Priviet! What an exciting week!
First off, this week is transfer week. Drum-roll please...... I'm staying in Voskresinksy... training... a native! Yep, wasn't expecting that! She's from Russia, and that's all I know for now. It's crazy because I was working so hard to prepare in the language, and I was getting all ready to help an American greenie with the language when she comes, but now I don't even know what to do haha. It'll be cool to be able to focus training more on missionary skills in general instead of language, and I'm sure my Russian will just keep on growing. There's a sister here who has had native companions her whole mission... I wonder if I'll end up like her. In whatever case, I'm super excited for next transfer. I'm gonna miss Sister Filipovska a ton (she's like a sister to me), but it'll be cool to get to know someone new!
First off, this week is transfer week. Drum-roll please...... I'm staying in Voskresinksy... training... a native! Yep, wasn't expecting that! She's from Russia, and that's all I know for now. It's crazy because I was working so hard to prepare in the language, and I was getting all ready to help an American greenie with the language when she comes, but now I don't even know what to do haha. It'll be cool to be able to focus training more on missionary skills in general instead of language, and I'm sure my Russian will just keep on growing. There's a sister here who has had native companions her whole mission... I wonder if I'll end up like her. In whatever case, I'm super excited for next transfer. I'm gonna miss Sister Filipovska a ton (she's like a sister to me), but it'll be cool to get to know someone new!
This past week, we had exchanges, so I spent a couple days in another area of Kyiv (Borshahivsky, where the temple is). It was exactly what I needed. The morning of transfers, I was doing personal study, and the Spirit brought to mind so much that I can improve on as a missionary, and it was a bit overwhelming. But later when we did the exchange, it helped me so much because I saw all of those things in action from the awesome example of the Sister Training Leader, and it was like God was showing me the possibilities of what MY missionary work can be like.
I'm not a huge slacker or anything, but there's just so much to keep track of on a mission, and a lot of things fall by the wayside if you're not diligent in remembering and applying them. I wrote in my revelation journal, "I'm so grateful for the Atonement of Christ that allows me to look back on this last transfer knowing that I've fallen short so much and so often, but then having the peace of being forgiven and the strength to improve as time goes on. It's truly a miracle. And trust me, these aren't just words to me -- I feel them so deeply in my soul write now. I feel the guilt and discomfort of not doing and being all that I should've done and been, and at the same time I can feel God smiling at me, excited to help His perpetually stumbling daughter. I'm so weak, but the strongest Being in the universe will forever help me if I let Him." So grateful. :)
I'm not a huge slacker or anything, but there's just so much to keep track of on a mission, and a lot of things fall by the wayside if you're not diligent in remembering and applying them. I wrote in my revelation journal, "I'm so grateful for the Atonement of Christ that allows me to look back on this last transfer knowing that I've fallen short so much and so often, but then having the peace of being forgiven and the strength to improve as time goes on. It's truly a miracle. And trust me, these aren't just words to me -- I feel them so deeply in my soul write now. I feel the guilt and discomfort of not doing and being all that I should've done and been, and at the same time I can feel God smiling at me, excited to help His perpetually stumbling daughter. I'm so weak, but the strongest Being in the universe will forever help me if I let Him." So grateful. :)
Another exciting thing: we had a baptism! It was the Elders' investigator, but it was still pretty cool. I wrote a song on the guitar in Russian about our baptismal covenants and played it for the musical number. President Klebingat was there, and he recorded it, so maybe I'll find a way to send it home so you can watch/listen.
Lastly, we had a lot of lessons with our investigators. Lena (the amazing 16-year-old) is still loving everything about the gospel, but her parents are against her getting baptized. We plan to keep teaching her, and we hope that her parents will be able to see the positive change in her that's taking place thanks to what we're teaching her, and then maybe let her be baptized. She's so ready for it! We taught a few others, Tamara and Raisa, but they're not progressing. If I had more time, I'd go into more detail about how difficult that's been for me because I love them so much, but I'll save that for another time. Just read Moses 7:44-67, and that's kind of how my emotions have been lately about it (all over the place, but ultimately resting on hope).
I think that's all! I hope you have a wonderful week -- stay close to your Savior who wants to stay close to you. :)
Love,
Sister Montgomery
Sister Montgomery
PS-- The pictures are from our last district meeting and a random walk through the forest on our way to a members' place. Yay!
