March 7, 2011

Hey there Momma,

You all get healthy, ok.  I have been fine here.  The weather has been pretty crazy, just like Utah.  It warmed up and then snowed again and now it is cold and snowy, but it isn't too bad.  Like I said, I bought a new jacket, a nice one that is much warmer, and it is treating me well.  It was on sale 70% off too so I had to get it.  I will probably just leave the other one here.  It worked for a while, but it was starting to just get a little cold.  I rarely ended up using the long underwear, but it was nice when I did.  And I still need to get my shoes resoled so we will see.  I only wore the boots a few days throughout the winter, but those will be nice for back home.  And socks are going to make it.  Well, hmm, so you asked for things I might need and even though I don't really want to make you send a package, I wouldn't mind getting some contact solution and lotion because those are really expensive here and I like American stuff more.  Also some peanut butter and mike and ikes would be nice too ;)  If you feel like sending a package, I would be happy with it, or I can just deal with what I have, which honestly isn't that bad.  I can't believe that I have been here so long.  I love it though which is great.  And for p-days, I can't think of anything fun.  We just spend time together which is the most fun thing to do.  

So the work is going slowly.  We are finding people and working hard and the Lord is blessing us.  We have had a lot of flaky people, and I was in Kyiv for one day this week which threw a twist in the week, but it was still a great week.  I feel like this is one of those weeks where the Lord helped me a lot and prepared me to go out and do the work better.  My day in Kyiv was just incredible.  It was full of personal revelation that I have been seeking as I was there for some training, and then I got to do a session in the temple which was just the spiritual reboot that I needed.  In two weeks, Elder Lawrence is coming to do a mission tour and we are just working hard to be ready for that.  I am just really excited for all that the Lord has for us in the future.  I am really looking forward to the work that is coming and I know that the Lord is guiding us here.  What a great blessing to be here at this time!

Well I know that this church is true.  Testimony meeting was incredible yesterday.  I truly love being here in Ukraine.  I honestly love this work, the country, and the people here.  I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior.  He lived and died and lives again, for us.  I know this is true.

I love you Mom,

Elder Jones

February 28, 2011

Hey Mom,

So we'll play Nertz when I get home.  That competitive streak of mine still exists by the way.  Thanks for bringing up my impatience ;P  Honestly, I think I have gotten better, but I bet I would still get a little fired up sometimes.

Thanks for the update on the family.  I didn't know anything about Scott and Marie or PJ and Kelli.  How often do you see Chad and Rachel by the way?  Roy isn't a big change, but I bet they are busy there.  That is good to hear that Jeffrey is doing well too.  He would have funny stories about crazy stuff like that.  I have lots of drunk people stories, but that is about it.  I do have some funny ones for sure.  I guess the mission field is just full of crazy stuff.  Europe is pretty civilized, but you can almost say that Ukraine is not Europe.  At least not the western Europe that you have seen, that is for sure. Oh I got the Christmas letter from Mark and Debbie so I heard from them about their family.

Good job on being a "strict mother" by the way.  (Chelsea's friends told her I was a strict mom because of my rules.)  I constantly am reminded of Elder Lawrence's talk from this past conference entitled "Courageous Parenting."  Maybe you can have an FHE and read that talk together because it is incredible.  I am definitely going to apply those ideas to my family in the future.  Speaking of Elder Lawrence, he is the 1st counselor in the Eastern European area and in two weeks, he is coming for a tour of this mission so he will be speaking to all of us.  I am super excited for that.  Anyway, seriously, I have thought a lot on my mission about how you raised us and you truly did a great job.  You are courageous and even though it wasn't perfect, I know that I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you.  Keep on doing what you know is right and what the Lord says and you don't have to worry.  We as kids recognize that you are the best parents in the world.

So Lviv is going great.  Elder Wallis and I are doing well and having success talking to people on the street which is good.  He is a great example for me and I am really happy.  We are working hard and even though it is coming slowly, we saw tons of success and expect a whole lot more this week.  We are just doing what the Lord expects and that is what is important.  He will bless us as we keep going.  Speaking of blessings, we had a huge miracle here yesterday.  An old investigator came to church yesterday morning and said he wanted to get baptized.  He had worked with the other Elders a while back, but he lives 8 hours away and didn't have a phone so they couldn't stay in touch.  He came though and they worked it out so that he could be baptized Sunday evening.  I interviewed him and he is just so humble and ready and I knew that it was the right thing so we put together a baptism and invited tons of people, all in about 6 hours.  We ended missing Sacrament meeting and had to take the sacrament later on, but it was so worth it.  It was just so cool that Marian decided that this is something that he wants and made it possible.  He has a testimony and it was so cool to be there and see him decide to come unto Christ by being baptized.  Now he will probably go to church in Ivano which is only an hour away from where he lives and that will be so great for him.  It was truly a miracle that Marian was ready and that we could make it work out so that he didn't have to wait any longer to make that covenant with Christ.  I just love this work!

