Hey all,
This week has been a ride to say the least. I go from being to sick to getting all teary eyed with my investigators. Which by the way, Im all better now, thank goodness. Im a healthy Sister Kinkead. Thank goodness.
Alex and Rosen, two of our investigators, had their baptismal interviews this past week. It was a good experience for both. They were so happy. Rosen came out of his interview and hugged me so tight. He walked out of the church saying in english, with his hands in the air, "YES!! YESSSS!!"Awwww man. I almost cried. Im finally seeing the fruit of my labors hehe. Hes so excited to get baptized and hes so excited to share it with others. He told Loss and I that he wanted to give a book of mormon to his cousin. Hes gonna be an awesome member. It made me realize how much I love my investigators and how much they really do mean to me. Alex was excited after his interview but didnt give me a hug. He walked out of church with a little jump in his walk. It almost made me cry again because Alex really has nothing and hes living every commandment we've asked him to live. He has no home, no wife, he doesnt know where his daughter is, hes got zero money but yet his heart is so ready for the gospel. I love them both so much. Please pray for them both that they will get baptized on time. They both have struggled with word of wisdom problems and I dont want Satan ruining their chances of their baptismal dates. It would crush me. Rosen has already walked into two lessons drunk. *Sigh* Pray for em!
I walked into church yesterday and little Anni, shes 3, walks up to me and holds out her arms to hug me. CUTE. I really love kids, especially all the little ones Ive met here in Bulgaria. Precious little souls. I cant wait for my little nephew to come into the picture!
Loss and I got into it one night this past week. Loss is someone who likes to go 150 mph in EVERYTHING. Shes a perfectionist. You all know me, Im Briana Kinkead, I go about 45 mph...lol. Im not a perfectionist at all and I go at my own pace. Well it was 8 pm and thats our dinner time. We were our tracting and 8 pm hit. I told her that I wanted to head back home and have dinner. She then said that she really wanted to stay out for a bit longer. I was like...this is my dinner hour...we've worked all day...lets go home. Well we went home and she was silent and I was silent because we just work differently. We sat down and said sorry and talked it through. A companionship is just like marriage. Its not about what you want, its about what you both want as a whole. You have to make sacrifices and compromises. Its not always easy but...ya. I love that girl. Shes my best friend here in the mission.
I want to let you all know that I miss each and every one of you. Seriously. Ive been reflecting a lot lately on my family back home, my friends and people Ive come across in my life. I miss and love you all and I hope you are all doing well.
I know that the gospel is true and its the only thing that brings us happiness. If I didnt know it was true, I would not be here trying to struggle with the bulgarian language and trying to work through some of the hard hearts Ive passed by BUT I know the gospel is true and its what we need to get us through hard times and rough patches we have in life. I know that Christ suffered for us and died on the cross so that we could overcome physical death and be able to repent of our everyday mistakes and sins. He loves us and so does our Heavenly Father. They continue to watch over us constantly and only want whats best for us. Sometimes it doesnt feel like they are there or that they dont even care but they do and I know this to be true.
I love you all. Keep it real.
-Sister Kinkead
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Email: August 17th
Hey all!!
Sorry I didnt write on monday. Mom - Im sure you got the email from Elder Walker. Ive been sick for a whole entire week. Yes. A whole entire week and it hasnt been paradise either haha. To say the least. Last week on wednesday I was overcome with some emotions with my bulgarian, next transfer and a nasty joke the elders decided to play on me. During one of our lessons, bulgarian was JUST not coming. I felt so overwhelmed by the fact I couldnt say anything and the fact that 100 other things were going through my head at that moment that I got up in mid sentence and went to the bathroom and cried. It probably wasnt cool of me to do that right in the middle of a lesson but I was an emotional wreck. Sister Loss and Speth had it under control. President Kolarov, 1st councilor to President Roth, saw me all upset and comforted me. He really likes me and is always telling me what a good job Im doing. He asked me how long it took me to learn the gospel. I told him that its taken my whole life. He then told me that its the same with bulgarian - its going to take awhile. Step by step. He told me that it would come and that Im doing great already. I appreciated that. I cleaned up my face, went back into the lesson and finished up. Afterwards, I got really sick to my stomach. Somewhat nauseous. I told my companions about it but Loss decided that it would be better to go tracting to get rid of some of the thoughts that were running around my head. As we tracted, I got even more sick to my stomach. They took me back to the church to lay down and rest while they finished tracting. By the time they came back they had a lesson to teach and my conditions were not looking up. I got myself to the bathroom in time to realize that I was having diarrhea and my stomach pains were not letting up. I tried laying back down but enough was enough. I needed to go home. I walked into the lesson Loss and Speth were having (Great, I interrupted again lol) and told Loss that someone needed to take me home. Speth volunteered to take me home in a taxi and Sister Loss would finish the lesson with Sister Orr since she was in Sofia at the time (Thank goodness). Were walking down the street trying to flag down a taxi and every so often my body jerks because Im about to throw up. We get in the taxi, drive home and right after I get out of the taxi I throw up three times in the grass. Some lady was watching me but I didnt care. I was freakin sick. The rest of the night I kept throwing up, having diarrhea and having an aching body. I was throwing up so hard that once I had nothing to throw up, my body would dry heave. NOT COOL. IT HURT. Loss made me drink tons and tons and tons of water so whatever was in my stomach could get out and so I wouldnt dry heave as much and as hard. I cried. Honestly, I wanted my mom hehe. When youre sick like a dog...you dont want to be in a foreign country away from your mom who can take care of you. Sorry if that sounds kidd-ish of me but its true.
Sucky thing is...is..I missed the BIG celebration in Plovdiv. I traveled down on friday because I was feeling better but I made the wrong mistake and actually made myself worse. I stayed in the hotel room while everyone partied for hours. Freak. I wanted to kill myself. What could I do though, you know? I was sick like a dog and had no choice :(. I did, however, watch some tv (I was allowed too) Apparently Romney is running again? Some american is kidnapped in Pakistan? Annnd the US is basically crumbling? lol. I watched a human traffiking show..I probably shouldnt have but I did lol. TV makes your head go to mush...ew. I realized how much I HATED it.
