Hello, to all!
The weeks have flown, and my mission has come down to two weeks left! August 2nd and your boy will be home! It is crazy, the days all just squish together, and before you know it, another week has suddenly passed your grip. Looking back at my time here in Ukraine, it does not feel as though I have been here two years! Just yesterday, I was landing down from a plane, entering my training as a missionary! I swear! There have definitely been moments of reflection as everything comes quickly to an end.
A few weeks ago, President and Sister Wirthlin's mission came to an end, and we received our new mission President and his wife! President and Sister Cheban! They are both from Ukraine, and I have heard nothing but good things about the two of them.
I am still training my companion, Elder Murray.
We still have no hot water, have not been to in-person church (which possibly will change this week though), and are trying to survive in our humid apartment with the help of two little fans. We seriously have these two fans running ALL day. One second without them and you are drenched in sweat.
We have been receiving a bunch of Facebook leads from our mission advertisements, and always try to follow up on those! We send handfuls of Books of Mormon out to these new people each week and are constantly trying to set up lessons and get in touch with them. The way this work has shifted is truly remarkable. If you would have asked me whether or not I would be teaching people who lived hundreds of kilometers away in other small cities or villages, I would have called you crazy! But, we are doing exactly that now! The whole Sumy Oblast! People from cities and villages like Gluhov, Kanotop, Shorstka, Axtirka, Romni, etc.! Our mission page is thriving, bringing in people from literally all over! It's been a whole new ball game.
We met with the youth this week and played some Uno outside. It was a blast. It was so funny... We stopped by the branch building to grab some blankets so we could play on the grass outside, and they were all freaking out when we went inside. They were all excited, saying how long it's been since they have been in the branch building. I don't think I've ever seen someone so excited to be in a church before! They were absolutely praising it! Haha.
We got to do some service with some members! They asked us to come and help clean some gravestones of their relatives! I have never seen such tall weeds in my LIFE. My greenie son was feeling himself in his natural Idaho farmer habitat, though. He went to town on those weeds.
At the end, the two members asked us to say a prayer over the two ancestors. They texted us after saying... "It was special. When you said a prayer, I felt like my grandma and other relatives were watching over us from heaven and that they were close, they were glad to meet you.))" We were honored, grateful, and happy we could help. Members here are just the best.
Love you all! Excited to see you!
Elder Wilde
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