Written by Sister Hannah Avery, currently training at the Mexico Missionary Training Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. At the end of this week, she will travel to the Chile Vina del Mar Mission, speaking Spanish.
Hey guys!
I have P-day (preparation day) tomorrow still, and will be able to email you all day as normal. We go to the Temple in the morning and will be back to email between 1 and 3 p.m. Utah time, as always. So be ready to chat then.
I do have some big news! I will not be leaving next week to Chile.... I am leaving on Thursday!!!! AHHH! So a whole week early. We will be on Lan Airlines flight ***, which is about a 10 hour flight. Hooray! LOL!
Anyways, I will chat with you guys more tomorrow, but they told us to come and email you really quick to let you know that we will be in Chile this week and not next. I am super excited! I have to run, but I will talk to you in the mañana! Love you!!!!
Hermana Avery
Hey Dad!
I am doing well :) I just sent you an email saying that I am leaving for Chile Thursday instead of next week. It is their Independance Day next week (when I was supposed to leave), so they couldn't get any flights for us except for this Thursday. So off I go!
We still have P-day tomorrow, so I can write you then as well. Scripture marking is going good. It has slowed down some as we are learning more and more things, but it is still coming along nonetheless. I have been doing the different colors in my English scriptures too. Knowledge is green, Holy Ghost is purple, Christ and God are blue, obedience is yellow, faith is gray, promised blessings are brown, revelation is orange, instructions to follow are light green, and missionary stuff is red. Pretty cool. I am really enjoying studying the scriptures that way.
That is awesome about the Broncos and Ravens game. They are my two favorite teams!! haha! So it doesn't matter to me who won, but thanks for keeping me informed! LOL! I have to go now, but I love you SOO MUCH and will talk to you again tomorrow! Hasta mañana!
xoxoxo, Hermana Avery
Viva Mexico! (September 10, 2013)
Sister Avery's Last Week in the Mexico MTC (September 17, 2013)
Monday, September 16, 2013
Menace to Society?! Nah... :) Elder Kolby Madsen
Written by Elder Kolby Madsen, currently serving in the Denmark Copenhagen Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, speaking Danish.
Hey Mor, (Mom)
Thanks for the pictures. It's always way good to see them. Ok, quick question. Is that the park right next to the Card's? Does that mean that they took out that wall? If so, that’s crazy! Everything is going to be way weird when I get back. Who knows what can happen in the next two years?! Crazy stuff.
It's actually been raining here, finally. We had a way hot summer. Not as hot as you guys, but for Denmark, hot. So it's nice to wake up and it's dark and raining every morning. It's kind of relaxing actually.
Anyway, I will be buying a bike here in the next week. I got a sweet deal, 1500 krone, for a brand new mountain bike. That’s the cheapest price for any brand new bike here. I know why we had to bring $600 now. Denmark is kind of ridiculous.
I heard that Brett had his farewell. How was it? Thank you for the great words. I love reading things like that from you. It means a lot. And I know that there is a reason for everything. Sometimes it's hard to see how, but there is.
By the way, as far as I know, I will be in the same area for the next transfer. Me and Elder Hansen will be parting ways, so this is the second to last P-day (preparation day) together. Crazy stuff. Also, if you have been getting some weird texts or calls from a way weird number, it's because there is a lady from here trying to call you and talk to you about me. Just FYI. Do you still have the same number?
This week was pretty good. We had a great district meeting on Tuesday. Then right after, I took over the area, and me and Elder Christiansen went on splits. It was way good. As we were planning out our day, we were both talking, and I was asking him how I should try to get an appointment with the "miracle family" we have been teaching. We haven’t been able to meet with them since the whole ambulance thing, which really stinks because we can’t really talk to or teach them much on Sundays. They are extremely busy during the week, so that is why it's way hard. As Elder Christiansen and I talked about them, we were impressed to text them, very boldly and forward like. At first I was hesitant because I don’t want to lose them, or lose their trust. But it was a prompting, and I am on the Lord's errand, not my own. So we went for it, having faith that all would be okay. Well, after we waited for a good 20 minutes and didn't get a response, we just finished our lunch and went out to work, contacting referrals and former investigators.
While doing that, this guy told us that he knew some Mormons and that he liked them a lot. But he told us that we are wasting our time here, and that we are really just being a menace to society. Pretty much called us losers. Unfortunately, it's a very common thing here in Denmark. After that, I just felt sad, not for myself, but that the man called the Lord's work pointless. I wondered if he'd feel differently if he just knew even a little bit about what we do, and why we are here. We are not out to try to convince people that our religion is true. We're here to show people that we have the gospel and give them a chance to find it out themselves. Well anyway, after that I just kind of shrugged it off, and we kept on going.
We had this way nice guy come up to us, and in a very thick Danish accent he said in English, "Hi, Elders." We talked to him for a little while. He lived in Sandy for a year with his dad, and he loved Utah. He loved the church, but he "likes the freedom he has as a Dane," and doesn't care much for religion. But he told us that he knows what we do, and he understands and respects it. So it was way cool to hear that. A little, tender mercy from the Lord gave us a boost of love from Him.
We got home at like 8:30 p.m. and started to make phone calls to those referrals we received who were not home. When we started to plan for the next day, we got a text from Juliet. She told us that she was sorry we haven’t been able to meet, but she wants to meet next Friday, the 20th, at 18:00 for dinner and a lesson for her daughters. So after praying for a week about what we should do, we didn't really feeling like we received anything like an answer. Then the Lord answered in His time, just telling us to be bold, text them, and let them know we love them. Now we have an appointment with this lovely family.
The rest of the week was about the same. Just contacting and trying to talk to those former investigators to see if they want to meet with missionaries again. I am supper excited for Zone Conference. President Sederholm went to a Europe Mission Presidents Conference with some of the Apostles. They talked about what we need to be doing as missionaries to find people in Europe. I'm very excited to learn what I need to do to follow my Heavenly Father in the best way, and to find His children who are ready to receive the gospel into their lives.
Well, I love you and hope you are having a great time. I hope volleyball is still way fun, and that the family is doing way well. I love you so much, and I miss you. I know the Lord is watching over you. Please keep having fun and just worry about what you can do to serve our Father in Heaven. That could be inviting those less active or non-members to volleyball...great opportunity there. Whatever it is, I love you, and thanks for all you have done and are doing for me. I love you so much. :)
Med Kærlig Hilsen,
ÆLdste Madsen
150 Days in Denmark (September 9, 2013)
Goosebumps Mean the Same Thing in Danish (September 23, 2013)
Hey Mor, (Mom)
Thanks for the pictures. It's always way good to see them. Ok, quick question. Is that the park right next to the Card's? Does that mean that they took out that wall? If so, that’s crazy! Everything is going to be way weird when I get back. Who knows what can happen in the next two years?! Crazy stuff.
