Only two transfers left and home

WOW, we started a new transfer this week. I only have 2 left, let us just talk about that for a second... I am in SHOCK! Where did time go? This week some of my favorite missionaries went home, I started my mission with them and now they are home. When did this happen? Missions don't come to an end, they was just a myth and rumor that I had heard. It is crazy to think that I only have two transfers left... Do you know how fast transfers go?! Kind of freaking out here, I can't believe it!

Okay, mental breakdown over. 
This past week has been incredible! First of all, it was Pioneer Day. I love pioneers, so that is always a great holiday in my book. My companion doesn't know a whole lot about pioneers and I have had a great time telling her EVERYTHING that I know about pioneers all week. For one, I have learned a lot of new words so that I can explain the stories appropately and also, it is just something that I love to do; tell stories, just talk in general, actually, and also, I get to strengthen my testimony and be continually grateful for their sacrifice. Getting to share my testimony of the pioneers just strengthens me, especially on a mission. If they did all that for the truth, I can be here and share what I know with the people in Ukraine.

This week has been amazing! I feel like so many things have happened! On Pioneer Day, actually this was kind of ironic, we went with a potential investigator of ours to help her clean up the gravesides of her parents. We helped pull weeds and plan flowers on their plots and she told us all about her family. It was really cool to be there on that day for many reasons, it was just an amazing experience for me personally. After we had finished we sat on a bench and talked with her. She has before expressed no interest in learning about the gospel, even when we have asked her about it, but she had asked us to help her today and we are here to serve. As we are sitting on the bench with her she just asks us, tell me something about God. I want to know what you believe about life after death. So, we told her a little bit about the plan of salvation. You could just feel the spirit, it was so amazing to have that experience. Now we are going to start working with her so that she can know that she will see her parents again.

As we were helping her clean the grave it was interesting to hear her talk about her parents. They lived in the communist age, they had no belief in God and lived basically their whole lives that way. It gives you something to think about when you hear about how they lived without God.

That was one amazing miracle this past week, then.... On Sunday we go to pick up this older lady in our branch, she has recently had a stroke and has a hard time getting around. We helped her get ready and to come to church. This was our first time doing it, and we tried calling her, but her phone was off. We decided to just go anyway, what can it hurt. We get there, she tells us that she wasn't expecting us, she had already called a friend of hers to come and get her to come to church with her. Turns out.... that friend would be a former investigator we had found in our are book, that we had been trying to work with. She has two boys that we had gone and picked up last week to come to sports day with us. It was incredible! They came to church and stayed all three hours.

After church we were able to meet with them and they introduced us into their family. We talked to them about the Book of Mormon. It was such an incredible miracle that we had! Things are happening here, people! This is amazing!

Anyway... this week has been amazing! Things are working out. I finally have gotten over the loneliness of being with an all ukrainian speaking ukrainian and now, you know what... Life is good! 

 LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!

Heavenly Father knows best

You know, you think that you are doing pretty good and then Heavenly Father has a way of just knocking you right on your butt again. Sometimes it is even literal. So, let me just start out by saying that this past transfer has kicked my butt. I decided that I just wanted to be the most unhappy person in the world and see what it was like. I hated it.So many different things were just going on and I wanted to shy away from the trials rather than face them. I was wanting to look inward rather than out at others and serve them.

From this, I have learned that I would much rather be happy. I would rather face hard things with a smile than a frown, and you truely are more happy when you are in the service of others. It is hard to be doing things when your heart is not in it, it really is, and it just took me a while to learn this. SO... at the beginning of this past week I got a blessing, decided that life was going to be great! Guess what?! It is! And guess what?! I still have a knack for attracting some of the weirdest experiences ever, I don't know how it happens, but it does. I have seen SO MANY miracles this week, just little ones, but they were still there (I totally include an elder giving us a kitkat that he got from a member as a miracle on a Sunday when you are craving chocolate and there is none at the house! I am a sister missionary okay, I still love chocolate.) I have learned that the promise "Ask and ye shall receive" is some serious business and it happens! Oce, the chocolate!

