Happy New Year! 2014!!!

I loved the Christmas letter so much. It was awesome to read Emma's point of view. I hadn't realized how much she really has grown up. It made me also almost tear up when I read what she had said about me. Things are going well for me. I found out that on Wednesday I will be getting transferred to my last area. I will be serving in Idaho Falls in the east stake. I am excited to get to serve there. When I came to the Idaho Pocatello Mission, the two areas that I wanted to serve was Pocatello and Idaho Falls. I will also have a car in this area from what I have been told. No more walking in the cold. I have a feeling that this transfer is going to be one of my most busy and best transfers I have had. We will have to see.

So I'm not really sure what to talk about. The only bad part about calling home is the next email I send I have nothing to talk about. I'm glad your talk went well. If there is one thing I am still freaked out about its talking in sacrament meeting. 

It is weird to think of how little time I have left. I felt when I first came on my mission that this would never come and that was ok. Now that its almost here I would almost love to switch places with the missionaries coming out now, but I am supper excited to come home and be with you and Emma and the kids to. Even though it freaks me out how much time is left I am using this as a motivation tool to work even harder then I have before.
Thank you for all your love and support. I cant wait to see you again.

Love,
Jonathon Felton

Elder Felton's Thoughts on Gratitude For Family Christmas Letter

Recently another missionary taught us on Gratitude. He asked us what gratitude meant. I raised my hand and said. “It is having a grateful attitude.” He hadn't thought of this and neither had I until he asked. For me it really means to be grateful all the time. To show it in how you act.

This year I am truly grateful for family and friends. As I have been on my mission it has been my family that has brought me strength to work as hard as I can. My friends who motivate me to never give up. Both of them have taught me to push through trials and look to the future. I receive blessings daily from that. As it is winter and I am walking, I am also grateful for people that let us come inside to warm up and especially for hot chocolate. What I have come to know is that all these great things come from God and Jesus Christ. I am also grateful for this and to know that I am a child of God. That he loves me and cares for me. That he is always there for me and anyone who lets him into their life.

Christmas!

This past week has been interesting. As you know I am serving with two other missionaries. It has been fun/crazy. Right now we cover the Indian reservation. It is a cool experience. The people we are working with I already feel this huge love for them. The members have been really great to us. We have great people to work with. We are working right now to help a family get married so that they may get baptized. They have lived together for 5 years and they both say its about time. So we are hoping to have a wedding and a baptism soon. 

So here are some funny stories from this week: 

Friday our zone leaders came over so that we got to go get some lunch with them. While we were over, they delivered a couple packages and letters to us as well. In one of the packages there was this spray air freshener that smell weird. One of our zone leaders (Elder Sweeten) started spraying Elder Nettesheim with it. this led to a him wrestling with him to get it. (All this was done in good fun and everyone was laughing) So after that we were tossing a potato around and it accidentally got Elder Sweeten in the eye. Now Elder sweeten has one of the best black eyes i have ever seen. 

This is not all the next day Elder Nettesheim got food poisoning. Later that night we went to our zone leaders house to give him a blessing. While we were there, right when one of the zone leaders is giving him the blessing, Elder Nettesheim throws up on me, and the floor. It took all my will power not to throw up myself till at least I could make it outside where I manged not to throw up. Before the blessing I had taken off my coat so the only thing he got was my pants and a little on my shirt. It took us a while to clean it up because Elder Sweeten and I were doing our best not to "make matters worse" if you know what I mean. The zone leaders also said they don't think they want us to give blessing at "their" house any more but will gladly do it at our place. 

On to Christmas stuff.  We will be calling/skyping/maybe face time at 11 our time here. I believe this is 12 for you. Is that ok? I will be check this email again tomorrow to know if that is good for you. I will not be able to call granna this year. I feel bad but they just want us calling our parents (and siblings don't worry Emma lol) 

Well I love you so much and I cant wait to talk to you. I love you sooo much.

Love,

Jonathon Felton

Travel Plans and a Little Panic On the Side

We are still working with our investigators and they are ready to be baptized. We just need to have an interview and they will be all good to go. It has been great working with them and fun to teach them more about the gospel.

