Prognosis

Sorry for the delay in letters, but with Christmas and hospital visits, things have been so crazy!! Here is Mom and Dad's news:

Today is Monday the 30^th of December.

     Let us get you updated. It has seemed that each day if we waited one more day, we would know more, so here we are to date:

     This is a story of a series of small miracles.

     We left Ukraine on Saturday the 14^th and arrived in Salt Lake City later that same day. Remember we got to add 9 hours to the length of that one day so it really worked out well. Our room was ready at home and we settled in fairly quickly.

     Sister Preece was able to get to church on Sunday the 15^th, but only Sacrament meeting. Later that day, we checked in with the Stake President. He had been contact with the missionary department in Salt Lake and assured us that as soon as we could get a doctor to sign off that all was well, we could return to Ukraine.

     On Monday the 16^th, we went to InstaCare and found Elder Preece’s doctor taking his turn. [This is a small miracle.] He is very supportive of missionaries and plans to serve a medical mission in the future. His name was not posted, the posted doctor was not able to take his turn. He sent Sister Preece for an x-ray. Then he called an associate, Dr. Hendry, who is an orthopedic surgeon and part of our medical care group. Dr. Hendry wanted a MRI. The Mobile unit was available the next day, Tuesday. He also gave Sister Preece some good pain medication.

     We were scheduled early. The technician at the MRI was very concerned with Sister Preece’s pain level and only did enough to let the doctor see what he needed to make a good diagnosis. Sister Preece was very grateful and spent much of the rest of the day resting.

     Dr. Hendry opened a slot in his busy schedule for Wednesday the 18^th. He and his PA reviewed Sister Preece’s arm and the x-rays and MRI and determined she had an unresolved dislocation and some associated tissue and tendon damage. Also her biceps muscle had been torn from its connection at the shoulder. His next available surgical opening was for Monday the 23^rd. But there was a patient who was uncertain for the next day, Thursday the 19^th. His staff scheduled Sister Preece for both slots. Sister Preece was to take nothing by mouth and remain available and near a phone on Thursday. [Another small miracle, Dr. Hendry seems to be the ‘go to’ doctor for this kind of case. Every reference we got about him listed him at #1 in the State]

   Thursday the 19^th we stayed at home and played board games wondering if today or Monday would be the day. The phone rang at about 2:00pm. They wanted her to fill a suddenly vacant slot ASAP. We were there by about 2:30. Doctor Hendry explained before Sister Preece went in that a lot depended on how well he could resolve a dislocation that had been out for over four weeks. If there was a problem, the surgery would take about 3 hours and much of the orthopedic repair would need to be delayed for two or three weeks. If he was able to get it back in place with external manipulation, the orthopedic repair would be done today. The surgery would be about 1 ½ hours. [This timing was another small miracle.]

     External manipulation worked! In about 2 hours we got the report that all would be well. The necessary repairs were done. There really is a reason Dr. Hendry is the best. Prayers are answered. And surgeries succeed. [Needless to say this is the culmination of many small miracles.]

     Sister Preece was slow coming out of the anesthetic and they wanted her to spend the night in the hospital. There had been a freezing rain storm that morning and snow for much of the day on top of the ice. There were a lot of injuries and the hospital was full. A reserve patient room was open for service and she had a place. [This is good planning on the part of the hospital – another small miracle for us.]

     She was released on Friday morning the 20^th. She has a post-surgical follow-up appointment when we expect physical therapy will be scheduled. The understanding is that the therapy will take 12 to 16 weeks before we can get clearance to return. We will be back in time for Spring.

     The Lord is guiding this event. We are convinced that our duty is to do what we need to do and be where we need to be each day. He will assure the outcome will be best for the forwarding of the Gospel.

     Sister Preece spent the week from the 20^th to the 28^th recovering and being with family and friends. On Sunday the 29^th Elder and Sister Preece visited with their bishop after he had talked to the Stake President. Once again we were assured that a doctor’s release would be enough to get us back to our mission in Ukraine.

     The topic for the 5^th Sunday joint meeting in our ward was missionary work going into the New Year. Our ward had only one baptism last year and was low man in the stake. It seemed what is really needed right now is a couple to visit each newly moved in family as they come to our ward. We need someone to tell them they are important and loved in their new home ward. Wouldn’t you know it – Sister Preece volunteered. She said we didn’t have anything else to do and therapy could move forward just as well while we visit with our new neighbors. Our study this week included Elder Ballard’s conference talk where he spoke of doing what we can to spread the Gospel.

