member conversion stories

No doubt you (like I) find pioneer stories fascinating, the courage and conviction of modern day pioneers is slightly different than our "pioneer ancestories"

Sister B
    She was married with 3 small girls, she and her husband was on a trolley when the missionaries approached them.   The “drunk” husband invited them to their home to hear the gospel message.  In anticipation she was worried about 2 young strangers in her home, she found the largest kitchen knife and tucked it under the couch cushion as a precaution to guard her children.  They gave the message, she felt the spirit and forgot about the knife.   Her husband didn’t want her involved with the church, beat her and forbid involvement.  She divorced him and has been an active member since 1997. 

Brother I
    Was approached on the street the missionaries asked him if he loved his family.  "Of course" as his reply.   They told him they had a message about families and he invited them to his home.   He resisted for a while, but knew it was true.  His wife resisted even longer but they both came to the conclusion the gospel was true.   He has served as branch president now for years, his family increased from a normal size (2) to a LARGE family (4) because of the gospel teaching.   Their oldest child is serving a full time mission in the states. 

Sister D
    Is not yet a member, but she talks about how she felt something powerful when she attended a baptism in the branch.   I am fasting for her this Sunday, I want so much for her life to be improved and blessed by the adherence to the gospel principles.  

Family
     During the dark period that covered this land a few years past, this family were land owners and deemed to be Burgouise and we put on a train to be shipped to Siberia.  Somewhere a guard said in essence "this is not right" and allowed them to "lose themselves in Mariupol" instead of the proposed relocation.   The small child that was a part of that "relocation failure" is now a mature adult and a strong member of our branch.

Do I miss you all back home...   Yes without hesitation and sometimes with a few tears. 
But isn't it obvious...   it's a wonderful experience and reminder of why our time here is valuable. 

Clean oven reward recipe

If you read the previous post, you will know I promised cookies to my missionaries who cleaned their filthy oven.   The oven was left filthy by a previous companionship.

I tried this new recipe for Lemon Sugar Cookies   (the resident cookie monster approved them as well)

Lemon Sugar Cookies

http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/lemon-sugar-cookies/

Yield: 3 dozen cookies

Cook Time: 8-10 minutes

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Zest of 2 large lemons
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar for rolling cookies

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. Using a mixer, beat together butter and sugar until smooth and creamy.
4. Add lemon zest, egg, vanilla extract, and lemon juice. Mix until combined. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients.
5. Roll rounded tablespoons of dough into balls and roll in sugar. Place on prepared baking sheets, about 1 1/2 inches apart.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies are slightly brown around the edges and set. Let cookies sit on the baking sheets for two minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
*To keep cookies soft, store cookies with a slice of bread in an air tight container.

Two unrelated missionary stories

Our daughter is an avid couponer, yes it takes a fair amount of time and effort goes into doing this well, but it has been a good investment in stretching her budget and allows her to maintain her food storage.

Her next door neighbors are serving a mission as office couple and returned home for a few days to bury their son, they will return to the mission field.  The Elder was telling our the kids how the young missionaries have a limited budget each month for food.  The have to carefully budget to have enough money so they can buy food to feed themselves the entire month.

Our 10 year grandson hearing this missionary comment turned to his mother and said "Mom, I have to learn to coupon"

Examples are powerful teachers at many levels and are always present.



Another missionary story:

Our washing machine is not functioning, I can do laundry by hand (grumble) but I am not washing towels and sheets by hand in my tiny sink.

So I asked our young missionaries if I could use their washing machine to wash two loads of towels.  Of course these good Elders agreed to help us until ours get fixed.   As you may remember the washing machines are small and take about 1.5 hours to do a full cycle.   So I walked to first load back to our apartment to hang them up and while I was there stirred up a batch of Snickerdoodle cookies and returned to await the 2nd load of wash to be completed.   I opened their oven to cook some cookies as a "mission mom" reward and the oven was disgusting.   Now the temperature gauge is not like the ones you enjoy in America.  They are  gas and you have to guess where to place the temperature and I burned the first batch on the bottom.  The tops were ok and no one will throw away snickerdoodles, we ate them.  The second batch was perfect and I left the remainder of the cookies dough with the and told them to clean the oven and even how to clean the oven.

That same day they came to me and told me the oven was clean, it took them a lot of elbow grease a hour and half and steel wool.  They also suggested the cookies weren't burnt only residue from the dirty oven.

