Week two....

Well, I'm only on my second week here and I feel fantastic. I love my trainer! She is so patient with me and all of my struggles to speak the language and simply live the life of a missionary.

I think my favorite part of the day is when we have companionship study. We talk about what we have each studied in our personal study, then focus on how that will help our investigators. I think it really sets the Spirit for the rest of the day and I enjoy it when we actually use that which we studied in our lessons. It is like viewing the fruits of our labor.

I have always heard of "golden contacts" but I never thought that I would have the opportunity of teaching one! Let alone in my first transfer! But this girl we met at the baptism is amazing! She has been going to English with the Zone leaders and really feels the Spirit during the Spiritual thought. She has also been to church several times and enjoyed it. When we asked her if she would like to meet with us personally she was excited because she has so many questions that she wants to ask! We teach her for the first time tomorrow, and I can't wait!

Being a missionary is so much more than I ever thought it would be and just these two weeks have taught me soo much and I know it will have such an impact on how I live the rest of my life. I am so grateful to be here and wouldn't have missed this for the world!
-Meagen
7-20-09

I love Ukraine!

I arrived in Ukraine on Thursday morning and met my Mission President, President Steinegal and the Zone Leaders at the airport. They then took us to the Prince Vladimir monument and read Elder Packer's dedicatory prayer of the country. It was really neat. Then the Zone Leaders walked us down Xreshatic -the main street in Kiev and we had lunch at a cafeteria type place.
We then went back to the mission home and met the Steinegal Family and had orientations to the mission and interviews. We then had dinner including borscht and afterward, Ukrainian ice-cream!
We slept that night at the mission home and the next morning was Zone Conference. We walked all the way to the stake center, which wasn't a good idea, because we arrived late and sweaty. I thought that I had seen the last of humid weather when I left Florida, but I was wrong... Ukraine is soo humid!
Right when we got to the Stake Center we met our trainers. My trainer is...Sister Pack! and my first area is ...Kiev West - Vockricenia(Resurrection) Ward! I am so happy that Sister Pack is my trainer, she has been out for a year now and speaks both Ukrainian and Russian because she learned Russian in school- which is very helpful because half of the people in Kiev speak Russian and the other half speaks a mix of Ukrainian and some Russian. I am excited about the Ward I am serving in, Sister Pack says that it is the best in all Ukraine!
After conference, we took a taxi to our apartment! It is so eclectic! The furniture looks like it could be from the 60's or 70's and the wallpaper is all kinds of floral, even on the ceiling! The toilet is in a room by it's self and the sink, shower and washing mashing are in another room next to it. Hardly anything works and lots of things haven't been cleaned in ages, but that makes it more fun!
I love my ward! Everyone helps so much with missionary work and is so excited about the new temple. Everyone magnifies their calling to the max, just like busy worker bees- hey, that's probably the meaning behind Desseret!
I was asked to give my testimony in Sacrament meeting and I was terrified, but did it anyways. Afterward, everyone said that they were thankful I did and said that my Ukrainian was excellent.... I'm not so sure about that...they really are the nicest people in all Ukraine, if not the world!
I've met in several Ukrainian homes already, and each one is so inviting and welcoming. Monday is our p-day from now on, we're just checking out Central Kiev today. We are planning to go to the Opera and Kiev's most popular Monastery sometime in the next few weeks. I'm excited, but more excited to see the Lord's work progressing all around me!
-Meagen
7-13-09

Meagen made it safely to Ukraine!

I believe they are standing in front of the temple that is being built in Ukraine!

Meagen is on her way to Ukraine!

Meagen left early on Tuesday July 7th, and will be arriving in Ukraine early on Wednesday morning! Wish her luck!

At the MTC!

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You'll Never Guess!

So this past week has been Mission President's Seminar for all the new mission presidents. So we knew that the special devotional on Friday night was going to be a good one. I had the good idea to sing in the choir so that we would get very good seats. (usually we don't sing in the choir because there is too much work to be done!) So in the choir some sisters spilled the secret that the speaker that night was going to be Elder Jeffrey R. Holland (my favorite Apostle, if you can have a fav. that is) so I was supper excited that I would get a chance to see him in person! But that night, even before the prelude music started, Elder L. Tom Perry walked in. I was kind of disappointed that it was not Elder Holland, but I was excited to hear from another Apostle nevertheless. Then who walks in but Elder Neil L. Anderson, the newly called Apostle! I thought to myself, hmm...this is interesting, then Elder Quinton L. Cook, Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Elder David A. Bednar, and D. Todd Christofferson one by one enter the room with their wives. Then finally Elder Jeffrey R. Holland comes in last! It was so amazing because all the people in the large multi-purpose building, which seats more than a thousand were all standing and you could feel the Holy Spirit so strong! Elder Holland was the only one to speak though. But it was a wonderful talk, about how central the Spirit is to us, especially when we are teaching. He also commanded us not to teach if we did not have the spirit with us. He told us several different ways that we can recognize the Spirit and to be mindful of those times so that we may be able to call upon the Spirit when we need it. He spoke such wonderful things that I could not put them into words. I encourage you to go to lds.org and search for a talk by Elder Holland, maybe one on teaching by the Spirit, or any other topic of interest, because he speaks in such a way that penetrates your soul! He concluded by saying "Welcome to the work of Angels!" He said that as missionaries, we are angels in the eyes of our family, in the eyes of our investigators, and even in the eyes of our Savior who will forever be eternally grateful for the work that we are doing on His behalf. It was so beautiful that I am even getting teary-eyed just thinking about it. We all stood again as the Apostles were exiting the room, then after they had left, all of the new Mission Presidents turned around and were waving. I looked around myself to see who they were waving at, was it another Apostle? No, there were just us, the Missionaries. What? Oh, yeah! We are Missionaries! We are the Lord's Army here upon the earth and they love us! I seriously wanted to sob with emotion when I realized the great and marvelous work that I am currently apart of!

Not much time left but I got my flight plans a couple of days ago!
I leave at 5am on Tuesday morning from the MTC, then go to Salt Lake City to catch a flight at 8:35 to Kennedy New York. From there is a straight flight to Kiev, Ukraine! We should be arriving there at 9:05am on Wednesday. But it will feel like 12:05am according to Utah time. That is going to be so weird! Kind of like time travel!
-Meagen
6-30-09

100% Ukrainian!

AAhhhh! Yesterday we had our big dramatic countdown to only speak our mission language for the rest of the two weeks here. Wait. Two weeks? No way!!! Speaking only in Ukrainian is very very difficult. I think Sister Murphy and I have our own Ukrainian that we speak to each other and can understand one another, but to anyone who knows real Ukrainian wouldn't be able to understand us at all! Is is so frustrating when I do my practice teaching with my tutor, Brat Paulson, and I say a phrase and he just shakes his head at me and says "Ya ne roseoomeeyou" ( I don't understand) And I spend five minutes trying to spit one simple little phrase out!
This week in the TRC we are telling someone our daily schedule and then, teaching the first lesson again. I think this time, it is supposed to be super awesome, because we have taught it twice before, but it has been a while since I have reviewed the vocab that it will not turn out as well as I had hoped.
I think we get our flight plans soon! Can't wait!
-Meagen
6-23-09