UPDATE UPDATE, READ ALL ABOUT IT!!
Editor's note--the last two weeks are updated below.  Many apologies for the delay...

Sup Peeps!!

So... I'm gonna start off with a vent! NOBODY WILL COME TO FREAKING CHURCH!!!! IT IS IRRITATING ME SO MUCH!!! NOT EVEN OUR RECENT CONVERTS WHO HAVE A WHOLE FAMILY WHO COULD BY BAPTIZED BY THE RECENT CONVERTS EXAMPLE!!!!

The Stake Presidency is waiting, itching, to get a group an official thing, but we need the bodies to make it happen, and we can't get anybody to come to Church!!! AAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!

Another editor's note:   right about here is where the blog site stopped letting me add pictures to the commentary, so all you get for the rest is commentary...

Aight other than that Elder Warenski and I had a pretty good week. We found 5 new investigators and a couple of them I have really high hopes for. One's name is DDDD and he is 17... we got in the door and I could tell right off the bat that he didn't really want to talk to us because he got the Church dude vibe from us... so I opened up and told him the story of why I decided to serve, and the Spirit was STRONG!!!(Picture of Travis sitting in Stake Conference hearing the Spirit telling him he needs to go on his mission...) I tell that story to people quite a bit because it is pretty cool but I haven't felt anything that strongly probably since it happened. And we could see it on his face, too, he felt it. And afterwards it kinda helped him open up and we are gonna go back tonight. Another one was all the fetching way out in Sandy, and it was an apartment complex only for migrant workers... sadly most of them are super hard hearted... anywho I haven't been out there for awhile, so yesterday Elder Warenski and I made a Sandy run to meet some people. I thought I remembered the door of one of the cooler people I had taught, but I went up to it, and it wasn't the one I thought it was... so we knocked it anyways. The guy opened up, and just immediately told us to come in. That NEVER happens. EVER. We got in and started talking with him, and it turns out he used to live in California 18 years ago and was taking the discussions back then. He remembers EVERYTHING perfectly!!!!! He has a wife and 7 kids...:D  (Picture a family of 9 dressed in white in front of the Temple, and happy missionaries in the background...:) So... I'm pretty excited for that.

OH mom before I forget... we are probably going to start teaching an English class... anyways...mom do you have any suggestions?

Random fact for you... a year ago this Friday is when I decided I should probably serve a mission... that's SUPER weird.Elder Warenski is good. We get along pretty well. He is experienced in the mish.

Ok last part sorry I'm scatterbrained today... last night in the Visitor's Center for the Temple there was a devotional for recent converts of within a year. Pretty much no one we invited went, but we still got to go, and Jose Salazar got to speak. DANG do I miss that family. (Picture of Elder Jorgensen AND the Salazar family)  It is SO cool to see how they have progressed and last night was just one of those tender mercies on the mish. Love it.

I feel like I have more to tell yall... but I can't remember... sssssooooo... until next week...:D

Love,

Elder Travis Jorgensen

P.s. mom and dad next week could you tell me about some of your mission stories??



Week of 7 April...

Hey guys!!!

So... Elder Goff left me and I have a new comp... Elder Warenski!! I'll tell you more about him in a sec though first I got some stories for y'all.

First of all, dad I wore that para cord tie you made me and people LOVED it!!!! Everyone who saw it asked where it came from, and then errybody from there said that you should sell them. I guarantee as many as you want to make I can find a missionary to give to. Actually I think Elder Cooper would REALLY like one so I'm not asking you to because I know you are busy but if you want to I can get you his address.

So Elder Goff and I had a pretty good lady week. We tracted some GHETTO areas...GHETTO, sketchy areas.

I have some pictures I'll send you next week. And one of our investigators works for he government and he told us the area we were knocking was full of like drug addicts and people with mental problems...:) that was good.

And then... Our last night together... Elder Goff got the stomach flu. He was up from 2 in the morning puking...

Except I didn't wake up until the alarm went off. HOW I don't know because he said he was puking so hard it came out his nose... And I think I must have died that night for him not to have woken me up because the bathroom is right next to our bedroom... I just don't know.

