October 23

So conference this week was a blast with Elder Neilson! Chantelle and Nivon got baptized this Saturday which was a blast! ummm not sure what else to talk about. oh hey this morning we went to the gym because elder vest is a muscle man and we got some gains and then a niu.... So yeah we're basically the most shredded whit guys in the tristate area... ;) But anywho we're having the times of our lives out here and what you said about Elder Vest just really getting me, well he does so its the best and then Elder Ligaliga is a powerhouse when it comes to preaching to the samoans plus we're right around where all his family lives so like everyone knows him! I love you!!!!! Sorry we're crunched for time but all is well so no need to worry about me or us. I just got done making some french toast too! It was delicious

October 16th

This week was great week! WE had tons of fun! We're all getting pretty scared that president is going to send one of us away pretty soon and We're pretty darn bummed because this companionship is just sooooooo fun!!!! I love it! :) This week we decided to only speak Samoan for a week and its been soooo fun. We were all a bit scared at first but then as we've gone on with it we're just having a blast! Its all because Elder Vest felt like he was stuck in the same spot with the language so then we talked him into that goal and I've seen so much progress in him so far! Its the coolest!!! :) Last night we all got back at like 10 pm from 6 hours of conference that we watched in Sauniatu which is like 1 and half hours away from our house where we watched conference. It was great but loooooooong.... Last night though we all just ended up sitting around for like 2 hours talking about all the favorite stuff we like about our mommies. Not sure how it started but Elder Vest and I are very much mommas boys! Its the best! So yeah we miss you guys! :) Other than that we set up 3 souls with baptismal dates so we're pretty stoked! One is this lady who lives at the bishops house, shes his sons wife and missionaries have been working on her for over 2 years. She told us though after accepting the date of the 29th!!!!! that with the other elders she never felt the spirit... Super sad but it just goes to show that God's work has to be done his way. For us as missionaries everything is outlined and if we don't follow it then we're out of the picture and out of the work. Even if we're just one minute late to waking u, or late to studies, or we're late home, or we don't plan, sing a worldly song. WE curse ourselves in so many "harmless" ways and then God has to curse us because God will not be mocked.. So yeah anyways we were pretty amazed and just stoked that she accepted the spirit she could feel with us and the truth's we were applying to her. 

So yeah that's the week. 

ps mommy Jones I think I somehow lost a bunch of pictures... all the ones I gave you guys already so be very careful with them okay? We've still got all the sd cards though so all is well but the computer won't let me safely eject the usb for whatever reason so I think last week it deleted like half of the pics. I'm just gonna shut it down and pull them out today though... 

First Things First

First things first is that Elder Vest Sends his love and says a big hi! He says you're amazing. I'm not sure how he knows this but he just didn't want me to forget it. ;)

Also Poto sends his regards. I'll explain him later... 

We've been having so much fun this week! I love it here! I'm so in love with the area and my companions and all the great people we get to work with each day, they've got hearts of gold! :) 

So this picture is of me and Poto. He's my here. He's got the best english I've heard in all of Samoa and he's just got a way with his words. Here's just a sample; "Some can some cannot can" "Make it till you make it" He's basically the source of all wisdom. The only problem is hes got voices in his head but as we keep talking with him they go away and he gets pretty happy :) We're like homies with him and this week we woke up early to take him some new Sunday clothes because If you can see behind the picture his house is just a little tent he made out of some junky tarps that he fastened to the side of a broken house. we brought him clothes so that he could come to conference but then he didn't come because he wated to go because of his desires not us which was respectable but the important thing is that he realized that baptism and the holy ghost is the way to be happy all the time and to get rid of the voices and the only way into heaven so he's really thinking hard about it. :) We love that guy! I can't wait to just tell you all stories about him at home because man he's funny! The first man I ever met here in Matautu. But yeah he always asks us to send his regards to everyone in the church headquarters and all the other missionaries so I'm just keeping my word because you're all my headquarters. 

But yeah that's basically the highlight of the week is Poto! We're going to go take some fala over to his house to make it a bit nicer for him. Hes also an artist! 

Pray for him please. :) 

THe firt one is of us eating dinner together at this little restaraunt called scoops because fafaga didn't show up. It was awesome but the french fries costed like 5 bucks each! It was nuts! We're regulars over there.

