July 28th- ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE!!

Family,

Life wouldn't be life without a little adventure eh? I have gone on so many crazy adventures. This week we solved our ant problem and the exterminator came over and cleaned the place right up, so that is one less adventure we have to conquer everyday! This weeks real adventure happened after I went to the bathroom at a members house. I reached to unlock the door... TO NO AVAIL. It would not unlock! Shoot, I was trapped! Luckily Sister H was watching the door. She noticed my struggle and tried twisting the handle from the outside. Brother Dubay exclaimed to sister H, "Be patient! She will come out when she is ready." We both were laughing to hard to explain our situation. I was laughing to hard to cry out for help, and Sister Hamilton was laughing to hard to ask if he had a key. Don't worry, I eventually got un-locked in the bathroom. 

We stopped a lady on the street to share the gospel with her which she was pretty open to, when all of a sudden she stopped and asked.. How old are you? Well, 19 and 21 ma'am! That got her pretty frazzled and said, "I should be talking to someone my own age about all of this!" We set up an appointment with her and didn't think anything of it. She called us in about 20 minutes yelling and wanting to talk to the leader of our church. She was SO MAD our church would send young kids out into the world! She somehow got our bishops number and chewed him out as well. In response to that Bishop told us, "I am sure that Joseph Smith got the same kind of reaction." I loved that response, and was a little offended this random stranger didn't think I was up to the task! :) 

Missionaries love yard work, pants, and Pam Smith! I got to experience all three of these this week! Pam Smith is a lady who takes it upon herself to fix up the community. She is someone we tracted into, and the next morning she called us and asked.. Will you help me fix up the street corner? We were ecstatic of course! We spent the next morning weeding and whacking on a busy street corner in Coquille with a lot of people who are in high positions around the community. Pam   introduced us as her friends, the missionaries, and we got to know a lot of members of the city council. It was an amazing opportunity, and we have had people commenting on seeing us do service all week! I testify of the power of serving! 

KRISTY, a young mom, read six chapters out of the book of Mormon for the first time this week. Watch out SATAN!

Also, we have these favorite investigators, Joanna and Michael, who are getting baptized this week! (also, I told sister H I am going to convert everyone named Michael because of Dad, and seriously everyone is named Michael now :) They are about to get married (YES! NO ONE IN OREGON IS MARRIED) and asked us, "could the two of you marry us? Heck, I don't even care if we get married Mormon!" They are the greatest people and I love them! 

 

We had the wonderful blessing of going to the temple this week! I had no idea the weight that was on my shoulders from listening to all the hard things people go through! I left the temple feeling light and lifted :) We road down to Medford in a van full of 10 elders, and I was shocked to know that a van full of elders is really just a van full of 18 and 19 year old boys. They did, however, at some point start singing hymns, and it was so POWERFUL. Sometimes I am just overcome by how amazing the gospel is! :)

 

 

 

Something which I have been thinking a lot about lately is what it means to be a TRUE follower of Jesus Christ. I run into so many people who say, "I have faith in Jesus Christ and just try to follow his life the best that I can, so I don't need a religion." As I have been pondering what it means to be a true "follower of Jesus Christ," I cam across a scripture in John 6:65-67 which struck me. It reads, "And he (Jesus)said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except he doeth the will of my father who hath sent me. From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him." Once the Savior required something of his followers, once they needed to ACT on the things which they had been taught, they didn't want to follow the Savior anymore. The goal of this life is to prove we want to be a part of Gods kingdom more than anything else-and bring as many people with us as we can! The gospel is true, we all should do a little bit better acting on the things which we are told!

Love you!

Sister Jones