Week 63 response

This week has been a great week, though we didn't have nearly as much time for missionary work as normal. This Thursday 설날, and the days surrounding it were also days off for everyone, so the city was pretty quiet. I imagine this is the one week the county missionaries had people on the street to talk to. After the holiday, people have been much more friendly and willing to talk. Still about the same number of people are interested in the gospel right off the street, but people are kinder about not having any interest. :)

For the (half) mission conference, we got to watch a documentary on the Book of Mormon and make a sign for some social media thing. You'll probably see it before I do. We then got to watch "Meet the Mormons"! It was really good! I can only imagine how much mom cried at the missionary mom part. I thought it was well done. A bit rushed at times, but really good. I hope you get to share it soon! That is a great missionary tool. Probably slightly better outside of Utah, but still good. :) 

I'm glad to hear the play went well! Which Twain pieces did they do? I still need to read A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court". There's another thing for my post-mission life. :) I hope all of you are reading great books. There's never an end. ;) The Alchemist is really good. I found a copy here, but still haven't read it. I need permission... Maybe later. :) 

Thanks for saying hello to people! If someone could get Spencer's mission email, I'd be grateful. :) How is the ward doing? It's been a little bit since the merge. Has everything settled down? No one went less active over it did they? :) Looking at the boundaries, not too much has changed at all. How is it home teaching the bishop? His family doing well? Jake only has another 4 months. Is Melody skipping down the hallways at church? :)

It's always great to hear from all of you and I hope your recoveries continue to go well! I am still praying for you, and I will keep doing so. :) Thank you for your emails and THANK YOU FOR THE PACKAGE!!!! As a matter of fact, we had a lesson right after I got the package and didn't have English scriptures (the investigator is very explicit in his study of the Book of Mormon and if there is no English version, it takes the whole time to explain the meaning of a verse...). It came in handy immediately and I have started carrying them around with me. It has been a tremendous help to show the English to people to show it's not another cooked up version of the bible by another pastor. That is quite a problem here. Did you know the Jehovah's witnesses use a different bible? I don't know if they do there. You can ask them if they come knocking at the door again. They are very aggressive in their missionary activity here. They are even more aggressive than we are! ;) It's okay. We just tell people we're a different church and they're more likely to listen. :) 

I hope you are having a great time and enjoying the weather as it gets back to normal. The weather has been very warm here. We only wear suits when absolutely necessary. It is too warm otherwise. This has been a very strange winter. I hope we get some rain again soon.

Again, thank you for everything you are doing. I am always so happy to hear from you and look forward to hearing about your lives every week. Keep up the good work! Love you!

Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

Best wishes,

Elder Jones

p.s. What is the plot of Big Hero 6? There are a lot of ads around here, but I can't tell anything about it...

Week 63 - Doctrine and Covenants 88:63 Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

Dear Jordan,

We hope that you are doing well. We are still enjoying some warm weather but it may get down to normal temperatures this next week.

On Monday it was President's Day so I didn't have work. We didn't do a lot during the day but I rested my foot. In the evening it was the Ward Family Home Evening at the Tenney's so Hannah and Bekah went. Mom went with Holly and her kids to see Big Hero 6. On Tuesday the girls had school again. I worked from home and then mom and I sent to my podiatrist to see how my foot was healing. He said that everything looked good. I should have my stitches taken out this next week when I see him again. That night for Young Women's it was New Beginnings so I took the girls over early and we had dinner and then they had their program. I had Scouts and we finished Space Exploration and Genealogy. Mom wasn't feeling well so she stayed home. 

On Wednesday I went into work and the girls went to school. Mom stayed home and took care of many of the things that had been piling up. Rachel had her play that night so Mom, Hannah, Rachel, and Bekah went to the play. It consisted of 5 different plays by Mark Twain. Mom, however, had a Relief Society meeting so she went to that until it was time to pick up the girls. On Thursday I stayed home and telecommuted and the girls went to school. Mom and Rachel went to the play and mom sat next to Morgan Fox during the play. Mom then sent hellos to the cast from you to Morgan Fox, Spencer Fox, Morgan Vanderveen (mom thought she was the best in the plays), Antonio Vasquez, and Alexa Vertignolli. 

On Friday I went into work and the girls to school. After work, Hannah and mom picked me up from the train. Hannah and I then went to the play for Rachel. After the plays, Rachel had to stay and help clean up. On Saturday, Hannah had to go in early to take a practice ACT test and then have her class. I drove her and then I picked up the Scout merit badges and did the shopping until it was time to pick up Hannah. I then rested and the girls did some chores. On Sunday we went to church and then mom stayed after for choir and Rachel had BYC (bishop's youth council). I was able to talk with several members of the Galena branch and try to explain in Spanish what happened. 

