Monday 23 October 2017

Newbie from New Zealand!

Hello!

So this week our mission got a lot of brand new "greenies"! The two sisters coming from the Spain MTC stayed at our apartment their first night so that was cool! Then Sis Busath and I were asked to sing again at the new missionary orientation.  We sang a special version of "Savior, Redeemer of my soul".

Elder Cookson is our newbie from New Zealand and he's super cool. He has a lot of desire to get to work and also to learn Russian so that's awesome and very humbling and we're learning from his example. He's so positive! It's pretty interesting to see cause he doesn't know much Russian yet but he sure will learn it fast. He decided instead of trying to bear his testimony to the branch on Sunday in Russian, he sang a hymn and you guys should have seen the branch they all fell in love with him haha it was so funny cause it was all our babushkys (elder ladies )talked about.

We found out where Galina (lady we met pepper plant contacting)  works and when so we dropped by and talked to her for awhile and sis Busath asked  her about her coming to church. Turns out she hadn't said she was interested in coming to church, she only goes on holidays but then I said well maybe she'd like to read the book of Mormon and she took it and was thankful. we started talking about what we believe about life after death and such we think she may believe that resurrection is reincarnation but I told her to read the intro and Alma 40 and she said she would so we're hopeful to start teaching her officially this week!

We have had trouble recently getting a hold of this one member who was active but went away for the summer and we hadn't seen her since she got back over a month ago. Sis Busath had the idea to just go to her apartment to drop off cookies or something but then we almost decided not to but later that day we saw on the branch list that it was her birthday that day. I said that we definitely have to now then. Well we went with a card and chocolates but the dumb phone didn't work and no one was around to let us in but I knew we should stay and  wait. Well long story short we got in and she was home and so happy we stopped by! She let us in to talk and have spiritual thought and her less active daughter who we hadn't been able to meet with at all sat in the whole time, and participated! We got to know her better and the Spirit was definitely there. It was a huge miracle for us and a lesson to always go through with the first prompting.

Other then that, We carved pumpkins but didn't have enough time to go contact with them like we wanted to so stayed for that next week. And it's getting way cold here but we also finally had some pretty fall colors!

Love ya!

Cectpa Horne




































Monday 16 October 2017

Харковь!!! (Kharkov!!)

Hey!!

This was a really fun week!! It started with making homemade shwarma on Canadian Thanksgiving (maybe not better than a turkey dinner but still soo good!) and then ended with an awesome trip to Kharkov!!

This was Elder Shweighart's last week of the mission this week so we did a lot of fun things with the Elders and were invited to a couple of members houses with them. It's really sad to see him go, he's probably the most humble and hard working missionary ever! It's been a fun transfer with this district and we got transfers this week and me and Sis Busath are staying together! :) Also we're going to have a "son" haha sorry more mission lingo aka Elder Hilobok is training an Elder and he's from New Zealand! we're excited. We're also getting SO many new missionaries in our mission these next couple transfers! it's crazy! but we're so happy to get more missionaries.

Saturday we accepted an invitation from one of our friends to go to one of her church services. We decided it could be cool to check it out and meet her friends. We were a little worried because we heard some weird things about this particular church, but it ended up being fairly normal.. although we have this one song stuck in our head now lol they were really nice though.

On Sunday we went to sacrament meeting in center - and I found out that the wife of a member who I almost taught got baptized the day before! It was so amazing to hear and see her be confirmed a member. Then all of us, like 20 or so missionaries, got in a bus and drove to Kharkov! It was so fun to see all these missionaries I haven't seen in forever. Kharikov looks super pretty and European downtown, it was cool to be there even for a just a bit. Elder Kearon of the Presidency of the Seventy and Elder Golden and his wife of the Seventy had a conference with all of the missionaries in the mission and it was SO good! Learned a lot but mainly I loved that I could feel the Spirit SO strong the entire time! Sis Sullivan asked Sis Busath and I to sing the same song we sang at zone conference at the beginning..and apparently they all cried soo mission accomplished ahaha just kidding. But yeah that day went by way too fast but it was great!

Sorry, I actually took some pics this week but we had to go to a Internet cafe today so they tell me I shouldn't put my camera in the computer in case I get a virus..

