Week 35: From Jordan

I'm glad to hear so many people got to go up to the cabin! I wish I could've been there, but I am very glad I am here. Congrats to Sarah for catching a fish! I hope everyone had a great time up there and enjoyed nature. Utah is blessed with a lot of nature very close to home. There is nature here, but it is a bit far, and... missionary work doesn't really allow for long trips. ;)

All in all, things are going well here in impossible 이문! We have continued to find really great people, but we have been having to drop a few who want to talk more than listen. We didn't plan this, but there was a streak of 3 days where we taught no one but Muslims. We won't be meeting with some of them because they want us to convert... They're hilarious at times (like when one was trying to disprove our view of God with the Koran. He struggled to find the section, so we nearly quoted it to him verbatim from hearing it so much already and told him where it was.), but some of them have literally no concept of religion outside of Islam. We've been studying for them a lot and we have gotten a lot of revelation on working with them. I look forward to talking about it when I get back. We also realized that there are really not very many missionaries who have much experience on working with Muslims. There are just not many people who serve around large groups of them.

Other than the Muslim crowd, we had a couple lessons, but there were a lot of meetings this week, so I have less to tell you about this week. Sorry about that... Either way, we have had a great week, and we look forward to many more. Lately we have been learning a lot about boldness, so we are going to try to be even more bold. It will probably cut into numbers of lessons, but I think it will help in the end. I look forward to the challenge.

A mission teaches many things, but one of the things I have learned the most is exactly how the spirit works with me. It is different with everyone, but there are few things- if any- that are more important than learning how the spirit works with you. I don't know when, but do something with the family about that. I suppose FHE would be the place, but follow your heart. ;) I am very glad to hear that everyone is doing well and enjoying the ending weeks of their summer. School is almost here again! School has started here, so students are back. I look forward to meeting new, excited students. 

Thank you for everything, and I look forward to continuing to hear from you. I am having the time of my life out here, and I will be sad to see it end. Thanks for the reminder that time is going so quickly... ;P Love you all, and I hope you notice the little things in life. Sometimes, they are actually the things that hold everything else together. :)

Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

Best wishes,

Elder Jones

Week 35 - Alma 37:35 - O, remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God.

Dear Jordan,

    We are back from the cabin. It was a great time with all of my siblings except Juli. I was able to visit with her and her family before going to the cabin. Last Sunday they came by Robert's house and visited with us. So we had Grandma, Robert, David and Don, our family (except you), Lori and Nathan (except Dallin and Jason) with Brian, Josh, and Jemma, Daniel and Jackie with Bryson, Caleb, and Natalia, Debbi and Mark with Tyler and Sean, Bonni (Chris in Afghanistan) with Sam, Lizzy, Ann, Matthew, and Joseph, and Ben at the cabin. It was a full house (cabin). Dan rented a trailer so that he and his family could stay there but still enjoy the cabin.

We were supposed to go to the cabin on Friday; however, Mom, Sarah, and Bekah didn't get back from the cabin until evening. Hannah and I had gone to Alpine to mow the lawn in the morning. We couldn't pick up the trailer with the kayaks because Lisa drove Grandma's Pilot to Denver and Lisa wasn't back yet. When they arrived at home i drove to Alpine and picked up the trailer and kayaks. Since the sun was setting when I got back I decided that we would go up Saturday morning. On Saturday we packed up and drove to the cabin. Mom and Sarah came up later in the day. We unpacked and then most of the people went on a hike on the roller coaster trail. We ate well but surprisingly we didn't have a lot of extra food left over. On Sunday we went to church. It was Fast Sunday and our stake president had asked that we fast for missionary experiences. Back at the cabin  we played games inside because it was raining. On Monday most of the kids went into the river. Later we did some fishing. Sarah caught her first fish. I forwarded the pictures to you. On Tuesday we went to the open house for the renovated Ogden temple. It is beautiful and it has many paintings that I haven't seen before. It doesn't have a main chandelier but it does have four in each corner. It was raining again and it was a pretty good downpour. On Wednesday we went to Smith and Moorehouse to use the kayaks. On Thursday we did the river again. Mom, Sarah, and Hannah then went back home. Hannah went so that she could finish reading her book. Aunt Liz, Amanda, and Emma also visited on Wednesday. On Friday we cleaned the cabin and went home. Hannah, Rachel, and I then drove to Alpine to mow and drop off the trailer. I will borrow the Pilot for a camp-out this coming Friday. On Saturday we helped on the stake farm and did the shopping. In the evening Mom and I went to the High Priest party and then we went to a movie. Today we celebrated our 23rd anniversary.

