Week 16:

Guess who had his first experience with a crazy Oregonian this week?? ELDER JORGENSEN!!!! Actually, it wasn't so much a crazy Oregonian as it was a drunk Mexican... but crazy is crazy so I'm not complaining!!

The crazy Mexican of whom I speak is named HHHH. He was a reference that we got a few weeks ago, so when we passed him by the first time he told us he wasn't really that into religion, he'd gone to some other Christian church awhile ago and the pastor told him to leave... We got him to accept a BOM,

and told him we'd come back later. We finally did on Saturday night. We knocked his door and he stepped outside and started talking with us. As we were talking, some creepy white dude walked between us heading to his apartment, and right before he went in, he looked back over his shoulder and said to us "I'm apostate, please don't knock on my door." FIRST of all... WHO just casually throws around the phrase "I'm Apostate."?!?!?!?! NO ONE says that!!!! Usually we get just like a "please don't knock my door," or some less polite versions of that statement, or... it doesn't matter the point is I just think its kinda weird for somebody to just say "I'm apostate"... I wonder if he knows what that even meant... ANYWHO, HHHH, who speaks English, looked at Apostate boy's door, then at Coop and I, then back at Apostate boy's door, and at Coop and I again, and to clean up his language a little bit he said "Crackers, no respect. What does he think is gonna happen if you knock on his door?!" A sidenote about HHHH, he swears probably more than anyone I have ever met... but Coop and I were just laughing the whole time because he does it in a Mexican accent, and he is one of those individuals that has truly been blessed with the ability to find unique ways to swear...

AND, like I said earlier, he was drunk. To the experienced eye, it probably would have been easy to pick out, but I am still pretty new at these things, so all the pieces didn't click for me until later when he told us he'd been drinking all day. But, I digress. Cooper and I told him we weren't going to knock the kid's door, that we didn't want to anyways... but HHHH kept insisting that we go do it out of spite! Finally, when we wouldn't, he walked over and knocked it for himself, and when apostate boy opened up, he pointed at us and said "these guys want to talk to you." Luckily the kid could take a joke... but even after that was done, Hugo STILL kept going on about how little respect some people had!! He told us "if that was me, I'd have just started fighting him right there!!" When we told him we couldn't because we were missionaries, he said "So take off your tag!! Hide it!! Nobody'll know!!" We laughed pretty hard... but somehow we changed the subject to how his day had been, and he told us it was his birthday, and he'd been drinking most of the day (that's about the point when my life started to make sense)... Cooper asked him if he'd ever had a DUI, because he knows some people who have had DUI's that changed lives, to which Hugo answered "Oh, yeah I've had a DUI... and it changed my life too!!! That "stuff" cost 10 grand!! That's expensive vato!!! Almost sent me back to Mexico. H*** yeah that would have changed my life. I don't want to go back to Mexico... dogs and dog shiz all over, crowded... Mexicans EVERYWHERE. No, I like it better here." Then he asked us if we've ever drunk or smoked, and when he got a no, "oh, you should try it, that "stuff" tastes good dude!!" I didn't... obviously... but it still made me laugh. We kept talking about random stuff for awhile, when whaddya know except Apostate boy comes traipsing by us again, carrying a plant in his hand, which he proceeded to throw in the community dumpster... he went back into his house, and came out with another one... and then went back, and came out with another one. Hugo asked him "what are you doing? Throwing away Marijuana?" To which Apostate boy responded "Well, I am only legally allowed to have 6, and to get down to that number I have 3 more to go..." Coop and I just looked at each other and tried extremely hard not to laugh...

We ended up having to leave, but HHHH told us we could come sometime and he'd actually let us teach him... so... that's promising. And it was definitely a good way to mix up how our lessons normally go... I'm excited to see where this one goes.

I got a package from my boy Reed Ericson last Monday! In it was contained Sweet Spirit, which is what we named the Baton we won Districts and State with, and really Reed and I were the only ones who understood the meaning behind the name, but that's ok!!! I signed it and sent it back to Reed so he could take it to Boone,

but that was a great package to get!!

