I cannot believe that I am writing you all again, I think that I say this every week, but it is so true that time just flies bye! What a week we had though, I don't even know where to begin!

Last week, it was so great getting to chat with you all, sorry that it was so early, but here it was almost lunch time. After we got off here we went grocery shopping, and I made sure to take a picture of the juice isle for Kabes. Ukrainians LOVE their juices, I am pretty sure that they make everything into juice, she would think that she had died and gone to heaven! We also bought 3 water melons, because the water melon here is the best thing I have ever tasted in my life, but man that was crazy trying to get it all up to our apartment, that poor taxi driver.

We then had to race off and cut Elder Terry's hair. We got to the church a little early, so we went upstairs to eat some of our lunch and hide from the Elders, we closed to church up to make it look like no one was there, see if we could punk them a bit, and it worked. We heard them come in and waited for them at the top of the stairs, but they just sat in the foyer. When they started talking about us being "late" we called to them from the top of the stairs and it scared them! They deserved it though, they started eating the dessert they had bought for us because we "weren't there." Funny little Elders!

The rest of the day we spent buying some souvineers around Center (city center). Sister Echols wanted to get some things for her family and I wanted to get a few little things to send home with her for you guys, she is from Payson, FYI.

Tuesday was just a crazy day! President came down to visit Uzzhorod, so we had District Meeting with him and interviews, I awkwardly got to wait with all 4 Elders while Sister Echols was in her interview, it was so great! After the interview we had to run to the store really quick because we had totally forgotten that we had the L'viv sisters coming down for exchanges and didn't have enough food in the house for all of them, and we were in charge of treats for the fireside that President was going to have for the members.

It was a crazy adventure trying to get all of that and come up with some healthy treats that we could provide at the fireside. Thankfully the Elders came to help us carry it back from the bus stop to the church. The fireside went well, and poor Elder Ward had to translate, the poor kid. He didn't want to have to do that, thankfully Olya helped him out with it.

That night, so Tuesday night, late the L'viv Sisters came in for exchanges. Siser Von Stockom is the Sister Training Leader, and her to companions, Sister Benion, who is just the sweetest person that has ever walked the planet, and Sister Wallace! My MTC companion!! YAY!

On Wednesday I spent all day with Sisters Benion and Wallace, that was fun! It was so crazy, we did a book table with Elder Ward and Elder Terry to advertise english, Elder Ward got to teach me some new words after I totally had this awkward conversation with someone because I didn't understand what they were saying, and he just sat listening to it. Then Elder Terry got to save me from this drunk person who was having a conversation that I didn't understand with me, it was quite an adventure! Then we went back to church, got some treats for FHE for Elder Terry and Elder Ward who didn't have time, I offered trying to get out of the Spiritual thought I was supposed to do, saying we would get treats if they would do the thought, they said deal!

Funny story about that though, Elder Ward conducts the meetings, and we still got to give the Spiritual thought. It was terrifying having to do it without Sister Echols there, but it worked out. I felt like the MTC again as Sister Wallace and I struggled through the language, but we said what we needed to and it worked.

Thursday I had exchanges with Sister Von Stockom, it was so fun! She is such a cool person! She is from the Netherlands, but her english is so good! Almost without an accent, she is really great though. We taught Silvia, Sasha's mom, a lesson on the Plan of Salvation, then did some tracting and contacting. We had this huge rain storm start to blow through and that was just funny and we were trying to get home before getting wet, and there weren't too many people out at that point anyway. Ukraine is very funny that way, atleast in Uzzhorod, by 7 most people are home and no one is out.

Firday the sisters left after coming to a lesson with us at Silvia's. 5 Sister missionaries she insisted on feeding, having us help her make holopsey. Which is the best food on the planet! The sisters left after that, and Sister Echols and I got to run to the church, without umberellas in a down pour, it was so funny. We walk in and the Elders just laugh as we are soaked! It was so funny!

After that meeting we had a lesson with Maria and Olya, it went ok. Maria, I think, knows that it is true but is scared to change tradition. Olya, as always, was just amazing to have on the lesson and really helps out, they are both just cute good girls.

Saturday we had a lesson with Silvia and her grandkids were there. I am pretty sure that they are just the best family ever! Silvia just loves her kids, she has 8 kids, super uncommon in Ukraine. All but one her  children live in Uzzhorod, a son in Kiev, and her oldest daughter has 2 daughters and a husband. On Saturday the two grandaughters were there and it was so fun talking with them they are the sweetest things ever. The youngest one has an obsession with the cats, I felt so bad for them, they were running from her all day!

Silvia is so great though and she is just progressing like crazy, so is her family! Sasha has been such a good example to him, it is just amazing! You have to love Sasha!!! Silvia brings her two youngest boys, Marion and Ivan, 11 and 14, to church and Marion just loves us! He is so great! He asks us everyday if we are coming over and tells us that he loves church. They only stay for sacrement, next week we are going to try to coordinate with the Elders to see if they can do come kind of fun lesson with them to get them to stay. We also go to meet with her 21 year old daughter Anya, she has read all the way to 1 Nephi 16 in a day, and wants to stop smoking, it was just amazing to meet with her!

We have also met with Oksana, the mother of the two granddaughters, and with Tanya another one of her daughters. It was so great! Sivia wants her whole family to join the church and all of them have just been doing so great! AH! THEY ARE JUST THE BEST!

They seriously are just the best family ever though, I want to bring them all home with me. Silvia is the most amazing cook, she just piles the food on our plates telling us the we need to eat more, we are going to get home to America and be so skinny (that is kind of the point, really) and our mom's will be so sad because it will look like no one loved us. It is so funny!

They are just the best! AH! I love it here! Even if we are wearing coats and scarves in July! LOVE YOU ALL!!!!

Happy Birthday Todd, Teresa and Colby!

 

Mission President and Wife with Olya