What I loved was missionaries who clean an oven that the prior missionaires have left filthy, because I asked them to and for Snickerdoodles.   I told them their reward was another batch of cookies!!!!!!

(My example of Mercy and Justice and Reward) 
When I told them to come collect their reward they showed me the before and after pictures

Central Reenok unique shopping experience

This is the central Reenok, the Reenok is a open market similar to a Farmer's market but bigger and has everything.   Food, clothing, hardware, shoe repair and more.   The Reenok has a lot of shops outside of this building being viewed. 

A small portion in a building picture here this is where you can purchase, cheese, butter and cured  meat as well as raw.

The 2nd tier you can see pictures to the left is mostly clothing shops, below are two dressed I took of dresses for young girls.  I got told I could not take photos and I deleted the first one for their benefit but keep this one.  I asked the English speaker when they were worn, she said School dances?    Wow, so apparently they have some elaborate school dance activities.   I wish I had looked at the price tag, I am sure they would have been significant.  Why not take pictures, I guess they figured their design might be copied?  I don't know.

I wish I could take photos of the rest of the Reenok, little shops that are a tangled mass of minatures stalls.  It's tightly compacted into stalls ranging from 6 by 6 foot square with a tarp draped overhead and on the sides.  The next stall is immediately on either side in long rows.   Plastic flowers, junkie China products, spices and cooking items, canned items, many carrying identical items just a few stalls down.   Then there is a huge clothing section, each day they set up the hanging display of their goods, and sit for hours in their stall.  If you wish to try on something you may have  sheet held in front of your to try on clothing.  Bartering is the custom but they don't barter must for foreignors they are out for a good price.   Goods from levis, belts, leather, sweaters, shoes, scarves on and on.   I wen looking for a new blouse, long sleeves to protect my skin from the sun.  I learned to say Large size!  I was never petite and I am not now either.  

Finally someone with a blouse I liked and actually fit.  After an hour of fast paced weaving through the maze of clothing, I bought it!  Hope it washes well.

 I personally like the Reenok some would not to me it is a fun experience.  As I sit at the computer feeling the pain of my blisters earned yesterday from a poor stocking choice and feeling a little less than happy with my digestive tract; I remind myself and my readers:  Missions are a matter of faith and obedience and sometimes the work moves slowly. 

me and my big PHOTO mouth

We were asked for 4 photos that described us.   So I selected this one as one of them.  It was taken at the Provo Sesquicenntial Ball early on in our marriage.   I remodeled my wedding dress, Rick rented period costume and I had a hairdresser give me my first and only Gibson hairdo (which I wish would come back it was so fun to wear).  

So a couple of weeks ago we received a call from our Mission President.  "I would like you to teach dancing at our upcoming Youth Activity".   I started to laugh nervously, he said "Why are you laughing, you are professionals",  I explained we are not professionals just loved to dance.    My Bolivian Mission President doesn't take no for answers. 

So we organized music, English, Ukrainian and Russian.  Pop, waltz, cowboy, R&B, rock and some I don't know how to categorize.  

One hour of dance instruction, two hours of music.  We learned and taught two new new line dances, practiced and taught a waltz step, and did what we could to prepare.    Elder Cannon is unshakable in dance confidence, I am timid to teach or even have people watch us. 

We started out with two line dances (I don't do line dances in the U.S.) but it was a good way to get everyone involved.  Then the "showmanship" kicked in and we have a great time clapping, cheering and dancing. with whomever wanted to practice their waltz.  Of course, they eventually reverted to their stand and shake type of dancing, but we did get them moving and we all had a great time.

Oh the interesting tasks of a senior missionary couple.

This was much more than a dance it was a Marriage Conference, to get these youth in our mission exposed to other LDS youth in the mission area.   One of the key activities was the "speed dating"  this was two chairs facing each other lined up side by side.  The woman were to stay in their chair and the men would rotate every 5 minutes to the next numbered chair.  This allowed for 5 minutes of conversation  and get to know each participant.   As one youn man said "if I liked the woman it wasn't long enough, but if I didn't it was only 5 minutes of conversation".   At least they had a chance to mingle and get to know each other.   That was the endearvor to get to know others, and then if you were interested there was time to spend with the women of your preference. 