Transfer calls came though! Im a bit surprised but its a good decision I think. Im staying here in Sofia and my companion is....SISTER LOSS! IM SO EXCITED! Im cool that Im not training actually. At least I know I could do it if I needed to. I know President put us together because he knows she still needs help and Ive been the only one who has really helped her. Meaning, Ive really cared about her but I havent "protected" her from President. If something is up, he knows Ill tell him. Her and I FLIPPED out because we wanted to be together again if I wasnt training. A blessing for sure! This time its just her and I! No Speth! HOLLA! We are tremendously excited :) I know Loss will continue to help me with my bulgarian and my missionary skills. We really do complement each other. :) Blessings! Since Ive been sick and Im with Loss, shes been cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner for me - shes an angel...and a blessing. She keeps tabs on me if Im up and about for too long. Love that girl.
True story, funny story - I was in the mission home the other day printing some things off in the office. President Roth comes out of his office yelling, "KIIINKYYY!!!!" Hahahahaha! I was like, wait what? LOL. Roth found out that the sisters and elders call me Kinky and he loves it lol. He loves it so much that he has taken the name on himself and has started to call me that Hahahaha. I love my president, hes like a dad. Daddy Roth. Hes a good egg, that one. Hahaha. Kinky. Hahaha.
I just want to say one thing about the Bulgarian people if I havent already about them - They are the lost israelites. Seriously. They arent lost physically but mentally. So many bulgarians would prefer to be back under communism than to be out of it where they have to find work and money themselves. Its ridiculous. Just like the bible where the tribes all want to go back under the reign of the pharaohs because being out on their own is too hard. Wow. History repeats itself lol. Its a sad story. Just wanted to add that little bit in.
In other news, we had a scary situation this past week before I got sick. Loss, Speth and I were all streetboarding in our usual park. I noticed this man came up to us with a black ear piece in. He was interested in our message but really I think he was interested in us girls. He kept eyeing me and he told us he "loved meeting different people". Speth gave him our info and I didnt feel good about it at all. I told Speth I wasnt feeling him and that he was bad news but she thinks everyone is innocent so she shrugged my comment off. I watched the guy closely as he walked away and hid behind a tree. He continued to watch us. I was like, what the heck? I then noticed there were 3 other guys all in different spots watching us and talking on their phones. 2 minutes later one of those guys walks past our display, eyes up and then turns around and walks right back to where he was. He too had a black ear piece in. I watched him walk back and talk to the guy that Sister Speth had just talked to. I knew we needed to get out of there so we packed up our stuff and jetted out. I was a bit creeped but I knew we were safe. Now heres where it gets a little more scary...11 pm rolls around. Our phone rings and its a bulgar. We miss the call just by a few seconds because we were still trying to get up and figure out who the heck could be calling us at 11 at night. Loss doesnt want to call them back but I do. I call them back and speak to them in bulgarian. I keep asking them "Who is this??" in bulgarian but they cant seem to respond back. I finally say in english, "Who is this?!" A very WEIRD almost new york accent responds over the phone. A man. Hes asking us if were the "mormon girls" and that his "friends from the hotel" talked to us today. He said he was interested in learning more but the thing was is that he said, "I live 100 km from Center, where are you guys?" I was speechless. The whole convo was bizzzare. Loss responds with, "Were at home...sleeping....its 11" The man is like, Oh right right, its probably too late to be calling but uh, where might home be? I respond by saying, "That is NONE of your business" He kind of backed off a bit but asked again where we were living in a round about way. He told us that if we wanted to meet up to call him at this number. I told him to have a good night and hung up. Im 99% sure we were talking to a human traffiker himself. Just because were young american girls in a foreign country doesnt mean were flat out stupid. My goodness. He hasnt called back but if he does, I will give him a piece of my mind. I was too shocked to give it my all the first time he called. Ugh.
Whew, what a long email. Lots has happened and Ive been in bed this entire time it feels like lol. I love you. Have a good week!
-Sister Kinkead
Sorry I didnt write on monday. Mom - Im sure you got the email from Elder Walker. Ive been sick for a whole entire week. Yes. A whole entire week and it hasnt been paradise either haha. To say the least. Last week on wednesday I was overcome with some emotions with my bulgarian, next transfer and a nasty joke the elders decided to play on me. During one of our lessons, bulgarian was JUST not coming. I felt so overwhelmed by the fact I couldnt say anything and the fact that 100 other things were going through my head at that moment that I got up in mid sentence and went to the bathroom and cried. It probably wasnt cool of me to do that right in the middle of a lesson but I was an emotional wreck. Sister Loss and Speth had it under control. President Kolarov, 1st councilor to President Roth, saw me all upset and comforted me. He really likes me and is always telling me what a good job Im doing. He asked me how long it took me to learn the gospel. I told him that its taken my whole life. He then told me that its the same with bulgarian - its going to take awhile. Step by step. He told me that it would come and that Im doing great already. I appreciated that. I cleaned up my face, went back into the lesson and finished up. Afterwards, I got really sick to my stomach. Somewhat nauseous. I told my companions about it but Loss decided that it would be better to go tracting to get rid of some of the thoughts that were running around my head. As we tracted, I got even more sick to my stomach. They took me back to the church to lay down and rest while they finished tracting. By the time they came back they had a lesson to teach and my conditions were not looking up. I got myself to the bathroom in time to realize that I was having diarrhea and my stomach pains were not letting up. I tried laying back down but enough was enough. I needed to go home. I walked into the lesson Loss and Speth were having (Great, I interrupted again lol) and told Loss that someone needed to take me home. Speth volunteered to take me home in a taxi and Sister Loss would finish the lesson with Sister Orr since she was in Sofia at the time (Thank goodness). Were walking down the street trying to flag down a taxi and every so often my body jerks because Im about to throw up. We get in the taxi, drive home and right after I get out of the taxi I throw up three times in the grass. Some lady was watching me but I didnt care. I was freakin sick. The rest of the night I kept throwing up, having diarrhea and having an aching body. I was throwing up so hard that once I had nothing to throw up, my body would dry heave. NOT COOL. IT HURT. Loss made me drink tons and tons and tons of water so whatever was in my stomach could get out and so I wouldnt dry heave as much and as hard. I cried. Honestly, I wanted my mom hehe. When youre sick like a dog...you dont want to be in a foreign country away from your mom who can take care of you. Sorry if that sounds kidd-ish of me but its true.
