Onward, ever onward.

well folks I can't believe this day has come! I can't thank you enough for the support and prayers and love that all of you have given me.  

My oh my, these past 18 months given to me from the Lord have been incredible.  My testimony of Jesus Christ has been solidified by every experience I have been blessed with.  Everyday I felt like I couldn't keep going, everyday that I couldn't be happier; every time the spirit just filled my soul to the brim, and all the times that I felt so alone; all the people that rejoiced so much at the message we shared, and the people that yelled at us instead; the tears of exhaustion and frustration, the tears of relief and joy; the days where all our plans fell through so that the Lord could show us his plan; all these experiences, hard work, and the grace of God, have built me and built the testimony that I have of a loving Heavenly Father who gave us His son, Jesus Christ.  I can't express my love and gratitude for a Savior who has suffered and rejoiced with me.  I cannot and will not ever deny the love of our Father in Heaven, and the fact that HE IS REAL.  HE LIVES.  I have seen his hand in the lives of many, and in the details of mine.  

 

I know Jesus Christ lives and he is the Savoir of the world.  He is your Savior.  He is my Savior.  And I have learned that it is only through Him and His grace that we can find success and joy.  

"As we extend our hands and hearts toward others in Christlike love, something wonderful happens to us.  Our own spirits become healed, more refined, and stronger." -President Uchtdorf

I know that Jesus Christ lives.  And I know that there is no greater cause than the cause of our Father in Heaven, to bring to pass to immortality and eternal life of man.  I know that we can be forgiven through the atonement of Jesus Christ and that no failure is ever final. 


"12 Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.  13 Behold, how many thousands of our brethren has he loosed from the pains of hell; and they are brought to sing redeeming love, and this because of the power of his word which is in us, therefore have we not great reason to rejoice?
 14 Yea, we have reason to praise him forever, for he is the Most High God, and has loosed our brethren from the chains of hell.
 15 Yea, they were encircled about with everlasting darkness and destruction; but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation; and they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love; yea, and we have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and marvelous work.
 16 Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel." [Alma 26:12-16]


 "Shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory!" [D&C 128:22]

Onward, ever onward.  

Sister Jones 

The time is far spent....

HOLY CRICKET so much has happened this week.  soooo here we go. 

The weather here is probably even warmer than it is in Utah, so that's cool.  It has been so nice.  And icy.  I almost made it the whole winter without slipping.....thennnn i actually slipped.  and almost did the splits.  it was pretty graceful if you can imagine...hahahh.  

anywho onto the actually important things:

We got a media referral!!! Sharlene!  And she's AMAZING.  I have never received so many media referrals until I came to this area.  We also received two more today that we're going to go see.  but anyways cool story about contacting Sharlene: We went one morning to try to contact her, but nobody answered.  So on we went with the rest of our day.  Nothing was really working out, so finally we decided to try this other lady, Sister Heck (yes her last name really is Heck. :)) and we put her address into the GPS and so we went!  We reach the destination....and guess what apartment complex we were at....SHARLENE'S.  so yeah it was pretty inspired.  Heavenly Father just led us back to her, so we knocked on her door again and her fiance, William answered and told us she was in the hospital.  So we went and taught her and she's so solid!  They have both been taught by missionaries back in Africa and also gone to church before!  She's so wonderful.  

We had supper with this family from JAMAICA and it was so awesome, wanna know why??  ELDER BOYER THIS IS FOR YOU!  When Brother Allen was on his mission, he opened Junction for missionary work!  :) they had a ton of opposition and persecution from the people there, they all thought mormons were from the devil and what not....but here's this super cool miracle:  Apparently, there had been about a 26 month drought in the area, and they desperately needed rain.  But nobody thought it would rain again.  The elders felt inspired and told everyone that now that they, the mormons, were there, that God would make it rain for them.  And a few days later, IT RAINED!!!  And everyone listened to them after that.  Our God is a God of miracles!!! :)  

We had exchanges, and I went to Sturgeon with Sister Andrus who is such a spiritual giant.  Basically all our plans fell through and we weren't sure what to do.  So we felt like going to the library to print off a talk for a less active we would see later in the day.  We went, and the guy at the front desk asked us about what kind of relief our church has for people in need.  So we told him and then he introduced us to Jonathan!  He needs a lot of help temporally, but we were able to sit down with him at the library and meet his spiritual needs.  We mostly just listened to him tell us all the trials he has had in his life and his experiences, then we taught him about the atonement of Jesus Christ.   The spirit was SOOO strong, there was no denying it.  Then Jonathan said, "I know this sounds crazy, but I feel like I have been sitting here with you two before, talking about these things.  It all just feels so familiar."  He had met with elders before, but wasn't very interested.  but he told us that now he knows it's what he needs to do.  And that God has given him another chance, he won't let this one go by.  It was all in all just really awesome.  And Sister Andrus is such a great missionary.  She just follows the spirit so well.  

