Dear Brother and Sister Jones, we are grateful for your son coming to serve with us in Indonesia. He arrived safe and happy.

President and Sister Donald

February 22nd and 23rd - Traveling to a strange new land......

Elder Christensen from "The District"

                                        The group going to Indonesia and 2 of our teachers

 

 

 

Look who I found!  Troy!

MTC Teacher

Leaving SLC

I  fly ALL day Sunday!

15 1/2 hours of .........

Arrived in Hong Kong!

Wow I’m in freaking China?!?! What the heck?! They have computers you can get on! I just sat down in our terminal and it was filled with all the people going with us ... we're the only Americans. They started talking to us all really fast, can't understand a word.  Hong Kong is different ... It’s very clean ... It’s also very humid!

It was very long and pretty bumpy but we made it alive ... right over Japan it was bumpy I’m happy you got my pictures ... It was nice to talk to you guys last night!!

I had breakfast on the plane and was so excited to see what it was and eat it because it was starving!!  So anyways when I get it, I opened the top and it was clam shrimp crap raw salmon rice soup....for breakfast?  I’m happy I’m not serving in China ha-ha

 No my calling card doesn’t work now... I haven’t seen pay phones either ... I slept a little while on the plane which was nice!  So now I’m on to another plane to Jakarta!  Talk to you later!

 Love you guys!

Tyler

 

 

 

 

 

Week 5 My Last Week in the MTC!

Provo Temple in the  morning

Eating lunch in the cafeteria

Last Sunday at the MTC

The  District

So yesterday I got to be an usher for our devotional! I got to meet and talk
to Elder Perkins of the Seventy! pretty cool right ? Also Last Sunday Elder
Holland and his son came which was Awesome !!!  It was a great talk!

Here are some answers to your questions.  I don't have much time to email,
it's been a crazy week!

What have they told you about traveling?  Instructions....staying
together....no parents? Etc.  They said to just be adults and don't ask
people to come visit you ... I love you guys and would love to see you but
It's not obedient ... and it might throw me off my groove ... Thank you
though!

Did they tell you how long you'll stay in the mission home before you're
assigned? Depends on your location 2days to a week

Are you nervous to go? yeah kind of lots of mixed feelings... I had a dream
I was being chased by head hunters in the jungle then eaten .. so a little
lol

How do you like being Zone leader? I don't like going to all the meetings
haha but it's all good

What have you been buying at the bookstore?  Just curious what things they
have..... jeeez I've bought a million index cards (which helps me a ton) and
a pen .. hair gel,  face wash, drinks

Any headaches/migraines? like 24/7 headaches but only 2 migraines

what are your feelings, emotions, state of mind this week? I'm just mind
blown that a month has gone by and I'm already off to live with little Asian
islanders and eat nasi gorang (fried rice)

don't forget to wear your seatbelt on the flight okay? I'm not gonna lie I'm
scared to death to get on that Cathay plane .. I'm already sure I'm dying on
my mission (kidding!) but I was at least hoping to make it to Indonesia
first.... Well yeah I'm scared to death lol and I told my whole district so
I wasn't the only one wallowing in misery lol (This is in regards to the
Cathay flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong that 9 people were
hospitalized for turbulence!) Wear your seatbelt on planes people! :)  See
you in Indonesia!

To prospective missionaries....

Dear Young Men,

I have been in the M.T.C. for 5 weeks so far, I leave on Feb. 22 And am very excited! If I was asked "what I wish I would have known before I came on a mission or what advice I have for future missionary's", in no specific order, It would be as follows.

- Read the Book Of Mormon! but don't read it just so that you can say you did, read for a purpose. Write that purpose down in the front page along with your personal testimony.
 After you have finished Write in the back what your purpose is now and your new testimony. You'll be surprised.

- Decide why you want to serve a mission before you get on the "playing field" so to speak.

-Pray every morning and night. during the day silent prayers in the heart are great!

- STAY away from girls before your mission!! At least any serious sort of relationship. The Elders that come into the "The Lords Training Camp" that have a current girlfriends/serious relationships CANNOT and aren't capable of fully applying their mind to the lords work.  If someone were reading this letter to me a year ago I would argue this subject till I was blue in the face! But luckily I learned from other Elders who have served.

-Patience, practice your patience. When you’re a missionary you will be tried constantly with how well you endure situations that "push your buttons".  The more patient you are the better missionary you will be. :)

-LEARN as much as you can! Go to seminary every day and really try to absorb what principals are being taught. Bring your scripture mastery cards with you to the field they are also great! Anything gospel related is good to learn. It is also so Important that you Learn How To Learn! Because that is all we do !

-Have Fun :) Because nothing is worse than not having fun and the MTC as well as the mission Depends only on your Attitude. You make it how you want it.

-Elder Jones

New Address

Well guys, I’m leaving the MTC on Saturday and flying to Indonesia!  I can’t believe how fast the time has gone.  My new address will be:

Elder Tyler Glenn Jones
Jalan Senopati 115
Kebayoran Baru
Jakarta 12190, Indonesia

All mail and packages are sent to the mission home address in Jakarta.  Regular mail usually takes about 10 days, express mail about 4-5 days.  Anything that is sent with a value of more than about $40 (USD) will be assessed a duty tax of 25% of the value.  Normally packages will take about 30 days to arrive and some Elders say it has taken 2 ½ months!

Or you can send me an email at tjones1995@myldsmail.net

You can still send me letters at www.dearelder.com until Friday at noon.

