Elder EJones: This Week

“I am going to keep close to the Lord. I am going to understand Him better, and, understanding Him, I will understand myself and will try to put my life into harmony with His.” - Hugh B. Brown

Sometimes I feel like a failure as a missionary. I'm sure that all missionaries at some point have felt that. Be it in what we do, in numbers, or in the way that we are acting and trying to resemble the Savior. It has been hard for me a little this past cambio with my comp.  But I've learned a lot about the need that I have to be an example to all. To be an example to him, to the members, investigators, and to all that hear and see me. And sometimes its hard. Its not supposed to be easy, but I know that it is worth it. I thought lots this week of the importance I have to be an example to those who aren't watching me. They hope I am doing the right things and being an example. And if I'm not, I'm letting them down. More importantly, I'm letting the Lord down.

I know that as I try to understand the Lord more, I can develop a better relationship with Him. I want to be able to see Him as my Father and creator, as he sees me as His son!!

Gissel, Maybelin and Nayeli are good. They continue to participate, and come to church. Im glad that the Holy Ghost can help us to keep pushing foreward in our lives and trusting in the Lord in all that we do.

Pray for Aaron, Robert, and Ubaldino that they will be able to progress and come to develop their personal understanding and love for the gospel.

Elder EJones: Happy New Year!

Where do I start?

This week was so amazing being able to see all of my family and to talk to them. That was the best Christmas gift!!

This week has been good, hot and rainy. Lots of our appointments this week fell through and so we did a lot of contacting. Literally, contacting is not the funnest especially because it's so hard to find some people that will actually be there when you say you're gonna return. And I need to remember to keep my teaching simple. Very simple. Because it's difficult to understand the gospel when you don'y know it. It makes me realize how spiritually weak I am compared to the Savior, and I can't be impatient with people, because I know the Savior isn't impatient with me.

So this week we finally got the Liahona from General Conference. Yay! And I have modified my daily reminder, the first part remains the same, but I have added another line (phrase) from this conference. So I have October 2017 and October 2018 in one....

REMEMBER TO PUT JESUS CHRIST AT THE CENTER OF YOUR LIFE TODAY....BY BEING WILLING TO TAKE HIS NAME UPON YOU

I'm trying to be better and strive to live and love every moment in my mission. It's really hard sometimes to be completely focused, but I'm setting more and more goals, and New Year goals: to improve and to become the servant of the Lord that He needs me to be; to help gather Israel and do what I've always wanted to do; to be a missionary; and here I am, so I'm trying to not waste one moment.

Lots of fireworks, drunk people, parties, and not a lot of people in their houses is what happens here for Christmas and New Year's. But things are good, and my goals for 2019 are motivating me right now!!

Elder CJones: A Clear Mind and A Spiritual Force

Well, this week I started off on exchanges with two of the three zone leaders in our area. Before I explain too much, I got the permission with one of my zone leaders, from the president, to play on a public basketball team with our bishop and members of the ward! This is one of the reasons we had exchanges, as well. We use these games to contact and find people to teach. After the game, I was talking to one of the two leaders and they were explaining the importance of baptismal dates. He explained it as a goal--like the end of a race. Without a goal or finish line we are working towards no goal. Therefore, I learned a little bit clearer the importance of setting goals and baptismal dates for the investigators.

During the rest of this last week we worked on setting these goals with the investigators and we saw more success as we worked hard. We had 3 investigators come to church, Anahi, one that I talked about last week and 2 new investigators, little girls, Estrella and Alma.

I recognized that as we set goals and work with the investigators with these goals, we will find success because the Spirit and us as missionaries have something to work with. This week, we lead our zone of 14 missionaries!

I know that we as a church have success. This week I finished reading "A Marvelous Work and a Wonder" by the apostle, LeGrand Richards. As I finished, my testimony of the Gospel was strengthened. I know that we are blessed as a church for having the truth and relelation from God. For all who wants to know the message we share as missionaries, I challenge you to read that book to understand the message that we share to the entire world.

--
Love you all!
Elder Corom Jones

"The Mormon people teach the American religion; their principles teach the people not only of Heaven and its attendant glories, but how to live so that their social and economic relations with each other are placed on a sound basis. If the people follow the teachings of this Church, nothing can stop their progress — it will be limitless. There have been great movements started in the past but they have died or been modified before they reached maturity. If Mormonism is able to endure, unmodified, until it reaches the third and fourth generation, it is destined to become the greatest power the world has ever known."