Well this is it, my last email,

Well....Hi Everyone haha...This is my last email home....I only have 9 days left....Holy Cow...It just went by so fast...I knew it would go fast but I didn't realize HOW fast haha...

We had dinner at a members house the other day and ate a dish called Adidas.....guess why...because yes it was FEET...chicken FEET.... not a big fan it just tastes like your eating fat, cause thats basically what it is ha.



Me at the Temple.



My two companions and my eating at Ban Apple...an awesome American café.

 4 out of my 14 companions I've had in the mission.  Sister Sabiano and Sister Medina (my 1st senior companion) and my last two companions haha.  Sister Medina was telling me how she's getting married next April. sooo wierd!!

Our investigators at the Temple and Sister Sikotilani



Our investigators at our Temple tour day.



Jason...the guy we meet and taught a long time ago and then I moved to a new area and lost track of him. I saw him at the Mission home while I was waiting for my interview with the Pres and there he was..

This is Sister Bing, she's now active in the church.  and her 3 children, Hassel, and Iris and her sister Sunshine  at the temple! 

Sister Dimacuta and I

I found a new chain for my medallion..Yay. it's pretty again.

I'm not sure how to feel really, I'm kind of nervous..excited..anxious...but than there is the part of my heart that just wants to stay here forever.  I've completely fallen in love with the people here...this country...this language..It will forever be a part of me.  I've grown more here as a person and spiritually than any other time in my life. I've grown closer to my Savior, closer to my Heavenly Father... I've discovered more of who I am and what my potential is as a daughter of God.  My testimony of this restored gospel has just been solidified and carved in stone so to speak.  I've seen first hand the healing power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and how it can cleanse us and renew us in order for us to be worthy to return back to our loving Heavenly Father.  I'm so grateful I had this opportunity to serve a Full-time mission in the Philippines Quezon City Mission as a representative of Jesus Christ to teach his gospel and invite others to follow his example by being baptized into his true church.  I've seen so many miracles, i've seen people who were burdened down with guilt and sorrow but they turned to the gospel and it helped them find peace and happiness again. 

It's been a blessing for me to teach a lot of people here....and I won't ever ever forget all of their sweet faces.... for the rest of my life I will forever live my life so that I can be worthy of their trust, and continue to live all the things I've taught them over this past year and a half. I'm excited to keep in touch with them and continue to encourage them to live the gospel.  thank goodness for Facebook!:) 

Now that I'm (almost) a return missionary, I know that Heavenly Father expects a little more from me because I know how important this work is, I know he will expect me to apply the things I've learned in the mission to share the gospel even more to his precious children that I come across in my life.  I'm excited to be a better Member missionary than I was before the mission.  I know this work is the Lords work, it's the most important work we can do here on earth, to share the beautiful news of the Saviors atonement to help them find the right path.  I'm so grateful that this work will never end, I'm at the end of my full-time service but it's not going to end their is much more for me to do.  There is a video from the apostle Elder Jeffrey R. Holland that I love called "feed my sheep" at the end he expresses his gratitude this work will never end he says " I pray that it won't ever ever ever be over for me" I echo that statement.  I pray that it won't ever be over, and that Heavenly Father will continue to have trust in me that I'll open my mouth and share my testimony with those he puts in my path. 

 I just want to express my thanks to my Family and my close friends who have written me throughout my mission.  Your love and support have been so wonderful I feel beyond blessed for everyone the lord has put in my life to support me and encourage me as a missionary.  

In my last week many things are going on...very busy ha. The Orquin children and Hassel are getting baptized this Saturday.  After their baptism we have a missionary devotional.  Everyone in the ward has also been super nice and they know it's my last week so we have dinner appointments set up almost everyday this week haha. I feel so loved! On Saturday we had a goodbye dinner at the elders quorum president's home which is where Sister Sabiano is living.  They sang me a song while playing the guitar and sister Sabiano said some words and my past companion Sister Medina too haha she shared a scripture about how my husband will be more guapo (handsome) because I served a mission haha! I was laughing.  After I'm done emailing right now we will go visit my past areas, I'll go see Jenie, Nanay Romana and Nanay Evelyn and Maricel. So excited!! 

Well this is it, my last email, they will probably let me call you at the mission home the day before I get on the plane... if not...I'll see you on Wednesday at the airport! haha 

Family...I love you guys so so much! see u soon! 

June 2nd... I was just meant to be here

Well this is feeling pretty weird now... this is my second to last letter to my family & friends...