The other one just depicts the great elders I'm paired with. Elder Vest doing...um... that... and Elder Ligaliga reacting. :) WE have a graet time together. Elder Ligaliga got put with us this wednesday I think but I'm not sure its just been a blur of FUN! We're tearing it up. Elder Ligaliga is from New Zealand and he's been out for a year on saturday that just passed. HE's a stud! 

THe third.... yeah... WE have a great time! He has a very soft cheek. ;) In the name of jesus christ amen...

THats all

I'm living in Matautu but my area is Literally Apia. Like the part thats right on the ocean in the bay wherea e the ships are, the big market, mcdonalds, all the big stores... its crazy! :) I went thorugh a bit of a culture shock when I first got here but all is well now and I'm really starting to love it.

I'm living in Matautu but my area is Literally Apia. Like the part thats right on the ocean in the bay where all the ships are, the big market, mcdonalds, all the big stores... its crazy! :) I went thorugh a bit of a culture shock when I first got here but all is well now and I'm really starting to love it.
WEll this whole thing was an unexpected transfer because transferrs are actually this week so I was pretty shocked along with everyone else but now I'm living on matautu street which is awesome but super super weird! Like I said it was a whole other culture shock coming here because its just like being in a city back in america with a busy main street alley ways, huge buildings and all kinds of cool stores too but I'll tell ya what there was one paved road and just jungle in lalovi...

I love it though! Its a blast over here. WE J-walk on the regualr, meet heaps of people all in one day, still don't use street names because everyone just memorizes buidlings and where they live based off of land marks. Its all just so new! THe coolest part is that I;ve seen so many people from Tuanai and lalovi since I';ve gotten here because this is the place where everyone comes to do their shopping each weekend and we're out and a bout preaching the gospel so they pul over and make my day all the time! ITs sweet! 

The weirdest part of this weekend since I've gotten here thoguh was this guy named norman that we met as we were looking to invite his mom back to church because she hasn't been coing very much... WE asked if we could help him with anyone after we woke him up from his sleeping and then he invited us in and we started having the weirdest conversation. It basically went exactly like Alma Chapter 30... nearly word for word in some cases. WE sat down and he just started chatting as if he didn't hear our offer for help from before so then I asked a gain and he paused grinned and asked if there is a God. I of course got pumped to answer with a yes and he just got upset and argued that I don't know because I haven't seen him before... It was weird mom! This guy lives in Samoa and doesn't beleive in a God..... I never thought in a million years that I would meet someone lke Norman on my mission!!! I was blown away! We kept discussing it more and more but his answers were always short and denying the witnesses I was giving him. A few times he laughed, other tiomes he yelled... Then He asked us to share something about God So I just opened right on up to Alma 30 and read him word for word starting from verse 37 who he is. It was nuts! WE both felt the spirit up until his mom who were looking for came in and started to argue wiht him... We dippd out pretty shortly after that because we had a baptism to attend. It was the strangest part of my mission by far! I MET KORIHOR... 

So this area has so much in store for me. WE speak a lot of english because theres heaps of english speaking people especially in the ward... Its all just so different and new I'm not sure what to do half the time but its a blast. 

 I ditched elder Sewell though and don't know if He has a new comapnion yet or not he was just waiting with the elders in Samatau last I heard.. I miss him. BUt I'm with Elder Vest from Logan utah who just got here 6 weeks ago so you guessed it I'm training again and I'm loving it again! He's a stud! He can speak samoan really well already which is a blast.

Yes I'm still DL over here and this district needs a little bit of help but I'm excited to do it. We're covering 2 wards and they're awesome! fia palagi too. Elder Redd is training in Tutuila with someone from Elder Vest's intake, Afuvai is working at an airport i guess, the intake is all doing great, TUimauga is an AP, Fifita is a ZL in tutuila trying not to get fat from all the american food, Luatua was a sister training leader but now I think shes training in SAvaii, Kimball last  heard was training, packard is working on coming back out, and Mataitusi I guess is backside Upolu somewhere just preaching it up. so yeah that's us. I had a great week and hope to go set up heaps of baptismal dates this week and then end it with a sweet conference weekend. I love you heaps and will see you soon! :)

Elder Jones