Sunday Will Come

**I thought I would include some of Syd's letter to me first, Oh how I miss this girl!**

Dear mum,

Had a cool experience at interviews with President this week. He asked

me what I wanted to accomplish before I go home. I told him that I

want to obtain charity and understand the Atonement better. He then

took me to the scriptures in 2 Peter 1 and taught me that there are 9

steps to obtain charity. I'll let you study that for yourself. But

then he sat back, took off his glasses, and said "The interesting

thing is, you already have what you seek. You have charity and you do

understand the Atonement because I have seen you using it. You are

strong and of a good courage. And that exact reason is why you are

here in Coventry. We felt very inspired to send you here."

Now, that was about a full 2 minutes of President complimenting me and

that is something that I have never really experienced before. It was

amazing. So cool to know that I wasn't just moved because both my

companion and I had our licenses. Reassuring to know that he has seen

the change in me that is sometimes hard for myself to see. I have been

studying a lot about these phrases/scriptures a lot this week and I

know that he was inspired to share them with me.

We spoke about how the previous relationship with the ward and

missionaries has not been the greatest and that there is a huge lack

of trust. 

 He said "That is why you are

here. I know you can bless and strengthen the member relationships

here. I have seen you do it in other areas where you have served and I

know you will do the same here." :)It's true. Member relationships

have been a very vital aspect of my mission. I know that when the

member relationships are strong, they will give us their friends to

teach, they will fill our tummies with food, and they will retain the

people that we baptise in their ward.

I could just feel the level of trust that he has for me. Now I know

what he, specifically, expects me to do in this area, other than just

baptizing converts. I look forward to repairing some broken bridges

from past and building new friendships with the people

here in Coventry. The best way to get to know someone is to serve

them, so I am excited to give my all the them! They people are lovely

here. It's a massive ward. 150+ each Sunday. So it will take a while

to get to know them all, but I am up for the challenge!

I am so grateful for the Atonement, that I have been able to

understand my short comings as well as others. I am constantly trying

to change and learn. I am grateful that I can kneel at the end of each

day and ask for forgiveness for when I "lost my cool" with my

companion for a second or when I cursed the guy that cut me off on the

motorway. I know they are just minor things, but when I am able to

take care of those minor things right away, they don't build up to a

bigger problem. It is a process. This is a gospel of constant change

and revelation. I am so grateful to be challenged to change and grow

when I am in difficult situations. I know that even when my world

seems as though it might come crashing down on Monday afternoon, that

by Friday morning, I will feel God's love and reassurance for me. The

tough moments won't last forever! :)

Dear fam-bam,

       Well, we had one heck of a week. Beryl came to the chapel to do family history on Thursday. She was looking for her long-lost auntie and only had her husbands name. She pulled out her information and set it on the table and guess what the husbands name was?! Joseph Hiram Smith. No joke.. **freak out** We met Beryl while doing family history and she has absolutely no idea about the church because we are not aloud to preach in the F.H. center. She doesn't know the significance behind the name, but we soon hope to tell her! 

Our beautiful mini-missionary Annie! So much fun!

Just havin' a laugh with good 'ole Buddha!
I know you'll appreciate this mum. And, yes, of course I rubbed his belly :)

Georgie's 22nd birthday spent at WING WAH.

       Annie from Rugby came on a mini-mission with us this week. SO MUCH FUN! She will be receiving her call this coming week and we are so excited to see where she will go. Turns out that she is the girlfriend one of my good mates in the MTC, small world. 

       We went to WING WAH for Georgie's 22nd B-day. She a recent convert here in Coventry and is a ball full of joy! We had a good time with her at her party on Saturday as well. Love this girl. 

Beautiful old building in Banbury. No idea what it is, but it sure looks nice! :)

On our way to deliver Georgie's birthday present! All strapped up and safe.

