Hello family and friends!

Well here I am not in Kiev for the first time in 9 months on a P-Day!!! I am down here in Cherkassy now and it is going good! My companion is awesome and is doing great. So my week went like this-

Tuesday we had our last district meeting together in Kiev. It was sad to have to leave Center Kiev! I loved serving there so much! I was there for a really long time and it was like home to me! After district meeting we had lunch and then we went to the mission office. My companion and I and President Packer then went to the airport to pick up the new missionaries. It was strange because I knew that I would be training one of the new missionaries but I wasnt aloud to tell him because President was going to tell him in his first interview the next day! So we picked them up (2 elders, 1 sister) and we took them back to the mission office. We dropped some stuff off and then we had dinner with them at a restaurant. It was way fun!

Wednesday we had training in the morning for trainers and for trainees! It was good. It was cool cause we did it all is Russian because one of the new missionaries does not know any english! After the training meeting my new companion Elder Kokoriev and I got on a bus and headed down to Cherkassy! It is about 3 hours from Kiev! We then got to Cherkassy and dropped our bags off at home and then went to english practice at the church. It went very well.

Thursday and Friday we spent alot of time planning and trying to get to know the area and the members. We mad sooooo many calls! We dont know anything really about Cherkassy so we are working hard! We met with the Branch President and with our Missionary Coordination Leader! We got to know alot more about the work here. It was awesome!

Saturday we had English at night! Before English we had a lesson with an investigator. It went very well. He is a 18 year old guy who comes to english. We had a huge turn out for english which was awesome. Lots of cool people were there!

Yesterday was our first day at church here. It was really good. The branch here is awesome. We had about 60 people at sacrament which is way good. My companion and I bore our testimonies which was good! We got to meet lots of members and set up lots of meeting with them! After church we ate some dinner and then we went to an old lady's house in the branch to give her the sacrament and a blessing. She was so nice! It was an awesome night!

Well that is basically all I have. Overall it has been a crazy week! It has been a very very hard adjustment coming here. I love it though. I know the Lord gives us trials so that we can learn. I am just trying to stay positive and continuing to work hard! I love you all and thanks so much for everything!

Love

Elder Grochmal

 Back to normal!

 My final district meeting in Kiev

 My good friend Daniel! Leaves on a mission soon

 My companion bought a fish and cooked it. It was soo weird.

 my 12 planners so far

 New apartment!

 We live on the 8th floor of this building

My church in Cherkassy!