Elder HJones: Bienvenido

Photos by Angela Ferguson

Elder HJones: Testimonio

I have been reading in the Book of Mormon about Alma and Amulek, the testimonies that they shared, the lessons they taught, the miracles they performed. I am always amazed in the things that they were able to do. They had the desire to teach the gospel with everyone, they wanted to help everyone come unto Christ. And I dont think we are much different from them. We too can do the many things that they did. Im always amazed in the courage that they had to share their testimonies with everyone, even if they were rejected.

And just like them, we too can do the same. I have the goal to share my testimony everyday, and it had helped my a ton. Our testimonies are strengthened when we share them.

Please pray for Ivan, Sebastian, Karina, and Zahira.

Elder HJones: God Makes Us Experts

So....

Like I say almost every single week, everything is great here and last week went pretty well.

We are seeing a lot more success and progress here from when I first arrived. When I arrived in my sector there was literally nobody progressing and the missionaries before had many problems in the work. But now the sector is a lot better and we are working really hard. God has blessed us a lot.

The only bad thing is that here, in South America, there is a soccer cup going on. And Chile is playing really well. And whenever they play nobody wants to listen to us. Nobody is in the street because everyone is in the house watching the game...yay!!

And on Friday we travel to Iquique to meet our new Mission President, Presidente Larsen!

This past week we had six people come to church with us. A family from Venzuela came with us. They are super awesome. The only problem is that they live together, but they arent married. And literally we can't do anything about it. Because even if they wanted to get married, it would be super hard and the process is super long and difficult because they aren't from Chile. But they are still really cool and we are going to keep inviting them to church and everything. And the members got super excited when they saw new faces in the church, so that was good.

And a 26 year old named Aldo came with us, too. He is really cool. He loves the world. But he knows that the church is good for him. So this week we are going to work with him so that he can keep progressing.

We are also still working with Ivan and Sebastian. We just need some miracles with them. Sebastian is having some problems, but hopefully we can find him this week and teach him a little. And Ivan is pretty much a member of the church. He has read the whole Book of Mormon and is now reading the Doctrine and Covenants! He is way awesome. We are just waiting for his friend to get here from Santiago.

And this past week, we had an awesome spiritual experience! I was on intercambios with an elder in my district and we were teaching a guy named Braulio. And we were with a convert that got baptized last Sunday. He is waiting to get confirmed. I did his baptismal interview so I already knew him. But we were in the lesson talking about the blessings that come through living the gospel.  And this convert (who had just been baptized 3 days before) shared an awesome experience.

He is from Venezuela and its has been hard for him to find work. But he found work laying tile and on Saturday (the day before his baptism) he had a really bad day. It was his first day on the job and he only was able to lay tile on the floor of half of a bathroom. He said that he was struggling and was worried about the job. The next day he went to church and got baptized. And said that it was such a spiritual experience, something that he will never forget. And the next day (Monday) he worked hard and laid tile in 2 bathrooms and a room. And on Tuesday, he finished 2 conference rooms (which he said were bigger then the chapel). And that Tuesday night, everything clicked. He bore testimony to us and to Brualio that because he got baptized and followed the example of Jesus Christ, he received power and help from God. He said, "Dios me hizo un maestro." (God made me an expert). And he just kept telling is that he still couldn't believe it. And he also said, "no se que va a pasar después mi confirmación!"

It was such a cool experience to here. And I know that its true. God gives us power. He makes us experts in what we do!

Love you guys! Muchas gracias por todo.

Elder HJones: Faith Brings Miracle

So last week we had transfers and . . . we had a couple problems. I was going to take a flight to my next area but a couple of things happened and we missed the flight. So in the end, I ended up traveling in a bus for 20 hours!!!! 20 HOURS!! That obviously wasn't fun. But now everything is good and I am here in Arica working in my area.

