As nonsensical as it is, this is what comes to my mind as how to describe this past week. I think God's trying to test me and decided to compact 3 weeks worth into a single week. Good one! You got me!
This little buddy here was actually a free gift given to me from the sweet babushka that is every evening down by the metro with her wicker basket of dried fish. I have named her Baba Sweet Dried Fish. Yes, yes, original i know. And so this little guy has inspired me, as i am now reaching my final 6 weeks of my mission. If you were to tell me that or to slap me with a fish you would probably get the same reaction. A lot of shock and, to be perfectly honest, im weirded and scared out of my mind.
Now don't go around thinking im a two facer. What you get from me will just about all of the time be the real me, perhaps a little too real! But hey, what can ya do? It's just, this week there have been a lot of "two-faced" opinions in my mind. How i want to feel, and how i REALLY feel, if that makes any sense. There's Satan who puts a jam packed full dump of thoughts in your head, and then the Spirit trying to work with you to filter it all out. There's the doubtful, scared, inconfident, unsatisfied me, and then there's the happy, hopeful, content, opptimistic, confident me. And im like, "Ok ME, make up your flipp'n mind!" I don't know if these are just classic thoughts to a "coming to the finish line" missionary or what, but im needing a hook and line thrown out to help me out here! And you know....Heavenly Father always provides.
*Bum-ba-da--bum-bum-bum-bum-bum!Ba-da-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum! Ba-da-bum-da-bum-da-bum-da-bum!* (Tenaya, repent if you don't know what im quoting here) GENERAL CONFERENCE!!
I am so grateful for General Conference! The Saturday morning session was probably my favorite with Elder Christofferson and President Uchtdorf, but let's not forget the Saturday afternoon session with our dear ol' President Klebingat! Im not just saying this because he was my mission pres, but his talk was AMAZING.
This Sunday we watched the translated conference and afterwards had a full of FEAST! Never during a potluck has the question, ".....what....is....that?" popped so much into my mind.
You wanna guess who these two plates belong to?....
These pretty ladies right here.
Last Monday was a great errand day where i finally broke and bought a babushka scarf, we got trims to our manes, and i finally found nutmeg and clove spices from the Middle Eastern man at his spice shop that was right next to the pickled vegatable season in the market near our home. You know, it'll be pretty boring when i can find everything i need all in one location, where's the fun in that?
Our FHE fell through at the last second and while trying to decide what to do with our time a member of the ward walked it who is, fun fact, an opera singer! And we said, "Hey! You're single, we're single, wanna have an FHE with us?" And it turned out to be a great lesson, with of course an awkward moment when this member was asking how often i pee'd in the winter...Oh! And i learned two things that day. First, be very careful with how you title people in your contacts. I was reading a couple of responses from the mass email we send to our English people each week and one signed it, "Andre Creepy Guy." Yeah, you can bet a bit of shame and embarrassment came with that one. Second, be careful with what you promise to do in attempts to make your companion eat, or you may be munching on a piece of banana peel.
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| Gettting ready for that winter.... |
The last mission conference of my mission happened this week! It's always great to have that time with President and Sister Packer. Those two are just the best example of hummble faith! They amaze me!
And conference was topped off with free flu shots! Flu shots all around! Goodness ive never seen so much arm action in my entire lifetime of a missionary.
The other day at church a woman came into the church asking for a large amount of money to feed her newborn baby, we made a lot of calls and we finally concluded with the bishop telling us to go the the hospital she claims to be staying at to check and see if the claims are actually facts. That was the beginning of a looooong adventure! And i have to admit getting lost in a completely different city, on a hot fall day, carrying around my winter coat, and just working that purse strap sweat line, i was not exactly the happiest camper on the block. Well until i found....
LEAVES!!
Oh my gosh i was like a little girl in a nature candy shop! So that was enough happiness for me until we FINALLY found the new baby care unit of the hospital. We asked the bob nurse if they had the records of this particular woman, she said she's never heard of her...
Thursday we met again with the member of our ward was hit by car and shared a spiritual thought about a cabbage (something i thought they would appreciate). Sometimes i can't help but laugh at what lessons us Mormon's can find in object lessons these days...
That day Sister Litvinova also got a package from her parents, hand delivered by her grandparents (Special permission from President)! It was filled with all her vital documents and a very long handwritten letter, seeing how it's back to the old fashioned way of writing with the lack of electronic communication. There was a moment when we were heading to a lesson and we sat down on a bench and ate the Russian chocolates her parents sent her as she just cried. It amazes me how hard she works and seeks to forget herself when she is constantly reminded of her countries situation. She said she doesn't even know what she will do after her mission because she has no idea where her parents would be located or even if she has a home anymore. We were able to go to the trainstation and see off her grandparents as they were on a train back to Lugansk, and they said that they will come back home and refuge here in Kiev if their home is not there anymore. I my heart just broke of how many others going back on that train are unknowing if they have a home to go back to...count your blessings people.
And the big news has come in....Sister Roe's last moment of transfo.....who will be her killer? Where will be her place of death? Well you will be happy to know....RIGHT HERE IN PERCHERSKY! And congratulations Sister Litvinova, you are officially confirmed as my "killer."
You know, im really grateful to be staying here with these great people. There are so many that i have come to love, and goodness knows serving in Center Kiev there are enough of them! There is just a little pain in my heart of those who i wont be seeing again, most specifially all those I love in Illychyovsk down in Odessa, how long ago that feels....but i do love these people. And to prove it, i stalked them this morning from the other sisters apartment window this morning...
XOXOXOXO
-Сестра Ро
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