With love,

Cectpa Horne


Pics of Galina's baptism from last week:

Wednesday 11 October 2017

Galina's baptism!!

Heeey!!
I hope you all had an amazing week - full of turkey if you are my Canadian peeps;) and full of goodness!

My week was awesome. I received a lot of counsel, revelation and blessings. First we had an awesome Zone conference. This transfer we were focusing on the Book of Mormon and how we can use it more. I've really learned to love this book SO much and I know it is so powerful. We watched one of the talks from general conference on how there is no way that it was not translated and brought to us by the power of God and it is so cool how clear it is logically but really we know that the true way to know it's truth is to ask God and I'm so grateful of the testimony I've received of it. 

Sister Busath and I did a musical number at Zone conference and we actually also did another one at Galina's baptism. But even though we did pretty well on both we didn't do as well as we hoped but we re filmed for y'all haha where we don't forget the words or voice isn't weird ;) ( BTW I was a little bummed when I found out I actually accidently got cut out of our zone conference pic buut I'm deciding to look on the bright side, this just meaning we have more sisters now;))

So Saturday was really great because.. Galina got BAPTIZED!! :)) The service ended up going really well despite us being pretty stressed because the font wasn't filling up super fast or like no one was coming until the last minute or late. But lots of people were there and Galina was super cute and giddy and super happy and grateful afterwards. Lots of her family and friends who came loved it and it was a really good, spiritual service. We're so happy for her! She went to all of conference and then her birthday is today so it's been a good weekend for her. Sis Busath and I got her a baptism/birthday gift of sparkling grape juice because she was a little disappointed that she wouldn't be able to drink and celebrate how she usually had on her birthday haha

How did everyone like conference?? From what we got to see so far, ( we watched sunday and saturday morning with the Sullivans and missionaries and ate Sis Sullivan's homemade cinnamon rolls mmm)  I thought it was AMAZING as always. Flipping love general conference. I saw theme of focusing on others and serving and that things in your own life will work out. I really need to work on that more this year. I'm so grateful for living prophets, apostles and leaders who receive revelation for us TODAY. If you missed it, you need to go watch or read it! lds.org <<<  I can't wait to watch the rest and read them in the Liahona and study them until next conference!!

Anyway.. I'm super excited for this week and next sunday guess what?! .. We're going to KHARKOV! I've never been there before and we're having a big mission conference because Elder Kearon is coming! SO excited! 

Love ya! Have a good week:)

Cectpa Horne

Here are links to Celine and her companion singing a primary song in Russian and a beautiful version of 

Come Thou Font of Every Blessing

Russian version of Primary Song "When I Am Baptized"


Monday 2 October 2017

Priviet vciem!


Priviet vciem! ( When I want to say hi in Russian but I also don't want to type in Russian and i want  you guys to be able to read it so.. voila)
Pretty normal week this week. The plants are still growing.. Lil Johnny ( one of the bean plants ) grew to new heights this week so we took some pics and then cut the top off. hahah

The Elders moved apartments this week and were kind of freaking out about getting it done on time but then didn't let us help til the last minute ( lol elders.. ) so while they went to an activity they were in charge of, we cleaned their apartment ahah so we had fun singing and scrubbing and taking pics because we were in the elders empty apartment.

Also we had a false alarm in  Dnepr where apparently the water and gas in the entire city was supposed to be turned off for like 2 DAYS! and so we prepped real hard and filled up all the buckets and pots we have... and then it never happened.. still waiting in slight suspense for it if it still will happen. aha. hopefully not during zone conference next week or the baptism! 

Oh yea! Galina had her baptismal interview yesterday and is all ready to baptized next saturday! We're so excited! 

I am SO EXCITED for general conference! you don't even know. We have to wait til this next weekend to watch it but I'd love to hear your thoughts! Sad to hear about the passing of Elder Hales but he went right on serving on the other side. Super thankful for him, actually I was just reading his talk from last conference this week on being a true disciple of Christ and it really made me want to do better and develop all of Christ's attributes more, especially seeing the example of the Prophets and how Christlike they are.

Talk to you next week with pics from the baptism:))

-Cectpa Horne