Throughout my whole mission I've really tried to make my letters come from the heart and from the spirit.  I've tried to explain about the things that I'm experiencing as a missionary so that you can feel like your there with me.. and I've always tried to share spiritual experiences, thoughts, and testimony with you.  I hope and pray that my letters have been able to strengthen your testimonies about the Savior and about missionary work:) in return.....The letters from all my loved ones back home have just inspired me to continue on and work hard till the end.  I may not always respond to friends and other fellow full-time missionaries every week, but I'm so grateful to for all the words of comfort and advice given, Heavenly Father has blessed me so so much by putting friends and teachers in my life who have helped me come closer to the Savior and be a better person.  Especially my family:)

Well...this week...haha..don't really know where to start. It's been kind of crazy and a bit stressful.  We got a call a week ago from the Assistants, we learned that Sister Morrell would be emergency transfered to serve in another area and Me, Sister Sikotilani and Sister Dimacuta would be combining our areas and be a threesome companionship.  We were pretty surprised and Me and S.Morrell were so sad to leave each other, we had really enjoyed each other as companions. But well that's life so now it's just us 3 in one big area for the next 2 weeks till two more missionaries will come to the area.  We are crazy busy now trying to keep up both areas, the members and ward missionaries have really been helping us and going on splits with us so that we can go to all our appointments throughout the day.  The areas are just so far and we can't hop back and forth, we would just waste a lot of time doing that.  I was pretty stressed at first but I can just see the blessings that are coming and Heavenly Father is providing ways for us to visit all our investigators still.  I'm actually now happy about all of it, We are so busy and it's helping me not to think about home, I just think about our sweet investigators everyday and who we need to visit, what our we teaching etc...It's a blessing really.

The Orquin Family is doing so good (the Children of the Sister who was less-active) We teach them almost everyday, preparing them for baptism and teaching them the lessons.  They are just blowing me away they are  smart and are so eager to learn and learn.  They have a cousin her name is Hassel who will also be baptized with them.  She is probably one of the most interested investigators I've ever had, She reads a few chapters of the Book of Mormon every night, she takes notes during the lessons, she even told us the other day that she wants to serve a mission when she grows up....ahhhhhhh I just love her! So it's the four of them who will be baptized and every time we come to teach them they are always inviting their little friends to come over and listen.  So we teach them in a room full of 10 little boys haha they make me laugh. You would think it would be hard to have the spirit and teach the doctrine to them but they are so reverent and answer all the questions like they were already members of the church.  The spirit is always very strong and I'm  blessed that I'm here and able to teach them.  During our lesson last night I was just looking at each of their sweet faces and thinking about how I will have to leave them in 2 weeks.  I just started getting teary eyed, It's gonna be hard to say goodbye.... This weekend we have a trip to the temple planned.  We are taking them and some of the little friends and also our recent convert Iris (the 8yr old) with her grandma to go see the temple.  They are so excited haha and so am I:) It's gonna be great!

Something really great also happened this week, We went to the mission office for one of the investigators from the other sisters area to get interviewed and I was standing there at the counter talking with one of the Office Elders...and than I just hear this voice yell "Sister Jones!" I looked over to the door where they came in and was just so shocked, it was one of my former investigators from the area I was in with Sister Dickison.  His name is Jason, he's about 20 years old and we had found him one day and started teaching him.  We only taught him about 4 lessons before I left and I never heard about what had happened to him.  Turns out that he had unexpectedly moved but was found again by missionaries in another area.  He was there to get interviewed by President too for his BAPTISM.  I was so surprised, I never thought that I would see him again.  He invited me to come to his baptism this Saturday so I'm asking for permission from President to be able to attend his baptism.  I just know that he was meant to have the gospel, he moved but then was found again by the missionaries and they continued his lessons, Heavenly Father knew he was ready for the gospel and prepared a way.  It's gonna be so great to see him be baptized:) He was so excited to see me, I didn't even think that he would remember me again.  again...another blessing from Heavenly Father.  I just love my mission! Everyday I just see miracles happen, the gospel is a wonderful thing:)

I'm just so happy, so many wonderful things are happening.  Such a great way to end my mission.  I was a little bummed at first about having a last area for just 6 weeks, but I've realized that it was  inspired.  I was just meant to be here, people I needed to find who needed the gospel in their lives, people who needed to be invited to come closer to the Savior. 

I'm so blessed....

Well, I just want you to know that I love you guys so much! Have a wonderful week, your in my prayers always:) Ingat po.

love, Sister Ammah Jones

I've received some tender mercies from the lord this week

Family,

Best apartment roommates EVER.

Immigration office to get our travel visas...I ran into two sisters that I was in the MTC with it was so fun reminiscing about our MTC days...oh boy. hahaha...

Sister Morell and I in a trike on our way home from a very long day of work.

