Elder HJones: I Can Do All Things Through Christ

This week was really good. A little slow because my companion was sick the whole week. But we pushed through and he survived.

On Tuesday, we had a zone conference with Presidente Ferriera and it was really awesome. I always learn so much from him and he always teaching with so much love and power. We also received transfers this week. And I am leaving! After 10 months in Copiapo I am leaving to a city 2 hours south called Vallenar. It's really green and the smallest zone in the mission.

I am going to miss all the people in Copiapo. I had 10 months in Copiapo and I am going to miss all my converts and the members. But that's alright. God needs me in Vallenar. Y vamos a hacer todo lo que Dios quiere que hagamos!

One of the things that we teach the people here in Chile is that we all have difficulties. It is part of our lives here on earth. We are here to be tested, to fail, to use the Atonement, and to improve. But the only way that we can improve and progress is if we use the Atonement of Jesus Christ and look to Him. Though Christ we can do all things. Even if things seem impossible, they are possible through Christ! 
 
Philippians 4: 13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Con mucho amor, Elder Jones

Elder ZJones: The Blessings of the Atonement of Jesus Christ

Con Pte. Resek

I feel like every topic that I share, it is very similar to that of Hyrum's every week! haha

This week we had interviews with President Resek. I love interviews. It is a time that we are able to talk about the mission, our lives, and our invesigators. It is a time I really feel the love Presidente Resek has for each and every missionary.

During the interview we talked about one of our investigators. I asked for help on how we can help them progress. With time during the interview he said that everyone here needs the atonement, and that we need to share with them the importance of the atonement. He said "Don´t go a day on the mission without teaching about the Atonement!"

Conferencia de Zona

I thought about it and it is something that has stuck with me since. Jesus Christ and His suffering and His gift of eternal life needs to be the base of everything we teach. All of us use it everyday and every week.

A way that we can show our love and the importance of the Atonement to us personally is to share about it with others and share how it has helped us personally and in our lives. I know that as we help others, everyday, know the importance of the Atonement and Jesus Christ and help them apply those things in their lives and in their families, it will bless their lives and the Lord will see that the Atonement is of importance to us and will then bless us!

Have a great week!
Love, Elder Jones

Elder Shepard trying to impersonate me

Elder HJones: The Atonement

This week I saw the Atonement of Jesus Christ in action. It's real. Nothing is more powerful than this love that Christ has for us.

We have an investigator that is experiencing some really difficult times. Last week, he was involved in a car accident. I don't know all the details of the story, but he hit a motorcycle driver and the driver didn't survive. He is struggling a lot. We were able to pass by his home and teach him, give him words of comfort. We taught the Plan of Salvation and about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It is only through the Atonement can we be healed. The Atonement is helping him, carrying him through this trial. 

I know that the Atonement of Jesus Christ can and will carry each one of us through our difficulties and trials. I have seen it in the mission and continue to see it.

Have a super awesome week! Elder Jones   

Elder ZJones: Staying on the Path and Holding to the Rod

We had a baptism this past week, listened to the Prophet speak, and had interviews with President Resek. So let's just say that it was a full week with many miracles and blessings from our Father in Heaven. Cristian's baptism this week was awesome and I had the opportunity to confirm him on Sunday. Though we have only taught him for three weeks, I have seen his testimony increase, his love for the Savior grow, and his progress in truly coming unto Christ. Baptismal days are the best days! You get to see those that you have taught make a promise with God that can help them for eternity.

Interviews went well with President Resek. He asked me to so a practice with him in Spanish about baptism. In the beginning I couldn't believe it, but it turned out pretty well. Practicing the lessons have helped me out so much! Even though I don't enjoy them, they do pay off.

Today I want to share something I learned in the scriptures. Every time I read 1 Nephi 8 I learn something new. In 1 Nephi 8: 24-28 it says:

24 And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing forward, and they came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press forward through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the fruit of the tree.

