Week 13 (Dec 26, 2011): I Feel My Saviors Love

Dear Family,

Ah, it was so good to talk to all of you yesterday ' sorry all I did was bawl...I will try to not do that next time!! But really, what a blessing skype worked...I love you all so much.

This week was a little slow finding people to teach. One day though we were headed to Vinciente and he had not returned from his work yet. We weren't sure when they would get back so we started contacting the homes nearby with no luck. We walked over to a spot of shad to pray and after felt that we should walk towards the super mercado which made no sense because there were no homes en camino... or a least we thought! We found this home that was far behind the Carcinera. The mother let us in and we talked to her for a while... She is expecting a baby in April and has five other kids. She told us how she has epilepsy and how her husband is so cruel to her and her kids and every Sunday she goes to the church nearby to pray for the Lord's help. We had to leave for another appointment soon after sitting down with her, but it hurts too much to see someone hurting physically and emotionally. We taught the first lesson and testified the best the we could... I pray that the spirit touched her heart nd that we can keep teaching her...and her kids.

I am out of time, I attached a picture of Hermana Leonor and the ward Christmas dinner that they had. She is the mother of Vinciente that I have been telling you about...she could talk for hours... they all can and do here! And I love that.

I know that the Gospel is true. I know that my Savior lives and guides this work. I am learning to listen to His spirit. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and the words of the prophets will speak to us and teach us through the spirit of the Lord if we will just study, ponder and pray. The Lord is teaching me and helping me to grow to be able to do this work. My mission scripture, if it could have been a song would be I Feel My Saviors Love. Every word of that songs describes how I feel. I love this work and the people. I love my Savior and know that He loves us and our Father in Heaven wants so much for us to be happy. I love you all... more than I can say.

Te amo, Hermana Natasha Jones

Mom' also the only thing that I could think of for you to send would be more socks and a new jump rope. Soup packets and everything else that you said in your last email would be awesome too!! just dont make it too expensive! THAnkyouuuu!!

Week 12 (Dec 19, 2011): Home & Visiting Teaching is His Work.

Dear family,

Well this is my last email before Christmas!!! Merry Christmas!!! Love you all. This week has been filled with lots of lessons. I didn't keep a very good journal this week so i don't know what to write about!! Hmm... I am actually sending pictures today!!! We are still working with Vinciente Fransisco.

About a third to half of our work is trying to work with recent converts and less active members. One thing to say... THE LORD HAD AND HAS A HUGE PURPOSE IN VISITING TEACHING AND HOME TEACHING!! And it needs to be so much more than just teaching. Hermana Plummer told me that just years ago the baptisms here increased dramatically, but shortly after the attendance rate started to drop at church. Visiting teaching is not very well implemented and would help so many of these new members to stay active if they just knew someone cared about them in the ward and was there to help them and answer questions...

Well sorry this email is super short, but i have to wrap up... i will keep a better journal so i can send better emails and tell you all about the people here. They love God.

I love this Gospel. I love this work. It takes more... a 100% more than what i have to offer, but that is the beauty of the work...it isn't mine, it is the Lords so i can have confidence that I cant mess it up if i am depending on Him. I know that He lives and guides His church and this work. I love you all, but what an opportunity on a mission... to learn to love the Lord more than anything and anyone else. I thank my Father in Heaven every day for this work and for my family.

Love,
Hermana Natasha Jones

Week 11 (Dec 13, 2011): Our lives are analogous to a mission.

¡Hola from Paraguay, Ñemby!

