New Companion

Hey family!

   Thanks for your letters mom dad and Kyle! Dad, your insight about receiving the Holy Ghost when confirmed was way cool.  It is a gift but we still have to choose to live worthily in order to use it in our lives.  The army of Helaman sounds like it was a success and we really need things like that over here. Thanks for your letters and I’ll pray about everything about when I’m coming home I got the schedule for BYU so we'll see what happens. 

  This week was the biggest tender mercy ever.  It just builds my testimony about how when you go through trials and try your best, God blesses you with more than you can handle.  I have a new companion, he's from Utah Roosevelt?  Something like that and he’s great.  we work so well together, I’m not training but  my comp just came from being trained  ...and a few days ago we taught a lesson and it was his 3RD lesson in Russian....how he's gone 2 transfers without any RUSSIAN lesson where everyone here speaks RUSSIAN....beats me.  He's 180 degree change from my last companion.  It’s a huge blessing. So here's my story for the week.  This is one of my favorite experiences on my mission.  We had a lesson with 3 of the youth where we teach a little English lesson and then a spiritual thought.  Their names are Alena, Sveta, and Kostia. They are all 17 and SOOO strong.  Sveta was inactive for 3 years, and my 1st Sunday here was her 1st day back and she came only b/c of a youth night that we started the Friday before, for the 1st time.  She hasn't missed Sunday yet and now she wants to serve a mission.  But that day at district meeting we set a ton of way good goals that we ACTUALLY will accomplish.  There is some much faith and work in this new district and we are all so motivated and SO STOKED for this transfer!  My zone leader is my MTC comp....I’m literally serving in paradise right now.   But in our lesson, we started talking about missionary and we all got SO PUMPED.  The faith of the youth here (the few) is SO strong and blows me away. I can’t even describe the feeling that was there when we met together.  The topic of missionary work came up and they all got so excited, i was prompted to share our goals that we made that day and they were so excited about everything.  We shared with them how in America we have Mutual every week and that there are callings and things to go along with it, they were shocked.  And they were so pumped about everything, then we shared with them that it’s going to be like America here someday and but we just have to have more members and a functioning program.  We then talked about how missionaries here, don’t do what missionaries at home do.  Missionaries in other booming places teach people.  the members find and the missionaries teach (at least that’s how it’s supposed to be)  Pres Hinckley said that the better way to missionary work is through the members, members on lessons...etc.  And we talked about the situation in Ukraine right now and how were progressing but we have SO FAR to GO!  They eventually came to the conclusion that it’s all in the members' hands.  They even said that, b/c missionaries can only do so much, but missionaries LEAVE and members stay.  They got so pumped and Alena said this “I want to receive my celestial glory in the Donestk temple"...I was blown away.  My description doesn’t to any justice for how much progress was just made in this area. I can’t even begin to describe the feeling of the spirit that was there. It’s finally starting.  the spark its happening and I hope I get to help it out while I’m here.   I love my life, I’m literally in paradise.  My mission isn’t about numbers and baptisms. It’s all about how I can become more like my Savior. We are literally building the kingdom here.  And striving to do what our Savior did and is still doing.  I can't imagine not coming here and going through everything...I’m just so grateful for everything I’ve learned.  I know this letter probably doesn’t sound all that crazy but that’s just b/c I cant type or write well haha but I also want you to know that after that meeting with those kids, I couldn’t fall asleep I was so amazed.  The Spirit was so strong and I felt God's love so strongly.  It was a very powerful experience.   I’m just so happy to be here and it'll be a hard day when I have to take my tag off.   Keep working hard and I love you all with all my heart.

-Sean

 

Gift of the Spirit

Hey family!

I got a little carried away writing a sibling of mine so this letter will be a bit short.  It sounds like there was a great week of birthdays! Happy Birthday once again!  This week was great.  I love this branch that I’m serving in!  These members will never leave my heart. We have transfers on Thursday and word on the street is that I’m training?!  We’ll see what happens; I’m excited for a change. I’m staying in my area and couldn't be more grateful.  I know that all of my companions are given to me by God.  I’ve learned so much form every single one. I've seen miracle after miracle on my mission and JUST realized that I’ve been under utilizing the Gift of the Spirit.  I thought I was getting a hold on things....HA! I'm learning more and more every day that the spirit in my life will as big of a deal as I make of it. One of the hardest things for me is following the promptings I receive. I feel so young and immature in the gospel sometimes.  And then I see others around me that don’t even know who or what God is.  God's Plan is crazy...for example in my 1st area, we were in a village and the OLD woman was walking up to her "Dacha" and she looked like she lived a tough life.  Her years were very apparent and her life had taken a tole on her body to say the least.  She had probably done the same thing every day for the past 10 or so years.  Walking with her cain, body bent over, moving very slowly, up a good sized hill, through dirt mud and rocks.....what is God's plan for her? Why do I have the Gospel in my life?  These are just some things that I ponder sometimes.  This whole experience is crazy and I wouldn’t change it for the world.   Thanks for all that you do family and friends!  I feel your love and prayers.  Keep striving to become better every day. I love you all

- Старейшина Руни

Meat jello????

