Dearest Family Members(and anyone who reads my letters),
How are all of you? How`s the heat? How`s Mesa? Is everyone adjusted to the school schedule again? How`s Kayli doing at her school? How`s Annie doing? It sounds like she`s not like a normal Jones baby. She sounds too small. That`s alright though. She sounds cute. I`m looking forward to seeing pictures of her.
Dad, you said that the Interstake Center is being remodeled. When did that start? Is it a major renovation, or is it just something minor? I guess it was time for that. That building is old. Have fun overseeing all that.
That`s awesome that Mr. Hekekia is in the ward now. Hopefully he`s still lives there when I get home. I bet finding out that I`m on a mission made him feel really old. Anyways say hi to him for me.
This is my last week of being 19. ¡Què triste! I`m getting old. No one in the branch knows that my birthday is this Sunday. We eat lunch with the branch president and his family every Sunday. This coming Sunday, my plan is to get on the topic of birthdays and then mention that it`s my birthday. Nothing will probably happen. They will probably just say, "Feliz Cumpleaños". Elder Watson and I are going to make microwave brownies and vanilla ice cream to celebrate. FYI: microwave brownies are actually quite tasty. We eat them quite a bit. As a missionary, I love microwaves. I can make so many things with it. I`ll take some pictures and send them to you all just so you can all see how awesome my birthday was.
As I mentioned before, Elder Arnold(new area president) was going to have a conference with us. He met with all the missionaries in Uruguay . Our mission was his last stop. I imagine he`s doing a tour of all the misisons in the area. So, if it hasn`t happened already, Tyler will probably be getting the same training that I got.
Anyways, last Wednesday night, Elder Arnold held a fireside. Missionaries were invited to bring their investigators as well. Elder Watson and I invite ours, but, because we live an hour from Montevideo , none of them could come. None of them can afford it. I was actually expecting that. Anyways, we went to fireside without our investigators. (We had to go to Montevideo anyways because he was having a training meeting with us the next day. Elder Watson and I didn`t want to get up early so we spent the night in Montevideo ). Right before we got to the fireside, Elder Arnold announced that if missionaries didn`t have investigators, they had to leave and go find some. So, we weren`t aloud in. There were about 16 Elders outside the stake center. We all went and did some contacts. I sang some hymns with some other Elders. It was fun.
On Thursday morning, we had our training meeting with Elder Arnold. It was about four hours long. It was really good though. We talked about obedience. We talked about how to make our lessons more spiritual. We practiced introducing the BOM to our investigators. One of the things Elder Arnold suggested was to have us kneel when we pray at our lessons. He also told how important it is to address the importance of prayer to our investigators. He also told us that we all get to start over. We all have clean slates. All in all, it was a great conference.
Elder Arnold also told the district leaders, zone leaders, and AP`s, in a separate meeting with them, that he wants senior companions to stay in their areas for five changes. He is strongly urging all the mission presidents to do that. If that really happens and I go up to senior comp next change, I will only have two more areas in my mission.
We applied a lot of the things we learned in a lesson Thursday night. It was with our investigator Antonio. We talked about the importance of praying to receive a testimony. At the end of the lesson, we got Antonio to say the prayer. It took a little persuasion, but he finally did it. He had never said a prayer before at our lessons. Elder Arnold`s training already paid off. He talked about those thigs for reason. I`m gald he was in tune with the Spirit and recognized the importance to talk about the things he talked about.
This morning, I set a lot of personal goals for myself. I`m struggling with some things, so I set some goals to fix those things. I spent my entire personal study studying about goal setting. I learned a lot. I can accomplish so much more when I set goals. I`m really excited to start working towards accomplishing the goals I set.
I think I`ve written enough for now. I`ll talk to you all next week.
