Elder HJones: Love the People

"The best antidote I know for worry is work. The best medicine for despair is service. The best cure for weariness is the challenge of helping someone who is even more tired." - President Hinckley 

Thanksgiving was nothing here in Chile. Nobody even knew there was a holiday in the USA. But my Thanksgiving Day away from home was good. I did miss the big dinner with the family because here, people don't eat dinner. Most people just buy bread (sometimes with ham, cheese, or butter) and eat it with tea or something for dinner. So for my Thanksgiving dinner, I had mate and galletas! It wasn't turkey with mashed potatoes, but it was still good.

Thanksgiving Dinner 2017

 Here in Chile the church sometimes has open houses for capillas. It's really different, I didn't know what it was until we did it. Pretty much we set up different stations in the chapel. The missionaries go in the street and invite people to take a "tour" of the church, to learn more about who we are. It's kinda hard to get people to come though. Everyone says they are busy. That's the most common rejection answer..."No. No estoy occupado."

It's almost December but it feels like July. It doesn't even feel like Christmas is close. For Christmas here people have asados, or BBQs. Maybe you guys can put some snow in a box and send it to Chile for me. Ha!

The last couple weeks have been hard. Our investigators are having a difficult time progressing and keeping their commitments. Sometimes it is frustrating. But I have learned something very important. Sometimes, all I can do is love the people. When Christ was on the earth He lived His life through love. Everything He did was a way to show love for us and His Father. I can't force the people in Chile to listen to the gospel or come to church. I can't make them do anything, but I can love them. And even if they don't want to be a part of this wonderful church, I, at least, want them to feel the love that I have for them.

 Grateful that FAMILIES ARE FOREVER!

 Love, Elder Jones

Elder CJones: #LightTheWorld

"Christmas, my child, is love in action."
-Dale Evans

As we begin the Christmas season, I would first like to invite all of you to start serving the finding ways that you can share the Gospel and the Spirit of Christmas with other people. I know that as we continue to bless the lives of other people, god will bless us personally and He will shine His light through your acts.

I love this time of year, it's more difficult here to feel in the Spirit with really hot days but Christ is in every part of the world. I know that this is a time of the year when a lot of people are stressed with the things that happen at Christmas, we can all be the answer to the prayers of the people around us during this Christmas season.

When we think about Christmas, we should think of Christmas and the great life that he brought into the world. In the Book of Mormon we read that the sign of his birth was a literal life-saver to many of the people in the Book or Mormon.

"Now it came to pass that there was a day set apart by the unbelievers, that all those who believed in those traditions should be put to death except the sign should come to pass, which had been given by Samuel the prophet.

Now it came to pass that when Nephi, the son of Nephi, saw this wickedness of his people, his heart was exceedingly sorrowful.

And it came to pass that he went out and bowed himself down upon the earth, and cried mightily to his God in behalf of his people, yea, those who were about to be destroyed because of their faith in the tradition of their fathers.

And it came to pass that he cried mightily unto the Lord all that day; and behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying:

Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfill all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets.

Behold, I come unto my own, to fulfill all things which I have made known unto the children of men from the foundation of the world, and to do the will, both of the Father and of the Son—of the Father because of me, and of the Son because of my flesh. And behold, the time is at hand, and this night shall the sign be given.

And it came to pass that the words which came unto Nephi were fulfilled, according as they had been spoken; for behold, at the going down of the sun there was no darkness; and the people began to be astonished because there was no darkness when the night came.

And there were many, who had not believed the words of the prophets, who fell to the earth and became as if they were dead, for they knew that the great plan of destruction which they had laid for those who believed in the words of the prophets had been frustrated; for the sign which had been given was already at hand.

And they began to know that the Son of God must shortly appear; yea, in fine, all the people upon the face of the whole earth from the west to the east, both in the land north and in the land south, were so exceedingly astonished that they fell to the earth.

For they knew that the prophets had testified of these things for many years, and that the sign which had been given was already at hand; and they began to fear because of their iniquity and their unbelief.

And it came to pass that there was no darkness in all that night, but it was as light as though it was mid-day. And it came to pass that the sun did rise in the morning again, according to its proper order; and they knew that it was the day that the Lord should be born, because of the sign which had been given.

And it had come to pass, yea, all things, every whit, according to the words of the prophets.

And it came to pass also that a new star did appear, according to the word.

