Hello Sandy & Will,
I'm glad I have two experienced and amazing people I can write to every week. So, I'm going to start with horrible favors. Awful I know...
1st I thought of something fun. Google pictures of marshrutkas (маршрутка), crowed Ukrainian buses, for Grandma and Grandpa to see. Oh, and maybe the temple so you can see the progress!
So here are the pics she requested. These are all from the internet and supposedly are all from Kiev. As you can see they cram a lot of people in them.
It looks amazing with the spire and Moroni. Apparently customs did not want a spire of gold coming, so they had to change. Wouldn't it be amazing to be an architecture that builds temples? Yes. It would.
How is the church in America? How are the baptisms in Mountain Home? In Russellville?
Tell Valerie I hope she’s doing well
Tell Sarah, AJ, and Amanda thanks for their letters!
Do you know the new mission address? It's borshahivsky...or something like that in English. (the mission office is actually were I serve)
Okay...
I would like some easy, practical but fun recipes and some amazing analogies to teach gospel principles. Will how did you teach? Share some of your geniusness with someone who needs it. In fact, you can put this on the web site for suggestions and make it a fun activity. You can ask everyone! Your friends, etc. How can I teach these people in simplicity and so they understand. Diagrams I can use? Mail them??? Whatever. I love you!
Okay, new news. Marina is going to have to wait.
Her child got sick. Her husband doesn't approve, and she couldn't come to church on Sunday. It's so sad. I won't tell you everything because I want you to love all Ukrainian people as much as I do. He just doesn't trust his wife. He hid a web camera so he could see and hear us while we were there. We asked the elders to come and give a blessing to their son and he got angry...
(That happened this morning.)
Today we went to see an "open-air" Ukrainian village museum. It was nice. We brought another lady with us. We are teaching her English and the gospel. She started to read the Book of Mormon.
So, this Saturday, no baptism, but their will be a wedding, my first Ukrainian wedding! We went to help out ward members yesterday (it's quicker than yours. They have one week to prepare, and it's going to be fun!) I wish I could tell you all that they have planned. She is a cute girl who just returned from Provo. I guess her American boyfriend couldn't live without her. He's coming here on Thursday to marry her! (They have to do it civilly in Ukraine first.)
So, he's in for a big surprise. Ukrainians are CRAZY FUN! I'm totally going to have a Ukrainian reception! They kidnap the bride, they do skits, they ask weird questions, they laugh, they eat, they sing.
We've begun sister exchanges in the mission again. It was interesting. I served for 3 days Tues - Friday with Sister Ethington in Harkivsky two weeks ago. (She is one transfer ahead of me. We met in the MTC) Sister Ethington is learning Russian. So, I heard 10x more Russian that week than I am used to! Yay, I'm commencing my 3rd language. I think I can probably offer a prayer in Russian! (I'm not trying it yet)
It was rough. I am so thankful for the experience I have gained from my companion - a very experienced and hard working missionary. I had no idea how blessed I was, and HOW CLEAN my living quarters were! Wow, it was fun though. Their sinks didn't drain and their landlord left them a bunch of hmm...maybe a nicer word for junk would do...but, I cannot think of one.
So, I came back and we got right to work again on Friday. Busy weekend, busy Sabbath, and then we got a call a week ago. We did exchanges again. Except I was going to Bila Sterkva (apparently it's paradise for Russian speaking missionaries). I served with an Armenian companion, who only speaks Russian and Armenian! YAY! I got over the nervousness and was pretty excited. Really! She is a very experienced missionary, so I did my best to communicate and learn from her!
It was nice, a beautiful area and people. I learned a little bit of Armenian and a lot of Russian since she doesn't know Ukrainian. We gave out two more baptismal dates! Way fun! Speaking of fun, the word in Ukrainian is Vescello and the word for wedding is Vescellya. (see the connection - there is one!)
You have no idea how much having a vision of "finding" throughout the day has helped me. I am excited to find more investigators. I think it's reasonable to find someone every day of the week. Why not? We have almost 10 hours. I love being challenged and I know I have a lot of improvement and work to do. Everyday I am thankful for the people I serve and the area I serve in and my companion who has taught me so much. But I want to be more effective in receiving referrals, inspiring members to be missionaries, and living and teaching by the power of the Spirit.
So, I'll try again this week!
With a better understanding on how to find!
This is an excerpt from a letter my mission president sent us:
"How vast, how broad, and how eternal are the things we’ve received, and which we offer to the world. The Book of Mormon is the book of greatest worth on the planet, and we give it away for free. The temple is the best built structure in the land, and people can enter without money and without price. What a testimony of God’s love for His children. "
Pres. Steinagel
Well, that's about all the time...we have an important lesson tonight.
I love you
Thanks for everything
I love popcorn...
We find out this weekend about transfers...
I know I can be better. I have a lot of work to do.
Sister Murphy
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