The Refiner's Fire

FAMILY!!

Hi wow, thanks for those pictures mom, I miss Danny and Garrett so much!!! that looked like a blast. I hope all is well, with everyone. So, this week was insane. Probably one of the hardest on my mission. I feel like I'm going through the refiners fire, and it NEVER stops! To start, last week, some of the people in the branch threw a going away party for me which was incredibly nice. They made cakes and things of that sort; I felt so loved. These people are truly my family in Ukraine.  I had 2 investigators come to the party and not b/c they are investigators, but b/c they are mah BOYS!  Near the end, they started taking pictures (Ukrainians LOVE their pictures) and I didn't think much of it, I just felt like I was with all my friends. Well, Женя posted them on facebook and the pictures didn't look very mission appropriate.  The pictures themselves weren't bad at all, but the fact that I'm a missionary, I don't know how to explain it, they just weren't Elder Rooney appropriate. But this member spoke to me about it and I have never felt so low in my life. I didn't even realize what had happened b/c these people are truly my best Friends here and I didn't think anything of it until a member was so concerned about it that he spoke to me about it.  I guess I got too comfortable with my surroundings, and lost site of my purpose. I want more than anything to take it all back, I am a representative of our Savior. I guess I needed this experiance to truly understand the seriousness of my call. It was a hard lesson I needed to learn. So, now with transfers...I got a transfer call however my companion is in America b/c just like my last comp...he too had health issues. So when he comes back hopefully this week, I will go with him to a satellite city to white wash, train and serve as a 2nd Counselor in the branch presidency. I'm scared out of my mind. I feel like I'm not ready for the task. I know that God will make me strong and that I will be able to do all that asks of me. My mission has taught me so much. but I think one of the main reasons that  I was called here to this mission, is b/c I needed to learn how to apply myself. I feel like there is so much potential in me that I have never even tried to discover but my mission is teaching me how to forget myself and use that potential to help others. So right now I'm in a threesome again, and I'm kinda over it haha. but if its what the Lord wants then I'll do it. Jeez, surrendering your will to God's is a lot harder than I ever imagined, I never realized how truly "Natural" I am. But life is a learning process and its not always easy. Thanks for all your love and support, I truly have the best family in the world. You are all in my prayers. I'm getting kicked off the computer so I'll talk to you all next week. Oh and as of right now mom, I am skyping for mothers day! oh and my president just made our mission a "motab" (Tabernacle Choir music) only mission; just another opportunity to surrender :)

Sean




Who does't like cake???






Friends for a life time....

 


Music and the Spoken Word... aka...Street Contacting!!

 

On the Move Again...

FAMILY!!

 HIIII!!!! Costa Rica sounds and looks unreal and absolutely beautiful. Lets go.....now. Just kidding, but I wouldn't mind going there ;)   So I'm at a different Internet place and it ended up being more expensive than I thought so this email might be really short, I'll try my best.   I'm going through another TRIAL!!! YAY TRIALS!!  I got a transfer call and I DO NOT want to leave this area.  The branch is mad at the mission President for pulling me out haha but I know that my president is inspired and only does the will of God, so its OK, I'm leaving...But not only am I leaving, the word on the street is I'm going to another satellite city way far away from anything to "white wash" with a Mini missionary...native. I'm way nervous that that will happen.   ALSO to top it all off, my best friend leaves tomorrow to go home...done, He did it.  I'm going to miss him so much. I never thought that these guys out here would end up becoming my best friends...missionary work is all I know, I can't even imagine what life at home would be like nor do I want to know hahaha.  To be honest, I'm scared to come home, but that's OK b/c I still have a year  of blessings out here and I couldn't be more excited. I love life!! its is SOOO GOOOOD!   Keep working hard and talking with my friends, that means a lot that you took out the boys to get dinner, you should send me a picture of that!!  I got your package and all the clothes were a blessing.   Thanks for working with Jordan and giving him the memories and experiences that he deserves.  "Aren't we all beggars?"  You, family, are an inspiration.  Don't stop. keep working hard!!  I love you all soo soo soo much, and I'll talk to you all soon! I'm pumped for that. This week i got the best compliment of my life from my investigator Toleek.  He's like  6'7" and is a complete baller.  He came to a baptism we had at our branch and then to church the next day.  I truly feel like I'm actually doing something, and making a difference. Finally.  There is a lot of work that goes into missionary work here and minimal "success on paper" so its a tender mercy to actually be able to see the fruits of my labor.  I love you all! sorry for the small letter, but time is short,  have a great week!

-Seany

YaMamma.....

