Missonary is Thankful for???

1. I hope that you are not going to use anymore money out of your account unless you tell me because you actually overdrew your account. I am not sure if it is because you were ahead of me or behind my deposit. Please tell me if you still need more so I can make sure there is more in there for you. Or could there be a possibilities of someone else accessing more after you used your account?

1. Yeah about the account, I figured that there was money in it so I actually used it to buy some emergency airtime for our phone, when we were trying to figure out Bro Kuda's situation. My card is secure, I just should have done a better job checking my account before I used it

2, Did you get a notice that they maybe have a package waiting for you at the mission home yet?

2.Well they usually don't notify us we just find out when they bring it, and they forgot to bring it for zone conference. I may find out on the 1st of Dec

3. What is the price of sunscreen there?

3.Sunscreen is way expensive!!!!

4. So do you still wash clothing in your own apartment? Take a pic to show us someday maybe even the fridge or the rooms that you are in.

4.Yeah we have a washing machine. We just have to hang dry everything

5.Yes we all read your letters on Mon morning or evening depending on how it all works are you worried that we don't all read them?

5.I just wasn't sure.

6.We ate oranges from Africa this week do you think they taste better there or here now that you can compare.

6.I actually haven't had an orange for a long time. But I think they taste the same

7. Is your favorite scripture still the same or have you got a new one these days?

7.Yeah I've got lots of favorites

8. How are all your greenies doing including your companion?

8.There doing really well, Their all very obedient and motivated. I'm worried that my companion is annoyed with me about something but when I ask he says everything is fine.

9. How do you feel about your mission right now HONESTLY, when people ask me I say he loves it and is really enjoying it but I want to use a word that you feel expresses how you feel about it please.

9.You've got it right. There are obviously frustrating days, but overall I LOVE my mission

10. Please tell us one thing that you are thankful for now that you have seen another country and are living far from home.

10.I'm grateful for my Family and for My companions and everything I can think of that makes my life easier.

Well this week has been a good week, but we didn't get alot of good proselyting due to leadership training and zone conference being on Tuesday and Wednesday and both of those activities took up a good portion of the day. but by Thursday everything was good and funny story there was a small earthquake here. We were sitting in our room doing our planning and there was a distant rumbling noise and a small quake. Elder Lechner and Byrnes in the other room didn't feel it though. Some of our investigators that day said they had felt it and others didn't know a thing. I wonder if it had anything to do with the earthquake there. Friday I was in Modjadji with Elder Palmer on exchange and I actually got permission to do a three way Exchange because my companion and Elder Palmer's comp cant drive. So I went with Elder Palmer. Elder Lechner went with Elder Searcy(Elder Palmer's comp) and Elder Rasi went with Elder Byrnes(Elder Lechners comp). It was interesting but i thing the rest of the district liked it so they could get to see the other areas. Saturday was a nice day, we had some few appointments in the morning that didn't hold, We found out Jerald and Faster are actually Muslim, We went to a church leadership training thing(because I needed to go as clerk) and it was actually really interesting to see. later we contacted a referral that we received from Elder and Sister Atkinson. And it was awesome!!! He was telling us his whole story and how he wanted to join our church and prepare for baptism. We had hardly even said anything yet. So we got to know a little about his needs and we decided we should just share shortly about "The Gospel Of Jesus Christ"(it talks about faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the holy ghost.....) After that we gave him a solid invite to church and the next day he showed up bright and early! Man it was cool! Later that night some of our appointments dropped so we called up one of our part member families that was preparing for baptism, but missed it because they went Zimbabwe, and we set thing straight with them. We gave them a new date to look toward and they are now on their way for Dec 12. Cross your fingers! their a great family though. Sunday we had the Africa wide District and Stake broadcast from church headquarters addressing directly to the African countries. We were addressed by Elder Oaks, Sister Dibb, and Elder Packer. Elder Oaks basically Shamboked(beat down) in a good way, some of the false African traditions and that was pretty cool. I hope it helps alot of the members of the church. anyway that was pretty much the week, and the today the most that has happened is I got a hair cut and we got our car washed. It's promising to be a fairly normal p-day and that's usually ok by me. Maybe I'll catch a nap who knows.

