Missionaries have different distractions

This is a fun one, this fun elder wants to be a seminary/institute teacher in the future.   Men's ties (галстук) are fun and inexpensive.

   He wants to go home with enough ties to wear a new one each day as he teach's.   I think it's a fun harmless distraction.  I suggested he need more purple and "shrek colored green'!

He has over 100 and as he wears them he carefully stores them back in the plastic sleeves.

Playground are all over the place

This one had some interesting characters I thought you might enjoy experiencing some of Ukraine.  I truly do love being here, now if only I had some grandchildren to take to the park....

I have no idea why a mermaid is chained in a tree, not enough language skills yet.

Perhaps only Dianna will recognize the Direwolf

I suggested these might be Helamen's army, Elder Cannon didn't laugh

Yes this is clean, free of dirt, free of potholes, it only gets worse from here.

Buying Tickets in another country another lesson

So....   

    We are invited to attend a training session in Harcov, which is at the other end of our mission.   It will require a 11 overnight train ride.    May I remind you I hate Soviet style trains. 

    Now the advice was get your tickets as soon as possible and purchase all four beds so you don't have to share the berth with strangers all night.

     Since I don't know how to do this, of course I turn to someone to help.   Our young missionaires to teach us the ropes.   Now I love my companion but he is terrible independent and things we can do everything for ourselves.   In fact, he thinks I can do things on the computer even in a foreign language.

     We get to the train station and are told we must buy these tickets on line.   So, I write down the web address come home and experiment with it.   I create logins and I do my best to translate Russian (which turns out to be Ukrainian instead) then I ask for help again.   Again, my independent companion thinks I am bothering the missionaries to much.   Again, I push back and ask for help, and keep asking for help.   We think we have tickets but the dollar amount is very small and we are surprised.  I really do want to attend this training, I really am willing to ride a train, if we miss this it can't be redone.   It's a one time shot.

    Again, I ask for help to clarify, again my companion says....  we bought them and just wait and we will show they our paperwork on the day we are to travel.   Yes, the stubborn wife holds out again and and ignores her companion's leanings.   After much effort of our young missionaries we find out that our "reservations will expire in 2 hours" that our tickets are not yet purchased and that we must do to the train station again to purchase them.

    Now, please don't think I am critizing my companion.  Even though he has tried to mislead me on almost every aspect of this train ticket buying effort.     After all this effort and gentle conflict, a now humbled companion said:  I am glad you listened to the spirit and not to me.   He then reminded me of his setting apart that he was counseled to "listen to his companion". 

I am grateful for the Lord to watch over us in small things and in big things and in foreign countries where we think we are wise and are not.   We aren't in the US, things are done differently here and we need to learn of their ways.  

Shoe repair in Ukraine

I suggested before we left that Elder Cannon get new shoes in the U.S.    Knowing from past experience his size would be difficult to find here.   He didn't follow my advice and it didn't take long for his shoes to develop a crack in the soles which now leak.

With the warmer weather there is so much slush and potholes and runoff.  Small wonder that it's not fun to have this problem.

So....  off to the open market to get new soles on these shoes.  Why not new shoes?   They don't carry much in his size.   So at the shoe repair shop, Elder Cannon only give him the one shoe?    I said why not both, so they match and are the same soles and height.    Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what happens next.....     Yup the mate cracks and so back to the open market again and the shoe repair shop so he can fix the mate. 

Here is the funny story:   We are trying to figure out a price, and the repair man is drawing pictures and showing us the shoe he has already started to repair and is dismantled....    We can't figure out what is going on and FINALLY.... the repair man looks closer and figures out it is the mate to the original shoe.  It's international, men think different than woman, oh lightbulb moment. 

He is laughing at himself, we are laughing and now it is settled, he will fit both by next Monday. 

Now instead of Rick wearing his good leather shoes, or GYM shoes (his preferred option) he will have  new soles on a warn pair of some old but better Ukrainian needed shoes.

Is there a morale here?   I don't think I have to spell it out do I!!

What do we really do here.....

   For all those of "age" to serve a senior mission the serious answer is don't read this post, close it immediately.   We want you to
    
                                        COME AND SEE FOR YOURSELVES ....

but for the rest of you curious souls.....   I will give you some insights.

First and foremost we are here to serve the Lord, and in doing so will increase our knowledge our faith and our dedication.   So really we are here for our own benefits and growth. 

Each day is a little different.   The suggested activities for us is to attending  YOUTH night, which is a fun night of activites, games and is a tool for inviting investigators to mingle with the missionaries.

The rules to games are different in that if you lose you have some loser requirement, I did deep knee bends (thank goodness for skirts) the men have to do 3 push ups each time they failed.   I didn't think much about it until I went down the stairs today....    OH!!!!
We also attend INSTITUTE night, which is a kick to try to keep up with our limited language and native teachers are full female speed.

We attend all branch related activities, this week was to watch 17 Miracles. 

We enourage people to take us out on visit to inactives, thus far unsuccesfully.  They are just like us at home, to shy, to busy, to whatever.

We have made a couple of contacts, one is the woman in the grocery store, who has so cheerfully befriended me and we are currently in a note writing exchange between our native tongues.   I have provided her with a Liahona and note of testimony.   I haven't seen her since.  That contact is not yet finished I will not quit being her friend even if she doesn't want to investigate.

Elder Cannon and I walked to the local library asked for a tour and soon had 4 English speakers eager to talk with us.   We left a handwritten note in the registry book and promised to return.   A future contact and more English practice.

When we get government approval we will likely teach English.   Perhaps addition recovery if the Mission President so directs.  We are the first seniors here, it's a learning curve how to best utilize us.
Elder Cannon wants to contact on the street, and I have no doubt he will continue until we makes a contact and finds an investigator.   I have to admit I am more timid on the streets.

We are trying to use the free time to study and learn our own gospel. 

We love being involved with our young missionaries on PDAY's and join in on whatever plans they make.   I told Elder Cannon tonight, when we was sure I was plotting a party in secret.   "I am after all the district mother in Mariupol" and we have a birthday and a farwell coming next week.   Of course we need a party. 

Truly we will do more for ourselves probably in the way of teaching.   But we love these people and that is what we will do best.   Love our Father's children and bear testimony as often as we can.   Is that enough reason to leave our beautiful family?

   Of course it is....  the blessing we receive the blessings our family receives!!!!  It is the best service we can provide      Obedience to our prophet and our Lord.  

Sea of Azov is frozen solid for several inches at least

 The sea of Azov is frozen enough to have foot travel for  as far as I could see.  

We watched others walk for a long time on the sea, they (not me) played a little football, walked a little on the sea and then happily trudged back to our warm apartment to have dinner prepared by a church member and her best friend (investigator)

 It doesn't take long to love the culture, the people and young energetic missionaries.   But most of all I love the elder elder missionary.

 This is our Church meeting house.    It's really quite beautiful.   The entire interior is tiled.   Necessary the streets are quite filthy and so mud, water sand and everything is tracked it in droves.

We aren't in America the culture has it's own wisdom and the church recognizes the wisdom in mopable floors.

This is the overflow/cultural hall/classroom directly behind the chapel.