To be honest, when I heard my transfer everyone told me that it was bad. That my area was hard, that the members don't help, that people don't progress, that there are few baptisms. But in just one week here working I know that those things aren't true. We have seen so many miracles here in the past week and I'm super glad to be here.

Arica is the most north city in the mission. It's right below Peru. And here there are so many foreigners. So many people from Cuba, Venezuela, Peru, and Bolivia. We are teaching many people that aren't from Chile. They are really humble and open to hear the gospel.

This past week my testimony on faith was strengthened. When I got here many other missionaries told me that I am in a hard area, that nobody progresses in this area. But we have been working super hard and are seeing so many miracles. We are teaching so many people and we are planning on having a couple of baptisms this weekend.

 I am enjoying my time here. Miracles are real. I have a testimony of that.

God is good.

And faith brings miracles!

Love you lots!

Elder HJones: Better than Last Week

So this week was a lot better them the last. We had more people attend church from the zone, so that was good. Sometimes I feel so much pressure from the assistants, but I have learned that it's something good. Pressure can be good when it helps us do more an become better. So although I don't like a bunch of pressure, I have learned that it is good for me. It helps me work better.

We are seeing more people progress in our zone, that's good too. And in our area we have more people progressing too. A mom and her son came to Church with us this Sunday. They are way awesome. They have a lot of faith and they want to change their lives. Please pray for them. Their names are Nicolas and Margot.

We are also teaching another family. They are super ready to be baptized. The children, Fiorela and Estefano, want to do be baptized. But the mom wants the dad to be present in the baptism. I don't blame her. But the only thing that stinks is that he wont be here until the middle of July. A lot of time, and many things can happen in this time. And the dad doesn't really like us. He doesn't really want his kids to get baptized. So its a little complicated. And we have cambios and I probably won't even be here to see them get baptized. :(

So yes, we have cambios this weekend. On Friday we will know. This Friday we are also traveling to Antofa for the last conference with Pres. Ferreira. I'm excited. And I'm gonna miss him. I'm pretty sure that we are going to receive our cambios while at the conference. I'm not sure what will happen. I have 5 transfers here, that's a lot of time. It's common here in the mission that the zone leaders train or become district leaders their last transfer. Mabye that will happen with me. But I'm not sure. But we will see what happens.

And my one of my converts has a calling of teaching Sunday School ever other week to all the adults. And she only has one month as a member. It is super cool to see it. She doesn't have a lot of knowledge about the gospel, but she teaches with the Spirit! It is awesome.

That's pretty much it. Throw in a couple drunk people and the cold, and that was pretty much my week.

Love you guys! Thanks for your examples!!

Elder HJones: Hay lluvia (RAIN!!)

It rained this past week!! It was cool. It was the first time that I saw RAIN in 2 years! And that's why I sent the video! The people here kinda freak out because nobody is prepared for rain. Many times there are floods and stuff, but it was nothing crazy. It was only a couple of minutes, but it was still really cool.

We went to Anofagasta on Tuesday. It was really awesome. It was Pres. Ferreira's last consejo de lideres (Leader's council), it was sad. I have learned to love him and respect him. This week, on Wednesday, we travel to Copiapo to have a zone conference with Presidente. And next week we travel to Antofagasta to say goodbye to Presidente. We are going to have a testimony meeting or something like that. And that will be that. In a couple of weeks Presidente will be gone. This week I will have my last interview with him. :(

In 2 weeks we have transfers. I'm still not sure what will happen. Maybe I'll stay here in Vallenar for my last one. jaja That would be kinda crazy. I want to stay has zone leader, but we will see what happens. I'm up for whatever. I just want to work up until the last minute.

We are working with a really family awesome. Daniela, Fiorella, and Estefano. Please pray that they can continue progressing. We are also working with a really humble family from Venesuela. Luiggi, Tania, Eliana, Milexi, Yoander. I want them to come to church SO BAD! I have grown to love there family. But they are always working on Sunday. But this weekend they are going to try to attend. Please pray for them too.

