Week 27: I guess you could call me trilingual

Alrighty everybody! Big News! The transfer call came and I'm leaving Pobeda... 

Pretty sad to say goodbye to my first area! I've loved serving here and the members are just amazing it'll be super sad to go but I know it's where the Lord wants and needs me!

I'm heading off to Nikolaev! It's a little more Southern close to the Black Sea a little warmer there and I think super pretty! I'm not really sure! around Odessa is kind of the more fancy part of the country. I'll be serving there with Elder Pedersen! He's been out on his mission for over a year and he is from NORWAY!! So that's pretty cool! I hear that he is a really good worker so I'm excited about that! That will be really great!

This week has been a good one! I really enjoyed it and learned a bunch!! We talked to sooo many people it was really cool! There were so many people who stopped and had conversations with us this week and that makes contacting so much more fun!

I'm trying to think of what happened this week and there hasn't been anything super super eventful other than transfers so I'll just share a few stories that were cool from this week!

We met this guy on the street this week! And it may have been the 2 most interesting conversation I have had on my mission the 1st is to come later in the email haha. This guy comes walking up and we stop him on the street and say! "Good Morning! Can we ask you a question?" and he responds, "Oh I don't speak very good English... I speak Spanish." Then Elder Pierce says, "Oh He speaks Spanish (pointing to me)." 

Rewind a little bit now, They've heard me sing in Spanish with Elder Guarteche and in the apartment a little to but all my Spanish SPEAKING ability left about as soon as I started learning Russian. But now Elder Pierce has told him that I speak Spanish so this man continues to speak to me in Spanish for the rest of the conversation, even though he is Ukrainian and speaks Russian. So now at this point I've got to continue on because Elder Pierce has talked me up. 

K back to the convo now. He turns to me and says in Spanish, "¿Tu hablas Español?" I say (after thinking hard for 5 seconds), "Si, un poco." Then he rains down the Spanish asking me where I learned Spanish and all these other questions keep in mind all in Spanish now and I же

understood what this man was saying! I don't know where my Spanish skills have been hiding but they're somewhere beneath the surface! I said, "Yo estudio en la escuela." Haha he wasn't interested in the Gospel an eventually my Spanish skills ran out and Russian wasn't as interesting to him and he left but, Hey the gift of toungues is sooo real!! Also shout out to all those Spanish speakers I know!! Austin, Jade, Cydnee, Elder Halls, Elder Guarteche, Elder Scott haha all of you! 

This week there was one day where we had about 20 minutes left before we were going to return home and language study and we decided to do some more contacting. The contacting wasn't successful I don't think anyone even stopped to talk to us. But at the very end of the street we ran into Zhenya and his Grandma! She was leaving for the hospital and we were able to walk her grandson Zhenya back home to the apartment and it was just a testimony and talk to him and do a little lesson! I was super cool just another testimony that as we stay anxiously engaged in the work! Opportunities and little miracles will come our way.

We taught a couple other lessons this week which was really cool!! One with Nik again and that was really good we are still working on getting him to come to church!! 

Saturday we went contacting with the Members in the park again always a really great time!! I always enjoy it! It was super successful!! We gave some books of Mormon and helped the people!! While we were contacting this man comes walking up to me from far away I can tell he has decided he's going to be talking to me! This is a guy I've tried to talk to in the past and he's always just said no and moved on his way so, I'm getting a little nervous like maybe he's gonna come yell at me. But he comes up and asks in Russian, "вы знаете Стэва Джобса умер?" (Do you know Steve Jobs died?) I was really confused at this moment because I couldn't figure out why he would be asking me this question but I say, "Да" ("yes"). Then he asks, "Do you know where he's buried?" I say, "Well no?" and then he begins to explain to me how no one knows where he was buried and that means that he is still alive! He also says the same about Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson and it was just really bizarre haha!

Yesterday was my last day in church with the Победа Приход (Pobeda Prihod "Branch") It was sad but really great as well!! I was able to bear my testimony and I really felt a great love for all of those members!! 

I wanted to talk a little about love this week! Love is one of the most important parts of this gospel! It is because of the Father's love for us that he sent His only Begotten Son to come and suffer and die for us! 

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

That same love is why we all go out on our missions to share this great knowledge we have with others! When we love our fellow men it brings us closer to our Heavenly Father and we become more and more like Jesus Christ! We should always remember love as we live the gospel that love will encourage and lead us to serve others and that is what will bring the richest and truest joy to our lives!! "Perfect love casteth out all fear." 

Headed to Nikolaev tomorrow wish me luck!!

Love Elder Halls

Last Huraah at Church with Brat Polyakov

Last days as a trio