Growing and Thriving - Email May 6th

Dear Family,

   I hope that you have had a great week! It was so good to hear from all of you in your emails! I'm glad that Daddy's thing went well and Grandma is recovering well from her surgery! I have been wondering about both! Thanks for letting me be part of Daddy's special night! I can't wait to watch it on video. This week has been good! A week of a lot of walking and a lot of knocking on doors! We have met a lot of great people and hopefully some of them will continue to have a desire to learn more. We are working hard though and doing our best!

   In Kennewick I had a big inside joke with the branch because the english ward would always feed us speghetti. The hilarious thing that I have found about this is that people always tell you why they made speghetti. I'm not a big speghetti fan so it became like a curse and it was hilarious. Well here everyone makes roast (we have had speghetti twice). We have had roast 6 times in 3 weeks. It is unreal but still hilarious. Last night we laughed so hard over it we were basically crying.

  We have also encountered a lot of dogs lately..not on leashes. You can imagine that this experience is a bit disturbing for me.

  We had stake conference this weekend. Our stake president taught a really cool analogy. There is a grove of trees in the Washington Cascade Mountains called "The Grove of the Patriarch." In it there are trees that have existed for thousands of years. He posed the question what is the difference between these trees that continue to grow and thrive after thousands of years and trees that die. He said that he found three things: 1. They were planted in a goodly land. 2. They have an unlimited supply of water. 3. They took time to become what they were meant to become.

The stake president explained that likewise we have been planted in a goodly land. We have the living water of Jesus Christ in unlimited supply and lastly we recognize that some things just take time! We have to be patient and have hope. We must look to the future and trust in Heavenly Father's promises. In Romans 4:18, 20 and 21 we read: "Who against hope believed in hope. He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God. And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able to perform." We CAN fulfill our purpose in this life. We cannot hesitate or draw back. Today is the day to become what Heavenly Father needs us to become. To trust in the prompting of the spirit and go forward with faith that our Heavenly Father gives us all experiences for our good. Some things just take time! But we like these trees have hope that we will grow and thrive. We will become what we were meant to become as we drink of the living water!

   Sorry this is kind of short! Please know that I love you all so much! I consider myself the luckiest girl in the world to have the family and friends that I have! Thank you for everything from the bottom of my heart!

Love,

Hermana Jones

  

JTAYCL - Email April 29, 2013

Dear Family,

   How are you? I hope you are all having a lovely week! Things are going wonderful here in the good ole Yakima Valley. Last night at dinner a boy said "What's the armpit of Washington?" His dad then said without hesitation, "Look around son." We started dying laughing. There is a sign here that says "Welcome to Yakima, The Palm Springs of Washington." It's hilarious because it could not be farther from the truth. We are having some fun and the fun don't stop. Haha. Hermana Pierce has started giving me speech therapy to try to heal my accent. Haha not really but it has become a joke. Apparently so far I say the words Own, Upon and Orange incorrectly.

We have started referring to Mondays here in Yakima as Miracle Mondays. Every Monday after P-Day ends we start to see miracles. It is so cool. About a week and a half ago we had tracted for 2 and a half hours straight one afternoon. During that time we met a little 12 year old girl who told us we could come back and meet her family. We made an appointment but kind of lacked confidence that she would keep the appointment. We even joked about it all day on Monday. When we came to her house her parents were outside and they were staring us down. This made us a little nervous so we drove past, parked a block away, stalled for a second by OYM'ing a trailer and then worked up the nerve to go to her house. She answered the door and her mom came out. Her mom then told us that her daughter had told her we were coming but she didn't know if we would actually show up. She told us that she and her family do not attend church anywhere, that her family is all catholic but that aren't practicing at all and that she has wanted to find a church for her family. She said she would love to hear what we have to say and then she said, (this is not a joke) "So we're excited to hear what you have to say and if we like it, we'll stay." As we walked to our car afterward Hermana Pierce just kept repeating, "If we like it, we'll stay?" It was awesome. We have an appointment with their family tonight because the mom was out of town last week.
The mom who is worried about her son asked us to teach her even when her son wasn't home. She told us that if she sees a change in him she will be interested in coming to see for herself. I know the change that can come because of Maria Zamora and that's what made her mom interested too.

We went to Women's conference this weekend for Relief Society and it was really good. We live with our stake relief society president and she put a lot of work into it. A sister that spoke talked about receiving a magnet from the missionaries that said "JTAYCL" which stood for "Just talk about your church life." She said that when the church is such a big part of our lives why do we not bring it up more in casual conversation. She talked about how easy it is to bring the gospel up. She said that she has a friend who is a really good member missionary. She went on a trip and prayed to have a missionary experience on the plane. She anxiously awaited to see who would take the seat next to her on the plane and was really disappointed when a man with all kinds of tattoos and piercings walked up. Then the spirit whispered, "There's your guy." She said she fought with the spirit for several minutes but then ultimately decided to casually bring up that she was LDS. The guy got really excited and said he had been wanting to know what Mormons believe. Sister Stapleton said that Heavenly Father trusted this lady to share the gospel with this guy because he knew that she had done it so many times before. I realized that I really want to be someone that the Lord can trust to do the things he needs done! So my challenge to ya'll is to Just talk about your church life!

 I love you all more than you know!

-Hermana Jones

The Power of the Chapel - Email April 22, 2013

Dear Family,

   We have had quite the week and by that I mean it is has been pretty uneventful but good things are happening here! For one the toe nail polish Kaili sent me has been put to good use and thanks to that and Jergen's Natural Glow lotion I feel somewhat like a girl again. It's a miracle! This newly wedded guy we had an appointment with named Alberto texted us and said "FYI, you three are hott for some mormons..." So despite the fact that Lupe says I was pretty BEFORE my mission (haha Love you Lupe) apparently I'm not completely busted...yet. Hahaha. We are having a blast. I always thought a threesome would be miserable but we are loving ours. I feel like it is really cool preparation for having a family. We call McBride our child...she is hysterical...a complete nut. The other day we accidently knocked on the wrong door for a return appointment and it happened to be this atheist guy we had met the day before. So McBride just says "Hi...we were just coming by to see how you are doing.  You doing okay?" Later we were joking because it was like "You still atheist..oh good...welp see ya later." We literally laugh all the time. Pierce and I seem to have this belief that we are going to be seperated again and because of that we have a hard time going to sleep at night because we can't stop talking. Things are still very slow here but they're good!

