Sunday, December 8, 2013

I've been transferred - Here's my new address

November 25, 2013

I'M GETTING TRANSFERRED! STOP SENDING ME LETTER AND PACKAGES TO THAT ADDRESS! My new address is:

Hermana Ashlyn Jorgensen
1769 Raleigh Ct. W. 31B
Ocean, New Jersey 07712


This week... hmm thank you grandma and grandpa jorgensen for the package.. I LOVED IT! As well as Lori and Millie, it just made my life! This week has been good. Just did everything the same here, ya know missionary work. Well It was starting to become the end of the week and EVERYONE like all the missionaries were like you are definitely out of here, you are going to get transferred. So i started getting a little sad, but then I was just like nahhh I will have faith and stay! BUT sometimes you just have a feeling if you are going to leave, that usually means you are going to leave! So Thursday morning my companion got a call from president jeppson and he asked her if she would train a new missionary! SO... that means I am for sure getting transferred! So, Friday morning she had to go to a meeting in Morrison. That meant that I did an exchange with a  sister missionary who only spoke English. Her name is sister gaihe. She's from the Philippians! I was super nervous because 1 she is super quiet and it would be awkward and then 2 literally no one is going to help me with this lesson because she doesn't speak Spanish! Well, she came and we were just sitting in our house doing studies, and she is SUPER quiet. So i just started to talk to her, she told me how both of her parents died, shes paying for herself to be out here, and she is the only member in her family.. I seriously just LOVE her. I don't know why but I just absolutely love her. We went and taught the investigator victor, and I talked all by myself! hahah He is going to be baptized in 3 weeks! YAY! I wont be here.. but that's okay! I truly saw the Lords help during this lesson, and the Lord showing me how to love!

 So Saturday night we had a branch dinner for thanksgiving! A mariachi band showed up! hahah IT WAS SO FUN! Gosh it was great this branch i LOVE THEM. It comes Sunday and I was getting a little sad. The branch Presidente asked me to get up and share my testimony... UHHH i cant speak Spanish!! But i did it! At the end I looked at my favorite members hermana bravo and hazmen.. and they are both crying.. so then oh of course i just LOSE it! I just start crying and then I hurry and finish up! So I was saying my goodbyes to the members and after church we went to la Familia Bravos for "the last supper" as I'd like to call it :) haha And we all had tamales! I shared morni 7:46-48 with them and told them how grateful i was for the love that they showed me. The true charity! Then after we took some pictures.. and i was like well.. i gotta go, and right when i said that hermana bravo (the mom) (my literal favorite member ever) just turns around and starts crying.. We hugged and I was like slowly walking away but she wouldn't look at me she just sat and cried in her husbands arms.. it honestly BROKE my heart! So then later that night we took Hazmen (that young woman that i love)  as a team up for the last time to see Edwin our investigator.  After we were dropping her off and i got out of the car to hug her and she just started crying and hugging me.. She just couldn't stop saying thank you... SO then after we left and we went home. We did some nightly planning and then I went into a room where I can say my prayers out loud and I sat on my knees and thought about what I was going to report back to the Lord. I knew I was going to ask Him why He sent me to Passaic and why I didn't baptize anyone.. I feel like I had no purpose there.. Then I started my prayer and right when I was about to ask I started crying instantly.. I am so incredibly sad to leave this area. I LOVE the members and I love my companion, and I love the area. I knew right then I was sent here to be able to learn how to love. Through these members and my past companions, i have been able to feel the love of the Savior. I didn't think that it would be hard leaving or switching areas, but honestly it has been very hard for me. Everyone always says out here that you can not serve a mission if you do not love the people. I LOVE the people I serve. I know the Lord knew that I would be going through a hard 6 beginning months in my mission. The only thing that has gotten me through so far is from the love that I feel from you guys, from my mission president, my companions, these members, and the love I have for them. My trial in the beginning 6 months was hard, add onto that I didn't baptize anyone. BUT I am content with how I feel. I feel my Savior's love. I love this work. I love this church. I love the members of Passaic. I am nervous to leave but I know everything will be alright! The Savior has it all under control! 

