Hello this last week has been super tirieing. I don't know what it was but I couldn't stay up and wanted to nap all the time. Maybe it is because of all the contacting that we were doing. That is probally it, anyway the tired spell is over and I feel a lot more awake today. I love P-Days they are such a nice apportunity to relax. Before I begin my week lets give some updates. First your package and postcard dad have probally come through but I won't be able to be in Sofia to find out until the 22nd. Also we just got about 3 inches of snow this morning.
Monday:
First of all lets start with the begining. After writting you guys we went out martinitza shopping. Martinitza are the little braclets that everyone weres on from the first of march until they see their first stork or blossom on a fruit bearing tree. They then put the martinitza on the nearest fruit bearing tree. So we went around all the stands trying to find ones we liked and once we were done we headed to the church to watch a movie. It was really cold so we diecided to bring down all the heaters from the apartment and plug them in. So we had 3 heaters going, the climitik (a giant wall monted one for the room), the vcr, and the tv going at the same time all in a bulgarian quality (not good) building. Well you can guess were this is going within about ten minutes we blew the main breaker for the church which we couldn't get to without the landowner. So we got to sit in the dark and play ping pong for the next 3 hours before we had to go out and work. It was really frustrating because I was looking forward to vegging out in front of a movie. Anyway by the time we got the power on it was to late to watch anything so Elder Corless and I went and took care of some branch tasks that required some (multiple) banks. Mainly because none of the banks could do what we needed them to do and the ones that could were all closed. All well that is bulgaria. We eventually found one open and took care of it all and then got to ge to work which consested of waiting for a no show then going to contact some one in Storgozia (North-western part of town) to find out that he was back home in another city because he was sick. So not the most succesful of nights but it wasn't bad either.
Tuesday:
Tuesday was fun first thing we did was go contacting. We survied for about two hours on the glav. A cool thing that happened is that I found a bulgarian lady that lives in boston and actually has Lds member friends. It was really cool and pretty amazing that no matter where you run the lord (or us missionaries) will find you. Okay maybe not as sinical sounding as that but still it was pretty cool. We went home for lunch after about two hours of contacting because it was around 0 degrees farinhieght. We had lunch and language study and then waited for the same guy on monday that didn't show for another meetting in which he didn't show either and reschedualed for later that night. After waiting for him we had a meeting with Angelina. She actually came I was so happy and excited. I don't know what it is but when she disappered I was worried sick but now that she is back I am just so happy. Anyway apparently she really was sick (she does look skinnier) but she didn't want to talk about it. Her parents are aparently fine with her meetting with us and even getting baptized. She is still really intrested and was really sorry that she was sick. We finished up that meetting and reshcedualed one for friday were we could teach her another lesson because this one was more of a "What happened to you?" lesson. After meeting with her we had a meetting with a investagator who wanted to drop something off with us. While we were talking with here a recent convert named Valintina came in for a lesson she had with Elder Randle and Corless. Elder Randle is our zone leader and he was coming down for splits and also he is the one that found Valintina and taught her up to baptizim. Shortly after she arrived Elder Randle and Rothisburger (I can't spell his name so from now one I will write Rothy) arrived and Elder Corless and Randle began their lesson with here and Elder Rothy and I went out to contact some people who weren't home. So we came back made Mycaka (Moosaka) and when everyone was up we went to bed.
Wensday:
After our morning studies we went down to district meetting in which President and Sister Roth were coming to. The district meeting was really good and my faviort part was when President and Sister Roth tolds us about obediance and the three different types of obediance (Behaviorism, Congnitism, and Contructivnism.) I will explain more about these in a couple weeks because that is what they are going to talk about at the large traning meeting that we are having on the 22nd. After district meeting we had language hour while president and sister Roth went and made a cleaning video for the large traning metting at the other elders apartment. After Language study we went out to eat at this really good suprisingly cheap restraunt. Oh the food was so good there. Anyway after lunch we went out to work and Elder Rothy and I had about an unplanned five minutes so we went and bought me a bulgarian bible. It is amazing and it has in the back maps like our bible and even a jewish calander and time counting compared to our calander and time counting. It is really cool and something interesting that is has is that whenever jesus is speaking in the new testmant the words are colored red. Anyway we had to go back afte about an hour of contacting so that Elder Randle and Rothy could catch a bus back to Sofia. After they left we had a meeting with Mima and progressing investagator of ours and she is so amazing. She is really sweet and kind and also she has a very sweet and growing testimony. During this meeting she actually commited to being baptized but she doesn't want to pick a date quite yet because she doesn't know when she will be ready and wants to pray about it. I am so excited it is so nice to have somebody that is actually progressing and sincer. After the meeting with here we went to a concert with a guest Korean conducter and flutest. The concert was playing some of the songs that Elder Corless and performed while in highschool in his orchestra. We have permission from president Roth because he wants us seen in upper society type of functions to improve the image of the church. We took Valintina and another member Violeta to it and it was a good concert. After the concert we went back home to bed.
