Winding up..........

We have written before about having Family Home Evening with Margot and her family.  After several weeks of complications (sickness, travel, and visitors who don't like Mormons) we finally went back last week.  She gave a lesson from the Book of Mormon Stories about Moroni making a banner of liberty from his shirt.

  For the activity, the children made their own banner of liberty on a torn-up tee shirt. As in the real story, they wrote on it about defending their freedom, their home and their family.

                        We hung it on a stick.  They were quite proud of it when it was finished.


Next we played with the twirling buttons that Pickle (our very sweet granddaughter) made and sent to Elder Jones for Christmas.  They loved them and learned quickly how to make them work--even the missionaries!  Thanks, Pickle!

We went back again last night and did a lesson (again from the Book of Mormon Stories) about the group of Lamanites who were converted to the gospel and felt so badly about the evil they had done in the past that they buried their weapons in the ground, even knowing that it might mean they would die if attacked by their enemies.

It prompted a discussion (as much as possible from such young children) about what that might feel like to them.  We brought two cardboard swords Elder Jones had made and let them "dig a hole and bury them."  But for 7 and 9 year old boys, that was fun for only a few minutes.  When we left they were happily attacking each other.


Two weeks ago on P Day we went to La Serena and saw this bookmobile.  We both have very fond memories of bookmobiles.  We loved the artwork on it.

Also while there we saw this construction project.  The Chilenos have learned that if they want a building to withstand all the earthquakes, they need to put LOTS of rebar in it.  Earthquakes continue to occur close to Ovalle.  After each one, Elder Jones calls out his estimated number classification, and he is usually right.  Last week we had one 5.3, one 5.2, and a 4.8, all within 15 miles of Ovalle.

Also we saw in the harbor of Coquimbo a Viking Ship that was on the attack with a pirate ship.  Not sure who won.

                                             
(It is winter vacation here for two weeks, and the ships were full of families, so I am sure there were lots of hostages to be ransomed afterwards.:)

The wonderful investigator family we talked about in our last blog still continues to learn and grow in their understanding of the gospel.  Three days ago we prepared a family home evening to share with them about family love.  It seemed like a good topic for their first time.  We had the dad ask the two children to talk about how they knew their parents loved them.

The 8 year old responded very sweetly and with an obvious and tender assurance of the love he felt from them.  Then the 14 year old boy began expressing his very deep feelings, filling the room with love and the Spirit and bringing tears to all of us.  We loved watching the faces of the two parents as they listened to their children.

This family is so ready to embrace the gospel.  Their home is full of Christ-like love.  It is just a matter of time.

We have almost finished with our Family History Family Home Evenings.  We have given about 20 by now and have one more left.  We love meeting with families and watching them begin to understand as the Spirit testifies of the importance of this work.

Many of them have followed up with visits to the Family History Center to learn how to actually do it, or have us help them.  Many do not have computers, internet, or knowledge of how to use familysearch.org., so it is a big move forward for them. Many also do not have any records or histories of their ancestors.

We love showing them our family trees on familysearch.org.  Many are in awe of the photos, stories, and fan charts on our sites, and it gives them a glimpse of what is possible.

This group was our Zone until last week, until almost half of them were transferred. :(   We told someone the other day that when we left home we had 11 grandchildren.  Now we have at least 50, and we have to keep saying goodbye to a few of them every 6 weeks.  What a blessing they have been to us.  We love every one of them.

                                                          *****************

We have tried to write and send this edition of our blog for over a week, but for some reason we seem to be living each day in fastforward.  In one month we will be in Vina with other departing missionaries, for one last interview with our mission president, a testimony meeting, then a dinner (which we don't actually have to cook!).

For many reasons, and very mixed feelings, we are looking forward to these last few days.  We will see once again a few missionaries we really got close to while serving together, we will be able to express our appreciation to our President and his wife for the amazing impact they have had on all of us, we will be able to go to the temple as a group of missionaries, and then.................we will come home.

"I cannot say the smallest part which I feel."

Elder y Hna. Jones