     Our next piece of information is expected at the doctor’s appointment on Thursday the 2^nd.

Home again, Home again...

As I'm sure most people have already noticed, Mom and Dad are home again! This is due to Mom's shoulder injury. Here's their letter--

Monday morning the 9^th of December, just as Bob was finishing the letter from last week. Sister Lochhead called saying that her son, an orthopedic surgeon, was on line from Washington State and that he wanted to do an evaluation on Sister Preece over Skype. We made the connection and he had her do a few things. His decision was that she needed an x-ray and an MRI to determine what was really going on. If it were a simple bruise, she should be feeling better by now.  Sister Lochhead called around to set up an MRI in Donetsk, but the machine is broken and there is a back log of patients. Sister Preece can’t be seen until the 28^th or later. Sister Lochhead suggested we go home to have it evaluated and repaired. She even called Doctor Christensen, the area doctor from the church, who said he would approve a medical release to get this done. Elder and Sister Preece discussed this at some length and agreed with the doctors and Sister Lochhead. We need to be headed home. We got Bonni on Skype to see if there was still room in the house for us. There is. 

                While travel was arranging tickets, it was decided by President Lochhead that we should stay for the couple’s conference on Thursday and Friday. We prepared for and held a very good Family Home Evening on Monday evening. This meeting had the best attendance ever, some of the branch members came to fill out the group. We had a lesson on Christmas and the family of Jesus and the importance of families. The challenge was to collect all the information you could find about your family before Christmas. 

                Christmas here is a bit of a mix. There are those of us – a great minority - who think Christmas should be celebrated on December 25^th. Many do not celebrate Christmas at all, thinking New Year’s and New Year’s Eve is quite enough. Then there is a fairly large group who celebrate on the 7^th of January. When we were told this, the definite end of the data collection effort was a bit uncertain, but there it is. 

                We packed most of the day on Tuesday. There is no scale to weigh our bags, so we hope they are all right. We know the carry-ons are supposed to weigh less. There are a lot of presents, but we are leaving the cooking gear and measuring cups and so on. Hopefully, that will turn out right. In the evening, there was an investigator lesson at our apartment. It went well. It begins to be hard to find things. We decided, a bit late to pack needed material for the couple’s conference in separate bags. 

                Wednesday was our last day to pack and clean the apartment for final inspection. Alice is a bit under the weather, but she is doing all she can to help. Bob thinks she is doing too much. He dusts, mops, cleans the corners and she heads the project and is the final inspector. We end by meeting a pair of elders, who need a small break from being out in the cold all day. They are packing too. Four of our six will be transferred on Thursday. They bring some more candy for us to take home. 

                On Thursday, it is more important to get the new missionaries from the airport and the transferring elders and sisters from all over the mission than to get us moved early, so there is more time to clean and make sure everything is ok. Bob uses super glue to repair things that were broken before we moved in. Alice polishes all the faucets so there is no water stain. With the water as hard as it is, there are always water spots of one sort or another. There are none by the time she was are finished. 

                The mission driver arrives at 2:00 to take us to Donetsk. And everything is ready. About half is going to the mission office supply room. All the dishes, all the pots and pans, the hot water pot and the iron all go there. The pillows, the blankets, the food we couldn’t give away, and the cleaning supplies go there too. The office table and four chairs, the pads and report books are added to the pile. Wow! It is a lot. Then there are the six bags we are taking home. Four are going to be checked and two are for living out of Thursdayand Friday, and then become carry-ons for Saturday. We find out that the mission driver has accepted an assignment from the landlord to be the final inspector. He does a 10 minute video of the place with emphasis on things that were broken before, or are normally areas of problem. There are no problems. 

                Since we are ready, it takes only about ½ hour to get everything down four floors and loaded into the mission van. The Van is full with just what one couple has for themselves and their apartment. We are on our way to the couple’s conference. We drop the material at the mission office, our bags at the hotel and arrive, a bit tried, but happy at the mission home for a great dinner and an evening full of ‘getting to know you’ games. All the couples in the mission are there. This is one of the fun times we enjoy as couples. The president talks about families and our families. He gives a quick outline of the status of the mission and allows the sisters to check on where all their favorite elders are. Aren’t they all favorite elders? Seems they are. By the time the evening ends, the mission driver has been sent home and the president, as the only other driver in the mission, takes the out of town couples to the hotel and the in town couples to their places. We will meet early tomorrow for more conference. 

