Week 60 - Finally, I Made Them Laugh

Hello Family friends

First off, a shoutout to A Moesel because he's probably one of the only people that reads these things!

We have another BAPTISM coming up on the 11th of August!! It was honestly a crazy miracle how it all happened. His name is Vadim. I've met with him about 4 times before we had to drop him due to a lack of progress. He had read the entire Book of Mormon, and had a testimony of it, but saw no purpose in the need for coming to church. He DOES live about 90 kilometers away from the church, but there was nowhere else for him to progress to if he wouldn't come to church, because of how important sacrament meeting is. It was essentially the only obstacle between himself and baptism. After a rough day while we were getting ready for bed, we got a text from him. We hadn't heard anything from him for about a month. He just told us that he had been thinking about what we had told him a lot (we told him to keep reading and praying about the Book of Mormon until he gets a testimony of the importance of church attendance) and he had weighed out all the pros and cons in his head about our message and his acceptance of it, and he said that he especially thought a lot about how everything doesn't come at once, and said that he had an experience that he considered personal revelation about the importance of baptism. He asked us what he needed to do on his part and how to prepare correctly to this ordinance. We were absolutely blown away. We responded immediately and set up a lesson that would take place in less than 24 hours. The lesson (over the phone) went great. We invited him to be baptized on a Sunday the second week of August so that he could make one trip to do both baptism and confirmation, but he said that he felt he should do them on separate days, meaning that he's going to come on Saturday the 11th to be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost on the following Sunday! So AWESOME!!!

K-Town has 3 baptismal dates at the moment which is absolutely crazy. One of the other elder's investigators is getting baptized this coming Saturday which is going to be a great experience as well.

We went to the gym 3 times this week with our investigator... man.. it was just.. amazing. I honestly forgot what it was like. It just feels so good! I bet my brother is shedding a tear of joy and a tear or two of protein because he's so proud of me. I did it for you bro! haha.

Had a fun picnic with Dima and his family/friends. Tried to teach them how to throw a rugby ball. Watermelon is in season. Yesss.

This is little Dima, there's a big one too

Ukrainian barbecue...just not the same

Kavunnn Season!!

Honestly, other than that not a ton happened. This week we had 20 people at church. It may not seem like a lot, but 10 of those people were investigators. I got to give a talk about sin, repentance, and returning to sin. I accomplished one of my mission goals and I made the whole congregation laugh!! If you think making people laugh during a talk in English is hard, try coming here and doing it in Ukrainian. A LOT easier said than done.. the sense of humor that is common in America is just a lot harder to find here. It's just a culture thing I guess. But I think I did the trick in talking about spiritually throwing up. (Reference 2 Peter 2:20-22) :)

It's been a good week. We're just out here grinding!!

Have a good week!

--

Elder Dillon Stott

Vul. Yabluneva 1

S. Sofiivska Borshahivka

Kyivska oblast 08131

Ukraine

Making varenyky

Week 59 - Conference and the CURSE

Hey Everybody!!

This week flew by super quick. We were in L'viv for almost half of our week, so maybe that's why.

Passed out on the train

Always good to be back in L'viv

Honestly, I don't have a ton of things to add other than the conference that we had in L'viv. Our new mission president President Kumferman is just awesome. We went up to L'viv on Wednesday afternoon, and left on Friday evening. On Wednesday, we had our interviews that were about an hour a piece-ish. Mine was the longest interview that I've ever had on my mission. It was a really good one! I got to know him and he got to know me a little bit. It feels really weird telling my "life story" including the year of my mission in it. It surprised me to see how much my mission has changed me so far. On Thursday, we had a regular day of missionary work, but had to find something to do all day out of our city.. The funny thing was that there were 12 elders in the one room at the AP's apartment. It was a decent sized room and we all had our own beds, don't worry. No one set an alarm so we all woke up a little late.. haha. By the time everyone was done getting ready and showering and eating a TON of food for breakfast, it was around 10 oclock. We did our normal studies and went to the church there and prepped to do a finding activity in center. Contacting and talking to people in L'viv is literally so easy hahah. So many people know us, and for the first time in a super long time, someone came up to US and said "hey, Mormons!" We had tons of good conversations from our question that we wrote on a huge whiteboard we had set up. It said, "What is a Prophet?" The funny thing about the week in L'viv was that there was a HUGE Jehovah's Witness convention going on and people were there from all around the world. There were 3000 of them just from North America. On the way to our activity and basically the whole time we were there, they surrounded us. I also should've taken a video of the army of nuns that we saw on the way to center too. Probably 150 nuns were walking past us and it was just so interesting to see so many religions gathered together in one place, each for their own things. I successfully avoided any bashing sessions though!! Thank goodness I spoke only Ukrainian to all the Americans :-)