25 And after they had partaken of the fruit of the tree they did cast their eyes about as if they were ashamed.

26 And I also cast my eyes round about, and beheld, on the other side of the river of water, a great and spacious building; and it stood as it were in the air, high above the earth.

27 And it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit.

28 And after they had tasted of the fruit they were ashamed, because of those that were scoffing at them; and they fell away into forbidden paths and were lost.

When I thought about these verses, I realize that our progress on the path doesn't end once we get to the tree. I have always thought that once we get to the tree and eat the fruit its over and we are saved. But there is more. Once we eat of the fruit, we still have temptation, the pride of the world, and the darkness around us. There were many that were ashamed after they ate the fruit and wondered off towards the building and were lost. I learned that once we make it to the tree there is no exploring. We either stay or go. It's our choice. We have to continue to endure and eat of the fruit. We can't, at anytime, step away from the tree or all that we went through to get there can't lead us back. We need to determine where we are in the vision.

And if we are at the tree and can feel of His love, we need to stay there and not go exploring. We will still face trials and temptations, but we need to continue to eat and invite, then we will be saved.

Have a great week! Love you all!

Elder Jones

Elder HJones: Bendicido

Okay... I got my first haircut last Wednesday. It is no bueno. I miss Mom's haircuts. They cut all my hair off. I seriously can't wait until it kinda grows back! So sibs...be grateful for the haircuts Mom gives you!

It rains a ton here. Right now we are in the rainy season on Mexico. [So] it normally rains every day.

I don't have any Chilean culture or language classes. All the Mexican teachers say that Chileans practically speak a different language, because it's so fast and slangy. I guess I'll see when I get there.
I leave for Chile on September 26: 3 weeks from yesterday! So I'm exactly halfway done at the MTC.

The language is kinda picking up. I don't give myself enough credit for how much I really do know. It is honestly so hard learning Spanish, but it is a blessing. Yesterday, we tried to learn the difference between PARA and POR. . . and my brain just about blew up!! Ha ha.

I have started reading the Book of Mormon in Spanish. I acually understand a lot of it, and I learn so many new words! The Book of Mormon is such a great book. I have really learned to love it!

Today is my first "official" P-day. The other P-days we went to the temple, so they days weren't that long. But today I have the whole day.

It's so weird how a mission changes you. I feel like the worldly things that go on don't matter as much to me. Of course songs still get stuck in my head and I miss being with friends and family. But a mission is so much more important than the things of this world. I thought I would miss my phone and social media, but I'm glad they're gone. They are a distraction and there are so much more important things in this world!

The mission is such a blessing. I´m so grateful for the opportunity I have to serve my Heavenly Father.

I am exactly halfway done in the MTC. It has been a long 3 weeks, and I still have 3 to go. But I'm so excited to leave to Chile and teach. Labor Day meant nothing to the country of Mexico, of course. And to be honest, I completely forgot about it. But Independence Day is September 16 for Mexico and I can't imagine how crazy it will be! I already hear fireworks and police sirens all night. I can't imagine how loud it will be.

This week I really learned about the Atonement of Christ and the importance of it. Jesus Christ loves us so much that He suffered ALL. He felt our individual pains, sins, afflictions, and sorrows. Through the Atonement we can be clean. Through the Atonement we also can become. The Atonement isn't just for the bad things that happen in our lives, it applies to everything. The Atonement wasn't just the suffering in the garden and the death of Christ, it also included the Resurrection. I always looked at the Atonement as a trial for Christ, and it was, but it also was wonderful. Through Jesus Christ and His Atonement we can live again. We can become the best people we can be and we can live with our Father in Heaven again.

The gospel is a wonderful thing and I'm SO BLESSED to be a part of it!

Love, Elder Jones

Sorry for the lack of great pics, we only can take pictures on our P-day.

Elder CJones: Little Wonders

"Love to serve, serve to love" -Dad

A typical Valle Hermoso Twilight

This week was a week well planned and put together by my companion and me. We had a lot of success this week and we thank it to our prayers and the diligence in our work.

