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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Miracles in Svyatoshinskiy Area

Another week has come and gone with all its ups and downs.

Recently I've been thinking a lot more about repentance and how I can apply it more in my life. Once more obvious sins are out of the way, a whole bunch other "lesser" ones appear. I've been more introspective about who I am and trying to pay attention to the little things I do and tendencies I have in actions or speech. I'm trying to take these things and change them. I know that it is possible through Christ and His Atonement. I want to change know because I know that no future event will magically change me. It has to be now. I want to be more consecrated and sanctified. I want to become more like Christ. I was just thinking about that the other day about how Christ was just a man while He was on earth, a special man, or course, but he stood just as your or I do. Then I thought about how much good one man standing on the earth can do, what His presence must have been like, what it would have been like to see Him standing in my doorway. We have that potential.

We had one of the best lessons I've had on my mission. We taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a woman at a member's home and I could truly feel that the power and authority of our calling as we simply explained eternal truths. She prayed for the first time in her life out loud in a group and the Spirit was felt in abundance. In the end I extended a soft baptismal commitment and she said, "yes" without hesitation. This reminds of one time before my mission. I was teaching a girl a little bit about the Church and prayer and she told me, "You taught me more about God in 10 minutes than I've learn my whole life so far." There are people in dark only because the know not where to find the light. Our job is to show them the tunnel with the Light at the end of it.

This week we went to teach a lesson and they'd forgotten we were coming, so they had a friend there from Moscow. We sat down and immediately she started asking about the Church. She was very interested. She wanted a Book of Mormon, so I wrote my testimony in it right away. We gave here the book and didn't have too much time to explain much, but she came to the ward movie night the next day. She said that she was up until 3 AM reading and that she thinks that the reason she came to Kiev for 3 days was to meet us. She extended her stay another day so she could come to Church. She loved it. She said that she wants to get baptized. There's a lot that she needs to learn, but she's not a stupid woman. She's a doctor actually.  It was a pretty amazing experience. The Lord really reaches out to people. I look forward to being in touch with her and seeing this unfold. She's back in Moscow now.

This week I also conduct my first baptismal interview and we went to Yegor's, 13, baptism on Saturday. It was pretty sweet. I love baptisms.

We had a bit of a problem on Sunday where Kirill wasn't confirmed after his baptism last week. The bishopric forgot apparently. We're working on that... Haha.

There is a new website for our mission that all are invited to go visit: http://www.ukrainekievmission.com

The Church is true. I love this work. I know that God lives and He's speaking through living apostles and prophets today.

Much love,

Elder J. Mahoney

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The Church is Christ's

The week went really quickly again. It seems like days have been disappearing. I think I've probably written that like 100 times on my mission. It was an overall good week with a fantastic ending.

We got stuck in an elevator this week at our apartment building. That was a first for me. I called our security woman and she got a repair guy to come. We waited for about 30 minutes. It was weird when the guy got there because he was one the roof of the elevator talking to us, asking what happened. I don't know what happened. Apparently there was a woman stuck for an hour and a half that morning. At least the guy came. =P

We met with Kirill 3 times last week to make sure we covered everything before the baptism. He is such a smart guy. He can recite the majority of what happened in anything right after he reads it. When we ask him about his understanding of gospel principles he usually just gets right into it and gives us a rundown. He's great at putting things into his own words. He had his baptismal interview on Saturday and on Sunday the baptism was after Church. He came to church in a suit for the first time and he was so happy. He said, "You didn't recognize me because you didn't know I had a suit jacket." It feels so good to see him happy. The baptismal service went well. It was held by the temple because that's the closest chapel with a font. It's only 2 bus stops away from our ward though. I love baptisms. I'm so happy for him and the decision he's made. His Dad baptized him. I look forward to keeping in touch with him and seeing him progress over the years. I pray that he will stay strong and faithful and become a great leader in the Church, his family, and the world. I'm happy to be alive. I feel so blessed in my life. I love this Church and my Savior and brother, Jesus Christ. I feel His love for me.

On missions there is always more you can be doing. I have a lot more I can be doing. I'm working on it. It seems like there's never enough time to do everything and we're always forgetting something. We just keep working though. I want to be better. I want to serve the Lord in such a way that'll make Him happy.

I'm grateful for all that I'm given each day, for the comforts of my life and for so much knowledge I've been blessed with.

Children are amazing. A baby's smile can melt the heart of anybody.

Thanks to everybody for the love and prayers.

Love,

Elder Jonathan Darris Christie Mahoney

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Time, where are you?

Another week, come and gone! It was pretty packed. I'll try to cover a couple points really quickly.

On Tuesday we had our Zone Conference with President Schwitzer of the 2nd Quorum of the Seventy and his wife. He's president of the Europe East Area. It was pretty amazing to sit at the feet of such great people, Presidents Schwitzer and Klebingat and their wives. We were just taught for about 5 hours with a little lunch in the middle. It's amazing how clearly and simply they can explain the principles of the gospel. I attached a picture from the conference. One thing that I really loved from the teaching was that baptism is the natural fruit of repentance. Repentance comes before baptism and once a person has repented the baptism just follows, there won't be any problems. I feel that we need to help people repent, or make changes in their lives, more right from the beginning. Then, they will immediately start receiving blessings.

I don't know if I really mentioned that we started English practice up again here. It's a little slow getting started, but a few people have come. We just talk about gospel topics in English and it's been pretty nice so far. We had a really cool talk about health last time. They even brought up a few things that I hadn't even thought of. We always open with a prayer and sing a hymn or Children's Songbook song.

