The Ukrainian Bear

Week of March 31st-April 6th

Dear Family and Friends!

Wow! What a crazy week! Definitely one of the most tiring craziest weeks of my mission! Well first of all yesterday we found out that our mission president, President Klebingat, was sustained as a member of the first quorum of the seventy! We were all so blown away by this news! We had no clue that he had left Salt Lake City. He just told us he was taking a week off to go relax with his family. He didn't mention the fact he would be going to Utah to become a General Authority. I am so happy to have him as my mission president! He still has a few more months here then he is done and off to Utah to be a General Authority!!!!

So Tuesday we had a big Zone Meeting here in Center Kiev. Our entire zone came here for it! It was very good! My companion and I spent lots of time preparing and planning for this so that it was awesome! We talked a lot about following up with people and also goals. So we have a thing in our mission right now that every companionship has a goal of how many people we want to talk to everyday on the streets. Our mission is really pushing to get rid of just going out contacting but instead to go from lesson to lesson and place to place talking to everyone as you go! So we all have goals. The missionaries send to me every night their actual number to see if they hit there goals. Our zone has been struggling.... I made a big spreadsheet and made all the failures red! I stood there and threw down at them to start hitting their goals. Of course in a nice loving way! It was awesome though! Since then everyone has been getting their goals or just barely missing them! So after the meeting I started an exchange with one of the assistants! His name is Elder Manning! I look up to him so much! So our plans fell threw and we wanted to be effective and not just go contacting! So we went over to a skatepark!!!!! There were about 10 kids 18-20 years old there! We starting talking to them all! It was so awesome! We ended up skating with them for a while and got all their numbers! We then invited them all to English! It was soooo awesome!

Wednesday I was still with Elder Manning all day! We had a meeting with some missionaries in the morning! It went very good! We just sat down with a couple and helped them and talked about ideas with them! Before English we had a lesson with a referral lady from a investigator! It was so awesome! We taught her the whole first lesson and it went so good! Elder Manning is so awesome and I learned so much from him! After English we asked anyone who wants to learn Religious words to stay. We had about 4 stay and we ended up teaching them all the first 3 lessons! It was amazing!

On thursday I was still with Elder Manning! We went to the mission office in the morning to do some assistant business stuff! haha. We then went to a different zone's zone meeting! It was way cool! I got to see Elder Fisher because he was the zone leader of the zone that we went to! After all that I finally got back with my real companion and had a lesson at the church with an investigator. We had an awesome lesson. It was our first lesson with him! At night time the Elders from Billa Tserkov came up and slept at my house!

Friday morning I started another exchange with Elder Hancock. We went down to Billa in the morning! It was so good to be back in Billa! I just love it there so much! We had a good day. We did some English Advertising and then met with some members!

Saturday was so awesome! So after English we met with an investigator! We asked him that once he knows this church is true if he will be baptized! He said yes. He was a soft invitation but I have lots of hope for him! Then at night we had another lesson with a different investigator. We also invited him to be baptized and he accepted! It was so amazing! Probably one of the best lessons of my whole missions!

Sunday morning is when we got a text telling us about our mission president! So crazy! We then went to church and had a great day! Lots of people came like normal! We arent watching general conference until next week!

Well that is all for my crazy week! It was so awesome! I am just so happy for my mission president! It is been cool to have a General Authority as our mission president! Well everyone I love you all so much! I hope you all have a great week!

Love

Elder Grochmal