Week 4

Dear Everyone,

BIG NEWS!!! WE LEAVE ON THE 22nd.... EARLY LIKE 1am!  11 Days!

I’m dying to get to Indonesia!!  I talked to a guy who just got back from Indonesia a month ago.  He seemed like it was quite the life changer.  He said President Donald is the coolest!  If I want to serve in Manado or Jakarta or Bali, anywhere we just ask him and he will follow through.  I’m pretty excited.  We don’t drive in Indonesia…strictly canoes, mopeds, boats, and small planes.   I don’t miss my phone really, or my music.  I have to take malaria classes before we leave, we all have to take pills every day.  I’m getting better each day at speaking the language!! So Elder Hull who is going to Madagascar broke his ankle playing volleyball! Pretty crazy huh! It’s like someone doesn’t want us on missions.... Two nights ago me and Elder Tufaga had a rap battle lolol .... You better believe I won!

Today it snowed a lot.  I love it !  It has been a good day.  Sister Fisher was feeling so sick this evening and I had the opportunity to be asked if I would give her a blessing.  So me and Elder Wills did the blessing.  It was a very spiritual feeling and powerful.  I could really feel the spirit.  After the blessing Elder Wills said, “That was pretty crazy!  Everything that you said in the blessing I was thinking in my head.  I would think ahead of you and it was like you  read my mind.”  I thought that was a testimony builder, blessing are a straight line of information coming from the spirit!

Last night we had one of the 70 come speak to us which was pretty cool ... His talk was on patience and how Patience = Progression ... I thought that was pretty cool because I have been able to see firsthand the truthfulness of that quote!  I can see and tell that I am progressing personally each day! Today we get a whole bunch of new people in our zone! Like 12 I heard!! Which is pretty crazy because our district is now the "old Guys" What’s even crazier is I got called as Zone Leader for our 35 person zone! I’m supposed to be the leader and teach everybody lessons .  Last Sunday I had to teach everyone a lesson that I was asked to prepare!  I did way good Job and Brother Mangum Our Zone Presidency Leader said That I knew my scriptures and knew the gospel well :) He said that he could tell that I was the Next Bruce R McConkie !!!
How cool is that huh? When he said it to the class everyone was like OOOOOHHHHHHH,  like saying hey Jones you got something to live up to now! Hah But that was pretty fun!

Going to the gym is way nice and a great stress reliever, they have an awesome weight sets here!! I think I’ll continue to send pictures the way that I’ve been doing it!! I hope everyone is doing well!! Anyone feel free to Dear Elder me! :)  I’m so excited to leave to the jungles of Indonesia in 10 Days!!!

Love Tyler

Week 3

Hello Everyone,

I learn something new each day and I can speak the language really pretty well.  I’m also learning American sign language from Elder Green in my zone.  Nothing crazy,  same old classes.   We get a free hour every day and my pal Elder Turner who is going to Madagascar is teaching me Arabic which is so awesome each day we write in it and talk ! It’s sort of like Indonesian,  and when the Islamic percentage is 97% in my country Arabic is a good thing to learn! ( لا أحد يقرأ بلدي بلوق يفهم اللغة العربية؟ الرجاء ارسال لي الثور الأحمر؟ !)

I am learning so much at the MTC !  it’s awesome, so much different than Wickenburg.  As I learn other languages my English gets worse and worse! I’m sorry ... I was having a hard week mentally this past week. I was talking to a bunch of the guys and in our conversation I said, "..... and it was like a $1.25... how many penny's is that ? "  totally was not thinking!   Then yesterday I was telling this awesome story to my class from back home ... and I thought it would be funny to add "when in Rome" (like the saying) ... in my story but instead I said,  "when in Paris .... " and nobody understood what I meant!  There was an awkward silence then someone said,  “don’t you mean when in Rome?”  I felt retarded that I forgot that but it was way funny :)

As you all know I have a horrible memory... so I’m just telling you all things that pop into my head :)  I loved the brownies from grandpa Jones!! thank you so much!! Every night I go to the vending room and check all the coin returns ha-ha so far I’ve gotten 14 dollars!!! how funny right ?? So I heard Justin Beiber is getting deported ..?? that’s pretty cool lol ....

At the MTC there are things here called Narnia holes.. which is anything that opens to walls like light sockets or air vents or the ceiling panels ... anyways everybody is stuffing notes into the walls!!  In my room I found a note that was from 6 years ago !!!   I was asking my teachers what they ate that was weird but common in Indonesia ... they eat and drink as follows .. monkeys, dogs .. NOT KITTYS J , crocodiles bats whole bats... ( totally reminded me of Anchorman 2 when they eat bats) Indonesians make a drink which is bat blood and spices.. Mmmmm ... but they also eat chicken, fish, rice, curry .. some great stuff :)

 I’m so happy that I chose to come on a mission.  Each day it gets better and better!!  I have grown so much in every aspect of my life!  I’m learning so much and grateful for this opportunity.

Well I love all you guys!! I miss you all too!!!

Love,

Elder Jones

Note:  If you would like to send Tyler a letter that he can read each evening (instead of waiting until Wednesday when he can use the computer), go to www.dearelder.com  It’s a free service that will deliver your letter to him the very same day.  Just click on “write a letter” and pick “Provo MTC” from the drop down menu and then “Write a missionary”.  His unit number is 51, Mission Code is INDO-JAK and departure date is FEB 22.  Because he said he wants more mail!!  I guess hearing from his mom every day isn’t enough :)