It's actually been raining here, finally. We had a way hot summer. Not as hot as you guys, but for Denmark, hot. So it's nice to wake up and it's dark and raining every morning. It's kind of relaxing actually.
Anyway, I will be buying a bike here in the next week. I got a sweet deal, 1500 krone, for a brand new mountain bike. That’s the cheapest price for any brand new bike here. I know why we had to bring $600 now. Denmark is kind of ridiculous.
I heard that Brett had his farewell. How was it? Thank you for the great words. I love reading things like that from you. It means a lot. And I know that there is a reason for everything. Sometimes it's hard to see how, but there is.
By the way, as far as I know, I will be in the same area for the next transfer. Me and Elder Hansen will be parting ways, so this is the second to last P-day (preparation day) together. Crazy stuff. Also, if you have been getting some weird texts or calls from a way weird number, it's because there is a lady from here trying to call you and talk to you about me. Just FYI. Do you still have the same number?
This week was pretty good. We had a great district meeting on Tuesday. Then right after, I took over the area, and me and Elder Christiansen went on splits. It was way good. As we were planning out our day, we were both talking, and I was asking him how I should try to get an appointment with the "miracle family" we have been teaching. We haven’t been able to meet with them since the whole ambulance thing, which really stinks because we can’t really talk to or teach them much on Sundays. They are extremely busy during the week, so that is why it's way hard. As Elder Christiansen and I talked about them, we were impressed to text them, very boldly and forward like. At first I was hesitant because I don’t want to lose them, or lose their trust. But it was a prompting, and I am on the Lord's errand, not my own. So we went for it, having faith that all would be okay. Well, after we waited for a good 20 minutes and didn't get a response, we just finished our lunch and went out to work, contacting referrals and former investigators.
While doing that, this guy told us that he knew some Mormons and that he liked them a lot. But he told us that we are wasting our time here, and that we are really just being a menace to society. Pretty much called us losers. Unfortunately, it's a very common thing here in Denmark. After that, I just felt sad, not for myself, but that the man called the Lord's work pointless. I wondered if he'd feel differently if he just knew even a little bit about what we do, and why we are here. We are not out to try to convince people that our religion is true. We're here to show people that we have the gospel and give them a chance to find it out themselves. Well anyway, after that I just kind of shrugged it off, and we kept on going.
We had this way nice guy come up to us, and in a very thick Danish accent he said in English, "Hi, Elders." We talked to him for a little while. He lived in Sandy for a year with his dad, and he loved Utah. He loved the church, but he "likes the freedom he has as a Dane," and doesn't care much for religion. But he told us that he knows what we do, and he understands and respects it. So it was way cool to hear that. A little, tender mercy from the Lord gave us a boost of love from Him.
We got home at like 8:30 p.m. and started to make phone calls to those referrals we received who were not home. When we started to plan for the next day, we got a text from Juliet. She told us that she was sorry we haven’t been able to meet, but she wants to meet next Friday, the 20th, at 18:00 for dinner and a lesson for her daughters. So after praying for a week about what we should do, we didn't really feeling like we received anything like an answer. Then the Lord answered in His time, just telling us to be bold, text them, and let them know we love them. Now we have an appointment with this lovely family.
The rest of the week was about the same. Just contacting and trying to talk to those former investigators to see if they want to meet with missionaries again. I am supper excited for Zone Conference. President Sederholm went to a Europe Mission Presidents Conference with some of the Apostles. They talked about what we need to be doing as missionaries to find people in Europe. I'm very excited to learn what I need to do to follow my Heavenly Father in the best way, and to find His children who are ready to receive the gospel into their lives.
Well, I love you and hope you are having a great time. I hope volleyball is still way fun, and that the family is doing way well. I love you so much, and I miss you. I know the Lord is watching over you. Please keep having fun and just worry about what you can do to serve our Father in Heaven. That could be inviting those less active or non-members to volleyball...great opportunity there. Whatever it is, I love you, and thanks for all you have done and are doing for me. I love you so much. :)
Med Kærlig Hilsen,
ÆLdste Madsen
150 Days in Denmark (September 9, 2013)
Goosebumps Mean the Same Thing in Danish (September 23, 2013)
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| Elder Madsen at Denmark's famous "Little Mermaid" Statue |
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| What's better than a super sized ice cream cone? Two super sized ice cream cones! |
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| Workin' it! |
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| Yes, I was the ONLY one who could finish my ice cream! |
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| Jytte is a sweet old lady who loves the missionaries and feeds us very good Danish food every month. |
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| The beach in Copenhagen |
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| Pretty much the only fun a missionary can have at the beach! |
Buenos Dias, America! - Elder Jake Avery
Written by Elder Jacob Avery, currently serving in the Peru Lima West Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, speaking Spanish.
Buenos Días América!
I'm doing just dandy here in Peru. This week was a tough week. We worked very hard and, unfortunately, we didn't have the success we were hoping for. We call these things "learning experiences" haha. I learned that I can only do what I can do, and it's up to people to choose who they will serve.
I'm sending a picture of what a day can look like in the mission field. Although it appears that we teach all day, it feels like we walk all day. There's always a mini scream of, ''Noooo!!'' in our heads when we walk all the way to our appointment and the family isn't there, or they're busy and we can't teach. The mission agenda gives us a Plan A and a Plan B, but there's been many times that we've fallen back onto Plan D or E, which is knocking on doors.
This week, we are working closely with the Cherres family. Paul and Kayla are the two teenage kids in the family. They have been taking the discussions (Gospel lessons) and, thanks to the help of the ward, have friends in the Church and want to be baptized. This is great news, but heaven would be very lonely without their parents, so we are trying to implore their parents to take the discussions too. It's tough because they're always busy, but nothing is impossible with God.
As to the question about my living conditions, they're different. We keep our room clean but there is an infinite amount of dirt, dust and sand, so anything other than concrete floors is futile. Carpets don't exist. Pretty much every building is made out of brick or a step below plywood. If you want a pretty looking house, you put a smooth layer of concrete over your brick house and paint it. The houses often don't have roofs, only have partial roofs, or (in the case of our Bishop and many others) cardboard boxes. I don't say this in a bad way, rather as a way to look at how blessed we are in the United States. Cleanliness is a choice. There are many poor people that keep things clean, and many rich people that make a mess.