Conference was GREAT I'm not going to be able to give the same run down I did last time because I don't have my notebook with me and I don't have time... But I'll hit a few talks. I really liked President Eyrings talk in Priesthood about being examples... Dad that one made me think of you. Elder Hollands testimony on Saturday Morning gave me a glimpse of what the scriptures mean when they say the prophets spoke with voices of thunder. My favorite talk was probably President Uchtdorfs on Sunday morning.

So Elder Warenski.... The situations are almost EXACTLYthe same it is right after a good companionship, and Elder Warenski only has 3 transfers left in the mish.... But there are some differences and I am going to work them to my advantage... We served around each other for 4 transfers my first 3 he was in the ward with me and my last transfer in the ward he was one of my Zone leaders.. I am optimistic though... It will be a good learning and growing experience.

Oh and to finish up... NO MORE FREAKING SUITS!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's right I said NO MORE SUITS!!!! I am on my iPad emailing in the sunshine right now and I LOVE IT!!!!! 

this is not Travis, but you get the idea...

And mom to answer your questions... I don't have much time so you are right the boring ones I probably won't answer. Milwaukie is a pretty isolated areas only times we see our fellow Spanish brethren have been at meetings and some p days... Like today we've been chilling with coop:) we usually get dinners and Fred Meyer has been and I'm pretty sure will continue to be the location at which I shop. We have been getting a lot of rain but it's been bipolar either rainy or sunny... The pair of shoes I brought out here for like tracting and stuff is done for... I'm trashing them because I wore through the soles.

I couldn't even stand on wet pavement without my shoes getting wet:) the Spanish is... Coming. I could always improve. One of the things I have realized about my mission is that I was sent here to see how hard I could push myself. Ok I think that's all and if not let me know!!!

Elder Travis Jorgensen!

WE FINALLY GOT AN INVESTIGATOR TO COME TO CHURCH!!!! AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

It's  been like a transfer since anyone was at church!!!! And he really liked it too, his name is (I can't tell you...:) and he has seen a lot in life... So when we are teaching him he always likes to point out how young we are...

But... Sal good.

I also had to speak in Sacrament yesterday... I was told to plan a 10 or 15 minute talk and I was the concluding speaker... And when i got up there I had 20 minutes left... I think I did aight though I had to talk about the Holy Ghost so I filled some time by telling stories... People told me they liked it sooo... Idk...

I got you guys package!!! It was pretty cool!!  Dad that para cord tie is like the most inspiring thing I've ever seen in my life!!! How long did it take you to make it?? And question... Where did those other ties come from? They are way legit I like them a lot. And the journals are pretty cool, thank you!! So this second journal will probably take another 8 months to fill out... And then I'll be ready for another one!!

I don't know where all you guys looked but I've heard bookstores have some pretty good deals sometimes... Is it possible to like buy a plain leather one and get some pictures put into the leather?? Idk..

So did one of the sisters who ate over know Elder Cooper?? He texted me a couple days before and told me a girl from his district was serving in Kuna and he got an email from her saying errybody freaked when you guys found that out.

Not much happened this week... So I'll tell you guys some stories from a couple weeks ago that we're pretty powerful... We were eating dinner with this dude from Hawaii, and he is just starting to be active again after 30 years of inactivity... He went inactive like right after his mission. So he was telling us one of his stories when a set of elders was going to buy an investigator a steak so he could be baptized... Bryan (the member feeding us) went up to them, stopped them, and said in his cool Hawaiian accent, "the Gospel is NOT a commodity."

And he said that, and I was just kinda like...dang. Powerful. It made me stop and think about what this Gospel means to me...

Ok well I think that's all... Wes as far as your knee I'm pretty sure it's because you've even growing so much so eat and drink healthy, stay hydrated, and stretch. Dad is like mister myogi

so he will fix you up.

I don't think there is anything else that I need right now, although mom you were a prophetic angel with what you threw in the last one, it was all stuff I was gonna have to buy today... Thanks guys I love you!

Oh and whasis name.. The kid I gave my scriptures to... I got them back we are teaching his family about once a week we just need to figure out something for church for them...

Love

Elder Travis Jorgensen!

