Hello everyone and happy Monday! This week was great as always in beautiful Ukraine, and I'm proud to say that I didn't have to wear my big jacket once this week (even though I probably should've last night, but I really wanted to put that in this email so last night I was a little cold).
This week we had some high highs but also some low parts (so all in all a normal week as a missionary I think), but the BEST part was having FHE at a member's home and we invited two of our investigators, Alina and Anna to it and it was so good!! We watched the resoration video and talked about Joseph Smith and then we did an object lesson with Jenga blocks that we stacked on top of a copy of The Book of Mormon and talked about how everything we do in this church is built on the Book of Mormon (tithing, keeping the sabbath day holy, service, missionary work, etc.) and if the Book of Mormon was taken away, everything would fall. They loved it and at the end we played Jenga and ate brownies and it was a great time. Members are SO important to this work and we would have such a hard time without their help. And side note, don't play jenga with open cups of juice nearby.
Zeena has also been doing so great this week even with working literally all day, every day (and trying to get her boss to pay her for the last 2 weeks). Every time we visit her at the store her face lights up and she tells us that she knows that everything will work out for her with her trials right now. It is so cool to see the transformation that has come just from the few months that we've known her. Before she would always be down about the things that were not working out for her, but now she is so positive and has such faith! It's amazing. This gospel and the message we share with people can really change lives. I feel so blessed to be able to see that first hand. She called us this week and told us that she recieved an answer that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that he translated the Book of Mormon! And she found her answer in the Pearl of Great Price of all places (you never know where or when it'll happen I guess), and she has such a strong desire to start over and be clean from her past life, and we're trying to help her see that baptism (even though she has already been baptized in another church) is the only way to do that!
We also had a lesson with Alina and we could tell that she's been reading about our church on the internet because of her questions (there is SO much garbage on the internet here about us, it's frustrating to say the least), but the great thing is that she came to us to ask about it instead of just dropping off the face of the earth like some investigators do! And she sincerely wants to know more about our church and we had a really great lesson. She says that she's started to pray every day and she has really noticed a difference in her life which is awesome! We invited her to be baptized again on Saturday night but even though we know she is SO ready, she still is nervous to make that big of a step. But she'll get there and we're helping her see that it itsn't the end of the journey when you get baptized (and you don't have to know everything before that time), but that baptism is the gate to coming closer to Christ and becoming like Him. She is amazing though, I always forget that she is just 19!
Other than that our week was pretty normal, lots of trying to talk to people on the streets, Zeena's boss giving us a plate of Baklava and Turkish delights for free (soooo delicious and we say no thank you, but then he insists so because we are good people we struggle through it haha.), teaching english at the refugee shelter (seriously always a highlight of my week. They are the sweetest kids), and meeting with an inactive sister (Sister Sveta--she wants to prepare to go to the temple!).
-Also, I knew that Ukrainians were superstitious, but man, they are really superstitious sometimes haha! There are quite a few things that you definitely can not do or else you won't have babies or find a husband or will be cursed. At english practice we talked about folk stories and fairytales and it was hilarious to hear all their folk stories (and sometimes a little scary). And someone mentioned Baba Yaga (which is so weird let me tell you. She lives in a hut with chicken legs?!) and all I could think about was Ant Man and the Wasp haha! It's a real thing here!
-We walked with Zeena last night and she made us promise to invite her to our weddings haha and our anwers were both "конечно!" (of course) and that made her really happy haha. I love that woman.
That is about all for this week. Sister Larson and I are going into Odessa center and then we have have zone conference tomorrow which will be awesome as usual. It will be a good week! I love you all and hope you have a wonderful Monday!
Love,
Sister Kropelnicki
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