June 22, 2010

Mom,

So the socks are doing better, but we will see in the future. (Don't buy the cheap socks at Men's Warehouse, they get holes right away! :( ) I will let you know as time goes by. And woohoo for the ring...finally. It would be great if you could send a ton of claritin because that has been working, and maybe a bag of candy...but really that isn't necessary because we have been making plenty of brownies recently. We have actually been making them for investigators and for members and it turns out that my cooking skills aren't too bad. They are pretty tasty brownies, made from scratch. Anyway, so yeah, candy isn't really necessary because there is plenty of that here if I really want it and you are already spending enough money for me. It should say ВП on it which means Choose the Right!

So Caitlin did tell me about camp and it sounds like she will be having fun up there and that it will be a great learning experience for her. And Dad told me about the Pac-12 which is one of the coolest things I have ever heard...I am super excited for all those future Cal-Utah games where I get to go cheer against Dad's old school. But that is still way down the road so I am not super worried about it. Chelsea didn't tell me about the World Cup, but I will write her and ask. She probably just watches that all day at home, doesn't she? Well, I hope she finds a way to have fun this summer.

So it is crazy to hear about that oil spill, but I am glad that it is getting taken care of. And the weather is probably going to start getting hot for you soon. It is summer time which is absolutely crazy. It has been way hot here, but we still get rain (it is actually wet today) which has kept it cooler. Still, it is short sleeves everyday for me. And it sounds like work is pretty crazy for you right now. 38 hours a week is a lot. How many vacations do you have planned in the future, or were you talking about all those trips to Cedar City and whatnot? Well, good luck with it.

So, just so you know, we had zone conference in Lviv yesterday (hence the late email...sorry to scare you ;P). (We didn't get his email until today) It was a great day and we learned so much about how to go out and better do the work. It was a long day, and we didn't get back until late, but we learned so much about how to do missionary work and I plan on doing my best to implement it everyday as we try to go out and work. The work is very slow for Elder Parker and I right now, but we have learned and continue to learn so much every day and as we follow the guidance of our leaders and the examples of great missionaries in the scriptures, we will start finding the elect that God will place in our path.

Speaking of great missionaries, it is awesome to hear that you are all studying and discussing the life of Christ. That is one thing that the Apostles always emphasize is a sincere study of Jesus Christ's life. As we know, he is our greatest example. Our Heavenly Father's purpose is for us to all receive immortality and eternal life. Through the Atonement of Christ, everyone will receive immortal bodies as a gift. Wow! Also through the Atonement, we can all gain Eternal Life if we choose to apply the atonement and become better. As John 17:3 says, "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." Eternal Life is to know God. How better can we get to know Him, than by following the perfect example of His Son, Jesus Christ, who is One with the Father and therefore knows Him perfectly. We too can come to know God if we just strive to follow the example and the teachings of Christ. I am striving so hard to develop love like our Savior has for us. He is perfect and He has charged us to be perfect even as He and His Father. What a great invitation, eh? It may be tough, but we can do it with His help. I know that Christ lives and that He loves us and that through His perfect atonement, we can live with each other forever, along with God in His Kingdom.

Love,
Elder Jones