The Brazilian Adventure: Week 86 Januray 19 -- January 25

My Dearest beloved Family and Friends:

This week was one of my toughest week on my mission. I heard some bad news at the beginning of the week. And then we have been strugling with our investigators. Some dropped us and some aren´t progressing. We had an awesome family that we were teaching and getting ready for baptism and then they just dopped us. A lot of oppoinments fell through. It was just challenging. But it is so weird. I am ok and happy. I´m just putting everything in the hands of the Lord. I feel the spirit so much, it is so great. I´m just ready to work hard for another week. There was some great things that happen this week. 

So we did have a great investigator read half of the Book of Mormon in two days! that was crazy. And he remembered so much. He was asking questions and siting parts in the book. It was super cool. 

We went to the temple this week. And that was awesome. So as I was walking through the chapel next to the temple. I walked by the missionary wall, the missionaries that are all serving for that ward. And guess who´s picture I saw.... LUIS!!!!!! I found luis! he is serving right now in the netherlands. Luis was a foreign exchange student that stayed in our ward in Minnesota for about a year. I can´t belive that I found his ward. So crazy! 

I feel like only on the mission I would feel the spiritual impresion to walk up to a preganant 19 year old women, in a park, who is getting ready to smoke some weed. And then start to have a conversation about Jesus. And the cool part is when she tells us "These days I was thinking about going to a church, I want to give a better future for my kid. I need to stop living my life the way that I´m living." Her name is Yasmin. And she is doing great.  

I´m doing good. I love you all. 

Be happy

Love the Elder Jones

The Brazilian Adventure: Week 85 Januray 12 -- January 18

My Dearest beloved Family and Friends:

So this last P-day was another supper P-day. We played some sports in the afternoon in the super hot sun. And then we started to play soccer and it began to rain and then a big rain storm came out of no where. It was crazy! We played some cool soccer in the storm and lightning. 

We did two great divisions this week with some youth. We got a lot of work done. 

I have always heard through out all my mission that bible bash doesn´t not go good. And I have never tried it. But for the first time in my mission, I tried it and man were they right. It doesn´t work. It just takes away the spirit and everyone wants to prove the other person wrong.   I´m just going to always stick with the spirit. 

This week we had a lot of investigators in church. The work is going really good. Elder cordeiro and I are Jaming. 

Love you all.

Be happy

Love the Elder Jones

The Brazilian Adventure: Week 84 Januray 5 -- January 11

My Dearest beloved Family and Friends:

So I forgot to say last week, but we had Transfers. Elder Lopez got transfered and he actually went to my old ward in São marcos. So that was crazy. My new companion´s name is Elder Cordeiro, he is form Portugal. And guess what, he is BLACK!!. I´ve always wanted a black companion. Elder Cordeiro is so awesome. I tell hime sometimes, "ELder, I´ve always wanted a black man as my companion." and he tells me in english in his portugal accent "Well elder, I am a black man, your dreams came true." He is awesome. He has 4 months on the mission, he is the same group as my son Elder Queiroz. He works hard and is super humble. I love my black companion. This transfer is going to rock.  

So our zone is awesome now. My son Elder Cifuentes is here and my grandson, Elder Farias, is still here. 

This week we ate at the house of the ex-mission presidents house. President Emericke. He said some awesome stories of his missionaries. There was one story that I liked the most. So one time there was a missionary who had a lot of blisters on his feer and had a porblem with them. Every night when him and his companion would come home, his comapnion would get some soap and water, and he would wash his companions feet every night. That is some great courage, especially when it comes to Elder´s feet. The president told the missionary that he was probably goign to go home because his feet were so bad. But because of his companion, his feet got better and he finished his mission strong. When President Emericke told that story. I told him that that was a lot of love. When I said that he burst out crying and told me "yes, it was a lot of love." There are some amazing missionaries out there. I loved that story. 

Love you all

Be happy.

Love the Elder Jones

The Brazilian Adventure: Week 83 December 29 -- January 4

My Dearest beloved Family and Friends:

Wanted to first off say Happy birthday to my little sister, Happy Birthday Alissa!

Happy New years! what is up 2015! man, that is so crazy. I feel like an old person when they always say that time flys so fast. IT IS TRUE!! New years was a tough night. When it was 11:30 at night on the 31st, the fireworks started to go off and when the time hit mid night. We didn´t sleep very well for about two hours. It was a tough night. I remember I was in my bed trying to sleep, but i would wake up every 3 seconds with an explosion. I know that next year will be different. I´m excited for this new year. It is going to be crazy. 

I love hearing the conversion stories of members. Some have the crziest and interesting stories. This weekend we did a service project for a Irmã. We went to her house and we pulled out all the jungle (not really jungle, but some huge weeds) that she had in the back of her yard.  It was a lot of fun. I don´t get a lot of chances to work with my hands, but it is so fun and awesome when I get that chance. It feels so good to wake up the next day all sore. But anyway, this lady told me how she got to know the church. She was 21 years old and she knew that there was a true church, the same church that christ made when he was on earth. One day she prayed really hard to God and asking him to show her the true church. That same night, she had a dream. In this dream there was a man all dressed in white. He said that he was a messenger from god. He had a blueish book in his hand and told her that the true church is going to have this book. He then opened the book and there was a name in red in the book and he said that she needed to remember this name and that this name was going to help her find the ture church also. The next day, Sisters (Girl missionaries) came by her house. They taught her and on the 3rd visit they showed her the Book of Mormon and she knew that the church was true. And that is not even the best part. A little over a year latter after her baptism, she saw and heard that name  in a very sacred place. Yes, that name. 

Love you all, hope you are doing great. 

Be happy

Love the Elder Jones