July 8th-15th

Hello Family and Friends!!

Just another awesome week here in Ukraine! It was a very busy week as usual. My companion and I have been able to keep our schedules full so that is always the best. Well I will jump right into my week:

So last week I mentioned in my letter about meeting with an investigator, Игер,  at our branch presidents house on monday.  Well we did so and it went very well. Our branch president is so amazing. We taught the first lesson about the Restoration and it went very well. We had our branch president just bear testimony on the importance of the Book of Mormon. It was such a good lesson and we are meeting with him tomorrow. He is elect and such a nice man! 

Tuesday we had our last district meeting as a full district because it was transfer week and people were moving around. It was a great meeting as always and then we had a lesson with another investigator Иван. We met him through English. He is about 17. He keeps telling us that his parents want him to wait till he is 18 to be baptized. We had a great lesson with him though and he is doing awesome! We then met with another investigator Руслан! He is so awesome! He is progressing alot and understanding everything we teach him! After our lessons we got on a bus and headed up to Kiev! We needed to be there wednesday morning early so we just left tuesday night and slept at the zone leaders apartment! 

So Wednesday we woke up and had to go do registration stuff for my companion. It didnt take too long but it was fun. We then went to lunch and TGI Fridays! hahaha. It was so strange. I felt like I was back in America! It was so good and it was so nice to get a big nice American style burger and some french fries!!! It had been too long! We then went to the mall cause my companion needed to buy a sidebag! Missionaries arent supposed to wear backpacks anymore so he needed a bag! We then went the temple and mission office to get mail of course. I was so stoked because I got my package for my birthday this week!! I was nervous I would make it to Kiev to get it but all was good and I got it! 

Well Thursday was a good day. We went and did some service for a member in the branch, Коля Товмаш! Kolya Tovmash. He is so funny and loves the missionaries. He is digging a big hole to build a new house. It is a little crazy because the hole needs to be massive and its not really that far along! After that we had a lesson with a recent convert, Sergey! He is doing awesome and going strong. So Thursday was transfer day and we were getting one new sister and losing one. So the new one was fresh from the MTC. She came down on a bus with Sister Snell, who has been here a while. We met them at the stop and helped take her luggage to their apartment. It was so crazy to think exactly six weeks ago on thursday I was moving into my apartment here in Bila! 

Friday started off with another lesson with Руслан! Rooslan... It went well but he told us that he is moving back to Kiev for the rest of the summer. We were a little sad because we love him but we asked him if it would be ok to give the Elders up there his number and they could meet with him and he said yes. So all is well. But we taught alot about baptism and we showed him the fount here in the church. We asked him to be baptised but he said that his parents dont want him to be. We asked him to ask his parents again and to invite his parents to church. We hope that everything goes well with him because he is officially passed over to the other missionaries! Friday night we met with a member, Sister Людмила! Loodmeela. She is so nice. We talked about being a member missionary and challenged her to give out one book of mormon this week! 

Saturday morning we went and helped Коля again to dig his hole. We got a lot done. We then had English and I got to give the spiritual thought at the end in Russian. It was so crazy. I felt way more confident this time that a couple weeks ago when I did it! We had our normal youth night again. We had a really good turnout with about 4 nonmembers! We played Mafia again! It was so fun. It reminded me again of all the fun times with the family especially playing at Havasu in the box! So classic. After that we had another recent convert lesson with Дима! Deema. He is doing so well. We always teach him at his work and he is like a security guard for this crazy church. It was pretty epic to teach him there. Always a weird feeling when we go in there. 

Sunday was amazing as always. We had a great turnout at church with almost 80 people! This branch is just so amazing and so strong. Everyone just loves and supports eachother like crazy. After church we went the another recent converts house, Миша и Галя. Meesha and Galia! They are so amazing. You would think that they have been members there whole lives. We taught a quick lesson then they fed us. On their teaching record where it says work for Sister Galia it said, Works wonders in the kitchen! It was so true! She made us some amazing food. We had stuffed peppers with all this other stuff that I didnt now what it was called but it was so good. So we got down and still had a couple hours left in the day so we went out tracting. There is this place across the river that has the biggest houses! Like they are massive. So we were like lets go over there. The people were nice over there and we talked to lots of people. We set up a return appointment with one family. We are really excited for them! 

Welll that was basically my whole week. It was a really crazy week to say the least. Today is officially the first day of my second transfer! I cant believe it. Time is flying here and its crazy. We have a lot to do this week also. My birthday is on thursday so that will be fun. First time away from home on my birthday! I never thought that I would spend my 19th birthday away from home. I am so grateful for the age change and allowing me to have already served almost 4 months before I am even 19! Well have a good week everyone! I miss you all and hope all is well! 

Love, 

Elder Grochmal.