A screenshot from a video we made while tracting in the middle of storm Doris.
  #survivors

 View from the flat. On Friday the sun was out ALL DAY!
 It was BIG news here! #blessed

      Most of the week was spent tracting hundreds of doors with 98.99% of people not wanting to know. Talk about discouraging. On Sunday morning, I gave the prayer to start our planning and just asked the Lord for one person. ONE. We just needed to find one person that wanted to listen. At that moment I received the prompting that we needed to stop by a potential named Rosa and invite her to church. Keep in mind that it was 9am and neither of us have ever done this before on our missions. We were terrified to knock the door, but we did. She accepted us graciously in her sweet Portuguese language and accepted our invitation to church. We called a member that also speaks Portuguese and they rushed over to pick her up for church! This was the first week that we put on a Spanish sacrament meeting, so it was perfect for Rosa! She could understand most of it and Sister Romo's Spanish totally came in clutch. She was our one. She loved church and we will be seeing her on Saturday!

I got a picture with the naked lady.. Hahaha super amused :)
Lady Godiva

       And then! One of the Spanish members brought along their friend Maria who has Faithfull studied the Book of Mormon for years, but always finds it hard to come to church. She explained to Sis. R that she wants to be baptised more than anything.. AMAZING MIRACLES. We were able to have translators for both of them throughout the church meetings and they were well fellowshipped. 
       This all to me just meant that sometimes we have to wait all week to find those miracles. BUT, Sunday will come. "The day of mercy" will always come after a storm. The storm/drought cannot hang on for ever! We needed to be patient and trust that the Lord would provide a way for us to see miracles in our area. Rosa and Maria were well worth the wait! Such beautiful sisters with so much eternal potential! We are so excited about them. 

       So, I spent most of the day yesterday not understanding 70% of what was being said around me. Español everywhere! With Sister Romo going home in a short 4 weeks, I am in a crash course to learn Spanish!!! It has been fun. I want to get to the point where we only speak Spanish in the flat. I haven't been set apart to preach the Gospel in Spanish, but I pray that I will be supported in my endeavours to learn as much as I can in the next few weeks! 

The cathedral that was bombed.. Actually SO cool!The remains of Coventry Cathedral.. So cool!
(See about a million pictures after her email of her visit to Coventry Cathedral)

       We went to the Coventry Cathedral today. It was so cool! Originally built in 1423. I'm not sure that I've ever seen such an old building! It was bombed and destroyed in World War II, but the outer shell remained. The history in this country is amazing to me. We will have the opportunity to go to Shakespeare's home and Warwick Castle in the next few weeks! I so look forward to that!   

       My time here is quickly slipping through my fingers. I feel as though these Mondays are coming around faster than ever and there is not enough time in the day to find/contact all the people that I wish to contact!! It's scary how soon these next 16 weeks will fly by. I pray that I can fulfill my calling in this short amount of time. I know there will be someone for me to find, even up until my last moments on this British soil. So, it is time to get to work! Thank you for your prayers, love, and support! I couldn't do it without you! Have a blessed week and remember that your 'Sunday' will come! I promise you! 

           All my love,

                      Sister Sydney Jones

About 187 steps to the top

Christ says, "Give me ALL."

4 Brunettes=A Party

Dear fam,

 So, once upon a time, I arrived in Coventry and found out that we

were having a Baptism in 5 days. WHAT?! It was crazy busy and I'm still a little stressed from it all, but it was great! Her name is

Jen. She is an incredible woman who has found meaning to her life

through the Gospel. I totally feel like I swooped in and shouldn't

have any credit for her baptism, but it was a privilege to be apart of

the experience. It was the closest Sister B and I will ever get to

serving with each other; sharing a baptism...pretty cool. S/O to Sis.

B & Romo for doing all the work ;)

 Sister Romo is 29 and from Mexico City. It was been fun to be with a Mexican and to be speaking Spanish as much possible! Hah I want to get to the point where we only speak Spanish in the flat. She has been able to use her Spanish a lot with Portuguese and Guatemalan families.  I kind of just stand there, smile, and say "Holá" whenever there is a moment of silence. Hahah you gotta do what you gotta do! I have a goal to learn as much as I can from her before she goes home in 5 weeks! It will go so quickly!

Jen's beautiful day ❤️

The 4 sisters that had the privilege of teaching her.
Thornton came from Stamford and Belnap came from Harborne.
#blessed

 Coventry is incredibly diverse, almost as much as Leicester. People from all over the world and loads from South American countries. Driving here has been an interesting experience. I've only ever driven in Wales, so this big city is a big change! Sister Romo can't drive, so I am designated 24/7. We almost died 3 times the first night with a car full of luggage and two bikes on a dodgy bike rack, but the Lord did provide! :)

Last meal in Ponty! S/O to Bernard for giving me a steak as big as
my face! :) And yes, I did finish it all.