Dear Mom and Dad,
This week we worked very, very hard and I made the transition from English to Spanish scriptures. Unfortunately, work and numbers don't always travel proportionately. Work and success always travel proportionately, so I'd say I've had a successful week with cruddy numbers.
We have a baptism this coming Saturday, and he wants me to baptize him. His name is Paul (dadadadad) Cherres. He's 11 years old. We are also teaching his 16 or 17 year old sister, but she's been busy on Sundays and hasn't been able to come to church. She has to attend church regularly before being baptized, so she hasn't met the Sacrament Meeting attendance quota yet. We're working with their parents too, but like every person, they're ocupado, ocupadito or esta descansando (busy, a little busy, or resting). We've taught the parents once each, and they were at different times. They were both awesome in the lessons, and we felt the Spirit. But then the next time we wanted to talk to them, they had this look like a deer in the headlights :/
The teenagers are always pretty receptive of the Gospel message, but the parents don't want very much to do with the Church. As you can imagine, this saddens me because they miss out on the blessings of attending church as a family, praying as a family, reading scriptures as a family, etc...
Sorry about the flood! Kolby told me about a time when the neighborhood flooded a few years ago, but I didn't think it was possible...Obviously I was wrong :P
This week was Stake Conference and it was televised from Salt Lake City. We had the opportunity to hear from Elder Bednar (or rather, his translator) about repentance, and Elder Scott (who speaks Spanish) about the value of women and chastity. I know without a single shadow of doubt in my mind that they are prophets. I love testifying to my investigators that we have prophets and apostles living today. I love that I know it without a doubt, and I love that God has blessed us so greatly by calling these men to lead us.
I love you guys! I'm smiling and happy, don't worry. You need to do the same ;) Remember that our afflictions are but a small moment and they help us grow. We simply need to figure out what the Lord needs us to learn. Love you! Tell Josh to email me!!!!! I didn't get to wish him happy birthday!!!
Elder Jake Avery
Ten Weeks in Peru (September 9, 2013)
Teaching People to Pray in Peru (September 23, 2013)
Buenos Días América!
I'm doing just dandy here in Peru. This week was a tough week. We worked very hard and, unfortunately, we didn't have the success we were hoping for. We call these things "learning experiences" haha. I learned that I can only do what I can do, and it's up to people to choose who they will serve.
I'm sending a picture of what a day can look like in the mission field. Although it appears that we teach all day, it feels like we walk all day. There's always a mini scream of, ''Noooo!!'' in our heads when we walk all the way to our appointment and the family isn't there, or they're busy and we can't teach. The mission agenda gives us a Plan A and a Plan B, but there's been many times that we've fallen back onto Plan D or E, which is knocking on doors.
This week, we are working closely with the Cherres family. Paul and Kayla are the two teenage kids in the family. They have been taking the discussions (Gospel lessons) and, thanks to the help of the ward, have friends in the Church and want to be baptized. This is great news, but heaven would be very lonely without their parents, so we are trying to implore their parents to take the discussions too. It's tough because they're always busy, but nothing is impossible with God.
As to the question about my living conditions, they're different. We keep our room clean but there is an infinite amount of dirt, dust and sand, so anything other than concrete floors is futile. Carpets don't exist. Pretty much every building is made out of brick or a step below plywood. If you want a pretty looking house, you put a smooth layer of concrete over your brick house and paint it. The houses often don't have roofs, only have partial roofs, or (in the case of our Bishop and many others) cardboard boxes. I don't say this in a bad way, rather as a way to look at how blessed we are in the United States. Cleanliness is a choice. There are many poor people that keep things clean, and many rich people that make a mess.
Dear Mom and Dad,
This week we worked very, very hard and I made the transition from English to Spanish scriptures. Unfortunately, work and numbers don't always travel proportionately. Work and success always travel proportionately, so I'd say I've had a successful week with cruddy numbers.
We have a baptism this coming Saturday, and he wants me to baptize him. His name is Paul (dadadadad) Cherres. He's 11 years old. We are also teaching his 16 or 17 year old sister, but she's been busy on Sundays and hasn't been able to come to church. She has to attend church regularly before being baptized, so she hasn't met the Sacrament Meeting attendance quota yet. We're working with their parents too, but like every person, they're ocupado, ocupadito or esta descansando (busy, a little busy, or resting). We've taught the parents once each, and they were at different times. They were both awesome in the lessons, and we felt the Spirit. But then the next time we wanted to talk to them, they had this look like a deer in the headlights :/
The teenagers are always pretty receptive of the Gospel message, but the parents don't want very much to do with the Church. As you can imagine, this saddens me because they miss out on the blessings of attending church as a family, praying as a family, reading scriptures as a family, etc...
Sorry about the flood! Kolby told me about a time when the neighborhood flooded a few years ago, but I didn't think it was possible...Obviously I was wrong :P
This week was Stake Conference and it was televised from Salt Lake City. We had the opportunity to hear from Elder Bednar (or rather, his translator) about repentance, and Elder Scott (who speaks Spanish) about the value of women and chastity. I know without a single shadow of doubt in my mind that they are prophets. I love testifying to my investigators that we have prophets and apostles living today. I love that I know it without a doubt, and I love that God has blessed us so greatly by calling these men to lead us.
I love you guys! I'm smiling and happy, don't worry. You need to do the same ;) Remember that our afflictions are but a small moment and they help us grow. We simply need to figure out what the Lord needs us to learn. Love you! Tell Josh to email me!!!!! I didn't get to wish him happy birthday!!!
Elder Jake Avery
Ten Weeks in Peru (September 9, 2013)
Teaching People to Pray in Peru (September 23, 2013)
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Our room in the Stake President's house. I'm reading Jesus the Christ...
Thoughtfully reading, I might add, hahaha!
(note from Mom: look at the Clorox wipes and hand sanitizer on the desk!
A chip off his ol' Dad haha! By the look of his shoes, he's working hard :)
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A street in our neighborhood. You have the regular Nacho bike on the left,
and the super, deluxe Nacho bike with canopy on the right!
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My planner looks like we teach a ton (and we do!), but it feels like we walk
a lot more than we teach haha!
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Almost Heaven, Albertson, NC
Written by Elder Dallin Remund, currently serving in the Virginia Chesapeake Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, speaking Spanish.
Heeeellllllllooooo!!!!
