Christmas Letter!

So, it was Christmas this weekend! It didn't snow at all after Tuesday!! And so by Christmas all of the snow was melted. I can't remember what I wrote to you in my letter that got sent out yesterday, so I'll just tell you everything.

As a District we brought all of our presents and snacks to our classroom on Christmas morning and a few of the Elders had skipped breakfast and set up the classroom with a tree and everything! It was awesome! So, we opened presents and sang and had a really fun morning. It really felt like Christmas morning should feel. We got lots of interesting things and we have spent like 2 straight weeks just eating our snacks. So, I've probably put on a few pounds (Just for you, Josh).

Oh, I forgot to tell you about Christmas eve! Our teacher let us decorate our classroom! It's pretty rockin'! I'll send pictures as soon as I can! We had a great, amazing, fun, spiritual devotional that night and then we went caroling with some sisters in our zone and they put on an awesome nativity for us and we had a testimony meeting.

Russell M. Nelson came and spoke on Christmas afternoon, night, and they were here the morning of the 26th as well! And sister Nelson brought her best friend Sheri Dew with her as she spoke in Relief Society! Aaaannnd, I got to shake Sister Nelson's hand and I got to hug Sheri Dew! Her skin is so soft! Haha... ok, so I'm weird... oh well.

I just feel like this week I have been so spiritually uplifted and fed. More than anything I'm beginning to understand the love and selflessness of my Savior. He has done EVERYTHING in the world for us! Everything. I don't even think we can comprehend all that the Lord has done for us... and the only thing he asks in return are things that bring US joy and bring joy to others. I think I understand when Mosiah says in Mosiah 2 (verse.. 21?) that if we serve Him all the days of our lives yet will we still be unprofitable servants.

Christmas night we had a special Christmas Carol play. And I started thinking about how God works with His children. And I started thinking about the things he does to get us to change and to improve. I know that God didn't appear to Ebenezer Scrooge... and I know Mr. Scrooge isn't actually a real person. But, how many times in our lives has God obviously intervened and taught us a very profound lesson in order to help us realize what we need to do and how we can be happy? God plays SUCH an active role in each of our lives and will do ANYTHING, except for denying us agency, to bring us to Him again. That is an amazingly empowering thought to me. The most amazing and wonderful and powerful being in the universe cares enough about me, Lauren Jones, to personally teach me and lead me to salvation. I may not always understand and I may not always agree, but since when do children ever understand the lessons their parents teach them, or the reasoning of their parents. I am just so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who will lead me individually by the hand to find the greatest joy and happiness... more joy and happiness than I can yet fathom.

Alright... now I'm going to tell you a little bit of what Elder Nelson told us. He said that just in the past few months 8 countries are now open for missionary work! (Don't ask me what they are, he spoke very fast and they were all weird names). He also had a few really really funny quotes. I hope they're still funny out of context. He said: "If I want to quickly be excommunicated from the church, I would practice polygamy. The other sins take longer."  He also retold a conversation where a man asked him, "You don't believe in the Bible, do you?" To which Elder Nelson replied, "Of course I do. Our members wrote it."

Elder Nelson talked a lot about having your message prepared ahead of time and being able to answer questions simply, quickly and very concise. And at the end he invoked the blessings of Heaven on us!! How often does that happen?! He blessed us to feast upon the words and pray, to be safe in our journeys, to extend love to our families and to be instruments unto the Lord. Amazing!

Other things I learned this week: I should not feel like an outcast. I think we all have moments where we feel like we don't fit in. I feel like that more and more every day, it seems. But Sister Nelson said that we have no right to feel like that. As long as we are doing our best and spending our time serving the Lord and doing His work, we are doing exactly what we need to be doing. So, all of you who read this, do not let yourself feel like an outcast or awkward. You are an amazing creation of God! You have divine heritage and unlimited potential and opportunity! Focus less on what you can do and more on what the Savior has already done and what He is willing to do for you!

Sister Nelson also gave us an assignment. She told us to find all of the answers to life's problems in the scriptures. She said that we need to take our scriptures, humble ourselves and plead with the Lord to have the Holy Ghost and then ask the Lord specific questions. Then, read the scriptures until you have your answer. It won't take very long... but just read until you find the answer. In 2nd Nephi it says to feast upon the words of Christ, for the words of Christ will tell you all things that you should do. There are no qualifications.