I know this gospel brings life and light to the world and to the people who understand the true meaning of CHRISTmas.

--
Elder Corom Jones

#LightTheWorld

Elder ZJones: Adversity is an Opportunity for Growth

Mucha Tierra

It has been a crazy week.

Last Sunday, my first companion and trainer, Elder Mason Oakes, was hit and killed by a drunk driver after being home for just two weeks. It was a difficult thing to hear and has been in the back of my mind since. I want you to pray for his family as well as his cousin's family because I know that they really need them right now in their lives.

Tennis

I was reading in "Our Search for Happiness" by M. Russell Ballard, and he wrote:

"Thus illuminated by the light of faith, adversity becomes a vehicle for growth and death becomes a doorway from one phase of eternal existence to another."

Many times our hardships and trials can seem difficult and hard. But for the Lord, it is His plan. Many times we might not understand His Plan for us or, especially, for others. But God know us all individually and perfectly. He knows what we need and what will help us grow. We can use this as an advantage in our life that can help us grow or we can choose to be angry, which is a way to weaken us. I see this a lot in the mission. Rejections, companions, the language. Everything is hard. But it wasn't supposed to be easy. As we use the Lord to lift us and guide us, those things can help us grow in ways we might not understand, but for God it is right.

Thanks for your prayers. Love you all and let the Lord in this week!

Mi nombre en japonesa

Elder HJones: Who is Jesus Christ to You?

Funny story: I was on intercambios with the district leader (he goes home in a month!) We were walking to a house to give a bautismal interview. And all of the sudden I felt something wet fall from the sky and hit my head. And I knew exactly what had happened. A pigeon was on the telephone wires and decided to make me his target. So we had to go back to our pension because I had poop in my hair, on my tie, and on my white shirt! Ha ha.

The other day we were visiting with a family of members. At the end they asked me to say the prayer in English. I am so used to praying in Spanish, so it sounded very weird. I felt like I was going to say something wrong. 

Still not sure about Christmas traditions in Chile. But I do miss the snow! It is HOT here, definitely doesn't feel like the Christmas season.

So it was elections in Chile yesterday, so it was kinda crazy. Church started 30 minutes earlier because of it and when the meeting started literally nobody was there. People in Chile are always late to everything anyway, so nothing ever starts on time. So church starting 30 min. early didn't help at all. But in priesthood class yesterday I learned some very important things. The question was asked, "Quien es Jesucristo a usted", or "Who is Jesus Christ to you?"

To me, Jesus Christ is my best friend. He is the only way I can return to my Father in Heaven with my family. He suffered for MY sins in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was whipped, beaten, spit upon, mocked, and nailed to a cross for ME.

I love the scripture in Mosiah 14:5 it says, "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

I love my Savior Jesus Christ. Through Him I can do all things.

Love ya'll, Elder Jones

Elder ZJones: The Plan of Salvation

Elder Jones and Elder Oakes

God has a plan. This plan is so that we can be happy. He has given us this plan because He loves us and wants us to be happy. With this plan we can experience joy and peace.

We lived with Heavenly Father before we came to earth. There, we learned about His Plan for us and how we can come to earth and receive a body. We would also be giving agency, our right to choose.

We wanted all of these things and decided to come to earth.

We are now here on earth experiencing everything we could think of. We came to earth because we wanted to be like our Heavenly Father. Here, we experience sorrow, joy, happiness, and anger. All of these things help us grow and learn, and in turn, learn more of how to become like our Father in Heaven. But none of us is perfect, except for our brother, Jesus Christ. Because of His atonement for us, we can repent and feel more joy and happiness. That is our goal. We want to one day return to our Heavenly Parents and live and become like them.

But we all experience death.

Because of the fall of Adam and Eve, our bodies are imperfect. We will one day leave this earth. Our physical body and spirit will be separated. From there, we live in the Spirit World. In the Spirit World we continue to learn and grow. We are able to learn more about God's Plan for us and how we can become closer to Him.

Elder Jones and Elder Oakes

During the resurrection, we will receive a perfect body. Everyone will receive this gift. Those who have died will be reunited again with their perfect, physical body. We will them be judged and placed into a Kingdom that fits with how we lived our lives. The greatest and highest Kingdom is the Celestial Kingdom. There, we can live with Our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ forever. We can live with our families forever and one day become like our Father.

I  know this is true.