I don't know if I mentioned this to you but when we got to Yakima there were two investigators, a family and another lady. This week, within 36 hours, they all dropped us. We have been knocking doors like there is no tomorrow and we are seeing some results.
Last Monday night we met a lady who is very content in her church but her son is having a hard time because he has gotten in with the wrong crowd at school. She told us that she has been praying for him because he doesn't want to go to church with her. We found both of them home together and invited him to be taught. I told her that sometimes Heavenly Father answers our prayers through other people. She agreed to sit in with him and we came back and had a great lesson with them.
Friday night we were knocking in a trailer park and saw a mother and daughter outside. We approached them and they were nice but both said they were really busy and didn't know when they would have time. We walked around the block knocking and as we were walking back to our car we passed a different trailer. Turns out the daughter lives there with her little family and was just pulling up as we walked by. We asked if she needed any help getting a shelf out of her trunk and she said no but then she said, "I actually have a question for you, do you teach on Saturdays?" We told her yes and she asked if we could come back the next day. We had a great lesson with her and think she is a searcher.
Yesterday we decided to drive past where we usually go in Moxee into the hops fields and passed one house that looked promising (there was a hispanic man outside). We pulled over and knocked on their door. The mom let us in (I think because Hermana Pierce was shivering) and we started to teach her. A few minutes later her 17 year old daughter came in. We reintroduced ourselves and starting teaching again. The mom was having a hard time understanding what the Book of Mormon was and so the daughter explained. She said, "Mom, it only makes sense that if there were prophets on the other side of the world there would be prophets on this side too and the Book of Mormon is a record of those prophets." It was like she was bearing her testimony to her mom about a book she had just heard about for the first time. She has a light in her eyes and we are so excited to teach her! Then the dad came in and he was just as cool! Good things are happening here! We are having a hard time containing our joy after we walk out. We always say "Stay calm, stay calm" and then when we know we are where no one can see us we do a little victory dance. It's pretty hilarious. Someone is probably going to catch us one of these days and it will be pretty embarrassing but Pierce does a pretty mean heel click.

    This week we had interviews with President Greer. We had a training meanwhile with the APs and we talked about the importance of the chapels in our churches. I realized as we sat there that so many of the really special experiences in my life have taken place in the chapels of the church. From my baby blessing to my confirmation to my mission farewell to my first testimony in spanish. I'm so grateful for those sacred experiences. Then President Greer got up and he started pointing to an elder who is about to go home. He said Elder, in a couple years you are going to stand up here and bless your baby. Then he pointed at me and he said "In about 14 years Hermana Jones is going to have a little boy and he's going to sit right there and then he's going to pass the Sacrament for the first time. And then Hermana Pierce your son is going to sit right there (pointing to the Sacrament table) and he is going to bless the sacrament."  It was so powerful and I realized what kind of mom I want to be and how much I want to teach my kids. I'm so grateful for the gospel in my life. I can't wait to have a family. But right now this is my season to share the gospel. Please keep praying that we will see miracles here.

    I love you all so much!

-Hermana Jones

Picture 1- McBride begged me to let her straighten my hair yesterday. It is long.

Picture 2- We have encountered a lot of animals here...this is Jack the goat. This is what happens when we tract. If only the people flocked to us like the goats.

Picture 3- Remember how I hate animals? What am I doing here holding a rooster? No one knows.

Trying to Love Again - Email April 15, 2013

Dear Family and Friends,

   Hello from Yakima! How are you? I hope this finds all of you doing wonderful! Thank you so much for all of your prayers and encouragement in light of the hardest week of my mission so far. I thought leaving home was hard but if I had known how hard it would be to leave one area and go to another on a mission I might have opted out of this whole thing! Just kidding...but seriously. Leaving Kennewick was really really hard. I hadn't cried that much in a long time. Getting to serve with Hermana Pierce again has been a real tender mercy. Our teaching pool is pretty much non-existent so we have laughed a lot to keep from breaking down. Our trainee, Hermana McBride, knows Anders' family because his sister was her nanny. It's a small world after all! It's pretty incredible because her parents are both not active in church but she is here on a mission. I think this week has been a real reality check for her as for what missionary life is like. It is really interesting training with someone else. The other day at breakfast Hermana McBride said "Don't screw me up Moms." I laughed so hard I spit my cereal out.

   When I first got here to the mission field I was listening to a song by Jessie Clark Funk called "Again and Again." The words really helped me when I had no idea what I was doing as a missionary. A couple of days ago it came on again and it helped me again. It says:

 "Again and Again I ask myself why, I don't think that I have any tears left to cry. My soul is so tired, I'm longing for rest. I'm giving my all and I'm doing my best. It hurts to move on from the place I am in but you understand where I've been and you reassure me it's time to start over again."

  I feel like that is literally what I am doing...starting all over again. I feel kind of scared to love the people here like I loved the people in Kennewick. But I know that being scared to say goodbye is no reason not to love. I know that the people that I met there have changed my life for the better. I feel so blessed.

I love you all! Please continue to pray for me!

-Hermana Jones

These pictures are of all the people I left in Kennewick! Sorry I'm wearing the same outfit in all of them.

Email from Sister Anna Walser

Hi Paula,

We had the privilege to drive your daughter to Yakima for transfers and her new missionary(Hermana McBride)  to train.  She is with another Trainer missionary, Hermana Pierce she was with in the MTC.  We met both of them when they first came too.