Les quiero,
Elder Ethan Jones
P.S. Tell Jason Flynn ¡Felicitaciones! for me.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Last Week Was Better
Dearest Family Members,
Well, how goes it? How goes Mesa ? How is school going for everyone? School here gets out in a couple of months. School here starts in March and ends in December, I think. The elementary age kids wear a white tunic. The junior high age kids wear a blue button shirt with a red tie, The high school kids wear a white button shirt with a red tie. They look pretty ridiculous, especially the little kids in their tunic thingys. I`m glad I never had to wear those.
Anyways, how was the seminary social thingy? Ice skating is great. Was it crowded? What`s new at church? Is Jason working on his mission papers? Heather told me he decided to go on a mission. Does Sister Cluff have my current address so she can mail me the newsletter? Who is the new newsletter person? I saw in the last newsletter that the Rogers moved.
Did you get my email from last week? I resent it. If not, none of you missed out on anything. There was nothing really new. It was the same old, same old.
We found five new investigators last week. I really think it was because we were out working more. It made me happy. Elder Watson was happy too. None of them came to church yesterday, unfortunately. That was a bummer. That is the one of the hardest things to do; getting investigators to come to church.
I haven`t had to use the rain suit yet. It has actually started to warm up a lot. I`ll use it eventually though.
I guess I will have a new niece tomorrow. I`m going to tell all the Elders at district meeting tomorrow.
I guess that`s about it. I can`t think of anything else to say.
Les quiero,
Elder Ethan Jones
P.S. Almost forgot. Happy Birthday Irivng and Happy Birthday Travis
Well, how goes it? How goes Mesa ? How is school going for everyone? School here gets out in a couple of months. School here starts in March and ends in December, I think. The elementary age kids wear a white tunic. The junior high age kids wear a blue button shirt with a red tie, The high school kids wear a white button shirt with a red tie. They look pretty ridiculous, especially the little kids in their tunic thingys. I`m glad I never had to wear those.
Anyways, how was the seminary social thingy? Ice skating is great. Was it crowded? What`s new at church? Is Jason working on his mission papers? Heather told me he decided to go on a mission. Does Sister Cluff have my current address so she can mail me the newsletter? Who is the new newsletter person? I saw in the last newsletter that the Rogers moved.
Did you get my email from last week? I resent it. If not, none of you missed out on anything. There was nothing really new. It was the same old, same old.
We found five new investigators last week. I really think it was because we were out working more. It made me happy. Elder Watson was happy too. None of them came to church yesterday, unfortunately. That was a bummer. That is the one of the hardest things to do; getting investigators to come to church.
I haven`t had to use the rain suit yet. It has actually started to warm up a lot. I`ll use it eventually though.
I guess I will have a new niece tomorrow. I`m going to tell all the Elders at district meeting tomorrow.
I guess that`s about it. I can`t think of anything else to say.
Les quiero,
Elder Ethan Jones
P.S. Almost forgot. Happy Birthday Irivng and Happy Birthday Travis
Monday, August 16, 2010
I don`t know what the subject should be
Dearest Familia Jones,
School finally started. ¡Que bueno! Now you have the whole house to yourself Mom. Is anything different at Mesa High? A lot of my companions laugh at me when I tell them I`m a Jackrabbit. They that`s a stupid mascot. Oh well. I guess they can think what they want. After this year, you won`t have to go to Franklin anymore Mom.
How`s the remodeling? Too bad I can`t be there to help. Haha.
The package arrived. Customs didn`t touch it. It Came to Pass is a hit. My comp likes playing it a lot. We had a zone activity today. Most of the other elders didn`t like it. A few did though. The candy is great. I`m going to make it last as long as I can. The thermals are quite nice. Anyways thanks for the package. I bought a sleeping bag from an elder that went home. It`s the best purchase I`ve ever made.
We didn`t get a lot of work done last week. We didn`t work at all yesterday. Elder Watson had a headache after lunch so he wen to slep until sevenish. He didn`t want to go out and work when he woke up. So we talked. We are having success with Antonio. We have to go slower with him since he can`t read. We extended the baptismal invitation. He said he would get baptized if God wants it. He says that a lot, "If God wants it". We told him that`s what God wants. He said he would pray. Hopefully, he will get baptized at the end of this month. He came to church again yesterday. This was his third time coming in four weeks. He likes it a lot. Anyways he`s progressing. He`s our only investigator right now.
