A Fairytale

Wow. My last week in my last area of my mission is over. I honestly couldn't have imagined a better conclusion. This last week especially has been like a fairytale and I'm still having a bit of a hard time believing it. Most of it revolves around the investigator I mentioned a few times before, Sveta. So, at the beginning of the week we had already met with her many times and she had comes to several activities, including Home Evening at our senior couple's apartment, the Colvins. In our last meeting the week before we had planned to talking about a few different things including the Sabbath Day, since she'd missed the previous two Sundays due to work. She came with some concerns about a few verses in the Bible that her friend pointed out, so we ended up working on resolving her concerns the whole lesson and I think she was very comforted. Near the end of the lesson she had Elder Pace's Russian triple in her hands and she flipped it open. She then looked up and said, "That's it. I've decided. I'm coming to Church this Sunday." She opened right to D&C 59:9-10, "And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day; For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High." We had not mentioned Sabbath Day at all on the lesson up to that point. That was a miracle. She did come to Church and stayed for all 3 hours. So many miracles happened this last week that I can only touch on some of them.

On Monday, we had Family Home Evening at another member's home and afterward at the trolleybus stop I thought to call Sveta because we were standing at the stop where we had gotten on the bus we met her on. She asked what we'd been doing. I told her about the lesson. She asked what we talked about, "if it's not a secret." I told her we talked about the Restoration and watched a little video. She wanted to see it too, so I told her we'd let her borrow it. As we were walking home from the lesson, Sveta was walking home from work. We ran into her! I basically just said, "Hey, see you tomorrow." Then as she was walking away, I shouted out, "Wait." I gave her the video, The Restoration DVD, to watch. In less than an hour we received a text. She said, "I didn't think I would be so touched by it: Goosebumps and a feeling of excitement inside me. I haven't even finished watching it yet." In a few more minutes, another text from her, "Super, super, super!" We were excited too, of course. I thought about what to do and then texted her Acts 2:37-38

37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

She replied, "Thanks! Good night."

On Tuesday we had Home Evening at the Colvins'. Sveta came and we had a good time, as usual. Afterward we were walking home together along with a couple other members. I was able to walk a little bit further ahead at one point. We had been praying a lot about what to do because I knew that we needed to move on this. The conversation went to Priesthood authority, as she had just seen us give two blessing after Home Evening. I told her that as missionaries we are called to represent Jesus Christ and His Church and, "We invite you to be baptized by one having authority." She said she's not opposed to in, but she wanted to understand better what would be expected after baptism. She said that she's a woman of her word and if she says it, she will do it, no matter what. The other members split off to go home in another direction and when we got to her dorms we stopped for a minute. I told her, "We have been praying a lot about you and how we can best help you. This Saturday there will be a baptism at 2:00 PM. I know it is very soon, but I know you can be ready for that day. That is what we want to talk about tomorrow." We set up an appointment for the next day.

On Wednesday morning we met at 8:00 AM at the Colvins' apartment with another young member, Yulia. We taught her the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the final time I asked her if she will be baptized, she said, "Yes." She later told me that the words just came out of her mouth and she felt like it wasn't even her saying them. She just knew that it was right.

On Thursday, same thing, we met at 8:00 AM and covered several commandments and one after one she committed to follow them. We watched a talk by President Monson and the Spirit was very strong. She said she got goosebumps again and felt full of joy. I asked her what thoughts she had when she felt those things. She said, "I am just happy to know that there are people like me." She's already more of a saint that I am. Light attracts light. (D&C 88:40)

On Friday, at 8:00 AM again, we finished all the commandments that need to be taught before baptism and everything was just fine. The Spirit was present on all the lessons and really guided us. We reviewed the baptismal interview questions and she was ready as far as I could tell. I saw the Lord's hand make everything move. We ran into her on the street multiple times during the week. Everything lined up perfectly and she had just the right experiences, opened to just the right verses, and ask all the questions she had. The Lord blessed her so generously with spiritual experiences and confirmations that what she is doing is right. We could NOT have done any of this without Him. Throughout all of this she was calling all of her friends who sing looking for singers to do a musical number for her baptism. She invited so many people.

On Saturday morning she already came to the chapel early to iron her baptismal suit and make sure everything was ready. She had her baptismal interview. It went great. Just after 1:00 PM the service started and it was one of the greatest baptisms I've ever attended. There were two amazing musical numbers. She sang soprano herself, a member, Liza, sang alto, and two professional singers sang tenor and bass. I was also recruited to tag along on the bass for the first number, Be Still, My Soul. Then they sang Come Thou Fount as well. They are so good. Wow. I was privileged to baptized Popovichenko Svetlana Viktorovna. It was amazing. She was so happy. I was so happy. Since it was also District Conference weekend, she was also confirmed the same day. The Spirit was strong and the blessing was very powerful. We had a member, who had been on a lesson, be voice. It was all a blur. Afterward, she stay for the Institute Open House, then watched a movie with the YSA, then stayed for the adult session of District Conference. When I called her after that she was in the store buying things, so she wouldn't have to should on Sunday. She became a very active member in a day. I talked to her later that night and taught her the importance of keeping a journal.

