My mom and I leave today to go and pick up Kathy from the Ukraine. She's almost home! So exciting.
-Lizzie
Thursday, November 18, 2010
76th email: November 15th, 2010 LAST EMAIL!!
It's really warm right now...like 18...apparantly it's 24 in Krimea. It might get colder though... I'm not sure... I wear a hat and a vest everyday and thats plenty for me. If you can, be in Zap before 3 pm. Theres a goodbye party at 4 for me and Ostler. You can get money out of the bankomats just fine. just make sure the banks know you'll be in ukraine. I have my debit card...thanks so much. I'll try using it later on today... hopefully you can activate it.
I don't know if i can do this...man... i'm not done here. I just feel like i need more time...just like 2 more months so i can get these people safe into the fold of Heavenly Father. I understand it's not really dependent upon me. but i'm just not done. I'm very excited to see you, don't get me wrong. I won't be a weird downer or anything...but i just... I'd do anything to stay and serve. I've already asked a million times about extending, but the First Presidency rarely allows it apparently. ugh. i'm sorry. we'lll see you on Saturday! please be safe and you have my number if you need anything or if anyone gives you trouble. please don't forget to call me when you get here. Bring the address of the mission home/office just in case. I love you mom. Thanks for everything you've done to support me!
love cectpa Jones
I don't know if i can do this...man... i'm not done here. I just feel like i need more time...just like 2 more months so i can get these people safe into the fold of Heavenly Father. I understand it's not really dependent upon me. but i'm just not done. I'm very excited to see you, don't get me wrong. I won't be a weird downer or anything...but i just... I'd do anything to stay and serve. I've already asked a million times about extending, but the First Presidency rarely allows it apparently. ugh. i'm sorry. we'lll see you on Saturday! please be safe and you have my number if you need anything or if anyone gives you trouble. please don't forget to call me when you get here. Bring the address of the mission home/office just in case. I love you mom. Thanks for everything you've done to support me!
love cectpa Jones
75th email: November 8th, 2010
Mom -
sorry, i''ve just got a lot of stuff to do on the computer, and an hour is all we've got... Short letters is all I can do right now, but I'll talk your face off in a couple weeks. K. Change of life. My group is leaving Monday night for home. We're doing to last dinner/testimony Monday afternoon. I'm leaving Zap Sunday evening about 5ish. You're coming to Zaporozhia Saturday straight from Kiev. Don't worry, President called me last night and gave told me whats up and gave me permission for you guys to come.... there was just some kind of mix up with thanksgiving travel, but all is well. So I want you to call me once you get in country and get to the hotel in Kiev... that ok to do... then call me from the train station on Saturday and let me know what train you're on and when you'll be in Zap. You'll stay at Intourist on Saturday night, we'll go to church the next day together (I'm speaking...that'll be fun) and then we'll go home, pack up, then you'll leave with me and Ostler for Dnepr around 5 or 6 that evening. We'll go to Presidents and stay at their place (unless they want you to stay somewhere else... there's a hotel right by his place, but I'm pretty sure it's ok if you'll be there... i'll be there...) then do what there is to do on Monday... maybe go to the airport to say goodbye to the elders... and then go to Krimea. I can't do the elongated goodbye thing in Zap, so we'll be there just for those two short days. Then the rest will go as you guys planned. Lyouda (a friend here in Zap) is coming to the temple with us. We'll go to Yalta for a day down in Krimea...and yeah. So that's the plan... make hotel reservations if you want, but I think we'll be fine just walking in... but then again that's me and I've never ordered a hotel room in my life. haha.
Olga. She wasn't baptised. She's not ready to pay tithing. It's the stupidest thing ever, but at the same time, it's a lot of money to give up when you've got a huge bulk of credit to pay off. We told her that 90% of our income + the Lords blessing = waaayyy more than 100% of our income. She needs the blessings of tithing, especially if she's in debt. ugh. The silliest things are messing up our investigators. But she'll get over it. I fasted for miracles, and I'm expecting to see them.
Leadership conference was inspiring, motivating, and just reall really really great. I've now gone through 2 intensely saturated training sessions of this new program/identity of missionary work and I'm all pumped up about it... and I'm going home... I better be a mission prep teacher or something. I'm like annoyingly trying to cram all this information and all these teaching skills into my companions brains... haha.. my poor companions. Our goal is to lift the mission by changing the identity of Missionaries. We are Disciples of Christ. John 17...intercessory prayer...holla. I love this stuff.