HI!  

  What the heck is an "apple pro"?  And where's mine?!  Kidding, that’s awesome to hear everything that’s going down in our family!  Kyle got in to the summer at BYU?  That’s AWESOME!!  That was by FAR my favorite experience of college hands down.  Sounds like things are going great at home.  Booo Ya!!  And yes mom, I work out every day! For the most part.... I’ve put on 10 pounds (good pounds)!!!  I use the pull up bar that Kyle got me for Christmas a few years ago and the perfect pushups....my record is 27 pull ups!   I love working out b/c its "ME" time, which never happens, so I workout pretty hard.   I actually just got sick...but it’s nothing compared to stupid scabies so it’s FINE...give it a few days and everything should be back to normal.  The weather here is AWESOME!  It’s in the 30's FINALLY but since there's no real plowing system, you slip a ton...it makes for an adventure.  This week was great.  I remember when Uncle Nate was telling his story about going to a woman’s house and she fed them a TON of meat that was no good...so they stuffed it down there pants and took off...well here's my food story for the week that also involves meat that should never be eaten...let me introduce to something called "холодец", its cold, NASTY "meat jello".  I'll send a picture of course. It’s probably number one on my "never ever eat again in your whole life even if someone gives you a million dollars" list.   The woman who made it was in her 80's I think.  In one bite I spit out 4 pieces of bone about the size of my tooth.  I almost died...I was on a split and I looked at my comp and we both agreed that we couldn’t do it.  I took a few more of the hardest bites to swallow in the world then...started planning on how we were going to get rid of it....soooooo my comp went in to the kitchen and started asking questions and kept "Babooshka Vera" busy, while I may or may not have taken the meat jello and found a window on a balcony and accidently tripped dropping the meat jello out of an apt bldg...on the 5th floor.  I left one bite for the both of us after finishing the deed.  Which was STILLL so hard to down.   We of course told her it was delicious and then drank our tea....it was great tea too.  However, turns out that her "famous tea" was black tea...we drank a TON of it too...it’s FINE.  THEN Sunday morning, still on the spit, I had MAD stomach problems, and may or may not have had gnarly "понос" (DIEareeeya) 3 TIMES before 9 AM!!! Thank you meat jello.  But at least it was chicken and not cat...count your blessings.  

On another note, my comp and I are doing good, great kid just a little hard to handle at some points but who isn’t, I’m not perfect either.  My fire has been lit again and his isn’t burning as much so it’s hard sometimes but we're both learning. I've been learning a lot about spiritual gifts and how to obtain them, but I’ve decided to stop kicking against the pricks with Russian and I’m trying to let myself love the language as hard as it may be.  It’s a work in progress, it’s such a humbling experience to be here and go through all of this.  I needed it BAD. Also, the members LOVE you all.  There's a family here that’s SOOO AMAZING! They said that Mom and Dad are welcome ANYTIME to stay at their place and visit, they want you both to come and they both served missions, and speak great English. So the invitation is out, you have a place to stay... Also, a lot of members think American boys are stupid b/c no one has taken Cami yet...like some members get almost heated that boys in America are letting her pass by. They got your back Cam...for real though.  well, it’s great to hear from you all again, my time here is passing and before I know it I’ll be home, which will be so bitter sweet, b/c I love it here.  Also...when does spring semester start the year I get home? summer? let me know thanks :)   I love you all so much you have no idea!  Have a great week!

- Старейшина Руни

My bed, uh, that is, my metal hamock!

Andrei is progressing

HHHHIIIIIIIII!!!!!!

