Here is a fourth of July picture with the Assistants, Elder Hadley (taking the picture) and Elder Sorenson.
Enjoy!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
July 4, 2011
Hi Mom,
So I am glad to hear that you and dad are doing alright, even if tired from a busy week. Ours was really busy too, but I am so excited that I am not too tired. It is good that you had a fun time with the family and got to reconnect with people that you haven't seen in a while. That is always really nice. I bet that you had a good time and weren't as antisocial as dad was. It's ok though. I am glad that you had a fun time and then were able to spend time with the family on Sunday. When are grandma and grandpa going back? And how are they doing anyway?
So I am glad that it was a good weekend and that you got to see the girls. It sounds like they are having a pretty good time up at the camp; well at least Chelsea is. I haven't heard from Caitlin, but it is ok. I am sure that she is pretty tired and busy. I hope that next weekend isn't too lonely for you with an empty house. I think that is cool that they are having a great time up there and that all is going well. I hope they have a lot of fun and the cots aren't too bad for them. Many missionaries slept on worse...but I guess today it is a little different. We all have decent beds most of the time.
Tell Sam hi from me. I told everyone else to tell him hi too, so I guess it will be a race ;) I am glad that he is doing so well and I am excited for him.
So last week was an awesome week for us. We had some good meetings with members and our investigators and on Tuesday, Igor accepted a baptismal date. He is so excited to find out more and to be able to receive the blessings that the Lord wants to give him. He chose the 21st of July and so we are really excited for him. We are going to meet tonight to talk more about what he needs to do to be ready. He is a really interesting man and I feel like there are a few things that we are going to need to emphasize to really help prepare him, but he already has a relationship with a couple of members families now. There were fourteen of us at that family home evening by the way. It was pretty crazy. Getting the members involved is really so important though and we are so much more blessed when we do so. They can relate with the investigators a lot better, speak the language a lot better, and have the same conversion essentially as our investigators. The Apostles really emphasized it when they created Preach My Gospel and there are entire sections about working with members. It really is a central part of missionary work.
The weather is great here and I think it is going to warm up in about ten days. The rain keeps coming and it has been cool which is nice, but really weird too. I don't know if I like the cold summer too much, just because it isn't what I expect. Eventually we are going to have a hot summer here, but probably not until the end.
President Klebingat and his family are incredible. President Steinagel was incredible and really prepared the mission for President Klebingat and all that he wants to do. We are really going to get moving and see some incredible jumps in the success here. He is a very spiritual man and when he feels that the Lord wants him to do something, he will do it. His conversion story is incredible and really too long to tell, but the Lord's hand was truly in it. Everything from when President Klebingat was baptized to his call as a mission president was done because it was the Lord's will. As he explained it, tender mercy after tender mercy is what has turned him into the person he is. Anyway, I would tell you more, but I honestly don't have time.
I love you mom and if you ask some questions I will tell you more about President and his family. He has three children by the way who are here with him. Oh and President Steinagel really loved the slide show.
Anyway, this gospel is true. The Church is Jesus Christ's Church and He is our Leader. I know that He lives and that He loves each and everyone of us, because I feel that love daily.
Love,
Elder Jones
So I am glad to hear that you and dad are doing alright, even if tired from a busy week. Ours was really busy too, but I am so excited that I am not too tired. It is good that you had a fun time with the family and got to reconnect with people that you haven't seen in a while. That is always really nice. I bet that you had a good time and weren't as antisocial as dad was. It's ok though. I am glad that you had a fun time and then were able to spend time with the family on Sunday. When are grandma and grandpa going back? And how are they doing anyway?
So I am glad that it was a good weekend and that you got to see the girls. It sounds like they are having a pretty good time up at the camp; well at least Chelsea is. I haven't heard from Caitlin, but it is ok. I am sure that she is pretty tired and busy. I hope that next weekend isn't too lonely for you with an empty house. I think that is cool that they are having a great time up there and that all is going well. I hope they have a lot of fun and the cots aren't too bad for them. Many missionaries slept on worse...but I guess today it is a little different. We all have decent beds most of the time.
Tell Sam hi from me. I told everyone else to tell him hi too, so I guess it will be a race ;) I am glad that he is doing so well and I am excited for him.
So last week was an awesome week for us. We had some good meetings with members and our investigators and on Tuesday, Igor accepted a baptismal date. He is so excited to find out more and to be able to receive the blessings that the Lord wants to give him. He chose the 21st of July and so we are really excited for him. We are going to meet tonight to talk more about what he needs to do to be ready. He is a really interesting man and I feel like there are a few things that we are going to need to emphasize to really help prepare him, but he already has a relationship with a couple of members families now. There were fourteen of us at that family home evening by the way. It was pretty crazy. Getting the members involved is really so important though and we are so much more blessed when we do so. They can relate with the investigators a lot better, speak the language a lot better, and have the same conversion essentially as our investigators. The Apostles really emphasized it when they created Preach My Gospel and there are entire sections about working with members. It really is a central part of missionary work.