Sucky thing is...is..I missed the BIG celebration in Plovdiv. I traveled down on friday because I was feeling better but I made the wrong mistake and actually made myself worse. I stayed in the hotel room while everyone partied for hours. Freak. I wanted to kill myself. What could I do though, you know? I was sick like a dog and had no choice :(. I did, however, watch some tv (I was allowed too) Apparently Romney is running again? Some american is kidnapped in Pakistan? Annnd the US is basically crumbling? lol. I watched a human traffiking show..I probably shouldnt have but I did lol. TV makes your head go to mush...ew. I realized how much I HATED it.
Transfer calls came though! Im a bit surprised but its a good decision I think. Im staying here in Sofia and my companion is....SISTER LOSS! IM SO EXCITED! Im cool that Im not training actually. At least I know I could do it if I needed to. I know President put us together because he knows she still needs help and Ive been the only one who has really helped her. Meaning, Ive really cared about her but I havent "protected" her from President. If something is up, he knows Ill tell him. Her and I FLIPPED out because we wanted to be together again if I wasnt training. A blessing for sure! This time its just her and I! No Speth! HOLLA! We are tremendously excited :) I know Loss will continue to help me with my bulgarian and my missionary skills. We really do complement each other. :) Blessings! Since Ive been sick and Im with Loss, shes been cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner for me - shes an angel...and a blessing. She keeps tabs on me if Im up and about for too long. Love that girl.
True story, funny story - I was in the mission home the other day printing some things off in the office. President Roth comes out of his office yelling, "KIIINKYYY!!!!" Hahahahaha! I was like, wait what? LOL. Roth found out that the sisters and elders call me Kinky and he loves it lol. He loves it so much that he has taken the name on himself and has started to call me that Hahahaha. I love my president, hes like a dad. Daddy Roth. Hes a good egg, that one. Hahaha. Kinky. Hahaha.
I just want to say one thing about the Bulgarian people if I havent already about them - They are the lost israelites. Seriously. They arent lost physically but mentally. So many bulgarians would prefer to be back under communism than to be out of it where they have to find work and money themselves. Its ridiculous. Just like the bible where the tribes all want to go back under the reign of the pharaohs because being out on their own is too hard. Wow. History repeats itself lol. Its a sad story. Just wanted to add that little bit in.
In other news, we had a scary situation this past week before I got sick. Loss, Speth and I were all streetboarding in our usual park. I noticed this man came up to us with a black ear piece in. He was interested in our message but really I think he was interested in us girls. He kept eyeing me and he told us he "loved meeting different people". Speth gave him our info and I didnt feel good about it at all. I told Speth I wasnt feeling him and that he was bad news but she thinks everyone is innocent so she shrugged my comment off. I watched the guy closely as he walked away and hid behind a tree. He continued to watch us. I was like, what the heck? I then noticed there were 3 other guys all in different spots watching us and talking on their phones. 2 minutes later one of those guys walks past our display, eyes up and then turns around and walks right back to where he was. He too had a black ear piece in. I watched him walk back and talk to the guy that Sister Speth had just talked to. I knew we needed to get out of there so we packed up our stuff and jetted out. I was a bit creeped but I knew we were safe. Now heres where it gets a little more scary...11 pm rolls around. Our phone rings and its a bulgar. We miss the call just by a few seconds because we were still trying to get up and figure out who the heck could be calling us at 11 at night. Loss doesnt want to call them back but I do. I call them back and speak to them in bulgarian. I keep asking them "Who is this??" in bulgarian but they cant seem to respond back. I finally say in english, "Who is this?!" A very WEIRD almost new york accent responds over the phone. A man. Hes asking us if were the "mormon girls" and that his "friends from the hotel" talked to us today. He said he was interested in learning more but the thing was is that he said, "I live 100 km from Center, where are you guys?" I was speechless. The whole convo was bizzzare. Loss responds with, "Were at home...sleeping....its 11" The man is like, Oh right right, its probably too late to be calling but uh, where might home be? I respond by saying, "That is NONE of your business" He kind of backed off a bit but asked again where we were living in a round about way. He told us that if we wanted to meet up to call him at this number. I told him to have a good night and hung up. Im 99% sure we were talking to a human traffiker himself. Just because were young american girls in a foreign country doesnt mean were flat out stupid. My goodness. He hasnt called back but if he does, I will give him a piece of my mind. I was too shocked to give it my all the first time he called. Ugh.
Whew, what a long email. Lots has happened and Ive been in bed this entire time it feels like lol. I love you. Have a good week!
-Sister Kinkead
Email: August 8th
Hey everyone!
Sorry I didnt write last week. It seems like some of you wrote my mom because you were so concerned lol. Sorry. I just didnt have time to type up a massive email. I had some things to attend to but Im doing just fine! I havent been kidnapped or anything lol. Im safe.
This week was pretty random. We found a less active this week named Anetta. She is definitely eccentric. Her hair is 3 different colors. She was wearing skull/skeleton jewlery and her eyes had no light in them. She started to cry when we asked her about how she felt when she was baptized and how she feels now. I know she wants to come back to church but shes been offended and according to the president in the ward she has gotten into some sketch stuff like....prostitution. Eeek. It would explain why she has no light in her eyes. I personally also think that shes been playing with some dark magic. Sister Loss agrees. She has a good heart though and I know she wants to come back. She agreed to keep seeing us and re-taking the lessons.
I havent been told that Im training yet because no one is sure if the greenies have their visas yet. BUT It seems like everyday the AP's are asking me how Im feeling and preparing for next transfer. As Im writing this Elder Myrick just asked me if President Roth called me. He also just asked me what city I want...oh boy. Im nervous but to be honest I think it would be pretty fun. Sister Speth keeps saying that she thinks my mom, Killian, will train again because "shes more experienced, she knows the language and training is for the trainee to learn, not the trainer". Oh my gosh. Can you talk about a slap in the face? Whatever. I will be the one laughing when Im called to be the new trainer. Sister Speth just doesnt want to think Id be picked over her since she is good with the language and what not. Ahem. Sorry...I just hate how people in the mission and even our investigators think Im inadequate. Ive had 2 of my investigators tell me that I cant speak bulgarian at all. Its very discouraging to hear that but I know who I am and I know what Im capable of. I can do this. They know nothing.
