Week 46

Yep, this week is the big one year mark. like wow. i can't believe it. yeah. its felt like a year. no doubt about that. and now i can't use the excuse of 'i haven't even been studying Russian for a year!" as an excuse when i don't speak very well. oh well. yep I've come a long way, even i can see that. i know i am stronger in the Gospel. i have testified many times to members that i really do know now that the great work we can do here on earth is the Lords work. wow. now i get to take that opinion onto to college life with me...that will be interesting. but we'll worry about that when i get there. its easy to do the Lord's work while you're on the mission. but one of our Bishops here keeps reminding us as missionaries that you spend about 2 years on a mission learning to love and study the scriptures and that we need to make sure we keep doing that when we get home. So im not too caught up in the thought of its my one year mark soon...all those feelings kinda came last week with the new year. but goals have been set and im excited for this year.

This week i got my fill of caroling...which is good, its something i kept waiting for in December, but never came. but we went a couple times this past week. I've learned a few Ukrainian folk songs which is fun....im really warming up to Ukrainian. its a fun game when someone gives a talk or lesson in Ukrainian to see how much i can pick up. On Saturday night, Jan 7, their Christmas here, we, some missionaries and some youth from the stake, went caroling on kreshatik-a big downtown street-comparable to going out and caroling on the strip. almost. it was neat. lots of people stopped to sing with us, but kept singing Ukrainian drinking songs and folk songs over our English hymns translated into Ukrainian-so they are not as well known tunes here. but it was fun. couldn't contact too many people because there were a lot of tipsy people. but it was still fun.

sorry not very long or entertaining today.....but here are pictures!!! some of kreshatik, caroling, some of making "gingerbread houses"-graham cracker style, with one of my favorite families here-tanya and anya

love you all!

sister little