This week was Great!!

Dear Family and Friends, 

This week was GREAT! I can't believe how fast the time is flying by! I feel like I just wrote yesterday but yet it is another whole week gone by. I feel like it is all going by like a dream! And this up coming week is sure to fly by quickly too, I have an exchange this week with SISTER HUNT! woo-hoo! So that should be fun. We also will find out TRANSFO, and I will know where I will be for my LAST transfer. Scary. Although I think I will stay here in Brovary. And then next week is transfers and I will start my last transfer. I just can't believe how the days are passing like minutes. Not fair. This wednesday is my 17 month mark as a missionary, which is so crazy to me! Can you believe that I have been doing missionary work for the past 17 months!!! Wow!

 

 cards

also, we had a ping pong tourney this week. 

I was so bad at ping pong, 

but then I CREAMED in cards :) 

 

This week, we went to the Clarks to do some service, and while there, we shared a spiritual thought that has seemed to be a theme for my week. We started our spiritual thought by playing a game of telephone, you know, where you say a sentence in someones ear and pass it on and on around the whole circle. I must admit that I thought that it would be more scrambled at the end then it actually was, they did a really good job, especially for a part Ukrainian/part American family and a bunch of missionaries But it wasn't exactly what I had said at the beginning. And we talked about how it was hard to hear the whisper in your ear when others were talking. 

 

 playing telephone

 

Then we compared the whisper in our ears with the Holy Ghost and talked about how it is hard to hear the still small whisperings of the Holy Ghost. And we shared a scripture from 1st Kings, "And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice" (1st Kings 19:11-12). We shared how in our lives, the whisperings of the Spirit won't be loud and big, but will be a still small voice. We also shared a quote from Preach My Gospel, which said, "The Spirit is always available to guide and direct you. However, the Spirit speaks quietly, through your feelings as well as your mind. One great challenge for you and those you work with is the recognize the quite, subtle prompting of the Holy Ghost". The Spiritual Thought went really well as Brother and Sister Clark both shared some experiences where the Lord has spoken to them through the Holy Ghost. 

So if I had to pick a theme for this week, it would be the importance and blessings that come from recognizing and understanding how the Spirit works in our life. As a missionary, I can only do work if I work with the Spirit. Joseph Smith taught that "No man can preach the gospel without the Holy Ghost". And that's true. Doing missionary work would never work without the Spirit. Preach My Gospel also promises that we will "succeed in [our] work as [we] learn to receive and follow personal revelation". That is something that I have really learned a lot this last week. For a couple months now, there has been a problem that I have been trying to figure out. Nothing bad, just something that I have been thinking about a lot. As I have prayed to know what to do and what choice I should make, I have been unable to receive a clear answer. This last week, as I was studying, I decided that instead of praying for an answer on the specific question, I would instead pray to better learn how God speaks to me through the Holy Ghost. As a result of that prayer, I feel like I have learned so much more about how the Spirit speaks to me. He has guided me so much in my work this week and I have seen miracles come from following those promptings that He sends. I feel like Heavenly Father in more ways than one, has dumped revelation down on me! I can share a few experiences from this week that illustrate how the together with the Spirit, miracles can happen! 

So this week, we were waiting for a bus to go stop by a member. As we waited for our bus (the 9), the 404 came, which would take us close to the member's house, but require more walking. As the 404 came, I felt a prompting to take it instead. So we got on the bus and were riding it, then got off to walk the rest of the ways to that member's house. As we were walking, we saw another member, a old grandma that is sometimes grumpy. I've never been able to meet with her, so when we saw her on the street in the distance, we ran to go say hello. She told us how happy she was to see us, and even though we only talked to her for like 5 minutes and didn't do much, we were able to brighten her day. I know that the Spirit prompted us to take that bus for that reason, to see her and strengthen our relationship with her! 

A pigeon pooped on my head this week... opa!

  

 bird poop

 

Another example was when we decided what members to visit. We felt to visit a lady and give her a Thank you card. So we left it on her door with some banana bread. That was all that we did. Yesterday at church, she came up and told her how much that card and the bread had strengthened her and helped her. When she was sick, she read the card, when she got home late, she was able to spend time with her husband (who is not a member) drinking tea and eating banana bread and it was relaxing and happy. So that was cool. Another day, we felt to stop by a member and sing a hymn for her. We went by and sang 'i am a child of god' for her. She cried and cried and talked about how she so strongly needed that at that very minute. It was so special to be an answer to a prayer. I know that the Spirit prompted us to know how to best help these ladies in our ward! 