Hey peeps!! What's up? How've you been? Wes I heard you got the deed done, I expect dem dirty deets:D

Alright so it was an interesting week. I think I'm gonna start of with... the spirtit'chal things because the stories are good but it was a good week also. First of all, on Friday I got permission to go with Eric's family to the Temple to do Baptisms for the Dead. That was AWESOME.

I couldn't do much because everybody kept acting like because we were Elders we were diseased so mostly I just got to sit and watch it happen, but all 4 of them who have been baptized went. Jose afterwards said he liked it a lot, that he could really feel the Spirit. And it was just nice to see Eric again.

The first half of the week was pretty slow. Monday was the whole hiking incident,

As a parent, should I be concerned about the facial expressions of Elder Goff and Elder Jorgensen????

Tuesday was a zone conference, and Wednesday and thursday like nothing happened... no one was home, we couldn't get any news, in the first 5 days of the week we got like 3 lessons, and not for lack of trying. And friday was the Temple so that took up some time too. But on Saturday we received a lot of revelation... We were out and about, after already having had like 3 or 4 lessons fall through, and both Elder Goff and I were pretty frustrated. So we were at the house of one of the people who bailed on us, and they still had their Christmas lights up in their trees... and I just wanted to take them down!!

I was so irritated I wanted to do some service to lighten my soul! But I couldn't decide whether or not to do it... I didn't want to get them mad at me for doing something without their permission, but I wanted to get it done! And I literally could not make a decision which was just frustrating me more because we had other people to go see... but, in the midst of my trying to make a decision, the neighbors of the people we were at got home, and they were Mexican..... so... we went and talked to them!! And if I hadn't been fighting with the decision of whether or not to take them down, we would have missed them.

And then, right after that, we were walking around just trying to find some people, and I felt like we should knock a door. So it took us awhile, but we finally got to it, and a white dude opened up the door. My first though was "oh, great..." but he turned out to be very interested and as we taught him a mini version of the restoration, I could see it in his face, it made sense!!! We have to hand him off to the English but I'm glad we found him.

Then later on Saturday I legitimately got hit on my a 40 year old mexican woman!!! UGH!!! We tried teaching her, and she just kept going off about how good looking I was for more than half an hour... NASTAY!!!! As we were walking away, there was a chick with bright red dyed hair smoking a cigarette in a stairwell, so I said "Hey how's it going."

And then yesterday we got to teach HHHH's family (the ones who remind me of Eric) and it went really well. I am excited to see where they go.

Aight guys I gotta go! Love you!

Editor's Note:  If we correctly gather the little information that we have, it seems that Elder Jorgensen may need some prosthetic services as he apparently is working his butt off and did not have time to email home this week...stay tuned

Wow I blinked and this week was over... I don't know where the time went. I have already been in this area 2 weeks and it feels like I just left Nike (what all the other missionaries call my greenie area) yesterday... somebody... slow it down...

So it was a pretty good week... Elder Goff and I taught 23 lessons... we are teaching a girl on FB who lives in Mexico!! That is weird!! Also yesterday was a very powerful experience... Yesterday all of the missionaries of the OPM fasted so that we can find more people to teach, because compared with other Stateside missions, our mission finds about half of what others average. So the last couple weeks President Morby has been sending some very inspiring emails about how we just need to buckle in and work hard... and I've gotta say yesterday I felt the power of fasting for those news. We were working down in Sandy, our Sunday run (Sandy is part of our area by Mount Hood... but it is like 30 minutes away so we only go out once a week). And we didn't have anything set up, just a lot of potentials we could pass by, so we'd knock a door, and I was just feeling more bold than usual, and after chitchatting I'd bluntly ask them if we could come in and share a message. Usually with knocking we don't do that because being that bold with Hispanics tends to scare them off... But all 3 times I asked, we got in and taught a powerful lesson on the restoration. The second one was to a 16 year old named LLLL... he is the son of FFFF, the dude we found last week because we were in a trailer park and I saw a house and just felt like we should knock it. LLLL was very polite and receptive to us, he reminds me a lot of Eric. The only problem was that we don't usually carry around English BOMs with us... and he didn't understand Spanish very well... but I wanted to leave him with something to read, so I asked him if I left him with my English BOM, the one I've had since I was baptized, if he would read it and take good care of it until next week when we go back. He said yes. I was kind of hesitant to do it at first but I just felt like it was something I should do... So I hope it pays off.

