Week 32: From Jordan

Well, it seems like the summer has completely settled in. I'm glad everyone is well and enjoying their time. I especially look forward to trying that fish fillet when I get back!

 

This week has mostly been a quiet one, though tttthere were a couple relly high points. The highest is probably our run in with Malvis. He's a student from Nigeria who loves God and all the ideas of religion, but doesn't like how churches force people to come. When we met him, he said he was interested in what we were saying and thought he should listen because he had a dream a couple nights before where he was on a stormy sea headed toward rocks, but he was saved and there were two guys "preaching" to him. We are looking forward to teaching him more. We also met a man from Iran who doesn't like what Islam has become, but would like to find another way to know God. We have been able to find some really prepared people. We just hope to start doing the same in Korean soon. ;)

 

Transfers are this week. Elder Redd will be training (probably a Korean). Elder Osborne is going to the next area over. I will be with Elder Pons in the other Imun area. Sister Deng is going over to the temple. We are back to one pair of sisters. It is going to be an exciting transfer. Elder Pons's area had already been doing a lot of foreigner work, so now that the Chineses part will be there too (unless Elder Redd's greenie speaks Chinese really well) we will be a bit hard pressed to teach a lot of Koreans... in Korea... That's a little goofy, but we'll see what happens.

 

Other than that, it has been a pretty normal week. The weather is getting hotter. Monsoon season seems to have skipped Seoul this year. Investigators are doing well, but everyone is still really busy... I don't really know what more to say. Things are good. :) I'm always grateful for your updates from back home and look forward to hearing more as time goes on.

Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

Best wishes,

Elder Jones

Week 32 - Alma 34:32 - For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, Behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.

Dear Jordan,

Sorry this email may be a little short. Since I was up at a scout camp for the week, I wasn't able to write an email in the mountains. I came back on Saturday afternoon, still alive, but very tired. Mom will have to let you know what happened at home.
 
On Monday I met with the Galena scouts at the church. Bekah, Mom, and Hannah helped me pack so that I could be ready close to ontime. We drove up to the Uintah mountains (other side of mountains by Smith and Moorehouse). We set up camp and started teaching the cooking merit badge. The scouts set a goal to hike and earn the 50 miler award. On Tuesday we did our first hike. It was supposed to be 10 miles but it became more because we took a wrong trail and added miles. The temperature in the mountains was perfect (highs in the low 70s). I was exhausted by the time we were only half way through the hike. We kept going and finished for the day. I had one blister.  

On Wednesday we did a different hike and took a wrong turn again so we didn't get to go all of the way for the hike because we ran out of time. We still did more miles and I had two more blisters. On Thursday we decided to do the 20 mile hike. We started earlier and we were able to finish. We had been blessed when we took the wrong turn the day before because we talked to someone that we do the hike the opposite direction from what we had planned. There were more down hill areas the way we went.  

On Friday the boys went on another hike for those that didn't go on Wednesday. I took a long nap and then went fishing. I caught two fish but let one go because it wasn't very big. I am learning how to filet the fish so that there aren't bones. We cooked the fish in butter with garlic, salt, and lemon juice and it was delicious. On Saturday we packed up and drove home. It was a good camp but I was exhausted.  

On Wednesday I actually broke down in my tent because my cot wasn't working and I knew that I needed to sleep. I prayed for help and received the inspiration to put away the cot and just use the mat with the sleeping bag. I was able to sleep and get the rest I needed and have the energy to do the hikes. I was so grateful to Heavenly Father for his help. I knew it was beyond my capacity to do it on my own.

Well, enough about me. We received two new missionaries in our stake replacing Elders Alpin and Dean. One is from Missouri and the other from Texas.

Mom and the girls may be driving to Denver to help Rachel because Bonni will fly to Germany to meet with Chris for a couple of days.

We love you, Jordan. We continually pray for you. You are doing a great job. We love that you are excited about the work. Please stay strong in being obedient and following the promptings of the Spirit. You are a great son and a wonderful person. Again, we love you.

Love,
dad, Mom, Sarah, Hannah, Rachel (still in Denver), Bekah

Shoes!

p.s. I attached a picture of one of my shoes, two of them are like that, but I figured one picture would suffice. Let me know if it is otherwise.

p.p.s. I have been using a shoehorn. I think it is mostly the fact that we walk everywhere all day long. ;)

Week 31: From Jordan

I'm really sorry about getting last week's email to you a week late. I thought I had sent it, but I hadn't, then when I wrote all of it and had it basically done, then my computer shut down and I couldn't send it. I was a bit upset about that all week, but it's to you now, and I think it was pretty fun. :)

Sorry about the young men not coming to flags, but I suppose it's a good bonding experience for the family! It might just be a universal thing that everyone gets more busy during the summer. We're experiencing the same thing here, except that no one even leaves the area (with the exception of Chinese investigators who go home). I guess people just want to enjoy their free time so much that they schedule all of it to the gills.

Whatever the case, things are good here. The weather is really warm, and I am going to start taking advantage of afternoon showers. We have permission to do them, but they take a lot of time out of dinner, so it is generally not a popular option. A cold shower, though, would feel incredible. I have resorted to carrying around the camel-back, and it is quite helpful now. It was just too heavy a while ago, but the heat has made it a welcome burden. All the missionaries are discovering impossible sweat stains on shirts that seemingly appear out of the blue. Most of the people in the district are going to try to get new shirts soon. I only recently got my first batch, so don't worry about me. Also, Elder South was kind enough when he stopped by to pick up the rest of his luggage to leave some Fels-Naptha. That has saved quite a few shirts in the district lately.

