September 18

Hey mommy so sorry about this but I've gotta go because we're going to learn how to wweave a hat out of a palm leaf in lke 5 minutes. But I am working on a very special something for you this month and everyone else so I promise that will make up for this lame email and alot of others. THis week has been great we got a ton of work done and found another girl who wants to be baptized this week so Saturday we'll be opening the heavens for this sweet girl named iva. I love youa ton, thanks for all the love in the emails and I'll be more careful with what pictures I take but I just want to remember these things when I'm old and gray! :) I'll have another SD Card shortly headed your way.

Love Elder Jones!!

Stake conference

The stake conference this weekend was the coolest!! Way better than the first one I attended in Tuanai. The Floral arrangements were AWesOME as you can see in that picture I forwarded to you from the Mcbrides. But really this weekend while attending the conference was a very spiritual weekend for me . Not that I got all kinds of fires started inside my heart but I was given a lot of revelation while listening to and watching the careful preparation and prayers that went into every selected speaker and their topics. I especially loved how much the stake president did personally to bless his stake. Theres been a bit of a rough relationship between the mission and this stake which has tainted my thoughts about the stake and the lear=ders but this weekend has really humbled me and showed me a lot. I gained a lot of love for this stake over this last weekend and I just want to do everything I can to help them out especially with all the stake goals and things. I just want the work to take off here and I want to do all that I can to help it! :) 

Thats like the best part of the week oh and we found 3 new investigators who all want to be baptized so thats pretty legit! ;) God makes things so easy for us if we just do it all his way. :) 

Some of my favorites from the SD card we got Friday

So this week was crazy!!! Elder Sewell almost died! Wanna hear about it?

So this week was crazy!!! Elder Sewell almost died! Wanna hear about it?
 SO last monday the reason we didn't get to email is due to Elder Seewells back pain that was due to a fall from like 2 weeks ago where he tweaked his back and it just progressively got worse till monday he decided to call it in to the office. President just said Go to the emergency room so we sure as heck did and it was a long long time we waited there with all these funny Samoan people around. ;) It wasn't the nicest hospital I've ever seen but it was admiarable for Samoa. He ended up getting a shot in the but and some pain meds with a prescritpion to just lay down ALL WEEK LONG... So that was the week... until... ;)
So we were both just taking it Easy on tueseday and wednesday as well just going to fafaga each night to get a little less housy all the time... ;) He decided on Wednesday night that he would fast to see if he could get God to take away the back pain so we could get back to work only to wake up the very next morn with a horrible stomach sickness. His body wouldn't accept any food or drink. So then we got to go to the hospital again and meet the new nurse in the mission as well. It was crazy and nuts he got more meds and we just kind of stayed home all week trying not to get stir crazy but he's all better now. Thats how he almost died. Sorry the some elders from our district came by to pick up some supplies they needed. ;)
 Oh no Elder Allen actually Got transfered to Savaii nad he cried the night we got transfer calls. WE miss him but it is nice just being us again and being back in our groove of things. He's doing great over there though. I'm still the DL and the District got all switched up again but all is well besides the church leaders. They're a bit on the complaining side when it comes to how president Hanneman runs the mission because its so different from what they were used too.

August 21st

These are excerpts from Robert today. We ended up just sending some questions back and forth so its a
little disjointed for you all reading this but one of my goals is to save this info for Elder Jones when he comes home so we can talk about all the things we don't have time to talk about one hour a week. So sorry if its weird.


The last 3 weeks has been a blast and I feel like speaking wise I've taken a leap because all day long I have to keep them on the same page. Elder Allen has pretty darn good english but not fluent and Elder Sewell is still struggling with the Samoan so I'm gateway to everything we do. Its been really fun though because they're both just hilarious. What specifically do you want to know though? We've had like 4 baptisms this month have 4 marriages to do this week and then a baptisms as well and then the first week of September will be a total of 5 Baptisms I think unless God puts anyone else in our path before then. ?Busy busy busy is the story but its really fun. Any specific questions? I'm in for a chat. PS I finished the SD card last night with a video of a speech Elder Allen put on. a Samoan speech. Its pretty sweet. I'll have it in the mail this week for you all. :)

So Elder Allen Came because Elder Murray got transferred to Tutuila to be a ZL and then I got his comapnion along with becoming the new DL. SO I'm training the both of them and leading the District as of 3 weeks ago... I don't understand the second question... SO the letters I have not stopped writing but The business has increased like 3 fold since I've been in Lalovi so I seldom make it to bed on time therefore I do my journal and skip the letters. I'm super sorry but I'm just aiming to get some sleep each night. 11:30 or 12 is my average time I make it to bed. But I still do wirte here and there at night when I get a chance.