I love the family Too much

Elder Jones

Notes from the Fam

This week is Thanksgiving will you have an kind of a moment to think about it on Thursday? By the way we are thankful that you are serving and that you are learning so much about the good life that is there for the learning and taking. We are going to have our own dinner and then later go over to Jadies house with only Nana and Papa and Amber and Us. This will be the first time that Justin actually gets to see your letter that you sent him as he has been down at school since you sent it. Maybe then he will send a note to you after reading it. We were going to try and get a tree but now to night there is a ton of snow everywhere and we even took and parked the cars up on top so we had some in different places. Uncle Tom poured gravel on our hill so we kind of have a bit to have to drive through and with snow added to that mix we were worried about getting out of the drive way.

So I thought that there was lots of Chickens which would make lots of eggs right in that land of Africa. If the only thing that you could eat were eggs you would be getting enough protein to make it through the day. Did you know that? Those take as long to cook or boil as noddles. Start eating some so your body has enough protein. Also pack celery and peanut butter with you for fast snacking. They do have peanut butter right? The celery has fiber which a body needs and protein is in the peanut butter. I need a healthy boy when you get back here if you are going to keep up with all of us. Besides you must learn now or it only gets harder as you get older and have more on your plate to have to attend to. Right now there is only a mission and your physical needs and healthy eating is one of those parts that are in the physical need. Also Avocados are really healthy for you brain with low fat fats that your body can break down well. Do you need good tasting salt or do they have some?

The craziest thing happened on Tuesday night at about11:15PM I was just dropping off to sleep and Dad was just laying down on the bed when there was the craziest roaring sound and then a shaking. Dad was like what the heck was that and then I was wide awake thinking J had maybe just drove her car into the side of the house or some such thing as that. We went down the stairs and the dogs were barking off in the distance and all lights were out across the valley still. It was a 3.2 earthquake stated two miles from Jo meaning right about in our part of the valley. Close to Grandmas house and moving out towards Richfield.Jamie and Brock heard it but didn't really feel it very much. They said they could hear the sound echoing out towards our house so it must have started there somewhere. We really quickly called J and she was on her way from the High school but hadn't felt a thing. After that I really do not like the idea of boys in the basement for a bedroom to much. Not that being up in the air feels much better really.

We talked about listening to the promptings of the Holy Ghost and how each of us has times when we know things that we should do but maybe we don't do, or the whispers are rather quiet and we have to practise heeding the warnings. Then there are times that the warning is really very loud and maybe even repeated again loudly and we instantly see the result of what could have been had we not obeyed. I hope that I will practise listening better and better because I can think of many a time that he told me and I wasn't paying attention very well at all. But then there are other times that I payed lots of attention. I think that when I take the time to have a quiet moment in the morning along with reading my scriptures is when I am better about listening and hearing what he has to warn me with through out the day.

Brother Levi asked how you were doing and I said great and named off all your jobs that you have at the moment. His response was that out of all the boys he knew you would be one that would have the energy that that takes to do them

We are hoping that your investigators week was somehow less painful and that you have been able to share the fact that families can be forever to him. We have prayed that the pain would lesson and that he could still listen to the truth that the Lord is tyring to help him to know to get through this painful time. We are a bit unclear as to if the Bro. Samuel was the son or someone else that lived with Bro. Modika.

Mc wrestled this week and won two and lost one he is learning so much and trying to take it all in. K is working hard at wrestling also and he is going with the Jr. High kids because he is so much bigger then the other kids that are his age. C made the weight and now knows how to eat good and drop it fast now if he can just keep it up. He is on the Varsity team as he beat out the 112 and the 119 kids that were going into those spots.

Hope you like all the news and the questions. Make sure to write a tiny note to J she says you never write her back so make sure she feels the love today she needs it a bit.

Love you and keep smiling as doing a great job. Love the Family

Goal met by the Missionary.Baptisms completed ahead of time.