Well another week has come and gone here in TayTay.  It's been wonderful and Heavenly Father has really blessed us this week...Personally for me & as a companionship.  I've received some tender mercies from the lord this week and feel that I've received answers to some of my prayers. We had zone interviews this past week with President.  I'm so grateful for him and his powerful testimony and the revelation that he receives.  He was really able to help me find peace and comfort and reassure me of the work I've done here in the mission.  As I've gotten near to the end, I've been thinking about my mission and all the things that I've done here, and I just wonder...if it's been acceptable to the lord...have I done what he sent me here to do? could I have done better? I think for the past few weeks Satan has been influencing thoughts in my head trying to make me feel like I haven't done enough.  I've been on my knees often the past 2 weeks praying and praying trying to overcome these feelings.  My interview with President Revillo came at just the right time and I was able to tell him about the things I've been feeling.  He was so kind and understanding and I know the things that he told me were truly inspired and they were coming from my Heavenly Father.  He just told me that he's been so grateful for the work I've done and that I've been a missionary that he's been able to trust in, and than he looked me in the eyes and told me that as my priesthood leader what I have done has been acceptable to him, and it's been acceptable to the lord.  Tears just poured down my face...and I could just feel a weight lifted and I felt comfort and peace.  I think it was the Holy Ghost confirming his words to me.
I know I haven't been a perfect missionary....I've had a lot of weaknesses, and Heavenly Father has been oh so patient with me and my imperfections.  But..with his help I've been able to overcome my fears, and just try my hardest to bring his children unto Christ.  And help them feel the healing power of the Atonement and find peace in their lives.  Their may have been times where I could have done better and worked harder, but I know that Heavenly Father knows my heart and he knows the reason why I'm here and the desires I have, I know he knows that I really tried my best, and he has helped make up for the weaknesses I've had. He is such a loving and kind Heavenly Father.

He has blessed us this week in finding some great investigators.  We have 4 baptisms scheduled for the Saturday right before I leave on the 12th.  They are the children of a less-active women who is starting to come back to church. We met them last week they all came to church and the members introduced them to us and we scheduled an appointment to meet with them. We have taught them 2 lessons and they are just the sweetest things and just soaking everything up and they LOVE coming to church.  Their mom was baptized when she was a young adult before she got married and it's been about 14 years since the last time she attended church.  For the past year she has seen one of the members in the ward who lives in her neighborhood leaving to go to church every Sunday.  One day she struck up the courage to ask her what church she attended and was surprised to find that it was our church.  She still believed everything was true and than she was prompted the next Sunday to bring her kids to church, and that was the day we met her:) We sat beside them in church yesterday and at one point during one of the talks her little 8 yr old boy who was sitting beside me tapped me on the hand and pointed to his mom.  She was just crying, than she noticed me looking and smiled at me, I just smiled back.  I know the spirit was touching her heart, I think she was just so glad to be back and to have her children with her.

Edgar also attended church this Sunday.  I mentioned him I think in my last letter.  I was so proud of the ward and the leaders, he was just welcomed with open arms into the ward.  At one point we didn't know where he was and we wanted to take him to the next class and we found him surrounded by the elders quorum president and a few other men they were talking to him and he just had a big smile on his face.  I just love this ward!

Me and Sister Morrell have had some great ideas for the ward and have been planning a missionary fireside.  We called a meeting yesterday with us four sisters here in Taytay 2nd ward and the other 4 sisters in Taytay 1st ward with both of our ward mission leaders.  Our objective for the fireside is to increase Desire to share the gospel and increase unity between the members and the full-time missionaries.  Were gonna have speakers, videos, musical numbers.  It will be in a few weeks, probably the Saturday right before I leave.  We are so excited and our meeting yesterday was really productive and we got some great feedback and great ideas from the ward mission leaders.  It's gonna be great, I'm so excited! I pray that the spirit will help us to know what to do so that we will be able to really bring the spirit and help the members get excited about sharing the gospel.  I love being a missionary!  and I'm excited to be a member missionary in 3 weeks:) I'm so grateful that it will never end:)

I love you guys! have a great week!

-Sister Ammah Jones

Hello Family!!:)

Well this week has been pretty great, We had 2 baptisms this week Ella & Iris.  Ella is the one who will be leaving for Japan pretty soon and she really wanted to be baptized here in her home town before she left, we had to teach her a little faster than normal haha but she was so prepared for the gospel.  Her younger brother just got baptized in January and he used his priesthood for the first time to baptize her, It was a great opportunity for him.  Iris is just 8 years old. Her parents aren't members but her Grandma is a very active member of the church and lives just next door so she was able to be baptized.  She is the sweetest and cutest thing ever! As they walked up to the front during sacrament meeting, they held each others hands and walked up together, my heart was just about to burst it was so cute.  It's moments like that that remind me of why i'm here and gives me that push to keep going and work hard everyday.



Iris on her baptism day

Sister Morrell and Iris

My lunch everyday this week has been dry tuna on whole wheat toast and fresh greenbeans.

Yummy fish that one of our friends brings to us to cook.

 We have found some great potential investigators just in these past few days.  One his name is Edgar, we came to teach our investigators Flor and Benji and he was there so we invited him to listen to our message.  He was so interested and just told us about how he had been having some rough times, he and his wife are separated for a time and he is living with his cousin in our area.  I think he's just been searching for something, so that he can find purpose and meaning in life.  I know heavenly Father put him in our path so that we could find him and share with him the gospel.  Even after the first lesson with him he walked with us to our next appointment and just asked me questions about the gospel.  We ran into a few members along the way and he shook there hands too and looked at me and said "I want to become a member too". say whaa? haha  So we set a return appointment and he's so excited for us to come back.  He's golden! 