This Thursday, we are having a conference with Elder Arnold, the area president. I`ll let you all know how that goes.
I guess that`s about it for this week. Unitl next week...
Les quiero,
Elder Ethan Jones
School finally started. ¡Que bueno! Now you have the whole house to yourself Mom. Is anything different at Mesa High? A lot of my companions laugh at me when I tell them I`m a Jackrabbit. They that`s a stupid mascot. Oh well. I guess they can think what they want. After this year, you won`t have to go to Franklin anymore Mom.
How`s the remodeling? Too bad I can`t be there to help. Haha.
The package arrived. Customs didn`t touch it. It Came to Pass is a hit. My comp likes playing it a lot. We had a zone activity today. Most of the other elders didn`t like it. A few did though. The candy is great. I`m going to make it last as long as I can. The thermals are quite nice. Anyways thanks for the package. I bought a sleeping bag from an elder that went home. It`s the best purchase I`ve ever made.
We didn`t get a lot of work done last week. We didn`t work at all yesterday. Elder Watson had a headache after lunch so he wen to slep until sevenish. He didn`t want to go out and work when he woke up. So we talked. We are having success with Antonio. We have to go slower with him since he can`t read. We extended the baptismal invitation. He said he would get baptized if God wants it. He says that a lot, "If God wants it". We told him that`s what God wants. He said he would pray. Hopefully, he will get baptized at the end of this month. He came to church again yesterday. This was his third time coming in four weeks. He likes it a lot. Anyways he`s progressing. He`s our only investigator right now.
This Thursday, we are having a conference with Elder Arnold, the area president. I`ll let you all know how that goes.
I guess that`s about it for this week. Unitl next week...
Les quiero,
Elder Ethan Jones
Monday, August 9, 2010
Greetings from Elder Jones
Saludos Familia Jones,
How is everything? The Jamboree like it was fun, of course. I loved the Jamboree. There are actually quite a few missionaries that went on the 2005 Jamboree. I keep them up to date on everything. It sounds like it was memorable. I`m not surprised Obama didn`t go. I`m looking forward to getting that letter, Dad.
School starts this week. Summer went by fast. That probably makes you happy, Mom, because now you have the house to yourself again. I wish I was still in school. Those days were easy. Life just gets harder after graduating. It`s rewarding but harder. Anyways, Cameron and Weston, enjoy it while it lasts.
How hot is it there? Has it been a wet monsoon season? It`s still nice and cold here. Everyone says that it gets pretty cold the beginning of August and then it starts to warm up. By the end of this change, the weather should be nice. It`s ironic that it`s colder in our house than outside our house. Insulation does not exist down here. I think the only buildings that have insulation are the church buildings.
We had terrible numbers last week. There was a reason for that. Elder Watson got some stomach thing. He wasn`t deathly sick. He was just sick enough that we couldn`t go out and work. This morning, he woke up and said he felt great. That makes me happy. Now we can get to work again. On Friday, we went to a wedding for a member. I think I talked about it last week. The weddings here are weird. First off, a lady did it. It went really fast too. They don`t say the same things that are said in a normal American wedding. It was cool though. The couple was happy. This was the first wedding that I`ve ever been to. Afterwards, we went to a party at their house. The wife is a member, and we`re teaching the husband. His name is Antonio. He didn`t go to church yesterday. We`re going to go back and have another lesson with him this week.
What else is new? Next week, Elder Arnold(area president) is coming and doing zone conferences here in our mission. I don`t know what he is going to talk about. It should be good though.
What else? Kira had finally had her baby. Tell Greg and Kira felicitaciones for me. Annie is almost here. Another niece. I guess that`s alright. Haha. I saw your picture Jenny. It`s weird to see you pregnant, I`m ot gonna lie. I thought the same thing when Emilie and Valerie first got pregnant. Anyways once again, felicitaciones.
