Week 40- JANUARY- Revolution and Revelation

"WE WILL NOT LEAVE MAIDAN UNTIL THE PRESIDENT FALLS"

In more than one way are things changing here in Ukraine. If you haven't caught up with the news the violence and  civil unrest has picked up during this past week. And there is hardly a time or place that you don't hear talk of "Maidan", the title the Ukrainians have given this revolution of citizens versus the government.
On Wednesday, after finishing tracting a building starting on the first floor with a man saying, "As fast as you can leave my sight, get on that elevator, and i never want to see you again." to another floor of being denied and baba blessed as the door was shut in our faces, to another floor of bearing testimony of the Book of Mormon and making plans to visit again, (it just goes to show you never know what miracles are on the "floors" of our lives. How do you like that mom?) all us missionaries in the Kiev area received a text and were asked to immediately return home early due to the events in Center.

You all may know more than i do actually as all us missionaries are in the scene but not of the scene. As any loving mission president would do we are all forbidden to even go near, and so all the news that we get is either from the muffled news we can hear coming from the TV from our upstairs neighbors, or from the members. Which is actually a great source seeing how almost all of our members spend a good amount of their time at Maidan. The members go bringing food and clothing and even donate money, a couple members of the branch came to church yesterday wearing the Ukrainian blue and yellow ribbon of the flag, and even when calling our Branch President for information of our upcoming temple trip we could here the uproar of shouting and loud voices in the background.

As Mormon's of course we are prepared and all of us missionaries have been asked to make a 72 hour water and food supply! And so we come what may i will be prepared for with my can of beans, instant mashed potatoes, oatmeal, nut bars (gotta get that protein), dried apples, raman (i still got that college student inside of me) and fish jerky complete and all packed into a baba bag. Bring it on. These baba bags can handle anything! Im sure we won't be the most nutritioned survivors but hey, we just got to survive right?

72 hour life supply. Check.

Not only is the revolution picking up but the temperature is going down! Will i ever feel warm again? All my outer extremities, even in 3 layers of tights say, "NO." But occasionally we get a little blessing and are sent back out into the cold after a lesson with a member with some toasty pickle mayonnaise pizza in our stomachs....mmmmm feel the burn.

A classic day of contacting

Heating our bodies on the heaters is our favorite part of contacting

And to add to all this change i am continuing to feel a change in myself! Never have i had such a craving to learn and to teach the gospel! And not only do i feel the Lord is helping me better myself by helping me obtain attributes but also helping me lose. For instance finding yourself saying, "why did i ever do that?" or "why didn't i ever do that?" Speaking of finding yourself....
Just weeks away from reaching my half way mark and i finally did it......I LOST MY COMPANIONS. My love for the little things is a blessing and a curse as i stood there admiring yet another gold domed cathedral as my companions, not knowing, were hopping on a bus.

This is the sucker that did the deed. Blast you golden domed cathedrals. You get me every time.

IM SINGLE?!

Food for the spirit and food for the stomach

And so for a full 30 minutes i was single. Yes, that horrific word. Now i've gone through break up, but let me tell you there is nothing like this. All of a sudden the world darkened and seemed like it wanted to eat me....i may have some serious problems when i get home. And then once reunited with my companions it almost happened again! No golden domed cathedrals, but baba's feeding pigeons.

Feed the biiiiirds, tupins a baaag

Welcome to Brovary

Gotta give it to ya Ukraine, you make some mighty fine sunsets

There's no better time than a revolution than to seek revelation at the temple! This Saturday we had the amazing opportunity to go into the temple with three of our four recent converts to be with them as they each did baptisms for their deceased fathers and grandfathers. It was an amazing experience as i saw that work being done that would go into eternity! And while in the temple i had the most pleasant suprise of seeing one of the branch members from Illychyovsk!

Alex, Austin, Sister Winsor, Roman (WML), Sister Wallace, Me, and Zhenya

WORK IT Austin

Just a small outer extremity of the inner feelings 

Even Sister Missionaries like to play pretend...

Following the temple and after a well rounding ourselves with a Ukrainian buffet we stopped by an inactives home out int he cellos. Those 45 minutes of being lost and shivering out in the dark streets are something that i would rather not relive, but we finally found the little home with the con-caving roof, and while sharing a spiritual message warmed ourselves by the stove, using the four little burners as the only source of heat. And then huddled, and waddled, and scuffled, and all those penguin like adjectives home.