We are preparing three people for baptism this month and are hoping that a few more will be willing to come to church so they can start their eternal progression. The work that we do together is powerful and we know that is all because we trust in each other and in God.

Flor is a mother who is looking to find happiness in her life. She is about 45 and one of her friends who lives in Utah told her about the church. She is coming every week. She has a desire to learn, to be baptized, and share the Gospel with the people around her. She is going through a lot of family problems and she needs our prayers so she can feel happy and have the blessings of the Gospel and a happy family in her life.

Estrella is another investigator, is 14 years old. We met her one morning as we were walking down a dirt road. She was on the second floor of her house and through the window and we began to talk to her. Our recent convert, Anahi, is helping us teach her so Estrella can feel like she has friends at church. She is really happy when she has the chance to talk to us and come to church.

Marianela is a young mom. She is 20. Her husband is a member of the church and they are looking toward a goal as an eternal family. She is feeling that she needs to wait for baptism but we are trying to help her understand that the longer she waits the longer it will be until they can go to the temple. Pray for them both that they will be able to go to the temple in a year.

 I made Brownies!!

One of the hardest things for me here in the mission is the heat!! The average temprature each day is 104 degrees. Some days are hotter than others. The humidity is deadly! On a normal day, we have 95% humidity. When it first started to get hot I was very against it! The members who know me know that I love the cold. I have gotten used to the heat - - - but not all the way. I was really not a fan this week because it got REALLY, REALLY hot! July and August are the HOTTEST months of the year. During the day we pray for clouds becausethe shade is wonderful. As it changes to night, it's most peaceful and beautiful, with bugs of course.

One night, as we were walking it slowly changed from day to night. I was able to see more stars and the creations of God during the nights here in Valle Hermoso. As I was peacefully walking with my companion, I was reminded of one of my greatest testimony builders before I left, an experience from my job before the mission, Harmons.

Many things can testify of Jesus Christ. One day, when I was working, pushing carts at Harmon's, I heard a song play on the overheard speakers, "Little Wonders,"  by Rob Thomas. It comes from one of my favorite Disney movies. I listened to the lyrics as I took out the trash. As the part of the movie played through my mind, I felt a rush of something I can't explain. It's a feeling that's common to me only at times when I intensely feel the Spirit. As I exited the building, I put in an earbud and turned on the song again, analyzing it for ways it relates to the gospel. The lyrics stunningly, in my mind, related so well to mortal life and the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The following are the lyrics to the song and my attempt to verbally analyze them.
As we repent, we are told that our sins are no longer remembered by the Lord,

Let it go

Let it roll right off your shoulder

Don't you know

The hardest part is over

Let it in

Let your clarity define you

In the end

We will only just remember how it feels

In the end of these mortal lives, we will only remember the unconditional mercy our Mediator shows on us when we truly repent.

In one of the classrooms in the Alta Seminary building, a teacher had a single strand of string that ran the diagonal length of the room. The string, itself, represents eternity, forever extending in both directions. In the middle of the string was a single knot, which represents mortal life. That knot will always be there no matter how long the string is. Mortal life will always determine our eternal kingdom. This mortal life, this blip in time, is so vitally important it accounts for the entire eternity afterwards. Therefore:

Our lives are made

In these small hours

Small tender mercies we see from the Lord:

These little wonders

These twists and turns of fate

Time falls away

But these small hours

These small hours still remain

Again reminding us of the power of repentance:

Let it slide

Let your troubles fall behind you

Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” So I thought as I listened:

Let it shine

Until you feel it all around you

And I don't mind

If it's me you need to turn to

We'll get by

It's the heart that really matters in the end

Earth life is critical:

Our lives are made

In these small hours

These little wonders

These twists and turns of fate

Time falls away

But these small hours

These small hours still remain

The power of the Atonement is one of amazement! We will never fully understand its power, but the Lord does:

All of my regret

Will wash away some how

But I can not forget

The way I feel right now

So using the Atonement here in mortal life is so critical to the eternal progression of self:

In these small hours

These little wonders

These twists and turns of fate

These twists and turns of fate

Time falls away but these small hours

These small hours, still remain

Still remain

These little wonders

These twists and turns of fate

Time falls away

But these small hours

These little wonders still remain

I know that each of us receive our promptings from the Spirit in different ways. God knows each one of us personally and He knows how He can touch each of our hearts so that we can have a change. I know that God loves us all and wants us to be successful and as we turn to him, our lives WILL change.

