October 25, 2010

Mom,

Hey Mom, I can't believe it is already another week.  I am glad that you received the birthday card and that you enjoyed my singing.  (Ryan sent me a Russian hallmark card in the mail.)  Plus is sounds like you had a wonderfully relaxing birthday which is awesome.  My birthday probably won't be as quiet, but it will still be a good one I am sure.  That is the day that Isaac is set to get interviewed for his baptism this Saturday, so that will be a great birthday present.  And then, on top of that, after the baptism we are going to have a Halloween party at the branch which will be cool. It will basically be a normal birthday!  Oh and thanks for the birthday song.  Your voice was beautiful as always! (I figured I would be nice that time, did you like it???) Heehee, that reminds me, yesterday, we had dinner with the Park's, the senior couple that comes here to help run the branch.  When we were sitting at the table, Sister Park said something and then I was able to pull an old joke on Elder Park and it reminded me of all the times I made fun of you.  Luckily he understood when I explained that I just missed picking on you ;)

 

Anyway, so as I said,  Isaac is doing wonderfully.  We will meet with him tonight and then probably once more before his interview on Friday. Then this, Saturday, at 3, the service will be held.  I am really excited and looking forward to the step that he is making.  He understands it so well and because of that, he has no problem in making the decision to follow our Savior's commands.  I am really excited to see the change in him and see how everything goes as he works forward.  Also, this past Sunday, Daniel, who was baptized two weeks ago was ordained to be a Priest, and then the other two recent converts each received callings which will help them along.  Yesterday, we actually had more English speaking Priesthood holders at priesthood than we did Ukrainian speakers.  I am really interested to see how that affects the branch going forward.  Vincent, one of the African converts even brought his roommate yesterday and we want to start teaching him this week too.  They are so awesome and they do a great job of being missionaries.  It makes life here really exciting.  Apart from the Africans, there isn't a whole lot going on here. There are some wonderful members though and it is really exciting to continue building relationships with them.  Elder Belashov and I are having a good time together too which always makes life more enjoyable.

 

It sounds that you had a wonderful Stake Conference this past weekend.  Dad said he enjoyed it too which is really cool.  Elder Evans is an awesome speaker.  He came to the MTC while I was there and he shared stories about his mission and about the Book of Mormon which was awesome.  The Book of Mormon is really cool by the way.  I finished it the other day and started again yesterday.  It is such a powerful book and I have witnessed that power on my mission.  When investigators or members choose to read it, they feel the Spirit and that is what converts us.  I am so glad that I have been able to more fully study the Book of Mormon since I have been out.  I hope that you are continuing to study from it and allow your testimony of Jesus Christ to grow.

 

So I saw pictures on LDS.org of the Rome groundbreaking.  That is going to be a beautiful building and that is really exciting to hear that the work is continuing to go forward so well. Oh and you asked if I have tracted.  I have gone once, and I didn't really like it.  It can be effective if there is nothing else to do, but I would much rather teach people before going out and knocking doors.

Well Mom, I love you so very much. I miss you, but I know that it will be so worth it, even if two years is a long time for you.  I have already grown so much and I am going to be ready to go forward in this life.  I am looking forward to be able to have those talks with you.  I do miss those too (oh and I still pace a little).  I will still be able to talk your ears off when I get home, so don't worry about that.  I hope that all goes well this week and that you have a wonderful week in all you do.  I love you Mom and I am thankful for all that you do.

 

All my Love,

Elder Jones

 

P.S. The money on my card will be plenty thanks.  And thanks for the package that is coming my way.  Also, tell people to write me please!  I got a letter from one friend this week, but I haven't gotten many.  Promise them that I will write and send pictures if they write, ok :) Thanks

October 18, 2010 - Photos

So these first ones are of the branch and of the thermometer here.  We had our first freeze.  It has been cold here!  Everyday we wear our coats (I am wearing the Marmot still which is fine) with hats and my glove liners.  Sometimes that isn't even enough.  This is going to be a fun winter!!

