Week of Singing Missionaries

12/19/2016

Hello Everyone!

This week has been great (as always). 

Russian is still hard (as always).

And Elder Carr is great (most of the time).

On Saturday we had our Christmas Conmcert that us Pechersky Missionaries kind of got roped into. I'll be honest, my expectations weren't that high. I was expecting some thrown together church event thing that I would be embaresed to show my grandma. But to my suprize it was very, very well done. I wish evryone that I have ever known could have been there! I walked into the Borschegovsky Chaple and saw in awe all of the set up that was going on. Everything was very high quality. That backdrop, props, lighting, sound reenforcement, visual, stage and orchestra. It was really cool. In my opinion, those putting it on could have charged a good fifteen dollars for admission. There were a lot of people there as well. Both members and non-members. and even some high ranking official from the Kyiv Obolosk came and gave a few comments. The spirit was definitly felt by all. Even though it was all in Ukrainian and none of us understand. And if not especially when all of the kids got up to sing. 

It has seemed that this was the weekmof singing missionaries. For one we had that amazing Christmas Concert. But we also had a number of times where us Pachersky missionaries went out Caroling/Contacting/BookTableing. 

On Sunday we had church as usual and probobly not to the suprize of many of you. But this sunday we had the Primary Program. The Primary here isn't as big as say Salt Lake City, but they are still great. And that's right, you guessed it, we (Missionaries) sang with them. Just contiuing our streek this week. We sang "I hope theu call me on a mission" with the little Primary boys. I fuind a couple thins a little amusing about this. One that the missinaries were twice the hight, number, and volume of the little primary boys, and that in Utah they would probably have had the girls sing as well. One thing that Elder Carr told me was that "I wonder if they way we look at this (the primary program), is the same way Heavenly father see us in our normal sacrament meeting?" I thought that that was kind of funny. 

For the past few weeks we have been working with a Less-Active member. (He's probably reading this, so. Hi Denis!) he served a mission here in Ukraine and is an awesome guy! but for what ever reason he started becomeing less-active. The reasons don't really matter. what matters is that he is doing way more awesome than when I first met him. basically the only thing we have done is helped him started reading the Book of Mormon everyday. We have been promised that if we can get people to do that, that mosg everything will work its self out. And that is very true. He came to church, does home teching and has great insights into the Scriptures. Thisis truly a testimony that The Book of Mormom is the word of God and the statement in the Introduction to the Book of Mormon that says "' . . . the Book of Mormon [is] the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than any other book."'

I want you to all know that I love you very much and that I love being here in Ukraine in the service of my God.

Старейшина Класон / Elder Clawson

Kyiv, Ukraine Temple.