I'm sorry, i have to go.. theres like a billion things to do.
I didn't get the card while I was in Dnepr. They pick up the mail Tuesdays and Fridays, and it should be there tomorrow. One of the Aps is coming down on Friday, so I should get it then. Lets hope. I love you guys! stay strong and be good. I'll talk to you soon!
Love Cectpa Jones
ps. my companions would like anything... something small
sorry, i''ve just got a lot of stuff to do on the computer, and an hour is all we've got... Short letters is all I can do right now, but I'll talk your face off in a couple weeks. K. Change of life. My group is leaving Monday night for home. We're doing to last dinner/testimony Monday afternoon. I'm leaving Zap Sunday evening about 5ish. You're coming to Zaporozhia Saturday straight from Kiev. Don't worry, President called me last night and gave told me whats up and gave me permission for you guys to come.... there was just some kind of mix up with thanksgiving travel, but all is well. So I want you to call me once you get in country and get to the hotel in Kiev... that ok to do... then call me from the train station on Saturday and let me know what train you're on and when you'll be in Zap. You'll stay at Intourist on Saturday night, we'll go to church the next day together (I'm speaking...that'll be fun) and then we'll go home, pack up, then you'll leave with me and Ostler for Dnepr around 5 or 6 that evening. We'll go to Presidents and stay at their place (unless they want you to stay somewhere else... there's a hotel right by his place, but I'm pretty sure it's ok if you'll be there... i'll be there...) then do what there is to do on Monday... maybe go to the airport to say goodbye to the elders... and then go to Krimea. I can't do the elongated goodbye thing in Zap, so we'll be there just for those two short days. Then the rest will go as you guys planned. Lyouda (a friend here in Zap) is coming to the temple with us. We'll go to Yalta for a day down in Krimea...and yeah. So that's the plan... make hotel reservations if you want, but I think we'll be fine just walking in... but then again that's me and I've never ordered a hotel room in my life. haha.
Olga. She wasn't baptised. She's not ready to pay tithing. It's the stupidest thing ever, but at the same time, it's a lot of money to give up when you've got a huge bulk of credit to pay off. We told her that 90% of our income + the Lords blessing = waaayyy more than 100% of our income. She needs the blessings of tithing, especially if she's in debt. ugh. The silliest things are messing up our investigators. But she'll get over it. I fasted for miracles, and I'm expecting to see them.
Leadership conference was inspiring, motivating, and just reall really really great. I've now gone through 2 intensely saturated training sessions of this new program/identity of missionary work and I'm all pumped up about it... and I'm going home... I better be a mission prep teacher or something. I'm like annoyingly trying to cram all this information and all these teaching skills into my companions brains... haha.. my poor companions. Our goal is to lift the mission by changing the identity of Missionaries. We are Disciples of Christ. John 17...intercessory prayer...holla. I love this stuff.
I'm sorry, i have to go.. theres like a billion things to do.
I didn't get the card while I was in Dnepr. They pick up the mail Tuesdays and Fridays, and it should be there tomorrow. One of the Aps is coming down on Friday, so I should get it then. Lets hope. I love you guys! stay strong and be good. I'll talk to you soon!
Love Cectpa Jones
ps. my companions would like anything... something small
74th email: November 1st, 2010
dear dear momachka -
i'll find out if the card is here tomorrow when i get to dnepr. I'll be in Dnepr for the next 3 or 4 days for a leadership conference, then back to my city. My companions will still be here though, so the work will move on...that makes me feel good. I'll give you a call or email or whatever Elder Hardy says once I find some time to get to the office (he's in the office and I LOVE him...he calls me his blood brother because we're both have american indian ancestors...ok... so maybe i don't... but remember that guy at the PT office that was a cherokee chief and swore that I was part of his tribe cause he felt my spirit and he told me that my ancestors may try to communicate with me through the spirits of bears...and then he invited me to there indian sweat houses? I think that totally counts...) thanks a kagillion times...
Don't worry so much about "not being able to see me" until i get released. Thats just silly, and i know Pres. and Sister Nielsen would say the same. Come straight to Zap and you'll hang out with us for the day. I'm not sure what the deal is for Sunday night releasing whatever. I bet they plan on having us come up Saturday night to Dnepr... but maybe we could go to one hour of church in Zap or something... i dunno. I would love to just do it by the fly and get reservations as we go. You know that we'll be sleeping on overnight trains, right? that means we don't need reservations for those nights. Once I think about it... we've got to be at church in Zap on Sunday... we'll just stay for Sacrament, then book it to Dnepr and we'd make it intime. Intourist is never full... lets just have you guys stay there Sat. and then we'll stay in Dnepr on sun. at presidents, (i'll ask, don't worry) then maybe back to Zap on monday, and then from zap, we'll take a night train down to Krimea and go by the normal schedule. It'll all work out. So zap on sat, dnepr on sun, train mon night... then cevastopol and kiev.