I took their picture for them to send to their moms.  We are missing her already.  She made a lot of friends and left behind some "life long" acquaintances in the East Kennewick branch.  

Sister Jones' Spanish has blossomed and communicates very well.  She works hard and is busy all the time.  She is a great example to the young women in the branch and influenced them to greater goals of personal worthiness and modesty.  They love her and want to be a missionary like her.  

We wish her the best and know she will have a successful mission.

God bless you, your husband and your family.

Love, Elder and Sister Walser

Part of You Forever - April 8th

Dear Family and Friends,

     Well I've got some good news and some bad news. Which do you want first? I'll go with the bad so we can end on a (really) good note. I'm being transferred. Bummer man...he delivers. I have loved serving in Kennewick so much that when President Greer told me at our baptism last week that I needed to prepare myself to be transferred I was kind of in denial and may or may not have made myself sick over it. Change has never been my strong suit. The good news I will be transferred to Yakima, Washington and will be serving with Hermana Pierce. She and I will be training a new missionary together! I never would've thought that we would have this opportunity but I am so excited! It should be good! A lot of tears have already been shed here (some due to the cruelest april fools joke ever played..I can't even tell you about it I feel so bad). Yesterday I think I made three different people cry..."What are we the Schmultz family, pull yourselves together?" I'm crying right there with them though. On Tuesday I ended up just sobbing in the shower. Sister Doman told us in the MTC to love like we have never loved before and I can honestly say that has happened for me. In short, I'm dreading tomorrow but am excited for Wednesday.

I heard a quote in the MTC by Elder Eyring that said: "We become a part of the place we serve and it becomes part of us forever." I know I will never ever forget the people here. They have changed my life. I have learned so much about how to give of oneself without hope of reward and about humility. I have learned that nothing is more beautiful than seeing the hope come back into someone's eyes. I have learned that the gospel can make bad men good and good men better. I have come to feel a small part of the love that Heavenly Father has for his children and am so thankful for that privilege. 
Last night the elder's recent convert that we have been teaching, Maria Zamora, told Sister Kidd and I: "You know how they say people can be sent somewhere just to help you? You two have been that for me." I think before my mission I thought that a mission was all about investigators and baptisms but I have come to find that it is so much more than that. It is members, families, investigators, companions, recent converts, less actives and last but not least mission presidents. Missions are about people and I think this mission has to have some of the best people in the world. 
Speaking of people...we had 5 investigators come to watch general conference. Cindy Flores and Jacqueline Zamora who are both on date came. They are progressing well and I am excited to see what happens with them in the future. Maria Sanchez, a lady that Hermana Alard and I met in grocery outlet months ago but who hasn't been able to come to church previously came and loved it. She plans to come to church next Sunday and should be on date soon. It's neat because we talked to her in the grocery store because she smiled at us as we walked in and that rarely happens. :) We later found out that she has had a lot of contact with the church, has toured the conference center and works for a member. She loves everything we teach and keeps all of her commitments. She's awesome. All of these women are mothers and I know the gospel could change their families forever. 
I loved conference but I think the biggest thing that I learned was not something that I watched but rather somethings that happened during conference. Maria Sanchez came to watch the first Saturday session. When she got there we took her to the relief society room where it was being shown in spanish. She was the only spanish speaker there. I felt terrible and realized I should've called someone ahead of time to come watch with her. I began to pray that Heavenly Father would send someone. During weekly planning the previous day I had been trying to think of a good fellowshipper for her and thought of Hermana Antonia Sanchez. Sister Sanchez is an incredible member of the church. Ironically they have the same last name. When I prayed that Heavenly Father would send someone I specifically thought of Sister Sanchez and lo and behold twenty minutes into the meeting she showed up. I have a testimony that Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers. 
Maria Zamora, the elder's recent convert, came to all four sessions of conference and took incredible notes. We had encouraged her to write questions prior to conference in order to receive personal revelation. In the first session she turns to me and says "No way! He just answered my question." Her question, "How do I know when the Lord has accepted my repentance?" I know that Heavenly Father answers our questions and that the talk about how Heavenly Father wants to forgive was an answer for a 16 year old girl who is doing everything she can to be better. 

   I read a quote by President Monson this week that I loved. It says, "Each of us can be true for just one day and then one more and then one more after that- until we've lived a lifetime guided by the spirit, a lifetime close to the Lord, a lifetime of good deads and righteousness." That is what I am trying to do...live life one day at a time, being true every day. I love this work! I love you all! Thanks for all your love and support! 

Sincerely,

Hermana Jones

P.S. Mama I am loving the clothes you sent as evidenced by the pictures. #bestmissionarymomever

Burying Their Swords - E-mail April 1

Dear Family, 

  How are you? This week has been amazing and I am so grateful for the things that I have experienced. Kristy was baptized on Saturday and it was beautiful. She is amazing. I hope you get to meet her someday. Me and Hermana Kidd sang "I know that my Redeemer Lives." It was a cool arrangement. And the words meant more than ever before! 

   We had a really good Easter. I honestly can't think of any better way to spend Easter than to be a missionary and to see people come unto Christ. Lupe hosted an Easter Egg Hunt at her house Saturday morning and invited a lot of women in the branch who probably wouldn't have the opportunity to go to a nice easter egg hunt otherwise and the woman went all out. It was epic. Cindy and Jacqueline both came and LOVED it. 

We have started doing new member lessons with Maria Zamora, Jacqueline's daughter. She is a young woman that Elder Hundley and Elder Davis baptized back in January. She has changed so much since I got here but Hermana Kidd and I recently started teaching her because her mom asked if we could teach her to talk about some things she might not be comfortable talking with the elders about (modesty for example). We started meeting with her and in our second lesson we decided to talk about For The Strength of Youth. We talked about agency, dating and dress and appearance. She told us her whole conversion story and then next thing we knew she took out a piercing she had above her lip that the elders have tried and tried to get her to take out. She then flushed it down the toilet. It wasn't anything we did but the time was right. It was so cool because I kept thinking that this was her "burying her sword" and following the prophet. We also were able to get her to come to the General Young Women's meeting which was incredible. She said afterward that she just felt so happy the whole time. Sister Dalton quoted President Hinckley in the meeting who said "When you save a girl, you save generations." I know that is so true and I'm grateful for the opportunity to work with this incredible young woman.