On Sunday morning she was a little late for the new members meeting and I later learned that it was because she was writing in her journal. She's amazing. She smiled all the way through the general session of District Conference. It was such a privilege to be a part of all of this. She will be a very strong member. One of her friends, who had "warned her" about us, called her yesterday and she told her about her baptism the day before. She said, "Though she was in shock, she congratulated me, and I told her The Church of Jesus Christ is true!" I look forward to seeing her married in the temple and her children going on mission. I think she's an angel. I could not have dreamed a better ending to my mission. I have loved the whole thing. The Lord has been so good to me.

I know that this is His Church and His work. It has been a humbling experience to feel the Lord use me as an instrument in His hand. I know that I am nothing without Him. I know that with Him I can do anything. I love my Savior and His gospel. I know he wants us to be happy and He teaches us how through living prophets. It's all true and Heavenly Father is ready to tell anybody if they just ask.

Thank for you everything. I love you.

- Elder Jonathan D. C. Mahoney

Apology

Well, I'm already coming into the final week down here in Odessa. The work rolls on. During the past week I have been able to feel the Spirit many times in different teaching situations. I can feel the power and authority of my calling. We're here to call people to repentance and it's pretty awesome to actually do that.

I'll share one lesson we've taught to several people recently. We ask people about their conversion and how they came into the Church. We ask more probing questions to learn more about all the details and their feelings. Then we read from 3 Nephi 23:7-13 when Christ was on the Americas:

7 And it came to pass that he said unto Nephi: Bring forth the record which ye have kept.

8 And when Nephi had brought forth the records, and laid them before him, he cast his eyes upon them and said:

9 Verily I say unto you, I commanded my servant Samuel, the Lamanite, that he should testify unto this people, that at the day that the Father should glorify his name in me that there were many saints who should arise from the dead, and should appear unto many, and should minister unto them. And he said unto them: Was it not so?

10 And his disciples answered him and said: Yea, Lord, Samuel did prophesy according to thy words, and they were all fulfilled.

11 And Jesus said unto them: How be it that ye have not written this thing, that many saints did arise and appear unto many and did minister unto them?

12 And it came to pass that Nephi remembered that this thing had not been written.

13 And it came to pass that Jesus commanded that it should be written; therefore it was written according as he commanded.

Then we ask them if they have written down what happened with them, their spiritual experiences. We've had some powerful experiences with it. We then sometimes read D&C 6:22-24 and talk about how it is easier to remember the answer God gives us if we have written them down. One of the first verses of scripture we have after the restoration of the Church is D&C 21:1, "Behold, there shall be a record kept among you." We need to keep a record of our own personal lives and experiences.

I wanted to apologize for not writing more in my weekly letters. We are usually in a noisy, smokey internet club with limited time and usually when I sit down at the computer my mind goes blank. Regardless of how much I've written or not written, I love my mission. I have learned a lot and met so many amazing people. It has been a huge blessing for me to serve here and invite people to come unto Christ. I know that this is His Church. He runs the show. Alone I am nothing, but with the Lord I know I can do anything.

Thank you all for the love and support. The Church is true.

Love,
Elder Mahoney

Russian, Arabic, and French

This has been a pretty busy week. It's hard to remember everything that happened. First off, Sveta continues to do very well. We taught her a great lesson and she came to a couple activities.

On one day this past week we gave out a Book of Mormon in each French, Arabic, and Russian. We met a very interesting woman on the street who is on a BBC documentary called Ukraine's Forgotten Children. She talked a lot about some bad things happening to orphans and handicapped people. I will be looking more into that after my mission. She accepted a Book of Mormon and we prayed with her on the street. We then met an African from DR Congo whom I'd met playing sports. I testified to him in French and gave him a Book of Mormon in French. We had a note in the apartment that a man wanted a Book of Mormon in Arabic. We called him up and he invited us over. The address was the Islamic Cultural Center here in Odessa, so we went in and he showed us around. He's a sheikh and the imam here. It was pretty neat. Very kind man. He wants us to talk to the students there about our beliefs. He's very into interfaith relations. We gave him the book too, of course.

We also did some service shoveling for a member in another area. On another day we went and helped do some work inside for a youth center for handicapped people. It's completely funded by the people and apparently the first of its kind here. It was fun to help a cool cause like that along with a few other student volunteers.

Time is going so fast. I'm very grateful to be here and serve the Lord. I feel the Spirit witness of our words when we teach and testify of truth. It's a privilege to help people come unto Jesus Christ. This is His work. I love it.

- Elder J. Mahoney

Past the Two-year Mark

Somehow it's Monday again. I had my first and last Zone Conference in Odessa this past week. It's always awesome to learn from our Mission President and his wife.

