Saturday, December 7, 2019
Monday, July 22, 2019
Week 77: Final words of a dying missionary
Well, this is it. The official last email from Sister Vehar.
There are two highlights that I wanted to share from this week. The first one is about Nastya, the girl I’ve talked about in my past weekly emails. Our cute little investigator wants to get baptized and we finally set a date with her. She’s going to get baptized on August 24th. She’s so cute and excited to get baptized and we’re just hoping that eventually her desire will be for the right reasons. Right now, she just really, really wants to do it, but sometimes she says things that we’re like, “Oh no, she doesn’t really have a testimony!” She’s just doing it to do it and so we’re hoping that eventually as she keeps meeting with us she will develop her own strong testimony. We’re just so excited for her and her strong desire to get baptized-and she has a testimony, we just have to help her see that she has one I guess. She wanted to get baptized before I left, but we won’t let her cause she’s got to have that testimony before we let her get baptized, so I’ll just have to Skype in for it in August.
The other one-We were contacting one day this week and it was a long contacting session. We were on this long stretch where there were no people and Sister Goncear and I got kind of bored after a while of no people to contact and so she started telling me some riddles. Eventually, she ran out of riddles and asked me if I had any riddles, so I start telling her a riddle and there are two old ladies on this bench a little far out of the way for us to contact. I didn’t even see them, they were so out of the way. We passed them and I’m just talking to Sister Goncear and we hear someone screaming at us from behind, “Girls! Girls! Stop!” We turn around and this little old lady is kind of hobbling up to us and we were confused. She says, “I know you!” and we’re like “uh... we don’t know you”. She says, “Not specifically you, but I am acquainted with your church. I’m actually a member and I saw the book...I knew you by the book.” Sister Goncear had been carrying a Book of Mormon and ugh, this lady was so adorable! She hasn’t come to church for many years. She told us she was so excited to see us and invited us into her house for a few minutes to talk. So we walked into her apartment and she just kept saying “Five minutes! Five minutes!” We shared a spiritual thought and just talked to her and found out her story. She had been baptized in 2004. This cute little lady is an invalid so she kind of walks a little funny. She used to be a professional skier. After that, she was a sports journalist. We are so excited for her. She’s just a cute little miracle because literally there was no one on that stretch and we could have turned back after a while, but for some reason we just kept walking and found cute little Sister Galina. After talking to this lady, I just had the strongest impression that God remembers each of His children and loves us and knows us by name.
I know I’m usually bad about sending home spiritual things in my weekly emails, but as I'm wrapping up my mission I wanted to share some final impressions. A lot of people keep asking me “What was the biggest lesson you learned on your mission?’ or “What do you wish you knew at the beginning of your mission that you know now?” I just feel like the biggest thing I’ve learned, or something I’ve realized is how much God’s hand is in this work and just in our lives in general. I feel like, just like Sister Galina-that was one of the roughest contacting sessions of my life and just every time I’ve had one of the hardest moments of my mission or times when the work isn’t going easy or whenever it’s just really hard and you don’t want to do what you’re really supposed to do, I’ve just seen how right after those moments I have seen the biggest miracles and sometimes I feel like God is so funny. They come in the strangest ways or in ways that you wouldn’t expect. It’s just so crazy how personally God knows us is what I’ve realized. Before the mission, I feel like yeah, I knew that God is our Heavenly and He knows us individually and knows the thoughts of our hearts. We learn this in Seminary, at church and our parents teach us and you kind of think about it and forget about it, but I just feel like it’s been engraven in my heart just how personally God knows us and how He knows exactly the kind of miracles that we need to take away our doubts or to help us see the right way or to help us with the motivation to keep going. I just know how much He loves me and all of us after this year and half of this wonderful experience. Honestly, the miracles of God are just so personal and I feel like after this I can never deny that He hears and answers our prayers. I don’t understand how anybody could say there is no God if they had seen the things I have seen after this year and a half. I just know that God knows each of us so personally-I don’t know how better to say that. He just knows us and loves us. He will send anything to help us, even if it’s a flood in your apartment after the hardest week of your mission even if it’s just so you can think about the flood instead of that hard week. Or, if He sends you a poor, invalid babushka running after you to see how much people have been touched by the Church and by the Gospel. I’ve just seen so many miracles, I could send a long list. God sends miracles after hard times to remind you that He is there and that He knows what you are going through and He wants you to see the light at the end of the tunnel. He’s willing to do anything to help you there.
