Привіт все! (Hello everyone!)

Привіт все! As I sat down to write this email today, I was trying to think about what happened this week and I honestly have no idea. My mind is blank. HOWEVER: according to Duolingo I have been grinding out some Ukrainian practice for the last seven days. I think I'm just using all my memory for Ukrainian words so my brain is kicking out any recollection of anything that isn't Ukrainian (or song lyrics). Oh well, what can you do? Maybe one day I'll have thought about Ukrainian for so long that my English will start to decline and as I get better at Ukrainian I'll get worse at English and I'll just have to speak Ukraine-glish when I get home. But before that happens, I need to at least be decent at the 'Kraine haha. But in all reality, I'm getting much better at the language! I know I say that every week, but it's so true. Between Duolingo, MTC lessons, and the gift of tongues, I have been taught to speak in FULL SENTENCES. Now, that's not even something I can do well in English, so I think I deserve a little pat on the back for that one. I think I can speak at least semi-decently for the most part, but I still have a hard time understanding others and then responding to their concerns and questions. For example: this week we taught a lesson to one of the Ukrainian teachers who was playing the part of Володимир, and it was 100% in Ukrainian. I got on to the zoom meeting before my companion, so it was just me and "Володимир" talking for a bit, and he was telling me about his family. When he was done, I started to say "класно", which means cool, but I stopped myself at the last second. One of our MTC teachers really doesn't like when missionaries use that word, so I didn't want to get into the habit of saying it. So, what I said instead was "не класно", which means "not cool". As soon as I said it, I realized my mistake. I called this poor guy's kids "not cool", and I felt so bad even though it wasn't real. Luckily my companion jumped in to save me right then and he explained what I was trying to say, and the lesson went better after that. Except for when I told the guy we were teaching I only went to college for one day, but we don't talk about that. Elder Hasson is a beast though, and he went off in Ukrainian and it ended up being a great lesson. By the end, his shoulders had to have been sore from carrying me through it, but it was still awesome! I love attempting to speak in Ukrainian, even though I'm not the best at it. It's so fun! I also got a new running partner this week, which I was very excited about. My mom has been chaperoning me all around Draper on her bike while I run (because she's actually the best mom ever) and we were very happy to have a new edition to our little running club. Our new member has got black and brown and white hair and she gets distracted very easily and she's only two feet tall and also she's a dog, but we love running with her anyways. It's my dog Scout, and she's very fun to run with because she thinks that you're playing with her and she just has the time of her life cutting you off on everyone corner. She has been my favorite addition to my morning workouts since I started MTC, and if you have a dog I highly recommend you go running with them. ALSO, VERY IMPORTANT: if anyone has any idea how to get birds to come to a bird feeder, please send them my way. Asking for a friend. Finally, this week, I wanted to share with you all a thought about happiness. As my companions and I were teaching a lesson this week, I got a pretty funny question from our friend we were meeting with. She asked me, "Why are you so happy all the time? Are you one of those people who forces themselves to feel a certain way?". I laughed and gave her the short answer to that question, saying "Well, I've found that most of the time your choice to feel happy or bummed out can really affect how you're feeling, and I would just personally rather feel happy than sad", and we moved on with the lesson. However, as much as we have power to choose how to feel, it goes so far beyond that. Yes, we do have some control over our attitude in life, and that should not be overlooked. However, oftentimes we just have to feel our feelings, regardless of whether we want to or not. Unlike what our friend thought, I'm not perfectly happy all the time: no one is. We all go through things that make us sad or get us down. What I think this person was noticing was my joy, which is actually quite different than happiness. Happiness is a fleeting emotion, one that comes and goes based on our circumstances. Joy is an eternal emotion, one that comes from following the words of Christ and coming closer to him. Through Christ, we can find joy, and there is no other route that leads us to that heavenly feeling. My joy is rooted in Christ, and knowing that he loves me and provides a way through which I can return to live with Him and Heavenly Father. There are thousands of things that make us happy, but only by following His words and hearkening unto Him can we obtain joy. But, there is one thing that seems to be a flaw in obtaining this joy I speak of, and it's that it's actually impossible for us as human beings to always exactly follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. Not one of us is perfect, and we all sin and make mistakes. The good thing is that to hearken unto Christ is not to perfectly follow his teachings: it's to listen to them and then to try our best to implement them in our lives. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is one built on effort, and not on perfection. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints is not a church for perfect people: if it were, there would be no one in it. But, in spite of our imperfection, through the Atonement of Christ we can overcome our sins and repent. Jesus even said himself that "I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Matthew 9:13). We are all those sinners, and He is calling us all to repentance. He has given us a perfect way to feel joy, and it is through repenting and coming to Christ. Let us not take that for granted, but instead constantly strive to use the effects of the Atonement in our lives to overcome sin and obtain joy. As you do, I promise that you will be happier and come to find your own personal joy. I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH AND I MISS YOU! I hope you all have the best week ever! Love, Elder Horsley

1) Elders Horsley 2) Elders Calder (If you can't tell I've got two 10 out of 9 cousins that're going to be 10 out of 9 missionaries)