The other big story of the week is that Coop and I still have a baptism planned for Sunday!!! We had another great week with EEEE, the ward had a Thanksgiving party that we got his parents and sister to come to, and we also took him to see the visitor's center of the Temple. AND I am going to be the one who gets to baptize him, so next week I should be sending home some baptismal pictures!!! He came to church yesterday, and honestly it kinda feels like I get thrown back in time when he comes, because he has a hard time staying focused, and we are all really good friends, so I feel like I am back in Church with Cody and Dillon. We still need to teach him a little more about reverence during the Sacrament, yesterday he wanted to play tic-tack-toe and have a thumb-war, but he's said he wants to keep on coming!!! Yeah!!!!!

Ok so one more time, transfers are coming up, and I don't know what's gonna happen because I am almost done being trained (I am also gonna hit 4 months this week... YEAH!), but I would ask that you don't send any mail unless it can make it to me by Saturday.... otherwise I might not see it!

Ok so I can't think of anything else to tell you guys... so I'm gonna peace out!! If I think of anything good, I'll send it to you later. Happy Thanksgiving and it's almost Christmas!!!

Love,

Elder Travis Jorgensen

Week 15, here are the unique and individual words of Elder Jorgensen...

Familia!!!!!! It's good to hear from you guys!!!! Sounds like everything is going well, And it sounds like you guys are gonna send me some jerky pretty soon?? (hint... hint:)

And I'm serious Wes, when I get home, MUSIC AND MOVIE MARATHON!!!!!!!! A week straight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So Elder Cooper and I had a SUPER good week. Our numbers were kinda low, but we saw a lot of miracles happen.

The first one was with MMMM. Somehow XXXX talked him into taking a trip to see the Visitor's center. I have been there once, like my second week here, but that was with a recent investigator. Our goal in taking that trip was to pretty much just have MMMM feel the Spirit the whole time... Because he is SO Catholic and he is never willing to try anything else out... but I KNOW he felt something while we were there. We watched a video about how families can be together forever, and he started crying in it. I almost even started crying in it... and that doesn't happen. And then there were a bunch of other displays and tours and stuff, we walked with him around the Temple... and the best part?? The Sisters who gave us the tour didn't know Spanish... so Cooper and I had to be translators. It was actually a pretty good confidence booster for my Spanish... I could translate just about everything, I was talking pretty fast... the gift of tongues is real!!!!!!! Although, Heavenly Father is keeping me humble because the Primary Program was yesterday and I heard 3 year olds spitting Spanish better than I do...

I wouldn't exactly say I felt hatred well up within me, that's too strong of a word, not to mention its not Christlike AT ALL... but... its always super good to think you are starting to get good at something and then have a little kid just wreck you at it. Love it. ANYWAYS, the point is... MMMM felt the Spirit. Which is the best we can do with him right now.

The second good story of the week comes from our investigator named BBBB... have I told you guys about him yet?? Yes?? No?? Well I'm going to. We found him like 5 or 6 weeks ago. We had knocked his house, and found his older brother, who said we could come back later. So we went back, knocked the door, and AAAA opened up. We told him we had a message about Jesus more or less, and then he asked us if we were Jehovah's witnesses or Mormons. At that point Elder Cooper and I were both thinking "great, he's heard some crazy story, and we're not gonna get in." So we told him, and he said "Really? I go with my friends to a Mormon Church." WHAT?!!?! That DOES NOT HAPPEN. We came to find out later that he actually meant mutual, but it still worked out well because we have been teaching him ever since. Our first few lessons with him weren't that Spiritual... and the reason for that is because he was more interested in being friends and chilling out than talking about Jesus stuff... which we get. And we get along super well, he is 17, a senior in High School, and a BOSS at water polo... I'm talking like on an olympic development team. Oh and he speaks English way better than Spanish, so we just talk sometimes. So our first few lessons we just got to know each other, and he was freaking wanting to watch movies and play video games ALL THE TIME, and I was obedient, but it was difficult because... well... that doesn't happen as a missionary. But I was good, I promise!!!! So my point in saying all of this is that for awhile, like up until this last week, Coop and I were both kinda worried that the only reason he kept having us back was because he gets bored on Saturdays (that's when we usually go see him). So 2 Saturdays ago, we planned a RIDICULOUS lesson for him, we got one of the priests of the ward to come, and it was a really good lesson, we laid it out for him why he needs to pray for himself to know if the BOM is true, because that's the only way he can know. We can't know it for him. We have a few other potentials who live in his same apartment complex, so 2 days later (Monday night after dinner) we had planned to try to see if we could set up appointments with some of them... but as soon as we walked onto the property I just felt like we should talk to AAAA. I told Cooper, and we called him, and he came outside and talked with us for a good hour and a half. As usual with him, it wasn't all doctrinal, but when we did ask him how his reading and praying was going, he told us his faith is getting stronger.