Well Mom, thanks as always for the great updates and the thoughts and support.  You are the best.  I know that this Church is true.  This gospel is truly Christ's doctrine and it is what we need to come unto Him and truly be happy.  I am so glad that I am here and able to testify to all these people that Jesus is the Christ and that thanks to Him, we don't need to suffer or be afraid.  We don't need to worry.  He will help us get past anything if we just turn to Him.  I know that this is the only true church and I know that as we do what Christ has taught, we are preparing ourselves to return to Him for eternity.

I love you Mom,

Elder Jones

February 21, 2011

Hey Mom,

So first off, what is Nertz?  (I told him his cousins were playing it here, it's a card game.)  I am completely confused by that.  I am glad that you had a fun crazy day yesterday though and got to see some family.  That always makes the day better, when you can just spend time with those people that you love and reminisce about life.  I think that is crazy that you were able to skype too so that Steve and Linda could be there.  (It was his cousin Lauren's birthday and we skyped with her parents while she opened presents.)  What a cool thing technology is.  By the way, how is the rest of their family?

I am glad to hear that you had fun and learned at church yesterday.  I think that is cool that everyone was together. (We had a joint young men/young women/adult meeting during Relief Society/Priesthood hour talking about missionary work.)  And the theme of missionary work is of course, incredible.  That is one thing that we try to do here - get people to invite their friends to activities and meetings.  Sometimes it is hard to invite people to church, but that is why we have things like mutual and firesides and other activities.  I wish I had done a better job at home of inviting friends to those kinds of activities.  I know that is one thing I want to focus on at home.  Oh and how often do you see the missionaries there?

So all is well here in Lviv and I am glad that I am staying for at least 6 more weeks.  Elder Shurtleff and I had a lot of fun and it was great to spend a couple of days with him.  I am now with Elder Wallis, who is in his third transfer.  He is fun and excited to work and that makes me happy.  We are going to have a great transfer I am sure.  He is from Utah, Orem I think.  He grew up in Arizona, but when he was 16, moved in with his Dad in Utah and got baptized.  I am really looking forward to getting to know him better and having fun as we succeed this transfer.  We are going to do great work together, especially as we start to find those people who are ready for baptism.  We are expecting the miracles and so now we need to go out and get them.  

Oh, by the way, look up Jorg Klebingat on the church news.  He is our new mission president starting in 5ish months when President Steinagel goes home. It was announced this last week.  He is German and it is going to be so much fun to work with him.

Well, where was I???  Well, I am super happy out here and I have been blessed so greatly.  I know that this is the Lord's Church.  This is His work and I am so happy to be here and help these people, whom I love, to come to Christ.  I can't wait to be with them forever in the celestial kingdom.  I would honestly do anything for them so that they can get there.  It also makes me want to live worthily to make it back there.  I know more than ever what I want in life and what is important and I am so thankful to the Lord that He has given me this opportunity to learn and grow and to serve others, so that my love for everyone can grow.  I know that this Church is true.  Jesus Christ is our Savior and our Brother.  He loves us and has done everything that we need to return to Him.  I honestly wouldn't be here is if weren't for my Savior Jesus Christ.  I also wouldn't be here if it weren't for you Mom.  I love you and I am so grateful that you taught me so well.  Thanks for all you do.

Love,

Elder Jones

February 14, 2011

Hey Mom,

So the internet server has just been weird lately.  It did it to Caitlin last week too so she didn't hear from me.  Anyway, I will try to send it to the other if it doesn't work in the future.  So I do have tons of pictures from Bulgaria and I will try to send them whenever I get a chance....like in a year maybe.  We'll see what happens.  So I am feeling healthier too which is good.  Thanks for asking.  And as for seeing my old district, that was honestly the best part of the trip to Bulgaria.  And Happy Valentine's Day to you.

So things here in Lviv are going along.  Elder Valdivieso and I ended up dropping pretty much all of our investigators which was tough, but when they won't act, we have to move on and so we did.  We are still teaching a man named Yuri and he finally is starting to progress a little and this week will be the test for him.  I am excited though to see what happens.  If he comes to church this week, I honestly feel like he will be baptized so that is the key now.  Anyway, as you said, by just serving people, we really develop that love for them.  As we follow the example of Christ, He blesses us with His Spirit and gives us what we need to go forward and perform His will.  And when that work is centered around others, then He helps us to develop love and charity towards those people.  What a blessing that we have all the scriptures and modern day prophets to help remind us to center our lives on Christ.

