Elder CJones: Following the Advice of my Youngest Brother

I never thought that by following a few simple words they could change the world. Even the smallest of stature people can change your life and even change the world.There is someone that I really look up to, even though physically I look down to him. He is my youngest brother, Jacom.

This week started out really, really hard! To tell you the truth, I was not ready for what was coming. But the Lord knew I was ready and He put me to the challenge.

This last week was transfers. I got a new companion and we received missionaries for a total of 4 missionaries in the area, one brand new elder from the MTC. It has been hard! My new companion is from Monterrey, Mexico. It's a city about 3 hours from here. It's like being called to Boise, Idaho from Utah. My companion is a little annoying at times. He loves to take control--which is good, but I was told this week that I need to lead this area out of the 4 missionaries. I was told that I need to lead and guide the others. I was told that this is a practice and a test for me. So I am working my hardest to be the best missionary that I can be.

As I said, I have been getting weekly emails from my brother Jacom. This week, according to the counsel of my brother, I decided to love my companion more. Well, things aren't 100% great. But things are on the uphill and there are some great things that can and will happen when we love one another and work together.

This is what happened this week.

This week we worked with one of our investigators, Jonathan. We worked with him to baptize him. He has been to church 4 times and he really likes to go. He really likes the Young Men's activities and really lives spending time with us. He is really quiet and isn't very social. We visited his house this last week and worked with him and talked with his mom. As we were talking with her, we asked when would be a good day to baptize. She responded that we could go right then and baptize her son. So we went directly to the chapel and had a baptism. The mother was so touched that she wanted to be baptized and come to church. The next day, Jonathan was confirmed and his mom came to church. I credit this baptism to the obedience and love we have for one another when we put aside the differences and work together for the work of the Lord. It's only when we listen closely to the counsel of another that we can find true joy.

I know this Gospel is true and that with love and working together that the Lord will bless our lives. Let's get this work done and let's also never forget that sometimes the greatest and best minds and advice, come from those that are small is stature but large in spirit.

-- Elder Corom Jones

 "Remember to love, pray, CTR, keep the commandments, serve obey, and be a great brother and missionary." -Jacom Jones

Elder CJones: One For the Books!

This week has been one for the books!

With crazy things happening, both spiritually and physically, the mission and the Lord's work will go on, we will continue to push forward. "The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear; till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done."

This work is really great. There are truly blessings that come when we get the opportunity to teach and invite others to come unto Christ. There are great blessings that come as we work hard, even though we haven't had baptisms we still feel successful because we have done all that we can in this area to make it better.

Not a lot of excitement has happened this week in the work. There are always things going on, but this week has been really interesting between the military and the drug cartels. So there are times that we need to be careful about what's going on around us.

One of the hardest things about serving here is the people don't like to keep their commitments. The people don't like to go to church and to be baptized the people need to go to church at least 2 and that's lucky if we can baptize them after 2 times.

This last week I finished reading Jesus the Christ. That book has completely changed my view of the  Atonement, about my Savior and Redeemer and all the great things that happen to us as we constantly work to be the best representatives of Jesus Christ that we can be. I absolutely love Him and I know that through Him all things are possible. I challenge you all to read it and to learn from it's pages. . . Even you Zeram, you are named after him!

This week, yes, my letter is short, but make sure you check out this week's voice recording.


--
Elder Corom Jones

“It is well to know that prayer is not compounded of words, words that may fail to express what one desires to say, words that so often cloak inconsistencies, words that may have no deeper source than the physical organs of speech, words that may be spoken to impress mortal ears. The dumb may pray, and that too with the eloquence that prevails in heaven. Prayer is made up of heart throbs and the righteous yearnings of the soul, of supplication based on the realization of need, of contrition and pure desire.”


-James E Talmage (Jesus the Christ)

Elder CJones: Fightin' Battles

Well, this week has been a week of contacting a lot and just trying to keep the faith through the hard times.

It hasn't been easy. I have yet to have a baptism and the zone leaders are planching people that don't have them yet. One thing that I learned this week, and have been learning for the past couple weeks, is that the people who are truly converted to the church will want to change their lives. Some people will just go through the motions but will never be baptized because they haven't had that change of heart that is talked about in Alma 5.

We had a couple more baptisms fall this week because they weren't fully committed to a life in the church. We are working with the members a lot more than before and making sure that we can be
successful in finding people that are ready to be 100% in the church. I really love teaching the people here and it's getting easier every week.

Me encanta enseñando las personas aquí porque a veces siento que cuando yo enseño con mi compañero estoy creciendo mi testimonio del Evangelio de Jesucristo. Es bien difícil escribir en Español pero, es cierto que para hablar, es más fácil.

This week has been a week of personal learning and growth. I am so grateful for this gospel and am so grateful that we can change our hearts.

There are a lot of people here that never are fully converted. A big problem here is that the people will say they are converted, but after the baptism, they become inactive and never go back to church. That is one of the things that we, as missionaries do. We go and reactivate the people and bring them back into the fold of God. We go to their homes and teach them about the blessings and doctrines of the Gospel.