We taught Sveta again, whom I mentioned last week and I think the highlight of the week for me was probably on Saturday. On Friday we met with her and talked a bit about baptism along with the Plan of Salvation. I then invited her to a baptism the other elders here would be having on Friday. She went to check her planner then told us that she definitely couldn't come. They next day we went downstairs from the conference to the baptism and there she was! She didn't even let us know she was coming, so it was a pleasant surprise. She didn't make it to Church on Sunday, but I called and she said she was thinking about it all day and that in the future she thinks she will make it so she has Sundays off. Things are going pretty well.

I wish I could say more. I'm loving my mission. Elder Pace is a legit companion and I'm grateful to be serving with him for my last transfer. He'll be my second last companion in life. ;-)

I love the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Spirit witnesses to me that it is true. I know this is Christ's restored Church. It is a privilege to testify of it as an authorized representative of Jesus Christ. He lives and He's coming back soon.

- Elder Jonathan Mahoney

It's all true.

I can't believe how fast this past week has gone by. I know that I say that almost every week. I'm sorry for the repetition, but it's unbelievable. Some pretty exciting things are happening in the branch. I'm excited. The other 2 elders in our branch currently have 3 baptismal dates and we have some good things in the works. I have pretty good hopes about a couple of the people we're teaching.

The coolest story this week comes from Monday night. We had Family Home Evening with our branch president Glukhov and then on the trolleybus home I sat next to a young woman. I could see that she was kinda looking at me and the book in my hand so I moved the book a little so she could see it better. She kept looking, so I broke the ice by saying, "What street is this? Uspyenskaya right?" She answered and then started asking who we are and why we are here. We got off at the same stop and ended up walking in the same direction a little bit. I told her more about what we do and our message and gave her a business card and Family: A Proclamation to the World. I invited her to home evening at the senior couple's apartment on Wednesday, but I thought maybe she was more interested in us than the Church. Well, she came and she's legit. We watch a little video about the Church and she was active in the discussion afterward with many other YSA and youth. She said, "I don't know about other people in the room, but I really like that in the video the people don't smoke or drink." She told everybody she wasgrateful that she came that evening. She told me afterward that she looks at people in Ukraine differently know. She said she always though before that there aren't any good people here, that everybody smokes and drinks. She said, "I didn't know that there are good people in Ukraine." Well, there are and I'm excited for her. We met with her on Friday and she had lots of great questions. We taught her about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I read part of Moroni 10:3, "I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them", and asked her what she thinks it means "if it be wisdom in God." She said, "God brought me here." We talked a little bit about baptism and she came to Church on Sunday. I'm very excited to see her progress. She's in her mid-twenties, in the 3rd year of her 2nd music degree. She's studying to be a conductor now. I look forward to sharing more good news about her. Her name's Svyeta.

I love my mission. It's a privilege to serve under our inspired mission president. He's constantly pushing us to be greater each day. The gospel is awesome and when I live it I'm happy. I'm a son of a King, a son of God, and I know that I can return to live with Him and my family through the mercy and Atonement of Jesus Christ. Life's pretty cool. Thanks for all the love and support. Please keep praying for us.

Sincerely,

Elder Mahoney

Short, but sweet update

Times goes too fast. We went down to Kiev last Wednesday, on the train all day, and picked up our new companions on Thursday. I'm happy the trainers meeting wasn't quite as long as before because it's a little boring the 3rd time. All other trainers had also trained 2 or 3 times before except one. My new companion is Elder Stuart Pace. His parents are mission president in Barcelona Spain, so he just turned 18! His sister is on a mission in Norway too. He way cool and is already doing very well at Russian. I'm impressed as are all the members. I'm excited to get into this last transfer and do work with him.

We got home on Friday night after another all day train, about 11 hours. I learned to make vareniki on Saturday. They're perogies in English. That was way fun.

I wish I knew more of what to say. I know the Church is true. My testimony keeps getting stronger. I feel the Spirit as we teach and testify. I love my mission.

- Elder Mahoney

7680 stairs.

I suppose there actually have been some pretty interesting things this past week. On Tuesday President Klebingat was down with his wife for a Relief Society meeting. On Wednesday morning he invited all the missionaries here to run. (He's a marathon runner, by the way.) I'll copy what he wrote us in his weekly letter:

"The real you - your spirit or mind – is designed to have dominion over your physical body which ideally means that what the real you says and desires is what your body should help you accomplish. "Your mind is in charge; your body is the instrument of your mind" (Boyd K. Packer, 2009 October General Conference). Just as a car can still go many kilometers even after the light has come on and the fuel gauge shows empty, so you can push your spirit and your body far beyond what you think was possible. An active – not theoretical - faith in Christ combined with a healthy dose of willpower can work miracles in your life whereas "in the absence of willpower the most complete collection of virtues and talents is wholly worthless" (Aleister Crowley). 