Oh, and by the way, Elder Valdivieso is getting transfered.  I will be with Elder Shurtleff until Thursday and on Thursday I will figure out who my new companion is.  I am certainly excited to see who I will be with and what the Lord wants us to do going forward.  And to answer your question about piano, I do play the piano every once and a while, but I don't play in Church.  I want to learn how to play the piano and the guitar when I get back home.  I wish I had stuck with piano, but for whatever reason I didn't.  Anyway...

Have fun with the holiday weekend and with the family.  Tell everyone hi from me.  Oh and tell Caitlin that I saw a ski resort in the middle of Kyiv the other day.  It was just a big hill in the middle of the city, but it looked cool.  We aren't allowed to go as missionaries, but you can tell her that we will go later in life.  I actually really want to go skiing once in the Carpathians here.  That isn't important now though.

Well, thanks Mom for all you do for me.  You are and great example and I am so glad to always here that you are so happy and enjoying life right now.  I know that this is what I need to be doing right now and I am just so happy that you are supporting me and sacrificing so much so that I can be here.  This church is true.  I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and He is our Savior.  He loves us and have shown us the path.  He wants to take away our pains and sins and I know that He will if we just listen to Him and follow His gospel.  Without Christ, I wouldn't be here.  I love Him so much and I am so thankful to a loving Heavenly Father who has made all this possible.  

I love you,

Elder Jones

February 7, 2011

Mom,

So Bulgaria was really cool and fun, but super cold and it got me sick.  The combo of American fast food and lack of sleep, along with the freezing temps finally caught up to me.  It was still fun to see the sites and buy some little slipper like things.  We basically just hung out, 8 of us missionaries, and ate American food that doesn't exist in Ukraine (KFC, Dunkin' Donuts, Lots of Subway...).  It was cool and interesting to meet new people and speak english to them.  A lot of them actually speak english really well.  We stayed in an apartment that the mission has for visa missionaries.

So I am back in Lviv now and all is well.  I finally pulled out the thermals because I wanted to stay warmer and get healthy.  Now I am just sweating though.  The weather here is really spring-like right now, so all is well.  Also, a member who returned from his mission like two years ago and then moved to Russia left his jacket and his mom gave it to me. It is a little warmer (a little short on the sleeves, but ok) and I am going to try it out.  The other one has worked really well too, so I don't really know what I will do.  Lviv has been fun and I am super happy to be back.  Now we just have to get to working hard, because we had to drop some investigators who weren't progressing.  We still are working with Irina who is really cool though and we are meeting tonight for FHE.

So it is cool to hear that you had a fun week with all you did.  Good job going out and serving; service just brings so much joy.  I love being able to do whatever we can to help others.  I am glad that Chels is doing well.  She is going to be all grown up when I get home...crazy!  I am so happy that she is working hard to follow the prophets.  Hey and keep working hard with genealogy.  I think that is so cool that you are having fun and finding so much and then even greater blessings will come as we get that work done.  So cool!

Well Mom, I love you very much.  Thanks for continuing to write and support me, even if your email was on the fritz and didn't accept my letters.  (He couldn't send his email to me last week because it kept bouncing back so I got two this week.)  I hope that all is well and that you continue to find joy in doing the work of the Lord, in whatever way you are getting it done.  Thanks for the Spiritual support too.  I love hearing these thoughts that you have and about the lessons that you have at home.  Church is just so great because there we get the opportunity to listen to others and to help one another's testimonies grow.  We are there to help one another return to Christ and the sacrament is the key part of that, because only through that ordinance can we fully apply the Atonement in our lives.  I love this church so much.  I know, without any doubts, that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true.  It is the Kingdom of God on the Earth.  Jesus Christ himself leads this church and He gives us all we need to find happiness and peace and prepare to return to Him.  He does it all for us.  He is the way and the only name whereby we can be saved.  I love Him so much.

Love,

Elder Jones

January 31, 2011

Hey Mom,

So I am leaving tomorrow. (He is flying to Sofia Bulgaria to renew his visa.)  They will have an apartment there that is just for the missionaries on Visa trips which will be nice. It is apparently a pretty fancy apartment. I am glad to hear that Grandpa is doing better too.

