28 May 2012 Philippi & Delt in the City of Cape Town

NOTE TO EVERYONE, ADRIAN SENT 18 PICTURES TODAY SO I WILL DIVIDE THEM UP OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.

 IT TAKES SO LONG TO ARRANGE ADRIAN'S WEEKLY ONE LARGE PARAGRAPHED LETTER INTO THIS COMPLETE LETTER.

SORRY FOR THE DELAY

Hi mom and dad,  

Here are some pictures of last week's P-Day adventure! It was incredible! Pictures don't even give the full experience! Love you all!

Looks like the quadding trip was great and a success last Sat! You must have had a blast! I still haven't even been up to the plane crash that’s in the mountains near Coleman Alberta yet! I'm glad everyone is still safe! I don't want a replay of what happened to mom last year! Thanks for those pics! So how is Syd doing anyways? Is she famous yet? Enjoy your week off dad Love ya!

Good work on another exam mom! Sounds like quadding was a blast also! The picture with you stuck in a deep mudbog looks real good. Way to go for getting out by yourself. Good luck with the garage sale this weekend! Was neat that you watched “Return of the Jedi” movie on TV last night. I've actually told quite a few missionaries about how your Mission President gave your missionary district permission to see that Starwars movie while on your mission.

 That’s would have been so sweet back then! haha!

 I'm glad you get some time off work also! Sounds like this week is going to be a busy one! Thanks for emailing me so faithfully! And sending me letters! I got another snail mail letter from you this week! I love getting those letters! love you mom!

Happy 86th Birthday Opa!!!

I hope today is a blast for you! Just know that your African Grandson is celebrating your birthday from the other side of the world! (Plus today is P-Day so it makes it easy!) This week was pretty good!

I love my mission. The highlight of the week was when I saw NOBUNTU!!!!!! Come to church on Sunday!!! That was sweeet!!! I really hope that that broke the ice for her. She was nervous since she hasn’t been to church for awhile! So I hope the ice is broken now and she'll start being 100% active! She could be a powerful help to the ward!

Also we are teaching this man named Grahm. He is sweet! He is a referral from a Bishop in Panorama, Grahm is an active member of the Universal Church and is grasping everything we tell him very easily, he has so much faith! When we told him about the Book of Mormon being another witness and testament that Jesus Christ Lives, he was very interested!

The work is going very well! I'm still managing to stay safe! It is really sketchy being in Khayelitsha at night, but we try to avoid dangerous places after dark, which is 6 pm... Everybody still thinks its winter here, but its +25 outside and sunny! I don't see it... but whatever, I’ll take their words for it that it is winter for them!

Transfers are coming up in a few weeks! I'm destined to be moving away from this ward! Apparently a missionary can't be in an area for longer than 6 months unless requested through the president. So it'll be nice to go somewhere else and experience something new! I have a feeling I’m going to Eastern Cape! So depending on where I go, the mail is pretty sketchy... so I might only be able to send packages once or twice a transfer... so don't think that I am ignoring anyone! I will still be able to receive mail at the normal pace, but sending is going to be different...

 By the way, I am super grateful for all of the packages that I have received! Keep them coming! I love em! :P Nicole! Thanks for the shirt! I'm sorry if you didn't get my letter from before... I sent it to the return address you gave me in Edmonton, so I guess it never got to you... I'll send ya another one!

But ya! This week was a good one! I braai'd up some ribs last night! (a braai is the same as BBQ but just using burning charcoal instead of propane) They were amazing! Could have been more tender though. I just bought pre-marinated ribs, braai'd them up, then smothered them with some hickory honey BBQ sauce and they were fantastic! I even have leftovers for lunch today, and dinner! There were 9 of us missionaries braaing! It was fun! Love you all!!

-Elder Jones

21 May 2012 Philippi & Delt in the city of Cape Town

Mom Dad, Thanks for the picture of Talia and Tristan. They look so cute watching the movie! I'm excited to see what this tree in the front yard is going to look like after you get it planted! Please take a picture of the house with the new tree and send it to me! And have those stupid annoying shoots stopped growing in your flowerbed from the choke cherry tree? I hated those stupid shoots!