"An impressive display of this and the fact that "great souls have wills; feeble ones have only wishes" (Chinese proverb) was observed while I was in Odessa last week with Sister Klebingat. As per tradition, I met the missionaries for an early morning run at the top of the ominous Odessa Harbor stairs, the goal being to beat the new mission record of 15 rounds, set by Elder Shurtleff. Accompanied by Elders Schultz, Michels, Christensen, Perkins, Thatcher, Detro, Mikhailovsky, Dutton, Mahoney, and Stroud I took off believing that with time and pain natural selection would take its course and decimate the group (Sister O'Neil – WAY TO GO – joined us a little later for much of the experience!). To make a long, wonderful experience short, I was proven wrong as we all stayed together finishing 20 rounds (5.6 km/3.6 mi, covering 540 m/1,771 ft of altitude, and a total of 7,680 stairs – 3,840 up and 3,840 down)."

Pretty cool experience. President and his wife also came to our District Meeting which was fun. It's always cool to spend time with them. I got another surprise call from President on Friday. He asked me to train again for my last transfer. I was really expecting that, but at the same time I've kinda gotten used to unexpected things happening. It'll be great to serve with another new missionary. Hopefully I can help him learn something, but I'm sure that his fire will help me finish this last transfer strong. My companion, Elder Schultz is moving to another city and I'll be finishing here in Odessa.

Things are going well. I love serving here. The truly is Christ's Church. I'm learning everyday.

Thanks for all the love and support,

Elder Mahoney

Monday Miracle

Another week has blown by! I hardly know what to say. I think I'll just share one pretty cool story. Last Monday we got a call during p-day. The man, Igor, said he met us about a month and a half ago and he wants to meet. I suggested meeting the next day to which he replied, "can't you do it today?" I said, "I suppose so." In a few hours we met with him. He's 36 and used to be a seaman. Three years ago he found a Bible in Russian at port in Australia. He started reading and believed. He didn't really have any idea what's different between this Church and others, so we got to explaining it. He asked, "How does baptism work here?" I explained how it works and what must come first, namely faith and repentance, then asked, "It sounds like something you're interested in?" He said, "Yes." I then simply posed the question, "Do you want to be baptized?" He again replied, "Yes." So, we had a great spiritual first lesson with him and it was a pretty sweet miracle. We haven't been able to get a hold of him since then and he didn't come to Church yesterday, but we have faith we'll be seeing some more of him. Not too many people have called us on my mission. I know that the Lord's hand is in this work. I can't think of anything else to tell about from this week, though we've been pretty busy all the time.

This is Christ's restored Church. I love it. It's a privilege to serve here.

- Elder J. Mahoney

P.S. Awesome new Mormon Message that everybody should watch, especially people preparing for missions. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoWRbNwClMs

August 6th, 2012

Happy August! I can't believe July is gone already. This past week was topped of with a baptism. I was privileged Vitaliy from Moldova on Saturday. He clearly put a lot of thought into everything. He was ready for it. He even came about an hour early for the baptism. I love to hear the sound of the font filling up in a chapel. This is what it's all about. That's our main role here as missionaries, to help people come unto Christ and take the step of baptism. He also asked that I confirm him on Sunday and that was another blessing for me. I could really feel the Spirit as I layed my hands upon his head. I felt a witness that all was right that it was all being done by the proper order which God has laid out. God truly is a God of order.

The branches here need more strong leaders. I have seen issues in every branch and ward I've served in here. It troubles me a lot to see things not working the way they can and should be. We're taking a lot of steps to see that the programs of the Church are being carried out properly and that people are not being forgotten. Many members seem to think they know it all, but they really need help. It's a bit of an awkward position to be in sometimes, as a missionary trying to "fix" things, but it's a privilege to be here and learn. My mission has been filled with great learning opportunities.

Our days consist of a lot of sweating and a lot of people who have "no time" to talk, but we learn everyday and we always have something to work on. The whole mission is trying to get at least one baptism per companionship in the month of August. We have one. It's getting a little late to have another date set for this month, but we're trying. I love our mission president and how he is constantly pushing us, or maybe I should say pulling us because he truly leads.

I love the Savior. I love this work. I feel God's protection and His power. We are not alone here. There are angels round about us.

Thanks for all the love and support,
Elder Jonathan Mahoney

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July 30th, 2012

Another sweaty week has come and gone very quickly. It was 29 degrees inside when I got up at 5:30 this morning. Very warm. I was in Kiev for a leadership training meeting. That meant that I spent 9 hours on a train on Thursday and 12 on Saturday. Makes the time go pretty fast.

In addition to that I was on exchanges with another Elder this past week for another day. It makes things pretty crazy. It seems like we don't have time to get what we want/need done, but the work goes on. We have an investigator with a baptismal date for this Saturday named Vitaliy. He's from Moldova and is looking forward to this weekend. He feels that he needs the support and protection that the Lord and His Church provide. Miracles are happening in our mission and it's a privilege to see the Gospel of Jesus Christ change people's lives.

I truly feel it a privilege to be serving here at this time. We have such a great group of missionaries here and we are lead by a great, inspired mission president. I'm learning everyday.

I feel and appreciate your prayers. Thank you.

Love,

Elder Mahoney

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Sweaty Days in Odessa

I'm sweating in a smoke-smelling unmarked internet club in Odessa, Ukraine. I love my mission. I'm learning everyday and inching forward in personal progress.

