Week 7

Subject: Miracles - chodo!!!

Do you know the children's "Primary" song they sing to all of their visitor's who come to church on Sunday?  It's called the "Hello Song" (I think).  Usually it ends up in a competition between the boys and the girls on who can sing (or scream) "Hello" the loudest.  Well, I'm singing it to you today...this Monday afternoon in Kiev!

Hello family!

So, first (because it's today) cause to rejoice.  Today is Independence day!  My companion and I have a lot to do though so we will miss the parade in the center of town.  We've heard from most Ukrainians that it's a tourist trap anyway.  They celebrate tonight with lots of fireworks (we heard a lot on Saturday night too).  I think this country is still uniting and trying to find some pride.  They can do it!!  It's beautiful!

Secondly, you can rejoice with me.  We are preparing Marina for baptism!  She is a beautiful lady - 28 years old.  She has an adorable 4-5 year old boy, and a really awesome husband.  However, her husband is a little hardened against religion.  (They don't call it agnostic but I think it's safe to say that's what he is.)  We haven't met with him yet and of course he doesn't like that His wife meets with us.  They are a beautiful family though.  His brother was baptized into a church years ago and never wanted to see their family again.  So, he is probably afraid of loosing his relationship with his wife.  We have a plan though!  For sure the only thing we want is for their family to be stronger.

We are working with Natasha too!  She's awesome - we are kindred spirits!  She just got back from hiking in the Carpathians!  This week we will help her prepare for Baptism too!  She has a 20 year old son and she works all the time to provide for them!  He is going on a 10 day kayaking trip this week!  How fun!

Well, 6 weeks are over.  Crazy.  Now, we evaluate our goals and set new ones.  In 6 weeks 23 people added to the truth they already had about life and found the fullness!  The truth of the fullness of the gospel!   I am thankful for the knowledge of our Savior and of the Gospel.  How wonderful it is.  How simple it is and yet there are so many who are afraid to discover it.

I want to do all I can to be better - a better teacher, a better missionary - so that I can be a better example and lead others to Christ.

Saturday we had a fun service activity!  We served a beautiful family who live out in the country.  Homes here need a lot of work.  This family spent a few years studying in America (BYU-I!!!) and I think they are trying to Americanize their home!  We varnished a beautiful fence while other members mowed and digged and cut and well I really have no idea what was going on around me.

We've had a watermelon a week this month!!  It's been lovely!!  My companion can even beat the elders in a seed spitting contest.  (Except Elder Rayburn.  We just don't let him compete.  He has to be some reigning champion in Kentuky.)

Oh, Elder Rayburn, Have I told you about him yet?  He has been a member of the church for 2 years.  He was studying cello (music) when his cello professor somehow introduced him to the church!  His professor baptized him and one year later he decided to postpone the 2 years left he had of college to serve a mission.  We serve with him and Elder Miller in Borshahivsky.  Elder Miller is from Las Vegas and he learned Russian.  

Oh, I meant to tell you.  I got grandpa's letter  last week.  It was wonderful!!!  Thanks grandpa and grandma for your wonderful examples!  I love you.  Thanks for always working and never relaxing.  This week was a tough one, but only because Satan is trying really hard to discourage us and keep us from blessing the lives of God's children and bringing them to Christ.


Hmm, what do I need!  Well, I am thankful for all I have!  I want more pictures but, I can still serve without them!  I love you lots. 

Week 6: First her email to her sister and then an email to the Thompsons

Dear Sister,

Thank you for rambling!  I loved it.  I thank Heavenly Father for you every day and Will too! What a fun adventure in Yellowstone!  How neat!  Maybe President Obama will come to Ukraine for some foreign affairs stuff.  I know they are getting ready for an election here.  There are these tents set up all over Kiev with kids handing out these articles about one man.  We walk by them all the time and of course they want us to take them.  I always feel bad.  We hand out "FREE ENGLISH" flyers and I get frustrated at people who won't take them.  It's free and it's something they might be interested in, or know someone...and well...that's a whole other tanget.  So, I'm sure they think the same things when I walk by.  Except, I'm an American and cannot vote in their elections, and I'm a missionary trying to be absolutely unbiased and refrain from all political debates as a representative of the Church.  

