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

Five Weeks!

I better get typing. Another fun and exciting week, with another 30 shows performed. The longer we are out here, the more my Sisters and I are realizing that we got here through our abilities to perform, but that's not really why we're out here. We've talked a lot about how we knew each other in our pre-mortal life, that we all knew we'd be coming to Nauvoo together. This is a summer that Heavenly Father knew would be in our eternal life plan. That's how important it is. We're out here to bear testimony of Jesus Christ, and his love for us. Everyday it gets easier to do that. When I sing I look directly into someone else's eyes, and I know that they can feel what I feel. It's amazing...everyday.

We just had an interesting experience this afternoon. The Bower's arranged for us to go on a tour through the Community of Christ sites. They own the Homestead, The Nauvoo House, Joseph, Hyrum's, and Emma's graves, The Mansion House, and The Red Brick Store. (well, actually they own more than that, but that's what's included in the tour.) The second we sat down to watch the video in their visitor's center I felt different. I felt heavy. The spirit was not there. Ah. It was just so weird compared to being on LDS property. The tour was all factual, and no testimony of anything. It was interesting, and I learned a lot, but I didn't really feel the spirit until the end. We were on the second floor of the Red Brick Store, and we sang "Nauvoo." It's a beautiful poem put to the music of Jupiter, from the Planets, by Holst. The spirit was there. It's so cool, because that's where the Relief Society was started, and many revelations were given, including the endownments for the temple. Anyway, there's lots more to say about the buildings, but no time to write about it. As we were driving back home down old main street past all of the shops, and homes I felt completely different. The spirit was there, and the people were happy.

A fun little fact about the Nauvoo Mission. It has the highest concentrated missionary population than in any other mission of the church. Most of them being Senior Missionary couples. I love them all. They're all grandpa's and grandma's to us. In the last couple of weeks we've received cookies, bread and jam, banana bread, muffins, ice cream, popsicles, popcorn balls, and fruit snacks from different senior sisters. They are so stinkin cute, and the only thing they want in return is a hug, and a song. Between all the senior couples there are 2,338 grandchildren, and 407 great-grandchildren in the mission right now.

I love the Nauvoo temple. The End. Oh wait, that's not all we did on P-day this week. We also did a very bad thing, and went to the Fudge Factory up on main street. Bad idea. I hope it doesn't become a weekly visit. ;) Speaking of really good food. The sisters and I are playing the Biggest Loser at our house. It's fun. We have our starting weight, and then for each pound we lose we get to write a star on the poster board. :) I've put up a couple of stars so far. ooOO! One sister has lost 18lbs since we've been here. She's lookin great.

I got to work in the Wilford Woodruff home and the Lyon Drug Store this week. Both great sites. The Young Ambassadors from BYU are here for two weeks, but we don't see them much. We're only allowed to go to one of their shows while they're here, and their fireside which is later this evening.

Oh, another cool experience. I met a 3rd great-grandson of Hyrum Smith yesterday. He and his wife are from Salt Lake, but don't know much about the church or Hyrum. We told them that we honor his heritage, and how lucky he is to be a desendant of Hyrum.

This week we've all been so tired, but Friday was bad. I was like asleep backstage, and then I'd run on stage to do a scene, and suddenly wouldn't be tired anymore, and then I'd come back off stage, and I would be just as tired. Just another Nauvoo miracle that we can function on stage. haha

I did see a family I knew this week! It was the greatest thing ever to have someone come tell you there's a family that thinks they know you, and they want to talk to you. It was my best friend (Ari) from high school, cousins. I've been on a bunch of boating trips with her family, and extended family, so that's where I got to know them. It was so great to see them, and have them recognize in a pioneer dress versus a swimsuit. haha. Their grandpa, (I call him Grandpa Booth), isn't doing very well health wise, but he loves it when Ari and I would fiddle. I played Orange Blossom at Sunset that night, and I told his daughter, (Ari's aunt) that I dedicated Orange Blossom to him that night, just in case he doesn't make it until I get home. If he does then I play it for him for reals. :) Anyway, it was so fun to see them.

We got some bikes to ride in the morning or evening after our shows, and we rode down to the Mississippi the other night. We were on a little bank, looking out over the Mississippi River, and a gorgeous sunset with the temple behind us. I DO NOT know how the saints left, (besides the horrible humidity) it's the greatest place on earth. But I suppose they left because the prophet told them to. I've learned that there are A LOT of things that we are told to do, and we don't know why, but we do them anyway, because we are obedient...if that makes any sense.