It was 36 degrees on our thermometer today and we don't even have a fan in our apartment. I'm working on that, but for now I'm sweating all day and all night usually.

We have an investigator from Moldova named Vitaliy who will be baptized on August 4th. He was being taught before I got here, but there was a little break and we really just started teaching him again since I got here. He's 37 and he actually walked here from his home looking for a better life. I'll say he found it. The branch is starting to fellowship him a bit more and I can see him starting to open up and grow. I know that this will be the best thing that has happened to him in his life.

We have a pretty great branch here with an attendance of 80 or 90 a week. I'm still trying to meet all the members. It's hard to keep track of everybody especially with so many visitors each week since we're in the center of a tourist city. There are lots of tourists here and quite a few immigrants. We even taught a Chinese investigator yesterday. My companion Elder Schultz is a great missionary and we're learning together. Life is fun.

My testimony is truly strengthened each day. I'm slowly increasing in my understanding of the gospel. I love it. I know that this is Christ's one and only Church on the earth. I was called by God through a living prophet to serve a mission here in the Kiev Ukraine Mission. I feel it a privilege to be here right now.

Thanks for all the prayers and support,

Elder Mahoney

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July 16th, 2012

The past week has been a bit of a whirlwind. At the beginning of the week I was still in Chernigov packing and visiting some people for the last time in quite a while. We went down to Kiev on Wednesday night and checked my bags at the train station. On Thursday morning we met up with our new companions. I finished 3 good transfers with Elder Derrick Copling and started a new one with Elder Erich Schultz. That even we got on a night train down to Odessa. I'm serving in the center branch here. President says I'll finish here. It's a pretty neat city. I like that there are a lot of immigrants. I look forward to meeting some. I heard a couple Africans speaking French already, the other day. I think there's like 1.5 million people here. The city seems to be really spread out and it seems to take quite a while to get places on the bus. It is very hot these days, up over 30 degrees. We don't even have a fan in our apartment so I sweat basically all day and all night. It was 26 degrees when I won't up this morning and it's about the same when I go to sleep, hotter during the day. I'm working on changing the fan situation.

I'm serving in the biggest branch in the city. There's a district with several branches here. Our branch is in a super cool location just about 100 metres or so from the Opera House. There are lots of people around all the time. It was neat to go to church here on Sunday and meet a lot of new people. About 80 people come every week. I haven't been in a new area for 7 transfers, so now I'm trying to meet everybody and remember who they are. We already have a couple decent investigators and one baptismal date, so things are off to a decent start. I can feel that miracles are soon to come. There are 4 Elders in our branch and 2 more are in our missionary district from another branch. We have a Canadian, a Ukrainian, and a Bulgarian in our district along with 3 Americans. It's the most international district in the mission right now I think. Except one other that's tied with us. It's fun.

Time is going so fast. I love serving here. I'm constantly moving toward some goal. I'm trying to get some things don't before this is over. I feel it a privilege to be here. I know that this is Christ's Church and we are doing his work. God lives. He answers prayers.

Thanks for everything,

Elder Mahoney

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Transfers!

Wow, I thought that I would just finish my mission here in Chernigov, but I got a surprise. In a interview with president last week I found out I will move one last time. I'm going to be serving in the center branch in Odessa with Elder Schultz. I didn't really want to be transfered again, but when President told me I accepted it right away and now I'm actually pretty excited. I will have a Bulgaria and a Ukrainian in my district and all the district members are just awesome. 2 weeks ago they had 4 baptisms in my branch there and apparently 100 people came! They say it's the biggest branch in Odessa too. I can feel that it will be an awesome 2 transfers down there. We will see miracles.

This past week we used some of our p-day to go to Kiev early and visit a historic village called Piragova. I heard there were some actors that would be playing old instruments or making crafts or something. Unfortunately we didn't see any of that, but we did see a lot of old houses. There's a "modern village" with homes from the 60s and 70s. There is an exact replica of an average home from a village in each of the provinces of Ukraine. It was kinda funny because a lot of the houses look the same as they still do. A lot of the interiors were similar to places I have lived. Haha! Same pots and couches and stuff. I think some of the things might have been nicer that places I've lived. The old village was a bit cooler. There were homes from the 1700, 1800, and 1900s there, as well as churches and windmills. A lot of the houses had wheat roofs (or straw?). It was interesting to think that when people lived in a lot of those homes there wasn't much opportunity to travel anywhere. This part of the world was practically unknown to the people where I'm from and vice versa. Some of the home were built before the restoration of the gospel. It was interesting to imagine a little bit of what their lives were like back then. A lot of the interiors were very nice. Well kept. They'd even painted some things on the walls.

We had a great zone meeting in Kiev on Wednesday. We really have some great missionaries here. I felt the Spirit throughout. I'm happy to be here. I love this work. It goes one. =D

- Elder J. Mahoney

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Atheism

The fact that I'm writing this letter means that another week has flown by. It's pretty wild.