This week, I don't even know where to begin.... We went to a bag remont place to get Sister M's bag fixed and there we had the best conversation with this kid and he just happens to be from Khmelnitsky, that was my home for 4 months, I love that city! He was also totally interested in our message, that was even better! From there we leave and there is this guy speaking english, we follow him for a second and I wanted to go talk to him and then he ducks into a building.. Dang. I turned to my companion, who speaks little to no english and said to her in english, "Dang, I wanted to talk to some Americans today, I kind of miss english." She gives me a funny look and we move on. We are walking down to the church and all the sudden I hear "Hey, do you speak english?!" I pause and turn, because I forgot, but I do speak that language! Turns out this lady is from california. She came to Ukraine with her husband to visit the city from which they had adopted 3 of their 8 children. She was leaning against a building smoking. I talked with her for a while. Turns out that she is LDS, her brother is on a mission in Philipeans and her neice is on a mission in Russia. She has been inactive for years, but was more than friendly. We had a great conversation, once I got over the shock that they were American. Americans are so loud!!!!! Wow, I didn't realize how odd it would be to talk to Americans again. I am in for culture shock when I get home. It literally was the weirdest thing ever.

Also, this week I did get a marriage proposal. That was great! You know I always welcome those, this guy asked me to marry him, and this was all said in english, so I understood perfectly, because I am an Irish girl and he could tell that I was not lying because of my..... you think that I am going to say last name, but no, because of my teeth. Apparently I have irish looking teeth. I don't know what that means, but I have them. (I didn't think they had yellowed that much but....)

Then on Saturday we had a huge miracle! This family that we have been trying to work with came to sports day! It was so great! The boys had SO MUCH FUN! They are so cute as well and they had a blast getting to play with the big kids.

There were so many more miracles that happened. Just little things throughout the day that were just perfect! I was SO happy, my companion and I were having so much fun, we were working hard. No huge baptism or crazy things like that, but those little moments that just let you know that God is there, for everyone. It was incredible!

I was thinking about that a lot yesterday, it really is incredible how much God loves us! He also has a sense of humor too! 

Because... we went to choir yesterday with the branch. Only 2 members and 1 investigator showed and Elder Mollinet and Elder Obiux, and us. So, I get called upon to direct the music, no big deal. I stand up and start directing. They didn't need it, so I was going to sit back down. I grab a chair go to sit and the next thing I know... I am on the ground. THE METAL CHAIR BROKE UNDERNEATH ME!!!!!!!!!!!!  No, I am not even kidding. It kind of was the funniest thing ever. I was dying. Ukrainians however, do not think this is funny! They got mad at Elder Mollinet for laughing at me, and he was like (we served together in lutsk, when I was on my death bed) are you kidding, that is not the hardest fall I have seen that girl take, she is fine. It was funny! We were laughing. The best part about the entire thing is that all the ukrainians made sure that I was okay and just went on singing. They did not even skip a beat or laugh or anything, once they new everything was fine they just wanted to start singing again and nothing. 

Elder Mollinet and I were dying. The only Americans and we are just thinking this is the funniest thing ever! The ukrainians did not say ONE WORD to be about it the rest of the night! That is what made it even funnier. They didn't think that it was funny! I called Sister Moffitt and she and I were like rolling on the floor no one else got it! 
Anyway, moral of the story.... I don't really know. But I just attract humorous situations. Anyway, this upcoming week is going to be great! This work is true, love you all!!!!!!!

 Sister Shaughnessy

Work is going Forward

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDPA, TODD, COLBY AND TERESA!!!!
Well, I don't know where this week went! It really just flew by and I don't even know where to begin! First of all the Sister Training Leaders were here, which ment that Sister Garrett was here! My first little trainey is all grown up! I love that girl so much and I got to spend an entire day with her and we had a blast! We went with one of our investigators here, Ilona. She is wonderful and also happens to be the Ukrainian Women's Tennis Champion, not even kidding. She is awesome, but can't get baptized because of her parents right now. However, she is just amazing! We had her take us on a tour of the city just to be with her for a little bit.

