Week 26 - Bump Day (6 Months into your Mission) - Psalms 73:26 - My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever

Dear Jordan,

 

    We hope that you are doing well. Wow. Already 6 months or 25% into your mission. We hope that your are understanding the languages. We have had clear skies with highs during the day in the 80s and lows at night around 40 or 50. Hopefully we will receive some rain soon.

 

The girls are finished with school this year. Grades were pretty good for all of them. Hannah did a 4.0 again. Sarah received some awards for the work she did with the hospital and fund raisers. Rachel had a party at a friend's house after school yesterday. Bekah woke up early this morning and did a great job with scripture reading. Sarah applied for and had an interview for Burger King. Unfortunately she didn't get the job.

We implemented a new program at home. Each person has to do at least one chore without being asked. If you want to watch shows, use the computer, or go someplace you have to do additional chores. We want to maintain it for the summer and hopefully beyond.

 

Mom will be flying to MN to help Bonni. Rachel will fly to Denver when Bonni returns home. Sarah will mow grandma's lawn while Rachel is in Denver. It will be a crazy summer. In July the Galena scouts will go camping in the Uintahs. The girls will go to Moab for Girls Camp during the week that mom will be in MN. That is also the week for the ward Family Home Evening. I will have to carry on alone. I am on Frontrunner and watching all of the cars at a standstill on the freeway. Uta may be a hassle at times but I sure don't miss the traffic.

 

Jordan River Temple does a Korean session each month. I bet Provo does as well. Our ward is tracking the number of temple ordinances the we perform. For May we did 188. We will see for June. I will need to renew my recommend this month so I will get it done this next week.

 

We love you Jordan. We appreciate the hard work you are doing. We know that you have been and will continue to receive blessings for all that you do.

 

We know that Heavenly Father and Jesus live and love us. The gospel is true. The Book of Mormon and the scriptures are the words of God. We pray for you.

 

Love,

dad, Mom, Sarah, Hannah, Rachel, Bekah

Week 25 from Jordan

From: Jordan Stamps Jones <jsjones@myldsmail.net>
Date: June 1, 2014 at 9:51:50 PM MDT
To: Steven Jones <sajmba2002@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Week 25 - Mormon 9:25 And whosoever shall believe in my name, doubting nothing, unto him will I confirm all my words, even unto the ends of the earth.

It sounds like everyone is doing really well this week, though the end of school seems to be taking its toll. I hope everyone enjoys their summer! What holiday was it? We never know what holiday it is until some member tells us and wonders why we aren't celebrating.

How was "Muppets Most Wanted"? I heard it was supposed to be even better than the first one. Who did they get to guest star in it? What were people's favorite lines? Also, has anyone been able to see Captain America or Son of God? Those movies have a lot of advertising over here. I'd love to know what all the fuss is about.

Things have been good out here, but finals are coming up soon, so people are less and less available for meeting, but we're making the most of it. I remember when I first got here we had about 16 progressing investigators. Then I helped the area revamp their definition of "progressing investigator" to give us a better idea of who was getting closer to baptism and we ended up with about 7. Then there were a lot of tests and people going back to their home countries and we hovered around 5 for a while. At last, though, we are back up to 8 and it looks like we will be here to stay. Tests seem to help people recognize their priorities more. Metaphorical and literal tests alike.

I printed out some pictures to send home to all of you and I will probably include them in my birthday letter to mom in the coming week(s). I will keep them in order to make sure you can see the progression of things. Mostly my weight loss. I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Does mom want anything for her birthday? There's some cheap stuff here that I think she might like. I apologize to everyone whose birthdays I've forgotten. I have everyone's birthdays on my calendar now, so I will remember them next year...

The most exciting thing this week was probably our trip to the national museum. It has artifacts from prehistory all the way to now. We were a little rushed and only got to do one half of the first of three floors, but it has great exhibits on ancient, ancient people. It was great to see how people survived on this peninsula without any conveniences. We did get to stop by a calligraphy exhibit before we completely ran out of time. There were examples of seemingly every type of calligraphy. Many of the explanation plaques were devoted to the relative difficulty of reading each style. It's good to know it's not just me that thinks it's a bit difficult.

Thank you for all your prayers and thoughts. It is incredible to be out here. There are so many people who are being blessed by the gospel! ... despite my teaching ;) I pray for all of you and I hope you are all having a great time.

Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

Best wishes,

Elder Jones

(From Dad) Week 25 - Mormon 9:25 And whosoever shall believe in my name, doubting nothing, unto him will I confirm all my words, even unto the ends of the earth.

Dear Jordan,

    Sorry I am getting this to you later than normal.  You still won't read it until your P-day but I wasn't able to write on Wednesday. The girls are down to their last week of school and are getting excited about it. Sarah applied and had an interview with Burger King. We will hear on Monday if she will be offered the job. Mom will be flying to Denver to then help Bonni and her family fly to Minnesota for a week. Then Rachel will fly to MN and mom and Rachel will help Bonni fly back to Denver and then mom will fly home. Nothing has been finalized yet but that was the last we heard. Mom finished teaching her classes this week. Sarah will have special needs youth conference the Monday after school get out. School finishes on Thursday and Sarah may have her wisdom teeth taken out on Friday.

    Steven and his family drove from Denver on Sunday and visited with us before church. After church Rachel went down to Spanish Fork and slept overnight. On Monday Hannah and Bekah helped me put up the flags. We then went to Robert's house for lunch and we barbequed hotdogs. We then watched "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". Bekah then helped me take down the flags. The whole Young Men's program is supposed to benefit this year but only a couple of scouts helped. John Hanni wasn't there because his grandfather died (President Hanni's father) and he was probably in Idaho at the funeral. John Hanni finally finished his Eagle. Since we only had the grey car it was a little different. I kept thinking of all of the help you provided in the past with the flags. Thank you.

    Mom is at a birthday party with Sarah in Farmington--at trampoline park. We just got back from watching "Muppets Most Wanted." Hannah is playing songs on your iPad. Rachel was playing earlier. Bekah is at a friend's house. She had a sleepover and we probably won't see her all day.

    Rachel says "Uhhhhh. Hi." Hannah just sits there and laughs. I asked them if they wanted to say anything to you. Rachel finally said, "I want a bow and arrow." We went to Scheels and walked around today.

    The missionaries have been teaching a few people in our ward. They may have a baptism in June. They asked if there were any young men in the ward to go teaching with them. I referred them to Brother Kenekt.

    Keep up the great work. We received your letter in the green envelope. Thank you. We look forward to hearing from you tomorrow. I hope that we aren't taking too much time out of the things you need to do on P-days. We pray for your safety and success. We love you.

Love,

Bekah, dad, Mom, Sarah, Hannah, Rachel

Steve/Jordan "live" chat on 5/25/14

Sajmba2002@yahoo.com       May 25 at 10:12 PM

To        Jordan Stamps Jones

 

Dear Jordan,
So is Elder Osbourne in your district, zone, etc.? I don't remember hearing about him before. The last that we heard is that you are still with you first companion and that you have two sister missionaries in your district.

Steven Jones

 

Jordan Stamps Jones               May 25 at 10:16 PM

To        Sajmba2002@yahoo.com

 

Sorry, he's district with Elder Pons, the replacement for the old district leader, Elder Mumford. Elder Pons is, as of today, a 19 year old from Utah, whereas Elder Osbourne is an engaged, 23 year old form Texas. Still 2 sisters, but the American, Sister Pope, was replaced by Sister 구.

 

Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

 

Best wishes,

Elder Jones

 

Sajmba2002@yahoo.com       May 25 at 10:16 PM

To        Jordan Stamps Jones

 

Dear Jordan,
Sounds like you are still doing great. Glad to hear that your shirts are too big. I wish I had that problem. We will put up the flags tomorrow morning for Memorial Day. Brian did well on his talk today at church. Uncle Steve and his family (surprise) visited us (from Denver) today and then went to church with us.
Keep working hard and listening to the Spirit.
Love you,
Dad

 

Sajmba2002@yahoo.com       May 25 at 10:19 PM

To        Jordan Stamps Jones

 

Dear Jordan,
Thank you for the clarification. So do Pons and Osbourne get along okay or is that the dynamic that you mentioned?

Steven Jones

 

Jordan Stamps Jones               May 25 at 10:20 PM

To        Sajmba2002@yahoo.com

 

Sounds like a great Sunday! The shirts are way too big... If you want to lose weight, I'd recommend eating Korean food like a Korean. Lots of vegetables, a fair bit of meat, not much fruit, some grains, a lot of beans, and eating throughout the day as opposed to meals. It's an interesting way to live.

