First Week In Pleven

Well even though is titled first week in Pleven I am actually starting with my  last sunday in Stara Zagora.  Our district leaders came up for the day because they were just going to catch the bus from Stara Zagora to there transfere areas because they would have to come up here any way to get anywere because most buses come through us any ways and they wanted to spend a P-day in Stara Zagora.  After writting my very long letter we went to the new mall in Stara Zagora.  It was huge yet really emptie because they didn't have all the store fronts filled in with stores yet.  We looked in some  of the stores and I found a hat I really wanted but they were one size too small.  Curse my incredibly smart and large brain because of it I can't find any hats that fit right or look good.  While we were in the mall we went to the techno market.  Techno market is bascilly a Big buy here for electronics.  First I was crushed because they had Star Craft Two and it was 119 lev!  That is about 80 dollars.  Oh well I have two years and hopefully by then the price will have gone down.  We also found the new Xbox controllar.  This is the Kinect and it is a camera.  You stand in front of it and your body becomes the controllar.  It was a ton of fun and suprisingly good .  We got to play a demo game on it and I am excited that two years from now it will be cheaper and all the bugs worked out. 

Well after that we went and watched Star Dust because Bennet had never seen it and I didn't mind because I like it enough to watch it multiple times.  After the movie we all got ready and went to the Dunns because they wanted to give us a good bye/thanksgiving dinner.  It was really good they had a turkey and you guys would be proud because I tryed the cranberry sause and broselsprouts and I actually liked them.  I am going to be coming home and I will beable to eat everything.  After the dinner they drove us back home and we went to bed.

 The next day Racker and Bennet went off to the Aftogara (bus station) to catch there bus to there new cities.  Me and Spence didn't need to leave till 2:00 in the afternoon so we finished packing and preparing the Area book for the next pair of elders that were coming in.  They new pair that were coming in were Myrak and another greenie.  After finishing packing Davis, Truman, and Brown stoped by to drop off Brown while they were heading to Sofia. We said our goodbyes and then because we had some time we went to one last restrant that Spencer had wanted to go to the entire time we were there.  When we first got in they asked us if we wanted smoking or non-smoking.  I was shocked because that never happens in Bulgaria.  Well we sat down and they actually had some really good food for some really good prices.  After that lunch we went and caught our bus to Sofia and Brown to Haskovo.  After a very boring 3 hour ride we arrived in Sofia and then I had to run to catch my next bus wich left in 15 minutes I said good bye to Spencer as we parted ways me to Pleven he to BPship in Blagovgrad. 

After another long 2 1\2 hour ride we finally arrived in Pleven and I got to meet my new companion Elder Patterson.  Elder Patterson is really funnie and he is Canadian.  He is from the Vancover Island which is right above Seattle.  After settling in for the night we went to bed and woke up to my first day in Pleven. 

First of all I found an Milka Advantcalander for 7 lev in Metro (their version of Costco) so that morning I finally got to break into it.  It just isn't December or Christmas without my Advantcalander.  Okay onto normal day things.  We got up and did our normal morning routines and then went down stairs to the church (we live above the church here!)  At the church we had our district meeting which was basickly a get to know the city meeting because only Patterson was left from the previous missionaries that were here.  After the district meeting we went around and tried to finish all the tasks that we need to do for moving into a new city. 

First on the list was get new hangers because Pattersons last companion had took all of the ones that were in my side of the closet.  I didn't bring any because according to Spencer the apartments usally have a good supply for people that come in.  After trying to find some and doing some contacting on the way we meet with a potintail investagator named Youly (means July in Bulgarian.)  He is a incredibly nice guy he took us to a cafe and paid for a hot chocolate for each of us.  I also had my alarm clock because my first night here the transformor blew.  He was a electricion and I thought he could help but he into construction not circut boards but he did make a few calls and found a place five minutes away that could fix it.  So after the little meeting we had he took us there and the guy looked at it and he said that the transformor was completely dead and I would have to buy a brand new one if I wanted to fix the alarm clock.  I don't have the time or money here to do that but mabey back home I can fix it so I am keeping it. 

The next day we had English classes.  Here they have three seprate levels for their classes.  Rowden and I were in level 3 wich means that they can speak english and just really need to practice it.  It was fun like always.  After english we had one more class because level 1 and 3 are taught in the same hour just different rooms but then level 2 comes and hour after the end of level three.  My companion Elder Patterson and our DL Elder Krowler teach level two and one together so Rowden and I were in the other room cleaning out the closet.  That closet was were the libary was and it was a mess but now it is nice and organized after haveing been cleaned up by me and Rowden.

 I don't remeber much of Friday other than we planned for a really good week and met another investagtor.  Something really funny happend actually.  Well it kind of morbid humor but still it is funny.  Okay so with this investagator Evan we told him that we belive that we will be able to see our families again and beable to live with them forever.  He then told us that his wife was on vacation at least that is what my companion thought he said.  So Patterson said good that is great Evan than said no it isn't shes dead.  Apparntly the word going on a vacation means rest as well and if you use the perfected form it means you are resting for life or basicly a nice way to say that somebody is dead.  Oh well that is my first lesson mess up while I was here.  Luckly it wasn't too bad and he understood that we had misunderstood him and the rest of the lesson went well.

 We also meet this couple who the husband is english and the wife is bulgarian.  They were really fun and nice and we talked with them for a while and they invited us to there house for dinner on sunday.  That was Friday on Saturday we had english and then contacted all day which was fun. 

Now we go to Sunday.  Sunday was alot of fun first we had church and it was also testimony meeting so all of us new missionies went up and interdused ourselves and bore our testimonys.  The Sacrament Meeting was good and so was the Sunday school.  In Preisthood we discussed the goals for the next year and than after church we had a lesson with a progressiong Investagator.  The lesson went great and near the end when I was explaing the Five principles of the gospel (Faith in Jesus Chrits, Repentance, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, Reciving the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, and Enduring to the End) I didn't stubble once in the language, it was great. 

We than had our dinner with Steve and his wift (they are the half English half Bulgarian couple) dinner was great and the lesson went well except that they seemed to only listen to be polite and not to learn anything.  Oh well we will just have to keep trying.  Sorry this letter isn't as detailed as normal.  I forgot my planner and couldn't use it to give me refesher of the week. 

Love,
Austin James Ewell