Crazy awesome week here in Ukraine!
We had the chance to go back up to Sumy (my other area) to do some work there, and it was so awesome. We met with a few members, some friends we teach, cleaned out and closed the Sisters' apartment. While we were there, it was all just adventure on adventure on adventure.
We rented a pick-up and drove all the Sisters' stuff back to our apartment to store it until more missionaries come. Our driver was just hilarious. We got him going on a rant on how Ukrainian was better than Russian and English because it actually has meaning behind words, but yet he still liked speaking Russian better lol. He was awesome.
I held a Madagascar cockroach. It legit had weight to it and hisses, it was so freaky Haha. Took some convincing to get it into my hands. 
We had some more шашлык (the bbq pictures) with our friends. It was BEYOND good.
Got lost for almost two hours trying to find a member's home to bless the Sacrament, while my phone kept powering off on itself while I used Google maps because it was so cold outside.
Experienced some crazy member driving us--we darted through six lanes of traffic 😂.
Saw my favorite бабушка neighbor (the grandma).
Had some crazy good tea, pastries, borscht, and other Ukrainian dishes.
Got my favorite шаурма (shawarma) in Sumy.
Visited the good old meat market (check out the pig snouts).
Had an old дедушка (grandpa) try to butter us up into buying his homestrung guitars. He gave us a little show, it was epic.
Bought an awesome боб vest (grandmas wear these all the time here).
Fixed some pipes for Генадий (Gennady), and I'm grateful for the fact he called on Elder Mason to get in the hole and fix it instead of me lol.
Oh, also when we got to Sumy, it had looked like our landlord actually came in and cleaned the mold in our shower! The cracks were all white and just looked brand new!! Later, after further analysis, I realized that they really just painted over the mold with white paint lol. Gotta love it)))
And вот, there is the explanation for most of the pictures. Also, I attached a little Light the World video I made.
It was honestly just such a fun last week being around so many members and friends. I felt of their love so strongly and it was just so amazing.
Spiritual thought -
This week I had the opportunity to speak in our second branches church service about gratitude. I spoke on my gratitude for the opportunity of charity and service in my life. The message correlated to that which follows...
We have a lot to be grateful for. A few examples in my life consist of the following...
-- family
-- friends
-- my dogs
-- opportunity to serve a mission
-- all of you
-- sports
Among all these things, I am grateful for charity and service. Charity and service is a gift that is given to us from God.
I always recall a particular week of service and charity with my dad. On this week, he wanted to clean out the house. It was only him and I home this week, so that responsibility fell upon us. So we cleaned the garage, the pool, the outdoor furniture, the dirty cement, and cleaned and cleaned and organized and organized. By the end of it, our house was lookin SPIFFYYYY. During the process, my Dad and I bonded a ton, and it ended up being super fun to do that all together.
However... At the end of the week, my Dad invited me to join him to do one more charitable act of service. He explained that the entire staff of Deloitte (where he works) had a special day of service, where all over the world every office takes the day off to go and do some sort of service. His office, in San Francisco, was planning on going and helping these people with cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is something that my Grandpa's brother, Merwin, had been diagnosed with.
I was familiar with the problems it came with, and had a connection to that in my life. However, despite ALL that, I decided not to go, which my dad was pretty sad about. Till this day, I have never forgotten about that, and it has always hurt a little and is followed by regret. That opportunity of service was missed.
We read in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3:
1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
I truly believe that without charity, we are nothing. I know that charity and service are a Gift, and it is an opportunity we should never miss to give ourselves to. I feel the difference whenever I miss an opportunity to serve in my life. God and the Spirit are not with me nearly as much.
With that said, to be grateful for charity and service is to have charity and serve. That means when the opportunity to serve arises, we show our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ that we are grateful for that by acting. Gratitude is an action in sort.
I am grateful for opportunities I have in my life to show charity and to serve others. It is a blessing that brings clear rewards when acted upon, and I know it shows my Heavenly Father that I truly am grateful as I act upon it.
I invite you to ponder what it is that you are grateful for, and then think about whether or not you are acting upon that gratitude and giving thanks through your actions for that in your life.
Much love,
Elder Wilde
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