Monday, December 4, 2017

#Осиетиэтотмир / #LightTheWorld . . .again.

12/4/2017

A busy week and another to come.

Elder Roylance is pretty much as I remember him over a year ago. 
We got some new missionaries this week and they are awesome! We have so many missionaries getting trained right now. 
It's December now. 
I don't have any time to write very much today because I have super secret office stuff that has to get done by the week end. So here are some pictures to cover up my short comings. 


Старейшина Класон / Elder Clawson



The Kiev, Ukraine Temple on the day of first snow. 







Transfers, Thanksgiving, and Irrational Fears

11/27/2017

We had a pretty good Thanksgiving this week if you were wondering. We had a very special combined Zone Conference with both the Kiev East and West zones. We got to learn so much from President and Sister Kumferman and then had a short snack and then the Zone Leaders from both zones taught and then we had our Thanksgiving dinner. We actually had it on the 23rd so it counts as real Thanksgiving dinner. Right before the closing prayer me and my companion got pulled out by Sister Bingham and she said that she needed our help. She lead us into one of the primary rooms and then we saw the reason for the interruption. There on the cute little kids table two nurses had set up their vaccination station. Now, if any of you are at least slightly informed on my relationship with pointy metal things that go into your body you will understand my discomfort. The ladies had us take a big stack of agreement forms and a list of people who had signed up to get their flu shots. A few months earlier when the signing up was going around the mission I signed up to get mine not necessarily because I wanted the vaccination itself but the process of getting a shot to help me get used to needles. At this point I had either forgotten or was hoping that I wasn't on the list but upon obtaining the list I found my name to be the very first one. Luckily I was too busy handing out the papers to sign to everyone that I couldn't get my shot. Then I finally got to have Thanksgiving dinner after everyone was basically done. But then I was told that I and Elder Glade were the only ones who had not gotten their shot yet. So I went and took off my jacket and rolled up my sleeve and was all ready but then Elder Glade had to go to the bathroom so he left me outside pacing the hallway waiting for that fateful moments. But then the moment came and it went well actually. This was probably the first time in a long time that I haven't almost or actually passed out. 
On Tuesday Elder Glade, Elder Hatch, Elder Lundquist and I went to the Temple. That was a very special time. 
Well as many of you are probably aware, Elder Glade goes home this week. In fact early tomorrow morning. Due to the fact that my companion is leaving I will be getting a new one. Anyone remember Elder Roylance? My MTC companion? Yeah so he is going to be my companion again and this is going to be one of the funnest transfers ever. 
So it snowed last week a good amount that was sticking but it has gotten a little bit warmer so it all melted. But today it has been pretty cold and rainy. Since all of the departing missionaries have a special departing missionary meeting and exit interviews with President Kumferman I am left companionless until tomorrow. So I have got to hang out with the Zone Leaders here. Elder Lundquist and Hatch. We tried to pick up some slacks today for Elder Lundquist but the lady wasn't done with them yet. So we just ate lunch and picked up my drycleaning. Now we are in the family History Center in the Temple Accommodations on the Temple site. It was just us three but now it is us and the Borschagosvsky Sisters and the Svyatoshensky Sisters. So basically a party. 
Also, after the Thanksgiving Zone Conference we had our PA guy (Public Relations) for the church her come and make a video of us missionaries telling what we are thankful for. The video is on the mission's Facebook. So yeah. 
Friday to Sunday were pretty crazy days. Elder Glade had to pack everything and it seemed like one problem after another came up during those days in the office. And it didn't help that the Andrus's were in Chernigov on Friday. But we all survived. 
Also, Elder Glade as a last hurrah "slammed" (the act of drinking milk through a specific cookie called Супер Контік) with Tabasco sauce. Yeah he needed to go home.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot another thing. At the beginning of Zone Conference when President Kumferman announced our topic for the day and how it was on the Holy Ghost and Personal Revelation and was doing all of the announcements he stated that he was giving missionaries a gift of being able to attend the temple four times in a year as opposed to the previous three times in a year. And he also said that he was giving us an hour ti Skype home to our families and explained that when his son was on a mission that they were chatting away with their missionary son and after three hour he said "Oh, I guess our ninety minutes are up then." Then he said to us that he trusts us and explained that this was principal of parenthood that when a child shows that they can be obedient then you give them more freedom and that we were kind of like that child who had shown that we can be obedient and then turned to Sister Kumferman and asked if the hour was agreeable. She simply said casually "You know as a parent I would like ninety minutes. . ." then President immediately turned and announced "Ninety minutes it is then!" After some laughter and shocked sounds from the missionaries he said "Here is an example of how revelation can come." That was pretty funny and just great. 
One more thing. Elder Lundquist next to me is writing his email this week in the style of a teenaged girl. Which means no capitalization and lots of random emojis. 