--
Elder Corom Jones

"And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up."

-Doctrine and Covenants 88:84

 Zona Poderosa Valle Hermoso
FRONT l to r: Elder Dangerfield, Elder Shipton, Elder Henley,
Elder Palacios, Elder Dias, Elder Hidalgo, Elder Chosco, Yo
BACK: l to r: Elder Hernandez, Elder Cruz

Elder CJones: Investigator Flood and "Fuimos Bien Lejos"

Well, to say the least, we had 12 of our investigators show up at church on Sunday!! That is an amazing number!  Which means that many people are trying to change their lives so they can be baptized. We are so glad when the investigators want to show up. One of the hardest things here in Mexico is that the people don't like to come to church, so we have to make sure that they really want to come before we can baptize the people.

Our week was amazing. It was pure teaching and contacting. We worked hard to teach and to find the people that are ready to hear our message. We have a good amount of people that we are teaching and preparing to be baptized. Here are some of the people we are teaching:

Maya Family -
The father, Nacho, is a member. He was baptized almost 20 years ago. His wife, Reyna, was raised Catholic and they have two kids: Frank and Samantha. We first met them on a really rainy night at the very end of the day, this was about a month ago. We were on our way home and we felt that we needed to contact one more house. We knocked on the first door in the area and Nacho came out and invited us right in to share a message with them. We shared a message with them and asked them some questions about their family and that's when we found out about all the problems they have been having with the marriage. We shared a message with them and we all left that that lesson with tears and an amazing growth of a testimony. We are now preparing them to be married and then she can be baptized.

Palomeque Family -
The kids are baptized and the parents are waiting to be divorced from their first spouses and then they can be married. They already pay tithing and want to go to church every week. They love the church and help us take investigators to church every week.

There are so many others that we are teaching, but I can't share about everyone because that would just get crazy.

There are some people that want to know about the drug cartels and the military and all the crazy stuff that happens. Well, there are a lot of drug cartels and when I say a lot, I mean a lot. It's not surprising if we have to take cover because of shootings. The military uses a helicopter to shoot the members of the cartels. We see the members all the time and they carry guns and estrellas. Estrellas are used to pop tires, they are made of rebar and are sharp. I have heard a lot of gunshots. One night, about a month and a half ago, we saw a guy that got shot that was bleeding everywhere. But we as missionaries are safe and protected by the power of God.

I have been studying the scriptures a lot too. The scriptures are an amazing way for us to receive revelation to do better. In Doctrine and Covenants 18 we read:

"And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!" 

As I read this I learned that it says that you will be with the person you help in the Kingdom of the Father. That means you will both make it to the Kingdom of God, we need to baptized people that are ready, not for the number because we are helping the people use the Gospel to return to the Celestial Kingdom.

Oh, and we have some houses that are really really far away. They are over a 3 hour walk. I will tell you about that next week. We tried to walk there one day after lunch, but it was impossible so we will go visit and contact a lot of people that day!!

I was thinking about the Atonement this week and I thought of this story.

"Brother Christianson taught Seminary. He had an open-door policy and would take in any student that had been thrown out of another class as long as they would abide by his rules. Steve had been kicked out of his sixth period and no other teacher wanted him, so he went into Brother Christianson's Seminary class.

Steve was told that he could not be late, so he arrived just seconds before the bell rang and he would sit in the very back of the room. He would also be the first to leave after the class was over.

