The Spirit of Christmas

Merry Christmas everybody and Happy New Year since I won't be writing again until 2012. I guess I'll just flip through my planner from this week and try to see if what would be interesting to share.

On Monday with had FHE with the Ryabov family. They are so awesome. They have 6 children and they been members for about 14 years. They have a cool house outside the city and I feel love so much in their home. They truly follow our Savior Jesus Christ and inspire me to be better. They even brought us some cake yesterday to Church, just for us 2 missionaries. They're 10 year old son shared the lesson about the First Vision and did a great job. I can see how much he looks up to us as missionaries when I shake his hand and look in his eyes. I can feel how much it means to him that I remember his name. He'll be a great missionary.

We were able to meet with multiple awesome members this week which was amazing. We met with the one family who has a son who's a return missionary living in the states now. I didn't know anything about their kids before. We also met with the Lysenko family who I love too. They have 4 children They also have a really cool house with a pool in the basement outside the city. Bro. Lysenko has a business and flies commercial airplanes in his "spare time" as he would put it. They have an awesome family and are yet another example to me. It's funny to have the problem sometimes that our members are too busy to help us since they're doing things like Family Home Evening, home teaching, bishopric meetings, and going to the temple... Haha. I haven't had those problems much before.

We also met with another really cool family with 5 children and had a little Christmas evening. The father is not a member but comes to Church all the time and does FHE etc. He just can't stop drinking I guess. I don't entirely understand why he won't just get baptized. It's so sad to me to see how awesome his wife is and know how much she's going through. It'll be an amazing day when they can all be sealed in the temple. I pray it won't be too long from now. One of the saddest things I see on my mission is part-member families. He says he'll get baptized in March, but I think he's said that before. I love in their home how the communicate with such love and softness to one another.

We had a great lesson with a man who actually contacted us the other day. I was walking with a box to ship a package and he asked, "What's in the box?" I replied, "Nothing yet." Then the next question, "What's with the book?" We like that question. We taught him about the restored gospel on Saturday. I think he may know the Bible better that anybody I've ever met before. In the end he really had some questions to ponder and a sincere desire to know more. As with sat there in the below-zero temperatures in front of the packed local McDonald's across from him I could see a future leader in the Church. He has great potential.

Sunday was Christmas, though it didn't really feel much like it outside. It was an awesome day. Elder Peterson talked with his family in the morning before Church at our bishop's place. I love our bishop and his family so much. I played with the 2 year old a little and talked to them while he was on Skype. Then Church was just really cool. I don't know exactly why, but I could just feel so much love and joy from the members. It's a real pleasure for me to go an shake each member's hand. Our ward is so cool. For a special musical number 4 or 5 families when up and sang a Christmas song. It was so powerful. I was a little overwhelmed with the Spirit as I looked at all the women up there, then the men, then the children and felt their love and dedication. The future of the Church here is in good hands.

We watch the First Presidency Christmas Devotional after Sacrament Meeting, then I was able to Skype with my family. It was really cool to see them all. I love them and I am grateful for their good examples to me. It was neat to come home from Church and see them all ready to go to Church back home. The Church is the same everywhere and it's true. We visited another member family and watched Finding Faith in Christ, then we went back to bishops and had a really cool dinner there with duck and stuffing and other yummy things. I love them and I can feel that we'll be friends forever.

The work here is not just paint-by-numbers, it's a challenge, but I know it's worth it. Sergei, who was recently baptized, blessed the Sacrament for the first time yesterday. What a powerful experience to see the gospel of Jesus Christ change a man and then begin to mold him into a leader. I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is perfect and He loves us. He want to help us get to where He's at. I know this is His Church. 2011 has been awesome. Let's make 2012 even better. Thanks for the love and prayers.

Be strong,

Elder Jonathan Mahoney

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Merry Christmas!

It's been quite an eventful week. Last Monday feels like it was a
couple months ago. Elder Cross packed up to head out and my new
companion, Elder Scott Peterson was here with me on Monday evening.
He's going into his 4 transfer, so he's been in Ukraine for about 4
months. He's a great, smart guy from Alpine, Utah. We've had a pretty
great first week together and I'd say I have more in common with him
that with any of my previous companions. We're both looking forward to
spending a good chunk of time together.

On Tuesday night the 15 missionaries going home last week had a
testimony meeting at President Klebingat's home. We were asked to go
pick up one of the missionaries because he had to fly out on a
different day than the others. We came in just as the meeting was
finishing and it was such a weird atmosphere. It really doesn't feel
like a bunch of them should be going home already. It's crazy how soon
I'll be in one of those seats.

I don't think I've ever mentioned that we've been doing service in a
hospital. I think it was the 3rd time last week. Every Wednesday we do
it. I was in the trauma triage for the first 2 times. We just kinda
stand there and see everything happen, then take people to x-ray or
something like that. I held one guy still while the doctor reset his
broken hand once. This past time we went to the trauma unit we're
people are staying waiting for or healing from surgery. It's always
pretty interesting. The staff are mostly awesome. The doctors I've
been able to work with are so cool and funny. I really love hospitals.
We took a couple people from up there in their beds to x-ray. We got
to wear these cool surgical gowns too. It feels really good to help
people.

We had a mission conference on Thursday where Elder Randall K Bennett
came and spoke to us. It was pretty cool. I was interpreting the whole
time, about 6 hours, into Russian for another missionary. It was cool
to see all the missionaries together. There were a lot I've actually
never seen before because we don't meet as often with other
missionaries since our new mission president came.

Things are going pretty well here. I love our ward so much. The
members here are incredible. Tonight we're going to an awesome
family's home for FHE. They have 6 kids and one of their school
teachers is supposed to be there. We have a couple people that are
looking like they could be promising investigators, but nothing super
to report at the moment. Sergei and Larissa both bore testimony in
Sacrament Meeting yesterday. I was interpreting for a senior couple
and I could feel the Spirit so strongly. I almost cried. They are
awesome. This is the Lord's work. It doesn't feel like it over here,
but it's Christmastime and I'm so grateful for the birth of our dear
Saviour. I'm trying to be like Him. Thanks everybody to the prayers
and support. I love. Merry Christmas!

- Elder Mahoney

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Still Alive

Sergei and Larissa were baptized on Saturday and confirmed on Sunday.
Sergei received the Aaronic Priesthood on Sunday too. It was awesome.
I'm so happy to be here and have the privilege to experience all this.
Elder Cross is leaving on Wednesday and I will now be with Elder
Peterson. I'm excited to get to know him and continue serving here. I
don't have much time right now. I love you all and I'm grateful for
the support. God bless.

- Elder Mahoney

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My Apartment is a Hotel

Another week gone by. The days seem to be disappearing. We live next
to a metro stop where you take the bus to the temple and mission
office, so missionaries often stay the night at our apartment. There
were people sleeping over 4 night this last week. So much commotion
makes time seem to go faster.