1.When you say you are not eating very healthy what does that mean. Are you not eating or does that mean that your are living on roman noddles. You know if you do not eat enough Protein then you can lose lots of muscle especially if you are having to walk around alot.
1. Mom you actually hit it right on the nose! Roman noodles all the way, except they aren't called roman noodles. I just don't really know how to shop, and I don't feel like there is ever time to cook. and I can't afford lots of meat.

2. So how is your goal setting going are you learning things about setting goals that will help you when your return?
2. Well I sure hope so.

3. What are your planning skills like now that you have been a missionary for a year?
3. Well I'd think they are a little better, but I haven't tried them on everyday life kinda stuff.

4. Discerning what does that mean to you? You said that you were trying to discern if one of the investigators was ready can you help us to understand what you learned about discerning in this area.
4. Discern to me means to be able to find what needs to be done, by the spirit.

5. Have you been to the little museum that holds drums from the Queen Modjadji it is there somewhere in Tazneen.
5.I'm not sure where that is. This whole area is Called Tzaneen... Motupa, Modjadji, Lenyenye. You'll have to find out which part of Tzaneen. (our area is called Tzaneen because we are in the center of Tzaneen Town.)

Wow sounds like an eventful week. A lot of things just clicked over again in my mind again and that is the fact that C and J and everyone is just growing up fast. It's way weird to hear that C is sucking weight and that J is driving around kingdom come. Just wondering, does the whole family usually read my e-mails or not? Well this week has been quite eventful for us. It started out normal, and then by Thursday we got a phone call from one of our members in Motupa, and he was sounding pretty distressed. He was saying that his house had been hit by a major hailstorm and that all his windows were broken and that his house was full of water. We told him that we couldn't really come over so soon because we usually do our weekly planning on Thursday and we don't get out of the flat until around 1:30-2:00. He begged us to do everything we could to come as soon as possible and I told him we would have to get permission to move our planning. Eventually I go a hold of Pres Poulsen and explained the situation. He said it was a good idea to move our planning and go help Bro Kuda. He told us to tell the Branch president and other leaders and then go. After we got everything we, picked up Kuda, who was in town explaining his situation to his boss, and the we left to Motupa. What once was a very green place full of mango trees and gum trees was now full of trees without leaves and houses without windows and roofs. When we got to Kuda's village, his was hit the worst, and he wasn't lying when he said his house was messed up. It took us 3-4 hours (not quite sure) to get everything cleaned up and livable again. We had to Clean out water and mud and hang up all his clothes, some of which we took home to wash for him. We had to clean up all of the leaves and branches from around his house, but eventually we got everything done. Things are relaxed now, but I tell you I had never seen so much damage done by a hail storm. The pieces of hail were about the size of golf balls.
After alot of thought and prayer we finally decide that Bro and Sister Mpofu were ready for baptism and they have showed it through the sacrifices they have made, and this Sunday Sister Tinashe and Bro Mpofu and his wife were all baptized for the remission of sins. It was pretty rewarding to see and I think it excited the brach a little bit. We had some investigators there to watch the baptism and I think it has done some good. On the other had, when we got to the service in Motupa we were disappointed to find that two of our awesome investigators were not at church. Bro Modika and Bro Samuel are some investigators we found last week, and they came to church without even a hesitation last week as well. This week unfortunately they were not there so we went to their home after Church to find quite a few people there sitting around Brother Modika, who was just starring off into space. After sitting down some asked if we had heard what happened and I replied that we did not know. They then continued to say that Bro Modika's son had been murdered on Saturday night. That was quite a shock and we decided that that was a pretty good reason to have missed church. We didn't know quite what to do so we just shared a few thoughts and then left them with a prayer. I hope things will be ok with their family. They could use our prayers.
On a lighter note, with the three baptisms we met our trimester goal of 9, with one month to spare.

Well I love you all.