I just wanted to share a scripture I found in my studies this week that just blew my mind and made me so happy:

9 [God] hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

 10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

11 Where unto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

 12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

2 Timothy 1:9-12

We were sent here to this earth with a purpose. Our Father knew us and he knew what we would go through while here on earth. Although God's eternal plan applies to all his children, we each have a plan that is just for us. There are specific things that He has sent you here to do.

I just love this gospel. I love the mission. I love the Lord!

Onward, ever onward.

Sister Jones

Give us this day our daily bread - Matthew 6:11

HOLY CROWS what a week. 

sooo Londonderry is a great area and there is SO MUCH WORK it's kind of overwhelming, I won't lie.  We also cover Castle Downs ward and there is so much work for us to do there, too!  

We have a bunch of investigators so that's cool.  And a ton of media referrals to work with.  People here on the north side just want the gospel!  

I'll tell you a couple good things from this week:

The sisters have been teaching this Nigerian family for about 3 months now, and they are so great.  They are still pretty committed to their church right now, they have assignments there, so it's been hard to get them to come to church with us.  We had a lesson with them and were talking about that, and the boys, Michel (9) and Iven (6) were not wanting to come to ours because their church was having cake for a birthday party afterwards.  We were just like, "well you gotta figure out what God needs you to do." and they were like, "ahh man we just want cake!" so then we asked them to pray right then to see where God wanted them to go for church.  They both were kneeling down and praying in their heads and about 15 seconds goes by and Iven goes, ".....FINE.. we have to go to your church." and Michel was like, "NOOOOO WE NEED CAKE!!!" and Iven goes, "well God told me so!"  It was really precious and also really funny because they're the cutest kids ever.  They didn't end up coming to church though because Abi had to do his assignments at their other church.  :/ Pray for them! (Nike, Abi, Michel, and Iven) 

We also got to see one of my favorite people in the entire world..wait for it....JANET SULLEH!!!!! She used to live in Forest Heights, but now is in Castle Downs!  She's at a nursing home now and when I walked in she was like, "IT'S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU! HAVE YOU BEEN LOOKING FOR ME??" And she had my little card I made for her hanging on her wall.  so precious.  I love that lady so much.  such an angel.  

Yesterday, we were trying by a less active who wasn't home, and while walking back to the car, I felt like we should knock on this random house so we did.  And it was AMAZING.  Whenever I have thoughts like that, as I'm doing what the spirit tells me, I kind of doubt myself and am like, "what is nothing even happens?" but that's SATAN!  We knocked and Alanna opened the door and let us in right away.  Elders had helped her last summer, so she recognized our tags!  We didn't get to teach her a ton, but we helped her take down her Christmas tree and basically listened to her crazy life story. She has had a few family members pass away in the past few years and we had a really inspired discussion on the afterlife and stuff.  so that was cool.  And she's letting us come back later this week!!! :) The spirit is so cool.  I love it.  

basically every prayer I have said this week has been just asking Heavenly Father to give me the daily bread i need.  We have had SO MUCH to do, I was really stressed out at the beginning of the week.  We had two ZTM's that we needed to give training at, and I wasn't at the MLC where they got the training, then we had exchanges, and we spoke in sacrament meeting and there was just so much.  But I can testify that the Lord ALWAYS provides the things that we need. 

"The Lord’s invitation to seek our daily bread at our Heavenly Father’s hand speaks of a loving God, aware of even the small, daily needs of His children and anxious to assist them, one by one. He is saying that we can ask in faith of that Being “that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given” (James 1:5). That is, of course, tremendously reassuring, but there is something at work here that is more significant than just help in getting by day to day. As we seek and receive divine bread daily, our faith and trust in God and His Son grow." 

-Elder Christofferson 

God is good. 

Onward, ever onward. 

Sister Jones

JANET SULLEH ️️

ET PHONEHOME

PLOT TWIST!!! I'm getting emergency transferred to a new area in an hour.  President called last night and told me he had a new assignment for me, and I'm just like, oooh cool what is it?(an ET didn't even cross my mind) And he told me a sister has to go home because of medical issues and he needs me to go to Londonderry to be a Sister Training Leader again for my last 3 weeks.  So yeah that just happened.  

