С Пасхой всем🐰❗🥚
Ё-МОЁ ya'll... I been leavin' ya'll hangin' haven't I?? It's okay though... we were left hanging until the restoration came to pass, too)) And now look where we are!!)) #BlessUp #HearHim #UkraineDnipropretrovskMission))) This is gonna be a long email cuz it will cover three weeks, so I understand if you skim over and just give the pictures a look. Or just skim past everything in general!! No hard feelings at all 🙃.
Честно говоря, I don't even know where to start because it's been a hot minute since I last emailed!! If I accidentally repeat stuff from my last email, just embrace it.))
To start out, I'd like to mention that I was a part of one of those "based on a true story" horror movies, although... this one's fat real. Listen up, I'll set the scene. Companion and I wake up at 6:30, trying to be obedient so the blessing of heaven can be upon us. Ya kno? That kinda good stuff. So I'm sittin' there, posted up in this dark room on my bed, and then... ВОТ! I look over to the wall by my companion's bed, and see this long back figure. At first I was thinking to myself... "hmmmm maybe the wallpaper is a bit scratched, but I don't remember it being like that...?" So I do some investigating and turn on my flashlight, AND BOOM. The adversary posted up on the wall. I quickly turned my light back off and lost my crap. We turned the lights back on and then the creature started running along the wall, quickly following a quick face-full of slipper. My companion looked heroic as he slapped the wall with his slipper. Wow. Called my family afterwards and had them search up the beast. It was a house centipede.
Nope, that's not for me cap. Not while I'm sleeping, no thank you. Let the record show that if another one of those things enter my room at night, I'm outa here. Amen to that. Am I being anticlimactic? Maybe, but I don't think so)) 😂
My companion and I also went on a little run this week so I could see some more of the new area! (And get fit). We stopped by this super cool temple!! Got some cool pictures of it until a nearby fire engulfed it with smoke.
Also, got a picture with the Sumy sign!! Wooo!! Love my area!!
My companion and I gave haircuts to each other this week 💇🏼♂️. Worked out more or less!!
I got him lookin' like a model with that fresh cut. 'Conversion rates going up with that красавчик on the street ;) one thing that I won't let anyone mess with though... My MUSTACHE. Six weeks of quarantine really puttin' in work on that bad boi. Check it out in the photos. Not braggin' but like... WOW 😍😍😂😂.
Our shower has been acting up a lot recently!! A few times this week, I got in the shower, and half way through the water turned straight red/orange!! It was not приятно. We think it's copper from the pipes or something. We don't know for sure, but whatever it is, it's got to stop lol.
Quick note, put me on master chef yall!! We be cookin' up delicacies in this joint!! Pizza, potato soup, sushi, it's lit.
On a quicker note, the pigeons keep visiting our ledge outside our window. To say the least... I've learned a lot more about pigeons lately. Email me for details))
Watched general conference live, on our phones, meaning that we watched the afternoon session from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.. We made it through the morning sessions but did not have nearly enough energy to survive those afternoon (night time for us) sessions lol. короче, we high-key zoinked lololol 😴. General conference was filled with AMAZING talks.
AND THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE SHANGHAI CHINA TEMPLE AHHHH MY HEART!! Seriously, what a miracle. I hope to go back and visit it one day ❤.
Lastly, I had the chance to celebrate not 1 but 2 Easters!! WHAT WHATTT. Jealous?? I bet!! The Orthodox church believes that Easter is celebrated on the third Sunday of the month!! There is something they do for tradition as well on Easter that I TRULY love with my whole heart. So usually on the streets, people will exchange this special Easter cake with each other. But even better than that, people will go up to each other and say, "Христос Воскрес" (Christ is risen), and in response, the other person replies, "Воистину Воскрес" (truly risen (he has)) AHHHH. I love it.
However, this weekend everyone got put under three-day strict quarantine. Like DO NOT LEAVE quarantine. The government had the whole city of Sumy fully on lock so they could minimize the gathering of many people, knowing that there would be many on Easter.
Sooooo what did we do?? I said to my comp, "Let's call our members and wish them a Happy Easter!!" We shot them all calls and IT WAS AWESOME AHHH. They picked up the phone and were so happy and they said, "Christ is risen," and we replied, "Truly risen!" And they would be so happy we picked up on the local customs and tell us good job and then give us blessings haha. No, like literally though. Especially the Bobs. They sit there and they say, "Ahhh, we bless you with happiness and health and charity and safety," and so forth. IT'S THE SWEETEST. Every call, I just started freaking out--it was so flipping fun and cute haha. The only tough part was just when one member decided he only wanted to speak to us in Ukrainian. I then realized how much I truly do not know Ukrainian lol. Gonna have to get used to it though because a lot of people in this city prefer speaking Ukrainian over Russian ahhhhh haha.
The first Easter (one we all celebrate), I had the chance to take the Sacrament to the sisters, and have a very special testimony meeting with them. The Spirit was literally so abundant as we shared one with another. Later that day, I had the chance to jump on a Zoom call with my wonderful family.
Preston shared a talk, I shared some thoughts, and then my dad concluded with the closing remarks. He really is a tearjerker. I'm starting to wonder what Deloitte is really teaching him over there! However, aside from that! I shared a little about both the atonement of Jesus Christ, as well as the resurrection. From the atonement, I took a minute to really analyze and comprehend what our Savior went through. To paint somewhat of a picture of this suffering, we read in Luke 22:44...
44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground
And for what cause is this done? Our cause. In Isaiah 53:5 we read...
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
We know that in both Gethsemane and upon the cross at Calvary, our Savior suffered for us. He suffered every single hardship we have ever been through and will ever go through going forward. EVERY hardship, so that he could understand each and every one of those and take them upon himself for our well-being. And we look back on the atonement and think how grateful we are for such an unselfish act, but what do we then do ourselves going forward? And what I mean by this is how do we show our gratitude for such an act? How do we repay such commitment? As I studied this in my head, the thought crossed my mind... "How many drops of blood am I responsible for, that the Savior had to shed and suffer on my behalf?" And that is the question I want you to ask yourself, and ponder. I feel that the Savior suffered on my behalf more than I'd like to be responsible for. I wish I could take back each and every drop of blood that he had to go through for me already at this point of my life. It's evident that I can't go back and change those past mistakes, or hardships I caused for other people or for myself. But instead, I suggest that we can prevent more suffering in the Savior's behalf as we move forward. I believe as we move forward and treat each other with the love our Savior would treat us with, that In return, that is one less thing we had to put Christ through. He suffers those rude impatient comments we make to each other, so instead, let us not make those comments! Let us be led by the Spirit, and live and walk the path that Jesus walks. By doing these things, I believe that this shows true gratitude to our Savior's atonement. Trying our best to keep our actions pure, to not hurt the hearts of others, so that the Savior's burden and pains may have been just a little, a fraction of a fraction smaller, one less hardship on our behalf. I believe together, we can make a difference, one that he would as well be grateful for. By doing this, we can show our true love to God and Jesus Christ.
Lastly, the Savior's resurrection brings so much peace and happiness to me. Because he is resurrected, I know that after this life I will be resurrected and able to live with my family again, and simply just put my arms around them and give them the biggest hug. It's a simple gesture, but one that brings me indescribable joy).
Well, there you go everyone! If you made it to this point, I am truly impressed. Love you all!! Happy Easter!!))
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