Another example was on a lesson with Sergey, our new investigator. He is one of the first people that I have taught on my mission that doesn't know whether or not God lives. It has been really interesting teaching him and helping him. It has been so cool to see him experience the Spirit for the first times. He doesn't really know how to describe how he is feeling and he doesn't always recognize it, but I can see that the Spirit is touching his heart. In our Gospel Principles class yesterday, we ended our lesson with a Mormon Message about a blind kid that is a piano prodigy, after our lessons about talents and how God gives us talents because He loves us and so that we can help other people. The Spirit was so strong after that lesson, and I went up to Sergey and asked how he was doing and what he thought of church and he went off about how everything was, "so cool". He was almost literally filled with light and he was so happy. I realized that he was feeling the Spirit and being filled with the light of Christ. It is miraculous to see someone change as a result of hearing about the gospel! 

But at one point this week, we had a lesson with him. At first, the lesson wasn't going very well, not bad just not the super spiritual lesson that we wanted. Partway through, he received an important phone call and had to leave to answer it. Sister Larcabal and I took that moment to say a prayer, pleading for the Spirit to guide us. When he came back and we taught again, it was as though we were teaching a completely different lesson. The Spirit was SO strong and it was SO cool! It was so fun to follow the Spirit, especially when it leads a different way than what you expect! 

One last example was when Sister Larcabal and I had a few minutes to be on the street talking to people. We said a prayer before we left to be guided by the Holy Ghost, then went out and on our way. As we walked down the street, I saw a lady selling watermelons on the other side of the road, and I felt like we needed to go talk to her. At first I justified that thought and decided that we would talk to her on the way back, when we were on the other side of the street. But then the spirit said, "go now", so we did. It was seriously the MOST AWKWARD conversation ever! The lady asked if we wanted a watermelon and I told her that we didn't have money and she was like, "my watermelons aren't free, girl." and so I asked her about her watermelons and she just didn't want to talk. So we left and walked back down the street. It wasn't quite the conversation that I had in mind after that big prompting. So then we were heading back to the church, when we say this lady up in the distance. We head over to her and start talking and end up inviting her to english. She is so interested that she shows up THAT VERY NIGHT, loves english and is into the spiritual thought! Isn't the way of the Lord so interesting? He knew that if we kept going on the path that we had started on, we would've never ran into that lady, so he gave me a prompting to turn us around, thus putting her right in our (new) path. So cool! :) 

So I learned so much about personal revelation this week! there really is no limit on the personal revelation that you can receive to guide your life!  And although I didn't immediately receive an answer to my problem, I learned more about how God speaks to me individually, which prepared me for the quiet moment when he answered the question that I had for a long time. Because I had learned how to recognize revelation better, when that answer came, I couldn't deny it, and I knew that it was His answer to me. Personal Revelation is SO COOL! :) 

I love being a missionary and I love being guided by the Spirit! The church is SO TRUE! :) 

Keep on being fantastic :) 

I LOVE YOU ALL! 

love, 

Sister Kati Ford

Roller Coasters!

Dear Family and Friends, 

This week was CRAZY! I can't believe all that happened. Seriously. So much. Like a roller coaster.

I'm not even sure where to begin writing about this! 

Pretty sunset view out our window last night

 

First of all, it started cooling down already and according to the members, summer has ended. Sister Larcabal and I looked around outside this morning, I think it is true. The leaves are all changing colors and falling off the trees already. WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN???? I thought it was still like May, maybe June. Time is passing so fast! Maybe it will snow soon? Haha probably not yet... 

So much happened this week, but when I look back, it feels like I emailed home like yesterday or the day before. I have to keep reminding myself that I didn't already write about these things. 

Also, I got sick again. I think it was because of the change in the weather? I don't actually know, but the elders sent me home to rest yesterday, and that helped a lot. It's just been like the flu or something. It's getting better though. Everyone has their advice for me. Haha it's so funny. I promise that I don't get sick that often, but I think that our recent converts think that I'm bouncing in and out of the hospital. They were so concerned. haha its cute. Also, If I got a dollar for everytime someone told Sister Laracal to tell me to "Stop being sick", I think Sister Larcabal and I would both be rich. We could buy a boat. or something else fun like that. Like I can just choose to stop being sick... it's not that easy, folks! But now that I'm actually feeling better, I'm so excited to work and work again! 

This week, we had some crazy cool miracles, but also some crazy sad things happen. 

Do you remember Oksana? We met with her this week to talk about the Plan of Salvation. It was probably one of the most beautiful lessons that I have ever had. We started our by singing "I am a child of God", and it just set the tone for the whole lesson. We testified and shared scriptures and our member was AMAZING. But the coolest part wasn't the lesson or us at all. It was seeing the Spirit work with Oksana. The Plan of Salvation was an answer to her, and it was so clearly obvious to her that it was the truth and the way that it was. She kept saying things like, "I always knew it was that way, It is the only way that makes sense... Oh course this is true, and true for everyone".

 At one moment, we asked her,"Oksana, did you pray and ask God if our message is true? If the Book of Mormon is true?" and she said,"Yes, I prayed". And we asked, "Did you receive an answer?" "Yes, I received an answer" she answered. "Well, what answer did you receive?" And she answered, "It's true. and peaceful." And our member bore testimony of the peace that the gospel, especially that comes through the Atonement. It was perfect because right after she bore testimony of the Atonement, We were able to ask, "Oksana, Will you follow Jesus Christ and be baptized by someone holding the priesthood authority of God?" The Spirit was so strong and it was such a perfect moment. She said that she wanted to be baptized, but her concern was that her parents would be against it. But she wanted to be baptized, so she decided that she would talk to her parents about it all. 