Elder Jones

Our Newsletter full this week.
Jef Lun is getting married next week. Just is trying to finish the last few classes that are required for par-legal degree. Rh is still in Hawaii but will be back for Christmas. Devins brothers said he sucks at writing and if he does its like a paragraph and he seems to always be baptizing which was better then how their missions were. Yesterday they were all cleaning out their Moms attic of old stuff and so we got to see all of them. Sam I haven't heard anything newer then what I said last week and Cody loves college, Samantha loves college, Dallas loves college. Sarah R,Jamie R,Meg H & Brenton H, are all listed as getting or gotten married. Will is home some time in January. There are several of your high school friends who are returned missionaries that are requesting to be friends on facebook.
Winter is here with a vengeance and its dang stinking cold, there is still no coal available and we are getting a bit worried because we are going to maybe have to get a different inside heater. The basement is cleaned out pretty much and now Dad is trying to figure out what he is going to do to finish the floor. Dad got technical enough to figure out how to hook up netflix so we can watch movies over the Internet since he keeps forgetting to return ones that we rent and we have a bill that made me really upset and I told everyone no more rentals ever because he can't remember to return them but now we have got to figure out a new TV because the lap top is just to dang small to see and even really hear the show when its a family trying to watch. We have about talked everyone into just getting one big Christmas gift and that be a TV this year.
This week was tough starting on Tue C came being all frustrated because he was at 107 and couldn't drop even with all the hard wrestling that they were doing. The coaches really want him at 103 because there is a senior who is well known all over and they know that because C knows what he is doing he could be the only kid to beat this kid from Emery county. The only other kids that is on their team at that weight has never wrestled. Well we put him on a really strict smaller portion high protein diet and started him drinking water, finally by Sat morning he was at 103.4 at 5 am but the hydration test and weigh in was at 1:30pm so by that time because you weigh more in the afternoon he was back up to 104.3. They decided that he would wait one more week and keep hard working out and stay on a small high protein diet until next Saturday since they really only started working out last Thur. I am not sure that this will happen the kid has really no fat anywhere on him and he still has to grow some over the next few months. He has a much harder time going without food then you did. You should have seen him on Friday night he cooked food for everyone and washed dishes. He did not eat that night and finally I told him he should go to bed instead of torturing himself. We took Mc and the K and Z to the first wrestle tournament in Saline, Mc is so very very good at wrestling also. He almost took second but the kid he won beat him out of the spot in a round robin. K did take second but only because he had a bye. Z took forth because someone did not show up to wrestle so it gave him the medal that they had. They were all thrilled and so you know what its going to be like a bit more crazy with two boys wrestling practice at different times.
Oh today is Sunday and I am not sure why it has to be such a struggle to get to church all the time as of late. The boys stoked the stove but it didn't burn so in the morning there was not enough hot water for everyone to get clean. Then we have boys who drag the feet about getting ready and so we were almost late. Then the two oldest boys decided to sit out in the foyer. Dad and J were the ones that stayed home from lack of a shower. I got to teach a group of really wild primary 3 year olds as a sub this time because the new teachers had to be out of town. One of the little boys is from we think a part member family but we are not sure. I say we because Darren had made a comment in his testimony how it felt good to him to have Alonzo there to help him when they need to give blessings to those who are in need of comfort durning procedures. Then today as I went to walk into the primary the Mother of these little children that we were trying to figure out if they were members was introduced to me with her Hubby standing there. The person who was introducing said and oh this is Alonzo's wife the one who you met at the Hospital. Dad knew who I was talking about when I told him about it later after church and he said he wasn't sure but he thought that she was a member and he was not. Crazy thing is that the little kids know me from riding on the bus with them. Hopefully the missionaries will soon maybe have some people to teach the truth to here in our ward if they are only a part member family.
We received a very nice letter from your Mission Pres today. Telling us that you were prayerfully chosen to be a trainer and because of your obedience, hard work and faithfulness while serving there. I thought everyone had a chance to be a trainer but I guess that may not be so true based on the things that were said in the letter from your Mission Pres.
I guess the more things happen with you serving the more I realize that I do not know the process of what takes place in the process of a missionary. Please tell us all about your new companion and we are hoping that you were able to reach the goal of all the baptisms.
Love you have a great week and I hope that you are starting on some new people that need the gospel because those that you have been teaching were able to be baptized.
Love all of us

Yes we eat what we grow even if someone else leaves it in our coop!!

