March 9, 2010 - Last Week

(This email was written to his mom.)

So I want to first off let you know that we upgraded our emails so that they are through gmail. We have a lot more memory now, but I don't have any of my contacts and the formating is strange as it doesn't let me use enters. My email is still the same address though, but if you could send the the email addresses of anyone who wants emails, that would be great.

So to answer your first question, email is going to be the easiest. Dear Elders can be printed off in Kyiv but I would only get them once a transfer, so weekly email is best. Second, we did receive our Flight Plans and we are flying Lufthansa. Here it is (and remember that all times are local times for that area) - Salt Lake 8:00 am to Chicago where I have a layover from 12:03 to 4:40. That would be the best time for me to call because we don't have much time in the morning before our flight. I can give you a call but you need to let me know what time between 11:00 and 2:30 (here) is best for you. Our next flight is from Chicago to Frankfurt where we get in at 7:00 (midnightish here I think) and where I have a 3 hour layover before our final flight into Kyiv. I will be arriving in Kyiv sometime around 1ish there and from there I meet the Mission President and my Trainer. From what I have heard, my p-day won't be until the following Monday so this may be the last email you get for two weeks. Again, let me know what time works best and I can try to give you a call. I have about 4 dollars of quarters to help me on the payphone.

I am sending home a package probably within the next few days. I am just letting you know so that you can expect it. I may or may not put letters in it (I might also just send them today through regular mail) for the girls and dad, so they don't feel bad that I didn't email them. Tell the Thorpes that I did receive their letter and I am grateful for their support. Just tell anyone who asks that I am doing great. Also, give anyone who wants to talk to me in the field my email such as grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, or friends who ask (you said Mary asked for my address, so if you would like you can give her my email). I may not have much time to write to them, but that will be the easiest way to hear from them. Let Curtis know that he is going to be awesome and let me know how his farewell goes please. I am going to try to write him today but it would be great if you told him good luck from me as well.

As for some of your other questions that you asked this week, I did get to say goodbye to Travis Sunday night which was nice. He is going to be an awesome missionary I am sure. Also, thank you for getting that letter to Graham. I hadn't really talked to him in a while and I felt like it would be good to write something. So tell Chelsea congrats for the Play, even though she was sick. I was glad to hear that you said she did awesome. Also tell Caitlin congrats for the swim awards and good luck with SUU. And as far as getting a tie from Costco, it doesn't really matter whether or not you get it. We will be fine without it. And I got your package yesterday - thanks for the shoes which are working out so far. I will break them in this week and they should be good.

--- So for a few updates from me. I started packing again on Sunday night, just folding up a few things and I don't think weight should be a problem. I actually almost filled up one of the suitcases last night and it only felt like it weighed about 40ish pounds so I think I will be fine. It is pretty crazy to be packing up again. Today was also the last time we get to go to the Temple, maybe for two years. That just depends on whether Pres. Steinagel will let us go to the Kyiv temple after it is dedicated in the late fall. That is going to be an exciting event, no matter whether or not we get to go inside.

So, last week, we had Bishop Edgley speak at our devotional. We still have only seen one Apostle, but one of the Elders in our zone, who had played the piano a little for prelude in devotionals asked Brother Ullman, the organist, if he could play tonight and Brother Ullman said No because an Apostle is coming. I am looking forward to it and hopefully it does turn out to be an Apostle. And if not, it will be ok because all the devotionals are great anyway.

Well, I am almost out of time, but I want to encourage you to keep reading and finish the Book of Mormon. I finished it on Sunday which was absolutely awesome and I know that you will be able to as well. Keep working hard and you will be blessed so much for your efforts. I want you to know that I love you very much and that I am praying for you all the time. I am so grateful for all that you have done for me. I know that this Church is true, that Joseph Smith is the Prophet of the Restoration and that Thomas S Monson leads us today. I know that Christ is our Savior.

Love, Elder Ryan Jones

March 2, 2010

So I am down to two weeks here and it is pretty scary. We are learning so quickly and we are now at 100% Ukrainian, but there is still so much that we have to learn. It is crazy to think of how long we have been here. This morning, Travis (a friend of Ryan's who is going to the Guatemala City mission) left for the MTC in Guatemala and soon we will be taking off too.

I am glad to hear that home is still crazy busy. I am glad you enjoyed Banff (the film festival tour Rob hosts every year for 3 nights) and the Olympics and whatever else may be going on at home. Also, it is cool to hear that Mom and Dad are going to be working at the Family History Center. I have been doing family names every week at the temple because a missionary brought some, and today, I was able to do a Ukrainian name that Sister Georgiyeva gave to us. It is so exciting to be taking part in the work and I know you will be doing great work.