  Wow, thanks for all of your letters...MINUS KYLE!! Mom, you continue to blow me away with your studies, keep them up! Thanks for all your love and support.  This week was another crazy crazy week. But i just want to testify about the Atonement real quick.  It’s as real as you make it, and it'll affect your life to the extent that you allow it (on an earthly stand point....grain of salt).  All I’m trying to say is that if you use the Atonement and TRULY believe in its power to heal and enable, your eyes will be opened to see the Fruits right now, in this life. AND IT’S AWESOME when that happens.   My comp and I went in to see our President and we're ready to go and work hard...in our comp inventory after weekly planning, he brought up the fact that he needs to get up on time, then he said that he's NEVER brought that up in any comp inventory in his WHOLE mission!!!  Yesterday...he was up at 6:30 am BOOOOO YA!!  we're seeing improvement little by little and my comp is the happiest kid ever, our District had become so much closer as a result of trying to help out someone in need...we're saving souls and it couldn't be a more glorious work.  Last night we had a crazy awesome experience...we were on our way to a lesson and I felt like I needed to talk to a man that was passing by us...so I did, and well, his name is Sergay and turns out that he was baptized a long time ago and that all of his children were baptized and that his wife died and He's already done her temple work Freiburg Temple...no big DEAL!!!  I've never heard of this man and he lives in our area and is way inactive but he said that we could come by and meet with HIM!!  What a blessing.  THEN we had an incredible lesson at the church with Andrei.  He has agreed to be baptized and we did a review lesson with him to see where he was at.  He remembered a ton of things and we brushed up on others.  All he has left is Word of Wisdom and tithing and that’s pretty much it.  We taught the Law of Chastity (for my 1st time!!)  It went smoothly and it was so cool to be able to relate to him and bear testimony.  Things are going better, and life truly is and always will be CHOICES (thanks Dad).  I have now two weeks in a row plowed an entire church walk way and parking lot (almost the parking), I haven’t decided if I like mowing lawns better or not.  The weather is getting a little chilly again but it’s not that bad b/c it snowed a few days ago which is always a sign that it'll be warm out.   K, I’m going to send some pictures so this letter will be a little short for time's sake. I love you all, more than you can imagine.  Keep working hard. Oh and with everything you do, try and be PURE, and not just clean.  A great example of what I mean, it’s like when you clean you room, did you just throw everything in the cupboards and throw things under the bed so that it appears clean on the outside?? OR did you fold all your clothes and "vacuum the EDGES" (Dad...again)...this principle goes past just cleaning your room, it maybe taking a shower with SOAP (Kyle...) haha I’m just kidding, but really when you apply this principle in your life, you feel more confident and just over all amazing!  To live purely!!

Love you all

- Старейшина Руни 

 Best Pizza EEEVVVEEERRRR!!!!

 Getting beating by the little old man that could hardly move around!!!!

A woman and her dog that was all "wintered out" and it could barely walk in the snow, the booties made it slide EVERYWHERE... it was soooo funny to watch...

Pictures are worth a thousand words

This is what public transportation looks like - more often than not...with 150 of your closest friends :) quite literally haha!!!

This is me beating a HUGE rug in the beautiful frozen tundra of Ukraine....  Did I mention that it is FREEZING?

So this is my water filter....if i wasnt on the Lord's errand, I'd probably be growing a 3rd leg... or be dead...

Because they have no system for cleaning snow or ice and things like that, the ice just builds and builds so parents just drag their kids on sleds everywhere!! its AWESOME!

Dressed for success; also, after contacting in the morning ...my comp had icicles on his eye lashes...its nuts!!

Be a Black Marshmellow or Freeze....

Hi family!!!

  I hope the warm California weather is treating you well!!  it’s been a little chilly over here...not tooooo bad.   ITS SOOOO COLD!!! Utah's got NOTHING on Ukraine.   The humidity and wind can stop anytime...Contacting is so funny.  I wear my Nike sweats under my pants with a sweater and a hoodie and a HUGE jacket and a beanie with scarf and hand warmers....I pretty much look like a big black marshmallow walking around everywhere, its fiiiine. Anywhere my breath hits...freezes so there's a white ring of frozenness around my mouth, nose and hoodie...it’s crazy.  But we're surviving.  Our apt is pretty cold too but its ok, I sleep in sweats and a hoodie, socks, and 2 blankets haha I think we're going to get a heater or something b/c there's a way bad draft in our place right where I sleep, which happens to be on a couch....I love it.  so that’s the weather...

Inside of the door to my apartment building (ICE!!!!)