   Speaking of the General Young Women's meetings...that was one of the coolest meetings I have ever been too. Maybe it was just because I feel a bit spiritually starved going to church in spanish every Sunday but I loved that meeting so much. I am so excited for general conference! I love you all! Sorry this is short! 

-Hermana Jones

Picture #1- We went on a hike this morning with the Mercados, Gutierrez and Vasquez. It was a blast! Beautiful day! 

Picture #2, #3 and #4- Kristy's baptism!

"No Thought For the Morrow" - March 18th email

Dear Family,

   How are you? I hope this note finds you all healthy and happy! Things are going well here. You remember how our family has a knack for getting sick on holidays? Well turns out the luck continues. You see this past Friday was Sisters Training (a training they do for just the sisters in the mission twice a year so it's kind of like Christmas) and we were supposed to sing at it. It was also Lupe's birthday and we were going to make her dinner to thank her for all she has done for us. Well the night before my companion got sick and was throwing up all night. We thought it was food poisoning until I got up the next morning and almost passed out when I got to the bathroom. We got Priesthood blessings and made it to part of the sisters training (we were only 2 and a half hours late) but it was funny to me considering our previous history.

   The good news is that I got to see Hermana Pierce for the first time since I got here and it was pretty much the best thing ever! We walked in just as our mission president's wife was telling all the sisters that we were coming but not to hug us and all the sisters turned around and were like "Awww." I was like Hold your applause please...you're far too kind. Hahaha. Jk. But Hermana Pierce turns around and just starts crying. I had forgotten how much I love that kid. She is so great.

    We have been doing a little activity with families in our branch in preparation for easter. We do a little easter egg hunt with different things to symbolize different parts of Christ's last week in each egg with a scripture to go along with each thing. The families have really enjoyed it I think and it has made me think a lot more about the real meaning of Easter. Did you know that the reason we have Easter Eggs is because they represent Christ breaking the bands of death? I had no idea...mind blown. We have been challenging the families to think of something they can give to Christ this easter. One idea someone had was to pick something we want to be better at and work on that thing. I have thought a lot about that. In our zone meeting this week someone made reference to the doctrine of today which is the idea that we will do things today rather than putting them off for later. Earlier that day I had read in 3 Nephi 13:34 where it says "Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself." I realized that I have a tendency not to live for today and that is my goal this easter. That is the gift that I want to give the Savior...to appreciate every day that I have been given. The days are flying by here. I cannot believe I am already over 5 months into my mission.

    We are teaching so many wonderful people here in our area. Please pray for them. The Castillos came to church again yesterday. I was so happy to see them there and they looked so happy to be there. They are such good people. They now have the picture I gave them of us in front of the temple on their coffee table with a dooly under it.  I have seen firsthand how Satan works on those who are trying to do what is right. The amazing thing is that he often uses good things to keep them from doing the essential things. I think that is something else Christ was trying to say in 3 Nephi...if we will but put our trust in Heavenly Father today...he will take care of everything in the future. I know that is true. I know this gospel is the way to true happiness. I know that people are put in our lives for a reason. I'm so grateful for that.

I love you all!

-Hermana Jones

 

Picture #1- Us with Lupe and her kids and her sister Maria and his kids. These are my people! :)

Picture #2- Kennewick is a melting pot. The other day we taught this awesome family from Afrika and fell in love with them instantly. They don't speak spanish so we had to pass them. Haha.

Picture #3- My district out to lunch.

 

Each Life that Touches Ours for Good - February 11 Email

Dear Family,

   I hope that you have had a good week. I was so sorry to hear about Nannie Lou's passing. She was such a sweetheart. I read a quote this week that I though might help Mama in the wake of her passing. Elder Lance B. Wickman said, "Grief is the natural by-product of love. One cannot selflessly love another person and not grieve at his suffering or eventual death. The only way to avoid the grief would be to not experience the love; and it is love that gives life its richness and meaning." I thought that quote was so beautiful and can apply to so many situations in life. I think that is why my first couple weeks here were so tough because everything I loved was so far away. Hermana Pierce was the closest thing I loved and even she was 3 hours across the mission but the good news is that it doesn't take long to come to love people no matter where you are. I have found that there are so many lives that touch ours for good. I have fallen in love with the people here. They are so good to us and try so hard to serve us. I am grateful for the opportunity to love even when that love sometimes brings grief. I know that Nannie Lou is grateful for the love that ya'll showed her. She is in a better place. If she doesn't make it to the Celestial Kingdom, I don't have a shot! :)

   This week we decided to try harder to talk to everyone. We had an appointment Thursday afternoon that we were really excited about but when we got there the man in the house said that we had the wrong house so we decided to try to find the right one. We ended up seeing an english speaking lady and talking to her. She was awesome and said she would love for elders to come share what we believe. We knew we were supposed to talk to her. Then we remembered that the guy we had the appointment with had relatives that lived in another apartment in the same complex. We went and knocked on that door to find out where he really lived. His sister-in-law who is from Columbia answered and said he was not home but immediately invited us in. No sooner had we said "We're missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints" did she say, "I would love to learn more." We started teaching her about the Book of Mormon and she said "I know about this book...it's like the Bible but clearer..the Bible can be confusing." We asked her if she had met with missionaries before and she told us that she had watched The Restoration. When we got home we realized she was taught two years ago. Her sister (the wife of the guy we had the appointment with) ended up coming in as we were about to leave and we made an appointment with her! It was so neat to see how everything happens for a reason!

