Letter #15

I find myself walking down the streets of Ukraine where the sun is playing hide and go seek with me and I am FREEZING! It is 8 degrees right now. I think that is pretty chilly. Its under 50 F. Yeah and it's only October! Oh boy is all I gotta say. I better buckle up because this ride is only getting colder!

Cinnamon Roll Sunday huh? Kinda makes me want to cry. I told my companion about or tradition and my district. We decided we are making Cinnamon rolls. One of the Elders offered to make us some for district meeting tomorrow. :) Maybe I won't cry after all. We haven't seen conference yet. It's next week here because all the translations. I think I get to watch it in English! YIPPEE! I am so excited for Conference. It's like Christmas for a missionary! So much spiritual gifts and up-liftment all packed into a weekend. I don't know what ones we will be able to watch or if we will be able to see the Ukrainian thing. I sure hope so sounds like it was good! That means you got to see my area!!!! Hooray! Now you know where I am! Did the pictures work? I home you got to see a little of where I am! Ukraine is it's own type of beautiful. I love it.

So this week "went to the dogs" Ha unfortunately people dogged us again and again this week. It became a game in a sense. We had to say to our selves we are going to make a record we wanted it to be in the number of lessons we had this week but instead it went to how many people ditched us. ha oh boy. We had 13 lessons this week our goal was 15 but we had 11 people bail on us! Yeah man that's a lot! Oii Why don't people just understand that the gospel is so awesome and that if they want to be baptised they have to meet with us. And if they want eternal happiness that we can help them get there. all the have to do is MEET WITH US! Man stupid agency! hahaha I am kidding! I just say that when people choose and they choose the wrong thing :)

Right now we have three standing baptism dates in our companionship. Which is great... if they would meet with us. This time before their baptism is so hard. Satan is incredible at what he does. I just want to kick him. He knows how to play the game and is really good which means I have to be even better. It's just frustrating when you do all you can to help people and they don't know how to help themselves. Elena is 18 going on 42. She wants to change her life so her 19 year old daughter can see and also find God. She is supposed to get baptised on the 23rd. She hasn't met with us sense she committed to being baptised. She has bailed 3 times and never been to church. Stevlana is a mother of a 10 downs boy and a crazy 6 year old daughter. Her husband and mother are anti. She works all the time and is so busy. Her life is so hard but I know I have seen a change in her sense she committed to being baptised, but she still is unsure. She was supposed to get baptised this weekend and we moved it back to next. I think we are going to need to move it again. The other is Svetlana too she just got married and had surgery and lives out in a village out of Kyiv while she is recovering. I don't really know her but she still has a date. I wish I could figure out how to be a good missionary.

So I decided I hate Satan and everything he gives the world to get us on the wrong path. Most of all I HATE ALCOHOL. I hate what is does to people I hate the Smell I hate that you can't think when you drink and it just is messy. This week we were on a marshootka and a guy was hammered! I thought he was way sleepy then I just realized he was SO drunk. He was sitting down and we were standing right next to him. He was falling over on us and next thing I know ( I think I realized before he did) He threw up all over himself. then as he realized he did it he got up to run off the bus and almost ran into Sis. R and then passed out right as he got out of the marshootka. then got up and hobbled away and threw up again. I hate throw up. It was all on the floor and it was so gross. I was not a Happy person. Why do people drink. Why do people do things that are not good for them. People purposely choose to do the wrong things in life. Alcohol doesn't make you happy it's not even that fun. Satan is amazing at what he does. He makes sin looks so appealing that you honestly think it would be fun. It seems all fine and next thing you know you hit the lowest of the low and are in a dark pit and can barely see the light above you because it is so far away. Its not a fun place to be but you don't even know you are there until you choose to look up at where you used to be. Even then people choose not to look up and just keep going farther down. I am grateful I looked up. I am grateful that my Savior helped me out of my hole. I want to be there to help others out of their holes. That's why I am here on a mission. I know that we can change that their is better choices and better things to be involved in. I want others to have the joy and happiness I have found. I can't only help others look up but if they do that Christ will be there to help them out of their holes. What an amazing miracle.

Christ is amazing. I love Reading the scriptures about him. I am reading in Matthew right now about all the miracles and things he did for everyone else. Even after John the Baptist was murdered, his best friend. I am sure he wanted to be alone and to mourn his loss but instead others followed him when he tried to be alone and he changed and started to heal people.

Okay I ran out of time I am sorry for my little tangent. That's my story for the week :) I think I found a coat is 130 dollars and I need to find boots still pray for me. I have huge calfs and people here are tiny! They will probably be about 100 or soo too! Sorry! I am really scared for winter! :( I love you! Write me!

Sister Schmidt