                We skip the free breakfast at the hotel and join everyone for breakfast and more visiting at the mission home. Visiting turns into prepared reports by the couples and the mission president and his wife. It is a spiritual experience to hear of the daily miracles the Lord is pouring down on this mission. It seems that hastening the work is going on not only on earth, but on the other side of the veil as well. We have a light lunch and go to the World War II memorial. This is a combination of those who were in the military and those who were killed as the front lines and purposes of Nazi Germany and Stalin’s Russia were carried out in Eastern Ukraine. The battle lines crossed here three times. There were resistance forces fighting all the time. There were more civilian casualties than military. There were millions of military. The memorial does a good job of explaining the situation here. We can be very happy that other than the civil war, there have been no wars fought on the American continents. 

                The afternoon is full of continued reports and experiences. We are convinced that our being here is not happenstance. This is where the Lord wants our skills and abilities. 

                As a special cultural event, we have tickets to the opera Aida for the evening. After that we said good bye to all and got in by11:30 for the night. 

                The president has already explained that we have tickets for Moscow bright and early in the morning. The plane leaves at5:05am. (Oh, it’s winter – forget the bright part.) We have to leave the hotel by 3:15 to get to the airport by 4:00, so after final packing, we are in bed by 12:30. The plan is to catch up on lost sleep on the plane flights. That doesn’t happen. It is to Moscow. Since we have a long layover, Aeroflot puts us in the lounge for the waiting time. The flight to Los Angeles leaves at 10:30. We arrive at 3:00pm (Remember you have to add nine hours due to time zone changes). We meet two missionaries from Samoa on their way to the MTC on Tuesday. They have places to stay for the weekend. There is a ticket hassle. It is solved. The last flight is only 90 minutes and we arrive in Salt Lake by9:30pm of the same day we left Donetsk. And bed time here? No, not right away. Everyone wants to hear all the details. Alice is hurting since it has been a long day with the flight over the pole taking 12 ½ hours. WE ARE HOME. 

                Sunday seemed like a dream to two jet lagged missionaries. There were so many family members who stopped by to say hi. We love them all and missed them all for over a month. We try to convince them to spend more time with us. We visited with the stake president so he would know we are home. This is officially a medical release. We are assured that as soon as we can get Alice better and have an MD sign-off the missionary department and the Donetsk mission both want us back to finish our mission. That is what we most wanted to hear. 

Monday is medical day. We get Alice to Insta-care since it is covered under our still existing insurance. Doctor Stanley was doing his turn in Instacare. He is the one who signed Bob off to go on the mission to begin with. He is surprised to see us. He listens to our history, and the diagnosis of the three doctors how have seen us and does exactly what each of them wanted to do and couldn’t  – he sends us to get an x-ray.  Looking at the picture it is not difficult to see the problem.  Alice’s shoulder is dislocated and has been for four weeks. The radiologist report confirms the obvious and we are scheduled for an MRI early Tuesday morning with a visit to the surgical suite at McKay-Dee hospital to get it put back where it belongs later in the week. Dr. Stanley says it will probably be six to 12 weeks of therapy and strengthening before she is fully ready to return to Ukraine.

                 By then, our Russian will be better; we will pack the right stuff and be ready to serve the remainder of our mission. 

                Sorry, there are no notes for this week. Too much has been going on. We will keep in touch as soon as we get e-mail hooked up and a phone. We are anxious to start the rehabilitation.

One Month Out!

Can you believe Mom and Dad have been gone for an entire month now?! I miss them like crazy, and it's been quite an adjustment here at home without them, but at the same time it feels like it went rather fast. Hopefully the whole mission will go by quickly and they'll be home before we know it! Here is their letter this week--

We have Family Home Evening at our place on Monday for investigators and interested members, so they will see an example of how it is done. This week Bob taught a lesson on Heroes. The first activity was to think through your life or stories or scriptures and identify a hero and share what that person did to make them heroic with the group. That was fun. Then he asked everyone to brainstorm and figure what the common traits are that make a hero. All kinds of answers came out. Some described the villain as well as the hero, like “They overcome great odds.” And “They are natural leaders.” When it all boiled out we came up with two things necessary for a hero. 1) They solve the problem. And 2) they do it for the right reason. In other words they are good people, not bad people. We also decided that the bigger or tougher the problem the more heroic the hero.

