Elder EJones: Obedience Brings Blessings

This week in our English Class, we talked about obedience and the importance of faith, repentance, and obedience. As I thought more about obedience and the importance it is I thought of this...."Sometimes we may obey at first as something we have to do and not something we want to do, until we obey because we want to and not because we have to"

I know that as we strive to be obedient to all of the Lords commandments we will be able to see all of the blessings he has for us. We receive blessings when we are obedient!!

21 And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.  (D&C 130:21)

Love you all,
Elder Jones

Elder EJones: Week Fourth in the MTC

I am doing super good here in the MTC!! Yes, there's some gas and constipation that goes along with the food, but it's not that bad ha ha. Everything is good with my companion. The Elders in our room are really great and are great examples to me. We help each other out a lot to be the most obedient we can be. My district is way good!! We're all close and that makes it such a great experience to have 13 other elders to talk to openly all the time.

The temple is so amazing--and to be able to go every week and feel of the Spirit and to learn is so amazing. I'm gonna miss the temple when I get to Bolivia. And yes, some of the other elders in my district have already received their visas, but there's still a few of us that haven't, yet. But I'm not worried, because if I don't get it, then the Lord needs me somewhere else and that's where I'll diligently serve!!

Thanks for everything!!

Elder ZJones: Lighting the World with His Gospel

To start out, it doesn't feel anything like Christmas!! It feels like the middle of July with no snow and Christmas music. I am still trying to get used to summer in the winter and winter in the summer. haha

Transfers are this week. Elder Sena and I are both staying in our area, Marcos Paz. We are both excited to continue to work and help the people here come unto Christ!

We have a baptism this week with the Escobar Family! They have come a long ways and we are baptizing their children, Erupe and Fabricios. The parents are still working to get married so that the wife can be baptized, hopefully in January. I have truly grown to love them and help them.

Throughout the past weeks of teaching and hearing about their problems, I have understood more about Jesus Christ this season and how much Christ's Atonement means to us. It is a way that we can change, become better, and make it back to him through covenants.

Elder Sena cooling down

We are also working with the Cornejo Family. Throughout the past couple weeks, they have started to read their scriptures and pray. I have seen a change in their lives and how much happier they are. We
are working with and teaching their daughter who hasn't been baptized. We are praying for her as well as her parents to remember those blessings that can come with baptism.

So our district leader asked me to talk during district meeting last week about ways to be a better missionary. I came up with three points, one of them being obedience. Obedience is the first law of heaven. If obedience is the first law in heaven, it better sure be the first law in our homes and
on the mission as well! Obedience is of great importance to us, especially as missionaries. Another point was to be better at teaching. And the thought I shared was if you try to work harder than your companion, and you are both trying to work harder than each other, the work will grow and you will continue to grow and increase on the work.

Grateful for this gospel, especially this Christmas season and for the birth of Jesus Christ. He is our loving Brother and sacrifices everything for us so that we can be happy!

Merry Christmas!!

Elder Jones

Chocolate Banana Pancakes for our investigators!

Elder CJones: Following the Advice of my Youngest Brother

I never thought that by following a few simple words they could change the world. Even the smallest of stature people can change your life and even change the world.There is someone that I really look up to, even though physically I look down to him. He is my youngest brother, Jacom.

This week started out really, really hard! To tell you the truth, I was not ready for what was coming. But the Lord knew I was ready and He put me to the challenge.

This last week was transfers. I got a new companion and we received missionaries for a total of 4 missionaries in the area, one brand new elder from the MTC. It has been hard! My new companion is from Monterrey, Mexico. It's a city about 3 hours from here. It's like being called to Boise, Idaho from Utah. My companion is a little annoying at times. He loves to take control--which is good, but I was told this week that I need to lead this area out of the 4 missionaries. I was told that I need to lead and guide the others. I was told that this is a practice and a test for me. So I am working my hardest to be the best missionary that I can be.

As I said, I have been getting weekly emails from my brother Jacom. This week, according to the counsel of my brother, I decided to love my companion more. Well, things aren't 100% great. But things are on the uphill and there are some great things that can and will happen when we love one another and work together.

This is what happened this week.

This week we worked with one of our investigators, Jonathan. We worked with him to baptize him. He has been to church 4 times and he really likes to go. He really likes the Young Men's activities and really lives spending time with us. He is really quiet and isn't very social. We visited his house this last week and worked with him and talked with his mom. As we were talking with her, we asked when would be a good day to baptize. She responded that we could go right then and baptize her son. So we went directly to the chapel and had a baptism. The mother was so touched that she wanted to be baptized and come to church. The next day, Jonathan was confirmed and his mom came to church. I credit this baptism to the obedience and love we have for one another when we put aside the differences and work together for the work of the Lord. It's only when we listen closely to the counsel of another that we can find true joy.