We've continued to meet with our atheist investigator whom I believe I mentioned a couple months ago. He's a great guy. He's smart and he knows history really well. We love him. We had a meeting with him yesterday and we continue to plead with him to pray. He said, "I can't pray. I'm an atheist." At the end, my companion was testifying and then the man said, "Maybe..." I joked, "Woah, can you say that? I thought you're an atheist." He then changed his mind and agreed that he can't. I asked him if being an atheist is an important part of who he is. He said yes. He said, "I was an atheist, I am an atheist, and I will be an atheist." I asked if he believed he could change. He said, "If I weren't an atheist, I would be nothing." It's interesting how much he has thought everything out and come to this conclusion without any openness to other possibilities. He's already read up to 4th Nephi in the Book of Mormon, which is the main reason we keep meeting with him. I think we'll keep meeting with him until he finished is at least. We testify again and again as representative of Jesus Christ that God lives and loves him. If he would just pray he could receive and answer and feel it too. I pray that he might feel God's love and be open to change. It'll be interesting to see how he accepts everything after this life.

I love the gospel and this Church. I love being a missionary. Thanks for all the prayers, love, and support.

Love,

Elder J. Mahoney 

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June 25th, 2012

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

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

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

Thanks for everything.

Love,

Elder J. Mahoney

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A God of Miracles

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

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

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

- Elder Mahoney

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Press Forward Saints

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

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

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

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

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

Love,

Elder J. Mahoney

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June 4th, 2012

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

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

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

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

Thanks to everyone for all the love and support.

- Elder Mahoney

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The Members Need Us

The first great news is thatI will be staying in Chernigov for at least another transfer! At this rate I hope I just finish my mission here. I'll have have 2 more transfers after this next one. Actually everybody in Chernigov has stayed the same, so I'm still with Elder Copling. I really love serving here and Elder Copling's a great companion.

Our mission president sends a letter to all of us once a week and this week he talked about how much missionary from another mission was asking one of our missionaries if we can take naps in our "free time" and if we can watch Disney movies on p-days. We can't... Haha. We have a mission culture of work and obedience. I'm so grateful that we are serving in a mission with such high standards. I feel myself developing habits and qualities that I strongly desire. I feel like I'm really improving right now. I'm moving forward. I've been waking up a little earlier recently and I am loving it. Usually I just study more and I am learning so much. I am always hungry now to read and learn more. As soon as I learn one thing I just want to learn something else. It's an awesome feeling.

Last Monday we had an interesting experience. We set up with an older woman in the branch who was baptized just over a year ago. We prepared a lesson for her that was fairly generic. On the way there I was feeling like maybe we were just doing it to get off the street or something, that maybe we could have been using our time more effectively. We got started on the lesson and we soon learned that this woman didn't completely understand and has only been paying tithing on her pension, though she makes about 4 times that much. I immediately got out some scriptures and started to address the issue. At first she expressed that she didn't know if she would be able to get by if she paid tithing on "all income." As the lesson went on and we promised blessings she became excited to give President Solomein an envelop with "so much money in it" and committed that she would do it. I said, "I feel that this is what we were supposed to talk about this evening." and I gave her the talk we were going to read from as "homework". As we were traveling home afterward, I realized that we needed to be there that evening. These members need us in their homes. There are a lot of things they may never learn if we aren't there to teach them. It was such a blessing to see somebody change, or repent, right before our eyes. That's what it's all about really.

We had a missionary leadership training meeting in Kiev that was a good experience. President and this assistants introduced a new idea for counting some different numbers. I liked how it was truly like a council in that when people disagreed or brought up new perspectives they were valued and considered. It got to the point where President was short on time and there were some valid issues brought up, so he just assigned several elders to get together after and figure it out. I took part in the extra "council" meeting we had afterward. I think it may have been on of the most successful meetings of that sort that I've ever been on. It was a great process. We opened and closed with a prayer and, though at the beginning there were many different thoughts and opinions, everybody listened to each other respectfully and we came to a conclusion that all agreed with in the end.

We had the best branch council I've been on here yesterday. We actually discussed 5 people who need help (as the area presidency has asked us to) and what concrete actions we can take with them. Since it was the first time that's really happened the meeting went long and the new missionary program that the area presidency also asked us to do here wasn't introduced yet. I was left feeling though that they have so many problems of their own to figure out and they'd better figure out how to care for the members they already have before they start going out contacting. We'll certainly be trying to incorporate helping with a lot of home teaching into the program though.

I love my mission. Things are going well though the fruits aren't popping up too much. Thanks to all for the love and support. The Church is true.

Love,

Elder Mahoney

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It goes on.

I don't have a lot of time, but I gotta at least let you know I'm still alive.

I just spent most of p-day helping the couple I just went to the temple with get a lot of their family history put into the computer so they can perform saving ordinances for their ancestors. Yesterday I taught them the 7th and final temple prep lesson which a review after the first time they went. It went very well. They are so happy and you can tell that something is different. It's awesome to be a part of all this.

