Week 8: *Internal Screaming* 2 MILES

My people!

Thanks for the emails and prayers this week! I really felt it! (The prayers, that is. I just now got to look at the emails:)) 

This week was something! I think I'm finally learning gosh dang español! Sometimes when I'm just sitting around and I hear people speaking and i ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND them, it feels like a superpower!!!

So, we are planning this activity where a bunch of people from the ward are going to prepare different Christmas songs, and we're going to have a talent show type thing. I'm pumped cause we're singing this one song called "Burrito Sabanero," and I think it's my new favorite song. Anyway, towards the end of rehearsal for this last night, some guy called me down to the piano and asked if I could play these two christmas hymns. I said sure, but that I'd have to learn them. Before I knew it, I was being asked by the Bishop to play piano for the hymns in sacrament meeting!! I don't play hymns that well, so wish me luck! I am actually really happy to do it though, no one in this ward can play piano, so each hymn sounds like a herd of cattle... Now with me playing piano it can at least sound like a herd of cattle walking over a piano... But I'm excited nonetheless!

Now for a little bit about Ecuador, I'm serving in a pretty poor part of Guayaquil, the big city here. The houses are basically made of cinderblocks and metal sheets, and are all smashed together. Being here is really humbling in a lot of ways. I realize how blessed I am to have the education I have, the family I have, the home I have, the knowledge of the gospel I have. But guys, the people here are so happy! It's really inspiring.

Anyways, I love and miss all of you! And I absolutely Love hearing from you. Keep 'em coming! I'll try to respond to you all, but I don't usually have much time.

Keep on keeping on!

Love,

Elder Jones

(sorry all my pictures are from the same like 10 minutes)

Week 7: Sin Palabras. 1.75 Miles In

Heyo!

Sooo this week was... something. Definitely the hardest yet. Also, I apologize that this is so short and without pictures, but I have no time!

I just wanted to share my little mantra that saved me this week. "siempre feliz cuando estamos sirviendo el Señor."

Guys, I´ve had a really hard week! I can´t understand anyone, my comp does not speak english, and I really miss each of you! But, if there is one thing that has kept me going, it is this. I am serving the Lord. I can trust in Him. Each of you can too!

I´m sorry I don´t really have time for a story or anything, but know this. I love you all. I pray for you! Keep it up and trust in the Lord.

I will if you will.

With love,

Elder Jones

Week 6: Visas Y Canciones.... 1.5 miles

Hola mis amigos!

This week FLEW by!

Story time!

So... As y'all know I've been quite nervous that I wouldn't get my visa in time. A bunch of missionaries called to Ecuador had received their visas this week, but nothing for me! To shorten the story, I got an email telling me that if I didn't get my visa by Friday night, I would have to wait 6 weeks to go to Ecuador. No thank you!!!! Naturally, the next few hours were hard. To say the least. I couldn't eat!!! You all know that if I couldn't eat, it must have been pretty bad. LITERALLY the LAST MINUTE (ok maybe it was like three hours before the deadline, whatever) I got my VISA!!!!! I'm headed to Ecuador on Monday!

As all great weeks start, on Sunday I went to choir with a bunch of people from my zone. So great! This week, we learned to sing "Joseph Smith's First Prayer." Those of you that know this song, know just how powerful it is. Let me tell ya, when sung with 300 missionaries, I literally have no words! The feeling in that room when we sung was incredible. To those of you that are unfamiliar with this song, it is the story of Joseph Smith seeing God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. The first verse sets the scene in upstate New York one beautiful morning, where Joseph Smith went in to a grove of trees to pray about which church he should join. As he prayed, he saw "a pillar of light exactly over (his) head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon (him.)"  Once the light had rested upon him, he saw "two personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description."  While praying in a grove of trees next to his house, a young farm boy named Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father spoke to Joseph pointing to his son, saying, "Joseph, this is my Beloved Son. Hear Him!" Guys, I know that this actually happened. If this didn't happen, I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't be dedicating two years of my life to serve the Lord! Friends, I know that the Savior restored his true church on the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith. I know that through the power of God, Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon. The power in singing this song came from hundreds of missionaries, whose main purpose is to share this message with others, singing about what we each know to be true. What a blessing!The best part of this was that Elder Uchtdorf came to talk to us on Tuesday! To sum up- we had a living apostle come to teach us! It was incredible.

Sorry for the short email this week, I still gotta make time to pack.. Bleh. Can't wait to hear from all of you!

Hasta la vista!

Elder Jones

Pictures: me and Brother Sowards (he's a teddy bear.) And the snowy MTC!

Week 5: ENOugh Is ENOugh... 1.25 miles

¡Ay caramba!

One thing I heard (a lot) at the beginning of my MTC experience is that "the days feel like weeks and the weeks feel like days." Honestly, the literal last thing I wanted to hear was that each day would last a week... for 700 more days. I hate to say it, but they were right! Each day lasts forever... but the weeks zoom by. Like how is it possible that I'm leaving in a week and a few days?!?! Crazyyy.

Now, not that the beds here are terrible, but on Tuesday I got fed up with not having any space for my stuff! So, I had a big brain moment. I yanked my mattress off my bed and threw it in a corner, and started digging through my suitcase. I think my roommates thought that I'd finally lost it! There I was, sitting on the floor in front of my mattress-less bed surrounded by assorted randomness from my bag. Eventually, I found it. My highly prized ENO camping hammock. I carefully set my new sleeping system up between opposite bed-frames, and cautiously tested it. I am proud to say that I have comfortably slept in my hammock for the past week. Honestly, it's kind of a spectacle. People come from all four floors of my residence hall to see my green and blue hammock hanging in place of any old mattress.

Just a quick spiritual thought for y'all: I've been reading this book called "Jesus the Christ," which basically teaches about the life of Christ. It's actually wayyy interesting! Anyway, one day I was reading, and I came across a part that I really liked. It talked about the miracle of Christ turning water into wine at Cana. Albeit being an incredible miracle, we often overlook the miracle of a grape plant growing in the first place! Before leaving on my mission, my amazing mother taught a "mission/life preparation class." One of her favorite things to talk about was flying pigs. Referencing her favorite talk, she'd say, "if one day, a pig sprouted wings and flew, we all would be speechless. What a miracle! But we often overlook: how amazing is it that a pig can walk, or even live in the first place."

Friends, miracles happen! But when you open your eyes, you'll start to see miracles all around you, some that you wouldn't normally think of as miracles! Right now, I'm waiting for my visa to come in. I'm hoping for a small miracle, as the odds are that it won't come in time! However, what an amazing miracle it is that I could even get the opportunity to serve the people in Ecuador!!!

I love you all so much! Keep on keeping on! I absolutely love to hear from you all. ¡Hasta pronto!

Elder Jones

Pictures: Me with some friends in my district, me and the boys in front of "the wall", me and my favorite member of the branch presidency