I tried the wifi but it  didn't work out... No we weren't in a parade at all. I don't know when he was. Probably on the backside because up front they just had a big party at the church. Backside of the island...

Well its a bit difficult due to the language but it sure is teaching me a lot. Elder Allen is a native from Fusi Safata on the backside of the island. If I ever get to serve in the office I think there is wifi there but I don't know we'll see. 3 days to close that thing!?!?! Thats pretty crazy!! I'd probably be worse because I odn't know how to use phones anymoe... At least buttonless ones... ;) ANy other questions?

 THIS IS THE WEIRD PART I WAS REFERING TO. I HAD JUST TOLD HIM HE COULD READ A CEREAL BOX AND IT WOULD MAKE ME HAPPY CAUSE I JUST LOVE HEARING HIS VOICE. ;)

No news on the debit card.

Lalovi ward stake amd windows vista alcatel onetouch sharp 12digit 2 color printer. ;) Not a cereal box but all the gadgets and doodads over here in the clerks office. ;) My time is up though mommy so know that I flipping love the crap out of you guys and I'm praying for you like all time! THanks for all the love and support. 

Love Elder Jones

Exerpt from June 21 Letter

Ia, 'ou te fia tusitusi atu i le gagana o lo'u loto. le fa'asamoa. E olioli pea a'u e tautalaina i lenei gagana auā.  E i ai tele o aso e faigatā ona. e le mafai ono 'ou malamalama so'o se mea. 'Ae 'ou te iloa ma 'ou te mautinoa pe afai. e fa'amoemoe a'u i le alofagia a le atua ia te a'u, e lē i ai so'o se vaega lava ou te popole ai. E tutusa lelei ma le tusi o Salamo 23:1 "O Ieova, o lo'u leoleo mamoe o ia, leai se mea ou te mativa ai" Tinā ou te tusitusia atu i le fa'atumuina o lo'u loto ma ie alofa, atoa ma le mana  o la'u moli mau, ma ou te faapea atu; Faafetai lava mo taimi uma e te talosia i le atua, Ia e tausi la'u tama tama, 'ou te faailoa atu, o lo'o manuia lou tama tama auā o ia lava lea e galulue i le afioaga ma le malamalama a iesu ma le atua. 'ou te talosia atu, faamoemoe i le atua ma le lē Aunoa.

Google Translation.

Well, I'd like to write in the language of my heart. Samoan. You enjoy myself spoken this language for. There are many days with difficulty. may be I understand anything. But I know and I'm sure if. I hope the favor of the gods to me, not in any part I was worried about. Similarly, the book of Psalms 23: 1 "The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want" Mother, I write to fill my heart with the love and the power of my testimony, and I would say; Thank you for always praying to God, to keep my son, and I will show, the success of your son for the same work in the presence and knowledge of Jesus and the gods. I pray that hope in God and regularly.

I feel like it kinda got the meaning but I guess I will just save this here till Elder Jones comes home to translate. On a side note I recognize a lot of the words from my study of Samoan. yeah!!

August 14th

Well me and sewell AKA Boss Hog Outlaw is now me an sewell plus Allen the Samoan from Fusi Safata. We're having a blast! I'm now the district leader over here in the Upolu west stake so thats cool. We three cover half .the stake together 3 large wards and a branch. Meaning we're always on bikes just sweating ourselves to death all day long and my collars have never been dirtier all my mission and trust me I know because I hand wash them every week. ;) So yeah all is good. Especially because Sewell is the kind of MAN who loves to get dirty. Elder Allen has really good english which is a huge blessing because him and sewell don't need me to be there to translate all the time. 

So we asked him some questions about his companions and told him he was really rocking the mission and that pretty soon Samoa would be mormon and then he could come back to the mainland and this was his reply:

 

I'm not coming back mom!! I;ve already got a piece of land and with that 20 dollars carla sent me for my B-day I hired some Samoan dudes to build me a nice little beach front house for my grandkids to vacation with me in some day. ;) 

and then

Yeah it should be done in like a week or two. samoans are pretty quick unless the sun is out or its raining then they just sleep. ;) So pray that all goes well. 

This Cracks me up. Love that Boy!!