We went to the university! OH MY GOODNESS IT IS BEAUTIFUL! That place was seriously straight out of a Jane Austin novel. It was lovely! We walked the grounds and it was beautiful! Seriously, we just took so many pictures of the grounds, there is a church there. They have a sealed well outside of the church and the legend is that they took all the vampires in the city and put them in that well and sealed it. It was quite cool!
The grounds are just beautiful and green, we had a blast walking around and talking with Ilona. She soon is going to the US to play tennis at University and is hoping to be baptized there. We want to help her stay in contact with the church in the states so that she can be baptized! She literally is the coolest. At one point we went into the university and into a corridor... just my luck, we get locked in the corridor and had to literally bang on the doors for someone to hear us to be let out. Sister Garrett and I were just laughing, it would be out luck to get locked in the university! We were just laughing!

After the sisters left we had a little miracle. A lady that we contacted from the area book a couple of weeks called us and wanted to meet. That does not ever happen! It was quite amazing, we were in shocked and ran to the park to go meet with this lady. It was so great! She took a couple of pamplets and we were able to just have a good conversation with her and set up another time to meet more formally. It was amazing!

Also, this week we had a culture fair... let us just talk about that for a second! That was the coolest thing ever! We contacted at the fair and talked to so many people as we enjoyed ourselves at the fair. It was so great! You just have to love Ukraine! The culture here is so rich and they are all just such wonderful people and so religious! Ah, just the best!

We got to have dinner with the other sisters as well at the Hawkins house. The Hawkins are the senior couple here. They made us a roast with potatos and carrots in a crock pot and jello. Pretty sure Sister Moffitt and I were in tears! It was like being home, both she and I were just eating it and loving it so much! Probably more than was necessary, but we were just like "Home." Our native companions were thinking we were crazy, but you know... it just happens when you are away from home for a while!

Pretty much, I think that is it for this week! We literally just have been having a blast and the work is going forward! LOVE YOU ALL!

Zone Conference

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Another week has come and gone! I honestly don't know where it went, but it was SO MUCH FUN!!! We had Zone Conference, I don't know if you know this, but in our mission socializing is a BIG don't. Obviously between Elders and Sister, but even between other sisters. We do not text, call, meet up, nothing other than the meetings at church or to communicate information, that is it! So, Zone Conference is kind of a big deal, we are able to see other missionaries and catch up, make sure that we are still all living. Then, to top it off.... We have this AMAZING zone conference, we talked all about the temple, which I miss so much! And how we can be better missionaries, it was great! I got to push my language skill and kind of translate for my companion. That was interesting!

THEN, after Zone Conference they had an activity for us missionaries. As in we could socialize! That is crazy and rare and it was a blast!

We had sports going on, ate some pulled pork sandwiches and enjoyed it! And we also got to watch a movie.... that doesn't happen either. It was Ephraim's Rescue, all about church history. I was not disappointed when I think of a movie a church history movie is perfectly entertaining for me, whether on a mission or not! It was such a great time! AND I also got to see Sister Petersen, kind of like the best thing that had ever happened to me! I LOVE THAT GIRL! It was so great! I also got to spend some time with Sister Moffitt, she is so great! Never served with her, but we have now become lifelong friends! We spent a day in center L'viv. It was so great! We had lunch, talked to some people about english and witnessed some beautiful Ukrainian folk music. It was so great!

Because of Zone Conference we were on the train and in L'viv for most of the week, it was such a great time! We talked to the Hawkins, the senior couple that is in our city. They literally are my new favorite people. Elder Hawkins is also a chiropractor.... needless to say we are friends now.