I felt the Spirit during that lesson so strong, it being maybe one of the strongest moments on my mission. It was so incredible. Sister Larcabal and I were amazed at the change that was taking place in Oksana. She was repenting, she was coming closer to Christ, she was feeling the Spirit, she wanted to change and be more like the Savior. It was incredible to see that change in her, and to be a firsthand witness of the power of the Atonement and the Gospel in someones life. 

 Last Pday in Kyiv

melted chocolate in a cup...it was divine :)

 

But... I said that some crazy sad things happened this week...

Saturday night, we got a call from Oksana. She told us that she had talked to her parents. Not only were they against her getting baptized, but they forbade her from ever coming back to the church, even for english practice. She isn't even really allowed to ever see us again. It was heartbreaking. She wants this so bad, but her parents threatened her that they would take away everything if she goes against them. I couldn't help but cry as I told her that the Lord was a Lord of miracles, and that we would continue to pray for her everyday. She promised to continue to read the Book of Mormon and said that maybe within a few weeks, her parents wouldn't be as strict. But its so sad to see someone that I love so much, come so close, and then be kept away. But I'm sure the Lord is still working with her, and one day she will be able to be baptized and receive all the blessings that she so desires. 

Game night! 

So that was the first said thing. That same night, when we called our other investigator from Africa, Julianna, we also got some bad news. But let me first tell you about her. 

We finally were able to meet with Julianna this week! She is incredible! She is so great! She is here in Kyiv, working for a month, before she goes back to study in Kharkiv. This normally wouldn't be a problem, we would just teach her and then pass her to the missionaries there and they would keep working with her there. However, Kharkiv is one of the areas in our mission that is closed for missionary work right now because of the war, so there are no missionaries there. So this is really her chance to hear the gospel, and to be taught by english speaking full time missionaries. It is like this perfect miracle that she is here. But Satan is working so hard to keep her from the gospel! She is working in Kyiv and is at work or traveling to and from work, basically every minute. She can usually only meet at like 8:45 at night, which is a slight problem, because as missionaries, we have to be home at 9:30 at the latest. Sister Larcabal and I talked about it and decided that teaching her was really important to us. How important? So important that after our lessons, we would run home to make it on time. Great way to use my talents, right?!?! The lessons that we have had are so full of the Spirit and she is so intent on reading the Book of Mormon and receiving an answer. She is amazing. Plus we just LOVE her so much and she loves us. 

So imagine how sad we were, when Saturday night, right after Oksana called, we got a call from Julianna, saying that something had come up and she was leaving for Kharkiv right away. No time to say goodbye. Oh we were so sad. On our way home, we bought ice cream and chocolate and ate it all. That's how sad we were. And we just cried. Both of our miracles were gone, so sad. Although we knew that Julianna could still find the church in Kharkiv and that the members could help her, we felt like she had been snatched away from us.

So yeah... that was pretty darn sad. BUT, imagine this. It's now Sunday afternoon. Sister Ford is sick and is in bed, resting. The phone rings, one of the Elders from our area is calling. Sister Larcabal answers the phone, it isn't one of the elders at all, IT'S JULIANNA! Turns out that she HADN'T gone to Kharkiv, she was still here! And she still can met, and actually has more time then before, so she doesn't have to meet quite so late! Sister Larcabal was so surprised, she almost fell over! When we got off the phone, both of us where so happy that we were screaming for joy. Ok...only sister Laracabal was screaming for joy... but it was a LOT OF JOY! 

So that was a lot of emotions in one little bit, but it was a great reminder to me that the Lord is watching out for all of us! It is HIS work that we are doing here. I know that no matter what happens with either Julianna or Oksana, the Lord is watching out for them! His plan for them is better then anything I can think up myself! He is letting me be an instrument in His hands, and although sometimes, he may call for a different note than I want, or he may call for a different tempo, he knows exactly what THEY need and when the song is complete, we will all see perfectly how He knew what was going to happen all along! I feel so blessed for the opportunity to see Him working with Julianna and Oksana, and I know that even when it seems hopeless from our point of view, he knows exactly how it will all turn out. And it will all turn out beautifully! :) 

I love being a missionary! I love being an instrument in the Hands of the Lord! There is no better place to be! 

Pray for Ukraine! Pray for Oksana and Julianna! 

I love you all! 

Sister Kati Ford

500 DAYS ON THE MISSION

Dear Family and Friends, 

That subject line sounds a little bit better when translated into Russian, but it works in English too. Today, if I have counted right, marks 500 days on a mission! WOW! I can't believe that! It doesn't even seem like that long! Sister Larcabal and I tried to think of what we could do to celebrate, or what we could eat 500 of to celebrate... but we didn't think of anything that would be possible to eat 500 of. Oh well! 