Whew! I'm recovering from a GREAT week in the field. I couldn't be happier. Missionary work is very satisfying! It can also be very upsetting, but from what I've observed so far there are extreme highs and lows due to the sacredness of the call. Faith is at the center of knowing everything will be alright! Miracles will happen! Heavenly Father will help!
Last preparation day, our zone went up to Goldsboro for an activity at one of the Elder's houses they are staying in. The house is a MANSION! A super rich member family owns it and lets the missionaries stay there. They had a super nice clubhouse looking patio and a pool (that was pointless because we couldn't swim). But everyone played some volleyball and soccer while I wrote out some letters. Lame, I know, but preparation day is the only day I can send out handwritten letters! It was nice to go out and relax for a little while. You don't get to do that too often on the mission!
So, this week we took the car in to get repaired (Elder Knott accidentally hit a wooden post making a wide U-turn in the middle of July). So we rode on bikes! It was super exhausting!! It was really hot and humid this week, and being in church clothes on a bike with a slightly flat front tire doesn't help at all. Hahaha! It was really good though. It takes forever to get to people's houses out here in the country, but it makes it all worth it when they let you in and you get to share the gospel! We got the car back on Thursday and I kind of miss biking a little bit. Funny, huh?
On Friday, I had to be in charge of the area when Elder Knott went on an exchange with one of the zone leaders in Goldsboro. I was with Elder Jensen, the other zone leader. It was a very good exchange! Elder Jensen is a super obedient and inspired missionary, and I learned a lot of really wonderful things from him. We were teaching a less-active member a lesson on meaningful prayer and I invited him to start coming back to church. I was filled with love as I extended that invitation and he said that he knows he needs to start coming back. The Spirit was the teacher of that lesson. He said it was exactly what he needed to hear.
After that, Elder Jensen and I taught Sergio! He is so ready to be baptized! We are getting really excited for him. This was the first lesson I had had with him since the beginning of August. We taught him about the Word of Wisdom and he said he already has been living it. He said that when he learned about it, he had been drinking a lot of tea, and then he said when he stopped drinking it, he noticed he could start running faster than before. So he already lives it and has a testimony of it! He wants to go on a mission in a couple of years. These things are just so exciting to hear! We changed his baptismal date to October 12th so that he can continue to have opportunities to go to church and learn everything he needs to in a timely manner! I don't know if I'll be here in October, but the thing that matters is that he is learning and following Christ's example!
The members have been so great to us the past couple weeks. So willing to come out with us, so willing to feed us! We have had a dinner appointment every night for the past two weeks! Yesterday, we went to a member's home for lunch, and her daughter was in the same district in the MTC as Nicole Barnes from Herriman. So her daughter and Nicole are both serving in Japan! She talks to Nicole's mom quite often, so it's crazy to think that a member from the ward I'm serving in is friends with a member in my stake back home! Only this could happen in the Church!
Well, time is starting to run out, but I want to share with you how grateful I am for the wonderful spirit of missionary work! I am so glad the Spirit is here to strengthen me and testify to me in all the hard times! This gospel is true and I am so grateful for it.
Mucho amor,
Elder Remund
Southern Country Spunk
Let the Spirit do the Heavy Lifting
Heeeellllllllooooo!!!!
Whew! I'm recovering from a GREAT week in the field. I couldn't be happier. Missionary work is very satisfying! It can also be very upsetting, but from what I've observed so far there are extreme highs and lows due to the sacredness of the call. Faith is at the center of knowing everything will be alright! Miracles will happen! Heavenly Father will help!
Last preparation day, our zone went up to Goldsboro for an activity at one of the Elder's houses they are staying in. The house is a MANSION! A super rich member family owns it and lets the missionaries stay there. They had a super nice clubhouse looking patio and a pool (that was pointless because we couldn't swim). But everyone played some volleyball and soccer while I wrote out some letters. Lame, I know, but preparation day is the only day I can send out handwritten letters! It was nice to go out and relax for a little while. You don't get to do that too often on the mission!
So, this week we took the car in to get repaired (Elder Knott accidentally hit a wooden post making a wide U-turn in the middle of July). So we rode on bikes! It was super exhausting!! It was really hot and humid this week, and being in church clothes on a bike with a slightly flat front tire doesn't help at all. Hahaha! It was really good though. It takes forever to get to people's houses out here in the country, but it makes it all worth it when they let you in and you get to share the gospel! We got the car back on Thursday and I kind of miss biking a little bit. Funny, huh?
On Friday, I had to be in charge of the area when Elder Knott went on an exchange with one of the zone leaders in Goldsboro. I was with Elder Jensen, the other zone leader. It was a very good exchange! Elder Jensen is a super obedient and inspired missionary, and I learned a lot of really wonderful things from him. We were teaching a less-active member a lesson on meaningful prayer and I invited him to start coming back to church. I was filled with love as I extended that invitation and he said that he knows he needs to start coming back. The Spirit was the teacher of that lesson. He said it was exactly what he needed to hear.
After that, Elder Jensen and I taught Sergio! He is so ready to be baptized! We are getting really excited for him. This was the first lesson I had had with him since the beginning of August. We taught him about the Word of Wisdom and he said he already has been living it. He said that when he learned about it, he had been drinking a lot of tea, and then he said when he stopped drinking it, he noticed he could start running faster than before. So he already lives it and has a testimony of it! He wants to go on a mission in a couple of years. These things are just so exciting to hear! We changed his baptismal date to October 12th so that he can continue to have opportunities to go to church and learn everything he needs to in a timely manner! I don't know if I'll be here in October, but the thing that matters is that he is learning and following Christ's example!
The members have been so great to us the past couple weeks. So willing to come out with us, so willing to feed us! We have had a dinner appointment every night for the past two weeks! Yesterday, we went to a member's home for lunch, and her daughter was in the same district in the MTC as Nicole Barnes from Herriman. So her daughter and Nicole are both serving in Japan! She talks to Nicole's mom quite often, so it's crazy to think that a member from the ward I'm serving in is friends with a member in my stake back home! Only this could happen in the Church!
Well, time is starting to run out, but I want to share with you how grateful I am for the wonderful spirit of missionary work! I am so glad the Spirit is here to strengthen me and testify to me in all the hard times! This gospel is true and I am so grateful for it.
Mucho amor,
Elder Remund
Southern Country Spunk
Let the Spirit do the Heavy Lifting
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| Howdy, friends! |
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| View from our study room - lots of soybeans! |
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| Deep cleaning day! |
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| Albertson sunset |
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| A super good Mexican meal made by Sister Hernandez for her dad, Jaime Espino's birthday. |
Elder Jensen + Washington Nationals = LOVE
Written by Elder Nate Jensen, currently serving in the Washington D.C. South Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, speaking English.