Do not look if skin and flesh bug you. The boys had a vengeance out to get some roosters that were pecking the hens to pieces. Someone dropped them in our hen house without telling us and so when one of the boys hens died they knew what they had to do. Get them and eat them. This is the boys plucking off the feathers after dipping in boiling water. They brought them in and floured and baked them and ate them so fast I did not get a pic of them with their eats.

Mc and C boy did the most of the dirty work while Dad taught them how to skin clean and defeather. The pretty girl J took the photos again and stayed out of the helping process somehow. Z boy looks over his Dads shoulders at one point seeing how the whole process works.

My Little Wrestlers

Mc in his stance take down and then his super good score that was so close. He was a great wrestler today Even if the kids won the next kid dropping Mc to third place.

Zane is just pleased as punch it get a medal even if it was for 4th place.

K boy the little heavy weight chest sitting on his opponent taking second place.

Hey cousins write to the Missionary!

1. Do people there get to go to the temple very often or does it seem very far for them to travel to Johannesburg?
1.Well from here it is way to far to travel, and most people don't have their own cars, so if they want to go to the temple, then they have to wait until there is a branch temple trip.

2. Tell us about the orphanage there and what more you see with the humanitarian kits that you gave out. One of the Howell girls sewed many of them that got sent from our stake.
2.Well we actually haven't been to that place in a while now because they haven't had anything for us to do. It's not really an orphanage, it's just a place that provides meals for the kids coming from school and for some of the orphaned kids around. It's a nice place, but I'm not really sure how it all works.

4. Has the fruit gotten ripe and what are you eating now days?
4. Well The Mango's are getting big, but their not quite ready yet. Everyone says they will be ready early December, and there is a large possibility that i could leave before that, i really hope that i don't, but you never know. Litchis are starting to grow and we even saw a guava tree the other day(the fruit was still tiny though) I'm not really eating that healthy I think.

Well this week has been AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our district is still doing very well and all of the new missionaries are getting along well. It's nice to have them all around, because you don't have to put up with missionaries that don't want to be obedient.-Elder Lechner is my favorite missionary. You should definitely send him a package. (typed by Elder Lechner)- I got to tell you mission is awesome. This week Elder Rasi and i have focused most of our time on preparing and trying to discern if Brother and Sister Mpofu are ready and we feel that they are. It's been tuff for them due to brother mpofu's work, His boss is a Muslim and doesn't really respect their belief. he says he will relive them on Sundays, and then he never shows up. It kinda sucks, but Bro Mpofu says he's not going to put up with it much anymore and so he might quit or something. they are and awesome family and if they make it to baptism this Sunday and tinashe as well, we will have made our overall goal for the trimester (Sept-Dec) it will give us a chance to really work hard and bring more to eternal life in December. We are doing very well, and the work is great.

1. Just a question about how Justin Rhett and my other cousins and friends are doing through out the world (Devin, Sam...)
2. How is Aunt Jadie, Amber.......

I love you all family and I hope to hear from you all
Elder Jones

Family letter to the missionary.

Mon Nov 1

Well I guess you will get two letters today. This time I made sure to get the letter written early so that didn't end up having kids keep me from sending a note to you. I even checked the time and it should have gotten to you before you were sending to us. I love you too lots young man you make me very happy that you are setting a great example to your brothers. I hope you can understand the end of C letter that he mailed in the Christmas box it shows how you are an example to them by his signature.