So yesterday in Relief Society, I was asked to give the Spiritual Thought. I thought back to a verse in the Book of Mormon that I had read a few weeks before, which says, 

"For behold, angels are declaring it unto many at this time in our land; and this is for the purpose of preparing the hearts of the children of men to receive his word at the time of his coming in his glory." (Alma 13:24). 

I told the ladies in Relief Society that when I had first read that verse a couple weeks earlier, I had decided that I would pray to know and see that the Lord was preparing the hearts of the people here in Ukraine, in Kyiv, and in Brovary! Then I was able to share with them a few examples of how God has been preparing people here through his angels! It was so fun to share with them how the Lord has been preparing people all around us! I have everyday seen how God is preparing people to receive the Gospel at this time, especially here in Ukraine. 

For example: 

This last week, I was waiting for the bus, when a lady came and and sat down next to me. I started a conversation up with her, and before long she was looking through my family pictures. As I shared with her how the gospel had blessed my family, she saw that I was holding a Book of Mormon. She was like "I have that book!" It was so cool to see how she had met missionaries before and was now still being prepared to meet with us now. Unfortunately, her bus came before I got her number, but I'm sure we will see her again on the street, Brovary is pretty small! 

 

 

 

Yet again, we were on the street. We were running so late for district meeting. We briskly walked by this old lady. I saw out of the corner of my eye that she watched us walk by and had stopped. Although we were running late, I turned around and talked to her. Turns out that as we had walked by, she had seen Jesus Christ written on our name tags and had wanted to know more. As we told her a little bit about our message, she started crying, talking about how things in Ukraine and so hard and scary. God had prepared her to receive our message of joy! She agreed to meet again and learn more about God's plan and how he has a special plan for her and everyone in Ukraine! 

We've been taking a lot of buses lately, I guess. Yesterday on the way to the church, We were on a bus. I sat next to a lady and noticed that she was in a dress. So I asked her if she was going to church. She said no. And I responded, "well...you should!" and she laughed and we started to have a really good conversation. She shared how many years ago, she had helped repaint our church building here in Brovary. I asked her if she had ever been to our church services, and she said no. I asked her why and she said that she didn't really want to then. I asked her if she would be interested now, and she said yes! So that was special! She goes out of town this week, but will be back in the end of August! :) 

Also, this week, I was on an exchange in Kyiv (first time I have ever been in Kyiv for more than a few hours..which is funny, because it is the name of the mission). But we had an opportunity to meet with a little girl named Eva. She is from a city in Eastern Ukraine, and evacuated here with her family. Her aunt and older brother are members of the church, but her mom is not and until recently, her mom refused to let her met with the missionaries, saying that she is too young. But when the family evacuated here, her mom was able to closely interact with a lot of members of the church. They are living in the apartment of one of the members in Kyiv, the members bring them clothes and food and are helping them with everything. So the Mom's heart was prepared and she is allowing Eva to take the lessons. She was the cutest little girl and literally knows everything about the church already and has a testimony! Cute! We taught her about tithing, and did an object lesson where we poured blessings (In the form of candy) down from the windows of heaven! It was fun :) She loved it! :) She is a doll! 

 Sister Pugh and Lena our member friend

Eva and I making bracelets

 

See how the Lord is preparing people here in Ukraine! It is so fun to be a missionary now, here!  We get to have so many fun moments on missions. For example, this week, we had a Birthday Party, at which Sister Larcabal and I played together (her on the piano, I was on the violin) to the star wars theme and a couple other songs. 

Happy Birthday Dallas! :) 

 We impressed all the 10 year old boys there. Or for example, when we were on the street and in the space of an hour, we received tomatoes, pears, and bread all for free from people on the street. Or for example, when we helped a grandma in our ward learn to index and she asked if we could get permission from the mission president for a sleepover....hmm.. probably not but it was a sweet offer :) 

See! So fun to be a missionary! I love it!  It is so easy to see how the Lord is blessing the people here and helping them prepare to learn more about the Savior! :) I love being a missionary! It is so fun! :)

I LOVE YOU ALL! 

