Week 20

Dear family and friends!!

Happy memorial day!!! i only remembered because our recent convert who works at the american embassy here has the day off because it is an american holiday...oh yeah! memorial day weekend!! i remember what that used to be like...usually a swim meet, a ward barbeque, and that feeling that i can barely remember of school being soooo close to over and all the end of the year banquets and awards ceremonies. that is such a distant life from where i am now. obviously geographically, but mentally too. Ive realized this week that while thinking this way may be interesting, it is pretty much detrimental, so im going to try to avoid doing this:

on saturday morning we had a service project for one of our wards (more pulling weeds! and making kiev more beautiful) anyway, we were walking there around 7:30 in the morning, after exercise and breakfast, ready to get a move on our day we had planned...then I let my mind wander.....wow. its 7:30 on a saturday morning. what the heck am i doing? im pretty sure in my life before this one, I would never find myself walking to a ward activity at 7:30 in the morning, and i probably still would not have gone if it was inthe afternoon on a saturday. what would i be doing on a saturday morning? maybe it was rowing practice...yeah, thats what i used to do on saturday mornings. then i would relax and do my homework and study in my pajamas the rest of the day. maybe order a pizza. yeah. thats saturday. mmmhmmm. NOTHING from life's saturday morning resembles what i am doing now...on my way to help with a ward service project, then onto the other ward's picnic for the young men and women (how many times did i avoid those in high school), then after that we would be cutting it close to get showered and onto the two other lessons we had planned for the day with investigators (we ended us not getting a chance to shower-just wash our feet and threw on a skirt). wow. yeah. like i was saying....its interesting but i can't really even think about what used to be normal for me, because the lifestyle of a missionary is definitely not normal. but thats okay. the lord needs somebody to do his work 24/7 and that is what ive signed up to do, and i know this is exactly where i am supposed to be, the Lord has called me to work in Ukraine, and i cannot deny all the spiritual promptings that led me to serve a mission. Not only did my life need it, my life in so many ways will never be the same (for instance, i am blonde now). but really, spiritaully too. I am preparing to be a better wife, mother, and member of this church by what i am observing and doing here.

Are you ready for part 2 of my rant from last week? WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO GO TO CHURCH ON SUNDAY? before i answer, i want you all to know that i am not perfect (just have the potential to be :) like us all) and if i heard this advice even two years ago i wouldn't believe it was me talking....but i want to just share my thoughts on what i have learned so far being here in the field and seeing what going to church has done for those who go. and what i wish i could just tell everyone....this is a "keeping the sabbath day holy" according to kylie:

why go to church?
1. Lets start with the fact that taking the sacrament each week is a commandment from Jesus Christ, check out 3 nephi

2. Now let me just say that taking the sacrament each week is one of the biggest BLESSINGS God and Jesus Christ have given us. We can become clean each week by the atonement of jesus christ. wowo talk about living your religion. each week taking that opportunity sincerely.

3. Some people have told us its hard to get to church. it is a sacrifice-sacrifice time, money, hours at work, pride even. Yeah. and you know what, if going to church is a sacrifice for you, all the better!!!!! we know that we will be blessed for any sacrifice we make in the name of the Lord D&C130:20-21, so good. if its hard to get up out of bed, bring it on. bring on the blessings.

4. What i wish i could tell all the less actives who have told us that church is simply boring. they already know everything, they know how it all goes down... This is where a modern day prophet and revelation comes into play. The sunday school classes and young men/women/relief society organizations did not always exist. Jesus christ did not set those up when he came to earth (he did set up the sacrament-thats why that hour is so important), so those programs did not always exist, but they were develpoed as modern day prophets and apostles reveived revations thoughrout the past 180 years. Through a modern prophet we KNOW what church is supposed to be like. Heavenly Father has given us these programs and their weekly meetings becuase he knows that for now, that this is the most effective way to teach His children and teenagers His gospel and how to live the standards in this day and age. and He has all the power to change these programs or get rid of them if He didn't think they were working. So the fact that we get updated manuals and the scheduling of them may change every few decaedes is just greater evidence that God is real and looking out for His children on earth and trying to supply them with the best tools to wade through this life. A scripture i found this week that i like alot - Helamen 3:28-30. we all are here in this gulf of misery, but if we cling to the word of god, it will get us through this mist of darkness with the swiftest most direct route. we need to cling to the scriptures and programs and callings given to us by al loving Heavenly Father to get us to where we want to be the fastest and without any more misery than necessary....

im done. thank you.

i know, who was that? i haven't always had the strongest testimony of going to church, but hey, i guess a mission just does that to you. i working on translating all the above into russian :) so i can share my testimony and thoughts with the people in my same country and not just you all at home :)

Love you lots!!
sister kylie little