October 21st-27th

Hello family and friends! 

What an amaizng week!!!!! We had a baptism on saturday and it was so amazing! Everything went perfectly! Well I will telll you about my week then more about the baptism!

So tuesday we had district meeting! It was really good! We then had to do some stuff with a landlady of an apartment we were going to buy. It didnt work out though cause she was a little sketchy with some stuff so we are going to get a different one! haha. We then had a lesson with our investigators that go baptized! It was so awesome! We then started an exchange! I got to go with Elder Keefe! He is in his first transfer! He is actually from Heber, Utah. 

We yah wednesday was way good! I was with him all day! We did a bunch of stuff then had English at night which was awesome of course! We had a really good turnout! Our English class is so aweosme here. Overall with the other missionaries we have found and set 4 baptisimal dates with people from English! 

Thursday morning we had a little zone meeting thing with President Klebingat! It was so good. He came down and talked about planning. I learned so much! We then had a lesson with a less active. He is awesome and doing better! 

So Friday was a good day but not much happened! We had English at night and we got like 3 new investigators! It was so awesome! I love English so much. 

Saturday! The big day! We just studied in the morning and did a couple of things then headed to the center building here in Odessa for the baptism. We got there early to make sure everything was ready and set up! So everyone showed up and then our investigators showed up and their son was with them. He flew in from Los Angeles the night before. The first thing he did was come to me and give me a huge hug and said that is from your mom! It was so amazing! He then gave me a little package from my mom! It was so awesome! So nice fresh cookies! Cookies here just arent the same! haha. So we got them all ready with their jumpsuits and the meeting started! We had a few talks and the sister missionaries sang a musical number! It was so good! We then headed to the font and their son baptized them! It was sooooo amazing! I could hold back tears of joy! It was just so amazing to see these souls be baptized and be washed clean! It was a moment I will never forget! After the baptism we just talked with them and they were just soooo happy! 

So yesterday at church they were confirmed members and received the Holy Ghost! It was so cool to stand in the circle. The Holy Ghost was so strong and I felt so good. It truly was one of the best 2 days of my life! I was just so full of joy and happiness! Well that is all for my week! I know this church is true and I am so happy for everything that happened this past weekend! Well I love you all! Thanks for everything! 

Love 

Elder Grochmal 

 back of a taxi

 this is the way we get around town. in those thingys! haha. 

 just pretending to sing to the congregation.....

 the font

 Sasha, Natasha, and Sasha.

 So amazing!! 

 Some branch members jumped in this photo! haha

 Sasha is so cool. He hasnt been back to Ukraine in about 9 years! Such a special day for him to be able to baptized his parents. He was baptized almost 17 years ago! 

 Elder Ball and I!

 Home made cookies from mom! 

BEST TEXT EVER! extra hour of sleep!

October 14th-20th

Hello Family and Friends! 

Another amazing week here in Odessa! I just love it here so much! The work is moving forward like crazy and we are seeing so many miracle happen! It was another very busy week! 

So last monday we had another awesome lesson with our investigators that are getting baptized! It was so amazing. We had the District President (Stake President) on the lesson with us. It is very nice to have him because he helps us so much since our Russian is still nothing amazing. Every lesson we have had with them we have been lucky enough to have a member each time. We are so blessed to have so awesome members here. We taught them the Plan of Salvation. They loved it and the spirit was so strong. I know that they are just so ready to join the church. It is so amazing how the Lord just prepares people and gives them to us to teach. 

Tuesday was a slow day. We just studied then hit the streets for a little to do some English Advertising. It went good. We got a lot of people to sign up! We then were supposed to have a lesson with a less active but it fell through. We ended up just ministering all night. It was very good and talked to some good people. 

On wednesday morning the Assistants came to our apartment to start exchanges with us. I was very excited. I got to go with Elder Pace. He is so awesome. I went on an exchange with him when I was in my first transfer. It was so fun. So we did our studies at the church then had lunch. He then had to do assistant stuff cause there was so stuff going on. I just studied more. haha. We then had a lesson with a less active. It was so awesome. This man is from Nigeria and speaks english. It was such an awesome lesson. He is so strong and has an amazing testimony. He just cant come to church cause of work. It is such a hard situation. We watched a conference talk with him. It was so good. We then had English. It was very good. We had a really good turn out! Our English program is doing so awesome down here! I love it! 

Thursday was a pretty down day. Not much happen. We spent a lot of time on the streets. It was good but not much success. We talked to a few cool people. 