One staying at our place last night was Vova Yarmak. He's from
Chernigov, my first area, and he was just set apart yesterday as a
missionary. He's flew out this morning for the Arizona Tempe Mission.
I'm so excited for him. It was cool to be with him for his last few
hours in Ukraine. He's going to be a great missionary.

Sergei and Larissa are doing especially great. They had interviews
with out bishop, with Elder Jones, and talked with Pres. Klebingat
yesterday and everything is set for the baptism next Saturday at
17:00. They are so ready and they already looking to the temple. I was
talking to their daughter the other day who is a devote baptist and
she even stopped drinking coffee to support them. It's been a great
boost for me in my mission, to finally see somebody change their life.
Larissa said that the Book of Mormon is her coffee. She used to drink
coffee in the morning, but now she and Sergei wake up early and study
the scriptures together! Wow. They're awesome.

We also have another progressing investigator named Dima. He's 26 and
has been to Church 3 times now. He's a little hard to read, but we had
a lesson with him and our bishop and afterward Bishop said he thinks
he'll be baptized in a few months. That would definitely be great.
We're trying to get members more involved with him, but we don't have
that many member around that age for some reason.

We met with an inactive couple yesterday and had a great lesson. I can
see the desire in their eyes, they remember how their life was better
before and know what they should be doing. I look forward to working a
lot more with them and seeing them come back. They're sweet and have a
little girl. Some people just let "life" get in the way of actually
living.

Things continue to move along here. I happy to be serving here and to
be with Elder Cross for his last transfer. He's a great example to me.
Things continue to go well. Missions are amazing. I love the Lord and
His gospel.

Thanks to everybody for everything.

Love,
Elder Mahoney

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Quiet Week

I'm sorry to say, but I don't feel like I have too much new to report
this week. It was a good week. We had a great meeting with Sergei and
Larissa where we went over all of the baptismal interview questions.
They say they will 100% be baptized. We changed their date to December
10th and I'm very confident it's all going to go through. It's been
such a privilege to work with them. Despite searching we didn't really
find any new people this past week, but we were able to meet with
several members. It was also great to see our bishop back from the
states. We had 99 at sacrament meeting on Sunday which is the most
we've seen in quite a while. I love our members so much. I wish I
could describe it better. These people are incredible. I feel so
blessed to serve in this area. I don't know what I did to deserve it,
but God is being good to me. I love serving here and I feel myself
growing a little bit at a time. I am so grateful for all the support.
Thank you all.

Love,
Elder J. Mahoney

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The Work Goes On!

Another pretty satisfactory week. I think we had more meeting than I've had in a long time. We are working with several different investigators. Yesterday we went to the Church at about 9 and didn't get back home until a little after 9. Luckily a member fed us around 7. Haha. Long, but good day. Sergei and Larissa came to Church with their daughter, Anya! It was pretty sweet. Anya is baptist and we pretty hesitant at first, but I could see the spirit working on her and see her warming up. Sergei still hasn't smoked or drank for over 2 weeks now. She said she's been praying for 7 years for this to happen and she wanted to see what it is that's made him change.

We also went to the medical centre that the Church apparently helped build. It's really weird, right behind the reception is the 2nd coming of Christ and Him appearing to the Americas. Haha. There are Church paintings all over and there was even a Liahona on the table. Nice place. I guess the guy that runs the centre helped the Church in getting the land for the temple here.

I have too much in my brain right now. I don't know what to write. I just know that this is the Lord's work. I'm truly called by a living prophet to represent Jesus Christ. I know it's all true. My testimony gets stronger every day as I marvel at what's happening in people's lives here and all around the world. Awesome. Thanks for everything.

Love,
Elder Mahoney

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We Searching for Them

Time's going pretty quickly, but it kinda seems like forever since I wrote the last email. It was a good week. We found 6 new investigators. I've only done that one other week on my mission many months ago. One of the coolest stories was from contacting people near the metro station by our apartment. A man came out who we initially thought might have been drunk. Elder Cross started to talk to him, he accepted a Book of Mormon and we met with him 2 days later. His name is Sergei. He brought his wife Larissa to the first sit down meeting. They are awesome! Said the morning of the day we met him he was thinking that he needs to change his life. He walked out of the metro and was going to turn and go buy some beer, but he felt like he should go straight and then we talked to him. Elder Cross met with them again on exchanges the next day and they set baptismal dates for the end of the month. They came to Church yesterday and both of the members they already met on the lessons gave them hugs. In Elders Quorum when Sergei introduced himself he said that right after our first sit-down meeting he threw out his cigarettes and he hasn't smoked of drank since then. They're glowing. I feel so blessed to know that. They're about 50 years old I'd say and truly good people. It's clear that Larissa is an angel and they both love each other so much. This makes everything worth it.

I've been able to meet many more of our ward members here and went to Church for the first time in our ward and it's awesome! They're all great! My emotions were close to the surface yesterday at Church. The Gospel is Jesus Christ is so powerful. It's amazing to see strong families in the Church and so many great children too. We had 6 investigators at Church. There was a baptism on Saturday of one of the sisters' investigators from another ward. We took one of our investigators too it. There was also a baptism last week of Tuesday in another ward. There should be another on Saturday and then on Sunday an 8 year old will be baptized from our ward. It's so great to see this work bounding forward. It's beautiful. The gospel changes lives. I love it.

My companion is a good guy and we've been having a good times just pressing forward. There are definitely tons of people who aren't ready here, but my testimony is being strengthened that there are people here search for true, that's why we're searching for them.

I know that it's all true. God lives. He loves us and He still speaks to us directly and through living prophets. It's a privilege to serve here. I love this work. Thanks to all for everything. Please lift where you stand.

Love,
Elder J. Mahoney

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Bedroom Districts

Another week has flown by over here. My first full week living in
Kiev. It's weird, like it still hasn't completely set in. I live in
Kiev, Ukraine. I guess it's especially weird because Kiev has always
been the place that I go for meeting and then go back to some small
city. But now I most certainly live here. We have 2 wards in our
district. We are the only companionship in the Svytoshinskiy Ward. We
also have the Assistants, another set of Elders and a set of sisters
in our District. The first time I've served in a district with
sisters. We goto the chapel by the temple where the mission office is
every Tuesday for District Meeting. We're really in the center of the
action. We can even have President Klebingat help us on lessons if we
ask him.

The first thing I note is that there are tons of people here! Kiev is
a maze of high-rise apartment buildings and a lot of place you go look
almost exactly the same. In other cities I've been in it's been a
little bit of a challenge to find people to talk to, but here we can
just stand in front of the metro and see hundreds of people walk by.
In all my other areas I've mostly only ever interacted with poorer
people, but here I meet all kinds. One of our members even has a pool
and sauna apparently. In the other 2 branches I've served in only the
Branch President had a car, here the parking is filled. Life is
definitely different here. There's a big grocery store you can see
from our 10th floor apartment window, but there's another bigger store
that has multiple buses that just take people from the metro to the
store! We have 2 bathrooms in our apartment which costs almost
$1000/month. It's pretty cool. I sleep in a queen-sized bed and it's
weird how much more bed space there is to me. It's sort of a funny
situation to any missionary who expected to come to Ukraine and live
in 3rd world conditions. If you have money in these big cities you can
live very well. You see iPads and iPhones and the like all over the
place.