How are all of you? It has been getting hotter and hotter here! I will tell you about some of our investigators and our lessons! We finalay had a lesson with a lady named Suni. She has two little kids, both under the age of ten. She lives more in the chaco, so it is pretty difficult to get to her house. We took the bus to her house at the beginning of the week and taught her lesson one. She had read the entire pamphlet about the restauration that hermana plummer and her old companion left with and had lots of questions. As we taught the first vision, the spirit was very strong. Her children are so beautiful nd for parts of the lesson would be running around wrestlin and at first i thought it would be distracting. but then i remembered two things- 1. the savior always set the best example of how to never ¨turn the children away¨ for such is the kingdom of God. and 2. how that sound, of children laughing is one of dad´s favorite sounds and for sure it might be distracting but the they are so perfect that I think that it only made it more possible for the spirit to be there! There was a part where her son jsut ran up to her in the middle of the lesson and gave her a big hug for no reason. I thought of your letter dad about caden during family home evening. I think the little boy could feel the spirit ad that was one of his ways of expressing that too, just like caden.

Often the past couple of days, I have thought of this mission very much like our mission here on earth and my decision to come here to earth. In heaven, I was excited to come to earth and to learn and grow so that I could recieve the blessings that Father in Heaven wants to give to all of his children- eternal life. I don´t kjnow if in heaven i was taught specifically about all of my trials, but i believe i at least knew it wouldn´t be easy, but that there was a way provided...namely our savior, Jesus Christ. I was excited to come and had been taught and prepared but probably didn´t know exactly what to expect. The same is with the mission. When I was trying to decide to come, there were many things that seemed might be hard but I didn´t know exactly what to expect. I had and have been taught and prepared to serve this mission in so many ways. And now i am here. Now I have the decision to make to choose how I am going to rely on my Savior and how much I am going to do every second of every day to help others recieve the same blessings of the restored gospel for their families.

I do know though that the blessings recieved from following the doctrine of our saviors gospel here in this life and here on this mission are far greater than I could ever repay or even think of repaying my Father in Heaven for. I am learning to love the people here and learning how to live more focused in one purpose... to teach the restored gospel of Jesus Christ for others to recieve the full blessings of the Atonement in this life for themsleves and for their families now and for eternities.

Everyone has their nativies and christmas lights up. It is neat to see and hear more about Jesus during this season than discounts on girfts, deadlines for sales, and Santa Clause in place of the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of our Savior. I miss the family, but it was interesting today... I erad some of the family history you gave me Grandma during breakfast and i felt and recognized a little bit of my bigger picture. My ancestors have been faithfull and obedient and diligent in building the kingdom. And with great oppornituies comes great sacrifice and hearing their stories boyed me up, feelin and knowing I have help that surrounds me from those i may not reme3mber but that i love. Also a sense of hertiage and responsibiliy to live up to that- truly the spirit of Elijah.

I know this is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know He lives. I love each of you so so much.

Love,
Hermana Natasha Jones

Week 10(Dec 5, 2011): Emi and the Power of the Atonement

Dear family,

Well i am herree!!! I am writing this email with mariachi (i don´t know the actuall name) blarring in the computer lab that we go to every pday on mondays!

My first day here, we landed and it looked like a jungle!! For the first time I was kinda scarred..! But President Callen and his wife were waiting for us at baggage claim and we had about a day of training and classes with him and his wife and the trainers for about a day and then, my trainer, hermana plumer came and picked me up!! we took a taxi to our house about 15 minutes away in our area Ñemby! It poured my first day and the streets flood really fast here so we tried to stay on the sidewalks as much as possible as we walked to our first appointment!

My companion is very hardworking and i really love her... she is so kind and fun so it has made the transition easier :)

It is interesting but I don´t believe that I would have choosen paraguay for a mission if i had had the choice! not that i don´t love it, but i do come home every night smelling like i have been camping and empty my shoes of all of the red dirt (all of the roads, except for the main ones which is very few are paved but are rocky with red dirt everywhere!)... called empiedra. Crossing the street with a mother pig and her babis is normal and having roosters at most of our lessons is too!

BUT because this is the Lord´s work, and not mine and because my Father in Heaven knows my strengths, weaknesses and desires so much better, He has blessed me to be here in Ñemby, Paraguay with these humble, beautiful people. And as i am teaching in lessons, I can´t help but thank Father in Heaven for sending me to such humble, god-loving people! I feel the support of your prayers- thank you a thousand times.