Faith is one of the first things we teach because it is through faith that we can truly be changed. It is through faith we can do anything and I want to share with you what I personally have thought about faith.

In Ether chapter 12 we learn a lot about faith. Moroni interrupts the teaching of Ether and writes this,

"And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith."

Our faith is not faith unless it is tried. When we show our faith, we are showing that we want to follow God. God challenges that faith to see if it really is strong and true. When we pass the test of our faith, God then knows He can bless us when we need it. But remember, He will never give us more than we can handle. When we have that faith we then know we can turn to God for anything, thus comes the counsel later in the chapter,

"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

Only through faith and works does God truly make us strong.

Love you all!!
Elder Corom Jones

"Fight all your battles on your knees and you will win every time."
-Unknown (Sent to me by my brother, Hyrum)

Elder CJones: Choir Practices and Investigators

"Patience is not passive resignation, nor is it failing to act because of our fears. Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can—working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our hearts are delayed. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!" 

 -President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Well, this week was full of a ton of different emotions. But, that's okay because the Lord is behind it all and His is the one in charge of this work. Once we become knowledgeable that we are nothing, than only through the Atonement of Jesus Christ can we possible to anything. Without the Atonement, we would be nothing.

This week was full of new contacts and new lessons. Tuesday we found nine (9) new investigators that want to change their lives and go to church. The Martinez Doran family, Jose and Paula, the Cardena family, the Maya family, and the Fonseca family. They are all our investigators that we are working with to get them baptized and working with them with the members help. Using the members is the best way to get the people to come to church and stay, because they have friends that are helping them.

We worked a lot this week to help and teach a lot of families. This week we headed down to Puerta Sur, it's an area that's really, really far south and it takes a long time to get there. This was the first time for us working in that area. Well, the first lady we encountered was completely drunk and wanted a Bible. She also attempted to remove my glasses from my face which was really, really weird. We gave her a pamphlet of the Word of Wisdom and just let her do her thing. That is when we met with Jose and Paula. They are investigating the church because their grandchildren, which where little kids, where killed and they needed some security and love in their lives. We taught them about the Plan of Salvation and they are expected to be baptized on the 25th.

We met again with the Maya family. They are the ones that were having the marriage/family problems and we have been praying for them to fix the problems. As we have returned this week, we have been blessed as they have been keeping their commitments. They are really ready to be baptized and my prayer is that they do, so they can enter the temple in a year and be sealed together as a family. I pray for them constantly and I hope that everything will work out with them. The family is so important and they are the key reason for us to be here because after this life, there will be no callings, just those in the family.

I love this work and am really praying everyday that the youth in my ward back home and all my friends will seriously consider the importance of a mission. It WILL change your life. I promise you that you will never be the same ever again. You will be a changed person and you will be happier than you ever have been. I have seen missionaries from my group that have changed for the good. They have used the Atonement and it's cleansing power to change their lives and they are the happiest.

I know this Gospel can change lives. I have seen it. I have witnessed it. I have experienced it. I know that without this Gospel we are nothing. We have been given the opportunity to live here on the Earth only through Jesus Christ. We owe Him our lives. So, let's promise to lead our lives in a way that will emulate Him. Let's shine the Light of Christ in our everyday lives because the world and the adversary are trying to destroy us. It's little by little that he comes into our lives and destroys. We must constantly look to the Lord and use Him as the way to live a better life. I share my testimony of the power of the Atonement.

This week we have been practicing a song as a zone. On the 23rd of February we get a really, really cool opportunity to meet President Russell M. Nelson! He is coming to the mission to talk about the work and to give counsel to the members. We get to sing in Spanish and meet him. We are all really excited about that!!

Now to the fun stuff . . . Well, when we went on exchanges one day, one of the investigators in the other area brought out a marijuana leaf and we got to hold it and see it. That's something that will never happen in the United States. But I got that opportunity to do that here! Other than that, we like to throw empty beer bottles when we are walking in the middle of no where and we order pizza when we have exchanges. My companion, Elder Carrizales, loves to sing David Archuleta songs. Well, that's because he looks like him. We also share our greatest stories and he is a really, really good story teller. Other than that, the work is great, the work is is hard and fun at the same time and the mission it's always work and walking. We have fun sometimes, too. Like experiencing wacky stuff, like gun shots and ambulances. But I feel safe and protected 100% of the time.

Puro Animo!!

-- Elder Corom Jones


"In the Book of Mormon we learn of a people who had discovered the secret to happiness. For generations, 'there was no contention . . . And surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God.' How did they do it? 'Because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people.' 

"Whatever problems your family is facing, whatever you must do to solve them, the beginning and the end of the solution is charity, the pure love of Christ. Without this love, even seemingly perfect families struggle. With it, even families with great challenges succeed." -President Dieter F. Uchtdorf