Tell all those Greenie Elders that they are amazing to be serving and know that they will settle down soon just hopefully they will keep that fire in them that they need to reach all those who want a better life.
Today is Thur as I add some to the note I realize that I accidentally put your other address on the letter that I sent last week. I am so sorry I sure couldn't understand why you would not have gotten my letter as I knew I had sent it before you were looking at email. I hope that you have gotten several different photos over the last two weeks because I have sent some like J and the dance and the boys the fire and Halloween pumpkin gathering with the whole Bingham side of the family. Tonight Dad and I went to dinner with all his bros and sis to celebrate their birthdays. Twila said that Sam is now a Zone Leader and his trainer who is from that area is done serving but he gets to see Sam often. Sam says he really has enjoyed that and the Young man said that his Portuguese is just like everyone on the Island where he is, this is a compliment to him.
Dallas said that there are a few people who have said things like "oh your Tyrells cousin" while he has been up at Snow College.
Well it's Saturday and we have now gotten through the race that I wrote to you about last week in the letter I sent to Timbuktu. Mc and K did the mile race and K took second and Mc took 3rd they both realized that they needed to train more, a little girl beat K by a long shot and her Mom is also the one who won in the age group younger then mine. I came in second and Dad stayed right by me speeding up and down along the race. We were not last but almost so no one got a turkey for our thanksgiving dinner. It was fun and I will be trying to send a pic so you can see the running results of all of us. Brother and sister Shaw raced in the race also. J stayed with the little boys and took the pictures for us. C went to Mountain Pleasant instead of racing to watch the Football team all of a sudden after losing almost the whole season they won enough to make them be in a position to play in the finals. They beat the two top ranked teams and then today they got beat out . He said he had fun but he is never going to go on a rooter bus again. His number this year was 11 and that pic is yes him at his last game. Lins Grocery store is closing and so lots of sales have been going on. Lots of people out of work also. It seems a bit crazy to close the store with the best parking lot and bigger freezers. We had just picked up an application to see if J could work there but oh well. I have been permanently hired on with the Sevier School District and it is now official. So nothing going on with anyone that I can see on your facebook like wedding invites so you must have boring friends. We are very ready to hear what happening on that side of the world with your goals and baptism and new companion and whatever else you can tell us of the special work that your are doing.

Start looking for a package its in the mail for over a week now and there is Christmas for you and one other person and maybe even a few other fun combinations of things. Sunday, Dad's turn to stay home with a sick kids Z this time. Dad was sustained today as the new secretary in the Young men's group so now he can keep C under control maybe. Hopefully work will not get in the way of him being able to go to the activities. It was very interesting to walk into sacrament, There was the young women who I help on the bus with her wheel chair ramp. Then one of the very rowdy little boys and his sister that I have to keep sitting down on the bus. Again towards the back was a little tiny boy who always wants to sit by the N B boy and draw pictures with him. And then another little girl that I always have to tell her to sit down. It was very overwhelming they are not members or inactive families I was really not sure which and then at the end of the fast and testimony meeting I felt more and more strongly about bearing my testimony to the love and knowledge that the Lord knows how to help us if we but listen and ask him for help. I bore my testimony about feeling grateful that Iwas able to get this job and that I cared deeply for these children that were his and I hoped that no one like the Mothers would be offended if I bossed them around and made them sit down and even reminded them that they should not act that way because that is how Heavenly Father and Jesus would want them to act. I felt very overwhelmed and seeing a bit of my patriarchal blessing coming to light in my life as it says that I will be a mother to the children of the neighborhood and they even call me bus Moma sometimes or Teacher Jones. Mc passed the sacrament for the first time today and did very well. Then he did the fast offerings. C went with him a couple of times and I even saw him helping him to make his tie a bit straighter at M's M house. Later J did her project for the values of young women hood. She demonstrated that she could make and find out how to make the Jalapeno Poppers. She gave a sample to everyone. On the way home we talked about a new goal to make and she is now going to try reading the Book of Mormon before you come home, me and T are going to read with her and I got her a special book marker to mark as she goes she is also giving one to T. I think I sent one like it to you it was yellow. Then C I found out has to read also to get his duty to God for being a teacher and Mc made a goal to just read more for school so they got a book mark and C read out loud to Mc and they started the first chapter. I read to Z but K had already fallen asleep. At least this Sunday was a bit more peaceful then the last month ones. Most of all I hope that J and C by reading can somehow become a bit better friends. The first of this week was rough with them having some struggles with each other and then poor J and T had a struggle with tec crew. Well with two letters I am not sure you are going to have time to answer all the questions nor read everything nor look at everything so I except whatever comes back ok and just know that we love you lots and lots.

