Merry Christmas Day!

Hello everyone!!! 

Hope you guys are all having a good Christmas!!! 

We had a good week here in Evora, and only managed to get lost like one time!! The city of Evora is SO cute I have absolutely fallen in love with the small roads and cobblestone streets, and casles that line the streets. 

Yesterday the cutest member invited us over to eat our Christmas Eve dinner with her. She made us the traditional Christmas meal, codd fish. The funny thing is that I remember last Christmas I HATED our Christmas dinner, but this year I didn't even just handle it, but I actually LIKED it. I am telling you, miracles are real and people change on the mission.

Don't have much to say, but I will send pictures!!! 

FELIZ NATAL!!! 

Sister Jones ​

Èvora lets gooooo

​We had a great week in Barreiro! We found a lot of miracles and we have truly seen how hearts are being softened during this Christmas season! We invited all the members to share the Christmas video with their friends and we are seeing lots of success!! One of our members invited their friend to church, she came, and she loved it! We were able to teach her yesterday and she wants to keep coming to church!! Also, another member invited her friend to our Christmas party and she is really interested to learn more about the church!! MILAGRES!! 

Also, we have changes in the area!!! I am leaving and going to do just another whitewash in Èvora!! It is an area a little… different. It’s really old and really historical. It is right in the very middle of Portugal, and the branch there is really small and needs a lot of help and support. I am excited to go there and help all that I can! I am also starting my last transfer, which is crazy to me, but I am excited to give it my all these last 6 weeks and truly grow closer to my Heavenly Father through serving His children!!

Hope you all have a good Christmas and truly remember the reason for the season. Keep lighting the world!! 

Sister Jones  

Sister Baker and Sister Jones

Sister Foster and I (we arrived together)

Sister Bleyl and I

Our MTC group

One of my favorite members (and recent convert) from Barreiro 

Another member in Barriero 

Headed to Lisbon for transfers

Merry Christmas!

Hello everyone!! 

We are officially in the best time of the year!!! The only bad thing is that the best time of the year is also the coldest time of the year. Its official, we never quite know if people are smoking, or just breathing because it is SO cold. They do have Christmas music here but most of them are in English. SO no, I don’t know them in Portuguese haha, maybe like one line or two but not much. 

This week I had to do a division with the sisters on Sunday, so I went to another branch yesterday (its a long story) but it was so good because I got to see one of my favorite members from Seixal! Her husband was being called to be the branch president so they now work in the other branch in Barreiro. I got SO excited!!! 

(When I asked about her companion going home next week this was her response): Time is passing by just a little too quick! No, we are not allowed to visit other areas in our mission, which is kinda sad actually, so nope we are staying in our area and working. Actually we are in Lisbon right now, then returning tonight to sleep here and she has her final meeting tomorrow morning, then returning to sleep here again on Tuesday because we have our Christmas conference and then finally getting back to our area Wednesday at night and then only returning Sunday night for Sister Bleyl to go to the mission home. SO yea, this week will be crazy! One thing I have learned from her is how to love the doctrine of the church. Like seriously we stay up late so discussing deep doctrine and principles of salvation almost every night, I have really grown to not just accept things, but really question them to get my own testimony and not just accept surface level. Its good. 

We are prepping for Christmas and trying to share the light the world campaign with everyone! It has been a success! Hearts are being touched and doors are opening to hear our message. I seriously love this time of the year when everyone is a little more open to hear a message about our Lord and Redeemer. 

Everyone go on to Mormon.org to watch the video of Christmas and find ways to help others this season!! 

Have a great week!! Thanks for all the support! 

Divisions with Sisters in Miratejo

Drying her shoes

The member’s aren’t feeding us so I have started eating sea friends

Pretty beach day on PDay

Happy non-Thanksgiving!

Hello everyone!! 

Its almost December and we are pretty stoked about the fact that we can start celebrating Christmas without people giving us the dirty look for it being to early!! I love this time of the year (and also love Michael Bublé Christmas music) so its a win win!! 

We had a crazy week full of traveling for divisions, and interviews so we took 4 boats, 4 metros, and one train in total in 2 days, so it was a tiring week! 

The work is going good! We are actually teaching a lot of young women now, which is something our branch needs so I am hoping they can be baptized and help our branch and strengthen them!! That would be awesome!! 