Think about how you would explain, in Korean, "I had a bone spur growing on my heel that then was in my Achilles tendon, so they had to cut off the spur and reattach the tendon. I can't have any weight on my foot for a couple of weeks and I will still need to wear the boot for another 5 months." I had to get a little creative with the words. I then went home teaching with Romney Stevens and mom. We went to Gina Mecham's house. Mom was visiting teaching while we were home teaching. 

I then went with Kevin Mecham (Bruce's son) to home teach the bishop's family. We then went to Robert's house for dinner.

We hope you are doing well and that you are enjoying each day. We love you and continue to pray for you. We are thankful that you are having great and small experiences with the Spirit every day. Please keep up the wonderful work that you are doing. Keep going strong every day and continue to listen to the Spirit. We love you and anxiously await your next email.

 

Love,

Mom, Sarah, Hannah, Rachel, Bekah, dad

Here are additional scriptures:

Doctrine and Covenants 63:58 For this is a day of warning, and not a day of many words. For I, the Lord, am not to be mocked in the last days.
Jacob 5:63 Graft in the branches; begin at the last that they may be first, and that the first may be last, and dig about the trees, both old and young, the first and the last; and the last and the first, that all may be nourished once again for the last time.
Moses 6:63 And behold, all things have their likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me.

Week 62 response

Great to hear from you all! I hope the legs are healing quickly! I did get the picture of your legs... on dad's scooter... on our pew at church. It is a little goofy. :) Elder Bradshaw thought it was one person who broke both their legs. I guess we should be grateful that didn't happen. ;)

Nothing very special happened this week except for finding a family who doesn't like the "Christian" churches in Korea because they feel they are just people's ideas that popped up after Christ and the Apostles died. We're really hoping they get to meet later. They seem really prepared. New child, too. Basically what PMG says to look for. I really hope they meet.

Still no New Year's celebrations. That'll be Thursday. Everyone is excited. :) It is also the mission president's last big conference before he goes home in July. Everybody's got high expectations. 

I am in the same house with Elder Bradshaw for another transfer. Elder South did become the new assistant to the mission president. No one was surprised at all. He'll do well. :) There was a split in the district. All the elders in the 6 man house is one district and Elder Bradshaw and I are in a district with all sisters. We still don't quite know how this is going to work out, but we know it will be educational. :)

The weather here has been warmer than usual. Today we have rain. All the natives are saying that it will only get warmer from here. I'm worried if there is no more cool weather. We still wear suits until April. It's not hot now, but it is warm. 

My clothes are holding up alright with the exception of socks. I think no matter what we do the socks will be put through too much to handle. It's okay, though. We're still alive and well. :) I did buy shoes. They were far too expensive, but they are in my size and seem sturdy. Even so, I will most likely save them for special occasions. They're really nice. Thank you for sending the scriptures. They will be much used. The old ones' spine is in the process of falling off... :) 

I hope the movies are good! I heard that Interstellar was incredible. Everyone that has mentioned it said it was mind-boggling. Apparently Nolan studied at Stanford for it. Seems fun. :) A few people have gone home recently, but I think most of them are not from around us. Let me know if anyone gives you names, though! :) 

I think the hardest thing in being a trainer is trying to find the things worth passing on to a new missionary. It's probably the only time I will train, so I don't think I can really apply anything I learned in the same kind of situation. I definitely learned a lot about how one's attitude changes one's circumstances. It's especially easy in the closed environment of a 2 man house. We really are the master's of our own fates.

Things continue to well. I am sad that the winter wasn't very cold for very long. That doesn't bode well for the summer. Nevertheless, we continue to meet terrific people. It is very common for people's humanity to show, but we are blessed to continually find people who remind us that there are good people in the world. I have lost all hope for other churches here though. The Catholic church is the best one.... It's been funny to see people claim their churches have the same things we do after a week or two of new approaches. By the way, the Presbyterian church believes in eternal families now. ;) Whatever the case. I am so grateful to be here serving and giving people renewed hope in Christ and a loving God. I am so happy we know the things we know. I hope you take time to enjoy the gospel. It really is so wonderful. :) Love you all!

Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

Best wishes,

Elder Jones

Week 62 - Doctrine and Covenants 45:62 For verily I say unto you, that great things await you

Dear Jordan,

Hope you are well. We continue to bask in the 60 degree sunshine. I don't know what happened to winter this year for us but we haven't see it since Christmas. We still need more rain/snow and we are continuing to pray for it. How is your weather? How are you doing? Mom sent an email with pictures of our legs up on my scooter. Both of our left legs are in boots. Hope you received the pictures. Please let us know if you didn't receive the email and I will have mom resend it.

There were a lot of good scriptures for week 62 so I included them at the end of the email.

On Monday I was telecommuting for work again and all of the girls are in school. Mom is starting to look for a new job because her current job with the school isn't feasible with her leg in a boot and having to stand for long periods of time. Kelli Christensen brought dinner. It was the rice haystacks. Very tasty. On Tuesday I went to the doctor so that he could look at my foot. He took off the wrappings and brace and said that things looked very good (yea!). I still can't put any weight on it until he tells me. Mom went with me and she took some pictures but I don't think she will send them to you. Grandma said she wanted to see the pictures so mom sent them to her phone. I continued to telecommute for work. That night the girls went to YW and I went to Scouts. We worked on Citizenship in the Nation. The boys that were there had already toured the state capitol and Temple Square so we finished the other requirements. On Wednesday we found out that we needed a new furnace. The old one still works but is starting to have issues. On Thursday I went on the train with Sarah and I went to work. Mom was at home and we had the furnace replaced. I was able to get most of my work done and catch up on the things that I couldn't process at home. I was okay but it was a little hard not having my foot elevated. On Friday I also went into work because there were several meetings that I needed to attend. On Friday night, Mom, Hannah, and I went to see Big Hero 6. It is an animated movie and we enjoyed it (even Mom). On Saturday Mom went with Hannah for Hannah's ACT practice training. When they came home we went shopping. It has been 3 weeks since I had been shopping so I was a little out of practice. Hannah pushed the cart, I rode my scooter, and mom drove the electric cart from the store. Mom is getting pretty good at driving the cart. When we arrived at home, we unloaded the groceries. We then watched Dolphin Tale 2. Mom and I then went to see Interstellar. We are seeing plenty of movies right now. On Sunday we all went to church except Sarah. Bekah went home early because she didn't feel well. After church Sarah worked on her project for YW so that she could finish all of her requirements for the Young Women's Medallion. We need to get Hannah and Bekah to work on theirs as well. We then went to Robert's house for dinner.

Any changes/transfers for you? How are your clothes holding up? Mom said that there was a charge on your account and she was hoping that it was for your shoes. Any new foods or customs that you like or find interesting? How was the New Year celebration? Several people have told me about people who have recently returned from serving in Korea but they don't know which mission and they don't tell me the names of the returned missionaries so I can't ask you if you knew them. What has been the biggest challenge in being a trainer? What has been to biggest success? How is the work going? Please let us know.

Thank you for working so hard. Thank you for being the great person you are. Thank you for writing to us each week. We love you. We pray for you. You are always in our thoughts. You are wonderful.

 

Love,

dad, Mom, Sarah, Hannah, Rachel, Bekah

Here are the scriptures:

Doctrine and Covenants 62:9 Behold, the kingdom is yours. And behold, and lo, I am with the faithful always. Even so. Amen.
Doctrine and Covenants 101:62 And his servant went straightway, and did all things whatsoever his lord commanded him; and after many days all things were fulfilled.
Jacob 5:62 Wherefore, let us go to and labor with our might this last time, for behold the end draweth nigh, and this is for the last time that I shall prune my vineyard.
Doctrine and Covenants 84:62 Therefore, go ye into all the world; and unto whatsoever place ye cannot go ye shall send, that the testimony may go from you into all the world unto every creature.
Ezekiel 16:62 And I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord:
Alma 5:62 I speak by way of command unto you that belong to the church; and unto those who do not belong to the church I speak by way of invitation, saying: Come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye also may be partakers of the fruit of the tree of life.
Doctrine and Covenants 88:62 And again, verily I say unto you, my friends, I leave these sayings with you to ponder in your hearts, with this commandment which I give unto you, that ye shall call upon me while I am near—
Doctrine and Covenants 10:62 Yea, and I will also bring to light my gospel which was ministered unto them, and, behold, they shall not deny that which you have received, but they shall build it up, and shall bring to light the true points of my doctrine, yea, and the only doctrine which is in me.
Moses 7:62 And righteousness will I send down out of heaven; and truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only Begotten; his resurrection from the dead; yea, and also the resurrection of all men; and righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place which I shall prepare, an Holy City, that my people may gird up their loins, and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem.

