Hello everyone! Well, I don't have a lot of time today, unfortunately, but here's the news-of-the-week. Tomorrow, we hit the road--AGAIN--to Ivano for exchanges, so we'll be gone once more. Then again, things just wouldn't seem the same if we could actually stay in our area...
Also, in all of western ukraine there's been a lot of heavy rainfall that has actually caused a lot of flooding. This has only really occurred in little villages, so there's no need to worry about me here in Chernivtsi, but for some reason the government declared a state of emergency. Basically, it means everything's exactly the same except they turned our water off. It's not so much worrying as it is mildly annoying. However, we may be able to get some good service projects out of it, so that'd be really cool.
I gave a talk in Sunday with about 30 minutes notice. It's such a nice feeling now to be able to not only do that, but in Ukrainian also. I think it's a sign that I'm nearing the end.
Well, I have to run. Thanks for the information about the European Studies major, dad! And I'm very, very interested in whatever Adam's up to......
Have a good week!
--Elder Hurst
Bus lag?
Hello again! As you've noticed, this email is once again later than Monday. I don't know why, but this transfer has been the absolute craziest concerning traveling around. This Sunday afternoon, we made the 10-hour bus trip to Kyiv again so Elder Hubbard could renew his passport (the lucky punk got to fly to Bulgaria to do it, while I stayed behind on exchanges in a small town called Borispil just outside of Kyiv--I'm so jealous...), then yesterday we made the made the journey back, leaving at 8:30 last night and getting in at 7 this morning. By the way, sleeping on buses is a very strained concept. Especially when Ukrainian roads aren't always up to par.
Also, while wandering around Borispil, we found, of all things, a large bush of natural-growing marijuana. And apparently, that's not rare here in Ukraine.
Well, other than that, there's not much to tell, although I do have a favor to ask of anyone out there. I've been talking with Elder Kauffman, one of my friends from my MTC group, and he's told me a lot about a major at BYU called European Studies. It sounds pretty interesting; would someone be able to send me some information about that? I'd love to read up on it. Particularly about what jobs may come from it.
Other than that, things here are going well. We're excited to be staying in Chernivtsi for maybe as much as a week before going on another exchange with Ivano, then a short week later heading to Kyiv--AGAIN--for transfers. (I'm pretty sure I'm staying put). The weather's been pretty nice here, although kind of hot sometimes. Our investigator, Andriy, who's trying to quit smoking and drinking, is doing great; he only smoked once this week and he didn't drink at all, and he was able to come to sacrament meeting with us. He's a really great guy. It's so cool to get to work with him.
Well, I love you all! Have a great week, and I'll write you again next week!
--Elder Hurst
Also, while wandering around Borispil, we found, of all things, a large bush of natural-growing marijuana. And apparently, that's not rare here in Ukraine.
Well, other than that, there's not much to tell, although I do have a favor to ask of anyone out there. I've been talking with Elder Kauffman, one of my friends from my MTC group, and he's told me a lot about a major at BYU called European Studies. It sounds pretty interesting; would someone be able to send me some information about that? I'd love to read up on it. Particularly about what jobs may come from it.
Other than that, things here are going well. We're excited to be staying in Chernivtsi for maybe as much as a week before going on another exchange with Ivano, then a short week later heading to Kyiv--AGAIN--for transfers. (I'm pretty sure I'm staying put). The weather's been pretty nice here, although kind of hot sometimes. Our investigator, Andriy, who's trying to quit smoking and drinking, is doing great; he only smoked once this week and he didn't drink at all, and he was able to come to sacrament meeting with us. He's a really great guy. It's so cool to get to work with him.
Well, I love you all! Have a great week, and I'll write you again next week!
