From Jordan: Week 44

From: Jordan Stamps Jones <jsjones@myldsmail.net>
Date: October 12, 2014 at 9:23:46 PM MDT
To: Steven Jones <sajmba2002@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Week 44 - Doctrine and Covenants 84:44 For you shall live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God.

Hello everyone! I hope you have had a chance to review the talks from conference this week! It may have been my favorite so far. :) I was reminded that in this church we are to teach in a way that we cannot be misunderstood. The Book of Mormon is that way. The living prophets are that way. We should always try to be that way. It is hard, though. That's why we have a life to perfect it. ;)

I'm glad to hear that you had a good week of roadshows, tours, and "Meeting Mormons." It seems like it was really fun!

This week we have had some opportunities do do some extra service. I didn't see any immediate effects from it, but we did get to make some better relationships with the other churches in the area. This Wednesday we got to help at a... old person convention... I'm not exactly sure what it was, but there was cheap clothing, expensive food, and coupons for the old folks pouring into the square throughout the morning. We got to clear their dishes and clean the tables. Other missionaries did balloons.... Apparently the mission president can do balloon animals very well. 

We then got to do our weekly service at the mental health care facility the next day. It's always a great learning experience there. We get to take people for walks and then feed them their lunch. It is a tremendous opportunity to see how blessed we all are in different ways. I hope we all take advantage of the many opportunities to serve we have every day. I think it was Predident Mckay that said true joy is losing yourself in the service of others. 

Like I said already, I loved this conference. It's always good, but I really think this was my favorite. I loved how up front people were and how down to earth all the messages were. I especially loved Jorg's talk. All the missionaries who had brought snacks to the conference put them away pretty quickly for the rest of the time. It was also great to hear a return to the old-fashioned idea of helping the poor. It has been quite a while since that has been addressed so boldly. Leave it to Elder Holland to do that. :) We're not allowed to give money to other people as missionaries, but the number of people who need a bit of help is incredible. The Korean welfare system is so good that there really is no reason to be destitute here- they just need the gospel, but it was a great reminder of what to do when I get back. 

Thank you for the email. I am working on a letter to send to you, but we never end up having time to sit down and just write. Maybe today... We'll see what happens. I love you all and hope that you look back at conference often. Technology is an incredible blessing when used to become a better person. Never let it become a distraction instead of the tool it is meant to be. :) Thank you for everything you do!

Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

Best wishes,

Elder Jones

Week 44 - Doctrine and Covenants 84:44 For you shall live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God.

Dear Jordan,

 

We are listening to the missionaries in church today. Andrea Wood is returning home from her mission the week. We enjoyed Conference over last weekend. On Monday mom and the girls went to dinner with grandma and grandpa Stamps and Aunt Chrissy. I rode my bike for about an hour. We then had FHE and then watched the Studio C season opener. On Tuesday, the girls went to roadshow practice, and I helped out. Mom taught her class. On Wednesday, the girls had roadshow practice. On Thursday, the girls had roadshow practice and grandma Jones came to watch it. The practice went well. On Friday, the roadshows for the stake were presented. The girls did very well and mom and I enjoyed the evening. On Saturday, Rachel and I went and dropped Hannah off at the high school for Engineering Day at the U of U. We then mowed the lawn and then Rachel went to a gluten free expo with Chandrielle. Sarah, Bekah, and I then ran some errands and then picked Hannah up after she ate at Leatherby's. We then did the shopping. We then got ready and went to pick up tickets for "Meet the Mormons." Mom thought they should make a "Meet the Real Mormons" movie. Mom and Hannah enjoyed it. Before the movie, we ate dinner. Holly had come with us to see the movie.

 

We hope you are doing well, how was the farewell for your old district leader and ward mission leader? Are you receiving very much rain from the Vongfong typhoon? From the maps, it looks like you should be receiving a lot of rain over the next few days. How are you doing? Is there anything you need? How is your Korean practice going? Are you still teaching your companion English? On the train this week, one of the people I was talking with asked what kind of food you are eating. I told them about kimchi. Any new kimchi flavors you've tried? Any difference in meals in your new area? Any fun activities you've done on your P-Day that you want to tell us about?

 

Some of the things that stood out from the Conference talks were about the sacrament, and the importance of Jesus Christ. I remember a couple of talks were about staying true to your testimony, so as not to fall away. Hopefully you will get to hear/read the talk given in Cantonese. You might be able to understand some of it.

