Happy New Year!!

HI family!
I’m speechless. I had the best time with you all last week! Skyping was so rad. It’s good to hear that everything turned out well. I’m way bummed about Bro Schwab passing on. But at the same time, I’m way excited for him. He has truly lived a life of service and can expect LOTS to come. It was so cool to see you all last weeeeeeeeeeek!!! I understand more and more of God's plan and how perfect it is almost every day (some days are way harder to understand than others haha), Family is truly where it’s at. I love you all so much and can’t wait to party with you guys when I get back! But that can wait; I know that I’m supposed to be here.
This past week was insane. Alexander, the guy that we taught who was baptized, got on the internet and looked up some unfavorable information about the history of the church, has lost almost all of his friends, and called us drunk out of his mind the other day.....it was a hard day. So the next day we took a member with us and had a lesson with him and had the member just answer questions and we shared some scriptures and bore testimony. Alexander is a good person; he's just going through a hard time. I've added to my testimony through this experience that you will find what you are looking for. If you look at something and think negatively about it, that’s exactly what you will find negative things. Then eventually everything you look at will just be dim and negative. It’s not worth. Work should never be something to complain about (in Alexander's case), be grateful that you even have a job. I know that as a missionary it’s easy to think that way but with a positive perspective, things are so much easier to understand and handle. New Year’s was great! We went to bed at 10 -10 30 and set our alarm for 11:55! We woke up and did the count down and everything. We tried to find something of the Martinell’s and whipped that out at midnight. It ended up being way nasty haha but it was a good memory. we hit the sack again I think 35 seconds later...At church the next day there was almost no one there, b/c New Year’s is the BIG holiday here so people get a little crazy. We had to be in by 4 pm and 6 pm on eve and New Year’s Day. But President Camero was there at church and we all got have interviews with him...that man is AMAZING! He gave me a powerful blessing. He's just so loving and in tune with the spirit. I've learned so much since just talking with you all. The scriptures are powerful and I’m sad that I never saw the importance of them before. One thing I’ve learned recently is that I always have to have no regrets on my mission. Don’t make any mistakes..this that and the other, but something that I’ve realized more and more, is that the missionary I am today, is b/c of those mistakes that I’ve made and those regrets that I have. I learn so much from experiences that I’ve gone through on my mission, good AND bad. I've learned that God doesn’t tempt you (obviously) but allows you to be tempted. B/c if He took our temptations away, then that would also take away our opportunity to choose good or evil; thus taking away our agency. He can’t take our temptations away b/c we live in the world. But he can help us overcome them. I love being a missionary especially here in good ole' Ukraine. I love you all! Have a great week!

- Старейшина Руни