SAKHALIN!!!

Hello everyone and welcome,

It is amazing what fire gets in my soul when I hear that my beloved Panthers lose.  But those feelings are suppressed because transfers came in and I'm going to Sakhalin!!!  I always hoped I would go there, and now I get to! It snows so much in the winter that it engulfs cars! I mean what else could I ask for!  And it is an island which will be an adventure.  I am sad to leave Ussuriysk but if I could have chosen where I would serve after, I would have chosen Sakhalin.   

Yesterday was a day of goodbyes... and more than a few pictures.  This whole week was basically all goodbyes.  I made some good friends here that it will be hard to forget.  Sister L made all of the volunteers borsch and had us come over to her house for family night.  She has completely mastered cooking in life.  That is a talent she definitely did not bury and it blessed all of us!  K brought a watermelon after church and we all savored it together.  We have been having so much good food lately.  Also at our lesson with Sister P she made us us hot dogs but the hot dog was completely covered with bread, they kinda looked like rolls.  After eating a few I grabbed one that seemed a little small, I didn't think much about it and bit into it and to my shock and the laughter of others it was filled with candy wrappers hahas.  People are the same everywhere you go.

S (lost at sea) FINALLY picked up his phone after months and months of calling it.  It turns out he actually was at sea this whole time.  I also called Mr. W to tell him goodbye and he gave me his number that only works in China.  If I ever go to China he is the first person I am calling. 

The city celebrated it's 150 year mark last week.  They got a concert set up and a firework show.  It reminded me a lot of peach days when I saw everything set up.  

The weather has been outstanding, I hear there's fierce wind in Sakhalin.  I am going to Vlad today and I'm  going to grab all my winter stuff.  That means the shark force (my coat) is coming back out! I missed that thing.  I will be in Vlad for a week and won't get to Sakhalin until Sunday morning at 9 am.  The plan is to get on a plane at 7 Sunday morning and fly there and land at 9 and make it to church at 11.  Oh yeah my new companion is Elder King.  I am excited to serve with him!

From my memory that pretty much wraps up this week.  Next time I write you I shall be on a different land mass.

Elder Wilding

Sakhalin is in the red circle