Temple Run...19 appointments in less than a week!

How's it going y'all? This weeks been awesome for me! I hope it's been the same for you guys! 

We share a car with 2 other elders in our area, so when we have a lesson the same time we do it gets tricky. Lucky for me and elder johnson, we have bikes, so when we have conflicting schedules we get to bike in our area.... that does mean we're on bikes every evening, though hahahaha. What's awesome about that is cloverleaf is like mexico if mexico had trailers and wood houses. They even have the stray dogs just to match the authenticity. I cannot tell you the amount of times we've been chased this week hahah, it's kinda like that game "temple run" just trying to get from appointment to appointment. This transfers going to turn key into an adrenaline junky I swear haha. But in reality it's all part of the experience and I couldn't be happier to show up to every lesson out of breathe and sweating 1. To make it there on time and 2. To avoid any bites out of my. 

We've taught a lot of lessons this week, and so I thought I would just share an experience with one lesson we had this week. It was the first lesson with this woman and she was saying the usual "all religions are good" view, and I totally agree, but I'm here to preach the fullness of the gospel. So I was like thinking how do I convey how important this message is? And then the spirit guided me as to what to say through very clear thoughts! It was awesome. With help of the Holy Ghost I was able to tell her that every christian church will have you end up where they promise for you to end up, as an angel in heaven that will praise God for all eternity through singing praises to his name. It is only through our church, however, that one can live up to their true divine destiny, to be a son and daughter of God. Just as we have earthly parents who we grow up to resemble, we have the divine spiritual DNA of our Heavenly Parents, and we can grow to become like them if we participate in the saving ordinances and endure to the end. We dont promise that we'll be an angel that praises God through hymn, we promise that we can become like Our Heavenly Father, and praise him through action of bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of men. And we can do all of it through the redeeming power of Jesus Christ. It was really neat to bear such a strong testimony that confirmed these truths to me, as I testified to this daughter of God. 

I wish I could remember more, but when the days are the fastest and slowest days of your life, all at the same time, you tend to forget a lot. I love it out here, though. There's no greater work than the work of the Lord. 

I just want to let all of you know, that I know Jesus Christ loves us. He was the only one with the power to lay down his life and take it up again. He lived his life perfectly aligned with the will of God. I'm so grateful for him and all he's done for me! I know that his arm of mercy is extended to all of us regardless of the mistakes we've made, over, and over, and over again. The arm of He who is mighty to save is always extended. 

I love you guys!

Peace,

Elder Jones 

 

Notes Texted to mom:

We've befriended some of the dogs! The 2 big scary ones at least are no longer tryna kill us! There are five that try keeping up with us on bikes.  It is funny! They are not all street dogs, a lot of them are people's dogs that they let roam. SE Texas is weird about dogs...they have pet dogs but they're all outside dogs and are more just to keep people away.

Elder Anderson and Elder Cespedez live in the same complex and we share a car with them.  We bike when they need the car.  

One of the best missionaries in the mission left last transfer to go go home and he only baptized two people his whole time here. It is because he learned to put people who are not ready to be baptized or really worry about a date for baptism. In every facet he was super loving and a really hard worker.  I feel like you should focus on the task at hand rather than focusing on the ultimate goal. They need to know how to spiritually nourish themselves because the missionaries won't be there two times a week to teach them and to remind them to go to church.