Yup, just like everyone else, I am getting sent home tomorrow. I will catch a plane early tomorrow morning. It is so sad to be leaving this wonderful country. I am going to miss is a lot and I am going to miss the wonderful people I met even more.
This obviously isn't when I planned on coming home but I am so grateful for the mission I was able to serve. It wasn't what I signed up to serve but it definitely was what I needed to serve. I don't know why I am coming home right now but the Lord does and I have faith in His plan.
I was actually supposed to leave last Saturday but something went wrong with the flight and I have been staying in Kyiv for the past couple of days. I have gotten an amazing opportunity to spend it with the AP because his last comp went home too. But I definitely know that one of the reasons I didn't got home on Saturday was because I was supposed to come here and meet some more awesome missionaries and learn from them. These last couple of days have been an emotional roller coaster but they were such testimony building days. I have a strong testimony of the scriptures and personal revelation. I have been asking myself so many questions lately during all this craziness and every single time I open up my scriptures in the morning the answer is right there in front of me, laid out so plainly. God has been blessing me with so much knowledge and it is so comforting and reassuring to know that He lives and He is always there and ready to help....all we have to do is ask.
Don't get me wrong, I am so excited to see my family but it is going to be sad not being a set apart missionary anymore. I would not trade this last 21 months for ANYTHING! They have given me such a boost in my life and I hope I can use that knowledge to continue to bless the life of others.
Thank you all for your love and support while I have been out here. I know God lives and I know Jesus Christ lives and is our Savior. I know He suffered for me and for you. I know that ONLY through Jesus Christ we can live with God again. I know the Book of Mormon is true without a doubt in my mind. I have been blessed with the opportunity to read it over and over again and it continues to it's truthfulness every single time. I know Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and how great it is that we get to hear from our prophet today, President Russell M. Nelson, in just a couple days!.
Right now is just the beginning! God is good. Trust in Him. He knows what He is doing.
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Elder Kenyon Matua
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
Harvest!
Really busy week but I'll just share a couple things!
We finally had Harvest Day. At the last MLC I was at president announced that we are going to have a harvest day. That meant that we will set aside our whole day for trying to give out as many copies of the Book of Mormon as we could. It started Friday morning with us all getting on a live stream with president and him leading us in a prayer. We had also all been fasting coming into that day. We spent from 9 am to 7 pm on our feet, handing out as many as we could. Elder Crabtree and I set a goal of handing out 23 copies. We gathered all the goals from each district and the total goal as a mission was 1,002 copies. At the end of the day president told us he had to repent because he told the AP's "no no that's good. We will set a really high goal so we can hit anywhere underneath it and feel good". The reason he said he had to repent was because we handed out 1,082 COPIES!!! It was so crazy! It was such a cool experience. And you bet Elder Crabtree and I hit our goal. Prayer and fasting works! we talked to so many cool people and we had so many cool experiences. I couldn't feel my feet by the end of the day but I have never felt the Spirit stronger so it was worth it. One of the best days on my mission.
There was a guy I talked to on harvest day and it was a pretty interesting experience. He had walked by and I told him that I liked his coat because it had an American flag on it and I told him that I am actually from America and that spun into a short conversation. He started asking why I was here and I told him and before I could say more he asked if we had time to meet the next day. I said of course and we set a time and place right there. Fast forward to the next day, and here we are meeting him at the mall. He wanted to sit down and talk over some juice so we went to the top floor of this mall where there is a restaurant. I forgot to mention that when I talked to him on the street he said he was very busy and that's why he wanted to meet and talk more. The funny thing is we didn't really get to talk about anything religious because the conversation was so fast. So going into this meeting we had no idea what we were going to talk about and we had no idea why he was so interested in meeting with us because that never happens.
Anyway, we show up to this restaurant and as we are walking up we see this guy and a younger girl about our age with him and they wave to us. The guy we were with, Ihor, says 'oh there's my friends.' I looked at Elder Crabtree and he looked at me and we read each other's thoughts and we both assumed we were walking into the biggest bash session of our missions. We didn't know what we were going to do but we walked up anyway and they shook our hands and the one guy kept saying oh this is my beautiful daughter Flower. Isn't she so beautiful? Neither of us knew what was even going on. It was sooooo weird!!! Then Ihor says why don't you tell us why you are here and what you are doing and then we will tell you why we wanted to meet. This story has gone on long enough already but there are so many details that would take me to long to explain but it was just a business meeting and they wanted us to join their business because we are "rich Americans". Their business was a little fishy anyways.
Hope all is well. Prayers go out to all in Asia!