Yesterday at church I TRANSLATED for my 1st time for my president's wife...it’s near impossible b/c nothing translates that well in to understandable English but then on top of that...she barely speaks English at all so I had to simplify it...it was tough but a good experience. We had a great miracle happen too!  At church out District president walks up to me and tells me he needs my help, turns out his cousin was at church and it was her first time and we wanted ME to go talk to her...crazy! We have a lesson set up with her and The District President on Thursday...AWESOME!! My District president is awesome and way spiritual, and I can't wait to be on a lesson with him.  As for my companion, we're all (my entire district) coming together to help him out.  We're having elders call in the morning and asking him for help, recipes, pretty much anything, but they do a good job of making it not sound like a call just to get him up...it’s great b/c he gets up and he can’t go back to sleep and then sees me studying and dressed up to hit the streets whenever he's ready...and its worked!!! slowly but surely this man will see the importance of being obedient but he has to figure it out on his own or else it won’t mean anything.  It's just like the mission, people tell you all the time to have fun or remember to smile, but it’s not until you actually experience it for yourself, that you see the importance of their advice.  It’s a work in progress and it really helps me to not focus on myself...I’ve realized that I focus on myself way too much even if I don’t think I am.  It’s the natural man in me that puts ME 1st before others.  My personal study is close to my favorite part of the day!  I’ve learned sooo much.  A really cool subject to study is "light".  What is the significance of light and why is it important?  What comes from light? Does it have more than one meaning?  Something that I thought was way interesting is that we as people are NOT light.  Our Savior is the "light and life of the world", we are just reflectors of light.  That’s just another reason why it’s important to be worthy so we can shine brighter and brighter.  God has truly changed my heart with my companion, and I truly want to help him out, but not b/c I’m "so good" or "all that", but so that I can return the favor. We are all in the same boat here on earth. Mosiah 4..."Are we all not beggars...".  it’s so selfish of us to deny someone something that we have when we ALL are beggars in front of God, who am I to deny something from someone else?  This has been a great lesson that I try to apply.  The elder who was in my apt before I came left a TON of stuff, some being a grip of hand warmers which they don’t have here to my knowledge.  So I made it a goal to give a pair of hand warmers out every day. This morning was so cool this homeless man walked by and I asked him if his hands were cold...he said yes so I showed him the hand warmers that I was using and then I gave him a pair of his own...no message about God or the church, just a simple act showing what I believe in.  He was grateful and threw them quickly into his gloves.  Service is HUGE.  I can’t believe it’s taken me soooo long to learn and "really" apply these concepts, it’s just another reason why I’m so grateful for this experience. I think that it’s awesome that you are working with the Tretbars Mom and Dad, I look at my role models in my life and every single one them were people that "took the time", whatever that means, took the time to help, support, etc.  So continue taking the time b/c it will make all the difference in the world to those boys.  I love you all and am especially grateful for your example to me. I’m proud of my family.  Have a great week!

PS I got the package thank you!! It looks like they played hockey with it!!!
Also the Remington’s sent me a package and i just got it too so THANK YOU MOLLY and FAMILY!!

New area, New Companion.....

Hey family!!

  Thanks so much for writing me!  I love you all so much.  So I’m in a new area with a new companion... my comp is from Arizona and his name is Elder Garlock.  It’s been interesting; he's definitely one of a kind.  He's pretty much known as the most disobedient missionary in the mission and I was SUPER afraid to serve with him from the stories that I heard.  And yup, they were all right and it’s been really hard.  But I’ve learned a ton. I judged my comp so hard in the beginning and I feel super bad about it, but after having a few one on ones with God, my heart has been softened and I LOVE my comp. I’m not perfect and I’m still learning too, and I’m NOT God's gift to missionary work.  This new transfer has taught me to stop focusing on myself and care more for others.  I’m so grateful for this lesson b/c I realized how selfish I was being.  I’m reading a book by Neal A. Maxwell right now and in it, it talks about selfishness.  He stresses the point that selfishness is a form of self-worship and when we worship ourselves, we're not putting God first...therefore breaking one of the 10 commandments.  It’s a little harsh but I understand where he's coming from.  My life has been flipped 180 and it’s hard but when I put others first, it gets a ton easier.  God has helped me truly love my comp; I still try my best to be exactly obedient at all times given the circumstances.  My comp doesn’t really get up till 8 30/ 9 ish (among other things) and it’s really hard b/c I want the blessing of being an instrument in the Lord's hands but I can’t do it alone! We’re a team and that’s the way it’s meant to be, not only for missionary work but for the individuals going through the experience, learning and growing. It's been an interesting experience so far but I’m grateful I’m going through it, this experience helps show me my imperfections and how I can work on them.  So that’s a bit about my new comp, now...my area...is SO COOOOOOOOOL! At church yesterday there were about 95 people there!! It was crazy, the branch actually functions and it makes missionary work so much easier!  We held a youth night on Friday night and it was the 1st one...and we had 5 people show up and 2 brought friends and we had an absolute blast.  The youth in this branch are super strong and way cool, we probably have 5 or 6 return missionaries in this branch and it’s so cool to finally see things moving.  I’ve been noticing the effects/affects (I have no idea which word I should use anymore haha) of maintaining worthiness of the spirit with thoughts and actions...etc., we had a lesson but it was SO GOOD!  It was in part English which is always a blessing, we'll work with what we can get, and the spirit guided the whole thing.  On my mission I’ve learned to recognize the promptings of the spirit which I thought I could do at home...nope, not at all.  I see more and more why missions are important, it is so important b/c (for me) it takes practice to work with the spirit and to recognize how the spirit works with you, and I don’t know if I ever would have learned the importance of the spirit if I had not come here.  Anyways, I hope you all have a great week! I love you and think about you often!!

-Elder Rooney