Старейшина Класон / Elder Clawson

We went to the Temple



And I left Elder Glade. 





Departing missionaries. Elder Glade, Elder Konstantynov, Elder Isom, Elder Western, and Elder Carr.


Armen from Armenia and the beginnings of the first Ukraine Nigerian Branch

11/20/2017

So some of us broke the Word of Wisdom this week.
Our investigator Armen from Armenia came to church yesterday. Well actually he came to the end of sacrament meeting . . . of the International Branch . . . Armen from Armenia doesn't speak English. 
But he did bring a cake for us that he apparently promised Elder Glade that he would bring for whatever reason. He probably bought it on Sunday. We have only had the first lesson with him so we doesn't really know about Sabbath Day observance yet. Finally after all of our meetings and trying to not fall asleep in the Ukrainian sacrament meeting we were as the scriptures say "an hungered" and realized that we had some tasty refreshments in the refrigerator that Armen from Armenia gave us. We popped of the lid and started cutting pieces out for all of our district and it was only until Elder Hatch was basically done with his piece that we smelled something suspicious. Upon investigation we found out that it was in fact an actual coffee cake. So Elder Hatch is basically the worst ever and yeah. It was actually somewhat of a tough situation for us. We were hungry, it looked pretty good and Armen from Armenia brought it for us. But we decided to just through it away in such a way that know one would know. Because if any babushkas (grandmas) found out we would get destroyed and they would probably just eat it. 
Today was Elder Glade's last P-day. He goes home next week and has been packing. Well more like just laying out all of his stuff and admiring it. He is a great missionary and I have really really enjoyed this time with him. And to kind of celebrate his last p-day we went bowling in Center Kiev in my old area. It was supposed to be only a few other missionaries but it turned out to be 14 Elders. Does the rule for missionaries to gather in large groups apply to when you are bowling? We rented four lanes and had a blast. I found out that I have gotten much more consistent with my bowling but not necessarily in the right direction. I was very  consistent in barely mission the pin on the end. It seems I have gotten a lot worse at bowling since last time. However things started to look up as I started aiming for the gutter on the other side. 
We had this pastry dough in the freezer that has been there ever since I have been here and we (I)decided to just use it to get rid of it. So I let it defrost and made various types of "pastries" some of which were apple, honey, apple and honey, raspberry jam, sugar cubes, and Tabasco. They weren't the greatest but the Tabasco one was fun. 
We have Zone conference this week coming up and we in the two Kiev zones are going to have a special combined Thanksgiving Zone Conference. 
Oh yeah. We also had another Baptism on Saturday. Mercy Rejoice Momodu the sister of Blessing decided to get baptized and it was a wonderful thing for her. And the funny thing is that there are now like three more Nigerian investigators that the Zone Leaders have. You baptized one and two more show up. 
So basically it was a great week. 
Also we had another FHE with the Borisenkos. I was Lemuel again. 