Love, 

Sister Kati Ford

"Lodi Hills"

Dear Family and Friends, 

HAPPY AUGUST! It seems to me like it should still be May, but somehow time just keeps passing on and on. This week it started to feel like summer. It was HOT! People keep telling me the temperature in Celsius but I never know what the temperature actually is, so I just act like it is the hottest temperature that I have ever heard of... haha. But really though...it's HOT! I was told though that it will only be this hot for 10 more days, then fall will come! Which is my favorite season :) 

 We rock the babooshka scarfs :) 

 Mother motherland, we just happened to 

run into some other sisters there! COOL :)

The other day, I was thinking about running, and I remembered the Lodi Cross Country Course. That I ran in 8th grade, I think. The race where the first mile was all in the forest and then came out to A HUGE HILL! And I remember in my 8th grade mind, thinking that there was no bigger hill in the world. And right after that hill was a downhill into the finish. I remember when I ran that race, many of the participants, when they got to that hill, started to walk. When I got to that hill, I was determined to run up it. But it was hard! At some points, I felt like I was running in place. I just wanted to stop and be done. But I also remember that feeling as I made it to the top of that hill, and on the other side was the downhill headed right to the finish line. As I made it to the top and over the hill, I was able to sprint into the finish line. I don't remember the time that I ran at that race. I don't remember what place I finished. But I do remember that feeling of accomplishment as I made it over that hill! Even now, I get a little proud when I think of how I conquered the "Lodi hill". 

 We went sight-seeing in kyiv last 

week, this is a famine memorial

our lovely tour guide, Alina :) A recent convert from Kyiv

 

I think in life, we have lots of "Lodi Hills". The entire journey home to our Heavenly Father is probably full of hills, some small and some large. As we "run" through this earthly journey, sometimes we hit these hills, and things are hard, and we want to stop or at least walk. Maybe we even want to lay down and roll back down to where we were earlier. So often, we get stuck thinking that we will never make it up, that it is impossible to climb this hill. But these hills are possible to climb! We will make it up them! And I think so often, we fail to consider what happens at the top of the hill. Every time we run up and over a hill, there is a moment where we are basically flying and we skip down the downhill, sometimes going so fast that we can barely stay standing. At those times, we wonder how we were ever going so slow just moments before. We wonder and ask ourselves how that up hill could've been that hard. Those moments of going so fast are the moments that keep us going the next time that we go up a hard hill. 

I would say in my missionary life, I have been climbing one of those "Lodi hills". But this past week, I finally made it to the top, and I feel like I am now cruising down the other side, with things happening so fast I can barely keep up and miracles happening in every direction! These times when we head down are the times where we exclaim, "This is missionary fun!" (Just imagine me running down a hill as fast as I can screaming that! ;)) 

 This morning we went and ran by the river. 

Also we ran that bridge in the background :)

Sister Larcabal snapped this picture this 

morning of me running across the bridge. Cool

 

 

Let me share some of the stories from the run! 

This week we taught Oksana. We didn't get to teach her as often as we wanted to, Sister Larcabal was sick one day and then she (Oksana, not Sister Larcabal) went to the beach with her family another day, but we were finally able to meet with her on Saturday. We went in feeling very strongly that we should watch the Restoration movie with her. We had a member come with us on the lesson and basically she couldn't have helped us better if we had given her a script. It was AMAZING! :) Also, multiple times throughout the film, Oksana would say things like, "I'm just like Joseph". "I'm going to pray and ask".  At the end of the lesson, we had a super powerful moment where we knelt in prayer and Oksana prayed and asked for Heavenly Help for what to do. At the end of the prayer, as we kneeling together, we asked Oksana if she would be baptized when she came to know that these things were true. When she said yes, we were so excited to continue to help her learn for herself that this message is true! Pray for her, and especially that she will be able to come to church, and that her family will have their hearts softened so that she be baptized here if she chooses to! 

 Enjoying beautiful kyiv

What is any zone meeting without a 

picture of sister hunt and I together?

In another moment, we had a strong spiritual thought with the family in the ward. We talked about faith, and had the opportunity to see the family's faith grow right in front of us! 

We had a lesson with a returning less active and recent convert. We taught about repentance. I don't think I have ever felt the Spirit so strongly in my life. We read together Alma 36 and talked about the joy that comes from repentance. It was so special to have the chance (the unplanned chance) to testify about the same things that I wrote about last week :) 

Our cute zone :)

Yesterday, the Spirit was so strong in Testimony Meeting. I LOVE hearing others bear their testimony! :) 

Also yesterday, we went with the Elders to teach Austin, one of the recent converts. When we walked in, there was a friend of his sleeping. She had just arrived from out of town. Eventually though, she woke up and participated in our spiritual thought, giving a great insight on faith. As we were leaving, we asked if she wanted to come to church and she said yes. We asked if she wanted to learn more and meet with us and she said yes. It was so easy. Her name is Julianna. and just like Austin and Kingsley, she is from Africa. I'm so excited! I've always wanted to teach someone from Africa! They are elect :) 

In a fun moment, One of the members told us that we are her favorite missionaries and that we have something that sets us apart from others. Missionaries love compliments like that :) 

And in a cute tender mercy, Last week when we were at the Clarks, Brother Clark told me that the day before, Dallas had asked for permission to go outside. When brother clark asked why, Dallas said, "Well...I want to be like Sister Ford, and she loves to run, so I want to run too and love it". And then Brother Clark said, "Well... I had to give permission for that". Isn't that darling? I love helping others learn to love to run :) It was so darn cute! :) 

Can you see how I am just seeing so many blessings? I love being a missionary! It really is so fun! 

