I'm not sure if you all grasped the
full implications of this, but I've more or less been in the same city
in Bulgaria for the past seven months or so. He is called Stara Zagora.
Look him up on wikipedia. There will be little, but interesting, things
to say. He is home to the Zagorka beer factory, arguably the best beer
in all of Bugland (although some people are more partial to Kamenitza).
It is very irregular for missionaries in this mission to be in a city
for more than four months at the most, maybe six months if you're in a
bigger city with more ground to cover, etc. Starz is a pretty small
city, though, with a pretty small, struggling branch (missionary serving as a
branch president, etc.). So it's been strange to be here for so long,
and to train two times in a row in this same little crazy city. I've loved it. I don't know. I realize the voice I'm using makes it sound
like I'm on my way out, which is possibly true and possibly not true.
But either way, transfer calls are this Friday, and more likely than
not, since I've been here seven months, I'm probably actually headed
somewhere else. Somewhere else? Weird.
The mane (ha ha, lions) events of this week: (delivered in 12-apostle accent "dees" in honor of confrince)
Mondee:
Actually a working day, since we had a zone conference on Wednesday and
had our pee day on Tuesday. Saw Raiko, the coke lite artist guy, who
wanted to give us back our pan from the birthday cake we made him. It
was funny because he had
become convinced that because we hadn't called in in so long, we were
mad at him or something. So when I told him, no, we were just busy
preaching the Gospel, a Gospel that he wasn't interested in hearing from
us, it was just interesting/sad to see how his brain has become
programmed to . . . I don't know. Seek for happiness? In the wrong
places?
Tuesdee: Watched the sun rise at our fifth-floor
block church for the last time? And then traveled into Plovdiv (one of
the oldest cities in Europe?) and had interviews.
Wednesdee: Zone conference! Power! Missionaries competing for attention and
approval!! Ultimately a good time, though. Found out that caffeinated
beverages are now not allowed for all missions in Eastern Europe. I
don't want to talk about it. Also made dutch babies and ate them with Bulgarian yogurt. EVERYTHING is eaten with yogurt here. Even Dutch
things.
Thursdee: Contacted for three hours. Taught English. One of the long-standing students, who I'll just call Arnold here for
privacy purposes, gave me a list of homework sentences he had written
that included the sentence, "When will the loves of all of the cats?"
Who knew that we had a modernist poet waiting to get a big break in our
first-level English class?
Fridee: Amazingly, had three lessons that 1) all
showed up, b) all weren't crazy, and 3) all went pretty well! Two of
them were even second lessons! That hasn't happened in a while. It was a
really good day.
Saturdee: Went to a less-active lady's house where
she takes care of her grandmother, who was wearing the hugest old lady
glasses ever. You know like ones that are basically just magnifying
glasses held on one's face? And the old person in question's eyes are
the size of yogurt containers? (I can't stop relating everything to
yogurt! I guess I'm just lost in my mission ha ha ha)
Sundee: Woke up convinced I was dying of mono again
(it's been creeping back the past few weeks.) Eventually managed to get
up and go to the conference sacrament meeting/lunch, in which the three
branch children who were there managed to break an entire bottle of
lyutenitza we needed for the lunch, get soap and bubbles all over the
upstairs, and release a 25-kilo bag of white fluff (stuffing? why was it
at the church??) all over the floor, classroom, and branch president
office. The explanation i was given: "koleda doide." (christmas came.)
wacky times!
Anyway. I am getting emotional and weirded out the
idea of not being in this city anymore. I know all of the members way
too well. I love them all way too much. And I've really had to learn to
trust the Lord when advising them on their ridiculously difficult
problems, or hoping things will work out for them.
How was confrince for everyone? Any nineteen-year-old girls gonna come join me
out here in Bugland?
I love you guys.
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