 Let me know how those apples turn out on the apple trees in the back. I’m curious! I love you mom! Too bad I’m not there to mow the lawn for you with the new mower? Just be lucky you even have a lawn! People's lawns here are just sand... with weeds... seeing a lawn is really nice actually! It’s good to hear that everything is going so well dad! Love you. Thank you for the pictures of Oma and Opa! Sounds like your quadding trip is going to be epic! Wish I could be there! Are both of your quads still running well?

Thanks for the update with the family also! And it's funny that you brought up the story of Alma praying for his son and the angel appeared! I was studying that the other day, the power of prayer, and I stumbled across that experience also! It's a good one! Thanks for the email dad! How are you doing? How’s work? How’s Aaron and Kim. Wish I would hear from them more.

Today was only ridiculously awesome! Man this whole week has just been spectacular!!! On Thursday there was a Fireside held in Beleville by the BYU Young Ambassadors (which is a singing /dancing group from BYU that tours the world, and this year they toured Africa!). At the fireside they did this sweet performance where one of the members of the group would go up and share their testimony or a thought for like 5 mins, then the whole group would sing 2 songs. Now let me just tell you! They were absolutely incredible!!!! It made me really miss singing back at home! And they would repeat that process with first someone talking then they would sing a few songs and so forth… they would sing  for 1.5 hours! It was awesome! Not to mention, earlier that day, Elder Park and I made sure two 2 inactive sisters would get invitations (Nobuntu and Neliswa, both inactive recent converts) they ended up there that night!

The spirit was so strong! I was so happy that they came! Then after the closing prayer we were able to go and interact with the BYU people.  I was talking with the youngest one in the group who plays saxophone, he is 19 and just got his mission call to New York mission. He shared in his testimony that night that his brother went to North Korea on his mission! I was enthused because Tori  is going to South Korea! So that was awesome! He was saying that his brother had a hard time... because of language barriers... so pray for the gift of tongues Viktoria!!!!

 So that was an awesome night! Then the next night us missionaries were privileged to see the actual performance of the BYU Ambassadors at the Artscape Theater! It was just incredible! They even performed 1 song that I did in Show Choir (Brand New You), 1 song I did in our singing group HarmoniX (Stand By Me), and 1 song I did in Jazz Band (Sing, Sing, Sing!)! Not to mention I have actually performed quite a few of the moves they did, especially in the swing dancing!

 I was so trunked out it was ridiculous!  I had to refrain from singing along to the songs I knew! Oh man! That was awesome! So pretty much to sum up the performance, it was show choir on steroids! But with a live band for music! Yup! I was so happy to be able to go! AND!!! The ticket was only R35, so like $4.50! Sheesh! Show Choir is expensive at $8.! PAHA! Ya and all of the singers were pretty much as good as Sydnee Ralph!

Anywho, enough about that! On Sunday, Wandile came to church!!!! That was awesome, I was so happy! I really hope that we can keep seeing him for sure! I was SOOOO happy about that! He's 21 and holds the Aaronic Priesthood! So if he gets the higher priesthood, he'd be a sweet strength for the Ward! So that was awesome! And church was good... and then the rest of the day was alright.. but…

Today!!! Oh my! Today was also amazing! So just to start off, I am in the most beautiful place in the world! Just to start! It is the most beautiful city in the world! Now today we went somewhere called Cape Point. Now Cape Point is the very tip of the City Cape Town, and it is where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet! It is incredible! The drive was fantastic! And the view at the Cape Point was sweet! I got some nice pictures! I would totally send them today but I forgot my cable at the boarding... sorry... I’ll send them next Monday for sure! So amazing! I also got to see baboons! And Ostriches! And Penguins! All just in the wild! It was sweet! I got some nice pics of those too! I even touched a penguin! It was very happy with me though... good thing I got out of there before it attacked me! And we took an amazing drive back home on a gorgeous, scenic route! It was amazing, just amazing!  It makes scenic drive in Lethbridge look like, just absolutely nothing.

So that was my week! We are still working on baptisms set in order, but we are having a tough time... But they will come! We are also struggling to see every recent convert at least once a week... there are 13 of them, and our area is huge! Anywho... that is my week!

