i'm a real missionary now

I've got 9 months out tomorrow, and I'm finally a "real missionary". To be a real missionary you have to throw up because you've gotten sick, get robbed, and get bit by a dog. I got bit by a dog this past week so there we go....I'm a real missionary. I'm okay so no worries.

I didn't write last week because it's more of a struggle in the "field". i just don't have a lot of time. So I'll start with the fact that I got to confirm someone a member of the church for the first time this past week! It was a great experience to be able to have that privilege to confer someone the gift of the Holy Ghost. She's a great lady and I know she'll keep progressing as we go.

I have a horror story this week: last pday we went to a lake out in some pueblo called the Laguna de Almaya. This lake has a story about "la chanclana". The chanclana is supposedly some siren in the lake that drowns people. It's really common that people drown in this lake. So there are a few stories: the best one is that a while back some people started to clean up the lake and there were all these machines all over the place cleaning. There were also ladies washing there clothes there and this man showed up and asked them what was happening, and they said the machines were cleaning up the lake. The man responded "I'll give them permission to do that IF I get one soul in return every year". All the ladies freaked out and said no and the guy just disappeared. Since then, 1 person has drowned every year in the lake. Other theories are that people have seen black magic being done there and that it's a portal to another dimension, and all that fun stuff.

I want to tell all of you about my homies in the ward.There are A LOT of super cool members here in this ward. On Saturday we went to go help one guy move houses so basically all the homies were there. It was really weird because I just kinda felt like I was helping some friends move. Anyway, we just had a pickup. So we piled everything up SUPER high on the truck (sorry I don't have pictures) and went down the highway. Two guys got on the back with all the stuff, we fit 7 of us in the front cab, and we were off. We got pulled over.....so the cops waved us down and started to list everything that was wrong. We just gave them 100 pesos and they let us go. Pretty interesting. On the way back we got to ride in the truck bed, just cruisin' down the highway which was pretty dope. Fun stuff happens in Mexico. Side note: one of the homies said that I'm the best white soccer player he's ever known.

Finally, I'll end with Araceli and Misa. Misa's actual name is Misael but we're homies so we just call him Misa. Yesterday after church we were talking to him about his mission papers because he's getting ready to go on his mission. Out of no where he asked, "Elders can we go to a room privately and talk?" He wanted us to give him a blessing, and began to explain how he had a friend who passed away last week and he was just feeling really overwhelmed and not good. So he asked me to give him a blessing. I hadn't felt the spirit that much in a really long time, and I just felt so good that I was able to help him in that moment of feeling down. 

Araceli is a less active lady in our ward that says she just can't see very well, but she's actually blind. When we go to shake hands she kind of waves the air searching for my hand. I always try to find it quickly so that she's not just left there searching. She hasn't been to church because she doesn't have anyone to take her. Because she's blind, she cant read the hymnbooks or the scriptures, but sometimes one of her neighbors reads the Book of Mormon to her. I have met very few people with more faith than Araceli. When we visit her we ask her what hymn she wants to sing. She's got a few memorized (three actually) which are Called to Serve, I Stand All Amazed, and Teach Me to Walk in the Light. Last week we went and we decided to sing I Stand All Amazed. She sings kind of slow so we sang slow with her. I really thought about the words, and I was overcome with feeling the spirit. I decided to share Mosiah 14:3-5, about the sacrifice of the Savior and everything he suffered for us. As I was sharing it I just broke down a little bit because I could feel so strongly the love the Savior has for us. He suffered SO much just for us. I know that he loves us immensely. There's no sacrifice in the world that even compares with what he did for us. I know that he lived and died for us, and then was resurrected so that someday we may also be resurrected. I love him. There aren't words that can describe how I feel. I know that he's our Savior and that everything is possible through him.

I love you guys a lot!! Thanks for the emails as always and keep being awesome at home. Happy Birthday to my Aunt Becky :) and Happy Memorial Day! Freedom and the United states are awesome!

Cuidense, les amo!

Elder Jones