Tireless Sunday!

FAMILY!!!!

  Sounds like a super fun week at home. Diana wrote me a letter and told me all about Yolanda and her family. That's so cool to be able to see that after 31 years (you guys are old ;) the person you both helped bring to the truth is just thriving and now her own family is. What a blessing to be able to see the fruit of your labors. OK. so update on our area, I came in into this area with 3 investigators (one of them eternal), and a not so obedient comp....now after these few weeks we have been blessed with 22 new investigators and 6 of them were at church on Sunday.  This is NOT usual by the way. This is HUGE.  Its been so much fun to see that obedience and hard work brings forth such wonderful blessings.  However it takes a companion to make is work. I've learned so much about how unity with your companion makes all the difference. Its been so nice to FINALLY have a comp that wants to work and now that we are unified, I can see a difference in our work here. Our district had 10 investigators at church with 2 other investigators from different missionaries. That makes 12...such a blessing. I will say that I have never been more stressed at church in my life!! Let me tell you why...so I am the translator b/c we have a ton of Brothas from Africa that all come to our branch. So, when ever anyone has an investigator that is English only...they come to us.  So it starts of with no investigators showing up at the beginning of the meeting (b/c all of the brothas work in "African Time" as they call it, which means that you come at least 30 minutes late).  It was Branch conference so there were already a lot of people.  Then Sacrament mtg starts and I get a phone call from one who is trying to make his way over to the church, so I stepped out side to take the call and as I do, I see 5 brothas walk in to the hall, 3 of them being our investigators. So I took the call and Ruslan said that he'll be 20 min late but he's coming.  Then sacrament ends and I go back in to see that there are no more headphones ( I use a micro phone that is connected to a transmitter that sends my voice to a ton of headphones) for every one b/c they are all being used...so Our friend had to translate for some and I translated for the rest.  Then, as I'm translating, the phone goes off again and another investigator is trying to find his way to church, but forgot how so as I'm trying to do my best translating (which is SOOOOOO hard by the way) I'm also texting an investigator the address of our church (which is actually an institute and a lot of people get confused when we tell them that our church is at an institute....) and I'm worrying that the words I'm trying text aren't come out of my mouth....and that words I'm supposed to be saying  are making sense to all the people listening to me ...5 of them investigators and out of those 5, 3 of them were first timers, so of course you don't want them to get a bad 1st impression.  I don't think my brain has ever been that used before.  THEN, the missionaries performed a musical number. I wrote an arrangement to "Oh, come all ye faithful" and our district sang it. The performance went well but then I had to go back to translating and there weren't enough headphones for everyone so those with out head phones had to sit around me to hear my voice while the others were in the congregation somewhere.  So at the end I had an investigator (not English speaking) sitting next to me on a ledge of the wall b/c we ran out of seats, and I was trying to speak loud enough for the English speakers that weren't with headphones but not loud enough that everyone else would get annoyed with me making too much noise and trying to just understand what was being said by the speakers. IT WAS CRAZY!!!  I think the problem was that I had the phone on me and not my comp and he was sitting with other investigators in the front and I was in the back translating.  He DEFINITELY gets the phone next time haha.  So that was one crazy first hour and I'm just so excited that I was worthy for the spirit b/c with the spirit...I wouldn't have been able to do anything.  I love this gospel and I love being so stacked with things to do that I feel like there is not enough time in the day to get it all done. I know that God is the perfect "planner" b/c His house is one of order and with out order there is chaos.  I'm grateful some much to do b/c it is teaching me how to manage my time well and how to become more like my Savior. I will say that the a big motivating factor when dealing with all of the things of missionary work is that Jesus Christ worked "tirelessly" and that is something that I'm trying to apply in my life; to always have energy to keep a smile on my face.   I'm not sure if anything in my letter made any sense but, I'll just say that I'm having a blast and love being here. Definitely the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, but now I have more of a capacity to handle it all, and I know that source of my success is b/c of the Savior and the enabling power of the His atonement.

I love you!!  I'll let you know next week what times I'll be able to Skype....wait actually, you guys need to tell me and I'll make it happen :)

have a great week!

- Sean

Great week

So, I could write to much today but I'm so great! I love my life. I have no more time to type unfortunately but I just wanted to say that i love you and mom so much! Mom's letter was BOSS and super profound.  Ok, I have to go.  I love you!  thanks for being the best parents ever!!

