Mother,
Yay for the lifting of the gypsy curse! That's really awesome that Dallin won! He looks a lot older. He's kind of turning into a Braeden/ Derek hybrid I think. That is so awesome about the Sternods! Getting to the Temple is a huge step and it will be awesome when they get sealed. That is really, really cool! It sounds like the work is hastening in the Newman Lake Ward as well. I don't know the Lampheres, but that is really cool, too! I loved being a ward missionary. I kind of hope I end up there again when I get home. I now reallize a lot more the importance of working with less-actives.
This week was very hectic. I went to Kyiv for transfers and was able to go to the Temple! It was a really amazing experience and it made me reallize how amazing it is to have a temple so close, where those people that I help come to Christ can go eventually without a long trip. I also have a new companion and he is a lot different than Elder Dorius, so this transfer will be a great opportunity to grow. It is only four weeks, so I will probably be with him the next transfer as well. I was also able to see my first baptism in Ukraine yesterday! It was an investigator that Elder Kelley was teaching with his companion and yesterday was Elder Kelley's birthday, which was really cool. I can't really think of a better birthday. Well that is all for this week I think. I hope everyone enjoys there spring break and Easter! Love you!
Elder Jolstead the Younger
PS. I got your valentines! They were really cool and I thought the Batman was funny.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Monday, March 18, 2013
March 18, 2013
Mother,
Okay, first of all, who is this girl that Jared is dating and why am I not hearing about it from him? I was wondering why hadn't emailed me in a month and now it all makes since. I better be getting an email from him soon or else and you can pass that along. Just kidding. Seeing as how I didn't write him as much as I should have at the start of his mission, I can't really demand letters from him either, so he can send emails whenever he wants. Speaking of which, we were told this morning that we now have an hour and a half to write our emails and we are allowed to write anyone we want, not just immediate family, so you can pass it along that anyone who wants to can now write me an email and expect an answer. Which reminds me that this email may be a little shorter than usual because I want to email Grandma.
Well, like I told Nathan, we might as well open up our own Portuguese branch in the stake now. I can see it now: family reunions where everyone but Mike and I are speaking Portuguese. Just make Dallin and Braeden promise now while they are still young, to not go to Brazil. Speaking of Dallin, I hope that he is feeling better. School makes me sick too. Tell Shantewa not to worry about not getting hired at McDonalds. The McDonalds in the US aren't nearly as cool as the ones in other countries. There are like five here in L'viv and they are all big fancy restaurants where you can eat "American" food. No wonder other countries think that everyone in America is fat. Oh, and I saw something really awesome a couple of weeks ago that I forgot to tell you about. You know those floating lanterns from Tangled? They exist! I saw a couple of them flying on March 8th which is National Women's Day here in Ukraine. I guess sometimes they will also let off a whole bunch of them at a time, which would be cool to see. So yeah, I can check that off of the list of dreams I have. I actually say a big huge banner for that Oz movie when I was in Keiv which was cool. I'm glad you guys had a good time. I totally forgot about pie day until nighttime so we ate kontiks instead, which are like the best desserts ever, so it was a good substitute.
Well, we got our transfer information on Saturday and I will be staying in L'viv but will have a new companion! His name is Elder Gmeiner and from what I hear, he is a really hard worker. He actually trained someone from my MTC district and I have met him like twice, very briefly. So I get to go to Keiv again this week for transfers and this time I get to go to the Temple! I am really excited, because I haven't been there yet and this means that I will be able to before the mission splits in July. We also got some new Ukrainian speaking missionaries in from the MTC, so I am officially no longer in the youngest group here. That's actually really weird. I feel like I just got here and it's almost April.
We got a lot of snow here this week. It snowed really heavily for like two days straight and we got another meter of snow, which is now melting because it is sunny. Weird. The snow actually prevented our investigators from coming to a branch activity, so I didn't enjoy the snow as much as usual. Still no baptismal date but the investigator who we are working with said that he knows he needs to be baptized again, he just doesn't think he's ready yet which is a little frustrating. Anyway, I think that that is all for this week. I love you!
Okay, first of all, who is this girl that Jared is dating and why am I not hearing about it from him? I was wondering why hadn't emailed me in a month and now it all makes since. I better be getting an email from him soon or else and you can pass that along. Just kidding. Seeing as how I didn't write him as much as I should have at the start of his mission, I can't really demand letters from him either, so he can send emails whenever he wants. Speaking of which, we were told this morning that we now have an hour and a half to write our emails and we are allowed to write anyone we want, not just immediate family, so you can pass it along that anyone who wants to can now write me an email and expect an answer. Which reminds me that this email may be a little shorter than usual because I want to email Grandma.
