January 15, 2018 Bryce!

This week was full of miracles and was a ton of fun. The biggest miracles this week was with Bryce our new investigator. He was one we messaged on Facebook and asked if he would be willing to meet with missionaries again. He said yes and this week we finally got to meet him. On Fridays we'd have a sport night from 7-9 and it is super fun. Bryce said he would be able to meet with us a little before then. As we met, we could both tell that Bryce is someone who was prepared before for meeting with us. He shared that 2 days before we messaged him on Facebook, he was praying at night and asked Heavenly Father to send him someone. He said that we were an answer to his prayer. When we talked to him and asked about his religious background, he explained that he had been searching since around 14 for a church and had gone to different churches. Meeting with us and learning he said just felt right and was familiar to him. He also felt comfortable telling about some of his challenges that he said he never talks about. For me this was a huge testimony building experience. The gospel does bless us and truly is the one and only gospel that is complete and through Christ we can make covenants and ordinances which will help us return to live with God. We were able to meet with Bryce the next day as well and set a baptism date for the 24th of February.

On Sunday, we were able to listen in on a US. South, East Multi Stake Conference. It was super good. David Bednar spoke and takes about using the atonement as we repent. He share how change without Christ is pointless or hollow and has little meaning. As we use the atonement, we become something better when we repent and move on from past experiences and grow. 

On Sunday Torry was also conferred to the Aaronic Priesthood and ordained to the office of a Priest. Christian Perry is also going to get the Priesthood soon but wasn't in town this week. 

Well this week has been full of amazing miracles as well as amazing council and testimony. I hope as we go about our week that we all strive to do our best and always look towards Christ in ever decision we make. I know that as we do this we can be blessed as well as bless the lives of others! I love you all and hope your week is fantastic! 

Elder Pacella

I'm trying my hardest to smile!

Jacob's mighty Muscles!

Oil Vial made by Dad.

 

January 8,2017 Christian Perry's Baptism

This week was awesome! We had a baptism on the 6th and the sisters in my district had 2. We are doing so well as a district and I am so glad to be a part of my district. Christian Perry got baptized and it was an amazing experience. He shared such a strong testimony at the baptism and the spirit was there. He is going to be getting the Aaronic priesthood next week and is looking forward to going to the temple in a year and getting sealed to his wife and son.

This week I also started a new diet. It is a high protein diet with low carbs. It is defiantly more expensive than just eating normal food but it will be really good for my health. I also am super excited to  try out this new diet and ill let everyone know how it goes. 

Something that I really loved was this Sunday I remembered something from the baptism about when we are baptized, we are made 100% clean from all sins and Heavenly Father remembers them no more. It really hit hard while I was partaking of the sacrament and brought peace to me. When we partake of the sacrament, and have full desire and commit to Heavenly Father that we will stop being what and who we use to be and try to become better then he forgives us and completely forgets our sins. I really love Isaiah 1:18 which says... Come now and let us reason together saith the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool. This scripture means a lot to me as of the fact that we are able to be dirty with sins and be made pure as we reason with the lord. He has reached out his hands to us and wants to forgive us of our sins. We just have to reach back and let him take us in our arms and help us get back on the path to becoming like him. 

This week has been an adventure full of hard work and blessings. I know for a fact that Christ loves us so much and that's why he died for every single one of us. It is only through him that we have the slightest chance to return to live with heavenly father! I love all of you and am so grateful for all that you do. Missionary work is one of the best things in the world. I am grateful for my opportunity to serve the lord every day for these short 2 years. I pray for all of you daily and hope that your weeks are full of success and joy! 

 

Elder Pacella, Christian Perry' Family, & Jacob Elgaaen

 

January 1, 2018 Reflections

This week was awesome. First of on Monday, we had an awesome Christmas. Thanks everyone for the notes, presents, and love! I got to Skype my family which was super fun and such a blessing. We had Christmas Dinner and I ate lamb for the first time. I really enjoyed it. I also got to eat Scallops which weren't my favorite and clams or oysters. Not sure which but they were better than the scallops. That night we played ticket to ride with the Jarvis' who fed us dinner. They are such an awesome family.

We also got to see a christmas dance from a Tesla car. It played music and flapped the doors open and closed. It drove around and it was super awesome. Mom... buy a Tesla! You won't regret it! Haha. 

Throughout the week, we found a bunch of potential investigators. They all seem like they will be great investigators. We did knock on a door that had a box outside from DJI which for those who don't know is the best drone company in the world. It made me miss my drone. Haha. Something me and Elder Pacella are trying to do is not eat a ton of sugar. We also work out a lot. During the Holiday season, everyone keeps giving us treats and junk food. It is hard not to eat it but when we don't we have gifts to give to investigators. Also because Elder Pacella is going home soon, his uncle keeps sending him Italian treats. Almost every day he has gotten a new package. I can only take Elder Pacellas word for how good they all are 

Christian Perry our investigator has been progressing greatly and is super ready to be baptised. He will be baptised on the 6th and then he will be confirmed the following day. I am so excited for him. This week we were able to teach him 2 times and plan on teaching him every day before his baptism just to review what he has learned. He is truly an elite soul that has been prepared not by us but by the lord and the spirit to enter the water of baptism. 

