In Odessa

03/27/2017

Well then. No more Metro I guess.

   There once was a little boy whose name was Elder Clawson. He served in the middle of Kiev for the begin of his time in Ukraine, He had it all. The Metro, the sites, the big ward. It seemed like things couldn't get any better. Then one day that little boy got a very special call. He found out that he would be leaving! How could this be? How could he leave everything he knew and loved? But then he remembered what it was like leaving home. He felt very many of the same feelings as he was felling now. So he decided to go and do as he read in the Scriptures, and be brave. He packed his bags and left. He hopped on a train and saw lots of exciting things. "Hey, this isn't bad at all!" he thought to himself. He thought that for only a short time though. For the ride down to his next area began to be very boring. A rumble from his tummy told him that he needed something to eat. Luckily the train he was on wasn't just any train. It was the best of the best. The newest of the newest. He searched and found a small cafe where he found something to munch on. Then he setteled down for a long nap. Next thing he knew, they were stopped and it was very dark outside. He wondered what was going on. He asked one of the other little missionaries on the train with him and then he found out that they were there! He got everything together as quickly as he could and hopped off the train and met the mystical "Odessa Missionaries". These were a different type of missionaries that he had never seen before. But it was all okay. Because he was going to be brave. He met his new companion and hopped in a taxi. He was still very sleepy from his long nap but it was alright beause it was already bed time. the next day he woke up and got ready to work hard. He still didn't know very much about this strange place, but he wasn't afraid anymore. But he found something out that day . . . No more Metro.

So as you may or may not have realized. I am in Odessa Now!

It was definitely an adventure but everything ran very smoothly. I only had to travel with one of my bags because I was wise and sent the others through Нова Пошта (Nova Hoshta). And the next day after I arrived, so did my bags. I am so good.

My area is called the Suvorovsky area (Cуворовский), and it is wonderful!

We have a small branch of about 30 people but they are all great. We have the Black Sea pretty close here and it is still chilly enough that it is still safe to go contacting on the beaches. But once it gets to be short sleeve weeather, it will have been already too late.

Our companionship and the Sister Training Leaders are the only ones in our area which is far away from everyone here in Odessa. And the Sisters aren't even in this area but in Center Odessa for five days out of the week. So we are pretty secluded here in Suvorovsky.

On Saturday we gave service to one of the members in our branch. We tilled and prepared the ground for planting which is coming up soon here. And then afterwards we had some tasty borscht.

We had Ukrainian daylight savings on Sunday and it was a little tough for us all that day to stay awake.

Today we woke up and got ready to got right away. We rode down to Center Odessa and met the other Elders and played some "Gaterball". I didn't know what it was when Elder Merrell told me about it but then we started playing, I remember a game from school that we played that was the exat same thing.

Oh yeah. I have a new companion. His name is Elder Merrell. He is from Kaysville, Utah and is coming close to the end of his time here. We are both very much alike. We like to do many things the same way.

All in all. Everything is just dandy. We have a pretty nice apartment, a great branch and lots of work to do.

Старейшина Класон / Elder Clawson