    We received your letter. Mom said that it is kind of hard to read the green ink.

    Lori and Nathan bought a new van on the previous Saturday. They are letting us use their old van until Dallin starts school in January. He will be released on August 27th. You have now completed 1/3rd of your mission. Time is still passing quickly. We hope that you are enjoying all of your experiences.

    We love you. We continue to pray for you. Mom has been checking you bank balances and is working on getting you replacement shoes. Please let us know if there is anything else that you need.

    Please keep working hard and smart. Keep studying the languages and reading the scriptures. Be obedient.

Love,

Hannah, Rachel (back from Denver), Bekah (ditto), dad, Mom (ditto), Sarah (ditto)

Week 34: From Jordan

Thank you for the email! It is great to hear that everyone is doing so
well! I am sorry to hear about Mom falling in a dishwasher, though. I'm
glad she made it back out again safely. :) It's great to hear that Utah is
getting some rain! Seoul has gotten a bit less, so I'm glad it's going
someplace where it's needed! What book is Hannah reading for English?

Things are going really well here. We have been able to meet with a lot of
prepared people, and they have been fairly receptive. There are a couple of
language barriers, (we are meeting with people from: the DRC, Sweden,
Korea(sometimes ;) ), and China), but it's all good. Those who are ready to
hear the message are ready to hear what we can get across. One of the
people I am very happy we met is names Yves. He's from the DRC and attends
church elsewhere, but is wiling to listen and has been wanting to meet
since I met him my first week in Korea. He (like basically everyone...) is
sad that Elder South is gone, but he is happy to be meeting at last. He was
very excited to get *Le Livre de Mormon. *I look forward to working with
him more.

I'd tell you more about people progressing, but we've been meeting a lot of
people for the first time this week, so progress isn't quite applicable
yet. Still, things are going very well. The area continues to do well. The
branch is always happy to see missionaries work. All the missionaries are
having a great time, and are working hard. There has been a heavy rain
hanging in the clouds for the past week, but it just keeps drizzling from
time to time, never quite feeling ready to commit. Through it all, we're
having a great time and are looking for even more ways to serve. Apparently
when Elder Cook came, he told the mission president that he wants the
missionaries in Asia to do more physical service for the people. That is
now getting down to us. Any ideas on service projects? We're looking, but
the things we would do in America (moving, groceries, lawns) are either
done for pennies by companies, or don't exist... It's been an interesting
search. :)

I liked the article you attached. Elder Pons and I laughed out loud. We are
currently meeting with a few Seventh-day Adventists, and there are more
crosses on the skyscape here than Cahpel spires in Utah. Basically we feel
for the missionaries that experienced that. It is definitely a good
strategy to do research and then give an answer, and that is actually in
Preach My Gospel. It hasn't worked too well in the past, because everyone
either sees our not knowing as proof we are not real missionaries, or they
ask their preachers, who inevitably just say we are a cult. Basically we
are serving in a world of modern technology and speeds, but with the
religious fervor of Upstate New York in the early 1800s. It is a very
interesting juxtaposition. At times just plain funny. :) All I will say is
that I am glad we had those videos about the bible and church history back
home. ;)

Thank you for all you are doing. I am always so happy to hear about your
service, and experiences. It is a pleasure. I hope you all continue to enjoy
your summer and spend every moment doing what brings you joy. Say hello to
everyone at the cabin, though I think you will read this after the cabin is
over... Only another summer, then I can go. ;) Have a great time!

 Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

Best wishes,
Elder Jones

Week 34 - John 13:34 - A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

Dear Jordan,
    Since we are going to the cabin on Friday, this email will only be from Sunday to Thursday. It is more important that you receive an email than it is that I include everything. With Mom, Sarah, Rachel, and Bekah in Denver, it has just been me and Hannah (and Michaela) at home. Hannah is in AP English so she has a book/paper report due over the summer. It is a 500 page book, which for Hannah generally is no problem. However, she hasn't been able to enjoy the reading so it has been slow going. I have had to ask her to meet certain goals in reading each day so that she would do it. She got to page 400 last night so we were able to watch a movie.

    On Sunday I finished writing your last email. It was just Hannah and me at church from our family. The Richards spoke as their farewell. They did a great job and Riley played a piano piece. After church Hannah and I finished getting the food ready and then we went to Robert's house for dinner. Robert and Hannah made Spencer Mix and we talked about the schedule for the cabin. On Monday we had Family Home Evening and we tried to get Mom and the girls on FaceTime but they didn't pick up. On Tuesday the Young Women were supposed to hike to Doughnut Falls in Big Cottonwood Canyon but there was rain so they canceled and had regular classes. For scouts we talked about the Eagle projects that are coming up and then we had a knot tying competition. On Wednesday I taught Hannah how to jump start the van and then I drove it over to Kyle Herd's house. He will try to sell it and then we will split the amount. If he can't sell it, we will donate it. I then watched the movie with Hannah after she read to page 400. Mom also called me last night to give me an update on her activities. Yesterday while doing dishes, she fell into the dishwasher at Bonni's house. She has some bruises but is otherwise well. The dishwasher carriage had to be repaired so she called a repairman and he was able to fix it. Today Hannah is supposed to mow the Terry's lawn while they are away. Friday morning we will go to Grandma's house to mow the lawn and get the trailer ready. Mom is expected around noon on Friday from Denver so I will need to make two trips to Alpine because I don't want to try to mow the lawn during the hot part of the day. It is still hot even with the rain we received so we even have some humidity. We will then drive to the cabin in the afternoon and stay for the week. On Sunday (Fast Sunday), the Stake President has asked that we fast for the missionaries and for missionary moments.

    Jason is in the MTC and Dallin is finishing his mission. Nathan will go through another round of chemo but the Colgrove's will be coming to the cabin. It will be a pretty full house, except for all of the missionaries. Bonni has asked for me to bring my fishing equipment to help teach Sam. By the way, your fishing license expired on 7/3/2014 so no fishing in Korea. ha ha

    Unfortunately this will be a shorter letter so I will add on the end an article that was referenced in the LDS Living email.

    Please keep working hard but enjoy the experience as well. Continue to watch for the many blessings that Heavenly Father continues to send to you, especially the ones that are only meant for you. We love you. We pray for you.

 

Love,
Sarah, Hannah, Rachel, Bekah, dad ,Mom

 

How a Missionary Can Answer Any Investigator’s Question

By Mission Home — 07-25-2014

I had a totally confused look on my face as my mind raced to understand what he’d just said. My new mission language was still really tough, so it took me a few moments to comprehend the question. He then repeated himself again, this time a little slower. “Why are there no crosses in Mormon churches?”

My investigator had a good point. “Why didn’t we have any crosses in our churches?” I thought to myself. Even though I’d been a member my whole life I didn’t really know the answer to this question. I could have tried answering with an educated guess, but I didn’t really know.

Little did I know that that moment was just the tip of the “I don’t know” iceberg.

Like most missionaries, I spent the MTC experience hoping no one would find out how few scriptures I’d memorized or little I knew about (cue deep echoing voice) “THE OLD TESTAMENT.”

Most missionaries in the MTC believe that they need to become a “super human bank of knowledge,” able to answer any question, anywhere, for anyone. And this gets them pretty stressed out. Is this really the expectation the Lord has for us?

The missionary purpose is to “invite others to come unto Christ.” It doesn’t mention anywhere answering everyone’s questions with sound gospel knowledge. Maybe that expectation is too big.