Great news back home, my old district has been dissolved so now my
branch is part of the Darthmouth Nova Scotia Stake and may soon become
a ward. Pretty awesome stuff. This weekend we had Stake Conference
here too. It was broadcast from Salt Lake City for the Europe East
Area. L. Whitney Clayton, Barbara Thompson, Dallin H. Oaks, and Dieter
F. Uchtdorf all spoke. It was pretty cool to hear them address this
area specifically and the problems that are faced here. It was the
most members I've ever seen in one place here. People met in all
different building since it was just a broadcast, but I'd say there
were about 200 where I went. Awesome. There are so many awesome
members here.

The work is going on here. We don't have too many active investigators
right now, but it seems like some good potential ones are on the way.
One of the saddest things I've seen here is 3 families so far who have
one spouse in the Church and the other one not. It is so hard for the
member spouse. They have all tried so hard to help bring their spouse
into the gospel, but for whatever reason they haven't yet. I won't be
married outside the temple.

I don't have tons of time, but I know this the Christ's Church. I'm so
happy to serve the Lord here. God lives and knows me. He knows you too
and He loves you. Be strong.

Much love,
Elder J. Mahoney

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No Time - In Kiev

Wow, it was definitely an interesting week. I'm really running out of time on the computer right now, but I'm not serving in Kiev with Elder Westin Cross! It's pretty wild to be here. It was a surprise that it happened so fast, but it's awesome. The Church is true.

- Elder Mahoney

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Sofia via Vienna

Most of my week was spent in or travelling to and from Sofia, Bulgaria to renew my visa. I travelled to Kiev on Monday and flew through Vienna to Sofia on Thursday. I went with 5 other Ukrainian-speaking missionaries who came to the country with me. It was a pretty cool trip overall. The Church rents an apartment in Sofia just for the Ukrainian missionaries who travel to renew their visas. While we're in Bulgaria we don't really have anything to do, so we just walk around and look at the city. There are also many American restaurants which we don't have here, so we eat a lot too. While I was there we went to Dunkin' Donuts, KFC, Burger King, a Chinese restaurant, and some other Bulgarian one. It was pretty cool. We don't have any of those restaurants in Ukraine.

Sofia is a really nice city. Really make Ukraine look like a 3rd world country. It's very clean there and almost everybody I talked to knew either English or Russian. Our visas are a little weird and say that we can only stay in the country for 90 days and apparently we were lucky to get back into the country because all the other missionaries in the MTC are not getting visas to Ukraine right now and they don't know when they'll be able to. Our Mission President isn't even leaving the country in case they don't let him back in. I guess they just changed some laws in September. I just heard that the new missionaries should come on December 5th. It'll be interesting to see what happens. I flew back in on Thursday and slept in Kiev, then took a train back to Khmelnitskiy on Friday. It is nice to be back "home." We're just settling back in and looking forward to another good week. I don't know too much more what to say.

I know that God lives. I feel His love in my life everyday and it's awesome to be a part of this work. Somehow it seems like I have less than half my mission left. I wanna make the best of it. Please pray that we can find some new people to teach. We need miracles.

Love,

Elder J. Mahoney

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"I don't understand Russian."

So, a few switch ups recently. There was an early transfer and Elder Alex Larsen went and switched places in Vinnitsya with Elder Jeremy Carnes who came here. It's kinda neat to have a new member in our district. I also found out last week that I'm going to Bulgaria tomorrow to renew my visa, so that'll be a neat trip. Times flying. It's pretty weird really.

This week was interesting. We talked to a lot of people. President Klebingat encouraged us, at the beginning of the week, to pray with people on the street. Then when we'd make a return appointment they'd already become new investigators. We were able to do that with 2 men on Tuesday which was great. The unfortunate thing is that neither of them came to the appointments and we can't get ahold of them. We've been able to teach quite a few people on the street though, amid dozens of rejections. We get some pretty funny rejections sometimes. I'll share a couple.

Yesterday morning I said "good morning" to a man in Russian and asked how he was doing. He responded in Russian, saying, "I don't understand Russian." I asked, "What do you mean?" He said something else back in Russian and I said, "You're speaking Russian right now," as he walked away. Haha. The other one that I got a kick out of a few days ago was a guy I approached, started to talk to and he just started shaking his head. I asked him, "What does that mean?" He started pretending to sign language. I laughed in his face and he smirked a little. What a goof. He could clearly hear me. Haha.

Yesterday evening we talked to a man for about 3 hours who said he was interested, but would not take anything. He said in the end that he was sure that his Church is the true church. I testified so boldly to him repeatedly about multiples points of doctrine and I could feel the Spirit bear witness of it. It's incredible sometimes how even when people understand our message they refuse to read and ask God. It didn't matter what I said at all, when it comes down to it we just invite others to find out for themselves. I hope that something I said to him will ring in his head and he'll come around sometime. He was a pleasant, big man, who used a lot of words I wasn't familiar with. Haha.

Things are going alright though there are still few people that will even listen to us. As I read the scriptures and wicked peoples are described I'm often amazed at how, unfortunately, it is describing exactly what I see around me. I know that there are people here who are ready for the message, I just pray that I can find some. I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know it's the Truth. I was able to testify yesterday that I would die for it. I really would because it is true. It's a lot harder to live for it though, so that's what I'm working on. God lives. He knows and loves each one of us. I know these things to be true because the Holy Ghost has born witness to me.

Thanks for the prayers and the love,

Elder Jonathan Mahoney

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Living Apostles and Prophets

I just have to say that General Conference was amazing! We were able to watch it this past weekend and I loved the whole thing. I feel so blessed to know that Christ's Church is on the earth today and to have the opportunity to hear the inspired words of prophets and apostles today. God truly speaks in our day.

We also had President Klebingat over for Sunday. We had a brief meeting with him in the morning as missionaries and he continues to amaze me. Elder Hair and I were talking about it and concluded that we have a pretty hard time thinking of anything that's not awesome about him. I feel very blessed to have him as my mission president. I'm sure my relationship with him will bless me for the rest of my life.

Elder Hair and I are still having our struggles, but we're pressing forward. We're trying new things and though we're not seeing anybody progress or even be interested at the moment and I know that we are doing what we're supposed to and we're learning.

I love the Lord. It's a privilege to be involved in this work. I loved how Elder Holland called for more missionaries, young and old. I'm looking forward to seeing the response to that call. I know that the numbers are going to go up. I can feel that the Church is really moving forward. The stone that's rolling is growing and it won't stop. I love this. God is good.