One day, Brother Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him. After class, Bro. Christianson pulled Steve aside and said, "You think you're pretty tough, don't you?"

Steve's answer was, "Yeah, I do."

Then Brother Christianson asked, "How many push-ups can you do?"

Steve said, "I do about 200 every night."

"200? That's pretty good, Steve," Brother Christianson said. "Do you think you could do 300?"

Steve replied, "I don't know... I've never done 300 at a time."

"Do you think you could?" Again asked Brother Christianson.

"Well, I can try," said Steve.

"Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I need you to do 300 in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it? I
need you to tell me you can do it," Brother Christianson said.

Steve said, "Well... I think I can... yeah, I can do it."

Brother Christianson said, "Good! I need you to do this on Friday."

Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room.

When class started, Brother Christianson pulled out a big box of donuts. Now these weren't the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited-it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend.

Bro. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, "Cynthia, do you want a donut?"

Cynthia said, "Yes."

Bro. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?"

Steve said, "Sure," and jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk. Bro. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia's desk..

Bro. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, "Joe do you want a donut?"

Joe said, "Yes." Bro. Christianson asked, "Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a donut?" Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut.

And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten pushups for every person before they got their donut. And down the second aisle, till Bro. Christianson came to Scott. Scott was captain of the football team and center of the basketball team. He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship.When Bro. Christianson asked, "Scott, do you want a donut?"

Scott's reply was, "Well, can I do my own pushups?"

Bro. Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them."

Then Scott said, "Well, I don't want one then."

Bro. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten pushups so Scott can have a donut he doesn't want?"

Steve started to do ten pushups. Scott said, "HEY! I said I didn't want one!"

Bro. Christianson said, "Look, this is my classroom, my class, my desks, and my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don't want it." And he put a donut on Scott's desk.

Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration
coming out around his brow. Bro. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry.

Bro. Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny, do you want a donut?"

Jenny said, "No."

Then Bro. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten pushups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want?" Steve did ten, Jenny got a donut.

By now, the students were beginning to say "No" and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks. Steve was also having to really put forth a lot of effort to get these pushups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved.

Bro. Christianson asked Robert to watch Steve to make sure he did ten pushups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's work for all of those uneaten donuts. So Robert began to watch Steve closely. Bro. Christianson started down the fourth row.

During his class, however, some students had wandered in and sat along the heaters along the sides of the room. When Bro. Christianson realized this; he did a quick count and saw 34 students in the room. He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it.

Bro. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set.

Steve asked Bro. Christianson, "Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?"

Bro. Christianson thought for a moment, "Well, they're your pushups. You can do them any way that you want." And Bro. Christianson went on.

A few moments later, Jason came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled, "NO! Don't come in! Stay out!"

Jason didn't know what was going on. Steve picked up his head and said, "No, let him come."

Bro. Christianson said, "You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten pushups for him."

Steve said, "Yes, let him come in."

Bro. Christianson said, "Okay, I'll let you get Jason's out of the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?"

"Yes."

"Steve, will you do ten pushups so that Jason can have a donut?" Steve did ten pushups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down.

Bro. Christianson finished the fourth row, then started on those seated on the heaters. Steve's arms were now shaking with each pushup in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. Sweat was dropping off of his face and, by this time, there was not a dry eye in the room.

The very last two girls in the room were cheerleaders and very popular. Bro. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, "Linda, do you want a doughnut?

Linda said, very sadly, "No, thank you."

Bro. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten pushups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn't want?" Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow pushups for Linda.

Then Bro. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. "Susan, do you want a donut?" Susan, with tears flowing down her face, asked, "Bro. Christianson, can I help him?"

Bro. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, "No, he has to do it alone, Steve, would you do ten pushups so Susan can have a donut?"

As Steve very slowly finished his last pushup, with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 pushups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.

Brother Christianson turned to the room and said, "And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, pleaded to the Father, "Into thy hands I commend my spirit." With the understanding that He had done everything that was required of Him, he collapsed on the cross and died. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten."