It was such a good week, things are coming along, summer is definately here!
LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYLAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Olya in Town

Another week has come and gone and I don't know where it went! It has been quite a week, we have had some great times!

First of all, let us just talk about the Armor of God lesson, pretty sure that my branch now thinks that I am officially crazy! We had an 18 year old member here, Edik, the cutest kid ever, we had him help us with our spiriutal thought for game night. So we made these little clothe ball type things and got his armor all ready to go. So, at friend night we gave everyone a ball and had them throw the balls at him, he had to block as many as he could. It was a little difficult... So, we then took him into the hall and put him in his armor. This armor consisted of Elder Mollinet's belt, a sword made out of a wooden spoon covered in tinfoil, a pot for his helmet of salvation, and a back pack put on backwards, also covered in tinfoill for his breastplate and don't forget the shield from cardboard covered in tinfoil. Yeah, it was great! He was eating it up as everyone was laughing at him as they again got the throw the balls at him and he was protected more from them. It was so great! I am kind of loving this companion thing that she speaks well enough that if I can get my crazy idea across she can explain it a lot better than I can. It was so great! 

We also had the AP's here this week. Elder Jolstead and Elder Lippert, I served with both of them in Lutsk. I was SO happy to see them again, they are so great! They were the ones that were with me when I was in the hospital, so I love and adore both of them, they are great! For some reason though, whenever they are around I decide that I need to visit hospitals. Don't worry, I am not sick. We just have a couple of members that are in the hospital and one investigator as well. I met them for the first time this week, and we also took Elder Newton and Elder Lippert (they were on exchanges) to meet them as well. Elder Lippert and I were just remembering the good times, I told him for some reason whenever he is around I feel this need to go to the hospital. We laughed. Then we made this great joke as I asked him a question about my apartment contract and needing to get that done. He thanked me for always being on top of everything... except maybe the stairs. So funny. (Remember that one time I passed out and fell down the cement stairs)

Also, this week one of our members had a birthday, Natasha is her name. She is really great, return missionary, actually she is even a really good friend of Olya's, my friend that got baptized in L'viv in March. Anyway, it was her birthday and I wanted to do something nice for her. So, we got balloons and posters and colored paper and made some phonecalls. We didn't know where she lived, but her brother said that it was okay if we decorated her door for her birthday. So, we called a taxi to take us, figuring he would know where it was and we wouldn't have to figure it out ourselves. Well.... turns out he had no idea where it was, so just imagine... we are on this dirt road in a lada, a lada people, it is muddy and rainy and we are going up hills and just in this random, village part of town. I have no idea how we were getting up these hills, trying to find this address, the taxi driver was getting frustrated because he had no idea where he was going, Sister Matsiyashchik was getting frustrated because we were not finding it... I was sitting in the backseat with a million balloons, a poster and paper hearts thinking this is the funniest thing ever. Go figure, only the American would be the one crazy enough to laugh! Let us get real though, we were in a lada! You can't not laugh!

Also, on Friday I got a phone call from Natasha, the same member whose door we decorated for her birthday. She wanted to talk to me, strange, most of the members are content talking to my companion since, I don't know, she speaks the language better. So, I take the phone and she tells me that she has a favor to ask of me, okay, I am a missionary, I kind of do service for a living. Turns out, OLYA WAS COMING IN!!!!! She was taking a train down to stay with Natasha over the weekend for her birthday! Ummm...... YEAH!!!! I was on cloud nine, she needed us to pick her up from the train station and keep her entertained until Natasha got off work. As big of a sacrifice as that was, I think we handled it well. We picked her up, ate dinner with her and just talked! Ah, I have missed that girl SO much! We wanted to have her sit in on a lesson with us as a member, but the lesson canceled. So, we taught her a new member lesson because she hasn't had all of them yet. Then we played ping pong with a couple of the kids from english for about 20 minutes before the class started! It was wonderful!