 

Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

 

Best wishes,

Elder Jones

 

Sajmba2002@yahoo.com       May 25 at 10:24 PM

To        Jordan Stamps Jones

 

No message. Don't know why.

So Elder Osbourne is engaged, but on his mission? Wow. That is different. Any married missionaries as well? Just kidding.

Steven Jones

 

Jordan Stamps Jones               May 25 at 10:27 PM

To        Sajmba2002@yahoo.com

 

They are getting along alright, but I see a definite wear on Elder Pons. I suppose 3 months of companionship studies devoted to Brigham Young, Sci-fi, and eternal marriage, would eventually drain some energy.

 

Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

 

Best wishes,

Elder Jones

 

Sajmba2002@yahoo.com       May 25 at 10:29 PM

To        Jordan Stamps Jones

 

Dear Jordan,

Sounds interesting. Please make sure you get the recipes for the non-meals so that you can share your favorites. We had steak, hash browns, salad, bread, and carrots at Robert's. No beans. I will try to do better.

Steven Jones

 

Sajmba2002@yahoo.com       May 25 at 10:32 PM

To        Jordan Stamps Jones

 

Dear Jordan,
Yes it would. So always be prepared to give him a blessing when you see him. Smiley face.

Steven Jones

 

Sajmba2002@yahoo.com       May 25 at 10:39 PM

To        Jordan Stamps Jones

 

Dear Jordan,
At the temple do you do sessions? or other ordinances? Which language do you use in the temple?

Steven Jones

 

Jordan Stamps Jones               May 25 at 10:47 PM

To        Sajmba2002@yahoo.com

 

We do what needs to be done at the time. Usually Endowments in English, but Initiatories in Korean. I've only done Endowments so far.

 

Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

 

Best wishes,

Elder Jones

 

Sajmba2002@yahoo.com       May 25 at 10:49 PM

To        Jordan Stamps Jones

 

Dear Jordan,
Thank you for sharing. I need to go to bed now. It was great chatting with you. You are great. We love you. Have a wonderful day.
Love,
Dad

 

Jordan Stamps Jones               May 25 at 10:52 PM

To        Sajmba2002@yahoo.com

 

Thank you for all that you do. Good night! Much love.

 

Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

 

Best wishes,

Elder Jones

Week 24: from Jordan!

It seems like things have gotten busy in the last week! Sounds good!

Some quick comments: Congrats to mom on giving Elder Alpin possibly the hardest time on his mission. Elder Osbourne (out for 6 weeks longer than I have and still in his greenie area, like me) thinks people don't answer the hard questions enough and that most Mormons don't even know the answers. He constantly comments on his hatred of "Utah Mormons" and our "ignorance." It's always a little funny to hear him. He's from Texas and thinks the South should've won the war... the Civil War... It's an interesting dynamic. Also, congratulations to Rachel on her performance, and I'm sure Hannah did a great job now that she's done, too.

I still haven't gotten short-sleeved shirts, but I am thinking of just getting half my shirts altered. They are all too large anyway. I haven't had any bad allergies except for a couple months ago. I took some of the allergy medicine you sent but didn't heed the "may cause significant drowsiness" warning. I was really out of it all day. Luckily, we were doing a lot of paperwork and meetings that day, so I didn't miss much. Since I'm in the city, there are fewer plants, but this is one of the greenest cities I've ever been in. It's incredible the urban planning they have done in the more modern areas of Seoul.

For P-days, we have been able to go to: 광화문, 인사동, 동대문,  and a couple of soccer activities. It's been fun, but we're making more of an effort to do cultural things the rest of this transfer and (it seems like) next transfer. We get to go to the temple (because we're in Seoul proper) once a transfer. This week is actually our temple week, so P-day is actually tomorrow. Don't worry, we are supposed to have email on Monday anyway. I don't think any of the other missionaries Skyped, but, according to a general authority who spoke before I got here, we should have iPads by next Christmas, and with free wifi everywhere, we should be able to Skype then. We'll see.

I look forward to hearing about all the missionaries going out in the near future! Tell them all to have fun with it for me! I know they'll do great things. Thank you for the hellos. Say hello back for me! I hope Sister Lee and Brother Hecker are doing well! Also Bishop Kimball! Tell him the advice he gave in the halls at church have been helpful!

