Week 51- APRIL-Because Of Him

Well i did have some ridiculous title planned for you but because of recent events and still trying to recover from the seizure of chills i just got from watching the recent BECAUSE OF HIM addition in honor of Jesus Christ and the Easter holidays in celebrating the most miraculous and beautiful moment on Earth i just wanted to give this piece of art the spotlight. Sorry cheesy title, guess you're just gonna have to wait for next week.

I hope you watched it. And then again. And again. And again. Can i even explain to you how much i love my Savior and all that He has done for me? An impossible task. To calm down your own chill seizures ill go ahead and tell you about my week. Good gosh it's been a long week. Funny some of the hardest weeks go by the fastest and what seem to be some of the best seem to be an enternity. The hard days seem to travel at snail pace, and the easy days seem to just slip between your fingers like a slimy frog you just found and decided to adopt as a outdoor pet for the space of 30 seconds. His name is Maskeemovich. 

I couldn't help but laugh as we were out contacting and after facing another denial hearing Sister Anderson say, "Wow, that was a very nice denial. I like that man." When you can appreciate someone just by the rate of harshness of the denial you know you're serving in Ukraine. Thoughs of my setting apart blessing have been popping into my head a lot this week, the particular term of "seed planter." For most of my mission i have been wanting crops, "grow baby GROW!" were always my thoughts! Sometimes i would think that i just don't have that green thumb to missionary work, but  now i can feel the Lord softening my heart. If i bee a seed planter so be it, i'll sow where i walk, and have a heck of a harvest in the next life!

 Things were shaken up a little bit and this week we were actually dogged by one of babushki members, all is well in Zion though because during the walk of "Shut doooown" i got some pictures. Always a good pick me up.

A Ukrainian Soviet Workout Playground

I am still trying to find the moment where i can capture the babushki in action on these things, they work this equipment a lot better than me i assure you

Our Clark adventure this week was filled with a lot of dirt, a lot of shoveling, and a lot of.....alien embryos. At least that's what im betting my money on. There is no other explanation to explain these things....

This week i hit my 11 month mark! Time is a funky thing on the mission. Can't decide whether to say it is flying by or that it's been an enternity since i've had a Cafe Rio burrito. I celebrated by befriending an entire of bench of babushki, diving into an amazing talk called "The Fourth Missionary", recieving news that we would be recieving the entire population of missionaries from the Donesk mission as they have all been evacuated due to civil unrest (in just one day we DOUBLED our missionaries!), and then by throwing a Movie Night! It was such a success! It sparked an interest in one father who's wife is a member (helloooo enternal family!) and brought in quite a few others! Nothing like a good blinchiki buffet and a can of whip cream to bring eternal salvation to mankind.

In celebration of inheriting two new elders, Elder Rice and Elder Lubeck we grabbed our most recent convert Kingsly and took a district field trip to the temple! And get this....we were allowed to do baptisms! Rumor had it that it wasn't allowed for missionaries but with a little arm twisting there are now 45 baptized souls on the other side of the veil. I also learned something at the temple. If you want to look 10 years younger just put yourself in a baptisimal suit and top it with a fluffy white scrunchie.

We made a pit stop at Ocean Plaza, just about the fanciest mall on the planet. Seriously America, Ukraine has got you beat big time. But still supporting the American pride within we feasted down on some KFC.

THE CHICKEN BUCKET

The traveling home is one of my favorite parts

Last night we stopped by our dear Sister Oksana who is an inactive with a husband who is not quite there, but she has the kindest heart and did not hesitate to embrace us, literally, and teach us the ways of knitting. I don't really remember much about those moments, just a lot of hot breathing in my ear....

And here's the best part of the week! General Conference! We settled ourselves down and feasted on banana and nutella blinchiki and the words of the Lord! Given to us by our prophet Thomas S. Monson and his apostles. I couldn't even tell you my favorite talk, but the Sunday Morning Session was to die for. As soon as i get this sent i am finding those babies and printing them off.  Uchtdorfs talk on gratitude, Ballard's talk on following up and the importance of Preach My Gospel, oh my gosh i loved it! EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU SHOULD OWN A PREACH MY GOSPEL. That's your challenge. And i WILL follow up. Oh, and remember the words from our prophet and LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR. Believe me, im working on it too.

On another sick day for Sister Anderson i hunkered down with some as close as you can get to a Chips Ahoy cookie and some Russian textbooks. Sister Anderson has been to the hospital twice this week, she has had two MRC scans, and has visited with a nerophycologist. We're not quite sure what is going on but the doctors are pin pointing all her dizziness and headaches and lack of energy on her "little brain" i thought this was a mean "dumb" joke until i realized who was the dumb one and found out that we have infact have a large and small brain. Hmmmm....learn something every day.

Can i ask you for something? Just a little favor for Sister Roe. Would you mind emailing me this week at allison.roe@myldsmail.net and tell me what spiritual gifts YOU think I have? Other Sister have done this and my first opinion was, "Come now, must we really ask for compliments?" But curiousity has hit and now i wonder what others may see that i can not. Come on now, look into those eyes and try to say no.

Happy Easter!

XOXOXOXO

-Сестра Ро