Elder Thorpe was great his last week. Today he goes to the mission home and tomorrow he will fly home to his family. He is excited and sad a little as well. I can't believe I will be doing the same thing next transfer. So a few days ago I got my flight itinerary in the mail. When I saw it, I freaked out a little and dropped it on the ground. A couple of missionaries here have helped me to kinda cope with it and Sister Wagner has given me encouragement in some emails. She goes home today as well.

It is getting cold. We had a few days where it warmed up but today it went right back to being cold. Oh well, I wont have to worry about it to much longer. I am so glad I will get a car for at least about two weeks. I am excited to be serving with Elder Clevenger and Elder Nettesheim (sounds like "net a spy m"). We are going to have a blast but no worries we wont play pranks. (At least not bad ones or big ones.)

I love the package you sent it has been fun trying to guess what is in it by the scripture. Very clever. The only ones that were open were the socks but i think it was because the wrapping popped as it was traveling. Sorry you had a rough class to teach. that would drive me nuts trying to teach someone who is trying to be a pain.

I love you so much I hope the crazy dog doesn't eat more crazy things lol. I am so excited for Christmas when I can talk to you. I love you so much.

Love,
Elder Jonathon Felton

Lesson Learned? Prepare BEFORE Your Mission

Ok, so this is my last week with Elder Thorpe. He has been a great companion. I am so very grateful to have gotten to serve with him. This last week we were finally able to set up some lessons that had been falling through. We might have to move our baptism back but that's ok. We would rather move it back and make sure they are really ready then baptize them when they aren't. We are making preparations for the chaange when it comes, and I am trying to keep my companion form getting trunky. (trunky means thinking about home to much).

It is COLD! It is awesome walking in the snow while it is snowing, but not once it stops. When it stops the temperature drops but the good news is that the weather is supposed to warm up a little this week. Bring on the 1 degree warmer weather! lol. We are going to see some homes today that have a bunch of Christmas lights up and take some pictures. We are also going to play some basketball and Monopoly today for a P-day activity with our district. Tonight we are going to stay the night in Idaho Falls for Elder Thorpe's Departing temple trip tomorrow. I am excited to go to the temple it is so much fun.
Tell Cody he needs to start shrinking. He isn't allowed to be taller then I am. Especially if I ever play basketball with him lol. I am planning on playing in the soccer alumni game. That would be awesome.  I can't believe Ben is going on his mission WOW! I mean I knew he would go on one, but not so soon. I guess he is old enough which makes me feel old. If I could give him advise it would be to get to know "Preach my Gospel" This would have saved me a lot of trouble before I went out, if I had done that.
Tell Brett I would love to take him fishing and play soccer and basket ball with him.
I will obey the rules of the boxes lol. No worries I want surprises.
Things I need, I'm not sure what, if there are things I even need.
I love you so much
Love Jonathon Felton

Fun Video's For Elder Felton

Emma scraping the car windows.

Gypsy Working Hard for a French Fry

The City of Lights!

So things are going well. We had a great Thanksgiving. We got to just kinda chill out for the day. I was able to get some much need rest. We had a lunch with one of our bishops and had a dinner with a member of one of our wards. In between things we hung out at our apartment and listened to so Christmas music. It was a really nice day.
We have two people with a baptism date. It is super exciting. We have worked hard to be able to find someone who would except baptism. It is a mom and a kid. They are really great. They are easy to teach and are really open to the gospel. their baptism date has been set for December 14. I am happy to be able to work with them to be able to help them with this.
As it is getting colder we are trying to limit the time we spend outside to avoid getting sick. I have also started taking vitamin C to boost my immune system. I have been staying well but Elder Thorpe got a cold about a week ago. He is/has gotten better. He is just trying to kick the cough.
I hope you are having an amazing day. I love you so much.
Love,
Jonathon Felton 

 Oh and there are tons of Christmas light up! YES!

Getting Into the Pineapple Spirit!

Missionary Homage to psych!

Elder Felton

I know you know!

PINEAPPLE GOODNESS!