I think our objective should be to develop our ability to teach anything, anywhere, to anyone. But teaching doesn’t mean we have to be the smartest person in the room. We don’t need to memorize tons of facts and figures. We need to learn how to simplify what we know and continue our learning based on the needs of those we teach—especially according to the Spirit. Experience in the mission field will shape what you “need to know” over time. Believe me, you won’t figure that out until you have someone to teach.

For example, there was one investigator who we taught, the importance of the Sabbath day and then invited her to come to church. She didn’t say yes or no; she responded with a question, “Why in some faiths is the Sabbath day on a Sunday, and others, a Saturday?”

This question was really important to her. Her late husband (who had introduced her to Christianity) had gone to church every Saturday until he died at around age 40. Of course it was natural that she was confused about the division of understanding in regards to which day the Sabbath day should be.

My companion and I didn’t have a solid answer for her. It wasn’t something we’d ever considered or done any research on. We didn’t know any more than she did on the subject.

So I responded with, “We’re not too sure, but we can see that this is very important to you, so we will go away and study this together, come back later, and teach you what we learn in tomorrow’s lesson.”

The next morning, we franticly searched through our books together, trusting God would help us find an answer. Our investigator hadn’t been to a church in years, and we wanted to help her reconnect with God. We felt that finding an answer to her question was the key to unlocking this blessing.

We searched the Bible Dictionary and references in the four standard works on the topic of “Sabbath day.” We cross referenced Old and New Testament passages with Preach My Gospel. It was like a Da Vinci Code-style puzzle to solve, and it became really interesting.

I won’t tell you what we discovered, I’d hate to spoil all the fun, but in the end we did find what we were looking for. That helped us to teach our lesson with real power. Our investigator was so taken back by the effort we’d made that she came to church with us that Sunday—the first time she’d been to church since her husband’s passing.

If we want to “invite others to come unto Christ” we need to be willing to work. Missionary work is not a sales pitch; these people are not customers, and we certainly can’t bluff our way into “closing the deal.” Sometimes it’s good to identify when we don’t know something.

In that moment, I understood what a mission was all about. Loving your investigators! Which isn’t about “having all the answers” or sounding really smart. It’s about making an effort to go the extra mile, listen to the Spirit, and trust that God will help you say exactly what they need to hear. That’s the real way to answer any question—at any time, about anything, for anyone.

For more mission tips like this, check out www.missiongeek.net. You can also find Mission Geek on YouTube or Facebook. The Mission Geek

Week 33 P.S. from Jordan

Oh yeah. Elder Redd's trainee is from Alpine, Utah. Elder Ashby. Cool kid. Everybody in the house is now from Utah... that's something I was thinking I could avoid... I Korea... Oh well, things are good aside from the tremendous jet lag. I don't think people ever get over jet lag so much as they just accept being tired all the time. ;)

Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

Best wishes,

Elder Jones

Week 33: From Jordan

It sounds like everyone is having a great time! I hope the rest of the summer continues being fun! It's more than halfway done now, isn't it? Time sure flies when you're having fun. :) 시간이 발리 간다!

 

Things are going really well here. There are fewer investigators in this area and is basically the foreigner area, so we have done a fair bit of all three languages, but it has been 5 days, so we're still not quite to normal yet. This week we are hoping to do a lot more of everything. We have been doing a lot of finding lately, but we hope to be shifting to follow-up and teaching soon. There are a lot of really prepared people, we just need to be ready to work with them. Malvis, the man with the dream is in the other area, so I don't know how much I will be able to keep updated on him. I hope to hear if anything big happens. He has a Book of Mormon so you never know what will happen with that.