That was Monday. Thursday he texted us and told us that his usual time Saturday wasn't gonna work, and wanted us to go over Thursday instead. First of all, that NEVER happens, if people can't make appointments, they just bail on us. And actually when he texted us, we were in a Zone meeting, and President Morby was telling us about how we need to step it up and get more baptisms (we have a new mission goal for every companionship to baptize every week, which BLOWS MY MIND because the old goal was every month, and I've been out here more than 2 and still haven't seen one). And Morby was just laying out how important baptizing is... He made sure to say that its about more than a number, its about the person behind it, but at the same time the age was lowered for a reason, when we say the work is being hastened, that means numbers are picking up speed. So Morby pretty much pumped us up about baptizing, and when I left that Zone meeting I had a goal to set a baptismal date with AAAA. We went to his house and at first it didn't seem like it was going to happen, his mom ws home for the first time and he seemed kinda shy, but as we kept talking to him, HE brought up baptism, not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES!!! THAT DOES NOT HAPPEN!!! So finally I asked him if getting baptized is something he wants, and he said yes, and we set a date with him for the 1st of December, which depending on if Coop gets transferred or not, that could be his last day here. So we walked out of that lesson SUPER PUMPED!!! And then 30 minutes later he texted us saying his mom isn't on board with it...D: His mom is super Catholic... and he said she got really mad. But looking back, I'm glad it happened that way. Because his whole family was against it, and we asked him if it was still something he knew to be right... he said yes. So we told him the only thing he could do is pray about it, ask the Lord for help, and show his family that he really is changing for the better. And now everyone is ok with it, his mom is even starting to warm up to it. And THEN Saturday he ended up texting us saying he could still meet if we wanted to... but we didn't really have a lesson planned so we went and ate lunch with him, at a Sushi restaurant called Sushi Zen!!!! It was super good and we all just laughed for like an hour... Dad they had a piece of a roll that was just fish eggs,

and I ate 2 of them, and LIKED IT, so you owe me a shake when I get home!!! I don't remember if I've told you guys this yet, but it is a requirement in my mission at least, that for someone to be baptized they have to come to Church 3 times first... so for us to baptize AAAA on the 1st he can't miss a week. So far so good, he came yesterday, dressed all nice and fancy, he stayed THE WHOLE MEETING (again... DOESN'T HAPPEN), he seemed to get along with the young men of the ward really well, and afterwards he texted us saying he enjoyed church, and learned a lot too!! We were kinda worried that he wouldn't like it because it was in Spanish... but he seems fine with it!! And this week we have one lesson with him, AND we are taking him to the Visitor's center!!! I am super excited and I probably didn't describe how far AAAA has come very well, but its awesome to look back and see how much progress he has made.

Have I told you guys that Mexicans can't really sing that well?? They just can't. I think I'm part Mexican. Stake conference was the Sunday before last, and for some reason they decided to have the Spanish choir sing!?! WHAT?! And since our ward is so small, guess who makes up half the choir?? WHITE GUYS WHO CAN'T SING!!!

Out of 8 of us, only ONE even knows how!!! So during the adults meeting, I was up in the front, singing away in Spanish... good-ness whoever put that together didn't think it through very well.

Speaking of being in a ward with 8 missionaries... it's pretty cool sometimes. Like the other night one of the members who fed us needed a blessing... so the head of the household and 8 missionaries gathered around to help give it... SUPER SPIRITUAL.

OH one more good story. Because there are 8 of us now, sometimes we all eat together, and sometimes we break off into 2 groups of 4. So on Saturday it was us and the Elders of Aloha... and the people who had dinner lived in our area. We'd called and made sure they were still expecting us, and they were, but for some reason when we showed up and knocked on the door, they didn't open up. Cooper and I have knocked that door before trying to get references from them, and we didn't get let in either. But they'd SAID they would feed us dinner, so we waited out there for like 5 minutes. We knocked probably about 5 times, rang the doorbell twice, and I even called them and said we're outside your door. FINALLY someone opened up. It was a white lady and she greeted us with a VERY irritated "can I help you?!"... we had the wrong house... I'm surprised at how polite she was though... I mean we were outside her apartment for a good 5 minutes... and she didn't even swear at us. What a kind woman.

