This City's Older Than My Country

So, since last weekend was messed up, it's only been 6 days since I last wrote. Time goes so fast here. I'm grateful for all who read my last email and I can feel your prayers for us.

We've been really trying to work harder on being missionaries all the time and talking to people wherever we are. I never really stopped talking to people, but I can be better at going out of my way to talk to them. It's weird, I think that part of it is me becoming more and more Russian. I start to do more and more things they do, and talking to people they don't know is not typically one of them. I guess I need to resist some of the cultural things, while accepting some. I want to be a better missionary and we really need to find more people to teach. We hardly have anybody right now and the new investigators aren't just lining up. Times are a bit challenging now, but I feel myself stretching. I know that these times are for our good. Today in the letter from our mission president Klebingat he said: 

Nothing great has ever happened in the Lord's work without there first being a trial(s) of faith. "I will try the faith of my people" (3 Nephi 26:11) the Lord said and John Taylor has shared the following perspective from the Prophet Joseph:  "I heard the Prophet Joseph say in speaking to the Twelve on one occasion: 'You will have all kinds of trials to pass through. And it is quite as necessary for you to be tried as it was for Abraham and other men of God, and (he said) God will feel after you, and He will take hold of you and wrench your very heart strings, and if you cannot stand it you will not be fit for an inheritance in the Celestial Kingdom of God.'" (Journal of Discourses, 24:197.) But hear this: You WILL see the blessings unfold soon enough if you only learn your lessons about faith! Please my good Elders and Sisters, be missionaries and be full of faith and allow Heavenly Father to help you fulfill your purpose.

I'm sure there's something we need to learn from these tough times. I'm trying to figure it out. It's awesome to be here anyway and to be put in these situations. We're trying to plan a little multi-branch YSA activity for the end of October to get things stirred up a little bit. Almost half of the members on our list are young adults and basically none of them are active. It's fun to do things that have never been done before. I like that.

Saturday was the City of Khmelnitskiy's birthday. It is 580 years old! Wow. It was pretty cool to see so many people gathered for the different events around the city. Fun stuff. It's pretty amazing how far the history of this country goes back.

I love my Lord and I'm honored to serve Him. I'm so excited for General Conference coming up. I know that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet and that this Church, Christ's Church, is led by inspiration, by revelation from Christ Himself. Thanks for the support. God is good.

Love,

Elder Mahoney

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14 hours in a Taxi

Weird week. I've got a lot on my mind.

I'm pretty sure I told you all that I'm staying in Khmelnitskiy and nothing has changed in our District. The one thing that did change is that they got rid of our zone meaning that we're now in the Carpathian Zone and our Zone Leaders are in Lviv. We had a great lesson with Dennis this past week. He really hadn't been reading much and he didn't have a really good excuse for not coming to church last week, but we were able to talk very openly and honestly and he basically taught himself. He's studying at university, so he complains about not having time to read. I felt prompted to suggest that he should pray and read at least a page of the Book of Mormon everyday before studying and I promised him in the name of the Lord that everything would be easier and his life would be better if he did it. It feels so awesome to be guided by the Spirit. When I talked to him yesterday he said he's been doing it and things have been better. The gospel is amazing.

On Saturday morning us 4 Elders took a taxi to Lviv for branch leadership training since we all have callings in the branch. It was over 4 hours in the taxi. It was really cool to see Branch leaders from all over western Ukraine and meet some people that I'd heard about before. President Klebingat taught in Russian and I interpreted for the whole thing, about 3 hours, for a senior couple. It's fun to interpret. I like it. Our mission president is amazing. I learn a lot from him. That night we took the same taxi back.

On Sunday morning we had some pretty good Church meetings. 4 of our members had been to the temple last week so they bore awesome testimonies of the work there. It's awesome to see the light in their eyes after being at the temple. I love the temple and miss it. I want to go a lot more often, but it doesn't really work out for us nowadays. After Church we ate and got in another taxi to... Lviv... Yep, back to Lviv. We stayed the night there and had Zone Conference yesterday. It was really good. I feel like I had a lot of weight just dropped on my shoulders though. I feel like I need to repent and try harder to become a better missionary. The standards were really raised in our mission. I know that I can't do all of this on my own, so I really need to pray and seek the help of the Lord to succeed. I don't feel a lot of peace in my soul right now, so I'm praying. I want to be better. I want to truly be an instrument in the Lord's hand. I want to set a good example for my companion to get his mission off to a good start. I definitely need help from on high. Any prayers on our behalf are greatly appreciated.

