Another emergency transfer

April 14, 2014

Hello from Kiev! 

So yeah, I guess you could say this week has been eventful. Monday started out beautiful and wonderful. The weather was perfect, I got to play some basketball with the elders and some Ukrainian kids, and didn't do so shabby which made me feel pretty good inside. As we played, four Russian jets flew overhead, so I knew something was up, but I had no idea what was actually about to happen. 

Our District/Zone leader had bought train tickets for us to go to Donetsk for Zone Conference on Wednesday, but he bought them for 6:30am Tuesday. So by 6:30am I was on the train heading to Donetsk with my district.

 We were having a grand ol' time until about 8:30am when we get a call that craziness was going down in Donetsk, and Zone Conference was cancelled. So now we were stuck on a train for another hour and a half heading to a place we shouldn't be. We pulled into Donetsk, got into taxis, made a stop at McDonalds because we were hungry, and then went to the bus station, where an hour later we were on a bus heading the three hours back to Lugansk. So 10 hours from when I started, I was back in Lugansk. We did make it back just in time to prepare an awesome ice cream party youth night. That night Sister Reece and I were pretty sure we would be on lockdown Wednesday, so we even made back-up lockdown plans.

Donetsk

Wednesday morning about 10 minutes into personal study we get a call from our District Leader. "Here's the lockdown call," we think. Nope. "Emergency transfer to Kiev" they're calling it. We were supposed to be packed by 2:00pm, and have our fridge emptied and turned off. All the food storage we bought was to just stay put, because obviously it would keep. So we frantically went about packing up our entire life, which is rather difficult when you've lived somewhere for three months. We called what members we could, and at 3:00pm we went to the church to say goodbye and to give our Area Books to the Branch Mission Leader.

(This is a photo of the missionaries of the Lugansk district. Diana was also able to take photos with some of the members but we are not allowed to post those due to privacy laws.)
Sister Reece and I also gave away much of the food from our fridge. At this point we had been told that we would be leaving early the next morning from Lugansk to Kiev.  We had to cancel our lesson at 4:00pm, and then we got a taxi over to the West End (got to see the barricades through the taxi window) to say goodbye to M and D. They took it pretty hard, which was rough. And then we ran over to another dear investigator to say goodbye, and then we were getting in the taxi to go back to the church for one last lesson, when we get a call that we need to be in Donetsk that night and that the transfer bus will be picking us up in two hours. So we had to cancel our lesson, ran over to say goodbye to another member, and then back home where we finished everything, and then the bus picked us up, and we were gone. The apartment is not as clean as I would like, but that's what happens when you have to pack up and leave within a day. The transfer bus was fun though, with party lights and everything. We got to the center Donetsk sisters’ by about 11:00pm that night, where we met them and the sisters from Mariupol.

Thursday we met together as a Donetsk zone and had a big testimony meeting, as well as some words from the Lochheads. They are really torn up, which is completely understandable.

good-bye to Sister Lochhead

I was pretty calm, but I think only because nothing felt real. I also got to run out and do some registration stuff for my visa that day. For the last couple hours, Sister Reece and I walked around one of the reenoks there. I also got to see part of the barricades in Donetsk from a bus window. Then before I knew it, we were at the train station to get on an overnight train to Kiev. Everything was a little bit unorganized, and it's a miracle we all made it to Kiev - really. And it turns out Sister Reece and I may have got the worst train experience out of all the mission.

First off, it was a disaster moving everyone's luggage. Second, it was raining. Third, the train was only going to be there for about 10 minutes. So the train pulls up, everyone gets their ticket, Sister Reece and I find our wagon, hand them our ticket...and they won't let us on the train. We look around, and everyone else is on the train. Luckily we have a phone, so we call our Zone leader, he comes running with another elder, and they figure out what's wrong. Turns out the desk didn't sell us enough luggage tickets. So after some heated negotiation, we "buy" another luggage ticket.

Kiev or bust

So then we throw the luggage on the open part of the train, the elders run back and jump in their wagon as the train is pulling away, and we are on the train. But we can't leave the luggage there, so we have to lug it all to the back of the open wagon, past all the people's heads and feet, as the train ladies snicker and laugh at us. We finally reach where our bunks are, and I'm about done.

interior of train

 Somehow we have to get our heavy luggage onto the little shelves above our heads, and I have no idea how that is going to happen. Luckily our bunks were next to some angels, and this one big guy helped us put everything up. So, in the end, most missionaries were in a wagon together (also a disaster with luggage everywhere), Sister Reece and I were alone in our wagon with a bunch of people, and somewhere further along some sisters had little personal coupes. I ended up spending most of the evening in the personal coupe with the sisters. That night though I had to come back, and because all my clothes were in a suitcase up above sleeping people, I had to crawl into my second level little bed, and just lay down in all my clothes and sleep. 

transfer an entire mission

Friday I didn't know how I was going to get off the train, but it worked out. Elders showed up, and it all happened. And somehow our whole mission ended up in a real chapel in Kiev next to the Kiev temple. We rode a bus there and we were all squealing when we saw the temple. I never thought I would get to see it. And then we got split up. We stay in our companionships, but the districts got split up. Basically I'll be going on lots of splits with the sisters we stay with until we figure our way around. My area is in center Kiev - much bigger and faster paced than Lugansk. I take metro everywhere, and our church building is the third floor of a something-story building next to a Ferrari dealership.

Domino's Pizza in blue

 I ate real Dominoes pizza. Maidan is in my area, but it is strictly forbidden to go there. Did you know Maidan is actually the name of a street? I had no idea. Friday we also had a district meeting, which now consists of sixteen missionaries. Bringing back memories of Atlanta. And that was Friday.

Saturday we had a helping hands service project where we raked leaves, trash, and sticks from a park. Sometimes I felt like I was just raking dirt, but it was still fun. Then we had English practice - they have English three times a week, and tons of people show up. Then General Conference! We also got to watch the General Women's broadcast! Just a lot of good stuff. 

Helping Hands

see the temple spire

Sunday we had sacrament meeting, and then General Conference, and then our apartment tried to plan some for the week. I loved the Sunday morning session of General Conference, especially Elder Uchtdorf's talk. Talk about pertinent. 

Saturday and Sunday were also full of emotions which are rather hard to describe. Basically, it's been quite the adjustment. I miss Lugansk, and I didn't realize how hard it would be. It felt like leaving home all over again. Church services are in Ukrainian, and a lot more people speak Ukrainian here. I feel like a new missionary all over again. I like to be in charge, and basically everything is out of my hands at this point. Just a lot of complicatedness that is hard to describe. But I am so grateful for the Kiev mission and its missionaries. They have welcomed us with open arms. Sister Dryden from my MTC district is in my district here! And I think I will start to feel a little better once I can start a normal missionary schedule again. 

Sorry the end of the week kind of peetered out, but it was just so...disorienting. But all is well. And I'm in Kiev! How cool is that?! Never thought I would see it. We like to call this "The Donetsk Mission on tour." 

the Donetsk Mission missionaries

Love you all! Have a great week!

Sister Tanner