She's finally home....

She may have missed her nephew a little bit...

For her first meal home she chose Azteca...guess there aren't many mexican restaurants in Germany!

We are SO glad she is back!

Pictures

"Sister Folsom and I at Handball"

"Zone Conference Sister Folsom, me, Sister Hurst and Sister Psota"

"ZC with Pres and His wife and me"

Week #64 (8-17-09)

This last week was great.We had zone conference in Neumünster which is only a 25 minute train ride from Kiel. It was super cool. I love being able to learn from Präsident and his wife!! They are so awesome!! The AP´s also talked about the importance of planning out your lessons really well and being on the same page as your comp before the lesson. It was probably the best zone conference for me yet.I can´t believe that I only have one more. So unfair...!! I love getting to be spiritually uplifted so often...I actually wish that it was more often. :o)

 

After zone conference I got to go to Schwerin with sister Hurst for an exchange. That was my first time in the old East Germany. It obviously doesn´t look so depressing as before because they have rebuilt a lot...well most of the cities, but you can still tell that there are differences. The people are a lot less friendly which isn´t saying much because they aren´t too friendly to strangers in the west anyway...but especially about the gospel. We would start to talk to people and they wouldn´t even look at us. In the west they usually talk to us for a second before they walk away. The people are just so atheist. So sad!! A lot of the buildings also look a lot the same. My comp said that the ones that look the same were all built during communism...I´m talking about the apartment buildings...when you get a higher look at the city it looks so boring because all the high buildings are pretty much the same...cold and gray. There is a super cool castle there. It is like gold colored!! The sisters live like across a lake from it!! WOW!! I loved it there but was grateful to come back to the west...I know it is all one Germany now, but there is still a difference. One of my MTC comps is serving in the Berlin mission and she said that one city she served in almost everyone had rainbow colored hair, tattoos all over and also piercings everywhere. They have gone so extreme because they weren´t aloud to do anything like that before. There is a huge difference between the look of this side and the other. It is so interesting!!

 

We also got to teach quite a few more lessons this week. The lord is blessing us with success as we continue to show our patience and diligence!! 

 

Sister Jones

Christi and the castle in Schwerin

Water tower they found while out knocking on doors...Sister Hurst.

"Me after a hard day of work....all I want is water!"

Christi's new companion...

Sister Folsom and Christi

Our little German girl!

Week #57 (6-29-09)

My comp and I and the Elders at the Schweiz Night that we had!!



This week was another hard week, but we saw miracles and we didn´t have as many appointments fall out...well, also because we didn´t have as many scheduled!

Last Sunday we had found a guy on the street who was Muslim and he told us we could bring him a book of Mormon. So we set up an appointment to meet at his house and got his address and phone number. Well, on Tuesday we went to the appointment and his name was not on any of the doors bells. (He told us it would be). So we decided there had to be a reason why we were sent here to this place at this time and we were determined to find someone. So we started doing doors. We did the building that this guy told us..where he was supposed to be living and didn´t find anyone interested...so we went on to the building next to it. We rang the bells and the third one let us in the building. We walked up so many stairs and then there he was...the guy we were supposed to have an appointment with. I thought that we had written down the wrong number or something when we first talked to him. Well, he let us in and we prayed and started talking. He told us the whole appointment that he was Muslim and that he doesn´t want to change, but he was excited when we gave him a book of Mormon in his language!! He said that he would be interested in reading it. We didn´t set up another appointment because he didn´t want to, but he did agree to let us come back in a few weeks and see how he likes the book. Ok, now comes the funny part. Right at the end of the appointment he asked us how we found him...we looked at him a little strange and reminded him that we had met him on the street and we had set up an appointment, then he asked us again, but how did you find me. He knew that he had given us the wrong number (the phone number was also wrong that he gave us) and thought that since he gave us a different name then was on the doorbell and the wrong building that we wouldn´t be able to find him...he didn´t say that, but it was clear from how the appointment went and how he asked that question that he didn´t want us to come in the first place. Well...the Lord really wanted us to meet with him and to find him..again!! We did and did our best to bring him the truth..isn´t that a funny story??

On Friday we had our Schweizer Abend (Swizerland night) put on by my very own Sister Psota. She was super stressed out, but it went great. The games and info was fun and the food was great as well!! We have such cool YSA´s in this ward!! I love having activities with them..and they also are SO willing to come on Joint Teaches. I really like it here in Kiel. I know that as I get used to being here that I will love it just as much at Bremen and Bielefeld. I really enjoyed church on Sunday as well and we had a cool eating appointment with a family after who has 6 kids!! That is REALLY rare for Germany...even Germans in the church normally only have 3-4 kids!! They are a cool family, but it really helped me be thankful that I´m here on a mission and not married at home with a bunch of little boys running around and beating each other up!! They were cute, but NO thank you!! lol!!