Good luck with your family history class. I have been helping Stas out a little with that and he is starting a class too, similar to the one you are teaching which will be cool. It really is cool how much you learn while doing the work and it brings joy because we are doing temple work, or preparing names for temple work. It is just cool how that all works out. It is really going to blossom here in Lviv I think because it is a center of the Ukrainian language and the archives for Ukrainian language are growing so quickly right now.

Hopefully Chels gets better and can get out of the house a little more so she isn't so bugged by her crazy parents ;) That is crazy that she is in Driver's ed. She probably drives way better than I do now because I haven't done it for over a year. That is kinda scary. What are you going to do when she starts driving? Even scarier thought. What are you going to do when the grandkids start running around. You are getting old! But don't worry, when I show my pictures, lots of people think you are my older sister, so you don't look that old :D

This past week was a great one and we found a cool new family to teach. I also went to Ivano for two days and got to see some of the members there who are so cool. It was awesome to be able to meet with Isaac and just talk with him. He is a great guy. I am so lucky to be here right now and to be able to get to know these awesome people here. I truly love the Ukrainian people - kinda crazy how that happens. When we serve others, our love for them can only grow. The members here are all so great and it is awesome to see their willingness to help us on lessons and with our investigators who come to church. I am just so happy to be here and to see the consistent miracles that the Lord is pouring out upon us and those around us. I just hope that these friendships will last as I continue to get to know and serve the members here. That is truly what brings the most happiness to us, when we forget ourselves and just serve. Such a simple concept that we often forget as we get wrapped up in the busyness of our daily lives. We are just so blessed to have the Book of Mormon, living prophets, and the organization of the church to constantly remind us and give us opportunities to do as the Lord asks. I love that God trusts us enough to send us here and give us these opportunities to learn and grow. I have a strong testimony of the plan of Salvation. Jesus Christ truly makes this all possible for us. He loves us so much and has given us the chance to become like Him. His Atonement makes the plan possible. As we study His life and teachings, we are constantly reminding ourselves of what we have been asked to do and our desire to serve Him grows. I love that He has given us all this chance and that we can return to Him again to praise Him eternally for what He does.

I love you Mom. Thanks for all you do for me.

Elder Jones

January 24, 2011

Hey Mom,

So thanks for the info.  It is that time for me to go to Bulgaria...kinda scary.  The time just flies and I remember that those people who went to Bulgaria when I first got here, are already home.  Before we know it, my time will be up too.  Crazy.  So I am taking a train into Kyiv and then we take a small jet plane into Bulgaria. It is like a three hour flight or something like that.  I will look out for Elder Kariya, but I don't know how many missionaries I will see.

I am glad to hear that everything went so well yesterday at the baptism.  It is cool to hear that your cousin has these great plans to get back and make these covenants with the Lord.  And it is kinda a small world I guess.  It is interesting that so many people are serving in this part of the world.  

So things here in Lviv are going alright.  It was a slow week, but we got a little closer with the members which is awesome.  There are so many incredible members here and they are all great examples to me.  They go forward and serve the Lord, regardless of the tough circumstances they have with work, family, and friends.  We have been finding some new investigators, but they haven't progressed yet.  We are trying though and we will see what happens as we keep going.  Elder V and I are actually getting along well, better than we used to which is good.  And I am healthy and eating.  I think I just lost a little weight from all the walking we do.  And as far as skipping meals, we usually only get two a day anyway so I am already used to that.  That is how it has been my whole mission.  And you want to know what we do.  We talk to people on the street.  We stop-by old investigators and members.  We teach lessons to anyone who wants to listen - members, investigators, potentials.  We study and eat lunch.  That is about it.  The test is to balance finding new people and teaching and right now, both are slow which is why the work is a little slower.

 

So you mentioned the journal.  I write in it everyday which is good, but I want to write more about the spiritual things than I do right now, so hopefully I will start doing that.  Don't worry though, I am keeping track of my experiences.  I am so thankful for the Lord that I have this opportunity to serve Him and to get to know such great people all around me.  I am also thankful for an incredible family that is so supportive.  Thanks Mom for all you do.  You are such a great example of love and service and you have helped me even more than I can possibly imagine.  I love you so much.  I know this Church is the Church of Jesus Christ.  He lives and loves us all.  I am grateful for the Plan of Salvation and the work that all of us are involved in.  We are all here to work out our own salvation and to fulfill the mission that the Lord has called us to and by doing this, we help Him in bringing to pass his work and glory.  God truly is our Father and He gave His Son so that we can return to Him.  What a great knowledge we have! 

All my Love,

Elder Jones