Well I forgot my water bottle at The Bravos house and so I had to go back today.. awkward right I already said bye... But i went back and gave them a letter and a picture to Hermana Bravo. So we were there for 5 minutes and I gave her the picture, and she just stared at me... Then started bawling again and just hugged me.. :( This time i cried in front of her and told her that it would all be okay! She said she knows but it is really hard for her... ughhh broke my heart!) They have only been members for 3 years! They are AMAZING. I promised her I'd be back to visit next November! So I already made plans I'm coming back in November!  I told her I'd bring my family! Hermana Bravo is honestly the sweetest, nicest, greatest person I have been privileged to know. Its hard to explain how much I love her over email, or our relationship, but let me just tell you family she took care of me out here. 

 Now I'm just packing up today and then tonight I'm going to Newark to do the FEAR BUSTER for the brand new missionaries! The brand new missionaries get taken straight to the heart of Newark right after they step off the plane and we go contacting with them! It will be fun but COLD!  I'm excited! I'M DOING GREAT! I love this mission business! I'm getting fat, its getting cold, but I LOVE THE LORD. i love you guys.


Gonna miss this girl.


The great Bravo family.



Goodbye to Hazmen :(


My great companion.


HANDMADE LOVE

November 18 2013

oh my gosh Julia.. is absolutely GORGEOUS. tell her to write me :)

So this letter might be scattered but I'm just going to tell 3 stories! the first one is great! So sister garn and i visit this old lady who speaks English.. (its more of a service) but we share the gospel of course with her.. I don't know how to explain her she literally knows EVERYTHING about the gospel and temple and stuff we do inside.. all from dreams... shes 82!! Anyways i ADORE HER. I absolutely have grown to just LOVE HER. So we see her twice a week and she calls us "her 2 beautiful angels" nothing else. Literally doesn't even know our names! No one goes and visits her and literally she has no one. Since being here she has made me 2 hats and 2 scarfs! Hand knitted! Well, she found out that I'm most likely leaving in a week (cause i told her) hahah so she wanted to give us our Christmas presents early.. drumm roollll A BEAUTIFUL SWEATER! hand knitted.. She pretty much cried when we put them on, she just couldn't believe she made them! haha It is SO ITCHY! But we wore it out of her house.. :)you've got to just love her! you'll see pictures :) oh yeah and shes from Syria.. COOL RIGHT?!


So another cool story from last week! So last week we had an appt with Edwin on Thursday. On Thursdays we don't have our car and he lives a good 20 minute drive or over an hour walk. So we decided to take the train to Rutherford (a city not much closer to him we just wanted to take the train haha) Then since the train only comes at a certain time we were there way early and decided to do some of our weekly planning in a little cafe! It was a super cute cafe with yummy snicker doodles! Then we ended up contacting the guy who works there (hes a new investigator). Then walked (still an hour long walk) to see Edwin and it was freezing cold and pitch black. When we get there and he ISN'T HOME! We called him and he told us he couldn't see us that night and gave us a bunch of lame excuses. So we just looked at each other like there is no way we just walked to Moonachie for no reason, just to walk back. So we said a prayer. There HAS to be a reason we were there. Someone in that area needs the gospel. So we decided to try a referral from the English sisters close by. But Hermana Jorgensen has to use the bathroom so we decided to just knock to see if she cold use the bathroom and we found out that Americans are SO rude! Every time we ask an American if we can come in or use the bathroom they say no and just shut the door. Then we find this Colombian woman and ask if we can use the bathroom and she says yes! So we go inside and are talking to her and her husband and she makes us delicious dinner and then after the lesson we tell them we have to go because we have to walk an hour back to Rutherford to get a train home and they offered to give us a ride! They were the nicest people ever! They were seriously an answer to our prayer. It was really cool and we just gave a prayer of thanks that night. We really were so grateful for them. We know that God wanted us to go to Moonachie. Maybe not to see Edwin and even if Dolly and Chargoy don't get baptized, we learned a lesson. We are so grateful for that experience. And we can say we rode the train :) 
Okay now the next story is a little spiritual!