This weekend we are having a HUGE anniversary celebration in Plovdiv, my birth city, for the church being here for 20 years. Im way excited. A seventy will be there, all members in bulgaria will be there, people from the states have flown in and all kinds of missionaries who have served here have flown in to be at this. Im way psyched! We get to party it up in a hotel all weekend. Holla!
Im getting pretty burn out from streetboarding. I decided that the 3 of us needed to do something different. Sooooo! I came up with the idea to chalk the plan of salvation in the park on the concrete! That drew in a LOT of people and of course little kids. It was good to talk with people and let them know we are normal people and not just robots who stand by a board who want to talk about the gospel. We can have fun. I chalked it up, talked to some people and even got myself some corn on the cob at the park. It was a great evening in the park. I thoroughly enjoyed myself lol.
Soo ya....missionary work. Its crazy. NEXT WEEK I SHOULD KNOW IF IM TRAINING AND WHERE IM GOING. I think I might stay here in Sofia. Or I may go to the seaside and train there. It'll be an adventure. I love you all! Take care!
-Sister Kinkead
Sorry I didnt write last week. It seems like some of you wrote my mom because you were so concerned lol. Sorry. I just didnt have time to type up a massive email. I had some things to attend to but Im doing just fine! I havent been kidnapped or anything lol. Im safe.
This week was pretty random. We found a less active this week named Anetta. She is definitely eccentric. Her hair is 3 different colors. She was wearing skull/skeleton jewlery and her eyes had no light in them. She started to cry when we asked her about how she felt when she was baptized and how she feels now. I know she wants to come back to church but shes been offended and according to the president in the ward she has gotten into some sketch stuff like....prostitution. Eeek. It would explain why she has no light in her eyes. I personally also think that shes been playing with some dark magic. Sister Loss agrees. She has a good heart though and I know she wants to come back. She agreed to keep seeing us and re-taking the lessons.
I havent been told that Im training yet because no one is sure if the greenies have their visas yet. BUT It seems like everyday the AP's are asking me how Im feeling and preparing for next transfer. As Im writing this Elder Myrick just asked me if President Roth called me. He also just asked me what city I want...oh boy. Im nervous but to be honest I think it would be pretty fun. Sister Speth keeps saying that she thinks my mom, Killian, will train again because "shes more experienced, she knows the language and training is for the trainee to learn, not the trainer". Oh my gosh. Can you talk about a slap in the face? Whatever. I will be the one laughing when Im called to be the new trainer. Sister Speth just doesnt want to think Id be picked over her since she is good with the language and what not. Ahem. Sorry...I just hate how people in the mission and even our investigators think Im inadequate. Ive had 2 of my investigators tell me that I cant speak bulgarian at all. Its very discouraging to hear that but I know who I am and I know what Im capable of. I can do this. They know nothing.
This weekend we are having a HUGE anniversary celebration in Plovdiv, my birth city, for the church being here for 20 years. Im way excited. A seventy will be there, all members in bulgaria will be there, people from the states have flown in and all kinds of missionaries who have served here have flown in to be at this. Im way psyched! We get to party it up in a hotel all weekend. Holla!
Im getting pretty burn out from streetboarding. I decided that the 3 of us needed to do something different. Sooooo! I came up with the idea to chalk the plan of salvation in the park on the concrete! That drew in a LOT of people and of course little kids. It was good to talk with people and let them know we are normal people and not just robots who stand by a board who want to talk about the gospel. We can have fun. I chalked it up, talked to some people and even got myself some corn on the cob at the park. It was a great evening in the park. I thoroughly enjoyed myself lol.
Soo ya....missionary work. Its crazy. NEXT WEEK I SHOULD KNOW IF IM TRAINING AND WHERE IM GOING. I think I might stay here in Sofia. Or I may go to the seaside and train there. It'll be an adventure. I love you all! Take care!
-Sister Kinkead
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Email: July 25th
Hey hey heeeey!!
This week went by WAY too fast. It feels like I just emailed yesterday haha. I guess thats a good thing though! Ya? Ive got some good news! Sister Loss is back with us! She is feeling a lot better, so thats good. Apparently theres this nasty flu bug going around Bulgaria. Its already got Elder Rothlisberger and Raker. Hopefully I dont catch it. Eeeek. I dont want to be sick right now. However, whenever I walk outside in the heat, I get a headache, a sick stomach and my body just feels DRAINED. I need more water in my system. Dont worry mom. Im drinking! Haha.
Anyways, this whole past week Sister Speth and I have been on our own. It was a weiiiird week. We met so many interesting people while streetboarding it up on the park. Sister Speth set up our board near this bench where this man was sitting. He didnt look over at us or anything so I decided to not bother him. Some people really dont want to be bothered here and sometimes I dont have the guts to get right infront of them and be like, "Hi!!! Im a missionary! Heres the gospel!" I like it when they stop, look at the pictures of christ and ask me whats going on. BUT ANYWAY, the man remained sitting there even though we were right next to him. A little while goes by, maybe 30 minutes or so and while Sister Speth is busy talking to someone, the man from the bench decides to come over and talk with me. He says hello in english and has an american accent written all over him! I got really excited! Someone who speaks english and is from America! We begin talking about the gospel and of course I love to ask questions so I ask him where hes from. He responds with, "Cleveland." I freak out and say, "Im from ZANESVILLE!" He chuckles and says, "Im from Akron actually. I know where Zanesville is at'. I got so freakin excited! He began telling me that he studied slavic languages at OSU and what not. I was so giddy! I never thought about talking about OSU to a random person living in Bulgaria who is from OHIO! He was a legit guy. He didnt really want to hear about the gospel but he was very nice and told me that he liked mormons because they always tried to be very personal people. It was a cool experience.
Funny story, true story. I have some love stories from this past week. One of our investigators, rosen, who have a baptismal date has fallen in love with me. Hes been acting really weird this past week and I believe hes been calling us drunk. He called yesterday just to talk to me. He told me that he loved me a lot and was just thinking about me. He asked if he could bring me flowers when we meet next. Ugh. I had him on speaker phone so Loss could help me understand all of what he was saying. I kept asking Loss what I should say to all of this. She was just laughing and I kept whispering, "Well?!" Apparently Rosen overheard and got mad that Loss was hearing a 'personal' conversation. Oh my. Im not sure what were going to do with him.
