kartoshkee (potatoes) ugh... haha...i dunno...i eat mostly fruits and veggies...their fruit stands are amazing here....and the apples are soooo delicous, but you've got to hunt for the good ones...i probably eat 3 a day...i'm trying to keep the doctor away forever :) grechka in the mornings (buckwheat) and maybe a parochkee on the street (just a bread something with something in the middle...right now i'm eating one with these black seed thingys, but they're sweet...maybe its fig...) People wear reinok clothes (a reinok is a huge market where you can literally buy anything) it's like crazy european style, but cheap...and funny shoes. Everybody takes marshrutkas everywhere...it only 2 hriven (like 20 cents) to anywhere! yesterday we bought 2 kilos of tomatoes for 2 hriven...20 cents of yumminess :) Everytime you go to someones house, you take off your shoes and they give you tapochkee...slippers...and then chai and cookies or bread...i dont know what elses...i just live here!
The language is crazy! I can understand people and can simply simply get a point across...i understand church stuff completely...i think thats an extra booster shot god gives missionaries :) I told cectpa that you thought she was a huge scary russian and we laughed so hard...haha...she is SUCH a girl and a little cutey misisonary...she is strong-willed though and a great leader and trainer. She eats more than 3 times as much as me and has 3 times as many clothes as me and speaks russian 30000 times better than me...you'd think she was russian :) I really couldn't have dreamed of a better companion/trainer...we laugh and play and we had to go to the doctor this week because she got a disease on her neck becasue she picks up and plays with every cat she sees...you'd think she was 12 not 24 ;)
I's happy you went to disneyland! haha... i didn't even know! hope you had a good time...and i hope you rode california screaming like 8 times...and ate just as many churros...mmmmm
It's still hot believe it or not. but this means i still don't have to pull out my nylons...so ZERO complaining! i'd take the heat over the cold any day.
The work in our city is slow compared to the rest of Ukraine and Crimea. We don't have the strongest branch in the world, but we're growing. Just ten years ago it consisted or 4 women...and now we have a presidency, primary, priesthood. The missionaries do a lot to support, but the members that are active and come are so great...I can't believe their strength and dedication in the mucky muck of the adversary...but anyways...the missionaries do a lot, but i'm happy cause we're busy and constantly thinking about how to be effective...
Welp...i'm happy, healthy, learning and growing...it's harder than anything, but funnier and more exciting than anything...keep doing what you're doing!! yOu'r love and support is like my gatorade for the week...prayer is my water...and as a babushka in our branch says "I'm all thumbs up with salt on top! " (imagine that with a thumbs up sign and her sprinkling salt on it... :) stay strong...cause the church is true!!!1
love love love cectpa jones
ps...pouch mail doesn't really have to be pouch mail...i got mail that was normail style and came fine...just send it to the mission office!!
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