One thing that I forgot to mention in my analogy about the hill. There was one thing, when I was running up that hill that kept me going, even after I wanted to stop. Just like at every other race that I had even run, my dad was on the side of the course, cheering me on. (Thanks Dad! -- don't get too teary eyed now). In the hills of life, never forget that we have hoards of people standing there cheering us on. They want us to succeed and they can and will help us in any way that they can! And unlike in Cross country, where it is illegal, in the race of life, we are a special coach that runs right next to us every step of the way. That coach is Jesus Christ, and he is always right beside us, helping us reach the top of the hill that we are climbing, and helping us reach the top of every hill until we eventually reach our ultimate goal and finish line, living with Heavenly Father again :) 

I know that Christ helps us every step of the way! I know that he LOVES us and will help us through those hard hills!  The church is true and was restored through Joseph Smith to be in its entirety on the earth today! 

I love you all! Enjoy the race :) 

Love, 

Sister Kati Ford

How GREAT is the JOY!

Dear Family and Friends,
WHAT A CRAZY WEEK! We were so busy! I couldn't believe all that happened this week. Some highlights include going into Kyiv, getting a wonderful package from home, sharing a message with so many members about hope, taking one of the young women with us on a missionary day, peppermint patty miracles, teaching a new investigator, and a whole bunch more! 

Thanks so much for the package! I loved trying all the gluten-free treats! My package was inspected by Ukraine, I hope it all made it haha :). 

 Searched package

This week we did a 24 hour exchange with Veronika, (Sister Clark). It was so fun! :) We taught some language and lessons and at the end, she told us that she for sure wants to serve a mission. 

Veronika, our cute mini :) (yeah I gave her that skirt)

 more pictures with Veronika

we ate ice cream :)

 pretty Kyiv :)

I bought a traditional Ukrainian shirt and wore it to church on sunday. I am now EVERY member's favorite missionary...seriously! It's cool :) 

District gangster pictures :) 

So let me tell you about the progress with Oksana! She is wonderful! We got the opportunity to teach her two times this past week, and both times the Spirit was so strong! In one really special moment, Oksana again asked if miracles happened today, and we were able to testify that miracles do happen and that God is always a God of miracles! I got to share one of my favorite scriptures with her, where is says,
"And who shall say that Jesus Christ did not do many mighty miracles? And there were many mighty miracles wrought by the hands of the apostles. And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles. Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth. (Mormon 9:18-19, 21)"
As I shared that scripture and we testified, Oksana started crying. She then at that point asked if she could receive the miracle of forgiveness of something that she has done in the past. I guess for several years now, her family, church, and friends have told her that she has no hope and that she can't repent, which is heartbreaking. What a special experience it was for me to be able to testify that yes, repentance is hard, yes, it takes a lot of work and patience and faith, but it is possible and once we have repented, "I, the Lord, remember them no more" (D&C 58:42). As we shared that hope with her, we promised that the next time that we taught, we would teach about repentance. That was on Thursday and we don't teach until tomorrow, but I am so excited. To prepare for that lesson, I have been studying repentance like none other, and I have learned so much! Repentance is such a huge blessing in our lives!
As I was studying repentance, I noticed a theme in the scriptures that I was reading, I'll list a few and see if you see the same theme:

And how great is his joy in the soul that repenteth! (D&C 18:13)
And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy,having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding  faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come, according to the words which king Benjamin had spoken unto them. (Mosiah 4:3).
And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea,my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain! (Alma 36:20). 

"We will come to feel great joy in repenting daily" (Preach My Gospel, Chapter 3).
The theme that I noticed was that after someone in the scriptures repented, they were filled with JOY! And so I started thinking and studying more and more about joy. I thought a lot about what joy is, and really liked what the guide to the scriptures says, "Joy is a condition of great happiness that comes from living the gospel. The purpose of mortal life is for all people to have joy. A full joy will come only through Jesus Christ." As I thought about that, I realized that the gospel is a message of joy! The reason why I am here is to help others find joy! We so often refer to the great plan of salvation as the plan of happiness, but how often do we really think about that? How often do we take the time to consider that this brilliant plan that our Heavenly Father created for us, that is possible only through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, was designed to help us have joy? As soon as I started to think about that, and as soon as I realized that this gospel message is a message of joy, I started seeing evidence EVERYWHERE! For example, in the very first pages of Preach My Gospel, we read, "Although they (people we meet on the street) may not know why, they need relief from feelings of guilt that come from mistakes and sins. They need to experience the joy of redemption by receiving forgiveness of their sins and enjoying the gift of the Holy Ghost". Lehi teaches in 2nd Nephi, "Men are that they might have joy" (2 Nephi 2:25). Both the sections in Preach My Gospel that talk about enduring to the end teach that joy comes through living the gospel. Even the Lord himself teaches that joy can be found through and only through him, "For in this world your joy is not full, but in me your joy is full." (D&C 101:36). 