This week was really good. We had Zone Conference, and we were given some great instruction on how to extend the baptismal invitation better. So I am extremely excited to be able to try out the new techniques that our Mission President gave us!
Another great thing is that it is finally cooling down!! haha! It has felt amazing these past couple of days, which is a tender mercy from the Lord. This week we have met with a lot of former investigators from our area book, which has been really good. It has yielded some great results. We have received two new investigators from it!
This week we also had the awesome opportunity to go to the Washington Nationals baseball game!! Both the D.C. South and the D.C. North missions went, so there were about 300 missionaries all dressed in their proselyting clothes at the baseball game haha! We got some interesting looks, but it was awesome. The reason we went was for the kick off game of the "Virginia Day of Service." For two weeks different faiths work together to perform acts of service. This year we are focusing on getting food to help the hungry, so it was awesome, and it was a great game. The Nats beat the Phillies 6 to 1. Anyways, it was an awesome week!!
Love,
Elder Jensen
Hello from Virginia!
A Monumental Week in D.C.
This week was really good. We had Zone Conference, and we were given some great instruction on how to extend the baptismal invitation better. So I am extremely excited to be able to try out the new techniques that our Mission President gave us!
Another great thing is that it is finally cooling down!! haha! It has felt amazing these past couple of days, which is a tender mercy from the Lord. This week we have met with a lot of former investigators from our area book, which has been really good. It has yielded some great results. We have received two new investigators from it!
This week we also had the awesome opportunity to go to the Washington Nationals baseball game!! Both the D.C. South and the D.C. North missions went, so there were about 300 missionaries all dressed in their proselyting clothes at the baseball game haha! We got some interesting looks, but it was awesome. The reason we went was for the kick off game of the "Virginia Day of Service." For two weeks different faiths work together to perform acts of service. This year we are focusing on getting food to help the hungry, so it was awesome, and it was a great game. The Nats beat the Phillies 6 to 1. Anyways, it was an awesome week!!
Love,
Elder Jensen
Hello from Virginia!
A Monumental Week in D.C.
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| Elder Jensen and Elder Shimono Washington Nationals Park |
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| Elder Jensen and Honest Abe |
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| Elder Jensen and George |
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| The Washington D.C. South and North Missions attended the Washington Nationals baseball game to kick off the Virginia Day of Service |
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| View of our nation's Capitol |
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| Top left to right: Elder Jensen, Elder Galbraith (my MTC companion) Elder Richards, Sister McKenna, and Sister Schram |
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| The view from our seats! |
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Viva Mexico!
Written by Sister Hannah Avery, currently training in the Mexico Missionary Training Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In two weeks, Sister Avery will report to the Chile Vina del Mar Mission, speaking Spanish.
Hola familia y amigos! (Hello family and friends!)
Can you believe it?! It has been a MONTH already! Time has gone by so fast for me. Not a ton has happened this week, but I do have a couple of funny things, along with a couple of normal things. Here it goes!
For starters, we FINALLY learned how to conjugate command words, and then past and future tenses. So my vocabulary just expanded a whole lot! It is still really slow speaking though, since my mind still hears things in English and I have to translate it back out into Spanish. It is a slow process, but soon enough I will have no issues and will be speaking super fast with the Chileans :)
So this week we did a practice lesson with a guy named Ricardo. It was pretty funny actually! Our whole district was teaching him, and it was just our teacher pretending to be him. Anyways, at one point in the lesson, the teacher asked, "So why has Ricardo not been baptized?".... well, two seconds later, I yelled, "Because, he never got around to it, ALRIGHT?" HAHAHA! My entire district was literally in tears! Nacho Libre quotes are very common in our district, but the timing of that was basically perfect! I have been waiting to use that Nacho Libre quote this whole time! That was probably the best thing that has happened to me (as far as the humor goes) at the MTC (Missionary Training Center).
So, I got beyond page 100 in my translation of the Spanish Book of Mormon! Hooray! It is taking SO long. I for sure won't finish it before I leave the MTC like I was hoping. We just don't have enough time for me to do it! But, it definitely is helping me learn new vocabulary since they repeat a lot of the same words and phrases. Slowly but surely, I am getting to the point of not having to use a dictionary very much while I read it in Spanish!
I started something new this week with my English scriptures. We saw a devotional broadcast with Elder Holland from January 15th of this year, and I noticed that his scriptures are SUPER marked up! He is an apostle, I know, but I never really noticed it! Anyways, I made it a goal to do that with my English scriptures while I am gone. I am marking them with the colors of the Young Women values, and relating them to my life as a missionary. That way, I can go back to read them later in life and see the things that stuck out most to me while I served as a missionary. So I am at about 1 Nephi 14 on those. And in my regular scripture reading, I got past Mosiah. I was hoping to be able to do more than I have so far with these things, but there just isn't enough time, sadly!
So, I am starting to feel naked when I am not wearing a name tag now! It is a weird feeling. I get up at 6:30 every morning, say my prayers, make my bed, brush my teeth, and then get dressed. I usually put on my name tag on the way out the door, but I leave it sometimes and feel like I am forgetting something...It is like a comfort thing now, and I love wearing Christ's name next to mine, all day, everyday :)
We finally got our practice investigators (Jonatan and Lenina) to commit to baptism! That was at the beginning of last week, but we are still teaching them the lessons. It is good practice, but I am just ready to do the real thing now!
This week, our district did the tower challenge. If you don't know what that is, basically, they have these huge "towers" of cereal out in dispenser things in the cafeteria. The point of the challenge is for your whole district to try and clear out an entire tower of cereal in one meal. We heard it is a pretty common thing at the Provo MTC, but no one had done it here yet! So, we accepted the challenge haha! We put down about 55 bowls of Fruit Loops between the 11 of us (one of the Elders was sick, so he didnt help haha!) Let's just say that we accomplished the challenge, but everyone felt really sick after that! And I will probably never eat Fruit Loops again...ever.