To finish up I wanna share with you guys the message that Pres Morby has asked that we share at dinners. In Elder Ballard's talk from this last Conference, he talked about the importance of sharing this Gospel. And I didn't hear it when he said it, but it was there when I read it... He challenged every member to share something about the Gospel with a non-member between now and Christmas. It can be inviting them to Church, giving them a BOM, or anything really... but this is the message P Morby wants us to share at Dinners from now on... and I want to give the same challenge to you guys and see if you can get it going back in Kuna. There might be 80,000 of us, but we need member help!!!

Alright I am so out of time, I have to go!

Love you guys!!

Elder Jorgensen!!

Hey guys,

That is super sad to hear about Boone. But I'm glad you told me, because I'm praying for him super hard. He's a super tough kid though, if anyone could pull through that, Boone can.

On a happier note... Elder Cooper and I taught some pretty good lessons this week. The first one was with XXXX, YYYY and ZZZZ . We just read a chapter in the BOM with them... 3 Neph 27... which is actually a small miracle in itself because when we talked with XXXX we thought we'd just be teaching him, and then we showed up to his house and everyone was there, so we had to change it to a lesson for investigators... which we hadn't planned for. I had just barely read 3 Nephi 27

for Personal study, and it's a super good chapter that breaks down why the Church bears Jesus' name. Elder Cooper hadn't talked about reading it with them at all, so when the question came up of what chapter we should read, and it was directed at Elder Cooper, I just started praying in my head that he'd pick 3 Nephi 27... and he did! And actually the lesson didn't go that well... YYYY just went off about random stuff, and we walked out of the lesson like an hour and a half later not really feeling like they had gained anything from it. But later that night XXXX called us to tell us YYYY has now committed to read the BOM, cover to cover... so our goal with him is now just to stress the Book of Mormon every time we read it and help him understand that it's inspired scripture, and hopefully something good will come of it.

I also taught a lesson in Starbucks this week!!!! The investigator we taught it to is named Nicholas, we've only taught him once before, and it doesn't seem like he wants to let us in his house. So when we asked him when/where we could teach our next lesson, he chose Starbucks... awesome. We couldn't really say no, so we just decided to get there early so that he wouldn't like decide to buy us anything if he beat us and waited for us. So we bought some Salted Caramel Hot Chocolates.... SUPER GOOD. And then he finally shows up, and doesn't even order anything, just sits down with us, and it looked like we'd come and got coffee... great.

I wonder what some of the other people there were thinking... a coupla white guys just chillin, dressed up, and then a Guatemalan shows up and they start speaking Spanish and pulling out pamphlets with Jesus all over them... but despite the circumstances it was a SUPER good lesson, he wants to do it again! We are thinking about taking him to see the Visitor's center in the Temple.

The other good lesson we taught was a Bible-bashing lesson. And when I say it was good, I mean we did it by the book. A couple of weeks ago knocking we found a guy and left a Book of Mormon with him, he seemed super excited about it and was flipping through it, treating it like gold. It took us awhile to be able to contact him again, but we finally got an appointment set up on Friday. So we went, and the first words out of his mouth were that we could tell him about our religion, and then he was gonna tell us about his. And from there out Elder Cooper and I knew that he was just gonna try to make us look stupid until we left his house. But we taught by the Spirit, and did pretty well. What would happen would be that we would try to teach part of the first lesson, then he would stop us and share some scripture with us from the Bible. He was prepared for that lesson. He had a little list that he would refer to and then he'd whip out some some of the only verses in the Bible that are hard for us to deal with, and tell us pretty much Joseph Smith was visited by the Devil and that you can't add anything to the Bible. He also had a ton of questions for us. The reason I say this was a good lesson is because Cooper and I both knew the answers to all the questions he was asking. We tried answering them for awhile, but he really wasn't interested in hearing what we had to say. So we just bore testimony the whole time and told him he could know for himself, that the Bible is nothing more than a collection of ancient records that talk about Jesus, and that's what makes it sacred, and that's what makes the Book of Mormon Sacred.

And I know he felt the Spirit even though he was just planning on walking all over us the whole time.