 

We continue to pray for you. We think about you everyday. We are grateful for the great service you are providing. Before the movie, on Saturday, Deseret First Credit Union showed some ads of missionaries getting their clothes from the Missionary Mall. They brought back memories. In the commercials, DFCU actually bought the clothing for the missionaries, both elders and sisters. The ads were tearjerkers. Hopefully your clothes are still in good working order, if not let us know. :) 

 

We love you very much. You are wonderful. Keep working hard and love the people. You will continue to be blessed for all of your efforts.

 

Love,

dad, Mom, Sarah, Hannah, Rachel, Bekah

From Jordan: Week 43

Hey! Thanks for the email! It was fun to see how badly Google Translate garbled those. I think most of those only work in English, so I'm not sure if I'll get to use them out here. :)

 

It has gotten to be a good average temperature out here. It gets quite warm in the afternoon and quite cold at night. I guess we really are at similar lattitudes. The leaves on the trees have not changed, and I'm not sure if they will... Elder Ahn didn't know what I was talking about when I described the phenomenon, but he is also from a very urban part of Seoul.

 

We have had a good week. We got to work with memebrs a lot this week, including a 체육대회 literally a "physical conference." It was a good time and a number of investigators came, we were able to get a couple referals. We have also been able to meet a number of people with religious interest as oppposed to English interest. We hope to be meeting with them a lot.

 

It continues to be a slight challenge to find families here. Ironically, it seems that it is always the women who keep us from talking about religion. It may be that the men all have the difficult experience of military service which makes them more willing to learn and have interest, but I really don't know. It is still so interesting being in a country so very different from home. There is something new to learn everyday. :)

 

Sorry for the early email; it is the last preparation day for the zone leader and the ward mission leader wanted to have a farewell for him. Elder Harrison, from Laverkine (sp) Utah was actually my first zone leader, so it was really fun to see him again.

 

I imagine you're all at Robert's house enjoying leftovers after conference, so I hope you enjoy the strata! That is a dish that will never be big in Korea. They dislike cheese, think of bread as a dessert, and largely don't seem to have ovens. It's funny. Either way, I hope you all enjoyed conference, and I look forward to talking about it next week. :)

Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

Best wishes,

Elder Jones

Week 43 - Doctrine and Covenants 58:43 By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them.

Dear Jordan,

 

Of all of the emails that I have written, this is by far the most recent. Ha ha  I thought I might provide you with some jokes. I don't know if you can translate them into Korean or not but here you go.

 

Always remember you’re unique, just like everyone else. (항상 다른 사람들처럼 독특한있어 기억) (hangsang daleun salamdeul cheoleom dogteughan iss-eo gieog) (Google Translator: I always remember the unique like everyone else)
I get enough exercise just pushing my luck! (난 그냥 내 행운을 밀어 충분한 운동을) (an geunyang nae haeng-un-eul mil-eo chungbunhan undong-eul)
What’s another word for Thesaurus? (유의어 사전에 대한 또 다른 단어는 무엇입니까?) (yuuieo sajeon e daehan tto daleun dan-eoneun mueos-ibnikka?)
Time is the best teacher, the only problem is it kills all of its students. (시간이 최고의 스승이며, 유일한 문제는 그것의 모든 학생들을 죽이고있다) (sigan i choegoui seuseung imyeo, yuilhan munjeneun geugeos-ui modeun hagsaengdeul eul jug-igo issda) (GT: This time is the best teacher, it kills all its students only problem)
A man who found a cell phone walked over to a meteorologist and said “Sir I think this is yours.” “Why do you think so?” asked the meteorologist. “Well sir, it says 20 missed calls!”
What if there were no hypothetical situations? (어떤 가상 상황은 무엇이 없다면?) (eotteon gasang sanghwang eun mueos i eobsdamyeon ?)
War does not determine who is right – only who is left. (전쟁은 옳은 사람을 결정하지 않는다 - 남아있는 유일한 사람.) (jeonjaeng-eun olh-eun salam-eul gyeoljeong haji anhneunda - nam-aissneun yuilhan salam)
I wondered why the frisbee was getting bigger, and then it hit me. (프리즈가 커지고 이유를 궁금하고 그것은 나를 공격) (peulijeu ga keojigo iyuleul gung-geum hago geugeos-eun naleul gong-gyeog)
Take my advice; I don’t use it anyway. (내 충고를 받아 들여; 어쨌든 사용하지 마십시오) (nae chung-goleul bad-a deul-yeo ; eojjaessdeun sayonghaji masibsio)

 

10 Things I know about you

1) You are reading this.