The weather is great here and I think it is going to warm up in about ten days. The rain keeps coming and it has been cool which is nice, but really weird too. I don't know if I like the cold summer too much, just because it isn't what I expect. Eventually we are going to have a hot summer here, but probably not until the end.
President Klebingat and his family are incredible. President Steinagel was incredible and really prepared the mission for President Klebingat and all that he wants to do. We are really going to get moving and see some incredible jumps in the success here. He is a very spiritual man and when he feels that the Lord wants him to do something, he will do it. His conversion story is incredible and really too long to tell, but the Lord's hand was truly in it. Everything from when President Klebingat was baptized to his call as a mission president was done because it was the Lord's will. As he explained it, tender mercy after tender mercy is what has turned him into the person he is. Anyway, I would tell you more, but I honestly don't have time.
I love you mom and if you ask some questions I will tell you more about President and his family. He has three children by the way who are here with him. Oh and President Steinagel really loved the slide show.
Anyway, this gospel is true. The Church is Jesus Christ's Church and He is our Leader. I know that He lives and that He loves each and everyone of us, because I feel that love daily.
Love,
Elder Jones
Monday, June 27, 2011
June 27, 2011
Hey mom,
I didn't get Caitlin's letter, but I will write her a quick one so don't worry. How does Chelsea get home every weekend by the way? Tell grandma and grandpa hi from me. Let them know that I love them and that all is going well. I hope they have a good time up in Preston visiting family. That is probably a pretty special opportunity for them to go back to their hometown, isn't it...I hope that the family reunion goes well. I don't even know anyone on the Hawkes side very well, but that is cool that everyone is getting together. When was the last reunion? And yeah, you're right, I am a little bigger now.
Wow, so you and dad are the barbeque champs if you got to do it last week and this week. Fun stuff. It is always great to be able to get together with the other members and talk with them. I think that visiting members is one of my favorite things here in Ukraine, but especially here in Kyiv. They are literal pioneers and many of the members that we visit have been members for anywhere from 10 to 20 years which is awesome. Tonight we are doing a FHE at a members house with one of our new investigators which will be so great. It is so cool that the members here are willing to help fellowship investigators and help us as missionaries to teach. So cool. Anyway, I will tell you more later. I can't believe that they messed up with your blood. That doesn't sound fun at all. How did they miss the vein? Ужас! That doesn't sound fun. What do they use blood platelets for anyway, because they don't last very long. Maybe for surgeries I guess. I am glad that it was a good week though and that you stayed busy. I love being busy.
I am glad to hear that stake conference went well. I miss having those and may not get one here in Kyiv. They had one just before I came here so the next one will probably be in November and I may not be in Kyiv for that. Plus, I still haven't had a normal Sunday here. We have had a month and a half now of only sacrament meeting. It is crazy, but the renovations should be done soon so I am hopeful that we will finally have a normal Sunday next week. It makes it fun trying to talk to all the members when you have one meeting and that is it. I am glad that it was a good conference though and I can't wait to see all of our leaders again when I get back. And it is cool to hear from Seventies, isn't it? It sounds like it was a great conference.
Things here are going along wetly... :) It rained for much of the week and it has been cold too. Four straight days of steady rain made for a tough weekend of missionary work, but we actually had some success which is awesome. Vadim is doing ok and is progressing slowly. It is honestly hard for us as missionaries to be patient with people when they aren't deciding to get baptized right away, because we know that baptism is necessary and that they can't procrastinate the day of their repentance, or their baptism, but when investigators are doing what we ask, then we just have to be patient. Vadim is reading and trying to find out if it is true, but because of work, he hasn't been able to make it to church which will be a huge step for him. We have another meeting tonight so we will see what happens there, but we have faith in him. Also, we found three new investigators last week which was cool. Two of them seem very elect as they have been searching for God and really want to know if this is the true church. One of them, Julia, really was excited about the Book of Mormon as is ready to read it and find out more about it. Then yesterday, Igor, a guy who came to the temple by himself the other day, came to church too by himself and loved the meeting. I sat with him and it went really well. He is so cool and is excited to meet and we are meeting with him at the members house tonight. So the work is moving forward. President Klebingat is coming on Thursday and then President Steinagel leaves the next day. We are going to have a luncheon thingy on Thursday with the office staff to get to know the Klebingats and Elder Kashiwagi and I are going to show President Steinagel and his family a slideshow of pictures that the missionaries sent in. It will be a going away gift for him, and for the Klebingats, it will introduce them to the missionaries which is cool. Elder Kashiwagi spent last week putting it together last week. Anyway, so we have a lot of things going on here.