 

This is the town that we went to which is out in the mountains.  It is called Verxovyna.  It was a pretty neat place, but it was super misty and cold that day.

More from Verxovyna.  By the way, this was a pretty well developed town.  It was out in the mountains and it reminded me a lot of Park City because it seemed to me that most of the people who live there are a little more well-off than some of the people who live in little villages.

October 18, 2010

MOM!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAREST MAMA, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!  (wow, sorry for my voice, it is a little out of practice) ;)

Happy Birthday Mom, wow, I am turning 20 which means you are now.... 38???  How does it feel?  Wow, 38, that is soo old.  I will never be that old.

Anyway, so as far as your business, I can't really think of anything.  (I'm sending him a box and asked if there was anything he needed besides insoles and shoelaces.) The only thing that I think I might need to buy sometime is a Ukrainian winter coat.  That one that we bought at Mr. Mac would be plenty for a Utah winter, but it has been killer here and we haven't even gotten to winter.  Still, I haven't pulled out the scarf or thermals which will be necessary once the winter hits.  They are saying though, that this is going to be one of the coldest winters ever (last winter was the snowiest in tons of years and so of course this one has to be the coldest).  We will see, but there is nothing I need from America for that.  I may just end up spending that birthday money on a winter coat which leads me to my question, how much money do I have on that card.  Well that is all for business today.  Thanks for the package by the way. Hopefully I will get one off to you sometime in the next month so it will be there long before Christmas.

So I am glad to hear that you had a fun weekend down in Cedar City.  We here made a long trip too out to some members who live 3 and a half hours away from Ivano-Frankivsk.  We don't get to make trips like that often, but, especially here in Ivano, there are a lot of members who live far away who need to support every once and a while.  That was not the most fun ride though - almost 7 hours total on a bus that was absolutely jammed full.  Luckily we bought seats so I got to sit, but with my long legs, that wasn't much more comfortable.  Still, it was totally worth it, and we got to take conference to them which was cool. 

Other than that, our week was pretty normal.  On Monday, our entire district of four got food poisoning from a restaurant and we spent Tuesday mostly indoors.  That was not the most exciting thing, but we know not to go back there.  Then on Wednesday, Elder Kuczak and Clemmens went in to Kyiv for transfers.  Elder Belashov and I will be together for another month and a half, but Elder Clemmens is moving on so we have a new Elder here, Elder Schmutz.  Also on Wednesday, we met with Isaac, and had a wonderful lesson.  At the end of talking about the plan of salvation, we shared a scripture from 2 Nephi 31.  We read verse 10 which talks about how in order to follow Christ, we must keep the commandments of the Father.  Then we read verse 11 which says, "And the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son."  Elder Belashov asked Isaac if he was willing to repent and be baptized in order to follow Christ and Isaac said yes.  So now we are working to help him be prepared for baptism by the 30th of October, the date that we selected.  It was such a strong testimony to see the way that the scriptures do the inviting, and all we have to do is help people to understand the scriptures.  Isaac says that he already believes the Book of Mormon is true and he continues to read it everyday and to pray to God to know if what we are teaching him is true.  He understands so well what the Lord has asked us to do and as he goes forward doing these things, his testimony will grow to be so strong.

So I really like that talk from Elder Hallstrom last conference.  I remember one lesson we had in Rivne on that talk and how it is so important that we turn to the Lord for help and answers.  It is true that Christ suffered all these things so that we don't have to suffer.  We just need to trust in Him and turn to Him in prayer and the peace we need will come into our lives.  Even when life is tough, turning to the Lord and trusting Him will get us through anything.  I liked President Eyring's talk about Trusting God in this last conference.  It is important to remember that we need to trust in God and His prophets always, not just when life is tough, but when challenges are thrown our way, we do have the Savior to help lift us.  As long as we continue to follow the Savior when things are well, we will remember to turn to Him in those times where we are struggling.  I know that Jesus Christ loves all of us and He is our Savior.  We only need to trust in Him and follow Him and we will never be put into a situation that we can't overcome. 