2) You are human.

3) You can’t say the letter ”P” without separating your lips.

4) You just attempted to do it.

6) You are laughing at yourself.

7) You have a smile on your face and you skipped No. 5.

8) You just checked to see if there is a No. 5.

9) You laugh at this because you are a fun loving person & everyone does it too.

10) You are probably going to send this to see who else falls for it.

 

나는 당신에 대해 알고 10 가지

1) 당신이 읽고있다.

2) 당신은 인간입니다.

3) 당신은 당신의 입술을 분리하지 않고 문자 "P"를 말할 수 없습니다.

4) 당신은 그것을 시도했다.

6) 당신은 자신을 웃고 있습니다.

7) 당신은 당신의 얼굴에 미소를 가지고 있고 5 번을 건너 뜁니다.

8) 당신은 5 번이 있는지 확인.

당신이 사람 & 사람 그런데요 사랑 재미 있기 때문에 9)이 웃음.

10) 당신은 아마 그것을 위해 떨어지는 다른 사람을 확인하기 위해이를 보낼 것입니다.

 

naneun dangsin e daehae algo 10 gaji

1 ) dangsin i ilg-goissda.

2 ) dangsin-eun ingan ibnida.

3 ) dangsin-eun dangsin-ui ibsul-eul bunli haji anhgo munja " P "leul malhal su eobs-seubnida.

4 ) dangsin-eun geugeos-eul sidohaessda.

6) dangsin-eun jasin-eul usgo issseubnida.

7 ) dangsin-eun dangsin-ui eolgul-e miso leul gajigo issgo 5 beon eul geonneo ttwibnida .

8 ) dangsin-eun 5 beon i issneunji hwag-in .

dangsin-i salam & salam geuleondeyo salang jaemi issgi ttaemun-e 9 ) i us-eum .

10 ) dangsin-eun ama geugeos-eul wihae tteol-eojineun daleun salam-eul hwag-in hagi wihaei leul bonael geos-ibnida.

 

I hope you enjoyed them (or at least some of them). I really enjoyed the last one about 10 things. We hope you are well. We haven't had any rain since about Monday. Our highs have been in the 60s to low 70s with clear skies. Many of the leaves have started to fall and some of the leaves have changed colors but not as much as usual. Since you are by the hills and mountains, have the leaves started to change colors or do you just have pine trees?

 

Grandma and Grandpa Stamps are in town for a missionary reunion. They usually have a reunion around conference time. You will find out about this in about a year and a half. G&G will be here until about Tuesday next week. I don't know if you will be able to watch it but here is a link to Grandpa Stamps giving a TED Talk about historic preservation: What history? The importance of historic preservation | Richard Stamps | TEDxOaklandUniversity

 

				What history? The importance of historic preservation |
				View on www.youtube.com	Preview by Yahoo

 

If you can't watch it, I am sure it will still be available by the time you are off your mission. 

 

On Monday we had Family Home Evening. On Tuesday the girls had a quilting B with the Relief Society. They also practiced the roadshow. On Wednesday the girls had another roadshow practice and I rode my bike for about an hour. In a couple of weeks I will be riding with the scouts so that they can finish their Cycling merit badge. On Thursday we watched some shows while Mom was teaching her classes. On Friday I took Hannah and Rachel to Alpine to mow the lawn. Mom took Sarah to Sarah's Homecoming dance. On Saturday we enjoyed Conference and I did the shopping. Mom also got 2 tickets to the Priesthood session from her parents so I went with Ben. Mom and Sarah went to the afternoon session. It was great to see the talks given in Cantonese and Spanish but on the tv there was the voice over instead of sub titles. Mom heard the one in Spanish. On Sunday we went to Robert's house and enjoyed Conference. Hopefully you will have an opportunity to read the conference talks.

 

Bonni sent a text during the week to say that Chris would be coming home earlier than expected. She didn't know when but it is still good news. Mom has been invited to go to St George for Thanksgiving so we may not have her around to help eat all of the fixin's. Mom is still enjoying teaching at the elementary school and her evening classes. Bekah is doing a Science Fair Project this fall. She has started it. She will be measuring how different substances can impeed a hovercraft.