Another love story that happened this week was when Sister Speth and I were waiting at the bus station. I was busy looking at all the concert posters hung up on the streetwall. A man who looks like hes in his mid 40s and who is russian comes up to me and in perfect english says, "Who are those people?" I begin to explain to him that they are artists who are coming to Bulgaria to perform. He then asks me what kind of music I like so I begin to name off some genres I like. He smiles and asks about our "name plates". I tell him were missionaries and that were here to preach the gospel. He smiles and then goes on to say, ''So..Im going to a restaurant, would you like to come with me?'' I told him no thanks. He asked me if I ever went to clubs or had any fun as a missionary. I explained to him that we had rules to abide by. He then tried telling me that his friends at the restaurant would like to hear my message. I gave him a brochure and told him they could give me a call if they really were lol. He got mad, thanked me for my time and left me alone. Can you say human traffiking? lol.
So ya, it was a crazy week to say the least. I'll leave it at that. I miss you all and I love you all! The work in Bulgaria continues to move forward.
-Sister Kinkead
This week went by WAY too fast. It feels like I just emailed yesterday haha. I guess thats a good thing though! Ya? Ive got some good news! Sister Loss is back with us! She is feeling a lot better, so thats good. Apparently theres this nasty flu bug going around Bulgaria. Its already got Elder Rothlisberger and Raker. Hopefully I dont catch it. Eeeek. I dont want to be sick right now. However, whenever I walk outside in the heat, I get a headache, a sick stomach and my body just feels DRAINED. I need more water in my system. Dont worry mom. Im drinking! Haha.
Anyways, this whole past week Sister Speth and I have been on our own. It was a weiiiird week. We met so many interesting people while streetboarding it up on the park. Sister Speth set up our board near this bench where this man was sitting. He didnt look over at us or anything so I decided to not bother him. Some people really dont want to be bothered here and sometimes I dont have the guts to get right infront of them and be like, "Hi!!! Im a missionary! Heres the gospel!" I like it when they stop, look at the pictures of christ and ask me whats going on. BUT ANYWAY, the man remained sitting there even though we were right next to him. A little while goes by, maybe 30 minutes or so and while Sister Speth is busy talking to someone, the man from the bench decides to come over and talk with me. He says hello in english and has an american accent written all over him! I got really excited! Someone who speaks english and is from America! We begin talking about the gospel and of course I love to ask questions so I ask him where hes from. He responds with, "Cleveland." I freak out and say, "Im from ZANESVILLE!" He chuckles and says, "Im from Akron actually. I know where Zanesville is at'. I got so freakin excited! He began telling me that he studied slavic languages at OSU and what not. I was so giddy! I never thought about talking about OSU to a random person living in Bulgaria who is from OHIO! He was a legit guy. He didnt really want to hear about the gospel but he was very nice and told me that he liked mormons because they always tried to be very personal people. It was a cool experience.
Funny story, true story. I have some love stories from this past week. One of our investigators, rosen, who have a baptismal date has fallen in love with me. Hes been acting really weird this past week and I believe hes been calling us drunk. He called yesterday just to talk to me. He told me that he loved me a lot and was just thinking about me. He asked if he could bring me flowers when we meet next. Ugh. I had him on speaker phone so Loss could help me understand all of what he was saying. I kept asking Loss what I should say to all of this. She was just laughing and I kept whispering, "Well?!" Apparently Rosen overheard and got mad that Loss was hearing a 'personal' conversation. Oh my. Im not sure what were going to do with him.
Another love story that happened this week was when Sister Speth and I were waiting at the bus station. I was busy looking at all the concert posters hung up on the streetwall. A man who looks like hes in his mid 40s and who is russian comes up to me and in perfect english says, "Who are those people?" I begin to explain to him that they are artists who are coming to Bulgaria to perform. He then asks me what kind of music I like so I begin to name off some genres I like. He smiles and asks about our "name plates". I tell him were missionaries and that were here to preach the gospel. He smiles and then goes on to say, ''So..Im going to a restaurant, would you like to come with me?'' I told him no thanks. He asked me if I ever went to clubs or had any fun as a missionary. I explained to him that we had rules to abide by. He then tried telling me that his friends at the restaurant would like to hear my message. I gave him a brochure and told him they could give me a call if they really were lol. He got mad, thanked me for my time and left me alone. Can you say human traffiking? lol.
So ya, it was a crazy week to say the least. I'll leave it at that. I miss you all and I love you all! The work in Bulgaria continues to move forward.
-Sister Kinkead
Monday, July 18, 2011
Email: July 18th
I want to first say that I do not have the Influenza...but Im pretty sure my dear companion, Sister Loss, does. This past thursday we headed over to Grandpa Velichkos to visit him. Right after Sister Loss and I left, she began to get really sick. She was nauseous, light headed, dizzy, really hot and very miserable. We took the bus back home to our apt, *took us a good hour, Sister Loss' head was between her legs, bless her heart* and realized, we had no keys. AH. She wanted to die right there. Sister Speth had the keys and she was at english class in Mladost. An hour or so away. AHH. Lol. So ya...we had to travel for another hour to get to the mission home so she could lie down. It was a really miserable day for her. Shes still sick and now will be staying with the Roths in the mission home. Shes been running a constant fever of a 103. Shes starting to lose her hearing when her fever climbs. NOT a good sign. Sooooo ya.
Among all that craziness, we have had the ukrainian sisters with us. They came in last tuesday night for passport work. Low and behold, they STILL havent received their passports and have been staying with us in our stuffy, hot apt. We have no AC and its 100 here. Hooottt. They've been good champs and have been watching Sister Loss while Sister Speth and I have been going out and working. Its been kind of stressul for me. Ive been having to make the calls to all the bulgarians. Sometimes they dont understand my bulgarian and sometimes I cant understand what the heck they are saying to me. I feel like Im having to take the reigns as a senior companion or something. Sister Loss says its preping me for next transfer because Ill be the trainer over the new sister. I DO NOT WANT TO BE A TRAINER. Im still trying to figure out the language....its quite stressful.