Everyone at the MTC is getting sick with either the flu or a stomach virus. So far, I haven't gotten either, and I really hope that I don't. I take vitamins everyday and try to eat well (ok, except for the Fruit Loops...), so that is probably keeping me healthy. We had an Elder and one of our Hermanas in our district stay home for about three days because they were so miserably sick. On Sunday, Hermana Garett (the one who was sick) had to stay home, and her companion wanted to go to all of the meetings without her. So, I stayed with her and made sure that she was okay. I figured that if I were sick, I wouldn't want my companion to ditch me. I made the most of the time that I had at home and studied like crazy! I got to read a ton of scriptures, and still got to take the sacrament at least. So overall, it was a good day, and even though I was sad to miss most of my Sunday meetings, I felt spiritually rejuvenated anyway :)
I forget what day it was, but they served us wings and calzones for dinner! Oh my goodness, it was SOOOO good! I hadn't had anything that good since I got here! It felt like everyone in the MTC was going up for their 10th serving haha! It was a good meal for sure, and it was nice to not have cockroach beans again... which speaking of cockroaches.....
.... we got new Hermanas (Sister missionaries) in our casa (house) this week, so we have a full house now. And they eat in our casa (which you aren't supposed to do), so now we are starting to get baby cockroaches in there, and it makes me a little bit HEATED haha! I left a note on the mirror that said to please not eat in the casa and to make sure to get ready in their own bathrooms (yes, they use ours all the time... ugh!). That leaves us without enough time to get ready in the mornings. I have left the note twice, and someone keeps taking it down, and well, things haven't changed. So I guess they want to do things their way... oh well, ha! The joys of living with 16 girls in one house.... oh please, this is a nightmare.....way too much estrogen in one place....!!
Oh! They just put out the most incredible thing at meals this week... NUTELLA!! People literally hoard that stuff, it is so ridiculous! I really, honestly never liked it before the mission, but that stuff tastes like heaven when you eat stuff like I do every week :P Jared would sure like it here, just because of that!!
This Friday is Mexican Independence Day (that is what I heard anyways), so they are decorating everything with Mexico colors, flags, and banners that say, "Viva Mexico!" It is pretty funny :) I wanted to wear one of their hats, but they won't let us. Darn. So they said that Friday night we probably will not sleep very much because, first of all, we get to party all night in our enclosed area at the MTC haha!, and secondly, they said that people outside our walls will literally party all night long and into the next day... and they drink a lot and will probably do stupid things that will keep us awake all night :) LOL! So we will see how Friday goes.
One of the main things that we were taught this week is to "teach people, not lessons." When we teach people according to their needs, it helps them relate the gospel to their lives, instead of just giving them the lessons in order and calling it good. I honestly can't think of a time that I have ever taught the "Preach My Gospel" lessons in order! We always start with whatever the Spirit tells us to teach them first, and then we try to incorporate other things they need to learn in a way that they will understand and be able to apply to their lives. It seems to be a lot more efficient that way :) So, for all of you missionaries out in the field, or that are getting ready to go, make sure that you are always teaching with the Spirit! Follow every prompting that you get. I can not tell you how many times I have planned a lesson with my companion, and we end up teaching something completely different because the Spirit tells us what the investigator needs. Use that companionship of the Holy Ghost, and you will change lives for the better! I promise you that!!
One more quick thing! I got a really good tip from a letter that I was reading from Mom-Mom, which said that if you are thinking about yourself, and getting homesick, etc., that you are thinking TOO MUCH about yourself and not enough about the work and your purpose as a missionary! I loved that! It really helps me get through the rough days. It is totally okay to be homesick, and it happens to EVERYONE, so don't feel bad about it. But, if you are constantly thinking about you, you, you, then you need to take a deep breath, step back and pray to the Lord to help you overcome that. You are not out on your mission for you, you are out to serve the Lord! The sacrifice that we make by leaving our families for 18 months or 2 years is extremely hard. For an 18, 19, 20 year old (or how ever old you are), it is truly incredible to know that you are sacrificing everything that you had at home to give everything that you have and are to the building of the Lord's kingdom in all parts of the world! The fact that you put off dating, working, going to school, leave family/friends behind... it takes a lot of courage and shows your immense faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, that everything will be okay while you are gone.
I always remember something Mom told me many, many times before I left for this mission, and she's even tells me now that I'm here .... Faith and Fear CANNOT co-exist. So have faith, and you will find that you don't worry so much about what could go wrong. Focus on what can go RIGHT in your life. Every day has some good in it, even if it feels like the worst day in the world. Push through, pray to the Lord for strength, and move on! Don't dwell on the bad stuff. It is SO not worth your time or effort!
An amazing scripture that I found this week that I LOVE is in Doctrine & Covenants 84:88. It reads, "And whoso recieveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up." I have read that scripture almost everyday since, and I practically have it memorized! It helps me to remember that no matter what, I am never alone out here. The Lord is always with me, and sends angels to watch over and guide me always. What a comfort it is to know that!! I know for a surety that it goes for you guys too, missionaries or not :)
Well, I hope that you have an incredible week! Never forget who you are, and always strive to have the Spirit with you. It will teach you things that you need at the time that you need them. And always remember to pray for answers, help, or what ever you need. The Lord is always waiting for us to ask for help, we just have to be willing and humble enough to do so! I love you all so very much and look forward to hearing from you every week! Thank you again for all of your sweet letters and emails. You are all the best! I love you more than you know, and miss you like crazy! Talk to you in a week!
Con mucho amor,
Hermana Avery
PS! If you want to write me letters in Chile, my address is:
Hermana Hannah Avery
Chile Viña del Mar Mission
4 Norte 1112
Viña del Mar, Valparaiso- V Region
CHILE
Home Away from Home (September 3, 2013)
BIG NEWS from Hermana Avery (September 16, 2013)
Hola familia y amigos! (Hello family and friends!)
Can you believe it?! It has been a MONTH already! Time has gone by so fast for me. Not a ton has happened this week, but I do have a couple of funny things, along with a couple of normal things. Here it goes!
For starters, we FINALLY learned how to conjugate command words, and then past and future tenses. So my vocabulary just expanded a whole lot! It is still really slow speaking though, since my mind still hears things in English and I have to translate it back out into Spanish. It is a slow process, but soon enough I will have no issues and will be speaking super fast with the Chileans :)
So this week we did a practice lesson with a guy named Ricardo. It was pretty funny actually! Our whole district was teaching him, and it was just our teacher pretending to be him. Anyways, at one point in the lesson, the teacher asked, "So why has Ricardo not been baptized?".... well, two seconds later, I yelled, "Because, he never got around to it, ALRIGHT?" HAHAHA! My entire district was literally in tears! Nacho Libre quotes are very common in our district, but the timing of that was basically perfect! I have been waiting to use that Nacho Libre quote this whole time! That was probably the best thing that has happened to me (as far as the humor goes) at the MTC (Missionary Training Center).