We had a priesthood leadership meeting in Kiev on Saturday to which the Branch President didn't come. He's working way too much these days. It's not good for his calling or his family. I'll be talking to him about that tomorrow.

I don't know much what to say. We're working away. We're trying to get deceased and lost people off our branch list and focus on the people that can be helped. There's a new member missionary program being introduced around the mission so I look forward to seeing how that goes.

I love being a missionary. I might not be able to see too many people change around me, but I can feel and see myself changing and that's amazing. I love this gospel.

Thanks for all the love an support,

Elder J. Mahoney

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Amazing.

It seemed like a calm week, but it was crowned by an amazing event. Last year in May I was privileged to baptize Valentina Levchenko and my companion, Elder Drasso, baptized he husband, Victor. It's be a year since then already and here I am, serving back in Chernigov. I had the unique opportunity to go with them to the Kiev Temple this past week and be with them as they were endowed and seal for time and all eternity. It was truly incredible. I can't really describe all the feelings of the day, but I am humble grateful for this blessing in my life and in theirs. They were just glowing with joy and tears rolled down cheeks throughout the day. I love them. We were having dinner together afterwards and Victor stood to say a few words. At the end he started to tear up, then said, "I ask you to pray for us, that we may endure to the end, and we'll be praying for you." What powerful words. I have great confidence that they will continue in their eternal progression and be a great strength in the kingdom.

We then stayed in Kiev for a zone conference the next day. It was awesome, as always. I learn so much from our Mission President. He's a great example to me.

I know that God lives. Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. I'm learning more and more what these things mean and I invite all to do the same. I love my mission. If you're at all considering serving a mission, do it! It truly will change your life.

Thanks for the love and prayers,

Elder J. Mahoney

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Keep On Goin'

It's toasty warm here and the work goes on. My companion and I are having lots of fun. I love him and I love this city. The branch is so great here.

It was a pretty quiet week, so again I'm not too sure what to share with you, but here's a story:

We met with the atheist we taught last week again. In testimony meeting a member who had helped us on a lesson with him share the story of the lesson a little bit. Then, during Sunday School at the end the teacher said she felt like sharing something. While he was testifying and relating that story she was thinking about her conversion. She was an atheist too and she was asking herself and trying to remember what it was that made her believe. She said is was the example of the missionaries, the way they lived their lives, the light in their eyes. She recalled that she didn't really listen too much to the words they said because she thought she was much smarter than them. I know that she was prompted to share that story. It gave me a lot of hope in our investigator and gave me a vision of his conversion. He clearly likes us and he respectfully listens as we teach him eternal truths. I pray that the Spirit will touch his heart.

I love serving here and I know that God lives and loves us. I feel it. He hears our prayers and answers them. He gives us commandments for our good. When we keep them He immediately blesses us. When we don't we have no promise. He do not succor His people in the day of their transgression. Let us keep those commandments and reap the blessing. It's all true. I love you.

- Elder Mahoney

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Sweaty Days and Yelling Atheists

Another week has disappeared and I really don't know what to say. Two neat things happened this weekend.

We found a new investigator for the first time in a while. He is 46 and an atheist. He the smartest atheist I've ever met. He has sound, logical answers to the questions I ask him. He is searching though. He might not admit it, but there's some reason his favorite subject is religion. At one point during a lesson with him he was yelling, "If God loves me, why doesn't He just appear to me and talk to me face to face!?" He says he wants to feel Gods love, but... he really doesn't want to pray. He listens respectfully when we teach him. It comes down to a lot of testifying though and pray that he will feel something. I feel God's love for him.

The next cool thing was helping out at a members summer home again. We got to get out and get some sun and move out limbs a little more that the regular walking, book-holding, and handshaking. Haha. We helped plant potatoes. I was there at the same place last year. It's been getting really warm here and starting to get pretty sweaty in out missionary getup. I love it though. My companion is a great guy and we're truckin' on. It seems that we are inching forward.

I love the gospel and I love my Savior. I'm learning every day and I feel so blessed to be here. I know our message is true. Christ's Church has been restored!

Love,

Elder Mahoney

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I am yet alive.

Hello world!

It was a really quiet week, but the sun has come out and the flowers are popping up. It's really nice to see some green around here. I guess "I write unto you again that ye may know that I am yet alive" (Moroni 9:1). I'm happy to be here and the work is inching forward. I've been blessed to talk to a few neat people recently and I love my area and my companion.

I know the my Redeemer lives. Life is about preparing to return to God and live in an eternal family. We do this by repenting which is made possible by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He was more than just a good man. He is the Son of God and has received all the glory of the Father. I know this is His Church and I'm so blessed to have this knowledge.

A member here puts some pictures up from this area, so you might want to check it out:

http://www.facebook.com/groups/307801729248191/

Thank you for all the love and support. Let your light shine,

Elder Mahoney

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Иисус воскрес!

I forgot to mention last week that I needed to go to Bulgaria again to renew my visa. So, on Monday I was in Kiev, then I was in Sofia, Bulgaria from Tuesday-Thursday. It was a fun trip. We walked around a lot and even got to see a play there. I remember last time I was there I didn't really want to leave, but this time I was fine with coming back. It's nice to be "home" back here in Chernigov.

