And Just like that, Its over...

I've been pondering a lot this week about what this mission has done for me. As I've come to the end and experienced all the "lasts" I've had a lot of things to ponder. 

I just want everyone to know one thing. I'm not the same Emili that left almost 19 months a go. I'm not. I've changed. Heck, people don't even think that I look the same. And lately most people don't believe that I'm an American.. Ha that's been a funny one.

But I wouldn't change anything. 

I am so much better now. I've grown in ways I didn't know were possible. I've literally seen the healing power of the Atonement change my life. 

I'm happy. Truly happy. I know that there is NO OTHER WAY to achieve true and eternal happiness in life than through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There literally isn't any other way. 

If anyone would have asked me 19 months ago if I thought I would love and appreciate my mission as much as I do, I would have told them that they are crazy. That makes total sense since I screamed at my dad on the way into the MTC to turn the car around. 

I am eternally grateful that he didn't. He kept going and I stayed here. Even when it was hard and I wanted to go home, I'm grateful for all the people who kept me here and helped me through it all. 

I have served my mission. I've tried to do everything the Lord has asked me over the past 19 months and do it well. 

I am so grateful for my mission. I don't think I'll ever see the full effects that this mission has had on me, but the ones that I can see, have been the worlds greatest blessings to me. 

I love My Heavenly Father with all of my heart. Jesus is the Christ. This is the ONLY way to receive salvation and happiness in this life and the next. Families are eternal. Life isn't easy, but with our Savior and Heavenly Father by our sides, its possible and its amazing. I know the church is true. 

I love the Finnish people with all of my heart. My people. I've grown to be one of them and I'll be forever grateful for my divinely inspired call to serve here.

I love you all so much. Thank you for your love and support as I've served these past 19 months. I'll be forever grateful for everything you've done.

My homecoming will be 23 April 2017 @ 9 am. My church address is 205 S. Angel Street Kaysville, UT. Everyone is welcome to come! I would love to see as many of you as possible!

See you on Thursday!

Rakkaudellani,

Sisar Emili Jones

 

 

 

Enjoy this random picture of me and Sister Kehr.. I had just eaten a blue airhead.. ha

 

My final week...

Its soo insane that this is my last week here in Finland.. So weird.. BUT the work is still going forward and its fantastic!

We were able to start teaching our new recent convert the Recent Convert Lessons this week and he's just doing sooo well. Its seriously so cool to see the difference in him this past week! He's doing fantastic!

We also were able to meet with a new investigator this week. He is very excited to learn and to strengthen his relationship with Heavenly Father. 

I gave a talk in church on Sunday. My last one here in Finland and it went really well. It was fun because the ward didn't know it was my last regular sacrament (next week is Fast Sunday in Finland) so they were so happy I was able to speak before I left. I talked about our Savior and why he means just so much to me. 

It was so great to have so much time this week to truly focus and study our Savior. Its probably been my favorite thing to do on my mission. I'm so grateful for him and all that he has done for each and every one of us. He truly is amazing. I know I'll never be able to fully understand everything he did for me, but I'm so incredibly grateful that he did all he did for me and all of us.

I am so grateful for this time that I've had to serve and for the week I still do have. I love you all!

Love,

Sister Jones

 

 

Last District Picture

Last Flag Day

 

It happened!

Yes everyone! My first baptism! 

It was probably the best baptism in the entire world. Seriously. It was an amazing experience and insanely special. He was just so prepared and has such an incredibly strong testimony. The service went amazingly smooth and it was seriously perfect. I can't even begin to tell you how amazing this man is. He really has just the most amazing spirit and he's just so happy and excited to be a member and to have made that sacred promise with Heavenly Father.

President Watson came to the service as well, and that was really cool. He was able to talk to me and Sister Kehr about it and why we were put together as companions. President looks at me and says "Wow, Sister Jones, what an amazing way to end your mission. With a baptism of such a wonderful man who you can already tell, is going to work miracles in Finland. He's going to be one of the strongest members here." I died. Honestly, if President says anything good to me, I pretty much die every time. Its okay. haha But President wasn't lying when he talked about how strong this man is, he really has the strongest testimony I've ever seen a recent convert have. Its amazing!!!!