So, I don't think I'll have time to send pictures this week.  But, next week I'll dedicate more time.  Good?  

Somehow the Lord blessed me, I had enough $ all week!  

Sister Morton, she has been here for 12 weeks already, has twin brothers who married twin sisters and they both had children who are only three months apart...twice! 

I'm glad your birthday was fun!! I'm glad you got to eat at Applebee's.  On our preparation day (Monday before our birthday) We went to TGIF's.  It was okay and of course expensive.  But, it was fun.  

Um,the candy, at least try some of it and let know what you think.  It would be nice if you can send it to g-ma, dad and others.   My favorite is the lobster one that says Pachku, which means on all fours...??? weird!  It has a chocolate center!

Last week's e-mail was a dissaster.  I had a ridiculously long e-mail about our ward "potluck."  It was an amazing experience! 

I am happy.  I hope this has been the most difficult transfer because if that is true, I'm super excited for the rest!  But, yes, it has been difficult.  Odnak (HOWEVER) Life was not easy for our Savior, Jesus Christ, and that gives me hope.  I'm trying to be happy -always.  That is my mission goal.  Look above the challenges and have hope AND BE POSITIVE.  Yes, it's frustrating, sitting through a lesson in Russian and maybe understanding 10% then listening to people speak Ukrainian and also only understanding 20%. But, I have been blessed so much.  I will be patient with my abilities and trust that it is enough for now.

My mind has been enlighted on missionary work...so on that note...ah, note, I miss the clarinet!  I love you!
Love your sister!!

CECTPA MURPHY!

Grandma  Grandpa!!!


Alright, new missionary in the ward!!!  I have lots of advice for you and the ward to make his life easier!

I love you lots!  Life is  good.  My birthday was a missionary birthday: complete with 3 cancelled appointments (we by no means wanted them cancelled!),  3 stop-bys - all wrong addressess from the ward-roster, and a not so happily ending contact in the park.  But, I had cake and ice-cream on my companion's birthday, plenty!!  We also bought a nice ice-cream treat in the middle of the day.  My spirits were up.  I enjoyed the experiences!

Food, well, we had one member invite us over.  She has been inactive for awhile, and recently returned.  We visited her and helped her have courage to bear her testimony in church.  She made us noodles and a "salad" and some meat I think it was chicken cooked in egg.  It was good.  When we visit, we normally have a cup of "tea" - herbal stuff, that's tasty, and sometimes Pechevo (Cookies but, not like chocolate chip cookies they are tea cookies and not like scones either.  They are purchased - not made) 

Everything is pretty good here.  I'm not supposed to eat fish and that's sad.  It's fruit season right now!  Yes, we do cook and fortunately my companion is practically Italian.  Her mom can also send packages on a bus (Really cheap from Itally) with Italian noodles and NUTELLA!! (THIS AMAZING Hazelnut chocolate spread) and Amazing Italian cheese.  So, we have been eating a lot of pasta salads and noodles.  She enjoys cooking.  I would rather eat something fast but sacrifice for the sake of having a good relationship and the fact that I'm still young, I'll learn from her for now!

My favorite food is Vareneky.  It is, well imagine raviolli noodles almost but, instead of sauce and meat inside it's mashed potatoes!  It's genious!  They actually have all kinds of vareneky- chicken, pork, whatever.  But I'm not eating much meat here.  Borsh is also really good.  It's a great soup.  They have a great cream here it's called smetana.  They put it in almost everything.  I don't know how to describe it.  It's like a thick cream, like sour cream but sweeter or maybe milkier.  So, they put that in borsh and on vareneky and on bread and in desserts.  It's crazy!  Speaking of dessert, ice cream is great here!  And they have a cherry vareneky that is just great with smetana and sugar!  I also love this sweet cheese thing with raisins also with a spoonfull of smitana!  Well, other than that, we've eaten a lot of fried eggplant and cheese and bread.

