please don't take my sunshine away

fam bamily and friends,

welp. this will probably be short because i don't feel like i have very much to say and i don't really know where to begin. maybe i'll just share a few fun facts. and maybe a hilarious story. one-liner style.

spring played a funny trick and came out for a week. there was sun out almost every single day last week! most everything had melted. we met march in true march-weather. the windy ides of march and sunshine, though still chilly. i even wore my lighter jacket instead of my big marshmallow coat to a lesson we had.

this morning we woke up to a couple inches of snow.

i delight in sunbeams. especially when there's a little bit of warmth in them. light is love.
member that time our investigator got up during fast and testimony meeting? i don't want to talk about it, though in reality it's a hilarious story.

natasha (the one with six daughters) came to church with her daugher jonna, who i love. when time was spent and testimony meeting was rounding to a close after the usual interesting experience of a ukrainian fast and testimony meeting (though, who are we kidding. they get interesting around the world.) fun fact, natasha has a really loud voice, so it kind of sounds like she's screaming or yelling even though that's just how she talks. then she proceeded to tell her whole life story over the pulpit of being a sinner up to meeting us on the street, etc. i mean, it was really quite precious and priceless and we love her to death. that said, the whole branch was dying. i have no words. this isn't even a good description of what it was really like. love her. the branch loves us.

the relief society president saved the day at the end of the relief society when she mentioned that natasha was indeed a very open person, but that she was courageous. it saved the day, at least among the women, i think.

i love the sestrichka bullichka. (-ichka is the cutesy diminuitive sort of thing.)

people here are a little bit crazy.

i met a babushka that almost made me cry after a very long day. i told her that she had a pretty hat, which she did. she looked at the book in my hand and said no one needed that american thing and that i was a fool. i almost swore off of talking to babushkas for the rest of my life. they're awfully mean.

god is in the sunshine. there's wonder in the sprouts.

there are tulips being sold everywhere! it used to be just roses at all the flower stands, for the most part. tulips!

we met with sasha again. he's adorable.

finding times to meet with people is stressful. and impossible at times. oh, wait.

что ещё?

i don't really know.

i love springtime. sometimes i feel like all i ever do is talk about the weather.

i got sick last week. i don't want to talk about it.

i have a new love of the story of the stripling warriors. i love the way helaman calls them 'my little sons.' so much love and camaraderie.
we had three investigators at church yesterday. that's a really big deal.

there's this man named andrei that has been coming to church, though we haven't had a lesson with him yet. he's super nice. and asks such good questions and is slightly skeptical while still being kind and believing. i love it.

babushki are hilarious. it's cute. yes i realize the contradiction in this statement.

i love the sisters in this mission. let's be honest, i love all the other missionaries. elders and sisters. who would have known i'd have such a soft spot for elders on my mission? if you told me that a year ago, i wouldn't have believed you. they're all good eggs. like brothers.

if you were to ask me what my favorite thing about being a missionary here is, it would be cracking people. i delight in it. chipping away ice, melting it away. cracking eggs.

if only there were a way to record even half of what was experienced. there will be time.

sister armknecht has a friend back home that got baptized this past weekend. i love when missionary work spreads across continents.

we all have a story to tell, whether we whisper or yell.

i will try to fix you.

shoutouts: roslyn, pass along a congrats to mihai! i can't even believe that. i promise i want to write you. i just never have time. but i love you. and i adore your emails. // courtney clarkson, i don't know if ashley gets these emails, but if so, tell her i wrote her and will hopefully send it today. also, got your letters. // deborah ann, there were pictures of you in my package that i finally received this week. you look stunning. love you!

god loves us all. there's a plan. a beautiful one. and everything comes back to the genius of that plan. families are forever. i realized deeply this week that my scriptures are one of my most prized possessions. if not the most. there's gems to be found, especially in the book of mormon. i wish everyone in the world could see it. one person at a time.
there will be time. we're teaching this place to walk.

much love,
cectpa em.