Elder EJones: Los Olivios

Hola,

We had cambios this week and I'm in a new area, Los Olivos. The members here are super good and helpful to the missionaries. As we strive to be missionaries in all aspects of our lives we become more like Christ. Seeking out those who don't have the message of the restored gospel, and filling the emptiness with everlasting joy and hope.

Members are just important as the missionaries. As we minister to all those around us, we will become one.

Elder Ulisses Soares gave us three ways to help those not of our faith, or those that are recent converts, or less actives.

1. They need brothers and sisters sincerely interested in them
2. They need an assignment
3. They need to be nourished by the word of God

I know that as we strive to work together we will see the hand of the Lord more in our work and in our lives, I've seen it here and know that the Lord performs miracles and loves each of us.

Elder EJones: Week Second in the MTC

Hola Everyone!

This week has been crazy. It was super fast!! We've learned so much in the language and in the gospel and it has helped me to grow a lot. We learned about keeping things simple while teaching and making it so that others can feel the Spirit. It's not about what we say to those were teaching, but how they feel the spirit while we teach them. Because we aren't the teachers. The Spirit is and are only acting as the mouthpiece for the Lord.

We were able to watch a devotional from Elder Bednar from a couple years ago where he taught about the Character of Christ. Throughout His whole ministry Christ didn't look inward at all. Even after he had fasted for forty days, after He went through the atonement, after He suffered for our sins, and after He died for us, He was always looking to comfort others and make sure others were okay. We can't always do it the way He did because we aren't perfect like He is, but as we strive to be more like Christ, we should strive to love like Christ would--to love our enemies and to focus on the needs of others rather than our needs.

As we learn to help others, we learn to help ourselves, and while we may be struggling in our own lives, as we look outward to others, we will find joy and through Christ we can lift our own spirits.

I know the Lord will bless us only when we are doing all we can to hearken to His counsel; and when we put in all our work and effort, first. I've been able to feel His love for me this week and I know He wants the best from us --- it's our choice if we want to accept His blessings by living worthy.

Love you all,
Elder Jones

Elder CJones: Puro Trabajar

Howdy All!!

How are you all?? I hope that August is treating you all well. It is really, really hot here in Reynosa. Walking in the sun all day is a normal thing, but I still feel the extreme heat. We are really working hard right now to continuously find new people with their desire to make covenants with our  Heavenly Father and start their spiritual progression towards exaltation.

Right now we have a couple of people that are listening:

Esmeralda - She is an 18 year old that is 5 months pregnant. She was an investigator about a year ago but she recently started listening to us again. She is really excited about her baptism and we hope that
everything will work out for her. She works in a candle shop with her sister and they are the only two that work there. Her day to work all day is Sunday which makes it really hard for her to go to church and her sister sometimes isn't willing to change days with her. Esmeralda is being really patient with everything. Please pray that everything will work according to plans this week so that she can be baptized.

Rocío - She is a 17 year old that we found in the street and we are doing the best we can to help her. She has a huge desire to come to church and listen to our lessons but her mom doesn't let her come to
church. This week will we be working with her mom to trust us and let her daughter come to church. Please pray that the heart of her mom will be softened to let her daughter come to church and listen to us.

Teo and his wife - Teo is an American that was deported and now works making hot dogs every night to make a living and his wife works in a bakery. We will be starting to teach them this week and we ask that you pray that they will be able to have time to listen to us.

We had a really cool experience this week. On Tuesday, we were looking for people and we heard two men call us out and tell us to talk to them. We found out that they were less active members that they were going out to visit other less actives. They told us that they were chatting with all the other elders in the ward, the others were trying to plan a barbecue, and they decided to do visits, just these two. They had never met each but they decided to go help others. It made us so happy that they took the work of ministering to heart and decided to use their time to help others that needed it.
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Love you all!!
Elder Corom Jones