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!!