So, I got beyond page 100 in my translation of the Spanish Book of Mormon! Hooray! It is taking SO long. I for sure won't finish it before I leave the MTC like I was hoping. We just don't have enough time for me to do it! But, it definitely is helping me learn new vocabulary since they repeat a lot of the same words and phrases. Slowly but surely, I am getting to the point of not having to use a dictionary very much while I read it in Spanish!
I started something new this week with my English scriptures. We saw a devotional broadcast with Elder Holland from January 15th of this year, and I noticed that his scriptures are SUPER marked up! He is an apostle, I know, but I never really noticed it! Anyways, I made it a goal to do that with my English scriptures while I am gone. I am marking them with the colors of the Young Women values, and relating them to my life as a missionary. That way, I can go back to read them later in life and see the things that stuck out most to me while I served as a missionary. So I am at about 1 Nephi 14 on those. And in my regular scripture reading, I got past Mosiah. I was hoping to be able to do more than I have so far with these things, but there just isn't enough time, sadly!
So, I am starting to feel naked when I am not wearing a name tag now! It is a weird feeling. I get up at 6:30 every morning, say my prayers, make my bed, brush my teeth, and then get dressed. I usually put on my name tag on the way out the door, but I leave it sometimes and feel like I am forgetting something...It is like a comfort thing now, and I love wearing Christ's name next to mine, all day, everyday :)
We finally got our practice investigators (Jonatan and Lenina) to commit to baptism! That was at the beginning of last week, but we are still teaching them the lessons. It is good practice, but I am just ready to do the real thing now!
This week, our district did the tower challenge. If you don't know what that is, basically, they have these huge "towers" of cereal out in dispenser things in the cafeteria. The point of the challenge is for your whole district to try and clear out an entire tower of cereal in one meal. We heard it is a pretty common thing at the Provo MTC, but no one had done it here yet! So, we accepted the challenge haha! We put down about 55 bowls of Fruit Loops between the 11 of us (one of the Elders was sick, so he didnt help haha!) Let's just say that we accomplished the challenge, but everyone felt really sick after that! And I will probably never eat Fruit Loops again...ever.
Everyone at the MTC is getting sick with either the flu or a stomach virus. So far, I haven't gotten either, and I really hope that I don't. I take vitamins everyday and try to eat well (ok, except for the Fruit Loops...), so that is probably keeping me healthy. We had an Elder and one of our Hermanas in our district stay home for about three days because they were so miserably sick. On Sunday, Hermana Garett (the one who was sick) had to stay home, and her companion wanted to go to all of the meetings without her. So, I stayed with her and made sure that she was okay. I figured that if I were sick, I wouldn't want my companion to ditch me. I made the most of the time that I had at home and studied like crazy! I got to read a ton of scriptures, and still got to take the sacrament at least. So overall, it was a good day, and even though I was sad to miss most of my Sunday meetings, I felt spiritually rejuvenated anyway :)
I forget what day it was, but they served us wings and calzones for dinner! Oh my goodness, it was SOOOO good! I hadn't had anything that good since I got here! It felt like everyone in the MTC was going up for their 10th serving haha! It was a good meal for sure, and it was nice to not have cockroach beans again... which speaking of cockroaches.....
.... we got new Hermanas (Sister missionaries) in our casa (house) this week, so we have a full house now. And they eat in our casa (which you aren't supposed to do), so now we are starting to get baby cockroaches in there, and it makes me a little bit HEATED haha! I left a note on the mirror that said to please not eat in the casa and to make sure to get ready in their own bathrooms (yes, they use ours all the time... ugh!). That leaves us without enough time to get ready in the mornings. I have left the note twice, and someone keeps taking it down, and well, things haven't changed. So I guess they want to do things their way... oh well, ha! The joys of living with 16 girls in one house.... oh please, this is a nightmare.....way too much estrogen in one place....!!
Oh! They just put out the most incredible thing at meals this week... NUTELLA!! People literally hoard that stuff, it is so ridiculous! I really, honestly never liked it before the mission, but that stuff tastes like heaven when you eat stuff like I do every week :P Jared would sure like it here, just because of that!!
This Friday is Mexican Independence Day (that is what I heard anyways), so they are decorating everything with Mexico colors, flags, and banners that say, "Viva Mexico!" It is pretty funny :) I wanted to wear one of their hats, but they won't let us. Darn. So they said that Friday night we probably will not sleep very much because, first of all, we get to party all night in our enclosed area at the MTC haha!, and secondly, they said that people outside our walls will literally party all night long and into the next day... and they drink a lot and will probably do stupid things that will keep us awake all night :) LOL! So we will see how Friday goes.
One of the main things that we were taught this week is to "teach people, not lessons." When we teach people according to their needs, it helps them relate the gospel to their lives, instead of just giving them the lessons in order and calling it good. I honestly can't think of a time that I have ever taught the "Preach My Gospel" lessons in order! We always start with whatever the Spirit tells us to teach them first, and then we try to incorporate other things they need to learn in a way that they will understand and be able to apply to their lives. It seems to be a lot more efficient that way :) So, for all of you missionaries out in the field, or that are getting ready to go, make sure that you are always teaching with the Spirit! Follow every prompting that you get. I can not tell you how many times I have planned a lesson with my companion, and we end up teaching something completely different because the Spirit tells us what the investigator needs. Use that companionship of the Holy Ghost, and you will change lives for the better! I promise you that!!
One more quick thing! I got a really good tip from a letter that I was reading from Mom-Mom, which said that if you are thinking about yourself, and getting homesick, etc., that you are thinking TOO MUCH about yourself and not enough about the work and your purpose as a missionary! I loved that! It really helps me get through the rough days. It is totally okay to be homesick, and it happens to EVERYONE, so don't feel bad about it. But, if you are constantly thinking about you, you, you, then you need to take a deep breath, step back and pray to the Lord to help you overcome that. You are not out on your mission for you, you are out to serve the Lord! The sacrifice that we make by leaving our families for 18 months or 2 years is extremely hard. For an 18, 19, 20 year old (or how ever old you are), it is truly incredible to know that you are sacrificing everything that you had at home to give everything that you have and are to the building of the Lord's kingdom in all parts of the world! The fact that you put off dating, working, going to school, leave family/friends behind... it takes a lot of courage and shows your immense faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, that everything will be okay while you are gone.
