What's up?
So, the pictures, before I forget: I decorated my planner with the ancestors of the branch! Haha there were leftover copies of family pictures from the activity a few months ago so I figured I'd commemorate some of them by putting them on my planner. I halfway hope that I'll be transferred just so there's never that awkward moment when a member of the branch realizes that I have a picture of their grandma...and as a side note, I always have ink on my left hand because I'm a southpaw! Which is what the title of this email means.
The other picture is of the pancake/biscuit things that the Chibatarjovi made for us! Sister Chibatarjova is determined to send me home with a suitcase full of them. But how cute! Mushrooms. They also had squirrel-shaped ones, which I knew Denise would love.
It's been a great week. Can't believe that we find out transfers tomorrow! Everyone has been asking me where I think I'm going to be transferred because I've already been here for six months but honestly, I don't feel like I'm leaving. That could be attributed to the fact that I don't want to, haha. But I mean, wherever I'm asked to go is cool with me. There's not a city in the Baltics that I wouldn't want to serve in. I'll let you know next Monday. Maybe I'll be the first sister that they send back to Belarus O.o
Psych. I wish.
We went to the orphanage again to do another Pinewood Derby, but attempted to make it more organized because the last time was insane. I don't know how it worked out this way, but it was even crazier even though there were more chaperones and it was inside. Elder Allred and I sat at the end of the track trying to tell what places each car took but it was pretty much impossible because the kids would grab their cars off the track the second that they crossed the finish line. If nothing else, it was incredibly entertaining.
I gave up at the end and just sat next to a three-year old girl. She was the cutest thing ever. I said hi and asked what her name was and all I got in response was her slowly smiling at me. Her whole face blossomed like a little flower and I thought, "Oh my stars, she's adorable."
We had a new lady come to English this week and I just love her. She's like a Latvian version of Jess Viehweg (I still don't know how to spell that last name). She told me that I need to go to Barcelona (it's her favorite place in the world) and a few days later, she was like, "Have you bought the tickets yet?" Haha not quite...
On Saturday, we held a birthday party for Elder Farns and Janis, a member here. Unfortunately Janis didn't show up because he was drunk but it was a great gathering of members and investigators anyway. Elder Farns asked me to make a cake so I used the recipe from the cook book that you sent me. I'm sure it would have been a hit if we had normal flour instead of whole-wheat and weren't missing an entire cup of powdered sugar for the frosting -__- It was weirdly not sweet and the frosting was super buttery, so I told people that I was going for a more savory take on the birthday cake. Elder Farns made a beautiful chocolate cake but it's a good thing that Russians don't like their desserts quite as sugary because everyone asked me for the recipe! Take that, Elder Farns.
Haha if I sound bitter it's because he gave me a lot of crap for it.
It was a really heart-felt dinner, though. The Russian tradition is to go around the table and share three wishes that you have for the birthday boy. Things like, "safety in all of your journeys, happiness in your choice of occupation, etc." and when it was Elder Jones' turn, he said, "Tomatoes, milk, and ground beef." Everyone got a good kick out of that. It's classic Elder Jones.
Church was pretty great, as well. Zhanna came again! She's just about the sweetest person on earth.
Inara and Adita (the Spalvens' daughter-in-law and granddaughter) came to the last part of sacrament meeting, too. Adita sat next to me and we played tic-tac-toe. They gave me their email so I can give them the cake recipe, but it also gives me a good excuse to keep in touch вообще. I love them both a lot.
And I'm sorry for the random Russian words. Typing the English word just makes the thought sound lamer and I generally can't think of what it would even be in English. I swear I'm not just doing it to be annoying.
Inna is doing pretty well. She's been extra busy with work but she was able to stay after English on Thursday and read a little from the Book of Mormon with us. "Won't you stay and discuss Mormon's Book with me?" It's so cool to watch her go now. She flips to where she's reading and every few verses she'll say, "Oi! This is exactly about me." I love it. She's a changed woman.
We went visiting teaching with Valentina to the Chibatarjovi (that's when they gave us those squirrel and mushroom pancake biscuit things) and Valentina was on a roll. We were reading in Romans 8 about the fact that we are children of God and Valentina got this real thoughtful look on her face and then stated, "God is from the tribe of Judah." I just love that, first of all, it's not only false but impossible. And secondly, it cracked me up because it had nothing to do with what we were reading.
One of the highlights of the lesson was Valentina telling them how cool I look when I garden. She literally uses the word for "cool" in Russian. She imitates me and does grunting noises as she pretends that she's stomping down on a shovel and I'm like, "Do I really grunt like that?"
Love her and her admiration for my Idahoan origin.
Random facts about today: it's the first day of school and they really know how to celebrate it. Everyone and their dog has a bouquet of flowers and because we live by the school, it sounds like a kid is singing into a microphone karaoke style. Why don't we do that in America?
It's also Elder Hampton's last Monday (he goes home on Wednesday) so we're going to have a picnic in the cemetery! I've wanted this for so long.
Hopefully I have cool pictures to send of it next week. I love you all!
Love,
Sister Gooch
P.S. If you see any typos, they're stylistic...
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