Hey Family!
 That's awesome that the kids are in Costa Rica! I remember seeing pictures from my friend's trip there, its was beautiful.  It's definitely not the same weather here as it is there haha. The weather here has been way inconsistent, as in perfect weather to raining and gloomy in no time. Today is a rainy one.  Your trip to San Diego sounds like it was a blast. And I would NOT be against a trip to Costa Rica...that would only be too much fun. Kimi and Nate should save money and go to Brazil in 2014 for the world cup! and they should take ME!!  Soooo, my comp that went back to America is coming back on Wednesday!! WHAT!? that kid somehow just got 2 weeks in paradise and gets to come back...crazy.  Anyways, this week was great. I love being in a threesome actually. Its a blast, its like I'm training kinda, but is way fun.  Every day is a party. We got to listen to conference in our own LANGUAGE! I loved it, but we haven't seen all of them, but I learned a ton.  This week was chalk full of miracles!  but I just want to talk about what happened yesterday.  We have been working our butts off and having 2 areas brings a lot of work, but its so nice to be busy with lessons.  Lets just say that yesterday, there were 10 people at church that were not members.  What a blessing. So I LOVE making friends with the kids in the community, and we have been doing that.  We play these little Russian versions of tag with these kids that always hangout by the church bldg. They all know my name and most of them think that my name is "YaMamma"...its SO FUNNY!  in a game we play, its has to do with saying a Russian phrase that's the equivalent of "Ollie ollie oxen free" and then the person's name.  So its funny seeing a bunch of little kids running around yelling some Russian phrase then, "YaMamma!!" .  There was one time that I was playing b-ball with some little kids and they thought my name was "YaMamma", and I shot the ball and it missed and hit a car...and the alarm went off...the kids were running around yelling..."OOOOOYour Mamma set the Alarm off!!"....it was pretty funny, not gunna lie. Anyways, on Saturday there was a branch clean up day where we cleaned the outside and inside of the church. And when I was outside doing some yard work things out in front of the church I saw some of the boys and they all started helping!  They were painting, sweeping, picking up trash...2 of them came the next day to church, it was amazing. We also at church had a woman named Vera show up.  We got started talking about baptism and she had already told us about how she wants to be baptized in the summer, then after sacrament meeting we took her to the baptismal font in the church and she told us that she only wants to get baptised in "THIS church".  THEN a woman who just finished her mission in salt lake, met this woman a week ago at a place where they were both trying to get jobs, and started talking about the church.  Well her friend's name is Eena and she too came to church and speaks perfect English!  So we stole her after church and grabbed a less active girl who speaks great English too and found a room for a "get to know you lesson, that hopefully will turn in to a 1st lesson" lesson.  Everything worked out PERFECTLY. the spirit was way strong and it was just incredible.  And all of this happened b/c a member of the church decided to just open her mouth. The lesson with Eena was the best lesson on my mission and she was the 1st person that I've met that was truly elect.  Miracles were getting thrown at us like crazy yesterday.  I want to tell you all SO MUCH MORE but I cant write well or quickly for that matter, so it'll have to wait.  But those of you who have served missions know whats its like to want to write about all of the miracles but just simply can't.  After watching General Conference, I was over come with the feeling of gratitude.  I have been given so much and I hope to one day, BE ABLE to have the CAPACITY to express all the gratitude that my Heavenly Father deserves.  I don't even know if its possible but one day I hope that I will be capable of doing such a thing.   Thank you all for your love and support. Thank you all for your examples that have helped shape me to become the missionary I am today. I know that God loves me, and shows me a lot of that love through my family and friends. I love my Savior.

 have a great week!

-Elder Rooney

ps my friend Carely Wells got a mission call to Alpine, Germany!!  Also thank you SOO MOMMMMMMMMM for the package, it felt like a piece of California was sent to me!  I love you!

Changes

HEY FAMILY!

 I officially hit my year mark this week, and I can't even believe it.  Time has flown by.  I'm so grateful to have learned so much and I know that there is so much in store.  I'm really seeing the blessings of giving everything you have. So I have a meeting with my president on Wed and I should find out when I come home by then, so we'll see. This week has been NUTS. crazy and emotional.  So my comp, Elder Hales....is now in America.  He has had severe health problems and had to be sent home.  We got super close and its was hard to see him leave and hard to see him struggle.  He did NOT want to go home.  We were in and out ( I MISS IN-N-OUT!!!) of the hospital for a bit and then after talking to a few doctors, he was sent home.  So one of you should look him up! Mitch Harley Hales, and give him your love....mine too.  He lives in Roosevelt Utah.  So that was kinda a crazy mess and now I'm living in a threesome.  It will stay like this until the end of the transfer or until they can find a "mini" missionary ( just a native who can be a missionary for a few weeks) for me.   Its actually been a blast. its like a big party all the time.  My 2 Comps are super young, one is being trained (so I guess I'm co-training?) and the other is in his 3rd transfer in country...its been fun.  We have a decent amount of investigators for the first time my whole mission!  its been so cool!  We hope to have some on date this week, so we'll see what happens.  Kimi not to long ago sent me a talk named "the inconvenient Messiah" and I've read before but I did a lot of study on it this week.  Its been very interesting to ponder and study about why it is that we learn the most as we go through trials. I've been really trying to apply the teachings of the scriptures and prophets in my life, and its made all the difference in my personal study.  I'm having the best time on my mission, and I still am blown away at how much someone can do if they would just APPLY themselves (that was made reference to me ).  I love you all  sooo much!, thanks for the letters.  If you need anything just write me and let me know, and then maybe by next Monday I can get your email so that I can send you whatever it is that you need which would take about 2 or more days to try and find , then send, which (depending on size and quantity) would take anywhere from 2-4 weeks to get home banking on the workers at the post office (in Ukraine) not stealing anything....so if its urgent, you just have to let me know ahead of time so I can get it to you on time ;)  welcome to Ukraine....

have a great week!

-Sean