September 23rd-29th

ODESSA Here I COME!!

Hello Family and Friends! 

Well as you can tell by the title I am getting transfered to Odessa this week!! This is the name of the area I will be in: Філія Черьомушкі (Odessa Cheryomushky Branch) I am so excited! It is also sad to have to leave Billa. I absolutely love this place to much. It has been my home for the past 4 months and I am going to miss it so much. The members here really made me feel at home from the beggining. I will always remember Billa as my first area where I learned so much! I am so pumped to go down to Odessa though! I only here good things about it down there. My new companion will be Elder Ball. I have met him like once. He is a transfer older than me. So we will still be two young missionaries! Well here is a little about our week :

Monday we just did normal P-day stuff and then went to a family in the Branch's house for FHE! IT was so fun. 

Tuesday we had District Meeting in the morning. We then did some advertising for our Meet the Missionary night which was Saturday. It was fun we went out with the sisters and walked through town with a big sign that said "Who are Mormons" It was obviously in Russian. But yah it was way fun and good. We then went to a less actives house. It didnt go as we planned. We started talking and then his wife heard him say something and they got mad and argued. It was just an awkward sad situation. It was really hard to sit there and listen. 

On Wednesday we woke up and went and did some service for a member. It was way good as always. I love doing service! We then had two lessons with recent converts! They went very well. They are doing awesome and just loving the church and staying active. We then studied and then had English Game night! It was way fun. So we have a English program and it ended so we just go through for two weeks and have game night with the people. It was way fun! 

Thursday morning we started by doing a book table outside of our church. It was way good and affective. We talked to alot of people. We then studied and then went with the sisters and did some "Smile" contacting! IT was so much fun! Well besides the fact that it rained the whole time on us! haha. It was way good though and we got some numbers and set up some lessons! Way good!  We then had a lesson with another recent convert who is just amazing! He just loves to read the Book of Mormon and is such a champ! I love him! 

Friday was good. We just studied and did weekly planning! We then had a lesson with the less active that we met with earlier in the week. It was the same. Things were not good. We are just praying things will get better for him! It is just sad. 

Saturday! So we had our Meet the Missionary night! All the misisonaries here made little presentations on power point with photos from our lives! IT was so aweosme! We didnt get the turnout we were expecting but it was still fun. Everyone that did come loved it and laughed a bunch at all of our photos! 

Yesterday. My last Sunday here is Billa. It was sad. I just love it here so much. It was hard to have to say bye to alot of people already. After church we had a lesson with an investigator. She is doing really good. I am sad to not be able to teach her anymore but I know Elder Fisher will keep it up! 

Well that is basically all. So on Wednesday we are leaving up to Kiev. Elder Fisher and I are going to the Temple! Then thursday is wehn I will get my new comp and head down to Odessa. I am not exactly sure when I will be traveling down to Odessa. I just know probably on Thursday and it will be by train. I am so excited. It is going to be hard this next couple days to say by to everyone here but I know that great things are ahead of me. I am so excited to head down to Odessa and to just keep working hard. I love serving a mission so much! Oh also this past week was my 6 month mark! haha. Cool! Well Love you all! Hope you all have a great week! 

Love 

Elder Grochmal 

 Who are Mormons? 

 A member gave us these gas masks... mine is a little small...

 Recent Convert Dima. Gonna miss him!

 6 MONTHS!! 

 Meet the Missionaries night!

 Ilya!

 Sasha! 

 Meesha and Meesha!

 Recent converts who just loves us!

 Bogdon. The Branch Mission Leader! Gonna miss him so much! 

 Game night!

 Yes everyone I brought Arto with me to Ukraine...

My Last Sunday. Branch President Genyadie

 Vadeem 2nd counsler in Branch Presidency

Last time leaving the building on Sunday!

September 16th-22nd

Dear Friends and Family! 

This past week has been so amazing! We were very busy. Also I think that it just about rained every single day! I enjoy the rain alot except for all the mud here! It is so crazy. 

