Hermana Emily Jones: Feliz Día de Acción de Gracias! and Final Week

(Parent Note: the emails below are from the last two weeks)

Feliz Día de Acción de Gracias! (November 23, 2016)

That is Happy Thanksgiving in Spanish, and I mean it! Happy Thanksgiving everybody! I am excited to go hog wild tomorrow at President's house ("Don't mind if I do Lilian"). It has been a great last week and a half. Here in the mission (and throughout the whole world) we are getting very excited to start La Iniciativa de Navidad for this year! I invite you all to go to Mormon.org this Friday to see and share the new Christmas video the Church has made as well as all of the great ideas of how to iluminar el mundo this Christmas Season as the Savior did during His earthly ministry. Also, 1 de Diciembre is the world day of service so start planning the service projects you will do next Thursday! I am going to enjoy this last week and a half I have to spread as much Christmas cheer in Mexico as possible! We have already seen a lot of success in contacting on the streets with the little cards we have as well as visiting members and inviting them to join with us in the Christmas initiative. I love being able to focus on Christ and the light He gives to everyone, regardless of beliefs or religion.

Okay, a funny quick experience to share with you this week -- my companion and I were on our way to the stake center when we had the impression to talk to a mother and daughter. The mom was knocking door to door and the daughter was sitting on the curb. We started talking to them and turns out that they were selling canaries -- the little birds -- to try to have a little money to buy something to eat. My companion encouraged me to buy two of them. So, after giving them a pamphlet, we continued on our way to the stake center with a little brown paper bag with birds inside. When we got there we left them in the kitchen and headed into our meeting. Afterwards, we took President to the kitchen...to find the bag empty and the birds flying all over the room! I then witnessed something epic that I will never forget -- President going into action and managing to catch the birds with my companion screaming every time one flew by her head. I had tears streaming down my face I was laughing so hard. After Prez got them in the bag he turned to me and said "That is the dumbest thing you have ever done on your mission" HAHAHAHAHAHA. He gave us a hug and thanked us for trying to be kind to someone on the street but suggesting that next time we just give the person money instead of taking the animals with us. We gave the birds to a sweet old man who is a recent convert and is taking very good care of them. I need to run...we had a great day at the National Museum of Anthropology near at Chapultepec. Thanks everybody! I love you all and am grateful for each of you!

Love Hermana Jones

Final Week (November 28, 2016)

Hello everybody! I apologize now that this is going to be so short and boring. We just got back from saying goodbye to Monte Corona and Jardines Wards (second area) way up in the mountains and volcanoes and all that fun stuff so I do not have much time at all. It was a great week. Yesterday we were present for the baptism of a young man that we taught and then later the Elders when they arrived to cover the south part of the J.E. Ward. I have come to truly appreciate the importance and value of the ordinance of baptism here in the mission. Every single person is a child of God who is on the path home again and it is amazing to see. Also, our 66 year old investigator M went to Church yesterday and stayed for the baptism afterwards and LOVED it. I think he will be baptized here in a few weeks :)

Quick story...yesterday I saved the Bishop jajajaja during Sacrament Meeting I felt the need to check the little frijolito of a phone we have and found that the Bishop had sent us a text asking one of us to share a message right after the speaker that was speaking at the time. I sent him a message telling him not to worry and that I would take care of it. I also asked if there was a specific topic I should speak on and all he asked of me was that I didn't share with the congregation that he had asked me on the spot to speak haha. So, I once again used the story of Grandpa Wayne and I walking to the bus stop and then shared some verses from Mosiah 5 about how we need to have Christ´s name written on our heart, and know the name by which we are called. We can't get to know somebody unless we spend time with them. I also again used the story of the disciples and Christ on the road to Emaus. I asked them a few questions about if they were spending enough time with Christ every day. It was fun :)

Sorry I have not sent more pictures over the past few weeks. My camera has officially died so I can no longer take pictures. I am relying on those that people send me and then I forward them to you. I love you all so much. I am excited to work as hard as possible this last week I have as a missionary. Okay I really do have to go now. LOVE YOU. Cheers and saludos!

Hermana Jones

Saying goodbye to people in my first area. It is a little overwhelming and I did not see as many as I hoped but these are all converts who I worked with and visited a lot during my first few months. A, the older man, is now cancer free! When I visited him with my trainer Hermana Llaguarima and Hermana Wong and, during the first part of Hermana Carrasco's training, he was always in a recliner chair or flat on his back in bed. Now he can walk! I could hardly understand or talk to these wonderful people when I first arrived but they did help me a lot during the refiner's fire of learning Spanish haha.

Two of my favorite adorable kids from my first area.

A and I...It was a blessing to enjoy the journey that lead to their baptism.

Me with Lilian who is the Bishop's ten year old daughter (they live above us). It was really fun to teach her "Soy un hijo de Dios" for the primary program. She did a great job!

Selfie while waiting for interviews. This was about twenty minutes after I had the privilege and honor of giving my companion her flu shot! That was one of the coolest experiences and really wish we had it on video. As soon as she saw the needle she nearly fainted and we had to shove her into the chair (I used the technique my mom used one time when I was young. She told me we were going on a fun trip after school to get donuts and did not tell me a thing about going to the doctor! My companion had forgotten about the shots and I did not remind her. Mama Stutz didn't have donuts but she did have Tootsie rolls so that was good). She was literally kicking and putting up a good fight. Hermana Stutznegger had to bear hug her while I managed to get the needle in. Afterwards, Hna Stutznegger said that Hermana Torres has taken the cake for being the worst missionary ever to receive a shot. It was hilarious haha poor thing :)

This pic is of us with a lady who we contacted on the street while we were looking for somewhere to eat (the members had given us money for the day) and she invited us into her cocina economica. She was so sweet :)

Us with Hermana L who gave us la comida yesterday. She is always full of energy and super fun to be with!

"Las Alas" or "The Wings" nearby Chapultepec. We had a great time today visiting the National Museum of Anthropology there. It was impressive.

More pics from el museo -- it is a huge place. We did not even make it through half of the building I think but we went to a few of the highlights which are the rooms of Teotihuacán, Mexica, and the Mayas. Lots of human sacrificing and other interesting things.