Oh quick little note. President Eyring`s granddaughter is here now. She is one of the oros(greenies) that got here last week.
Anyways, I think that`s about it for this week. Until next week...
Les quiero,
Elder Ethan Jones
P.S. Happy Anniversary on Friday Mom and Dad. Thanks for everything that you`ve done for me. I hope you have a great day.
P.P.S.Happy Anniversary on Wednesday Jenny and Paul. I hope you have a great day, as well.
P.P.S. This is my address in case you don`t have it:
Elder Ethan Jones
La Misiòn Uruguay Montevideo Oeste
1167 Enrique Martìnez
Montevideo , Uruguay
C.P. 11.800
How is everything? The Jamboree like it was fun, of course. I loved the Jamboree. There are actually quite a few missionaries that went on the 2005 Jamboree. I keep them up to date on everything. It sounds like it was memorable. I`m not surprised Obama didn`t go. I`m looking forward to getting that letter, Dad.
School starts this week. Summer went by fast. That probably makes you happy, Mom, because now you have the house to yourself again. I wish I was still in school. Those days were easy. Life just gets harder after graduating. It`s rewarding but harder. Anyways, Cameron and Weston, enjoy it while it lasts.
How hot is it there? Has it been a wet monsoon season? It`s still nice and cold here. Everyone says that it gets pretty cold the beginning of August and then it starts to warm up. By the end of this change, the weather should be nice. It`s ironic that it`s colder in our house than outside our house. Insulation does not exist down here. I think the only buildings that have insulation are the church buildings.
We had terrible numbers last week. There was a reason for that. Elder Watson got some stomach thing. He wasn`t deathly sick. He was just sick enough that we couldn`t go out and work. This morning, he woke up and said he felt great. That makes me happy. Now we can get to work again. On Friday, we went to a wedding for a member. I think I talked about it last week. The weddings here are weird. First off, a lady did it. It went really fast too. They don`t say the same things that are said in a normal American wedding. It was cool though. The couple was happy. This was the first wedding that I`ve ever been to. Afterwards, we went to a party at their house. The wife is a member, and we`re teaching the husband. His name is Antonio. He didn`t go to church yesterday. We`re going to go back and have another lesson with him this week.
What else is new? Next week, Elder Arnold(area president) is coming and doing zone conferences here in our mission. I don`t know what he is going to talk about. It should be good though.
What else? Kira had finally had her baby. Tell Greg and Kira felicitaciones for me. Annie is almost here. Another niece. I guess that`s alright. Haha. I saw your picture Jenny. It`s weird to see you pregnant, I`m ot gonna lie. I thought the same thing when Emilie and Valerie first got pregnant. Anyways once again, felicitaciones.
Oh quick little note. President Eyring`s granddaughter is here now. She is one of the oros(greenies) that got here last week.
Anyways, I think that`s about it for this week. Until next week...
Les quiero,
Elder Ethan Jones
P.S. Happy Anniversary on Friday Mom and Dad. Thanks for everything that you`ve done for me. I hope you have a great day.
P.P.S.Happy Anniversary on Wednesday Jenny and Paul. I hope you have a great day, as well.
P.P.S. This is my address in case you don`t have it:
Elder Ethan Jones
La Misiòn Uruguay Montevideo Oeste
1167 Enrique Martìnez
Montevideo , Uruguay
C.P. 11.800
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Nine Months Already
Dear Family,
Well, first off, I`m staying in Playa Pascual for a third change. That means I will be celebrating my birthday here. It`s on a fast Sunday again this year. Elder Watson wil still be my comp. I need to give him some slack. The two comps he had before me were pretty lazy missionaries. That didn`t help him at all. He`s told me many times that he`s sorry he didn`t work harder last change. He wants to work harder. I think this coming change will be good. We`re both going to improve ourselves and work harder.