This week is the end of the transfer so our Russian speaking missionaries come!  I think there are 7 and one is from Fayetteville.  I met him in the MTC.  I'm excited, people here have never met anyone from Arkansas!  I probably won't see him much since he is Russian speaking- but we plan to represent!

Congratulations on the quilts!  A lady in the ward here is an excellent seamstress.  I tried and with some help from my companion, I suggested that we have a sewing night and make a quilt.  She said she'd see what she can get together.  I'm excited about working with the ward and gaining the trust of the members.  I do love them.  I never want to leave.  But, I'll go where the Lord wants me to go and love more Ukrainians!

Love,

Cectpa Murphy!

Week 5

This picture was taken when she was in Lviv for a few days while her companion was renewing her Visa.

Dear Sister!

You are so wonderful and I love hearing from you.  I want to see pictures!  I absolutely love that part in the book of the Chronicles of Narnia too!  I used it a lot in lessons and I'm pretty sure I made you read it before.  I love CS Lewis too.  My companion has Chronicles of Narnia in Russian (the movie) and we've shown the scene of Aslan's sacrafice to families to explain the atonement.  So many people don't understand the Atonement and why we need it. Repentance is also difficult to understand.  We cannot do anything by ourselves.  Christ is the only one who can really free us.  I just love the analogy!  

TREMENDOUS THANKS FOR THE PICTURES YOU SENT and an ENORMOUS thanks for the awesome package.  I cannot believe it was $40.  NEVER SEND ME ANYTHING AGAIN, unless it's a little note that costs only $1, which is what postage is probably now anyway.  Ridiculous.  So thanks.  We'll put the brownies into some good use for our members.  They will be our blessing brownies.  You rock, your husband rocks!   

Remember there isn't any perfect way to do missionary work.  Christ was rejected and many people misunderstood Him too.


This pictures is me with two pink elephants in my hands!  They are Italian elephants, one named Buon and the other named CompLeanno.   Their Italian names mean:  GOOD BIRTHDAY!!  So, I hope both you and Will are having a good birthday!

OH, by the way.  I also sent you a crazy package.  It wasn't going to be crazy except I didn't understand a word and my companion wanted me to "grow."  So, I sent you a little package, what she took from me.  Unfortunatley she didn't understand that I had other things I wanted to put in there and I didn't realize I had to explain that I had more stuff to send.  SO, I'm sorry.  But, I hope you like it.  I also didn't get to send you a note.  So, next time.  It cost 111 gruven.  Which probably is about 18 dollars so really not that expensive for Americans.  Although, here that's still a lot of money.  (We are supposed to budget for 300 a week).  Crazy experience it was.  Well I love you.  It's the week of our DEN HePOZEHHR!  Happy Birthday to us all!

Love CECTPA MURPHY!

Week 4

Yay,
Happy Anniversary Sandy and Will!
Exciting...[ps there is no word (clovo) for the word excite in Ukrainian so, if I use it a lot it's probably because I'm going through withdrawls] I tell people about you a lot and I was excited to say today My sister and her husband have been married for a year. (I totally learned that just for you!) (ale [but] I did not learn the clovo [word] for anniversary next year! (or next month for g-ma and g-pa)

So, I have a couple of favors to ask of you. First, funny story. You know how mission presidents always know what is going on with the missionaries in the mission? In my last interview with President Steinagel, he told me their secret. They google their own names and find their missionaries blogs. Pravda(true)! For example, the other day Pres. Steinagel was looking for a document. He googled his name and found for some particularly odd reason my mission blog created and updated by none other than my favorite and most amazing twin sister. He informed me that you have a picture marked incorrectly. I know I am wearing a green vest surrounded by probably 4 elders and my companion and Ulia (bapstism day). This is in Lviv, and not with my "new companion" Sister Movchanyk. However, I am standing with Elder Allan, Elder Ward, Elder Prowitt, Elder Fulton, and Sister Belatska (my companion for a week). If I sent you a picture of Sister Movchanyk and I, you would probably say: "wow, they look a like!". Everytime I tell someone I have a twin sister they want to know if it's Sister Movchanyk.