Saturday was sports day. Ukrainian women for some reason do not play sports. Like at all. It is a culture thing, they don't play sports. Men even are not very good at sports in Ukraine, it is kind of weird, well, they are good at soccer, but that is about it. We went to sports day and played volleyball, others were playing frisbee. I chose volleyball, I like it a little bit better. Just to tell you how it goes, I was one of the best players playing. If I, Sister Shaughnessy, am one of your better players on a sports team there is a problem. It was really fun though and everyone had such a great time! I got to be with Olya again, so I was happy.

Olya left yesterday after church. It was still so great to see her again! It was quite the week, I loved it! Next week we are in L'viv for Zone Conference, that will be a great time! Love you all, until next week!

Back to K-Town

PREEVEET! I sure hope that you all had a great week. I am sitting in the internet cafe trying to figure out what I did the past week of my life. I literally have no idea...

I got to go back to K-Town!!! That was the best! When I got the call that I had to go back, I literally called the AP's to make sure that this was not a joke, I wanted to know that this was so real before I started getting myself excited! Elder Jolstead probably didn't appreciate my screaming into the phone when he confirmed it.! I was so excited to have to go back and see my old companion, apartment, and Sister Lewis. She was in my MTC district, but I haven't really seen her since the MTC and now she is in my town. It was so fun to see her and everyone. I had to say goodbye to a few people that I am sure I will not see again until America and some that I don't know when I will see them again.
It has been a good week, taking the time to go to K-Town was a lot of time out of our schedule. We took a bus, like 5 hours, through some of the most beautiful country side that I have ever seen in my life. It was really fun, I pretty much just stared out the window trying to ignore the very drunk men that were sitting just opposite of us. Ukraine, oh the adventures that we have had!

I got to K-town just in time to sit in on their Family Night, LOVED IT! I was so happy to be back, and not a thing had changed. I guess no one told them I was coming, I walked in and the branch president was in shock. He told me he was planning on never seeing me again, He is kind of a teaser and loves my reactions. It was so fun, we had a seat and played our traditional "Uno Crazy!" President still cheats and looks at everyones cards....yup! It was home again!
I was only there for a day, we had to get some legal things worked out so that I didn't get kicked out of the country. You know, just the little things. It really was quite the miracle to get to go back! I even got to sit in on a district meeting, loved it! Probably a little too much! AH!

Well, back to Chernivtsi... It has been a good week. All of our investigators have dropped us. I have been told that I don't speak the language well enough to be here, so what am I doing here, we have done a lot of time on the streets... Yeah, you know. It was all good.
Saturday we had a service project, we cleaned up a lady's yard and weeded it for her. She is a member and had a stroke just a month or so ago and has been really struggling with half of her body being paralyzed. We went over and had a great time doing service for her. It was so fun, and she is Ukrainian so she had to give us something to drink and eat, so we hate cherries fresh off her tree. We literally stood around the tree and would take some down. It was so fun! She also has chickens that ran freely around her yard as we weeded. Apparently Elder Mollinet speaks chicken as well, he gave us a great demonstration on his "chicken whispering." I don't know that there are words for that.

We also have just the best members ever, honestly. They do so much with each other, it really is quite amazing! I am in shock at how often they come on lessons and activities and everything else they do; they truely have caught the fire of building the kingdom here in Chernivtsi.

This week I have had a lot of time to study because rides and stuff, I was reading this one talk that literally has changed my life, then we have a relief society lesson that is all on the same subject. Hands.

Weird, I know. I have had this obsession with studying about hands lately. Hands and love have literally been themes for my studies on my mission. It has been awesome, and I am obsessed with President Uchtdorf; literally I have read every talk I can find from him. I was reading this one, and literally it has been amazing! 

You are my Hands

Presdient Uchtdorf

A story is told that during the bombing of a city in World War II, a large statue of Jesus Christ was severely damaged. When the townspeople found the statue among the rubble, they mourned because it had been a beloved symbol of their faith and of God’s presence in their lives.