I kind of have been just crying and packing and I totally threw my 6 weeks to sexy goal (not eating treats for my last 6 weeks) out the window and I ate half of a chocolate orange last night so yeah that's about where I'm at right now.  

I have grown to love this area SO MUCH it's insane.  When we got transfer calls I didn't want to come, but at this point i just love these people like none other and i just love it and i love my companions.  I basically didn't sleep last night and have been trying to receive a confirmation that this is all meant to be, but I haven't really gotten that yet.  One thing I do know is that President is called of God and I trust his inspiration.  So here we go!  

God's timing couldn't have been more perfect with everything though, we had exchanges with River Valley yesterday and Sister Lee and I got to go with my bff Sister Mckeon!!!! it was so much fun, i love that girl more than that chocolate orange I ate last night....so yeah.  

On our exchange, we were about to visit someone, and while we were praying before, Sister McKeon saw this certain street in her head, so we decided to go there and see who God needed us to find.  We knocked this little group of houses and this guy, Emmanuel was like, "who are you??" and we were just like, "messengers from God!" and he was like "oh you're mormons!"  then we got talking to him and got to give him a Book of Mormon and it was super funny.  He was great. Then we got to try to teach his neighbour, Mohammed, (hahahhahah emmanuel and mohammed live right next door to each other) but he just wanted to convert us and it was a gong show. but yeah it was fun. :) 

I almost got hit by a bus last week.  We were at a long stop light and there were people at the bus stop right next to us, so I jumped out of the car to give them pamphlets and the bus was coming and everyone was like, "ahhhhhh m'am the bus!!!" and I just gave them the pamphlets and ran and was like, "it'll change your life!!!!!"  ha.  i think I've lost it.  I'm gonna miss this.  

At that same stop light a different time, there was this car of little teenage hooligans next to us with their windows rolled down, so I rolled down mine and showed them the "JESUS LOVES YOU" sign and they were like YES YES (except the kid in the back seat who kept yelling "Allah Allah Allah!!!" )but the kid in the front was like, "can i take a picture??" so I said yes and to go to mormon.org and he took the picture.  it was pretty funny.  

so yeah i can't even think right now things are CRAY my thoughts are all over the place.  

but one thing I do know is that God's ways are higher than our ways.  

http://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/the-will-of-god-2

I love this work and I am so grateful for all the experiences I have had in this valley of the rainbows. :)  Sorry for all of you whom I didn't email today, time just isn't a thing I have to do that right now. :) I'll catch y'all next week! 

Onward, ever onward.  

Sister Jones 

️

 Exchanges

 Danika

"...it shall be given unto you."

alright peeps, buckle up and keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times. I've got a lot to tell you about answered prayers.  such a stellar week.  HERE WE GO!

 FIONAH!!! We found her last week when i had a distinct thought to go contact at the west edmonton mall bus station.  She was the first person we talked to and she accepted a book of mormon and wanted to meet.  We had a split, so I went with a member (return missionary from this mission, Sister Cardona:):):)) and the mandarin elders to teach her the first lesson, and it was PRIME.  the best lesson i've had with an investigator in such a long time.  She asked such good questions and felt the spirit so strongly.  after she prayed, we paused and asked her how she felt, she said, "honestly, i feel this weight just lift off of my shoulders." it was amazing.  I then told her that when we found her that day, I had a distinct impression of where we needed to go and everything. Then she told us an amazing story.  back when her parents were in China, they already had 2 kids, which wasn't okay.  But then her mom got pregnant with her.  everyone told her to abort the baby, and she was really conflicted.  She then ran into two missionaries (not sure if they were lds but it's pretty cool) on a bus, they told her that God would watch over her and everything would be okay, and they gave her a book. (not sure if it was the BofM, but still cool).  Fionah has never really believe in God at all,  but about a month ago, her mom told her that she should go to church to thank God for the life he gave her.  She wasn't sure why, so she asked, and her mom told her this story.  Since then, Fionah has been trying to figure out how to find God and feel forgiven and basically give her life to him.  She said that she prayed to him and said, "if you want me to come to you, I need you to send someone to me so show me where to go."  Then we showed up at the bus stop. (ANSWERED PRAYER) We also had a lesson with her this morning and taught the Plan of Salvation and she prayed again and she's just GOLDEN.  She accepted a baptismal date of February 13th!  My last Saturday here!!! I just love this girl.  