After the conference, we realized our train was leaving in 15 minutes. It takes 30 minutes to get to the train station from the church. When we finally got a taxi, we handed him 100 grieven (huge tip) and said that we had a train in 15 minutes. For the first time in my entire life, a Ukrainian taxi driver told us to put on our seat belts. Don't let his minivan fool you. This man FLEW to the Vokzal. Tires screeching and bouncing from sidewalk to sidewalk. We got to the Vokzal (train station) with 2 minutes to spare. We BOOKED it to our platform, and saw that our train wasn't there. We still had 1 minute before it left, but it was gone. Turns out they had printed our tickets wrong. We were actually early and had 20 minutes to wait (and stop sweating). It was funny because I remember leaving the conference and laughing, telling everyone that we'd see them in 45 minutes when we'd have to come back, promising everyone that there was NO way that we would make our train due to traffic, weather, and the fact that we only had 15 minutes to make the 30 minute trip. Heavenly Father always finds SOME way to keep me humble. :)

We got dogged on a ton of lessons this week, which was tough. We spend about a minimum of 9 hours every week street contacting, and it’s hard to keep going with little success, but we're still grinding!!

Funny moment before the end: recently, to be better at speaking Ukrainian, we started something called "The Curse". Basically, every time you say an English word, you get the "curse" until the other person says it. It's kinda like the thunder thing from Mario Kart/Cart/idk how to spell it. If you end the day with the PROKLATTYA then you get 1 point. Whoever has the most points at the end of the week gets this:  

"My name is ...and I did not speak enough Ukrainian this week"

I changed up my studies a little bit after doing a month long study on pride, and I'm studying the book called Jesus the Christ, by James E Talmage. I've never had to reread so many sentences and paragraphs, but man, that book is amazing. When I try to clear out my mind and bear my testimony purely based off of what comes to mind first, without preparing any stories or experiences or any of that, the first thing that comes to mind is always the Savior. I love Him with all my heart and I'm so grateful for the fact that He gave His own life on behalf of me, and all of us. His Atonement is what gives everything about this life purpose and meaning. Without it, there would truly be no reason to be here. He is my best friend and I love Him with everything that I am. I have truly come to find the significance in the fact that He was resurrected. He has literally conquered death, enabling us to be able to return to Heavenly Father. And He was only able to do that from living perfectly. If we would all spend only 5 minutes thinking about how mind-blowing it is that someone who faced the temptations of the adversary didn't EVER break, not once.. I feel like the role that the Savior played and still plays in our lives would be a lot less taken for granted.

Have a good week!!

--

Elder Dillon Stott

Vul. Yabluneva 1

S. Sofiivska Borshahivka

Kyivska oblast 08131

Ukraine

My buddy, Dima - he is awesome

Rib night for the missionaries. I ate 2 1/2 racks. The BEST.

Delicious

Saw some cool cars...this Maserati

...and this.

Week 58 - вареники and Baby Soccer

Sadly, this was my last week as a L'viv Ukraine missionary. But I'm excited to be a part of the Kiev Mission now. It's going to be a big change, but it really doesn't matter to me which mission I serve in, or where I am. No matter what, it's the Lord's work! 

Not a ton of new stuff this week.

It rained almost all week this week, so a lot of time was spent indoors. Rain and thunder here is super intense, and all the roads turned into little rivers. It was pretty fun haha.

We did our first sports day, and I kinda had to push the district into doing it, because half of us don't really enjoy sports that much. BUT the good news is that I no longer hate soccer!!! It rained super hard, and only Dima and Zhenya showed up, so we played baby soccer in the church. I was awful at the beginning, but it got so fun at the end. We played for three hours. A chair was the goal, and we played 3 on 3 with a ball the size of a grapefruit. I learned some new moves and already can't wait for the next time.

We only had 13 people at church this week, and I actually had to lead sacrament meeting! It was super scary up until I stood at the pulpit and started the meeting and then it was no big deal. Doesn't mean I enjoyed it though.

Something funny from this week, 2 things actually haha. They both happened on our game night. #1 is the fact that Ukrainians can't say "M&Ms" hahaha. They always just say "em em dems". We all laughed so hard. #2 is that everyone here for some reason, every guy at least, is in love with my brother Josh, and his fitness account on Instagram. Every English practice night they all gather around someone's phone and go to his Instagram and look at all his pictures and just lose their minds. They ask me why I'm so small and why he is so huge. They watch him bench press and just go crazy like they're watching the world cup or something and someone scored. This week out of nowhere, Dima (the youngest one in the picture of all the food) just looked up and yelled: "JOSSHH CEENAAA!!" and did the little tune to it. Everyone DIED. He said it in his little thick Ukrainian accent and it was just something you had to be there for I guess hahaha.