    We had another experience with the same thing this week. We had an appointment that wasn't home and we debated over whether to go visit a guy that hadn't been home for his appointment the day before or to go eat lunch before Church on Sunday. We decided to go visit the guy and his wife immediately invited us in. They have three kids. She expressed to us that her goal in life is for her family to stay together. It was clear that they have had some struggles with their marriage (probably because they work completely different schedules) and rarely see each other but that they are both good people and want their marriage to work. We were able to share the family proclamation with them and it was such a neat experience to see the hope come in their eyes.
    I hope that you all have had a great week! Sorry this email is a little bit shorter than normal but I hope you are all healthy and happy. I love this gospel. I feel blessed to be a member of the only church on the earth today with the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the very same gospel that He established because he loved us so much...even when it was hard and lonely. I am grateful for the hope that gospel brings to people and for the principles and ordinances of the gospel through which families can be together forever and we can return to live with our Heavenly Father. I'm grateful that Joseph Smith had the faith to pray and ask which church was true and then the courage to restore the gospel to the earth...even when it was hard and lonely. Sometimes our lives are hard and lonely but because of the way those two men lived their lives we can overcome hard times and we can touch others lives for good. That is what I am trying to do here! Thank you for the way that each of you have touched my life. I cannot express how grateful I am and how blessed I feel to know and love you! Your love has given my life its richness and meaning. I miss you but am trying my best to make you proud of me and come home a better person.

    I love you!

-Hermana Jones

P.S. We have three solid women on date for baptism between now and March 9th. Please pray for them! They are incredible.

This picture is of me, Hermana Alard and our relief society president, Sister Mercado. She is amazing and we made a thank you candy gram for her this week because she does stuff for us all the time! Her little girl is Idaly is second only to Natalie in my favorite child category! Haha.

Vision to Become - February 4th email

Dear Family,

   I miss you!!! I hope you have had a great week! Things are going really well here! All four of the Valencia Boys were baptized on Saturday. For a second on Friday night it looked like it might not happen but it did and it was wonderful! They are such good boys and I am so excited to see the difference that the gospel can make in their lives. I sang "To Become Like Him" at the baptism and I really feel like they have the potential to become so amazing with the gospel.

   This week we had a really neat activity in our branch. In the MTC one day I was reading the section on working with members and wrote down some ideas that I had for possible activities to get members excited about missionary work. One thing I wrote down was a night where members could share their conversion story. I felt this could build unity within a branch and bring back their own memories of their conversion. When I got to the field this idea materialized and developed with the help of Sister Alard and finally happened on Thursday night. We were really pleased with the outcome. The theme ended up being "Out of Small and Simple Things, Great Things are Brought to Pass." We had several members share how small interactions led to their conversion to the gospel. Brother Cosme shared how a man at his work just casually mentioned the church one day during lunch and then Brother Cosme went and sought it out himself. Sister Magana talked about her neighbor when she was 11 taking an interest in her. She said "She taught me to cook, she taught me to play the piano and she taught me the most important thing I have ever known, the gospel of Jesus Christ." Karla Hernandez shared how she went to school in Idaho and how she always wondered what made a lot of the kids she knew different but none of them ever shared the message with her. She made the point that she knew she received the gospel when the time was right for her (her husband baptized her on his mission and is now our branch president) but that she wishes now she had had the gospel earlier and that someone had said something. But at the same time she said that she is grateful for their examples so that when the time was right she had a good impression of the church. She shared a quote by President Uchtdorf about how testimonies are for sharing.

    Then in the end we had a lady in our ward (who had recently shared experiences with us after a visit) share how she and her family have stepped out of their comfort zone to share the gospel in little ways. She specifically talked about how her little girls have set an example for her. One of them chose to take her Book of Mormon to show and tell. The other quickly made her own decision not to go to a birthday party because it was on Sunday before every asking her mom. They are 6 and 4. Throughout we showed different things from Mormon.org and at the end Sister Alard and I showed three of the new I Am A Mormon ads in spanish. The branch ate them up! The reaction we loved most was, "They were normal!" We wanted them to see that the gospel can become such a part of our lives that sharing it become easy because people see how we live and want to know more. We encouraged them to use Mormon.org to share the gospel with their friends. After the activity we were able to see our branch unified for the first time. They were all talking to each other and seemed really excited! It was really neat to see how something that I felt inspired about in the MTC actually happened and for the first time I felt like things that I have learned in school came in handy. Stuff from my PR classes was actually put into practice and translated okay into spanish. Haha!

    This week I was reading a talk from the April 2012 General Conference by Elder O. Vincent Haleck. His talk is centered around the scripture found in Proverbs 29:18 that says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." He says, "If we are to prosper rather than perish, we must gain a vision of ourselves as the Savior sees us." He goes on to talk about how the Savior saw more in the fisherman who would later become His apostles than they initially saw in themselves. It made me think a lot about the word, "Vision" and how it applies to missionary work. I realized that for me this mission applies to vision in two ways. First, it is a chance for me to gain a vision of my future (which heaven knows I need) but also it is an opportunity to have vision as a missionary. To see people as they can become with the gospel or even to see an activity as it can become. Elder Haleck later says "Brothers and Sisters, we are a people with a history of vision and the faith and courage to do. Look at where we have come and the blessings we have received! Believe that He can bless you with vision in your life and the courage to act." For me this time of my life is all about vision and I'm grateful for the opportunity to learn about seeing things as Heavenly Father sees them. Sometimes having this vision can hurt because you want so badly for others to be able to see that vision and to recognize their potential. It can hurt so bad that your heart aches watching it but occasionally you are able to see others catch that vision of what they can become and they work with everything that they have to reach toward it. That is what we are seeing with Jaqueline. She continues to amaze us each and every visit. She is amazing and full of surprises. She wants this gospel and all of its blessings and she will get it if she continues to act in faith. Vision has been the source of the greatest joy and the greatest sadness on my mission but it is so important.

    I hope that all of you are able to see how much potential you have. I think of all of you often and how incredibly blessed I am to be surrounded and supported by such amazing people. I love you all! Thank you so all you do for me and for your prayers.