One thing that I learned this week is the God sees more then what we can see. Many times during my mission I have looked back on a week and thought that I really haven't done much. The results aren't there. I worked hard, but there aren't results to show it. But this week, I came to realize that God can see more. God can see the physical results and the spiritual results. He knows our hearts.

It reminds me of a scripture on 1 Samuel 16:7
7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. 

Love you guys!

Elder HJones: Milagros!

So this past week we had the awesome opportunity to see a couple of miracles. We were able to see our people enter into the water of baptism! It was an awesome experience! Sandra, Constanza, Carolina, and Pia were all baptized. It's always a great feeling when God puts people in your path that are already ready to hear and accept the gospel.

"Si quiere llegar donde pocos llegan, haga lo que pocos hacen." I saw this quote this past week and I liked it. If you don't understand it you can put it in google translate. haha

The Church is true. God loves us. And we can show our love to Him by keeping His commandments!

Love you all!

Elder Jones

Elder HJones: Suffer with Joy!

So everything has been going really good here in Vallenar. The work is good. We are teaching many great people and families. God is blessing us a ton. We are teaching Sandra, Constanza, and Carolina. Please pray that they can keep progressing! They are really awesome.

One thing that I learned during the week was a formula that was given during Sunday School. The formula of how much we are worth.

It was: Value = (Knowledge + Abilities) x Attitude

But the whole class was centered on our attitude. That we can have abilities and knowledge, but if our attitude is bad, it doesn't mean everything. And I have learned during the mission that having a good attitude is everything. Even if things aren't going well, we suffer with joy. 

Thanks so much for everything!!

Elder HJones: Paying the Price

One thing that I love about the mission is the way that God blesses us. I remember that last week Presidente told my companion and I that the key to everything is that we need to "pay the price." Even if things aren't working out and if people aren't progressing, God knows is we are giving our all. He knows the price that we are paying. And the blessings and miracles will come when we pay the price. And I feel that the whole month of April we were paying the price. We literally did everything and we weren't seeing much progress. But recently, God has blessed us with miracles.

First, we are teaching Carolay. I talked a little about her last week. Ella es una escogida!! She is a miracle sent from heaven. We don't know what to teach her because she already knows everything we are teaching her about the church. She reads like three chapters in the Book of Mormon everyday! She has two sisters that are returned missionaries. She is awesome. The other day she called us and wanted to have a lesson with us. And she invited her friend. She isn't even a member and she is already sharing the gospel! She is going to get baptized on Saturday. It's gonna be awesome!

Then, we are also teaching Suilay and Fernando. They are siblings. Their mom is a less active member and their great grandmother is a active member. She brought them to church. They are really awesome. We are going to work with them throughout this week.

Tomorrow we have cambios, asi que vamos a ver que pasa!

Les quiero caleta! Elder Jones

Elder HJones: Hey!!

So this past week was a little rough.

I have learned during the course of my mission that Satan works really hard, too. He knows that we are teaching the restored gospel and that the people we are teaching are making steps to be saved, so he is working really hard too. This past week some baptisms fell through in the zone. People who are really awesome that want to baptized but just want more time. Satan is putting doubts in their heads. But I know that God's power is stronger. We are just gonna keep working, because compared to God, Satan is nothing.

The zone is doing pretty well. Working really hard. As the zone leader here, I'm pleased with the missionaries here. They are hard workers. It's awesome when you don't have to worry about disobedient missionaries or missionaries that don't want to work. So as a zone, we are doing pretty well.

We have had a little hard time in our own area. It has been a little difficult to find people that want to progress and come to church. We talk with everyone and we are trying to work more with the members. But we are just gonna keep working and trusting in God.

This week we are working with Carolyn. She is a miracle send from God. She contacted us in the street the other day telling us that see wants to learn more about our book! Her sister is a member and she came to church with us yesterday! She is super awesome and we are planning and working with her so that she gets baptized this weekend. Please pray that she can feel the Spirit more and make the decision to get baptized.

