27th May 2013, Zone Leader, Queenstown, South Africa.

Good morning!!

Thank you for the update with everything!!! You commented on my pictures last week of Burger King. One Elder in our Zone went to the Burger King on the opening day, and the lineup was 4.5 hours long. Crazy! Luckily we only needed to wait an hour. I was going to ask you a question but I can’t remember what it was. Maybe I will remember by the end of this letter.

Well this past week has been really nice! I am really enjoying my time with Elder Mukongoro! After emailing last Monday we went to the Animal reserve on our p-day and saw some springbok and kudu and wildebeest and a tortoise... but i wasn't able to see a rhino... so we will have to go back again sometime... the weather has been warmer this week, but it is still a little chilly outside (but for all of you, you'd say I’m crazy!) It's around +18 today.

This week we have been having some powerful lessons and some cool finding opportunities. We have been struggling with dropped appointments because we didn't have a male present with us to visit sisters, but the lessons we did have this week have been awesome!

We have one investigator who doesn't know much of anything about God or Jesus Christ (which I have never had before because everybody I have met here so far already believes in Jesus Christ) but he grew up knowing about the cultural traditions and about ancestors and what not. So we are teaching him about God and about the Gospel. It's awesome seeing him get so excited about the things we teach him and to see the light bulb turn on in his head when he understands a principle of the gospel. We are also working with some less active people and actually have been able to find a lot of new investigators through less actives. So the work is going very nicely here. We are also getting good relationships with the members in our area. I love Ezibileni!

I went on an exchange with Elder Lund (just started his mission 2 months ago) into Ilinge on Friday, and I learned a lot from him! He's powerful and has such a great desire to learn and to be obedient and to bring souls unto Christ! That was a nice boost for me. I'll send a picture of the Ilinge Chapel, and you can see what we deal with here :)

 

 On Saturday the youth in the ward put on a talent show, and it was really nice to see a bunch of different talents and to see the recent convert in our area so involved with the youth and showing his talents. Sunday was a powerful day with lots of lessons and ending with a Dinner Appointment! Anywho.. that was this week.

 I have seen the hand of the Lord in so many things as I am out doing His work. I am also really enjoying being the Zone Leader here. I love each of the Elders and they are working hard as well! Mission Rocks!!!

 

 I thought by now I would have remembered what it was that I wanted to ask or to say, but I can't remember... Oh well... Maybe it was that I have been making French toast for breakfast lately? Nope, I don't think that is what it was...

Andiase (I don't know).. Well, I need to send a report to president now... Just know that I love you all! Too Much!!! Thanks for everything!!!

-Elder Jones

20th May 2013 Zone Leader, Queenstown, South Africa

Good Morning!

Well! A lot has happened since my last email! First thanks for emailing me mom and dad! I just really appreciate the love and support you show by sending me an email every week!

 I'm glad to hear that the garden is in! It's lots of work, but it's worth it! I'm starting to learn more about appreciating gardens since I've been on mission! Food is expensive! Why not just grow your own! In the townships here, lots of people live off of their gardens because they literally cannot afford to purchase food. I also have a lot of respect for the hard work that Grandpa puts in to have his huge garden in proper order!

It's interesting being in South Africa. Technology is like 5 years behind us. Touch screen phones are just starting to get big, and they are now going through that blackberry BBM phase that we had years ago. If you want an Iphone, they are there, but super expensive. Anywho...

Well, just so you all know, I am emailing from Queenstown... Turns out I was transferred from Panorama (in Cape Town), to be Zone Leader in Queenstown, the furthest Zone away! I flew out of Cape Town Wednesday afternoon, but in the morning we were able to swing by the first and only (so far) Burger King in South Africa!!!! It has only been open for a couple of weeks and the line was an hour's wait. We waited in line, but it was totally worth it to have Burger King again! It was a nice change...

 Mthatha is in my zone so I will be able to go on exchanges with the Mthatha elders and see my recent converts! Woo!! My companion is Elder Mukongoro, from Kenya, and he goes home at the end of this transfer... Something interesting! You know Morgan Seiban from 7th Ward right? She left before me to serve in Zambia. Well... Elder Mukongoro has a girlfriend who is serving in Zambia right now. He showed me some pictures and as I was looking through the pictures he said, "His girlfriend was trained by a Canadian." Instantly I remembered about Morgan Seiban serving in Zambia and when I flipped the next few pages of pictures over, low and behold there was Morgan Seiban beside his girlfriend! PAHAHAHA!!!! Small world eh? So I saw like 7 or 8 pictures of Morgan with my comp's girlfriend! That was funny! Blew my mind!