I hope you all continue to stay busy and work hard. I know you will all be blessed for it. Also, Chelsea, good luck with the play. You will be awesome. Remember that I love all of you and that I am so thankful for your love and support and your letters :) Know that I know this is the true Church. Thomas Monson is a true prophet of God and that he and the Apostles have the restored keys of the priesthood which allow us to take part in all the wonderful ordinances and blessings of the Church. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that through Him, we can live together as a family. I know that our Heavnely Father and Jesus Christ love us so very much and they have a plan for us to return to them. All we have to do is follow it.

Keep working hard and doing what you need to!

Love,
Ryan

February 23

Okay, so I am posting excerpts from Ryan's email and letters. The email was acting up so he only emailed me and then sent letters. Most of the email was answering my questions, so doesn't really pertain.

Hey Mom,

So the email has a bit of a temper today so this may be the only one I send. Tell the girls that I will send them letters.

So last week we had Elder Spencer Jones of the Seventy speak to us. It was a pretty good talk. He was recently called to be a mission president which he said was weird for a general authority, but he was excited. As he was bearing testimony, he realized that he would only be a special witness of Jesus Christ for a few more months and it made me recognize the significance of these two years I have, wearing the name of Christ next to mine on a name tag. It will be tough once these two years are up.

Tonight I am hoping for an Apostle. We haven't had one since our second devotional when Elder Perry came so I am really hoping. I heard from some of the old Elders in our zone that Elder Holland (who was here over Christmas) promised that he would return soon. That would be awesome.

Anyway, I don't have time, but I want you to know that everything is going well. I am becoming more and more comfortable with the language and more and more excited with the work that is ahead. I know this Church is true and that Thomas Monson is a prophet today. I know that God loves us all and knows us all and that through the atonement Christ can help us with anything. Always remember that He is there to turn to. I love you and the rest of the family very much.

Love
Elder Ryan Jones

Excerpt from his letter to the family.

Hey family,

How's it going? I am doing well and I am very excited to get ready to go to Ukraine. I may be receiving my flight plans as early as this Friday which would be pretty cool.

Anyway, I love you all and want you to know that I know, without a doubt, that this is the true Church of Jesus Christ. I know that it was restored through Joseph Smith, who is a true prophet of God. I love this church and all it teaches because I know it is true and it is necessary for us to live forever. All we have to do is follow the commandments and we will be happier than we can imagine. Again, I love you all and I am grateful for your support. I know God is blessing you right now. I will write again soon.

Excerpt from a letter to his dad

I am now down to three weeks here and it is scary, but I am getting more comfortable with the language and soon I will get to use it even more. Ukraine is going to be so much fun. The history and the culture of the country is so amazing and I have heard that the people are incredibly nice. It is gonna be an amazing experience.

February 16

So, another Tuesday has come, and now I only have four weeks left. I will probably be sitting on a plane at this time, four weeks from now. It is pretty scary to think of where we are going to be in just one month, but at the same time I am so excited to know that it is getting so close. We have learned so much Ukrainian since getting here, but at the same time I am afraid that I will not be ready for when we get there. Luckily we have four weeks left here to work as hard as we can and master a few more of the basics of the language.

So the new districts came in this week and it has been pretty exciting to see all of them. There were three new districts of 12 each that came into our branch and it more than doubled the size of our branch which was nice, but kinda weird at the same time. It will be fun to get to know them a little bit. I heard that a few of them are going to Kyiv so I may even be companions with some of them. Also, I heard from my teachers that there will be 8 new Ukrainian speakers coming the week after we leave so hopefully that is good news for us. Our district of 9 Ukrainian speakers is replacing 1/4 of the Ukrainian speakers in Kyiv. That is exciting, but at the same time, it means I might be training or be the senior companion within just a few transfers. Even though that is daunting, I am so excited for it.

So not much else has happened in this past week. I haven't gotten anything that you may have sent since Saturday so sorry if I didn't answer any questions. I want you all to know that I love you very much. I am so excited and thankful for this opportunity I have to serve the Lord and to get to know and teach the wonderful people of Ukraine. I am thankful for this gospel and all that it teaches and promises us. I have no doubts that this is the true church of Jesus Christ. He did atone for us and I have felt His presence so often since I have been here. I am grateful for all of you and your support. Keep working hard with everything you do.

Love Ryan

P.S. Happy Valentine's Day and President's Day and whatever other holidays we have probably had.