One member family has recently given us 3 referrals. One of them was one of the children's classmates and her mother. The father died about a year and a half ago at 33 years old and it's been really hard on them. The mother wants to know why bad things happen to good people. So many people have that question. I'm going to share Elder Cook's talk from the October 2011 General Conference next time.

The other referral is an older lady, about 60. We asked her why she wants to meet with us, what her expectations are and she said she just wants "to feel." She's been to different churches and heard lots of things, but hasn't "felt it." I don't know about her, but on that lesson I felt it. I hope that we can help her. I love teaching people truth.

We had an African guy come to Church yesterday. His name's Gali. He's from Congo, so his first language is French. He's studying here and learning English and Russian. It's interesting because I know all 3 of those languages. My Russian is kinda taking over other languages in my mind, but I can see manage alright. At the end of Church he said, "I'm glad I came to the church of knowledge." He liked it. We hope to be able to meet with him soon and teach him more about the Book of Mormon. We gave him one in French and one in English.

We taught a lesson to the members yesterday about how to do missionary work better. We spent a lot of time preparing for it and then people did a pretty good job of distracting the lesson and making many very long, not-so-necessary comments. It was kinda disappointing, but at the end we were able to stop at about the middle of what we'd prepared and tell them we'll do another one to cover the rest in a couple weeks. We want them to understand better what their role is, especially on lessons. It was great that they came, at least. We have some awesome members. They just love to talk.

The new translation of the Book of Mormon in Russian along with the triple are finally available so I was really happy to order it today.

The works moving along. I feel like I never have time to do everything. I'm constantly struggling to keep up with my journal. I love my mission though. I love my companion, my area, and my ward. I know that what we're doing is right. This is Christ's Church restored. The Book of Mormon truly is the word of God. It's an amazing testament of Jesus Christ.

One last note, Sergei and Larissa, who were baptized in December, are having trouble with their testimonies. Please pray for them.

Thanks for everything.

Love,

Elder Mahoney

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When Time Flies

We had a really busy week. It seems like I just continually have more things to do than I have time. It's a good thing in some ways though, it makes the time go pretty quickly. For some reason, out of all the things that we did last week, I don't know what to write.

The biggest thing that I didn't get a chance to talk about last week is a new baptismal date. Kirill, 11, is going to be baptized on February 19th. The rest of his family are all members, he just didn't want to get baptized before. We've been teaching him though and he finally decided this is the time. He seems happier these days and he says he really wants to be baptized. He's been reading the Book of Mormon on his own and he remembers so much, like every little detail when we ask him about it. We're really excited for him and his family.

Things are going well here. We're just pressing on forward. We're excited for a zone conference tomorrow with President Schwitzer, a general authority. I'm sure we're going to learn lots.

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ is truly Christ's restored Church on the earth. I know that it is lead by living prophets and apostles. It's a privilege and a blessing to serve the Lord full-time here in Ukraine. I love my mission. I'm learning and growing each day. Thanks to everybody for the prayers and support.

Love,

Elder Mahoney

P.S. If anybody has any Jelly Bellies that they don't want there's a distinct lack of them at my address.

P.P.S. This video is amazing. https://www.lds.org/pages/power-of-god?lang=eng

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Icy Days in Kiev

Last preparation day we went out to the Ryabov family's place again and it was pretty sweet. They're the ones with 6 kids. They also invited over one of the daughters friends and her mom and we were able to have a great little lesson about Family Home Evening, what it is and why it's important. I could really feel the Spirit witness to us all that that's how it's supposed to be. I know that families will be blessed for regularly having Family Home Evening and family scripture study. Apparently afterward the Mom and her daughter said they'd come again if the missionaries were there. I look forward to working with them.

On Tuesday we met with an older woman. She has 4 sons who are grown and 2 of them are baptized. The greatest desire of her heart is to see them make good choices. I could see the pain in her eyes and feel it as she expressed her thoughts about it. It was hard not to cry as she talked about it. She is so faithful. She reads her scriptures everyday and she invites her sons to church and activities, even though they ridicule her for it. She is truly laying up treasures in heaven right now. I am so blessed to serve amongst these people. I love my mission.

Things are going just fine here. I love my area, my ward, and my companion. I'm out of time again. It's a bit chilly here, but the work rolls on. I love the Lord and I know I'm where He wants me.

Love,

Elder Mahoney

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=D

This week has gone by pretty fast. It came with two bits of great news. Yesterday they announced the triple combination and new translation of the Book of Mormon in Russian! I'm so excited for that. I'm going to order as soon as it comes up online. I feel that the new translation will real help the work here. Most members here read in Ukrainian because it's a better translation, but they prefer Russian overall. It'll be great to see boxes of the new ones ship in here too.

The second bit of fabulous news is that I am staying in my area, Svyatoshinskiy, with Elder Peterson! We're really excited about that. It's going to be awesome. I think I'd be okay with this situation for the rest of my mission. Haha. We know that won't happen though. Haha. It's awesome though. Things are good here. One thing that's not so good is that all the missionaries that are supposed to come this week are having visa problems, so last I heard there will be 26 new missionaries all coming in together in March! That's nuts. Curve balls.

There were a couple more things I wanted to mention, but I'm already out of time unfortunately. The Church is true. Thanks for everything.

Love,

Elder J. Mahoney

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