Love,
Elder Kenyon Matua
We finally had Harvest Day. At the last MLC I was at president announced that we are going to have a harvest day. That meant that we will set aside our whole day for trying to give out as many copies of the Book of Mormon as we could. It started Friday morning with us all getting on a live stream with president and him leading us in a prayer. We had also all been fasting coming into that day. We spent from 9 am to 7 pm on our feet, handing out as many as we could. Elder Crabtree and I set a goal of handing out 23 copies. We gathered all the goals from each district and the total goal as a mission was 1,002 copies. At the end of the day president told us he had to repent because he told the AP's "no no that's good. We will set a really high goal so we can hit anywhere underneath it and feel good". The reason he said he had to repent was because we handed out 1,082 COPIES!!! It was so crazy! It was such a cool experience. And you bet Elder Crabtree and I hit our goal. Prayer and fasting works! we talked to so many cool people and we had so many cool experiences. I couldn't feel my feet by the end of the day but I have never felt the Spirit stronger so it was worth it. One of the best days on my mission.
There was a guy I talked to on harvest day and it was a pretty interesting experience. He had walked by and I told him that I liked his coat because it had an American flag on it and I told him that I am actually from America and that spun into a short conversation. He started asking why I was here and I told him and before I could say more he asked if we had time to meet the next day. I said of course and we set a time and place right there. Fast forward to the next day, and here we are meeting him at the mall. He wanted to sit down and talk over some juice so we went to the top floor of this mall where there is a restaurant. I forgot to mention that when I talked to him on the street he said he was very busy and that's why he wanted to meet and talk more. The funny thing is we didn't really get to talk about anything religious because the conversation was so fast. So going into this meeting we had no idea what we were going to talk about and we had no idea why he was so interested in meeting with us because that never happens.
Anyway, we show up to this restaurant and as we are walking up we see this guy and a younger girl about our age with him and they wave to us. The guy we were with, Ihor, says 'oh there's my friends.' I looked at Elder Crabtree and he looked at me and we read each other's thoughts and we both assumed we were walking into the biggest bash session of our missions. We didn't know what we were going to do but we walked up anyway and they shook our hands and the one guy kept saying oh this is my beautiful daughter Flower. Isn't she so beautiful? Neither of us knew what was even going on. It was sooooo weird!!! Then Ihor says why don't you tell us why you are here and what you are doing and then we will tell you why we wanted to meet. This story has gone on long enough already but there are so many details that would take me to long to explain but it was just a business meeting and they wanted us to join their business because we are "rich Americans". Their business was a little fishy anyways.
Hope all is well. Prayers go out to all in Asia!
Love,
Elder Kenyon Matua
Friday, January 24, 2020
Transferred - Lutsk
Hello everybody!
Ran out of time again today so it'll be a short one.
I finally got transferred! As much as I love Lviv, it feels so good to get out of there. I think I was there for long enough and they were getting sick of me. But I love the new area I am in. The city is called Lutsk and it's awesome!
My companion is the best. His name is Elder Crabtree and he's from Tennessee. We have always told each other we wanted to serve together and the time has finally come! The branch here is awesome. Feels like one big family.
The Book of Mormon is true. Without a doubt.
Have a great week!
Elder Kenyon Matua
Monday, January 13, 2020
Transfers!
This is gonna be a super short email because we are rushing around trying to get stuff done before I leave tomorrow!
I got transferred to a city called Lutsk! I've been there a few times on exchanges and loved it so I am so excited to serve there. My new companion will be my buddy from down south Elder Crabtree. We have been super good friends ever since he come out here a year ago so we are pumped to serve together.
This last week was rough. Lots of stuff going on but the Lord continues to provide and watch over me. Thank you all for the emails! I love hearing from you.
Have a good week!
-Elder Matua
I got transferred to a city called Lutsk! I've been there a few times on exchanges and loved it so I am so excited to serve there. My new companion will be my buddy from down south Elder Crabtree. We have been super good friends ever since he come out here a year ago so we are pumped to serve together.
This last week was rough. Lots of stuff going on but the Lord continues to provide and watch over me. Thank you all for the emails! I love hearing from you.
Have a good week!
-Elder Matua
Holiday Post
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| Christmas haul - Thank you everyone back home for the love. It's a great way for my last Christmas |
I hope you are all having a great holiday season! Things out here are going great. Time is flying and I can't believe December is over and I can't believe it's 2020! I had exchanges with Elder Howard, my MTC comp, on Monday and we talked about everything! Especially about how we have less than 6 months here!!
Christmas was so good! We spent it mostly with each other as a district. Thanks for all of the emails and love sent from all of you!
We have had a few exchanges these past couple of weeks and they have all been great. One of them was with the AP's and we just talked about how good and successful all of our exchanges have been. The zone is rockin it right now.
We have two investigators that are really progressing right now so please keep them in your prayers!
Happy New Year Y'all! I hope you are all looking forward to a new year!
"The practice of reviewing the past and setting new directions for the future is a very healthy one, a scriptural, encouraging one, in which we can beneficially alter our lives. I commend the practice to you, especially if it is thoughtfully pursued and the resolutions made are made in righteousness, bringing behaviors and attitudes that truly bless your lives and the lives of others. Shakespeare once wrote that one should live so that “Eyes, / That borrow their behaviors from the great, / Grow great by your example and put on / The dauntless spirit of resolution” (King John, act 5, scene 1, lines 48–53)." - Howard W. Hunter
Love you all,
Elder Kenyon Matua
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