Close to Chernobyl

It's weird, I think weeks are the same length and I'm pretty sure they're flying by at the same rate, but I feel I don't have that much to write about again.

The work goes one.

We've still been dinking around with the registration junk. Temporary residency laws keep changing and the paperwork here is ridiculous, but it's interesting once in a while.

One of the neatest things this week was visiting an American member who's working on Chernobyl. He lives in Slavutich. It's a really weird town mostly just inhabited by foreigners working over there. It's about 50 km from Chernobyl. It kinda felt like we'd gone to another country or something. The are nicely organized subdivisions and people have lawns. There weren't even any trees growing out of the sidewalk and you didn't have to duck under the branches. Neat stuff. It was fun.

We also took a ride up to a village on the Belorussian border that I'd been to last year with President Solomein. It's called Dobryanka. It was pretty cool to spend some time with President again though. He's been way busy with work lately, so it's good to get a little time with him. He's awesome.

I love the branch here so much. Even with daylight savings time taking an hour of sleep most of the members were at church early. I love it when people come early. That's rare in this country. We're a peculiar people. I was called as the Branch Executive Secretary yesterday. It'll be a neat new assignment. I'm sure I'll learn some neat things. Any opportunity to work more with Pres. Solomein is a good one.

I love my mission. I love gospel and I love my Savior. I'm grateful for you all and all you do.

I'm in Kiev for preparation day today and some training tomorrow. Good times.

Love,

Elder J. Mahoney

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Sunshiny Day

I don't have a whole lot of time to write, but I guess it's okay because I don't have a whole lot to say either. It's so nice to be back in Chernigov. I love the branch here. The members are amazing. It's great to already know the area a bit so we can kinda hit the ground running. My companion is great. He came here to work. I hope that I'm teaching him something worthwhile, but we're definitely having fun.

I feel like I'm learning to appreciate the little things a little bit more. I see some great examples around me of people who have learned to smile at them. God lives. He's real and He loves us. I know it. I'm so excited for the upcoming General Conference. I'm trying to get ready and help other prepare to receive the word of God through living prophets and apostles.

Things aren't picking up too quickly here. We're getting plenty of rejection, but we're pressing forward. I know our message will bless the lives of the people who will accept it. It blesses my life. I had a cool opportunity today to testify simply to my barber about how God is her loving Father in Heaven and that He loves her. I know it's true.

We were in government building 4 out of 5 weekdays last week trying to get some registration stuff done. This country's pretty ridiculous when it comes to paperwork, but the Church has some awesome people helping us out. The weather just went crazy. It was around freezing until yesterday when it went up to 20! Today I think it's already over 10 degrees. I'm not complaining. I like life. Thanks for all your prayers and support. Be strong.

Love,

Elder Jonathan Mahoney

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Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes!

What a wild week. It was a bit of a scramble to get some last minute meetings and errands done in Kiev before my time was up, but I made a little a the beginning of the week and I was able to get everything checked off, including buying a 6-foot wide made of Kiev. Awesome. On Wednesday we had a meeting with the woman I've been talking about, Oksana. We just talked about her feelings from church last week and then about baptism. We set a baptismal date with her for March 31st and she's really happy about that. Elder Peterson and his new companion will need to work really hard to get everything taught before then and work with her 12 year old daughter more. I'm looking forward to hearing how that goes. My time in Kiev was capped off with a great little get-together at a members house. It was somebody's birthday and women's day on Thursday and we had a great barbecue. There were several young couples there. It was so cool to watch all the little children run around and think about the fact that all of them were born in the covenant. The Church was just born here in Ukraine and it's coming up strong. I loved my time in Kiev and the ward. It was a privilege to serve there.

I also just heard that Kirill, who was baptized 3 weeks ago, was finally confirmed yesterday. Yay! Good news.

On Friday we had a trainers meeting first thing in the morning. There were so many missionaries there. 24 trainers! I was the second most senior as far as time on my mission. Time goes so fast. After 90 minutes of instruction we went in and met our new companions who were studying quietly in the chapel. 23 new missionaries came! My companion is Elder Derrick Copling from Herriman, Utah. He's 19 and 6'5". He's a great elder and he came here to work. We took a bunch of picture after which are apparently all available on the mission website, then we got a taxi to grab my bags and head out. It was a bit of a pain to get all the bags in a small bus, then when we got to Chernigov there wasn't anybody to help us, so we had to carry all our bags to the apartment. Luckily it was only about 500 meters from the bus stop. We live in a way ideal location now. I can't complain at all. We're closest to the most members and a mall, grocery stores, a gym, restaurants and about 2.5 km from the new church building.