Старейшина Класон / Elder Clawson







First Snowfall and the Jumpers

11/13/2017

Good day to all of my readers. I hope that if you regularly happen here or even if this your first time that you will find something interesting and of use. Hopefully.
So if you are one of those regulars then you might remember what happened last week during Priesthood meeting. Brother Marchevsky the Elders Quorum President set us up with a whole bunch of lessons with members for us to teach them and then eventually have them invite some one over to have them in their homes and have us teach them with them. This week we had probably more lessons than I have had in any other week of my mission! Also, do you remember Oksana? Sorry that is a bad reminder. Every women in Ukraine is named Oksana. But the one Elder Glade's neighbors had as a foreign exchange student in America and then came and did a temple tour with us? Yeah so we met with her and she is now an investigator! The lesson was actually mostly in English because she knows English better than we know Russian. And she also thinks it is kind of weird to talk to us in Russian because she is so used to talking with Americans not in Russian or Ukrainian but in English. We had a lesson with this one family the Parhomenkos. They have two little girls that are about 9 and 13. There is also a mom who has some problems and some others who are also members. We heard that when ever the Sisters go over that it is a nightmare trying to get the two little girls to focus and that they have been teaching the commandments with them and left off at the Word of Wisdom. So we devised a plan of how to take charge and get everyone involved. So we went over and brought over colored pieces of paper. To engage everyone and especially Dasha and Leya (the two girls) we did origami and we showed them how to make those fun little springy-thingy toys. And as we were going along we stopped and wrote on the paper things we are not supposed to put into our bodies and then a little further with the folding and then write those things that we are supposed to eat and the blessings we can receive from obeying this law. It worked perfectly. I am either a genius or just or just think I am and they were just behaving because we were new. After we made our Springy-Thingies I learned the Russian name the Leya the 9 year old gave it. She called it a Пригнтчик (prignutchik) which being translated is a jumper or something that jumps.
On Saturday we had English Practice as usual but then after we had an awesome meeting with Armen who is now another of our new investigators. The meeting went a little long mostly due to how he likes to talk a lot a tell long stories. But everything went great with him. 
Yesterday Armen unfortunately didn't come and neither did anyone else's investigators. But that's okay because we got our first snow. And Brother Marchevsky the Elders Quorum President that you have already heard about followed up in 3rd hour with us about all of our meetings we had this last week and set up even more for this week! 
Do you remember Anthony and Blessing who recently got baptized? of course you do. Blessing has a sister who was also taking the lessons from Elder Lundquist and Hatch but didn't feel quite ready as Anthony and Blessing were. But great news, yesterday at the end of church we interviewed her for baptism and she is super ready. By the way. Her name is Mercy in case you forgot. 
This week we decided to bring home one of the huge 12 liter pots form the office so we could make a big pot of borsch that would last us the whole week. It was pretty fun and turned out pretty good too. But after it all it looked like Vietnam in our kitchen because of all of the beets. 
last night I was using Elder Glade's phone because some one called him on that one thinking that it was me (we have two phones in the Office) and after I was done I went to toss it onto his chest be I accidentally threw it way too hard and hit him in the face with his own phone. I felt so bad but he says that he just thinks it is funny. And this morning when we woke up he had a big bruise over the bridge of his nose. Man, no wonder I get moved around so much. 
Another interesting thing that happened this week. President Kumferman has a desktop computer that he uses at home in his office and at a scheduled time it makes you change your password. We got a call from him one day and he was a little bit anxious and he explained that he had got that message on his computer but due to the busyness with interviews (oh yeah, we also had interviews this week) that he hadn't had a chance to change his password and now the computer is locked. So we went over prepared with couple of things we had prepared at the office to hopefully override this lame password changing thing. We got there and spent some time there but to no avail. We had an idea of something that might work but needed to know another password to something so President Kumferman called up President (well I guess not President anymore) Packer. Right he initiated the called Sister Kumferman got an important call from another mission President that he was also supposed to be a part of. So Elder Glade and I we left alone in the Mission President's private office talking with President Packer trying to hack into his computer. 
So thins week was an eventful one filled with meetings and rain and snow and sunshine. Sometimes all at once. Pretty much a great week. 
Also. Our milk is going to last longer than Elder Glade is according to the expiration date. 
Today is Elder Glade second to last P-day. 
We have two family home evenings today. 
Winter is here.
I have an orange on my desk. 
We accidentally put 200 grivens worth of rides on my metro card.

Старейшина Класон / Elder Clawson

Elder Glade's bruise



An advertisement we saw on the way to the temple. It says Хщтите такую рекламу? Which means "Do you want this kind of advertisement?"