Well, I am running out of time and have to get going, but I love you guys and I'll talk to you soon!!

Elder Jorgensen!

Weeks 13 and 14 were just updated back to back, but we are current now.  Elder Jorgensen relates his accounts better than we can repeat them, so, in his own words, here is the latest from the OPM...

Well... I guess to start off with... BOOM!!! Another one bites the dust!!! We were playing some b-ball last week, I was pivoting, and part of me thought I heard the sound of fabric tearing. I didn't really care that much, kept playing, and next thing I know RRRRIIIIIIIIIIIPPPPPPPP and my shoe is around my ankles,

with my sock on the ground!!!! I think it is safe to say that that is officially the worst I have ever messed up a shoe! And then last night after we got back from all our stuff and I was chillin, thinking about what I'd do today, it occurred to me that I need shoes kind of, a little bit, to do p-day activities!! So, naturally I went to work and started seamstressing it! By the end of this week they should look good as new... kind of!

Alright... what do you guys want to hear first?? About the work or the funny stories that have happened to me this week?? After having raised the question to audience that really can't influence the decision making... I have decided to go with stories first, because I always forget some of them, and it's kinda hard to forget how the work is going!

Our first story comes from a couple weeks ago, that I should have told you last week but forgot to... hence stories are coming first this week. Awhile ago the Elder's quorum of my ward decided to have a bowling/pizza activity. Obviously that's not just something we can go to, but if you get an investigator to a ward activity it counts as a member present lesson. So... naturally we tried our very hardest to find a ride for XXXX... Pizza and bowling?? How can you pass that up?!

So we met at the Church and while we were waiting for everybody to show up, we started shooting some hoops. All I am going to say is that some of the members in this ward probably didn't play basketball in High School... I saw some RIDICULOUS, CRAZY ways to shoot a basketball. Some of them would treat it like a shot-put and just try to straight muscle it. Others would hold it kinda back behind their head and do like a crunch standing up, not even using their arms at all. Now, I am not one to talk about being bad at basketball... AT ALL... but Elder Cooper and I made eye contact a couple of times and had to try really hard not to laugh. The pizza finally came, and we feasted!!! I swear pizza has never been so delicious in all of my life!!! I love beans and rice... but the stuff gets old after awhile. Anyways by the time we finished eating it was like 830, and Elder Cooper and I had to get going cuz if we stuck around for whatever they ended up doing for bowling (in Spanish=Bolichi... AWESOME WORD!), we'd be late home. So, we bid our farewells, and as we were leaving we got asked if we wanted to take the leftover Pizza... which was like 2 whole boxes. Obviously... we did. We were given the instruction to share it with the other 6 Elders, but I'm pretty sure they knew we were gonna keep it.

As we were walking to our car Elder Cooper looked at me and said "This is God knowing I'm out of money for groceries!!!" (close to the end of the month... funds were running thin...). My favorite part of this story, however, comes from how we managed to get the pizza in the fridge!!! Our fridge has 3 shelves in it... and the top half is a freezer. Anyways Elder Cooper takes the top shelf, I take the middle, and we both kinda share the bottom. For the longest time there was this red, crusty stuff on the bottom shelf. I didn't really know or care what it was that much. One day Elder Cooper asked me "Have you ever wondered what that red stuff is??" I said no, but I was pretty sure I had it figured out... probably it was like Marinara sauce, or some spaghetti-o's sauce, or some such form of cheap missionary sustenance. So I told Elder Cooper my guess, and he just started smiling REAL big. 

"Nope, it's chicken blood."

Well.... that wasn't quite what I was expecting. So, we came home with the pizza, and the only possible place to store it was the bottom shelf. And we didn't want to put it on top of some crunchy, dried out, nasty chicken blood. (This stuff had no resemblance to liquid at all, it was just solid and dried up.) So... how did we decide to clean it out?? VACUUM HOSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We just vacuumed it up... no maintenance necessary. 

I had a Bedtime stories moment this week. I was having some GOOD, BEAUTIFUL, RESTFUL SLEEP. MUCH needed. And all of the freaking sudden I am woken up by someone screaming Spanish in my bedroom. I wake up, look around, and it's freaking Elder Cooper, screaming in Spanish at the top of his lungs! I didn't know if he was trying to talk to me... or if he was possessed and gonna start sleep walking soon or what, but he seriously went of for like 30 seconds. The next morning I asked him how he slept. "Good." I asked him if he had any dreams in Spanish... he said not that he could remember, why? Then I proceeded to tell him about how how he'd gone freaking BAT CRAP CRAZY and he just laughed. Weird.