--
- Старейшина Руни

ps MOM!!!!  Happy BIRTHDAYYYYYYYY!!!! soooooooon :)

"Eating Monday"

Hey Fam,

Sounds like you had a party all week, that's so awesome to hear. Of course while being on my mission I have realized more and more how great you all are. I'm so blessed to have you all as shinning examples of how to love others and serve. Elder Southam told me he wrote you, go ahead an write him back when you get the chance, he has change my life and I am forever grateful for the love he has given me. Let him know how wonderful I think he is, truly he is a great friend of mine. The pictures you sent from the wedding are beautiful and the pictures of the after events were awesome. I appreciated the picture of my beautiful mom and my gangster dad wearing his hood haha, I thought that was way funny. I don't know the words that can describe how I feel about my family. Thank you for you wonderful smiles and strong testimonies. I have had a few comps that have not been raised in a similar situation as me, in the sense that their families were as solid in the gospel, and I have seen the blessings that come from having temple worthy parents and siblings, it makes such a big difference. This week was my first week with my new companion and He has been an amazing blessing to me. He works...that's all I could have asked for. We have seen such amazing miracles while serving together and there will be a lot more to come. I'm stoked that I have a young companion that still has the fire b/c he just wants to go go go go....and I love it. We are working so hard and seeing miracles. We are working with a young man named Sasha and he speaks great English. We found him on the streets during Morning Contacting and he has become such a great investigator and friend. Its been so fun to look back on my mission and see the friends that I have made that are not even members but they are still such great people. Today we will have a couple young investigators come with us to FHE at a senior couples' place to eat food and play games and introduce our investigators to members of the church. There are a lot of Brothas that come and they actually changed the name of FHE to "Eating Monday" haha, apparently there is always a ton of food and that is a major selling point to get people to go...and if you have ever worked with poor college students, you know first hand that if the word "food" is mentioned, then your pretty well guaranteed double the attendance haha. So I'm excited for that. Anyway, I hope you all have a great. Thanks for everything! I love you all

-Sean

New Companion in front of a Statue of Stallin

 

New Companion, YEAH!!

HI family!!

Wow...those pictures of the wedding were so RAD!! Cami of course looked beautiful. Dad has lost some weight it looks like...I'm impressed :) You all looked amazing and I'm sure that everything worked out great. Its great to hear that with 10 hours and counting the church was transformed and everything turned out. I don't have too much time to write today unfortunately, I was writing other family member...but I will update you on how I'm doing. I got a new companion! He is really young on his mission, he is in his 3rd transfer and had been such a huge blessing. He actually wants to work!! we have been working so dang much! We will see some great miracles by the end of this transfer. On Sunday, I translated for all the Brothers at church and m brain wanted to explode...its so hard! but I will have to get used to it being that we have a very young district...minus me haha so I'm the designated translator. our district is a "dating" district, which means we have 2 sisters and 2 elders. This was the same as last transfer, I appreciate sisters SOOOO MUCH!! they bring a special spirit with them. They bring with them Virtue and It is always a blessing to have them with us. Thanks so much for being such a great family. I can't wait to talk to you in a little over a month. Its starting to get cold again which is so weird to see again for the 2nd. We haven't experienced negative temperatures yet but that will be here come January...anyways, Thanks for all that you do! I love you all!!!

Have a great week! :)

- Sean

Learning about Truth

Hi family!!

 Its so great to hear about everything that is happening with the wedding. Its kinda weird to know that I will come home to a different family but change is good and necessary. I'm so happy for Cami that she has been able to endure through so much and now is seeing the fruit of her labor.  I'm proud of her. I hope as is well in the Rooney household as the wedding draws nearer. I look forward to Mondays when I can read uplifting words from a loving family, I appreciate you guys more than you can imagine.  Thanks for always being there for me, especially when I was struggling the most. My companions all know a ton about my family...for good reason too. Well, this transfer will end for me on Thursday and I'm excited.  My comp just now was great but I'm down for a change haha.  It was great b/c in the beginning of my transfer, my comp would get mad at me b/c I made him do comp inventory and other things that missionaries like to skip out on ( he didn't like to do a lot of things haha), but its ok.  B/c now he is actually a missionary, and not just someone on vacation in Ukraine.  It was nice to review out transfer together and watch the transformation that has taken place in his life. He is super obedient and can attest for the wondrous success that we have seen lately. We have been getting investigators everywhere and he was finally able to see some fruit of his labor.  This transfer I have learned a lot about truth. And about how when we are honest with ourselves, God will show us the truth, which a lot of the time are our weaknesses. And when we come to God with humility and pray for a changed heart that we will willingly change and adapt that which is of truth, we will see our lives transform as comp has seen his life change.  I know that we make some of the most ridiculous excuses sometimes in our lives, but when we face up to the truth and act accordingly, that is when we become men and women of God.  I know that God shows us the truth to help us become better. I love slash absolutely hate when I hear something that makes my insides turn upside down b/c I know that I have to change b/c of something I'm not doing (if that makes sense....its makes sense to me haha) and it gives me the opportunity to use the gift of repentance and align my will with God's.   Anyways, I love being here and being a missionary, I thank God everyday for the time He has given me to be here.  I love you all!!  have a great week

- Старейшина Руни

Preaching on a bus!