 

 Please continue to follow the Spirit and do all that you can to stay busy. Continue to help your companion with his English and I am sure that he will work with you on your Korean. When I did the translations using Google Translate, it was amazing how different the language is and how difficult it must be to pronounce. You are a wonderful son and we love and miss you.

 

Love,

Bekah, dad, Mom, Sarah, Hannah, Rachel

From Jordan: Week 42

From: Jordan Stamps Jones <jsjones@myldsmail.net>
Date: September 28, 2014 at 10:25:06 PM MDT
To: Steven Jones <sajmba2002@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Week 42 - Doctrine and Covenants 58:42 Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.

This week has had us do a lot of street contacting. Ironically it seems, the high school students of 노원구 seem to be more focused on school during test week than the college students of 이문. It's all fun, though. We got to visit some members for ward conference (a much bigger deal here than back home). We also found out that part of what we thought was our district is outside our zone, and that the district is actually split into areas. No one knew... Elder Ahn and I get to work in one of the smaller areas up a canyon. It was fun the one time we've been. We'll be doing more work up there this week.

Elder Ahn has made it very clear to me how blessed we are to have all the church materials in our own language. There are a bunch of little things about the gospel that he doesn't know about because it isn't taught in Korean. We have been having very educational companionship studies lately. :) We should always be aware of our blessings. Brigham Young said, "I do not know of any save the unpardonable sin which is more grievous than the sin of ingratitude." Pretty serious, but, as humans, we really do need to be more grateful. I think the upcoming conference will serve that end very well. ;) I look forward to letting the speakers be more able to speak by the spirit and less hindered by English. ASk dad how difficult English is to learn. It takes seeing someone else try to learn it to really understand how obscenely absurd English can be. I am very grateful to be learning the "most logical language"... I would be lying though if the thousands of "feeling words" (words with meaning based on the situation more than a dictionary) weren't taking me for quite the ride. 

Things are all really good, though. It is still funny to see emails from south of the border about multitudes of baptisms while here, I look at my companion's screen and see him sending a picture of himself eating Krispy Kremes to his brother because that is news. Every mission is so different and so needed by the people in it. I still am not entirely sure what I am to learn here, but the lack of people clamoring for baptism has allowed me to become closer to modern prophets and their words in a way that I don't think I could've otherwise. We are so blessed to have modern prophets. Please help everyone you can to prepare for this upcoming conference. Looking back on old Ensigns and Liahonas, every ounce of prophetic counsel has been warranted and in the very time that it was given. It is so true that we are giving revelation for us in our time of need. I hope we all use it.

Thank you for everything you do. I am grateful for your emails, your love, and your prayers. The strength is truly felt. We pray for you, and I know that if you take the time to look and listen, the miracles are all too evident. I hope you are all having a wonderful Autumn. It is a beautiful time when we can really see in the world around us, that though things may change, at times seemingly for the worse, there at the base of it all is God working to make things even better in the long term. I love you all and hope you enjoy this conference. I'll tell you what I thought of it in another 2 weeks, probably. We're all excited here. ;)

Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

Best wishes,

Elder Jones

Week 42 - Doctrine and Covenants 58:42 Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.

Dear Jordan,

 

Please keep those marvelous emails coming! We are happy to hear that you are healthy and staying busy. 

 

Mom and I went to parent/teacher conference on Wednesday night at the high school for Hannah and Rachel. We had several teachers ask how you were doing and mentioned what a great student you are. They want to stay connected to you because of what a great example you are. Mr. VanTassell told me that his son, his daughter, and his daughter-in-law all served in Korea. His son served in Seoul and when his daughter was finishing her mission at transfers, his daughter-in-law was the missionary to replace her with her old companion. Mr. Pettit said that since you were the first valedictorian that everyone is still looking to what is happening with you. In the morning on the way to work I ride the train and TRAX. One of the guys that I see every day said that there was a missionary that was going to the airport this week and he was going to British Columbia to teach in Korean. I told him about how mom wanted you to serve there but teaching in Chinese. He then told me that he knows a missionary that was serving in Armenia who was then transferred to Arcadia, CA to teach a large population of Armenians who were there. Who knows, mom may still get her wish.

