June 25th, 2012

I don't have all that much to say this week. It was bit of a less eventful week. Not so many of our meetings worked out and not as many people came to Church. We actually just had the 4 missionaries and the branch president in our Elders Quorum meeting. The work goes on though.

The highlight of the week was a woman named Elena who walked into Church after the meetings last Sunday. A member had invited her the previous Sunday, having seen her on the street. I talked to her for a few minutes before Branch Council and we set up a meeting. We had the meeting on Wednesday with that member helping us. It went very well. I felt like we taught by the Spirit, clearly and with power and authority. She said that she will read the Book of Mormon with her husband and that she thinks she'd like to be baptized. Unfortunately I haven't been able to talk to her since then, but she passed a hello through the member and let us know she wouldn't be able to make it to Church and that she had started reading. She fell and hurt her arm about a month ago and it's really been bothering her, so at the end we talked about blessings and faith and offered to give her a blessing. It was a pretty neat experience. She offered the closing prayer and we gave her a blessing right after the first lesson. I feel that there was faith present to heal. I look forward to finding out how she's doing. Sweet woman, about 57. She and her husband were lawyers.

The Church is true. I love the gospel. Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. He runs His Church and this is it.

Thanks for everything.

Love,

Elder J. Mahoney

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A God of Miracles

It's been a good week. I love serving here. I love the gospel.

We actually had 9 non-members at Sacrament Meeting yesterday. That might be the most I have ever seen in this branch or on my whole mission for that matter. I witness that God is a God of miracles. I see His hand in this work. As far as I know, at least 6 people have walked into our building this week. We've been teaching a man name Alexandr for a little over a week. He's a 57 year old artist. He used to study the Bible a lot and he painted inside different churches, but he never found one that truly lived a clean lifestyle and where they were really focused on continual progression and making the best out of this life now instead of waiting for something better after death. He kinda gave up and he said he hadn't read the Bible for about 3 years. We were walking through a park and he was sitting on a bench. As we were walking past on our way to a meeting he said, "You guys handing out Bibles?" I said, "No, but we read it and we also have another book." We were in a hurry, so we exchanged info and prayed with him. He has called us almost everyday since then and been to Church on both Sundays. When I first told him about Christ appearing on the American continent he said, "That's just logical! I always thought that he must have appeared to other peoples." I then quoted him John 10:16, "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." and the Spirit witnessed to that truth. He's doing great and yesterday without being asked he said, "I would like to get baptized." Those are amazing words to hear because they carry so much meaning when a person truly understands them. As has been my experience before, I feel like I haven't done anything myself, though I have been present for every step of the process so far. I consider it a privilege to have met this man and teach him. He has been searching for truth and he accepts it when he hears it. He says that he feels comfortable at the Church. Miracles happen. People are search. I feel so blessed. The Lord is working through us.

I think I'll leave it at that for now. I love my mission.

- Elder Mahoney

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Press Forward Saints

It's been a great week. Actually 8 days this time... Preparation day was bumped ahead due to a mission conference yesterday. President Rasband of the Presidency of the Seventy and President Lawrence of the Europe East Area Presidency were here with their wives. It was really neat to see the whole mission together. It seems like it happens more rarely than it used to. There are a lot of missionaries I don't really know since the ones I knew before have gone home and new ones have come in. It's a pretty big mission and we're up to almost 100 missionaries spread out all over it speaking 2 different languages. It was a nice meeting. I was able to interpret into Russian for a couple missionaries who don't know English as well. The Spirit was certainly felt.

The work goes on here. We're working everyday to try and build the Kingdom here. We're trying to establish Zion, first in our own lives, then in the branch here.

The weather's been quite hot recently, especially in a suit on a small bus to Kiev for 2 hours.

I don't have all too much to say right now. I was just reading this on LDS.org: "Elder Oaks taught that if members have the faith to pay their tithing they will be blessed to work themselves out of poverty. He explained that 90 percent of their income accompanied by the blessings of the Lord was better than 100 percent of their income without the blessings associated with being a full tithe payer." What a powerful though. I know that when we pay a full tithe we are blessed.

I know that this is Christ's restored Church. I feel the Spirit bear witness to me just about everyday if not everyday. I love my Savior I yearn to get to know him better. I appreciate all the love and support. Press forward Saints.

Love,

Elder J. Mahoney

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June 4th, 2012

We recently got a referral from a missionary in Kiev. They had contacted a guy on the street who actually lives in Chernigov. He told me honestly that he wasn't sure how much the guy was actually interested. We gave the guy a call and after a couple tries we met with him. He's about 25 and we had a great meeting with him. He says that he's not that interested in going to any church, but that "man without faith is nothing." He doesn't know much about religion at all yet, but he said he's been planning to read the Bible for his own personal development. The Spirit was truly present on the lesson and he seemed very interested. I told him we want to give him a copy of the Book of Mormon, if he will actually read it. He paused for, I'd say, over a minute. He was really thinking about it and he said, "Okay, I'll read it." At the end he said the closing prayer, for the first time I imagine, and he expressed gratitude that he was able to meet people who could help him understand these things. He seems to be a pretty ambitious business man too. He is involved in selling gel that is used to make fake nails, which is apparently a 3 billion dollar industry here in Ukraine. I suppose it's not too surprising by how many people you see with them on the street. It was a blessing to meet him and I look forward to the next time.

I think I'm finally registered in this city. The bureaucracy here is crazy.

I love being a missionary. Things are going well. It's been a bit of a chilly week, which I didn't expect. It's funny how when it's cool you want it to be warmer and when it hot you want it to be cooler. The problem is just that I don't really have in between clothes, haha, just hot or cold. It's all good though.

I know this is Christ's restored Church. On Sunday 3 members bore very powerful testimonies about the importance and power of the temple. I share the same strong testimony with them that each temple truly is a house of the Lord. I love the temple and I can't wait until I can go more often.

Thanks to everyone for all the love and support.

- Elder Mahoney

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