Sick, Spiderman & D. Todd Christofferson

                            Letter from President Brough (mission president):

FROM: President Brough

Dear Elders and Sisters:
With great pleasure I invite all full-time missionaries to attend a very special Mission Conference on the morning of Saturday, 14 February 2015. We will have the privilege of receiving instruction from Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles and Elder Ulisses Soares of the Presidency of the Seventy..."

 

          ~we are gonna meet D. Todd Christofferson! on valentines day!~

*Got a very early email from Katelyn - earlier than normal, she was emailing from Bro & Sis. Hixton's apartment on what to do on feeling so sick.  Side Note:  Interesting that it took nearly 4 months for her to get sick for the first time.  At least we got to 'break the rules' and talk back and forth.  It was wonderful to hear her 'voice' even if she was not feeling well.*

SICK:

(7:30 am) Hey mom I have been sick the last few days (since Saturday). I have had a headache, sore throat to the point of not being able to breathe and an insanely stuffed nose and I have been coughing and spitting up mucus. I just wanted to let you know so if I were to go the medical center today you would know why I might be using the insurance card

-please write back.

 

(11:00 am)  Okay, I just talked to the mission doctor and he said that he is going to call in a prescription at CVS and he thinks I might have a case of Bronchitis-if it were worse he would say Pneumonia but its not that so will you put 20 more dollars on the card just in case it costs a lot? I am told to just have fluids and mucus medicine, Advil and rest, with the prescription. So I think that everything will get better now that there is some sort of diagnosis. 

Thank you mom for talking with me- I feel better knowing that in a way you are still there ha,ha. 

I know you always are but its different being on a mission, its like everyone has disappeared ha,ha. Anyway, I love you momma and tell dad that I love him too! and Jaden and Syd too! ;)

-Sister Jones

         (notice not even a hint that she is really sick in her family letter - what a trooper!)

Dear Family & Friends -

Well this last week was one crazy week! We have done some fun and crazy things: Tuesday we went and painted nails at the Arch here in Olney and it was Sister Hinton's first time serving there and we painted a few nails and chatted and then I painted this one old ladies nails and her name was Evelyn and she said "You will have to clip them first" So I did and it was so hard because I was trying to be gentle but at the same time I was clipping the thickest nails ever! Than she says to me "you having a hard time?" She joked and her and I laughed. As I was doing her nails she was telling me all about her life and explaining that she has been a hard working all her life and she is now 91 and the only physical issues that she has is she is old and her hips hurt, other than that she beats all the old ladies there because she can walk and talk and do a lot on her own. I thought WOW! I hope that I get to be that way when I am older and have a strong enough body! Than her and I took a Selfie and she says oh no I will break the camera! Ha ha, she didn't but she is a cutie!

That night we helped Sister parker (who owns a skating rink) take down her winter decorations and put up valentine decorations! It was a blast, she had pizza, cake and then top it off she had spiderman and Patrick star costumes! I had to try them on! And since we had kids there from the branch as well they got a kick out of it all!

 

Thursday and Friday we had exchanges with the Sister training Leaders and I went down to Mt. Vernon for the day and night and it was a fun day. Sister Goodrich decided that we would go to New Harmony to visit some members and Less-actives in that town. And it was one of the creepiest places I have ever been to. Its this small town in the middle of the woods where everything is super quiet and squeaky clean; and their main attraction is this weird labyrinth made out of bushes and then in the middle of this random maze is a small stone building with a door and windows in it-but there is nothing inside. The information box said that the religionists called the "Harmonists" built the town and had a weird prayers in the middle of this labyrinth. Some people are freaky but I can say I visited this town!

 

Lastly, We went to teach a former investigator and she has been taught on and off for over a year by sisters. We felt impressed to read "Your Happily Ever After" to her and she started to cry and we explained that she has so much more to live for and keep going with trying not to smoke and she set a baptismal date with us, ready to start over and change! You just never know when people need to hear that they are worth so much more than what the world tells them and that God indeed has a plan for them! We should be mindful that every person that walks in our path because we never know what they have gone through and how their day has been; you might make someone's day by how you treat them!

My favorite scripture that I read this week is in Alma 34- When Alma is speaking to his son Hela​man and basically explaining his conversion story and bearing his testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and how he is struck by an angel of the Lord and how he tasted as much joy as was his pain. I know that people in the Book of Mormon are testimonies how we should try to live - as they come to grow closer to the Lord we should do so daily. The only way to do that is through the Atoning blood of our Savior Jesus Christ and the use of His enabling and loving power. I testify that we are loved Sons and Daughters of God and that we have all the opportunities to change and turn towards our Heavenly Father! I love you all!

-Sister Jones