Transfer calls are this weekend, so we'll see what happens. I think I will be here for the apparently mandatory 7.5 months, so no change for me, but at interviews this last week, the mission president hinted at a fair bit of change in the district this transfer. We're all excited to hear what happens. 

I am always so happy to hear that everyone is doing well. It seems like you are using your summers to the fullest! :) I understand the difficulty of getting everyone up for scriptures, but I'd say it is a worthwhile sacrifice. Proverbs 20:13 :) I hope everyone is enjoying the heat and the ability they have to wear shorts... and t-shirts... and hats... I hope you're all having a good time. :) I am still doing well, and always look forward to hearing about your exciting adventures. Every moment is special and irreplaceable. No moment is like another, so we may as well enjoy every single one. :)

Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

Best wishes,

Elder Jones

Week 31 - Luke 5:31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.

Dear Jordan,

 

    We are sorry we didn't see an email from you last week. We know that you sent one to Hannah. You sound great.

 

    Mom was able to scan all of you pictures that you sent. She will be able to post them, probably this week. They all look good except the one where you are sitting in what mom says is the "ugly chair". That one is a little out of focus, probably due to the chair. Ha ha.

 

    Last Thursday after work, I helped Bruce make 10 more flags. The process was pretty simple but it definitely helped having the two of us working together. On Friday morning (4th of July), not one of the scouts or young men showed. Pete put up the flags by the church earlier in the day (6 am). Hannah, Bekah, and Makala helped me with my route and Bruce did his regular route. Hannah and I then drove to Alpine to mow the lawn. While we were gone, Bekah was able to prepare the vegetables for Robert's house. We then went to Robert's house and had hamburgers. He made/grilled the hamburgers with bacon inside. They were good. We then rented two dvds from RedBox and watched them. Since it was so warm we stayed in his house the entire day. Mom had dropped us off at his house and then she drove downtown to meet with the Johnson's from Denver. She took them around the city to see the sites and Temple Square. I have asked her to write to you telling you all of her exploits. In the evening, Mom picked us up and then we took down the flags. Again, none of the young men showed.

 

    On Saturday we did some hiking in Little Cottonwood Canyon. We drove up to Snowbird and walked on the short hike to the end of the trail and back. We then drove down the canyon and stopped to do the hike near the spot where they got the granite for the temple. It was hot down there so we didn't go far. We then met grandma and watched Captain America, Winter Soldier. It was good but very action packed. We then ate lunch at Subway and then Robert drove us around to do some shopping since Mom was with the Johnsons again. I then tested out some camping equipment that I bought after becoming scoutmaster. Bekah helped me. I then put the flooring back in place since the dishwasher was working properly.

 

    On Sunday Mom and I drove to Salt Lake City to meet the Johnsons and to take them to Music and the Spoken Word. It was at the Conference Center (since it is summer and there are bigger crowds). It was very nice. Mitt Romney and John Rhys-Davies were in attendance. John Rhys-Davies was there because they had just had the Fantasy.com and he was attending as well as most of the dwarfs from The Hobbit. After the presentation we dropped the Johnsons off at their hotel so that they could drive to Las Vegas for the rest of their vacation. I went to church with the girls and after church we went to Robert's house for dinner. We had chicken sandwiches and fruit and vegetables. We then watched some television before coming home.

 

    On Monday we had Family Home Evening as usual. I also ran some errands. On Tuesday it was my first real day of being scoutmaster. We ran through the Oath, Law, Motto, Slogan, and Outdoor Code. We selected a new Senior Patrol Leader and then did some knots. I had treats (of course) so even some of the leaders stayed. We then helped the Young Men create some directional boxes (arrows on boxes) for the Stake 5k Run/Walk this Saturday.

 

    We have been FaceTiming Rachel about every third day. She seems to be doing well. I think she will be very happy to be back with us after the cabin. Also, I can't believe I didn't remember it, after setting up the flags, Hannah drove the grey car home. Michaela and Bekah were in the trunk area and I was in the passenger area. She did pretty well but she hit the brake a little hard a couple of times so that Bekah and Michaela hit into the car. I think Hannah is still very worried about driving. She will continue to get better.

    Sarah and Mom are feeling better. Sarah still has a cough though. We didn't do fireworks this year but Bekah was able to see the fireworks from the top of Maria's house again. I have almost finished reading the Doctrine & Covenants and Pearl of Great Price in Spanish again. In English I am in Alma where he and Amulek have started preaching to the people of Ammonihah. Since school ended, we haven't been reading the scriptures in the morning as a family.  We will start up again when school starts.

    Keep up the great work and enjoy each moment. Your mission is flying by. I know some days may not feel like it but it still is another day. Hopefully you are still healthy and strong. We keep praying for you (and Rachel). We love you very much. 

Love,

Bekah, dad, Mom, Sarah, Hannah, Rachel (in Denver)

From/to mom

From Mom: Thinking of you!  "I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it's the thing I like most - to laugh. It cures a multitude of ills. It's probably the most important thing in a person." Audrey Hepburn, 1929-1993, Actress and Humanitarian

July 13, 2014

Thanks for the email! It's a good one :) I hope you're doing well. It seems like it. I'm glad you got over your sickness. If it comes back, I can say that spicy and/or (but preferably and) hot foods help with basically any ill. ;)

Thank you for everything you do. You are doing great things even though it can seem like digging ditches sometimes. Alma 48 ;)

Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

Best wishes,

Elder Jones

New Pictures!