I love you all and I want you to know that the power of the Gospel and the Atonement of Jesus Christ makes it possible for all of us to return and use this amazing gift, but only if we use it.

--  Elder Corom Jones

"Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God's love encompasses us completely. ... He loves every one of us, even those who are flawed, rejected, awkward, sorrowful, or broken." -President Dieter F Uchtdorf

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

Elder CJones: Transfers, New Year's, and the Atonement of Jesus Christ

This week has been very interesting, but before, I would like to apologize for my grammar. The Spanish language has really been messing with my speech and my writing so I will do my best to express myself.

First off, I'm getting transferred!! Transferred to a new area in the northern part of the city, which means more malos (People for the Cartel) and more poverty. I am so excited to start in this area and teach the people. The people here are so humble and such great members.

This week started with a goal, the goal was to teach at least 2 people the first lesson. Well, we taught one person and she will hopefully join the church in the future. The work this past week was super hard. The holidays are huge here in Mexico and we have to be very careful about what we do on the holidays. The people here throw on crazy parties and get so drunk that they have no idea where they are, they love to sing when they are drunk, so after all the parties, we can walk down the streets and hear drunk people singing to the radio.

New Years' Eve, what a day to remember, we had to be very careful in the streets, even more so in the evening. A family hosted us that night, we had some amazing food and had an awesome karaoke party.

Story time---

Before my mission, I took Spanish in Junior High and 3 years in High School, in the 5 years I had 3 teachers. My last teacher, Mr. Draper, I had for a year and a half, and was probably my favorite teacher ever. He loved music and loved soccer. He served his mission in Uruguay, and during the mission he was given the privilege to listen to the radio to learn Spanish. He listened and found some amazing groups to listen to. During class he would play these groups on the big speakers he had in his room. I liked this music and listened to some before my mission. There was one group, Reik, that I really loved and I listened to them all the time as I would practice my Spanish and I just loved the style. Eventually I memorized the lyrics to some of the songs and I would sing with it. Anyway, at the party, they started playing some of the songs that I know the lyrics to, so I started to sing with them and they were so shocked that I knew the words to the songs that they were playing. We continue to sing until we had to go home. The family was so great to host us for the night, there are 3 daughters in the family and they are all learning English, so we help each other with the languages.

Since I am being transferred, I was able to visit some of the members of the ward. I went to visit our ward mission leader as well as the bishop of the ward. The bishop reminds me of my dad years ago when he was the bishop. Our bishop has 3 little kids and they are off-the-walls crazy, so that would have been my brothers and me, and my mom had to take care of all of us. I love the people of this ward and I am going to be sad to leave, but I know that it's what the Lord needs of me, so I can grow and so I can bless the people in the other area.

I want to share with you a tender mercy of the Lord that was expressed these last 2 weeks. When I arrived to the field, I got to our house and it was a mess, there was so much junk everywhere, so the next few weeks when I would get the time to clean I would, I would find dead cockroaches, like 4 inches long, and I bunch of stuff, but one the the greatest things I found was a box of books. They are books about different subjects on the gospel and I was really interested in them. I asked the other missionaries and they said that they weren't their books so I took most of them and began looking through them. They are books by apostles, like James E Talmage. I stopped at one book, "The Peacegiver" by James L Ferrell. It's a book about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I decided to read and as I read I learned so much about the book, I finished it in one night after we returned, this was the week before Christmas.After I finished, I went back through the book and studied the scripture references and the stories that we written in the book, everything that was shared was something that I needed to hear about me, and about my role and what I need to do to have the full power of the Atonement's expressed to me. It tells of two stories in the Bible, the stories of Abigail and David and also the story of Jonah and the example they both are for the Atonement. I know that Christ has cleansed all of us through the Atonement, that we can all overcome anything if we just show an open and willing heart to the Savior.