On Friday when we were driving to Torrys to go over the Recent Convert lessons, there was a lady driving next to us. The road we were on was separated by a curb with palm trees on it. The lady wasn't paying attention and drove up on the curb. I guess it scared her so she swerved off and drifted her car so it was facing perpendicular to the direction of traffic. She then over corrected and flipped her car around so she was facing the curb and palm trees. She drove over the median and hit a palm tree. Her tire popped off and flew across the road. Then she flipped the other direction in oncoming traffic. Luckily nobody hit her. Besides totaling her car, and having an horrible headache and whiplash, I assume that she is fine. I was ready to get out of the way if she was going to hit us. It goes to show the importance of keeping our eye on the road. 

On Saturday for lunch a member who is 93 took us to Seafood Kitchen. He is the oldest fire chef in Jacksonville and is a survivor from 9/11 too. At the seafood kitchen, I decided to try some crazy fish so I had Swordfish which was soooooooo good! I also had Dolphin which was amazing too. Then we had Gator Tail which was actually really good as well. Brother Chalker, Elder Pacella, and my meal was $80! It was so exspencive but worth it. 

On Sunday, President and Sister Lee invited us over as a zone for dinner. We had the dinner where you get raw meat and have oil in front of you and you cook your own food. It was super good but I did eat a lot of raw chicken that looked done but wasn't. They also had melting cheese pots with veggies that you could dip. It was super good. That was how I ended 2017. I have grown so much since the begining of 2017 from graduating, going on a mission and striving to be the best I can. It has been such a blessing to be on a mission and I have drawn closer to my savior. Let us all make goals this year centered and focused on becoming more like Christ. I know that as you do so, that you will become better than you ever imagined and your life will be blessed so much! 2017 was awesome but lets all make 2018 better! I love you all and hope that your new year is awesome! Love You All!

Apartment in Neptune Beach

Christmas Dinner of Lamb and other yummy food.

egg roll and clam or oysters

Gator Tail

Skyping on Christmas

Dolphin and Sword fish

 

December 23,2017 Saturday P-Day suprise!

This week was super fun! So this week, we have our p-day on Saturday because Christmas is on Monday and most shops will be closed. We had another lesson with Christian Perry this week and he is progressing so much. He is super excited to get baptized on the 7th of January. We also have been making a "member team" around him so he feels needed, support, and love as he prepare for baptism.

With Elder Pacella this week we have been trying to clean up the area book and contact all of our investigators. We have been able to have 4 lessons this week because of remaining in contact with our investigators. It has been such a blessing to actually sit down and teach lessons. On Thursday we had a lesson over Facebook!

Something that I've really loved is how open people are during Christmas time. People's hearts really do soften and they open up to listening and allowing us to serve them. The light the world program has helped a lot with that as well. This week, I would challenge everyone to go out of your way to make someone have a good day. It doesn't matter who it is but as you serve others blessings will come. 

A verse of scripture I studied this week was Helaman 12 verse 2 and 3. 

2 Yea, and we may see at the very time when he doth prosper his people, yea, in the increase of their fields, their flocks and their herds, and in gold, and in silver, and in all manner of precious things of every kind and art; sparing their lives, and delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; softening the hearts of their enemies that they should not declare wars against them; yea, and in fine, doing all things for the welfare and happiness of his people; yea, then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God, and do trample under their feet the Holy One—yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity.

3 And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him

I really like this scripture because it explains exactly why we have trials and tribulations. If we didn't we would forget the Lord. When times our good and we are blessed we need to praise the Lord for giving us those things, when times are hard we need to turn to the Lord. This Christmas, let's all turn to the Lord through the good and the bad. I know as we do so, we will be blessed so much. I hope that all of you have an awesome Christmas and continue to turn to the Lord for help!

 

Elder Pacella & Elder Elgaaen

 

December 20,2017 The Week

This week was long but fast and full of so many miricals. On Wednesday we had tradeoffs and Elder Pacella is by far my favorite companion yet! He is so kind and always there to build up and encourage. We work out together in the mourning and it is fun. He is awesome.

This week we found 2 new investigators. The first one is named Dee. He is actually Torrys room mate and so he has already heard a lot of what we believe. He has really liked meeting with us and has been asking us through the week if there is anything he can help us with. The next investigator we met while we were at the park. He watched the Lighttheworld video and then asked us where our church was and for our number. It was such a blessing to be there at the right time. Torry has been progressing and will hopefully get the priesthood this next sunday in church. 

Probably the biggest miricals this week happened on sunday. We were at church and got a full calendar for meals for the rest of the month. We met a guy who has 4 sons who all want to be baptized and so we got 4 potential investigators who will be very promising for baptism. We went with Dee to a concert that the missionaries were invited to and then Dee bought us dinner afterwards. Then later that night we had a lesson with Christian Perry who is committed to be baptised on Jan 7th. It was a good lesson and we really got to know Christian better. I am so greatful for all the miricals in my life. 

This week my main focus has been on working hard. As we work hard in our lives, we grow stronger and stronger and can see a lot more miricals. This week I challenge everyone to work hard to become like Christ and develop a Christlike  attribute. I know that as you do this we can all become better and will see miricals in our every day lives! I love you all and hope you have a great week full of the savior and his teachings!
 

 

 

GENESIS CONCERT

December 17, 2017

 Some of the Performers

Mission Choir

Joy to the World with Infant Holy, Infant Lowly

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Sister Karper and Sister Meyers- Do You Have Room?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Sister Darden who put the program together