Love you have a super great week Love all your family

Family Mile and 5K running, Family exercises, Family activities, Family togetherness, Turkey Trot ya that's it!

The goal was out of 4 runners in our family one of us would win our Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner at a Turkey trot race. The picture story unfolds.

We are all bibed and ready to run keeping our coats on to stay warm and smiling in the cold still. Well some of us are smiling, there are some that want to race even when they do not feel really good enough to do that.
Mc stretching the calves in preparation to run a mile run to try his hand at winning a Turkey.
Racing bibs numbered 121 and 117 ready to run.
Mc came in third in his age group and has decided he needs to train more.
K was second and beat by a girl and he says that will never happen again he needs to train more too.


Z was a bit put out that we wouldn't let him try running. The problem was he had a nasty cough so we took a pic of him waiting around for the two to return.
Some tired runners but willing to try again on another day. Mc had thought about going the 5K with Mom and Dad but after that mile run he decided he was tired out.
Jer would also love to race with Dad and Mom but sorry that's not going to happen either. Nearing the finish line after running a full 5K run.
Alonzo choose to stay by my side and so we both got the same time.Reaching the finish line with all the boys cheering and running us in.
We didn't win a Turkey but we did get bananas and bagels and had lots of fun running around. These Photos are courtesy of J girl who doesn't want her photo taken today as she didn't get pretty at all and had rather messy hair she said. Two of our boys are missing for the day one of course is way to far away serving the Lord on an LDS mission and C boy was cheering his football team on at the state finals. In the end C boy wished he had come run with the fam.

Oops desperate Missionary out there our letter didn't get to him this week.

Hey mom if you get this you can e-mail me within the hour or so because I don't have any e-mails if you sent them. Mon, November 1, 2010 3:41:54 AM[ No Subject ]off Moms email.


Well guess I can still write anyway. This week has been pretty good now that we are all getting back into the swing of things after transfers. I had the opportunity to do 3 interviews and we also had one interview here in our area making a total of 4 awesome people to receive eternal life yesterday. Tomorrow I will be doing another interview for Modjadji. So we are well on our way to achieving 70 baptisms by the end of December YEAH!!!! I love missionary work, it's the high of the highs and the low of the lows but it all comes down to if you've done your part.
The new missionaries in the district are doing great "Especially Elder Byrnes" Says himself as he is watching me write this e-mail. We are working on resolving some pride issues in the district....Just Kidding! anyway I'm still surviving the heat and all is well.
Love Elder Jones
Mon, November 1, 2010 4:37:43 AM[ No Subject ]A bit later on my email line a bit later.


I love you mom!!!!! :) Mon, November 1, 2010 4:38:21 AM
Finally the last little plea to hear from us this week but alas our letter was lost in email somewhere I guess, or crossing somewhere under the great ocean. I hope it isn't gone so far that he never receives it but I promise we did send a note to him.


See here is our family letter to him maybe next week we will have our questions answered.
1.Never fear all emails are saved from my end. Are you wanting all family members of others like J, C and say Aunt Bethany to save theirs that you send to them and they send to you?
1.Well the more the better, but i usually only e-mail you.

2. We will never hate you for making a short note, Dad says as the days go on you are going to get busier and busier so we understand. So the question is do you feel an intensity of busyness on your end?
2. Sometimes yup! there's never usually a break while you are on mission.

3. Are you the only one who can drive and like how do you all fit the 6 of you in that tiny car?
3. Each companionship has a car. So one or more members of each companionship can drive. Unfortunately my companion can't so I will have been the driver every day for the past 5-6 months.

4. So does your companions family celebrate Christmas or is that even a holiday they understand?
4.Yes they do celebrate Christmas. They do celebrate Christmas here, in fact they celebrate Christmas all over the African Continent with the exception of the middle-eastern countries

6. So if our packages get sent when will they get to you? Will it be the next time you go to Johannesburg like at Christmas time?
6.I'm not really sure when they will arrive in the country, but all i know is that when they do get here, i have to ether wait for transfers or a zone conference or something.

