So the shopkas are out :) Ha - the weather freaked out this week at it got SO COLD...remember last monday when I was in shorts and a tshirt? Well today I can barely type my hands are so cold! Ha...i love it...everyone in their furs and shopkas and boots. It was interesting for me cause all I have is summer stuff...but you'd b surprised how warm one can be with layer after layer of summer clothes :) We're going to buy winter stuff today at the Reinok (like the huge market) It's extra cold in Sevastopol because we're right on the sea...no snow, but windy windy! So today will be a big purchase day...fyi...don't worry, i'm frugal.
Halloween was a hit. They don't really celebrate it here, but of course we do...we had a fun party at the branch. Cectpa Kondratyeva and I were a ложка и вилка...a spoon and a fork! haha...the journey of making the cotume was SO funny...we hunted down some refridgerator boxes (like 8 or 9 feet tall and SO fat) and then had to take them home on the marshrutka...you can image how hilarious it was seeing two missionaries waltzing around town with two boxes twice as big as them and then shoving them onto the marshrutka (much to the dismay of the driver...luckily he was a nice one) and even better, once we made them, getting on the marshrutka as a massive silver spoon and fork. I'm getting used to standing out here :)
OK...my apartment...its great! it's probably as big as our first floor...minus mom and dad's room and j's room and the back bathroom. Kitchen, bedroom, front hall, bathroom, toilet, study room...not bad! Every apartment has a balcony were you hang your clothes to dry (i'm still trying to figure out how they won't freeze in the winter) we take showers with a hose, only use filtered water (when it works) and everyone in Ukraine sleeps on couches... well those bed couches...i forgot what they're called... loufans? boufans? whatever. Our apartment is bigger than most others...Инна 's apartment is just two rooms and the whole floor shares a bathroom and kitchen. We live on the 2nd to the top floor, so you can imagine how huge my calves are getting :) haha... We cleaned today. after 5 weeks mom...it was nasty. but now it's like heaven! It really really cold in the apartment. We turn on the fire on the stove and hudle around it...it's like our little fireplace :)
We see President and Sister Nielson every 6 weeks is all at Zone Conference. Thats when we get packages...THANKYOU!!!! Everything I needed, and the Vinogradyeva's will die over those uno cards! I got them right before halloween, so the little rings and paints were perfect. We devoured the chex mix within a day and I'll find someone to give modern russian too...it's a big hit with missionaries...thankyou so so much...it's so fun to get a little taste of home :) Do you send letters ever? I know you mentioned j wrote me one...don't worry about pouch...you can send it right to the mission office and I'll get them at zone conference or transfers. I might spend Christmas in Dnepr I found out. Cectpa leaves the 20th of December and I don't know if we'll have transfers right before Christmas or not.
OUr area is huge. Our apartment building is one of like 100 in the middle of no where...we do a lot of tracting (it's nice to get out of the cold ) Most grocery places are just little and have a couple things...there are a few big places in the center. The closest reinok is like 15 minutes on a marshrutka...it smells like cigarette smoke, bonfires, beer, and...marshrutkas. It's lovely. I'll do my best to let it all seep in to my skin so it stays with me at home :)
We had a great week of contacting and first lessons and new investigators...We have three new promising investigators which is an absolute miracle out here. Вита Ольга и Алёна (Vita, Olga, and Alona) We'll see how things go with them...i've learned not to freak out too fast when we have a good lesson...I kindof still do, but then I get sad when we loose them...all part of the work! Rosa is still amazing...I have two little 13 year old friends, rosa and veeka. Veeka is a sass-a-frass and is molding into the life of the world...she got a nose ring this week. But she loves us and her mom likes her to be around us. Rosa is the sweetest, strongest, most confident little 13 year old you've ever seen. She loves us and her mom likes her to be around us too. It's so interesting to see how quickly lives can change out here. Irina (rosa's mom) is HILARIOUS...oh my goodness...she was half clown, half witch for halloween..she thought she was so funny. I just die of laughter whenever she's around! Era finally accepted help from us this week to quit smoking...we prepared this whole lesson for her based on this program that the church set up to beat addictions. It works. It hits on the the roots of addiction and cuts them out of your life...so we did this whole lesson and we were so excited - and then she didn't come to church or our lesson. I'm so confused with her. It's like a rollercoaster ride of emotions. We haven't stopped praying and fasting for her this whole time and her progress is SO small if any...but she still wants to be baptised. She knows she can't with how she's living her life, but she still wants it. ugh...we really need the Lords help with her. But desire is first...and she's still got it.
Zone conference was SO great... theres a scripture, i can't remember where in the Book of Mormon...oh wait just kidding, it's moroni 6:4... but that we are numbered once we become members of the church...we focused on bringing back innactives. There's a scripture in Luke (4:33?) that says that what the Savior did was to bring back those that have been "bruised spiritually"...i can't think of a better way to describe it. Innactive members have a story and probably a testimony of our Savior, but something has happened that has hurt them, bruised them, and it's our responsibility really to do as the Lord did and put bandaids on them and bring them back. To apologize in behalf of the church and help them back to happiness. Just under 75% of the members in Eastern Europe are innactive. I can't even believe it. We need help from our members! I feel such a responsibility as a member to keep the Lords children in the fold. We covenanted to do this at baptism! I know I'm going to try harder. We're focusing this week on innactive member of our branch. I expect to find some people needing some bandaids...and I'm stocked...scooby-doo ones thanks to mama...
Thats all...um...happy as a lark...and cold...but i'm buying a shopka today! I"M in Ukraine!!! love you alll...stay strong, be good, seek out those innactives if you can!
love cectpa kass-a-rella-stoopid-chile jones
ps...i dont have time to write a friend letter this week...i realized we've got to head a little early today...next week i promise...and I'll send a picture cd home this week... :)
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