THE HARDEST THING IVE EVER DONE - Mkeebka

FAMILY!!!
Hi...so I’ll get just get started...THIS IS THE HARDEST THING IVE EVER DONE IN MY LIFE. I’m in my 1st area called Mkeebka ( "mak-ee-yev-ka" ) i guess its one of the "hardest" areas of the mission? Anyways my trainer is a friend of mine that i went to BYU with!! Tyler Pulsipher! SMALL world! Things are great. The people of Ukraine are so nice!.....just kidding. For real, everyone here is just cold. That’s all i can really say, but my area is probably the most rundown communist places I’ve ever seen. My apartment is hilarious it’s so bad haha, but it’s becoming home. But it’s bad, like you don’t walk around barefoot or in socks cuz...well, bad things would happen to your feet if you did. Don’t freak out but we totally have bed bugs...we're looking in to how to get rid of them, but we'll be fine :)...hopefully haha. Our apt isn’t that bad, i mean, we get water twice a day, which is fun because it shuts off around 9:30 pm so if you have to use the restroom at night...well, good luck, hahah. Living conditions here for everyone is absolutely horrible and no one does anything about it. Morality is down the drain here and everyone is drunk throughout the day...literally. The buses here are way funny, people are all up in your face...personal bubble?...you don’t get one here, haha. The best is when you're on the "mar-shoot-ka"...bus...and a Babushka grabs the rail above you and her dang nasty hairy sweaty arm pits are in your face...deodorant? nope, you don’t get that here either, haha. It may sound bad...cuz it is, BUT i still love it. It’s hard but i love it. I’m speaking Russian!! to Russian people!! It’s crazy how when you open your mouth, the Lord blesses you with things to say! I bore my testimony on Sunday in our branch! and they all said that i did great. Also, a lot of people thing that i have a good accent! oh! and twice someone came up to me and asked me if I’m Armenian, haha, its way funny. I don’t "look" American i guess. It’s really weird to see everything in Russian! and everyone is speaking Russian too, my brain probably explodes 3 times a day. But I’m beginning to see how and why people grow on the mission. Personal study in the morning is like gold for me, it helps me get away from things. My comp is kind of disobedient which is a little bit of a bummer but when we get out on the streets, he works hard. It’s really hard to put my thoughts all in order, but when i get you some pictures, you'll understand. K funny story, so our bathroom is getting fixed and the guy working on it, Cawa " Sasha", is way sick. When he finished the other day, he started talking to my comp and i about the shower and stuff and he straight up strips!!!! down to this nasty little thong thing!!! My comp and i almost died!!! The best part was, he was still talking to us like it was no big deal hahaha! Oh man, it was bad haha but it was way funny. So now after that, he does it every time he's done working for the day. I’m getting used to it now, i don’t think that’s healthy. Anyways PLEASE send pictures. Family, friends, hobbies all the above. people love it and it helps a ton. I love you all and i pray for you every day. Going to pick up Kimi will be a blast. Keep reading and praying together every day. Man...the mission is no joke. I love you all!
Ct. Rooney