January 14,2019 Weekly

This week was an awesome one. First full week of the new year! This week again was pretty busy with all that was going on but we saw a really cool experience on Wednesday. We were finding in a area and we decided to knock on a door of a nicer house in a poor area. We met a lady named Vernita. We asked if she had heard of the Book of Mormon and she said she had. We told her that it can bring her closer to Christ than any other book. She straight us asked if we believe that as we read out of the introduction. We were then able to share our testimonies with her of the Book of Mormon and how the spirit has testified to us of its truth and can do the same to her as she reads and prays.

Later in the week on Saturday we also had a really good day. We had planned a ton of lessons but it seemed that every one fell through. We tried finding around the lessons and found 2 awesome people. One lady we found had met with missionary's in the 80s and was super kind to us. We shared testimony of The Book of Mormon and invited her to accept a copy and read. She said yes and seemed super excited. It was an amazing day!

We got a lot more member involvement this last week and so things should continue to improve and progress. Everything else is going good as well. We have been finding some good people and hopefully will see some people start to progress more towards baptism at the end of the month. 

Our testimonies of the Book of Mormon are so important. I am so grateful for my knowledge of the gospel and the testimony I have of the Book of Mormon! I love you all and hope you have an awesome week! 

January 7, 2019 A Busy Week and the Book of Mormon

This week was one of the more busy weeks I've had. We had New Years and had a really fun day with the Gipson's. They are the best. They are so loving and do so much for us missionaries. We are working with them to prepare their family for the temple! 

We had MLC (Mission Leadership Council) on Wednesday and we had to wake up at 5am to drive there and got back to our apartment at 9pm. It was a long day. It was a really good meeting though and we discussed a lot of goals for the next year. We also found out that we will be getting the new version of preach my gospel in hard format! Super exciting!!! Something that also is a big focus is sharing The Book of Mormon and giving out 1 copy every day. The good thing about this was our zone focus was on the Book of Mormon so it will be an easy thing to implement. So far we have given out a Book of Mormon or two each day and have seen so many miracles. One night, we were trying to give out a Book of Mormon and it was 8:50 at night. We didn't really have any set plans so we were I netting around our apartment and we felt like we should knock on a certain door and we were able to share our testimonies of the Book of Mormon and give out a copy. 

I have been reflecting a lot on my personal conversion to the Gospel this week as we start the new program and how the Church continues to move forward with new revelation. It really hints that the Second Coming is close and how we each need to prepare. One thing I loved from the study guide this week was the section about the 10 virgins. I shared that story last week with someone and said as Missionaries, we want them to do what is required of them to fill their vessels with oil so they can be prepared to see their Savior. It made me reflect on my personal testimony and on how prepared I am to meet my Savior. I thought about the strength of my testimony, different struggles I have, and how converted I really am to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I have come to know that our testimony and personal conversion is what will carry us through our hard times and help us progress and learn. 

We were able to find some awesome new people this week and continue to help the work move forward. Sometimes it's slow but as long as we continue to exercise faith in the Lord, everything will work out. I am grateful for my testimony and the opportunity I have each day to strengthen it as a share it with others. It is such a blessing to know about the fulness of the gospel and bless others through my example and love of God each day!

3 Nephi 12

        14 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you to be the light of this people. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.

        15 Behold, do men light a candle and put it under a bushel? Nay, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light to all that are in the house;

16 Therefore let your light so shine before this people, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

December 31,2018 Christmas week and the unlockable door

This week was a great one. I think our area finally flipped to a teaching area more than just a finding area. Before, we just would find every day all day and this week we have taught a lot more second or third lessons which have been super good. One thing this week we have focused on as a district is sharing the book of mormon. We set goals and made plans to share the Book of Mormon in every contact attempt. As we did, there were so many blessings that came. I also think that the people we found have a better understanding of the Keystone of our religion or what holds it together. As I have focused on the Book of Mormon I have noticed so much more how its teachings apply to literally every situation possible and it has an answer for anything. 

One awesome experience we had on Sunday Night was with one of the people who has been taught for a while and he didn't really have a desire to learn but more was there to argue. I had no idea why he was like that or what lead him to be so contentious and negative. In my head I was thinking, why can't you just see! Come on! It's so easy to do the simple things we ask and get the blessings. As we went to the lesson on Sunday, we talked a lot about his desires and what he wanted to do or where he saw himself going with what we taught. He shared a lot about his past and some of the difficult things that would keep him back from joining the Church. As he shared, I felt the spirit so much stronger testify to me of his needs. I now was able to see where he was coming from and how we can better teach him to his needs. 

I had a great Christmas and was able to spend a lot of time at members houses. I enjoyed calling home and getting to talk to my family and am just loving life! One other thing that was super awesome this week was Elder Bell speaking in sacrament. He gave a super good talk on how we can study better to find more insight and recieve personal revelation for our lives. He is such an amazing missionary! We also were able to teach Donna(The deaf lady) more about the book of Mormon and give her a copy. She is super awesome. Funny thing is because she is deaf she can't hear us knocking on her door. We were banging on it so hard to try and make it shake her house so she would answer but nothing! Haha after 10 minutes of trying to get her to come to the door, we saw her in her kitchen and so we went to the back of her house and waved through the window until she looked. Maybe we should ask her next time we meet how to alert her that we are there. 