 On Wednesday we had an evening full of miracles. At 7pm, we began knocking doors. We met Sajid, taught him about Jesus' Atonement, and got a return appointment. Knocked a few more doors and came to the Vintila family from Romania. They invited us in and learned that they spoke very little English. All of the sudden Sister Romo started speaking in Italian and totally taught them a lesson! Again, I sat smiling and focused on the feeling of the spirit in the room. It's amazing that the gospel and the spirit are the same, no matter what language it is preached in. We are going back on Wednesday evening to teach them again!

This dodgy bike rack was holding on only by Sister Nielsen's
sheets. Talk about the scariest drive EVER.

 We came back to our flat to find that the power was out in our

complex. We began lighting tea lights and tried to find a torch(flashlight). We heard our neighbours open their door, so we went to talk with them. Beena proceeded to tell us that she has always wanted to learn from the sisters, but never really had the opportunity to ask. Her son Akshay told us that he learned about Mormons in his R.E. class. We told them to hold on for a second while we ran into our flat to grab a Book of Mormon. Little did they know, we visited an Indian member of our ward earlier that day and asked the father to write his testimony in Hindi, inside of the BOM. That very same evening we were able to hand that same Book of Mormon to Beena and her son. As they read from it, there eyes lit up and their appreciation was clear. We had the opportunity to teach them yesterday after church and it was POWERFUL. Such a fun lesson to teach! They had so many questions and the best part was, Beena asked "How do I get involved?" Ahhhhh. We are so excited to see them this Saturday and then for them to meet the member, whose testimony written in the BOM lit the fire of

their testimonies! MIRACLES.

 The Coventry ward is wonderful. So welcoming and full of love.

Everyone has been quite disappointed that I am not Sister B, but they smile and hug me anyways. :) Bless. I know that I am her to find those who are prepared here in Cov. I pray that I can do as much as I possibly can while I am here.

THE DISTRICT

The newest lawn ornament outside of the Coventry chapel. #classy
.

 It has not been easy, but it is because I am experiencing a little

bit of what the Saviour did. Rejection, disappointment, hypocrisy,

sin, frustrations, etc. My only hope is that I will be able to handle

all of these trials like the Saviour did. My bishop sent me a letter

last week saying, "Smile. Deep breath. & let the Lord work through you to touch the lives of others." He can't work through me if I am

frustrated; therefore, it's up to me to change. I know that as I use

the Atonement, I will be sustained..that I will be humbled and drawn closer to my Saviour.

 The motto for our district this transfer is: "Christ says 'Give me

all.'" by C.S. Lewis. Not an ounce, but everything. All of you. He

wants every flaw and imperfection. He wants 18 months, not 15. He wants a dedicated saint, not only a Sunday worshipper. He wants someone who isn't afraid of sharing their beliefs. He wants the elect, the prepared, the humble. This quote will most definitely be the one to get me through the last few months of my mission, as my body is slowing down and trials seem to never cease. I will give Him my all, because He already did the same for me!

Have a blessed week,

Sister Sydney Jones

Xxxx

For your enjoyment....Photobooth is hilarious! (:

Sister Jones Gets Transferred Yet Again!

I can't fully explain it, but this place has stolen my heart.

My goodness, I'm gonna miss this place. <3

Well,

      Haha. Life is crazy. Dodge came in at 9:33p.m. last night. My assumptions were right and I am being transferred to Coventry, England! My new companion will be Sister Romo from Mexico City! I will be following Sister Belnap, as she is moving to Harborne. It will be great! Uhmm, another 1 transfer area has been hard to swallow. I am honestly just praying that this will be my final area. 10 companions and 6 areas later and I am struggling to find consistency. It has been hard. I just have to remember that there is somebody in this new area that the Lord needs me to find. I know that He is aware of me and has a plan in store. 

Grandma Taylor makes these dolls for the missionaries in the Merthyr Zone!!
Hahaha gotta love her!