As far as the most exciting story for this week, there are two categories. In my opinion, the most exciting thing was getting to actually meet with and teach someone I street contacted. He's a college student who was carrying an 아쟁(젱). The case looked like a 가야금 , so we had a fun conversation and I got his number. It seems like we will be able to meet with him for a while. He's accepting of a lot of the things we taught. The only thing he showed some hesitation about was my statement that members of our church don't drink--after  he implied he wanted to take us out for drinks. He calmed down when I said we'll explain later. Outside of my opinion, last Monday, we met Paul. He's a reporter from Wales who DJed in the age of the Beatles and has lived all over the world, but has a "special place in his heart for Utah" largely because he thinks LDS women are attractive. I don't know what he writes (wrote) for or where he currently lives, so it would be hard to look him up... sorry about that. It was interesting to meet him, though.

Thank you for the news and for the support. It is such a pleasure to see so many wonderful things happening in everyone's lives and to see everyone grow. Thank you for the email, and I look forward to hearing from you next week!

Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

Best wishes,

Elder Jones

Week 24: (from Dad) 2 Timothy 2: 24-26 - And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Dear Jordan,

    Hope that all is well with you. Your last email detailing your experiences was wonderful to receive and read. Bekah is getting over her strep. Sarah came home early from school on Monday because her teachers thought she was sick. She was able to read her story to her class last Friday. Rachel made the decision that she wants to go to Denver after Girls Camp in June. Ben's birthday was the 6th, Debbi's birthday was the 13th, and Bonni's birthday was the 16th.

     On Saturday, the cabin cleaning went well and we were able to watch the cottonwood trees by the cabin be felled by an experienced logger. He took out the 5 trees by the walkway down to the bridge. He was able to lay out all five next to each other. It was amazing. We ate at Polar King and the burgers were delicious. Later, I went to the REI Anniversary sale and bought each of the girls a sleeping bag for Girls Camp. We then bought them mats at a less expensive store. They are putting their names on them so they won't confuse the items if the items get mixed together. They are all the same model and color.

    On Sunday the bishopric counselors were changed from Brothers Lynch and Richards to Brothers Halling and Knecht. After sacrament meeting, mom and I met with Elder Alpin for Gospel Essentials and we went over the first lesson. Mom also grilled him with some of the hard questions about the church. He did a pretty good job of answering. We haven't held the Gospel Essentials class because we haven't had any investigators for a while. Bishop Smith asked that we still hold the class so I am complying. You asked how long he has been bishop. He has been in for 3 years so far.

    On Monday, we had the Ward Family Home Evening at the Hill's house. McCoy gave the lesson and Sister Hill made the desserts (brownies and lemonies) which were scrumptious. Rachel had a choir concert last night and did very well. Hannah has her concert tonight.

    This Saturday, while Rachel is mowing the lawn, Ben and I will try to take out the rest of Grandma's cabinets. She has promised that she will have all of her stuff out of the kitchen so that we can just work on the cabinets. The weather has been very nice. Highs in the 70s during the day and 40s at night. We haven't had much rain lately but hope to still get some more before the long, hot summer. Were you able to get the short sleeved shirts for summer? Have you had any allergies? Are you mostly in the city so that you don't see much spring or do you get to see some of the new plant growth?

    Have you been able to visit many of the sites on your P-day? What about the temple? Have you been able to go again or is it only when you arrive and leave? Were any of the other missionaries able to Skype on Mother's Day? If so, we will see what we can do for Christmas and next year's Mother's Day.

    Jason Colgrove is getting ready to graduate from high school and then he will concentrate on getting ready for his mission. Riley Stamps is back in North Carolina and will leave from there. Brian Carlson is speaking in church this Sunday. He is going to the same mission that Bishop Smith served in several years ago (Lubbock, TX). The missionaries in our stake are teaching the family that lives across the street from Pete Jensen.

    Sister Lee said to say "hi" as well as Brother Hecker. If he hasn't written to you yet, don't worry. He keeps promising that he will. We received your letter in the red envelope and paper. Thank you. It was a little hard to read (red paper with black ink) but we were able to read it. I think mom will try to type it out to post it to the blog. Bishop Kimball from the Edgemont ward also keeps asking how you are doing. His son is doing well in California on his mission.