I love you Mom and I am grateful for your love and support.  You have always been there to help me and you have sacrificed so much to help us kids get along in life.  I am truly thankful for that.

All My Love,

Elder Jones

P.S. Two investigators, Inna and Juliana, just got baptized this past weekend in Rivne.  I can't remember if I ever told you about them, but we as missionaries worked with them a lot while we were there and it was cool to hear that they finally made that step.  Juliana is Genadiy's wife (Genadiy is a member there) and so in a year, they will be able to get sealed in the temple!

October 11, 2010

Hey Mom,

Well, I think that is kind of interesting that everyone was looking for me, but I can't blame them.  (I told him many people in the ward were looking for Ryan in the special KSL did on the Kyiv Temple.) Of course they would be searching out the most handsome missionary there.  It is too bad that he wasn't there...

Thanks again for looking for that man.  His name, in Ukrainian is: Михайло Маринович Ванджарук.  I don't know if that will make a difference.  Don't worry about it though.  I will just let the man know that you can't find him.

Daniel was baptized this past Saturday and next Sunday he will receive the Holy Ghost.  That is a really long wait, but we didn't have Sacrament meeting because we did the translations of conference here.  Daniel was so excited and even though it was only a small group of us there, he understood the importance and he is already looking for opportunities to be a missionary.  He has a testimony of the Book of Mormon because he read it and prayed.  It is so cool to see people actually applying what the Lord has asked them to do, and then being blessed so greatly for it.  Hopefully in the next two or three weeks, he will get the priesthood and start serving others using it.

Elder Clemmens baptizing Daniel

As far as Isaac, the acquaintance, we met with him and he is now investigating as well.  He was so excited to get his copy of the Book of Mormon and he has already read a good bit of it.  He has so many questions, all of which can be answered by the gospel and the Book of Mormon.  He is so ready to go forward and hopefully as he acts on the teachings, he will gain a testimony and decide to be baptized as well.  Sadly, he was sick this past weekend (really really sick) and wasn't able to come to conference, but we are hoping to continue teaching him within the next few days.  If you could pray for him to recognize the Spirit, that would help a lot.
Oh, and I don't know why there are so many Africans here in Ivano-Frankivsk.  There is a medical school here and it is better than the ones in Africa, and probably cheaper than the ones in western Europe.  There is a pretty high concentration of them in this city though.

So, to answer your question about the Ukrainian people.  (I asked whether the  people were similar to the Russians - lack of faith in God and bleak attitude.)  Many of them here in Western Ukraine were a little less entangled in the Soviet Union and because of that, there are many more devout Christians.  Still, a lot of people here consider themselves either Orthodox or Catholic but never worship.  The attitude of many people is really bleak - the older generations especially.  The country is really growing into the culture of the world though and my generation is pretty free of the Soviet Union. Tradition is a very important thing here though and honoring your elders especially and because of that, many people say they belong to a church, but they don't really believe in it.  It seems to me that almost everyone believes in God, but they don't understand who he is at all.

