Week 15 Den Marose

My first transfer here in Ukraine is down and the books and it was so great!! It's crazy to me that I have already been here in Ukraine for a month and a half because it feels like just the other day I was back home in South Jordan! I feel extra blessed though with how well I have been doing and how great I have been able to adjust to becoming a missionary! And how much of the language I have been able to learn and understand and I know that all of that is through the help of the Lord! 

This week was really good a lot of great experiences! Monday was my companion Elder Rodgerson's birthday so we celebrated with McDonald's and bowling and that was really fun. My bowling skills have not improved in the slightest but that doesn't mean we can't still have some fun! It was really funny that we all showed up to the bowling alley in shirts and ties some in suits it was fun to imagine what everyone else was thinking but to us now it just is normal! 

We met again with Alexander and Marina this week and they are just the nicest people! A lot of the time when people are having us over at there home we try to bake something for them during comp study that day because it's really so nice when people have us over so we have to do something to show we appreciate it because really here it's like unheard of most of the time we meet with people at a cafe somewhere or a church building or even sometimes just outside on the street. They gave Elder Rodgerson a present for his birthday and they gave me some herbal tea and then honey as well and I didn't like herbal tea much at all back home and some of the flavor's here aren't my favorite but this one they gave me it's good especially with the honey. They are so interested to know more and so nice and kind to us! We ended up teaching them two lessons it was kinda funny how it worked out! We taught them the Restoration and they were asking a bunch of questions and really wanted to understand well the message and then when we finished with that they realized like they really needed to start reading the Book of Mormon so they promised to start that night! Then after lesson 1 we had lunch they brought all this food they ate our cookies that we amazed them with and then we got back into teaching mode and taught all of the gospel of Jesus Christ talking about Baptism and the importance of the priesthood and they really understood it they started to ask questions like about baptism and what happens after like they already had a baptisimal date and everything so we committed them to be baptized Marina said yes! Alexander wanted more time to think but his mom was really trying to talk him into it! We just need to get them to church!! They didn't make it this week because apparently this whole time Alexander had a wife and she went into labor and was giving birth to their kid. (Alexander sent us this text like 20 mins before church was about to start) He also told us not to tell his mom so we are super confused right now what is going on. We don't think his mother even knows he is married and having a kid so that is super wild. It did seem like everything was just super perfect and to good to be true so now we've got a secret child to somehow work around so we can get these two baptzed!!

This week we had an exchange and I was with Elder Payne who is just one transfer ahead of me and it was awesome! Our Russian is about at the same level which I originally thought wasn't super great but we did so well and the whole day I understood everyone we were talking to and didn't run into any language problems so that was really huge to me in just knowing that I know as much as I need to know right now to get by on my own I can have these conversations without a bunch of help from my companion and that is great and makes me feels so blessed!

We learned about Den Marose this week in English practice, Den Marose is like there Santa Claus here except he is a lot different from our Santa Claus. Den Marose is like a heavy drinker so a lot of the times he's crazy, he doesn't have any elves and no one here knows how he makes his toys that his gives. He doesn't have a wife or anything so there isn't a Mrs. Claus but he does have a Grandaughter I can't remember what here name is but she helps him out and sings songs and stuff. He does live up north but not in the North Pole he lives in Greenland so that's pretty sweet. He doesn't have reindeer just normal deer but they fly too so it's all good! 

I just want to bear testimony to all of you of the reality of our Savior Jesus Christ, He lives and he loves each and everyone of us! He suffered for us so that we could be saved and return home to our Heavenly Father. Because of Him we will live again and we can overcome sin! I'm extra grateful for the Savior and his perfect example to us on how we should live! We have the great opportunity, all of us, to be disciples of the Lord and to share his loves with others and all those around us! At all times but especially in the Christmas season as well!! 

Love you all and would love to hear from you!!
Elder Halls

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