you've got mail. from me!

fam bamily and friends,

onward, ever onward. i was sad to hear about there being so many deaths and crazy things going on in america. i'd say things are more relaxed here, but the vebur (vote) was this past week, so that's been interesting. lots going on around the world. and we're mostly just oblivious. i kind of like it that way.

welp. i have a million things i could say, obviously. but it's been another week of lots of miracles for us! and we celebrated cectpa armknecht's 22nd birthday! if only there weren't so many things that never get recorded in my journal or in these emails. i won't even think about all the little things i'm probably forgetting. and let's not talk about how behind in my journal i'm getting. i have lots of little sticky notes of lists of things to write about later. jizn takaya. (russian equivalent of c'est la vie, meaning that's life or such is life.)

last monday we had interviews with president campero (kindest man alive.) and then zone conference on tuesday. i'm quite certain that he really did learn to run before he learned to walk. or crawl. he's a man of ambitions, drive, and vision. it really is a time of transition in the eastern european/russian area generally, but especially in the donetsk mission. it's exciting to be right in the transition period. i expect great things out of my mission, especially since i've already had so many. they say that it only goes up from here and that missions only ever get better and better here, but sometimes i wonder how that's possible. i'm totally in the revamp generation for the mission. i'm not quite sure what that says about me and my ctareishini that i came in with, but i'm thinking it says good things. :) and last week at zone conference i did the musical number (not on the scripka [violin], unfortunately.) with another sister. we sang lead kindly, light and cectpa armknecht played the piano for us. it was grand. i really love that hymn. especially now. in some ways it was like a theme for me in the first couple of weeks in-country. "the night is dark and i am far from home. lead, thou, me on. keep thou my feet, i do not ask to see the distant scene, one step enough for me." the nights are dark. and i am far from home. but guess what this week was? the magic three week mark.

the magic three worked out just as expected and just as it was in the past. it was on that three week mark that i had the moments of pure and deep-rooted happiness that filled me. more than happiness, a contentment and satisfaction with this life and all we are doing. i realized it as we walked to one lesson with sveta (it's a name that means light) she's the girl we met on the street near the beginning. she's great, and super open minded. anyway, it was as we were headed to a lesson from her after a lesson with the mother of brat klyuev, irina. during which she practically committed herself to a baptismal date, even though it was only our second lesson with her. she's a super funny woman, and quite stubborn. it makes me laugh to watch her. her son is brat slavic, who is the husband of cectpa vita. they're the family that immeasurably blesses the lives of missionaries. they're so solid. and they're son pasha is 14, and absolutely great. he helps us out on lessons sometimes, and last night he was going to help us, and as we walked he taught us useful words like mud, puddle, ice, snow, etc. ha. he's a hoot. and brat slavic is hilarious too. brat slavic reminds me a TON of dan ricks and pasha is very similar to mike. it makes my day all the time. anyway. if all goes according to plan, this 83 year old babushka will be baptized this coming saturday, 3 november!

let's just talk about how practically everyone initially thinks we're jehovah's witnesses. how does that never happen to the elders? jizn takaya. we're over it. ha.

tamara is still on date for 10 november, but we still worry about her. we are both getting a little stressed because thanks to all the contacting miracles and others we've been having, we kind of have a lot of balls flying through the air right now, and we don't want to drop the ball on anything. (let's also just talk about how often missionaries here use that phrase: dropping the ball. but it's handy and useful and applicable.) but. tamara is great. and probably one of the most christlike people on this earth. i can't get over how clear her understanding is about the power of serving others. to say that you love god is all fine and dandy, but what does it really mean? the best way to show that love for god is to serve other people. "inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." that would be tamara. she's a rockstar. and on saturday night, the klyuev's invited us over as a little celebration of cectpa armknecht's birthday that was on friday, and when we told tamara aobut it, and told her that if she was too busy or too tired or feeling too sick (because she feels weak and sick pretty much all the time) that she didn't have to come. but she simply replied with asking how old she would be and saying, "how could i not be there?" i want to adopt her and ship her home to have people she can talk to and that will love her instead of her always just loving and sacrificing for anyone else. when we were at her house this week and about to leave and telling her we loved her, she said, "no one ever has loved me." it was so sad. and her grandchildren are such punks that take advantage of her and her willingness to help them with what little she has. everyone go give your mother or grandmother a hug if you're in person and serve them. if you're far away, then call them and tell them how wonderful they are. ready, go.

sasha, the one we met on the street who loves history? yep, he totally googled cectpa armknecht's name to learn the history behind it. and he gave us a call to wish her a happy birthday. and he tells us cool stories about history. he so needs to be a member. he's the friendliest kindest man alive. you just can't help but love him. and this past week the most interesting part i think was when he was talking about how there's a word in russian that's has super bad connotations and is like an insult, swear word, or really really bad thing to say. it's a word that means 'german.' so interesting the influence history plays in language. this is me being a language geek.