Crazy story! We have been teaching a lady named Estefani and her family. She is cool, but believes in reincarnation and in the beginning didn't believe in God. She likes to read and we gave her a Book of Mormon. She read the whole thing in like 2-3 weeks. We talked to her about it and she wrote a summary of the book, and it was quite exact. Like she understood the whole thing. In the end she told us that she believes in God now, but still believes in reincarnation and that the true church isn't on the earth. We just need to improve in our lives and that's that. But I guess that's what happens when you don't read that book with the intent to know if it is true. She read it to inform herself and learn more, but she said that it doesn't mean much. What!?

Love you guys a ton! Elder Jones

Elder HJones: A TEMPLE IN ANTOFA!!!!

This is a very happy missionary!

Hyrum's reaction

 So this past week was definitely one to remember!!

I still cannot believe that they announced a temple in Antofagasta!
We went nuts when they announced it. A huge blessing from God! We are all super excited!!

We also had consejo de lideres in Antofagasta on Tuesday. I was awesome. We talked a lot about the Book of Mormon and about Joseph Smith. I learned a ton. Throughout my mission my testimony and love for the Book of Mormon has grown so much. I always feel so good when the people that we tech read it and gain their own testimony that it is true! he Book of Mormon works miracles!

I loved ALL the talks during conference. But some on my favorites were by Elder Uchtdorf, Elder Holland, Elder Oaks. But they were all so good.

Right now, we are working with a couple people that could use some of your prayers. Sandra and Julian. Sandra has so many problems with her husband, so wants to finish things with him. So she is trying to get closer to God. Julian is her son. We are always working with Naldi and Ruben. They need a testimony that this is the true church on the earth. And Sebastian. He was a miracle on Sunday. We found him on Sunday morning and he was preparing to go to church with us. It was crazy because we stopped passing by his house because he wasn't progressing. But then we found him in the street and he was walking to church. So he attended the first session of General Conference with us and then watched the baptism that we had right after. He's super awesome. He was baptized  like 2 years ago in la iglesia evangelica. Asi que vamos a ayudarlo entender mas de la restauración para que entienda la autoridad.

Happy noise!

Elder HJones: Priesthood Power!!

So this week was pretty interesting. It was both hard and funny. Sometimes, I am just really confused and don't know what to do. But I know that God has all the answers, asi que vamos a seguir adelante para que podamos recibir las respuestas (but as we press forward we will receive the answers).

Our zone here in Vallenar has always been the zone that doesn't have success or baptize. In December we had 15 baptisms. That is the most that Vallenar has ever had! So many missionaries come here without faith, but I want to change it so bad. We finished this month with 11. We had like 10 set baptisms, but they all fell through. Every single one of them. AHHHH. So we are kinda confused. Our zone is obedient, we are always fasting and praying together, we don't know what else to do to break the ice here. But I know that God has the answers. So we are going to do our very best to receive revelation to receive them. I am learning a bunch here. Im happy to be here and I know that answers and miracles are around the corner.

I had an awesome experience this week. A sister in another branch asked us to go the hospital to give a priesthood blessing. We went and it was in the ICU. The place were the people are really bad and close to death. It was really humbling to walk in. I felt a different spirit. We were able to give a blessing to the sister. It was special to do the blessing to her. She was crying and she was praying, thanking God for sending us to her bedside. She had so much faith. She knew that the power and authority that we have really does come from God and that it works. We finished and when we walked out of the hospital my heart was filled with love and joy. I felt the love that God has for each one of us. I am so grateful that God has placed His power here on the earth, It really does bless others. I am grateful that God has called me as an instrument to hold His priesthood and bless the lives of others!

Super excited for conference this weekend! I am super excited to be able to hear the words of the prophet and know more about what God wants for us!

Elder Jones