Thanks for the love and support,

Elder Jonathan Mahoney

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The Beginning of Something Big

Another week just disappeared. I'm pretty sure I say something like that every week, but I always have that feeling at about this time. We've been really working harder to talk to more people and give more people a chance to hear our message. There are lots of people who are not ready yet. I can tell you that for sure. I'm pretty used to being rejected. I can do that all day. The trick is to have the faith that some people will eventually be interested. I have faith that they're out there. I'm really trying now to learn to follow the Spirit better, so we can just be lead to those who are ready. I know that the Church is going to grow here more that we can imagine today. I don't know how it's going to get going, but we're doing what we can to build more of a foundation.

One cool thing that happened this week was a service project. On Saturday morning we got to ride a boat to a little island and pick up garbage. There's a lot of garbage here. Most of it is alcohol bottles or cigarette packages really. If people would just keep the word of wisdom, I bet almost all the litter would be eliminated. It was neat though, the newspaper and TV were there and came out to the island too, so they didn't have anything to do, but take pictures of us. Haha. There were a few others on the island too, but mostly just our branch.

That afternoon we had a missionary day. We talked with the branch for a little bit beforehand, then we split up in groups and went out to share the gospel. It was great to be out with the members and preach. Again, nobody was really interested, but it was good. I love the members here and they are true pioneer. We had 11 at Sacrament Meeting again, including the 4 missionaries. This is just the beginning of a big thing. I know that this is Christ Church and it's awesome! I love being a missionary. God is good. Thanks for the support. I love you all.

- Elder Mahoney

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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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Generations of History on One Plot of Land

This week we were able to go out and visit Taras and his family in the small village where he lives. There about about 500 people living there. It was the bumpiest bus ride I've ever been on. It was one hour to travel 30 km. We had a nice meeting with him and his wife, Sveta. Her family has lived on the same plot of land for about 380 years! I think that's so cool. They don't even have a store in the village. I was kinda blown away by how smart she is. They are both very smart and know the Bible really well. They understand the history of the Bible and know the doctrine pretty well. Sveta kept telling me to stop telling her things she already knows. She said there's no true confession on the earth and no true priesthood. I asked her, "if there were, how would you know?" She said that she would just know, and I would know, and my companion would know, and Taras would know. I shared Moroni's promise with her and she said, "that's what I just said." I testified to her that this is it. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints truly is Christ's Church on the earth today. I testified that the priesthood has been restored. I was a little concerned at one point during the lesson, but in the end she accepts a Book of Mormon gratefully and said she'd read it. Yesterday when I called Taras he said he was reading the Book of Mormon at that moment. I love it when that happens.

Things have been going really good. I feel like I'm becoming a better person and I can feel things improving. My companion and I have some really good times together and we're keeping busy which makes the time fly. I don't understand how it's almost September already. We're really trying to reach out to the less-actives and bring them back. I love being a part of this work. I don't have too much more to say today. It's just true. I know it. It's all true.

Love,

Elder J. Mahoney

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A Room Full of Saints Dressed in White

Sometimes beforehand I'm trying to think about what to write in this letter. So much happens in a week, but at the same time I can have the feeling that nothing happened. The time flies by, consistently fast. Alright, I've got it, there's a couple stories I'll share.

Last Monday we were able to meet with a man named Taras. I found his teaching record in the area book and called him a couple times, but he lives outside the city so it was hard to coordinate a time to meet with him. He happened to be in the city, so we met with him on p-day. First off, I was impressed by the fact that the 2nd time I called him he said "Privyet Mahoney!" He remembered my name and I'd only talked to him once on the phone. When we met with him he recounted how the 2nd time I'd called him he was nervous because he was about to goto the hospital where his 6 year old son would have an operation. He said when I called he just felt peace and he knew that God was looking out for him. He said he felt some kind of spiritual connection. He's a really nice, good man. I'm really glad we've had the chance to meet him and I look forward to seeing him and working more with him soon. He said he wants to come to Church with his 2 sons.

On Wednesday we took a train into Kiev and I had leadership training on Thursday. It was a great meeting and I love our mission president. Everything he says makes sense and he brings up a lot of things I've been talking about since the beginning of my mission. We seem to think similarly. After the meeting we were supposed to goto the temple for a session, which I was really excited for because I hadn't been for like 3-4 months. My companion was on exchanges and came back late so we went to do baptisms instead. It was pretty awesome to walk out and see so many saints there, all dressed in white. I think there were over 20 from Armenia, Romania, Russia, and Kiev. Awesome! I could really feel the Spirit and I know we were doing the Lord's work. I was assigned to be the recorder in the confirmation room most of the time. I sat there and kinda had a flashforward. There I was a Canadian boy sitting in the Kiev Temple recording these sacred ordinances being performed in Russian. I thought of the temple work I've been a part of before and the temple work I will be involved in in temples all over the world for the rest of my life. That was just a little glimpse. I love the temple and I know the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is truly God's Church on the earth. It's awesome! It's a privilege to be serving here. I love serving the Lord.

Thanks for all the prayers and support.

Love,
Elder J. Mahoney

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In the Business of Creating Eternal Families

I wonder if time is going faster all over the world or if it's just here. This week has flown by and so has my mission this far. The same thing is happening with my internet time today. I don't have much time, but I'll write a little something. Things have been a little bit slow recently, but we're doing what we can. We're still working with Dennis. On Saturday he told us that he working on setting a date as a goal for baptism. He says he'd like to serve a mission, so I'm especially excited about this. He's a good smart guy and when we explain true principles he really understands them. I look forward to sharing more good news about this soon.

I'll share one more quick story. Yesterday President Malonos, a councilor in the mission presidency, came to the Branch to make a calling. He came with he wife and 5 children. He's from Lviv and he was baptized before there was even a branch there. It was so awesome to see 3 of his little sons come in their shirts and ties and the youngest baby who just turned one, then of course the older daughter, probably about 10 years old. Both parents gave great talks. Their voices are gentle, calm, yet powerful. It is amazing to see families here living the gospel to the fullest. It was so refreshing to see them all come in the doors of our building (almost doubling our attendance). That's really why we're here, to help people create eternal families. I'm looking forward to creating my own, but helping others do it will have to suffice for now. Haha.

I know that this work is truly the Lord's work. I love being a part of it. God lives. He's my Heavenly Father and He loves me. He hears and answers my prayers. I'm looking forward to being reunited with him and giving him a hug. Thanks to all for the love and support.

Godspeed,
Elder Mahoney

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From Ghanain to Californian

So, last week Elder Davis and I spent our last couple of days together and before we knew it we were in Kiev already for transfer meeting. It can be pretty tiring because we got on the train just after midnight and got to Kiev at 07:30. Then on the way back it was 10:00-03:00. There's not too much time to catch up sleep. Anyway, in Kiev on Thursday we had a meeting with all of the trainers and they introduced a new program. For the first 12 weeks new missionaries do an extra 60 minutes of study per day with their trainers. It's a cool program and I think it'll help us both grow a lot. The programs of the Church really are so inspired.

