December 23rd-29th


Hello Family and Friends! 

Well another week gone here in Ukraine! This past week was definetly a crazy one! The highlight of the week was getting to talk to my familly on skype! That was such an awesome experience! It is pretty crazy that I have been on a mission now for a little over 9 months! It was so good to see all of them though! 

So Christmas day was good! We woke up and had to go to center to do some registration stuff but when we showed up we got a call saying to come back the next day! So lame! We then just went to the center church and played some ping pong with some other missionaries! Later in the day we did skype and then we were supposed to have a lesson at night but we got dogged! So we just spent the night on the streets! haha. 

Thursday we had to go back to center for registration and once again we got a call right when we got there to come the next day! We were so mad! We just stayed that night in center and helped them with their English class! We were supposed to have a lesson but got dogged again! It was fun to go to their English though and help out! 

Friday morning we finally were able to get the registration done! We then came home and got ready for a lesson with a family in the branch. As we were walking there we get a call from them to cancel and move to a different night!!! We then just ended up going over to the church to help with our English! 

Saturday was a little better! We studied and weekly planned! It was all good! Then at night we went and did some potential investigator stop bys because we had two lessons set up but they both cancelled right before! 

Yesterday was a good day at church! So saturday afternoon I get a call from the Elders Quorum president and he asks me to give a talk in Sacrament meeting! So I was able to do that yesterday! It was way good! I love giving talks! It was crazy cause I only had one day to prepare and I know the Lord helped me so much to be able to give the talk! Church is always good to get to see all the members and spend time with them! It was a bummer though cause none of them wanted to meet this week cause of New Years! It is going to be a hard week! 

Well That is pretty much all! Besides talking with my family this past week was definetly one of the most challenging and hardest weeks of my mission. I know that these are just small trials that God is giving me to strengthen me and make me better! I hope this week will be better! I know the Church is true and I love serving here! Even when times are hard, I know that God loves me and is putting me through trials for a reason! I love you all so much! Hope you had a merry Christmas and I wish you a happy New Year! 

Love 

Elder Grochmal 

SORRY! I dont have much photos! I sent them all on Christmas!

 My view of you all on skype! haha

 My comp sleeps alot on busses! hahahaha

This is what my desk looks like when I have 1 day of personal study to prepare a talk! 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!  Here are my photos! No email this week because of SKYPE!! YEA!!! Love you all!

 Exchange in southern Odessa!

 View from the apartment! not my apartment though!

 Christmas Party!!

 Our branch mission leader!

 District President!

 present from the Branch!

 My best friend Titus! He is a member! 

 Christmas Morning! I was a little tired!

 Well since it was Christmas I had to have some Soda! 

 They sell this in Center Odessa for like 2 dollars! So good! 

 Sister Lucy! She is amazing! 

 Christmas day Ping Pong tournament!

December 9th-15th

Dear Family and Friends!

Another awesome week has gone by here in Ukraine! It was transfer week but like I told you last week I didnt get moved so Elder Hess and I are still here together. But our district got a bunch of new missionaries! It was so fun to see them and get to know them! This is going to be such a fun transfer coming up! It will be 8 weeks so that will be exciting! I am so happy to stay here! I really love the members here and I feel my relationship with all of them is taking off! I love it! 

So last Tuesday we didnt have district meeting. About half of our district had to do registration stuff! So at night we went to some recent converts house to teach them a lesson! It was so awesome! They are so awesome! It is the couple that got baptized when I first got here. The lesson was so awesome! After that we ran over to the church cause we had a little party thing for all the missionaries going away! It was way fun! Some non members came so that is always good! 

Wednesday morning we had to go into Center Odessa to do some registration stuff for my companion. It was so long and boring! haha. We got it all done though and then came home and did some studies! We had English that night! English is the best! Our program is awesome and we have so much success with it! I love teaching English so much! WE had some new people show up and even one man that was interested in the church! So cool! It was sad that night though cause we had to say bye to all the missionaries leaving! They had a train that night! Elder Ball left and headed up to Kiev. He was my old companion. Also our zone leader Elder Hinkson left! I love him so much and I learned so much from him! 

Thursday was another good day! We studied then did some contacting and English advertising then we got a call from the Center Elders asking us to come to their English cause they were gonna be alone and needed help! So we went to that! It was way good! They also have a good English program going on in their area! It was lots of fun! 

On Friday we met with a member at night then we went to English! It was so fun cause all the new missionaries showed up! It was fun to get to know them! Also I made a Free English sign that has Christmas lights on it! It was so awesome! The people loved it when we went advertising!

Saturday we had to do some planning then we went to a members house! He is our Branch Mission Leader! We had such a good lesson with him! He is so funny! Like seriously one of the funniest guys I know in Ukraine! I love meeting with him so much and getting to know more about his life and conversion into the church! 

Yesterday was another awesome day at the church. The members here are just so awesome! They are really starting to love the missionaries which is good! They are alot nicer and more friendly to us! I love it so much! It makes me feel at home with them! 

Well that is about all. Our investigator pool is not too good right now. We have one man who is so elect but he is in Kiev so we are waiting for him to return! I talked to him yesterday though and he said that he just finished reading Alma already! He is so awesome! I know that as we keeping working our hardest here that the Lord will bless us! I love this work and I love serving a mission so much! Even if times are slow and hard right now, I know that I am doing the right thing here in Ukraine! I love it! I love you all and thanks for your letters! Have a great week! 

Love 

Elder Grochmal   

 my 2 dollar hat

 Elder Hinkson!

 Elder Keefe!

 This is for you dad. I know its beer but hey its funny!!

 FREE ENGLISH!

 First Snow! It was all melted by lunchtime!

My new sign!