 

On Monday most of the family was exhausted for some reason and they went to bed early. I still should have held Family Home Evening but it was just Bekah and me. Maybe I should have taken her for ice cream or something. I will remember that for the future. On Tuesday mom taught her continuing education class and then girls practiced for the Roadshow. On Wednesday Mom and I went to both the Jr High and High School to talk with the girls' teachers. For the most part they are doing well but we all can improve. Rachel had a higher GPA than Hannah, if you can believe it. On Thursday Mom taught her other class. On Friday Mom and the girls didn't have school, except Sarah. It started raining so we weren't able to mow the lawn in Alpine. On Saturday I did the shopping. Robert conducted a baptism in his ward due to conflicts for the rest of the bishopric and then he and grandma went to a play. In the evening the girls stayed home and watched the Women's General Conference. On Sunday we went to Robert's house for dinner. It is still raining but we need it. We might be able to get rid of all of the goat head weeds if all of the seeds sprout but the die before they can create new seeds.

 

We hope you are doing well and that you feel like you are improving every day in a small way. We appreciate your willingness to work hard and do the work of the Lord. We know that He is blessing you every day. We hope that you are getting a handle on speaking Korean. Friday morning I was on Google Earth and it was showing some of the street views in Seoul. I bet you are able to read most of the signs now. I can recognize Korean but I have no clue as to the meaning. Please keep letting us know how you are doing and if you need anything. Please also let us know if your companion needs some emails sent to him in English for him to use to practice.

 

We love you very much. We are grateful you are our son. You are a wonderful person who has many talents. We pray for you every day and think about you even more often. Stay strong and work hard. 

 

Love,

Rachel, Bekah, dad, Mom, Sarah, Hannah

From Jordan: Week 41

Hello!

Nope, still not sick, although all I ate last week was ramen... there was a slight mix-up with when we received money for food. It's all better now, and we look forward to vegetables again. :) Korean's going well. I still have a long way to go on comprehension, but that will come in time. I feel for Brian down in Mexico on not being able to understand a full sentence... Of course I'm 7 months further along, so I'm not sure how I feel about that. ;)

The weather recently has gotten quite comfortable during the day. Elder Ahn is wearing 3 layers at night under his blanket, but the days are nice (In my opinion the nights are comfortable, too, but don't ask Elder Ahn.) The house has recently had a bit of a run in with bugs. I think the cooler weather is getting to them. It's all right, though. We just keep moving the honey and they disappear again. I'm still grateful we haven't had any problems with cockroaches. I suppose being on the 12th floor has some perks. ;)

This week we got to teach a lot more. It is test time again, but I suppose high school students are a bit less busy than college students. We get to teach quite a few high school students. We originally wanted to go find some less-actives and visit part-member families this week, but time wouldn't allow for both, unfortunately. 

 

We are going to try to visit more this week. Preach My Gospel really emphasizes member work, and I got to read a quote by Elder Holland this week that says, "No missionary or missionaries can ultimately succeed without the loving participation and spiritual support of the local members working with them in a balanced effort." That's especially true here where the entire social structure is built upon relationships. There is literally nothing that happens among the Koreans that does not have to do with some relationship. It is incredible to see the difference from America: the society of individuals. In many ways I look forward to that freedom again, but there is such a universal care for each others welfare here that I will be sad to lose. It is definitely not universal, though. A homeless old man in Army fatigues caught up to us yesterday and made us pray to God and say we belonged to Jesus (I wanted to say, "We are just coming from doing that. It's called the sacrament and was overseen by those with God's power on the earth today." He was drunk, though, so I didn't). He had us give him an apple, and Elder Ahn is still bummed about losing the only clean fruit we would've had in our house. It was a funny experience.

All in all, though, this are great. I am going to push this week, to try some other parts of our area for finding people because we never go there. Elder Ahn said there are never people, but we went to one, and there were some. The bishop called us out of the blue yesterday and asked us to do some member visits with him. We got to go visit an old Chinese man who speaks fluent Korean, identical to a Korean grandpa. He has terrible eyesight (It was like watching a diamond cutter at work when he read the bible with his 2 pairs of coke bottle glasses on at once.) and bad hearing, but he likes the church, he just lives a long way away and doesn't like the subway. Basically, he's a fun old man. :) I look forward to him coming next week.

Thank you for all your prayers and support. It is felt. We pray for you every day. I am always so happy to hear everyone is doing well. I hope you keep up the good work. Thank you for everything. :)

Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

Best wishes,

Elder Jones