Yesterday at church was so neat! Some people bore their testimonies in Gutani, the indian language here, which i of course did not understat at all!!

We also sat by Fransico with one of our newer members, Emi. Hermana Plumer told me that he used to be a bum on the street and always was drunk but a couple years ago two Elders taught and baptized him and you would never know now! We had to help him get on the bus to get home because he can´t see vvery well... he was a very strong testimony to me of the power of the Atonement.

Also, Sister Leonor Danduro, a member of twenty years, told us yesterday her son, Vinciente Francisco had told her that he wanted to be baptized! He is 38 and lives with her... he was born with severe mental disabilities and so his brain functions more like that of a child. We went to their house later that night and taught a part of the first lesson and focused it on prophets with our gospel art book. his mom is at every lesson with us to help him and us and helps him to read and pray and keep his commitments. He was so excited when i gave him his very own book of mormon at the end of the lesson... he had the biggest smile and then kissed the book! He loves his savior and Heavenly Father and wants to learn... it is a privilege to teach him and so many others who have such a strong desire to follow and love our savior.

I love this Gospel, I know that it is true. I thank my Father in Heaven for allowing me to born in a day and age with the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. I love you all so much. SO MUCH!

Con muchisimo amor,

Hermana Natasha Jones

ps. i am out of time and cannot figure out my camera... i PROMISE to send picutres next week.. those are always the best part of emails! i wish i could write in words how much i love all of you!

Week 9(Nov 29, 2011): Arrival in Paraguay

Dear family,

I am sitting in one President Callen´s secretaries offices writing a really quick email. My preparation day will be on Mondays so i will write you again then! We made it here safe... It is beautiful here and i even had the opportunity to talk to a bunch of different people and families in the airports and on the plane! I love my mission president and his wife... they are so loving and have made me feel right at home. Having orientation right now and just had a very yummy Paraguayan meal. Sure do love you all. I love this work and am excited to meet the people and my companion in the morning.

con mucho amor,
Hermana Jones

Week 9(Nov 26, 2011): Thanksgiving, and Hallelujah!

Querido familia,

I LEAVE IN JUST TWO DAYS... MORE LIKE ONE AND A HALF!!! I am so excited to finally be able to leave for Paraguay to teach the Gospel!! I love you all so much. Jessica-we stop in the nightmare airport in Fort Worth on our way there...I may just visit the massage chairs again...haha. As a missionary I luckily will not have any distractions that will make us miss our flight (aka RedBox).

We had such an amazing week! Our last full days of classes were on Mon-Wed and we finished up lessons with our "investigators" that we have working with this whole time. The way that they have the MTC set up now is incredible. I have already taught at least 30 or 40 lessons or "part lessons" all, or almost all, in Spanish. We have gone from having our lessons written out the first three or four lessons, to just being able to really be guided by the spirit as to what/how we need to teach to really help our investigator.

On our Tuesday night devotional, guess who spoke?! An apostle of the Lord, Elder Christoferson!!! He talked to us about our missions and his and told us to 1.always be focused in everything on the missionary purpose, 2. earn the trust of the members and 3. learn to sanctify your heart to God (Mosiah3). There was so much power just when he walked into the room.

THEN on Thanksgiving morning we had another devotional and another apostle was there to speak to us: Elder Nielson!!! Wow! He and Elder Christoferson told us that if we didn't take any other notes, to write down and pass on how grateful they are to you for sending your sons and daughters to serve missions. He gave a powerful talk about, of course, gratitude and showing that thanks through our service. At the end, he played a song from the Men's Mormon Tabernacle choir called Hallelujah. I think you would really like it, you can probably look it up. Hallelujah means "praise to the Lord God, Jehovah". As it was played, he asked us to think about our families, our missions and all that the Lord has given us. I was filled with so much gratitude. It was one of the best thanksgivings ever.

We had a great thanksgiving meal and then sack paper dinners (hahah) that night and a humanitarian service project for the people of the Sudan. Later that night, they gave us popcorn and let us watch "17 Miracles"!

