New Start. New Year.

Hello and welcome to the wonderful world of 2025!

We are off to a good start here in Porto Alegre. Considering that we actually stayed up until midnight and brought in the new year with an extended family that was truly KAARAAAAZZY, I’d say we’re off to a good start. The new year started on the backside of a truly amazing Christmas break where our kids were able to join us for some adventures and much needed family time.

It was Tal’s first Christmas since being home from his mission, and it was anything but normal. Delays kept Makenna and Tal trapped at the Rio airport for thirteen hours on their way here and we lost half a day with them, but we were just so grateful they made it to us safely. For Camryn, having her two siblings here for eleven days was truly like heaven.  They attended our second and last zone conference for the year with us, and then we visited the beautiful town of Gramado. It is a beautiful mountainous town that was settled by Germans and the Swiss after World War II. It is easy to forget you’re in Brazil when you’re there. As you will see in the pictures, it is completely decked out for Christmas and is absolutely charming. We stayed in a tiny little cabin in the middle of nowhere, which was so healing after being in the mission warzone for 6 months. We truly rested there,  and re-connected with our kids.

A few days later we returned to Porto Alegre to pick up Rob, Makenna’s boyfriend. They are in a committed relationship and it was important that we meet him. We absolutely adore him and adore them together. The pictures speak volumes. We spent the next week finding new and creative ways to experience the state of Rio Grande do Sul where we are serving. We rode ATV’s through jungles, ate wild bananas off of trees, hiked to a massive waterfall, rode horseback on the mountain tops, played on the gorgeous beaches, ate tons of Chuhasco and other delicious foods, and played tons of family games. For the three of us here in Brazil, the laughter and time with family was so good. It felt good to let down a little bit and allow our bodies to catch up from the most stressful and rigorous time of our lives. We are so so grateful for the time we spent together and for the safety we experienced.

Emery is happily serving in Ecuador and was recently made Sister Trainer Leader and is training a brand new sister at the same time. She is overwhelmed but always has a smile on her face and finds joy even in the very difficult circumstances.

Makenna graduated from ASU on December 16th with her degree in Psychology. She made deans list all four years and we are super proud of her tenacity and determination to finish her education.

Talmage is in his second year of college at BYU, and truly living the life of a Cougar. He attends football, basketball, and volleyball games and may possibly be the one yelling the loudest. He loves college and the social life it provides for him. He is in the good fortune of being just 30 minutes from Grandma and Grandpa Jones in Draper and they take good care of him and treat his roommates to dinner every so often. We are so grateful for that.

Camryn is beginning to change her thoughts about Brazil. No one can really understand the great sacrifice this is for her. It has been extremely difficult and will still be that way for some time. The language is starting to click for her, and she is slowly forging some friendships, but it is a slow process. She and I pretty much spend all free time together, for which I’m very sad for her. Must be awful not getting to have a transfer and getting a new companion. 

Our lives here continue to revolve around our six-week transfer cycle and the crazy schedules that creates. We plan, train, teach, prepare, speak, and do a lot of counseling, caretaking, and talking with our beloved missionaries. We love each one of them, which is so shocking to be able to love 180 young people. But we do!!

We continue to feel overwhelmed by the call, constantly exhausted from far too little sleep, and humbled every day by the demands. But our missionaries are leading, stepping up, organizing and using their creativity to create a space for miracles. They are truly the most amazing individuals and we are honored to serve with them.

Happy New Year from the Jones family! Here’s to new beginnings and a storybook full of fingerprints from God.

Tchau from Brazil.

Wendy (in behalf of the Jones family)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/bXX3J96dWQnzUi8z5

















































































































Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Six Months!

Image
Our dearest friends and family, Six months ago today on June 15th, we flew away from our beloved home in Arizona. So today feels like a good day to finally sit down and knock out a letter home in honor of six months away. There never will be adequate ways to share all of the amazing (and the super hard) things that happen on a mission. But I will attempt to do so. Without exception, leading a mission is the most challenging thing we have ever faced. It is hard on us each personally, it is a challenge for our marriage, and it is a challenge for us physically. Never have we had something challenge us in all three of those categories simultaneously. One of the most difficult things we face, is the need to constantly be “on”.  There is never a time to have a bad day, or be in bad mood. We have learned to smile, act encouraging, and allow our missionaries to see President and Sister Jones having only good days. What no one sees is the turmoil that brews beneath the surface when we are f...
Read more

Summer In Porto Alegre

Image
Dear family and friends, It’s summer here in Porto Alegre! It’s so strange to see the date February on your calendar and it's super hot and humid here. I’m thankful for air conditioning in our home and cars so we don’t melt. I’m not sure how our missionaries stay out in the heat all day. It is truly admirable. When I have been out in the heat, your body gets so wet, that sweat comes out of pores that I didn’t know existed. On one division that I went on with the sisters, I had sweat pouring down my back where it truly felt like someone was pouring a cup of warm water down my shirt. Yum. Sticky icky. Did you know the back of your hand could sweat? I always knew that palms could get sweaty, but the back of the hand was a new one for me. Camryn and I slept overnight in an apartment of two sisters that had extra beds. We put our mattresses on the floor and had a single fan blowing right on us all night. We hardly slept. I don’t know that we’ve ever been that hot. The next day Camryn we...
Read more