Well, like I told Nathan, we might as well open up our own Portuguese branch in the stake now. I can see it now: family reunions where everyone but Mike and I are speaking Portuguese. Just make Dallin and Braeden promise now while they are still young, to not go to Brazil. Speaking of Dallin, I hope that he is feeling better. School makes me sick too. Tell Shantewa not to worry about not getting hired at McDonalds. The McDonalds in the US aren't nearly as cool as the ones in other countries. There are like five here in L'viv and they are all big fancy restaurants where you can eat "American" food. No wonder other countries think that everyone in America is fat. Oh, and I saw something really awesome a couple of weeks ago that I forgot to tell you about. You know those floating lanterns from Tangled? They exist! I saw a couple of them flying on March 8th which is National Women's Day here in Ukraine. I guess sometimes they will also let off a whole bunch of them at a time, which would be cool to see. So yeah, I can check that off of the list of dreams I have. I actually say a big huge banner for that Oz movie when I was in Keiv which was cool. I'm glad you guys had a good time. I totally forgot about pie day until nighttime so we ate kontiks instead, which are like the best desserts ever, so it was a good substitute.
Well, we got our transfer information on Saturday and I will be staying in L'viv but will have a new companion! His name is Elder Gmeiner and from what I hear, he is a really hard worker. He actually trained someone from my MTC district and I have met him like twice, very briefly. So I get to go to Keiv again this week for transfers and this time I get to go to the Temple! I am really excited, because I haven't been there yet and this means that I will be able to before the mission splits in July. We also got some new Ukrainian speaking missionaries in from the MTC, so I am officially no longer in the youngest group here. That's actually really weird. I feel like I just got here and it's almost April.
We got a lot of snow here this week. It snowed really heavily for like two days straight and we got another meter of snow, which is now melting because it is sunny. Weird. The snow actually prevented our investigators from coming to a branch activity, so I didn't enjoy the snow as much as usual. Still no baptismal date but the investigator who we are working with said that he knows he needs to be baptized again, he just doesn't think he's ready yet which is a little frustrating. Anyway, I think that that is all for this week. I love you!
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Monday, March 11, 2013
March 11, 2013
Mother,
Sorry I made you type all those songs. I didn't realize how many there were. Thank you! Now I can hear them in order. How is Kelleene, by the way? I haven't really heard much as far as when or if there will be a surgery or radiation or if they are just seeing what the chemo does. There is a member in Chervonograd who we found out went to Keiv because he had stomach cancer, which is really sad, because that's pretty much a death sentence, especially in Ukraine. I am really grateful that things aren't as bad for Kelleene as they could be. The hospitals in the U.S. are much better than here. Speaking of which, I have an appointment with a dentist tomorrow, because one of the sides of the wire on my teeth came out, so they need to glue it back on, so that should be exciting. I also talked to the mission doctor about my ear, and he said to try sudafed for a while and it that doesn't help, he will get an appointment with an ear nose and throat specialist. I hope it isn't just permanent hearing loss, cause that would be depressing.The Zags are a number one?! either they are having a really good year, or this is a bad year for basketball. I hope that it's the first. I totally forgot about March Madness, which is probably a good thing. And Riley's papers are already in?! What the heck! That kid's not supposed to leave for like a year! This new age thing is making things really weird. How are all of the other guys' papers doing? You said that Braydon Berezay was pretty close and that Chappy was a little delayed by his foot, but what about Dallin or Cody Edwards or Morgan? And has anybody heard anything about whether or not Chris Lines is working on his papers? Well I'm glad that you had THE lesson this week. Ha ha. You didn't draw diagrams like with Shantewa, did you? Just joking. I liked the picture of the play that you sent. Nathan looks taller and a lot older. Sorry, Shantewa, you look the same. You'll probably have to dye your hair blue or something if you want to look any different in the next 2 years.
So this week was cool. We found two new investigators, one of which is really, really elect and awesome. We were really guided to him on the street and we prayed with him and were able to meet with him the next day. He was really interested in modern prophets and wants to see the movie about President Monson that they have here translated into russian. (Almost nothing is ever translated into Ukrainian unfortunately) The only problem is that he didn't come to church this week like he said he would and he doesn't have a phone, which is pretty common in Ukraine, so we don't know how to reach him again. We just have to pray and hope that either he will be at church next week or that we will be led to him on the street again. I also read a really awesome talk this week called "The Fourth Missionary" by Elder Corrbidge, given when he was a mission president, I think. It is really awesome and even though it is directed to missionaries, I would encourage anybody to read it. Oh and we made chili this week, but we made a little mistake. It didn't look like there was enough water, so we added more and we figured that in order to compensate for the more water we had to add more chili powder. Big mistake. It tasted really good, but it was like putting a fireball in your mouth. Mark would have loved it. I think that that is about it this week. I will send you some pictures of Keiv too. I love you!