I think that we, so often, we take advantage of the fact that we have a knowledge about the restored gospel and the peace and hope and joy that comes from the gospel. In the 128th section of the Doctrine and Covenants, Joesph Smith writes an epistle to the Saints. This is in the year 1842, about 2 years before Joseph Smith was killed. It had been 22 years since Joseph had had the first vision, and only 12 years since the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints had been organized. In this epistle, Joesph is giving further instructions of baptism for the dead, and at the end of his letter, Joesph takes a moment to rejoice in the restored gospel and the joy that is brings. In verse 19, he says, "Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have received? A voice of gladness! A voice of mercy from heaven; and a voice of truth out of the earth; glad tidings for the dead; a voice of gladness for the living and the dead; glad tidings of great joy. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that bring glad tidings of good things, and that say unto Zion: Behold, thy God reigneth!" Do we feel that joy in our life? Do we recognize the blessing of the restored gospel? Do we, as Alma asks, "if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?" (Alma 5:26). As I have been on my mission, I have had the opportunity to watch people change and desire to be baptized. As they repent, they change. They feel that joy. Their hearts change and the process of repentance "makes you a new heart and a new spirit" (Ezekial 18:31). They are full of that desire to be good and to ALWAYS choose the right. We sometimes say that they are "on fire". Ammon, a missionary from the Book of Mormon, felt that joy and said, "behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God. (Alma 26:11). I know that I have felt that joy (although maybe not to the same extent as Ammon, because he spends a lot of his time passed out because his joy was so great). I've felt that joy as I have repented, I feel that joy when I testify and when I see those around me change and make covenants with God. 

Going back to one of the quotes, I listed earlier, "We will come to feel great joy in repenting daily" (PMG, chapter 3). I thought about that a lot. None of us are perfect. All of us have made mistakes. All of us need to repent everyday. But the Lord is so merciful, because he forgives us! When we repent, we feel his love! We receive JOY! In the vision of the Tree of Life, what does the tree represent? Elder Maxwell said it best, "The tree of life … is the love of God. The love of God for His children is most profoundly expressed in His gift of Jesus as our Redeemer: ‘God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son’ To partake of the love of God is to partake of Jesus’ Atonement and the emancipations and joys which it can bring." When Lehi partook of the fruit, he said, "And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was desirable above all other fruit." (1 Nephi 8:12). When we have used the Atonement in our life to become better and to receive a remission of our sins, we want to help others feel the same way. I know the joy that comes into my life from the gospel, from repentance, from the Atonement, and I want Oksana to feel that joy! I want my other investigators to feel that joy! I want my friends and family members to feel that joy! 

I know that this gospel is a message of JOY! I know that obeying the principles of the gospel brings happiness, peace and JOY! I know that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can receive forgiveness of our sins! I love my Savior! I am so grateful for His love! I challenge you all to look for the JOY that the gospel brings. Maybe you can feel it strongly in your life right now, but maybe you aren't feeling it so strong at the moment. If that is you, follow King Benjamin's advice when he said, " And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you... and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come... And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true." (Mosiah 4:11-13).  Remember what God has done for you! Pray and be grateful and keep going in the faith! Stay strong! I love his promise there, that if you do that, YE SHALL ALWAYS REJOICE! The JOY in the gospel really is so great! :) 

I love you all! 

Sister Kati Ford 

Story time :)

Dear Family and Friends, 

This week was crazy! You know how every once in a while I share a "This would only happen in Ukraine" moment. This week there was SO many moments like that, I haven't even gotten a chance to write about them all in my journal! 

Kati and Pres and Sister Packer

First of all, We moved! Our apartment is SO CUTE! I'm in love with it! I'm pretty sure it is the best apartment I have lived in on my mission! I took some pictures of it and then when I was in the mission office, I was showing everyone. They loved it too :) 

 Our darling apartment

 Told you - pink lemonade :)

 

 we found the roof... cool!

It's good that I love it so much, because TRANSFO came out this week and I am staying here and with Sister Larcabal! Basically everything else is changing. I think we are one of very few companionship's that are staying the same. We are getting a new elder here though, Elder Lindsey, who served in Suvorovsky with me! Yay! :) 

But moving was an adventure as we had to somehow transport all of our stuff across town in a series of taxis. Wow. But we did it! :) And we got all unpacked and settled in :) 

BBQ in the park :)

 

Tuesday was a little crazy because we had to tell our landlady that we moved and give her the keys. We gave her a heads up a few weeks ago that we would be leaving, but I think she thought that we wouldn't be able to find a new apartment. So she went a little crazy when we tried to turn over the keys. It was after English on Tuesday and we were in a hurry because we had to get home on time. But she went crazy and yelling and wouldn't let us leave. She told us a bunch of stuff that people "told her" but then when we talked to them, it wasn't true. So we were stuck. We had no idea what to do, so we called the Assistants, who told us to get ourselves out. So we ended up  running for it. We put down some money and the keys and RAN out the door, with her chasing after us. We BOOKED it down the stairs and into the Taxi, slamming the doors of the car behind us and saying, "GO!". I think we scared the taxi driver, he was so confused on why we were so freaked out. But basically, we are REALLY grateful for the new apartment and for the fact that we won't have to deal with a crazy landlady anymore. Moral of the story, when I get home, I will be able to handle ANY crazy situation, because I just had to deal with it in Russian/Ukrainian! 