So last monday was a good day. After email we went to lunch with two branch members. They are so awesome. One is 22 and preparing for a mission and the other is 15! It was way fun. At night we went to some members house for FHE. It was way fun and they fed us a ridiculous amount of food! It was so good! They fed us borsch and duck and other Ukrainian stuff! Delicious! 

Tuesday morning we went out and took the big "Smile!" poster through town! It was way good and way successful. People actually talk to us because they just laugh and want to know who we are! It is such a good finding method. We then had district meeting. After that we studied and then met with a less-active. We just started working with him and he wants to quit smoking and come back to church. He is doing better. We then met with and investigator at night. It was a good lesson but things are just not progressing. She keeps saying she is too busy to read the Book of Mormon. We are really working hard and we are praying her heart will soften and she will accept our message. 

So Wednesday was an ok day. We were supposed to have two lessons at night but they both called and cancelled so we just did some finding and then we had English. English was good and we had a way good turnout like always. 

Thursday was supposed to be a way busy day but we had 3 people cancel on us! We still had two other lessons with recent converts. They went good. They are both doing awesome. We had one of the youth in the branch come and help us teach a lesson. We want him to practice teaching and learn more. We then took him and did less active stop-bys. It was actually way good because we had him with us. We stopped by this one family that we have tried before. Last time they wouldnt even talk to us at all. This time though she was way nicer and she actually talked to the member with us and it was a way better visit! 

Friday! Today we studied and then we had to weekly plan! That always takes forever! haha. WE then had two lessons at night. We first met with a recent convert! He is so awesome. He reads the Book of Mormon every single day while he is at work and just loves it. He is such an amazing man. We then taught a less active. It is a different one that earlier in the week. He is doing good. He too is going through some tough times and we are just trying to help him get through them! I love the people here so much. They all just have such amazing hearts! 

SATURDAY! Today was awesome! So for the last couple weeks we have been playing an Elder's Quorum activity to play American Football. So our branch president mentioned it to our mission president and President Klebingat said that 6 other missionaries from Kiev could come down and play so we could play Americans vs. Ukrainians! So saturday was the day of the big game! It was so amazing. So first we started out by playing some normal soccer because we were waiting for the Assistants to get here from Kiev. Obviously it was pouring rain... haha. So this was like legit. We were kinda warming up and my branch president yelled at me to come over to him and he had a stereo and he was like is this you song? and it was our National Anthem! So yah we lined up and we listened to the National Anthems and then we started to play some soccer. It was so fun we had 6 missionaries on my team with some members too. We actually only lost by one. It was so much fun! We had like refs and everything. So when the other missionaries showed up we began the actually football game! So the Ukrainians had no clue how to play football! haha. We had to explain it to them for a while and it took them a solid 20 minutes of playing to finally understand it. It was so awesome. I played QB the whole time. Also we had like at least 15 non-members that came. So with the 8 missionaries there we did alot of work on them in-between plays and after! haha. So after the fun and joy of a little football we then quickly went home and showered and headed to the church for a baptism! It was so awesome. A couple of the guys from the football came! Also President Klebingat came to baptize the family. It was such an amazing baptism with so many investigators there watching! Overall it was such an awesome day and we hoping that some good things come from it. 

So yesterday, Sunday, was a good day. Church went well then we went to our Branch President's house for dinner and a lesson. It was way good. He is so awesome. We talked about the branch and less actives for a while and really set a plan to work hard to help them. Aftert that we had a missionary meeting at our Branch Mission Leaders house. It was really good. We went through the branch list and made point of all the less actives people. We set some goals to really work hard this week to bring them back to church. Just like in the Work of Salvation broadcast about missionary work we are first starting with the less actives and part member families. I know that this will really help our branch and also help bring other into the church. 

Well overall it was another awesome week here in Billa! The people are doing awesome the church is true. I love the members here and I love to serve here. This will probably be my last full week here in Billa. Next week is the end of the transfer and I am unfortuanetly leaving Billa. I am way sad but I am excited to see what comes next and to see other parts of Ukraine and the people! Well I love you all! Thanks for all the emails that you all write me! I love them. Have an awesome week! Stay safe! Love you 

Love,

Elder Grochmal 

 National Anthem

 Branch President on far right. Branch mission leader with the black shorts. They are brothers.