SO we had this noche de hogar (family home evening) with the ward. Well they wanted to watch a movie and then have the missionaries talk about it.. why i ask you?  Well the movie was about.. TEEN PREGNANCY.. haha like what the heck? Who shows that at a family night for the whole branch? Worst idea ever! But we just did as they said and as companionship's we prepared something to teach and talk about with the people. So we all sit down and literally the prophet comes on.. talking about the temple.. HAHA we all just looked at each other and were beyond confused! No warning or anything and we all had to get up in front of everyone.. individually and talk about what was just said in the video.. the Spanish video.. haha Who actually knows what they said! But we all did our part.. nervous as ever! But then the elders asked if they could show this video called "enduring love" on lds.org go look it up.. its about love obviously well there are no words so we watched it.. of course.. I'M JUST CRYING! haha me and 1 other person were crying. Well one set of elders who found the video get up and start talking about it. Through out them talking one of the elders started crying and the other elder was telling his story about his mom. His mom was in an accident 7 years ago and was in a coma and is completely not the same person she was before. He talked about how she will become perfect and how because there family is sealed all is okay. So, then of course the spirit is just incredibly strong. I felt impressed that I should get up there.. who knows WHY?! haha Why the hey would i volunteer to get up in front of everyone to speak Spanish which i don't even know how to speak.. but i got up there.. not knowing exactly what i was gonna say. But then, I spoke about aunt Kellie and little Ellie and how hard it was for them and for Chauncey but because they are sealed everything is okay. I struggled of course telling this story in Spanish because one crying and two talking is hard.. crying and trying to think of how to say it in Spanish and the saying it.. IMPOSSIBLE!  Then it happened with the help of people who could help me translate a little but everyone pretty much was crying.. Maybe this story wasn't significant to you guys or to them.. but to me i have learned that there is no other place i will be than in the temple with my husband to be sealed for time and all eternity. I know that God loves us. He has given us temples to do his work but also to be sealed for time and all eternity. I got on my knees that night and just so many thoughts were racing through my mind about my family I have now (you guys) and how grateful I am that my parents had made this decision to get sealed. People don't understand the importance about well first of all families and second of all being SEALED for eternity. I love my family. I cherish our relationships and for as nephi would say "goodly parents" that have held us strong to the rod! i love you guys i hope you have a beautiful week!


ps. super jealous of you guys going to china... I WANT TO GO!


It's getting cold!

November 14, 2013





YAY! emailing! late.. sorry! Holiday Monday.. dads birthday :) HAPPY BIRTHDAY BTW! then Tuesday interview with the mission president and then Wednesday my comp had the flu! but Thursday I'm on :)

Thank you SOOO much for your conversion story dad.. just cried reading it... and then reread it like 10 times and every time before i go to bed.. not lying! haha can you just believe it I AM FAMOUS! Mom that's cool that sister Johnson gave you a copy of the News.  I didn't know i was going to be on there and one day we were at a members house and I asked to borrow there ipad to look up a talk she clicked on the news and next thing you know i see liberty island something so i clicked it and BOOM ME!!! i just DIED! haha the member just laughed cause I couldn't believe i was so famous!

I was going through all of our investigators that we have and out of the 7 investigators.. 6 of them are from different countries! They are all from Cuba, Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, Columbia, and the Dominican Republic! cool huh?! Everyone has a different accent its hard to adjust to them!

Hazmin and her littler sister come out tracting with us.. yes shes six.. yes we hold hands as we go.. and YES everyone shuts the doors in our faces... one time i plain out said RUDE! and my comp hit me cause i shouldn't say that hahah but the people are just MEAN!

Its been ever so cold here! A member on Monday did mine and sister Garns nails for free! And then I went shopping with Kat and Gus :) (not everyday you go shopping with your first counselor of your branch) hahah Kat's sister works at jc penny so i got a discount! There was a jacket for 200 dollars and it was on sale for 100 dollars and then Kat's sister got me 30 more dollars off! SO i spent 70 dollars on a 200 dollar jacket :) I just felt wonderful! I bought 2 other skirts from Marshall's with some of the extra money! I have a lot left over but I'm waiting to see if i need to buy more scarfs or stuff like that!  DONT KNOW WHAT IM GOING TO DO IN WINTER! I tried running in place one morning inside... LOST MY MIND! haha i hope you can just imagine me saying this!

