Missionaries Traveling to pick up his Greeni.

Tell us all about the long drive to Johannesburg and your new companion.
1. What country is he from?
1. He is from South Africa
2. How many in his family?
2. 5
3. How long has he been serving? (sorry I ment to ask how long he had been a member)
3. Well If you read the e-mail I sent, I said I was training a new missionary, which means that Thursday, when we got back to Tzaneen, was his first day.

4. What is his name.
4. His name is Elder Rasi (the R makes a Gh sound kinda like in german) He is a Xhosa man. (click this link to learn how to say this and what thier culture is like.)
5. What is it like to drive across that country for 5 hours and then 5 hours back?
5. It is long and it makes you really tired. Especially when you have to go spend the night at the mission home.
6.Well I am wondering also how your testimony feels right now and the growth that you are seeing in yourself as you look back over the last year of being out of the MTC and having given others the truth.
6. That is a very good question. Because I've found that you really have to fight for your testimony. If it's weak than it means you are being weak. If it's strong then you are being strong. And there are days when I feel Super strong, and days when I feel kinda weak. Those are usually the days I have let the natural man take over. I would say I usually have more strong days, but that sounds kinda pridefull so I just realize that there is always somthing to improve. I'm feeling great today because I had a chance to meet with the district and discuss the progress of our goals.

Well it sounds like the week was pretty averege for the Jones family, cars breaking down just when it's time for the snow to start, Kids getting sick, Dad getting called to do surgery... As long as things are going that way then you know everything is ok :)

Our week has been hectic due to transfers, our whole district had to go down to Jo' burg, because one member of each companionship changed. Now we have Elder Jones and Rasi, Elder Palmer and Searcy (both from England) then Elder Lechner and Byrns, Byrns is from Australia. Elder Rasi, Searcy and Byrns are all fresh from the MTC so our district is full of Greenie Fire. The transfer took quite a chunk our of our week, but we are now recovering. We will be having a baptism this coming Sunday here in Tzaneen and the other elders will be as well so we are all on track for reaching our goals. and you might just hate me for this but I am our of time already because I had to read a few e-mails from President Poulsen that took some time so I'll fill you in on everything I can next week,

Love Elder Jones

P.s. I was wondering if you were able to track down all of the e-mails I've sent from my mission, I really would love to have those saved somehow.

What a normal Jones week this has been.
Jer the other day asked when you were going to come home. He said you were taking to long. He even asked if you were eating over there. It was kind a funny that one whole year later he connected to the fact that you were gone for a long time. He told the whole primary that you were eating when they talked about you serving a mission. So we made an apron with cool sayings about missionaries all over it and we are sending it to Elder Makoso so he gets our little Christmas package wherever it is that he went too.
Hearing Brother Holland must have been so inspiring especially as he spoke right to you as an Elder. I heard that he even talked about how to handle life after the mission. Like I have always said if you ask the Lord and remember to do as he would want you to do to continue building his kingdom here on this earth you will be guided what to do when your mission is over. There are always inspirations that will come it just take time for learning to listen and hear what he wants you to hear.
Last year at this time I was complaining that I should just get a job driving the little preschool bus so that it wasn't such a frustration trying to always catch it for Jer. And that they needed someone who could continue on for a long time. You wont believe who called and asked if I would consider being a relief driver for the little bus yesterday. Yep the headstart bus. See the Lord works in the most mysterious ways and it all came about because Burnadean and I were talking about my little run in with the drug thing up at you know where and making money to keep you on a mission. I have had a lot of fun reading the blogs of some of the missionary moms from Africa and just hearing about what their sons are up to. It gives me a little insight into what your up to sometimes. Again I can not stress how you will love your journal so make sure you write in it. I just read through Dads and am going to send some parts to you. It makes a new insight to what he was like back then before life got heavy to carry on his shoulders.
Wed. night K climbed into bed with us and was burning with a high fever when he got up he complained that he couldn't walk and his legs ached and his throat hurt his eyes where watery and yep he had a bad case of strep throat. Went to the Dr. and today Sunday he is finally feeling lots better. Uncle Brock is still laid up this is now going on a month of not being able to get back to work. The only up side to this is that Uncle Jathan has been working in his place for some really big jobs that they bid out up near Vernal and he will stay busy until Dec. Hopefully they will find something to help change this for Uncle Brock. The strange thing is that the guy who was working at the job with Uncle Brock on that job that he bumped his leg on then bumped his knuckle the other day and his arm is now overly swollen and the Dr.s are starting to wonder what they might have gotten on or in their systems that made them react this way.
So today was a very wild Sunday. The kids where so so so may I say it again SSSSSSSSooooooooo noisy. And I mean all of them. I could barley keep the little people paying attention to the lesson. I then found out that I was officially released as a Scout leader for the Weblos and released as a primary teacher. Wow two years and it all ended so quick. But I am sure the Lord will have something new for me to do like sit by Jer until he adjusts to his new teacher. Mc had his interview to be advanced to a Deacon today. So next week when its his birthday on the 31st he will be advanced to pass the sacrament.
Our poor cars today the truck decided to leak transmission fluid and so Dad can't drive it. The suburbans brakes have decided to go all soft and we are still paying for the last time that we had to fix that. J car is driving but we hold our breath daily on all of them. Dad can't decide if we should just go ahead and buy a nice one or a beater that's cheap. We both just keep praying that they will hold together. It has rained for 4 days now and tonight it is supposed to snow. I bet you are burning up there, sorry that you are cooking right about now though I would love to have some warmth. As I get older I seem to like the warmth more and more.
Well Dad this week has been very busy at work and not had much time to be at home. But yesterday he finally got time enough to clean out some of the paper that has been stacking in his office. It didn't last long before he got called back into work for a surgery that was really rough he said.
Well I seem to just be rambling so I had better head to bed and say my prayers for you and your safety and can hardly wait to hear how your week went. Oh yeah mine was pretty good but nothing extra different happened.
Love you and all the kids are writing notes on paper so I think you will not get any emails from them.

