I am overjoyed, I actually saw the sun this morning! It has been like 2-5 degrees Celcius, and it has felt wonderful. This last week was great, life as a missionary is never dull. I think it's rad that it's leap year. We are celebrating many things on wednesday: leap year, probably the last week for our district to be together, and warm weather. We are going to eat at Brat Alexae's and the Elders are begging me to make some cake for district meeting, so we will probably have cake too. Well, here is a few highlights from last week:
Ok so last Monday night we were heading to an appointment with our Babushka investigator. The marshutka (bus) was super crowded, and there is a door in the front, and a door in the back. Sister Clark was like, ok our stop is next. She started heading to the back door, and I was closer to the front, so I started walking towards the front and I got off the bus at the stop. I got off the bus, look back for sister clark, look at the back door, she is on the bus, and the doors close and the bus drives away. hahahaha. so i stand there, companionless and wonder what i should do. Well i knew that the stop for babushka's house was one stop away, so i just start heading there. It must have been quite a sight. There wasn't a sidewalk, just a bunch of snow, so i just start trudging through knee deep snow (i'm not exaggerating!), Book of Mormon in hand, and trying to go as fast as i can. It was so hilarious! haha. i wasn't too nervous, and we were only separated for about 15 minutes, but it was WIERD!! It feels very strange without a companion, I am very grateful that we preach the gospel two by two haha. There was this guy across the street from me while i was running through the snow, and he kept shooting me the strangest looks. I can only imagine his thoughts: "who is that american girl, holding a strange book? what is she doing in ukraine at night in the dark, running through the snow?" haha i'm sure it was something like that. I told the elders that night what happened and they thought it was the funniest thing they ever heard. haha good times in zap!
We had a lesson with Lydia/Igor last week, that was very frustrating. I think all that they can focus on right now is their financial problems and their health problems. We have a good lesson planned with Lydia this week, we are going to talk about how to feel the Holy Ghost. We think that she knows that the church is good and brings her peace, but she doesn't know what it feels like to receive an answer. Who knows! We met with another investigator, Ira. She is open, but I don't know if she is willing to change. Those two lessons were all in the same day, and it was a LONG day. Sister Clark and I got home, planned, and went to bed haha we were so exhausted.
We were in charge of FHE last week, and Ukraine has this holiday called Men's Day. Men's Day and FHE fell on the same day, so we talked about men! haha jk, but we talked about heroes that are men, and then picked a few heroes from the Book of Mormon and talked about it. It was a good lesson. We bought treats for after the lesson, and we bought two kinds of cookies. We decided to try the cookies before we gave them to everyone, and lo and behold, we bought alcoholic cookies again! we bit into it and we both were like "mmm! sweetned condenced milk with delicious chocolate wafer! oh no....that is gross, what is that?" haha it was definitely alcohol. leave it up to the sister missionaries to buy alcoholic cookies to eat after the spiritual thought.
We had a baptism here on Saturday! His name is Yuri, and he is the jolliest little man i have ever met. He is little though, like I am taller than him haha. He was kind of a miracle baptism, the elders had only been teaching him for 3 weeks. He was so happy though and just cried after he was baptized and after he got confirmed. He is so funny haha. We are really happy for Zap right now. Last year, zap only got 2 baptisms the whole year, and we have already had 2 this year and it's only march. I love zap!!!
I am getting anxious for transfer announcements next monday. ahh! we usually get teh transfer text around like 1 ish. we will most likely be going to nepper next week. who knows! it will be interesting, but I have a testimony that the Lord qualifies who He calls, and it will be okay. I love you all so much! The gospel is true! I am grateful to be a missionary. Thank you all for the love, support, and prayers!
Cectpa DeMille
the chandelier
a cute little dome that one of our fave babushki live in
the baptismal font haha then pics of the baptism