After that meeting we went in and all the transfers were announced. There are 12 new missionaries this transfer. 2 other missionaries from my group are training, but we are the youngest ones. 12 really is a lot of missionaries, it was interesting to look at them and try to guess which would be my companion and think about how they are the future of this mission. My trainer Elder Calahan Larson just went home last transfer. Today I've been on my mission for 11 months. Time is flying. My new companion was announced, Elder Christopher Hair. He's from the San Francisco Bay Area. We made our way back to Khmelnitskiy and we've been getting to know each other a little bit at time. There's plenty for him to learn, but he's doing so well. He's already understanding a lot and speaking some decent Russian. I'm impressed. He's a good Elder and I'm so grateful for this opportunity to serve with him. He's the oldest in his family too and the first grandson to serve a mission, like me. He is still a little tired and has fallen asleep is serveral situations already, but that's normal. I've been tired just from the train too.

I feel excited about the work and the Gospel. I been loving my scripture study more that ever recently and I can feel my testimony burning. We've set a goal as a district to hit 100% home teaching in our Branch this month and we're on the way. We are also trying to set the example by preparing for the lessons on Sundays. I prepared a lot for the last Sunday and it was so great. I was able to get so much more out of it and contribute a lot. At the beginning the teacher asked who had prepared and only 2 of us missionaries raised our hands. Soon we should have all 4 missionaries and we're looking forward to seeing the other hands going up and to really raising the spirituality of our meetings.

It's been great to train so far, I feel like it's stretching me a little more and I'm getting better in many areas each day. I feel like we're becoming more Preach My Gospel missionaries and I'm loving the dynamics in our district so far. We really need to find more people to teach so we're going to be trying some new things and asking the Lord where he'd have us go.

I love the gospel and I'm in it for the long haul. There's nothing better than God's plan for us. He knows us and all the commandments are for our good. I've been so blessed with the knowledge that I have and I'm here to share it with others.

Something pretty funny happened the other day. I heard Elder Johnson talking to President Klebingat and it was pretty obvious that he didn't know where our city is. Haha. I heard him say, "Yeah, it's quite the trip, about 6 hours." and "Yeah, we're in the West President." Haha. We're really in the middle of nowhere. Not even our Mission President knows where it is. Haha. Good stuff.

Thanks for all the love and support. The Church is true.

Love,
Elder J. Mahoney

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Phone Call from President

It was a little bit of a wild week. I spent about 2.5 days in another city called Vinnitsya on exchanges. It was pretty cool. It's a really nice city. I enjoyed it. It's hard on my area though, of course, because my companion doesn't really speak either language hear, so nothing happened while I was gone. On Thursday we had a concert in an art museum. They have a grand piano there. Elder Hofeling is a really good pianist so we set up this free concert. That day we found out that a girl who was supposed to be singing backed out, so I ended up singing this Ukrainian folk song I'd just heard that morning. It went fairly well. Since we were out of the city so much we didn't get to advertise as much as we'd have liked, but it was fun.

Before I knew it was on the way out of the city again. On Friday night we took a train to Lviv where we had Zone Conference on Saturday. It was a super awesome conference. I also had an interview with Pres. Klebingat. The more I get to know him the more I love him. He inspires me to be a better person and missionary. I was left with plenty of things to ponder and work on. I really love one principle that he taught. He said that we already know the Lord's will in this work, so we don't need to ask Him. We know that He wants the people here to come unto Him so we just need to trust Him and work with Him to make that happen. It can definitely give us plenty of confidence in the work. Things are going very slowly here, in the whole mission actually. I don't know why and other missionaries have the same feeling, but I know that we're here doing what the Lord wants us to do. If anything will make a difference in this part of the world it will be the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's interesting to see all the ups and downs in my own mission and in the whole mission. I feel like we are becoming stronger in our unity and obedience as a mission.

I got a call from President Klebingat on Thursday morning and he informed me that I have been called as a trainer for next transfer. I'm pretty excited about that. This Thursday I'll meet my new brand new companion, straight from the MTC. This transfer 13 missionaries are leaving and 13 are coming. I'm sure that he will teach me just as much or more than I'll teach him. I'm excited to meet him and spend the next few months with him. Even though the stuff around us and the things that happen to us really stink sometimes, it's a privilege to be here and serve alongside such great young men. We really have some good missionaries here and I feel blessed to find myself among them.

I know that the gospel has been restored. Jesus is the Christ, our Lord. I love this work and this Church. Thanks to all for the love and support. Godspeed.

Love,
Elder Mahoney

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Angels Round About Us

I don't know what to write today. It seemed like a fairly ordinary week. I know that it's not an ordinary week though because I am here as an authorized representative of Jesus Christ. It is a serious responsibility to wear this name tag with my family name just above the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I love being here. I love the experiences and situations we are blessed to be in.

I thought of an instance a couple weeks ago that was powerful to me. I was teaching a young man with a member present and as the member was saying something I said a prayer in my heart that the Spirit would be with us and that we might know what the Lord would have us say. My companion and I were sitting across from the member and the investigator and instead of feeling like it was just me and my companion, who doesn't understand the language, I could feel God behind us. I could feel that there were angels round about us supporting us. I felt a reassurance that this truly is the Lord's work that we are where He wants us to be and that He loves each and every one of us. I have so much to learn and I need to grow in so many ways. But I know who my confidence needs to be in and I'm trying to trust in Him.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is incredible. I love my Savior. It is a privilege to share this message with the people of Ukraine. I love them and I feel God's love for them. I encourage everybody to lift where they stand. Do what you can. Reach out to somebody and lift them up.

I'm grateful to all for the love and support. This is a great work we're a part of.

Love,
Elder J. Mahoney

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Donkey Food

The first thing that comes to mind is that this has been a sweaty week. I believe 2 days were up to 36 and 37 degrees in the shade. Sometimes it seems like it's even hotter in the apartment. On Saturday I had 3 showers in a day for the first time since I was in Brazil. I almost feel like we didn't do anything this week, but we had one of the best weeks in a long time as far as the numbers go. We also had two potential lessons with two different men who both accepted Books of Mormon and said they'd read. One of them we met when he drove us in a taxi. As soon as we set up with them again they'll become new investigators. Last Sunday a man was visiting from Russia. He got baptized when he was 18 and then served a mission here. He actually served with the Branch President in Chernigov, Pres. Solomein. His name is Dennis Baranov. He went home and married a young woman and now he's a Branch President over in Krasnayarsk in Siberia and has a little daughter. He has his own business where he does genealogical research for people. That's why he was here. He was a great help on a couple lessons. It is so awesome to see return missionaries here who are living the gospel so fully. That's what this is all about. That's why we're here. The gospel blesses lives and it's the only formula for true and eternal joy. I love it.

