Open house at the church

Group photo from the Sister's Conference held a few weeks ago

 

November 25, 2013

Хорошо. This week had its ups and downs like any week. The week started off last Monday with a lesson with an investigator - the first in a really long time. It lasted a really long time, he talked a lot, the member with us perhaps went a little too into depth, and I really did not understand anything that was said. Ha. It was exhausting.

But then on Tuesday we ended up in our apartment for a really long time as our bathroom received a repair job, and we planned this awesome game I came up with for English on Thursday. It turns out being in your apartment for a really long time is also exhausting, in a different kind of way, and also makes you go crazy. Amidst all this I did receive the exciting news though that I had received a package! Unfortunately this week, unlike many other weeks, I had no real reason to be in Center Donetsk, so I will go pick it up after I finish this internet session and buy a new hat because everyone is getting mad at me for not having a hat (this is Monday - 6 days after the phone call).

Wednesday was a really good day though. Sister Lochhead came and joined us in the morning to finish our studies, and spend a good portion of the day with us. She came with us to our district meeting, and then we took her to the home of a sister in the ward, who apparently she met the last time she came here, and they just became the best of friends. When we arrived, this sister had invited a friend over, so we had a lovely lesson over bleenie and compote. Then we dropped Sister Lochhead off in a taxi to return home, and we went over to a less active woman in the ward's home to have a short visit with her. So it was actually a really good day! And Sister Lochhead is just wonderful.

Thursday was also a good day. We went over to this one area to stop by some less actives (no one was home), but then we took our dinner hour and got bleenie and went to Metro! In Metro we got ourselves a little Christmas tree, and some lights to put on the tree. Apparently the lights have six different settings, and our tree is now awesome and looks wonderful next to our little nativity.

And now for a quick note on bleenie, and my relationship with it. It's conflicted. Bleenie, when I buy it at the bleenie stand and I know what is in it, is delicious. Bleenie, when I get it at a ward function or a member’s home and it is filled with liver, or mushrooms, or strange cottage cheese like stuff, can be a little harder to stomach. And so I love bleenie, but I also fear it. That is all.

Thursday night was English, and we played my awesome English game and people loved it. My goal was to get people to speak, and to also use prepositions like "over," "under," "around," etc. So when it was someone's turn they had to draw two pieces of paper. On one was an obstacle, and on the other was a tool. For example, they could have drawn "a hoard of zombies," and "a chair." They then had to explain how they would use their tool to overcome the obstacle. Each obstacle had a certain number of points assigned, and then they got an additional point for each preposition they used in their explanation. They had some pretty funny explanations.

Friday not much happened, but we had a lesson with a less active (the husband of the Relief Society president), and they fed us ever so delicious borsht again. Side note: I am really into dipping bread into my soup now a days.

Saturday was the big day: the church open house. I had been handing out flyers for weeks for this thing. Countless flyers. And guess what? We tripled the attendance of the last open house! Yes - we got a whole six or seven people to show up this time. My memory of the thing is somewhat of a blur, due to the fact that I was playing the piano for most of it. I should really just become a showroom pianist or something. I got the endurance down. I did get about an hour break when some of us missionaries went outside to sing hymns and hand out flyers to try and round up some more people. That was an experience. One, my ears and fingers started freezing, two, we were told we were stupid for not wearing hats (probably true though), three, Sister Pharis and I were told we were wenches, I think for wearing too much clothing (no, that does not make sense), and four - my favorite - one of the elders tried to hand a guy a flyer, and the guy blew an air horn in his face. Oh goodness I was cracking up at times. But hey, we tried. And 6 or 7 people showed up :)

Sunday was wonderful as well. We showed up to church to find a few less active members that we visit were at church! I was so happy. And then we had the Primary program. Oh goodness was it wonderful. The children all sang out, and when it was their turn to speak they would stand up and say their little part, and sit back down. This one little girl kept running off the stage because she had to use the bathroom. There were probably a little over twenty of them. Afterwards, because the Lochheads were here, they gave a presentation for the second two hours of church. It was the same one from the Saturday session of District Conference. And then they even ended it half an hour early. And then we had studies, and then back to the church to teach the little mission prep class in the branch. Two young women from the ward now come to it. But hey, my Russian managed to work alright during it, which was encouraging. Sis. Pharis and I have tried to be better about speaking Russian outside of the apartment, and I think my Russian is improving.

So that was my week. This week is Thanksgiving! My favorite holiday (the day of - the Christmas season is my favorite, but I like Thanksgiving Day more than Christmas day). This year will be a little different though, as my district is just planning on getting together and having a big meal, and then district meeting, and then English is that night. But we do plan on having a turkey. We'll see how that turns out ;) I hope everyone has a great week, and I encourage you to take a little time to reflect on what you are grateful for. I do that all the time here, and I can attest it makes you happier.

I love you all!
Sister Tanner

Q - Does your computer at the internet café automatically turn off at 90 minutes or do you just limit yourselves to 90 minutes?

A - The computer just shuts me off after 90 minutes. You buy time.

Q - Do you listen to music very often? Have the mission rules changed or is it still Mo Tab only?

A - We listen to music all the time. Mostly Christmas music right now. And its Mo Tab, or Russian classical, so I know all my Mo Tab pretty well now (especially Christmas)

Q - Have you heard about any of this?

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Thousands of Ukrainians marched Saturday through central Kiev to commemorate the 80th anniversary of a devastating Soviet-era famine that killed millions amid public anger over the government's decision to snub a potential landmark deal with the European Union and tilt toward Moscow.

The famine was engineered by Soviet dictator Josef Stalin in 1932-33, in an attempt to force peasants to join collective farms. Ukraine's parliament has labeled the famine, known here as Holodomor — or death by hunger — as genocide.

Meanwhile, over 1,000 activists protested on Kiev's main square, days after the government froze plans to sign the EU deal after pressure from Moscow. A larger rally is planned for Sunday.

After months of promising to sign a long-awaited political and trade accord with the EU, the government announced Thursday that it was halting those plans and would focus on restoring ties with Russian instead.

The move has been deemed a victory for Moscow, which has used threats and sanctions to keep Ukraine in its orbit.

Angry demonstrators gathered across the country to denounce President Viktor Yanukovych's turnaround, urging him to change his mind and sign the deal at a summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, scheduled for next week.

A - and we don't hear any politics. thanks.