Haha – a christmas bush?! I died when I read that! Probably because we're searching our eyeballs out for a stupid christmas tree here...they just don't exist. Next plan is a little trip to the mountains with an axe.... ha...i'm joking mama. But good luck with the bush...I'm trying to figure our how you'll slap a star on the top...or throw the cherries... :) Christmas here is celebrated in on January 7th and is absolutely nothing compared to New Years. ALL types of fireworks are legal...no rules, just explosions everywhere...i can hardly wait! We're planning a Westernized Christmas party at the prixod on the 25th...and yes we tracked down a Santa Costume...and yes they asked me to be Santa....HOHOHO!!!!
Thanksgiving was great! We ordered pizza, watched “UP”, and played games in Sinferopol (center of Crimea) While the elders played footbal, cectpa K, Lav and I ventured over to some botanical garden that wasn't too botanical...all the flowers were dead...BUT there was this really cool and thick forest in the back and we heard from a babyshka that the squirrels will eat out of you hands! We frolicked over like little kids with our pockets full of walnuts from the babyshka...but I tell you...those squirrels are EVIL. They look exactly like the killer bunny on monty python except with a huge fluffy white tail...red eyes, huge ears...and they scamper around like humming birds. It was like being in a cursed forest....hahaha...oh Ukraine! Great thanksgiving...and you won't see pictures of me with elder anderson...he's up in Dnepr or something, and only Crimea got together for thanksgiving...sorry! Have you not gotten that picture cd yet? You should this week...well who knows actually...but I think it's coming! Woohooo!
I spoke in Church on Sunday :) It actually turned out a lot better than I thoughts it would. President gave me the topic of “The Blessing of Work”, a talk in the new Liahona that we only get in Russian...hmmmm...give a talk and my resource is only in russian... and speak for 20 minutes... hahah...no I worked through it and pulled together my thoughts. I think everything went well...people understood and I hope they felt the spirit through my mistakes. I love that topic. I promise you a billion times over that it's through OUR work that God can work. It's definitely not at the exact same moment for most things...to tell you the truth, I'm still trying to see how God will work through me to touch the hearts of His children here in Ukraine. I see it every day with my companions and I know I have the same calling they do...the same purpose and responsibility and support that they do...so I not going to quit working at it. I know that love and sacrifice speaks louder than any words ever will, so I'm trying to make that the center of my service here. I've come to terms that I'll never express with eloquence or depth, like my sisters, the beautiful blessings of the gospel in russian. I will always be the American missionary that came to Ukraine trying learn Russian to communicate with people...because I love the people here. I want to strengthen our little prixod so bad... I want to find someone that receives every ounce of Christ's gospel and loves it and wants to live it...I want our members to receive a stronger witness that Christ is our Savior and become more active in His church...so bad...I hope the Lord can use me. I know I've got to work a lot for it...so that I can be a properly welded, sharpened, strong, capable tool in His hand... I know it's not just “Alright Lord, I came on a mission...I suffered through the MTC...I can testify and contact in this language...I'll do what I'm told...ready go! Changes lives!” I have to change something and repent everyday of something I'm not doing right...every day! I know with my hard work and faith, I will be able to help someone come to Him...and stay with Him. I'm so grateful that you've taught me my whole life to work hard at everything I do...school, work, church callings...whatever...that is definitely a family learned trait from example and “contracts” and high expectations! Thankyou!
Speaking of investi-alligators...we have a new, fabulous lady that we are teaching. She was one of those, “Lets go back and talk to that lady” people that passed us on the street...on our way back, she turned around wanting to come back to us and was surprised to see us already half way back to her :) She had a lot of soul-searching questions...she felt guilty after her mother died because she was mean to her...she had no idea what to think about life after death...We met the next day...then two days after that, then the next and again tomorrow. She takes notes when we talk, reads what we ask her too, comes with questions, and PRAYS! We kinda don't know what to do with ourselves. It's like the dog that chases after the car and then finally gets it...and doesn't know what to do with it. Haha...no it's fabulous...the spirit is always there in our lessons. Cectpa K is the talkative powerhouse who loves to answer all the questions, Cectpa Lav brings in the spirit with her first word...she has a serious gift of sharing her powerful testimony...and I struggle through what I want to say, use a ton of scriptures (cause they speak better than I do in any language), and then look up at her understanding, but confused face and resort to my testimony. After I shared what I knew, she asked me, “So how did you receive your testimony that this church is true?” And it's funny how quickly and clearly I was able to answer her, without searching for words or organizing the order or conjugating... in short, we'll see. She's fabulous, but we'll see!
We are meeting with Era today for the first time in a month...we're either going to stop meeting with her, or seriously make some big steps. I pray for her every night...I hope the spirit can get through to her today.
Today we went to balaklava again...i love it there :) We went on a boat ride out in the middle of the Black Sea! Well not in the middle, but pretended...i sang yo-ho-yo-ho a pirates life for me! The whole way out...our captain thought I was weird. The whole way back, I took the ropes he uses for tying up the boat and held them like reigns and sang “On Dasher, on Dancer, on Prancer and VIXEN!” and so on...then he thought I was just crazy. I love the sea and the salt-water smell and the water and the sea spray...oh man...it's like heaven.
I'm ticked about the game. I got like 80 texts from different elders and the senior couples with various stupid comments like “Sis. Jones, how bout them cougars” and “overtime...3 points...happy day...hows it feel?” and “merry christmas cectpa! Go BYU!” ugh... why are all missionaries byu fans. Haha..the rivalry is still alive and well and making me crazy here in Ukraine.
Thankyou for everything family dearest or as the say here in Russian, “family expensive”...I wondered how much I had to pay to be sent to you guys... couple thousand hriven probably. I'm doing great....having at least a couple hilarious adventures every day...depending a lot on God...being humbled a lot...cleaning my apartment with a branch witch broom, you know...the regular...HAPPY DECEMBER! Weird...i felt like a just barely left
с любовью всегда
сестра джонс!
Pssss – :)
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