WAS DUSTING OFF THE COBWEBS IN THE INBOX AND FOUND THIS ONE FROM EVEN FURTHER (FARTHER, WAY BACK)...HERE IT IS.  (From 7 28)

Hey guys!!! Ok so it was a pretty good week... we FINALLY set a legitimate baptismal date, the last one we set was kinda sketchy, we didn't even bring it up with Isaac, it was his friend who is a member who did it. But this one, with LLLL mom VVVV, is LEGIT! I'm gonna copy and paste it from my letter to President Ballard

Last week when she came to Church, she signed up to feed us dinner on Wednesday. On Wednesday we went over to her apartment and ate some GOOD Mexican food, authentic enchiladas

, SO GOOD!! Anyways... after that we watched the movie Joseph Smith; Prophet of the Restoration with her, because she had some Joseph Smith doubts and didn't really understand why he is important. So we finished the movie, and asked her to kneel in prayer and ask if what she had seen and learned was true, and if she should continue learning from us. It was the first time I have ever heard her pray vocally, and for her I think it might have been the first attempt she has made in her life, but she said a beautiful prayer. When she finished, neither Elder Sorian nor I said anything. We both just wanted to sit there and let the Spirit work on her. Finally she looked at us and said, "I can't tell you what I'm feeling." We didn't respond for awhile... but eventually I just told her that yes, she could. It took some coaxing,  but after awhile she said that she just felt an overwhelming feeling of peace.

It was in that moment that I knew we needed to walk away from that lesson having invited her to be baptized. I shared some scriptures about how nothing that is good denies God or Christ.... and some more about how Christ invites everybody to come to Him and how He has promised us help and blessings when we follow his teachings. She was crying by that point. Finally after sharing a scripture, I invited her to be baptized. There was a long silence after that. There were a lot of long silences in that lesson. But finally VVVV broke the silence by asking what we wanted her to say. I paused again. After some pondering, I simply looked at her and said, "The Truth," which got her crying all over again. Finally she looked at us and said, "To me that isn't a question. I feel like it is something that I need to do." The date is set for August 23rd and I am very confident that it will go through. Her son, LLLL, went on Trek with the Milwaukie Stake earlier this summer and Tuesday leaves for a Priest Camp, Camp Helaman.

I am praying that that is a good experience for him. Both of them were at Church yesterday.

So... yeah... It was a really good lesson and I am excited!! Ummm.. Mom you asked if I need anything... I am wearing out through my shoes and when it starts raining again my feet are gonna be WET! And I am also running out of stamps... 

Dad you asked me how I feel now that I have been out a year... I feel WEIRD!!!! That year went way fast, this one better slow down a little bit. Elder Soriano is doing good, we had a good conversation on Tuesday night and he told me more about his past, and it changed the way I look at him. 

Ummmm... yeah. I think that's about it. I love you guys!

Editor's Note:  HOLY OOOOOOPS!  I let these pass WAY too long.  His updates have been short, so I guess he is busy.  He looks way awesome happy (howz that for bad grammar, eh?), so I guess he is doing the Lord's work.
Here are the posts.  This week's on top, and then chronologically backwards from then.  Thanks to every one who looks it up.

Editor Dad.

HEY!!!
so First and foremost, we need to solve this little dilemma of you guys saying that Sons of Provo

is not worshipful when really it is sacred music that should be played in the bathrooms of the Temples. If I didn't think it would be ok, then I wouldn't ask for it! PLEASE!!!!!! (see entry a week or so down--the rules for listening to music in the mission field apparently changed.  For those unknowing, Sons of Provo is a spoof documentary about a clueless Boy Band with religious roots trying to make it big.  Let's just say that the music (equally as spoofy) is...well, an acquired taste :)  (They don't play music in the bathrooms of the Temples, just sayin')

So this week was a pretty good week. For the first part of the week I was feeling pretty stressed about being a DL, (District Leader.  He now has responsibility for several other missionaries in the Mission) and we read 1 Nephi 17, and as we read the part where The Lord commanded Nephi to build a boat, and I knew in that moment that Nephi felt overwhelmed as well... but he didn't complain, he just got to work. Tomorrow I have to give my first training in zone meeting and if you guys have any inspirational quotes about having a good attitude, let me know by tomorrow! All I am going to say is that it's kind of cool being district leader with Elder Goff as the other District Leader, he is a hard worker and one of my favorite comps. We went hiking today witha  huge group of elders and it was pretty fun.

We also went to the visitors center yesterday with VVVV, it was GOOD! I am SO excited for her baptism!

Sorry this is short, have a good week guys!

PLEASE SEND ME SONS OF PROVO!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WEEK OF ...THE WEEK BEFORE THIS ONE:)

 

Ok this is the good one and the good stuff!

First of all I will tell you guys about VVVV and how she is doing! It's been a good week with her, although we have had our ups and downs. Last Tuesday she fed us breakfast, and made us some super good eggs/tostadas!