 Owners didn't like us and neither did the chihuahua.. :)

Ponty chapel

       When you're only in an area for 6 weeks, it's hard to understand why you are even there. I have asked myself this question all week long and had no comforting answer until Saturday evening. The confirmation came in the form of a less-active sister who phoned to tell us that she wasn't going out to drink with her friends! Two nights in a row! Ahhhhh! So amazing! We rejoiced together and I had a tender moment of realization that she was the reason that I was sent here. I know that the Lord has a plan!

Traditional Thai rice. SO good!

Vera, (next to me), was a bond girl! She was a juggler in
 Octopussy, met her husband in the circus,
did ballet on the top of an elephant,
 and is completely AMAZING! So fun! 

This is how bloated I was after that Subway sandwich.
SO MUCH PAIN!

      On Wednesday, we went to Subway and I enjoyed a foot long sandwich. It was nice for about 30 minutes and then it tried to kill me. Poor Sister Romero was frantic as we ran around for quite along while until I found some relief. Long story short, I am now gluten-free. I have built up an intolerance to gluten in this country in the past 14 months. Yikes. It has been a rough transition and the realization of all the things that I cannot eat has been incredible. No pizza, no bread, no pasta, no comfort food. :) Wow. Haha I'm sure you can imagine how hard this has been for me, but I know that the Lord is strengthening me at this time. I am already feeling SO much better. It will be hard, but I am so grateful to be feeling better. If any of you are g.f., I would appreciate all the advice that you have to give!! :)

My beautiful Anne had me over for dinner on splits in Caerphilly.
Love her so much! 

 Cardiff Zone Sisters! So much love!!! 

Our beautiful Christine.
She has become an absolute treasured gem of my mission!

 That same night, we were able to see a potential named Anthony. We got to the door, only to find out that he wasn't home. As the words choked in my throat, I asked his wife if we could come in NOW and teach her instead. She hesitated and then invited us in! Woot! We taught her the Plan of Salvation and the spirit was incredible! Anthony came home halfway through the lesson and we were able to extend powerful commitments to them both! Ahhhhh. So cool! I know the sisters will take great care of them!

Last Zone Meetings in Wales. Lovin' em.

LOL. Hahah every time we see this car we just have to laugh. 

                           Funny British cars.

Sister Romero was my first greenie as an STL.
Love her so much! #Aussielove

      We were able to see the beautiful Christine Shah three times this week. She has been blind for 15 years from a freak accident when the doctors accidentally cut her optic nerve. She never sued or anything because she knew, afterwards, that she was always meant to be blind. Amazing! She is the most positive, loving person I have ever met. She has never been blind to me. I am so grateful to have met and learned from her in these past 6 weeks here in Ponty. I know that our reunion in the spirit world will be unlike anything else. We are kindred spirits indeed. 

      I am so grateful for the time that I have had to serve with Sister Funk here in Pontypridd. She has taught me so much. I am grateful to have been reminded to be patient, to listen, and to be genuine. White-washing has been an experience and a half and I know that Sister Sharp will fill my shoes with no problem! I know that Ponty is in great hands. This ward has been wonderful and I will miss the people so much.

Happy Valentines Day!

A district full of elders and two little sisters :)

British selfies! :)

      It has been an absolute privilege to serve in 3 different areas in Wales. More than half of the missionaries here don't even set foot in Wales. There is a reason that it is so close to my heart; my ancestors have walked these roads and the Welsh blood runs thick through my veins. These people have welcomed me into their homes and let me become apart of their families. I couldn't ask for anything more. How blessed am I? 

All my Welsh love,

Sister Sydney Jones

Hashtag BLESSED

Dear fam, 

      What a busy week! Sister Funk had her trunky meeting, so I spent the day with Sister Infanger in Harborne. She goes back home to Idaho in 10 days, so it was a privilege to spend that time with her. It was my first time driving in Birmingham city centre and it was quite a terrifying experience! 

                      Nevertheless, we are alive today! 