Have I told you guys yet about how we have a monthly set of mileage for our car?? And about how if we go over then we lose the car and get bikes??

In September, a lot of Spanish companionships went over on their miles. Elder Cooper and I stayed under, but the ones who didn't got warned about how if they went over again "there would be consequences" (aka... bikes) So this last week Elder Cooper and I were getting close to our limit, and had to spend a few days walking. I didn't really mind, it was good fun... sunny... exercising... good stuff!!! We were walking to the Church and out of nowhere just heard a horn start blaring... We looked up and it's this lady who is probably somebody's sweet old grandmother, but she is just BLARING the horn at us, and her windows were up so we couldn't hear what she was saying... but if we could have I'd be willing to bet it rhymed with "duck poo!!!!!!"

Last story... HALLOWEEN!! We had a really good dinner with some members, and just chilled over there for like an hour and a half, and then had to come home to do weekly planning. However, I was in need of a hair cut... I'm still me and still don't like those things!!! Elder Cooper offered to take his clippers to it for me... and it was either that or pay to get it done... so obviously I went with the free option. We set up shop in our tiny kitchen, because it is the only tile in our house! And he just chopped my hair off!!! Companionship bonding activity!!! We also got the most trick or treaters I've ever seen in my life.

Kids just kept knocking and knocking and knocking. We had some old candy for the first like... 2... and then after that when they kept on knocking I was thinking to myself "Kid, I've barely got enough money/food to feed myself, and you want me to give away the precious few snacks I have to YOU?!?!" Selfish... I know... but Elder Cooper is a genius, we started handing out Jesus cards!! Problem... the writing on the back of them was in Spanish. Solution... everybody that knocked our door was Mexican!!!!!

I think that's all as far as stories go... as for the work... Elder Cooper and I got a call a few days ago from our District leader telling us we are leading the mission with our numbers. At first I thought he only meant the Spanish part, but when I asked him he said ALL of it... the whole OPM. We have 15 progressing investigators, we teach more lessons with members present than any other companionship, and we also get at least 2 to church every week. That BLOWS MY MIND to think about, because really, our area... isn't the best . Geographically, its long and skinny. Demographically, its white as white can be, We probably have the least Hispanic population out of any companionship. I like how Elder Cooper described what's happened, he said "your area is what you make it." And its totally true. Right now most of the other companionships in our district are where Cooper and I were when I first got here... ground zero. And our DL said we had a good knocking week last week, as a district we got 24 hours... which Cooper and I almost got by ourselves the first couple weeks. That piece of news was super good for us to hear, because before we got told that we were both kinda just feeling discouraged. Don't get me wrong, I love being a missionary,

but life is pretty routine and when that routine gets old there's not a whole lot you can do to break out of it... but it just makes me want to work harder and get better at Spanish, and turn these progressing investigators into baptisms!!! CCCC is set to be baptized on the 17th still, and she seems excited and ready for it!!! Elder Cooper and I just want to keep them coming!!!!

Alright well I am running out of time so I'm gonna sign off... it was good to hear from you guys, and good to get your package!!!!! I love you!!!

Elder Jorgensen

How you all been?! It's freaking HALLOWEEN this week... where did that come from?? And the day before Halloween marks 3 months for Elder Jorgensen!!! Yeah!!!

Alright so to update you all on the work, Elder Cooper and I finally have things rolling. After counting our numbers up last night we have 13 progressing investigators, 1 baptismal date (CCCC again, hopefully it goes through this time!!!) and we taught over 10 lessons again!!! We had something planned every day of last week, at least one lesson!!! And last week flew, I love it!! Have I told you guys about VVVV yet? He is the member that lives with DDDD and GGGG, and he is how we got them. Oh, and he has pretty much been inactive since his baptism a year ago but last week a member of the Stake Presidency stopped by and told him he was going to get the Melchezidek Priesthood... which necessitates that he starts coming to Church again... that is super cool for Elder Cooper and I to see because VVVV has been helping the missionaries out since he became a member but no one has been able to get him to start coming back to church... hopefully we get that done. Back to what I was saying... he gave us another reference this week!! This couple is expecting a baby ANY TIME this week, like in 2 days, and the lady was ready to burst during our lesson with them.

