Week 61: Onward and Upward on the Downward Slope!

Hey everyone!

I hope you all are doing very well! I'm so glad to have been able to hear from some of you and would hope to hear from many more of you! If you have time, write me an email!

We had a crazy 19 lesson week! God helped us find a ton of new investigators! There's one guy that we're now teaching who is the son-in-law of the primary president in one of our wards; he is not a member, but he and his wife live with the primary president. He had been taught previously, but the missionaries took 2 hours to teach him the first lesson so he was a little bit soured on the lessons. Needless to say, we taught a little more effectively than the last missionaries he met with. We set him for baptism in our 2nd lesson with him yesterday. If all goes well, he will be baptized on October 10.

We met a guy this past week who seems super willing to hear about the Gospel. The only problem is that he is on parole for the next 3 years.

One of the families that we have set for baptism in September is super awesome. They let us come over pretty much every night to teach them more gospel principles. Their biggest roadblock? The parents aren't married, but they are willing to get married in order to get baptized. So Elder Sutton and I get to help set up a wedding! That will be exciting.

The only thing I might be upset about this week is transfers. I really don't want to get transferred, but I'm getting nervous that I might. I really want to be here to see all these people get baptized. I do know that the Lord is in control. I made that video for you by the way. Hopefully it helps in your BYD presentation. I will try to send it tomorrow because it is too long.

The coolest thing that I have been able to learn in studying scriptures is asking questions. I feel like I have begun to receive much more revelation when I study. If   we, like Joseph Smith, ask the right questions amazing things can happen. Then use the revelation you receive to bless other life's!

I love being a missionary so so so much. I'm getting to the point where I can start to see the end, even if it's just so slightly. I'm super stoked to see what the next 10 months have to offer, though! I look back on the first half of my mission and see just how much good I have been able to do here. I have definitely been imperfect along the way, but I can see the points in which God has changing me. 

He continues to change me! Missionary work really helps us to develop our charity for our fellow brothers and sisters; no need for us to be selfish with Christ's Atonement, right?

Have a good week everyone!
 

Elder Jones

Sent from my iPad

Week 60:

No email

Week 59: New School Year

Hey everyone!

I hope you all are doing well! With the new school year starting, that makes me realize how fast time goes, but oh well I guess!

My week has been pretty fun, although a lot of people are still out of town. We are currently working with a couple different families who are progressing very well! One of these families is set for baptism on September 19th. It is really exciting to teach them because they really just want to learn more. They've seen how the gospel has made their friends happy, and they are prepared. They are lower-income, and the parents have had a rough past. But their family really is what has brought them to this point in learning about the Gospel!

Another good thing to come out of this week has been our recent zone conference. It was such a spiritual experience to learn from President and Sister Ahlander. We talked a lot about increasing our faith and hope. 

 

One really funny thing is how many Neal A. Maxwell quotes that they use in their training's, especially since Elder Maxwell is Sister Ahlander's dad. We were encouraged by the APs to shout "Hurrah for Israel!" as loud as we could during their training. At the end of the zone conference, we sang "Spirit of God". The spirit during that hymn was so powerful that I felt like it noticeably shook the room! It was amazing!

It also rained last week! For the first time in like 2 months! I love it when it rains here, but there's just not enough of it. We even had a rainbow! It was fun! 

Hope to hear from y'all! Have a safe and fun week!

 

Elder Jones

Sent from my iPad

Week 58: Pressing Forward!

Hey everyone!

I hope everyone is getting excited for fall. Things in Vegas aren't quite like they are in Kansas City. There aren't really any leaves here to change colors, or very many trees for that matter, but I guess that is forgivable :)

Over the first year of my mission, I really feel like I didn't change much. The crazy thing is that I have felt like I have changed more in the last month of my mission than in the entire year before. Although i know that I have been changing the entire time, I haven't really started to notice it till recently. And I can really attribute that to the improvements that I have made in my studies. It all really comes down to asking specific questions. The best feeling is when I feel like I come away from studies refreshed with a sense of what I need to
do. Study habits truly do make a difference!

This week overall was a little bit slow. With it being the end of the summer, a lot of people have been out of town. That includes our investigators. And so it was a little bit tough, but I feel like God has been really teaching me some patience.

I also love the opportunity to serve the members of my district. I think the biggest reason that I am in this area is for my district members. I have been in the right position at the right time to be able to offer them the help that they need.

I hope y'all have a great week! Any missionary experiences that any of you would like to share with me? I'd love to hear from any of you!

Love,

Elder Jones

Week 57: 13 Months and Counting!

Hey everyone!

I hope you all have been having a great week! I miss all of you, and I'm grateful to know each of you!

I had a really great week! We are still teaching many of the families that I've talked about in the last few weeks, but I was a little slow because everyone is gone right at the tail-end of summer. The reason everybody leaves is because it is so flipping hot here in the desert, so pretty much no one stays here unless they need to ;)

We had some pretty cool finding experiences, though. There are two  new missionaries in my district. The cool thing about being a district leader in a district with brand new missionaries is that you get to take part in training them. I was able to go on exchanges with one of the new elders Elder Bird on Friday. We went and talked with a fellow whose wife has Lupus and cancer. He seemed a little angry with God at first, as if He wasn't helping him and his wife. We were able to testify about the Atonement and how that helps us overcome challenges. We prayed with him, and after the prayer he admitted that he has prayed before and that God has answered his prayers. The neat thing was we didn't even get a return appointment. We were just able to help him remember God's influence in his life.

We took the sacrament to a shut in in one of our wards. I don't know why, but no one has been taking him the sacrament for the past year. He can't get out of bed to make it to church. It irked me a little bit that no one thought to bring it to him. He was so grateful that we came by and did that for him. I was really happy to do that service for someone.

The thing I have been thinking about a lot this week is charity. What is the motivation behind the service we give? We start with our faith, and our end destination is our hopes, and so charity is the thing that bridges the gap. If we can develop charity, God promises us all that he has and is. Hopefully, that is something I'm gaining on my mission.

Have a great week everyone! Love you lots! Keep in touch!
 

Elder Jones