January 15, 2010

OK FAMILIA!!!!
this week has been awesome! i realized something... i LOVE teaching!
i've never felt this way before about it! and it's not like i loathed
teaching before but now it's amazing!!! i have this desire to teach
people because THEY NEED IT! i don't know what it is and i can't even
describe it but it's basically the same thing i've known all along,
you don't teach a lesson, you teach a person.
now, there are a couple reasons i think i feel on fire all of a sudden,
and Hna Georgeson too. we've been great this week!
first, we've been doing better at comp prayer every night, also, we had
a really good planning session for this week and i think God blessed us
for it! but most of all, at least for me, is that I decided to stop being
selfish. i stopped praying for me and started praying for everyone else,
every lesson we teach i pray all day for that person so we can teach them
what they need, and every day i have been picking a different missionary
in my district to pray for, first it was hna Georgeson and i wrote Shay
about that experience i think, then Elder Ericsson, yesterday was
Hna Squires, and today I've been praying to help Hna Lyons.
and guess what? GOD ANSWERS! every time, He answers!!! and it's simple
sometimes and bigger other times but He has answered me and I can see my
Heavenly Father allowing me to help other people! honestly, there is
nothing better! I feel like i understand a little bit now why Dani said
she loved teaching so much. i remember she said that was her favorite
thing in the mission field, and when i got here, at first i really just
didn't get it because teaching is the scariest part!!! especially in a
different language:)but this week i taught with the spirit... IN SPANISH!
i didn't think the two could actually go together for me, not yet anyway.
but it's amazing how the Spanish can come when there is something that
you are just absolutely dying to tell that investigator, when you know
that the thing you need to tell them will honestly help them, and could
change their lives.anyway, needless to say, i feel pretty good right now:)
also, i'm sorry if my letters are too preachy... or, i don't know... but
this is what i'm doing. this is everything that's important. Hopefully,
i explained myself. with how long this email is, how could i not, right?
haha well, i love you all SO SO MUCH!
Only 11 more days here!
hna jones

A letter from Cami

I got a letter from Cami and I liked the story she had to share with me. So I thought I would share it with all of you.

From Cami:
So I want to tell you something awesome from this week!
I always pray for my companion in whatever she needs but its kind of just in general... you know? But the other night while I was praying, Hna Georgeson left the room for a really long time and when I finished my prayer she still wasn't back so I was worried & went to find her. The door to one of the empty rooms was closed & the light was on, so I knew she was in there, praying (cuz she couldn't pray aloud w/me in the room, obviously) so I went back to my room and I got down on myknees again and prayed just for her. I didn't know what was wrong but I prayed that God would comfort her and that if I could help, I would know how to do that. and then I went to bed.
The next day I could tell something was wrong & so I asked her in the morning what it was and she said she didn't want to talk about it then. So I said okay and gave her space. We had personal study time & I prayed for her when I started my study. My study was good. I had a question in mind & for the first half I found some things that really answered it and got me thinking but the last half, it was good what i was studying in the Book of Mormon and I felt like the spirit had prompted me to read it, but it really did not apply to my problem! I kept writing things downthat I thought of though.....
Anyway,after class, we had time for companion study. I asked Hna Georgeson what was wrong again and she said, "ok, I'll tell you" and she told me that she just didn't feel like she contributed anything to our companionship or district and that she didn't feel like anyone loved her. and she said something like,"I know I have worth & whatever and I'm not looking for pity. I just have been trying to fight this feeling for a while now and get out whatever this isbut I can't seem to!" So I gave her a hug and told her I love her. and it just broke my heart because I really do love her & I can't believe she would ever think that I don't! or think any of the things that she thought!
So we talked for a little bit and I don't' remember exactly what I said to her, but we always share our personal study at the beginning of comp. study so I opened my study journal to do that and as I looked at what I got out of that last half of my study, It was for Hna Georgeson. So I hurried & opened my scriptures to the chapter, which was Helaman 5. in vs 40 it says something to the effect of  "what shall we do that this darkness shall be removed?" because they are stuck and the answer is to cry to God, so they do! until eventually the darkness subsidesand they can see that they are surrounded by fire and angels minister & talk to them! And I just thought that light and fire was probably surrounding them the whole time but they just couldn't see it through the darkness. Just as God is always with us but sometimes we just can't see Him through whatever it is that is our "darkness" at the time. And I was crying and so was she.
Anyway, it was just so cool because I didn't know why I was studying those things at the time and I didn't even get all that out of it the first time but it was the spirit guiding me. God answered my prayer and worked through me to help her and I'll get to do that all the time in the mission filed!!! How cool is that?!

Missionary Training Center

You can all see that Cami fits right in with all these cute fun missionaries.  Here are some fun pictures of her time in the MTC. Only 2 more weeks!

Here's the District!

(Left to Right) Elders: Far left standing-Elder Johnson, Elder Erickson.

Crouching-Elders Cranford, Smoot, & Worthen (He's the one who went home)

Sisters: Cami, Georgeson (down there), & behind Sisters Squires, Lyons, & Harris.

The Elders

The Sisters

Cami and her companion Georgeson

 

Looks like a fun Group!

Christmas in the MTC!

Here is Christmas Pictures, the ones Cami would've wanted you all to see :)

Cami and her companion Sister Georgeson both had mismatched socks on Christmas morning.

 

Left to Right: Sister Harris, Cami, Sister Georgeson, Sister Squires, Sister Lyons.