 Shaking hands before the game. 

 Soccer!

 The fans! Mostly members and some other non members! 

 This guy next to me played soccer for the Georgian national team!

 Oh yah we had jerseys made!

 They spelled my name wrong! It should say Грашмал not Грошман.

 Taking the snap

 Taking the snap at QB. Call me Rodgers...

 Goal line

 The pitch to the RB.

 Baptism. All the sisters taught them. President Klebingat in the back and our Branch mission leader next to him. 

 This is what happens when you take an American umbrella to Ukraine! BTW that is my apartment complex behind me!

September 9th-15th

Hello Family and Friends!! 

Another awesome week here in Ukraine has come to an end! This past week was so crazy and we were so busy. First off I think that it rained just about every single day. I loved it. So to get to our apartment you have to walk on many dirt paths. Well this week those paths turned into mud paths. It was an adventure everytime we left and came back to our apartment! haha. 

So on Monday we just had our normal P-day. It was good. At night we met with a family in the branch for FHE! It was way fun. Then the Assistants came down to start exchanges with us! 

So tuesday morning we started our exchange after district meeting. I was with one of the assistants Elder Shultz! He is so awesome. He served in Billa for 6 months so he was way happy to be back. We visited some recent converts that he baptized and they were so happy to see him. It was so awesome. Also we visited some other Branch members and they too were so excited to see him! I learned so much from him and overall it was such an awesome exchange! 

Wednesday morning we woke up and studied together then went to Kiev to get my companion back. He had gone up there with the other assistant. So we met them at KFC and had lunch! Yah thats right KFC! It was so delicious! After lunch Elder Fisher and I went to the big mall because I needed to look for some winter stuff! I got a sweet jacket and some boots so I am ready for winter! 

Thursday was a pretty busy day. We did a book table in the morning and it was pretty successful! Then Elder Fisher had an interview with a lady for baptism. We then went to the church to help the youth with their first day of Seminary. So they have seminary and institute here but it is only once a week at night. I told them about mine being at 5:55 am everyday and they were all shocked! They thought I was crazy! So they had us dress up as Lehi and Nephi! It was way funny! They youth loved it! We then had a lesson with two new investigators. They are doing awesome! We talked about the Restoration. They really enjoyed it but they just dont have a desire to change right now. We really challenged them to read the Book of Mormon and to pray about it. We are really hoping they keep their commitment. 

So Friday so an awesome day! We didnt do much all morning just studying and planning but then we had a baptism in the evening. It was an investigator of the sisters. It was such an awesome baptism. I really love going to beptisms and seeing people take such a big step in their lives! It really is something special. After the baptism we quickly hopped on a bus and headed back to Kiev for the night! We stayed at the Assistant's apartment! It was so nice! 

Saturday! Mission Conference!!! It was so awesome! The entire mission came up to Kiev for mission conference! Elder Evans from the Seventy came and spoke. He is the head of the entire missionary department just below Elder Nelson of the twelve! He was so awesome. Also I got to see so many people! I finally saw my MTC comp Elder Boyce for the first time in about 4 months! The meeting was so good though. We talked alot about working with members and getting referalls! It was such an awesome experience! 

Sunday was good! We had church and then we went to a family's house in the branch at night. It was way fun. We then went over to some of the sister's investigators house to give a blessing. She is really trying to quit smoking but it is just so hard. We talked a lot with her last night and I think things are better! 

Well that is all for the week! Overall it was an awesome week but so busy! I am looking forward to another aweosme week this week! We only like 3 weeks left in this transfer and then I am leaving Billa most likely! Well Have a good week everyone! Love you all!

Love 

Elder Grochmal 

 FHE in Park Alexandria

 I am Lehi and Elder Fisher is Nephi. 

 First night of Semianry and Instituite. 

Me, My Trainer, and My Trainer's Trainer!

My good friend Elder Knight!