The Missionary gets a greenie.

1. C wants to know if you still have enough contact solution or if you can get it there?
1.That is a great question because I was going to ask about that. I have 1 and 1/2 bottles left. Now I'm not sure if that will last me my mission or not so I was thinking maybe another one might be good since I don't know how to get it here.
2. We are all wondering if you are still in that area or if one of you got transferred?
2.Yup I'm still in the area, but Elder Makosa is being transferred and i am training a new missionary
4. Have you had to eat worms fresh yet.
4. Nope and I don't yet plan to, but I will if it comes
5. How careful must you be of illnesses that are in the area around you.
5. Yeah we recently have been told to start taking Doxycycaline for malaria and we have mosquito nets.
6. When will you next go to a conference in Johannesburg?
6. We are going to transfer meeting on Wed so we will be there then.
7. Tell us more about the village and the town church and their differences.
7. Well in the village we meet in a school with just some chairs and tables. and in the Town we have a small house converted to a chapel with a nice podium and soft padded chairs. The thing is that it is growing faster in the village than it is in town because the people are humble there. And most of the people in town are very stubborn and either slam the door in your face or they try to convert you. In the village we only struggle with the language, but we have some willing members who translate for us alot.

Well this week went well, but it seems like everything comes down to Sunday and what happens then. and this Sunday was not so great on the side of our investigators attending. We only had 6 investigators at church and 1 of 3 being baptized on the 31st didn't pitch up. so I'm just a little concerned at how ready he is for baptism. And if the spirit says no then, we will miss our goal for October by 1. Meaning somewhere somehow we missed something important and we've got to improve. The way
I feel about it is that our goals were inspired and the only way we can't achieve them is if we missed something. Of course there is the agency thing, but I don't know. On a good note Modjadji had 5 baptisms this Sunday and that puts us at 17 for the district and 34 for the zone. So we are half way through and we have achieved about half so we are on track. The Lord really does put his hand in the work if you do your part. I think I'm just starting to realize the full reality of that. Mission is the toughest of the toughest and the best of the best times. This Last Friday, none other then Elder Jeffery R Holland himself was in Jo'burg and he addressed us, unfortunately we had to listen over skype since we are 5 hours away, while everyone else got to meet him face to face. It was quite the powerful experience to hear an apostle speaking directly to you and I took alot of good notes. He talked alot about converting yourself which I think I'm going to have to try alot harder to do that........We'll I just got news that we have to travel to Jo'burg tomorrow so we have to go prepare for that. I love the family to much so keep on sending my love. Tell Aunt Bethany thanks for the e-mail, I love hearing from them and I'd like to hear some more from others.
Love you all

