Happy Easter

Okay so picture number one is what elder Redd did for me for easter last night. I went to take a shower before bed and came back in to all those limes and paper balls all over the house. He put samoan cents inside the paper and we used it to buy pankeke this morning. Pankeke is my favorite too! It's basically a pancake but thinner and they fry it. Or they make it into a ball. So we got a whole ton of those and dipped them in sugar for breakfast this morning. Then we hung out with the primary all day playing all kinds of games and things with them. It was blast.

Picture number two is of us next door at Taeipo's house. She's basically our mom for the area. We love here to death and she's from here but lives in Utah. At least thats where her family lives is in Utah. She's here taking care of her mom until she dies. She's a saint and we do alot with them the best of which is in and hour and half when we will be doing family night. It consists of us, her foster son from Savaii, a guy named taylor from the ward( they group up together and are really good friends), her mom, and the guy who does all the yard word named Paulo. It's heaven on Pdays ! Anyways we were over there for dinner and she made us spaghetti which was amazing. WE were very greateful.

Long story short is that we are being taken care of so well. Heavenly father has given us two Palagis a lot of expectations and we can hardly speak the language. But Every day is filled with tender mercies to always remind us that we're not alone in this great work. I love everything about Samoa. Its the place for me. 

Love elder Jones

Picture number 2

                                                                                                          

Samoa is the best!

So the picture with Sprocket faasamoa is your proof. The boys name is Tau and he is just a little whirlwhind always disrupting during lessons. But we love Him. One time he was running around with a little minion themed squirt gun and Elder Redd politely asked for it on our way out and then sprayed Him in the face. It was hilarious and the family was dying. another time I was playing catch with Him while we waited for Lia, his mom to come in and talk, and I hit him right in the nose with the ball which had everyone laughing again. There are like 12 kids total at that house and He's the second youngest so in Samoa that means you get all the crap until the baby grows up a little. Also you have to do all the little errands. Grab the books, bring the food, bring the Fala, take away the dishes, go pretty much anywhere and do anything someone older than you tells you to do. It's a hard life. The worst part is that everyone older than you parents you. So if you do something wrong then you hear from everyone about it.

The other one is a nice little Samoan bed i guess... It was in front of a members house under a mango tree and I needed a picture under it. Its just a coconut tree cut into 3pieces forming a T with a Fala on top of it. Plus a pillow. It was pretty cozy actually I might make one when I get home. ;) 

Other news from this week. We met with this lady we had met once at a members house during fafaga. She was interested in the church and had just gone through a lot of change in her life so we taught a little bit and then set a return date. It had been 2 weeks so we assumed she's forget but she didn't. The cool stuff is that she'd been going to church and ward activities with the family she's staying with and was even more intrigued by the gospel. She had so much more hope and happiness that day than when we first met her. It was obviously the light of the gospel filling her heart. I was so pumped until she said that she was moving so we gave her a book of mormon and the Elders Number where she'd be living. I don't doubt she'll become a member and I was blessed to meet her this week and see how much affect this gospel can really have. What I really wanted to share though was this. She's thinking of naming her son after us. So she asked for our first names right before we left and then said shes deciding what to name her son and wanted to give Him a palagi name. I'm pretty stoked! So there could be a new baby Robert or Parker in this world when 4 months is up. 

So another very foreign thing about the missionary work in Samoa is the proselyting. So in america or most other places i've heard door to door kind of work is a harsh little world with door slamming, name calling, and little success. Well here in Samoa when you first walk up to a house theres not much of a question of getting inside. All you have to do is give a little respectful speech about how sorry you are for walking stupidly over there land and ask if they have the time to talk. It's that easy. This week for instance we walked up to a random house and chose it only because they waved at us earlier. As we walked up to the fale we saw all the people inside but the old lady clean everything really fast and then run for the kitchen to make us some food. Then we say the little speech we're invited in we give another respectful speech about how righteous and holy the family and the house is they reply with the same kind of blessings for us and then the real talking begins. It's great! Then 10 minutes into to chatting with this old lady, the youngest of the family come in with 2 plates of barbecued chicken and some fa`i. We eat the food say another thank you speech and then leave. Its pretty great! we never go hungry thats for sure. 

So yeah Samoa is the best. I love you i love you i love you i love you! 