JOHN!!!  We had a lesson with him after church and it was PRIME. This whole week, I have been praying so earnestly that his desire for baptism will increase. The first thing he asked us was, "What's the process i need to go through to be baptized?" And it just so happens (by revelation) that we were going to go over the baptismal interview questions with him so he could see where he's at with everything.  He was surprised.  After going through the questions, he said that he felt like he just needed to move forward in faith, and commit! (ANSWERED PRAYER) We're planning on moving his date sooner this week! :) We're just trying to help him recognize the answers he has already received.  

We got to do a Hot Chocolate stand on the U of A campus at the institute!  It was so much fun, people think we're kind of crazy running all over the place and giving people free hot chocolate, but it opens a lot of doors for people to talk to us.  We found so many chinese people for the mandarin elders to teach.  

We did lots of LRT contacting, and I got to give a Book of Mormon to this amazing Filipino girl named Patricia.  She was so grateful and I'm so excited to get teaching her more! My favourite thing about being a missionary is when you can feel the spirit testify through you and touch someone's heart.  It's priceless.  

Friday, before going into our supper appointment (which we have been getting a fair amount of for YSA) we decided to knock a few doors.  We had about 20 minutes, and I prayed that we would find someone that we could teach a lesson to.  Second door we knocked on turned out to be a lost sheep that had been praying to know how to get to church!!! (ANSWERED PRAYER!!!) Annnnd we got to teach her a lesson hahah. :) (answered prayer...again:))

We had a lesson with a less-active, Sara, that the missionaries have been working with for AGES and she never keeps any commitments.  As we were studying for her, we felt like we needed to actually hold her to her commitments, and if she didn't keep them, we wouldn't move onto what we had planned to teach.  We went over, and before going into the lesson, we prayed that she would have the desire to actually read the Book of Mormon.  We went in and what do ya know she didn't keep any commitments, so we decided to read the talk with her that the sisters committed her to read forever ago.  Halfway through the talk, we asked her what she thought and felt so far, she just said, "welll...honestly i feel tempted to just put this talk down and go dive into the Book of Mormon right now!" (ANSWERED PRAYER) we were just like OKAY SOUNDS GOOD!  So yeah she went and read. :) so cool!  

okay and now for one of the craziest/coolest/most miraculous happenings ever this week...

We got to go to the CES devotional with a returning less active, Danika!  it was AMAZING.  MAN I LOVED IT SO MUCH!!!  okay first i'll tell you about Danika.  So, the Lamoureux's (ward mission leader in river valley) have a granddaughter (danika).  She's 22, and has been extremely anti to the church and God and everything for quite a while.  A few months ago, we stopped by the lamoureux's and she was there, so we kind of hung out with her a bit, didn't try to share anything because it would push her away, but it was all around a good visit.  Later on, she came with them to the ward christmas party!  The night I said goodbye to the Lamoureux's, Danika's parents were there.  I met them and we talked and I really wanted to reach out to Danika now that I'm in YSA.  They said it probably wouldn't work.  last week, we got a call back from the lamoureux's saying that Danika wanted to come to church.  WHHHHHAT????  So we got it all lined up and she came (her family came with her to ysa) and it was AMAZING.  oh my word.  She's a completely new person.  She drove us to the fireside as well and i asked her what made her decide to come back.  She told us this really long story that's hers to share but all i can say is...she is a legit modern day alma the younger.  no joke. at all.  She said that even two weeks ago, if you asked her if she would come to church she would have been against it.  But she went to her cousin's wedding (which was at the temple) and since she couldn't go in, she went inside the church right next door to use the washroom.  She heard a voice tell her that this is where she needs to be.  a literal voice! (ANSWER TO SO MANY PRAYERS)  and now she's thinking about a mission and everything and she has been studying for hours everyday.  i honestly can hardly believe this complete 180 turn in less than one week. when she walked into the church, she just gave me the biggest hug.  i cannot even describe the happiness I feel as i witness this miracle!!! Her countenance radiates the light of Christ!  so happy. so happy.  she's amazing.  totally alma the younger.  (if you're unfamiliar with his story, read Mosiah 27 and Alma 36 in the Book of Mormon) 

there's more but i'm sick of looking at a computer screen....haha

"20 And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name,which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you." [3 Nephi 18:20]

I'm just so amazed at the tender mercies and miracles that I have witnessed just this week.  God IS real and I know that he DOES answer prayers. If you feel you aren't getting answers to your prayers, take a step back and ask God if that's what he needs you to ask for.  Align your will with his!   If His will is our will, when we pray, he WILL grant unto us all that we ask!  I'm so grateful for a loving father that knows what I, as well as all those around me, need.  i just love life.  I love the gospel.  I love the mission and the change that the atonement has wrought in my life and in the lives of those I have come to love more than I thought possible. 