Thanksgiving in the MTC

Yay! We have pictures!

Cami sent home some pictures of her in the MTC, so enjoy.

Here is Thanksgiving in the MTC.

Cami said Thanksgiving was lovely.

 

From left to Right: Sisters Harris, Lyons, and Squires

Yum!

Hostess snacks for dessert-that's their pie.

January 8, 2010

Hola!
So, i told you that we were going to have the chance to be hosts again this
week i think... anyway, we did. i went to help my first sister with her
luggage and i looked up at her ( she was tall :) ) and guess who it was!
Katherine Cooper!!!! yes, this is reality! crazy huh?! i had no idea she was
planning on serving a mission! so i think i screamed and i gave her a huge
hug. i was totally speechless for at least a full minute. i just kept making
weird surprised noises... haha! anyway, it was awesome cuz i got to help her
get settled and what-not! small world, the MTC:)
so, next order of business... hna Georgeson might end up flying out the same
time as the rest of us! i guess her visa is coming along. it might end up
being a few days late but we'll see. i hope it gets here on time. i would
really rather not travel alone! that's just scary:)
also, i'm probably just going to send my memory card home in Shay's letter
and have you print off pics for me because the machine keeps breaking before
i get a chance to use it! dang other missionaries! so, i'll try to let you
know who is who in the pictures. that way you're not toally lost. i just
want you to be able to see my district!!!
so... spiritual thought this week. i don't have the scripture ref but i read
about when Peter walked on water and i just hate that people always look
down on him because he sunk. but here's my thought and it's probably not new
but i just loved it anyway. there were 11 other apostles who didn't even get
out of the boat. first, peter calls to Christ and says, hey, tell me to come
to you. and Christ says, ok, Come Here! and he still had the option of begin
like... oh haha jk. i changed my mind, but he got out. and this man WALKED
ON WATER! he's the only other person besides Jesus Christ to ever do that!
How amazing is that?! and yes, he doubted and started to sink, but the
first thing he did was call out to Christ to help him. He didn't try and
save himself by his own will power. he turned to his Lord. and then Jesus
says to him, oh ye of little faith. i used to think, WHAT? little faith?!
really? he walked on water! but i think Jesus, who sees the potential in
every one of us, saw the potential in Peter. He knew what this man could
become and so, in comparison, this was "little faith".
and Peter made plenty of mistakes, but look what he became! the leader of
the church after Christ's death. "upon this rock i will build my church"
man, i just love Peter! He's awesome:)
I guess that's pretty much the end. i have less time today because the
computer is lame and ate almost half of my minutes:( but I love you all!
thanks for your love and prayers!
Be good!!!!
Loves,
Hna Jones

January 2, 2009

so, this week... my first favorite thing is that our district got to be
hosts on wed for the new missionaries. it was really fun. i helped 2 sisters
and then there weren't anymore so i was so sad:( all of us wanted so bad to
be able to do it again but you don't usually get the chance to do it twice.
hna Squires REALLY wanted to host again so she said she was going to pray
for it, so i knew it would happen. lo and behold, yesterday we got a note
saying we can do it again next week!!! oh man, she's just got THAT much
faith! haha
so, one of the teachers for our large group meeting went to Neuquen on his
mission!!! isn't that awesome?! we stayed after the meeting to talk with him
and he said it's so pretty there especially if you get the chance to serve
in one of the pretty valleys! it just got me so pumped! i wanna go NOW! even
though i don't know Spanish:) but i can wait i guess, only 3 more weeks
anyway... is anybody else weirded out by that or is it just me?
so, Christmas night was good. Greg Olsen, the artist came and spoke in the
devotional! it was wonderful! He said, "where there's a beautiful design,
there's a designer" SO true! i loved that. it reminds me of one of my
favorite scriptures in Alma 30:44... i think so... all things denote there
is a God!
Christmas dinner, lunch was good. i ate ALL OF IT!!!! it's shocking that i
don't weigh 2 million lbs by now!
oh, another cool thing, relief society here is amazing! and last Sunday Sis
Barbara Thompson, the general RS President came and spoke to us. she is SO
cute and funny:) and afterward we got to meet her! we couldn't shake her
hand or anything cuz they think we're all carrying disease here in the
MTC:( but it was cool anyway. she's really sweet!
ok, last thing, from my personal study this week...
i can't remember the chapter but it's when Nephi is having the vision of the
tree of life, (1 nephi 14 maybe?) and the angel keeps saying "look" and
Nephi looks. it says that about a million times, "...and the angel said Look
and i looked" and i love that because when we are praying for revelation we
have to be open to where the spirit will lead us. Nephi had the option of
not looking. when the angel said look, he could've just said, no thanks I'm
not done over here yet, but then he wouldn't have seen all that he saw! it
wouldn't have mattered how much desire he had to see what his father saw. if
he hadn't listened, and looked, he would've only had limited inspiration.
i just really liked that because i have this OCD thing that i have to finish
a chapter in the BoM when i start reading it but if the spirit prompts you
in the middle of a verse to look up a footnote or pull out a conference
talk, you do it right then! not later, once you finish those verses. and
when we do that we show our desire to God. it's like saying, I want more
please! and He's very willing to give it to us!
I hope that made sense because i learned a lot from it about how i could get
more from my scripture study.
Gotta go! times up but i love you all! thanks for everything!