Week 61 Response

Good to hear that everyone is doing well! I hope it stays that way! It should be easy with the warmth you're getting over there. ;) Yesterday was reported at -11. It was a bit cold. Still no snow, but we're hoping. I hope you get some winter over there, too!

 

I am still finding something to get dad for his birthday. I did make sure we were outside working hard on that day, but I couldn't make a cake or anything. Elder Bradshaw has some cake batter. I suppose we could make that. Send pictures. We'll see what I can do. Whatever the case, Happy Birthday!!! I hope that the dinner with Mom was good. I have no idea what HuHot is. It sounds like burgers, but I imagine you got something else for your birthday. ;)  

Yes! Transfers are coming up very soon! The next time I email it will be on a transfer day. Due to 설날 transfers were moved from Wednesday to Monday. Solnar is on Thursday, and so, to give the Korean missionaries going home enough time to arrive and acclimate, the normal pre-departure activities will happen in the early part of the week. We'll have transfer calls this Friday. It is possible for me to leave. It is possible for Elder Bradshaw to leave. It is possible for us to stay, but I don't think it is likely for both of us to leave. I hope not because we have a few very high-potential investigators. There are 2 and 2/2 zones outside of Seoul. The farthest away is 강원도. Whereas the other missionaries in our mission go to the temple every transfer, they can only go at conferences because it is so expansive to bring them into the city. They also go through all 4 Korean missions to get here by train. They actually have a fair bit of snow. One district is right up next to the border of our northerly neighbors. What I'm saying is that they are very far away. Elder Redd had been out there for a while before he was my companion. It is supposedly beautiful out there, but since there are so few people on the streets, especially in the winter, their time is spent doing door approaches. It is basically a different mission. It is said to be great out there in the summer, but during the winter, it's really rough.

The weather has been like a normal Utah winter. Really cold on some days and warm on others. Never as much snow as expected. It's been pretty good. It is really easy to see that temperatures are getting warmer everywhere. I guess Al Gore has a thing or two to say... again. We did get to teach a Chinese man in the hospital where he works 24/7. It was a bit rough, and his boss doesn't like us there for too long, but he wants me to visit if I ever go to China. I have his phone number... so I guess I know what I'll do if I go to live with the Manglesons for a while. :)

Thank you for the prayers and remembrance. I pray for all of you everyday. I hope you get to see the blessings. I am keeping a journal. I hope all of you are, too. The scriptures were really good today. You always find really great references. Love you all! Keep up the good work! 

Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

Best wishes,

Elder Jones

Week 61 - Jacob 5:61 Wherefore, go to, and call servants, that we may labor diligently with our might in the vineyard, that we may prepare the way, that I may bring forth again the natural fruit, which natural fruit is good and the most precious above all other fruit.

Dear Jordan,

 

How are you? We hope that you are doing well. This week we had highs in the 60s a couple of times with very little rain. They had to cancel a snowman making contest in Lehi because there is no snow on the ground. There were some people that did ice block riding down the grass at one of the parks in SLC. 

 

On Monday the girls went to school and mom and I stayed home. I worked from home all week. Fortunately I am able to telecommute. The Webster's brought dinner that night. We had Family Home Evening and mom taught the lesson. On Tuesday mom didn't wake up on time so I drove Sarah to the train. I did okay but it would have been difficult to drive into work. The YM/YW did a joint activity and went ice skating. Bekah and Sarah went and enjoyed it. On Wednesday the Eldredge's and Sister Lloyd brought dinner. Grandma Jones flew to Minnesota to attend Jemma's baptism. On Thursday was my birthday. I received a card from Grandma and Grandpa Stamps and from Bonni and her family. I talked with Lori, Nate, Jemma, and Grandma Jones. I missed a call from Juli and I received a text from Dan. Other than the interaction the day was pretty ordinary. On Friday mom went to work again. We will see if they will continue to keep her or if she will be let go. After work, mom and I went out to eat at the HuHot. I had to use Grandma's wheelchair. I really feel for those that have to use it regularly. The Carlson's and Foster's brought dinner for the family. On Saturday Hannah had ACT practice and mom went with her. Hannah has been driving quite a bit this week. Mom then went with Holly to a play. I didn't do too much except to keep my foot elevated. On Sunday I went to church so I had to get ready before church started. Sarah helped me get my clothes over my foot. We made it on time. Mom didn't go because her leg was hurting so almost everyone with whom I talked asked how mom was doing. After church they showed The Polar Express so I watched it  while writing this email so I could enjoy some snow on this blistery warm winter day (sarcasm). We then went to Robert's house for dinner. Hannah drove both ways. Grandma Jones will fly back tomorrow and Ben will pick her up. Dallin came to dinner.