            Using that definition, we looked for other people who are heroes. We decided that the person who solved the biggest problem for the right reason was Jesus Christ. He took on two forms of death – the toughest of all challenges – and did it perfectly. We are the beneficiaries of Him being a hero.

We then talked about the problem in 1820 of people trying to find the right church and the difficulty of using the bible to solve the problem. It only caused additional problems. Then there was Joseph Smith who faced this problem with a different answer from scripture. He decided to do what the scripture said rather than talk about what it meant. He solved the problem not only for himself, but for anyone who has the courage to follow that same path – that is, ask God.

The elders had never seen the atonement and the restoration approached this way before. They liked it. It made sense to the non-member as well. She came because she is an English language student in the class the elders teach on Friday. Alice gave her a Book of Mormon and mentioned that one of Bob’s favorite heroes is introduced on the first page – Nephi. Now she is more than just an English student. She is an investigator. Alice is great.

 Bob is learning every day how to use the tablet he bought just before coming. He can now send the pictures he learned how to take the week before. You saw some of that with the Thanksgiving pictures. Sometimes the learning experience is frustrating, but never like learning Russian.

 We got a call from the mission office on Wednesday saying we have some assignments to get done on a continuing basis. It looks like we will have two cities to do apartment inspections in. That makes six or seven apartments to look in on each transfer. We will know more about this in the coming week. There will be a couples conference next Thursday.

Transfer announcements came out last Thursday. We are losing four of our six elders! They seem happy about it. Elders here seem to like new area and new experiences. We will miss four of our newest close family. One of the areas in town is being ‘whitewashed’. That means both of the elders are being transferred out at the same time. The new set there will be the new zone leader. Each of the elders staying will become training senior companions. They will get new elders fresh off the airplane. It looks like things are going to be exciting here. We are already anxious to meet them. The actual transfer will happen on Thursday the 12^th while we are at the semi-annual couple conference in Donetsk.

Our zone conference emphasized using the spirit of Elijah, through family history, to keep members active and help make new contacts. People here are resistant to talking about religion, but love to talk about families. Also, there was such a large loss of life in this area during WWII that they only estimate the number lost, both civilian and military. The estimations come out in the multi-millions or about 1/8^th to ¼ of the population before things finally settled in the 1950’s. It is now time that the work be done for these lost lives before the memories are lost.

The branch here is in process of training 8 to 10 family history consultants so they can help the inactive members feel the spirit and become active again. They also want to have a booth in the summer fairs to help the community see a way to really remember their ancestors. This would get the spirit of Elijah working more within the community and hasten the gathering of Israel in Ukraine. Another task for the consultants is to help each newly baptized member have a fairly large group of family names prepared within a couple of weeks so they can go to the Kiev temple and do baptisms for the dead.

In speaking with several branch members we find that the last couple held an activity night each week to allow members and investigators to play games, visit and generally enjoy one another. That fell apart when the couple left, but the branch members would like to see it again. We are considering that, but want to put it together so it would remain operating when we leave.

The members are very pleased that we are holding family home evening in our apartment and think that will help a lot as well.  It looks like we are getting busier and having more fun with only a few weeks on site.

 Sister Preece is still having some pain and trouble with her shoulder from the fall three weeks ago and has not been able to attend the block meetings. Other sister missionaries and Sister Lochhead have been checking in with her on a daily basis. We have also had visits, not only with investigators and elders, but with a member of the district council who is in our branch and his family. Also the Relief Society president with her family came yesterday,Sunday the 8^th.

Both Elder and Sister Preece have fallen in love with the people. We can really make a difference in the growth and stability of the church here. This is going to be a fun mission with lots to do and much support to be given.

Notes:

Transportation is a big portion of life here.

There are trollies that run on rails. There are big street busses running on electric overhead lines. There are big propane powered busses with a divide in the middle. There are smaller busses holding only about 40 or 50 people. There are yet smaller busses with a capacity of about 30. There are tiny buses with a capacity of 12 or so (Always, it seems, with 20 people in them). And then there are taxis, taxis everywhere. Some people own cars, but not too many. For example, there were 64 people at church on Sunday and only 2 cars in the parking lot.