Stay warm this week! And don't eat pickle mayonnaise pizza.

XOXOXOXO
-Cестра Ро

Week 39- JANUARY- -22 Degrees. Period.

Feeding a mob of starving pigeons in -22 degree weather? Check. The most amazing, coldest, disease filled moment of my life.

Family Home Evening this week was spent at our branch presidents house, and it's always in the most unlikely of places that you end up getting boob flashed. "And we want to ask you *flash* to pray to Heavenly Father *flash* to find *flash* those who may *flash* be *flash* ready *flash* *flash* to accept the gospel *flash*... Their one year old giant of a son would be making lip smacking noises while widely eyeing down his mothers chest like prey. I'm pretty sure that baby ate a full 7 course meal in the form of breast milk.

And Happy Old New Year! Are they just making up holidays now? Another excuse to drink, and, for the 4th time, another excuse to sing and recite songs for candy, money, and half slices of stale toasted bread.

I spy a stale piece of toasted bread

While watching the Branch Presidents kids dump out their prizes, it totally gave me a flash back to the past when i would be trick or treating in Yosemite and would literally have a pillow case full and would organize piles around myself and trade candy for hours with my brother and sisters. Now that i think about it i think that is where i got my bartering skills, "OK, ill give you two snickers, a tootsie pop and a dip and lick for a pumpkin shaped Reeses. no? OK, ill raise you two gobstoppers."

This week has been a lot of tender mercies and blessings, and i really feel that that it is due to all your prayers. I can feel it. Really. Out of nowhere my mind feels enlightened, i have an inner energy and anxiety to do the Lord's work, i just feel this desire to contact thinking, "we have what you need, and you need it, you might not know it, you might not want it, but i sure as heck am gonna offer it." So whoever is praying for me THANK YOU! For instance i caught myself thinking of the situation of contacting from the other person's point of view. Like, yes it's strange for a random stranger to approach you, and as that random stranger i have felt a form of awkwardness there is to be felt from it, but that i just got to accept, because if you were really in need of help, wouldn't you be grateful for it? I mean haven't some of the best relationships always started out with just those first moments of getting acquainted? Then the thought comes back into my mind that i have forgotten for a while, the thought of "what do you got to lose?" which would power me during my first transfer in Ukraine. Im learning that sometimes to learn and grow you got to go back to the basics.

Of course the drive and fire occasionally dies down but i feel that is just the Lord testing and waiting to see what you will do without that extra little push. The other night when one of our lessons feel through. I could have stayed and used that time "affectingly" getting caught up on Mormon Messages but Sister Wallace would have none of it. "Ok, we have 30 minutes, now let's go find ourselves an investigator!" I have to admit i admired, respected and was jealous of her drive, but i was not on board. For a while now i think i have been losing my faith that you can go out contacting on the street and actually find someone that doesn't just listen, because 1 out of 10 we get those, but is actually ready for the  gospel. So needless to say, i was not the happiest going out, but when i was pushed, literally, to talk to the next person coming our way, I did, and i actually felt lighter, less burdened with guilt, and actually not dreading to talk to the next person coming our way. Preach My Gospel is onto something people because the the key to being happy really is WORK. Satan has a sneaky way of just slowly burdening you down with all those  feelings to hold you back, and sometimes you just need a push, literally if needs be, to get the punk off your back and back to doing the Lord's will!
With jeans stuffed under our skirts we were off into the cellos this week for some service contacting and assisting the Clark family.

I...have...no...idea...

Have i even told you about the Clark's? They are probably about one of the biggest families in Brovary, besides the entire colony of gypsies living together we are wanting to baptize. The Clarks have 9 children, 3 from Sister Clarks previous marriage, until she married Brother Clark who is full American and doesn't speak a word of Russian. Sister Clark speaks English to her husband and Russian to her children, so these children are living in i bilingual home and within the year are hoping to pack up their home and move to Salt Lake City. I can at least be confident that they will be packing freshly ironed rags, baby hats, and onesies, and doll clothes as that was what i was doing for two hours strait. Hey i could have been pulling down dusty spider filled curtains downstairs with W&W so im counting my blessings.

