June 7, 2010

Hey Mom,

So this past week was a pretty crazy one. Elder Smith and I had a lot of work to do and we did a pretty good job getting out and keeping Rivne going. It was really tough to go away for a couple of days, but the work should pick back up this week. Elder Smith is a great missionary and a good example for me. So, on Friday I found out who my new companion is. His name is Elder Parker and he is from Alpine, Utah. He has been out for 8 months (two transfers more than me, so 12 weeks longer). I am looking forward to working with him and we are both going to grow a lot this transfer I think. (Here Ryan is with Elder Parker)

After spending Friday afternoon contacting in Kyiv, we went to the mission office next to the temple and ate dinner and then watched The Other Side of Heaven, before going back to get rest for the night. I have some Temple pictures that I will send home.On Saturday, we got up early and headed to center Kyiv to meet with Elder Scott. That was such an incredible experience. All 100 of us missionaries were there and as he got there, we all stood and had an opportunity to shake his hand in introduce ourselves. I am sure his hand was a little sore after that. He talked to us about a lot of different topics. He talked about the Spirit and how He will guide us in the work. Elder Scott told us to always pay attention to those things which we see, hear, and feel and to write them down as we seek guidance from the Lord. That is how the Spirit will answer us. Elder Scott also talked about personal character. He said that the yardstick which the Lord will use to judge us is measured in our personal character. As we strive to study the gospel and to follow the commandments, we are molded into that character which our Heavenly Father wants us to be. He also bore strong testimony of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I have no doubts that Elder Scott is an Apostle of the Lord. His personal witness of Christ is so powerful. The Spirit was incredible in that room as he testified.

We got back to Rivne Sunday morning at about 5. I am starting to get sick now and I think it is because of the lack of sleep that I got these past few days. Also, my allergies have been absolutely horrible this past week. But it doesn't matter. As Elder Scott taught us, the secret to get through our trials is to just enjoy the experiment and think about what we can do to learn from them. He must be a very wise man, because it is very difficult to enjoy allergies, but I will do my best :) Well, I am glad to hear that all is going well back home and that you are all doing what you can to continue to grow and become that person that the Lord wants. I know that life is sometimes difficult and there are so many things that get in the way, but the gospel of Christ is so simple and as we do all we can to follow the commandments, our lives will be so much happier. God loves us. Christ loves us. That is why they have revealed their plan to us. They didn't leave us guessing. We always know what we need to do and as we follow the commandments and seek the Spirit, He will tell us more that we can do to improve. I love you all and look forward to hearing from you. Thanks for you love and support.

With Love as always,

Elder JonesThese are the former 4 missionaries in Rivne, Elder Monson, Elder Smith, Ryan and Elder Fanning.