I know this Gospel is true and that with love and working together that the Lord will bless our lives. Let's get this work done and let's also never forget that sometimes the greatest and best minds and advice, come from those that are small is stature but large in spirit.

-- Elder Corom Jones

 "Remember to love, pray, CTR, keep the commandments, serve obey, and be a great brother and missionary." -Jacom Jones

Elder CJones: We just Tryna Bring . . . A Little More Joy to the World

Hard work pays off as we work hard and are obedient. That's one lesson I learned this week as I applied it more to my life.

 This week started out a little rough but got a lot better as we worked hard and tried our very best to teach the Gospel to these great people out here. Last week, our numbers weren't very high. We didn't have many lessons and needed higher numbers. The Zone Leaders came and visited with us at the beginning of the week and tried to understand why? Why were our numbers low? There were a lot of reasons and we figured out what was going on and we were sent to work, and that's when the blessings started to flow.

Within 2 hours that morning we had confirmed appointments to return to 5 homes. We worked hard that day and tried our best to gain momentum as the day went on. We kept working hard and got a few more appointments for the week!! There are so many blessings that come from being obedient and working hard!! That night, my companion and I headed home after a long day. We must have walked 15-20 miles and were so hungry, so cold, and so tired.

As we walked home, we passed a hamburger cart and my companion stopped and asked how much a meal was, she answered $50. He told her that we would return the next day and buy a meal on our way home from our work and we walked away. As we walked, about a block after we left the cart, we heard someone shouting, we turned around the there was a man running towards us. We stopped and turned around and as he approached us, he asked us to return to the cart. We had no idea what was going on. We obeyed and returned to the hamburger cart. The woman at the cart asked us if we would like to share a hamburger, on the house. We were so shocked and surprised, we accepted the offer and sat down and began to talk with her. She prepared us a mean burger, complete with avocado, pineapple, and all the works. And that's all that we were expecting, and then came the sodas, and the fries, and the chili pepper, and then she asked us if we wanted another burger. She filled us up that night and I know that it was from the obedience to our leaders that we were blessed with the food.

That night, the lady's son came and sat with us at the cart, her son is 7 and is learning English in school. He has homework every night in English and he turned to me and asked me to help him with his math and social studies, it was really hard but we were able to finish his homework and we made some new friends that day.

As I have looked back at what happened, I have studied the importance of obedience in the scriptures. During my first 3 weeks that I was in the MTC, I read the Book of Mormon, the entire thing in 3 weeks and it was one of the most amazing experience I have ever had to be able to read it again and I learned a lot this time I went through. One of the stories that is always shared in the scriptures in that of the stripling warriors, they were a really really strong force to the Nephites as they fought for their country. But the only reason they are put, by Mormon, into the book is because of their success. If they wouldn't have been successful, they would have never been effective. The really cool part, the core of their success is shared with us in one verse.

"Yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them; and I did remember the words which they said unto me that their mothers had taught them."

The home is the best place to learn obedience, I wasn't always the best at that but now I know the importance of obedience in everything.

Nephi was one of the prophets in the Book of Mormon that everyone reveres. He was a hard worker and wrote a lot about guidance for our day. He could have said a lot for his last words, but here is what he decided to say, "the Lord commanded me, and I must obey." Obedience is what the last thing Nephi says. It's his testimony of the greatness of obedience. I know that this work will bless all of us as we obey the commandments of the Lord and work hard to become more like Jesus Christ.

During this last week before Christmas, let us remember the true meaning and why we really celebrate Christmas, I have a badge that says I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ and that I represent Him, but we all don't need that badge to be like Him. Remember that service is so crucial at this time in the year.

-- Elder Corom Jones

We live in a time of the world

where we care less bout family and more 'bout our phones

Why are we fighting

'bout what to believe in our people they out on their own

We seeking attention in all the wrong places

our whole life became a cliche

Why are worried bout all a dem tings

when our children are slippin away

When standing for something

the voyage occurs

United as family we loyal and firm

We all here as equals

we Royal at birth

We just tryna bring… a little more joy to the world

This goes out to my people

feel like they nothing they stuck and ready to die

I promise there's someone who always gon love you

your Father who up in the sky

The reason we here to love one another

so put it all out on the line

Not saying be perfect

or even be certain but baby it worth it to try.

When standing for something

the voyage occurs

United as family

we Loyal and firm

We out here as equals

we Royal at birth

We just tryna bring… a little more joy to the world"

-Jamesthemormon (Joy To The World)