As usual we ended up running for our train, a very quickly becoming tradition whenever we're out in the cellos. Me and the train were running neck and neck for about 0.56 seconds until it passed and i dont think we need to make bets as to who made it to the train platform first. So we missed out train...and sat down with a slice of humbly defeated pumpkin pie, Sister Clark shoved in our hands as we ran out their door, until our taxi arrived. I'm tellin ya there is nothing more beautiful than the words, "Im on my way!" than after just missing a train and being stuck in the dark cellos with crazy/possessed/wounded people sluggishly limping/running out from dark streets. Wow that was a lot of adjectives for once sentence. Our super hero chugged up in his Lada aka Harry Potter car and saved the day!...until the car jerked and chugged and died in an intersection and we had to hold up a light as our driver jump started the car...hey, were still alive and that's what matters, right?

A smokers view of Brovary

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"ALL WILL BE GOOD"

This week we taught a lesson to a inactive member about the importance of going to church using the talk from this last General Conference called "Continually Holding Fast." It's a great talk and it made me think of when i was a kid and when my mom and dad, for 10 years, would pack all us 8 kids up in the red suburban and drive the hour long trip to church every Sunday. Sleeping on the floor of the car, waking up 10 minutes before arriving to change into Sunday clothes, eating cold buttered homemade toast during sacrament meeting, and picnics out on the grass by the car. Being just as much a naive child as any i never really realized the extent of how important church was or the extent and sacrifice my parents went to to get  us there. I was raised by the most exemplar parents with solid testimonies of the importance of church, and come rain, snow, or icy bridges my parents were gonna get us there! Their examples have set the foundation for my family that we have built upon and i wouldn't be where i am now without them. Why does it always  take 5,771.7 miles of distance for children to realize how jaw dropping amazing parents are?

The Kinder egg addiction has hit the Brovary missionaries. The first signs of  the virus was established in Odessa and must have somehow attached itself to one of my bags and is now threatening of consuming the entire mission. Every missionary it seems, is on the hunt for all 10 of the miniaturized Star War's characters found inside each hallow chocolate egg. The other day W&W&I spent $10 worth in Kinder eggs and milk, and i have still yet to lay my hands on R2-D2. And here is a little Star Wars trivia for you. Rumor has it that Yoda was based off of the face of President Ezra Taft Benson. Look and compare, can you see it?

Reality check for a missionary: sometimes the fire does not always stay. Sometimes the Lord may challenge us to see what we are going to do without the  "UMPH." Im just now accepting this when before i was like, "Darn you fire! Don't go out! I need you! Stay with me here!" and then it turns into this dramatic, on the brink of death "don't go towards the light" scene. The drama of a missionary...Sister Missionary problems: Making an out outfit that you haven't worn for the millionth time. Backwards necklace and skirt pulled up and over a dress it is then!

P-day was put on hold for a day for the  blessing of Zone Conference! And so W&W&I packed out bags and stayed with the sisters in Center Kiev for a night to get an early start in the morning (I didn't find out until the next day that the revolution in Maidan was in full throttle that night). They lived in a well peanut butter stocked apartment looking right out over one of the main streets with a cathedral literally at the end of the block. Serving in Center would probably scare me to death but the peanut butter and sightseeing would almost make it worth it.

The Peanut Butter at the end of the Rainbow

Cuddling with a stray cat at a bus stop

View from Center Sisters Aparment

Starting off the day with a breakfast consisting of 9 different spoonfuls of peanut butter was the just the beginning of a great day. Zone Conference was amazing and im still  massaging my sore thumb from all the writing. President Lawrence from the 2nd Quorum of the Seventy and also the Area President for the Europe East area was present with his wife, the Yoda of the Gospel. You got a question, she's got an answer, and about 10 sources to go with it. "Oh that is a great question, and in the 2nd edition of the prequel to the series of his autobiography, printed in 1976, 5th chapter, page 103, 3rd paragraph down  you will find your answer." At President Lawrence's request each of us missionaries  were able to have an individual meeting with him, what an amazing opportunity!