Last Sunday we went to the old Nauvoo Cemetary. It was a beautiful place. So peaceful. The Bower's got some stories together for us to read about families who buried their children there. So many children died each week, that they would just bring them all up once a week and have a big funeral. Some parents buried most, if not all of their children there. It's a very sad thing to have a cemetary of mostly infants.

Ok. You know that sissy rain showers in Utah? yeah, those don't exsist here. When it rains, it rains. Oh. My. Gosh. There is so much water. Yesterday morning we did one of our morning shows in completely wet clothes because we couldn't even make from the car to the cultural hall without getting drenched, even with umbrella's. How funny is that. I love the big lightening and thunder storms, especially at night. And there are the most gorgeous sunsets here.

Just in case you're interested in getting another point of view from Nauvoo another couple of sisters have their e-mails on blogs too, so check out, emilyelisechambers.blogspot.com, and sisterreynders.blogspot.com...or it might be janetreynders.blogspot.com. haha she couldn't remember.

Well I'm probably boring you now. I hope all is well at home, and I sure hope there's no more snow. I was going to share something insightful, but I don't know what to share...so I guess you don't get anything. Love you all

Love,

Sister Jones

Dear Family and Friends,

It is a very scary thing how fast this week went by. We've already been here 4 weeks! We've done 35 performances in just this first week of shows. The time is only going to go by faster, which is a very sad thing. Nauvoo is amazing. I love it more than any other place on earth. I still can't get over the fact that I get to live in an original brick home, I get to walk the streets the saints walked, and I get to tell of their stories on stage. Speaking of the home I live in, (I don't remember if I've told this yet), It's a 3 story red brick home. It's the Yearsley home. It's the tallest residential home in Nauvoo, so that's kind of cool. The next coolest part about the house is that it used to be a jail. It's kind of creepy actually. There's a jail cell down in the basement where we do the laundry. They would take the prisoners in through the cellar doors. I want to do some more research on it when I get home.

I have to tell you about the Hardy's. Elder and Sister Hardy are called on this mission specifically to make lunch for the YPM's everyday. They are the best cooks ever. We seriously eat Thanksgiving quality food everyday. Needless to say I should have lost weight already (but hey! I haven't gained any either), but they pour straight cream into almost everything. They just happen to make the best desserts too. Bad news. AH. It's the best time of the day. Goin' to Hardy lunch. I love 'em.

So some quick experiences from the week. On Monday and Friday mornings A cast doesn't have performances, and it's not our P-day so we get to work in the sites. Monday morning I got to work in the Heber C. Kimball home. We give tours, and bear testimony to the people. I fell in love with Heber C. Kimball because of his home, and the stories I was able to tell of him while giving tours. He and his family were so faithful. They were one of the first families to leave Nauvoo to head west. On Friday morning I was in the John Taylor home right on main street. Before we open for tours we have to clean the homes. So here I am just vacuuming away, and it hits me...I'm cleaning a prophets house. John Taylor's home. It's was his wife would have done, minus the vacuum. It once again was an overwhelming feeling. I mean honestly, who gets to clean the prophets house now, let alone an original home in Nauvoo? wow. The next best thing about sites is that I get to do tours with two senior sister missionaries. They are just the sweetest things alive. I love hearing about their lives stories, and the kind of faith that they have.

Some other neat things that happen everyday. So in one of the shows I have this solo. There's no pressure, it's only the spirital climax of the show, right after Joseph Smith dies. Yeah, no pressure. So everyday I pray and pray that I will be able to sing, and bear testimony, and that my voice will work to the best of my ability. I know that it is only through the Lord that I can do this because he gave me my voice. For a lot of the shows this week I would not even have a voice at the beginning of the show, and then when it comes time to sing, I know that I will have a voice if I have faith, and so I go on and sing, and then I don't have a voice after. When I sing it is not my voice. It is better. I DO NOT sing at home the way I can sing that song. I can't sing in any other song here the way I sing that song. It is because of the Lord. That is a miracle. Everyday.

I want to talk about the Nauvoo temple again. I don't really know what else to say other than it is so amazing. It is so apparent by just looking at it, that it is God's house. Only the best of everything is on the inside and out. I've never really been interested in getting my endownments until I get married or go on a mission, but when I was there on Wednesday I had this desire to know what it's like in the rest of the temple. I want to have those blessings and responsibilities of having my temple ordiances. I probably won't be getting them any sooner than I would have before, but now I can study more specifically to prepare for the temple.

