Hello!

Well, we started the week off with pretty much everyone having sore throats and coughs. I guess if we love each other that much we have to share everything. Even colds. Oh well. I think everyone is feeling better. It's been another fun filled week. I can't believe it's Sunday again already. It has been fun to interact with the Young Ambassador's from BYU these past couple of weeks. We only got to see one of their shows, and it was good. It was interesting though, because even though there wasn't anything bad about their performance, it took a little bit of time to refocus.

In our prep meeting this week with the President and his wife, we learned more about obedience. We cannot pick and choose what we want to obey. Sister Ludwig told a story about a man who always did all his talks from memory. Then an apostle asked him to give a certain talk written out on paper. The man didn't understand why, but he did it anyway. After he gave the talk the apostle came up to him and said "thank you for obeying the little things, now we know we can trust you with bigger things." He was exactly obedient. That seems to be a huge theme for the summer. Exact obedience. (Of course there were names in this story, but I don't remember what they were.)

Our music director that was here the first 3 days we were came this week to see our shows, and help us touch up our music. I love Sister Willmore. She really is incredible. She said she enjoyed all our shows, and that it was fun to see all of us in character.

I saw a friend this week that I met in my singles ward in Springville, and who lives in Cedar City now. It's so fun to come out from backstage and see familiar faces.

In Sunset by the Mississippi I have this short little solo in a song called Away with Rum. I blanked out on my words. Like. I could not remember them. This is the verse is supposed to go: "As for alcohol backrubs, we think they're a crime. We always condem them in song, and in rhyme. An alcohol backrub is worse than straight fin, when you think of the liquor absorbed by the skin." Here's the new version that I came up with. Now, it was super embarassing, but it gave a good laugh to everyone, and yes they're still making fun of me. "We never drink tobacco, because it's too thick...? something something in the middle of the verse, and I ended it with because it turns your skin brown...?" WHAT?! I know. It makes no sense, but that is what happened. Maybe you had to be there.

My Uncle Rich and Aunt Jean were here for a few minutes yesterday. They came and found me backstage. It was a huge surprise, but a good one! They were able to sneak in the back of the show and hear me sing, and then they had to go. Thanks for the chocolate covered pretzels Rich and Jean. They're great! :)

So, I've been thinking this week about whether I could serve a full time mission after this. I mean, I live in Zion, and it's still so hard. Satan works so hard to make you think you're not good enough, and gets you discouraged. There's nothing here really influencing us from the outside world. It's just our own minds. It's great, but I have a new respect and love for full time missionaries. Wow. Getting doors slammed in your face, getting rejected all the time, etc, etc. Someone rejected a referral card, and it hurt bad. That's nothing compared to what full time missionaries do. I've also learned I'm never going to make fun of a newly returned missionary for acting all weird and spiritual all the time. haha. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be weird when I get home, and I was only gone for a summer. But I guess it's a good thing. This place definitely humbles you, but at the same time I can still see pride slipping into little things I do. I need to remember every compliment I receive, every bow I take, every song I sing is for the Lord. It's not me. It's for the Lord. The Atonement is amazing. Here I do or say some little thing, and it's the biggest deal. Like I feel so bad until I repent, even though at home I would have thought nothing of it. Ah. I just really hope I can be strong enough to take the things I'm learning here home, and apply them to everyday life. I want to read the scriptures more and more everyday. I try and read the conference issue of the Ensign backstage. I have new and better goals for the upcoming school year, and the things I want to accomplish. I used to think I was a half decent person, but it turns out I have a lot further to go to become who Heavenly Father wants me to become. I've been trying to have the mentality that He can make a mansion out of me if I just let him. He'll probalby tear me up a bit, and it'll probably hurt a little, but think how much better I'll be after. Now I realize this is a life long process, but why not start now! Bring on the trials baby! (wait, should I be asking for trials?....I don't know. Whatever. )

Today after church we had a few minutes to run down to Lands and Records. I got hundreds, and hundreds of pages of information on a CD about my ancestors that were here in Nauvoo. Oh my gosh. It was so amazing. I can't wait until I get the time to find where their lots were, and read through some of their stories. I can't wait to find out if my ancestors knew my sister's ancestors. Tears came to my eyes as I saw several of them had gotten their endownments in the Nauvoo Temple. Ancestors from both sides. It's my new dream to go through the Nauvoo Temple first. It would be so special. (I love the Nauvoo Temple, just in case you didn't know.)

The May Flies are here. They are nast. The heat+humidity=smelly, sweaty girls in pioneer dresses. The huge thunder and lightening storms are amazing. The sunsets are beautiful. The temple has the most beautiful glow at night. It's the little things that make this place amazing. It's the little things that people do that makes it amazing. Why would we not want all of our communities, and homes to be like this? I think that's all for this week.

Oh wait, Happy Father's Day to everyone. (Everyone who is a father, that is.)

Love,

Sister Jones