Quick. I just put my kids to bed and my wife is out serving in her calling. I can get the post up today after all.
It's been interesting reading about my visits to the celo to the large group of investigators. I'm curious to know if anything ever became of it. After this e-mail, we kind of just dropped them and never saw them again. Someday I'd love to read an Ensign article about this huge group of people getting baptized in a tiny Ukrainian village. I'd be able to say, "I was there when all of that got started!" Even if I don't ever read that, I take comfort knowing that I bore testimony of the restored gospel to a group of people in a village that was seriously what I imagine the early 20th century to look like - sans the nicely paved freeway not far from the village. What an adventure I had.
Date: March 1, 2006 1:21:58 AM AKST
Subject: March has come.
How goes it?
So, it stopped being warm again, and winter came back. It had been so nice too, but now...snow snow snow on the 1st day of March.
PACKAGES: So I got mail. Hooray! And not just any mail. I got mom's Christmas Packagage!!! Hooray. I thought it was funny, cuz right as I read the email with the list of contents in it, I get the fetchin' thing. LOL. No, it was great...I've loved every minute of it...setting up the Christmas tree. The Nativity (In February/March)...eating, eating, eating candy. Boy...it was so good. I also got Heidi Jane's Christmas Package – Let's just say...that was one of the coolest ways to do a package for a missionary...I loved the pictures, I loved the candy and seashells. Way way fun. No worries mom, yours was better :P...The books are way good...I recommend reading Gospel Principles to anyone...it clears so many things up...anything that you've got a question about it seems.
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| Packages: nothing makes a missionary happier. Except maybe watching people get baptized. |
Also...the Joseph Smith stuff. MAN...THAT PROPHET HAD IT GOIN' ON! My testimony has just grown by leaps and bounds the past few days in the knowledge that he really did all that is written about him. Wow...he saw God and Jesus, and I know he did.
Also, I know that I had at least one package go to Rivne, that the Branch was supposed to bring back with them...but the trustworthy elders over there (my former companion) forgot to give my mail to them...so I'll just have to wait until Zone Conference in a few weeks.
We had the Assistants to President Davis come out for that little thing in the Celo. It was quite the adventure...just crazy busy traveling, making arrangements to get out there...gathering big old groups, and then teaching the crap outta 'em. It was way cool...just as HJ mentioned, it truly felt like Alma and Amulek teaching the poor Zoramites the gospel. Which, coincidentally, I'm reading about right now. However, we're faced at a standstill (Elder Kauwe and I) because we're not sure what to do about the situation...right now we know we're supposed to focus on building up the branch in Lutsk. And it'd be really hard to get all these people to church (this past week we had to drive out on a bus, gather up 10 of em, pay for most of them on the Marshootka, then most of em didn't stay for it) every single week. Luckily though, we had the Assistants, and they're talking it over with President so we can know what to do.
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| The group |
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| The celo (village) where they lived. |
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| Me standing under a sign that says "Kovel." I came from a town called Coalville and found the similarity comforting. |
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| The assistants, Elder Kauwe, and I. |
That took up a whole lot of our time this week, and it was weird how draining of an experience it was...standing up and just preaching, and travel, and all that...kinda wore me out. I felt it come Monday...we'd just been busting our buts w/ em for 3 days and I just crashed...I couldn't speak the language, I couldn't think...I just stared off into space for most of one lesson (it could have also been induced because I ate a bunch of candy that morning, then went through sugar withdrawls...who knows) but, yeah... that's how that experience turned out. I still think that they are a good group...and I hope and pray for them all the time...I do know that right now...and from the dedication of this country, however, missionaries have been advised to find those chosen people who are pretty well off, and who can build up the kingdom of God here, so that we have a foundation for when we go and hit those Celos and stuff heavily. So, yeah.
English classes are kinda tough...we've got a bunch of little screw offs in Elder Isaacs and my class, and we're not entirely sure what to do...I think we're gonna kick a few out, but who knows.
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| Teaching a pirate-themed English class |
Apart from the Celo and stuff...we didn't have a whole lot, but there was some real good stuff. We have 2 really strong investigators right now – one named Ulia and the other Tetyana. We had a lesson with Ulia (she's a 19-20 year old mom w/ a daughter that's 1 and is freakin' cute) yesterday and invited her to be baptized...she's pretty much accepted everything and knows it to be true...so we just casually talked to her about it...and it went really well...she said right now she's faced with a divorce (her husband really got into drugs and she doesn't want that for her daughter) and she definitely feels that after she wants to be baptized. She comes to church all of the time, and I feel really good for her...
The other lady – Tetyana – is amazing! She has been searching for the true church for quite some time...and it felt so cool when I leaned forward and said - “Tetyana...you've no need to search anymore!” Wow...there are some power in those words. :) She has been gone this past weekend visiting her son (in jail in L'Viv) and bringing him a Book of Mormon. Cool eh?
I can't wait to teach her the Plan of Salvation and get her as hooked on the gospel as I have become.
The end of the transfer is in a week...we get to find out on Sunday if anyone's headin' out. We're getting a senior couple in May I guess...that'll be cool, I've heard that they really help the areas out really well, cuz they can do family home evenings, and seminary and other stuff like that. It'll be really good.
Quick requests: whenever possible I've gotta ask for my Phantom of the Opera cds...we have the movie soundtrack and it's just not the same :)...I can't remember if I requested it last time...but if I did, wah.
Oh yeah...here's how hot and attractive I am...and I just have that natural charm and charisma and all that – I sat down on a Marshootka the other day, and was talking with the other elders, and the girl next to me turned and handed me this marshmallow thing. And I was like, oh thanks, then she kept giving me them for the other elders and even more for myself. No worries...I said...”Look, I've got this short cute blonde girl back home who probably wouldn't like you hitting on me” :)...haha...j/k I invited her to English and stuff...my missionary duty...but that's what I thought honestly.
Well, with Meghan driving, Vacations, tak dali, going on this week...there's enough excitement to hear about to make a Ukrainian speaking missionary wanna pee his pants. It's so good to hear the news...it reminds me of normalcy...which is what P-Day is all about. Keep those “boring little details” coming...I love em, and would seriously die without em.
Things are good. I love ya all! Have a good one...no worries, I'm still taking pictures, it's just gonna take a bit before I get a cd all the way full, enough to send home...but I might have a way to get some online next week...I'm gonna try anyway. It's almost time to be warm...just a little while...then things are really gonna take off...for everyone!
With only 19 months to go...I figure...life is good...You must keep running the distance...and that's what I'll do.
Mom, you're right...it's the goodbyes on the letters that are always the hardest part...so I'll end it here.
Bye
--Grant
P.S. Also any other of my Missionary pals' email addresses (Louder, Cecil, etc.) they'd be great."
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