Transfer and a Christmas phone call

December 23, 2013

So I was going to write a normal letter home. And this will become normal. But right now, some news: about 5 minutes ago I received a phone call from President Lochhead. On Christmas Day I am going to be emergency transferred to Lugansk. WHAT. 

Okay, now this week. Merry Christmas! To be honest, it does not feel like it is so close to Christmas. Maybe because I am so absorbed in the work, maybe because Ukraine doesn't really do the whole Christmas decorations thing. But really, trees only started appearing for sale this week. 

So Sister Ahlstrom and I did work this week. We did a lot of walking, a lot through random chasnie dom territory, looking for less active members and former investigators. I'm sad to leave her. 

I'm sorry if this letter is kind of short, and kind of strange; my head is kind of still spinning.

So Monday night was fun. We had FHE with the branch president and his family. He had us come over at 8:00pm, and then after sharing pictures, a short lesson from us, they pulled out a game. This is at like, 8:50 PM. Missionary rules are you are supposed to be back at the apartment by 9:00 PM, 9:30 PM if you are at a lesson. So we play a little bit, and then it is time for us to go. But then they want a picture. By the time we get out the door, it is 9:25 PM. We don't live far from them, but we BOOKED IT. It was sad how winded I got from the run, but we entered our apartment and my watch said 9:30 PM. Win. 

This week we saw a lot of little miracles looking for Less Actives, like getting into pretty much every apartment building so we could come right to their door (all apartment buildings are locked and you have to call the person you want and they can unlock it for you). We also went looking for this one lady way out in chastney dom territory, and we got helped on our way by a most wonderful babyshka who was probably 5 feet tall, missing many of her teeth, and was just nonchalantly holding a severed chicken foot. The biggest miracle though was when a Less Active woman we met Friday (I'm pretty sure I wrote about her) came to church this Sunday with her son! It was a dream come true. 

One last story. Friday we decided to go way out to the armpit of our territory, and spent the whole day wandering around chastney doms and apartment buildings. It was getting dark, we were kind of hungry, but we decided to make one last stop at a former investigator’s house that was waaaayyy out there. We get there, and they're home! And invite us in! What ensued was a kind of awkward, hour long visit that involved them insisting we sit in front of the TV as they played some religious lecture (in Russian of course), then eating their food with them, then sharing pictures (I got to see some cool pictures of the husband in his army days), and then finally talking about the gospel some and learning that they are basically satisfied with where they are. And then they gave us a jar of home-made honey to go. Ukrainian people can just be too nice sometimes. And then on the long walk home we came up to some railroad tracks, and I always get just a little nervous when I see them, so when I noticed them I paused for a split second. Good thing I did, because just then a car crossed them, and sent this huge wave of water right towards me. It only got a little of my coat and boots, but would have absolutely soaked me if I hadn't paused. Blessings. 

But really, that is about it for this week. I love all of you, I am so grateful for this gospel, and the incredible love our Heavenly Father showed us by sending us his Son - in the form of a tiny, helpless baby - to be our Saviour. John 3:16-17 - that is what Christmas is about. 

Love, and Merry Christmas!

Sister Tanner

On Christmas morning we got to Skype with Diana. She was in an internet cafe with missionaries at computers all around her so it was sometimes hard for her to hear us and us to hear her amongst all of the other conversations going on around her but it was good to see her and talk with her. It was 4:30 in the afternoon for her when she called. She had done morning studies and then went to the mission home for lunch. They had turkey and mashed potatoes and she said she learned how to make a creme pie as she helped Sister Lochhead. She also provided the Christmas background music, playing the piano with music that Sister Lochhead had asked her to play. They went out contacting in the afternoon and then to the internet cafe. Her new companion was there and in the evening they would board the bus for Lugansk. Her new companion has been in the mission for 12 weeks more than her and has been in Lugansk for 2 weeks so they will be learning the area together.