Everyday I have incredible examples of faith and obedience to look to. All the sisters are so amazing. They're always looking for ways to be more obedient, and faithful, and kind, and everything else good. They're making me a better person. I love my companion. She is such a great spiritual example to me. She is always studying, and asking questions, looking to become even better than she already is. One thing a mission does is thrust all your weaknesses you know you already have, and ones you didn't know you have right in front of your face. It's great fun. I'm learning more about myself, and the gospel everyday. It's hard, and we're tired, but if it were easy, and we weren't tired then we wouldn't be doing the Lord's work.

We're doing our best to become even more obedient, and faithful, and to trust in the Lord everyday. There is NO WAY anything could happen without the Lord's help. I know that Joseph Smith saw God and his Son, Jesus Christ. I know that The Book of Mormon was translated by the power of God through Joseph Smith. I know that God is there continually for me, and that he HEARS, and ANSWERS my prayers. Jesus Christ did pay for all my sins, and he died on the cross for me, and for all my brothers and sisters here on earth.

Pray for us! Pray for our leaders, the Ludwigs, Camps, and Bowers. Pray that we won't get injured, and that we'll keep our voices, and our health. Speaking of injuries, my ankle is doing very well. I'm trying to not wear the brace as much so I can start getting all the strength back in my ankle.

Sorry this one's kind of long. Making up for my short one earlier this week. Have a good week!

Love,

Sister Jones

Sorry I didn't e-mail on Sunday. I decided to e-mail on my half P-day, but I don't think that is going to work out much because I only have like 10 minutes to write an e-mail before I have to be at call time.

We made it to opening day on Saturday! wow. We got 3 shows ready in 3 weeks. We definitely did not do it without the help of the Lord. There have been tender mercies left and right. Too many to share right now, but I'll share one of the big ones.

So my bow wasn't tightening because the humidity made the hairs too long. I had not mentioned that to a lot of people, but I had talked about renting a bow from the store in Keokuk. The owner really likes the performing missionaries so he is always really nice to them. So one night we were just finishing Sunset by the Mississippi rehearsal when one of the YPM's, Sister Reynder's, came and gave me a skinny box. I asked her what it was and all she said was a senior couple pulled up in a car and told her to give it to me. They said "From one Jones to another." .........It was a brand new bow. Never been rosined. I still can't believe it. There are two senior couples here with the last name of Jones, but both of them were at the rehearsal when I was, so it couldn't have been them. I don't know if it was a sister whose maiden name was Jones. I can't figure it out. The people here are all that generous. It is the most pure Zion community. I hope someday I can repay them.

Because I don't have much time I just want to share one other thing. I went to the temple this morning. I have never felt the spirit so strong at the temple. There is something so incredibly special about the Nauvoo temple. To be in the exact place that the first baptisms for the dead were ever performed....it was overwhelming. A member of the temple presidency came and talked to us before we got baptized. It was just a really special experience. One of the best things was to walk out of the temple and see the Mississippi. It's exactly what the saints would have seen when walking out.

I hope you had a good Memorial Day. I thought about you all day because I was jealous you got to see mom's side of the family. (Did you guys go to the graves?) I wanted to be there.

Well I gotta run. We have 3 shows left for the day.

Tues, Thurs, Sat I peform in 5 shows, and Mon, Fri I work in sites and peform in 3 shows, and Wed in my P-day until 2, and then 3 shows after that. They keep us busy doing the Lord's work.

Our mission President's wife taught us to Savor Life, and Don't Postpone Joy. So yeah, that's all.

Love,

Sister Jones

Dear Family and Friends

Two weeks in here in Nauvoo. Although the days went slow, and week went by so fast! I can't believe it's already been a week. I don't really know what to write really. The humidity has changed significantly already in just a week. I don't think any of us are doing much complaining yet because we know the worst is to come. The only problem that I have with it so far is that I can't move the pegs on my violin, or get my bow tight enough to play well...sooooo um yeah. I have a week to get them to move before we open on Friday night. AH! speaking of which. We open on Friday, well that's when our preview shows are we technically open on Saturday night. So this is the basis of our schedule after we start performing. There are 2 different casts so 3 days a week Cast A will perform two shows of Anna Amanda in the morning while Cast B is working on the sites or in the gardens, and then the other 3 days of the week Cast B will perform Anna Amanda in the mornings, and cast A will work on sites, etc. Then in the afternoons we all perform two shows of High Hopes, and River Boats and then right after that we all perform with the senior missionaries at Sunset by the Mississippi. Long days, but we pray for the strength to keep going, and we do, even though we are just rehearsing. You do have to reserve tickets for everything but Sunset by the Mississippi. It's free, but you just have to reserve seats, I think almost all the tickets are reserved for June already. We get a half a P-day which is barely enough time to drive to Keokuk and go to Wal-Mart and back, oh and wash our van.

