Look, I'm Growing Up:)

Wow another crazy week! I say that, like, every week, but something crazy always happens.

This week, Sister Krumperman and I got a lot of surprises. The first one, is that I will be going to South Korea this week! Every three months, the volunteers here go on a visa trips to get a new visa. I don't need to renew mine yet, but Sister Krumperman was going to be the only sister in her group, so I get to go with her! I am so excited to go to the temple there. The second surprise was even more dramatic. Right now, Sister Krumperman is my trainer. She basically is teaching me how to be a missionary. Normally, the trainer is with the trainee for 2 transfers (12 weeks), but for some reason, President decided that Sister Krumperman needs to be in Novosibirsk this transfer. So, that means that I am getting a new trainer this week! Which also means that she doesn't know the people here or the area, so I have been stressing just a bit about that. I need to know all the people that we meet with and work with and all that stuff, and I still don't really speak Russian... yayyyyy. But I'm overall very excited! We are also moving into our new apartment on April first (I don't know if I mentioned that... but yeah, we got a new apartment), so there's a ton going on this week.

We had a ton of really good meetings with people this week. My favorite one was with a woman named Valentina. She is a little mentally not there, and she has periods where she comes to church every week, and periods where we don't see her at all. She's been coming to church for the past couple of weeks, and we didn't know if she was ok to meet with or not (because of her mental state) but she asked us to come by. We talked about feeling the Holy Ghost. We all chose our favorite hymns, sang them, and talked about why we liked them. It was a very powerful experience. Sister Valentina is a little sick and couldn't sing very well, so she mostly listened. We finished singing, and she started talking about how sad she was. She was just looking for a job last fall, but she got sent to a mental facility. She didn't understand why God would do that to her, and why He wouldn't just give her a job. We told her that we didn't know why God allows some of these things to happen, but we do now that He loves her. Everything that happens is so she can learn, grow, and be better. He does love her, more than anything. And we love her too. In the middle of saying that, Sister Valentina stands up, and gives both of us a really tight hug. I don't know if I've ever felt that much love for someone that I don't really know or understand before. All I can say, is that I know God loves that woman. I know because I have felt some of His love for her, and it was so incredibly powerful.

This week, I also realized how truly happy I am here, which I think is such a testament to my mission and to the gospel. I am constantly doing, thinking, and living the gospel. I have never read my scriptures so much, prayed so much, so constantly thought and prayed about other people, so often looked for God's blessings in my life. While I always feel like I can be doing better, I am so much happier than I have been in such a long time. Part of it is my love for Russia and the people I have met here, but it also comes from living the gospel to the best of your abilities. God really is a merciful God. He will never force us to do anything, but this wonderful plan that He has given us is a roadmap. If we choose to follow it, we will be so much happier. I know that. I can feel it. Take advantage of this gift that God has given us.

I love you all! I'm so sorry I'm always so short on time, but I read each of your letters, and I really appreciate all of your love and support:)

Sister Jones

Everything Is OK!

Hello hello friends!

Another week in Russia has gone by. I can't even believe it. There were lots of interesting components this week and lots of strange things happening.

First: our living conditions. Starting last Sunday (I think I mentioned this in my email last week), we didn't have any water in our apartment. We called our landlord, and she knew about it (why she didn't give us a heads up, I'm not sure), and also told us that our water was going to be off for a couple of WEEKS. Um, that's not going to work for us. So, we visited the senior couples apartment to use their water every morning so we could shower. The senior couple are a very nice Russian couple here, and they are very health conscious. I was battling a little bit of a cold this week, and made the mistake of coughing when we were over showering at their home. I got sent home with a bottle of fish oil, which they also made me drink some of. I am not a fan. But that's not all, the fish oil spilled in my backpack. That I couldn't wash. Because we didn't have water. It also got on the floor. That we couldn't really clean up. Because we didn't have water. So we have an apartment that has no bathroom we can use because of the lack of water, and it smells like fish. Wonderful. THEN, Misha comes. Misha is the maintenance guy who is coming to try and fix our water. What is his solution. DRILL A HOLE IN OUR WALL. During our studies. Our apartment was a very stressful place this week. BUT Misha worked some magic, and on Friday night, we discovered that our water turned back on! We prayed in the middle of the bathroom floor, we were so excited and so grateful.

 Second: The work. The work was great this week! None of our meetings fell through. We met with lots of grandmas and lots of potential investigators. We are also trying to come up with new ideas on how to find more people, and we're thinking about having a branch fiesta! I am speaking a lot more in Russian, and understanding so much more too! So, even though our living situation was freaking us out, the work was going forward, we were feeling the spirit, and everything was great:) 

Also, we went on a boat tour today! We haven't had a lot of time to email and things like that today because of it, but it was so cool! Vlad is so so pretty, and I feel so lucky to be serving here.

I hope you all had a wonderful week! I am going to try to send pictures, but it hasn't been working, so keep your fingers crossed! I love you all:)

Sister Jones

Vlad: The Power Of The East - Vladivostok Week 3

Hello friends!