I forgot to mention last week that 2 Saturdays ago now we went on a Branch trip. It was pretty cool. We went to this "zoo" where there were some bears, a couple wolves, deer, a couple ostrich, some pelicans, and some livestock. I got bit by a donkey and it was stronger than I imagined, but I'm okay. Haha. We also went to a fortress kinda place. It was kinda interesting and historic. After they cooked us up a fish beverage. I think it was mostly just boiled fish and dill. They love dill here. It wasn't bad. I'm not too picky at this point in my life. I have ingested quite a few strange things over the years.

People here are stuck in tradition. You talk to them logically about things, but even when they seem to understand it all they'll still say, "oh, I could never change, it would be an insult to my ancestors." That's an issue that we deal with everyday and I see the older missionaries get more and more sick all the way up to the end of their missions. Sometimes people even receive a witness of the truthfulness of our message, but still won't change. It is pretty annoying.

Things are going fairly well. It's sort of an internal battle here, you love the people, but hate the things they do. Just today as I inhaled some unidentifiable, yet recognizably from the former Soviet Union, smells I was thinking, "I think I'll miss this place someday." Well, whatever is going on, it keeps going on and I'm glad to be a part of it. I love the Lord and I know he wants me to be here. I want to be better and I'm working on it everyday. Please pray for us. The people waiting and searching for the truth here need it. We need the Lord's help to find each other.

I'm still loving everything that our new mission president is doing and I feel like the mission is really moving in a good direction.

Thanks for all the love and support. God bless.
- Elder J. Mahoney

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3 AM Train to Lviv

Sometimes is seems like preparation day was yesterday, sometimes a month ago. This time it feels like it was quite a while ago. We've had quite a bit of rain recently, but today it's sunny. The most significant thing that happened this week was meeting the Klebingat family. About half the mission met in Lviv on Wednesday to meet the Klebingat family. It was a great experience. I could feel the Spirit witness to me that the Lord has truly call them to serve here and Jorg Klebingat is meant to be the President of the Ukraine Kiev Mission. They have 3 children, Katja (17), Daniel (15), and Alexander (10). It is awesome to see the love and fun they have in their family. I want to have a family of my own like that. (Just with more kids.) It was really interesting to hear the story of how President met his wife, Julia, and how they've seen the hand of the Lord in their lives. I love everything he talked about. He didn't talk about numbers once that day and he really talked about faith and individual commitment to the work. That's really what it comes down to, all of us doing our part individually. I can tell that they love me and I already love them too. I've been praying for them for a while now.

To add to the great meeting, Lviv is a beautiful city. The rain cut out for long enough for us to go around and see a couple things. It was a good time. Our train times are ridiculous out of this city. We left at 03:00 to goto Lviv and got back about about 04:00 the next day. Oh well, we deal with it.

The rest of the week was fairly uneventful. We had a total of 2 lessons this week. That's not good. It's tough to keep up teaching skills when you don't have that many opportunities to practice. The work goes on though. I know that this is where I'm supposed to be. I'm trying to qualify for miracles and to get better at working with the Spirit. My Russian is getting a little bit better, one day at a time, but is still far from perfect.

Recently I heard of a dialogue. "Hey, how are you?" - "Great, thanks." - "Good choice." I really love that. It is our choice whether or not we will be happy or whether or not we'll have a great day. If you're not happy, why are you choosing that? I want to remember that and I'm working on applying it in my life. Sometimes this is a good place to practice. We manage to have quite a bit of fun as we joke around nonetheless.

I just found a quote: "Throughout history, nations have been able to survive a multiplicity of disasters, invasions, famines, earthquakes, epidemics, depressions, but they have never been able to survive the disintegration of the family." The latter is happening here and really the country's not doing that well. Sometimes I feel so sick of the evil I'm surrounded with here. I'm sick of the immodesty, immorality, alcoholism, and smoking. I'm sick of the corruption and dishonesty. The members here are an extreme contrast to most of what is seen around here. Meeting with the members is always the best part of any day for me. I love them so much. They are so strong to fight what they're up again.

Sorry for the somewhat disconnected email. I know that God lives. He loves me. Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world. Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God. I love this Gospel. Thanks all for the support. Be strong.

Love,
Elder Jonathan Mahoney

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Modern-Day DaVinci

First off, I just saw the newest Mormon Message and it's awesome. Everybody should watch it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l70e1TfN34w
I love those videos. Beautiful.

Another week in Khmelnitskiy. What to write... We actually stayed in the city for a whole week. It was kinda weird. That won't happen again for the rest of the transfer. Well actually the Zone Leaders did goto Kiev on Saturday so we weren't really all here all week. It was pretty nice to have the whole week to work together with my new companion, Elder Davis. It really has me kinda on my own because I have to make all the calls, do all the contacting and basically teach all the lessons except when members help. It's a powerful opportunity for growth. I feel very under qualified. I feel like I know very little. I try to treasure up the word each day, but I know that I still fall very short. I know that the Holy Ghost can make up the difference. I pray for greater faith in that and help in this work. I want to be a useful servant and tool in the hands of the Lord. I just heard a testimony by Elder Scott. He said "You've been called by the Lord. He'll sustain you." I pray I can always remember that too.

We've continued to work with Inna and she is a very great person going through some hard times. She's always willing and wanting to help people and she is constantly thinking about how she can help lead her son through his teenage years to avoid all the evils surrounding him. I love them and I pray for them. I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is what will make the most difference in their lives. I feels very good to help people and to form these relationships that will carry on after the mission and after death.

One interesting experience was a referral we received this week. We went and visited this man in his studio. His name is Vitaliy Vasilivich. He does classes that are like a mixture of ballroom dancing, breathing exercises and yoga. He's 65 and works all the time for donations only and doesn't take vacations. He sleeps 4 hours a day and keeps very busy. He draws and has written thousands of poems, a couple thousand essays, and keeps a journal. He plays a little bit with some instruments too and has a garden. He talks a lot about energies and the science of energy. I found it very interesting, though there were many words I didn't understand I got the gist of it. Other missionaries had visited him before but just though he was crazy. I don't subscribe to everything he believes, but I'm inspired by the way he works. He reminds me of a modern day DaVinci. On Saturday night Elder Davis and I went and participated in one of the classes. It was not easy to follow, but it was neat. Basically he and his assistant take turns leading the group and everybody on their own just tries to follow. We were with the parents group. He works with all ages. Interesting stuff anyway. He made me want to work on my strength and flexibility more and learn about everything I want to learn about in my life. I also want to learn more about gardening. He talked about the energy that comes from it. Cool stuff.

Everybody should also watch these testimonies too. I don't think I've every seen anything like it: http://lds.org/study/prophets-speak-today/unto-all-the-world/missionary-work-is-founded-on-the-doctrine-of-christ/testimonies-video?lang=eng

I know that Jesus is the Christ. I know that I was called to serve here in Ukraine by a living prophet, Thomas S. Monson. I love this work and it's a privilege to share this message with others as official representatives of Christ and His Christ and ministers of the Restored Gospel.

