This week! We've been trying as a mission to be better at meeting with and using our members to help with the work so we met with a lot of members this week which was so good because they are just the bestest. We had lunch at our branch president's apartment and we got to know him and his cute wife and their even cuter 4 month old baby!! They are such solid people and they made so much food for us it was so sweet!
Ok, Wednesday. We spent the whole day out on the streets talking to as many people as we could find about the Book of Mormon! I honestly was a little worried because we were also fasting and I was having dumb doubts about what if we don't give out very many, blah blah, but wow!! It sounds cheesy but we saw so many miracles and were kind of reeling when we ended the day (partly from exhaustion but mostly because it was such an amazing day!). Literally the first person we talked to outside our apartment door took a Book of Mormon and we got his number! And it just kept going from there. We did contacting in the park with the Elders, and some members helped Elder and Sister Shepherd talk to people, and we did a tea table in the evening and honestly it did not feel at all like we were on the streets all day, we just felt so happy! We talked about it all afterwards and how we can make every day on our missions have a piece of that goodness and blessings that we experienced. We know that the blessings and miracles that God provides are always there and available to us, so it just depends on us how we expect and choose to access his blessings. He will give it to us if we ask for it! In short, harvest day was one of my favorite days on my mission, and it made me realize a lot of things that I don't really have time to write but wow, good day!!
This week we also met with Sister Ella, a babushka in our branch and we helped her clean her windows and get them ready for winter (Ukraine has enlightened me on this process... and let me tell you, it is a process). She also made us okroshka, which is a cold soup that they usually eat in the summer but she made it special for us :) It was interesting and a little different but not bad!
We also met with the Labonova's (man I love their family!!) with the Elders and it was so nice. Their home is just a good place and it's kind of like we're all Sister Labonova's kids haha. She is the best!!
On Saturday was Martin's baptism!! Oh my goodness, if he was a happy guy before, after his baptism he was practically glowing. It was such a good day. Sister Egbert and I got him a little panda (his favorite animal/thing in general;) and he was so touched. Ah we love that man. He also taught us some Chinese. Um nope can't it's harder than russian I think.
After the baptism we contacted for a little and a bunch of random events led us to running into a lady I knew from when I served in Odessa! It was such a crazy coincidence. We talked for a little and I gave her our card, I was so blown away by it. Missions have forever changed how I think of "coincidences."
We also visited our favorite member Sister Looda that evening. She is always a ray of sunshine. Some things that she talked about that I loved was that a lot of what we get out of life is what we expect and ask for. And if we are living worthily, we can expect blessings. If we go into a sacrament meeting and it's maybe not the most engaging or something, we ourselves can make the choice and still receive revelation and guidance all the same. It's how we focus our lives and how we view things more than what is happening. She is just the best!!!
We also met a super nice man from Nigeria who's a doctor here and he wanted an English Book of Mormon so we met up with him and gave him one and hopefully he can come to the English group sacrament service!
We also talked to Peter and Janna this week, he is doing really good in Germany but is really looking forward to when he comes home at the end of this month! We are too! Nastia is doing good too, she works crazy hours in Poland but she is happy and doing well. Right now we're trying to meet with the people whose contacts we got during harvest day and teach them about the gospel of Jesus Christ! The work is good here in Kharkiv. I love it here. Also! Just remembered, I hit my year mark on the mission this week! That is so weird to think about but I wouldn't have it any other way, so much has happened in a year it's crazy, but I am so grateful for everything I have learned and gained and seen. Time is flying!
That is all for this week, I feel like I'm forgetting something, but its already a long letter! haha. I love you all so much and hope you are doing dandy wherever you are.
Love,
Sister Kropelnicki
One year mark!
Sister Ella
Martin's baptism!
Martin and the panda we gave him :)
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