Eli And The Finish Line

Happy belated Mother's Day. I am beyond grateful for my mother. I got to speak about mothers in sacrament meeting actually. I'll mention it below.

Believe it or not, this is my last email as a missionary! I go home this Friday! It is unreal. I feel so much love for all the people I've met because I have felt the Savior's infinite love for me. I am sad to leave, but I feel amazing knowing that I have served with my all.

This was an interesting week. Numerous lessons canceled, but we maintained high faith and did a lot of contacting still. We did a lot of calls and set up lessons. One of the coolest payoffs of our efforts was how many new friends we made. Our goal started at ten. Then we raised it to twenty. For a third time, we increased it to twenty-five! We shared so many scriptures and testified to people, and we were able to make twenty-three new friends!!! This was DEFINITELY my new record! We thanked the Lord for assisting us in this effort. All three of us in this companionship desire to teach and bring others to Christ, so we saw miracles!!

I had two different video calls with people. One of the people was from Cuba, so that was cool! A few days after teaching him about the Book of Mormon, he said he started reading it! It was such a wonderful message to receive!

We went to Bellevue because Elder Thompson got to baptize one of his friends that he taught. It was nice to see familiar members again! When we were choosing where to eat, my companions didn't want Mexican food since we've been eating it so much lately. I suggested sushi, and that's what we ate! It was delicious. It's funny how much the three of us love food.

It has been beautiful lately. The sun is out and it's so warm! I love it. One big thing I am going to miss about Washington is how green it is. Every sidewalk is lined with trees and abundant plants!

There is this friend who stands at the corner of a stoplight several days a week. This stoplight is sixty seconds away from our apartment, so we see him often when we are headed to different places. We've gotten to know him well now. His name is Aaron, and we got to do a prayer circle together. It was great!

Fernando continues to move upwards in his spiritual progress! I am so proud of him. He honestly makes me smile so much! We met with him on Saturday, and he's been doing well. He noted that it was my last time meeting with him outside of church, so he shook my hand in our photo together! I love how kind he is to me. Then, on Sunday, Hermano Rodríguez was able to give him a ride to church. When I sat next to Fernando during second hour, he asked me to help him find each scripture or other reference on the Gospel Library app as our teacher jumped between different gospel sources. I was happy to do so. When I opened up his Gospel Library app, it showed the very talk that we had invited him to study from the day before!! I instantly know that he had been reading it! I felt that our invitation and words had been valued by Fernando, so I applauded and thanked him for this! I also noticed his faith as I showed him where to find each scripture and talk; he wanted to be involved in our class and follow along. I was smiling so much inside!!! I am going to miss Fernando SO much!

I love being busy serving the Lord. Church was the very essence of this. This is what I got to do: --Right before church, we printed the paper programs for Eli's baptism --We filled the font right as church was starting --All three of us helped pass the sacrament --I gave a talk about mothers' role in the Plan of Salvation --I picked out white jumpsuits for Eli and me --I got a good photo with Eli and my companions for Eli's baptism --I BAPTIZED ELI

This was a LOT for me to do. I was pretty nervous and stressed as I thought about each part, but I thought of the Lord, and everything was a little smoother and calmer. As we sang "Families Can Be Together Forever" in Spanish as a congregation, I teared up. The Spirit testified and I knew it was my last Sunday as a full-time elder. I was grateful for this opportunity to be busy with the things I listed above. I LOVED constantly serving others as a missionary for this three or so hour period. The stress was worth it because it was done for the Savior and for the members of our ward. It was condensed joy! I have loved being 100% immersed in serving and proselyting for twenty-three months as well. This period of church on Sunday was a small glimpse of the general span of my mission; in other words, it summed up how I felt about the rest of my mission: full of joy before the Lord!

Eli's baptism was a beautiful experience!! His uncle and aunt drove three hours to come, and it was his uncle's first time at church!! It was big deal that they came! There was so much love and support from everyone in general, too. The whole program was in English, so it was neat to see three of our members really put in the effort to communicate in their non-native language and testify to Eli. His parents, Gris and Irvin, brought refreshments, which was so kind! At one point, Eli was running around with our eleven-year-old member Jorge Santos playing tag. Eli had asked him if they could be friends, and Jorge replied that they already were!! They had known each other for ten minutes, and Jorge was being the friend that Eli needed! I saw him exemplifying the Savior so well. I wanted to cry; it was so heart-warming. I am SO proud of Eli and his parents! They plan to consistently come to church, but Irvin now has three jobs! Please pray for him so that he will be able to manage each job and still make time for us and the Lord each week.

Several members were asking about when I go home, and I let them know it will be Friday. They thanked me for my service and wished me a safe flight home as I see my family again. I'm glad I get to see them again when I visit; goodbyes are hard!

We met with Alejandro and Eduardo. This time, three more people sat in as we taught! In total, there were twelve or thirteen people in their small apartment! It was noisy the whole time, but we did our best to bring the Spirit and teach about the Restoration. They are a fun group!

Serving a mission is life-changing. It is testimony-growing. It is also humbling. I feel so happy and sad at the same time as I finish soon. I am leaving a people that I have bonded with, but I get to return to my incredible family too. The one thing I can depend on through all of this is my relationship with and testimony of each member of the Godhead. They each have helped me see the REAL value of serving God's children with my whole soul.

Testifico que Jesucristo nos sana. ¡El arrepentimiento es la solución! Tenemos que quitar el orgullo para vencer nuestras debilidades y crecer espiritualmente. Sé que el profeta Russell M. Nelson nos dirige son la sabiduría de Dios hoy día. También sé que las sagradas ordenanzas en el templo nos permiten a vivir la vida con bastante alegría. ¡Nuestras acciones y palabras importan en esta vida y la siguiente! Hay protección espiritual al obedecer los mandamientos y leyes del Señor. ¡Que bendecidos estamos que tenemos el Libro de Mormón para enseñarnos tanto sobre la vida de Jesucristo!

This is my testimony. I love the Lord--truly.

Matthew 25:21 says:

"Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things...enter thou into the joy of thy lord."

This is how I think the Lord feels about my efforts. At least it's what I have hope for. Everything I accomplished happened thanks to HIM.

I love you all!!

Elder Jones