I just want to tell you all how much I love this gospel. I wish it was a part of everything that I did... and as a missionary you receive help to be able to do that, but I just feel my Savior's love around me. I know that he died for each of us to fulfill our Father in Heaven's perfect plan. I love Him and I love my Father in Heaven. I want to live with Him again someday with my family and will never find something that I am more grateful for than that. There is a way. Through the atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ amen.

God bless you all- I love you more than I can say... each of you.

Con amor,

Hermana Natasha Jones

Week 8(Nov 18, 2011): Sister Somu from Cambodia

Dear family,

How was your week? I hope you are all doing well! This week was really good and just jammed packed with things to do, which is great. Ahh so many things I want to write about - I will just start from the beginning of the week.

Last Sunday we had a really good devotional from a Brother Heaton who is the administrating director and coordinator for all the MTC. Anyways, his talk was about tithing and how we can and should teach this law more effectively by the Spirit. I wrote some others things about his talk in your letter :) After his talk, every sunday night we have the chance to watch a church video (either the Joseph Smith movie, Legacy, or The Testiments) OR a bunch of other recordings of different talks by different apostles and prophets. Our district stayed to watch Legacy. Every time anyone kisses or anything, the whole gym errupts as all of the Elders start whistling and stuff. I don't think President Brown, our Mission president here at the MTC likes it very much!

Oh and I forgot to tell you! From our very first week in the MTC, we are expected to have prepared a talk for that upcoming talk... in our mission language!! Ah! And then Bishop stands up and announces who the speakers will be, so you don't even know until like two seconds before! Great prep for the mission thought... I now have almost six or seven talks ready if I ever need to give a talk that was unplanned!

I met this really sweet sister from Cambodia the other day, Sister Somu (right next to India, no? how neat is that?). The Lord has his hand in our lives, guiding and directing us all of the time. Meeting her was a tender mercy- she had such a strong testimony. She has already left for temple square, but was living on my floor. When she was just sixteen or seventeen, she met the missionaries and was baptized. She told them later that she wanted to cut her hair like a boy so that she could serve a mission too, just like them! They don't send sisters to Cambodia, so she had never seen a sister missionary! I wish I could write everything that she said, but she has basically given up almost everything to come and serve a mission because she knows without a doubt that we are each children of God and we each need to hear and follow our Father in Heaven's plan. Humble life reaps humble and faithful people.
When she had her interview with her mission president, he and his wife asked if she was nervous. She said, "I am not nervous! I am not going to be alone!" They looked a little confused and then she said, "I have the Holy Ghost with me... always!". ( I am sending you a picture of her later :)

Oh and guess what else... Heavenly Father let me see Carly and Nataly today!! Car was working in the foyer of the MTC because she was workign on grounds crew for BYU and Nataly and her Mom were in the temple. Oh my goodness... it was such a blessing to see them and get hugs and get to talk to people that I love so much.

Oh and guess what else? WE GOT OUR TRAVEL PLANS LAST NIGHT!!!!!! I am leaving the MTC for the airport on the 28th at 10 am and my flight takes off at 2 or 2:30 that afternoon. I will write you more about my travel plans in my letter, but I am soo excited!!! Grandpa, we have a four hour layover in SauPaulo, Brazil, so I bought a Portugese Book of Mormon today. Keep in your prayers taht I will: 1. find someone that can kinda understand my spanish! and 2. that needs and is prepared for our message of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ!!!! I will arrive in Paraguay and be with my mission president around two or four pm your time the next day!!!!! yippeeee!

Family, I absolutly love being a missionary. I know that the true Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored. I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have to share and teach and help others to come unto Christ. I am trying to do as much as I can so that I can be worthy of His Spirit to lead and direct me to teach each and every moment. I love you all... so very much. Serving a mission for the Lord is so far the next to biggest blessing in my life (the first being my family). I know that our Savior and Father in Heaven love us. And that is enough for me. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

I love you all. So much.

con mucho amor,

Hermana Natasha Jones!