Having a quiet conversation with the couple who led this program she said "if seniors want to see miracles, they need to come on a mission".  Truly it is just as important for our spiritual growth as it is for our son's and daughters who we so willing send on missions.   Send yourself on a mission, it will be a wonderful growth opportunity for you as well.   It doesn't have to be foreign, you can stay at home and have a wonderful mission experience, but it does take faith no matter where you serve.

Never to old to serve

Sometimes we underestimate youth and sometime we overlook wisdom of age and experience.  They are now a synergy that will rock our small branch here in Mariupol.  Last Sunday our Mission President came to town, he asked to meet with all the priesthood holders.     Elder Cannon was asked to serve as 1st Counselor to the Branch President.   We both assumed it was to be with  the existing president.  Then into Sacrament meeting we were a little confused due to the fact it is our practice, we don't have interpreters to 1. diminish the distractions and 2.  force us to listen to the cadence of Russian as a learning tool.               

When I heard Elder Cannon's name called and our hands raised in confirmation of our support of him and heard other names called.  This was our first insight into a bigger change.  Our new branch president's is the son of the now former Branch President,   He is a returned missionary about 26 years old and full of enthusiasm for branch growth.    Especially here in Eastern Europe sometimes change feels like a "demotion", but our Former President was grinning from ear to ear.   He told us later he was prompted a change was coming but didn't realize it would be his son.   Mother was happy for both to have her always serving husband back and knowing the weight her son would now bare.

 

Since it was fast and testimony meeting and a sweet little woman came to the stand and started to talk in an accelerated pace, somewhat agitated I asked for an interpreter.   She was distraught over the change and my heart went out to her.  Change is hard in many ways but the young branch president and his fine counselors will bring a new energy and purpose to this branch. 

The new Presidency met in our home at noon, I was volunteered to provide lunch and decided on Dad's favorite a meatloaf, with all the balance trimmings to compliment it.    They met for 4 hours, discussed new ideas, prioritized, made assignments and jumped in with both feet.    Elder Cannon has taken on the job of calling members to remind them to come and clean the church each Saturday as they are assigned.  He studied that conversation in Russian and made 4 phone calls this morning.   He gave his prepared speech and then when they replied answered in English that he had not idea what they were saying.   

I am so pleased that the Lord has provided this calling, it will be a good challenge and a refining responsibility for my good and faithful mate and already it has advanced his Russian skills. 

Now let me digress to the tender mercies...   The young missionaries asked us to join in a fast the purpose was to "increase the number of priesthood holders in our branch".   We agree to eat lunch together a wonderful Muslin fast food place and thereafter begin our 24 hour fast.   The plan was to break our fast together we had a small window of opportunity right after our Sunday meetings and between President's assignments.    I agreed to make the Sunday meal, which was a macaroni salad, carrot salad, lunch meat, bread and cucumber etc.     The plan was to feed 6 of us.   Then after arriving at the churchouse I realized I should invited the President his wife and his counselor and his wife.  Not realizing their day started at 6:30 am and would not end until after 5 pm.   I prayed that the Lord would stretch this meal for all, he did and in fact it ended up feeding the original six and seven more adults.   (including some second helpings for our young elders) . 

 I made more than I originally anticipated,  but I know it was stretch beyond its normal portion allowance.   So in all 13 people ate good portions from a lunch designed for 6, and after a long day at the church they didn't have make a 2 hour drive home on empty stomachs.   

I want to share what our another senior couple repeated at our at our senior conference last month.    "Do you know why they only call Mission Presidents for three years?"  Answer:   Because it has been medically proven that is all the time they can go without sleep.   We all laughed but there is plenty of truth to that as well.   This is a job for the young and the more seasoned and it is WORK!!. 

 

Eastern Europe heating system

My offfical temperature website reads:   43F, with a feels like 32F (with wind chill or barometer or whatever the website uses to report this reading).

It's dreary, overcast, light showers, a good read by the fireplace day.   Oh, I forgot I'm not in Kansas and I don't have a fireplace. 

The central radiant heating is shutting down.  Yup, no heat, the season has officially changed, it's spring.    Yesterday, I was opening windows to cool down the place, NOT TODAY.  I guess we've involuntarily given up warmth for Lent. 

Instead we are grateful for Steve and Sarah's down filled slippers, and the blankets that used to keep me almost to warm at night!!!!!