I’m honestly so sad to come home! I hope I’ll continue to be this close to God that I can continue to see these miracles still in my regular day to day life. I’m just so thankful for this opportunity to have served. I’m excited to come home and hug my family, but it’s going to be really hard to leave a part of my heart here in Ukraine and in this work with these people. I just want to testify that even on the hardest days, these have been my most favorite moments of my entire life. The happiest moment at home could not even compare to the joy I've experienced here, even on the hardest day. Even in the biggest points of disappointment, I’ve been so happy because I’ve been carried by the Lord for the past year and a half. Without the Lord, I could not have done this! Without you, I couldn't have done this. I love you all so much and I can't wait to see you all very soon.
Love,
Sister Vehar
There are two highlights that I wanted to share from this week. The first one is about Nastya, the girl I’ve talked about in my past weekly emails. Our cute little investigator wants to get baptized and we finally set a date with her. She’s going to get baptized on August 24th. She’s so cute and excited to get baptized and we’re just hoping that eventually her desire will be for the right reasons. Right now, she just really, really wants to do it, but sometimes she says things that we’re like, “Oh no, she doesn’t really have a testimony!” She’s just doing it to do it and so we’re hoping that eventually as she keeps meeting with us she will develop her own strong testimony. We’re just so excited for her and her strong desire to get baptized-and she has a testimony, we just have to help her see that she has one I guess. She wanted to get baptized before I left, but we won’t let her cause she’s got to have that testimony before we let her get baptized, so I’ll just have to Skype in for it in August.
The other one-We were contacting one day this week and it was a long contacting session. We were on this long stretch where there were no people and Sister Goncear and I got kind of bored after a while of no people to contact and so she started telling me some riddles. Eventually, she ran out of riddles and asked me if I had any riddles, so I start telling her a riddle and there are two old ladies on this bench a little far out of the way for us to contact. I didn’t even see them, they were so out of the way. We passed them and I’m just talking to Sister Goncear and we hear someone screaming at us from behind, “Girls! Girls! Stop!” We turn around and this little old lady is kind of hobbling up to us and we were confused. She says, “I know you!” and we’re like “uh... we don’t know you”. She says, “Not specifically you, but I am acquainted with your church. I’m actually a member and I saw the book...I knew you by the book.” Sister Goncear had been carrying a Book of Mormon and ugh, this lady was so adorable! She hasn’t come to church for many years. She told us she was so excited to see us and invited us into her house for a few minutes to talk. So we walked into her apartment and she just kept saying “Five minutes! Five minutes!” We shared a spiritual thought and just talked to her and found out her story. She had been baptized in 2004. This cute little lady is an invalid so she kind of walks a little funny. She used to be a professional skier. After that, she was a sports journalist. We are so excited for her. She’s just a cute little miracle because literally there was no one on that stretch and we could have turned back after a while, but for some reason we just kept walking and found cute little Sister Galina. After talking to this lady, I just had the strongest impression that God remembers each of His children and loves us and knows us by name.