I hope you brought your saddle because im about to have a little high horse time. Did you know the Kiev Ukraine mission is the 2nd largest mission in Eastern Europe and also the youngest with an average age of 8 months? Did you also know that we are also the highest baptizing mission in the Europe East area? What a motivation to hear we are the "picking flower" of missionaries in a VERY important area.  Now i don't know all these aged idioms, but anything having to do with a flower has got to be good. And while in my interview with President Lawrence  he asked me something that i hadn't really taken  to ask myself,  a question that i think all of us at many points in our lives forget to ask ourselves and miss out on so much learning! "What do you feel the Lord  is trying to teach you  from this conference OR [insert the particular trial you are struggling with here]?" This made me think and  i have to admit i got a little emotional as i felt the Lord telling me "Sister Roe, You are MY missionary, and I called YOU to MY work and you  are QUALIFIED." I have always been so quick to count myself unequal, beneath, and weak compared to others and also incapable to reach the bar that i've set for myself. How many times have we  heard "When the Lord calls, He qualifies?" I have been so quick to cut myself down saying, "I'm too weak", or "not yet" when i should have been  saying "I CAN". Because  the Lord has called me to a particular part  of the vineyard and with a specific purpose (and im  not just talking about me here, read between the lines if ya know what i mean). The Lord has called ME and considers and expects me to work it. Work it, work it, work it! I'm qualified, strong, and capable of this work, and i am equal in worth, worthy of my calling, and capable of being an instrument in the Lord's hands just like any missionary! I've never been so grateful for such a simple question and im working on writing this down to put it up in front of my mirror for my motivational speech every morning.

It was a great pick me up Zone Conference when before i felt myself slipping down, and that's not because all of Ukraine has decided to become one big frozen black ice rink. That's a whole other story, and not a pretty one at that. Speaking of black...there is an unwritten rule in the Kiev mission handbook...ALWAYS TALK TO BLACK PEOPLE. Not only because two of our recent converts are black African's, but because you also know for a fact they are not from here and you can almost be positive they speak English. So when we were sitting on the marshruta bus and i saw a black man get onto the bus coming right to the open seat next to me i just stared wide eyed saying, "breath, breath sister roe, it's THE rule, you gotta do this, you can do this...(big breath) OK, let's do this." He sits, and i do what im best at...play stupid. "Ummm excuse me, do you know how much a bus ticket is? Oh no actually i did not see the large 5 hryvian sign looming big and bold right in front of me. whoops! silly me." And from there the spirit takes it away! The rule never fails, he's from Nigeria, Africa, speaks English, works in Kiev selling shoes, has lived in Kiev 6 years, and we have a meeting set up with him to talk about the Book of Mormon we have him tomorrow night.
Last night while visiting our landlady we caught a little sneak peak of the action in Center, watching new casts of the action from Sunday night, and do think we were just blocks away from it all! There need be no worries as i know for a fact the Lord cares for his servants as long as we heed the promptings of the Spirit. These are perilous times...so say your prayers, read you scriptures, and go to church!

XOXOXO
-Cectpa Po

Week 38- JANUARY- The Beginning Of The End Of A New Begigging...I Hope

This only begins to describe the the sate of mind i am in right now. Well, what's left of it at least. What im trying to say out of this nonsensical title is..."it's been real. it's been fun, but it hasn't been real fun." That was for you Sister Matthews. Ok i am officially making no sense, so let me just tell you about my week and maybe you can get a feel of what im trying to say.

Last Monday after sending off emails i discovered that it was Ukrainian Christmas Eve! I didn't realize this until we got knock after knock on our door as children came to our door to sing traditional songs or recite traditional Ukrainian poetry. It's like Halloween! They perform, we reward. Luckily we had a couple leftover bags of chocolate coins from our Christmas party or else we would have had a serious riot on our hands. So while children were going around knocking on doors (brave souls they are. I can only imagine as I have just gotten a taste of what is behind some of those doors) Sister Prach and I were singing our own songs of joy as we just got a new fridge, which means no more cold lonesome stool on the balcony! Merry Ukrainian Christmas to us!

On Ukrainian Christmas Day Sister Prach and i joined the two of the relief society sisters to deliver goodies and presents to orphans! We traveled to this little orphan resort/village in the middle of the woods, and spend the day braiding hair, petting kittens and simply just sharing some love. These children are surrounded by it, no like literally, the word "love" is written on almost every wall, and it was just so heart warming to see all the children taken so well care of. While sipping on some compote which is a sweetened fruit water, but in this case i swear was not make with berries but substituted with some form of bile meat we got a surprise visit from...more carolers! Goodness these children sure enjoy reciting poetry! This is the 3rd holiday of children carolers, any more? We shall see...

Patience has still been a constant battle but i feel i may be finally coming off victor as i still managed a smile and the best attempt of a laugh as i carried the entire weeks worth of groceries home solo after Sister Prach said she could slip, fall, and "bleed to death" if she carried heavy bags on ice. So i just took comfort that if i slipped, and fell that with God's mercy i would have a loaf of bread to cushion my fall.