This morning, we went to the temple. Elder Watson and I almost missed the session because we couldn`t figure out how to get there. We knew the general area that the temple was in, we just didn`t know the specific directions. We finally got there. They held the session for us. This trip to the temple was supposed to be a zone activity. There are 20 Elders in my zone and only 6 of us showed up. I don`t know why none of them wanted to go. Oh well, it`s there decision. After the session was over, we saw the oros(greenies) arrive. They were arriving from the airport. We all waved at them as they drove by on the bus. After that, we went to the mall and ate Burger King. It was quite delicious. Unfortunately, they were out vanilla ice cream to make shakes, so we all went to McDonald`s and got McFlurry`s. Now I`m here writing to you.
We have one solid investigator right now. I think I mentioned him last week. His name is Antonio. He is livnig with a recent convert right now. They are getting married this Friday, and Elder Watson and I will probably be going. He`s been to church the last two Sundays in a row. He only needs to come one more to get baptized. We`re going to give him a baptismal date this week. He doesn`t know how to read so we have to go slower with. His soon-to-wife is really helping out though. He`s our only investigator right now.
Utah sounded fun. It sounds like you all did quite a bit. The Jamboree is almost over. Annie is coming soon. Jenny is due in March. I`m going to have some new kids to meet. It sounds like the Dbacks have been busy trading. When to the Cardinals and the Sun Devils start? What`s new in Solomon Ward? Can you give Sister Cluff my new address, if you haven`t already, so she can mail the newsletter. I think I already sent you all my new address.
I hit my nine-month mark this Friday. I can`t believe how fast the time goes. This could be my last change as junior companion. I have to really improve my spanish this change. I am now starting my sixth change.
I guess that`s about it for this week. Thanks for everything that you all do for me. Until next week...
Les quiero,
Elder Ethan Jones
Well, first off, I`m staying in Playa Pascual for a third change. That means I will be celebrating my birthday here. It`s on a fast Sunday again this year. Elder Watson wil still be my comp. I need to give him some slack. The two comps he had before me were pretty lazy missionaries. That didn`t help him at all. He`s told me many times that he`s sorry he didn`t work harder last change. He wants to work harder. I think this coming change will be good. We`re both going to improve ourselves and work harder.
This morning, we went to the temple. Elder Watson and I almost missed the session because we couldn`t figure out how to get there. We knew the general area that the temple was in, we just didn`t know the specific directions. We finally got there. They held the session for us. This trip to the temple was supposed to be a zone activity. There are 20 Elders in my zone and only 6 of us showed up. I don`t know why none of them wanted to go. Oh well, it`s there decision. After the session was over, we saw the oros(greenies) arrive. They were arriving from the airport. We all waved at them as they drove by on the bus. After that, we went to the mall and ate Burger King. It was quite delicious. Unfortunately, they were out vanilla ice cream to make shakes, so we all went to McDonald`s and got McFlurry`s. Now I`m here writing to you.
We have one solid investigator right now. I think I mentioned him last week. His name is Antonio. He is livnig with a recent convert right now. They are getting married this Friday, and Elder Watson and I will probably be going. He`s been to church the last two Sundays in a row. He only needs to come one more to get baptized. We`re going to give him a baptismal date this week. He doesn`t know how to read so we have to go slower with. His soon-to-wife is really helping out though. He`s our only investigator right now.
Utah sounded fun. It sounds like you all did quite a bit. The Jamboree is almost over. Annie is coming soon. Jenny is due in March. I`m going to have some new kids to meet. It sounds like the Dbacks have been busy trading. When to the Cardinals and the Sun Devils start? What`s new in Solomon Ward? Can you give Sister Cluff my new address, if you haven`t already, so she can mail the newsletter. I think I already sent you all my new address.
I hit my nine-month mark this Friday. I can`t believe how fast the time goes. This could be my last change as junior companion. I have to really improve my spanish this change. I am now starting my sixth change.
I guess that`s about it for this week. Thanks for everything that you all do for me. Until next week...
Les quiero,
Elder Ethan Jones
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