We did some more street contacting with Anna on Sunday night and it was SO wonderful. The people we talked to were pretty nice and we had some great conversations. She wants to do a mini mission with us for a week, but we still have to get permission from pres. I think it would be good for all of us. She knows the city really well and has some great ideas of where we can work. She also has a new member excitement for missionary work and that would help us too. Her family are non members and I think that would also help her to know how to talk to them about the gospel...practice makes perfect!!
Sorry if this letter sucks!! I really am doing fine, but I feel my energy and excitement being pulled out of me...the end is coming and I hate that feeling!! I want to work really hard till the end....something needs to change so that I can keep going. I´m so tired that I almost fell asleep in church on Sunday...I´ve never done that on my mission...not even at the beginning when I had jet lag!! Just pray for me and I will be fine!! I really do love it here and there is nothing I would rather be doing with my life!! I´m in the right place and I´m with the right person and we can find the people who are ready...they are there just waiting for us!! Thanks for your love and support. Have a great week!!

I love you,
Sister Jones

Yeah...some pictures

Christi and her district

Christi and Sister Fowkes

Christi, Sister Fowkes and Sister Hofman (from the ward).

Christi and Sister Fowkes, enjoying a rootbeer float!

Christi and her new little greenie...Sister Sayson

Week #20 (10-13-08)

Sister Jones and Sister Jones with really "useful" umbrellas, in the rain (good thing Christi is from Seattle and use to this weather).

Hey mom...I think a new pair of slippers may be on Christi's Christmas list.

Crepes...

Sister Buynak (her new/current companion)

Smores....are all German women this short, or is Christi just extremely tall!

S...at her baptism

Couple questions mom asked and Christi answered:

Do you get to speak English? We ALWAYS speak German to each other. This transfer is an only German transfer. We speak German day and night. Sometimes a few English words come out when we don't know them, but not too often during the day. We are aloud to speak English, but our Mission President has encouraged us to speak German from 9 am-9 pm...so we took it one step further and just speak it non-stop!! It's fun.

How was the ICE train? IT WAS SO COOL!!! Ok, so normally it takes about 1.5 hrs on the train to Hannover, but with the ice train we were there in like 30 minutes!! Although it was a long day. Our first train was 20 min. late which made us miss our train in Hannover. Although, we ended up catching another and were only about 30 min later coming into Hamburg. I then picked up Sister Buynak and got back on a train 30 min later, but this time it was a slow/normal train. We left Hamburg at about 3 pm and didn't get home until 8:30 pm. We ended up missing one of our trains and we had to change trains about 3 times!! It was fine though....we were just really hungry!! :o)

Yeah...more pictures!!!

Here are some pictures that Christi has sent....

everything in quotes is what she said about the pics.

Germany....

"So Germany has the funniest signs!! Miteinander geht mehr...directly translated doesn’t make much sense (directly "together goes more"), but it means (as you can see from the pic) Together works better."

"Not a very useful Umbrella...the wind must have done it!!"

(look in the garbage)

"Riding bikes in the pouring rain...can you see where the line of wetness is?"

"Alicia at her baptism"

"S, who is getting baptized October 1st!"

"This is Svetlana that I think I told you about..if not, let me know!! 

She has gone back to France!! Sad!"

"Gemeinde Essen (Ward lunch) 

We made an American Sister Jones cake. 

The YW loved the fact it was cake mix from America...

they LOVED it!! lol!!"

Christi's b-day was August 8th and her mom sent her a cake mix to make her own cake.  Pretty sure it is a yellow cake with chocolate frosting...Amen little YW that is delicious!

Olaf Wessely and me....he accidentally dropped this noodle thing in my apple juice at lunch...it was so funny. He turned red and we all laughed..with him of course. Sister Jones and I were almost crying we were laughing so hard!!

Finally...some pictures!

Christi with her 1st district and 1st companion (Sister Welch)

On the bahn

Christi says, "Schwester Poplinz...I´m so BIG!! She calls me her große Sister Jones (groß means big or tall) Thanks Schwester Poplinz...way to give me more confidence. But hey the woman speaks the truth, just look at her!! :o)"

A day spent in Dortmund with Sister Denton.

Helping move a family...for all you Washingtonians this probably looks familiar.

Sister Jones meet Sister Jones

comp #2

Christi says, "District Activity at the church. "Missionary Olympics"
It was so fun. We did all kinds of activities to demonstrate "missionary skills" like unmaking and making a bed blind folded, baby toss (we are not supposed to hold children...this was to practice keeping them away!! lol), 3 legged race (always stay with and work together with your comp), tie tying contest, water balloon contest, eating contest...Germans feed you so much and MAKE you eat it all. I didn´t believe that till I tried and they give you more even when you said you were full!!"

District Olympics...game 1: strip the bed and remake it...

Don't forget the nurses corners, like your momma taught you.

Game #2: tie tying

Game #3: 3-legged race

Game #4: baby toss

What you ask?  Baby toss...yep, that would be a cabbage patch kid being tossed...what must the locals think.