Hello,

I had a busy week and don't have much time to write today. The week was just stressful.  I promise I'll get some pictures to you next week.

Wow Amanda is already growing up in the pictures you sent me!

About Christian. We called him Tuesday after he was late to an appointment and he answered the phone and said "hello? Oh ha-ha it’s you guys and hung up" ... and we haven’t gotten a hold of him since. So, that's discouraging.  As a missionary you just keep moving forward.

I have a kidney appointment on Wednesday so hopefully everything is still going okay and I don't have any more kidney stones starting.

 I don't have anymore news for this week.

I love you guys! Have a good day! Bye!

Love, Elder Jones

Week 62 - Funnest P-day in the History of P-days!

Hello Everyone,

This is the video of us paintballing and you can hear me speaking a little Indonesian.

 (video can only be watched from a computer)

 

 

Monday-

 

We paint balled for P day it was so awesome!! Seriously! I loved it! All the Zone Leaders came too! It was pretty fun.  I was against Presidents' team and our team destroyed their team! I was our team’s captain and President was his captain! I shot President good a couple of times!!! Ha-ha I also captured their flag! With the help of my beloved companion , Elder Troff, with back fire coverage! It was awesome! Then Iwe went and ate at Carl's Jr. with my man Elder Litster (from when I was in Semarang)! 

Tuesday 

Today Herman came over for a lesson.  We watched the Joseph Smith movie and the John Tanner movie. Then we spent the rest of the day in the office! We are behind in paper work and stuff.

Wednesday 

Office work for a lot of the day. Then we went to Blok M to get some new name tags made.  Interesting story, there were 3 Muslims who had been following us for like 20 minutes, so I tried to talk to them. One grabbed my hand and started telling me to repeat the Islamic prayer to become a Muslim and I said no and he wouldn't let go of my hand.  Finally, I pulled it away and we left quick and finally lost them! They were all decked out in the haji clothing.

Thursday 

Woke up and felt like crud so I stayed home and rested with Elder Barrus who has also been sick. Later that evening we went to the Ritz Carlton and ate with a member from the stake who was stopping by!   So good it made me miss you guys and reminds me of all the trips we'd go on! 

Friday 

I got up to change my laundry and when I pulled it out. It was totally BLUE as you can see in the pictures.  

A great big OOPS!  I ruined all my white shirts because I threw them in with jeans... 
Sister Donald is going to try and help me fix it. 

 
We also taught Christian today and it was awesome! He’s getting baptized the 29th hopefully. So pray for him! After all this,  we went to English class and that was good. Then this dude comes in off the street and is trying to get us to sign these fake prescriptions for narcotics. I obviously told him "no" but man some people are just plain stupid. Then we try and go home but it starts pouring rain so we rode a taxi and it took forever and the roads were all flooded and by 10:30 pm we weren’t home yet so I made the executive decision to ride OJEK which are like taxi motorcycles. So we rode motorcycles home in the pouring rain and didn’t get home until 11! Crazy huh?

Saturday 

We had an awesome game night at the other ward and lots of members came and we had a fun time!!!  The missionaries organized it.  I found a baby kitten with a broken leg and brought it home and fed it some milk.  Now it lives with me :)

Sunday 

I went to the English ward in the morning and took some of President Donald's friends from Australia! They are great! It was so weird to have church in English. It was interesting to see all the members there from all over the world who were attending church. There were people from China, Mexico, Brazil and the Philippians.  All over! 

 I thought about how all of our paths have crossed and why and ... It came down to Jesus Christ. He is the reason everyone from all these places were there. Because of the light of Christ! And it is just so awesome! The church is the same in every corner of the world and it’s all because of the truthfulness of Christ's gospel! 

Love you all! 

 Elder Jones

Week 61 - What I've learned

Hi Everyone,

Did you take my challenge last week to read the Book of Mormon? I really enjoyed President Eyring’s testimony of the Book of Mormon. "I have found that by reading, studying and pondering the Book of Mormon each day, my life is more productive, enjoyable and peaceful. I have found the answer too many of life’s questions in the Book of Mormon. I recommend the Book of Mormon for all who are searching for a better life."