 

How are things going with your companion? Are transfers coming up soon and is there a possibility that you could be transferred? Are there very many companionships outside of Seoul? Are you interested in going to one of those areas? I know you have been in the suburbs all your mission. Have you talked with any missionaries that have served in the other areas? Do they have many of the same issues finding people to teach or do they have other difficulties? How has the weather been for you? Spring is around the corner. Anything new this week for you? Please let us know.

 

We love you. You are doing great. Everyone still asks how you are doing once I let them know how mom is doing. Please keep working hard. Are you keeping track of everything in your journals from you mission? I know I wouldn't remember everything if I didn't write it down. Please let us know if you need anything. We continue to pray for you and put your name in the temples. Keep up the good or God work.

 

Love,

Bekah, dad, Mom, Sarah, Hannah, Rachel

Here are some other scriptures for this week:

Doctrine and Covenants 61: 36 - 39
 36 And now, verily I say unto you, and what I say unto one I say unto all, be of good cheer, little children; for I am in your midst, and I have not forsaken you;

 37 And inasmuch as you have humbled yourselves before me, the blessings of the kingdom are yours.

 38 Gird up your loins and be watchful and be sober, looking forth for the coming of the Son of Man, for he cometh in an hour you think not.

 39 Pray always that you enter not into temptation, that you may abide the day of his coming, whether in life or in death. Even so. Amen.

1 Kings 8:61 Let your heart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.

Doctrine and Covenants 63:61 Wherefore, let all men beware how they take my name in their lips—

Doctrine and Covenants 42:61 If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things—that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal.

Doctrine and Covenants 84:61 For I will forgive you of your sins with this commandment—that you remain steadfast in your minds in solemnity and the spirit of prayer, in bearing testimony to all the world of those things which are communicated unto you.

Week 60 response

Fun email! I am so glad to see the ward helping those in need. :) Sorry that things are more difficult, but I think it'll make regular life all the more pleasant when it's all over. :)

This week was a week of miracles, but I don't think I can include everything in an email. We'll just have to look at journals... in December. Thank you for all the reminders that I come home this year. Rachel also emailed and made mention twice. It's just a bit funny to see how quickly things have started happening now that I'm "over the hill". ;)

 

One of our contacts was a 25 year old who just enjoyed our conversation on the street and so met again later. It turns out that he attended church a couple times during mandatory military service and liked it. He asked if it would be okay to come to church before we could invite him ourselves. He than came despite working from 8 to 6 on weekend nights. It was hard to stay awake during one of the classes, but he put up a good fight. :) Another new investigator is basically a less-active from another church. He's got a never-ending stream of questions about everything from the plan of salvation, to how we do missionary work, to the latest pop culture in America. We're going to be having more focused lessons, but the first one was fun. 

The weather is comfortable in the day, but gets cold in the evening. We come back to the apartment for dinner, but in large part it is to get our winter gear on to go out again. No real precipitation to speak of. The language is fine. In a lesson setting or good contact, I can get everything, but when people go off on the particulars of how their company is building a particular apartment, it gets a bit rough at times. Gratefully, that's not too common. :) Still too tired at night to dream, so no Korean dreams, but conversation is easier in Korean than English. English is rough... 

I'd love to go to Shanghai. I'll need to get home and do some college applications first, but I'll then have quite a bit of time until college starts. It would be good to brush back up on Chinese. I also have the business card of a man from Oman who would love a visit later. Arab would be good to learn. :)

Elder Bradshaw is doing well. He is picking up the language at a great pace. He's quite the funny one once hes out of his shell. We've both been really tired this week, so there's not too much to write about the companionship. We go out, do missionary work, come back and sleep almost immediately once everything is done. We've been trying our best, and, though it's very tiring, it's been yielding good results. :)

Thank you for the email. I am glad to hear that everyone is healthy, though not always mobile. I hope you keep spirits high. I just had a thought, how do you get up and down stairs in the house? I hope you don't lean on that handrail... Stay safe and I look forward to hearing from you next week! :) Love you!

Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

 

Best wishes,

Elder Jones