We did watch conference with the branch this past weekend.  I actually watched all of it in English (which was really nice) except for the first session.  We will watch the priesthood session next week.  I really enjoyed this conference and it was really interesting to me to see how firm the church is becoming in our beliefs versus the beliefs of the world.  President Packer's talk was one of my favorites I think.  He was so bold in stating that God's laws cannot change.  It doesn't matter what Satan does or how the world is changing, the laws of God have been set since before the world and they will not change.  I really liked the connection he made to a vote against gravity and how that wouldn't do any good.  It doesn't matter whether or not the world votes that homosexual marriages are ok, it is wrong!  He also said one thing that really stuck with me.  Satan does not have agency at this point, he gave it up and he doesn't have the power to create life like we do.  President Packer said "Satan is impotent."  It is really true that agency is one of our greatest gifts and we have used it to get to this point which is great.  Now we just need to use it to follow the prophets and we will be able to withstand the temptations of the world.  It is also that we do it along with our families which is important.  Elder Lawrence (he is the first counselor in the East European area presidency) spoke on parenting.  One of my favorite line from conference is from him.  He was doing five things to strengthen our families, daily family prayer, family scripture study, family home evening, family dinner, and personal interviews.  He said "Try to imagine what the rising generation could become if these five righteous patterns were practiced consistently in every home. Our young people could be like Helaman’s army: invincible."  Invincible!  That is so incredible.  Even though it is really hard to find time to do all those things, it can make that big of a difference. I really liked that.

Well, I could probably say a lot more about conference, but I don't have time.  Feel free to go online though to the new lds.org and they already have all the talks there so you can review them.  That is how we saw it in English (there is a family history computer in our branch and so we downloaded it there).  And before you know it, the Ensign will be out too.  I know that the things taught at this conference are true. That is God's words, given to us through modern prophets.  Thomas S. Monson is a true prophet of God and he has the authority to guide this church.  The priesthood is the power of God.  This is the only church that has it.  Elder Oaks' talk was really good too and he talked about how inseparable the priesthood line of revelation and personal line of revelation are.  This is the only church where those lines exist.  I know that Christ lives and that He is our Savior.  I love Him.  I love you too Mom.  Thanks for your great sacrifices which have helped me get to this point.  Without you, it would be possible.

Love,

Elder Jones

October 5, 2010

Hey Mom,

(This first part is in response to my telling him we watched an one hour special on the Kyiv Temple between conferences Sunday and not seeing him in any of the shots.  We did see two of his former companions though.)  Wow, you are so silly.  I am sorry I didn't flock to the camera like I should have.  I was there though, so don't worry.  They probably cut the parts I was in because I was taller than the Prophet or something ;)  And you are even sillier for wanting to look up my address but here it is - Stepana Bandery 4 - Good luck you old crazy :P  (Such respect for his poor mother!)
Oh and thanks a ton for looking for that information about that man.  He left to America sometime around the first world war I think. It really isn't super important but thanks anyway.  The alternate spellings I can think of are either Wandzharuk or Vandz(h)aruk.  I really don't know though.  The city he is from is a little tiny village near Ivano.  And even though I might be able to get more info, I don't think it is necessary.  If you can't find anything this week than don't worry beyond that.  Thanks a ton for helping though.

Thanks for sending on my information to everyone by the way.  I think the mission home address is a little quicker and easier (just my observations so far) by the way, just as long as people don't mind paying a little more, but both of them work so thanks for sending that to Elder Sudbury.  And yes, the dolls I was talking about are matruska dolls.  They have both Ukrainian and Russian versions here, but I was planning on just bringing those with me and not sending them through the mail.  I just need to find some good ones somewhere and then you will have to wait a year and a half.  There are tons of really cool cultural things such as that, but most things are really big and awkward and fragile too, so I don't know how many souvenirs I will be lugging around.  If you want something though, just let me know.  Oh and for the next package you send, whenever that may be (don't feel pressured to send one soon - hint hint) I would love a new set of insoles and of shoelaces.  Those are things that I have struggled to find here for some reason.  I am still fine for now though.

So I am sorry to hear that Chelsea got sick, but I hope that all is well now and that her birthday was a good one.  She mentioned that she enjoyed seeing Caitlin, even if she was sick.  I am sure she will be fine though.