Hi, my name is Sister Ford 

In just another crazy story, On Thursday, morning, we went running. We were in our new apartment, so we didn't really know the area. I thought that we could make a loop out of our path but pretty soon we ran out of time. I saw a dirt path that seemingly led straight to our apartment building so we headed down that path. Maybe not so smart... At one point some scary looking dogs starting coming and they were barking all scary so we walked past them and they didn't attack. thankfully. So we kept going. All the sudden the path that we were walking on ended. But we didn't want to walk back past the dogs, so we just decided to forge our way through the grass. The grass kept cutting my legs, which I don't really understand because Sister Larcabal didn't get cut up at all. 

 Can you see my scratched up legs?

As we were going through the grass, all the sudden we looked up and realized that there wasn't a way out. We were surrounded on 3 sides by high concrete walls with the dogs behind us. So we debated what to do and decided that it would be faster and not as scary (because dogs are scary) to jump over one of the walls. So we jumped over the wall and we were pretty proud of ourselves...until we realized that we were still fenced in because we had jumped the wall into a factory. Great. So we just kinda wandered around the factory until we found an exit, just walking past all the guards and workers like the owned the place. We got home pretty late, but made it home eventually. :) So that was an adventure. Moral of that story, Don't take the shortcut :) 

This week, one of our investigators took us to a Healthy Body class and we got "massages". Except we were just laying on mattresses that heated up. 

 Massage troubles...

I'm not sure what they were supposed to do but basically I'm pretty excited for when I get home and can get a real massage! :) It was interesting... 

one of the senior missionaries gave

 me some gluten free flour! So nice :)

I made some crepes! :) 

Okay, so enough crazy stories, I promise that I have some good stories too! A lot of them too :) 

With our recent convert, we played a matching commandment lesson. It was so good and so fun! The Spirit was really strong as we talked about why the commandments are important. 

With one less active family, we used there computer to show a Mormon Message. They liked it so much that for the next 20 minutes, they just kept picking another and another and another message to watch. After that, we told them that we had to leave, and as we were leaving, they kept watching more and more. For the first time since I have been there, after our lesson, they actually kept the commitment that we left them! It was awesome! The husband's name is Kosta and I have never seen him so happy! I know it was because he was feeling the Spirit! I love how the Holy Ghost can help people! :) 

So, recently to our English class, this lady named Oksana has been coming. She is super cute and has a darling 10 year old son. On Tuesday, as we left to deal with our landlady (horrible timing, I know), she was talking about Jesus Christ. So on Thursday, we asked her if we could show her the "Because of Him" Mormon message (Google it if you haven't seen it! :)). So we watched it together and I look over at here and she is bawling. So we asked her what she was thinking and she said, "I just wish that someone today on Earth had that same power to heal that Jesus Christ had." What an incredible opportunity for us, because we were able to testify of the power of the priesthood of God that has been restored to the earth today! In our church, we have that power! That power to heal, to comfort, to lift, and to bless! So we testified that and she expressed interest in learning more. Early that day, I had actually received a really powerful blessing and so it was special for me to have the experience to bear testimony of the priesthood power just hours after it had blessed my life so profoundly! 

This week, I have been studying the Atonement a lot and today I came across a really great quote. It says,

 "If you feel unclean, unloved, unhappy, unworthy, or unwhole, remember “all that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.” Have faith and patience in the Savior’s timing and purposes for you. “Be not afraid, only believe” (Mark 5:36). Be assured the Savior still seeks to mend our souls and heal our hearts. He waits at the door and knocks. Let us answer by beginning again to pray, repent, forgive, and forget. Let us love God and serve our neighbor and stand in holy places with a life made clean. The impotent man at the pool of Bethesda, the leper along the journey to Jerusalem, and Corrie ten Boom were made whole. “Wilt thou be made whole?” Rise and walk. His “grace is sufficient” (2 Corinthians 12:9), and you will not walk alone." (Wilt thou be made whole) 

 

I have such a great testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ! I know that He lives and that He really did suffer for our sins! Because of him, we can be healed, we can be given strength beyond our own and that through him, ALL is possible! I know that Christ lives! He loves us! He is waiting for us to come to us so that he can heal us! The priesthood power is on the Earth today and we are so blessed to have a knowledge of both the Atonement and the power of the Priesthood! 

I love being a missionary and being able to testify and help others! Let your light shine and be happy as you share the gospel, for it truly is GOOD NEWS of healing and help!

LOVE YOU ALL! 

Love, 

Sister Kati Ford