I saw some of the Cainta members too on Saturday after the baptism.  One of the families was moving and they had a good bye party for them at the stake center.  I got to see Sister Polidario, she is the daughter of Nanay Romana (my sweet 93 yr old convert) she said that nanay is so excited for me to visit.  I'm gonna visit them in a few weeks and we have a lunch appointment scheduled.  So excited to see my sweet Nanay Romana again! I'm also gonna visit Jenie and Nanay Eveline and Maricel here in the next few weeks.  I'm so excited! 

Well that's been my week here in Taytay, it's great.  I'm getting a little bit of anxiety 4 weeks is gonna fly by.  my emotions are kind of all over the place ha.  excited but sad to leave.  It changes day to day.  But at least i have 4 weeks more to work hard and be a full time missionary.  I'm gonna make them the best 4 weeks ever:) Have a good week, love you so much! 

love, Sister Ammah Jones

It's weird thinking that I may never see them again in this life. I will never forget them.

Hey Everyone!:D

Well I hope you have had a great week like I have.  I'm no longer on the island of Mindoro with the fresh air and the sea, I'm in my new area now here in TayTay back in the city with the smog and the squatters haha, I'm walking some of the same streets that I walked when I was serving in Cainta. The boundaries are right next to each other, so it's fun being back.  It was sad to leave all my sweet investigators in Mindoro though.  Saying good bye to the Absalon family was hard, we had a Family Home Evening with them and their neighbors the night before I left.  At the end Brother Absalon stood up to say a few words and thanked me for coming to their family and teaching them the gospel and helping them to be baptized.  I got there information before I left so that we could keep in touch and shed a few tears on the ride home in the tricycle. I will miss them so much, It's weird thinking that I may never see them again in this life.  I will never forget them, I'm so grateful that I was here to help them Come unto Christ and I know someday the rest of the kids will be baptized too.  Nanay belay and bitoy and bingo were also hard to say goodbye too.  I grew so attached to those two boys.  I know that they are in the Lords hands and will be taken care of.    Now I'm here and I'm loving Taytay.  The ward is AWESOME, the auxilary leaders are so involved, and I started out with a bang on my first Sunday in this ward by giving a talk in Sacrament Meeting haha.  Sister Morrell's old companion was supposed to give it but she transferred and the bishop just passed it to me.  It was great opportunity and I talked about the spirits influence in gaining knowledge and sharing the gospel.  Such a great topic! 

Family Home Evening with the Absalon Family. I'm going to miss them so very much.

My new companion is Sister Morrell she looks like Rosalie from the Twilight movies haha! no joke.  She's quickly becoming one of my favorite companions, we just laugh and enjoy the work.  She really teaches with the Spirit and it's nice being companions with someone who's around the same time in their mission.  She leaves 6 weeks after I do.  She's so excited to be with me my last few weeks, she points at airplanes as they go by and tells me how many more weeks I have left haha My companion is more trunky than I am! It's gonna be a great transfer.  There are a lot of investigators here that are really prepared, and they are progressing great.  We have a baptism coming up this week her name is Ella she's 22.  The sisters here had only taught her two lessons before I came so she's fairly new but she's moving to Japan on the 16th of this month and she really wants to be baptized here with her family before she leaves.  Her two siblings were baptized just this past January and they are super active in the church.  So we are on super speed trying to finish the missionary lessons before she leaves.  She's just like a sponge and soaks it all in and studies the pamphlets and all the scriptures in the back before we come.  We've been teaching her everyday hah she's so cute and I'm excited for her.  

Sister Monticalbo and Me.

Mangos. My absolute favorite food here.

ME

Our last supper. haha.



These four sisters were the best roommates there ever was.

Flag day.

Sister Fewster and myself leaving our beloved Mindoro Island

 

Yesterday we had some of the youth come out and work with us in the evening, we visited a less-active woman and shared with her a message.  Each of the 3 young women bore their testimonies and even helped teach part of the lesson.  I was SO impressed! Their testimonies were powerful and really from the heart and the spirit just filled the room.  Our less-active just kept thanking us for our visit and said that she loved hearing from the young women and she really felt the love of God and a greater desire to be better.  We've decided were gonna take them every Sunday with us haha it was just great.  I love the youth in this church, and I love how the church is organized so that even in our primary years and youth years we can gain a knowledge of the doctrine and testimony of Jesus Christ.  It makes me not so scared to be a mom someday knowing that they will have great teachers and leaders in the church who will help them learn about the gospel too just like I did :) 

Hope you have had a great week, I love you all be safe....Ingat po sa inyo lahat. 

 

Love, Sister Ammah Jones 

June 2nd - So some news....I'm leaving the island of Mindoro and going back to the mainland.