Thursday:
After our morning studies we went down stairs to clean the church building then went through the area book calling people and then had lunch and language study. After language study we met with an investagator named Miroslav. We met him at his villa which after a taxi ride and climbing up a really steep snow covered hill we basiclly came to a shake on top of a storage shed. The meeting went fine and we got him to commit to reading ten pages a day from the Book of Mormon. After the meeting we called a taxi to get back in time for english and had to run down the super steep snow covered hill to make it in time. I didn't fall once but Elder Corless slipped twice and got snow stuck in his ear muffs. We made it in time for english in which Elder Rowden and I taught some idioms and then we got into a conversation about our geneologies. I am so greatfull to grandpa Ewell for always teaching us about our family history. I may not of remebered it all but it was really cool that I could tell them about my history about 4-5 genrations back. I also realized something I am a 4-5 generation member of the Lds church according to my remberance (correct me if I am wrong) on all my main lines (Ewell, Otteson, Harmer, and Grandma Harmers line.) I never relized this before and to tell you the truth is was kind of cool. Anyway after english Gena and 21 year old member and her 17 year old inactive brother came in and we played ping pong with them the rest of the night. It was good for Jordan (pronouced in bulgarian Yordan, brother of Gena) to be able to actually be in the church and having fun. Hopefully we can get him active by more activities like this.
Friday:
After our morning studies we planned for the week had lunch and then language study. After language study we met with Angelina. The meeting was awsoem and she actually picked out another baptizim date for the 26th so please pray that this time it will happen and that she will be ready. After the meeting with her we went to a families house that used to have a daughter that was a member but she had died 6 months ago. The other Elders have been working with them mainly just by loving them and trying to bring them comfert. We went over there with the other Elders because she wanted to teach us how to make Banizta and also she wanted to visit with us. We bought the supplies for the banizta and she then taught us how. She did something really intresting with the cheese one she was making. She took the Cipane (Closest America has is Feta) and crushed it up in yogurt and basicly blended it fine and then she put the yogurt cheese and egg mixture between the sheets of dough. It was really good. Anyway we were there for about 5 hours because banizta took a while to make and she was making a couple diffrent kinds for us (one was meat banizta.) It was alright though because they really needed the companay. After the visit we went to a near by Billa (Supermarket) were the other elders had found some strawberries for 4 lev a kilo (about 3 US dollars.) It was so good to be able to taste strawberries again. We then had to head back home to bed.
Saturday:
After our morning studies we had english in which we basiclly just talked with the english students because they really just need the practice. After english Elder Rowden and I had lunch and then invetoried and organized half of the library closet. After we were done we all went out street boarding with some pretty good succes. The reason why is that it was a nice day out so every one was out of their houses walking around trying to soak in as much sunlight as possible. After street boarding we had a language study and then went tracting for the night. Cool thing we tried to contact this american girl that had been gone for awhile and she was actually home and shedualed and meeting with us for monday (today.) After tracting we went home and went to bed.
Sunday:
Sunday was pretty good. At church we had 14 people. 4 missionaries and 10 woman 4 of which were non members and two of them young woman. Near the end of church Jordan (Yordan) came in because before church Elder Corless and seen him and told him if he stopped by after church we would play ping pong with him. Also Angelina was there and that is good and so was Mima. They are both coming reguarly now which is great. Other than that church was a little slow because the only ones that bore their testimonies were us missionaries. After church was good though. Yordan and Gena stayed and we played ping pong with them which was good because at least Yordan is in the building. After Ping pong Elder Corless and I wrote a letter to the missionarie from Pleven because his birthday is on the 19th and we are trying to get the branch to send him something. After writing the letter we went out contacting and that was basicly the night. Except the Kid that was sick earlier this week was home and he was excited to talk with us but he didn't have any time at the moment. He told us that he would trie to read throught the Book of Mormon and that he would be more free at the end of the month. So we or a new set of elders get to go back in about a month.
Monday (Today):
Basicly we have cleaned, studied, shopped, and are now writing. We plan on going bowling with Gena and the other Elders later and then watching a movie.
That you for all the letters and dad I liked the bishop message though check the spelling on somethings you once said can when I am 99% certain that you ment can't.
Love,
Austin James Ewell
No comments:
Post a Comment