And then on Wednesday we taught her The Word of Wisdom, and that has got to be one of the worst lessons I have ever taught in my life! We didn't prepare for it very well, and it just didn't go as it should have. She really likes tea and wanted medical reasons as to why we can't drink it, and I didn't really know what to tell her. She said she needed more than that if she was going to accept it. We left her with the commitment to pray about it, but after we had left I did NOT feel right about just leaving her with that. An hour later we went back to talk to her and she came out the door crying telling us she hadn't felt the Spirit during that lesson and didn't know what to do. I felt like CRAP

because I knew the way that lesson went was my fault and knew that I had to fix it. We ended up just talking to her about faith and how God wants us to grow it. I couldn't really say exactly what we said or exactly when that lesson started to turn around, but after an hour the Spirit had witnessed to her that the Word of Wisdom was something she needed to live. On Friday she passed her baptismal interview and yesterday we had a lesson with her, and she told us on Sunday she had fasted to be able to receive a new job, and during our lesson yesterday a member of the group called telling her she had a potential job lined up. So things are going GOOD with VVVV.

I also have a funny story... well, kind of, because I figure it's been awhile. So my lower back has been bugging me since last Monday.... movements that flex it, such as sitting up to get out of bed or sitting down, don't feel too great.

why does my back hurt????

Thankfully, there is someone in the English ward I am in who used to be a chiropractor, and on Sunday night we went to see them. And all I have to say is that Chiropractors are freaking magicians!

He popped my back or did whatever you want to call it, and it felt so good it was almost a spiritual experience. Every time he popped something, I  couldn't help but say "ooooohhhhh" or "mmmmmmmmmm"... It felt so good!

Ok and last thing... As of yesterday I am officially a district leader! Why? I don't know, I wasn't expecting it at all and I'm still not sure quite why President Ballard did it... I don't feel like a stereotypical district leader. So I'm working on that one... thoughts? Advice? don't wait til next week to send it, tell me tell me!

I love you guys!

Elder Travis Jorgensen

WEEK BEFORE THAT!...

 

 

So it was kind of a slow week here in Milwaukie as far as lessons go. However, we did have 4 investigators come to Church yesterday, which is the highest this area has had since it's been open. VVVV, our investigator with a baptismal date, hasn't missed a week of church since she started coming, and she is starting to tell people about her baptism on the 23rd. 

We have another 14 year old girl who might be getting close to baptism as well, her name is RRRR and she is the daughter of a recent convert in the area.

Tuesday and Wednesday were kind of rough for me. We had a service project for a potential investigator on Tuesday, we were gonna bring a member with us to a lesson with him on Wednesday, and on Tuesday night we also had a lesson for a potential new investigator set up with a member. In about an hour on Tuesday, things all fell apart... That was REALLY hard for me to handle... I couldn't say exactly why, that's just happened so many times to me in this area where it looks like we could take the week by storm and instead something always rains on our parade. After so long it takes longer and longer to dry off. One thing is for sure, though, this area is teaching me the importance of diligence, of never being complacent.

Elder Soriano is doing good. Yesterday was his birthday and I would say we had a pretty good day.

I am doing well. On Wednesday, after taking Tuesday pretty hard, I ended up reading a scripture in Alma 43:1. The last phrase says, "And Alma, also, himself, could not rest, and he also went forth." In Spanish that translates over to mean that Alma tried to take a break, he tried to take it easy, and he just couldn't. Even after he had just taught all his sons so that they could continue the ministry, even after he had taught amongst the Lamanites for how many years and been rejected countless times, even when he had an excuse to stop working hard, he couldn't do it. I know that that desire came in part from the depth of his personal conversion to the Savior. That is something I fasted for yesterday, to move past a testimony and to be able to come to an undeniable knowledge that the Savior lives and that He loves me. I don't quite feel like I am at that point yet, and I need to be before I go home.

ok, end quote. Have you guys seen the Church's new Mormon Message? I think it's called The Hope of God is Light

or something like that.. it is the BOMB diggity! I freaking love it... Oh mom I got attacked by a dog for the first time in my mission this week... By a feisty lil wiener dog!

 Ok I can't really remember anything else... I love you guys!

Elder Jorgensen

There is a story behind this picture! The story goes a little something like this.. On hump day  (his year mark/anniversay/one year in the Portland Mission) I was asking around for things to do.... I was already planning on burning a shirt,(a missionary tradition that has existed for decades...marks the halfway point of the mission)

but that felt a little too mainstream and I wanted to think outside of the box. I asked some English Elders and they told me there was a camel near by, a real live camel! Some people just own it like a pet. So we drove to said location and... no camel. I was determined to make good use of my time, so we knocked on the people who own the camel's door and had kind of an interesting conversation:

"Do you guys own the camel?"

Yes

Would it be possible for me to take a picture with it (I had no shame!)

Oh, well he isn't here right now. He is in Wilsonville, on vacation with some girl camels, making some baby camels. You're welcome to come back another time though.

.... That is literally how she described it to me. I don't know if it's because her 10 year old daughters were right there with her and she didn't want to use the phrase stud or... what. But they had this wooden camel in their front yard so obviously I had to take advantage of that opportunity. And in the bottom left corner of the pic, there is an animal head. This was legitimately the biggest freaking dog I have ever seen, it looked like a mini bear.