Fam,

Ssssoooooo I guess to start off with... I had my first experience crying on the mish. It was pretty powerful. I was cutting an onion to cook for lunch and BOY that thing was strong! I tried, as hard as I could to hold the tears back... but in the end I just decided to let 'em out!!! It felt so good!!!!

Psyche. I did really cry, but the whole time I was just yelling and screaming about how stupid it was, and Morrison was saying I looked manly with tears rolling down my face, which just made me yell even more...

Ok so in case you couldn't tell not whole ton of amazing stories really happened this week... Morrison and I were busy, we taught a ton of lessons again, but none of them are really the material that made me go home asking "what on earth have I gotten myself into?!" But we did get work done. Remember how last week I told you guys about how many lessons we taught?? Well we did freaking good. Out of the 30 member present lessons taught by the 6 companionships in our zone last week, Morrison and I taught 12 of them. This week we taught 16. Our goal as a zone is 4 member presents per week per companionship... we are getting work done!!!!

Not Elder Jorgensen, but you get the idea

I'm just gonna throw this out there... I feel bad for people who think that a mission is a waste of time, because they honestly don't know what they are missing out on!!! Its hard to believe that a year ago I was thinking of delaying this, and if I'm being honest I wasn't even sure if I was going to serve a mission at all... and now I can't imagine having done anything else!! Even with all the trials that have come, are coming, and will come, this is just the best!!!

Eric is doing great. I feel super blessed to have had the opportunity to share this time with him. He is really progressing. 2 weeks ago he was baptized. A week ago I got to confirm him and give him the Holy Ghost. Just yesterday he got ordained a Priest and got the Aaronic Priesthood, and what made that special was that all 8 missionaries and the 4 priests in the ward got to stand in on the circle. And now, we have a baptismal date for his parents this coming Sunday the 22nd,

and Eric is probably going to baptize them. Morrison and I are also trying to set up a "mini mission" over Christmas Break where he comes and lives with us and does what we do for a couple days... I really want that to happen.

Morrison and I work pretty well as a companionship. I am more fire-y in lessons at times, and Morrison is a little bit more gentle... and that works out well because if I need to say something to an investigator without sugar-coating it, I can, and then Morrison comes in and calms things down... Cooper and I didn't ever really have that because we were both pretty forward, so we both had to keep it chill because if one of us went off the other would start, and the Spirit would leave pretty fast. So take MMMM for example... even though he KNOWS the Book of Mormon is true, he still comes up with reasons to doubt it. So in one of our lessons this week when he started bringing up a doubt, I stopped him before he could get started. I told him that he already knew what would happen, he already knew we'd have the answer, and he'd still end up having a doubt again because he wasn't really making an effort to know for himself if it was true or not. I said if he kept looking for reasons to doubt the Book of Mormon, he would find them. Instead he needs to start looking for reasons why it could be true! And I said it pretty much like that... I didn't ease the blow. But I think some tough love is what he needs. Morrison and I fasted for him yesterday that he could be able to make it however long is necessary without drinking so he could be baptized. 

OH AND I can't believe I forgot about this. So Eric's family is amazing. They've only been to Church a couple times and a few activities but they are legit. One of the times we were teaching them last week, Eric's dad asked about MMMM. He said he had a gift for him. We went upstairs and came back down with a FLY looking grey suit.

That thing was BEAUTIFUL. MMMM doesn't have church clothes, and Eric's dad asked us if we could help him get a white shirt, tie, and shoes so that he could dress properly for Church. I was just smiling the whole time. Eric's dad doesn't even KNOW MMMM, he's talked to him a total of like 3 times now, and yet he was still willing to help him out. Its experiences like that that make me feel bad for people who don't want to serve Missions... because they will never know what they are missing out on.

So yesterday, MMMM was at church, swaggin in his suit, looking and acting like a new man. All 4 companionships in the ward worked together to teach The Restoration Lesson in Gospel Principles yesterday, and MMMM was participating and asking questions, not to try to make the teacher look bad like he usually does, but to honestly try to learn. and it was just awesome.

Just awesome. I'm hoping we can get him baptized the 29th. But he needs help, we're praying for him, we've fasted for him, but more prayers never hurt!!!

To finish up... I'm coming to realize that prayer and fasting are a Missionary's bread and butter.

I have seen more miracles happen out here as a direct result of those 2 things than anything else. Eric's baptism... fasting. Eric's parents committing to a date... fasting. New investigators so we could actually have something to do... fasting. Inspired lessons that have helped people feel the spirit... prayer. Me speaking spanish... prayer. Me just being a missionary... prayer... and COUNTLESS more!! Its the best!! I love it!!!

Talk to you guys soon!!!

Elder Travis Jorgensen!