Oh and that family is the Melnichuk family and their son is serving in Russia. His sister came up to me yesterday and had me write him a little note because she is sending him a letter and wanted other people that he knew to write to him. It was neat.
Well, I got distracted in the middle of writing to you and lost all of my time so I will have to finish up. I love you mom. Thanks for all you do. I know that this is the true Church of Jesus Christ and that He lives and loves us. He is the only way and as we go on and do as he taught, we will receive all the promised blessings, including that our family will be together forever.
I love you,
Elder Jones
I didn't get Caitlin's letter, but I will write her a quick one so don't worry. How does Chelsea get home every weekend by the way? Tell grandma and grandpa hi from me. Let them know that I love them and that all is going well. I hope they have a good time up in Preston visiting family. That is probably a pretty special opportunity for them to go back to their hometown, isn't it...I hope that the family reunion goes well. I don't even know anyone on the Hawkes side very well, but that is cool that everyone is getting together. When was the last reunion? And yeah, you're right, I am a little bigger now.
Wow, so you and dad are the barbeque champs if you got to do it last week and this week. Fun stuff. It is always great to be able to get together with the other members and talk with them. I think that visiting members is one of my favorite things here in Ukraine, but especially here in Kyiv. They are literal pioneers and many of the members that we visit have been members for anywhere from 10 to 20 years which is awesome. Tonight we are doing a FHE at a members house with one of our new investigators which will be so great. It is so cool that the members here are willing to help fellowship investigators and help us as missionaries to teach. So cool. Anyway, I will tell you more later. I can't believe that they messed up with your blood. That doesn't sound fun at all. How did they miss the vein? Ужас! That doesn't sound fun. What do they use blood platelets for anyway, because they don't last very long. Maybe for surgeries I guess. I am glad that it was a good week though and that you stayed busy. I love being busy.
I am glad to hear that stake conference went well. I miss having those and may not get one here in Kyiv. They had one just before I came here so the next one will probably be in November and I may not be in Kyiv for that. Plus, I still haven't had a normal Sunday here. We have had a month and a half now of only sacrament meeting. It is crazy, but the renovations should be done soon so I am hopeful that we will finally have a normal Sunday next week. It makes it fun trying to talk to all the members when you have one meeting and that is it. I am glad that it was a good conference though and I can't wait to see all of our leaders again when I get back. And it is cool to hear from Seventies, isn't it? It sounds like it was a great conference.
Things here are going along wetly... :) It rained for much of the week and it has been cold too. Four straight days of steady rain made for a tough weekend of missionary work, but we actually had some success which is awesome. Vadim is doing ok and is progressing slowly. It is honestly hard for us as missionaries to be patient with people when they aren't deciding to get baptized right away, because we know that baptism is necessary and that they can't procrastinate the day of their repentance, or their baptism, but when investigators are doing what we ask, then we just have to be patient. Vadim is reading and trying to find out if it is true, but because of work, he hasn't been able to make it to church which will be a huge step for him. We have another meeting tonight so we will see what happens there, but we have faith in him. Also, we found three new investigators last week which was cool. Two of them seem very elect as they have been searching for God and really want to know if this is the true church. One of them, Julia, really was excited about the Book of Mormon as is ready to read it and find out more about it. Then yesterday, Igor, a guy who came to the temple by himself the other day, came to church too by himself and loved the meeting. I sat with him and it went really well. He is so cool and is excited to meet and we are meeting with him at the members house tonight. So the work is moving forward. President Klebingat is coming on Thursday and then President Steinagel leaves the next day. We are going to have a luncheon thingy on Thursday with the office staff to get to know the Klebingats and Elder Kashiwagi and I are going to show President Steinagel and his family a slideshow of pictures that the missionaries sent in. It will be a going away gift for him, and for the Klebingats, it will introduce them to the missionaries which is cool. Elder Kashiwagi spent last week putting it together last week. Anyway, so we have a lot of things going on here.
Oh and that family is the Melnichuk family and their son is serving in Russia. His sister came up to me yesterday and had me write him a little note because she is sending him a letter and wanted other people that he knew to write to him. It was neat.
Well, I got distracted in the middle of writing to you and lost all of my time so I will have to finish up. I love you mom. Thanks for all you do. I know that this is the true Church of Jesus Christ and that He lives and loves us. He is the only way and as we go on and do as he taught, we will receive all the promised blessings, including that our family will be together forever.
I love you,
Elder Jones
Monday, June 20, 2011
June 20, 2011
Mom,
So it was awesome to see my group again for sure. I love them all so much and I am so happy that all of us are out here working so hard and having so much fun. It is truly a miracle that all of us have stayed out and not only that, but successfully worked here. Sister Robinson is leaving in two days which is going to be so weird. I am going to see all of those leaving missionaries and it is just going to be strange to see them all, especially because I know a lot of them. I am coming up on my last four transfers which means I have a lot of work to do. We are going to be extra busy here in the office as well with so many people leaving and coming and with transfers this week.