I know I’m usually bad about sending home spiritual things in my weekly emails, but as I'm wrapping up my mission I wanted to share some final impressions. A lot of people keep asking me “What was the biggest lesson you learned on your mission?’ or “What do you wish you knew at the beginning of your mission that you know now?” I just feel like the biggest thing I’ve learned, or something I’ve realized is how much God’s hand is in this work and just in our lives in general. I feel like, just like Sister Galina-that was one of the roughest contacting sessions of my life and just every time I’ve had one of the hardest moments of my mission or times when the work isn’t going easy or whenever it’s just really hard and you don’t want to do what you’re really supposed to do, I’ve just seen how right after those moments I have seen the biggest miracles and sometimes I feel like God is so funny. They come in the strangest ways or in ways that you wouldn’t expect. It’s just so crazy how personally God knows us is what I’ve realized. Before the mission, I feel like yeah, I knew that God is our Heavenly and He knows us individually and knows the thoughts of our hearts. We learn this in Seminary, at church and our parents teach us and you kind of think about it and forget about it, but I just feel like it’s been engraven in my heart just how personally God knows us and how He knows exactly the kind of miracles that we need to take away our doubts or to help us see the right way or to help us with the motivation to keep going. I just know how much He loves me and all of us after this year and half of this wonderful experience. Honestly, the miracles of God are just so personal and I feel like after this I can never deny that He hears and answers our prayers. I don’t understand how anybody could say there is no God if they had seen the things I have seen after this year and a half. I just know that God knows each of us so personally-I don’t know how better to say that. He just knows us and loves us. He will send anything to help us, even if it’s a flood in your apartment after the hardest week of your mission even if it’s just so you can think about the flood instead of that hard week. Or, if He sends you a poor, invalid babushka running after you to see how much people have been touched by the Church and by the Gospel. I’ve just seen so many miracles, I could send a long list. God sends miracles after hard times to remind you that He is there and that He knows what you are going through and He wants you to see the light at the end of the tunnel. He’s willing to do anything to help you there.
I’m honestly so sad to come home! I hope I’ll continue to be this close to God that I can continue to see these miracles still in my regular day to day life. I’m just so thankful for this opportunity to have served. I’m excited to come home and hug my family, but it’s going to be really hard to leave a part of my heart here in Ukraine and in this work with these people. I just want to testify that even on the hardest days, these have been my most favorite moments of my entire life. The happiest moment at home could not even compare to the joy I've experienced here, even on the hardest day. Even in the biggest points of disappointment, I’ve been so happy because I’ve been carried by the Lord for the past year and a half. Without the Lord, I could not have done this! Without you, I couldn't have done this. I love you all so much and I can't wait to see you all very soon.
Love,
Sister Vehar
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
Week 76: Cherkassy had a baptism!!
Happy Monday e'erbody!
So yeah! The elders had a baptism this week and it was awesome! His name is Igor. He had to be baptized 3 times- great times- but it was amazing. His mom is now gonna take the lessons and guess what! The investigator that ran up to us last week asking to be baptized came to the baptism and literally now she wants to be baptized so bad! It's all she talked about with the members later that evening at Brazilian night and at church yesterday. She is literally the cutest. One young woman thought she was a sister missionary because she was always with us and her response was "not now, but I will be"! Forget converts, we're baptizing future missionaries out here!
We had a Brazilian night on Saturday for a Branch activity since one of the elders here is from Brazil. It was tons of fun! They have tasty food for sure.
A different less active we went to this week had kittens! We've just been blessed with baby animals recently.
Also we had an exchange this week with the Kharkivsky sisters and I was SO BLESSED because SISTER THOMPSON WAS MY COMP LITERAL LOVE OF MY LIFE. We went to a less active with a member and she just roasted Thompson with straight fire about how dare you come to my house in pants! You're not a real missionary- literally double hand slapped my comp's face. You know we busted up laughing. I missed her. It was amazing.
Well nothing else...be glad you got two emails today. I love you all. And get ready for this- that's right- next week will be my last weekly email. Don't cry everyone. We'll see you soon.
Sister
So yeah! The elders had a baptism this week and it was awesome! His name is Igor. He had to be baptized 3 times- great times- but it was amazing. His mom is now gonna take the lessons and guess what! The investigator that ran up to us last week asking to be baptized came to the baptism and literally now she wants to be baptized so bad! It's all she talked about with the members later that evening at Brazilian night and at church yesterday. She is literally the cutest. One young woman thought she was a sister missionary because she was always with us and her response was "not now, but I will be"! Forget converts, we're baptizing future missionaries out here!
We had a Brazilian night on Saturday for a Branch activity since one of the elders here is from Brazil. It was tons of fun! They have tasty food for sure.
A different less active we went to this week had kittens! We've just been blessed with baby animals recently.
Also we had an exchange this week with the Kharkivsky sisters and I was SO BLESSED because SISTER THOMPSON WAS MY COMP LITERAL LOVE OF MY LIFE. We went to a less active with a member and she just roasted Thompson with straight fire about how dare you come to my house in pants! You're not a real missionary- literally double hand slapped my comp's face. You know we busted up laughing. I missed her. It was amazing.