 

Love,

Hermana Jones

Who Sent You? - January 28th email

Dear Family,

   How are you?! I hope everything is going well and that you are all healthy, happy and pumped for the month of love (or the lack thereof). Things are going great here! This week I had a couple of surreal "That was my past life" moments. First we went to visit our young men's president and the BYU-Gonzaga game was on. The next day we were eating lunch at this hot dog place (that shall remain nameless until I get a picture in the t-shirt I bought) and all of the sudden I hear this song playing and I knew it was Kelly singing...I also knew that I had never heard the song before. It was really weird. Then the next day our dinner cancelled so we went to eat at Costa Vida and the UNC-State game was on. I sat with my back to it...remembering Daddy's theory on us helping the Heels by not watching games on Sunday. I figured the same principle applied. I did notice they made a nice comeback while I was there but I'm sorry to hear it didn't last. Haha life as a missionary is surreal. A lot of times I just randomly think "I'm a real missionary..how did this happen?" But I know I'm in the right place!

  Well, I'll just dive right into the lesson...This week we had been tracting one day and we weren't having much luck. We had been knocking for about an hour on and off. We kept going to different areas and it just didn't feel right. We said a couple of prayers and after the second one we decided we just needed to get out of the car again. So we knocked a few more doors with little to no luck and then we knocked on a door and a lady answered. She was english speaking and her first words were "Who sent you here? How did you find us?" Then this guy came up with tattoos all over his body and jet black died hair. He said "No really who sent you here." Hermana Alard told them God did but other than that no one else had. They immediately sat down and wanted to be taught. It turns out Michael has been being taught by missionaries in a neighboring city, has a baptismal date and has been telling Kristy (the lady who opened the door) and Brittany (her 22 year old niece who Michael is dating) that they should listen to the missionaries. Kristy and Michael are both recently out of jail but are amazing people who are trying to make positive changes in their life. Brittany has also had a hard life but is awesome. We taught them the restoration and as we taught about the Book of Mormon Kristy started crying. You could tell she just "got it." She and Brittany both prayed and read after our first visit and were so excited to tell us that they both felt they received answers to their prayers. Brittany described hers as having tingles all over and Kristy found a pass-along card about the Book of Mormon while she was doing community service hours. Michael is awesome too. Kristy said that she didn't feel super comfortable the one time she had come to an LDS church in the past because she didn't have church clothes. Michael said "Look at me! I have not-Sunday-best written all over me...literally." It was hilarious. At another point Hermana Alard said "Joseph Smith was a prophet just like Moses and Noah." And Michael was like "With all due respect Sister Alard, I think the other prophets were great but Joseph Smith is not just any prophet." And he went on and on about everything Joseph went through to restore the church. It was awesome. We were worried we wouldn't be able to teach them because they are english speaking but our mission president gave us special permission so we are super excited! Kristy came to Stake Conference and really felt the spirit. It was so neat and we are so pumped!
Paraphrasing an Elder Bednar talk we watched in the MTC he said, "Don't worry about whether the spirit is guiding you...follow the spirit and trust that if you are trying to be a good girl or good boy you will end up where you're supposed to be and many times you will have no idea how you got there." This week I tried to follow President Monson's council and "consider the blessings" that I have received in my life. I realized as I wrote a lot of my blessings that I have seen what Elder Bednar was talking about on a very broad scale in my life and as well as in small ways like being led to Kristy and Brittany's door on my mission. I'm grateful for the spirit's guidance.
We are also teaching a lady named Jaqueline whose daughter joined the church about a month ago. Jaqueline has been one of the most fun experiences on my mission. The first time we went to visit her (because she requested that sisters teach her rather than elders) she had a very quick temper and to be honest was a little scary. She still has a very quick temper and is still a little scary (only because she is extremely animated and dramatic) but we have been able to see how every time we come to visit her she changes a little bit more. Last week in a lesson she noticed my bag that I use to carry about my scriptures and asked me where I got it from. I told her staples and when she didn't seem familiar with the store I told her it is an office supply store. This week she comes out for our lesson and has this bag with all of her scriptures, manuals from church (Daughters in My Kingdom is her favorite), highlighters, etc. We complimented her and she told us she got it from Office Max. It was the cutest thing ever.

   Anyway I love you all. I know that this church is true without a doubt. It is beautiful. It gives people hope and gives them purpose in life. I love seeing the changes that it makes in people's lives. One effect that cracks me up is they always clean their house. Haha! Cleanliness really is next to Godliness!

  Well have a great week! Be safe!

Love,

Hermana Jones

Just Do It! - Jan 22 email

Dear Family,

   How are you?! Sorry my p-day is usually Monday but last week we had a temple trip and then this week the library was closed because it was a holiday! Transfers were this week but no surprise I'm staying in Kennewick to complete my training! I really like it here so no complaints! We were homeless most of last week and had the priviledge of staying with an elderly couple named The Vances. They were like angels and their home was literally like standing on holy ground. I watched the way they lived the gospel and it was such an inspiration. He is in remission from cancer and she is suffering from memory loss but they read their scriptures together every day and have family home evening. They serve each other and the spirit was so strong in their home. It made me want to be better.

    In contrast we visited with a lady this week who has lived in Kennewick for 6 months but has never come to church. In the past she was sealed in the temple and has served as a young women's president but she just at some point stopped coming. It blew my mind because it was so clear that she had a testimony. Seeing the contrast in these two experiences I realized the importance of doing the little things: going to church, reading our scriptures and praying. I realized that these things have to be done because no one is in the clear from Satan and his desires to keep us from fulfilling our potential. The good news is that the lady that I mentioned and her daughter and three of her grandkids came to church on Sunday so hopefully they're back on track.

