17 May 2012

Today thus far we shopped at the REENOK ( the open market) and bought $24.00 worth of butter.   I can't buy shortening here, it doesn't exist, so butter it is.  I have no idea how much I bought weight wise but I make a lot of cookies and cakes and breads for consumption and darn it all I hate going back so I bought a lot.   It will be interesting how much time it takes for me to use it all up.  I generally but the big slab in the freezer and bring out what I want when I want it.   My butter lady was really apprehensive of me wanting so much, but she has seen me buy almost half that much before, so it is all good.    She had a good market day.    There are several to pick from but for some reason I picked her and I keep going back to her, it's a friendship thing.

Then the hunt for cheese, I swear if you go to a market stall then everyone around you thinks they need to look at the same stall.   All of a sudden there are people all around me when there was none before.   Funny human behavior like looking up at something and those around you look to see what you are looking at.  That was at the cheese stall, again a big chunk.  I will grate and freeze some since the big chunk goes moldy faster than it can be eaten and I hate to waste any.   I am guessing I bought 3.5 pounds for about $6.00.  

I admit, my husband the gentleman carried the entire load on his aching shoulders.   I did spare him the long potentially butter melting trip home and suggested we take the bus back since we did some excersise to walk to the Reenok.   He deserved his nap today

We buy our drinking water and use our filter for cooking.   Everyone (even natives) knows the water is polluted and most buy water, I doubt they cook with neither clean water, nor use the Clorox as I do to clean the foods.   Oh well, it’s a nuisance and I don’t love it but you have to at least try to help the Lord protect your health here.

Yesterday was a wonderful spring rainstorm, huge.   Now a fun story about our Sister “S” my short term missionary who signed up for 6 weeks and will keep serving and serving until 6 months!!!!!!   Asked a member if he was attended Saturday Baptism.   He said “no, I have to go to my garden area and water; I can only water on Tue and Saturday.”   So, Sis S said, if it rains will you come, yes he confirmed.   Then the heavy soaking rain hit soon after leaving him open to attend.   Don’t even try to tell me that was not a blessing from her mouth to his garden.   I was so grateful for the internal temperature drop in our apartment during this storm, I love faithful missionaries.

I know you can’t see the topography here, but there are uneven surfaces everywhere.   Potholes in the walkways, bumps swollen in the same walkways, stairwells that have no standard height of tread or riser space.   Tiny obstacles everywhere and bare dirt everywhere, and lots of tree shedding seeds, leaves or seed pods.   It’s not super clean walking and people have some unsavory habits.  Hence the tradition to remove their shoes when you go into anyone’s home.      

This place is ripe for falling down, breaking a limb, or getting ran over by a vehicle driving in the walkway or snagging an article of clothing on a fast moving public transportation vehicle and getting dragged. 

I just know that I feel like I have so many guardian angels around me, watching every direction and then some.   I try to be sensible and try to be careful, Rick and I have tripped so many times but we haven’t face planted or even truly fell.  We are being so protected; literally hands are around us all the time to hold us upright.   Rick somehow righted himself after an “obstacle tripped him up” in such a manner that defied is age and agility.  Happens to me all the time, I love it.  

Next batch to go in the oven

Ok one more story:   We were asked at a recent zone conference to sacrifice something we do to improve our efforts in bringing the gospel to others.    We each were to ponder and make our own selection; I am not sharing mine its private between me and the Lord.   However, one of my missionaries who has the upmost joy in eating my Chocolate Chip cookies, I mean really handfuls and joyfully and smells them and eats more.   Has given up my cookies as her sacrifice.   You don’t think that is a big deal.   Well it is.   Not only do I pay $12.00 for a kilogram of brown sugar so they taste the way they do back home, I cut up two large chocolate candy bars in each batch as chocolate chip cookies.  It is a taste a native Ukrainian is likely not to be able to afford and as a missionary doesn’t have the time and or money to make these cookies.   And they are OFTEN in abundance at our home and meetings.  This is a true sacrifice, a mental discipline that she has offered to the Lord.   Have I mentioned how much I love my young missionaries?   They are amazing.  

Sometimes we are just goofy......

Yes I love my “seasoned” missionary too, I couldn’t be here without him and frankly I wouldn’t want to be here without him.  

Are we healthy we are asked often....   Our backs hurt often, our walking speed is determined by the heat outside, our "senior" status allows us to take an occassional short nap.   Our mental acumen has not suffered.  We eat more healthy food than at home because I want to make sure the missionaries get a balanced meal at least once a week sometimes more and there are always leftovers.  Your read above how we are protected.   Yes we are healthy with intermitten degrees of aches and pains from age or circumstances it matters not in the long run.   We are missionaries and as such are blessed beyond our abilities and even our energies.