Elder T. Jones

The Families stuff for the week.
For some reason Sundays sure seem really hard as of late actually the whole weekend is if C is left to not stay busy. The three oldest tend to never get ready in time so we are late and then they wont sit in the back so we end up out in the hall. It makes for a very unquiet meeting and frustration on the parents. Your letter about getting investigators to church sure made me think today. I wish that the boys would not find every reason in the world to not be ready to go to church on time. It tends to make me love the get up and get it over with instead of church at one time frame. There were even days that you were here that I think I remember feeling this way I hope you feel different about it now as you mature.
The cold is coming in and we are rather worried because we can not get coal because they are not doing the big lump coal because Brock is the one who is supposed to be welding the big grates that are used in the mine and he is still stuck on the couch . His leg is better a bit but not much it is pretty worrisome. Then of course all the good wood spots are burned so that's a bit concerning. I am sure we will make it through Dad is pretty good at getting us covered when we are in a pinch but he has been thinking about getting a propane converter for the stove as a back up system. We are sorry that you are cooking in the African heat. I guess maybe you missed it a bit last year because you never said to much about it in your letters back a year ago. Maybe take a hanky and place it wet on your neck to keep you sorta cool might help a bit.
Not much happened this week really that is note worthy. Well except poor J had to again fix a part in the car, the water pump went out in it and T and C helped her to replace it but it still says that it is not working so there is something that they have missed even though there is no water dripping out anywhere.
Just to update you I have now hit the 135 pound mark on the scale and seen Dr. Pope who was shocked and had my fat percentage measured which should be anywhere from 20 to 27 and mine was 27% dot on. I have only 15 more to lose to be back where I was before Mc was born, but I will not be trying to lose anymore until after Thanksgiving dinner is over. I am getting a plan going to run a 10K not that I will do just that I am following a run, strenght, stretch plan to get to that spot. My goal date is Dec. 4th a friend is running one in Moab but that remains to be seen if I can be strong enough to run by that time. The boys are getting ready to start wrestling and J went and judged horses at Snow College last week. C has one football game left on Tue and then we are moving to the mats so to speak.
All my family got together at the pumpkin patch so I will be getting some pic to you next week as my battery died and the card stuck in it until they are charged. We had a chili dinner after and watched movies on a sheet. It was strange to not have you four oldest cousins there but I guess it will slowly work that way for a bit until changes in the addition of family begins. The hay is finally all out of the fields had to wait until is dried out to stack it and we are getting ready to put the horses out there. The only thing is that Rosie is up to her tricks getting out and stealing grain and destroying the stack again. The baby is sucking all the fat off of her really fast so its not really that bad that she gets eating the hay it just that there is plenty to eat where she is at and she is so naughty about it.
Church news our ward alone has 8 soon to be nine missionaries out in the field. Christina got her call to the Chicago Illinois mission and will leave in Jan. Our ward has the most missionaries out of the whole stake.The scout troop for our ward finally beat the Elsinore ward in doing the most over this last year in scouting.
We are sure in a pickle someone took the keys off the ring that opens the tank on the Suburban and so now we can't get more gas. We are trying to figure out a way to get into it. Know one will say they did it and so we sure are wondering what happened we found it our today on our way home from church when we discovered that we were almost out of gas.
Well we are patiently waiting to hear how your success went this week and hoping that all is well. Never be sorry for asking us to fast. It helps the boys to feel closer to you and what you are doing and hopefully they will be able to figure out what they can do to show others the truth also that they are friends with and to be member missionaries. P.S Sam was just made a District leader and sent to live in the big city. He says he wishes that the people would not be so lazy because then their area could actually thrive and maybe become a better tourist area bringing more money into that area to build it up better. Sorry no updates about Will his Mom hasn't said anything on her blog or her facebook. Maybe this week I will have to ask her right out so I know whats up. He must be getting close to being done but I can't remember for sure maybe I am jumping the time frame here a bit.
Love ya lots smile and have a good week. I am glad I have a son who is serving the Lord. I pray you are learning so much.