So all here is going well. As far as the potatoes are concerned, there are a lot of people here who live out in the celo (small villages). (I asked him about the 2 pictures he sent last week where you can see the person plowing the field with horses and plow and you can see the horses and wagon.) There most people have their plots of lands and their own personal gardens and out there, no one has money so all the work is done by hand. I have seen tractors driving around in the cities, but most people don't have them. Almost everyone here has a small garden though and then a plot of land for bigger stuff too. It is pretty amazing to think about how people live here - really humbling at times.
So you asked about trips on p-days. That is a pretty rare opportunity, because usually we are really busy, but there are a lot of members who live in towns outside of Ivano-Frankivsk so we visit them. There are a lot of towns in the Carpathian mountains too which we are planning on visiting one of them. Still, usually we don't have a lot of time, but they are great cultural experiences when we find the opportunity.
Anyway, so I am glad to hear that the Kyiv Temple is getting so much attention. (I told him how the Church News has had articles about it for the last month.) That is the way it should be because the temple is a place we all need to strive to be. It is so important to make that time to get to the temple and now that there is a new one here, it is a good opportunity to remind everyone of those covenants they have made, or should be striving to achieve. It is still a huge focus here among all the members too. Yesterday, all three of our talks were about temples and temple work and it was really neat to hear the testimonies of those members who now have a great opportunity here. Also, just something else I noticed, all three of the recent converts here (all three were baptized within the last year) were able to use the priesthood they hold to perform the sacrament ordinance. There are not a lot of priesthood holders here, but it was neat to see how they are striving to work towards the Melchizedek priesthood by worthily using the preparatory priesthood they hold.
Sasha was progressing pretty well this last week, but on Saturday he went home to Russia where he lives. Still, he said he knows where our church building is there and I know that he has learned a lot and his faith has grown while he was here. It was a great opportunity to be able to get to know him and to try to help him grow in his faith of Christ. I know that we have helped him a lot and even though now may not be the time, sometime in the future he will remember what we told him and decide to make a change. Sister Dania, his mother, was very thankful for his willingness to meet and she said in her talk yesterday that he changed a lot in those few weeks and that he likes the church. I know that we made a difference with him and that is great.
Well, I am going to wrap up, but I am grateful, as always, for your letter. It is always so nice to get updates from home and to see the ways that the Lord is blessing all of you. I know that He has blessed me so much already and I can tell that you are also receiving blessings. It is so great that all of us are able to feel the love and comfort of our Savior and to have the knowledge that we have. Don't be afraid to share that with others. It is one of our duties as members and I know that God blesses us with opportunities. Just pray for a chance and He will put someone in your path. I know that you are already doing a great job because you have helped me to get to this point. What a blessing it is to have a mother! I love you mom.
With Love,
Elder Jones
(And here is a paragraph from his letter to Caitlin)
Anyway, so I am doing well here in Ivano. Life is good and the weather is way nice - not cold but not hot. It rains so much though. Yesterday was really hot though, in my suit. We ended up going to a small graveside memorial of one of the old members here. He lived far away from the city and was really old, so I had never seen him, but Elder Belashov and I, along with about 7 members went out there where we had a little LDS ceremony. His son was there too (he is a member in Kyiv), and he sealed the grave and then they dedicated it. It was neat to be a part of it, and even though he had just died, we focused on how he was in the Spirit World and Resurrection and it was pretty neat. It was a weird experience, but nice.
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