Bonjour!

Well life in Ulraine is changing! The weather is getting colder, the leaves are turning yellow and red, and I'm even understanding a little more Russian!

Hmm.. Whats happened since I emailed last.. I had the opportunity to try both liver and pig fat. Which yes, as you may guess, is as disgusting as it sounds. 

I also have a new companion! She is from Bellarus so Im super excited to be serving with her! 

I've learned so much in the short time I've been here. I've learned that when we open ourselves up, when we share our stories and get to know other people, we can see how much they need our help. Sometimes that help requires just a simple telephone call to say hello, or sometimes it requires a service project. The more people I meet, and truly get acquainted with, the more I realize the importance of our relationships. Its so interesing to think that everyone you walk past on the street has their own story. Its so easy to forget that when we get so consumed in our own lives. We forget to appreciate the simple beauty of lfe. 

SO -- I challenge you to make a better effort to reach out to someone you aren't very familiar with, make someone smile! :) Because we are all God's children, and no matter what we've done in life, we all deserve to be loved. 

I love you all, thank you so much for all your love and support! 

xoxo

-- 

Cectpa Morris

Ukraine-Dnepropetrovsk Mission

A little update from Ukraine!

A little update from little Ukraine! 

Life is good, the people are great.  

A "funny" for this week: Since being on my mission, I've realized how "patience" isn’t one of my strongest qualities.  I decided to pray for the ability to have my patience grow and to be able to be a more calm, less frustrated person.  The next morning, I walk into the bathroom to find a beautiful cockroach on the floor.  Wasn't exactly what I had in mind about "patience"... but what can you do. 

Another funny: So every week we have a "sports night" with the youth in our branch.  We play soccer, basketball, volleyball, Ping-Pong, whatever people want to play that day. This week' s activity happened to be Ultimate Frisbee.  While in the middle of the game, my companion decided to take a moment and show how much she loves me by launching the Frisbee, from a distance of five feet, at my forehead.  I had a cute goose egg to show off for a couple days after. 

I'm learning to love the endless amount of irony my life has -- it definitely keeps it interesting!

Something very impactful I learned this week is related to something an apostle said, "God cannot teach someone with an inquiring mind." 

Because we all have been given agency, the choice to choose good and evil, God will never make us choose the right.  He WILL however, ALWAYS show us the right way, the right choice if we are sincerely seeking the answer. 

Again and again, I have been asked, "How do you REALLY know this is true?"  I know this gospel is true because I have not only felt the Holy Ghost answer my prayers, but I've committed to live the gospel standards.  As I have committed to live the gospel standards, I've seen my life completely transform.  I am so grateful that all of us equally have this opportunity.

Thank you for all your love and support!

xoxo

--

Cectpa Morris

Ukraine-Dnepropetrovsk Mission

Hello!

Sorry, I haven’t emailed in a while.  Emailing time just goes by SO quick!

Anyways, a little update from Ukraine:

This week we had a really fun activity with the youth of our branch.  We went on a little hike to an area by the river and just played tons of different games.  The youth here are simply AMAZING.  Most of them are the only active members of the church in their families, but their testimonies of the gospel are just beautiful. 

I also took a little tumble down a few stairs this week. ha ha (Gotta love Ukraine's dark, uneven stairwells).  I also happened to be holding a loaf of bread we made for the members we were visiting.  LUCKILY, the bread survived and I was able to recover my graceful self right before she opened the door.

Spiritual Thought:

I read a talk this week that talked about how the US Army has a saying "Be All You Can Be." It talked about how we as humans, have no capacity of what we can become-- but God does. God knows everything about us, things we don't even know about us. That is why He asks us to "Come unto Him." He WANTS to bless us, make us happy, and help us develop into all we can be.

It reminds me of the quote "The only time you find yourself is when you lose yourself." Don't be afraid to give everything over to the Lord, trust Him!

I love you all, thank you so much for you support!

xoxo

--

Cectpa Morris

Ukraine-Dnepropetrovsk Mission