So Daniel is a great guy.  He is a student here from Ghana who barely speaks any Ukrainian, but he has come to church four times now and he is working to get baptized this Saturday.  He is so humble and has shown it every step of the way as he has accepted the commitments given to him and he has done what the Lord wants.  He just wants to find the truth and he knows he has found it which is so incredible.  The other Elders have been so amazed at his preparedness as they have taught him.  This Saturday will be a great day for him, and then hopefully he will be fine with waiting a week to get the Holy Ghost (we have conference this week so he will have to wait until the next week for Sacrament Meeting).  Oh and on top of that, one more of their acquaintances (the African's I mean) came to church this past Sunday and Elder Belashov and I are planning to work with him.  I will probably give him a call in an hour or so and then we can plan a time to meet.  He is really looking forward to receiving the Book of Mormon and I think that he is about as ready as Daniel.  There is really something about all these Africans who are studying here.  They seem to be very ready to accept the Lord and that is such a wonderful thing to witness.

So you mentioned Elder Holland's talk which is funny because it is the only one I have seen so far.  I absolutely loved it, and for that exact reason you mentioned, he spoke with an "attitude of gratitude."  It is so impressive to me to recognize how humble all of the apostles are.  They know what they know to be true, because they have humbled themselves and done the will of the Lord all their lives.  That is one of the things that really stuck with me after Elder Scott spoke here.  He mentioned that in all things, we must show our gratitude to the Lord.  Gratitude really is a divine principle and we do need to always be thankful for our blessings, no matter how hard life is.  As you said, it will always lighten our load, not to mention, make someone else happy as well.

Well Mom, I really am thankful to you and Dad for all you have done.  You are both such wonderful examples of the Lord and great parents.  You have done a good job of raising us in the gospel and teaching us the principles and you were always patient with us.  Remember to continue and be an example for all around you and the Lord will bless you as you do.  You are an awesome mother and I love you.

Love,

Elder Jones

September 27, 2010

Hey Mom,

As always it was wonderful to receive your letter and to hear that all is well.

To start off, I have a huge favor to ask of you. This past week, a man walked into the branch building and said that he had heard a little about our church. He then told us a story of his great Uncle who was born in Ukraine but then disappeared during the war. Apparently he went all through Europe and found himself in the US. Eventually he made it all the way to Salt Lake City, Utah and may or may not of been baptized into the LDS church. He died about 20 years ago and this man thinks he is buried in Salt Lake and wants to know for sure. That is the favor. I have some info and I am wondering if you can look for this guy if you have time. Of course you don't need to rush, but it would be great if you could do this. Here is what I know about the man you are looking for:

His name is Michael Wandzaruk and he was born on 15 Nov 1897 in Ukraine. He supposedly died and was buried in SLC in either 1993 or 1997. The man I talked to said he is buried in the main city cemetery (that is all he knows so I don't know if that is a specific one). His monument is the 4th to the right from the central alley of the cemetery - monument number 16-77 (or 16-97). That is what I have. If you could look for him, maybe even on myfamilysearch, or in the cemetery and take a photo of what you find, that would be so great. That is all I know, so if it isn't enough info to find him then just let me know. Thanks!

By the way, did you send that letter to Elder Sudbury? I am sure you did, thanks! I'll answer some of your questions to start, I don't really know what Ukraine has that is unique. (He had asked us what kinds of things he could send us in a package for Christmas.)  There are some things such as those dolls (can't remember what they are called) and other things that I am just planning on bringing home with me in my suitcase. I don't want to send fragile stuff through the mail which limits a lot. Ukraine, especially Carpathian mountains, has some wonderful wood working and beautiful ornament and whatnot. They also have some clothing and and jewelry that is unique to Ukraine. I will look into stuff. As far as my birthday, I don't think I really need anything so maybe just a little bit of money on my card or something would be nice. I could then look into buying Ukrainian ties/clothes and souvenirs for when I come home. Also, I probably need to remount (redo that is) the soles of my shoes soon and that costs a little. It would be easier than sending shoes or buying shoes and they do a great job of it. Everything here is really cheap though so I don't even need that much money. Really nice ties here cost at the most 5 dollars, and completely redo-ing the soles of my shoes would only be about 15 dollars! Wow that is cheap. I can't think of any thing I need right now, but I will let you know. A little money would probably be easier than a package though so let me know what you think.