So my allergies got a lot better this past week. I think it is finally passing. Also, we super super deep cleaned our already clean apartment which helped a lot. No matter how much we try to keep it clean, it still seems to get dusty though so we'll see how it holds up. I am glad to hear that the girls are having a fun time and that all is going well up there. They both wrote and seemed way happy which is so cool. That is why we're here isn't it, to have joy, so I am glad to hear that it is working out for them. Chelsea is going to have a great experience I am sure. I told Chelsea that the reason you are able to do such a boring and tiring job is because you love us and want us to be happy, am I right? Maybe that was just a wild guess, but I told her that ;) I hope they have an awesome summer up there and get to know a lot of new people.
That is cool that Amanda got a job at SVU. Tell her congrats for that and for finishing her masters program. That is really cool for her and it will be a great experience for sure. There are lots of members up there too, right? I bet it will work out great for her.
I am not too worried about having a bed for Christmas. I have been lucky on the mission and had some pretty good beds, but I had an awful couch thing in Lviv, so I will be fine. Plus I will hopefully be so exhausted that it won't be a problem at all. I am excited to see the grandparents and talk to them. I have been really bad at writing them, but it is just because I don't have time. Oh well....hopefully they still know I love them.
We have lots of extra places in our apartment and mats and an inflatable bed for missionaries that are coming in. We had two stay with us last night and may have more tonight, but it will be just fine. There are 14 missionaries going home on Wednesday which is going to be crazy. This last week was my busiest week yet and this upcoming one will be just as crazy, but I am happy. It is so nice to be busy here and it makes the office time go by super fast. We have a lot of stuff for transfer to do and so I think it will be crazy, but fun. We had a great Sunday evening which was super cool. We got a lot of stuff done and got a new investigator which was cool. He is a member's husband and we have another part member family that we are going to start working with. I was with their son in the MTC which is way cool and I met the daughter and non-member father yesterday too. We have another investigator, Vadim, who is doing ok, but hasn't been able to make it to church. Tonight we are going to have a really good lesson and talk about baptism so we'll see what happens there. We have a return missionary who is going to come help us on the lesson and I'm really excited. The work is slowly picking up here and we are getting to know the members better which is so great. It is just a lot of fun and I am really excited for the next couple of transfers.
I am glad that you had fun leading music again. Sister Park and I talked about that a little (she is very musically talented), and she thinks that it will be a great experience too. Learning new skills is always a good thing - that is part of why we're here! I certainly have had to do a lot of things out here which I normally wouldn't do, but it is very worthwhile.
Well, I need to get the newsletter done, but thanks for being such an incredible mom. I too know that this Church is true. I know that Jesus Christ lives and that God is our Eternal Father. The Plan of Salvation is real and I know that we are all here because we chose to follow it and become like our Heavenly Father. This is the Lord's work and I know this is what I need to be doing right now, so that His Children here in Ukraine can receive the same knowledge that we have and all the blessings that God is waiting to give us.
I love you,
Elder Jones
So it was awesome to see my group again for sure. I love them all so much and I am so happy that all of us are out here working so hard and having so much fun. It is truly a miracle that all of us have stayed out and not only that, but successfully worked here. Sister Robinson is leaving in two days which is going to be so weird. I am going to see all of those leaving missionaries and it is just going to be strange to see them all, especially because I know a lot of them. I am coming up on my last four transfers which means I have a lot of work to do. We are going to be extra busy here in the office as well with so many people leaving and coming and with transfers this week.
So my allergies got a lot better this past week. I think it is finally passing. Also, we super super deep cleaned our already clean apartment which helped a lot. No matter how much we try to keep it clean, it still seems to get dusty though so we'll see how it holds up. I am glad to hear that the girls are having a fun time and that all is going well up there. They both wrote and seemed way happy which is so cool. That is why we're here isn't it, to have joy, so I am glad to hear that it is working out for them. Chelsea is going to have a great experience I am sure. I told Chelsea that the reason you are able to do such a boring and tiring job is because you love us and want us to be happy, am I right? Maybe that was just a wild guess, but I told her that ;) I hope they have an awesome summer up there and get to know a lot of new people.
That is cool that Amanda got a job at SVU. Tell her congrats for that and for finishing her masters program. That is really cool for her and it will be a great experience for sure. There are lots of members up there too, right? I bet it will work out great for her.
I am not too worried about having a bed for Christmas. I have been lucky on the mission and had some pretty good beds, but I had an awful couch thing in Lviv, so I will be fine. Plus I will hopefully be so exhausted that it won't be a problem at all. I am excited to see the grandparents and talk to them. I have been really bad at writing them, but it is just because I don't have time. Oh well....hopefully they still know I love them.