Onward, ever onward.

Sister Jones

Sister Cardona RM status :)

"Get a grip....." -President Manion

Greetings from the valley full of rainbows and young single adults.  This week actually felt very long. Not being a sister training leader slows things down a bit, but we have been fairly busy with contacting and teaching.  Being in a tripan is a bit crazy, I kind of feel like I have two little sidekicks when we walk around (probably because I'm assertive and kind of loud and sister Lee and sister Lefler are pretty chill and quiet) so it has been an adventure. I'm trying not to talk so much.

YSA is....good? It's good. It's really fun to interact with people my age! Sacrament meeting was dead quiet hahahah. But we had two investigators at church! John and Rebecca. John has been taught mostly everything, His girlfriend is a member and he's on date for baptism in May.  He's doing pretty well, we had a lesson with him after church and he really opened up with what he's struggling with, so we now know how to help him make the decision, he's so close!!!

Rebecca is a member of another church but said she would be baptized here if it was true!  She liked church, but will be gone this week for a retreat activity for her other church.

We got asked to teach the gospel principles class like 5 seconds before it started...that was fun. The lesson was on the word of wisdom. Haha. Thank goodness for the manual and the Holy Ghost.

I'm grateful that I'm in this area because guess what we get......BUS PASSES FOR THE LRT!!!!!!!
As you all know, Bus/LRT contacting is my favourite thing in the universe.  We spend quite a bit of time contacting there and we have been able to talk to so many amazing people. I talked to this super great Chinese girl named Ivy, and she is so excited to learn more!!!

The first day I was here, we decided to do some contacting at the west Edmonton mall. Bad idea.  Haha...with two people, it's no big deal, but with three of us, it just seemed like a mob..and yeah it didn't work out as I had hoped. So we went to the bus station there which was actually PERFECT. The first people we talked to were Fionah (and her parents who didn't speak English.)When we asked if Fionah had heard of the Book of Mormom, she said that her friend tried to give her one, but that she didn't know where she put it. We asked if we could give her another, and she just jumped up and down and said, "YES YES YES PLEASE!!!" She was so stoked it was amazing. She was going to come to church with us, but didn't feel good. But we're meeting with her on Thursday!  I'm so excited, she's so great.

I have started the weird "MY PLAN" thing for missionaries to complete in their last transfer (where you set goals for real life and stuff)...and it's kind of weird. I may or may not have had a bit of a
melt down and asked president if I could extend...but all he said was "the lord called you to serve for 18 months and I don't have authority to make it longer...get a grip and get going with your my plan." So here I am trying to get a grip and just face it...hahahah oh man....it has just FLOWN by.

A big tender mercy, I know some people in this Ward from my past areas!!! One of them being a less active who used to live in forest heights and I just love her and her family so much. We got to see her
on Sunday, she's struggling a lot, but man I am just so glad I am here and can try my best to help.

Okay so my Book of Mormon reading this week has been PHENOMENAL and so full of the spirit. I just...can't get enough of that book!!! It's so true!!! I am in the book of Ether reading the story of the brother of Jared. That guy and his faith just AMAZE me. (Go read it right now if you haven't in a while...Ether 2-4) I have learned so much about how the Lord can guide us and give us answers to our questions. I just want the spirit to work through me to bless others 24/7. As I was reading I just had the question, how do I have experiences like the brother of Jared? Then i kept reading and found these verses, "...they shall repent of their iniquity, and become clean before the Lord. 7 And in that day that they shall exercise faith in me, saith the Lord, even as the brother of Jared did, that they may become sanctified in me, then will I manifest unto them the things which the brother of Jared saw, even to the unfolding unto them all my revelations, saith Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of the heavens and of the earth, and all things that in them are."  I also thought of this verse which is a recitation for our mission, Alma 26:22 "22 Yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing--unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God; yea, unto such it shall be given to reveal things which never have been revealed; yea, and it shall be given unto such to bring thousands of souls to repentance, even as it has been given unto us to bring these our brethren to repentance." I am just so happy to be a missionary right now, my heart is FILLED TO THE BRIM. I love this work and I love my Savior so much. I hope that
each of you know that you have a Savior, Jesus Christ who has already paid the price for you to have peace and happiness here in this crazy world. I love you all!!!

Onward, ever onward.

Sister Jones