We have our new mission president Klebingat. On Wednesday we'll be in Lviv to meet him. I'm really excited for that. I know they are going to be very great leaders here. I can feel it already. Thanks everybody for the support. I love you.

Enjoy to the end,
Elder Jonathan D.C. Mahoney

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You'll Never Guess Where He's From

It feels like it's been a really long time since I last wrote, but it's been the same as usual. Haha. It's weird how time works sometimes.

Last week started off with my companion leaving on Monday night. Then I was with Elder Jacob Hofeling on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. We had a pretty good time together. On Tuesday night we had English practice. Our mission doesn't do English practice anymore like it used to, but in our city now we are kinda teaching the Gospel in English and it's pretty fun. Members and investigators come. After the English we had a lesson and everybody stayed but one guy. Elder Hofeling speaks Ukrainian so I'm learning a lot more Ukrainian than Russian here. He turned the time over to me to talk about the First Vision. Honestly, it was the first time in a long time we've had a regular 1st lesson. It was awesome to be able to share that. I could feel the Spirit testify as I quoted Joseph's own words. I know that it is true. God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ truly appeared to Joseph Smith and Christ's Church has again been restored to the earth.

We got a referral from the Branch President a few weeks ago and met with her again this week. Her name is Inna. She has an 11 year old son named Pavel. She's a great woman. She's smart and she has tons of faith. She understand a lot of principles already and she prays morning and night, but she's looking for truth. She doesn't have a job though and she just does whatever she can to get money, mostly buying and selling things. She doesn't ask for anything, but sometimes she tells me about how hard it is. She just wants to help others and provide a good life for Pavel, but she can't even get enough money for food. She says her son's hungry. Pavel's eyesight is bad and she can afford to get him glasses because he just breaks them. It makes me sad to think about it. I just want to help, but we're doing what we can. Please pray for them.

On Thursday I found out my new companion and at 3 AM on Friday morning the two new Elders for our area arrived. Elder Johnson is serving with Elder Hofeling now and I'm sure that nobody has imagined who my companion is. I am serving with a mini-missionary now named Elder Lesley Davis. He is from... Ghana! Mini-missionaries are just locals who fill in for a short period of time when we don't have enough full-time missionaries. Elder Davis is 27 and he's studying medicine in a city called Ternopol here. There's an English university there, so he doesn't really speak any Russian or Ukrainian. He's actually trying to learn Ukrainian, while I'm a Russian-speaker. He's been in the country for almost 2 years. He lived in England for a couple years and then came here. I wouldn't be surprised if I'm the only missionary in Eastern Europe with a black companion. I have never seen another black person in this city. It's interesting how people stare at us even more than normally now. His Dad is a stake president in Ghana. It's definitely an interesting experience. We've already eaten a couple different Ghanain dishes and I'm learning some cool stuff. I love him. On the otherhand, I really have to just step it up. I'm the only one who knows what's going on, so I basically just have a tagalong. Everything is new to him missionary-wise. He didn't know that schedule at all. I'm grateful for his sacrifice to serve. It's really getting me ready because I'll probably train next transfer. It's funny that I'm serving with a companion now that is less prepared than most missionaries on their first day. It'll actually kinda be a relief to have a greenie in some ways. Haha. Missions are so cool and this is an interesting turn of events.

Our new mission president Klebingat will arrive on Thursday. Probably next Wednesday I'll get to meet him in Lviv. That's what I heard, but I'm not sure. I'm excited about the change. Soon it'll be a Ghanian and a Canadian serving under a German mission president in Ukraine. I love the Gospel. I know that I was called here by a prophet of God. Thanks for all the love and support. Please pray for us.

Love always,
Elder Mahoney

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Old Ukrainian Castle Adventures

One more week spent in the former Soviet Union. The weeks are pretty good at disappearing. I think I say that just about every week, but it continues to be true. My mind has just kinda gone blank. This area is kinda crazy with all the exchanges. My companion was gone from Monday night to Thursday morning again. We got 2 new investigators this week. One was a referral from the Branch President. She has some good potential and I hope we can set up another meeting with her soon. The other was a woman who lives in a rich community. We met her husband walking around out there and we came back. The 2nd time we came back she let us in. It's the nicest house I've been in here in Ukraine. 9-foot ceilings and real hardwood floors and stairs. She gave us some homemade apple juice which is super delicious. She's not super interested, but she's really nice and she read most of the Restoration pamphlet we gave her. She said she'd read the Book of Mormon. I want to meet her friends. I know that it how the work needs to be done here. We need to make friends and grow our circle of friends.

Things changed a little from last weeks email. Natasha and Anya's baptism actually didn't happen. They both feel really good about the Church and everything they've learned they just started having some doubts about being baptized so soon. They're also afraid to tell their families. So we're still working with them and I'm sure they will be baptized in not too long. They have both burst in to tears while reading the Book of Mormon and had many other spiritual experiences, so it's just a matter of time now. Just hopefully not too much time. It's understandable that it's even tougher to join the Church here with only like 7 active members. I hope they can see some of the members in Kiev soon. Please pray for them. They're really cool.

Random thought: I read a cool quote in a talk recently, "If at first you do succeed, try something harder."

My companion is going home in 2 days. He'll leave for Kiev tonight and I won't find out if I've going to Kiev for transfer meeting until tomorrow. It's still possible, but they might just send the 2 new companions out here on their own. It's going to be and interesting period of time. I'll be on exchanges until Thursday, then I'll have a new companion. Next week well have a new mission president!

Today we took a taxi for over an hour to a castle in Kamyanets Podilska. It was pretty neat. I'll try to upload some pictures soon. Missionaries haven't gone there for a year or so. I like to do things that people don't usually do.

Time is running out. The Church is true. Our team wins in the end. Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world. I know He lives. Thanks for all the love and support.

Much love,
Elder J. Mahoney

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The Mess-Up-Your-Fridge Button

Well, to start the week off with had a meeting with Elder L. Whitney Clayton and Elder Larry R. Lawrence and their wives, right after I wrote last week's email. It was a great meeting. Elder Clayton just stood up and opened the floor to questions. The entire meeting was just open and each of the leaders and their wives took turns answering. It was pretty powerful for them just to welcome and question and handle them so well. I must say again that the wives of these General Authorities are incredible. They speak with such power and they are all so wise. I want a wife like that. Elder Clayton talked about how priliveged we are to be serving in the country while the Church is still in it's infancy here. He talked about how we are laying the foundation for tremendous grow that will follow. When he went to Peru 40 years ago as a missionary there was 1 stake. Now there are 94. Now there is one stake in Ukraine. It's going to be incredible to see where it's at in 40 years. He told us 3 things to do: 1 - Know the doctrine; 2 - Master the language; and 3 - Overcome the fear of man. We definitely all have things to work on.