This week i have been called to repentance! Repentance and obedience. Our Mission President and Alma have made that very clear. It's all about obedience people! And as a missionary the call to obedience is like it never was and ever will be. In our weekly letter from President he said this, "When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will endow us with power. If you are not at least striving to be exactly obedient you will never in this life come to truly understand what faith is and how to apply it. Even if you think you lack the faith now you can at least begin by acting as if you have it and by being diligent and exactly obedient "for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." President Klebingat has always got just the right amount of tough love, and i honestly don't think i could do this mission without him!

Our landlady prepared Sister Prach and I a full Ukrainian feast! We arrived to just pay rent, and she had a table set with beet and potato salad, Kootsya (a  traditional, only for holidays, served cold, sweet, almost cracked wheat sort of dish with enough poppy seeds to fill in every crack in your teeth...believe me, i would know), and goloobtsi (the most time consuming but delicious mixture of meat and rice wrapped in cabbage leaves and cooked low and slow). On the subject of Ukrainian food, of course the subject of sala comes up. And i, being a fool, not seeing any hidden jars of sala behind curtains in window sills talk up a storm of, "oh yeah! i love the stuff! mmmmm...." only to see her getting up, go to the freezer....and out comes the sala. (Sister Roe face palm) Why do i always do this to myself? And that is how Sister Roe set herself up for a plate full of frozen pig fat and garlic gloves for desert...again.

Burping up garlic fumes i lent a helping hand translating some indian hair dye our land lady bought from, i can only assume, black market. I don't know...I'm not sure if i would want anything that says, "mix 1/2 Tablespoon of oxygen with 1/2 cup of water" on my head...

Sister Prach made a feast of her own for us saying she makes the best burrito's Ukraine has ever seen. Me, being a lover of burrito's, do not argue. I walk into the kitchen to see her cooking what appears to be bits of charcoal, only to  squint my eyes,  and look closer to see it was meat, or once was. "I think that's done." I said, but she told me that she was waiting for all the "water" to evaporate. Now im not sure if you have a love for dumb kitchen sayings, but this was hilarious to me, and was still laughing as we sat down to some tasty meat pebble tacos. Also, i didn't think it was possible but i think i found another equal if not better way to describe our sit down eatings together, particularly this one. Beauty and the Beast, when the Beast eat's breakfast. Look it up, watch the 5 second scene on reply for 10 minutes and you would just about got it. My motto: when you can't use words to describe, use movie scenes.

One of our evenings was spent with some members with some young'ns, and knowing ta every child in the Brovary branch is out of control we thought we could keep it under control by the use of soup ladles, pot lids, a sieve, and leg bandage to teach the  armor of God. Yeah, not the most brilliant idea as our lesson was filled with loud pots falling to the floor, crying for turns, hitting, one of the kids getting hit in the head with a soup ladle by his sister, more crying, door slamming, and us giving our "and the moral of the story is..." to a set of very exhausted looking parents.

I had an exchange with Sister Snell this week, one of our sister training leaders on goal "How To Lose Your Life In The Mission Field." At times i wondered if she meant this figuratively or literally...For those 24 hours there was not a personal in sight that we didn't talk to. She would being making small talk like it was nobodies business, i would be stopping a lady in the park saying, "Hello! Good day! How are you? We're here as missionaries to share a very important message about Jesus Christ that we know to be true and will bless you, your family, and your future family for eternity...so....do you come here often?" The amount of steamy blushing in the cold was numberless but Sister Snell would just laugh, give me a pity pat on the shoulder and say, "For the Fridge!" Which is this awesome little saying i have now adopted that sums up, "Well you tried your best, it wasn't good, but Heavenly Father is going to take that moment, put it on His fridge, and love it." I can't even imagine all the numberless valleys  of fridges in heaven i've decorated...and to just add to fridge Sister Snell and on while walking home down a dark alley (figures) were turning a corner just as an Asian lady was turning another, we do what any missionaries would do and make a U-turn and follow her. We say a friendly hello, she doesn't hear. Another, no reply. By now the moment is defiantly reaching the red part of the awkward scale, after a couple moments of "Hey! Hey you! Hellooo! Hi! Hey! We just want to talk to you!"we finally catch up with her to find...she's deaf. Well, uhhh...don't really know how to get myself out of this one...Embrace the awkwardness...embrace the awkwardness...