Elder Jolstead the Younger
Sorry I made you type all those songs. I didn't realize how many there were. Thank you! Now I can hear them in order. How is Kelleene, by the way? I haven't really heard much as far as when or if there will be a surgery or radiation or if they are just seeing what the chemo does. There is a member in Chervonograd who we found out went to Keiv because he had stomach cancer, which is really sad, because that's pretty much a death sentence, especially in Ukraine. I am really grateful that things aren't as bad for Kelleene as they could be. The hospitals in the U.S. are much better than here. Speaking of which, I have an appointment with a dentist tomorrow, because one of the sides of the wire on my teeth came out, so they need to glue it back on, so that should be exciting. I also talked to the mission doctor about my ear, and he said to try sudafed for a while and it that doesn't help, he will get an appointment with an ear nose and throat specialist. I hope it isn't just permanent hearing loss, cause that would be depressing.The Zags are a number one?! either they are having a really good year, or this is a bad year for basketball. I hope that it's the first. I totally forgot about March Madness, which is probably a good thing. And Riley's papers are already in?! What the heck! That kid's not supposed to leave for like a year! This new age thing is making things really weird. How are all of the other guys' papers doing? You said that Braydon Berezay was pretty close and that Chappy was a little delayed by his foot, but what about Dallin or Cody Edwards or Morgan? And has anybody heard anything about whether or not Chris Lines is working on his papers? Well I'm glad that you had THE lesson this week. Ha ha. You didn't draw diagrams like with Shantewa, did you? Just joking. I liked the picture of the play that you sent. Nathan looks taller and a lot older. Sorry, Shantewa, you look the same. You'll probably have to dye your hair blue or something if you want to look any different in the next 2 years.
So this week was cool. We found two new investigators, one of which is really, really elect and awesome. We were really guided to him on the street and we prayed with him and were able to meet with him the next day. He was really interested in modern prophets and wants to see the movie about President Monson that they have here translated into russian. (Almost nothing is ever translated into Ukrainian unfortunately) The only problem is that he didn't come to church this week like he said he would and he doesn't have a phone, which is pretty common in Ukraine, so we don't know how to reach him again. We just have to pray and hope that either he will be at church next week or that we will be led to him on the street again. I also read a really awesome talk this week called "The Fourth Missionary" by Elder Corrbidge, given when he was a mission president, I think. It is really awesome and even though it is directed to missionaries, I would encourage anybody to read it. Oh and we made chili this week, but we made a little mistake. It didn't look like there was enough water, so we added more and we figured that in order to compensate for the more water we had to add more chili powder. Big mistake. It tasted really good, but it was like putting a fireball in your mouth. Mark would have loved it. I think that that is about it this week. I will send you some pictures of Keiv too. I love you!
Elder Jolstead the Younger
Monday, March 4, 2013
March 4, 2013
Family,
This week was really fast. It's weird to think that I am in the middle of my second transfer in Ukraine. I feel like the language hasn't been progressing really fast, but all the Ukrainians and Elder Dorius think that it is, so maybe I just can't tell. I did hear a little bit about the meteor in Russia, but I forgot to ask about it. It was pretty huge, wasn't it? I also heard this week that the pope resigned and that lightning struck the Vatican like three times or something. I don't know if that's true or not. Oh, and I did get your letters up to the first week of February I think. I don't know how long it took to get here, because we only get mail when someone goes to Keiv, so it could have been sitting there for a while. I also got a letter from Haley and someone can tell her that I will write her back eventually. I haven't even had time to finish a letter to you guys or send Birthday cards yet. P days go by really fast as does the rest of the week. Thanks for all the recipes; we have really been enjoying the waffles and we got the stuff for chili this week, which is exciting. I found out that I won't be able to make applesauce pancakes because they don't have applesauce here, which was a little depressing. I may try to experiment and make it myself if I have time, which I probably won't. Could I get the recipes for cinnamon rolls and regular rolls in future letters? Between me and my companion we can only make so many things and I want to add as much variety as possible. Oh, and could someone send me the order to some of those cds that Kelleene put on my mp3 player like the Garden and the Lamb of God? I'd like to try to listen to them from the beginning sometime and right now they are alphabetical.
So this week I went on an exchange with the district leader on a trip to leadership conference in Kyiv! It was really awesome, because we went contacting to different really cool places in the city. I have pictures, but I forgot my camera, so I will send them next week. I went to the spot where President Packer dedicated the country for missionary work and it was really cool. The Spirit is really strong there. I also went to a soviet war museum with tons of tanks, airplanes and helicopters. I didn't get to go to the Temple though, because it was kind of a last minute trip. Oh, and I saw another dead body too, and this one wasn't at a funeral. It was kind of weird, because the police here are terrible. There was this dead body up against a corner and there were just a couple of cops, one of which was taking pictures with what looked like his own camera. Most of the police here are all young guys who don't know what they are doing anyway, which makes me glad that I don't have to just rely on them for safety. I'm not quite sure how the guy died, but I didn't see any blood, so it may have been natural causes.