The spirit is so strong. I'm pretty sure I've cried everyday I've been here. It's ridiculous. No good. Our coreographer Sister Sinclair was here two summers ago as a YPM, and she said she learned how to cry here, and it hasn't changed since. That's a comforting thought. So now I'll just cry about everything when I get home. Sister Sinclair that we become that way to learn how to be mom's. Most of the Elders are so tender hearted too. I heard one of the RM's tell an Elder that that's why boys go on missions, to learn how to become men, and cry.

We went to Carthage jail this morning right after church. I have been before, but I realized today how much of it I didn't really remember. As 22 YPM's sat in the room Joseph and Hyrum died we sang part of one of our songs from High Hopes and River Boats. "We knew them both. Thanks be to God we knew them. For we were blessed to be among the few who walked and talked and looked into the eyes of a living prophet who brought us light, and taught us truth! Father in heaven grant us this day, Strength to move forward, forgive and obey, spreading thy gospel now and forthwith; Ne'er to forget that we knew a prophet of God, our brother, Joseph Smith." whew. Talk about a spiritual experience. Not very many people get to sit in that special room and sing a song like that. (In the show we sing that song right after we find out Joseph Smith was killed. It's very powerful.) Joseph was, and is a Prophet of God, and President Monson is our president today.

My ankle is doing really well! They said something like that usually would have take about 4 weeks to heal....I had almost full movement back in it in a week. I'm still working on getting it back to full strength, but I can dance on it now. I love the Sisters I get to serve with. I'm learn something new from them everyday. We help each other, and pray for each other. I also realized the importance of what I'm actually doing this week. I'm a missionary. A missionary serving the Lord. I'm set apart. It's interesting because I realized that Satan uses different tactics to get to you because you don't have worldy distractions to tempt you with. I love being a missionary. We got to have a special fireside thingy for the YPM's with Sister Susan Black again this week, and she talked about Ezra Taft Benson's life, and how he was not only obedient, but followed EXACT OBEDIENCE. That's something that the Sisters and I have been working really hard on this week is not just being kind of obedient to the rules, but to be exactly obedient. Everyone should try it, it's good for you.

I can't really think of anything else to say except for missionaries love mail (*hint hint wink wink*). I definitely am going to write to all my friends on missions because I now realize how much one letter really means. I love everyone back home. I hope everything is going well.

Love,

Sister Jones

p.s. I just had an interview with President Ludwig. He is amazing, and an inspired man called of God. I just love him and his wife.

Nauvoo Miracles

Where to start? I do not know. Actually I don't really even know what to say, because there is so much to say, but not really...if that makes sense? This has been the longest/shortest week of my life. I can't believe that we have only been here one week! All the sisters are so close to each other already. I feel like I have known them forever. They are great.

The flights here were good, and no worries, we did start rehearsing our music on the bus from St. Louis to Nauvoo. We got in late, but the President Ludwig and his wife still had us over for a late dinner. I love the mission president already. He and his wife are so amazing.

My companion is Sister McKay from California, but here family just moved to Louisiana. She is a musical dance theater major at BYU. She is so talented at everything. I am so glad that we became companions, even though I would have loved to be companions with anyone of the sisters.

The spirit here is Nauvoo is incredible. In the morning we walk out our back door of our house, and there's the temple. Just sitting there on the hill. It still seems unreal sometimes, actually most of the time. It's such a beautiful temple. Nauvoo is beautiful. ahh. I can't believe I get to live here for the summer, and have this experience.

The first 3 days we were here we sang non stop, just learning our music. Kelly DeHaan was supposed to be our music director, but he got an infection after a surgery he had, and he was in the hospital so we had the amazing Leanne Willmore. She's in charge of all Utah Honor Choirs and State Choirs, so I had seen her around. She is INCREDIBLE. She came out here last minute, and was sight-reading all the music with us. She made us sound so good. Sister Camp told her that she would love the YPM's and she said "No I won't." She did. She fell in love with all of us in 3 days, and we fell in love with her. When she was getting off at the airport she told the Bower's that she couldn't believe we had learned, and memorized all that music in 3 days. I can't tell you how much music. You wouldn't believe me. So here's Nauvoo Miracle #1. I can't memorize lyrics. I'm horrible. I never can remember. Guess what? In Nauvoo I can. I do remember, and I know the songs. Nauvoo Miracle #2. I'm way dyslexic with notes on the lines, and I mix up words all the time. Guess what? In Nauvoo I don't. I haven't mixed up words in the songs, or in my scriptures, and even after reading notes for 3 days straight I didn't even mix any of those up. Nauvoo Miracles. That's what they're called.