I hope your Christmas was amazing! I wish I had time to tell you every detail, but I only get a half hour. It was the most spiritual Christmas weekend of my life! I wish you all could have been here! I definitely got a little homesick... but I know I'm doing the Lord's work and I'm exactly where I need to be. I love and miss you all so much!

Lauren's 1st Companion

Meet Hermana Daniels, Lauren's 1st Companion.

Lauren and her companion have been working on unity.  Since they are both so independent, it's been a bit of a challenge to mesh their teaching styles.  But, they are learning to build on each others strengths and are both working on the principles of humility and charity.

It's been a tough week.  Lauren loves the work and is having a lot of fun, but it's definitely work!  It has been snowing a lot in Provo and Lauren LOVES it.  On a recent trip to clean the Temple, she describes the walk to the Temple as heavenly!... She writes:  "Snow brings me so much JOY!

Last Sunday, Lauren gave a talk in Spanish at their Sacrament Meeting.  Every missionary in the district is responsibile for preparing a 3 minute talk in Spanish on an assigned topic.  The topic for the last week was La Fe en JesuCristo y su expiacion (Faith in Jesus Christ and his atonement).  Then during the meeting, the person conducting the service announces which missionaries are speaking.  Quoting her letter:  My talk 'was about having faith in things that we can't see like Abinadi.  We can't always see the difference we are making, but as we work hard and continue to further the Lord's work in whatever capacity we are asked, we can know that somehow we are making a difference'.

Her district also had a district meeting last Sunday.  They started by talking about the Book of Mormon, but their discussion developed into more of a bonding meeting expressing their appreciation for each other.  The Spirit was very strong and they all felt very close.  By the time they said the closing prayer, everyone was crying.  Lauren thinks she's rubbing off on them because she cries just about every day.  (No surprises there).

Her days are blurring together and are so busy that she is certain there are things she's forgetting to tell us.  She also says:  "For all of you who are sending letters and are frustrated that I'm not answering your specific questions I'm so sorry!  I get like 3 or 4 letters a day and it's hard to keep track of who is asking what and when.  And I only have 30 minutes to read and send emails... and only a few hours to write all of the letter I want to write.  Just know I love you!  And, if you need me to respond to something specific, let me know that it's important".



E-Mail #2

Lauren is still doing very well.  In the short two weeks that Lauren has been at the MTC she has learned a great deal.  Among all that she has learned, are two very important concepts: 1 - How little time she has at the MTC each day.  In fact, she says that 'P' day is one of the busiest days of them all.  2 - Good friends are sometimes gone very suddenly, as they leave the MTC to go to their mission assignments.  She says that she feels just a bit sad that this is also what mission life will be like in Dallas.  To paraphrase, she also says that this is why it is so imporant to make the most of your time with people because you never know how long they will be a part of your life.


Her very favorite days at the MTC are Wednesdays and Sundays because they are designated as ICE CREAM DAY!

Update!

We have received another letter from Lauren and she is doing great! She is busy as usual, but instead of just one letter she sent us three separate letters, one for each of us at home! She writes, “The MTC is great! We work very hard and we play hard. It is amazing! I definitely have moments though, where I wish I were back home just watching a movie, then I remember that this is the best thing I could be doing with my time, and I repent.” She urges us all, to remember to pray and study our scriptures everyday. She lives for letters, don’t be afraid to write. Her MTC address is:

Hermana Lauren Jones

MTC Mailbox #208

TX-DAL 0131

2005 N 900 E

Provo, UT 84604-1763

THE FIRST LETTER!

The MTC has been a whirlwind adventure to say the least! I'm learning a lot and growing and working VERY hard! I am only praying in Spanish now, even my personal prayers. I can say my purpose in Spanish which is, "Invitar a las personas a venir a Cristo a fin de que reciban el Evangelio Restaurado mediante la fe en JesuCristo, el arrepentimiento, el bautismo, la recepcion del don del Espiritu Santo, y el perseverar hasta al fin." En Ingles: "To invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and his Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and Enduring to the End." I also just memorized the first vision in spanish and I'm working on memorizing it in English. Maybe I'll send it in my next letter, because there isn't a ton of time to do it right now. I can also contact people in Spanish and bear my testimony to people. It's been an amazing experience! We have a goal to contact 10 people a day (just missionaries we encounter in the halls) and on our second day my companion (Hermana Daniels) and I contacted some English-speaking Elders and they were sooo impressed! They still couldn't contact in English! So, we're working hard and keeping very busy.