Experts were able to repair most of the statue, but its hands had been damaged so severely that they could not be restored. Some suggested that they hire a sculptor to make new hands, but others wanted to leave it as it was—a permanent reminder of the tragedy of war. Ultimately, the statue remained without hands. However, the people of the city added on the base of the statue of Jesus Christ a sign with these words: “You are my hands.”

We Are the Hands of Christ

There is a profound lesson in this story. When I think of the Savior, I often picture Him with hands outstretched, reaching out to comfort, heal, bless, and love. And He always talked with, never down to, people. He loved the humble and the meek and walked among them, ministering to them and offering hope and salvation.

As we emulate His perfect example, our hands can become His hands; our eyes, His eyes; our heart, His heart.

Without this love for God the Father and our fellowmen we are only the form of His Church—without the substance. What good is our teaching without love? What good is missionary, temple, or welfare work without love?

Love is what inspired our Heavenly Father to create our spirits; it is what led our Savior to the Garden of Gethsemane to make Himself a ransom for our sins. Love is the grand motive of the plan of salvation; it is the source of happiness, the ever-renewing spring of healing, the precious fountain of hope.

If you have time, read this talk! Honestly it is amazing! I have been thinking about how much it is true! LOVE is everything in this gospel and we really can be the hands of Christ! 

LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Sister Shaughnessy

First week in Chernivtsi

Well, another week has come and gone! It has been an adventure and so many great things happened! So, on Monday we did the normal things and then Tuesday we said my final goodbye to a couple of members and then that was it. My life in K-Town was over. Wednesday morning I got on a train with Sister Wallace and the Elders and headed into L'viv.

Funny story.... we literally almost missed our train! We had to hop train tracks with all of our baggage (Sister Wallace had to be wearing heels that day as well). Literally, it was getting ready to pull away and we had to scream and wave to get them to wait for us as we jumped tracks and hopped on really quick. It was quite stressful!

The train ride was great into L'viv, we had a lot of fun talking, Sister Wallace and I, also with Elder Terry. In L'viv we got all our bags off and it was great, we were waiting for the mission driver to come and pick us up. As we waited a little gypsie boy came to beg. Sister Wallace and I successfully ignored him (missionaries can't give money out), so he decided to go over to Elder Terry and would NOT leave him alone. It was SO funny! He was punching his arm and begging. At one point, Elder Terry the mission President called him and as he was on the phone with President a huge spider was crawling across his face, so I start freaking out and was like screaming that he had this spider on his face, meanwhile this kid is still hitting his arm and begging for money and he just remains completely composed. So, to get the spider off, since we can't really touch him, we grabbed a shirt that was in a plastic bag that we were using to transport things and smacked the spider off. Mind you, this ENTIRE time he remained completely composed and did not do anything out of the ordinary as he was talking to President. It was so funny! When the mission driver finally come to get us the little boy tried to jump on the suitcases and tried to ride them. It was quite hilarious. We tried to get a picture, but it didn't work.

L'viv was so great! I got to have an interview with President. It was so awesome and he literally is just the best. I don't know how he does it, but he always says exactly what I need to hear. It is incredible. I got to be with Sister Petersen for a day as well! I LOVE SISTER PETERSEN! She was sick while we were there, so she slept and I studied and cleaned after having all those sisters in the apartment. It was still so great to see her though, we caught up and just laughed. We had so much fun! I also went to dinner with Sister Wallace, it was so great! There is a restaurant in L'viv that is owned by an American and it is a mexican restaurant. I literally cry everytime I walk in, there is just so much good about it! You have to love Mexican food in Ukraine! (Especially when they play American Country music at the restaurant, not that I listen to it...)

