Six Months!

Six month celebration lunch with Elder Bott

Finally hit my sixth month mark! A ton of mixed emotions because it went fast and I have no clue where time went. I just can't believe I'm already a fourth done with my mission. We also got transfer calls this week, Elder Stott and I will be staying together for one more transfer here in Rivne. We are super excited because we have some big things coming up and we are glad we will both be here for them.

We had a really good lesson with Vika on Friday. We pretty much just had a lesson about her one question which was in John 1:18, where it says "No man hath seen God at any time". She didn't know what the Joseph Smith translations really were so we helped her understand that and what the scripture really meant. She has some really good questions and insights and she even drove 5 hours to go to the temple this week. She is amazing! And her little brother has been coming to church so that is super exciting.

Katya is back in town and she came to church yesterday! We were so happy she came and even happier when she pulled us aside and said she wants to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She has to go to Kyiv this week but she said she will decide on a date and that she is super excited.

We also tried having a sports day this last Saturday and these two guys came and after they gave us their numbers and said they wanna meet and talk with us and just be friends. They were super cool. They said if we ever need anything, even just to go on a walk, to call them.

Loving the work and of course loving the Lord. I am excited for all challenges up ahead. Love you all and have a good week!


-Elder Matua

Zone Conference

Bus ride home from Zone Conference - L'Viv

Had a super fun week traveling and spending time with other missionaries in L'viv!

We stayed with the district leader in L'viv and the Elders serving in Uzhgorod and they were all bummed because I kept beating them in cards. We had zone conference on Friday and it was super good. It was focused on the Gathering of Israel and President Kumferman and another member of the stake presidency in Kyiv shared some really cool insights. It was really fun meeting all the new missionaries and seeing the other ones again. I finally met Elder Frasier who was someone I met on Instagram before coming on a mission. It was super funny meeting him and getting to know him.

It was weird because usually we have interviews with President Kumferman before zone conference but because he was so busy a few of us had to have them after, so Elder Stott and the rest of our district had interviews the next day and had to stay in L'viv one more day. We did a finding activity in the morning with the missionaries in L'viv and then had our interviews. They went super well and I always love meeting with President Kumferman. Our interviews were the last ones but we still had to go home that same night so we had to catch a late bus. It ended up being one of those double decker buses and Elder Stott and I had to sit in the very front two seats up top. There was like zero room but it was kinda fun to sit in the front of one of those buses.

Nothing super exciting this week but it was still a fun and busy one. Looking forward to gettin back to work here in Rivne this week and hope to see some miracles!


Love you all,
-Elder Matua

FHE with Polischuk's

English study class

Zone Conference in L'Viv

Finding in L'Viv

This is our bus home to Rivne

Merry Christmas ... Again!

Happy New Years!

Super uneventful week but still was super good. We didn't do anything fun for New Years because we weren't allowed to go outside but we did get some cleaning done in the apartment, which was fun....I guess. We are also having a magic night for English club this week so Elder Stott and I have been practicing a ton of magic tricks. And they actually celebrate Christmas here on the 7th of January so today is our second Christmas, So merry Christmas again!!! 

We went to a sushi/pizza place for lunch this week because I wanted to force myself to like sushi but still can't yet. But anyway, while we were there, we saw these 3 boys walk in. Elder Stott and I both looked at each other like "oh great". You know? Like when you see a couple teenagers walk in a restaurant laughing and whatever and then sit right next to you. We were sitting there and we heard one of say something about America in Ukrainian. Elder Stott made a face like trying to get their attention so they would laugh, and they did look and the kid said "Don't worry its not about you guys". It was suer funny and we ended talking to them and they were super cool! So it was kinda humbling after thinking that as soon as they walked in. But they were our age and were actually missionaries for their church, a Pentecostal church. They were fun to talk to and we invited them to english so hopefully they come.

We were walking out of church today and as i opened the door it hit something on the other side. I opened it and looked on the other side and there was a guy passed out behind it. There is a door to our church and the a little entry way and then another door and that's where he was. He was super drunk and we had to go get the other guys in our branch to come take care of him. It was an interesting experience. Welcome to Ukraine.

Finishing with Elder Stott's favorite verse he shared with me which is an amazing verse that I am sad I haven't paid more attention to and it's Jacob 5:41. "And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard wept, and said unto the servant: What could I have done more for my vineyard?" I'll let you interpret that yourselves but it's an amazing verse.


Love you all and have a good week!
-Elder Matua

Merry Christmas - Ukraine Style

Finding in L'viv

We had an amazing week and especially an AMAZING Christmas!

We did a lot of preparing for the Christmas party that happened on Tuesday. Our branch did a really good job with the party and it turned soooooooo fun!

I got to Skype the family early Christmas morning for me and late Christmas Eve for them, and man it was super good to talk to them. They said nothing new is really happening but I think they are just saying that. It was an awesome first call and already can't wait until the next one.