Sister Prach and I had a little bonding moment together our last night as a companionship. While walking home i wasn't in the highest of moods i will admit so when she told me to stop i was like, "Ugh! what now? Another pebble in your Uggs?" But then she told me to look up and the sky was filled with stars! You may not know this about me but i LOVE to star gaze. Just looking up at the stars makes you feel so much closer to heaven, it's just gives you this special feeling. So we climbed to the top of a hill and sat under the large nuclear atom statue and watched. Walking down i thanked Prach for stopping me and tellin me to "look up" and we went home and we ate ice cream cones on our beds. By "we" i mean "me" because Ukrainians think if you eat ice cream when it's cold outside you might as well be licking death itself.

And so on Saturday, the hardest two week adventure came to a close and with a lot of kisses on the cheek and perhaps a too exaggerated compliments to the father later, i said farewell to Sister Prach. That day Was there for the baptism of our second black African, and said hello to a threesome once more! Our now newest member of the branch  is Kingsly, and it was a great day to see him take his first step the best life ever as i can still remember him saying he would only be baptized on the condition that the water was juuuust right. Phff! I'm still shivering from my baptism as the woman who filled up my fond accidentally let all the hot water drain! Aww well, it gave the Spirit more of an opportunity to warm me up i suppose.

The reunited threesome started off with bang as we had to move all of Sister Winsor's and Wallaces belongings to my apartment due to "remont" that has to be done to fix some invisible crack in the wall. I swear Ukrainians would go through a serious identity crisis if they didn't have some sort of remont to  do. Ukraine is just this big mish mash pot of architectural era's, there is not "tear it down, build it up." it's all about patch up work. i've seen a shack with the interior of a mansion and a mansion with the interior of a shack. And so we spent our afternoon packing and making the 3 back and forth trips to the two apartments. Each of us taking on the identity of homeless humpbacked babushki with backs loaded down with anything with straps that could suffice for a handle. My item of choice: a laundry/body bag stuffed with...well I wouldn't doubt a body the weight that it was, strapped to my shoulders like a backpack. Oh! Perfect movie image for ya! If you have seen my favorite movie of all time, the Labyrinth, and just take the face of that creepy old woman in the junk yard and replace it with mine. "Oh! My back! My back!" (sorry everybody, im pretty sure only my family would know  what im talking about).

Every 10 feet or so i would have to stop to rest, and at one point I just sniffed, scuffed my feet on the ground like a bull and booked the last 50 yards like a quarter back. Felt pretty good about myself until Sister Wallace asked, "Have you seen the TV show Biggest Loser? That's what that just reminded me of." Hey at least im not the humpbacked girl carrying a dozen eggs in a kleenex box. Both of us were laughing so hard we didn't have time to be offended.

And so we have settled into to our new home, i have already forbidden the sisters to not harm Mr. Paook my favorite slightly perverted bathroom spider with a groovy taste of interior design, and awaiting to see what these next 4 weeks have in store for us!
Have a great adventure filled week yourself!