We have lots of extra places in our apartment and mats and an inflatable bed for missionaries that are coming in. We had two stay with us last night and may have more tonight, but it will be just fine. There are 14 missionaries going home on Wednesday which is going to be crazy. This last week was my busiest week yet and this upcoming one will be just as crazy, but I am happy. It is so nice to be busy here and it makes the office time go by super fast. We have a lot of stuff for transfer to do and so I think it will be crazy, but fun. We had a great Sunday evening which was super cool. We got a lot of stuff done and got a new investigator which was cool. He is a member's husband and we have another part member family that we are going to start working with. I was with their son in the MTC which is way cool and I met the daughter and non-member father yesterday too. We have another investigator, Vadim, who is doing ok, but hasn't been able to make it to church. Tonight we are going to have a really good lesson and talk about baptism so we'll see what happens there. We have a return missionary who is going to come help us on the lesson and I'm really excited. The work is slowly picking up here and we are getting to know the members better which is so great. It is just a lot of fun and I am really excited for the next couple of transfers.
I am glad that you had fun leading music again. Sister Park and I talked about that a little (she is very musically talented), and she thinks that it will be a great experience too. Learning new skills is always a good thing - that is part of why we're here! I certainly have had to do a lot of things out here which I normally wouldn't do, but it is very worthwhile.
Well, I need to get the newsletter done, but thanks for being such an incredible mom. I too know that this Church is true. I know that Jesus Christ lives and that God is our Eternal Father. The Plan of Salvation is real and I know that we are all here because we chose to follow it and become like our Heavenly Father. This is the Lord's work and I know this is what I need to be doing right now, so that His Children here in Ukraine can receive the same knowledge that we have and all the blessings that God is waiting to give us.
I love you,
Elder Jones
Monday, June 13, 2011
June 13, 2011-Photos
1. The MTC district. Sister Robinson is already going home...I am in shock! This was our little reunion picture from the FHE day.
Here is the before picture when they were still in the MTC.
2. This is Vova Yarmak. He is comtemplating his mission call and talking with Elder Sorenson as he waits to open it. This is the Park's apartment and Vova was called to the Arizona Tempe Mission. I am super excited for him.
2. This is Vova Yarmak. He is comtemplating his mission call and talking with Elder Sorenson as he waits to open it. This is the Park's apartment and Vova was called to the Arizona Tempe Mission. I am super excited for him.
3. This is a big shopping mall Magelan and the busy street it is on in our area.
4. Some pretty neat graffiti
5. The temple this morning after a summer rainstorm
6. The view from our apartment
7. A bunch of hungry missionaries getting their food on Monday
June 13, 2011
Hey mom,
So I use just one sheet and one pillowcase and then you just make sure you wash them at least once a transfer. (I asked him what items he needed for a missionary going out.) I have never had an apartment that doesn't have blankets, but if he wants to take a nice packable fleece blanket, that would help in the winter. Really that is up to them. As far as winter boots, I didn't really wear mine at all honestly. Maybe a couple of weeks and that was it. Ice definitely is the biggest problem though so that probably clears up that question. And yes, I have plenty of allergy medication and I am using it often. My allergies are acting up right now and I think our house is the problem which is frustrating because we keep it clean. I am going to rewash my sheets and everything today and get rid of all the dust and pollen and see if that helps.