Well nothing else...be glad you got two emails today. I love you all. And get ready for this- that's right- next week will be my last weekly email. Don't cry everyone. We'll see you soon.
Sister
Monday, July 15, 2019
Week 75
Happy last (past) Monday everybody!
Yep I'm catching you up on last week
We're just gonna run you through some highlights.
-We made smores with a member and contacted with her- we met a man who now won't stop calling us and I pray doesn't come to English practice
-I contacted two drunk guys who were hilarious because one was hitting on me and the other was just such a homie and roasting his friend for doing so. At least Sergei understood that I'm here to talk to people about God.
-We went up to Kyiv for zone conference. I saw Sisters Pixton and Soucie, even though neither of them are in my zone! And zone conference was bomb. We got smartphones and I had to give my departing testimony. THAT made it real that I'm going home soon.
-MY FAVORITE HIGHLIGHT- So one of our investigators from English practice, who we've only met with once and didn't understand she was an investigator, came up to us this week and said, "I want to be a Mormon, what do I have to do?" Literally almost cried. She also asked what she would need to do if she changed her mind
so we'll work with her. She's only 14 though so she'll understand better after we meet.
-We met with a slightly crazy less active and she had four puppies! It was hard to pay attention honestly with that and the fact that we were outside and a spider started making a web on my skirt halfway through the lesson. They're just lucky I didn't run screaming out of that place.
I can't think of anything else, but I love you all!
Yep I'm catching you up on last week
-We made smores with a member and contacted with her- we met a man who now won't stop calling us and I pray doesn't come to English practice
-I contacted two drunk guys who were hilarious because one was hitting on me and the other was just such a homie and roasting his friend for doing so. At least Sergei understood that I'm here to talk to people about God.
-We went up to Kyiv for zone conference. I saw Sisters Pixton and Soucie, even though neither of them are in my zone! And zone conference was bomb. We got smartphones and I had to give my departing testimony. THAT made it real that I'm going home soon.
-MY FAVORITE HIGHLIGHT- So one of our investigators from English practice, who we've only met with once and didn't understand she was an investigator, came up to us this week and said, "I want to be a Mormon, what do I have to do?" Literally almost cried. She also asked what she would need to do if she changed her mind
-We met with a slightly crazy less active and she had four puppies! It was hard to pay attention honestly with that and the fact that we were outside and a spider started making a web on my skirt halfway through the lesson. They're just lucky I didn't run screaming out of that place.
I can't think of anything else, but I love you all!
All the missionaries going home from our zone. I thought it'd be funny to put my arm on the podium and make it look like my arm was around the elder (stupid missionary humor), but in the end I just look fat, so I guess joke's on me
Monday, July 1, 2019
Week 74: When men throw potatoes
Hey everybody!
Good news! My toe is back to normal size, but turns out I'm allergic to bees. So that was fun.
I saw a man throwing potatoes at a pigeon this week while we were contacting because there weren't any customers. I wonder if he ever thought that wasting potatoes on a pigeon maybe isn't the best advertisement. What's done is done.
We were at a less active's this week and she asked for a Book of Mormon because she wants to give it to her friend. "He needs Jesus"- Lena, my girl, we all need Jesus, but hey I'm glad someone wants to do some member missionary work here!
We went to Kyiv this week for Sister Goncear's interview with President (I don't get mine until the end of my mission
literally sweating bullets) and it was a fun day with the Kumfermans and we got to go to the temple
and then we went to the bus station to go home and the last bus came with only three seats and four missionaries so I just sat on Sister Goncear's lap for twenty minutes until a lady got off and I took her seat. Fun times.
As for the work, one of our investigators will come to church when it's cooler which is really funny to me cause I remember winter and everybody seeming to say they'll come when it's warmer. I guess the weather never seems to be just right for these Ukrainians.
I really love Sister Goncear. She is just a savage. We showed up to a less actives apartment and she said "oh girls I'll just come on my own." Goncear: " We both know you're not coming on your own". Basically I wouldn't rather finish my mission with anyone else.
That's about all I got. Love you all.