Jun 2 at 10:45 PM

Well...another week has gone by haha and now it's time for transfers again.  It really flew by, and now i'm starting to get stressed cause i only have 6 weeks left:/ ahhh! I could never imagine before how it would feel to be this close to finishing my mission.  I'm mixed emotions for sure but...i'm still focused on my purpose as a missionary and will work hard till the end.  So some news....i'm leaving the island of Mindoro and going back to the mainland.  I'll be in TayTay now, which is where i was right before i came here to Mindoro but i'll be in a different area.  I even worked there as an STL when we would do exchanges with the sisters, it's a great area and I've heard great things about the ward there.  so excited!:) My new companion is Sister Morrell.  She's known in the mission for being absolutely gorgeous haha.  I've worked with her before and she's a great missionary, she even served here in Mindoro as well for 6 months so we will have lots to talk about and will get along so great.

The Absalon Mother and Father. Baptism day.

This week Boyet & Andrea Absalon were baptized! It was a great service, Their two older boys who we are also teaching weren't able to come cause they had work, so we were sad about that but it was a great day for them. They are one of my favorite families here in the mission.  They have such sweet testimonies of the gospel and they are just always wanting to learn more.  Last week Brother Absalon told me how much he appreciates that I came here to the Philippines and taught him and his family.  He said if i transfer they will be so sad hah.  We are going to them tonight so i will tell them tonight. I know that the lord will take care of them.  I can see brother Absalon being a leader in the church here in the San Jose branch.  He's so humble and just christ-like. I'm going to miss them! 

Sister Wilson and ME! Yay.....Finally. We served together.

This past week I also got to work with Sister Wilson finally! we have wanted to work with each other our entire missions. It was so great to see how far we have both come and now we can both speak tagalog haha.  We reminisced throughout the day about our days in the MTC and about our fake investigators and laughed about our awful tagalog skills back than haha. It was great:) Were both excited to see our families and we can't believe it's almost the end of our missions.  We are already planning trips to visit each other after hehe.

Sister Fewster has an un secret admirer that gives her fresh fish everyday. haha. It's great for us all.

Sister Fewster and me.

I'm excited for this transfer and whats in store.  I'm sad to leave Mindoro but I know i've done what the lord has wanted me to do here and i've left the area better than when i found it.  We have 4 baptisms coming up next week, i won't be here to see them, but thats not what matters.  I'm just so grateful to Heavenly Father for each person i've taught here and helped prepare to follow the Savior and be baptized into his true church.  I just love this work so much.  

Hope you guys have had a great week, take care and be safe I pray for you everyday. love u! <3  

love always, Sister Ammah Jones 

ENJOY THE PICTURES ! and my letter :) we have seen miracles and have received blessings.

Cute little boy of one of our less active families.



Yep, these are my feet.  look at my legs haha I'm so tan now! 





 Nanay Esquerra my lil missionary Grandma. I'm like a Giant next to her. Oh boy haha.

Everyone at our service project day.



picture with the mungyon's.  The filipino elder who is in the center, he was sister Sabiano's bestfriend from back home and they got assigned in the same mission.  HIs conversion story is just like hers.

Our less active family, they live so far away from the chapel and don't have enough money to get the whole family to church.  They just live in a one room sinderblock house on the side of the road.  Catalan family, love the kids:) they still read the book of mormon everyday.



Our investigators huge momma pig had her babies the morning that we came to see them, she had 17 little piglets! i just wanted to pick one up, name it Wilber, and take it home with me hehe 

Service project. Stairs.

May 4 at 10:35 PM

Hey Fam! 

wow...first have to say that Andelyn looked absolutely gorgeous in her prom outfit and Conrad looked pretty handsome too.  So fun:) 

 

This week has been amazing....we have seen miracles and have received blessings from the Lord.  Our investigators are progressing and 9 of them came to Sacrament meeting yesterday.  On the 24th of this month we will probably have 3 baptisms and we have many more scheduled for June.  The area is really progressing and we are continuing to find more and more people everyday. Sister Monticalbo and I are a great team when it comes to talking to people on the street.  We literally are inviting everyone to hear our message and giving referrals to the other missionaries when they are in their area.  It's been so fun:) 

 

I've mentioned one investigator before Tatay Mendez, he's an older man that we talked to on the street one day and told him about eternal families and he said "I can see my wife again?".  Super sweet and one of my favorite people in the world hehe.  This past week we had visited him and he was still praying to receive answers to know if everything we taught him about the Restoration through Joseph Smith and about he book of Mormon was true.  He wasn't receiving answers or at least wasn't recognizing them and was unsure about still listening to us cause he had listened to many other before and was hard core catholic.  We had taught him about the priesthood before and he was telling us how he couldn't come to church because he lives far away and he can barely walk just down the street because he is so weak.  We had a priesthood holder with us at the time and a thought entered my mind that I should offer him to receive a priesthood blessing.  I almost pushed it away cause I thought, 'well he hasn't received an answer yet, and he may not even believe in the power of the priesthood' but I  felt  strongly just to ASK.  So I did...we explained to him what the blessing would be for and he said 'actually I think I would like one, I just want to feel comfort, and try to get an answer' so our branch missionary. Bernard, who joined the church 2 years ago and is preparing to serve a mission himself) gave Tatay Mendez a priesthood blessing of comfort.  I wasn't sure how things would turn out but during the blessing I was praying so hard that tatay would feel the spirit testify to him of the truth.  After the blessing Tatay sat there for a minute, and we were just all so quiet.  Than tatay started sobbing, I was so surprised and didn't know what to say so we all just continued to sit there and wait till he was ready to speak.  he looked up at us after a minute with tears running down his cheeks and he told us that he couldn't explain to us the feeling that he had inside but he believed everything we had taught him and he just felt peace and warmth.  We helped him recognize it as the feelings of the spirit and than extended the baptismal date to him...and he accepted.  And yesterday... he walked the 2 miles to the church building and attended Sacrament Meeting for the first time and walked 2 miles back.  It was a miracle.  We walked out of that lesson with him and I just didn't know what to say but my testimony of the Power of the Priesthood was even more strengthened and I'm so grateful that I got to witness that miracle. 

