Good Ole Stan and Service

June 13, 2016


Grass is fun! #training4ukraine





We could almost get one good picture of our adventure.


The scariest part about riding in the trailer on top of the grass we would bale later was when sister Arnell realized i had a huge spider in my hair/on my neck. If anyone knows of my hatred of spiders just try to imagine me in that moment. But we took some photos anyway.


While Stan drove us back down to his property, we rode in the trailer I got to scream so loud just like old times. It pierced everyones ears but man did it feel good!




Still working on that chopping thing!

Stan calls me 'SUNSHINE'. I love it.

Can I Be the Lords?

June 13, 2016

This week I met an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. I also met 5 more general authorities. I felt the Spirit so strong. When they came in after we all shook hands (Elder Ballard has the sweetest little warm hand) we sang a song in Ukrainian. We sang a version of Come Thou Fount and part of that version came from the music video my mission made. We sang with our entire mission in Ukrainian. We sang for an apostle of the Lord!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WYUMw7ryac

This week I also finished the Book of Mormon in preparation for Elder Ballards coming. I know it is true. I am so grateful I have found the true and living gospel- Christ's very own!

I love my mission. I am not perfect. But I do love this. I only have a short time left and the spirit is powerful. It is a privilege to learn and grown from the missionaries around me and from my President and his wife and family.

Here are a few things I learned from our meeting with these wonderful general authorities.
*Being a missionary is a sacred work and calling. We tread on sacred ground. We can not afford to hold back. We are commanded to open our mouth all of the time. AND WE CAN DO FAR BETTER.
*I learned that Elder Ballard and the other apostles are the very best missionaries. yes, they have many duties, but the one they have above all is to preach the gospel. They do not do it for just a year and a half or 2 years or even just a couple. They are committed for their entire life. Everywhere he goes he is talking to people, getting referrals and passing them on to the missionaries.
*BE HUMBLE in all that we do.
*We are made by God TO HAVE JOY. That is in opposition to Satan's plan. He wants us to be miserable. But we must rejoice!
*There are 2 factors in life that motivate us and influence us to act or not to act, they are: Love and Fear.
*Because Elder Ballard loves the Lord, He loves people. I want to be this!
*We must become reverent missionaries. We need to have a profound love and respect toward Deity. We should all seek to live a reverent life. Our work must be reflective of how we feel for the Lord and God. THAT INCLUDES BEING ON A MISSION OR JUST BEING IN REGULAR LIFE. We should have one reason and one motivation for all that we do. We do things BECAUSE WE LOVE THE LORD.
*God has helped us all to get to who and where we are. We should be so profoundly grateful to Him for EVERYTHING that we will do anything for Him!
*In the morning I need to get up and ask myself daily "Can I be His?" Our life should totally belong to Him our Father in Heaven! Espescially as I serve a mission for Him. It is His time NOT mine.

Elder Ballard wanted to know why we are not baptizing more people. He then had a question and answer time and we all got to ask our questions. I do believe that because the Lord has sent his holy apostle to step foot on the soil of Ukraine to help us tighten up and to bless the people here that we will soon have more baptisms.
I HAVE A GOAL FROM NOW TO THE END OF MY MISSION. No matter what kind of a schedule I have everyday. I want to talk to at least 20 different people on the street every single day. "Wake up your spiritual being and believe."
My favorite thing was he talked about how to get rid of pride. His suggestion was "Let your mind go to Gethsemane quite often." What Christ did there was essential and critical. We can overcome anything in His name. He took our sins upon Him. He broke the bands of death. The challenging things get swallowed up in the atonement if we will just go there in our minds daily! REMEMBER THE MIRACLE OF THE ATONEMENT!

Something else I loved! "CHRIST WANTS TO COME BUT WE ARE NOT READY YET. WE MUST GET GOING. FASTER!"

From Sister Packer: IF EVER THERE IS CONTENTION- READ THE BOOK OF MORMON. IT WILL REMOVE THE PROBLEMS. Do not ever stop studying the Book of Mormon. EVER!

"We came to this life to become something better!"-President Packer
Never put yourself between the Savior and His prophets. He gives THEM the revelation. The apostles and prophets are His chosen people to guide and direct. Hold tight to the WORD of the prophets and you will always be safe.
DO NOT CHANGE GOD. He is unchangeable.

SUNDAY we learned even more from the authorities because they did a Stake Conference!
*"Women and men of God can never be like women and men of the world."
We must be tender disciples, kind and refined and faithful!
*Each one of us on this earth is a message. So share yourself!
*DO NOT BLEND IN WITH THE WORLD.
Again Elder Ballard taught:
-Remember the blessings of the Priesthood power and that it is REAL POWER.
-"In the quiet moments, my family becomes everything."
-Daddies should give all attention to their little girls (and other kids.)
-If there is ever contention in the home: step out for a few minutes, calm down. STRENGTHEN your homes. PRAY together. READ scriptures together. LOVE each other. TEACH one another. Make your home a safe haven. If the home is safe and peaceful and filled with love we will feel secure in the hand of God, especially in this crazy world.
-GRANDPARENTS are memory makers
-If you have something to repent of REPENT. He asked us all with the love like the Savior has to get our lives in order and to just REPENT.
-Live better.
-Be honest.
-Do what Jesus would do. Work at this and then see the miracles happen!
-IF WE HAVE THE GOSPEL IN OUR HEARTS, WHATEVER STORMS WE HAVE IN OUR LIFE WE WILL HAVE ENOUGH TO CARRY US THROUGH IT."
-Thank God for the gospel in our lives!
-"Jesus is your best friend and mine!"
-We need to experience the Holy Ghost

I know He is an apostle of the Lord our Savior even Jesus Christ. He is His witness in these latter days. Do not deny the power of the priesthood and the power of the callings of the 12 apostles and his prophet. If you are struggling with anything they say, get on your knees and humble yourself before God and ask Him to help you gain a testimony of the living prophets, seers and revelators. They are our biggest helpers and heroes and through them we can get to Christ our Savior and live with God again. I know this is true.