Friday was Zone Conference! It was so good. President and Sister Klebingat came down from Kiev! I learned so much from them. It was so cool to see everyone in our zone there. President is so amazing and such a spiritual man. I am so grateful to have him as my mission president. He taught me so much. Also Sister Klebingat taught us some stuff too. It was so good. It just amazes me that English is neither of there first languages yet they speak it so perfectly and so much better than me! They are so amazing! After conference we had another lesson with our investigators. They are still doing amazing and are so excited for their baptism this week! I am so excited for them! It is going to be amazing! 

Saturday was slow. We are looking for a new apartment here in our area so we spent quite a bit of time doing stuff. We looked at a couple. It is crazy hard though because of the language. haha. We hope we get a good one. We also met at night with another investigator. He is so cool but he lives in a different area so we have to pass him to the other elders in our district! It is cool though cause last night they set a baptismal date with him!!!! We were so happy!!! 

Yesterday was a great Sunday. We had a really good turn out at church. The branch seemed alot happier and together. It was so amazing. We then had a lunch thingy after church and it was awesome. All the members just love each other and it was so cool. We did some less active stop bys last night and that was all. 

Overall it was an awesome week. I am really excited for the baptism this Saturday. It is going to be so amazing. We I love you all. Thanks for the emails. I hope you have an awesome week! 

Love 

Elder Grochmal 

 I took a bunch of photos this morning while walking to the internet club! enjoy!

 We found this creepy staircase in our apartment. haha.

 Sasha. Getting baptized on Saturday!

 Natasha. Also getting baptized!

Cool view from an apartment we were looking at!

October 7th-13th

Hello Family and Friends! 

Well my first week down here in Odessa has come to an end! It was so awesome! I love it here already! I am getting used to my area a litle more! It is so massive and confusing! I am always turned around but I will get it! So this past week was so awesome! We had some awesome things happen! 

So first on Monday night we had a lesson with two new investigators! They are a referall from the District President down here in Odessa. He is like the Stake President. So we first met them at church on Sunday but then our first lesson was monday. So we started talking about the Book of Mormon and they knew everything about it and they knew so much about the church. So it turns out that their son is a member and lives in LA! He served a mini mission here in Ukraine when he lived here. So we just started talking about Baptism and we comitted then to be baptized on October 26th!!!!!!!!!!! We are sooooo excited! Also their son is coming here on the 25th from America and he is going to baptize them! So awesome! It is so amazing how prepared and elect they are. It is such a blessing to see the Lord just prepare these people to be baptized! 

Tuesday morning I had to do some registration stuff then went on an exchange! It was with Elder Harrington! He is in his 2nd transfer! It was way fun. We did a lot of English Advertising! It was so fun! I am a little crazy when it comes to English Advertising. I like chase people down the streets and just walk with them! We ask them if they know english and they say yes and just keep walking so I just chase after them and walk with them and talk! Way more effective! haha. 

Wednesday was good. Not much going on! We had our first English! It was very successful! We had like 30 people show up. I taught the Advanced class. When back in Billa we were taught a new way of teaching by the zone leaders so I brought it down here to Odessa and it was so awesome! The people loved it so much! 

On Thursday we did alot more English advertising! It was so awesome! We really want English to get big so we can find people through it. We have had some success already finding some potentials!

Friday we had another lesson with the people that are getting baptized! It was sooooo good. We went with our Branch President here! He is so awesome! We taught the Restoration! Our branch pres helped so much! It is hard for us cause our Russian isnt the best so a member present lesson in the best! haha. They accepted everything and are just so elect! The lesson was so powerful! After the lesson we had English again! It was awesome! We again had so many people show up! One man in particular we talked to for a while! He was awesome! We invited him to come watch General Conference on Saturday and he came!  

So yah Saturday and Sunday we watched conference all day. We went into Center Odessa to watch it! It was so cool to see center! It was so nice! The building is so cool and right by the sea! I got to finally see the Black Sea! haha. It is so cool. So yah Conference was so amazing! I loved it so much! I felt like saturday they talked alot about members and missionaries! I loved it! It is the best way to find people! The members are everything! We It would take me so long to write all the stuff I liked about conference! Overall it was amazing and there is just something different about watching it as a missionary! Well everyone that is all! I love you all so much! Thanks for all the emails! I love you all! 

Love 

Elder Grochmal 

 When a baptismal date is set a text is send throughout the whole mission from President Klebingat! 

 Look what I found outside the Zone Leaders apartment!

 Our church here in Odessa! 

 Famous Odessa Opera house! 

 This steps are famous! The black sea!

 The Center Odessa building! 

 Watching Conference! My comp is on the far left!