Mostly we ride on the middle sized busses. The fare is 2 rpn (25 cents). We travel to the shopping places on prep day and to everywhere else the rest of the week. It is important to know which bus number to get on, just as it is while riding the UTA in Utah. The stops are not numbered, you just find a land mark or count the stops to where you want to go and get off when you are supposed to.

On one shopping trip, Bob got off one stop early and walked the rest of the way. He was embarrassed, but the walk didn’t kill him. Another occasion, Bob was out with the elders and rode with them to their apartment. They told him which bus to take to get home and made sure he would recognize his stop. Well, he didn’t. He finally got off two stops late, walked across the street and took the bus he was familiar with to get home.

Speaking Russian

It certainly helps to be able to understand and speak Russian as you travel and meet people. Most understand if you don’t and many try to speak English. It seems that among the younger generation (under 30 or so) everyone tries to learn at least some English. There are a couple teenagers who love to find Bob at church and try out their English. He always speaks slowly and distinctly and says about what they would expect. Like they would say, “Hello, Elder Preece. How are you?” He would reply as their books teach by saying, “I am fine today, how are you?” They would say, “Good.” And they would be so pleased that their English is understood.

Most of what is done can be done without speaking. The cashiers at the bigger stores just turn the total around rather than read it and Bob pays. We know numbers and greetings and are learning the rest as fast as we can. Visitors to our home know to bring an English speaking translator, or ask the elders to be here. Of course, we know that the more we are able to understand and speak the more effective we can be. We try to learn something new every day.

This is the church building where Mom and Dad's branch attend. 

This is Mom and Dad's building! They live on the 3rd floor, I think... 

Turkey Time!

We got a GREAT letter from my parents today, telling us all about their adventures and Thanksgiving with the elders in their area! And, bonus! We even got some pictures to share!!

December 2, 2013   this is week five of our mission to Donetsk Ukraine. For those not keeping track it is week two and ½ of being in country.

Last Monday evening, we had a Family Home Evening in our apartment for interested persons. One person came. She has been attending English class on Friday evenings, and was interested enough to try this experience as well. Bob taught a lesson on SMARTER goals for the next year. We played a game and ate cookies and ice cream.

Thanksgiving was the big challenge for the week. Please remember there were no Pilgrims settling Ukraine in the early 1500’s. This area was settled at least 3000 years earlier. Thanksgiving is an American holiday. There is no big push for turkeys. In fact the mission leaders started more than a month ago trying to locate a turkey of any kind. They announced that the couples in Donetsk were getting turkeys. We could get one too for a reasonable price. We chose to make this a good Thanksgiving and have a turkey on the table. So we asked them to add our request to the list. Our turkey was supposed to be picked up at a ranch between here and Donetsk and delivered on Monday. There was a lot going on and the driver didn’t have time to make the side trip to us. He said that would be ok. He would be driving by on Wednesday morning and he would deliver it then. Wednesday morning came. No Turkey. Wednesday afternoon came. The phone rang. The driver wasn’t going to be able to make it today, but would be back in town next Monday. (I already said that Thanksgiving is not a Ukrainian holiday, didn’t I?) That was unacceptable. A fresh turkey should be eaten and not left in the refrigerator that long. This was an emergency!

Knowing that elders can leave their district areas for conferences and emergencies, we explained this emergency to the district leader and the zone leader. They agreed that this was a true emergency. Their Thanksgiving was at stake! The district leader spent last Thanksgiving in the MTC. He will be home before the next Thanksgiving comes, so this is his first and last Thanksgiving in country.

 It only cost an additional four cab fares. (2 down and 2 back for a pair of elders.) The cab drivers here always drive like they are going to a fire. The thought seems to be that the quicker they can get this one delivered, the sooner they can get started on the next. But it does take a while for an American to realize that it is ok to drive on the wrong side of the road, weave in and out of traffic, and swerve to miss the biggest of the road holes. The elders were only out of the district for four hours and the turkey was at our house.

 Imagine this. Alice is standing in the hall with only one eye partially open. This is a full sized turkey if you measure height, but it weighs only 10 pounds. It is Skinny. It is Scrawny. It still has pin feathers! Bob’s guess is that this is a field turkey, closer to wild than to what we grew up thinking a turkey was like. There is no meat to be seen anywhere. It still looked dangerous! The elders were very careful about picking it up to have a picture taken. Bob insisted that it was dead and couldn’t bite them. We realized that Thanksgiving wasn’t saved yet. The elders agreed and ran to the store to buy three packages of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. We found out later that the couples in Donetsk bought whole chickens and roasted them like tiny turkeys. We didn’t think of that. But they had two additional days to consider the turkey. Even with all of that, this was a turkey and he was our turkey. He was to be the center piece of our Thanksgiving.