I hope you all had a wonderful week! I still can't believe I'm here, and yeah... let's talk about the things I did:)

So, Sister Krumperman has been trying to get me more involved with things, because, well, I still don't speak Russian (surprise!). Whenever she sees someone on the street she feels like we should talk to, she turns to me and this is what happens:

Sister Krumperman: Sister Jones, go and ask that woman if she speaks English and if she says yes, ask her where the internet cafe is.

Me: What?? No. Why?? She probably doesn't even speak English, we're in Russia!

Sister Krumperman: Go go go, she's about to cross the street!

Me: Why can't you do it?

Sister Krumperman: I'm talking on the phone. *Proceeds to make a fake phone call*

Me: Oh no.

But then I talk to people! And it's ok! And some people do speak English! And then we invite them to our weekly English conversation group and it's all good:) We meet a lot of college students that speak very good English, and the people that don't speak English are so sweet and try to pull out their phones to use Google translate.

Tatiana, who has a baptismal date on March 23rd (!) is really struggling with quitting smoking, which she needs to do before she can get baptized. Her faith is so incredibly strong though! She really knows who she is, and she understands the joy that this gospel can bring her. It is painful to see her struggle so much with this, but she is so strong, and I know that God will be able to help her through it.

I was reading in the Book of Mormon this week (obviously) and I just got finished reading in Alma. There is a story at the end, where all the Nephites and Lamanites are at war. Moroni and his armies are struggling with a lack of food and men, and the government is not backing them up like they should. Moroni sends a pretty heated letter to the chief judge, Pahoran, who he assumes is the cause of all of this. Pahoran responds and tells Moroni all about what has been going on and why he hasn't been able to send any support. There were lots of rebellious groups at the time that they were trying to get Pahoran kicked off the judgment seat. However, even though Moroni was pretty frank with how upset he was in his letter, Pahoran was forgiving and very humble. I think he is a really great example. Even reading Moroni's epistle to Pahoran, I was getting frustrated for him, but this is just like in life. We don't know what is going on in other people's lives. We don't know the things they struggle with in different aspects of their lives, in their minds and hearts, or even just how they think about things in general. We can take from the example of Pahoran, and try to understand those around us and have patience with them. Getting upset with others doesn't ever really help anyone. I love the Book of Mormon:)

So that was my week! I'm sorry there was not a lot about Russia in this email or crazy grandma's, but just know that Russia is wonderful. Also, I got a magnet this week with Vladimir Putin holding a puppy, and it says "All Goes Well", and I'm very excited about it.

Thank you for all your emails and support! I have less time in the field to email so I'm sorry if I don't respond to you all every week, but just know that I do read all of them and I love you all so much!

Sister Jones

Hola? Привет? Hello?

Hi friends!!

This week was... a lot. But, I am alive, I am happy, and everything is great:)

I'll first explain my subject. We have game nights every Tuesday night where we just try to get to know people and have a fun time. We invite anyone and everyone to come, and they can be a lot of fun! This week's game night was absolute madness. Sister Krumperman and I brought two friends, Вероника (Veronica) and Настя (Nastia). The Elders brought four friends that are university students at ДВФУ, the university here. They speak Russian... well kind of. They are all from different countries in South America, and they speak Spanish, very good English, and have varying levels of Russian skills. We were trying to teach them a card game, and there was a lot of explaining in Russian, English, AND Spanish. I know quite a bit of Spanish, and let me just tell you, my brain was very, very confused. It was so much fun though! And we all figured out how to play the game eventually. We also had a foosball tournament, which I, surprisingly, didn't win (jk, I'm not that great at foosball).

Sister Krumperman and I had a crazy experience this week. We traveled to a town an hour away to visit a recent convert and give her a little spiritual thought. She is such a funny lady! She is obsessed with losing weight, looking beautiful, and this protein powder type thing called HerbaLife. We get there, and she gets out three cups, puts a piece of an orange in each one, and starts layering кефир (buttermilk), HerbaLife, and a few gummy bears. We had to eat it. I ate plain buttermilk basically. It was absolutely disgusting, but I didn't throw up, and I honestly consider that a victory! We did have a really good lesson with her though. She has a very strong faith in the Book of Mormon and in Joseph Smith. I recited the First Vision, and it brought the best feeling. She was crying, and just so happy. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. His story is so magneficent and powerful. It's really amazing.

Sadly, Татьяна (Tatiana) decided she isn't ready to get baptized on March 23rd. I'm not really worried about her though. She made her decision with prayer, and I have seen her testimony. She still wants to meet with us, and she still wants to be baptized. We will wait for her to be ready, and I know that it will all work out. After all, this isn't our work, it's the Lord's work.

In other news, our apartment doesn't have water today, but ya know, it's ok! We're getting by. We also went to my first Russian ballet on Saturday, Swan Lake! It was the best thing ever, and I would highly recommend going to a Russian ballet if you ever get the chance.

Thank you all for all of your support and emails! I love you all so much:)

Sister Jones

Note From/To Jeff Foote

Nate & Rachel,

I drop Emma a short note every couple of weeks. This week, I sent her a photo of my big catch (similar to one posted on Instagram) and a bit of a fisherman’s analogy... see below... 