Wow, Chelsea is a molodets - straight A's is way cool. I am glad that she worked hard in school and then had a pretty good time with her friends. I bet the physical was quite frustrating and I understand how she feels, not with the fear of needles part, but with the getting stuck a lot of times. (Chelsea had to have a physical for work and for soccer tryouts. They had to stick her four times before they could get a vein to draw blood. The poor kid hates needles already.) I remember when I did my mission physical, the nurse just couldn't get the needle in the vein and I ended up have the biggest bruise of my life as a result of that. Anyway, hopefully Chelsea was able to survive the experience emotionally. I am sure that the girls are going to have a lot of fun up there and that they will have tons of incredible experiences as well. When are they going to be home by the way and are they going to have access to a computer or is Caitlin's still kaput?...wow, that is a German word :) I hope that you are able to survive the summer as well ;P
How big are Rachel's boys getting? I bet all of the little cousins are going to be massive when I get home, aren't they? Are there any more on the way? I got a letter from Ben Emery this week and he said that Erica is really growing up. It is going to be a strange experience to see everyone after two years of being away. By the way, what are the family plans for Christmas this year, with me getting home 10 days before it? Have you been thinking about that yet? Oh and tell Norm that I say hi back and ask him how his family is doing. I hope everyone is happy and healthy back there. I am glad that leading the music isn't too bad and I hope you enjoy the opportunity to develop another skill, even if our ward has a million people who are probably more musically gifted - not that you aren't talented ;D
This last week was really incredible and it was an awesome experience for all the missionaries. Honestly, being here in the office feels like a job sometimes, but it is so worth it to see how things come together so well when we work hard. Monday was just awesome and we all had a great time together as a mission. We played sports, watched a movie, and then had dinner together which was awesome. The senior couples put it together and it was amazing. It helped us a lot as we got to relax a little and focus on the activities. Then, we did a mission photo which I have attached and then had family home evening with the Steinagels. President and Sister Steinagel each spoke and we talked about the work and then had some musical performances from missionaries. It was a really incredible event and it was great to get together with the Steinagel family one last time. They are so great and I am going to miss them. All the missionaries stayed at missionary apartments so we had 6 missionaries total in ours. The next day, we came into the office to get some last minute things done and then went to downtown Kyiv to meet with Presidents Clayton and Lawrence. It was such an awesome event and we were all so blessed to receive great guidance from our leaders. They answered a lot of questions and I feel like they gave some incredible promises for which we need to work to receive the blessings. The rest of the week, we worked hard and the results are slowly coming in. The office was closed because they were repainting it so we had a lot of time to talk to people on the streets. It was a lot of fun and Elder Kashiwagi and I are getting along just great. He is a wonderful missionary and so full of charity. What an example.
Oh and we see members all the time at the temple from all over the place. Usually they are in sessions though when we come to and leave the office, but we certainly see them throughout the week all over the place.
Well Mom, I know that this Church is the true Church of Jesus Christ. I am so blessed to be able to share my testimony each and every day and as I do, I feel it strengthened. I know, without a doubt, that this is God's work and His glory and this is the only way to true and eternal happiness. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer and our great Example and King. He is the Captain of this great work and with Him in the front, we cannot fail. I know that the Gospel is true and as we live by its principles, we receive the greatest blessings we can receive. I love you mom! Thanks for all you do.
Love,
Elder Jones
So I use just one sheet and one pillowcase and then you just make sure you wash them at least once a transfer. (I asked him what items he needed for a missionary going out.) I have never had an apartment that doesn't have blankets, but if he wants to take a nice packable fleece blanket, that would help in the winter. Really that is up to them. As far as winter boots, I didn't really wear mine at all honestly. Maybe a couple of weeks and that was it. Ice definitely is the biggest problem though so that probably clears up that question. And yes, I have plenty of allergy medication and I am using it often. My allergies are acting up right now and I think our house is the problem which is frustrating because we keep it clean. I am going to rewash my sheets and everything today and get rid of all the dust and pollen and see if that helps.
Wow, Chelsea is a molodets - straight A's is way cool. I am glad that she worked hard in school and then had a pretty good time with her friends. I bet the physical was quite frustrating and I understand how she feels, not with the fear of needles part, but with the getting stuck a lot of times. (Chelsea had to have a physical for work and for soccer tryouts. They had to stick her four times before they could get a vein to draw blood. The poor kid hates needles already.) I remember when I did my mission physical, the nurse just couldn't get the needle in the vein and I ended up have the biggest bruise of my life as a result of that. Anyway, hopefully Chelsea was able to survive the experience emotionally. I am sure that the girls are going to have a lot of fun up there and that they will have tons of incredible experiences as well. When are they going to be home by the way and are they going to have access to a computer or is Caitlin's still kaput?...wow, that is a German word :) I hope that you are able to survive the summer as well ;P
How big are Rachel's boys getting? I bet all of the little cousins are going to be massive when I get home, aren't they? Are there any more on the way? I got a letter from Ben Emery this week and he said that Erica is really growing up. It is going to be a strange experience to see everyone after two years of being away. By the way, what are the family plans for Christmas this year, with me getting home 10 days before it? Have you been thinking about that yet? Oh and tell Norm that I say hi back and ask him how his family is doing. I hope everyone is happy and healthy back there. I am glad that leading the music isn't too bad and I hope you enjoy the opportunity to develop another skill, even if our ward has a million people who are probably more musically gifted - not that you aren't talented ;D
This last week was really incredible and it was an awesome experience for all the missionaries. Honestly, being here in the office feels like a job sometimes, but it is so worth it to see how things come together so well when we work hard. Monday was just awesome and we all had a great time together as a mission. We played sports, watched a movie, and then had dinner together which was awesome. The senior couples put it together and it was amazing. It helped us a lot as we got to relax a little and focus on the activities. Then, we did a mission photo which I have attached and then had family home evening with the Steinagels. President and Sister Steinagel each spoke and we talked about the work and then had some musical performances from missionaries. It was a really incredible event and it was great to get together with the Steinagel family one last time. They are so great and I am going to miss them. All the missionaries stayed at missionary apartments so we had 6 missionaries total in ours. The next day, we came into the office to get some last minute things done and then went to downtown Kyiv to meet with Presidents Clayton and Lawrence. It was such an awesome event and we were all so blessed to receive great guidance from our leaders. They answered a lot of questions and I feel like they gave some incredible promises for which we need to work to receive the blessings. The rest of the week, we worked hard and the results are slowly coming in. The office was closed because they were repainting it so we had a lot of time to talk to people on the streets. It was a lot of fun and Elder Kashiwagi and I are getting along just great. He is a wonderful missionary and so full of charity. What an example.
