Week 39 (Jun 18, 2012): Leaving Nemby

Querida familia,

I will be leaving Ñemby, my first and only area, this Wednesday. I have been here for seven months! Woohoo!!!! It was really hard when I first found out, but I feel a strong confirmaion that my work here in Ñemby is "done"...at least for now...it never really stops because I will always remember so many of the people here. I love them so much...each and every one.

Noelia, Marcos and Elias will be getting baptized this Saturday!!!!!!! Noelia was a little nervous so they didnt get baptized this past saturday so I wont be able to be here for their baptizm, but I have been able to be here teaching and preparing them and that is enough for me! We are teaching them about tithing tonight with an activity that we have planned out. I am going to miss them a lot. Oh and we are starting to teach their MOM!!!!!!!

A quick story and lesson that I learned. We had a lesson with Antonlia abuelita the other day and had it in her daughters house who lives a 3 minute walk from her house. She told us she was going to walk home as we stood up to leave and so we asked if we could help her... but recieved the usually answer of, "no". We then walked over to Noelia, Marcos, and Elia´s house ( who live right in front of Antonia) and had a lesson for 45 minutes. As we left their house, I could see down the little hill that Antonia was slowly making her way up. With her heart attack that she had about three months ago and other health problems she walks with two canes and walks very very slowly. She had been walking and struggling back to her house for almost an hour when it takes us only five minutes to get there. We stopped again and asked her if we could ¨PLEASE help her get home and she got a little frustrated and said no.

As we walked away I realized how much we are all like that sometimes. We have sins that we struggle with that slow us down in our spiritual progression and dull the feelings of love and foregiveness that our Savior so freely gives us and as the Spirit gently prompts us to change and repent, so often we grudgenly say no and just like Antonia, take so much more time getting to where Heavnly Father wants us to be (spiritually and emotionally and temporally...in every aspect) because we are too prideful to accept the atoning sacrifice of our Savior. He pleads with us to come to Him and learn of Him. All that He asks is that we be like Him. Oh, I am so grateful for the Gospel. I know that it is true and I know that my Savior lives and loves me. I want to follow Him and be like Him.

I love you all... les quiero cada uno de ustedes. ¡Que vayan con Dios!

amor,

su Hermana Jones

Antonia- The first time my WHOLE mission that I have seen her smile! That meant a lot to me. At the end of the lesson she said... God loves everyone like you both love me. Where I know that He loves us SO much more, I felt a sacred sense of trust from my Father in Heaven and felt really grateful that I could meet Antonia.

Hna. Leanor- we still dont know where Vincente is, so that was hard. She gave me a very sweet gift of one of her purses...

Our neighbors...they dont want to come to church or hear the lessons, but we have become really great friends and I love them a lot.

Hna. Leanor, Hna. Franco and Mariela- Hna. Franco has always helped us and come to lessons with us when she can. Mariela has become good friends with Noelia and is coming with us to a lesson with Noelia, Marcos and Elias tonight!!!

Hno y Hna Cabdevilla- the parents of Mauricio (best friend is Carlitos who was going to be baptized)...we had luch with them yesterday and with the Hna Bracho... oh and her daughter Flopìe in the picture... the most shy girl I have ever met but FINALLY she will give me kisses on the cheek and thinks we are friends!

We live next to the familia Lanzoni (our landlords and munos activos)& they have: mandarine, mango, lime, bannana, and avacado trees. Picking mandarins on P-day...I ate four to six every day for a week. :-)