Mariah, week 36, Zaporozhye

BUT THE LORD'S MISSIONARY WORK CONTINUES ON!

First off, I'd just like to give a big, ole huge 'THANK YOU' shout out to everyone who has said that I'm in their prayers and whatnot. It means a lot.

But please, don't bother worrying about me! Everything is fine in my part of Ukraine. I mean, we may have had to stay inside all day on Friday. And the missionaries that are in those problem areas in the Crimea, which is the southern part of my mission, were moved to northern areas of the mission, like Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye. (One of the missionary elders that was transferred here to Zaporozhye was even in my MTC district! Elder Hepworth! :D He's such a cool kid.) But all is good in the hood. The church leaders are doing their best to keep in the loop as to what's happening and what not, and are making sure that they keep us all safe and that the Lord's work still continues. If anything, all that's been happening here has given me a stronger more solid testimony of the hastening of the Lord's work. It's happening before my eyes. A few years ago, I don't remember member missionary work being such a huge deal like it is now. My mission president has made it known that the time that we spend on our mission isn't a time to be a tourist or to waste time doing non-missionary things. There isn't anything, be it weather or political problems, that will keep us inside, unable to do missionary work. All of our time and effort, be it 18 months or two years (for elders), is to be devoted to spreading the good word. I love being here and the time that I get to be a missionary. My time to be able to wear a black nametag with Christ's name on it is so small... 18 months?! It's already been 7 months. My cousin who is also serving a mission has already hit her half-way mark! CRAZY! fjkajjerw I don't want to go hoommee!!!!!

In other news: 

• Like I said, the missionary work in Ukraine continues. And the weather is improving. It snowed last Monday. But today, I don't even know why I'm wearing a hat and scarf.
• I finished reading the Book of Mormon for the first time, cover-to-cover, on Thursday. I started in July or so... and I made a pact with myself this last week to finish by the end of February. And I did.
• I've been reading Jesus the Christ on and off since I was in the MTC. I'm on chapter 13 or 14 now and it's just awesome. Awesome.
• Sister Nielsen is starting to blossom into a good little cook. She's been blessed all of her mission to have companions that can cook, including me. But she made a brownie cake last week, which was really good. We ended up giving half of it to our neighbors because we're trying to get to know them.

I hope that this e-mail message calms and reassures all those who are feeling uneasy about all that is happening in Ukraine and my and the other missionary's here safety. To quote the lyrics of a great pioneer hymn, Come, Come Ye Saints: "All is well, all is well." 

Thank you all, and please keep praying for my investigators and the work that is progressing here. 

Пока!

Sister McCrea