Last p-day we went to this really cool museo (I don't know how to spell the english word anymore..) with Lauren. Her and her husband are here on an internship for about 2 months, and so we've been spending a lot of time with her while he's at work. So we went sight seeing last week. And we found this really cool museo and we took lots of pictures :) It was sooo much fun! These are a couple of the fun pictures we took at this museo! We also went to the big white church in the center. It was sooo much fun! 

Honestly it was a FANTASTIC week. SO amazing. I've been soo blessed to be a part of such wonderful expriences this week. I'll be forever eternally grateful for the miracles that happened this week.

I love you all sooo much!

Love,

Sister Jones

He gave permission to post this picture

Olen ihan suomalainen!

I DID IT EVERYONE!!!! 

So the other day we were out contacting and we stopped this guy. Sister Kehr started the contact and the guy could tell that she wasn't a Finn, so he started speaking English. He turns to me and says "Oletko suomalainen?" YESS!!! I told him, in Finnish that I wasn't a Finn. He told me that he thought I was! 

SO MY MISSION GOAL IS COMPLETE!!! I got mistaken for a Finn, BY A FINN! Now granted everyone who isn't a Finn, thinks I'm a native Finn, but Finns always think I'm from Sweden or Russia.. So its been my goal for the past 18 months to be mistaken for a Finn! 

This week we've been getting everything ready for our investigator who is scheduled to be baptized on Saturday.. We finished teaching him all the lessons and he's got one of the strongest testimonies I've ever seen. He keeps asking what he needs to do to prepare for Saturday and I told him "Continue to pray about the Book of Mormon, about Joseph Smith, and about all the other things we've taught you." His response was as follows.. "I KNOW that the Book of Mormon is true, that Joseph Smith restored the church, and that this truly is God's true church on the earth today!" I practically died. He's sooo cool!


And to prove just how dedicated he is, he's is Sweden all this week of a business trip, but he's flying back twice during the week, so a lesson and his baptismal interview. Legit, this guy is sooo dedicated.


We also had a really cool expirence on Sunday. It was the "Northern Europe Combined Stake Conference". It was a really cool exprinece. It was broadcast from SLC, but it was showed to all of us here in Northern Europe. Whitney L. Clayton, Timothy J. Dyches, Linda S. Reeves, and Elder M. Russel Ballard spoke to all of us. They talked sooo much about gaining our own testimony and how its okay to ask questions. It was really cool to have them explain the things we need to do to have our own testimony grow and how if we have questions about what happened in the past, or why something the way it is, as long as we we keep doing what we are supposed to, it will be okay and we will be able to understand everything better.. Honestly I loved it. It was a great conference!


I love you all! It was a great week and we are looking forward to fantastic week ahead of us! I hit my 18 month mark on Thursday which is absolutely insane.. BUT I've got 3 weeks still, TIME TO WORK EVEN HARDER!


Love,
Sister Jones

 

Me and Sister Willoughby on Exchanges this week

All of us sisters on exchanges! Yes, I truly am that white and pale...

It better be the last time..

Well, I was sick again. haha OF COURSE.

No worries though, I'm totally fine and doing great! I can even sing again, which is a miracle since I lost my voice like 3 days ago, so I would say I'm back on top of the world! Ha too much? Maybe?

But it was a great week! We got a new investigator and she's really cool! She's dating another member (I think all of mine are right now.. ha) and she's really interested in the church! YAY for member missionary work! 

We also had interviews with President Watson this week. It was so great! I was able to talk to him a lot about how to really work with the ward (one of my goals this transfer) and how to reach some other goals that I have. I absolutely love talking with President, he's so great and really just helps so incredibly much. 

After our interviews the Watsons had us stay for dinner with them. They are so incredible. I really was sooo blessed when it came to my Mission President :)

Its kinda a short email this week, but granted I was in bed for most of it.. But I love you all! Thank you soo much for everything!

Love,

Sister Jones

 

This is how we did companionship study, language study, and weekly planning for a couple of days... #SICKLYFE