Yesterday night we came back in a taxi too, so that why we're having p-day on Tuesday. I know that I'm supposed to be here. I know that God lives and loves me. I humbled to wear Christ's name on my chest each day. I know He is my Savior and Redeemer. I love Him. Thanks to all for the support.

Love,

Elder Jonathan Mahoney

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Buses, Taxis, Planes, and Trains

A brand new week is upon us again. Time is flying. They changed the way we do transfers her now. We now find out on Saturdays if we are being transferred and on Monday we get a list of where everybody is going. Then we will travel directly to our new areas. There's also a new rule that came from the Area Presidency that we can no longer travel at night. We used to do a lot of overnight trains. Now we have to use whatever means possible to keep this rule, be it bus, taxi, plane, or train. That'll be a change for sure.

So, this being transfer week, we just found out on Saturday that nobody's being transferred in our district. One thing is changing though. They dissolved our zone, so now we will be a part of the Carpathian Zone and our Zone Leaders will be in Lviv. Interesting. Change is fun. I'll be in Khmelnitskiy for another 7 weeks now since it'll be a long transfer apparently due to some changes where now native Russian missionaries will be going to the Madrid MTC instead of Provo. Oh yeah, this also means Elder Hair and I are the only Russian-speaking missionaries in our zone.

Last Monday we went to a place called Medzhibizh where there's a little fortress. It was kinda cool. We got to climb around it a little bit and take some neat pictures that I'll have to send soon.

On Tuesday we help one of our members shovel potatoes. It's like a rule in Ukraine that you must plant and dig potatoes if you're Ukrainian. I helped plant them in spring, but it was my first time digging them. It's nice to help and feel like I'm a part of the culture here.

We've really been pushing to meet and work with the less actives. We've been able to get ahold of a few of them and one at Church for the first time in a few weeks. It's sad when people fall away, but we're doing what we can to get them back.

Recently I've been feeling really great about the language. It's not perfect yet, but I can see it coming and I feel like I'm learning faster than ever. I really want people to think that I'm Russian before I go home. Sometimes they do, but not for too long. If I master Russian soon enough, I might do a real push on Ukrainian too. It's pretty fun stuff.

We had a lesson with an investigator this week who lied to us. It's pretty annoying when somebody said they read the Book of Mormon, but then it's obvious that they didn't. It's really disappointing when you try so hard just to get them to read, but they won't do it. I know that that's what it takes. I know that if they read and pray anybody can receive a witness that the Book of Mormon is truly the word of God. I know it because I did it. That's why I came here to spend 2 years in Ukraine, because it's all true. I know it. Christ appeared again in our day and restored His Church. There's a living prophet on the earth. I'm so excited for General Conference coming up and we're really trying to help everybody prepare for it. I love being a missionary.

Love,

Elder J. Mahoney

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Christian Rock

I don't know what to write this week. Things are still going well, to start with. Not so much is new to me at this point, so not as much stands out. Haha. I know that my companion is writing about all the crazy things he's still here since he's only been here about a month. It's really fun to train because I'm always asked question that I have to then figure out the answers too. I can feel myself change and I can feel the experiences I'm having molding me. I'm making some progress with the language a little bit at a time. I feel it's actually accelerating and the little things are being ironed out. I gotta master this language. I want it to be hard to convince people I'm not Russian in the end. I know I can get there.

We got another new investigator this week. He's a really cool young protestant guy. We've really had fun meeting with him, though he's not too open. He accepted a Book of Mormon and said he'd read it, so we're working with him. I know that if he actually reads and prays he will know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I know that it is. This is Christ's Church. I love the work and I'm happy to be here. Thanks to everybody for the love and support. I like life.

Much love from Ukraine,

Elder J. Mahoney

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