I love it here! I'm very slowly getting better at speaking Xhosa... I also found out today that a huge house here with beautiful view sells really cheap! Only like $100,000ish! I was so surprised! So I'm going to buy a house here for vacation! Woo! Paha! NOT!

Well Ixesha Lixatshwe Yinga! Love ya! Take Luck!

-Elder Jones

P.S. Happy Birthday to Isaiah and Ben!!

14 May 2012 in the Philippi & Delt area of the City Cape Town

Again Happy Mothers Day !!!!

I loved being able to see the whole family! I was almost in tears for the first few mins! I don't even know what to say! My mind is just flying around everywhere! Good thing P-Day is the day after Mothers day, because I know if I had to teach today, the lessons would be terrible! Not to mention all I do is sit in people's houses and sit in a car all day every day! I wish I could come quadding with everyone! I miss quadding, but the time will come when I can again, no worries!Congrats on your exam mom! That's my mom! I knew you could do it!!

This week is only going to be the bestest week in the entire mission! And I thought last week was! But no! This week trumps it! Buyah!!! Not only did I talk to my family yesterday, but I get to go to a Young Single Adult fireside in Beleville on Thursday (yes the missionaries were invited) and on Friday, I get to go to a Harmony BYU Ambassadors thing or whatever! Basically it’s just singers and dancers from BYU who are travelling the world and performing everywhere and the Elders get to go! Holy dina! Not to mention today is P-Day!!!

And I just found out yesterday where Viktoria is going on her mission!!!!! KOREA!!!!!!!!!!! That's INCREDIBLE!!! I'm stoked! Learning Korean! That just means I need to get cracking and get fluent in Xhosa! I'll learn how to say my testimony in Xhosa soon! I love my mission so much!!!

Being able to Skype my family was such a blessing! I was supposed to get an hour and a half to skype them, which I was prepared for and happy about, but then Bro. Malaza (the first councilor in the bishopric) popped in at an hour and said, "Times up" and that totally caught me off guard!!! That was hard to hear.  Then after that, we just sat down and waited half an hour before Elder Park could skype his family... so I could have skyped the half an hour anyways!!! ARG!

 I'm sorry Family.

We really don't have a limit... some elders did for 2-3 hours with their families! Anywho... for what I got, it was incredible! I got to see Talia!!! And Tristan is huge! And he’s talking?!?! Too cool! He would have a blast with all these little African kids! And his electric quad is sweet! I'm jealous! I got to see Grandma and Grandpa! Which was awesome!!! And Anona and Aaron and mom and dad! And Riley! That was way too awesome! I can't wait to get home and tell everyone everything about Africa!

 I wanted to tell everyone alot more, and alot more about how my mission is going and about the people I am with and about the church here, but I was really lucky though, I have to count my blessings... I felt really bad for Elder Kyuvi ... he hasn't even called home yet... nobody was answering their phones, and his mom's number wasn't even working... poor guy... so we are going to try again just after emailing today and see if he can get through... he was really really upset and sad he couldn't tell his mother Happy Mothers Day... but right after I was done skyping, I was just aimlessly walking around the chapel, wanting just give someone a big hug! Paha! I just missed everyone and wanted to give them all big hugs, but there was only a computer screen... and there was no way I was going to hug Bro. Malaza!

Mission is the BEST!!!! I know being away from family is hard... and missing out on all the good things happening at home is hard... but heck! I'm in AFRICA!!!! Why would I want to go back anytime soon?!?!? Sure the traffic is crazy and laws are pretty much useless and rape and murder and accidents happen abundantly and most of the time I'm the only molungu (white guy) within millions of Xhosa's, but that is what makes being here so awesome!!! Emails and letter and pictures and 4 phone calls, makes it bearable! and bringing people to the knowledge of the Gospel makes it PRICELESS!!! Why in the world would I ever want to go home!?!?!?

 I'm also really excited for Viktoria to experience the same kind of missionary thing in Korea! Too cool for skool! (Afrikaans spells school like skool) And also for Mike in the Montreal mission!!! That’s sweet! The work is moving forward! I love it! Wouldn't want anything else! I love everyone back at home too!!! The support I am getting is absolutely incredible! Thank you so much for everything! Africa is benefiting from everything you do for me!