The Ukrainian sisters love to tell us how great Ukraine is and compare big time. Im so annoyed. Thanks for taking care of my companion but please stop talking about my mission. Thanks. They have stricter rules over in Ukraine so theyve been pretty blown away this past week about how we do things here in Bulgaria. Im sure they whisper to each other that were apostate missionaries with no focus. Lol. Ah well.
Come to find out, Sister Speth has been writing in her moleskin about everything Sister Loss and I do or say. Its not nice things either. Loss found out and was uber mad. We had a huge companion inventory. 2 hours long. I dont feel anything has been resolved. But if things continue, we may have to have a companion inventory with President there. Threesomes can be hard. Theres always someone who feels left out one time or another. Its hard to keep a balance.
Anyways, Im still taking the mission, one day at a time. Its crazy to think that Im about to hit my 8 month mark. By the end of my transfer, I will have completed half of my mission! And right now, I still feel like a newbie with certain things...like...the language hehe. I also feel like theres still so much more I need to learn before I head home. Its so nuts. Some days it goes slow, other days its really fast.
Have a good week all and pray for me! Haha. I love you and miss you!
-Sister Kinkead
Among all that craziness, we have had the ukrainian sisters with us. They came in last tuesday night for passport work. Low and behold, they STILL havent received their passports and have been staying with us in our stuffy, hot apt. We have no AC and its 100 here. Hooottt. They've been good champs and have been watching Sister Loss while Sister Speth and I have been going out and working. Its been kind of stressul for me. Ive been having to make the calls to all the bulgarians. Sometimes they dont understand my bulgarian and sometimes I cant understand what the heck they are saying to me. I feel like Im having to take the reigns as a senior companion or something. Sister Loss says its preping me for next transfer because Ill be the trainer over the new sister. I DO NOT WANT TO BE A TRAINER. Im still trying to figure out the language....its quite stressful.
The Ukrainian sisters love to tell us how great Ukraine is and compare big time. Im so annoyed. Thanks for taking care of my companion but please stop talking about my mission. Thanks. They have stricter rules over in Ukraine so theyve been pretty blown away this past week about how we do things here in Bulgaria. Im sure they whisper to each other that were apostate missionaries with no focus. Lol. Ah well.
Come to find out, Sister Speth has been writing in her moleskin about everything Sister Loss and I do or say. Its not nice things either. Loss found out and was uber mad. We had a huge companion inventory. 2 hours long. I dont feel anything has been resolved. But if things continue, we may have to have a companion inventory with President there. Threesomes can be hard. Theres always someone who feels left out one time or another. Its hard to keep a balance.
Anyways, Im still taking the mission, one day at a time. Its crazy to think that Im about to hit my 8 month mark. By the end of my transfer, I will have completed half of my mission! And right now, I still feel like a newbie with certain things...like...the language hehe. I also feel like theres still so much more I need to learn before I head home. Its so nuts. Some days it goes slow, other days its really fast.
Have a good week all and pray for me! Haha. I love you and miss you!
-Sister Kinkead
Monday, July 11, 2011
Email: July 11th
Здрасти!
We are officially the Bulgaria, Sofia, Turkey mission!! Check that out! Missionaries will be heading into Turkey in about 3-6 months! Its nuts! I never thought I would see this day. Holla! The unfortunate thing is that they will be calling new missionaries to head into Turkey. I think all of us bulgs will be staying here. Especially the sisters. I dont think Turkey is safe for us...yet. Ive heard quite a few stories about human traffiking on Cypress Island. Eeeeek. Crazy. Anyways, pretty cool huh? Turkey is now open for us.
Funny story. The other night I jumped into bed because I was soooo tired. I laid there and said my prayers because my body could no longer move lol. I laid there and began to say them in my head in english...a few minutes later, I realize that Ive switched over to bulgarian. Lol, it was pretty funny and pretty cool. Funny how the mind works.
So last week on P-day we had a 4th of July party. During the day, all the elders and Sister Speth went to go play Volleyball. Sister Loss and I got into some shopping and what not. We werent trying to avoid the elders, we just didnt want to play volleyball for 3 hours, you know? So anyways, we have a big BBQ in the evening and some of the elders are talking about how Sister Loss and I werent there to play volleyball. Elder Hays jumps in and says, "Well at least Speth was there...someone had to represent the...." I look at him with my glaring eyes and he says nothing. 2 seconds later Elder Spencer jumps into some story about how sisters dont count for anything. They are just there. All of the elders are snickering and laughing and all eyes are on us 3 sisters. I finally snapped. For months Ive been dealing with immature 19 yr old boys who cant seem to learn how to respect women. I called Spencer and the rest of the 24 elders who were there, out and said, "Thats not FUNNY! I know you elders dont like being with us sisters but you dont have to make us the joke EVERY TIME! You wonder why we dont want to be around you, its because were the minority and were always targeted. Its not funny and Im NOT laughing." I stood there and just glared at all of them. They had disgusted looks on their faces and some were completely silent but I dont care. I wanted to leave then and there but Sister Speth, for whatever reason, wanted to say. She likes the elders...I dont get it. Anyway, after that whole ordeal, some of the elders came up to me and apologized. Some who are usually sister haters talked to me for the rest of the night. It was interesting. I just dont get it, you know? I can for sure say that the Bulgaria Sofia Mission has some REAL jerks. A returned missionary status means NOTHING. The way Ive been treated here has been horrible. The elders are always out to tease, mock, target and laugh at us. I dont like it one bit.
Moving on. This week has been really busy. Lots of traveling and walking around the city of Sofia. Its been freakin hot and of course A/C really doesnt exist in this country so you just have to wait for a breeze to hit you in the right spot so you can feel relieved for a few seconds. We've been doing lots of less-active finding and trying to meet people who are in the area book. No success. Lots of dropped meetings and lessons. Това е. Thats it. Somehow we've been getting on the wrong busses and having all kinds of adventures trying to get places here. Last week we got on the right bus but going the wrong way. Took us 2 hours to get home. Traffic here sucks and busses have way too many stops hehe.
So Ive been taking Sister Loss out to run every morning for an hour. I hate running so I find a bench to read my scriptures at. 2 days ago I was reading and noticed a member from the branch taking her dogs for a walk. She came up, sat down on the bench and asked me what I was reading. This was our conversation...all in bulgarian of course..