We have church on Sundays at 8 am with all the senior missionaries, and the young sister missionaries. I love the senior missionaries. They always just want to hug and squeeze us. They love the YPM's.

Tuesday we started dancing. I'm an awful dancer, but the Lord makes all things possible. So we had been dancing all day, and I was remembering the dances , and even having fun. We were practicing a lift turn thingy that we had to do with the elders, and I came down wrong one of the times. I don't really know what happened except for I landed on the elders foot, and turned my ankle. Really bad. I've never had a sprained ankle, but it wasn't one that you can just off. I don't really remember what happened because I almost passed out, which I've never done either, but my companion had come to hold my head, and someone went to get ice. I vaguely remember all the sisters and elders on the other side of the stage saying a prayer. They got me some water, and then I got a blessing from two of the elders. I was so mad. Mad that I had fallen. Mad that I couldn't walk. You know, doing all the why me? stuff. The mission doctor came and wrapped my foot, and then Elder Camp basically told me no more tears, and I had to be strong, and be an example to the others. They usually have 2 or 3 injuries throughout the summer, but I didn't think it would be. It was. But i am so grateful now that it was in the first week of rehearsals instead of 3 weeks into performances. I took one of the injuries for the team, and I can be ok with that. In fact I'm grateful for it now because it gave me the opportunity to accept service from my sisters. So, you ready? Nauvoo Miracle #3. I sprained my ankle Tuesday night, I was on crutches all day Wednesday (I had to sit, and watch everything, all day. That didn't go over so well, but remember I sucked it up. I sat and watched, and learned what I could by watching.) Thursday I was down to one crutch. Friday I had one crutch, until about midday, and then I could limp around with no crutches, and one shoe. Friday night I had a blessing from the mission president and Elder Bowers. I knew I would be better by Saturday morning. I just knew I would. I woke up Saturday morning I could move my ankle up, and down without any pain. I still limped though because I had a big bruise on my foot because of the way I had been walking. Saturday no crutches, and just an ankle brace. My ankle is healed. Stuff like that doesn't happen anywhere else. I don't think... I still have to be really careful with it so I don't injure it again, but I can be up on stage and mark the dances. I just have to have faith that I will know all the dances for opening night in less than two weeks. And that's Nauvoo Miracle #3.

Susan Easton Black came on Wednesday, and gave an amazing fireside on the Book of Mormon. I'm getting used to this whole missionary thing. Zone conference was last Sunday, district meeting is tonight, companionship study, etc etc, but I'm loving it. Just in case you're wondering who the Camp's are they are our directors, and such. The Bower's take care of everything else. Basically they're our mission mom and dad. I love all of them so much. The Bower's are about as sweet as they come.

Oh, let's talk about the elders. They are so stinkin talented, and hilarious. Every single one of them. This is definitely a unique mission. Where else do you get to closely interact with amazing Elders on such a peronsl level. They are so funny. They choose a word of the day, and they give clever hints throughout the day to see if the sisters can guess the word. So far we have nuclear, squishy, babies, delicious, pudding. How silly.

I love Nauvoo. I love my sisters. I truly do. I thought it would be bad to have ten girls in a little house, but I just love them all. We know that each one of us is supposed to be here this particular summer. We don't know exactly why yet, but...we'll find out.

I just wish everyone could come to Nauvoo, and find out how amazing it is.

They keep us so busy we don't have time to breathe, let alone be idle. It's a good thing. I love being busy.

I hope all is well at home. Please write me and tell me what's going on.

Love,

Sister Jones

Farewell. I made it through the semester. I made it through this week. I'm packed. I'm heading to bed, and then the airport. I got set apart tonight. Wow. I'm a Sister Jones. Have a great summer! I'm pretty sure I will!!! My sister will be putting my e-mails, and pictures up on this blog, so keep a heads up. My address will be

YPM Sister Jones

PO Box 215

Nauvoo, IL 62354

(or for packages...)
YPM Sister Jones

975 Young Street

Nauvoo, IL 62354

I'm in for the time of my life. See ya August 17th!

Love,

Sister Jones