XOXOXOXO
-Cectpa Po

JANUARY- RIP Sister Roe

      Did i die? If not i feel like i should have by now. Maybe all those homeless men with the cardboard signs were onto something when they said "2013! THE END OF THE WORLD!" So either i didn't make it to the top, or i walked through some  portal into the fiery depths of trials and a test of patience that this world has never seen. Or of course this could just be the Lord putting me into the depths of the furnace to mold me into something better, but the whole portal thing sounds pretty cool too. 
Lunch in the Brovary sister home usually turns into a daily replay of the scene from Major Pain. If you have not seen this movie than i order you to get down and give me 20 tubby tubbies (curl ups). Remember the scene where Major Pain and (oh good gosh i forgot her name) well...the woman are on a date at the disco club? Remember when Major pain inhales that spaghetti like a vacuum on steroids? Remember the face the woman makes? Yup. Me. Everyday. I will tell you that i have never in my life felt more like a lady.
Tender Mercy intermission: After fiddling, grunting, sweating, wiping sweaty hands on skirt, grunting some more and trying to get the blasted key to work to open the church for five minutes an old man walks up. Didn't quite understand but he either thought the church was a store or that the building was on fire...ok, so i dont understand Russian. Well in either case i gave him a Book of Mormon, and it...felt...good. Im tellin you guys, missionary work is tough, but when you actually have even the slightest success you honestly forget all the not so successful moments. I dont even know if the ol' man is gonna read it, but all we can do is invite.
How did i spend my New Years Eve? Oh you know, just washing the piles of dishes that have mass produced overnight in our bathroom sink. It was at that moment that i understood in full my father and the meaning of therapeutic dish washing. Me and those lemon scented bubbles had some good thinking time together. When my lemon scented prune fingers finally dried out i stood from our "fridge" watching the sky light up with flashes of light and loud bangs. Even the cars were feeling the New Year spirit and each was ringing off it's own merry tune. Whether Brovary was celebrating or being bombed im sure i could never have told the difference. Oh! And i saw Santa! Caught the sneaky bugger crossing the street with a sack over his shoulder with a lighted staff and i immediately went from Sister Missionary mode into Buddy the Elf mode....not my proudest moment, but you can sure bet i got Santa blessed that night. Thanks Santa.
The best part of the holidays as a missionary in Ukraine? The babushka blessings! With every exclaimed, "С НОВЫМ ГОДОМ!" (s-nOvim gOdam= Happy New Year) you receive even merrier blessings of "much health", "best of luck", "happiness to you", and "may the Lord have mercy upon your souls...." well....you can't win them all.
You know you are struggling Sister Missionary when: the mission president calls just to say "i love you, the lord loves you, keep that chin up", and when one of the sister training leaders comes to have a 24 hour evaluation of the companionship...
For all those current, ex, or soon to be missionaries out there who are, have, or will think on the future, "Do i have a companion or was i just hired as a babysitter?" Well, i know exactly how you feel, felt, and will feel. Asking a priesthood blessing because of a slight temperature, accusing me of being "unfeeling" when i would not order Domino's pizza and pay to have it delivered from Kiev an hour away, when she took a 3 step tummble down the stairs and then yelling "fine! When i die maybe you will care about me!" when i chose to not take the elevator up to the second floor, and then being told that she dreams of being wrapped in darkness only to hear the sound of goats....yes, goats....in the distance. Well with all of these things being stacked upon each other it is only natural and healthy for a heated, broken Russian, broken English, with a dictionary in between companionship inventory. 3. Nights. In. A. Row. I guess you can say it was quite the growing experience as i dont think either of us have ever tried so passionately to speak (and argue) in a foreign tongue. Argue with the fire and passion of a true Ukrainian in Russian? Check.
So after all of these past weeks events i have found my New Year Goal. Charity. This year i want to spend more of my thoughts on others (in a positive outlook of course). Charity never faileth. "And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth no in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, hopeth all things, endurath all things." -Moroni 7:45 Honestly verses 45-48 really capture the true essance of Charity. Charity is the pure love of Christ. Can you imagine that? If that is true than i was really underestimating the power of Charity. Like me, i hope all of you have made a goal, or will right now, make a goal to become a little more like Christ this year. Go to Preach My Gospel, go the chapter titled "Christlike Attributes", take the test in the back, and where you see you are lacking, study it, make it a goal that by next years time you will have taken just one step closer to becoming more like Christ.
Happy New Year friends and family!
XOXOXOXO
-Сестра Ро

Well it's 2014! And a Happy New Year to you! There is no better way to start out your year than with the the hardest week of your life. Yes, not mission, but life. Can the words, "tough", "difficult", "trying", "good grief this is tough" even begin to describe it? I think not.
First of all. I will never marry a man who eats twice my body weight in a day. I life full of every day waking up in fear that my hidden peanut butter stash will one day be gone is something that i could not bear. I have already borne it enough...Woman! Don't you know that you dont mess with Americans and their peanut butter stash in foreign countires?! And so, with a cupboard full enough of chocolate to even satisfy Willy Wonka's tooth, two liters of Pepsi MAX, and enough toilet paper to wipe an army the week began!

I am proud to say that i am now quite an expert at making true Ukrainian bortsh, and Olivye, a salad consisting of boiled chopped potatoes, boiled eggs, peas, chopped pickles, kalbasa (Ukrainian bologna sausage) and more mayonnaise that i would like to say. Never thought i would say this but...not. too. shabby. A native companion may be tough but even the toughest situations has its perks! Listening to a black pop version of "Angles We Have Heard on High" playing on repeat for an hour strait however, maybe not so perkish.

This Sister Missionary has quite a ways to go, but hey, we can do this together! If anything i hope i can help you say, "Hey! If Sister Roe can do it, anybody can!"

XOXOXOXO

-Сестра Рo