I've attached some photo's. Elder Park and I, normally he is blonde, then we dyed his hair brown

 Blonde Elder Park

That is not Elder Adrian Jones using a tooth brush on Elder Parks hair

His hair has turned ginger.

Then on Sunday at church, he wore one of my extra name tags, and I wore mine, and we went around with our glasses on and the same ties and fooled people in the ward thinking that there were two Elder Jones's!

Also I saw some ships in the harbor that I think Opa would really like, so show them to Opa please! One's a military ship of some sort! Maybe Opa will know what it is, but it was just coming into the harbor!

 I love you all! Take Luck! Ixesha Lixatshwe Yinga!

-Elder Jones

7 May 2012 Philipi & Delt area in the city of Cap Town

My Dinner Appointment meals, chicken and rice.

Hello,

I will be ready for your call at 7:30am Sunday morning your time for Mothers Day. That will be 4:30pm for me!! Email's next week aren't going to be all that exciting because I will have talked with you guys on Sunday! haha! That’s fine with me!  Good to hear that you are busy mom! haha! Hang in there, love you! Can’t wait to talk to you on Sunday!

Michael is getting his call soon!?!?!? You have to let me know where he gets called to and when he's going! That’s awesome!!! Thanks for all the pictures! Sounds like quadding is still a blast! By the time I get home, nobody will want to quad anymore! It'll be old news! Thanks for all the support and for the fasting! I appreciate it so much.  Thanks for the email dad. I love you!

 Blast! I always knew I should have sent that video in to FHV of slapping Dahlin in the face while he is sleeping. It would have been epic! oh well...

Well I am really excited! This could be the best week on my mission so far!

 First off! Anda got baptized yesterday!!!! So just to start the week off that was awesome!

 Then today I found out my transfer news! I'm staying in Khayelitsha!!! And Elder Henerico is going to be my zone leader, and I am getting a new companion! Elder Park! He's from New Mexico! He's as tall as me if not taller (I've only had companions that are taller than me!) He's skinny! He's nerdy! He's going to be perfect! I'm crazy excited! That also means that I should be able to see Jared get baptized! And that also means I get to stay in the boarding apartment with a washer and dryer for another 6 weeks! That also means I get to stay in Cape Town! And possibly hike Table Mountain again! I didn't want to leave quite yet anyways!

 Everything is just amazing! Although I now officially have khayelitsha in my area, and the work is hectic! But it’s going great! Had 2 new investigators at church yesterday (they just came! I had never met them before! Heavenly Father just blesses us with people that just walk into the church and want to learn more! It's incredible!) We also had a less active at church yesterday! That was an incredible feeling! She hadn't been to church for 4 years, and we visited her twice and she came yesterday! WOOOTTT!!!!

 I love missionary work!!!! Also, I hope Elder Park will come to the gym in the morning! WOOT!!! Also I get to talk to the family this coming Sunday!! What!??!?! Talk to my family!?! What?!!? Is this not the best week ever?!?!? Can it get much better than that?!?! I submit that it cannot!!!! Sorry I’m just super happy this week! Not to mention that when mail comes in, it'll make the week even better!

 Yup! Mission is amazing!!! I don't even know what else to say! I can hardly concentrate on this email! My mind is running at a 1000 miles an hour! I haven't been this happy many times in my life before! I'm just so blessed! Although I need to learn some more Xhosa, because I just know that my family is going to want to hear me speak Xhosa on Mother’s Day! (I'm not good at all!)

 Today is P-Day! And that means we are going to do something fun! Not sure yet.... maybe sports! Anyways! Africa is just incredible! I'm in the middle of Babylon! There is craziness and the devil is everywhere! Satan is running Rampant here! But that is what makes my job awesome! Fighting against Satan! It's a blast! But it is also extremely hard! I love my mission! Nobody could ever take me away!

Anywho... I love you all! Thanks for everything! I got a package from mom on Wednesday (the mini eggs were delicious!) I’m grateful for everything in the package, I loved it!! I also got a letter from Viktoria :)

 Ixesha Lixatshwe Yinga!

-Elder Jones