Oh and we see members all the time at the temple from all over the place. Usually they are in sessions though when we come to and leave the office, but we certainly see them throughout the week all over the place.
Well Mom, I know that this Church is the true Church of Jesus Christ. I am so blessed to be able to share my testimony each and every day and as I do, I feel it strengthened. I know, without a doubt, that this is God's work and His glory and this is the only way to true and eternal happiness. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer and our great Example and King. He is the Captain of this great work and with Him in the front, we cannot fail. I know that the Gospel is true and as we live by its principles, we receive the greatest blessings we can receive. I love you mom! Thanks for all you do.
Love,
Elder Jones
Monday, June 6, 2011
June 6, 2011
Mom,
Ok, so I am glad that you weren't too freaked out about the food, because it is better than American food. Ukrainian people are very health conscious and their food is really quite good. And holodets isn't too bad, just weird because of the texture. It is broth in a jelly form which is weird. Anyway, it certainly is a great opportunity to learn more about the culture of other people, especially those among whom you serve and I definitely am very grateful for this opportunity. You will be able to learn a little bit yourself when we come back here.
Wow, so I can't believe the school year is already at an end and the girls are headed off to work and relax by the lake. (Caitlin and Chelsea are both working at the Bear Lake Aquatics Base for the boy scouts for the next couple of months.) They are going to have a great experience and this will especially be a great one for Chelsea. She will get to know a lot of new people and try a lot of new things which will be very valuable for her. I am glad that they are going to figure all of it out and get those last minute things ready. We here in the office are doing a lot of last minute preparation for these next couple of days. We have some big events going down and I will tell you about those in a minute. I am actually running around doing about three different things right now so I hope this makes sense.
I am glad to hear that Rachel and Chad and the boys are doing well. I can't believe that everyone is growing up. When I get home, I won't recognize some of the little ones and the others are going to be new to me. It will be fun though to see everyone growing up. It sounds like the ward is going to be completely different too. Dad said that I won't recognize it. I think that is pretty crazy, but I am glad to hear that people are doing well and going forward in life. And I am sure that you will do just fine as the chorister. (I was just called as Relief Society chorister. Yikes. I 've never been a chorister!) I have never had any practice but I have done it quite a bit on my mission. You will pick it up just fine.
I will definitely look up Jacob's letters from his blog. I usually go on to Curtis' every couple of weeks to print off the newest letters. I really enjoying hearing about the success and joy that other missionaries are having. I am sure that Jacob is going to be a great missionary and I am really excited to hear how he is doing. I will try to write to him, especially once he is in Germany and it will be easier to get there. And I just wrote Elder Sudbury the other day.
So things here are pretty fun. This past week was a pretty good one, but we didn't get P-day until Saturday because of all the office work we needed to do. Elder Kashiwagi is going to be very busy at the end of every month because he has to get baptisms entered into the system so they count. We are pretty busy and we will be closed on Thursday and Friday so this may be a real crazy week. I ordered a ton of tickets last week and I hope to get them soon so I can organize all of them. Today and tomorrow are going to be absolutely crazy. All of the missionaries are in Kyiv today for a big P-day in Kyiv and FHE with the Steinagels. It will be President's last opportunity to see all of the missionaries together. We have tons of activities and over 100 missionaries to take care of so it will be crazy. Also, tomorrow we are going to be visited by President Clayton of the Presidency of the Seventy and President Lawrence of the Area Presidency who were in Moscow yesterday to create a stake. (The second one in Eastern Europe according to Ryan.) They are going to speak to all of the missionaries and it will be an incredible learning and growing experience for all of us. I am really excited to hear what they have to teach us and then go out and work to reach our goals. We have a lot of high goals and I think we are going to see a lot of success as we go forward this week and work hard. We have a lot of potential right now which is awesome. Oh and I can do a session whenever I want, but I am going to talk to Elder Belashov today and see if Zhanna is coming next week and if she is, I am going to try and go with her. (I had asked if he'd been to the temple yet this transfer.) That would be cool to be there and see her at the temple. All is going well and I am happy right now, even if we are super stressed right now. I really feel like I have grown a lot recently. I am just trying my best to do what the Lord wants and I am sure that He is going to bless us greatly for all the work we are doing. We are really expecting miracles here and they are going to come as we keep on going. I am sure that we are going to have some great success here in the mission in the upcoming months.