For Thanksgiving my comp, who is not American, decided to try to make Pumpkin pie for me to celebrate, and it turned out so good! I didn’t even realize I missed the taste of pumpkin until I took a bite and basically went to heaven! It was pretty sweet. The rest of our Thanksgiving was spent in the pouring rain, getting more wet that I have been in my whole life. It would have been the same as just entering a shower will all of our clothes on. Oh the mission adventures, as we had to squeeze out our clothes before entering our house. But hey, more blessings, right?? 

Other than that, the work has been going good! We are finding people to teach and trying to do everything we can to get inside peoples houses to talk to them because its been FREEZING and I am a wimp in the cold haha #prayforme

Hope you guys all had a good Thanksgiving and counted all of your blessings!

Sister Jones 

Sweet tooth is still alive!

We went to the temple grounds again this week because Sister Bleyl wanted to see it before going home. There is already a bunch of progress actually!!! We want to sight see and see cool things before going home so it’s been good! 

I forgot that this week is Thanksgiving! Maybe I will make mashed potatoes or something! We found a recipe to make Pumpkin pie (They don’t have canned pumpkin here so its hard) so maybe we will try that! Have I told you that this transfer we are cooking like real food? Its been going good. Haven’t had any fires and we aren’t getting sick. You know I gotta get prepared for home life haha. But Thanksgiving will be fun! Last year I got way sad about Thanksgiving but I don’t even think it will phase me this week! 

 Yea, I got your card last week! Thank you!!! I loved it! I go to the mission office on Wednesday so I will see if I get the package. For Christmas I don’t want things. I really only want cards and things like that!! I don’t wan to have to lug everything around with me, especially if I am going home right after Christmas! Just cards and maybe chocolates and treats?? But if not, don’t even worry about a package! 

I wrote a letter for you guys I will send home this week that has more details about my life lately haha!! 

 Brigadeiro. Its the BEST! Its a Brazilian dessert made of sweetened condensed milk, chocolate and chocolate sprinkles

He is the details

Hello!! 

We had a good week here in Barreiro! I have a new companion, Sister Bleyl! She is from Scotland and its been a good first week together!! You know, including running away from dogs together because we both hate them, so you know its going to be a good transfer haha 

We had a conference with President Owens, general Young Men’s President, and Elder Durrant, Counselor in the Sunday School Presidency. It was a really good conference. They talked a lot about the need to try even harder when things get difficult, and not get discouraged and give up. Fight the good fight until the very end. It was the perfect reminder and the best way to start off a new transfer! 

I got my trunky call this week. It was like 9:45 pm and the office elders called and I was like what the heck do they want?? And I answer it, and it’s an elder that I arrived with here in the field and he was like "So I am talking to Sister Jones, right? "Yes" "Perfect, that’s exactly who I need to talk to. We have some news for you. Are you sitting down because its exciting news.." "Umm.. What is it?" *cue heart attack that something bad happened to my family or something like that* "Well, we have been notified that YOURE GOING HOME!!!" and then started playing music that talked about home. I was like oh man are you serious?? Haha it was basically them planning my plane flight home so they needed all my information. My plane will take off on January 30th. So yep, that happened. 

I don’t have any pictures because last week this computer place deleted ALL of my pictures. I was SO sad. The thing is, almost all of my pictures are on that Google drive or on my email, but still. I was SO sad. So yeah, next week I will send pictures from the chapel before email. Sorry!! 

I have been studying the talk "By Devine Design" by Elder Rasband with my family this week. He has a quote that I really like that says:

"When we are righteous, willing, and able, when we are striving to be worthy and qualified, we progress to places we never imagined and become part of Heavenly Fathers Devine Design"

I love this quote because it doesn’t say, if you are perfect at everything and have time and the talents Heavenly Father with use you. It is saying that if you are striving and willing, and with the desire, Heavenly Father will use you. And there is NOTHING better than being on the Lord´s errand. My favorite part here in the mission is being the answer to people’s prayers, and also seeing how my prayers are answered through other people. 

Lets all try to be a little more sensitive to the spirit and follow the FIRST prompting this week. 

Have a great week!! Love you guys!! 

Sister Jones