Nothing else really exciting happened this week.

Easter was celebrated here this weekend. I'm not sure if I wrote about it last year, but on Easter here it's tradition to say "Иисус воскрес!" which means "Jesus was resurrected!" and the other person responds "Во истину вокрес!" which means, "Truly he did!" Pretty neat thing. I love the area here and my companion. We just found out transfer info and I will be staying with him for another 6 weeks here! Yay! I remember at the beginning of my mission I was always hoping for some change, but now I'm good with things staying the same. I like it here.

I know the Christ truly was resurrected after 3 days in the tomb. He appeared to the people in Jerusalem and to the Nephites on the American continent. I know that he lives today. I'm excited to see him again. I love Him and feel His love for me. Glory to God.

Thanks for the love and support,

Elder Mahoney

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A Mighty Change

I don't really know what to write this week. The highlight for me was General Conference this last week. It was such a privilege to hear the word of God delivered to us through living prophets and apostles. I know that that's really what happened. It was a spiritual feast and I feel way nourished. I feel, at least to some extent, how the people did in Mosiah 5:2 after hearing King Benjamin's address, "Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually." I know the words are true and I really just want to do good. I want to live a righteous life. I feel like a mission is like a fast from the world, in a way. I'm grateful that we don't watch movies, or TV, or listen to worldly music. I feel like I'm slowly being purified. I just want to raise a righteous family and serve as the Lord directs. Almost all other desires are fading away. I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ changes lives. It's not always easy to keep going here, but I know that God sent me here to teach repentance. Repentance is change for good and that's simply what we need to do if we want to be happy. I love my Savior, Jesus Christ. He's my Brother and He's watching out for me. I'm learning everyday and I am full of gratitude. Thanks to all who have touched my life. Let us all repent each day and move a little close to the goal. I love you.

- Elder Jonathan Mahoney

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Traveling Frenzy

It's been a pretty wild week, but a good one, nonetheless. We were in Kiev for on Monday for p-day where we went curling, which turned out to be a lot of fun. Then I got to see some members in my last area and we had a great little family home evening with an awesome family there. On Tuesday we had some "specialized training" with President Klebingat. It was basically a slightly more casual zone conference because we're only supposed to have official ones once a quarter. He's such an inspiration to me. I look up to him a lot and he teaches us things we can apply our whole lives. We had the awesome opportunity to go to the temple that evening which is uplifting as always, then we came back to Chernigov on Wednesday morning.

On Wednesday night we went out to find a woman who just appeared on our branch list a few months ago. She was home. She's 22 and she was baptized in Canada! She's going to marry a Canadian member in June. She's doing her residency here now as a gynecologist. Another crazy thing is that I actually met her sister and bother-in-law last year on the street when I was here and they were visiting! She's busy with work and she says she likes the Church more in Canada, but she's never been to our branch, so we're getting her out. Haha. It was a pretty wild experience. I look forward to seeing her at Church and helping her prepare to be a great wife and mother in the Church.

We were then in Kiev again for the stake young men activity. It was a great one. First thing in the morning about 20 missionaries and 16 youth all gathered along with the stake young men's presidency. We had sort of a mini-zone conference where each member of the presidency, who all happen to be return missionaries, gave some instruction. Then the assistants taught a great little lesson about our purpose as missionaries and conducted some role plays. After that we were split up into companionship. Most young men were paired up with one elder and a couple were in trios. I was with an 18 year old. My companion was with a 14 year old. When the young man found out how new he was he said, "can we have another missionary with us? this guy's only been here for 4 weeks, he doesn't even know Russian." Everybody laughed and said, "you speak Russian, you'll be fine." I just sort of mused at that and was excited, knowing it would be a great learning experience for both of them. I had a great time with my companion. It was the first time I'd ever been out with a native Russian-speaker. We went tracting and after a few doors I said, "okay, now we'll take turns." He was scared at first, but I threw him in and he swam. It was great. At the end of the day we all met up again and had a chance to share some of our experience. It was awesome to see the young men get up one after another and talk about how scared they were at first and then how once they had "a lot more experience" it got easy. It seemed like everybody loved it. It was definitely one of the best young men's activities I've ever been to. I'll certainly try to repeat it somewhere else. There were some refreshments after that and I think they watched The Best 2 Years after.

Things are going well. Elder Copling and I are getting along great and we're happy. I love being a missionary and it's truly a privilege to be here. I'm learning everyday. I know this is where the Lord wants me. There are some new pictures up on the mission website, so check it out: http://www.ukrainekievmission.com/

Thanks for everything,

Elder J. Mahoney

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Close to Chernobyl

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

The work goes one.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Love,

Elder J. Mahoney

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Sunshiny Day

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

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

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

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

Love,

Elder Jonathan Mahoney

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks for everything,

Elder J. Mahoney

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Big Changes

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

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

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

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

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

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

Love,

Elder Jonathan Mahoney

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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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