Well I love you very much mom. I know that this Church is true. Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer and thanks to Him, there is nothing that we can't overcome in this life. I know that God's plan is true and it is the path that we all need to take to be happy forever.
Love,
Elder Jones
P.S. Do we have a copy of President Kimball's The Miracle of Forgiveness, because I really want to read that when I get home. I read the preface the other day and now I really want to read it. I will wait 'til after the mission because I have other things to read here, but it is the first book on my list for home. And have you read it?
Ok, so I am glad that you weren't too freaked out about the food, because it is better than American food. Ukrainian people are very health conscious and their food is really quite good. And holodets isn't too bad, just weird because of the texture. It is broth in a jelly form which is weird. Anyway, it certainly is a great opportunity to learn more about the culture of other people, especially those among whom you serve and I definitely am very grateful for this opportunity. You will be able to learn a little bit yourself when we come back here.
Wow, so I can't believe the school year is already at an end and the girls are headed off to work and relax by the lake. (Caitlin and Chelsea are both working at the Bear Lake Aquatics Base for the boy scouts for the next couple of months.) They are going to have a great experience and this will especially be a great one for Chelsea. She will get to know a lot of new people and try a lot of new things which will be very valuable for her. I am glad that they are going to figure all of it out and get those last minute things ready. We here in the office are doing a lot of last minute preparation for these next couple of days. We have some big events going down and I will tell you about those in a minute. I am actually running around doing about three different things right now so I hope this makes sense.
I am glad to hear that Rachel and Chad and the boys are doing well. I can't believe that everyone is growing up. When I get home, I won't recognize some of the little ones and the others are going to be new to me. It will be fun though to see everyone growing up. It sounds like the ward is going to be completely different too. Dad said that I won't recognize it. I think that is pretty crazy, but I am glad to hear that people are doing well and going forward in life. And I am sure that you will do just fine as the chorister. (I was just called as Relief Society chorister. Yikes. I 've never been a chorister!) I have never had any practice but I have done it quite a bit on my mission. You will pick it up just fine.
I will definitely look up Jacob's letters from his blog. I usually go on to Curtis' every couple of weeks to print off the newest letters. I really enjoying hearing about the success and joy that other missionaries are having. I am sure that Jacob is going to be a great missionary and I am really excited to hear how he is doing. I will try to write to him, especially once he is in Germany and it will be easier to get there. And I just wrote Elder Sudbury the other day.
So things here are pretty fun. This past week was a pretty good one, but we didn't get P-day until Saturday because of all the office work we needed to do. Elder Kashiwagi is going to be very busy at the end of every month because he has to get baptisms entered into the system so they count. We are pretty busy and we will be closed on Thursday and Friday so this may be a real crazy week. I ordered a ton of tickets last week and I hope to get them soon so I can organize all of them. Today and tomorrow are going to be absolutely crazy. All of the missionaries are in Kyiv today for a big P-day in Kyiv and FHE with the Steinagels. It will be President's last opportunity to see all of the missionaries together. We have tons of activities and over 100 missionaries to take care of so it will be crazy. Also, tomorrow we are going to be visited by President Clayton of the Presidency of the Seventy and President Lawrence of the Area Presidency who were in Moscow yesterday to create a stake. (The second one in Eastern Europe according to Ryan.) They are going to speak to all of the missionaries and it will be an incredible learning and growing experience for all of us. I am really excited to hear what they have to teach us and then go out and work to reach our goals. We have a lot of high goals and I think we are going to see a lot of success as we go forward this week and work hard. We have a lot of potential right now which is awesome. Oh and I can do a session whenever I want, but I am going to talk to Elder Belashov today and see if Zhanna is coming next week and if she is, I am going to try and go with her. (I had asked if he'd been to the temple yet this transfer.) That would be cool to be there and see her at the temple. All is going well and I am happy right now, even if we are super stressed right now. I really feel like I have grown a lot recently. I am just trying my best to do what the Lord wants and I am sure that He is going to bless us greatly for all the work we are doing. We are really expecting miracles here and they are going to come as we keep on going. I am sure that we are going to have some great success here in the mission in the upcoming months.
Well I love you very much mom. I know that this Church is true. Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer and thanks to Him, there is nothing that we can't overcome in this life. I know that God's plan is true and it is the path that we all need to take to be happy forever.
Love,
Elder Jones
P.S. Do we have a copy of President Kimball's The Miracle of Forgiveness, because I really want to read that when I get home. I read the preface the other day and now I really want to read it. I will wait 'til after the mission because I have other things to read here, but it is the first book on my list for home. And have you read it?
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