I love this work. I wish I could share it with everyone in the world. I have been out 76 days, 2 months and 15 days, and I have already seen my testimony grow and my understanding of the doctrines of the gospel have been a blessing to me as I have studied and applied the teachings to my life. I testify that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can overcome and accomplish anything. The Atonement is there for us to use so we can live with our Father in Heaven again.

I made some goals for this next year, I am going to give you a challenge. Find a way, in your talents or abilities, to share the gospel in your daily life. I know that if you do, you will see a flood of blessings in your life and the Spirit will be more prominent in your lives. I love this gospel and I am to thankful that I am about to share this joy with the world.
--
Elder Corom Jones

"Being mistreated is the most important condition of mortality, for eternity itself depends on how we view those who mistreat us."  --James L Ferrell

Elder CJones: Without Sacrifice, There is No Victory

What a week!!

It's been absolutely crazy, from the weather to the work, but it is all under the direction of the Lord.

I know that the Lord is with us through all our challenges and through all our victories. This week has been one of challenges and overcoming the "natural man". I have studied a lot about Gospel topics this week, a lot about the natural man and the power the Atonement has to change that aspect in our lives. As I have gone through the week, I have studied the Atonement and the power of testimony in the process of change in my life.

This week I started by thinking about change. Just that word means a lot, even more so in times in our world when people change for the worse, not the better. We need to change our lives for the better, and turn our hearts and lives over to the Lord so we can change, just like is taught in Alma 5.

How do we experience this change as we go through our lives? I took time this week to study about the moment in time when choice was everything, in the Garden of Gethsemane. The whole Plan of Salvation hung in the balance of the choice of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

To have this mighty change of heart, we need to look to the Lord and through the Lord, our weaknesses can become strengths, just like is taught in Ether 12. As we stay close to our Father and our Savior. Jesus Christ we will understand the importance of prayer and the communication we can have with our Father, the direct relation we can have with him. We begin to understand the power of prayer. We will understand that the companionship of the Holy Ghost is one of power and amazement, and we will begin to be so grateful, for that is the way that the Father speaks to us.

One thing that I found really amazing was this, we were all intelligences before we were Spirits. We all had the ability top become anything and we became Spirit sons and daughters of a Loving Heavenly Father. The only way for the Atonement to work is that the suffering that Christ went through would have to spiritually and emotionally touch every one of those intelligences, it was an infinite and universal Atonement, and the only reason He performed and went through the Atonement is so that we can have the opportunity at mercy and repent of our sins.

The Father and the Son love us so much that they sacrificed so much, more than we can comprehend so we can be together, in the Celestial Kingdom, forever with our families and loved ones.

I know the Atonement is real, it has the power to cleanse all from sins if we only submit to the will of the Father and use the Atonement, that gift that we have been given to change our hearts, and become like Him.

This week, I finished reading a book written by M. Russell Ballard, Our Search for Happiness. In this book, Elder Ballard shares his testimony of the reality of the Gospel and the power it has to change our lives and as we grow, continually, to understand more about the Gospel, the Savior, and the teachings of the prophets, we can truly come to know the reality of it all if we only pray with a real intent to know the truth it contains, God promises that he will respond.

One last thing that I thought was really cool this week, the power of prayer is real. The first thing that began this last dispensation was a short scripture in the New Testament, the book of James,

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not;and it shall be given him."

That scripture is all about prayer and that power it has when you simply pray with faith. But the cool part is, at the end of the Book of Mormon, the last main principle is one of prayer, something that Joseph Smith did right at the beginning of his life as a prophet,

"Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts. And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."

That is what we teach our investigators the first lesson, the power of prayer and the amazing chance we have to communicate with our Father in Heaven, directly with God Himself. I challenge everyone to talk with our Father in Heaven about everything that goes on in your life because I know he is interested in everything you are doing. Please pray to know of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to grow your testimony of this wonderful work.

I know this Gospel is true and I know it can change the lives of anyone who is willing to open their heart to hear directly from our Father in Heaven.

-- Until next week,
Elder Corom Jones

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." -John 8:32