FAMILY!!!

 This week was a life changing week.  I don't know where to begin.  I only have time for one story, here we go. I had a zone conference here this week and it was great and it was also one that kicked our butts.  We got stacked on us a ton of standards that the natural man would willing and does willing reject.  But after I prayed for a softened heart I really love keeping all the rules, even new ones.  So here in my mission we do A LOT of contacting, every single day. The members are great at certain things but they struggle with others, as do all of us.  But the majority of the people we find to teach here come through missionary efforts even though we all know its more effective to find people to teach through members, anyways...after zone conference (which is were I got my package...Thanks MOM and DAD!!!) I was so pumped. In this mission we talk to everyone everywhere...except for some places like on the metro or on buses. Here it is against the culture to talk to people especially on transport.  People here have a mind set of "I do my thing, and you do yours" so even just saying hi to people on the streets is against the culture here and people think its weird.  I didn't come here to timidly preach the gospel to people that talk to us, I came to be bold and tell people truth.  So we were on a bus the other day, and I felt very strongly that I should get up and preach to a whole bus...which is SOOOOOO NOOOOTTTT NORMAL. But I didn't come here to be normal.  It was the perfect opportunity b/c there was no one standing up and we came to a stop light so the bus was quieter than usual.  My comp and I were in the very back, and I turned to him and told him kinda of jokingly slash seriously "Elder, I think I'm going to preach to this bus."  His reaction was NOT expected.  He just started coming up with excuse upon excuse about why I shouldn't.  We were on our way to a lesson and it was with a potential investigator. After the excuses, I told him I was doing it.  He told me " I will not support you" and he turned his back to me...I couldn't believe what I was hearing.  I said a prayer in my heart (which was pounding by this time) for strength b/c now I was on my own.  And the grace of God picked me up and walked me to the front of the bus.  I turned around and Held the Book of Mormon in the air and started sharing our message.  I was able to see the people who were interested in the message and those that weren't, so afterwards I walked to those who had made eye contact with me as I was speaking and gave the brochures about the church.  Done.  Was it hard? absolutely, but it wasn't until I realized that the worst thing that could happen is that I could get killed somehow that I was able to follow promptings of the Spirit.  I am supposed to be a witness of Christ "Even until Death", so I will be. My testimony of the support of the Savior gives in time of need grew so much that day after that experience. I learned a more profound meaning of what it is to be an example of the Believers.  You cant live off of borrowed light in the last day.  And I just working my hardest to gain as much of it as possible.  This story may not seem very crazy to you ,but i want you to know that it was one of the scariest and hardest experiences of my mission, but I can proudly say that I followed promptings and that God helped me out in my time of need.  I want the Lord to say," I can count on Elder Rooney, no matter what".  I don't know the result of those people that received those brochures but I am honored to have been the instrument of God in giving them to them.  After I sat down, NOTHING could get me down and I felt so strongly the strength of the Lord working through me.  It helped open my eyes even more that the message we have, that gives people that precious opportunity receiving all that the Father has.   I hope that all is well with the wedding and that you all have a wonderful week!

- Sean

The Middle Eastern connection

Hey!!

How was your week?  As for me here, I'm doing great.  My comp and I are finally on the same page and its such a blessing.  We have become master "planners" so that we came improve our efficiency. There are a ton of middle easterners that study out here and they are ALL Muslim! so its kinda hard to teach them but God's plan is truly amazing in that every time I say that my mother is from Iran...I have an instant connection with them. Its super cool.  I want you to know that my heart is burning with love for you and that I look up to you in so many ways. This week has been full of miracles.  I'm doing well, and I have received your package but I haven't opened it yet...b/c I'm in an area way far away from Donetsk and the package is in the same city as me...just not in my hands quite yet.   how are you? How is school?  Are you studying your scriptures everyday?  going to the temple WITH DAD?   Gosh I love you.  I'm pretty sure every one up here know ALL about you, they say I talk about you a lot... :)  Also, a missionary Tyler Stoker from Henderson, says Hi.  I went on a split with him and he did a great job.  He's still super new in the mission but he has a testimony and that’s all that you need to share this message.  Call Kyle some time, tell him how much you love him and that he is an all-star. he needs to hear that from you and Dad at least daily. If it doesn't have much of an effect on him now, It will in a few years when he is in the middle of his mission and his love and respect for you and Dad will grow more than you can imagine. I can't wait to see you again for Christmas!!   keep it up mom!!  Find someone to serve this week, and go serve them.  EVERY less-active member deserves brownies on their door step...just saying :)  
 Let ME know if I can do anything for you.
Anyways, I have to go but I love you!

Have a great week!

- Старейшина Руни