Sister Vehar
Good news! My toe is back to normal size, but turns out I'm allergic to bees. So that was fun.
I saw a man throwing potatoes at a pigeon this week while we were contacting because there weren't any customers. I wonder if he ever thought that wasting potatoes on a pigeon maybe isn't the best advertisement. What's done is done.
We were at a less active's this week and she asked for a Book of Mormon because she wants to give it to her friend. "He needs Jesus"- Lena, my girl, we all need Jesus, but hey I'm glad someone wants to do some member missionary work here!
We went to Kyiv this week for Sister Goncear's interview with President (I don't get mine until the end of my mission
As for the work, one of our investigators will come to church when it's cooler which is really funny to me cause I remember winter and everybody seeming to say they'll come when it's warmer. I guess the weather never seems to be just right for these Ukrainians.
I really love Sister Goncear. She is just a savage. We showed up to a less actives apartment and she said "oh girls I'll just come on my own." Goncear: " We both know you're not coming on your own". Basically I wouldn't rather finish my mission with anyone else.
That's about all I got. Love you all.
Sister Vehar
My toe-You're welcome!
Monday, June 24, 2019
Week 73: A bee stung my pinkie toe
Hey everyone!
Yeah, it's short, but be glad I sent one at all. Yep, a bee stung me- stinkin' vengeful creatures. I don't understand why it had to do that cause I accidentally murdered him by stepping on him, but what's done is done. I have a third big toe. Worse, is that Sister Pixton had to leave us, but I'll see her in 5 weeks.
Love you all,
Sister Vehar
Yeah, it's short, but be glad I sent one at all. Yep, a bee stung me- stinkin' vengeful creatures. I don't understand why it had to do that cause I accidentally murdered him by stepping on him, but what's done is done. I have a third big toe. Worse, is that Sister Pixton had to leave us, but I'll see her in 5 weeks.
I actually want to share a spiritual experience I had this week. After the hard week last week, I prayed to the Lord and asked if He would allow me to see some fruits from my labors since I was having a hard time seeing any at the moment. Sister Thompson called me this week and told me a bunch of miracles of a man with a baptismal date that I gave a card to and just opened my eyes to some of the fruits of my efforts here. And also Milena, an investigator I taught in Borschagovsky almost a year ago just got baptized this week. I'm not saying this is all because of me, because that would be completely presumptuous. I've just realized that every small effort goes somewhere. My efforts from one year ago brought forth a result now- I am just blessed that the Lord allowed me to see that one. Maybe my efforts today will bring something forth next year. I won't be here to see it, but that's not what matters- that's not why I'm here. All I need to know is that I'm dedicating all my efforts to the Lord and He is using me as his tool right now. What kind of tool am I? Only the Lord knows. But, I know the requirements I need to fulfill in order to be worthy of the privilege to be an instrument in the Lord's hands and I think this is the highest privilege any of us can possibly achieve in this life.
Alma 37:6 Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.
Alma 37:6 Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.
Sister Vehar
Monday, June 10, 2019
Week 71: Short and Sweet-just be glad I sent an email
Happy Monday everyone!
It was just your average week as a missionary in Ukraine. One investigator drops you (which doesn't even surprise you because you are thinking of dropping them) and we got a new investigator. We met lots of rejection on the street, but in the end you don't care because of the potential you can see in this new investigator. Her name is Natalia. She's a young mom, and after the first lesson she just asked the golden questions, "Why am I here?", "Where did I come from?", and "Where am I going?"- We got the answers for you next time girly!
We also met this cool family that has tons of potential. They introduced themselves as Helen and Mary- they are adorable and I can hear the water filling up the font already.
The trio life is lots of fun. We are just so intimidating to all these people because they don't want to talk to us at all, but life is great.
We also met this cool family that has tons of potential. They introduced themselves as Helen and Mary- they are adorable and I can hear the water filling up the font already.
The trio life is lots of fun. We are just so intimidating to all these people because they don't want to talk to us at all, but life is great.
Saw a HSM clock at an old lady's house.
Saw an American trash can
Not our baptism but we're just glad some people want to follow the Lord
Saw an American trash can
Not our baptism but we're just glad some people want to follow the Lord
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