Elder Goff and I get along really well.... I like it!! Wes I expect to hear some stories and maybe see some videos of you putting ish down for the Kavemen. Give the 4x4 a try once. I promise you'll like it.

Not much else has happened this week... no real funny stories...

The ward did have a "fiesta" this week... but I am very biased now about Ward Fiestas because my first week in the field was La Noche internacional...

and nothing can live up to that. I took some pictures and I'll send them to you guys next week when I have more time.

Mom... to answer your questions... yep I'm still pretty stressed. Mostly because I'm just terrible with street layouts and I don't know my way around too well... but also because there is a lot to do in this area. I'm doing lots of praying and fasting but... eh. My new abode is an apartment. There are laundry machines on the complex so I've been using those... I'll need to take some money off the card for quarters though. We have a car... there are only 2 areas in the Spanish aspect of the mission that don't have their own car, they do a car share, but those are up in the ward and I'll probably never go back there.

OH yeah something else cool this week. So we were at District meeting, and President Morby

was doing interviews in the same building, but he took like 5 minutes and pulled our entire district aside, and told us how much he cares about the Spanish aspect of the mission and how he is looking to us to set the trend and elevate mission standards... Sooo... no pressure or anything. It was inspiring though, the spirit was extremely strong.

Aight I can't think of anything else... I'll try to send you guys some pictures next week. Love yall

Elder Travis Jorgensen

Familia!!!

Wow I have a lot to tell you guys... I don't know where to start! I guess I'll start off with a vent about the culture shock I am going through...  Yesterday was only my 2nd church meeting in English since I've left home... It's weird.

other funny stories... oh today we were going to check the mail and I looked at Elder Goff and said, "Elder, I feel like you got a love letter today." I was joking... he just looked at me and was like yeah, right! but then he got one!!! I was laughing pretty hard..

Oh yeah that's the other thing I wanted to tell you guys about... I CAN'T FREAKING STAY THE FREAK AWAKE!!!! I don't understand!!! I'm being a lot better about going to bed than I was last transfer, I'm sleeping... alright... but just anytime I sit down I fall asleep!!! Yesterday, driving to like the border of our area, (30ish minutes) I was falling asleep in the middle of trying to talk with Elder Goff!!! Like literally I'd be in the middle of a sentence and just... bam... doze off!!! I need more engergy!!!!

Ok... enough venting... this week was pretty good. Tough. But good. Elder Goff is a hard worker and we are going to tear this area up. We did a lot of knocking and teaching on people's doorsteps this week. Like, a lot. This area seems pretty similar to Beaverton West... we have lots of people we could contact, but none of them are really interested. Yesterday we saw a miracle happen. We were out in Sandy, making the rounds of people we know over there, because we only drive out there once a week, so we'd been knocking for a good 2 hours and hadn't taught anyone yet. We got lots of "you can come back next sunday" but no one let us in... and we were about to leave the trailer home we were in, but I looked at a house and felt like we should go knock it. So, we did. I asked the people if we could share a message with them, and they let us in and we talked for an hour and a half, and they really liked the first lesson. To me it was miraculous because I have been praying so hard to find someone who is prepared and willing to receive this Gospel and I think yesterday was an answer to those prayers.

Elder Goff is the bomb. We have been running most mornings... it's only 3 miles but I'll take it. We talk about running and racing all the time and we get along pretty well... I'm excited to see the work we get done together.

Oh last thing actually yesterday sacrament meeting was also pretty powerful. I honestly have been feeling overwhelmed this week because everywhere I go, people are just talking about how great of a missionary Elder Katzenbach is and I have just been feeling overwhelmed. But yesterday almost every single person who got up to bear their testimony talked about how we have trials so we can grow... and I think Heavenly Father was trying to send me a message that I just need to keep going.

Aight guys... hope you get feeling better. I love y'all.