   We had a really interesting week this week. On Friday we had an appointment with Doris and Rosa. We had just had weekly planning and they were our highest priority. We had been struggling with their progression but they had come to church last week and we still felt really good about them. We came into their apartment and as soon as Rosa (the mother) I could tell something was different. She went to shake my hand instead of hugging me which was one indication but I also noticed that the light in her eyes seemed to have gone out. I didn't really realize this until later but in retrospect I can see it very clearly. As we sat down she told us again how she wants one of us to marry one of her sons and seemed totally normal but then when we asked her how church was she began to tell us about how during my talk when I said that I was grateful for the examples of my parents and grandparents in living the gospel that she realized that she is catholic. She said that this feeling had been reconfirmed that morning when our relief society president came by to visit her and asked her about her life. She said that she concluded that she is a catholic (although she is not active) and that for now she didn't want to learn anymore. I just sat there like "Is this real life? Did she really just say that something I said in my talk convinced her to return to the catholic church?" I turned to Hermana Alard to confirm that I had understood her correctly. For once I actually wanted my spanish comprehension to be wrong. Unfortunately, for once I was right. I tried to explain to her that I thought maybe she had misunderstood that feeling. I asked Hermana Alard to explain the concept of temple work for the dead and then I told her that her ancestors have heard the gospel and they prepared her for this time so that she would accept it. She listened but nothing changed. In the end we both bore our testimonies, thanked her for her time and then asked her if she would pray one last time with us. She hesitated but I said "Por favor?" My voice broke and I started crying. It was heartbreaking to see and witness someone who knew decide not to accept the gospel. Ultimately though, people have their own free agency and we have to accept their decisions. The only thing we can do is invite them to act. The saddest thing to me with Doris and Rosa is that they were ready to act but they let their fear overcome their faith. They hesitated rather than just doing it!
   The very same night we went to visit the Valencias. The Valencia parents are waiting for some paperwork to go through so that they can be married so we asked if the boys could be baptized. Their ages range from 9-16. The parents said yes and Alex, the 16 year old, seemed so excited. He is already talking about serving a mission. They are really good boys. They have all been through hard things with their family but they all look out for each other. Last night we taught them and Yahir, the 9 year old, seemed really hesitant when we talked about his baptism. We couldn't figure out why. Finally Hermana Alard asked him if there was something else bothering him. Yahir is a little overweight and wears bottle cap glasses. He has a speech impediment but is so cute. Their family's home is not clean at all, they have a problem with cochroaches and they usually wear the same clothes most of the time. He started to tear up and just looked so sad. His brother and mom then explained that people at school have been picking on him every day. He had told us that the reason he likes coming to church is because everyone is nice. When his mom and brother explained the situation he started to cry even more. His brother Bryan came and wiped his eyes. I asked him if I could have a hug and I really was able to feel the Savior's love for him. It has been really neat for me to get to know this family and to see the love that they have for each other.

   I'm learning a lot about how blessed I have been in my life. We had to meet with our mission president's wife regarding our housing situation this past week and I was super emotional. I felt so silly because it was not even that big of deal but I think it was just a combination of everything. Sister Greer made a comment that has really helped me the rest of this week. She said "This is the hardest thing you will ever do...and you're doing it...you're doing it well." This is the hardest thing I have ever done. I think before my mission I thought I would be so great...and in reality I feel like I'm not very good at this at all. But I am trying! Each and every day I'm getting out and doing it the best that I can. I read a quote by Lorenzo Snow yesterday that made a big impact on me. He said "Each last day or each last week should be the best that we have ever experienced, that is, we should advance ourselves a little every day, in knowledge and wisdom and in the ability to accomplish good." That's what I'm trying to do and I'm grateful for the opportunity to do it.

   I love you all. You are in my prayers every day. Thank you for yours!

Love,

Hermana Jones

 

P.S. I got a card reader so hopefully these are easier to open!

Picture #1- Me and the Vances. The picture in the background was painted by their daughter and they were the models for it. It is supposed to be Adam and Eve when they are old and shows they were still faithful.

Picture #2- We found this in the middle of a neighborhood on P-Day. We thought it was pretty cool.

Picture #3- At the top of our hike! I'm a hiker..obv.

Following Through - Jan 15th email

Dear Family,

   I hope this finds you doing well! This has been quite the week. Due to some serious plumbing issues in our basement we found ourselves homeless. I have showered in 3 different places over the last 72 hours..none of which were where I am supposed to be living. BUT I'm still alive and kicking and grateful to have a place to shower.

   I don't have a ton to report this week but I do have some really good news! We had 11 investigators at church on Sunday as well as six less actives that we had visited during the week and encouraged to come back to church. We were speaking in sacrament meetings and our branch had over 100 people in sacrament so we were pretty pumped! Our talks went really well. We were asked to speak on the Doctrine of Christ (Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the Holy Ghost and Enduring to the End). I took the first two principles and my companion took the last three. I talked about how the principles and ordinances of the gospel are the way that our Heavenly Father manifests his love for us and so we shouldn't be afraid to extend to others this invitation to change. They will feel our love as well as Heavenly Father's love through our sharing the gospel with them. People seemed to like it and were complimentary. My companion said my spanish was good so whether she was lying or not I'll take it.

   The Castillos came to church for the second Sunday in a row which according to the members of our ward is a big deal. They are so sweet. We had dinner and FHE with them last night and it went really well. We are so grateful that Heavenly Father gave us the opportunity to be here when the time was right for them to come back to church.

   One of the teenagers we are teaching came to church for the first time on Sunday. He is such a cool kid but has had a tough home life (his mom is a little loco) but he just turned 18. It is interesting to see how for the first time he seems to have hope that he could make his way out of the lifestyle he has always known and could have a better life for him and his future family. We taught him the restoration last night and he seemed to really like it. Hopefully he'll continue to come to church because I know it could help him reach his potential.

    We ran into an anti this week...that was interesting. We pretty much pulled a Joseph of Egypt and ran for our lives. My companion says it's interesting how on your mission you can't really feel when you have the spirit a lot of times but you can feel when the spirit leaves. That's exactly what it felt like. It was scary but so real. We also had a referral that just wanted to bash with us. It's sad to see because they just are so confused and they want to control the conversation but they are so tense and uncomfortable at the same time.

