August 12th-18th


Привет Семья!

Hello Family and Friends!!

Everything is going just swell over here in the Ukraine! Just another awesome week with many great experiences! I love Ukraine so much and I love serving here! I know I have said this many of times but the people here and just so amazing! I love all of them so much especially the members!! Well we had another great week here in Billa. This upcoming week is transfer week! I am staying here in Billa with Elder Fisher for another transfer! Also we are getting 2 more sister here so we will have 2 Elders and 4 Sisters here! Crazy!! Another slower week but all is well! We did lots of work on the streets this week contacting and talking to people! 

So monday night for Family Home Evening at a members house! IT was way fun and we had a good spiritual thought then had some watermelon! Ok so everyone here loves watermelon! They sell it everywhere on the streets! It is so crazy!! 

Tuesday we had district meeting in the morning like always. We then contacted alot then had a lesson with a member Брат Офейчук! He is doing good! We have helped him stop smoking and he is getting ready to go to the temple and be sealed to his family! He is really excited and has been so awesome lately! He has been working so hard to be a better father and husband! I have definetly seen a major change in his life ever since we started to meet with him and help him quit smoking! He is such an awesome man with such a strong testimony of the Gospel! 

Wednesday was another good day! We had a lesson with our recent convert couple!  Миша и Галя! They are doing awesome! They are so solid! Every single time we go over there she makes us food! She is an amazing cook and always feeds us so well! I love it so much! haha. After that we had a lesson with an investigator. He is moving to Poland next month so it is hard to continue to teach him! But we met with him and read a chapter of the Book of Mormon with him! He is so awesome and also has a very strong testimony of the church! I know that one day he will be baptized for sure! He is a great kid! At night we had our normal English club! It was good! We had a good turn out with some new faces! 

So thursday was a slower day! We just spent lots of time on the streets! We walked like all over Billa! It was crazy! We had some good conversations with people but nothing too good! It was a bummer! We had a lesson at night again with Брат Офейчук! Our Branch Mission Leader wants us going over there alot to keep him on the right path and to continue to not smoke! IT was another good lesson and we talked alot about his family! His wife was there so we talked with her also! SHe is pregnant! They have a cool story! So they were married for like 5 years and couldnt get pregnant! They went to doctors and they always said to just stop coming cause it wasnt going to happen! So the dad wasnt a member yet. And he got baptized after 5 years of marriage! The day after his baptism they found out she is pregnant! He knows that it was a miracle from God. Now she is pregnant with there second child! They are so amazing! 

So friday we went and helped our fellow American Stan with a service project for an old lady! Her house is super super old and in very bad condition. So we went and started to build her a new roof! It was way fun! She was so happy and just loved that we were there helping her! I forgot to take a picture but we might have to go out to her again and finish the job so I will take a pic for sure! We also had a lesson with a man from our area book at night! He was a little crazy! He is a boxer and is massive! He talked so fast. HE was very nice though and just has a hard time coming to church! He knows like all about the church! We are going to continue to try and get him!! 

Saturday was way cool! So we had English in the afternoon but then had a special fireside at night! Our mission president, President Klebingat came down from Kiev to speak to our branch! IT was so awesome! We had a great turnout and lots of people came! Also I counted we had 10 nonmembers come! IT was so awesome! President Klebingat is so awesome! It was so cool to here him speak to everyone and to here him speak Russian. It was cool cause I felt like I understood everything that he was talking about! It was such a cool experience and it is always nice to see the President since we never see him! 

Sunday was pretty special. So at church a senior couple that used to serve here came back and visisted. THey served are the mission doctors about a year ago! They are so awesome! Everyone in the Branch was so excited to see them! They dont speak any Russian or Ukrainian but they had a translator with them! IT was so cool! During Sacrament meeting they got to speak! It was so awesome! The translator was obviously translating but you could just feel their love for the people here! Also so this past week all the youth went to this big youth conference in the mountains! It is basically EFY for Ukraine! So they all bore their testimonies in sacrament! It was way cool to see how much fun and how much their testimonies grew at their EFY! Also I was supposed to give a talk but we ran out of time so I didnt have to! haha. I was so scared to give it but now I just have to give it next week! haha. 

Well that is basically everything for this week. Oh I forgot which day but we met a man on the street and he was like oh are you from Utah? and my companion said yes and this guy was like I love the Utah Jazz! haha. It was so funny! He was like I love Andre Kirolinko! He was a way nice guy! Yes Justin someone in Ukraine loves the Jazz! So awesome! Well I hope you all have a marvelous week! Thanks for the emials! Love you all! 

Love 

Elder Grochmal! 

 This fan is a life saver! 

 Some good home cooked meals! 

 Ukraine

 The hole is finally done. A member in the branch has worked on this for 2 years. He finally hired a tractor to come and finish the job! 

 I didnt know my companion took this. It was a long day...

 Everyone LOVES watermelon! 

This is about half of the branch. We are missining like all of the men. They all had work. The man between my comp and I is an investigator. The man in the front on a knee is the Branch President. President Klebingat is in the back left. To the left of President Klebingat is Sasha who is preparing to go on a mission!!

Also go to this link to see some videos I have posted (more to come) :

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/101377638789528143308/albums/5911195886192611265