Week 78: Great Happens

Hello family!! Иными словами привет семья!!

This was a really great week! Things are going good here in Kharkiv and we still have many things to work on to build the kingdom and that keeps us busy so we can't complain.

MLC

MLC was really great! All of our meetings as missionaries are so inspiring and inspired I feel that there is always a great spiritual boost and many important reminders that help me to continue to do my very best!

It's also super fun to see all the other missionaries and old companions and what not! Elder Stosich is a Zone Leader in the South Zone right now and it's always cool to see him there. It's about a 3 hour drive from Kharkiv to Dnipro and therefore it is the perfect pondering studying time as we are traveling and I always feel like I learn so much. This time I read a bunch of chapters in the 2nd volume of Saints! It's super great! It's even cooler in Russian so maybe give it a try ;) haha

День Открытых Дверей (the day of open doors.) (AKA Open house)

We had an open house in the branch that was really great! We didn't have as many come to see the branch as we would've hoped but Dima and Dima (My mom has labeled them Dima1 and Dima2 which I guess for logistics sense is a little more understandable.) (As a side side note every time I meet someone on the street and their name is Dima I think I almost expect them to be ready for the Gospel now because we are actually teaching at the moment 3 Dima's)(I've never taught a single Sergei my whole mission though which seems strange to me...)

Anyways it was a good opportunity for the Dima's to talk a lot with members of the church. They both came and stayed to help out and run tours and stuff so that was really cool!

The Work

This week we spent a lot of time on the streets doing different finding activities. We also took some time to get better acquainted with where members live and we tried to do some 5 minute visits. We didn't have tremendous success in getting into these people's homes but we were able to know more about them and found correct numbers and addresses so I'm sure later we will be able to eventually visit with these members. As we were finding, I was reflecting and thinking about how my finding has changed throughout the course of my mission. I think from the start I was afraid and unconfident, struggling to start even a conversation. Then later I got more confident but wasn't very bold in inviting, and so forth. But what I thought about was how at this time of my mission I've never been receiving less contacts on the street. And I really thought about that. From the beginning I thought that meant I must be doing something wrong. But as I continued to ponder, I realized that Elder Payne and I have been seeking to teach those that are prepared. Talking and inviting all to come unto Christ as we talk with all that we see. But, then teaching those that will receive us. As we've done so I've seen the qualities of our conversations/lessons/people we are teaching go up and it has been a very effective time and has taught me what I view as a very valuable lesson.

This week we began teaching a few new people. One of which is named Vyacheslav. He has a unique story. He met with a member of the church from Utah who traveled to Ukraine for some volunteer and business trips. They became friends and have talked a long time together about the church and the gospel. They together attended the open house for the Kiev temple 11 or 10 years ago. Vyacheslav has a great impression of the church and baptism for the dead and other principles he knows and has thought often about being baptized. We are excited to teach him! We realized in our first lesson that, although he does have some knowledge about the Gospel it's in all reality very limited. We hope that he will be able not to just like the church as an organization but develop his own testimony of truth!

Dima is doing really well! On Sunday he received the Aaronic Priesthood and was ordained a Priest. He continues to grow and strengthen his testimony and faith. On Monday we ran into him just on the street and it was great to see him with a big smile on his face just walking about his work. A smile that wouldn't have been there a couple of months ago. He shared his testimony on the family night activity with all these people we are teaching that came which was really powerful! He helped out a lot in the Branch's open house that took place Friday and Saturday. Which was really great because he had a lot of time to talk with different members of the church who were excited to talk with him about their missions, and other things. He has been thinking a lot about serving a mission and hasn't made any decisions yet but knows that being 21 he has the opportunity and it's really intriguing for him.

The other Dima we are teaching, the brother of Maksim is doing really well! We were at the open house on Saturday and on Thursday we had a lesson about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and challenged him to ponder and pray about being baptized. Well on Saturday when he walked in he sat down and looked at all of us and said that he's made the decision and wants to be baptized! We went and did a lesson with Dima our recent convert and it was very powerful! We didn't yet schedule the exact date of the baptism because he wants to make sure his family will be able to come and it's a good day but it should be the 14 or 21st of this month.

The branch is doing well! They have a great desire to share the Gospel and it's impressive! We are going to provide them with more opportunities to be on lessons and help out in this great work! I think they're very excited as they see those we are teaching come to church and progress and be baptized. We feel like we are having some movement forward which is really exciting.

Погода

The погода is getting really nice here. This week it did rain a little but it was all over night but this week the погода is looking like it'll be really good for us. 16° C I think that's like 60° F so wow that'll be nice. I don't know where the winter погода went.

Alma 7:11-12

11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities

We are never ever alone!! Heavenly Father loves and knows us! Our Savior Jesus Christ has felt our pain and affliction he knows our sorrow and because of Him we can do all things!!

Love you all!! Have a great week!

Elder Halls