    We will try to take several pictures at the cabin this summer so that you can see how everyone is growing. We should have most siblings there with most of their families. There will be 3 (Dallin, Jordan, Jason) on missions and several with other obligations (Chris, Nicole, etc).

    Since Rachel will be in Denver, I have been trying to recruit Sarah and Hannah to take over the mowing while she is away. Hannah hasn't started studying for Drivers Ed yet but she probably will once school is out. Rachel says that she wants to study with her because Rachel is so excited about driving. Hannah, not so much. Sarah is still scared to death of it, which is probably a good thing.

    Well, I better let you get back to doing what you need to do on your P-day. I would say good luck with your investigators; however, it isn't luck or chance with them. It is a matter of them receiving the testimony of the Spirit. So, please continue strong in obeying the mission rules and commandments so that you can have the Spirit with you to convert your investigators. We continue to pray for you and your success in doing Heavenly Father's will. We are grateful for you and your service and sacrifices. We love you.

    

Love,

Rachel, Bekah, dad, Mom, Sarah, Hannah

Week 23 (from Jordan)

Hey everyone! It seems like everyone is doing really well!

 

A special congratulations to Ben! Where will he be working? I think he'll enjoy it a lot. It seems like something he'd be good at. How has he liked it so far?

 

I'm excited to hear about the new bishopric, but I'm sorry to hear the Richards are leaving. Where are they moving in Draper? Any particular reason? I hope everyone has a good time in Moab! It seems like a great time. Is it a stake activity or a ward activity? That seems too far for the stake to do it.

 

Sorry Sarah couldn't make it to school. I bet her friends were sad they couldn't hear her story. It is an exciting plot! I hope she got to share later.

 

How was cleaning? Who went this time? I remember it always being a good time. I also remember that Polar King has the best burgers. I hope you enjoyed that! How is the rest of the family doing? Everyone's well? How did remodeling Grandma's kitchen go? Or are you still going? That would be a bit of an adventure. Is she thinking of renting again, or does she just want a new kitchen? Whatever the case, I look forward to seeing it when I get home!

 

Tell Rachel that I think she should go. It would be good for her and it would help Bonni a lot. I hope she gets to go.

 

In the way of news on this end, most of the most exciting things happened last week right after email. We were trying to go to 광화문 palace area to visit some museums, but we got lost in the historic Seoul area, finding a road of shops that only sold calligraphy instruments. When we finally arrived at the palace, we ran into a less-active from Sweden: Ana Stristbiana(sp?). She said over and over again Elder South should "come to Sweden. There are many beautiful women. You should marry them." It was really random. Robert doesn't know her by any chance, does he?

 

After that, we tried to go back to the historic area because the museum is closed Mondays... We ran into a recent convert from Hong Kong who only spoke in a thick, stereotypical English accent. His name is Somer and is a swordsman. He said Elder South's flamboyantly red and pick tie "gave him the impression that [Elder South] is a bit of an Anglophile" while my plain orange tie "reflects the electric K-pop atmosphere". We met him while wandering down a back alley. After we said hello to him in Korean, he stopped, turned slowly, and said, "Are you Mo-o-rmons?" You have to imaginne all these things with the thickest English accent ever. His parting words were "I will see you again. If not through prayer, then in the Terrestrial Kingdom." He might have a little bit more to learn from the missionaries in Hong Kong...

 

It's been a great week, though, and there are a lot of things I look forward to telling you when I get back... or next week if there is less to write, but I don't anticipate that. One last thing, though, We met an older woman on the top of a mountain a few weeks ago (we were lost again). She was with her grand-daughter and we told them to be careful on the rocks. She said we spoke Korean really well and invited us over some time. I accidentaly called her up this week (we're not supposed to call females) and set an appointment. We showed up and she shows us pictures of her daughters who have performed Korean music all over the world. They are called 가야랑 if you want to look it up. So their mom is giving us free music lessons because we're foreigners who like Korea and we're helping 이사랑 with her thesis in English. Yes, her name means "his love". That's a pretty crazy story. I'll keep you updated as things go along. The mom has some interest in our work, so we are hoping to get to teacher her some gospel soon.

 

Thnk you for everything you do. Your prayers help so much, and I pray for you evryday. Love you all and I hope you continue to do incredible things. :)

Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

Best wishes,

Elder Jones