Trials and opportunities

I cant believe kyle is graduating high school?!  Where did time go?  Tomorrow is going to be awesome, Elder Rasband is coming to Donetsk for a question and answer session for 2 hours...if i get the chance, i will ask him this question (b/c I've been studying this lately in my studies and I haven't come up with a sound answer ) How do our temple covenants help us utilize the Atonement of Jesus Christ? Do they?  Its been a great opportunity to study this and I'm interested to see what he says about it.  This past week has been a killer hard week.  Satan works so hard and I have learned valuable lessons from this experience. (By the way... I HATE SEEING SO MUCH FILTH ON THE BILLBOARDS AND ON ALL ADVERTISMENT!!!)  But, what I learned came from a great study that i had this morning.  Mosiah 24:14-15, I'm sure you are all familiar with these verses, But I really saw what I was lacking in myself after trying to apply this concept in my life.  Alma and his people are enslaved and the Lord provides a way, but its really important to see what the people did (well there are a ton of great lessons to learn from these few verses).  What impacted me this morning is that they "did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord."  I really had to step back and look at how I handle myself ...I realized that my patience in God and in myself is lacking...big time.   I also opened my eyes more to the fact that I go through trials in my life so that i can become better.  In reality, my afflictions and infirmities in my life are blessings in the sense that God sees it fit that I go through another trial b/c I past the last one.  He is only trying to help me in my quest to become more like my Savior. I need to be more like Paul in 2 Corinth. 12:7-10...read those verses and learn from the confidence and trust that Paul has in God.  ( I think that those are the right verses...)  Anyways, its been intense in my tiny little mind this past week.  The more i learn the more i realize that I don't know anything!!  Ok, enough about that...I found out my release date...April 6th, 2013!!  My two year mark on the dot.  So we'll see what happens with my life when i get home.  I love being a missionary and I've learned so much and I just want to always be doing better.  Thanks for all of you love!

have a great week!!

ELDER ROONEY!!

The rain falls mainly on the plains..... and all the missionaries!!!