Family!!!

Sup y'all.... How you been??? It's been awhile... So I figured I'd tell you guys a story or two...:D

Or actually 3.... The first one is (edited for family content) But anywho, we (Elder Morrison and I) were taking out the trash later and Morrison just found 20 bucks laying in the snow!!!!

So we went to a trampoline gym in Tigard with the Elders from Portland, Eric came, and Coop met us down there too!!! And I freaking finally learned how to do a backflip!!!! Hhhhhaaaaaa!!!!! Moral of the story is... If you guys need some money... Try saying a prayer at o'dark hundred... See if it works!!! 

Story#2 comes from Tuesday night at dinner... Elder Morrison and I showed up a good 20 minutes before the other Elders so by the time they got there I had already put my tamales down. The family who gave us dinner made some pretty hot salsa to go with it... And warned us of the heat... I tried some on my last bite of tamale and boy was it hot. So then the Elders of Aloha show up... And Elder Mayer (who reminds me a plethora of Jonah and Dillon) did not heed anybody's counsels and slathered all 3 of his tamales in the hot salsa. And he suffered for it.

He ended up having to drown them in cream and lettuce, on top of downing like 2 sodas. I was laughing at him the whole time... He was dying!!! So then he called me out, and said "let's see you try some Jorgi." Not being one to back down from a challenge, I asked for another tamale and SLATHERED it in salsa. COVERED IT!!!! And ate it all without any relief. So then Mayer, not wanting to be outdone, filled his spoon with the salsa. But I wasn't going to let him just show me up like that, so I filled a spoon too. And we ate it. And then we ate a second. And then we ate a third. And it was my goal to GRIND Mayer into submission. I wanted him crying to his mommy and to know to never challenge me to a matter of mental toughness again. Make no mistake, I was dying. My face was maroon and I had tears freely spilling down my face... My mouth lips and throat were on fire but I wouldn't give up!!!! Until the family we were eating with made us stop... And the next 24 hours of my life was pretty miserable... I woke up feeling like I had drank fire.... So I went back to sleep for a little bit... And woke up at 8.... I was doing studies by 830... And Morrison got a little upset with me:) as I walked by him one time he asked, "was it worth it???" I think he was probably expecting like a "no, that was stupid, i should have listened when you warned me to stop" and instead he got a " yeah, definitely!!! I feel like crap but it was worth the memories!!!" To which he said something like " well you don't need to be a missionary to make those kinds of memories. So the next time you feel inspired to do something like that, you probably shouldn't, because now studies are all off track"... I had a lot of things I wanted to say at that point... Bbbuuutttt I held my tongue:) I would just like to say thought that my journal entries for those couple days are HILLARIOUS!!!!

Ok... Story #3.... Valentine's day!!!!!!!! Yeaaaahhhh!!!! For exercise that day... We went running in the woods by my apartment once again with the elders of Aloha. It was pretty fun. We tried to stay as a group but at one point on the way back Elder Mayer and I found that we had separated ourselves from our companions... So we stopped running and did some backtracking... And found Mayer's comp pretty quick, but Morrison was nowhere to be found!!! We co ti used backtracking and after about 5 minutes of screaming heard his voice...on the other side of the forest, somehow back at the apartments. HOW he did that I had no clue... But he beat us home... So we were faced with a choice... Either we could run all the way back, or bushwhack to the fence like 200 feet away, jump the fence, and be in the parking lot of my apartment complex. Naturally bushwacking sounded more adventurous.... So we did it and when we finally got to the fence... Mayer couldn't make it over!!!:) he had to take off one of his shoes so he could grip the fence, and then once he was on top he squatted like Spider-Man and stuck his bare foot out, and had me put his shoe back on!!!! It felt like a very demented version of Cinderella...

Anyways during that whole process we were very noisy... And walking back to my apartment some workers stopped us and said they had gotten phone calls reporting "4 guys who were up to no good"... Then the looked at Mayer... Who somehow had his shoe off again, and we explained to them our situation, and they left us alone:) but the story is not over!!!!! So we came home, and Morrison made me wait while he showered to open my package... So FINALLY I'm opening it, and in the middle of the ceremonies, Mayer calls and asks us if we checked ourselves for leeches after the morning run... He'd found one on his leg...

So Morrison LOST it he shot up immediately and I've never seen him move so fast as he did when he sprinted to the bathroom to go check himself... Thankfully we were both leech free but it was still pretty funny.

To answer your question about how the package was... I liked it...

