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!