This week at Lesya and her sons' house, (Dima=younger, Zhenya=older) we all came over and ate a TON of traditional Ukrainian food and it was literally the tastiest thing EVER. They taught us also how to make вареники which are now my favorite Ukrainian food. It's a sin for saying this and comparing them to it but they're kinda like raviolis that you can stuff with anything. We even made my favorite ones with cherries on the inside. You eat them with sugar and sour cream. They're just so good - I could eat them every day.

Things are going good here in K-town. We're going to L'viv next week for 3 days for a conference there with our new mission president, President Kumferman. He's super different from President Rizley, but I know it's going to be great. We have 9 original L'viv missionaries (from our 32) that are going home. SUPER sad. I'm gonna miss them like crazy.

Have a good week!!

--

Elder Dillon Stott

Vul. Yabluneva 1

S. Sofiivska Borshahivka

Kyivska oblast 08131

Ukraine

Pound it

Market across the tracks

Week 57 - Baptism of Naadu

Super short this week - Sorry!!

This week was awesome. I was in L'viv and Ternopil AND K-town this week. 

We had the baptism of Naadu in K-town and her confirmation the next day in Ternopil. It was awesome. 

We'll officially be the Kiev, Ukraine mission in a week. Also absorbing the country of Moldova.  L'viv will be it's own area within the Kiev mission.

President and Sister Rizley leave on Tuesday. Super sad. Our new President Kumferman was a Russian professor at BYU-I. Should be interesting to see what changes will be made.

Also, transfers were supposed to be this week and NOTHING is happening mission-wide.

Have a great week!

Elder Dillon Stott

Vul. Yabluneva 1

S. Sofiivska Borshahivka

Kyivska oblast 08131

Ukraine

Church on Sunday

Awesome Market

 

Throwing it back with a little D & D

Always have to stop and appreciate the artwork

Week 56 - Artiom's Miracles

Hey all.

Week was good. President Rizley came to K-town for his last visit to our city before he goes home. I'll see him this coming Saturday for our BAPTISM in L'viv!!! And, 2 days ago there was another baptism in our city!

I'm writing a little later than usual. Today I played a guitar for the first time in over a year. I was rusty, but not as bad as I thought I would've become. Artiom is going to let me borrow it this week!! SO STOKED.

Speaking of Artiom, he is awesome. I've never had more love for an investigator than I have had for Artiom. He's just the best. After the strongest I've felt the spirit on a lesson, (which President Rizley was able to be in on since he was in K-town) we invited him to be baptized. I think this was the 5th invitation, and testimony after testimony that we bore, he has accepted to be baptized on the 4th of August!!! It's honestly unheard of to have so many baptisms so close together, let alone in general. We're so blessed for all that we do. Hard things really do pay off.

We also just had miracles all day today. We helped Artiom with some recycling that he's been saving up for since before winter. We made 5 trips back and forth from his house, delivering over 400 kilograms of cardboard to a person who was buying cardboard... yeah that's all I knew. BUT during this today, we met his ENTIRE family through 4 different ways. This is amazing because although Artiom has loved everything about church and meeting with missionaries, his parents have been super against it all, and he is 17, which means he'll need their permission to be baptized. We testified YESTERDAY that miracles would happen if he had the faith to be baptized and that SOMETHING would happen as part of God's plan to allow him to take this step in his life, even though his parents are at the moment against it all. 

1. His little brother and best friend both came along with us the whole time and really enjoyed spending time all together. 2. His dad skyped him and we got to talk to him and show him we were normal good people over skype, and his dad was way nicer than we thought. He works in England, and is on his way home as I write this. As part of the recycling, some of it was from his mom's store - and she is the most against him being baptized. But, because we were helping, we had to stop by the store to get the last bits. Of course she was there and we talked to her and she saw us helping and laughing and having a good time and influence on her 2 boys and their friend. We didn't do much more than introducing ourselves, but it's a step - given the fact that not 24 hours ago she wanted NOTHING to do with us. While we met his mom at the store, she was skyping their dad, so we said hi again and he was like "you're still working??? GOOD JOB! You guys are great." And THEN after the whole thing, we came back to his house and his grandma invited us in and fed us GREAT fresh summer Ukrainian food. We all bonded and laughed and had a great time. This is only the start of the miracles Heavenly Father has in plan for Artiom as long as we will all have faith and keep holding on. I'm sorry I rushed the whole story. But it's amazing. AND HE SHOWED ME HIS GUITAR TODAY AND IS LENDING IT TO ME ON WEDNESDAY. #tendermercy. That's my little cherry on top. Literally we were blown away at how awesome today was, and how blessed WE ALL were because we sacrificed our P-day to do 5 hours of service. So worth it.

The baptism went great on Saturday. Olha is one of the most solid converts I've seen. She was the member present on another one of their lessons that Sunday at church, RIGHT after sacrament meeting, in which she was confirmed and received the Holy Ghost. She's what I would call a beast.