Aight I also has a lot of cool stuff happen this week Spiritually. All of it was with recent converts and less actives... I think Heavenly Father was trying to teach me a lesson not to give up on them.

The first one happened with Carlos, one of Coopers converts, and we were supposed to teach his sons who aren't baptized yet, but instead we taught him and his wife. I showed him the Mormon Message good things to come by Elder Holland and shared a scripture with him, just to start the lesson off on a good note. After I read the scripture, Carlos got tears in his eyes and said he had been praying for help and the strength to keep going, and he took that video and the scripture I shared for an answer. I didn't even know he'd been having a hard time and he just opened up to us... It was very powerful.

On Saturday morning we also went to the visitor's center at the Temple with the Acevedo family. That was freaking great. They are doing so good. And afterwards we went to Deseret book and he bought Elder Morrison a book and me a CTR (Choose the Right) ring... Freaking legit.

And the last cool story comes from a youth in the ward. Friday night there was a ward valentines party... So we went because we had some investigators going... And one of the young men in the ward... The only senior, was there and looking not so pleased. So I started talking with him and told him the story of why I decided to serve a mission... Then Mayer found us and sat down and joined the chat.... And we just talked with him for like an hour and as he left he had a different look in his face.

Eric's sister did get baptized. Eric baptized her. That was awesome. Now the only one we have left is Eric's older brother... The first one coop and I found. Transfers are coming up next week and there is a good chance I'm leaving... But I'm praying and asking to stay because Eric's older brother is FINALLY starting to warm up to us and I know if Morrison and I get some more time with him we are gonna make stuff happen... Soooo... If you guys could pray that I stay here that would be awesome!!!! 

Ok I have a favor to ask... I need something from you guys. A new journal. I write in mine a lot more than I thought I would and I'm running out of room!!!!!? It needs Wes' approval though.... And I Wes hook a brusque up!!!!  Can you guys do that??? 

Wes I love your letter it was dope!!! I can't believe you can grab rim already bro that's crazy!!!

Ill try to get your letter to you by the 28th but the thing about deadlines is... You don't have anything to hang over my head:) here's a deal... Get me a FRESH journal that blows my mind, and I will tell you a story that will make you laugh so hard you'll have a 6 pack until you're an 80 year old man:)

K... I think that's it...

Love you guys!!!!

Elder Travis Jorgensen

FAMILIA!!!

To start off with... I have a new nickname for the natives in the area that I am serving... the PORTLANDIAN PANZIES!!!!!!

Why you might ask?!! Because... on Thursday, things started to snow... and snow... and snow. I wouldn't say it was anything much worse than what we usually get in Idaho, but here people were tripping cahones! We were grounded starting Thursday afternoon, President Morby didn't even want us to leave the apartment... so Elder Morrison and I ordered some Domino's and watched Church movies on our new IPADS that we got on Tuesday!!! And then Friday, Saturday, and yesterday, we STILL COULDN'T DRIVE!!! Church even got cancelled yesterday!!! WHAT THE HECK!!!!!!! I was doing so good, I hadn't missed Church in 27 weeks, I'm pretty sure I haven't been on a streak that good since I was like in Primary!!!!!!! So... needless to say... it was a pretty freaking slow week. However, some fun memories did come of it. For example... on Thursday when the snow was coming down and everything was getting blanketed in white, I wanted to take a picture in it, camouflaged, so I threw on my baptismal clothing and went outside, barefoot, to take some pictures

Where's Waldo I mean Elder Jorgensen??

. As we were walking around on Friday we also saw a man legitimately trudging around on skis. Soooo... that was all very unique

.

We did see some miracles on Wednesday before the snow hit. On Wednesday I was on Splits with Elder Smith, from Portland. He was trained by Elder Morrison and before he got moved to Portland he was comps with Coop... so that was fun. And we had 3 really good less active/recent convert lessons. We went by Mario, who says he should be ready to get the Priesthood in a month. We went by the Acevedo family, and just started talking with them, and somehow Hno Acevedo brought up a scripture that someone had shared with him 5 years ago when he was having a really hard time, and it helped him out a lot. He didn't even know the guy, and he couldn't remember the scripture. So as we were leaving I felt like I should share D&C 122:7-9 with them, because that is just an incredibly powerful scripture that talks about going through trials.

So I pulled it out and started explaining the background of where it comes from, and Hno Acevedo stopped me, and asked me the reference again, so I told him. He told me to read it. I did. When I finished I looked up at him and he had tears in his eyes. It was the same scripture that had helped him out 5 years ago, and he said it was good to hear it again.