--Elder Hurst
The one-man show
Hello again! Well, my one-man zone conference came and went, and despite how I felt about it, other people said it turned out pretty well. I had a workshop about the importance of listening to people on lessons as opposed to just speaking and thinking about what to say next, and I guess it turned out pretty well. I don't know; I don't think I'd like to do it this way again anytime soon. It's kind of fun having the whole thing to yourself, but at the time it's a lot of stress piling up all over the place (especially when you're worrying about people delivering the pizzas for lunch on time, members showing up to help with the workshop, and whether the workshop's even going to work because the members have a tight schedule and we're already 30 minutes late...all while trying to take notes while President Steinagel is speaking to us, and while sitting up in front of everyone else in the room so they're all staring at you). I'm actually kind of glad that I had this experience for my first zone conference as a zone leader; everything after this is going to be cake.
We've started teaching a man named Andriy this week. We were very hesitant to meet with him at first because he approached us on the street, drunk, and originally asked us for money, but he said he really wanted to quit smoking and drinking and to find the true church so we set up a meeting with him. At the meeting, we committed him to go 24 hours without smoking or drinking, thinking that if he did, we'd keep teaching him, but if he didn't, then he probably isn't actually interested and we'd just move on. We came back and not only had he kept his committment, he'd gone out and gotten a job. We had a lesson with him about the steps of the gospel (faith, repentence, baptism, receiving the gift of the holy ghost, and enduring to the end), and told him that he had faith and was now working on repenting of alcohol and tobacco use. He understood completely, and said that once he's repented of them, he wants to get baptized and keep going through the gospel process. It was a really cool experience, and we're really excited to continue teaching him.
Well, we've got to go, we're going to get together with the other missionaries in our district today and make real American-style hamburgers and milkshakes. Mmmm...
I love you all, and have a great week!
--Elder Hurst
We've started teaching a man named Andriy this week. We were very hesitant to meet with him at first because he approached us on the street, drunk, and originally asked us for money, but he said he really wanted to quit smoking and drinking and to find the true church so we set up a meeting with him. At the meeting, we committed him to go 24 hours without smoking or drinking, thinking that if he did, we'd keep teaching him, but if he didn't, then he probably isn't actually interested and we'd just move on. We came back and not only had he kept his committment, he'd gone out and gotten a job. We had a lesson with him about the steps of the gospel (faith, repentence, baptism, receiving the gift of the holy ghost, and enduring to the end), and told him that he had faith and was now working on repenting of alcohol and tobacco use. He understood completely, and said that once he's repented of them, he wants to get baptized and keep going through the gospel process. It was a really cool experience, and we're really excited to continue teaching him.
Well, we've got to go, we're going to get together with the other missionaries in our district today and make real American-style hamburgers and milkshakes. Mmmm...
I love you all, and have a great week!
--Elder Hurst
All over the place
Hello again everyone! This has been a really busy week for us. Last Monday and Tuesday we were in Ivano on exchanges, which was a lot of fun. Afterwards, we came back home and had our English class before going to bed. The next day, Wednesday, we had enough time for district meeting and lunch before I went on exchanges with Elder Schmidt and the two of us caught a train to Kyiv--I went for zone leaders' council with the new mission president, Elder Schmidt went to see the mission doctor because he has a fungus on his hands and feet and a weird set of cold sores spread on his nose and right eyebrow. I stayed away from his side of the train compartment as much as possible, which is tricky when the whole compartment feels like two phone booths laid on their sides and stacked on top of each other.
So, from their we came back on Friday morning for almost a whole day of actual missionary work. Then came Saturday, when our branch and the Ivano Frankivsk branch met up for a Fourth of July picnic (...on the 5th...). After that was Sunday, and we had church as usual and then finished some preparations for the Elder Hurst Solo Show (i.e., zone conference) this coming Wednesday. It's kind of cool, but really really weird, that I get my own zone conference. My name's on the program all over the place. I'll have to keep a copy of it. Especially if President Steinagel ever makes the mistake of trying to assign me a responsibility again, I can take it out and remind him.