My testimony on this has grown today. I know that God does have a plan. This Plan isn't made to make us feel anything but joy and happiness. We are given this plan because of the great Love that Our Father has for us and all of us made a decision to follow His plan. As we work everyday to: increase our Faith in Jesus Christ, repent, keep our covenants with God, have the companionship of the Holy Ghost, and endure faithfully, we can receive all that our Father has and have eternal life.

Please pray for me this week so that I can truly apply this on my mission.

Elder Jones

**This morning Zeram got a call from Presidente Resek informing him that his first mission companion, Elder Mason Oakes, who completed his mission 12 days ago, was killed in a car accident last night. Please pray for the Oakes Family, for all those those who served and were touched by the life of Elder Oakes in the Buenos Aires West Mission, and all those who have been affected by this tragic event.

Elder Jones and Elder Sena

Elder CJones: It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

This week I bought a little Christmas Tree and Lights!!

I had a really good week this week, we had our normal monthly mission training with the zones of Rio Bravo and Reynosa. We learned about how we can baptize more people every month, as a mission we are working to baptize 300 every month and 5 for every companionship, we are working hard to do what we can and baptize the people that are ready to change their lives!

We are teaching some really cool people.

The Hernandez Family is working to get themselves married so they can be baptized, Alan and Raquel, she is the lady that cut my hair a couple weeks ago. Pray for them that they will be able to get married and have a little more desire to get the things they need to so they can have this happiness in their lives.

We are also working with Sandra. She is from the United States and she understands English really well, so we teach in both English and Spanish. When we need to explain something better, I do it in English, but most of the lesson is in Spanish. She is really cool and is having a lot of family problems but we are explaining the importance of the Plan of Salvation.

I love this work, we are doing the right when we are following the Lord!!

Elder ZJones: Families Are Forever

This week has been one to remember. A lot went on that has helped me grow spiritually.
I got a new companion this week. His name is Elder Sena. He is from Brazil and has been a member for three years. He is 21 years old an

d has been on the mission for 14 months. He mostly speaks all in Spanish, and now that he is my comp, I am speaking so much Spanish throughout the day, which is hard at times. I don't know much and I can't get everything across that I say, but I know that this companionship will help strengthen my Spanish. I am still trying to understand my companion and figure him out. It is hard to do that with a language barrier.

I had my first baptism and confirmation this week. It was such an amazing experience. It was awesome to see how much it impacted Bibiana by being baptized and receiving the Holy Ghost. Seeing this has given me more energy to go and teach. In a year, Bibiana and her family can go and be sealed in the temple. This is such a great blessing and gift that we have received from the Lord, being able to live with our families forever. This gospel truly does bless families and truly wants us to be happy. Speaking of families, one thing I really miss being out here on the mission, is having family home evening every week. But I know that I have another work I am doing right now. A work that is not centered around me learning, but centered in teaching others.

We are still teaching the Escobar Family and they all came to church on Sunday! They are an awesome family. Right now, we are helping them get married.

This week  I gave my first, Spanish priesthood blessing. During lunch with a member, her son (who isn't a member) was eating with us. He is in his 30's and explained that he has many problems and questions in his life. We taught him about prayer and how the Book of Mormon can answer his questions. We explained about priesthood blessings and he asked for one. He asked me! And, with help at the beginning from Elder Sena, I gave him a blessing. It was such an awesome experience and the Spirit was strong. I am grateful for the priesthood that I hold and the many things I can do to bless the lives of others.

I know this gospel is true and the Spirit is here to teach. To be completely honest, the past 13 weeks of Church have been difficult for me because I can't understand the speakers or a lot of what is being said. But, I do feel the Spirit. The spirit knows all languages and can help us feel of Gods love and power though I may not understand. I love this gospel and work. This work truly does change peoples lives and makes them happy!

Elder Jones

Elder HJones: Are You the Missionary Your Mom Thinks You Are?

So Chile is really warm. And its weird because it's November!! I am so used to the cold and snow, but here we have dirt and the heat. So I am still trying to get used to the heat in the "winter." Christmas hasn't really hit Chile yet. In the United States, everything comes out early because of Thanksgiving. I have seen some Christmas things, but it's not like in America. But Christmas trees are the normal and yes, Chileans celebrate Christmas on the 25th.

Well, my companion and I have started running in the mornings, yes running. It kinda sucks but it feels good after its over. We only have 30 minutes to exercise, so we wake up a little earlier and run.