      

      We also had MLC (mission leadership council) which was bomb. We did a lot of counseling about things we want/need to change in the mission. We received a lot of good training, especially on how to work with the disobedient. We also discussed how we can help the missionaries that we are over to be BOLD. We were challenged by President Leppard to "rediscover our testimonies". How cool is that? I know this is inspired because when the strength and depth of our testimonies deepen, our desire to share it will grow. We will feel a burning desire (greenie fire) prompting us to spend hours in the rain talking to every soul that we possibly can. I know that as we deepen our faith and trust in the Lord, that His presence will be more abundant in our lives. 

British hot chocolate on a rainy day :)

 Erin took us out for pizza & burgers. So rad.

Sleepover with the Harborne STL's. So fun!

 My beautiful Sister B <3

4 hours of service and destruction. Woot!

Sister Olsen! Such a fun exchange!!

       You know, sometimes we act as though tracting is this easy thing that comes naturally to us missionaries, but it is actually quite difficult. 95% of the doors that we knock on are slammed in our face. :) We have to give ourselves a pep-talk before we begin knocking a street and pray for the courage to continue forward when the rejection is relentless. Sometimes we tract an entire street and nobody wants to know. Other times, we find those who have been prepared and are waiting to receive us. Moral of the story is: Fourth floor, last door! #nevergiveup

 How cool are these coasters? Meow.

       We stopped by one of the senior members of our ward on Wednesday. Vera was a former trapeze artist, met her late husband in the circus, and has thee coolest conversion story EVER. As she was relaying her precious experience to us, it was as though Sister Funk and I were paralysed by the spirit and for those twenty minutes, we didn't speak a word. We were just as a sponge; soaking up every ounce of spirit that there was in that room!!  She told us how she was on her knees in her empty living room, praying for God to show her the way; desperate for guidance. She threw her hands in the air to ask Him to show her a sign and that is the very moment that the missionaries knocked on her door. As soon as she opened the door, the only words that they could utter to this broken-hearted woman were, "We think you need us." She let them in and a few months later, she was baptised! But the coolest part about this story is: that morning these two missionaries, too, were down on their knees praying to be led to someone that needed them, so they got on their bikes and peddaled. They were guided by the spirit the entire time; telling them to turn left here, right here, etc. When they came to Vera's door on the outskirts of a little Welsh village, they looked at each other and said "this is it." The rest is history. Sister Funk and I were absolutely mesmerised and totally inspired by her story. We cannot wait to find our "Vera" here in Ponty.  

Cardiff leadership swagger. ️

B.E.S.T. sandwiches at Sue's this morning. On point!

       Exchanges continue to be wonderful. We are so blessed to serve 12 amazing sisters. They teach us SO much! We find out next transfers dodge on Sunday and we are expecting every companionship that we are over to change. It is also extremely likely that I will be leaving Pontypridd. I put a good word in with the big man upstairs, but if He sees fit that I travel to another area for the remaining months of my mission....cool. I will be quite bummed, but "I will go where you want me to go", right? :) 

       Today we went to St. Fagan's National Welsh Museum. What a cool place man! We shared the gospel with quite a few people and one man actually told us about our history as latter-day saints. He said that there was one of our churches in every village and all the sermons were preached in Welsh. And then when the saints left for Salt Lake City, the villages were nearly ghost towns. Empty. He said "Can you imagine what would've happened if they didn't go? This place would be completely different!" Fascinating. I'm so grateful for their faith in following the guidance to travel to Utah and act upon the testimonies that they gained. When the first missionaries were sent here, I don't know that they knew what an impact they would make on the church itself. When I meet members for the first time, they often refer to the great missionary Dan Jones. What a privilege it is to be mentioned alongside him in the beautiful country where he once brought hundreds of souls unto Christ. 

 St.Fagan's Castle today. BEAUTIFUL.

       I am grateful for the opportunity to share my testimony with power and with boldness. I know this church to be true, therefore I cannot keep it only to myself. I am grateful to know that the Lord is aware of me and my needs as His missionary. I know that He will provide a way for me to find the people that I promised to find in the premortal life. My work is not finished just yet. I know there are more beautiful adventures ahead of me here in Britain! I love this work and I love the Lord! 

The red house was made in 1680. Such a beautiful place.

     "Coincidences are small miracles that we don't give God credit for." Remember, His hand is over all!! 

       Love from Wales,

               Sister Sydney Jones