As soon as we dropped off our bags we headed right over to the chapel for a women's day party. It had already started, so everybody was in the chapel. I felt kinda like a rock star backstage. I went to the washroom and when I came out one of the sisters saw me and it was like she'd seen a ghost. She said, "are you just visiting?" No, I'm back! It was probably the most exciting reunion I've ever had. There was a lot of hugging. I feel like I'm home now. It's so good to be back.

We've been settling in just fine here. Church was great and spiritual on Sunday. I had a chance to bear my testimony and it felt great. I love the members here and I can feel that we will be making some real difference here now and we move forward this transfer.

I know that this is Christ's Church and He leads it. I'm so happy to be here now.

Thanks for everything,

Elder J. Mahoney

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Big Changes

Time is going so fast! How is it March already? Transfers are this week. The sisters that came to Ukraine with me just walked into the internet club and they are leaving this week! Wow. I'm really happy I don't have to leave yet. I still have so much to learn. I'm sure they've already accomplished in 18 months what I will in 2 years, but I'm happy to stay. I need to catch up. Haha. I have news! President Klebingat called us on Saturday and asked to put him on speakerphone. I mentioned in a letter to him a few weeks ago that I love Chernigov and wouldn't be opposed to going back there at some point. He told us that they had already decided transfers when he received that letter, he got up to check the transfer board and they had already decided to send me back! That's where I began my mission. He told me I'm going back and I'll be training. It'll be a little bit weird because I've never been in the new apartment they have for us there and we won't have any investigators, but I do know the city. My companion, Elder Peterson will be staying here and training as well. There are 23 new missionaries coming to our mission all together this week! Wow. It's a pretty crazy transfer. There are changes in almost every companionship. For anybody who doesn't know, that is a lot of missionaries to come all at once.

I have bittersweet feelings now. I love my ward right now and I just felt like I was starting to get closer to a lot of the members and now I have to leave. I would have loved to stay at least one more transfer here. On the other hand I have wanted to back to Chernigov since I left and they want me to come back too, so I couldn't be happier about where I'm going. I just hope that I solidified my friendships enough here that they'll last forever. I love the people here and I feel like I have been really blessed with my areas and my companions. I love my mission.

It's been a great week. The biggest news was with the same woman I talked about last week, Oksana. We had a good meeting with her at a members home again and talked about Sabbath Day observance. Then she came to church with her 12 y.o. daughter Diana. It was so great. She clearly felt the Spirit and she loved it. We'll be meeting with her on Wednesday and I'm confident we'll be setting a baptismal date. It's amazing to see the gospel of Jesus Christ touch people and change their lives.

It was a really weird feeling to be in the Svyatoshinskiy ward for the last Sunday. It was a little bit surprising to me how much some people seemed to be bummed that I'm leaving. I'm bummed that I'm leaving them, but change is inevitable and I'm excited to move forward.

Oh yeah, neat story. We went to a ballet on Friday because it's been so long since either of us have done a cultural event. It was called Don Kihot. We went into were our seat was and a girl came in and asked in English is she was in the right spot. She was. I asked her where she's from and she said... Brazil! I was so happy to start talking to her in Portuguese. It was really hard to find words sometimes and I would think of them first in Russian, then a few times in Ukrainian before I could get them in Portuguese. If that didn't work, sometimes I had to try to think how to say it in French and go from there. It's going to be a real challenge to maintain all the languages I learn in my life. I'm pretty sure Russian is my 2nd language after English now. It's comin' along. I'm reading the Book of Mormon in Ukrainian now. Oh yeah, so the girl... She was here and in Moscow volunteering for 2 months, going around to schools telling them about Brazil. She had never heard about the Church before so I was able to teach her a little and give her some info. She said that she reads the Bible and prays, but doesn't go to any church. I really feel that it wasn't a coincidence that we went to the ballet that night at the last minute and sat right where she was. I hope to hear from her about her finding the Church back in Brazil. Her name is Erica. That was the first time I met a Brazilian in Ukraine, thus the first time I've spoken Portuguese in over a year.

Things are moving along just swimmingly. I feel privileged to live and serve here. I have a lot to learn and a lot of room for improvement, but I'm trying. I feel that I've left this area better that I found it and that's a really good feeling. I know that my Redeemer lives. This is His work and he's watching me and working with me. I love my Heavenly Father and feel His love toward me and toward those around me. The Book of Mormon is the word of God. This Church is led through living prophets and apostles. It's true. Thanks to all for the love and prayers.

Love,

Elder Jonathan Mahoney

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