Every day we wake up at about 6 and get ready really quick so I can get to my personal study time... which is the BEST part of my day!! I love being personally taught by the Lord through the Holy Ghost! After personal study, we have breakfast and then we have gym. I usually run, and yesterday I ran 2 miles in under half an hour without my inhaler! I was feeling pretty good and I could have run further, but we had a LOT to get done! Then after gym, we have class with Hermano Rosales, who is from Mexico! He is a GREAT teacher and he knows how to inspire us! He is a great great teacher and we have good times. After class, we have lunch and then we go back to more class for about 4 hours! Then after we have companionship study and estudio idioma (language study) we go to dinner. After dinner we are taught by Hermana Blanco who is so sweet! She has such a great spirit and loves us so much! You can definitely feel her love as soon as you walk in! Then she teaches us until 9:00 and then we spend half an hour planning for the next day, all the things we're going to study and do and how we're going to reach our goals. And then we head back to the residence hall and then get ready for bed and write in our journals and sleep. Pretty crazy, huh? We are always anxiously engaged here!

I had a cool experience on Sunday. The night before, my Zone leaders asked me to give the prayer in Sacrament meeting and I said yes. So, Saturday night I spent a lot of time looking up words and practicing my prayer in Spanish so that I wouldn't look like a goober in front of all the missionaries in my Zone (all of the other districts had been here at least 4 weeks!). So, Sacramento meeting was great and we sang the closing hymn and I stood up to walk to the pulpit and my mind was BLANK! I couldn't remember ANY spanish! What was I going to do? So... I just prayed and hoped that something would come. As soon as I opened my mouth, it was filled! I was so grateful! I was able to say EVERYTHING in my heart and I said it very well! The Lord definitely blesses us as we work hard and prepare and have faith in him and act!

I only have 10 minutes left! Ah! There's so much I want to say to you! First, THANK YOU for all the letters and emails and Dear Elders! They have given me strength this week! There have been a few tough days and then getting that letter after Dinner just made me so so happy! I am overwhelmed with gratitude for all of my friends and family who remember me and write me! So, don't stop writing! Even little short letters mean the world!

Ok... so, my district has 4 Elderes y 4 Hermanas. Which is pretty unusual... most of the Districts in my Zone don't have any sisters. But, we have an even split. I LOVE the hermanas I'm serving with! We have so much fun together and they are such strong women in the gospel! I love my time with them! My companion, Hermana Daniels, is from Shelley, Idaho and she's amazing. The other sisters are Hermana Barney and Hermana Christensen. Hermana Barney is probably the happiest person I've ever met and Hermana Christensen is just a sweetheart! I love them all!

Entering the MTC

Lauren's assigned reporting time was 1 p.m. on Wednesday December 1, 2010.  A little bit of procrastination let to a very late night the night before, and less time for fun the morning of she reported to the MTC.  We didn't have enough time for a nice lunch and ended up eating at Wendy's just before she reported.

 At the MTC we spent some time visiting and taking pictures before the drop off.  At the drop off, Lauren's luggage was taken by two Elders already at the MTC.  They escorted her into the building and helped her find her way to her dorm room.

I have it from a very reliable source that life in the MTC is very structured:  Wake up at 6:30 and Lights out at 10:30.  In between wake up and lights out, the day is basically broken up into three education/study sessions with meals in between.  Lauren will be in the MTC until early February and will then be sent to her assigned mission in Dallas Texas.

See you in 18 Months!

                                            

Finally!

Hey everyone!

I enter the MTC in just a few hours! It's felt like I've waited a long long time for this, but it also feels like it's WAY too soon. I can't wait to get out there in the field and teach the gospel! I'm so excited! The only thing I'm not looking forward to is my dork dot. Small price to pay for the one of the most amazing and rewarding experiences of my life.

I miss and love you all! I look forward to getting your letters!

"As we lose ourselves in the service of others, we discover our own lives and our own happiness."  -Deiter F. Uchtdorf