The Mystery Is Solved?

It is amazing. They dig up all the grass and then reseed it. The pigeons and other birds think it is a God send. They are planting a lot of new trees around the area.
The apricot trees are all around the area and are in full bloom. Wonder if anyone can eat the apricots when they become ripe? Who claims what?
This is a spot in the front of our apartment where I decided to plant Zinnia. Wanted to see how well that black soil will grow.

Almost from the beginning of arriving in the Ukraine I have had a problem with my taste buds. Everything taste like baking soda and at times I even feel like I have salt on my lips. It happened when I made my first cake so we thought that the baking soda had a clump in it or it didn't get dissolved good, from then on I made sure the baking soda got mixed well. The odd taste continued. I even mentioned this to Elder Lee, a dentist, thinking maybe he had heard of this happening. Nada! John even told me to call an Internist in the States thinking I may have a metabolic imbalance and since this has been going on for almost three months I was beginning to think maybe I was sick and developing diabetes, etc. I even tried to get your dad to lick my lips to see if he could taste what I was tasting - he was a no go for that idea - oh, well I tried. Even when I taste my hand I can taste salt. The tip of my tongue even as I sit here typing burns and I have a metalic taste in my mouth. This was most noticeable after all the baking goods that I made, at least to me. John did not have that problem. Yesterday the Elders came over and they brought me a box cake to make. Since I gave them lunch and used the left over cake I had, I made the box cake for the Elders that were to come over for supper. I made a white icing, powder sugar from Germany and put two packages of vanilla in it because I was just going to make a white icing, not chocolate. I tried the cake and to my surprise it burned my tongue and I tasted baking soda. Oh, well I thought it must be the powder sugar since it was a cake mix. When we came came home Natasha was already here, we now have a Ukrainian Sister who is waiting to go to America living with us, and we were discussing what she ate and how I always had this taste in my mouth. She immediately sa1d "it's the vanilla, that's a cheap kind and they make it out of , I don' know what". So I go in and open a package, put my finger in, taste it and think, no it's okay, so I try a bigger bite and Yelp that's the taste that I have had in my mouth for 3 months! So I don't know how long it will take to work that "poisoning" out of my system but I will definetely get a new vanilla. And to think I put twice as much in my cake for the flavor. Hope this will finally make eating more enjoyable, that taste has been in my mouth almost 24/7.

Natash,is a return missionary, who is going to the States to get her professional Genealogy license. She had been living in an apartment with a Single Senior Missionary who went home about 2 months early to help her daughter with back surgery. Natasha then lived in a apartment by herself for a month but did not like the apartment, not very nice she said. So she has moved in with us, she can help with Russian, she translates medical records for us, takes us places, etc. She will probably go home for the month in June and then hopes to go to the States in July.

Our life has been rather the same the past two weeks and I have been a little slow in writing. Dad even was feeling a little "under-used" on Wednesday and was thinking that he could of been more valuable in staying at home, still working and paying his tithing, etc. Well, we have decided that we will never complain about the amount of work we are doing because since then we have hardly been off of the phone. Had to send another missionary home for surgery, had one bleeding for over 2 months, have 2 or 3 with diarrhea, etc. We will just do the work the Lord has called us to do with a grateful heart! We head to Armenia tomorrow evening. Will only be gone til next Thursday evening but will be able now to go to a Stake Fireside Next Friday evening with the Area President Counselor, President Gibbons.

We will meet with all the senior couples at a surprise birthday party for Brent Lee tonight. Also need to go to the Service Center to work on missionary medical recoupments.

Sometimes I am a little hesitant to write about the "tender mercies" I have in my life but I want to express my love to my Heavenly Father for the one of healing at this time. Sunday night I woke up around 1:30. I had a leg cramp and had to get up to put pressure on it to get rid of it. I then went back to sleep for a short time and was again awakened. This time I had a pain in my right flank. Got up to go to the bathroom. And then began to feel nauseated. John woke up to see what was going on and I replied that I did not feel well, felt nauseated and had a pain. He then told me to let him check my abdomen. He did and then I told him that was not where the pain was. I would think that after all the kidney stones I have had he would know how my symptoms present, but sometimes I just wonder. I headed to the bathroom a few more times with the waste can in hand, in case I had to vomit, I did a small amount once. By this time I guess I was in my pacing mode and was beginning to get a little perspiring. When one has a kidney stone it is hard to get in a comfortable position, thus the pacing. He then asked if I wanted a blessing, I replied wait a few. Then we decided we had better go look for the pain medication, we brought some along just for this sceranio. Anyway he gave me a blessing. Then we tried to lay back down when he jumped up again and told me he needed to give me another blessing, this time telling me the pain and stone would go away and cause no problem. He also gave me a pain medication and went to the kitchen where he was doing the dishes. I immediately preceeded to vomit up the medication and water he gave me. I then decided to lay down and as I was doing this I noticed that the pain was lower and that it was easing up. By the time John came back to bed and we laid down, the pain was basically gone, and we slept through the rest of the night. John just replied that he had never know any one to pass a stone in less that an hour - I am pretty sure that was what I had as I had the typical sympoms for me. I am so thankful for this blessing as I sure did not to want to labor 2-3 days and only pass a stone. I truly feel that this was a healing power in my life.

We do love you all, miss you, and pray that you are aware of the blessings in each of your lifes, even with struggles. May the Lord Bless each of you in you needs. Love Mom, Dad, GM, GP, J&J