As for coming home, lets just have the fam then... that would make me a lot less stressed out. I'll just get released the next day some time... ugh. ugh ugh ugh. Just tell everyone they can come over the next night. Don't worry about nat. I don't care about food really. My visions? I want the entire house decorated in blue and yellow with ukranian kosacks on every chair and sparklers and fireworks going out the chimney with Ms. Beln leading a orchestra of bagpipes... haha.. no I'm good... no visions... i won't be dissapointed. :) yeah i'm going back to the singels ward. yeah i'll do whatever you need me too.
gotta go... love you!
love cectpa jones
i'll find out if the card is here tomorrow when i get to dnepr. I'll be in Dnepr for the next 3 or 4 days for a leadership conference, then back to my city. My companions will still be here though, so the work will move on...that makes me feel good. I'll give you a call or email or whatever Elder Hardy says once I find some time to get to the office (he's in the office and I LOVE him...he calls me his blood brother because we're both have american indian ancestors...ok... so maybe i don't... but remember that guy at the PT office that was a cherokee chief and swore that I was part of his tribe cause he felt my spirit and he told me that my ancestors may try to communicate with me through the spirits of bears...and then he invited me to there indian sweat houses? I think that totally counts...) thanks a kagillion times...
Don't worry so much about "not being able to see me" until i get released. Thats just silly, and i know Pres. and Sister Nielsen would say the same. Come straight to Zap and you'll hang out with us for the day. I'm not sure what the deal is for Sunday night releasing whatever. I bet they plan on having us come up Saturday night to Dnepr... but maybe we could go to one hour of church in Zap or something... i dunno. I would love to just do it by the fly and get reservations as we go. You know that we'll be sleeping on overnight trains, right? that means we don't need reservations for those nights. Once I think about it... we've got to be at church in Zap on Sunday... we'll just stay for Sacrament, then book it to Dnepr and we'd make it intime. Intourist is never full... lets just have you guys stay there Sat. and then we'll stay in Dnepr on sun. at presidents, (i'll ask, don't worry) then maybe back to Zap on monday, and then from zap, we'll take a night train down to Krimea and go by the normal schedule. It'll all work out. So zap on sat, dnepr on sun, train mon night... then cevastopol and kiev.
As for coming home, lets just have the fam then... that would make me a lot less stressed out. I'll just get released the next day some time... ugh. ugh ugh ugh. Just tell everyone they can come over the next night. Don't worry about nat. I don't care about food really. My visions? I want the entire house decorated in blue and yellow with ukranian kosacks on every chair and sparklers and fireworks going out the chimney with Ms. Beln leading a orchestra of bagpipes... haha.. no I'm good... no visions... i won't be dissapointed. :) yeah i'm going back to the singels ward. yeah i'll do whatever you need me too.
gotta go... love you!
love cectpa jones
Monday, October 25, 2010
73rd email: October 25th, 2010
Hey.š Things are good.š Olga's getting baptised on the 6th of November.š We were able to getting over the obstacles pretty smoothly.š yaayyy olga!
mom...i love that the first thing on your list is about your hair...you girl...haha... yeah I've got a crappy little one you can use.
