EATING SHARMAS

FAMOUS MARIUPOL SHARMA STAND

At the Sharma Stand with Olga, Employee of the stand, Elders Kinghorn, Woodhead, Hammond, and Goodfellow

This gentleman insisted I come into the stand to take a picture

Sharma's are famous among the missionaries, especially the Sharmas in Mariupol. So when we told the Elders we were coming to Mariupol they insisted we visit the Sharma stand for our first Sharma. Even our driver Vladimir hasn't had a Sharma before. It is meat, cheese, sourcream, special sauce, and your choice of tomatoes, mushrooms, and peppers all in a huge wrap and grilled. It was the first time we had eaten anything from a stand on the street. (the missionaries do it all the time).

I must say..............................

I liked it!!!!!!

It was very good!!!!

and......................

I feel fine today.

Yesterday we went to Mariupol to close one of our projects at a School for the Blind.

We also did cleaning inspections at the 3 missionary apartments.

If you moms are wondering how your sons and daughters are doing with keeping their apartments clean lets just say................

"the Sisters are winning".

It seems the Elders do a good job picking up their apartments but..........

I am not sure if they know the meaning of SCRUB

as in sinks, toilets, and bathtubs...................

we'll have to work on this.........

It was a great day. We got to spend time with some of the missionaries who we don't get to see very often, eat a great lunch and....................

close another project....

YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ANYA AND SISTER HOWARD

 Annya taught Sister Howard, Sister Glenn and I how to make Borshe

It was delicious!!!!!

GOING BACK TO AMERICA

Every evening as I sit at my computer I glance over at this........

The red square has been moving quickly these last few weeks. The red square on the 25 means we go home in 40 days.I am excited to get home and see my family. I can't wait for the first time I can put my arms around my children again....or the first time I can sit and read a book to my grandchildren, or tuck them into bed at night......I am looking forward to being there when they wake up from their naps and snuggle into my arms.There are so many things I am looking forward to...............

but the red square on my calender moving furthur down each night means that I will soon be leaving so much behind here....
Yesterday my sweet Annya came over with Sisters Howard and Glenn and we learned how to make Borshe, and then had a beautiful lesson given by the Sisters on patience. Annya gave a wonderful prayer she has been practicing in English.

Then we had a wonderful District Meeting

Today we went back to Ukrainsk one of our favorite places here in Ukraine to visit our friend the Mayor and Nastia who lost her husband during a mining disaster in 2002. We took Sister Fry (our Mission President's wife) with us. We took two guitars and a keyboard that one of our dear friends donated.
We were greeted with so much love and appreciation. We took a tour of a afterschool center where the keyboard was donated.They showed us all the wonderful projects the children do. Sister Fry and I were both given gifts the children have made. We toured the sports school the mayor established as an after school program. Then we met a man who we donated the guitars to so that he can teach children to play. The Mayor could hardly wait to call him and tell him what we were giving him. This sweet man, quickly tuned the guitar and sat and played us a song he wrote for his mother who raised 8 children on her own during the Soviet Era. Then he invited us to his Dasha (summer home) where he has 2 horses and several dogs, and a few goats. He wanted us to stay and have a huge fish he had just (shot?????) We explained that we had to get back to Donetsk.

When we arrived back in town we had time to go take pictures of some DOORS that were purchased with Humanitarian Funds at a Sanitorium for children.Tomorrow we go to Mariupol to take pictures of some Computers, braille paper, and a special blood pressure machine for the blind that the Humanitarian Funds purchased. Then we will try to go do apartment inspections while we are in Mariupol.

Saturday we will attend two baptisms in Donetsk Center Branch and then a Shower for Tonia who is a returned missionary who is getting married in a few weeks. Sister Fry and I are giving her a wedding shower.

So.....

as you can see life here has been amazing and I will definitely miss so much.

but I don't want to think any more about that for now..................

for now......................

I will be grateful for each day we have here and fill them with as much joy as I possibly can.

TRIP TO KHARKIV

LAST WEEK WE WENT TO KHARKIV AND ATTENDED THE OPEN HOUSE FOR THE NOVE
DOMA BUILDING


ELDER JACOB AND A GUEST AT THE OPEN HOUSE

SISTER JACOB AND A SMALL GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO JOINED HER TO SING SOME HYMNS DURING THE OPEN HOUSE WHILE ELDER NORMAN PLAYED THE PIANO

OUR PUPPETEERS WAITING FOR THE NEXT PERFORMANCE

WHILE WE WERE WALKING THROUGH THE REENIK WE SPOTTED THIS

AND WHILE WALKING AROUND KHARKIV WE TOOK A FEW PICTURES OF THE BEAUTIFUL BUILDINGS

WE ARRIVED IN TIME TO HELP THE JACOB'S PACK UP THE LAST OF THE THINGS THAT THEY WILL BE LEAVING FOR THE NEW COUPLE WHO WILL REPLACE THEM.