 

The Absalon family is also progressing, Brother Absalon comes to church every week, we are just helping them with Word of Wisdom issues but they are doing better and better everyday.  We are making them a chart today so that they can track which days they don't drink coffee and smoke a cigarette haha.  with a countdown to the day of their baptism so that they can visually see their progress.  

 

We also met a new investigator named MIchelle, she was taught all the lessons 10 years ago and was about to be baptized when her family suddenly moved and she couldn't find missionaries again.  Than we met her last week and are teaching her again and she accepted a baptismal date.  So crazy that we are continuing the work of 2 Elders over 10 years ago to help Michelle come unto Christ.  It just shows that you never will know what will happen down the road.  

 

I  feel so blessed to be a missionary and help others to come unto Christ and to feel the Holy Ghost.  It's weird to think I only have about 2 months left as a full-time missionary, it makes me anxious and makes me want to work harder everyday.  I continue to learn more and more everyday, I've been enjoying reading about the Savior in the new testament, and every night before I go to bed I read 15 minutes out of the Book of Mormon, my testimony has just been strengthened about Jesus Christ.  My testimony that this is his true church has grown stronger as well, I've realized even more how organized it is and how this truly is the church that Jesus Christ organized himself while he was here on the earth.  How blessed we are to be members of his true church! :) Being baptized was the best decision I ever made, serving a mission has been the 2nd best decision.  I just love missionary work and I hope you guys know that I pray for you everyday to have opportunities to share some part of the gospel with someone else.  

I love you guys and I'm so excited to skype with you next week:)  have a great week and be safe:) 

mahal ko kayo! 

Love, Sister Ammah Jones     

He said that "Gratitude is the Catalyst for all Christ-like Attributes" so true

Apr 14

 

Hey Fam!

Well I'm a little later Emailing today cause we had our zone acitivity earlier today, We went to the Beach and played games for a few hours and ate lunch.  It was a lot of fun:) I love just walking along the beach and feeling the water on my feet, it's so peaceful and I can just feel of heavenly Fathers love for us.  I'm grateful I got to serve for part of my mission here in Mindoro and see more of the beauty of the Philippines.  Plus the people here are super nice and so charitable, we get about 3 eating appointments every week and we just love spending time with the Members and getting to know them better and encourage them to share the gospel with their friends.  We always have members who come and work with us almost everyday as well, some of them are young single adults who are preparing to serve full-time missions themselves and sometimes it's the older women in the ward.  One of them is Nanay Esquerra, she's 60 yrs old about 4'8 tall and as thin as a twig.  last Sunday she worked with us from 2pm until 8pm the whole time with a smile on her face and helped us teach.  I'll have to get a picture with her this week, she's just so cute hehe and hardworking.  

I was able to watch General Conference finally just this past weekend,  the messages were amazing, uplifting and inspiring.  Every single talk I realized something in myself that I could do better.  It's such a blessing when the lord helps us realize our weaknesses so that we are aware and change things we do everyday so that we can be better and be more like the Savior.  I loved how the Gilbert Temple Dedication was mentioned multiple times by the prophet and one of the general authorities.  Their was another elder from Surprise Arizona watching it too and when the prophet mentioned us we pumped our fists in the air together haha  Arizona Pride Yah!  It seemed that a lot of the talks were focused on the youth this conference, I love that because the youth are the rising generation and the future leaders of the church.  One of the talks that I loved was President Uchdorf's talk about Gratitude. He said that "Gratitude is the Catalyst for all Christ-like Attributes" so true.  If we want to be like the Savior, we must be full of Gratitude not just for certain things but even our circumstances.  He said that sometimes we tend only to be grateful for times in our lives when things are going the way we wanted them too, but when the times of hardship and trials come we forget to tell him how grateful we are for the current circumstances and the opportunity to strengthen ourselves and progress in this mortal journey.  I can look back at times in my mission and even before in my life when I was having hard times...even when I made some mistakes, at the time I think I forgot to tell him thank you...but now... I look back, and I am so grateful that he let me struggle...because I wouldn't be where I am right now without those experiences.  How grateful I am, for our Savior Jesus Christ, I know he's the only person who understands the things I've gone through.  During his suffering in Gethsemane he not only took upon himself our sins, but he also experienced our sorrows and our pains, therefore he is the only one who can help us be healed and find peace and joy.  He will help us carry our burdens, as Elder Bednar spoke about in Conference, we share the yoke with him and together we can pull together and carry the load together.  I know that's true.  and during this Easter, I would like to also add my testimony and witness that Jesus Christ does Live, and he will come again. I look forward to that day, and I know if we live the gospel of Jesus Christ we will be prepared to go with him when he comes in his glory.  