On Wednesday morning we were back in Khmelnitskiy. That evening we were observing how our fridge wasn't all that cold. I suggested we try to turn a dial or something. Elder Hafen investigated and found a button which he pressed, at which point the fridge stopped running. We went to bed hoping it would be fine and the kitchen welcomed us in the morning with a sizable puddle of water. Apparently said button is an irreversible defrost button. It wasn't until all the ice had melted in the freezer that it turned on again about 12 hours after pressing the button. I think all of our food survived and the freezer is a lot cleaner now, but I don't think I'll be carelessly pressing buttons in fridges in the future.

Other significant news: 2 girls that one of the zone leaders and I found are getting baptized this Saturday! Their names are Natasha and Anya. They're both 22 and they are elect. The approached us and we've seen them almost everyday since we met them. They come to all the activities they can and they already have testimonies of the restoration and the Book of Mormon. They even cancelled their vacation for the baptism. Natasha studied to be a singer and Anya studied psychology. Natasha is already directing the music for sacrament meeting because the girl who used to just left on a mini-mission. It's incredible to see people's lives change. They both said that they think they'd be interesting in serving a mission. I'm very excited for them. The work is interesting as you get to see miraculous lessons once in a while and then you have hours of rejection in between. I know that blessing will follow our work. It's awesome to be a missionary. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am grateful for all the prayers and support. Thank you all.

Love,
Elder Jonathan Mahoney

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We're Here to Help

Missions have a lot of ups and downs. I feel like it wasn't a super eventful week. I've been having trouble with my attitude recently. I've been dwelling too much on the negative things. Yesterday I heard a powerful testimony of a missionary about to got home. He talk about how he has seen the people here suffer, how he has seen the pain in their eyes, the emptiness. He talk about all these people have gone through and where they are now. Then he said what we should all be thinking: what these people need is the Gospel. We are here to help them. The message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is what will change their lives for good. Even though on average I think our mission probably talks to close to 2000 people for every one person that gets baptized after running some rough numbers, it's worth it. We represent Jesus Christ in this country, in our respective cities. If Jesus Christ himself were here, even though he would be laughed at, spit upon, harassed, yelled at, etc, he would not give up. He would continue to live a perfect example and he would spend his days in the service of others. That's why we came here. That's what we need to remember.

I was reading in 3 Nephi this week and something really hit me. I've been thinking about it quite a bit. In chapter 7 we read about Nephi having seen angels and hearing the voice of the Lord. He ministered with great power and authority. He "testified, boldly, repentance and remission of sins through faith on the Lord Jesus Christ." He ministered with such power that "it were not possible that they could disbelieve his words." He performed many miracles, including raising his brother from the dead who had been stoned to death by the people. It was not possible for them not to believe him. They knew his message was true, but still they were angry with him. Even after all they had seen, "there were but few who were converted unto the Lord." In his first year preaching, but few were converted. These are the first years of the Church is this country. The people are angry. They are hardhearted. But there are some who are ready and it will be said of them too that "as many as were converted did truly signify unto the people that they had been visited by the power and Spirit of God, which was in Jesus Christ, in whom they believed." Even if there were nobody ready here, we are here to be an example of the believers, to literally represent Jesus Christ.

These people need help and I have what they need. I'm sorry for being less than what I should be. I pray for the strength to press forward, to love the people and to serve them. I want to be here. I want to do as the Lord commands. I love Him and want to be like Him. Please pray for all the missionaries around the world. This is a marvelous work.

Our Branch President in Khmelnitskiy is awesome. The Area Presidency here has asked leaders to read the Book of Mormon 3 times in 2011 and President Megega is already reading it for the 4th time. There are amazing leaders in the Church here. It's an honor to be counted as a saint among men like this. We actually have 4 baptismal dates in our District for June. I think there's a good chance that they will all happen. Even though we've been privileged to work with some great people we have very few people to work with so you have a good lesson and then you have a whole day where you need to just do things to try and find people and it can certainly get discouraging. I'm trying to be more creative here. The way to these people is through their friends. It is very strange in this culture to just approach people you don't know with no connection to them. The results show that trying to do that yields almost nothing. Most people that get baptized basically come up to us. We need to work through the people to get to their friends. If they aren't ready it's okay, they can still introduce us to their friends. That's what I want to get good at. It will be fun and it will be effective. President Steinagel says, "If you're not having fun, you're not doing it right." If anybody has any other ideas for how to make the work fun, I welcome them.

Yesterday morning I got on a train at 04:00 to come over to Kiev. The whole mission gathered yesterday evening for a Family Home Evening with the Steinagel family as they will be leaving in about 3 weeks and a new Mission President and his family will replace them. It was so great to be around all the missionaries and to hear the testimonies of 14 missionaries going home in less than 2 weeks. Today we will have another meeting where President L. Whitney Clayton of the Presidency of the Seventy and President Larry R. Lawrence of the Europe East Area Presidency will address us. I'm excited for that. Then tonight we'll get on a train home at midnight. I love being a missionary. I am very grateful for all the prayers and support. This Church is true. Jesus is the Christ.

Love,

Elder J. Mahoney

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Sweaty Bus Rides and Baptismal Dates

Well the week started off with a sweaty 4 hour bus ride to a city called Zhytomer on Monday night were we stayed until Thursday morning. I went over there for exchanges with one of the Zone Leaders, Elder Hofeling. It was pretty good. I ended up serving both days with Elder Reynolds from Florida. He's Ukrainian-speaking. We didn't really have anything set up for Tuesday or Wednesday so we were on the street a lot. On Tuesday I'm sure we talk to more that 50 people and we got 16 phone numbers. I hope that something good comes out of that. I met some really neat people. I met a surgeon, an undercover cop, a trolleybus driver, a guy from Beruit, and plenty more. Wednesday was a tougher day. It seemed like nobody wanted to talk to us. We actually did have a meeting set up, but he didn't show up. It's interesting to see the ups and downs of the mission. So much of it is endurance. You just have to keep going, everyday, the same thing. We had another sweaty bus ride home and, even though I'd only be there for 8 days prior to the trip, it felt like coming home when we got to Khmelnitskiy.

By then the week seemed like it was practically gone. We're trying to do a lot more activities here to get everybody involved and have things that members can invite people too. We had 21 people at Church on Sunday! It was 10 three weeks ago, then 15, then 16, now 21. I don't know what the next number should be, but it's uptrending. =P We're here to build the kingdom and the numbers seem to indicate we're doing something good. One of the Zone Leaders and I met 2 girls at a book table last Saturday and they committed to come to Church. They did come to Church and several activities since then. Yesterday the Zone Leaders set baptismal dates with both of them for June 18th. I think they're both 22 years old. It's going to be really good to have some more young people in the branch. Awesome.

Things are up and down in missionary life. But overall I'm very happy to be here. Missions are awesome. They change lives. I know that this is the Lord's work. It's a privilege to be a part of it. Next week I'll be writing this email from Kiev where I'll be for a mission conference. I love you all. Thanks for everything.

- Elder J. Mahoney

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