Speaking of church, out of NOWHERE came 26 people... we had 13 last week. This time we had 3 investigators come, and there were 2 less actives, and 2 more investigators of the other elders. AND President and Sister Rizley both CRUSHED it at the pulpit and the Spirit was so strong.

YET somehow, this week still seemed super tough for me. One of the tougher weeks. But I have such a testimony of FAITH and holding on to the iron rod, even if it is sometimes for dear life. Heavenly Father guides us RIGHT to where we need to be, every single day without fail as long as WE do OUR part.

Have a solid week.  

--

Elder Dillon Stott

Vul. Yabluneva 1

S. Sofiivska Borshahivka

Kyivska oblast 08131

Ukraine

Week 55 - Sooo Hot

This week was crazy. 3 cities, 2 bus rides, 2 train rides, and 15 hours of travel. We were in Rivne on exchanges and I was with Elder Shuley! It was super awesome because in his city we had TONS of lessons all day and we were so busy. We got a baptismal date for one of their investigators on just his 3rd lesson! Vadim was his name. Super happy for that. I learned a TON from Elder Shuley, he is such a stud missionary.

We were also in Ternopil for Sacrament Meeting this week. We were with the smallest congregation in our mission! 2 members and our investigator who are all from Ghana! We rented a conference room in a hotel and had church there for 2 hours. It was SO awesome. Anyone who knows me decently well knows I LOVE black people so it was super dope for me. It was so fun and we were just laughing and having a good time (after church of course haha) but yeah! We had church in ENGLISH for the first time in a YEAR and I was absolutely amazed at how awesome but weird it was. I gave an impromptu talk that I didn't prepare, and spoke for about 20 minutes. It's funny because it was the least I had prepared for a talk on my mission, and I think it was the best talk I've ever given in my life. So yeah, that one really pumped me up for my Homecoming talk. It amazes me that the church is exactly the same, ALL around the world no matter where you are. People, and places change, but the truth and the gospel never changes. I love that. The gospel is so simple, so beautiful, and so perfect.

I don't have a ton of stuff for this week to be honest.. It was SO hot all week and I was DYING on the bus rides that were 5 hours a piece to Rivne. My comp caught a picture of me on the bus sleeping.. I am my fathers son. hahaha. Worst bus ride ever was on the way back. I was crammed in the back corner with no air for the first half until I busted open the emergency exit on the ceiling for air haha. I have defintely picked up some decent claustrophobia on the mission. Especially when it's hot.. I get so angry at the sun sometimes. Trials make you stronger though, and if the sun is my trial, one day I'll be super strong. :)

I found 2 baby roaches in our shower this morning. Some bonus protein for breakfast!!

Sorry my weeklies are a little shorter. I'm keeping some of the stories to myself for 2 reasons:

1. so my mom doesn't call my mission president worrying about me

2. so i have stories that people haven't read when I'm home :))

Have a bodacious week.
--

Elder Dillon Stott

A little surgery on the iron

Always cool artwork everywhere we go

Our awesome investigator and equally awesome bike

Italian Night

Vul. Yabluneva 1

S. Sofiivska Borshahivka

Kyivska oblast 08131

Ukraine

Week 54 - Fresh Cuts

This week was so fast but so long!

We had a conference in L'viv and Brother Callister, Sunday School General President, and Elder James Martino of the 70 both came and taught us! Brother Callister taught about the Plan of Salvation to us and I thought I understood the Plan of Salvation super well, but there I was getting absolutely mind blown by a general authority about one of the key doctrines of the church. haha.

Reunion of the American Quartet

4 generations

Things are going good in K-town. I don't have a ton of stuff that's new, but we're finding decent success. Low numbers, but quality numbers for sure. We have 3 baptisms coming up which is going to be just awesome. We will be able to go to L'viv for Nadu's baptism on the 23rd!! She is doing AWESOME and is so amazing and ready.

I shaved my head this week because if anyone could tell I was sun bleaching my hair with some like heat activated spray stuff and then President told me I looked like a Nazi and that I was part of the Hitler Youth, and that all the blonde needs to go. So I took matters into my own hands. It was the fastest haircut I've ever had. The hairdresser was so mad at me for cutting it because she liked how it looked. hahah she said literally, "This hurts me to cut your hair right now.. I can't do it". Another story added to the memories I guess.

Buzzzz

Honestly other than that, not too much to add. Other than the fact that Elder Gallafent has the district hooked on D&D. If you don't know what D&D is I'm not going to say it just so you can still have respect for me. We had nothing to do on our 5 hour train ride, so we just played it for 4 of the 5 hours.. I'll just stop talking about it now :)

Life is good. Working super hard.

Don't even ask...

Have a great week.



--

Elder Dillon Stott

Vul. Yabluneva 1

S. Sofiivska Borshahivka

Kyivska oblast 08131

Ukraine