Goodbye K-dar! January 23, 2012

This week went by SO fast, but so many things happened!  On Monday we got broken up with.... by our investigator Laura.... :(  She had apparently gone to a friends church and they told her that we were all rich and just paid our leaders and it was all about the money... which is completely opposite, as NO ONE in the branch leadership gets paid for their service in the church.  We didn't know what to say and so just bore our testimonies and told her that she had felt the spirit here and was always welcome to come back if she would like to... :(


We were all very lucky not to get food poisoning again this week.  We had decided to go over to a members house because she said that she was having one of our less-active sisters over. But then she invited the elders to come too...  All of us didn't need to be there at the same time, but it ended up being a fun adventure.  So, the Elders take us out there as they had been their before.  Irina lives about 30-40 minutes out of town.  When we got there the less-active, Elena, wasn't there yet.  So Irina decided to serve us Borsch!!! YUMMY!!  When we walked into the kitchen there was this beautiful looking braided kind of pie.  It looked pretty, but I asked what was in the inside.  Irina responds, "Oh, well I just used everything that I had laying around." and she literally did....  She said, "it has carrots, pumpkin, oats, apple, kiwi, and chocolate."  I look at Sister TUnney..... and then we go and tell the Elders....  While she was out of the room we attempted to eat it as then we could make disgusted faces while she wasn't there.  IT WAS SO NASTY!!  She kept apologizing because she had burned it... but i was just thinking... the burnt part is the least of the problem...it's what you put inside it that's the problem!! haha!! We
got some funny pictures and it made for a good memory!!


Well, friends, just because I'm on a mission doesn't mean that I have been cured of making embarrassing stupid comments and I thought that I would share one of my latest with you.  So, basically EVERYONE here in Russia who has a car drives a Lada (if you don't know what that is... look up a picture on-line).  They have like cardboard seats that your back sinks into when you go over bumps and you better not put too much weight inside or it may just drag on the ground.  Well... so we have a new sister coming into the area on Tuesday night.  I was talking on the phone to our member Dima (he's about a 20  year old) and he has a nicer car that is kind of like a station wagon.  I said, "Dima, do you think that you could help us pick up the new sister/  Missionaries have a lot of luggage and almost everyone else has a lada, but your car is nicer."  He says, "I have a lada too...".... hahaha  well, he does... it's just a newer one!! I felt like an idiot and probably offended him... but it made for a good laugh!


Well, we got transfer calls on Friday and I am leaving K-dar early Wednesday morning... :(  I will really miss it here!! I have come to love the members SO much and working with Sister Tunney has been a dream!! SHE IS THE BEST COMPANION EVER!!  But, it will be a new and exciting transfer!  I am being sent up to the extremely cold VOGAGRAD area and will be serving as trainer to our new sister, Sister Whitacker.  But we will be in a 3 some with Sister LeBaron who know the area and will be helping out A LOT!!  It's CRAZY!!  But it will be GREAT to serve again with Sister LeBaron and will be a definite NEW AND EXCITING ADVENTURE!!


Well, we had a wonderful baptism for Lubov!  She really enjoyed our musical number where I played the violin and sister Tunney played on the piano.  Elder Potter gave her the gift of the holy ghost and said that he felt that she was a wonderful lady!! She really is!! I'm sad to leave... but I couldn't have asked for anything better than being able to see her get baptized the Saturday before I go!!  And then just to make Saturday even better we had another YSA activity!!  I LOVE DANCING and It was basically me and the YSA all dancing!! haha!!  It was SO fun!!


Sunday night Sasha Demchenko took us to his house and he taught us how to make Demchenkborsch!! His mom kept trying to make it her way, but he was all...no!  We're making my borsch!! Sasha is the BEST!!  He told us his conversion story too!! He had read a bit of the bible and felt that it was true. When he met the missionaries and started meeting with them he was doing EVERYTHING that he should, going to chruch, reading the BOM, keeping the commandments, but he wasn't getting an answer if the BOM was true.  So, the missionaries decided to hold a fast with him.  He woke up early Sunday morning of his fast and decided to pray if the BOM was true.  If that was true he said he'd pray about President Hinckley if he was a prophet and if that was true he said that he would pray to know if the church was true.  He was at the table and all he said was "Dear Heavenly Father" and he was overcome with the most powerful feeling of joy that he just laid his got my answer about everything... should I finish my prayer?!! he is now one of the most active members here and has served a mission and is just AWESOME!!  We love him!


Well, I love you all and next time I will write you from the Siberian Volgagrad!! haha  Maybe it will freeze some fat off!  A lady at chruch poked my stomach on Sunday and said in English, "Getting a little fat?"  hey!!!!  HAHA   gotta love Russian honesty I guess...


love you all!
Cectpa Cunningham