 

I can't think of anything extraordinary this week, though as Elder Pons often points out, we are in "Impossible Imun", so I may just be getting jaded to all the incredible things that are happening. Now that we are able to use a little of our Chinese study time, I feel I am almost back to where I was before my mission, though there is still a lot more to know. I'm feeling pretty okay talking to anyone on the street about whatever in Korean. Definitely not conversational, but sufficient. Chinese has definitely helped with that. If I remember the numbers, 2/3 of Korean words are taken from Chinese. I really struggle, though, on the pure Korean words... meaning all the words for everyday tasks. ;)

 

Overall, though, things are great. We're working hard and seeing a fair bit of results. They may not be full fruits until later, but we do get to see progress, and that is good. I am always grateful to hear from you about things back home. I hope things continue to go well, and I can't wait to hear about people's adventures in school this next year! Just around the corner! ;) Looking back on the email, I'm realizing I do quite a few more run-on sentences than usual. That's something Korean has done beyond a shadow of a doubt. Sorry about that... :) Still, thank you for your support and praters. They are felt. Love you all.

Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

Best wishes,

Elder Jones

Week 33 - Mosiah 7: 33 - But if ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all diligence of mind, if ye do this, he will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage.

Dear Jordan,

    It was great to hear that you are still in the Imun area. Hopefully your Korean is improving as much as your Chinese. On average, how much do you teach in Korean, Chinese, and/or English/other? We hope that you are getting along well with your new companion. Even though the goal of each missionary is to teach the gospel, it is interesting to see how different each person is and what strengths he/she brings to the companionship.

    It has been an interesting week. I returned home from the camping on Saturday and Mom and Sarah commented on how well they were able to coexist. I came home and Sarah and I had some confrontations. I guess I need to work on my parenting skills some more.

Chris Pratt is still assigned to Afghanistan; however, he was picked for some special training in Germany this week. So Bonni purchased a ticket and flew to Germany to be with him for the week. This left Rachel to take care of the kids. So Mom, Sarah, and Bekah drove to Denver to help Rachel for the week. They made it there safely. So it is just Hannah and me at home. It is pretty quiet except when Michaela comes over to visit Hannah.

On Monday we had Family Home Evening and then Mom went to the open house for the new elementary school in Bluffdale. In case she hasn't told you, she got the job as a TA at that school. On Tuesday Pete Jensen and I visited with each of the young men and/or parents about their eagle scout projects and what they still need to complete. There are 7 young men in that situation. On Wednesday Mom took Grandma's Pilot in for a checkup for her trip to Denver. That night she did some school item shopping. On Thursday it was the 24th, Pioneer Day, so the girls and I helped set up the flags in the morning and took them down at night. There were some young men that helped as well when Bruce and Pete picked them up. In the afternoon i watched two movies, Heaven Is For Real and Spiderman 2. On Friday Hannah and I drove to Alpine and mowed Grandma's lawn. We also visited with Debbi and Mark Pope since they were at the park for part of her 20th year reunion. They are doing well and will be at the cabin at the end of this next week. On Saturday I went to the temple for a sealing session. Hannah and I then went to Lagoon for a couple of hours. We rode some rides that we both liked and then ate lunch. We then went to Lagoon a Beach for 2 hours. Fortunately we didn't get sunburned. It is now Sunday and Hannah and I just returned from being home taught at the Urton's. They asked how you are and if you have had a chance to use your Chinese. I told them that you are using it probably a little more than Korean.

    Nathan and Lori Colgrove were in Houston this week to see what options they have for his reoccurring cancer. They will try chemo again. Jason flew into SLC on Wednesday and is in the MTC learning Spanish for his mission to Mexico. I think I already told you that Reilly Richards has been called to the NYC New York Spanish speaking mission.

    On Friday we will be going to the cabin and we will miss you and the other missionaries from our family. You are engaged in a great cause and you see that the elect who haven't received the gospel yet are now coming forward. Seek the Spirit in all that you do and you will be guided just like Nephi not knowing beforehand to those who are seeking but don't know where to find it. Your investigator with his dream is an example.

    We love you very much. You are great and the Lord will bless you with the things you need to do His work. Stay strong in the Spirit and please let us know if there is anything you need. I know that Mom is working on the shoe situation but I haven't heard the resolution yet.

    

Love,

    Mom, Sarah, Hannah, Rachel (still in Denver for 1 more week), Bekah, dad