Got to talk through email

Today is July 8th and is Rylan's birthday, so he wanted to speak to Karissa really bad.  He stayed up until three in the morning to catch her while she was on the internet and he did.  He woke me up around three thirty so I got to chat with her through email.  It was so fun to have a real live conversation with her and she is doing as good as it sounds in her blogs.  She is loving Ukraine and the people over there.  Her companion and her have decided to eat better so they have been getting up and running every morning and eating no bread, which is really hard, but she was so proud to let me know she has lost twenty pounds.  So here is this weeks blog:


  I can't believe that I am here again writing another email to you all! The weeks are flying bye so much faster than I would like. This is the last week of my first transfer in the country, can you believe it?! I can't! We also got a bit of news when we were in L'viv this week, that news being.... That we have 11 Sisters coming into the L'viv mission at the end of this next transfer, there are only 11 Sisters in our mission now, and two will go home after this next transfer. Do you know what this means?! It means that Sister Shaughnessy will be training on her 3 transfer! Don't worry, this only slightly freaks me out to the highest degree! I am so nervous, but at the same time, I have learned so much in the past 6 weeks that I just have to remember that Heavenly Father qualifies those who he calls, so it will all be fine. I hope...
This week was so great! Ah, our little area is doing so well, I am so excited to see where it goes in the next couple of months! Our two previous baptism dates dropped, which was really quite sad. It breaks my heart a little when that happens, but it is okay. They are still working with us which is good.
Let us talk about the amazing miracles that happen this week; Sasha's Mom. OH, MY, GOSH! After she came to church on Sunday like I said and we have met with her almost every day since that time. She has progressed so much! She is just the best thing ever, and has referred us to her daughter to teach as well, it is just so amazing!
Everytime that we go over there she has made us some kind of food, which is some of the best food I have ever had in my life! I have now gotten Borsht, which was divine and holopsey, they are like lettuce wraps, but so much better. I am trying to think of what else she has made us, it is all just so great! Everytime that we eat over there she puts a ton of plate and just keeps piling it on. She tells us that we need to gain weight, we can't go home looking like someone hasn't loved and fed us....
Yesterday we had a lesson with her, after she brought her whole family to church. It was just so amazing, Sasha was on the lesson and wow... It was so great, he bore an amazing testimony. He told his mom how much he wanted her to change, but new that he couldn't change her, but God could and just all this amazing stuff. She has a baptism date for August 3rd. She has stopped drinking and everything on her own as well. It was just amazing to see how in one week the Gospel has changed this family's life so much!
We also headed to L'viv this week to meet our new mission president. He "pocket dialed" us and Elder Millard and Tribbett this week, those were some awkward phone calls, so it was nice to actually meet him in person. We took a night train on Friday at 11, got into L'viv at 6 in the morning on Saturday. Had the conference which was so great!
The Lattin's are definately not the Klebingats, but I love them. Sister Lattin is just that cookie cutter mormon mom, as Elder Millard put it. She is the sweetest thing that I have ever seen in my life. President Lattin is so great, very gentle and just grandpa like. I love them both. They told us a little about their lives and everything, and just enjoyed them.
It was so fun to see everyone from my MTC district as well. They are all doing so well! It is fun to catch up with everyone. Most of us are in the same zone as well, so we will see each other frequently.
After the conference I got to cut Sister Ricks hair, the Ricks are the Senior couple in our mission. They go home in a month, but they are the sweetest things around. I love them both, and it was fun to cut her hair. We then did some weekly planning and headed back to the train.
We had a night train at 8 until 2:20 in the morning, then we got to get up, take a cab home with the Elders, then get up at 6 am for studies and church. It was quite the week, but so great! (The train ride was fun because we have bit to just hang out. We just sit in the coupey and talked a bit. I learned that one of the Elders in Uzzhorod, his dad created Call of Duty, Rylan will be happy to know/)
Sister Echols and I have set a goal to eat more healthy, which is not hard here at all. The members give us whatever fruit is in season, I have had some of the best cherries, raspberries and watermelon I have ever had in my life here. It is so great! The other morning we went running through the park accross the street from our house, and there they are setting up a Circus! So I got to run through some pretty crazy stuff. They had like life size dinasours and stuff, pretty crazy!
Life is just so great here, and I am so beyond grateful I have to be here, it is truely amazing to watch how the Gospel changes people's lives for the better. до зустричи!!!