Anyway, so the work here in Ivano. For some reason, it has been really hard here. Almost everyone here is either Greek Catholic or Eastern Orthodox and many people are stuck on the traditions of their families and don't open up to us. It is frustrating sometimes, but understandable at the same time. The temple is really far away from here too so it isn't making the same impact that it is in Kyiv (right now in Kyiv, the work has really exploded and there are tons of referrals in the temple area). Still, life is going well here and the restrictions are not nearly as bad as they are in Rivne. We can tract here and do other things like that (I still haven't tracted though, but I think we will soon) and the government is not as tense. We did have a miracle experience yesterday. One of our recent converts here (we have two of them who are students from Ghana) has a friend who he brought to church a month ago. Yesterday, our recent convert was sick, but his friend, Daniel, showed up by himself for sacrament meeting - which is incredible because they barely understand Ukrainian at all. After sacrament meeting, Elder Clemmens and I decided to cancel the Gospel Principles class (Daniel, would have been the only one) and Elder Clemmens and Kuczak had a lesson with Daniel. It was their first lesson, but Daniel is a really smart guy and understood everything really well and he is truly searching the truth so it went well. At the end, Elder Clemmens asked Daniel if he would read the Book of Mormon and pray and if he received an answer, get baptized and Daniel said yes. He is planning on getting baptized in two weeks. It was so cool to be there and to see Daniel as they walked into Priesthood. He is truly ready to make this step. It was a great experience.

So, you mentioned something about missing having babies around - that was silly to say. You realize that the grandkids may be popping out sometime in the next few years, right? Be careful for what you wish for Mom ;) I really like what you said about the premortal world and how we all have those different personalities. It is so interesting to think about the fact that Heavenly Father is truly our Father and He gave us different personalities, every one of us. What a miracle to think about that and to recognize that He must be real - there is no other way this could have all happened.

So I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the General Relief Society Conference. It is such a blessing to be able to hear the inspired words of the prophets. General Conference is going to be so great as we get to hear the words that Heavenly Father wants for all of us to hear. As we listen closely and prayerfully, we will receive the guidance that we need in our lives individually; what a blessing. It is incredible the way all of this works together, God's plan that is. Everything works together for our good as long and we strive to be obedient and accept the challenges that come at us. I know that God truly has a plan for us and that families are so central to it. It makes it possible with families to overcome all the challenges and trials and be happy in all of this. I know that God loves each of us so very much and I am grateful that you have been so great in raising us kids to understand that. Christ lives and loves us. I love Him and I love you.

With Love (interesting) as Always,

Elder Jones

September 20, 2010 - Photo Time

(Okay, Ryan sent me 5 emails containing 40 photos and a video, I will try not to overload you with pictures, but I think they're fun.  If you're not interested, just skip to the next post with his email.)

So this morning we went to a little town called Yaremsha - yes it was a p-day adventure.  I guess that there are plenty of them throughout the mission.  It is in the Carpathian mountains and it was pretty cool.  We went to a waterfallish thing and also to a market to look at Ukrainian goods...fun fun fun!!

So these first ones (photos) are of the town as we walked towards the river and then a view of the river from the bridge.  It rains here a lot, and today was especially wet as we got off to an early start.  It was very misty and foggy and pretty cold.  We got out at about 9ish.

 Hopefully this wasn't the foot bridge they were supposed to walk across :)

 

Here is a video.  Like I said, it has been raining a lot here.  The water was really moving.  Ask Dad how much he would like to raft those waters.  I will try to get you an even better angle of the water later.

Here are some more fun pictures.  Elder Belashov and I and then some more of the nature.  Fun Stuff.  One of these has my district too (without me of course)

It is too bad that the better video didn't work.  That water was really moving today.  Here are some of the market and the mountains.  Love you!