Before I end ,I just want to mention about a few things I've heard about lately about my previous areas.  Sister Docouette sent me a letter (she got transferred back to Quirino 2nd ward *the area I was in for 6 months* ) and she told me that the group in the mountain that was created just before I left...it will become a Branch here in the next few months or so.  I am so excited! they are going to have their own branch!  That's huge, I was just so filled with joy as I read her letter...just wow!!! and also from my last area in Cainta, Marisel got married and got baptized the week after I left.  So happy for her :) I miss that family so much, they were my closest family here in the Philippines.  and Nanay Evaline is like my mission mother, we cried in each others arms when I got transferred but I promised her I would come back and visit before I left. I miss them.  But I know I'm here for a reason, I got to have an interview with President this past week cause he came here to interview us all and give a workshop, it was great to talk to him and he told me more about the reasons why the lord has need of me here.  he just told me he was proud of me and a big reason I'm here is to be an example for the missionaries here... it was good to hear that he's proud of me...and i just hope that Heavenly Father is proud of me too.  I feel that he is....but I know theirs always things i can do better and he's helping me overcome my weaknesses.  

Well this is a mile long ha sorry! But know that i love you and miss u.  Have a great week and keep enjoying the Easter Pageant.  I've been looking at Easter pagent pictures sometimes and I just miss it so much.  HOpe I get an opportunity to do it again someday.  But just enjoy it for me and know I'm thinking of you.  Love you! 

-Sister Ammah Jones

Love Always, Sister Ammah Jones April 21st

Magandang Hapon! 

 

My name in the surf again, this picture is a little better than the last one I sent you. 

From our zone activity earlier.  Me and Elder Robison, he is my zone leader.  We were together in the mtc and we've been in the same district for the past 3 transfers so were good buddies now ha He's the one that gave me a blessing when I had Dengue Fever. 

 

I've really enjoyed the updates on the fam, Easter sounded great and loved the videos of the girls coloring eggs.  This was my second Easter here in the Philippines and again...uneventful.  But to try to make sacrament meeting a little more special, 4 of us missionaries sang "come unto Christ" and I hope those who came to church felt the spirit of Easter...I just love that song.  I hear the girls have their dance concerts this week....shout out to the girls -good luck:) and break a leg;) I'll be thinking of you- Andelyn enjoy it, it's your last one! buy me a dvd haha-  and...Easter pageant has come to a close now...so sad, but sounds like you guys had a great year and lots of great memories. So proud of you guys and I so wish I could have seen dad perform his part as Peter, I know he did a great job.  

Well another 6 weeks has come and past so we are having transfers again.  They called us this morning and let us know that I'll be staying here in Mindoro for at least another 6 weeks but Sister Acostan will be transferring and I'll get a new companion tomorrow.  Her name is Sister Monticalbo, she is Filipino, 24 yrs old, about 5 months into her mission.  I've met her once before and she seems really sweet, I'm excited for what this transfer has in store for us.  The area is doing great, we have 11 investigators we are preparing for baptism.  I just love them all, and just desire so much that they continue to accept this wonderful message and keep their commitments.  The Absalon family (3 blind mice) are doing great, the boys are struggling a bit with some commitments but the Father is really progressing.  He has been coming to church every Sunday, He loved General Conference and told us all about his favorite talks, we gave him some old Liahona Magazines and he's just eating it up,  and he's been following the Word of Wisdom.  He might end up being the first one baptized and be the example for the rest of his family.  It would be so special too if he could be the one to baptize them all in the future when he gets the priesthood, ahhh i can just imagine it:) We also have an older Tatay that we are teaching, he is 74 years old and has been Catholic all his life.  His wife died many years ago and we found him on the street and started talking to him and he was really interested in the fact that families can be together forever.  He's been taught by lots of different kind of missionaries in the past, but he told us that he really loves us coming to teach him and would miss us if we stopped coming by, we are trying to help him recognize the feelings of the spirit and find answers to his prayers to feel the truth for himself of what we have been teaching him.  

 

I've been continuing my study of the New Testament and just want to share a thought from my personal study this past week.  Luke 12:30-31- "For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you."  This verse is also repeated in the Book of Mormon by the Savior during his visit to the ancient Americas.  it hit me a little harder than usual this week for some reason.  it just made me think of all the people i've taught during my mission that chose not to act upon the things we were teaching or the members who were just "too busy" to come to church or read the scriptures.  It's so clear, "Seek 1st the kingdom of God......" and then he will provide the other things that we need and will give us blessings.  We just have to decide...to put the gospel first in our lives...and have faith in Heavenly Father that he will provide for us. those who are not willing to sacrifice the things of the world, or their time etc.. do not understand the lords promise or don't have faith that he will follow through.  like it says in Doctrine and Covenants 81:10- "I, the lord, am bound when ye do what i say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise" If we are living the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the lord will keep his promises and bless us. this includes attending church, fulfilling callings, reading scriptures, personal and family prayer, tithing, etc..  and I know that is true.   I've seen many blessings in my life, even when things are hard and we are having tribulations and feeling sorrow, if we continue to be obedient their will always be blessings there. We just need to open our eyes.  