Got these for 2 dollars each at a swap meet!

September 30th- October 6th


Greetings from Odessa!! 

Well everyone I am here in Odessa! It is so awesome! This past week was by far the craziest week of my mission! I was just everywhere and so busy and crazy! So first I will tell you about my week then about Odessa!!! 

So monday was way good. We met with the branch president in billa and his family for one last time! It was way sad saying by to them! I love them! 

Tuesday we had our last district meeting in the morning then we did some creative finding with the sisters. We did a lot of advertising for English! We then visisted some families to say bye! IT was so hard to leave! We met with my favorite family! My first day in the country we went to their house and ever since I have just loved them. They treat us like family! 

Wednesday we did studies in the morning then got ready and we headed up to Kiev with all my luggage! IT was quite the adventure taking everything on a little sprinter van! haha. We went straight to the mission office and dropped my stuff off then we went to the temple! IT was so amazing! The temple here is so awesome! IT was so beautiful and something I will never forget! I am so grateful that Kiev has a temple and that we have the opportunity to go to it! After the temple we went to stay with the Elders that live right in center Kiev. It was way cool. Kiev is so crazy and massive! 

So thursday morning Elder fisher had to be at the mission office at 9 for training meetings. So I went with him of course and that was it. We officially left each other and I had no companion. My new comp Elder Ball wasnt coming up to Kiev. Usually at transfers there is a couple floating companions that need temporary comps for the day but I was the only one!! My train to odessa wasnt leaving until Friday night because we were waiting for all the trainers and trainees to be done with meetings! The assistants didnt know what to do with me. So first I did some work in the office for them. It was way fun. But after lunch some elders from Kiev came and picked me up! I just went with them for the day and did missionary work! haha. I then slept at their apartment too! It was way fun cause we had some other Elders stay with us too so I got to meet lot of missionaries that I have never met. It was way fun. 

Friday morning we showed up at the mission off and once again I needed a companion for the day. So it turned out that the trainers didnt have to be in meetings all day just the trainees so I got back with Elder Fisher and a couple of other Elders and we went out. We did some studies then had lunch at TGI Fridays! so good! We then did some contacting in center Kiev then went back to the mission office. At this point I got with another Elder who was headed to Odessa who had been in meettings all day. He then was my comp till the train left. We did some stuff in Kiev then met with everyone at the train station. There was about 16 missionaries on our train headed down to Odessa. The train left Kiev at 10 pm. It was way cool. We had a room with four elders! We all had beds. It was soooooo hot on the train though. I couldnt sleep at all. It was so bad! I got like no sleep!!! 

So I woke up Saturday in Odessa! I then got with a different missionary and we got a taxi to my apartment. We made it there and finally I got with my new companion Elder Ball. I was so happy to finally be home. It was so crazy. Elder Ball is so legit! He is one transfer ahead of me. THis transfer is going to be so fun with him! I am so excited. It is going to be such an adventure because we are both still very new at the language. I am way excited. So Saturday we did some studies and then he took me around the town. So in Odessa there is 5 branches. Our Branch is like the southern western part of Odessa. It is called Cheryomusky. It is way cool. We then went to the church which isnt in our area, and we had a meeting with our Branch Mission Leader. It was way cool. He is such an awesome guy! 

So yesterday was my first sunday here. Church was cool. It was nothing like I am used to in Billa. First off everything in Odessa is in RUSSIAN! I am so happy. We actually sing in Russian and everyone talks in Russian. Back in Billa it was all Ukrainian. I am very happy about this. Also there was only about 20 people at church which is not normal for me. I am used to 80-90 in Billa. It was awesome though. The branch is way cool. All the members are very nice and I am excited! I am really excited to serve down here. I have still not seen the Black Sea yet. haha. We are about 15 mins from it. I will see it soon though. Also we didnt watch conference. Here they watch it the week after so next week we will watch it! I am way excited! 

 

Well that is basically all. I dont know what else to say about Odessa. If you have questions just email me and I will tell you! Well Love you all! HAve a great week! 

Elder Grochmal 

 Last time with the branch pres and his family. 

 Missionaries like to leave tags behind in Billa. So I did! 

 3 rd transfer district!

 Recent convert Sergey! Last meeting! 

 member Sasha! Going on a mission soon. 

 Some members! 

 The Tovmashs! My favorite family! They are awesome! 

 Last day with Elder Fisher! Temple! 

 This cool reenok in Kiev. kinda like the Alley in LA...

 Train. 

 My new apartment!! Super nice!! 

Elder Ball and I this morning!