7. How many members are in the branch that you are in now?
7. That's actually something i should know off the top of my head but i don't, there is quite a few less actives and some who are living outside of the branch boundaries

8. We hope you are sending us pictures and you never told us if you got ours last week.
8.yes i got them. i think i got all of them. I also got some this week

9. Did you know it was Wills birthday this last week on the 20th?
9. I actually forgot it was his birthday. He doesn't have much time left does he?

10. Tell us about the baptism and your week last week, hopefully you will have time.
Well we did get an answer to this above question at least we know he is still busy.
10. The baptism went very well, and Elias is so committed, he even told his boss of a newly found job that he wasn't going to work on Sunday. He is confirmed and everything, the whole deal! The church is true I'm telling you.


This week has been down right cold and there was even two days of snow flurries that stuck and stayed till afternoon. By this weekend it has gotten a bit warmer but not much. We are sending some sunscreen hope it gets there soon and not all riped out of the packaging.
Well today is Halloween but you know we went out and did all that celebrating yesterday. Oh and Mc Birthday. Dad yesterday morning went with me on a 5 mile run well he calls it my shuffle and his walk run because he can walk as fast as I can run. Even the boys Mc and C think I need to pick up the speed. I guess I will have to work on lengthening my stride so to say. Dad made me go up the side of the mountain and then cut back down to the road that goes out to Pov F. He calls it cross training but I could no way run up it nor really down it to quickly. Once we got back on the road I could pick up the pace but not fast enough for his liking. Next weekend there is what is called the Turkey trot 5K in Richfield and supposedly the boys and Dad are going to run with me while J takes pictures and watches the other two and yells us at the end. Oh well Mc actually says he is going to run the mile race since he beat everyone at school and thinks he can be really fast for his age range. I have to run at least one more time this week and faster they all say to even come close to winning anything. My goal is not to win only to get to the end so that I will know that I can do that kind of a thing. But they want me to win a turkey and they have goals to win one also. Today Jer and K ended up not feeling very well so I had to stay home with them. Most likely it was the to much candy thing except Jer has that nasty cough that just plagues him all winter. We had to sit with the chest pounder on and read books so that it would all shake lose in his chest and get moving out of his little lungs. Brock is still not able to stand on his leg and as of tonight I have not heard what they have decided to do about it. We did not see them yesterday at all and so I am not sure if they are going to see an infection control specialist or what for sure. There has not been to much family news to tell you other then it was Pa Holbrooks 95th birthday so Nana an Papa went to Idaho to visit them. I wish that I could have gone but our car would never make it there these days. Mc was ordained a Deacon today and he says he felt the power of it come over him. Dad and I took him to have an ice cream up at Hoovers using an excuse to pick our last checks for the season. The end of the school quarter is here and all the kids have kept pretty good grades so that has been nice to have going on. Oh ya we cleaned out the whole front end of the basement and will move the food storage out front by next Sat. Then we can start to lay the coils down and pour the cement to level the floor. It might just take us all winter to get done but I guess that will be ok as long as by the time we have to weigh the steers comes we empty out the horse trailer since that is where we put everything to keep it safe out of the basement. Hopefully it will be done by the time you return so that you can have a bed and a room this time for when ever you are around. Well we as always await to hear your adventures for the week and now last weeks two so let us in on them. Oh ya did you ever get extra ties from an Elder Romney? We sent them to Africa in his luggage and I am not sure what happened from there with them but he would have been leaving the MTC about the time you went to get your new companion.
I am reminded to give this poem to you from Grandmas bathroom I think you will remember it.
Waste is unjustified, and especially the waste of time-
limited as that commodity is in our days of probation.
One must live, not only exist; he must do, not merely be;
he must grow, not just vegetate. -Elder Spencer W. Kimball
Use your year well it is going to be passing so fast now. And there are packages on the way.
Love you lots and stay safe