and... clothes... right now we're still in just fall weather clothes...shoes and sometimes I wear boots... scarves hats and gloves and jackets... no winter coats yet.š Just bring warm clothes...like probably just winter clothes... Intourist is across the street from my apartment...literally two seconds away.š My address in Lenina 170 Ç (g) kvartira 4.š Just give me the info about when you'll be here and what train and stuff and we'll meet you at the station.š I'm in a 3-some, so we might just go on splits while you're here (let my companions go out and work and we'll go see the people that we need to see before we go)š we used to have a baptism planned for saturday night, but we moved it up.š There will most likely be an activity at the branch that night.š My release date is the 23 of november...I think we're supposed to be in Dnepr on monday 22? I'm not sure.š I bet the 22nd will be like the last interviews and dinner and stuff, and then the next day early morning we leave....well they leave... my cell phone number is 0952912760... i don't know what the country code or any of that stuff is... you'll have to figure that out.š As for stuff to bring... I want to buy garms in kiev... aparantly they are way cheap...like 40 cents a piece or something... i do need some new ones... ewww sick gross :) I know the Nielsen's like english toffee...I was thinking maybe something University of Utah something for the members?š They'd love it... Lots of like taco and fajita and ranch seasoning...everyone loves that and that's cheap...peanut butter... that ring for alyona... something for alyona's parents too maybe? they've got a cute house...something for their home maybe... And something for Arina...alyonas little sister that is like my little sister... she's 8... maybe like a Utah stuffed bear or something?š She loves all her stuffed animals... something small for my comps... i'll be sending hoggan a package in january anyway for her barf-day... We've got a little boy that's getting baptised on saturday that is the smartest most talented little guy you've ever seen... zhenya... he paints like a 20 year old... maybe a little art kit for him ( he also has a little bro thats like 5)š I don't know... i feel like i'm making a christmas list... this can be my christmas list... just these people aren't used to quality, good, things... when in fact they deserve so much better.š Ukraine is just a tough place... living condition wise... it's be nice to surprise them with something nice..š I'm giving piano books and clothes and other stuff i have away already... I'm trying to figure out what to do with my guitar... i'll probably sell it to a missionary... i'm selling my coat to sister smith... uhhh...about the airport... i dunno.. decide yourselves... i don't really care either way this makes me naustious thinking about it. ugh.š I 1000% don't want to come home and i'd get an extension if it were'nt for stupid school in January.š I love you and I'm way siked to see you... but life is just better here.š ugh... yay still a month left!!š
love you...stay strong...
love cectpa jones
mom...i love that the first thing on your list is about your hair...you girl...haha... yeah I've got a crappy little one you can use.
and... clothes... right now we're still in just fall weather clothes...shoes and sometimes I wear boots... scarves hats and gloves and jackets... no winter coats yet.š Just bring warm clothes...like probably just winter clothes... Intourist is across the street from my apartment...literally two seconds away.š My address in Lenina 170 Ç (g) kvartira 4.š Just give me the info about when you'll be here and what train and stuff and we'll meet you at the station.š I'm in a 3-some, so we might just go on splits while you're here (let my companions go out and work and we'll go see the people that we need to see before we go)š we used to have a baptism planned for saturday night, but we moved it up.š There will most likely be an activity at the branch that night.š My release date is the 23 of november...I think we're supposed to be in Dnepr on monday 22? I'm not sure.š I bet the 22nd will be like the last interviews and dinner and stuff, and then the next day early morning we leave....well they leave... my cell phone number is 0952912760... i don't know what the country code or any of that stuff is... you'll have to figure that out.š As for stuff to bring... I want to buy garms in kiev... aparantly they are way cheap...like 40 cents a piece or something... i do need some new ones... ewww sick gross :) I know the Nielsen's like english toffee...I was thinking maybe something University of Utah something for the members?š They'd love it... Lots of like taco and fajita and ranch seasoning...everyone loves that and that's cheap...peanut butter... that ring for alyona... something for alyona's parents too maybe? they've got a cute house...something for their home maybe... And something for Arina...alyonas little sister that is like my little sister... she's 8... maybe like a Utah stuffed bear or something?š She loves all her stuffed animals... something small for my comps... i'll be sending hoggan a package in january anyway for her barf-day... We've got a little boy that's getting baptised on saturday that is the smartest most talented little guy you've ever seen... zhenya... he paints like a 20 year old... maybe a little art kit for him ( he also has a little bro thats like 5)š I don't know... i feel like i'm making a christmas list... this can be my christmas list... just these people aren't used to quality, good, things... when in fact they deserve so much better.š Ukraine is just a tough place... living condition wise... it's be nice to surprise them with something nice..š I'm giving piano books and clothes and other stuff i have away already... I'm trying to figure out what to do with my guitar... i'll probably sell it to a missionary... i'm selling my coat to sister smith... uhhh...about the airport... i dunno.. decide yourselves... i don't really care either way this makes me naustious thinking about it. ugh.š I 1000% don't want to come home and i'd get an extension if it were'nt for stupid school in January.š I love you and I'm way siked to see you... but life is just better here.š ugh... yay still a month left!!š
love you...stay strong...
love cectpa jones
send pics of halloween! we're not allowed to dress up this year :(
Friday, October 22, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
UPDATED!
I updated this blog. It is a Christmas miracle. Mom, you can stop getting on my case.:)
She's almost home!!
She's almost home!!
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