    The best feeling we get as missionaries are when people follow through with their commitments. We went before church on Sunday to Doris and Rosa's and when we opened the door there was Doris's daughter Julia all ready for church in her dress. It was awesome and that's why we're missionaries! There are a few more things I want to write about but I'm kind of waiting to see what happens with them! Until then, I love you all! Thank you for your love and prayers. I'm trying to make you proud.

 

Love,

Hermana Jones

Precise Human Orbits - Jan 7th email

Dearest Family and Friends,

    How are ya'll?! I am doing great! I got Grandma's family Christmas Card yesterday and it made my day! I just keep looking at it and thinking how did I get so lucky?! Hermana Pierce will be very happy to see that she made it into the family because she already told Lyndell she was his cousin in the MTC.

   Good news! I feel like I'm starting to get a hang of this missionary thing. I think I was overthinking everything and being a little bit too hard on myself but I have started to just ride the wave and give it my best shot and things have been a lot better! I have been under weather and not able to exercise this week which has been really frustrating mostly because we are being really well fed. :) It's not a bad problem to have and I don't feel like I have gained any weight! Maybe just the muscle I worked hard on in the MTC. I'm finally feeling a little bit better though so I'm hoping this week we can hit it hard! My companion and I are working super hard and are having some success. I wanted to share a couple of neat experiences with you really quickly.   

There is a less-active older couple in our ward who haven't been coming to church for over 20 years. He was an elder's quorem president when they were active. He is a perfectionist and so the responsibility overwhelmed him and I think eventually he just decided to give up. They are awesome people though. The Walsers have been visiting them for some time now but we went and met them for the first time last week. They are so sweet and we really enjoyed visiting them. She still has a testimony and wants to go to church but he is the hold up. We invited them to church last week but they didn't come. We decided to stop by on Saturday to invite them again and let them know that we noticed they hadn't come the previous week. While we were there I was struck by what a good man Hermano Castillo is. I got the impression once again that he is a man of great integrity. So as we were getting ready to leave and were inviting them to come to church again I said "Hermano, yo pienso que usted es un hombre de su palabra (I think you are a man of your word)" and I stuck out my hand and smiled at him and said "Hasta manana?" He smiled back and shook my hand and said "Hasta Manana."
Sunday morning we were walking to Relief Society and there was Hermana Castillo coming out of Gospel Doctrine. She looked so happy to be there. She then said to me "Thank you for what you said to my husband. That is why we are here." I knew the spirit had helped me know what he needed to hear. It was something so simple but it got him to church!
   We have had a really neat opportunity since I've been here to teach a lot of teenagers. This has been a really neat experience for me because I spent the last two summers working EFY throughout the country. I have seen how that experience prepared me for this experience. I was able to see how the gospel blesses the youth of the church. We have been using For The Strength of Youth to teach the commandments and the youth here are responding really well to it. Two of them, Ale and Gabby, came to church yesterday! We are hoping to put them on date this week. Their mom is a recent convert but is not active. They are really good girls though and they want to make good decisions. It has been an honor for me to be able to teach them.

   We have decided that now that the holidays are over we want to try really hard to get to know the members of our branch. We have been able to get to know them in our dinners but we wanted them to know what our message is and to have trust in our ability has missionaries. As a quick side note: We had our branch president and his wife come teach a lesson with us on Saturday that went great and I think it built his trust in our teaching and work ethic. But we scheduled a lesson with a member family last night who has a son on a mission right now but who are struggling financially right now. They only joined the church three years ago but they are awesome. I met their son in the MTC so it was really neat when I got here and was able to tell the mom that her son is a really good missionary. We were sharing a lesson on the Doctrine of Christ (2 Nephi 31) and as we talked I was reminded of a scripture that I read in the MTC. D&C 118:3 talks about how the Lord takes care of families which missionaries are serving. In the MTC I had read this and it gave me a lot of comfort but when I thought about it last night I thought about how it related to their situation. At the end it says something about the Lord opening a way for them. I told the mom that the message we had shared with them was the same message her son is sharing with the people of his mission and that I know how important it is. I also said that I know how hard it is for families to send a part of them on a mission but I told her that I know that the Lord appreciates that sacrifice. I invited her to read the scripture in D&C and as she read the last part she got really choked up. It was really neat to see how the spirit can call scriptures to our rememberance if we study them.
In my personal study yesterday I read an article in this month's ensign (which is full of good stuff) that contained a quote by Elder Neal A. Maxwell that said: "The same God that placed that stay over Bethlehem in celebration of the birth of the Babe has given at least equal attention to the placement of each of us in precise human orbits so that we may, if we will, illuminate the landscape of our individual lives, so that our light may not only lead others but warm them as well." I have seen already how there are people here whose lives I am supposed to bless and who in turn are supposed to bless my life. I'm grateful for these interactions with the wonderful people here. I am grateful that Heavenly Father saw fit to put me in this wonderful family! I feel so blessed every single day here. I am also grateful for the other people that God has allowed my path to cross. I'm so grateful for the way the light of my family and friends has warmed me, especially here on my mission. I'm am so grateful for every card, letter, package and prayed that have been sent my way.

 So far on my mission I have learned the how importance this message is and the hope that it can bring into people's lives. I have seen how it brings a light to people who have pretty miserable lives but who with the gospel can see what they are capable of becoming. It is a beautiful experience and one that I am already so thankful for.
  I love you all!

-Hermana Jones

 

PICTURES (Mama I used my companion's camera so hopefully you can open these):

1. My first attempt at tortilla making: FAIL. BUT Gabby (who is in the picture with me) said that we'll keep practicing.

2. We celebrated an interesting tradition last night with the members we taught. They eat this bread this and look for a little tiny baby Jesus inside. It was quite entertaining!