Elder Travis Jorgensen

FIRST TRANSFER!!
Editor's note...  this is a week late, due to a number of things, mostly on the editor's side.  We should get another letter from him today, but here is the latest from Elder T Jorg:

Guys I'm not going to lie I am stressing right now

... I'll tell you about me week and then hopefully I won't sound like I'm whining...

So, as you know... I left Beaverton West yesterday... And last week in our area was freaking rough. CCCC relapsed and started drinking... twice. I taught him some very powerful lessons on the Atonement, I felt the Spirit work through me, and I could see the desire to change in his eyes. But still... it's not good that he relapsed. Also the WWWW family had a tough week. We usually teach them on Monday nights, but last Monday we had something else pop up so we didn't get to see them until Saturday after one of our lessons with CCCC. Now, just to recap, they were doing super good. Before this week they had FINALLY started coming to Church for a couple weeks, they'd been through the Temple, and both of the parents were starting to get their own testimonies that God does indeed know and love all of us individually

.But when we saw Hno WWWW on Saturday... he was clearly being weighed down by some problems. He told us he and his wife had been fighting, and the Spirit was not in their home. We started talking and I shared some scriptures with them about the power of the Atonement, and we watched some Mormon Messages about how marriage is ordained of God,

and Hno WWWW just started bawling. They were doing so good. And it was right after that lesson that I received the phone call that I would be leaving... and really all there is to say sometimes is AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!! Leaving was freaking hard, I didn't like it at all. However, on Sunday night we did eat dinner with the WWWW family, and we also passed CCCC , so it was like my first day all over again, just a lot more painful.

The good thing about leaving is that I got a new companion... The funny thing is this whole last transfer I was asking President Morby to leave me in Beaverton West, because I still felt like I had more to do, and I felt like the pros of staying outweighed the cons of another transfer with Morrison.  Elder Laing, my comp from the MTC, came up and replaced me in Beaverton so when Morrison goes home after this transfer I know the area is in good hands.

So that's part of the reason I am stressing, because my area had a really fragile week and I just care about those people so much. The other reason I am stressing out is because of my new area... I got moved to Milwaukie, and the work is completely different. I went from a functioning ward to trying to start up a group. And I guess I'd be ok with that except for the Elder who I replaced is known in the mission for being one of the hardest working and best missionaries in the mission. He was a District leader and yesterday he got moved to a Zone Leader... He and Elder Goff, my new companion, were together for 6 months. They opened this area up together and got things going off the ground, and Elder Katzenbach, (the Elder who left) left some very big shoes for me to fill. On Sunday night there was a baptism in the ward that we went to, and President Morby came, and told me he needed me where I was going, that it was hard work and that I'd be amazed at all the miracles I'd be able to see. I didn't really pay much attention... I was still to sad about leaving, but now that I am here I understand. This area is going to require the best of me. And I am stressed because I don't know if, even after the best I have to give, it will be enough to give this area what it needs. I just feel kind of overwhelmed....

Ok on a positive note... My new companion!!! Elder Goff!!! He is 18 and we were in Mexico together!!!! He and his trainer Elder Katzenbach were together for 6 months, I am only his second companion out in the field. Anyways... in HS Elder Goff liked soccer and XC and Track... and so far we have been getting along very well. We went running this morning:D

My new address is

12200 SE Mcloughlin Blvd #6303

Milwaukie, Or 97222 (not sure on the Zip... you might wanna double check:) And it seems safe to send packages to. And in the package you guys are going to send me any books or anything besides that... I DON'T HAVE ROOM FOR THEM!!! Mom, you are a genius,

thank you for sending that tote, without it, when I moved I would have been screwed!!!! And even with it... it was hard to get things to fit!!! I have decided that I don't like packing...

Oh I stopped talking about Elder Goff. I am super excited. He is chill and we have been getting along and we're gonna work hard together.! I have some stuff to send you in a package.. the only problem is that I don't know if I'll be able to get to the post office today or if it will have to wait until next week.. but it's ready!!! Wesley I'm not going to make this deadline... I'm sorry. Well, I could, but it wouldn't be a letter with anything good in it. If you want a good letter that will make you laugh and think I'm stupid, you gotta wait until I have time to write it... and this week, I don't have time!!!

Good luck in your new calling!!

Love, 

Elder Travis Jorgensen