I want to share with you my testimony of this gospel. I know that sometimes life can seem so overwhelming.  But I know that this truly is the true church of God.   When trials come into my life, I know that I can get through them if I hold tight to the principles of the gospel and to prayer.  When there are times that I am not as valiant as I should be, in being close to my Heavenly Father, life seems to be difficult and unbearable. I know without a shadow of doubt in my mind that my life is better because of my faith in Jesus Christ.  I know that with my faith, as Peter had when he walked on the water to meet Christ, that if I hold firm to the gospel that Christ will be right there for me to help me when I fall short.

I love you all!  Have a great week!

Elder Jones

PS Here are some pictures from this week.

 

A Brother in our Ward

 

Skyline

 

New companion...

 

Thanks mom for the Easter package, and a shout out to Cara and Kendon who won this Alien for me at Gold Rush!!!

Week 60 - My challenge to you!

Hello Everyone,

Monday 

We had a good P day! We got some killer Chinese food and some cool stuff at Block M and then we kind of relaxed the whole day cleaned things up around the apartment.

Tuesday 

We went to eat with Denny and that was fun! We taught a couple lessons and they went really well.  Also,  it’s been a really rainy week. I’ve been reading the Book of Mormon every day and it’s such a testimony builder! It’s Awesome! I challenge you ALL to do the same and start reading it! 

Wednesday 

Office Elders have formed a band...

and sometimes we workout...

Today President came down to tell Elder Troff and I that we have been called As OFFICE ELDERS :) Now we do mail and reimbursements and all that jazz… answer phones life is nice with A/C and getting hot showers at the mission home!  I’ll enjoy it while it lasts! I’ll be moving in May but idk where yet?  Maybe opening a new island area. Just kidding!

Thursday

Today we had to do lots of office work to catch up on things and wrap our heads around this whole thing. Then that evening we went to a member’s house who works at the Embassy! He is a cool guy we ate pizza and soda and it was awesome. His house was just like an Americans. 

We taught an awesome lesson to a guy on the street about the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  It made him so happy almost to the point of tears so that was really cool! 

Friday 

We had a meeting with President about all the new missionaries coming in, then 2 more hours in the office and English class.

Sunday

Today Brother Antonious was baptized!  It was great! He is an investigator of the APs . Then after church I gave a blessing to a sick lady and that was my Sunday! Full of the spirit!

Hope you all have a great week and remember to take my challenge!  It will make your life better, I promise!

Love,  Elder Jones

 

 

 

Week 59 - A Great Week!

Hello Everyone,

 

I had a great week!  Remember Nicky?  I met him 2 months ago on the bus. He was the last contact of my day. I found, taught and then BAPTISED him! (With the help of God!)  It’s just an awesome feeling!!! Even President came!!!

Elder Troff, Nicky and me.

 

The Sister Missionaries, Yohanna, Vitria (who were baptized last week) with me and Nicky

With President Donald

With the AP's

 

We’re leading the zone right now. I don’t know about the mission yet. We’re having a great week but we just need to find new people to teach.  We taught about 23 lessons the whole week which is a lot for our mission.

I’m in second Nephi now! 3 chapters a day in 80 days it’s awesome! I’m really learning a lot from the scriptures! I'm also reading the Bible.  The coolest thing from the scriptures I read this week was a story about an ax that floats out of the water after sinking. Pretty sick! It’s in Kings.

In other random news...Indonesia is crazy. They lit a guy on fire last week and he ran thru the streets. Also, I saw this demon lizard jump out of a coconut tree from the top onto the ground! It was huge and a long drop!!! 

 I’ll tell you what, I LOVE coconuts and bananas and mangos so much and all these exotic fruits.

I know this church is true and I’m able to testify with even more conviction about it. Seeing the change in Nicky’s life is just astounding! My companions and I have been able to watch him, since day one, learn and grow and build a testimony of his own. I’ve had the chance to read from the Book of Mormon and do an 80 day challenge even though I’m only 7 days in I can see how much it has been a blessing in my life and it’s just awesome! Leaving my family and friends last year was hard. But for me to think of giving up all these experiences is even harder!! I’m just so grateful for all these blessing I’ve had in my life!  A mission is totally worth it!

gtg Love you guys have a great week tell everyone hello!

 

Love,  Elder Jones   

 

 

If you are reading this blog on your phone you will not be able to watch this video of me playing the harmonica and crocheting a tie at the same time....so get to your computer!

 

This is a video of a Zombie lizard.  He got stuck on the door as we were closing it...