Training 4 Ukraine : Plan of Salvation План Спасение

November 9, 2015

Thank you to all who have been praying and fasting for me. Miracles happen! And this week for the first week in a long long time I feel really good. I will keep on improving until hopefully this problem will disappear all together! I love you all so much. You are my angels.

This week one miracle that may seem little and silly was huge for me! We went to teach a woman in this little cafe place. We went in and it ended up being 2 hours. Seems like a lot but it was 100% spirit lead and it was incredible. All I had was a Russian Book of Mormon and we discussed the Plan of Salvation in detail. This woman left with the desire to finally know if God is really there and really loves her and has a plan for her specifically. It was a miracle because I had NO notes and I was able to teach with the spirit guiding me to teach straight from the Book of Mormon. It was one of those moments where you go in not knowing what you are going to do, and the Spirit just spoke through me. It was SO AMAZING to witness God working right there!

I love the Plan. It is for us and we are so blessed to have the knowledge of it that we do. We taught another investigator named Lena the Plan of Salvation this week to and it was so amazing and spirit filled. She cried as we knelt and prayed together to know if the plan is true. She was so grateful for a knowledge that filled a huge hole inside of her because she has been searching and searching and found nothing like this anywhere else. But now she has this knowledge and the Book of Mormon and she cries she is so grateful. There was something I could learn from that as well. That we all have the gospel and that is SUCH A BLESSING. We need to be more grateful for the knowledge we have and continue to develop it because God has trusted us with it.

This week really was a Plan of Salvation week and I realized how much this plan is so real! It is EVERYTHING to me. I am so grateful for a loving heavenly father who loves us so much. He is so amazing and his plan is brilliant.

Funnies/not so funny of the week

I LOST our phone. That was SO bad! When we were at the doctors I left the phone there and then when we went back it had been taken. so for a few days we were phone-less and had no way to get a hold of everyone! It was pretty rough but finally we have a new phone. It is fine I am still a little bit silly and you all can laugh at me.

Another funny: I was told by one less active that I MUST be an actress when I get home or he will be very upset because the world deserves to see my face. I just could not help but laugh at that. I just don't think that is me!

We spent a lot of time on buses do to the things I lost this week and also doctors appointments and different adventures we got to have. ;)

Not so funny. We have to cancel this little boys (Danya) baptism for the 3rd time because he didn't come to church this week. He has been coming for 7 years but the branch wouldn't give us support the first time so we cancelled the baptism and pushed it back until he would come 2 more times in a row. Well his grandparents went out of town and his mom is not a member and we went over to pick him or or have his older brother bring him and no one answered. So he didn't come to church and we get to cancel it again. So much for Wednesday. I know it is all part of the plan and it will work out! Sometimes free agency is frustrating!!!

Please pray for my cute companion. She is having a really hard time. Because adjusting to missionary life is hard. She works so hard but unfortunately is having a hard time finding joy because the things that she felt good at and loved to do before are now hard here. The language is still hard and she just wants to talk but still cant really like she really wants to. It is all part of it but it is sometimes hard to find the joy when even the simple things get hard.

One other blessing this week was we had SO many less actives come to church on Sunday. It was so huge because a lot of the work we do here in this branch is with the less actives and to see them come and take the sacrament and to participate and feel of the spirit was incredible. I love these people so much. I am so scared I will get transferred from this area. It has been so hard, I have shed so many tears, but at the end of the day I love this place with all of my heart and when I leave, I will leave my heart in Tairova. I love these people. I love that they are changing my life everyday.

Sorry my thoughts are scattered and it is not very well written! Next time I will bring my journal so I can remember better what is all going on and write it better.

This week I am going on a complete English fast. I am determined to conquer Russian and I know that God will bless me if I sacrifice what is holding me back. It is english and I need to sacrifice so I can teach and speak like God needs me to speak for these wonderful people!

What is one thing you can sacrifice for the Lord this week? Seriously think about it. Write it down. Then do it for a week!

Also write down 5 blessings and hang it on your mirror. Specific blessings. I did that this week and it was killer. It helped me everyday remember just how much God loves me and how much he blesses me!

I love you all so much! have the best week ever!!

сестра Кэррен

There are so many cats in Ukraine. I am literally obsessed! This one had a
smashed face and he was guarding this shop. I just had to play with him.

Thumb wars with all of our hands. I love Kristina!

Fall time in Odessa

We met the scariest man ever who positioned us for this photo. He was some sort of professional photographer and he was 100 percent nutsy. He whistled so loud and would growl. It was pretty epic. All in Russian and a fur hat. This is our scared to be here faces.