Then after some appts fell through we went to another less active family, the Munoz. The last time we saw them we challenged them to read from the BOM 5 minutes every day. So when we walked in Hno Munoz PERFECTLY explained to us the first 12 chapters of 1Nephi...

and the last time we passed him by he just... I don't know how to explain it... it was a night and day change.

In other news... you guys got beat out in wishing me happy Valentine's... I got a Valentine's package on Saturday:D The only bad part is that I have to wait until Valentine's to open it... but that's ok... Wes you better hope those ties are cool because I'm pretty sure one of the things I got is a ti.

My little brother finally shaved!!! whooo!!!! yeah!!!!

Aight guys I think that's all... Good luck in  your new callings and Wesley soccer is the sport of the Gods anyways.

Love, 

Elder Travis Jorgensen

Fam!!

Well... to start of with... I hit my 6 month mark last week!!!!!

Am I the only one who thinks that is crazy... or is that crazy?!! I still remember flying out of Boise... the "City of Trees." No. Boise is the city of nothing... anyways... just wow... time is flying!!!

Ummm this week was tough and long but we saw some miracles so it was pretty good. To start off I'll answer your questions about Marcelo... I don't really know how he heard of the Gospel in Israel. I remember something about he had a dream and then he went into a Church building and that was his dream... the reason he was living in Israel was because he was there for work/tourism. But I haven't seen him since Sunday sooo... I need to pass by him sometime.

This week Morrison and I did a LOT of walking. I'd forgotten how WHITE my area is... but that's all good... there's Spanish speaking people  here somewhere, we just gotta freaking go find them!!!

Actually our main miracle this week came from walking...

OK so his mission won't be a Hollywood production but you get the idea...

we were going to a less active's house, a family that I've been trying to teach since I was with Cooper. And as we were on the street, there's someone with brown skin walking towards us... so, I started talking to him, and Morrison and I just turned around and walked with him to wherever he was going, which ended up being home. He got to his door, and invited us in. He started asking us questions about Temples and the Book of Mormon. His name is PPPP  and he was raised in El Salvador with lots of Mormon friends. When he asked his questions, he wasn't doing them to try to prove us wrong... he was doing them because he wanted to learn. We didn't get to stay long but we have a return appt with them this week.

And yesterday, when we had an hour with like nothing to do, we decided to pass them by and see what was up... PPPP's son, TTTT, answered, and we started talking. He told us he has been looking for religion because to him there are a lot of aspects of Christianity that don't make sense.

I looked at him and explained to him the concept of a mission, how we got our calls by Revelation, and how I knew God was there for him

and could help him out. He looked back at me and asked me if I felt my calling. Without hesitation, I looked him in the eye and said, "Absolutely. If I didn't, I'd go home." He was quiet for a minute, then said, "I respect that. Yeah, I'll sit down and talk to you guys." So we also have a return appt with him this week.

Miracle #3 comes from Mario and the Acevedo family. It was Saturday night, and Morrison and I didn't have anything planned to do... so we decided to go pass by Mario because we hadn't seen him at all this week. Walking to Mario's I felt like we should visit Acevedo's instead... so we knocked the door, and when we walked in, they were with family. It was Hermano Acevedo's little brother, who lived in one of Morrison's old areas, who Morrison helped re-activate a year ago. So we talked with them, and they showed us their new Church clothes they had bought to go to Church on Sunday (they haven't been since before I got here.) And then, because they were going, we took the Acevedo brothers over to Mario's door, knocked it, got in, and the Acevedo family is going to start taking Mario to Church now. That was freaking sweet. They all came yesterday and that was a wonderful moment.

Ok... other news... Eric's sister has a baptismal date for the 16th of this month. We watched 17 miracles with her last night because movies are one of the only ways we can get her interested in what we have to say. I like it more an more every time I see it.

I'll tell you guys this and you can make of it what you will... I actually didn't even know yesterday was the Superbowl until... yesterday! And things weren't crazy, everything was fine.

Mom... NO I do not want to go to BYU-I. I would use stronger language... but, I am a missionary.  out of curiousity... WHY did you decide to ask that?!?! I've said it before, I'll say it again... BYU-I (Editor's note...we'll reveal what he REALLY said in about 18 months-ish :))

Oooooh, that was harsh!!!

Ok... I think that's it. I got you guys' package this week. Loved it!!! The only question I have is could you send me some pictures of the other Talmage books?? I don't have time to read them out here but I still wanna know which ones they are and what ones they look like!!!!

Thanks!!!