I love Ukraine. I am eternally blessed to have lived here. These people are my influences. They are my light and my love. I never want to say goodbye. I love them. Even the ones I do not know. I want to go to heaven with all of them!

Have a wonderful spirit filled week. I LOVE YOU ALL

Love Cectpa Karren

Preview YouTube video Missionaries Sing "Come Thou Fount" in Kyiv UkraineMissionaries Sing "Come Thou Fount" in Kyiv Ukraine

Pics June 6th 2016

Right by the church one evening! SO COOL!

My Companion does cool braids in my hair.

We made so many pancakes SO MANY!

Which side is Italian and which side is American???

Stan and missionaries

Sister Bairett and Sister Ivancovich

Sister Arnell and me PDay

Missionary life!  we can fall asleep in an instant on the floor!

"Don't Be A Cat. BE A DOG."

Ok. Getting clever about writing is getting harder and harder. This week we ate strawberries for the first time in months and months and months. We sang on the streets! For 3 hours and contacted tons while Elder Clark played the guitar! It was super fun. We took some members with us to go contacting. The reality of my future came crashing down #registrationforBYU. We found some investigators and met with our other ones. We are meeting with so many people and just loving it. I am tired every morning so much so that it is hard to read the Book of Mormon and study. I hope it is just an end of the mission working hard type thing. Whatever it is I love it. Helped a woman and her daughter who were crying on a bus. I couldn't talk to them so I wrote them a note that god inspired me to do and I passed it to them and told them to call us. She was so grateful. Just glad that we can serve anywhere we go. We saw Stan. We gathered strawberries with a stranger and she made us eat bowls and bowls full. It was beautiful. I learned how to use an ax and I chopped my first piece of wood. It took me a long long time. But with the help of Stan (seriously he had to put his arms around me and help me chop the wood) but I chopped the wood!!!!! ONE WHOLE PIECE. Sounds dumb but I was on top of the world. #learninglifeskills. We went to Kyiv and had a leadership counsel with president and his wife. It is my favorite thing to learn right from him. This is where he told us that as missionaries we "don't be a cat. We be a dog!" because cats are like sneaky and wait for you to pet them and just pose. But dogs run up to everyone and lick their faces off and smile and wag their tails and talk to everyone. That is what we must do! I loved it so much. Also our new office senior couple made us hawaiian haystacks and strawberry short cake and I cried because it was so good and so homemade and so american. We contacted a miracle and he came to english and we had a wonderful miraculous lesson with a man who has changed his life to find the truth and is now the elders new investigator! SO COOL.
We are called to do the work Jesus would do. We must live as an angel would live so that people can see the light in us and come unto HIM! Ukraine is a sacred place to me. I am a happy missionary and just trying to tighten up my skills and talents and the work God has entrusted me with. Thank you for the prayers for my Russian! I need it. I love you all so much. Have a wonderful wonderful week! Elder Ballard and the whole area Presidency come to my mission this week for 3 days! My companion is going to sing for them! I love you all! God loves you even more. Don't forget it.

Love Cectpa Karren

Our Mountain of pancakes! Running so we can eat them!

Sister Arnell does amazing hair!

letter to president

May 30, 2016

Dear President,

I am excited for the new transfer. This week has been a little bit crazy as you know. But I feel relieved and I am happy she is going to be able to be at home and work on feeling ok. I do love Sister Bairett. I love Sister Arnell. SHE LOVES TO TALK! It has been a while since I have talked so much so that is funny! We had a lot going on but still got a ton of good work done. Thank you for the oppurtunity to be an STL again. I am excited to go back at it but relying on Christ and God more and learning more and more and doing a few things a little differently.

I am not quite sure what to say this week but I feel good. I can breath again and just work!

I realized this week I still do not know Russian. I know that sounds bad. I know that in reality I know a lot. But I have realized that almost everything I have taught myself and learned is with so many mistakes. It is good to have Sister Arnell to correct me. I am trying to be more humble and just take it. I am just sad I still don't know as much as I would like to know! I am going to have a specail fast this week to get the case chart down. Because I need a lot of extra help and I think if I can just get that in my head everything else will run a lot smoother.

President. My last transfer I want to train. If that is an option and something God would want, I would love to do that. Just so that you know!

Thank you for everything you teach us. I am so eternally grateful for my experience in Ukraine. The people here have truly become my everything. I want to help God help his kids make and keep sacred covenants. So that is my focus! I have less than 3 months left. Can you believe that? I cannot. But I will give it my all everyday. This mission will always be the most amazing experience of my entire life. I love it all. Even the hard things have refined me! I always want to keep progressing and never stop! Thank you teaching me so many life skills and eternal principles. I LOVE YOUR FAMILY.Tell your wife that. Don't forget!

Thanks for everything. Let me know what else I can do!

-Cectpa Karren

May 30, 2016 Photos

adventures round 3

English class



Our investigators Daynara and her husband Dima.  The loves of my life.



Us and the elders and our stls put on a activity night for the youth here in bila and their friends and it was awesome. we played tons of fun active games and then we made an american surprise #SMORES first time in over a year! We sang by the fire too and it was amazing. so so fun! gonna miss elder clark!







TOO MUCH FUN!







Gotta get those awkward after English Class photos going on!