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