This week has been awesome! I loved every minute and appreciated the moments when I was able to learn and feel the spirit. I hope and pray that each of us will have increased desires to serve the lord and make that the center of our lives year round. I love you all and hope your weeks are Bomb! 

Archer taking selfies with my tablet

Mom's M&M cookies

December 24, 2018 Merry Christmas!

This week has been one of the best weeks ever! So up until Wednesday, I spent my time with Elder T and Elder Shurtliff. We had a good time and were able to help a lot of people. One thing we did was a secret Santa for a few families. One we put the stuff in their car because they had a window that wasn't rolled up. We actually didn't know the apartment so it was a blessing that their car window was down. The next person we went to was a family the sisters were teaching. They wanted to drop the gifts at the door and knock and run but it was in a sketchy area so the elders were the protection. It was funny seeing 5 elders like bodyguards for the 2 sisters. 

Wednesday came around and I got to meet Elder Bell. He is short, funny, smart, and an amazing missionary. He has been super fun to work with so far and we get along really well. 

On Saturday we had a really special day. The description of the day is for sure Dog Crap! We went to a more country part of Jesup and  one if not both of us stepped in dog dukie at every location. At the end of the day, we had a Facebook lesson and one of our potential people we were teaching asked us to explain more about the Book of Mormon and who nephi was. We were able to have a really good lesson with her and address her concerns. It made our day a lot less "stinky". Haha 

On Sunday we had a really cool miracle happen. We were driving back from church which was only one hour. We pulled in and were going to go do study's and we saw a lady across the street raking leafs. We felt prompted to go over and help her. When I walked up to her she was saying no I'm dead and she didn't want help. I pulled out my very little knowledge of ASL and said were missionaires and we want to help you. She accepted and we did some service for her. It was a cool experience. I was able to share a little about our message and the Book of Mormon and she said she wants one and loves to read. Another cool thing happened later in the day when we were at an apartment complex. We saw a lady outside and I felt again that we should talk with her. It happened to be a lady we had taught around 5 weeks ago and hadn't been able to contact at all. We shared the light the world message with her and got her Facebook so we can keep in contact because she is super busy. 

I have been thinking a lot about the goals we set in this life. There is a quote from M. Russell Ballard which says,

 "I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don’t set goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When one learns to master the principles of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in this life.” 

 I really like the power in that quote and have seen goals really give me a direction and helped me make tons of progress in my life. Another question I love to ponder is What Specifically do you want the savior to tell you when you meet again. I read in Enos and this verse answered that question for me. 

Enos 1: 27 And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father. Amen. 

I hope one day I can stand before my savior with confidence and know that I have a place in the kingdom of God. I know as we follow the saviors example, we can progress in this life through the goals we set to eventually make it back to him and gain the greatest blessing God has to offer even Exaltation. I love the gospel and know it gives me purpose and direction each day. I love you all and hope your weeks are great! MERRY CHRISTmas!!!

December 17,2018 The Week of Transfers

This week was an adventure. We had a lot going on with transfer call, my companions going home, and spending a few days with Elder T and Elder Shurtliff. So we spent our week working pretty hard to find some good people before transfers to keep it alive. 

Saturday we were able to find 2 awesome people. They were out cleaning some leaves up and we decided to talk to them. They were both super interested and We had our last dinner before heading the next day to Jacksonville. We ate with the Robertson's and they made us Shrimp and Grits. They were pretty good. We also burned a suit as tradition for Elders going home. Most the time, they buy a 5 dollar suit from a local thrift store. 

On Sunday we had a good church service and had 5 people in church. It was super good. We had a great lunch after with the Osbornes and it was super fun. They also made us shrimp and some other super good food including Grape Salad, Apple Pie... It was really good. They said their goodbyes and we drove down to a Genesis concert which took 3 hrs. It was a long drive but it was good to see some of my past companions and other missionaries. The concert was good. They had a lot of people do special musical numbers from tons of other churches and they had some other pastors pray. The first Lady that prayed was yelling up at the pulpit and it was really interesting. 

After, I went with the Dunn Avenue elders and went to their apartment and am spending 1/2 the week with them. It has been a good week. I am going to be serving with Elder Bell in Jesup and it should be good. I am going to be the district leader which should be interesting. Well, next week I'll try and put a little more in my letter and get more pictures next week. Remember Christ is the center of the season. He is the master healer and the only one that can help us truly experience eternal happiness. 

Santa camera ornamnet

Christmas party Santa

Santa Jokes

December 10,2018 Cake!

This week was a good one! There was a lot going on but we had a really good time. 

On Thursday we had the mission Christmas party. It was a 2 1/2 hr drive down and back but it was good to see other Missionaires that I knew and we had a good time. All the missionaries that came out with me are super awesome and I really love spending time with them. One highlight of that was President Lee and the assistants dressed up in costumes and sung a song that they edited to go along with missionary work and it was super funny.

