Still Saturday

still Saturday

Today we went to teach a first lesson but the woman wouldn't open her door. So then we taught one of the girls in the branch about the Holy Ghost. Then we went to have a picnic in the scary, trashy woods and we we PEELED and ate hot dogs we cooked over a fire. who knows what kind of meat they were.... I got asked out by an ex-convict, he got out last month. He wouldn't leave me alone. And he wouldn't stop talking about my "Gollyvood smile". He also asked me how to get to America. Eleya gave me a huge photo album because he said he loved my pictures so much. I love that kid, so sweet. The ex-con took us to see his mom which i did NOT want to do. Bad feelings--- but luckily at the end we couldn't for some reason. Now I'm tired and wet and need sleep.

Sunday 7/29

We had sport night last night and i played soccer and it was insanely fun! I'm soooo dying this morning. more later...

so last night was way fun. I'm not bad at stealing the ball. :) Everyone here is pro at soccer. I accidentally body-slammed Elder S, who is actually the branch prez here, cool huh!

I've been so tired today. More tired than I've ever been before and church was kind of torture. I bore my testimony in sacrament mtg tho. There were us 6 missionaries and 5 members. Wow. Talk about small. Tonight we went and visited this cute girl who has diabetes at a scary hospital. I took pics for you. Then we went to find some lady we had contacted and it was right by a military base... scary. but there was this rad building across the street so we took pics (because Sosyak told me it was fine) in front of it. scary people ran out and yelled at us and told us to delete the pics and that they had called the police. They were probably the Russian mob or something. We should have guessed seeing as there was a way nice car in the driveway and you don't see that around here.

Then, there are kids who skateboard by our apartment and love to hear me speak English. So we invited them to sport night next week and they want to come.

Amway is big here, which i think is hilarious. Have i told you that my comp is soooooo Arena Arevko! Wow.

The babushkas here are like, seriously miniature. They come up to my bellybutton. I know they have to have been normal sized at some point and i wonder why they shrink. But seriously, they're tough. They look all crippled, but could totally pull a Yoda in episode 3 and rock anyone's butt. k I'm tired.

Monday morning was pretty cool, we went to the branch for a missionary mtg and made borsht, which is amazing by the way.

But then we went to a babushka's place and i sat there while my comp talked about faith and i choked down the tea and psycho nasty snacks the bab gave me. Plus, i had to wear some of her shoes cuz you can't wear your own in other's houses and there was cat hair everywhere. I tried to act like i knew anything that was going on but i was a little distracted at the same time by the slab of meat turning green on the counter, the bugs in my tea and the cat hair in my mouth.

we contacted then went to an orphanage and played with the kids. One little girl clung to me right from the get go and i loved her! Even tho i had no clue what she was saying.

I've never been so tired in my whole life. Every step i took I would think, "just a little ways more" then we would be off somewhere else.

I can't really put into words what I have been experiencing here. Nobody can know this kind of poverty with out experiencing it. I thought i could imagine it, cuz Ive got a rockin imagination.... no. not possible.

So some days are really hard. It's weird I've only been here for a week, you probably think I'm a wanny. it feels like forever tho, but i do feel like I'm where i need to be. Home kind of feels like a distant dream at this point. I love my mish! Despite the fact that i know Hell has to be way better than this place. seriously.

i look at my family pics every morning, i can't help it. haha

I'm a little lonely sometimes because i can't speak Russian and i never know where we're going or what we're doing because my comp can't tell me.... i have to learn Russian! urgh!
Tuesday 7/31

did you know that it's possible to get tennis elbow from carrying scriptures around? cuz it totally is.

Tell dad i miss him so much and i want a Volga car so bad! how much would it cost to ship one home, cuz they're dirt cheap here and i love them! Tell my sisters that EVERY single stroller here is so hot! This place is like the perfect mix of the 70s, 80s and early 90s, i love it! Apart from the horrific living conditions of course.

You wanna hear a funny story? Remember the movie Elf? Remember when he gets hit by a taxi? Well, I got grazed by a car and yelled to warn Sosyak but she was totally taken out by a car the other day!!!! hahahahahhaha i laughed so hard. She's okay, don't worry.

I live off of bread and chocolate. AND the half cooked creatures i have to eat at people's homes. I totally know why they cry on fear factor now, when they have to eat stuff. i pray not to cry, and it works.

There are only 10 sisters in this mission and only 3 of them are American!

It rains everyday here.

I caught myself on fire today trying to heat water for my "shower". It was bound to happen. (written Aug 2, 2007)