 

 Well a lot has changed this week! New area, new companion, new zone, new challenges, new investigators, new members, new ward, new working tactics, new flat, new weather! Speaking of weather, Queenstown is one of the coldest places in South Africa! Usually every year they get some snow! I really hope I am here when it snows!!!! Woo!! That would be awesome! It doesn't snow much though. Just a little bit, but enough to make snow balls!!! I love my area though. My area is called Ezibileni, and is a nice township outside of Queenstown. It is a quite place with lots of potential! The members are really cool as well, and we have a few nice investigators. One investigator committed to baptism yesterday! That was nice! I'm really excited to be working here, but at the same time I do miss Panorama...

Today we are going to be going to the Game reserve here to see some rhino's!!! I really hope we see them! I've wanted to see rhino's my whole mission and apparently there are some there!! Mission is awesome!! I love it too much!!! Time is flying by like crazy though! Just so you know, I will have to wait a week longer for mail because they will have to ship it from Capetown to here... It was nice being in cape town and getting my mail right away, but oh well...

I love you! And I love everyone else for all your support and love and prayers!

Take Luck!

-Elder Jones

13th May 2013 Senior Zone Leader in Cape Town, South Africa

Hello again!

Man skyping you all was awesome!!!!! Loved it!!! TOO MUCH!!! It feels like the Christmas Skype call was last week, so i was worried that we wouldn't have anything to talk about, but it was awesome! I loved it! Looks like you are all doing well! Too bad I wasn't able to see Kim... But thank you so much for being there Aaron! That was awesome!!! And Oma! It's too bad Grandma and Grandpa were sick... I'll write you a letter! I just have the greatest family ever! It was also awesome to see Anona and Riley and Talia and Tristan!!! Tristan is so big!!! I don't know what to say in this email... but Mother's Day is awesome!

Happy Mother's Day to all those Mothers out there!

 

Well this week is transfer week, and I still don't know my news yet so I might be staying, I might be going... But I'll let you know a little about this past week. We have been having some powerful lessons with some investigators. We have a few investigators who are very intelligent in relation to the scriptures. So we are having some powerful lessons and the spirit is strong in them. So we had a few of those. Then on Wednesday I went on Exchanges with Elder Jones, so there were two of us! It was funny coming to people's houses and we'd introduce ourselves! They would be confused!

 

Then on Friday we went on exchanges with the Paarl elders, and I was able to go with them to Franschhoek. Turns out Franschhoek is where my Recent Convert moved to from Knysna, so I was able to say hi to him! It was awesome!!! I'll send some pictures.

But also I found out some bad news. A cousin from one of my Recent Converts from Knysna,  lost her 18 month old toddler in a fire that also killed the person who was taking care of the child. The mother left her child at a sitter so she could work, and the house burnt down... :(   I loved that kid... I was there for his 1 year bday. The mother is in Malawi now, but I’m going to see if i can get permission to call her.

 

So that was my week this week. I need to send stats and reports to President Wood now, but here are some pics of Franschhoek at a members, I love you all TOO MUCH!!! Thank you for all of the Support and Aunt Terri for the Awesome Cookies!!! Cake Cookies are too good!!! Mmmm...

-Elder Jones

 

6th May 2013 Senior Zone Leader, Cape Town, South Africa.

Mom and Dad,

 

Thanks for the update of everything what happened through the week. I feel like I was practically there! Sounds like everything went smoothly. That would have been nice to have the whole family together from mom’s side for oma!

 

You have no idea how jealous I am that you all went and had Chinese food! The thought is just making me drool!

Here's a picture at Elephants eye (cave). Elder Twitchell, me, and Elder Zarbock. It didn't look as good as I wanted it to look though meh!

This past week went alright, we managed to keep things together. The first 2 days was the Missionary Leadership Council. We sat in the mission home the whole time and received great training from morning till night. We did get fed nicely the whole time, which was very nice! There were 18 of us (all the zone leaders) and we were taught a lot of things.

Now we need to implement them to the missionaries in the zone. So on Friday, we had a Zone meeting. 3 hours long, we gave our zone a compressed version of the training that we received at training.

 I don't really know what to say. I feel like I will just be saying everything at the phone call on Mother’s day anyways. But I am doing very well here.

The weather is still warm, but it is starting to cool down. The work is still going great. We are probably going to have a baptism at the end of this month! Next week is transfers though, so I could be moving... not sure yet... I think I'll stay though.

 

I still can hardly believe that I am calling home again! That's crazy! time is just flying by so fast! Too much fast! TOO MUCH!!! I think I'm going to end this letter. I still need to send reports to the president on the zone.

I love you all! Take luck!

-Elder Jones