Well, first off the temperature has definitely dropped
here, so much so that I pulled out my big coat to wear one day. But no one
wears gloves yet.
On Tuesday we started off the week going to try and find
a less active family. As we waited at the bus stop, Sis. Pharis and I witnessed
two poor women trying to carry their groceries home with one excited stray dog
following along which was quickly joined by an entire pack of stray dogs. I'm
really glad that has not happened to us yet. When we get on the bus, Sis.
Pharis immediately sits down next to this girl and starts talking excitedly
with her, and I just sit in my bouncy back seat between two random men, hoping
this means something good happened. Turns out this girl was a former investigator
Sis. Pharis had met long ago, but who Sis. Pharis could never find records for
when she moved here to Petrovsky. So it was truly a miracle when we ran into
her on the bus and were able to exchange information. We eventually found the
building of the less active family, but then the dom-a-phone didn't work, so we
couldn't get in. But then after wandering around the building looking for
another door, we come back and the door is open! Miracle number two. At this
point I'm thinking they have to be home, it's meant to be. False. The building
might as well have been abandoned it was so creepy. So no luck.
And then,
because we happened to have bought 100 grevin worth of almonds that Monday we
decided to save money and walk home passing out church open house flyers. Turns
out the walk home was probably about 4 miles. Put in another two for the walk
to and from church that night for a meeting, and I walked about 6 miles that
day.
Wednesday Sis. Pharis was feeling pretty sick, so I spent
a good three hours making the most beautiful little book of less actives, where
they are split into areas and there are spaces to record what happened at our
meeting. We are supposed to have an official one from the church, but that's
not the case. Mine is pretty great though. We did manage to go visit a less
active that day, who informed us she had come to church the week before!
Biggest head slap. We have been trying forever to get her to come to church,
and the one week she decides to come happens to be District Conference and she showed
up to an empty building.
Thursday was our adventure in Zombieland. Zombieland is
area 6 in my beautiful book of less actives. It was a cold, drizzly day which
just perfectly set the mood. (Side note - Thursday was transfer day, and I had
to laugh thinking of the new missionaries' welcome to Ukraine). The best way I
can describe Zombieland is just imagine you are on the set of a post-apocalyptic
movie. Or maybe Zombieland. I don't know, I've never actually seen that movie.
So we entered this one apartment building, got up to the second floor, and then
realized I had forgotten my flashlight. These hallways are pitch black mind
you. I took a picture of one, but then I just had a black screen on my camera
and it kept throwing me off when I would flip through pictures so I deleted it.
Anyway, we start moving down this hallway by the light of our dinky little cell
phone, but then we got to this one part and it was just too scary, and then we
heard a noise and then we ran out of the building. We also could not find the
building of this other less active, but I think it may have been the
bombed/burned out building. We did manage to find the mother of another less
active, and she was nice to us, so we will probably return one day. After our
return from Zombieland we spoiled ourselves and had dinner at this Italian
restaurant where I ate an ever so delicious salad and pizza and a little cake.
The place was practically empty, so we had really great service too. And then
English club, which was pretty great and we talked about super powers.
This was in with the photos from Zombieland. It looks like the gate to an old estate. Click on it to enlarge it and you can see the faces of the carvings on the gate posts.
Friday we tried to pass out flyers, but no one wanted to
take any from me. It was rather depressing. But then at youth night we played
evolution and I was the reigning human for a long time, and none could dethrone
me, so that helped heal my ego.
Saturday was the baptism for a little girl in the ward.
On Tuesday they asked an elder in my district and I to provide the interlude
music for when the girl and her dad were changing clothes after the baptism. So
on Saturday we decided I would play out of my preludes piano book and he would
make up an accompaniment on the violin. It actually worked out. And then
afterwards when everyone was getting refreshments they asked us to play again,
and oh, did we. I opened up to the beginning of the book, and we just played
through the entire thing. Like the orchestra of the Titanic we went down with
the ship. That place was all cleaned up by the time we finished. My pedal leg
was burning and his fingers were swelling, but it was pretty awesome. And don't
worry, we got refreshments. Oh yes. First, Sis. Pharis fed me something
delicious as I played. Then another elder in the district provided us with a
plate of food. Then a sister in the ward provided us with another two plates of
food. So when we finished playing, this sister in the ward made sure we ate all
our refreshments. Liver bleenie (like a crepe), mayonnaise pizza, and all. I
felt pretty sick afterwards.
Sunday the liver bleenie had its revenge, as in I felt
pretty sick most of the morning. And so I was exhausted during church which
means Russian was just not clicking. But that's okay, because church is
wonderful anyway. That night our neighbors came to inform us that something of
ours is leaking into their walls, so we're starting the process of getting that
fixed. They are very nice though, especially considering they can hear us working
out at 6:30 every morning.
So yep, that's my week. Love you all,
Sister Tanner
P.S. I have yet to master the art of deciphering when a
Ukrainian is actually mad, and when they are just talking normally. Like, I
keep thinking people are mad at me, when they're actually trying to tell a
joke, or invite me over to their house. It's a problem.
Q - What can you tell us about the church that you took a photo of? What town is it in? Any significance that you took a photo?
A - The church in the photo is just a big church in Center Donetsk next to the internet club. It was just one of the bigger ones I've seen, and it looked cool so I took a picture of it.
Q - What is the new Family History program you talked about?
A - There really isn't a set Family History program. It's
really just using Family History more, and figuring out how to use the
resources Eastern Europe does have.
Q - Is there an open house at the church coming up or do you
just have them frequently and so always pass out flyers?
A - No, we have an open house coming up this Saturday; they
just gave us a massive amount of flyers to hand out a couple weeks ago.
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