Jones, Talmage T

I had a better week! Elder Thompson and I have been praying for our friends to progress and grow in the teachings of the Savior; we've worked hard to find and teach. We got to teach the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ—the whole lesson—four or five times this week! This was a highlight for me. It's probably the most I've ever shared this lesson in a single week! New people have reached out to us to meet at the library, church, and their homes. We got to teach English and the Restoration quite a bit. Our lesson with Jorge, Maria, and Fabiola was spectacular! They love learning English with us. After, we planned on talking to them about the Book of Mormon, but it took a different direction. Our good member Hermano Robledo got into church and baptism. He explained both pretty well. Jorge opened up and admitted that he feels really good when he's at church and around us! We told him that he's feeling the Holy Ghost, and he even said he wants baptism!! We bore t...

My highlight of the week was our Bothell Stake Conference! We had an amazing speaker named Elder Schmitt. I loved it! For our Sunday session, my companion and I translated into Spanish. It was hard but fun! This week was hard. We are doing a lot of finding, and we are hoping to find those who are ready to receive Jesus Christ and commit to Him. Please pray for Eli, Josue, Jorge, Maria, Fabiola, and Yormi. They have potential for coming to church and being open to baptism. That's about it for now. Adiós! Elder Jones

Happy days happen here in the Bothell area! Nothing too crazy happened this week. It took me until last Monday to learn that the Kirkland Signature brand comes from Kirkland, Washington. I currently live in Kirkland, so it's kind of crazy to me. For years, I thought maybe this brand had to do with a place called Kirkland, but I was too afraid to ask anyone and sound stupid. It's okay to laugh at this if you want. As a zone (all missionaries in the Bothell area), we chose to set a goal of inviting 130 people to church. We surpassed 130 on Saturday, and we got another 6 on Sunday!! Elder Thompson and I invited so many people, and it was a great experience. What's interesting is that 0 friends came on Sunday. I initially became very saddened, but I realized how much of a role agency plays in God's plan. People can choose to come closer to God at church or miss out on this "spiritual refuel," so to speak. I am not a successful missionary based on how many people g...