New City, New Companion, New Calling

Last week I moved to a new (and probably my last) city, Lutsk. It's pretty soviet looking, but there's a pretty solid branch here with some really cool people, so it should be a fun city to serve in. My companion is from California, and before his mission he was a rapper. Look up "chito" on Soundcloud. He also plays the violin and he's a pretty good chef, so it should be a pretty fun transfer.

Lutsk is pretty cool. It definitely has architecture...pretty much all old soviet architecture. It does have a really cool castle that's on the back of the money. I haven't gotten to see that yet, but I hear it's pretty cool. We were also planning on visiting one of the churches you had on that list today, the Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral, so that might be kinda cool. But you know they're stretching for tourist attractions when the best they got is a power line. Can't say that's super high on my list of must-see places. The district president's family actually lives in that super long building though, btw. It's super super big and super super soviet. 

  

So on Wednesday morning, I took a train from Ivano to L'viv, and then I chilled in L'viv alone for a couple hours waiting at the bus station for my bus to come. And then it was a four hour bus ride to Lutsk (actually one of the nicer roads I've been on in Ukraine). Literally an hour after I got here, the branch president asked me to be his counselor. I thought I would at least get a week break from being released in the last branch before I got called here, but nope.

So there's four missionaries here, 2 elders and 2 sisters. Since the numbers are even, there's all kinds of rules about not spending time together without a fifth person there. We probably have to get used to it though, cause apparently in the Kiev mission the elders and sisters don't do anything together.

The mission president and his wife were here this weekend. Somehow I've made it my entire mission without having to do any serious translating work for him (which is tricky, cause he likes to use big words and complicated sentences) and I mostly dodged a bullet again this time. There was a member from L'viv visiting the branch who knows English and was able to translate his sacrament talk. I still had to translate the other two hours of church for him, but that's less pressure than standing in front of everyone and doing it on the spot. 

I don't have any pictures of Lutsk, just a few from my last few days in Ivano with some English friends and with some members. 

I  still have lots of the hand warmers you sent, but I also left a lot of them in Ivano-Frankivsk. I think I could have had one of those for every hour of the entire winter and still not run out. I'm grateful for them...but honestly I haven't had the need to use a single one haha. It's been a super warm winter, and this coming week will probably be the last really cold one of the winter. I've given a few out to people on the street that look cold, and I'm sure the missionaries next winter will be grateful for them, If that makes you feel any better. 

Hope y'all have a great week!

Alec