During district meeting this week we were asked a question, "Are you the missionary your mom thinks you are?" When I was asked this question I first thought, I sure hope I am! My mom has taught me to work my hardest and always trust in my Heavenly Father. She is a huge part of the person I am today.

But I also thought about another question which is more important, "Am I the missionary that God wants me to be?"

More importantly I want to be the missionary that God wants me to be. I want him to trust me. I am teaching His sons and daughters in Chile and want to do my very best to bring them back home to Him.

A mission is such a great blessing. I get to bear my testimony and feel of the Spirit every single day! I couldn't ask for anything better!

Love you all! Elder Jones

Elder CJones: Back in Rio Bravo

Well, I am back in Rio Bravo. Finally a Senior Companion as well as a District Leader!

My new Companion, Elder Nava, is from Ciudad Valles, San Luis Potosí, México. He has about 3 months here in the field. He likes to relax and drive cars. We get along really well. The other elders in my district are Elder Cruz and Elder Chavez they are both from Mexico.

Well, our P-Days are really busy and I will try to send a longer email next week!
Love you all!

--
Elder Corom Jones

Elder ZJones: Why We Preach and Teach

This week has been a crazy one. A lot of rain at the beginning of the week. It wasn't the best experience, especially when I am riding on a dirt road on a bike. Half the time I am pulling and pushing my bike through the mud!

Our investigators are doing great. Bibiana is going to be baptized this Saturday. We are all excited for her and the decision she had made to be baptized. We also met another guy named Sebastian. We taught him the Restoration. He had many questions and really wants to believe that our message is true. We are working with him to help him and his family.

A funny thing that happened this week. On Saturday we met a guy on the street. He was really drunk and we started talking with him. We invited him to church and he actually came. He was drunk when he came, though. He slept in principles class and started snoring really loud. During Sacrament Meeting, he sat quietly and listened. I don't really know if he is interested or not. Along with the bishops, we talked to him a little about coming to church. He wants to change his life so we are trying to figure out how to help him.

My Companion goes home today, meaning tomorrow, and I will receive new companion. I know his name is Elder Sena and he is from Brazil. I'm excited but also not sure what to think because our area just doubled in size and there is a lot of work that needs to be done. I am hoping that we are both ready to help and teach in this area.

I was reading in Preach My Gospel and read this:

Elder Dallin H. Oaks said: “We do not preach and teach in order to ‘bring people into the Church’ or to increase the membership of the Church. We do not preach and teach just to persuade people to live better lives. … We invite all to come unto Christ by repentance and baptism and confirmation in order to open the doors of the celestial kingdom to the sons and daughters of God. No one else can do this”

The most important thing for me to do and the my purpose in Argentina is to help people come unto Christ. By helping them come unto Christ I need to help them repent and be baptized. It is good if they hear the words that we speak to them, but it is important and vital that they come into the fold of God and do the things necessary to live in the presence of God one day. I know this is true and that this church and the message I share can truly change people lives!

Elder HJones: Mountains to Climb

It was a rough week. But that's good because without bad weeks I wouldn't know good weeks. The members here don't always find time to help us, so it is difficult to have lessons with members. So this next week Elder Lopez and I really want to help the members find joy in missionary work.

Today for P-Day we made milanesa! It was way good. And we finally got to do a service project. We painted a fence light green! The best part is that we did it in our white shirts!

We also had a miracle this past week. With an investigator named Lilian. I don't want to tell you the story until she gets baptized though. Ha ha. But pray for her. She really has a desire to find the true church. She is one of those investigators that I know God prepared beforehand for us to teach!

On Wednesday, I went on intercambios (24 hour companion switch) with one of the zone leaders, Elder Sheridan. My companion went somewhere else and I stayed in my area so I had the opportunity of leading our area for that day. At first I didn't want to, my Spanish isn't that good, and I don't know the area that well. But it turned out to be one of the best experiences on my mission so far. I learned so much about myself and I really felt the Saviors help.

We are constantly given "mountains to climb." We are given trials and difficulties, but its good for us. These difficulties strengthen us, and help us learn more about ourselves. I am grateful for trials!

 Love you all, Elder Jones

"Be faithful unto the end, and lo, I am with you. These words are not of man nor of men, but

of me, even Jesus Christ, your Redeemer, by the will of the Father."  D&C 31:13