It was sad to read about Grandpa Hurst's passing. He was a great man, and it's always hard to see such things happen to such people. But those who understand the gospel understand that this is not a time of mourning, but happiness, for Grandpa is now free from the heartbreak of our fallen estate. At this time it helps me to think of Elder McConchie's description of the three pillars of eternity--the Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement. When God created the world, He created it in a state of perfection. Adam and Eve dwelled in the Garden of Eden in a perfect state where God could visit with them and speak with them. When Adam fell, the whole of creation inherited a lower state of being. As Elder McConchie described it, to fall literally means to move from a higher place to a lower place, and so did man, animals, plants, and the very earth when Adam and Eve transgressed. And so life continues even until today, with each of us still bearing the fallen nature of our world. Having fallen, we each now need to climb back to our higher state. How is this possible? If I fall into a ten foot deep hole, no matter how high I reach or jump, I can't reach the top. If I try really hard by myself, I might seem to get close, but in the end I'll still be in the hole, tired and alone. To get out, I need some help. Thankfully, each of us has someone up top reaching into the hole to take our hands and pull us out. When Christ atoned for us, He gave us the opportunity to grasp His hand and be pulled out of our personal hole. Through the Creation, we were perfect; through the Fall, we became imperfect; and through Christ, we can become perfect again, if we so choose. How many people there are around us who ignore the hand reaching down to save us! Grandpa was a man who recognized the Lord and accepted Him readily, and he lived his life in such a manner. He set his feet on the gospel road, and he continued thereon until he passed from this frame of existence to the next. Arvel Hurst is now in the next stage of the plan of God, having successfully navigated our current one. His passing is not a time of grief, but joy; and while we should indeed be sad that we'll be apart for a time, we have the comfort of knowing that that sadness is as lasting as a rainstorm or a summer night. Sooner or later, the sun will come again.
I love you all, and I hope you all have a great week!
--Elder Hurst
So, from their we came back on Friday morning for almost a whole day of actual missionary work. Then came Saturday, when our branch and the Ivano Frankivsk branch met up for a Fourth of July picnic (...on the 5th...). After that was Sunday, and we had church as usual and then finished some preparations for the Elder Hurst Solo Show (i.e., zone conference) this coming Wednesday. It's kind of cool, but really really weird, that I get my own zone conference. My name's on the program all over the place. I'll have to keep a copy of it. Especially if President Steinagel ever makes the mistake of trying to assign me a responsibility again, I can take it out and remind him.
It was sad to read about Grandpa Hurst's passing. He was a great man, and it's always hard to see such things happen to such people. But those who understand the gospel understand that this is not a time of mourning, but happiness, for Grandpa is now free from the heartbreak of our fallen estate. At this time it helps me to think of Elder McConchie's description of the three pillars of eternity--the Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement. When God created the world, He created it in a state of perfection. Adam and Eve dwelled in the Garden of Eden in a perfect state where God could visit with them and speak with them. When Adam fell, the whole of creation inherited a lower state of being. As Elder McConchie described it, to fall literally means to move from a higher place to a lower place, and so did man, animals, plants, and the very earth when Adam and Eve transgressed. And so life continues even until today, with each of us still bearing the fallen nature of our world. Having fallen, we each now need to climb back to our higher state. How is this possible? If I fall into a ten foot deep hole, no matter how high I reach or jump, I can't reach the top. If I try really hard by myself, I might seem to get close, but in the end I'll still be in the hole, tired and alone. To get out, I need some help. Thankfully, each of us has someone up top reaching into the hole to take our hands and pull us out. When Christ atoned for us, He gave us the opportunity to grasp His hand and be pulled out of our personal hole. Through the Creation, we were perfect; through the Fall, we became imperfect; and through Christ, we can become perfect again, if we so choose. How many people there are around us who ignore the hand reaching down to save us! Grandpa was a man who recognized the Lord and accepted Him readily, and he lived his life in such a manner. He set his feet on the gospel road, and he continued thereon until he passed from this frame of existence to the next. Arvel Hurst is now in the next stage of the plan of God, having successfully navigated our current one. His passing is not a time of grief, but joy; and while we should indeed be sad that we'll be apart for a time, we have the comfort of knowing that that sadness is as lasting as a rainstorm or a summer night. Sooner or later, the sun will come again.
I love you all, and I hope you all have a great week!
--Elder Hurst
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