She sent back such a nice note that I thought you’d like to see. 

Thanks,

Jeff

*********

From Bro. Foote:

Dear Emma,

Greetings from friends in Texas!  I wanted to share a short story and analogy with you this week.  A couple of days ago, Bro. Lamb, Bishop Gardner and I - along with three other guys - went fishing along the Texas coast.  Attached is a photo of the monster red fish (aka red drum) that I caught. It was over 36 inches long. Normally, in order to catch that size red fish, you have to go off shore into deeper water.  When wade fishing in the shallows along the coast, you normally catch reds in the 20-28 inch range, occasionally a couple of inches bigger. But for some reason this very large fish swam into shallower waters and the fact that my shrimp happened to be floating in a precise place in order to intersect with the fish made for a very exciting and fortuitous occasion for me!  (The photo shows Bro. Lamb's very nice 23 inch red fish and my monster fish...I've had a little fun with this photo. :-))

I think that an overlooked and important component of success in life is simply being available and accessible.  It's true for missionaries. It's true for parents and grandparents. It's true for spouses. It's true for friends.  It's true for employers and employees. It's true in our neighborhoods and schools. It's true for any church calling and virtually any role.  Being "present" when we're supposed to be makes many other happy things possible, including a bit of good luck and many heavenly blessings as well.  Heavenly Father wants to bless His children and will do so anytime we show any virtually level of faith or obedience. In other words, we need to be present...and hopefully a little bit more than just present whenever we can.  Not all blessings will be "giants", but making ourselves available to receive them is a big part of happiness and fulfillment in life.

Things are otherwise great here - normal daily challenges but overall life is wonderful.

Have a wonderful week in Russia!  We love you and pray for you often!

Love,

Bro. Foote

**********
From Me:

Brother Foote,

First of all, that is a giant fish! I've only gone fishing a few times, and it was really only in the little pond in our backyard... the fish aren't very big there. I think that that is a very good point. Right now in our branch, we are trying to work with a lot of the youth and trying to get them really active and strong in the gospel. One of the things that I've learned from trying to do that is just being there for them. Being there when they have a bad day, or inviting them to an activity, or sitting next to them and talking to them at church. I've found that when I'm really trying hard to be present and to do what God wants me to do, miracles happen, and people are blessed.

Thank you for your emails! I love and miss you all!!

Emma 

Vlad: The Power Of The East

*Quick reminder, my new email is jones.emma@latter-daysaints.ru

Hello friends!

I hope you all had a wonderful week! I still can't believe I'm here, and yeah... let's talk about the things I did:)

So, Sister Krumperman has been trying to get me more involved with things, because, well, I still don't speak Russian (surprise!). Whenever she sees someone on the street she feels like we should talk to, she turns to me and this is what happens:

Sister Krumperman: Sister Jones, go and ask that woman if she speaks English and if she says yes, ask her where the internet cafe is.

Me: What?? No. Why?? She probably doesn't even speak English, we're in Russia!

Sister Krumperman: Go go go, she's about to cross the street!

Me: Why can't you do it?

Sister Krumperman: I'm talking on the phone. *Proceeds to make a fake phone call*

Me: Oh no.

But then I talk to people! And it's ok! And some people do speak English! And then we invite them to our weekly English conversation group and it's all good:) We meet a lot of college students that speak very good English, and the people that don't speak English are so sweet and try to pull out their phones to use Google translate.

Tatiana, who has a baptismal date on March 23rd (!) is really struggling with quitting smoking, which she needs to do before she can get baptized. Her faith is so incredibly strong though! She really knows who she is, and she understands the joy that this gospel can bring her. It is painful to see her struggle so much with this, but she is so strong, and I know that God will be able to help her through it.

I was reading in the Book of Mormon this week (obviously) and I just got finished reading in Alma. There is a story at the end, where all the Nephites and Lamanites are at war. Moroni and his armies are struggling with a lack of food and men, and the government is not backing them up like they should. Moroni sends a pretty heated letter to the chief judge, Pahoran, who he assumes is the cause of all of this. Pahoran responds, and tells Moroni all about what has been going on and why he hasn't been able to send any support. There were lots of rebellious groups at the time that were trying to get Pahoran kicked off the judgement seat. However, even though Moroni was pretty frank with how upset he was in his letter, Pahoran was forgiving and very humble. I think he is a really great example. Even reading Moroni's epistle to Pahoran, I was getting frustrated for him, but this is just like in life. We don't know what is going on in other people's lives. We don't know the things they struggle with in different aspects of their lives, in their minds and hearts, or even just how they think about things in general. We can take from the example of Pahoran, and try to understand those around us and have patience with them. Getting upset with others doesn't ever really help anyone. I love the Book of Mormon:)

So that was my week! I'm sorry there was not a lot about Russia in this email or crazy grandma's, but just know that Russia is wonderful. Also, I got a magnet this week with Vladimir Putin holding a puppy, and it says "All Goes Well", and I'm very excited about it.

Thank you for all your emails and support! I have less time in the field to email so I'm sorry if I don't respond to you all every week, but just know that I do read all of them and I love you all so much!

Sister Jones