Member: What are you reading?
Me: Im reading in Ether 12.
Member: This is american! You need to be reading in bulgarian! not american!!!
Me: (Feels intimidated and flustered as to how to respond) ...uh..
Member: Youre not going to learn the language by reading this!! You need bulgarian! Tomorrow you better be reading in bulgarian!
Me: Uhh...ya...
I wanted to tell her that I first have to obtain the word before I can preach it in a foreign language but my mind was hitting a wall. When I get nervous or uncomfortable, bulgarian doesnt come.
Member: *Mocks* "Ya, ya" You need to! You wont learn the language!
Me: *Silent*
I was taken aback that she was mocking me and just being down right RUDE. I wanted to say to her, "You try going to America and learning english in 6 months, NOT POSSIBLE! Its HARD!" But ya...I just didnt appreciate it, you know? Im already sensitive about my language and I didnt really like a MEMBER telling me how much I sucked as a missionary. Loss and I walked home and I just cried. So discouraging.
Anyways, those are my stories for this week! Keep me in your prayers and have a good week all. I miss you and love you a lot.
-Sister Kinkead
We are officially the Bulgaria, Sofia, Turkey mission!! Check that out! Missionaries will be heading into Turkey in about 3-6 months! Its nuts! I never thought I would see this day. Holla! The unfortunate thing is that they will be calling new missionaries to head into Turkey. I think all of us bulgs will be staying here. Especially the sisters. I dont think Turkey is safe for us...yet. Ive heard quite a few stories about human traffiking on Cypress Island. Eeeeek. Crazy. Anyways, pretty cool huh? Turkey is now open for us.
Funny story. The other night I jumped into bed because I was soooo tired. I laid there and said my prayers because my body could no longer move lol. I laid there and began to say them in my head in english...a few minutes later, I realize that Ive switched over to bulgarian. Lol, it was pretty funny and pretty cool. Funny how the mind works.
So last week on P-day we had a 4th of July party. During the day, all the elders and Sister Speth went to go play Volleyball. Sister Loss and I got into some shopping and what not. We werent trying to avoid the elders, we just didnt want to play volleyball for 3 hours, you know? So anyways, we have a big BBQ in the evening and some of the elders are talking about how Sister Loss and I werent there to play volleyball. Elder Hays jumps in and says, "Well at least Speth was there...someone had to represent the...." I look at him with my glaring eyes and he says nothing. 2 seconds later Elder Spencer jumps into some story about how sisters dont count for anything. They are just there. All of the elders are snickering and laughing and all eyes are on us 3 sisters. I finally snapped. For months Ive been dealing with immature 19 yr old boys who cant seem to learn how to respect women. I called Spencer and the rest of the 24 elders who were there, out and said, "Thats not FUNNY! I know you elders dont like being with us sisters but you dont have to make us the joke EVERY TIME! You wonder why we dont want to be around you, its because were the minority and were always targeted. Its not funny and Im NOT laughing." I stood there and just glared at all of them. They had disgusted looks on their faces and some were completely silent but I dont care. I wanted to leave then and there but Sister Speth, for whatever reason, wanted to say. She likes the elders...I dont get it. Anyway, after that whole ordeal, some of the elders came up to me and apologized. Some who are usually sister haters talked to me for the rest of the night. It was interesting. I just dont get it, you know? I can for sure say that the Bulgaria Sofia Mission has some REAL jerks. A returned missionary status means NOTHING. The way Ive been treated here has been horrible. The elders are always out to tease, mock, target and laugh at us. I dont like it one bit.
Moving on. This week has been really busy. Lots of traveling and walking around the city of Sofia. Its been freakin hot and of course A/C really doesnt exist in this country so you just have to wait for a breeze to hit you in the right spot so you can feel relieved for a few seconds. We've been doing lots of less-active finding and trying to meet people who are in the area book. No success. Lots of dropped meetings and lessons. Това е. Thats it. Somehow we've been getting on the wrong busses and having all kinds of adventures trying to get places here. Last week we got on the right bus but going the wrong way. Took us 2 hours to get home. Traffic here sucks and busses have way too many stops hehe.
So Ive been taking Sister Loss out to run every morning for an hour. I hate running so I find a bench to read my scriptures at. 2 days ago I was reading and noticed a member from the branch taking her dogs for a walk. She came up, sat down on the bench and asked me what I was reading. This was our conversation...all in bulgarian of course..
Member: What are you reading?
Me: Im reading in Ether 12.
Member: This is american! You need to be reading in bulgarian! not american!!!
Me: (Feels intimidated and flustered as to how to respond) ...uh..
Member: Youre not going to learn the language by reading this!! You need bulgarian! Tomorrow you better be reading in bulgarian!
Me: Uhh...ya...
I wanted to tell her that I first have to obtain the word before I can preach it in a foreign language but my mind was hitting a wall. When I get nervous or uncomfortable, bulgarian doesnt come.
Member: *Mocks* "Ya, ya" You need to! You wont learn the language!
Me: *Silent*
I was taken aback that she was mocking me and just being down right RUDE. I wanted to say to her, "You try going to America and learning english in 6 months, NOT POSSIBLE! Its HARD!" But ya...I just didnt appreciate it, you know? Im already sensitive about my language and I didnt really like a MEMBER telling me how much I sucked as a missionary. Loss and I walked home and I just cried. So discouraging.
Anyways, those are my stories for this week! Keep me in your prayers and have a good week all. I miss you and love you a lot.
-Sister Kinkead
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Email: July 4th
Hey everyone!
My last email was pretty much a downer but I can tell you that this past week has really picked up! We have TWO baptismal dates!!!! One with our investigator Rosen and the other with Alex!! Rosen is a man who is in his 30s and has really felt the spirit in our lessons. He loves the gospel so much. I committed him to baptism! I was a little scared but I just went with it and he said yes! HOLLA! hahaha. Hes a good man and I can really feel his spirit. Alex is the other one. Hes in his 50s. Hes a bit slow, hes homeless and he brings all of his things in a bag to our lessons but he is a special spirit. I really like Alex. Hes very patient when I have to look down at my bulgarian notes so I know how to say certain things. Im horrible at memorizing! Eeeeek. Its great though! We havent taught the commandments yet. Im a bit hesitant about that. Both Rosen and Alex have problems with the word of wisom and maybe even some other things...we'll see though. I know this is the time where Satan works his hardest but I have faith that they will be ok. :) Pray for them! 2 baptismal dates in one week! Check us out!!!