 Bob didn’t sleep well Wednesday night. He dreamed of turkeys and how to cook this one. He finally got up early, researched wild turkey recipes on the internet and decided that skinning this one before cooking would make it look far more like food. It took a bit, but he got it done. Mom Preece had advised to cook a turkey long and slow to keep it moist. So we gave it four hours at 300 degrees. That seemed to work. It was done and moist, what there was of it, for our Thanksgiving feast.

 Each missionary companionship brought a favorite dish. One brought two pies and made the gravy. Another mashed potatoes and fresh bread. And the third brought dried bread dressing which was exceptionally good. Adding to that, Alice made layered Jell-O salad and two kinds of vegetables. It was finally Thanksgiving. Each and all of the dishes were excellent!

 We ate in true Thanksgiving tradition, everyone had seconds and there was still some left. We visited and played thankful games. At the end we had a district meeting where the topic was charity and loving and caring for your companion. We ended by eating the pies.

 On Friday it was time for Bob to have his first solo adventure. No, this was not Christmas shopping on black Friday. It was just that Alice needed the rent money for Saturday morning. The best bank-o-mat is in front of the AMCTOP (in Russian C sounds like S and P sounds like R so it is pronounced “Am store”) grocery store. This is a cash society and even rent is expected to be paid in cash. Our rent is 5000 in local currency plus internet and utilities. Bob was a bit uncomfortable with so much cash. He normally carries only about 100 to 150. He also has always had companions at his side who speak Russian. Not this time. The trip to the store is fairly easy. It involves a bus ride down three stops and walking through a couple blocks along a well-traveled pathway. He survived. Bob also brought home milk and a few groceries. This helped with the weekend food. Our refrigerator was close to empty after thanksgiving.

 Saturday was a second trip to the store for additional supply and the rest of the money for a week. It, too, was solo but not quite the adventure the first one was. In the evening there was missionary correlation and a game hour at the church for members and investigators. Bob met the elders on the bus and they walked from the bus stop to the church together. On the way home, the elders took him a different route and stopped at the EKO (pronounced “echo”) store, which is like a large Home Depot to get light bulbs for the apartment. There are some different types of bulbs here that Bob hadn’t seen before. This means that Bob can now get to the church and to a second major shopping area on solos or with Alice in the future. By the end of the day on Saturday all the lights in all the rooms of the apartment worked. It only took eleven bulbs and tubes.

 Bob had a great time at church on Sunday. He met the elders on the bus again. It was fast Sunday and he got the opportunity to bear his testimony in Russian. Elder Samuelson helped with translation of the words Bob didn’t know. At least it is a first step and the branch members now know we are here. As we were told would happen, they were looking for singing talent. Bob is now part of the ward choir. He is singing bass for the program next week. They are singing “I Know That My Redeemer Lives”. Bob says the music is easy; it’s just that it is all in Russian and he doesn’t know the words. This must be a good hint that he can learn at least these words. As Bob says, “It is just another adventure.” Thursday with the turkey, Friday with the solo trip, Saturday with the landlord and another trip to store for more supply and Sunday with the branch meetings. He has spent the week having adventures while Alice has worked very hard at getting better. Hopefully she will join in the adventures in the coming week. Bob is great at sharing all the adventures he has each time he comes home. Alice enjoys the stories.

 Alice wants to know about the Christmas decorations and the Christmas excitement in the stores. Bob says there isn’t any. Of course that is wrong. It is December. There is Christmas excitement. Bob asks her to remember that in Ukraine the 25^th is only a small holiday. There is a big new year’s holiday on the 1^st, but Christmas is celebrated on the 7^th of January. It seems someone has done the calculations and the western world has it wrong by two weeks. Then there is over 90 years of communist influence to deal with as well.

 Notes:

Kontik.