We also had a traumatic experience getting onto the train. We had so much stuff with all of us moving, we had two elders with us as well, and all the mail and Books of Mormon and everything else. It really was incredible to see how much stuff we had. It literally took the mission van and 2 taxi's to get all the stuff there. Also, they forgot to give us our train tickets, so as the elders are taking trips to the platform with the luggage Sister Moffit and I waited for another set of Elders to bring us our tickets they had forgotten to give us. It was SO crazy and SO stressful and I was laughing with Sister Moffit the whole time over it. We literally got all the stuff loaded on the train 2 minutes to spare, and it was not placed correctly yet, just thrown on. We had to orginize it later. It was just crazy!

The train ride into Chernivtsi was quite long, I was with Sister Moffit, a sister that is going to be a companion to Sister Radjhabova, another native. Those two are the other sister companionship in the area. It was really cool, I didn't know here very well before, but she is a sweetheart and really funny! She was coming from Uzh as well, so we had a lot that we could talk about since she just spent six months in my home city. It was really fun! We got into Chernivtsi super late that night.

I met my companion, Sister Matsiyatschik. She literally is the sweetest thing ever and she speaks NO english at all! Like, not kidding. She can count to 10 and say a couple of animal names and a few other random words, other than that, nothing. We are working on it though. So yeah, I speak the language literally 24/7 and the first day it killed me. I fell in bed at 10:00 and my head was just killing me. It has gotten better and I can also feel that my language has already gotten so much better and it is a lot smoother to speak. I genuinly miss english though, it sounds weird, but I sometimes put music on just so that I can hear some english words around me. Missionary work with a native is also very different. They are just treated differently than we are, it is really interesting how they do treat her verses how I have been treated before like a missionary.
Cultural things at home are weird as well, it is kind of funny! I don't think that she comprehends that I have already survived Ukraine for a year, like I know my way around and how to do things. It is so funny, she is shocked that I can and will do certain things and know how to do them. I am like, well yeah.... I have been here for a while. Also, their cooking. I LOVE UKRAINIAN FOOD! I mean, traditional dishes. On a regular basis it is just a ton of butter, rice and macaroni. That has been a bit different. Ever since being with Sister Edwards I have always eaten mostly just veggies and eggs and chicken, some fruit as well. Sister M, told me that it isn't healthy to eat just that everyday...? So I was like okay, well then lets do some macaroni with veggies and chicken that would be great and healthy, I can handle that. Yeah, butter in the noodles and the veggies and chicken were fried in oil. I was like, well, I tried. Needless to say, it is really good, but there are just some funny cultural things that throw each other off. She is SO BEYOND SWEET! I am suprised at how much we talk though, pretty sure that we are talking all the time. In Ukrainian. LOVE IT!

So, let us just talk about the city for a second. WOW!!!!!!!!! I literally just stepped into a postcard! Honestly, it really is beyond beautiful! Everytime we are on the street I am just looking around at all the architecture and the gardens and everything! LOVE IT! Then, the branch! WOW, it is a HUGE branch compared to the 6 active members we had in K-town. It pretty much functions with only the members and the members are just champs. A lot of have served missions and are endowed. They also are rockstars at missionary work! Really, incredible. We were on a lesson the other day and this lady started asking about God's wife and all these crazy things, like just imagine all the questions posed in the hymn, "If you could high to Kolob," (pretty sure that is what it would be in english) and that is pretty much what she was asking. Thank goodness for native speakers!!!! Like I would be able to answer that?! After the lesson the member set up another meeting for us with the investigator according to her schedule and then asked us if that would work so that she could help us again. I was like in shock! Ummm... yeah. That is what we are talking about people, member missionary work! It is just so incredible! I am excited to be here and to be doing this work!
How can you not love being a missionary!?

So, I have decided that I am in LOVE with LOVE! Like, have you ever heard about this gospel?! IT ALL GOES BACK TO LOVE! Let us just talk about it for a second... because I am obsessed with love! Everything, God created us because He LOVES us! We have free agencey because He LOVES us! Christ suffered for us because of His LOVE for us! I could go on and on... pretty much, just so you all know. It all goes back to LOVE! Love is the greatest commandment!

.....anyway....

   LOVE YOU ALL!

        Sister Shaughnessy