WE WENT TO THE CRITTENDON'S FOR A NICE LUNCH AND THEN VISITED A HOMELESS SHELTER THAT THE HUMANITARIAN PROGRAM PURCHASED BEDS AND A REFRIGERATOR FOR THEIR SHELTER. THE NEXT DAY OLGA AND I WENT TO THE REENIK TO BUY TIES AND ELDER KINGHORN STAYED AT THE JACOB'S AND HELPED THEM FINISH PACKING.
THAT AFTERNOON (friday night) WE WENT TO THE CHURCH FOR THE VIP OPEN HOUSE.
WE DID THE PUPPET SHOW A FEW TIMES FOR THE VIP'S WHO ATTENDED AND
THE NEXT DAY THE OPEN HOUSE WAS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
SOME OF THE MISSIONARIES EVEN WENT OUT IN FRONT OF THE BUILDING TO INVITE PEOPLE IN........

WE WERE BUSY ALL DAY PERFORMING THE PUPPET SHOW AND GIVING A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE HUMANITARIAN PROGRAM. IT WAS FUN TO SEE SOME OF THE MISSIONARIES WHO HAVE BEEN LIVING IN THE KHARKIV AREA FOR AWHILE.
THE JACOB'S RETURNED TO AMERICA EARLY MONDAY MORNING. IT WAS HARD TO SEE THE JACOB'S HAVE TO SAY GOOD-BYE TO SO MANY OF THE MEMBERS AND MISSIONARIES THEY HAVE COME TO LOVE. THE END OF THE EVENING SISTER JACOB WAS AT THE PIANO SURROUNDED BY THE YOUNG ADULTS WHO LOVE HER SO MUCH. IT WAS A VERY BEUTIFUL MOMENT. I LOOKED OUT AND SAW ELDER JACOB SITTING IN THE PEW WITH A YOUNG WOMAN. IT WAS SO OBVIOUS THAT THESE TWO SPECIAL PEOPLE HAVE REALLY TOUCHED THE LIVES OF SO MANY HERE IN UKRAINE. THEY WILL SURELY BE MISSED.

A FEW MORE OF THE SIGHTS...........................

ALL YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT ZONE CONFERENCE IN ONE SIMPLE POST

If you have never served a mission with our church or had a son or daughter on a mission you probably have no idea what ZONE CONFERENCE is.I thought I would try to explain. In our mission we have Zones in Kharkiv and Donetsk. Every 6 weeks we have a Zone Conference with the Zones in Kharkiv and Donetsk.Each Zone has a set of Missionaries who are assigned to be the Zone Leaders. Each District has 4 to 6 missionaries and one of them is assigned to be the District Leader.

Zone 1 is in Kharkiv and has 3 Districts
Zone 2 is Kharkiv B- is made up of 4 Districts
Zone 3 is Donetsk A-is made up of 3 Districts
Zone 4 is Donetsk B- and has 3 Districts
Zone 5 is Gorlivka and they have 2 Districts
So................................
When we have this wonderful meeting. We all gather together in the Chapel and each of the pairs of Zone Leaders teach a lesson. There is usually a theme assigned for the meeting and all the lessons focus on that theme. There are missionaries assigned to be Assistants to the President. We call them AP's. In our mission we currently have 4 AP"s. They are given special assignments by the Mission President to help support the other missionaries wherever they are needed. Sometimes they accompany the Mission President to meetings and interpret for him. At Zone Conferences they are given an assignment to teach a Skills Practice. This is usually a chance for the missionaries to practice their teaching skills. Sometimes they practice the Russian Language and sometimes they practice teaching lessons from the Preach My Gospel book.
We always have a spiritual lesson from the Mission President and sometimes a message from his wife as well. This week we were treated with a beautiful musical number by Elder Woodhead playing the violin and Sister Howard on the piano. Elder Woodhead said they had no time to practice but it was still amazing.
When we are finished the missionaries take some time to write down their goals for the next 6 weeks and that is followed by a beautiful testimony meeting.

We had a beautiful day. As I loaded the photos in this post slide show I was once again reminded of what a blessing it has been to witness the changes in these young missionaries as their testimonies have grown and they have developed wonderful leadership skills. They are awesome young men and women.