Elder Jacob Elgaaen in Jacksonville, Florida: January 21,2019 Keep What You Need!

This week was an adventure. We had a pretty successful week with our finding. We had 3 people in church and we had an awesome lesson with one and set a baptismal date. Her date is for the 9th of February so that is super exciting.

One of the funniest things happened this week. We were eating dinner with the Osborne family and having a good conversation. We were talking about how most people see pastors as paid callings. We were saying how Bishops or Stake Presidents and other leaders in our church would put up a fight when they got released, it wouldn't be a calling, and they wouldn't be Christ like servants if they got paid. Brother Osborne then proceeded to act out taking the plate of money recieved into the back room and throwing it up in the air and saying to God, "Keep what you need." We were all laughing so hard it was so funny.

We finally had some service opertunitues this week and possibly some others that we can do in future weeks. It is something we have been wanting and praying for and it finally came. We were able to help the Hammond family build a playground set for their kids that came just as boxes of boards. It was fun. They have some awesome but crazy kids and I decided it would be good to play a short game with them just to distract them. Well, that turned into tons of short games over and over. Then they found a football and kept telling me to throw it really high and let me tell you, it didn't stop coming back! Haha

There is a girl named Miley and her family is members but she isn't. She is 12 and has expressed in the past a desire to be baptised. So we decided to try and have lessons with her. We could never catch her parents home to set anything up and kind of were at a stand still. We felt like we should go by this last week and we set up to meet twice a week after Church on Sunday and after Mutural Wednesday. We met with Miley Sunday after church and had a good lesson and invited her to Baptism and she said she wanted to be baptised on the 9th of Feburary so that was a huge miracle this week!

While having dinner at a members house, we talked about parenting because they asked us if our siblings fought and struggled sometimes. We told them yes and they asked us what parenting techniques our parents used to raise us to be good men. As I was thinking, the biggest thing that came to my mind was my parents example to me. They taught me what was right and set the expectations of FHE, Scripture Study, Family Prayer, Church... and at times I may have not wanted to participate or do family activities but because from a young age I had that example, I was able to carry those things with me and they were important to me and have become my foundation now. I hope that each of us realize that we are examples in all we do even when we don't think we are. As we implament the gospel in all we do, we will be a tool in the Lord's hands and bless the lives of many. I love you all and hope your weeks are filled with AWESOMENESS!