at district meeting last week our ctareishini had a little party for cectpa armknecht's birthday! it was super precious how sneaky they thought they were being. and then on friday morning we sang in a park in our area during morning contacting, so that was fun. birthday's as a missionary are interesting, and friday's the day we have weekly planning so we were inside most the day, but we basically celebrated all weeks. yay for birthdays! yay for always having the best companions. we were talking about it this week, and it really would be so great if we could just be companions forever. we're on fire. and we love life. and we love this. and we both work hard. and we're both learning. clearly, that won't happen. but it would be neat. but there are lessons for both of us to learn, i'm sure before our missions are through that will have to come from other areas and other companions. but for now, we're just living up the fact that we still have 9 more weeks here in h.t.z. best area in the mission, in my opinion. :) and we learned what it stands for! kharkov tractor factory. and i get an odd amount of joy when they announde the tractor factory stop on the metro. traktorney zavod. it's fine, we live in a region named for the tractor factory. and sometimes there are just tractors chugging down the street. we're cool. and we live in the ghetto. cool story.

on saturday morning we met a man on the street from armenia who unfortunately gave us on accident a number that doesn't work. but he was super interested (one of the ones that just came up to us without us doing anything) and he told me i look like his daughter who's our age. so that's cool. at district meeting on thursday we taught a mini lesson on charity and love as a christlike attribute, and in the first few weeks it kind of bugged me that i didn't have a direction to point and cultivate love towards someone. in other situations, such as the mtc, there are specific people that we'd see often, etc. but before we had started meeting our investigators, and just generally, we spend a lot of time in bigger crowds on the street. but i came to a realization that the best way for us to spread that charity in broader and unspecific situations is through simply being cheerful. cheerfully doing all in our power. in d&c 112:4-5 it says, "let thy heart be of good cheer before my face; and thou shalt bear record of my name, not only unto the Gentiles, but also unto the Jews; and thou shalt send forth my word unto the ends of the earth. Contend thou, therefore, morning by morning; and day after day let thy warning voice go forth." we really have been seeing so many neat things happen as we've had a good and cheerful attitude. it really does bring a different light to the whole area, and we love watching people half smile, smile, or laugh, or reply with a greeting on the street. if nothing else, sometimes we bring a little cheer to them, even if it's just because they're laughing at us. we enjoy it.

life is so good.

i had my first borscht this week! fam, let's just say the borscht we had that one christmas was not the same as the real thing. mom, i'll learn how to make it and come home and we'll make it together! it's quite delicious, really. i can't wait to try making ukrainian things back home. they probably won't be as good. but i'm determined to try anyway. love it. a member in our area fed it to us last monday night. and it was the first time in my mission when i literally had to force myself to keep eating when she brought out even more food after the super filling borcht which was after we had already eaten dinner. that awkward moment when my companion and i were trying not to throw up we were so full. haaa. жизнь миссионеров.

i'm going to attach a picture of us with the kluyev's for cectpa armknecht's birthday! i'm sad that tamara looks so weary and tired, but she really was so tired on saturday. and let's be honest, it's not really a ukrainian thing to smile in pictures. i'm determined to get another picture with her (hopefully at her baptism!) in which she is smiling. in the picture is cectpa vita, tamara, cectpa armknecht, me, and then brat slavic. best family. and most adorable home. also, vam pismo is how you say you've got mail in russian. aka, it's one of cectpa vita's all time favorite movies too. we bonded over that. clearly, i need to own that movie in russian someday. love it. вам писмо.

okay. i'm getting a little carried away with the russian keyboard. wayyy too much work. so we're still working on getting used to the fact that we're trying to figure out the precedence we're setting as the first sisters in the branch ever. the thing is, as sisters, all the sisters kind of want us to just be their best friends, which isn't exactly what we're here to do. so we're figuring that out. speaking of sister in the branch, though. cectpa lydia is an adorable babushka who is 78 (she likes to tell me that) and i sat by her during my very first sacrament meeting in ukraine. and of course didn't understand much of what she said. buut she's super nece. and then i sat by her again yesterday at church, and we had a lovely little conversation about how much we love hymns, and her telling me about history because i told her she must have seen a lot in her life after she told me she was 78 again. she's super adorable. my special little friend. i need a picture with her before my 9 weeks are up.

anyway. this is super scattered, sorry. but that's kind of how our life is anyway. the ukrainian life. the missionary life. but it's so great.

shoutouts: lauren celeste wertz, write me an email or letter or something! // lauren avondet, tell christine isom that a 93 year old babushka thinks the scarf christine gave us for christmas last year is the prettiest thing in the world. ha. and i want to hear how you're doing! // grandma beckham, i'm glad you are home safe, hopefully from being back east! i hope you had a good trip. the same babushka ilizaveta thinks the gold ctr ring you gave me for my 13th or 14th birthday is absolutely beautiful. i agree with her. :) // everyone, i haven't written any letters since being here. i'm working on figuring out fitting that in someday. our weeks and p days have been so so busy lately! but i honestly wouldn't have it any other way. busy weeks are exhausting, but the best. but hopefully today i can fit something in.

my thoughts and prayers are with everyone back home! never forget how much some girl on the other side of the world walking the streets of ukraine loves you and is grateful for you!

lots of love,
cectpa em.
in russian: сестра нэвэрс