February 9, 2010 - Another Tuesday

Hey family,

So it is another p-day in the MTC. The days are absolutely flying, and in five short weeks we will all be on a plane headed towards Ukraine. It is scary to think that it is that close, but at the same time, I am so excited to get out there and do what I can to teach the people of Ukraine. Everything here is going just fine. The food is still BYU cafeteria food, which definitely messes with your bowels ;P. We did eat some Ukrainian food yesterday that Sister Georgiyeva wisely mailed to us (she is not allowed to bring food in, but she mailed it to the district leader and said don't open it until she said so). That was awesome and I can't wait to get to Ukraine and get more food. From everything I have heard, it is absolutely amazing and I really am looking forward to that. My companion, Elder Hinkson, is still as awesome as ever and it is a lot of fun to be with him. I am very grateful for him and for his example.

This week, tomorrow actually, we are getting 36 new Russian speaking elders in our Branch (only 12 left this past week) so we are going to have an awesome branch. The only thing I am not looking forward to is the fact that the showers are going to be packed. It should be a great experience though. As for your question mom, we are still the only Ukrainian speaking district. They only do one at a time which is tough, but it also means that we will be able to learn some Russian from our companions out in the field (and we will have a lot of companions taught by our amazing teachers).

The language is not getting easier, but that is because we are picking up the pace which we are learning at. It is not going to get easier for a few months, but I am ok with that because it just means we are learning more and more.

So I love you all very much and hope life at home is going well. I will write again next week. If anyone asks, tell them that I am doing great and that I am very excited to be here and to be preparing to teach our brothers and sisters in Ukraine and prepare them for a Temple and all of the blessings that it holds.

Much Love
Elder Ryan Jones

February 2, 2010

So you ask me every week so I might as well tell you. Know that I am eating plenty. I have had to start exercising harder because the food is unlimited and the exercise is quite limited, but I have stayed at 205 lbs so that is good. :)

So my teachers have been telling me about the food and the history of Ukraine and now I am so anxious to get there. (Ryan loves history.) All three of my teachers say that Ukrainian food is the best in the World. They have been telling us about the foods that we should buy and the names of those foods so we can buy them and each time they do, it becomes harder and harder. I can't really explain much other than potatoes, bread, port, and all of the best vegetables (their most important crop) in the world. Also, the country itself is so old that the history is going to be amazing. I am so looking forward to being able to learn more about it. One of the towns. . . Leviv (poorly transliterated) is about 1000 years old, and unlike Kyiv, it has never been destroyed. There are tons of churches, fortresses and old narrow cobblestone streets all over western Ukraine so I am excited.

Tell Caitlin good luck at state. It is so awesome that she is doing so well and hopefully it turns out the way she wants it.

Tell everyone that I love them and that I miss you all. I am so thankful for all that you have taught me mom. It has helped me so innumerably since I have gotten here. I am out of time, but I will write again next week. I love you!

February 2, 2010 - Happy Groundhog Day

So I hear we are getting another six weeks of winter . . . well at least you are. I might be getting a little more.

So things here are going wonderfully. We are learning so much each and every day and our teachers continue to be the best. Today we officially became the oldest district in our branch, along with two Russian districts. Yesterday, those going to Russia left and this morning, the Ukrainian elders, including Sean and Tarl, left. It is scary to think that tomorrow marks the beginning of week 6 for us and six weeks from today, we will be on a plane ourselves.

We have learned so much since getting here that I don't even know how to describe it. We have now taught a couple of lessons in Ukrainian and this week at the TRC (our weekly teaching assignment) we are teaching the first lesson in Ukrainian. The other elders and sister in the district are absolutely awesome. They continue to amaze me with the things they know and the testimonies they have. I am glad that I can learn how to be a better missionary from them. Also, I hear we have been doing great with the language. Elder Walton, our former zone leader who is now in Russia, told me that our teacher, Sister Georgiyeva, told our Branch President that this is the best district she has ever had, as far as the language is concerned. I know that the Spirit has been a huge part of that and I know that we will be great once we get to Ukraine, as long as we continue to work hard and keep the Spirit with us.

So tonight we have another devotional which I am excited for. I am hoping for an apostle tonight but if we don't get one, it will still be great. I have been singing with the choir each week and that has been so much fun and it has been really powerful. Also, last week we saw President Uchtdorf outside of our classroom. He was visiting the Elders and Sisters from Russia and Ukraine whose classroom is right next to ours. That was really neat to see him and to feel of the power he had when he walked in the building. Hopefully next time he will stop by and chat with us.

I am so grateful for the support that you all have given me and the love you have for me. Always remember that I am thankful for that, and that I love you too. Also, remember that this Church is true. There is no doubt about it. Our Heavenly Father has created His plan, a perfect plan, for us, and all we need to do is follow it to become like Him. Jesus Christ is our Savior, and our Advocate and He does run this church today through the Prophet, Thomas Monson. Thomas Monson is a true prophet of God and he has all the keys necessary to keep this church going at all times. I love this church and I love this gospel. Always remember to follow its teachings and you will be blessed. I love you all and I will write again soon.

Love,
Elder Ryan Jones