Thank you for your inspiring e-mails and yes letters (from my amazing family and friends!)
I am very happy that I can be here, now - at this amazing time. Every time I see the temple I'm reminded of the urgency in using the short amount of time given me to find the elect and lead them to Christ. So, this week I learned to stop feeling frustrated with my abilities and focus instead on having Christ's image reflected in my countenance. I hope that I can create curiosity in those who are lost beside me and that they can sense that I'm there for an important reason. I know I have hundreds of opportunities to improve and I hope each day I will be successful in becoming myself more like Christ so that I can be more effective as a missionary for Him.

Sister Mitchell actually put this thought into my head with her wonderful letter and testimony! We are all missionaries. However, I have the opportunity to work full-time for the Lord, not just some of time. So, every second counts. I think I told you last week about one of my favorite scriptures in Ether 12:11. "Through Faith was the Law of Moses given, but through Jesus Christ, God gave us a MORE EXCELLENT WAY....". I can always do more, I can always be better. But, the most important thing to remember is that the best way is Christ's way. If I am focusing on Him, He will make up for all of my weaknesses. This week I was focusing on just being ridicoulsly happy, to generate curiousity. Then, I received Tamara's letter that reminded me how important it is to reflect Christ. To have His image in our countenances. So, I do have a lot of work to do; in myself and helping others find Christ's true gospel too. We didn't have such great success last week, but this week we are going to work hard and bring the elect to Christ. We are planning a big "Potluck" on Sunday for the Ward. (New for Ukrainians...!!) We are going to get them excited about missionary work. It is through them that we can find the elect. There is a temple being built here, right next door to the very church we meet in. I walk by it at least 4 days a week. This will be the House of God, This will bless the lives of the members and all people living here. We have one year. What a blessing it is to find those people now, who will be prepared in one year (after their baptisms) to enter the House of the Lord. I'm EXCITED!

So, we cleaned a park on Saturday. They don't have a lot of trashcans in Ukraine, not as rare as public restrooms, but, litter is everywhere. So, people were curious and many of them liked the idea. We baked chocolate cookies for those who helped us. That was fun...American food! (And they enjoyed it) It's also morning, we haven't done our shopping yet and my mouth is watering thinking about the fresh produce we walk by. It's everywhere! Fruit trees are everywhere!
Next week we are also going to have a Pancake night! (Pancakes are also not a Ukrainian staple) So, the other favor, you know the pink cookbook you have, how about those syrup recipes. Are they easy?

Well, that is about it for time. I love you. I love life here. I love serving the Lord. I hope I can become better; a more effective missionary always choosing the more excellent way of Christ! I know it takes love and boldness together. I know this is important for all people on the earth to know Heavenly Father's plan for us and what we must do to receive His grace and mercy. The Gospel is the Way. Repentance and Baptism are the beginning ordiances. Then we continue, every day becoming more like Him, reaching our Potential. I am so thankful for a loving Heavenly Father. I am thankful for my family. Familes are central to our Father's plan because it is through them we can experience the love that He has for us. Just imagine how much you love your family. I am thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ. Because of Him, this is all possible. What a sacrifice He gave and how it has blessed me- I still cannot imagine.

I'm excited for this week. To see the changes the Gospel of Jesus Christ can bring into the lives of the people of Ukraine. I was reading in 2 Nephi 29 about Satan. One verse says that he works carefully (In Ukrainian it says diligently) leading people to hell. Which means, we have to work dilligently and carefully to bring them back. We can be smarter and work harder. We HAVE to WORK HARDER and SMARTER. This is Salvation!
Well, I love you. I'm going to see if I can send some pictures.
I hope you have a wonderful day!

Oh, Grandma and Granpa, thanks for your wonderful letters and e-mails! You two are wonderful! Blackberries - I can just imagine all the pies. Stay cool!!

Love,

Sister Murphy