I always remember something Mom told me many, many times before I left for this mission, and she's even tells me now that I'm here .... Faith and Fear CANNOT co-exist. So have faith, and you will find that you don't worry so much about what could go wrong. Focus on what can go RIGHT in your life. Every day has some good in it, even if it feels like the worst day in the world. Push through, pray to the Lord for strength, and move on! Don't dwell on the bad stuff. It is SO not worth your time or effort!
An amazing scripture that I found this week that I LOVE is in Doctrine & Covenants 84:88. It reads, "And whoso recieveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up." I have read that scripture almost everyday since, and I practically have it memorized! It helps me to remember that no matter what, I am never alone out here. The Lord is always with me, and sends angels to watch over and guide me always. What a comfort it is to know that!! I know for a surety that it goes for you guys too, missionaries or not :)
Well, I hope that you have an incredible week! Never forget who you are, and always strive to have the Spirit with you. It will teach you things that you need at the time that you need them. And always remember to pray for answers, help, or what ever you need. The Lord is always waiting for us to ask for help, we just have to be willing and humble enough to do so! I love you all so very much and look forward to hearing from you every week! Thank you again for all of your sweet letters and emails. You are all the best! I love you more than you know, and miss you like crazy! Talk to you in a week!
Con mucho amor,
Hermana Avery
PS! If you want to write me letters in Chile, my address is:
Hermana Hannah Avery
Chile Viña del Mar Mission
4 Norte 1112
Viña del Mar, Valparaiso- V Region
CHILE
Home Away from Home (September 3, 2013)
BIG NEWS from Hermana Avery (September 16, 2013)
 |
| Hermanas Garrett, Page, Avery, and Nelson - WEEK 4 |
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| Our cafeteria, all decorated for Mexican Independence Day! |
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| Viva Mexico! |
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| The Elders before the Tower Challenge |
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| Casualties of the Tower Challenge |
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| We had some pretty yummy food this week! I mean, who doesn't love 5000 grams of carbs per meal?! |
Monday, September 9, 2013
Mexican Twinkies
Written by Elder Brian Burgess, currently serving in the Mexico Puebla North Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, speaking Spanish.
Been working hard, and adjusting more to this culture everyday!
I don't have a lot of time, but just know I love you all so much!
My testimony is growing everyday, and Spanish is starting to take over my mind a little more. I say some things in Spanglish when I'm speaking in English to some Elders.
I know this church is true! A lot of people down here are really strong in their Catholic faith. But when we can find someone that does want to talk they, all of the sudden, start becoming happier...hmmm go figure. I'm seeing the gospel work in them, right before my eyes!
I'm working hard in the streets, and playing soccer a lot too...trying to get good. I have a lot of competition to uphold apparently at home. Attached are two photos; one of some Elders in my Zone at the park when we played "Futbol" today, and the other of the closest thing I could find to a Twinkie. So Brad, that's for rubbing in that Twinkies are back in the U.S.
Elder Burgess
Carpet
Elder Burgess is in the Hospital in Mexico
Been working hard, and adjusting more to this culture everyday!
I don't have a lot of time, but just know I love you all so much!
My testimony is growing everyday, and Spanish is starting to take over my mind a little more. I say some things in Spanglish when I'm speaking in English to some Elders.
I know this church is true! A lot of people down here are really strong in their Catholic faith. But when we can find someone that does want to talk they, all of the sudden, start becoming happier...hmmm go figure. I'm seeing the gospel work in them, right before my eyes!
I'm working hard in the streets, and playing soccer a lot too...trying to get good. I have a lot of competition to uphold apparently at home. Attached are two photos; one of some Elders in my Zone at the park when we played "Futbol" today, and the other of the closest thing I could find to a Twinkie. So Brad, that's for rubbing in that Twinkies are back in the U.S.
Elder Burgess
Carpet
Elder Burgess is in the Hospital in Mexico
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| My zone at the park after playing Futbol |
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| Mexican Twinkies |
Hello from Virginia!
Written by Elder Nate Jensen, currently serving in the Washington D.C. South Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, speaking English.
Virginia has been getting better. It isn't as humid as it was when I first got here, so that, in and of itself, is a blessing haha! But I still can't wait until winter time for the cold and for the snow, even though there probably won't be that much.
Things are going really good. I had transfers a couple weeks ago. I stayed in the same area, but I got a new companion. His name is Elder Shimono, and he is from Hawaii. It has been really good. We have two solid investigators who are just praying to know if baptism is right for them. They are Ethiopian and speak Amharic. I had her try to teach me a few things, but let's just say that I am glad I speak English. It is an incredibly confusing language haha!!
We are doing a lot of work with the members, which is good. I like it, and it is a whole lot better than tracting (street contacting). I just hope we start seeing some results from it soon!
It was great to have Brother Avery stop by last week. I didn't even recognize him at first. We kinda awkwardly starred at each other for a minute until I finally made the connection haha! I didn't even think I would see him while being out here. But anyways, that was great.
Last week on P-day (preparation day), we were able to go to the Washington D.C. Temple, and that was awesome. I loved it! It really is a great temple!!
Anyways, nothing else is really happening out here. The church is true!!!
Love,
Elder Jensen
A Great Week in Virginia
Elder Jensen + Washington Nationals = LOVE
Click on photos to enlarge!
Virginia has been getting better. It isn't as humid as it was when I first got here, so that, in and of itself, is a blessing haha! But I still can't wait until winter time for the cold and for the snow, even though there probably won't be that much.
Things are going really good. I had transfers a couple weeks ago. I stayed in the same area, but I got a new companion. His name is Elder Shimono, and he is from Hawaii. It has been really good. We have two solid investigators who are just praying to know if baptism is right for them. They are Ethiopian and speak Amharic. I had her try to teach me a few things, but let's just say that I am glad I speak English. It is an incredibly confusing language haha!!
We are doing a lot of work with the members, which is good. I like it, and it is a whole lot better than tracting (street contacting). I just hope we start seeing some results from it soon!
It was great to have Brother Avery stop by last week. I didn't even recognize him at first. We kinda awkwardly starred at each other for a minute until I finally made the connection haha! I didn't even think I would see him while being out here. But anyways, that was great.
Last week on P-day (preparation day), we were able to go to the Washington D.C. Temple, and that was awesome. I loved it! It really is a great temple!!
Anyways, nothing else is really happening out here. The church is true!!!
Love,
Elder Jensen
A Great Week in Virginia
Elder Jensen + Washington Nationals = LOVE
Click on photos to enlarge!
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| Elder Nate Jensen Washington D.C. Temple Kensington, Maryland |
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| Elder Shimono and Elder Jensen |
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| I got a surprise visit from Brother Avery! |
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