It seems that missions throughout the world have traditions to initiate new missionaries to the mission. For my mission to South Texas it was getting new elders to try a hot pepper. By the end of my mission I really enjoyed them, but the first one was HOT!! Here the tradition is much more enjoyable. It is called Kontik. It amounts to a layer cookie dipped in chocolate so it is completely sealed except for a tiny hole on one side. The cookies come in various flavors. What you do is bite a tiny bit of the cookie from the side opposite the hole, and using the cookie as a straw you suck milk through the new hole and through the cookie bringing the flavor and some soft cookie through. It doesn’t take long for the chocolate to collapse and a milk-wet, tasty cookie is in your hand. Eaten this way the cookies are very good. Eaten without the milk they are less than plain. Once it was explained, we bought some Kontik and had the elders explain and demonstrate the system. Bob says he figured it out instantly. Not only is it fun watching someone do it the first time, but it is a way for elders to get extra cookies! Alice tried it this week and she is now official. We have a picture.

Shopping in Gorlovka. Shopping here is a combination of many shopping experiences.

There is a Renik, which is a large bunch of small stores each owned by a person or a family. They sell everything imaginable some at excellent prices and some not so much. Bob bought a headset for the computer for $9 US (76 rpn). The elders warned that it is not returnable and questioned us the next day to see if it worked. It did. They had talked the shop owner from 100 down to 76 before he wouldn’t budge. Alice got a great winter coat at a super price. For those of you who know Alice’s shopping pattern we had to remind her that everything in non-returnable. At the Renik there is also all kinds of food from fish, which smells really bad to fruits and vegetables at farmer prices, and they come with free dirt. The shops are mostly open air and the ownerless dogs wander in and out with the shoppers. There are all kinds of clothing. This is where we can get the better winter gear we were told about. Both of us still need to get boots if we want them for the winter. We will see as the time approaches. Many people shop at the renik. It is like a party for five hours a day seven days a week. Shopping ends at 2:00pm. Everything at the Renik is cash only.

There are many stores like the ones I remember shopping for back to school in downtown Ogden. Most are well staffed and have lots of merchandise. Since they are only a 2 rpn ride (25 cents) from the Renik, their prices don’t get too much out of line. Some are the same as the Renik asking price. Each of these is a specialty store like the missionary store in Ogden. They sell one group of related items and that is all. A few of the more expensive shops take credit and debit cards, but mostly they prefer cash. There are clothing stores of all kinds. Women’s clothing, children’s clothing, men’s clothing and so on. There seem to be a lot of flower stores near the central town square where singles meet to go on dates. These stores do not negotiate prices, since the people buyers deal with are employees, not owners.

Then there are the new super stores like the AMCTOP and EKO stores. They look in every detail as if they were built and run by the Walmart or Home Depot store chains. It is as easy to shop with a card here as with cash, but you have to remember that there is a flat 20 rpn charge on each foreign purchase on most cards. Carts at These stores are chained one to the next and for ½ rpn deposit you unlock the one you want. The coin is returned when you return the cart. There are never loose carts in the parking lot. You check bags from other shopping when you go in and get it back when you leave. The prices here are generally fairly good and there are a lot of pre-packaged items as you find in grocery stores everywhere. All produce is weighed and stickered in produce so there is no need for scales at the registers. The store where we shop has a large bakery in the back and I suspect they sell bread to the owners of the Renik stores and the restaurants around town. They have the best bread ever, but there is NO soft bread here. The bread generally must be eaten within a day or two since there are no preservatives. This is just like French bread at Walmart. So far Bob has been able to eat this bread with no problem. It is as if high gluten wheat has not found its way to Ukraine as yet, and I hope it never does.

Bob has only shopped at the EKO store one time for specialty light bulbs and tubes. He found the light department and was approached by an associate in a vest. He held up what he was looking for and spoke the Russian number. She took him and the missionary’s right to it and counted out what he needed. Then Bob held up the other kind of bulb and the act was repeated. As they were leaving one of the elders said, “I don’t think they ever found out he doesn’t speak Russian.”

At both of the large box stores Bob has found the checkout people are always seated in their register. There is no scale since there is nothing to weigh. The customers always bag their own. Bags with the store logo are available for ½ rpn (6 cents) if you didn’t bring your own.

Nearly everyone shops by bus. There are very few cars, so people make many small trips to get their supplies.

Look at how skinny that Turkey is!!! 

Handsome missionaries that are so good to my parents! I hope they know how much we appreciate their kindness!!

Mom and her cookie eating experience! She's now official!