One more post!!

My parents came to Ukraine to pick me up and we had a great time. They met President and Sister Sullivan, as well as Yulia and her daughter, and Galinea while in Dnipro. Then we traveled to Odessa on the night train, that was an adventure, where we were able to tour the city's catacomb with Elder Eugene Balyas who had already finished his mission. From there we went to Kiev and explored that city and the Kiev temple and watched a ballet performance with my parent's friends Ralph and Joanna Hollingshead (Rhonda Parcell's mom) who are serving in the Kiev temple. Kiev is a beautiful city. From there we traveled back to Kharkov to sight see there. My parents loved the "The Verenik", the best perogy restaurant in Ukraine. Our final trip was back to Poltava, my last area, where we were able to go street contacting with the missionaries and best of all attend the baptism of Tonya Nikilaichuk, my last investigator. It was a very spiritual experience attended by her mother. It was a great way to finish my mission.

ok, this is it

Alright everybody. 

This is really it. I'm in the mission office right now and I'm about to have my interview with president then a farewell dinner with the missionaries going home and President and Sister Sullivan and then I'll see my parents where we'll roam Ukraine a bit before I come back to home sweet home Calgary!!! Craziness.

I am so grateful for my mission. I have loved my mission so much! Everything about it, from the good to the bad has been such a blessing and growing experience for me. It's just been a miracle to meet all the people I've met and I'm grateful that I could at least do the little I could to help with Christ's work going forth of sharing the happy news of His Restored gospel! 

For all you faithful readers who have still kept up with scribbles I've been reading every week, thank you! I'm happy to see everyone soon! 

This week was a great last week. We got to have some heart felt and memorable goodbyes to the wonderful people I've served with, taught and befriended in my lovely Poltava. The past couple days were a bit insane since we got surprise on transfer (saturday ) morning. We knew that President would call to tell Sister Woolley who her next companion was but we did not expect him to tell her that she would also be changing areas! She is going to Zap and unfortuanately because a lack again of sisters, Poltava won't have sisters again for now. That was really heart breaking for both of us because we were like but "what about Tonya??" and our investigators? but Sis. Woolley will be able to call them and the elders will help Tonya be ready for her baptism which we will hopefully BOTH be able to go see on the 26th of May!! So keep her in your prayers for sure please:) She's amazing though so we're not too worried. 

Anyways we had a farewell party for me and the others and it almost seemed like a funeral ahaha no but it was fun and we had a good last sunday saying goodbye to all the wonderful members. Then I got to talk with the fam a bit, say happy mother's day to the best mom! Twas good:)

As a final "on the mission blog" testimony (but definitely not ever :P), I want to say that even though I have loved every minute of my mission it has definitely not been easy. But I have come to to know my Savior most, when I have chosen to rely on His strength to help me through the hard times and when I have chosen to try to remember Him ALL the time, even everything was awesome. There is no way I could have done it without Him and there's no way I would have even come out here at all, learn Russian, talk to so many strangers, if I didn't have a certain knowledge that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is in reality Christ's true church on the earth today. I have developed a firm testimony that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that studying it everyday truly blesses us with peace and power. Through this book and through answers to my prayers is how I have this knowledge and being out here testifying and teaching this message to others has only strengthen my testimony of it. Everyone may not agree but I feel good about doing my best to try to give them the opportunity to accept it.

I freakin LOVE Ukraine. I love everything about it:)) It will always be a big part of my heart. I will miss it so much. But I'm also excited to start a new chapter in my life and see what the Lord has in store ahead:))

LOVE YA. Peace. Poka Poka, see you soon!

Сестра Хорн

 

Lots of things happened.

Hey. 

So idk if I told you this would be the last time I write but I think I might be able to write next week also. For this week I'll just tell you that I feel like everything happened ahah. It was kinda crazy. 

First: we had exchanges this week, this time though, they came here! (lol first time I've had to plan the exchange aha ) and it was nice! I was with Sister Vucenovich and basically she's from Serbia and looks like a model and speaks fluent Russian aha, it was a good time showing her Poltava.

Also we did a few finding "experiments" where we wore casual clothes to see how it worked. We made brownies and asked "Have you ever thought a brownie could change your life? " and then while they ate the brownie we would share a quick awesome message "in theory" lol it was alright though! 

Oh ya also some crazy things that happened: I ate rat! We went to a little village where our branch president lives and he raises giant like muskrat things and we had them for lunch! It was actually super good! 

Also yesterday surprisingly we got to go to a Ukrainian funeral. After the 2nd hour several of us missionaries and members went on a marshrootka and went to the house of a member who's mother (who was also a member age  87 ) for her funeral. It was super interesting. 

So many things that are happening right before I leave it's awesome !

Love ya! I'll talk you to on my laaast day!

Diet later ;)

Love Spring here

Better not feed the birds

ostrich meat or rat?

Ahhhh

It taste like chicken

What to do? vareniki, chalk, symphony and zoo:)

Hopefully I'll actually get some pictures to work this time cause we've done some fun and cool things this week to find people to teach and also just for fun on p-day:)

So first a couple of fun finding things we did was sister Woolley and drew the plan of salvation on the side walk with chalk. It wasn't very successful until I stopped this one girl who I got to teach some of the plan to and then her boyfriend came and we had a good conversation with them for a while and so hopefully meet with them soon. Feels good to testify of this plan that's full of hope and happiness to people who have never heard of something similar before and are pretty amazed about how it makes so much sense, and how amazing it is.

We also had a "Vareniki" party with the branch on Friday and it went pretty well! So many 'vareniki' (perogies)! It was so delicious but again I ate so many ahaha.  There was a really good turn out of non members and a little less members but still about equal. We had all four of our investigators there and most of the time they were talking with our awesome members and making friends with them so the party was perfect for that. Olga loves to cook and she brought so many and they were so delicious.

We also went with one of our investigators Lena to a symphony with the Poltava city symphony and young talented pianists. That was sweet and then today we went to the Zoo with another of our investigators Natasha and her friend to the zoo! It was pretty small but it was still really cute and fun. I saw a really young baby wallaby in a pouch and fed ostriches (lol adding that to the Instagram feed of me feeding animals:)) .... then we had lunch with ostrich meat in our salad... ahah oops sorry guys

Tonya is the best and will be baptized on May 26th and hopefully i'll be able to make it still;) (cause my parents are coming to pick me up, if y'all didn't know ) that would be a miracle. But ya super weird that I only really have 2 more weeks left... next week will be my last email :O I actually hit my 18  month mark this week since I went into the MTC which is insane! Now I get to serve longer asked for..;)

Well have a great week everyone and don't forget to thank Heavenly Father for everything! I've been trying to do that more often this week, like litterally just try and think of everything through out the day that you could be grateful for and then say a silent prayer, and seriously it has given me so much more joy!

Love,

Cectpa Horne