On Friday, I had a good day. I turned 20 and Ray Girard came up from Gainesville and brought some presents and cake and took us to lunch. We had a really good time and it really made my week. I also got some presents from my family at the Christmas Party and was able to open them. One of our recent converts Tom has the same birthday as me too which was pretty cool. 

Saturday was a crazy day! We had to build our float for the Christmas Parade which started around 5:30pm. We had a empty trailer and worked on it for 6 hours to get it to what it turned out. It looked okay and we were exhausted from all the work. We then drove it to the parade to line up and get ready. It was pretty cold and started raining. When we were driving over, some of the trees started tipping over because they weren't tied down well. Elder Gardner and I stood out on the trailer and held the trees up as we went 5 miles per hour for 2 miles. It was a long ride! haha we did make it and there was only one tree that fell off and got ran over by the trailer while we were driving. It still worked mostly and the float looked really good durring the parade and we had a great time. We got back late, and decided we would wait to clean it up because it was raining and we hadn't eaten and it was 8pm. It was a long day! Haha 

The more spiritual aspect of my week relates to the Atonement. This past week I have been thinking a lot about things I wish I had done or things I need to do better at. I was wondering if I was at a good place right now on my mission and how I stand before the Lord. I had a similar experience that Alma had in the Book of mormon. I felt like I hadn't done as good as I could have and that I was falling short in so many ways. I spent a lot of time praying and asking for a fresh view of what I am and who I am becoming as well as poured out my soul of how I was feeling. I felt a super strong peace come into my heart and mind and felt that I was where I needed to be and that I am good enough. I am so grateful for the power of the Atonement and how it changes our very natures. It gives us a reason to try and to work hard. It motivates me to be better every day and give my all. I know prayer is a powerful tool that can bring us so much closer to our Savior and we can recieve specific answers to our prayers. I love the gospel and how it is a gospel for the imperfect. It truly has helped me become a little better every day! 

I want to thank each one of you for the birthday wishes and the Christmas gifts and wishes too! I love each one of you and know that each one of you are in my life for a specific reason. You all mean so much to me and I appreciate all you do!  Have a great week! Love ya! 

Elder Gardner, Elgaaen, and Hansen on Jacob's 20th Birthday 12-7-18

Float made for neighborhood parade by the Elders

Old ceiling fan

Cups made by a member

Elder Larsen, Gardner in back, Elgaaen doing selfie

Fishbowl effect

Making Gingerbread houses

President and assistant's  Christmas costumes

Big fat Christmas Tree

Lots of Staples at a member's house

December 3, 2018 Happy December!

This week was a good and long week. We accomplished our finding goal of 3 new people by Tuesday and so we focused a lot more on the people we are already teaching. We had planned to do a Christmas parade on the 1st of December as a kickoff for the light the world. We weren't too organized on the efforts or getting a trailer together to ride on/next to on bikes with lights. A good thing was because of weather, it got moved to next week so we didn't have to stress a lot about getting the float together. 

In my study this week, I was reading about the Atonement. It was really good and made me think about how much Christ did for us. Also something that is super important to understand about the Atonement is that we all have our agency to use it in our lives. We choose to make change and be cleansed from our sins and mistakes. Nobody forces us to do those things. Another important part about the Atonement is the best time to make change is now! We shouldn't procrastinate the day of our repentance. It goes along with the saying, The best time to do that was last year. The second best time is now! As we repent, we are cleansed from our sins and are able to experience the most happiness and joy not only in this life but in the next life. 

2 Nephi 9:41 

O then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name.

Sunday was a fairly eventful day. We went over the new home centered church curriculum for the new year and I am super excited to see the difference it makes studying more in the home and the increased abundance of the spirit that will be in our Sunday meetings. After church, we found a super awesome guy. We were in a area about a week back and we prayed to see where we should go and I felt like we should go to this house right next to where we parked but Elder Jenson and Gardner felt we should go a different direction and said that before I did so I just went with it. We did find someone but even after when we headed back to the car, I felt like we should knock on this particular house. We didn't but ended up being back there and I said we should knock on this particular door. We found Joshua who is super elect and open to the message we shared. We had a good conversation with him and he is super funny and awesome. We also got to watch the Christmas Devotional which was super good. It really helped me refocus on the true purpose of the Christmas Season and have an increased desire to go out and serve. I really liked the talk about having a spiritual heart evaluation. If we had an instrument that measured how spiritually healthy we are where would it be at? I know Christmas is a great time to do as the prophet counseled in Loving like christ, forgiving As Christ, repenting to come closer to christ and eventually returning to live with Christ and God with the most happiness! I hope each of you take the chance to light the world this Christmas season and make this a season of love so we can truly light the world! I love you all! 

Long creepy snake

Dog in a Christmas sweater

Elder Jensen Jumping

Elder Jensen and Elgaaen in front, Elder Gardner in back

I'm Driving in my Car!