-Elder Jones

So to be honest I really have no clue what to say about this week.... I'll just go for it though..

So this week was very very rainy. I think I'll just give a little pro and cons section about the rain in Samoa...

-Pro: It's not FREAKING HOT

-Con: Somehow 75 degrees feels cold...

-pro: Its very peaceful for studies

-con: Not when it rains really hard though. then its just hard to hear.

-pro: rainbows!!! (see images below)

-pro: everyone gets free water

-pro: I don't sweat

-Con: You're wet and then you never get dry even after it rains...

Con: it puts a X2 multiplyer on the damage done to my shoes...

Con: everyone just sleeps because its raining. 

Con: showers are freezing because the water tanks don't get any sun

Con: everything gets moldy

Con: you don't want to take a shower because you don't feel dirty at the end of the day but you actually are.

Con: you still have to proselyte

Con: no one is out side.. no one...

Con: Cars splash you as they go by.

Con: The bikes fling dirt onto your shirts if you go too fast...

Con: Nothing every gets dry

So that was the week in a semi sweet nut shell. We still were happy the whole way through though. It just took some little things to keep us smiling. 

Example 1: On the 2nd day in a row of rain we both didn't really want to be wet again but weren't going to sit inside because... well we're missionaries and we have to do our job. But Elder Redd did talk us in to walking over to the store to but some rainy day comfort food which consisted of cookies made in India... and Jam from Egypt... WE still got very wet and stayed that way all day long but Heavenly father rewarded us with a great visit that night. We were able to sit down with a new investigator named Vito and help him set a plan for how he would live the Word of Wisdom. 

Example 2: After a long day of visits in the rain we came out from inside a jungley path that blocked our view of the sky and saw a beautiful rainbow! Infact it was double rain bow! :) 

Example 3: I had forgotten my umbrella at someones house and the next day the rain was light just long enough for us to get my umbrella and stay kind of dry. 

Example 4: Today we were sent Nua!!!! A little boy who speaks  some english who became our slave for a few mintues as he mopped the shower room. His mom sent him away because He was disturbing her while she was fulfilling her calling and helping someone with family history. 

God was defintely blessing us this week and trying us all at the same time. I have no doubt that He's with us every single day and I love the time I have each night to write in my journal about the hand of God in my life as we worked. 

Sorry I didn't reply to what you said very much.. I promise I did as I read it. I love you mommy Jones!!! Samoa is the place for me , at least for 2 years!!! :) 

Love Elder Jones!

Week 8

So heres I quick story about dogs for you all. So that week when I didn't get to eamil because the power was out for P-day, we were walking around in the rain and doing a little exploring, or as Elder Redd called it "creative finding activity" which it wasn't but still a good time regardless. Anyways after we did that we were on the way to the relief society presidents fale and the rain had stopped so both our umbrellas were put away. As we walked passed the first of their 2 buses dogs start barking and they come flying at us full speed. It's pretty typical for this to happen here in Samoa but its always a little bit more scary when the sun is already down. So these two dogs are running at us and Elder Redd lifts the umbrella from His shoulder, and lands a solid swing on the first dogs head and then they both just took off. They didn't want anything to do with us. everyone awake could hear that dog yelping pain and we both started laughing especially after he held up the pretty well bent umbrella. That was good night.

As far as the work goes we had 2 baptisms this week. both seventeen year old girls. I got to baptize them and that was a special treat for me. My favorite part of this week though was the weekend because first we baptized Agnus and Evelini, then helped confirm another primary baptism. Then on Sunday we each confrmed one of the girls which was a treat, and right after that a recent convert had us take part in his baby blessing. I've never been more happy as used my priesthood for the work of Salvation. I glimpsed into the future when I'll be called upon to do more wonderful ordinances within the priesthood and the joy that would bring. The priesthood is no doudt the power of God, and we get it at twelve because it's a journey of trust. A loving father always gives his children jobs, responsibilities, chores, and as he grows He is trusted with more and more till he recieves all the joy that the father hath. Thats why a mission is so important for us young priesthood holders because it's our chance to show God how much he can trust us and his chance for Him to teach us the way to earn His trust. It's through living a consecrated life. The mission is so cool. 

So I was curious about this. Do you see my ties all over the place at church or no?

Also I'd love to know more about Grandma's mission in Hawaii. What do you know? 

Love, Elder Jones