This week I, the missionary mom, DeLisa, get the opportunity to share Chris' week with you and new Ukrainian lifestyle. This comes about because I found myself online on early this morning, his preparation day, when he logged into the computer at his internet cafe.
I just LOVE modern technology! What a blessing!!! I was able to ask Chris all kinds of questions about life in the Ukraine and his current investigators.
So here are some interesting tidbits.
--Chris & his comp. teach an advanced English class comprised of 30 students one evening a week.
--My son finally realizes how very cold it's going to get there this winter; he asked for me to mail him some thermals.
--Don't expect to get yummy French cheese in the Ukraine,
BUT Do expect to be able to consume large quantities of delicious inexpensive pasteries!
--Even when you spend 2 hours discussing the gospel with Jehovah Witnesses, they still won't enter the chapel doors.
--Ukrainian apartment buildings are "Soviet Plumbed" There are water pipes throughout and in the Winter, Hot water circulates and defintely warms up the apartments and in the Winter, cold water circulates and basically does nothing to cool down the apartments. Fans are a necessity.
--Elders who are computer savvy, ALWAYS do at least one stint in the office.(we're praying for Summer months because the office has AIR CONDITIONING)
--When your comp. is sick, practice your Russian "CASES"(verbs)
--For $l you can get super sized piece of pizza from an outside street vendor
--Ukrainian Twixt candy, is definetely not as tasty as the American version
On a more serious note, there was much concern, on the part of myself and other relations, regarding the "cigarette" experience of last week.
Chris' comp.'s mother and I have become friends on Missionary Moms.com. It seems that her son's gives more details in his letters home and she shared the following which explains in more detail what Chris and his comp. were doing last week.
Elder RAder, "Obedience to God's laws bring blessings. Obedience to the leaders which God has given you, even in counsel, or just taking a challenge, also brings blessings. This week, our Zone Leaders challenged us to throw away 31 cigarette butts. We did it, and then some. The whole day, we had been struggling. No one wanted to talk, and everyone was hurrying here and there, without so much as a kind word for us. The instant we gathered a bunch of these cigaretes and tossed them, a man came up to us. He was in his 50s, and told of how, back in Soviet times, he had had a chance to go to America. When offered the Book of Mormon, at first, he said, "i don't see the point in it." We asked him why not. He responded, "I don't believe in God, I believe in reason." We responded by giving himn a challenge, a scientific experiment, which if found in Moroni, chapter l0, verse 4. He paused, and said, "earlier was th time to travel, and go. But now, it's
about time that I thought about my sould, about God." His name is Anatoly Petrovich. He's a wonderful man, just sincere and kind. This same thing happened throughout the week. of all things, I figured that throwing away cigarette butts would be the last thing to help us build charity and love the people, but we've thrown away l,0l0 cigarettes, and from all of that, we've gained so many opportunities to teach, that it's rather ridiculous. Serving people is a good thing to do."
In addition, Chris and his comp ran into an American who is on break from Military training and is studying pharmacy. He was given apriesthood blessing wherein he felt the spirit and gained a testimony of the Holy Ghost, and is reading the Book of Mormon and he attended church on Sunday. Their goal is to baptize him within the month.
Many thanks from our family to yours for your love and support of our missionary!
Keep the prayers and dear elder letters coming!!
DeLisa
No comments:
Post a Comment