I got bit by a dog

hey yo.

happy p-day. Ukraine is awesome. i love every minute of it i hope it never ends!!!!!!

on to questions: I like Mariupol a lot. I'm enjoying my time here. we don't have enough money, no. our monthly fund is 1200 grivin, which is about enough to buy food and transportation for two weeks. i run out of money every month and use personal funds for groceries. the office asked for more money, and got denied. in Mariupol, we have to buy water, because the sewer lines got mixed with the water ones, so we have to buy water every couple of days. they pay us back for that, but sometimes the office forgets. so sorry if i'm draining your money. it is getting a bit cooler, it stays around 30 degrees, so i'm enjoying it while it lasts. the winter is just around the corner. i haven't gotten very sick since I've been in country, somehow. Me and the comp are getting along well.

We had a fun week. Monday we had family night with sister bigoon, and a couple other members. we had a good discussion, and then played some game, i can't remember. nothing too terribly exciting, but there are some really cool members here.

Tuesday was good, we got to go see the new apartment where the new missionaries are going to live. it is really small, probably the smallest i've seen, but it is nice. and on the first floor, which is very nice. I wouldn't mind living there. after that we had a good lesson with this member family. We had a nice pleasant visit. they gave us some cookies. he started complaining about us never doing service for anybody, so i offered to do service, and we are going to do some this saturday for him. he seemed to appreciate it. we have been trying to get him in line with the whole missionary work thing, because he kind of hinders the work, so i think it was a big step forward. then we had an investigator lesson at the church, it was in english. it was frustrating. they just don't understand the idea of restoration. i have gone through the entire first lesson in detail, as simply but thoroughly as possible, and they just won't understand. we will keep trying. oh! i got bit by a dog that day, too! this random stray. it didn't bite hard enough to break skin, or even my pants, so that was good. but it still bit me. and then ran away barking like crazy. that was interesting.

Wednesday was independence day here! we had a big party at the church to celebrate. a cool patriotic, historical program, some games, a bunch of food. we got an investigator to come a little bit late, so it was good for him. it was a lot of fun, hanging out with members, getting to know them a little bit. that day we also had a lesson with this dude named Alexander, who looks like Lenin. He's got the beard and everything. he is inactive, but still has a strong testimony. he wants to become an active member again. so we will work with him, hopefully help him out. he was a fun, crazy man.

Thursday we didn't do too much. no one could meet at all. that night though, we had a youth night, where we made this yummy salad called vinagret, which has a bunch of nasty ingredients, but ended up way tasty. we had like three investigators there, and everyone had a really good time. well i did, at least. Friday was the same, no one could meet.

Saturday we did service again, making cement for this family. it was fun, that went from 10-2, and then we had sports night from 5-7. an old investigator came to sports night, a cool kid who knows English really well. hopefully we can get him to come to other stuff, and slowly transition him into an investigator. Sunday was minors day, so they told us to stay in our apartment if we didn't have lessons. and our lesson dogged us, so we didn't. we made a delicious cake, though. i am still enjoying it. and we played 2 grueling games of chess, he won the first, and i won the second.

so I'm doing good. i heard about the hurricane, that is good that it wasn't as big as they said. we were imagining new york city being destroyed. but its good that didn't happen. don't worry, I'm happy. i think my emails sound depressed. i just have to write so darn fast, i don't have time to put some personality in 'em. maybe next transfer. anyways, i'll talk to you in a week! thanks for all the letters! love you all!

love, elder Brimley