But we took VVVV as a member person, and he SLAUGHTERED it. Elder Cooper and I basically just sat back and bore the occasional testimony... it was pretty chill. And they straight up told us they want to come to church once they have time off from work...  this family has been PREPARED. The only downside is... they don't live in our area... so Elder Cooper and I had a talk about it and painfully we decided we are going to have to give them over. But, it's the right thing to do.

Do you guys remember LLLL? I wrote about him my very first week out here, he was an investigator at my first dinner out here, and I somehow managed to share a spiritual thought with him even though I was about to pass out right there?

Well, he's been being taught by a different set of Elders that he was close to, even though he lives in our area, and last week they handed us off to him. He has been being taught regularly since MARCH, and still hasn't been baptized because he has some doubts about the BOM(Book of Mormon). So, Elder Cooper are hoping and praying that we can help him see that the Book of Mormon really is the word of God and that it really will bless his life.

Church yesterday was freaking LEGIT.  It was ward conference and every hour was just straight bbbb(Dad’s edit note…not sure what the word meant, so I edited it out…didn’t want any misunderstandings.  Pretty sure he meant that it was awesome…J) During sacrament, the Bishop spoke to the ward about Missionary work and how we as missionaries need some help sometimes and its not just our job. I liked it because the night before, Elder Cooper and I probably spent like 2 hours calling people trying to get rides for VVVV and MMMM to come to Church. I love this ward and they are awesome about feeding us (especially with there being 8 Elders in this ward after transfers... EIGHT!!) but a lot of times when we need help with rides or members present or things of that nature that there are rules against us doing, there is really only one family we can count on. They are like our mission family because they have a son out, so anything we need, they hook us up with.

My Spanish is freaking fluctuating... the day the greenies got here I was sounding pretty good, not as green, and I was understanding decently well, and I liked it!! But Saturday calling around to get rides from people and just talking in general I felt like I was hearing a foreign language and I'm not going to lie I got REALLY frustrated with myself.

Then yesterday for personal study I was reading in Jesus the Christ about the Apostles... and how although Peter ended up being a stud, it took him awhile to get there... and I liked that/needed to hear it a LOT.

Have I vented to you guys that I miss music yet?! I MISS MUSIC!!!! Let me paint a picture for you about the kind of music I can listen to as a missionary... Mo-Tab, new renditions of hymns, instrumentals, and that's about it. And the sad part is, I still headbang and get into it just as much as I would have if it were my normal music. For an example, one of Elder Cooper's cd's has an EPIC version of praise to the man on it, I'm talking this thing is 7 minutes long, it features piano, bag pipes, snare drums, guitar, flute, choir singing, and it is AWESOME!!

Cooper and I go crazy every time we listen to it. This morning he was getting pretty into playing the piano along with it and I was directing the choir... and the best part is that our trunk is still partially open so it's pretty easy to hear, and there is tons of traffic in Oregon so people were probably looking at us thinking we were loosing our minds. My goal is to use that song to get somebody to want to be baptized one day. He's gonna be a cholo (gangsta) and he's gonna be sittin in his car jamming to his rap. Elder Cooper and I are gonna roll up, I'm gonna roll my window down, and BAM we're gonna start bumpin some bagpipes at him...

and he's just gon ask to be baptized. Sounds like a pretty good plan to me!!!

Alright I think that is all other than the fact that I am SUPER stoked that BYU beat BSU!!!! That's what I'm talkin about!!! I need to start wearing my BYU gear on Saturdays... yep I'm gonna start it!

This question is more directed toward Dad/Wes... is Duck Dynasty really that good?? I remember seeing a preview of it forever ago and Mom I'm pretty sure you said it looked like it had too much male humor for you... Wes if it is that good we are gonna have a marathon of watching it when I get back!!! And heck yes, I would LOVE Ziggi to come be a Missionary with me. I have a feeling she'd help our street contacting enormously!

Alright, I think that's it, Oh other than Mom in the package could you throw some stamps in porfas??:) I love you, you are an angel!!

And I love the rest of you too, mom just might be a little more angelic than the rest of you;)

Alright, Elder Jorgi (as I am coming to be known amongst some Elders) out!