We had another lesson with a man named Ivan. We taught him about the restoration and he said that he thinks anyone who has faith is in "the right church". Him and Sister Speth then got in a heated arguement about it. I stopped it by posing a question to Ivan. "Ivan, why did you want to meet with us?" He responds with, "Because I want to know what you believe." I then look at him and say, in my horrible bulgarian, "You met with us because you have a great desire to find truth. You want to find something your heart is searching for." I felt the spirit was so strong. I wasnt going to let his little excuses get past me. I know hes searching for truth. I bore testimony about his spirit, his heart and the great desire that he has. He really calmed down and just listened even though I was struggling to find words and talking choppy bulgarian that probably made no sense lol. BUT He listened and I could tell it through his eyes. The spirit testifies to peoples hearts...even if you cant speak their native tongue. It was a very cool experience for me. He will be meeting with us again :)
In other news. I didnt go to primary yesterday during church. Ian, one of primary friends DID NOT like that. He came searching for me and told me that he wanted me in primary. I told him that I had to stay with my investigators. He said ok and then slowly made his way to primary with his little hand on his eyes. I think he was starting to cry. It broke my heart but I have my responsibilities you know? I know he was ok in primary. After church he came rushing up to me and told me all about primary. The primary teacher told me that he has a major crush on me. His parents told me that they use me to get him to do things at home. "If you put your socks on, Sister Kinkead will play with you." LOL. I love it! I love little Ian. Im gonna have to get his last name so I can look him up when I get back into the states. Hes the one who is here for vacation and lives in Utah. Cuuute kid. The elders try talking to him and even the sisters but he solely talks to me and only wants to be MY friend. Hahaha! His mom was like, "I dont know what you did but...hes in love with you" Lol. Love him!!
Bulgarian is coming right along! Ive been working on a gospel principle each day and writing it down in my little notebook. I will use my notebook in my lessons if I have to *Shrugs* If I want to learn this language I gotta start somewhere. I had this really cool experience yesterday as we were visiting this gypsy family. I was talking about baptism and the importance of it. I felt really calm and collected and the words just came! All these thoughts came to my head as to what I should tell them and it just flowed!! I was SO excited! I walked out of the lesson thinking, I CAN DO THIS! Its a good feeling! Im finally taking the Berlin Wall down one brick at a time! Im BREAKING THROUGH TO FREEDOM! Glory!!!
Anyways, thats about it! Thanks for all the supportive emails everyone! I love you!!!!!
-Sister Kinkead
My last email was pretty much a downer but I can tell you that this past week has really picked up! We have TWO baptismal dates!!!! One with our investigator Rosen and the other with Alex!! Rosen is a man who is in his 30s and has really felt the spirit in our lessons. He loves the gospel so much. I committed him to baptism! I was a little scared but I just went with it and he said yes! HOLLA! hahaha. Hes a good man and I can really feel his spirit. Alex is the other one. Hes in his 50s. Hes a bit slow, hes homeless and he brings all of his things in a bag to our lessons but he is a special spirit. I really like Alex. Hes very patient when I have to look down at my bulgarian notes so I know how to say certain things. Im horrible at memorizing! Eeeeek. Its great though! We havent taught the commandments yet. Im a bit hesitant about that. Both Rosen and Alex have problems with the word of wisom and maybe even some other things...we'll see though. I know this is the time where Satan works his hardest but I have faith that they will be ok. :) Pray for them! 2 baptismal dates in one week! Check us out!!!
We had another lesson with a man named Ivan. We taught him about the restoration and he said that he thinks anyone who has faith is in "the right church". Him and Sister Speth then got in a heated arguement about it. I stopped it by posing a question to Ivan. "Ivan, why did you want to meet with us?" He responds with, "Because I want to know what you believe." I then look at him and say, in my horrible bulgarian, "You met with us because you have a great desire to find truth. You want to find something your heart is searching for." I felt the spirit was so strong. I wasnt going to let his little excuses get past me. I know hes searching for truth. I bore testimony about his spirit, his heart and the great desire that he has. He really calmed down and just listened even though I was struggling to find words and talking choppy bulgarian that probably made no sense lol. BUT He listened and I could tell it through his eyes. The spirit testifies to peoples hearts...even if you cant speak their native tongue. It was a very cool experience for me. He will be meeting with us again :)
In other news. I didnt go to primary yesterday during church. Ian, one of primary friends DID NOT like that. He came searching for me and told me that he wanted me in primary. I told him that I had to stay with my investigators. He said ok and then slowly made his way to primary with his little hand on his eyes. I think he was starting to cry. It broke my heart but I have my responsibilities you know? I know he was ok in primary. After church he came rushing up to me and told me all about primary. The primary teacher told me that he has a major crush on me. His parents told me that they use me to get him to do things at home. "If you put your socks on, Sister Kinkead will play with you." LOL. I love it! I love little Ian. Im gonna have to get his last name so I can look him up when I get back into the states. Hes the one who is here for vacation and lives in Utah. Cuuute kid. The elders try talking to him and even the sisters but he solely talks to me and only wants to be MY friend. Hahaha! His mom was like, "I dont know what you did but...hes in love with you" Lol. Love him!!
Bulgarian is coming right along! Ive been working on a gospel principle each day and writing it down in my little notebook. I will use my notebook in my lessons if I have to *Shrugs* If I want to learn this language I gotta start somewhere. I had this really cool experience yesterday as we were visiting this gypsy family. I was talking about baptism and the importance of it. I felt really calm and collected and the words just came! All these thoughts came to my head as to what I should tell them and it just flowed!! I was SO excited! I walked out of the lesson thinking, I CAN DO THIS! Its a good feeling! Im finally taking the Berlin Wall down one brick at a time! Im BREAKING THROUGH TO FREEDOM! Glory!!!
Anyways, thats about it! Thanks for all the supportive emails everyone! I love you!!!!!
-Sister Kinkead
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