HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY WEEK - Monday, February 11, 2013

FELIZ DIA DE AMOR Y AMISTAD
Happy Valentine's Day - Monday, February 11, 2013
Hi - Everyone -
No changes this week - we have transfers next week. Pretty sure my companion has changes and I'll get a new companion. Everyone keeps telling me that I'm going to train but I just say if I train, they must be really desperate. haha! We will see.
The place that I am serving is Paraiso in Cartago - an hour outside of San Jose.
My Spanish - not fluent but I can understand people for the most part and say what I want to for the most part...but even my English is not perfect so doubt my Spanish will be since it's a second language. When I saw my old cook last week - he said that my Spanish is so much better and that he could actually talk with me. So I guess it's going well. I am trying each day harder and harder to improve.

My investigators are doing well. I try to leave each one better than I found them. We have a baptism this Saturday - the 15 year old boy. He is so wicked awesome. Sadly, he had a moment of questioning because the other young men at church were kind of rude to him - but he said that for some reason, he knows this is right and that Christ is with him in his trials. He said that he feels something special and just knows that no matter what, this is the right decision. I explained my junior high story of no friends and that we have Christ always and that we go to church for Christ and God - not for other people. Who cares about other people. You renew covenants with God - not people in church, plus God is perfect not the people. People have good days and bad - give them the benefit of the doubt. We go to church to learn the teachings of Jesus Christ and to take those teachings of love and kindness and serve our fellowmen and to renew our covenants - through the sacrament - as a reminder to always remember Christ - to repent of things we have done wrong and to commit to live better and to do good. To help and serve and love one another - those are the teachings - Gospel of Jesus Christ! So, yeah, I learned that I can help other people from the experiences that I have had in my life.
I am so happy on my mission and know that this is the best decision for me.
We made a Valentine for our ward - yes - a girly thing to do - but it was fun. I hope that you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day.
Oh, we are having to change the time of night that we are out. There is an area here that is a little bit sketchy (just drugs - oh and someone got shot and died the other day) but nothing big...and we feel totally protected...ok...maybe shouldn't have said that...but we live in a different area than this place...but anyway we changed the time to 7 p.m. instead of 8 p.m. We are trying to be smart and safe. Thank you for your love and prayers.
Love - Hermana Jones (Jennifer)