Don't get stressed

March 10, 2014

Okay, so I don't know about the outside world, but my world has significantly calmed down. Actually, I guess the only thing that calmed down is the fact that I don't think I might get evacuated anymore, and it is amazing how good that makes me feel. But first let me explain how I got there.

Monday started out a wonderful day, and then it tanked. This is because I did not wear a hat when it was drizzling outside. We did all our normal Monday things, and then about 5pm I realized that my head kind of hurt, and it was kind of hot. And my back kind of ached. No matter, we had FHE that night. Well, I got progressively worse through the FHE, especially once I was coerced into eating three pieces of cakes (yes, different cakes) that I very much did not want to eat. By the time I got home, I was officially sick. Well, let's just make that worse by a call from a worried and troubled zone/district leader saying they're sending the oldest group of missionaries home two months early. He didn't know what that meant exactly, but he thought maybe slow evacuations, and he was not happy because he would be in the next group. Great. Evacuations?! Probably the worst news I could have received. And then we received word that we had an email from President Lochhead, and we were to take some time out on Tuesday to go to the internet club and read it and print it out. I have never dreaded an email so much. So yes, Monday was just about the worst sleep of my mission, as I was literally fevered and then feverishly thinking about this email that I was to read that might say we're being evacuated.

Well, the time to go check our email could not have come slower on Tuesday. I anxiously pulled it up and...best news ever. No news. Well, no terribly exciting news, and no mention of evacuations; in fact, it just encouraged us to work hard. I literally felt a weight lift off my soul. It felt so good I was actually fairly healthy on Tuesday.

 

Wednesday I was not so lucky, as the fever kind of came back, my nose was running like crazy, and my head was pounding. We thought we couldn't contact during the day, and really do anything unless we had an appointment, so it worked out anyway so I could sleep some. Still managed to make it out to two appointments that night though. You see, these were important, the fever had broken, and I was rewarded by getting to listen to an investigator of ours, D, recount how he defended our faith to his friend, and in the process bore his testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and the church. So cool.

Thursday I woke up with my head still pounding, but then I realized it might be a tension headache, and so Sis. Reece, bless her heart, offered to massage it out, and the relief was instant. Mega-knot is not completely gone, but he has been significantly reduced. I was still blowing my nose every ten seconds, had wiped out a box of tissues, and was steadily working on a roll of toilet paper, before I realized that my eyes were watering too, and I was sneezing. Spring allergies? So I took some allergy medicine, and sure enough things calmed down. So now you have been regaled with my lovely story of being sick. Moral of this story? Don't get stressed, because it does a whole lot of awful things to your body. On Thursday President and Sister Lochhead also came down to little Lugansk to tell us what was going on and answer questions. Basically I felt really good after the meeting, and don't think I'll be evacuated. We also learned that during the day, basically all things are normal - can proselyte, take buses, etc. - but just at night we shouldn't wear our tags, contact/tract, or be stupid (actually that last one applies at all times). Also, yes, a group of elders left early, but it was to "reduce our footprint" in Ukraine, and should be a one-time thing. They are also refraining from sending in new missionaries from the MTC for the time being. Having been a visa waiter, I can imagine a little bit of what the missionaries at the MTC are feeling right now.

Saturday was Women's Day, a wonderful holiday that America doesn't celebrate. It was a beautiful day made more beautiful by the masses carrying around flowers to give to lucky women. Made even more beautiful by a great meeting with M, our investigator set to be baptized this Saturday. My first baptism! M is so great, has such a great testimony, and I am SO EXCITED to see him be baptized on Saturday. And you know what? Our investigator D, who I wrote about earlier, is his roommate, and is basically doing everything he needs to do to be baptized, and just has to agree to it so he can be baptized on Saturday as well. He said that this Wednesday he will give us a definite answer. Double Brother Baptism! Oh wait - the elders ALSO have a brother investigator that is set to be baptized on Saturday. TRIPLE BROTHER BAPTISM!! Woot woot! By the way, I say brother because they are all from Africa (Sierra Leon to be exact). This Saturday was also a special day, because it was the day my trainer got married. Yes - my dear Sister Pharis is no longer Sister Pharis. She is Dear Sister Married-and-could-even-have-a-baby-by-the-time-I-get-home. Strange. But Congratulations to her!

And so, more happened this week of course because a missionary’s day is just packed. At least, mine is, and I feel so blessed for that. But this is all I will write. I love you all, and I thank you for all the prayers and well-wishes for my safety. I really do appreciate them. I am so grateful for this work, and that it is good, and true, and won't be stopped.

 Have a great week!

Sister Tanner

Also, in a previous email you said you saw a small little store, and you thought maybe that was a reenok. Let me clarify: all stores here are pretty small (including malls). What you saw was probably what we call a produktee, or a place to buy products. A 7-11 of sorts. It has your bread, your beer, your frozen foods, your candy, the basics. A reenok is an outdoor market. It is a conglomeration of stands, usually sectioned off into categories of sorts, that is open until about 4:00pm, where you can buy basically anything including the kitchen sink (at least the big ones). The best way to see a reenok is to walk through one.

Today we watched a short news clip of the takeover of the regional administration building by pro-Russian demonstrators in Lugansk. They raised the Russian flag on top. Can you see that building and the flag?

Probably, I'll have to look for it. 

This week I went on Google Earth to see Lugansk and there were a lot of photos of that statue of a guy on a horse that you had sent and said you walk by. Also people had posted photos of a park in that area with a statue of a man with a cannon and cannonballs. Which war is it commemorating? If you have not gone to the park you should go. It looked like a very pretty park in the summer with the flowers.

(Diana sent this photo this week of the statue mentioned above. It looks like they have been having beautiful pink sunsets like us here in Virginia.)

  

I'm not sure which park you are talking about, but maybe in front of the museum? There is a museum that has a cannon in front of it, and also two tanks, which I think I just uploaded pictures of. Yes - did you know? Lugansk has tanks in it. I was just afraid of more - and mobile - ones. 

More photos of Lugansk

Building where the branch meets