 

I love you guys, have a wonderful week! stay safe.

Love Always, Sister Ammah Jones  

"Sisters...we want to be baptized" ha we were like whaaaa??

Hey fam,


These are little berry type things that we find on the trees while proselyting, Sister Acostan taught me what the trees look like and how to eat them.  Ap-Ap knows that we love them and the Sanchez family has one right outside their house and everyday he goes out and picks them for us before the neighbor hood kids pick them all and he gives them to us each time we visit hehe.  so sweet! it's called aratilis.  you put it in your mouth in between your teach and bite down and all the inside comes out. it tastes so sweet. 

 

We find them all over the place and look for all the ripe ones.  imagine two sister missionaries on the side of the road jumping up and down trying to grab berries from the trees haha yep thats us.



These cute little guys were walking beside us the other day so i snapped a shot.  The wittle babies are so cute! 



These caribou are all over here. They are huge.



this is a picture of "Boy-Boy" yes that is his name haha hes the baby of one of the less-actives in the ward and they invited us to come to his first birthday party.  he's so so cute! 

I know it's against the rules to kiss boys as a missionary but this little guy i just couldn't resist hehe



cute lil guy.



Halo Halo...It's yummy!




Sister Ika's Birthday party

Man I am so jealous that you guys are doing pageant right now haha i miss it soo much:) I'm so glad that you guys are doing it again this year,  have the best time and enjoy every moment, I love it and I love you guys. Dad, you will get the spanish down don't worry,  Yo se ke vive! I know he lives! (i probably just butchured the spelling on that one ha).  I'll be thinking of you and praying for all to go right during the performances, You are taking part in a wonderful experience to help others feel the spirit and gain a testimony of Jesus Christ.  Break a leg out there;) hehe

 

Well it's been a great week, We had the baptism of Ap-ap and he was confirmed and given the gift of the Holy ghost yesterday.  He was just beaming, and after his baptism he got up and bore his testiomony.  He has a little tiny voice and sometimes it's hard to hear him, but we had practiced his testimony with him so he would not be so nervous, he did a great job and I teared up when he mentioned Sister Acostan and I and how he was grateful that we taught him the gospel.  His mother now is the only one that is not a member, but she was there on Saturday and Sunday to give her support, we are hoping that now that Ap-Ap has been baptized she will follow his example of following the Savior and will desire to be baptized as well. 

 

We have many investigators progressing towards baptism. It will probably take them a few more months to get there but We can see their desire and they have been making changes in their lives to be more aligned with the commandments.  One family being the Absallon Family, the mom and dad than the two brothers who are the boys i talked about in my last email we call them (the three blind mice haha)   This family has been taking the missionary discussions on and off for the past 5 years. They came to church for the second time yesterday and it was fast and testimony meeting and they felt the spirit so strong.  We came to teach them after church and the dad says "Sisters...we want to be baptized" ha we were like whaaaa?? let me tell you those are probably the favorite words of all missionaries and i haven't heard it often.  we are excited that they have the desire to be baptized, we have been seeing the change happen in them over the past month and maybe this is the time that they are truly prepared to hear the gospel.  

Another investigator of ours is Brother Willie and his wife May, we have taught them 3 lessons now and we can only teach them on Sundays, but i looove teaching them.  Especially Brother, he is really searching for the truth,he has been to many churches and listened so many preachers but he is so confused and wants to know what church is true.  He has such great questions and a true desire to find truth. We taught him about the apostacy and Restoration yesterday, we watched the REstoration video with him too.  After we testified that the Church of Jesus Christ is on the earth today and it's lead by living prophets and apostles.  We also invited him to come to General Conference next week at teh chapel and he is so excited.  

If you didn't realize yesterday, or today for you is April 6th.  On April 6th1830 the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was re-established here on the earth.  It has been 184 years since that day,  How grateful I am that i get to be a missionary and take this message of the Restoration to the world.  

I'm so excited to watch General Conference next week (it's a week late for us). I've been preparing questions throughout the week so that i'm more prepared to recieve answers and revelations.  As I bore my testimony to Brother Willie of Thomas S. Monson and the living apostles, the room was so full of the spirit and my eyes started to water.  I know that they are truly servants of the Lord, and how blessed we are that heavenly Father loves us enough to give us a living prophet on the earth to lead us and guide back to his presence.  

Have a wonderful week family, I love you and pray for you every day:)  5 weeks and i get to skype with you again hehe yay:) 

Love always, Sister Ammah Jones