365

Hello everyone, I now have 1 year in the mission. That's kinda crazy but it's gone by fast and I'm enjoying it.

Just a short email this week: first crazy story is about the metro. Last Monday we had a zone activity and we had to use the metro to get there. We knew it was going to be full because it's always jam packed from 6-9am. We get into the metro and they have it closed because there are so many people. It's kept closed for a little bit until some people leave. We finally get down there and it's RIDICULOUSLY packed!  It's so packed people are taking pictures and everything like that. When the doors of the metro open everyone just starts pushing and it's like a huge fight throwing elbows and all that fun stuff. I had a bag with a soccer ball in it and one time the doors opened and everyone started pushing, and long story short: my ball got inside the metro, but I did not. That was really sad. Next we actually get pushed in too, and then someone says "hey is there a shoe over there?" and so everyone starts looking for a shoe and finally we found it and passed it to the guy looking for it. It was pretty funny. Then it was time to get off (which is almost harder than getting on) and we all started to push off.  Me and some guys behind me didn't make it, and so I'm like "guys I need to get off" and I turn around and this guy is like "are you getting off?" and I was like "yeah" and then he says "lets do this". In my head I was laughing so hard. I start pushing and this guy starts pushing me and another guy is pushing the guy that's pushing me and then this police man grabs my arm and starts pulling me out of the metro. It was so epic!  As I get off I see that I have black marks all over my shirt from squeezing in through the doors and some lip stick stain on my pants (no idea how that happened).

Now for the spiritual. This week we ate with Hermana Niño two times. The first time we showed up to her house and had to call her so that she would come down and open the door. We arrived at the same time as this joven. Hermana opens the door and the joven goes to the dept of the hermana.....turns out he's her nephew. He hasn't been to church in a while.Fast forward to Sunday when we go back to Herman's house and she tells us this: "after you guys left, my nephew just started laughing, so I asked him why. He told me that a few days before you guys came to eat the first time he had a dream, and he saw his grandma that had passed away. He said she was trying to talk to him but he couldn't understand what she wanted to tell him. He said that the day he showed up at my door and saw you guys (the missionaries) he knew what his grandma wanted to tell him. His grandma was trying to tell him he needed to go back to church. He thought it was funny." Isn't that an awesome experience?? I'm not sure if he'll come back to church or not, but he'll always have that reminder that his grandma wants him to come back to church. I think little things like that are just miracles but we don't always see them as miracles. That experience was really cool to me.

Finally, I'll talk a little bit about one year.  Here is a list of 5 things I've learned to do in the past year, and 5 things that have changed about me:

5 things I've learned:

to eat whatever is on my plate

speak Spanish

give 10 to 15 minutes talks with no preparation

what a REAL taco is (hard shells is apostasy)

to wash clothes by hand

5 ways I've changed:

I'm kinda chubby now

I'm more grateful for everything

I'm more service minded

I love more

I appreciate family more

I've become all sentimental and write poems now....so I wrote one for one year in the mission:

One Year in the Mission

One year down in the mission,

Only one more to go.

There's still so much to learn;

So much more I could grow

The time has flown by,

It's passed by so very fast;

But the experiences I've gained

Are ones that will last.

There's no where near enough time

To do the work that must be done,

But I'll put in my best effort

Because I represent God's son.

My call comes from on high,

"Recommended as one worthy,"

And so when the hard times come

I'll just try to keep on working.

He is the reason for my work.

His life - my perfect example.

That's why I try to keep in mind

As I share his love so ample.

One year left in the mission,

Time to stand tall.

As I go preach the truth

I must give it my all.

One year left and I'll be home. I hope that I keep learning and growing. Love you guys! Stay safe....and send me an email or two

Elder Jones