The Psych marathon sounded really fun. I don't think you should let Braeden and Dallin stay up, though. If everyone is able to stay up at night when I get back it'll be weird, so they should just go to bed early until I am gone for good. I'm glad that Kelleene is doing well. Do you have any idea how long she is going to be getting treatments?
I wish I had more to report with the work, but right now we aren't having too much success. A lot of contacting and work with members. We have a couple of investigators who are progressing but neither one wants to set a baptismal date yet. We had a really cool experience with one of them this week though. We asked him to say the closing prayer, during which he asked if the church was true. Afterwards he said he felt like a wave of warmth rushed over him. We are trying to help him realize that this was his answer, but something is keeping him from really commiting to baptism. I'm not sure what, because he is really awesome and accepts everything we teach him, which is not as common here as it is in some other places (Brazil). Anyway, hopefully the Spirit will be able to get him to do what is right and be baptized soon.
Well I love all of you and hope that spring comes soon. Oh, and I am sending you a picture of some borsh that I ate at an old babycia's house. I just want to clarify that this not what all borsh looks like and it was actually pretty good. I ate it all. I just had to be carefull to not swallow any small bones.
Elder Jolstead the Younger
This week was really fast. It's weird to think that I am in the middle of my second transfer in Ukraine. I feel like the language hasn't been progressing really fast, but all the Ukrainians and Elder Dorius think that it is, so maybe I just can't tell. I did hear a little bit about the meteor in Russia, but I forgot to ask about it. It was pretty huge, wasn't it? I also heard this week that the pope resigned and that lightning struck the Vatican like three times or something. I don't know if that's true or not. Oh, and I did get your letters up to the first week of February I think. I don't know how long it took to get here, because we only get mail when someone goes to Keiv, so it could have been sitting there for a while. I also got a letter from Haley and someone can tell her that I will write her back eventually. I haven't even had time to finish a letter to you guys or send Birthday cards yet. P days go by really fast as does the rest of the week. Thanks for all the recipes; we have really been enjoying the waffles and we got the stuff for chili this week, which is exciting. I found out that I won't be able to make applesauce pancakes because they don't have applesauce here, which was a little depressing. I may try to experiment and make it myself if I have time, which I probably won't. Could I get the recipes for cinnamon rolls and regular rolls in future letters? Between me and my companion we can only make so many things and I want to add as much variety as possible. Oh, and could someone send me the order to some of those cds that Kelleene put on my mp3 player like the Garden and the Lamb of God? I'd like to try to listen to them from the beginning sometime and right now they are alphabetical.
So this week I went on an exchange with the district leader on a trip to leadership conference in Kyiv! It was really awesome, because we went contacting to different really cool places in the city. I have pictures, but I forgot my camera, so I will send them next week. I went to the spot where President Packer dedicated the country for missionary work and it was really cool. The Spirit is really strong there. I also went to a soviet war museum with tons of tanks, airplanes and helicopters. I didn't get to go to the Temple though, because it was kind of a last minute trip. Oh, and I saw another dead body too, and this one wasn't at a funeral. It was kind of weird, because the police here are terrible. There was this dead body up against a corner and there were just a couple of cops, one of which was taking pictures with what looked like his own camera. Most of the police here are all young guys who don't know what they are doing anyway, which makes me glad that I don't have to just rely on them for safety. I'm not quite sure how the guy died, but I didn't see any blood, so it may have been natural causes.
The Psych marathon sounded really fun. I don't think you should let Braeden and Dallin stay up, though. If everyone is able to stay up at night when I get back it'll be weird, so they should just go to bed early until I am gone for good. I'm glad that Kelleene is doing well. Do you have any idea how long she is going to be getting treatments?
I wish I had more to report with the work, but right now we aren't having too much success. A lot of contacting and work with members. We have a couple of investigators who are progressing but neither one wants to set a baptismal date yet. We had a really cool experience with one of them this week though. We asked him to say the closing prayer, during which he asked if the church was true. Afterwards he said he felt like a wave of warmth rushed over him. We are trying to help him realize that this was his answer, but something is keeping him from really commiting to baptism. I'm not sure what, because he is really awesome and accepts everything we teach him, which is not as common here as it is in some other places (Brazil). Anyway, hopefully the Spirit will be able to get him to do what is right and be baptized soon.
Well I love all of you and hope that spring comes soon. Oh, and I am sending you a picture of some borsh that I ate at an old babycia's house. I just want to clarify that this not what all borsh looks like and it was actually pretty good. I ate it all. I just had to be carefull to not swallow any small bones.
Elder Jolstead the Younger
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