Getting ready for the Christmas feast - Ward party

We started preparing for the Christmas party right after we finished talking to our families at like 9:30. We helped decorate and run last minute errands and my favorite part was the member in charge of music (our homie Bogdan Polischuk) asked me to make a playlist for the dance. So he handed me his phone and said have at it, we need 2 hours of music. YEAH!! We had around 50 people there which is super good. It started with a little spiritual thought and then we watched the cartoon Scrooge movie. After, we played a couple of games that Elder Stott and I were in charge of. Then we ate!! The food was sooooooo good, and there was a TON! The branch did an awesome job with the food. And afterwards, we danced......for 2 1/2 hours! Man it was sooooo fun!! You already know I taught em how to really move baahahah! No just kidding, well they did have me lead them in dances and the haka, which I have no clue how to do but it was still fun and funny.

We had exchanges this last Friday in L'viv with the Zone Leaders. I got to serve for the day with Elder Cluff from AF. It was super fun and a super good experience. We had a good finding activity and got to participate in their English Club. We rode a bus home from L'viv around 10 am on Saturday and man it was the worst. We were on the very back seat of those big tour buses and right next to me, pretty much like on top of me was a lady with a dog. This dog would not stop biting me and laying on me. It was one of those tiny ones that she carried in a bag but man poor thing, she kept shoving it all the way inside the bag and it barely fit. It was a very long 3 hours.

Finding and exchanges

I also spoke on Sunday! I spoke about the Sabbath Day and deciding not to play rugby on Sundays. Everyone said I did a good job, but I gotta give most credit to Elder Stott because Saturday night he helped me translate like everything. So yes, it ended up being not too bad.

But I wanted to finish with what we talked about for the rest of church, which was the new Come Follow Me program at home. Most people here are the only members in their families and it was really cool to hear their testimonies of what they will be doing at home. And it made me realize how much I take for granted the opportunity of having eight other people in my home whom I can learn from. So I just wanted to encourage everyone to really take advantage of that, because their could be a time when you won't have others to study with or learn more about this wonderful gospel with.

I love you all and hope you have an amazing week and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

The Ward Christmas party was lit!

A sampling of the treats at the Ward Christmas party

A rainy day in L'viv

Post-finding feast in L'viv

Crazy Quick!

Show Basilic in Lutsk

This week was gone in a flash. We had a lot to do to prepare for the special sacrament meeting we had yesterday and the Christmas party tomorrow.

We had another lesson with Katya and it shocked us. We had planned to teach a whole lesson about a couple of the commandments and emphasize on baptism and a couple other things. We got to the lesson and she asked how she was doing and everything and then she immediately said she had some questions... about baptism!! So we said a prayer and she just went off asking a bunch of questions like, how do I know if I am ready to be baptized, what do I have to know before I am baptized, what really happens (like the whole process). So our entire lesson plan changed and we just answered her questions about baptism and helped her understand a lot more. Then she said she watched a video about family search and that she wants to do that. So we went and got on the computer and got her signed up and now she is doing family history! Super cool experience. The only down side is that she is leaving for three weeks but we will definitely try to stay in touch the whole time.

Painting activity

We had the opportunity to do service for a member in the branch, helping her buy groceries and stuff for her kids. It was a very long day because after doing that for a while we had to go to the bus station to head to Lutsk for exchanges.

Exchanges were super good. I was with Elder Pachev for the day and we had a good time with the elders and sisters in Lutsk. This is my first time serving in a district with sisters and wow, sisters are super, super good missionaries. They planned a super cool finding activity with wrapped copies of the Book of Mormon, and family proclamations, and we just asked people what was the best gift they could give or receive. Super, super fun and exchanges all together was a blast.

At English practice, there were these kids that invited us to come to their English club. So Saturday night, we went. It was very interesting but fun at the same time. Really only one of them could understand and speak to us but the others tried super hard. They were shocked how well we knew Ukrainian (well, Elder Stott) and they just asked us tons of questions and we taught them how to play signs and it was a good time. Little awkward, but fun.

We had our special Christmas sacrament meeting yesterday and it was awesome. Unfortunately, the big emphasis was on getting a friend there who is not a member of the church, and only 3 people did that, but it's all good they are trying. But we read the story of Christ's birth and sang hymns in between scriptures and all that good stuff. And we actually had someone from English practice come! A friend of Vika's. She is being a super member missionary right now and she is just killing it.  But awesome, awesome Sabbath.

Finished product(s) - painting activity

I wanted to share a thought from a book I am reading, written by one of our favorite seminary teachers in the Matua home. He was talking about our Heavenly Father and said, "When we are making decisions, He is available. When we are lonely, He can be with us. When we need help, support, and strength, He is willing to be there." Just wanted to remind everyone that our Father in heaven is always there and that He loves you.

Love you all and have an amazing week!


з Любов'ю,
Старійшина Матуа

Finding activity in Lutsk

After our finding activity in Lutsk

Shopping at Rinak

Old folks waiting to buy bread they don't sell in stores

Preparing for our Christmas Sacrament meeting

My little homie Sasha