Spiritual note. I finished the BOM 2 days ago for the second time :) yeah its true :) I'm in 1st nephi 16 already! Its crazy how fast I've been going through it, but how much i am truly learning. President said something interesting to me. He said sister Jorgensen are you really a missionary? or are you just doing missionary things? WELL you better believe i left thinking heck am i a missionary or am i just doing missionary things? ( he said it to everyone and says it every time but this time just hit me) SO now I'm working on being a missionary. I'm done worry about MY relationship with God and Jesus Christ, I'm working on bringing OTHERS to a perfect relationship with their Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ. There is always something to change being out here on your mission. I feel as if I am never living up to what God truly sees me as. But I am trying.. Everyday is hard work and I'm tried. BUT I am thankful that I came on my mission and was given this opportunity to notice that I need to change and allow my Heavenly Father to sculpt me into the person he had created before i came to mortality. If i was at home i would have never realized that i need to change everyday into what HE wants me to be instead of what the WORLD wants me to be. God lives. He loves us. He has created us. We need to stop being selfish and repent, allow Him to mold us into that precious child He want us to be. This Gospel is true. There could  be nothing more important in this world than to live it everyday. i love you guys. ill talk to you Monday :)

ps- can you believe i just wrote all those spiritual thoughts? haha who would of thunk maybe i am changing a little :) hahah




leaves! 




i gave out dads little southwest packets :) they LOVED THEM!



jersey strong :) my jacket! my nails!



me and my comp doing weekly planning in a cafe :)

me and isabel tracting! Sister Garn, Hazmin, and isable and i! love those girls :)



Night of Mischief and Halloween

November 4, 2013


This week.. hmmm welll proud to say I handed out my first polish Book of Mormon! at 6 am. might i add :) We see this guy every single morning when we go running around this track and he always tries to talk to us but literally he speaks NO ENGLISH or spanish.. So one morning we brought him a Polish Book Of Mormon! He gave us a thumbs up so.. haha who knows! Its fall here and super pretty don't worry I have at least 1000 photos of trees... hahah yep :) THANK YOU FOR THE SALSA AND ALL THE TREATS! I truly did feel the love. *As a side note, Mark met Kat and Gus when he had an overnight in Newark and brought goodies for Ashlyn, from home.  Kat and Gus just adored Dad. They talked very highly of you! and they kept saying we can totally tell that he is your dad because you both make the same facial expressions and say some of the same things! I was proud :)

This week I went on an exchange with a sister training leader... WOW it made me really miss my comp. I also left my area for the first time ever.. so it made me miss my area! The sister training leaders are so sweet..  I learned a lot! The Newark chapel is GORGEOUS! Also mom did you get that thing i forwarded to you.. I'm on the church news website! yep I'm FAMOUS!

This week my companion and I prayed and "sought revelation" for assigning all of the visiting teaching! Hardest things of our lives.. but we did it. We also taught the Relief Society lesson.. called all of them unto repentance! haha Probably my favorite thing to do out here! I did it all in Spanish yay me! Spanish is coming.. at least that's what everyone in the ward says. I'm a little bit more confident in it, that's why its coming probably.

Our investigator Edwin.. Hes great. I think I've talked about him before. But He will be baptized soon... yeah! HARD ONE! BUT he is living the word of wisdom he gave smoking up so we just need to work a little harder with him! He has already given out 2 Spanish Book Of Mormons and an English one! Hes also given us 2 referrals! He is great! Just needs some time to rearrange his lifestyle! 

This week was crazy different than usual! On the 30th and 31st we weren't allowed to go out past 6 at night! The 30th.. is considered the night of mischief supposedly people are crazy that night and like to egg peoples houses and cars and people. Everything gets stolen and its just bad! Well we didn't really believe that but we woke up on the 31st and yep the member who lives beneath us her car got egged and I just found a huge bag of weed outside our house... CRAZY! haha Then the 31st.. couldn't do ANYTHING cause literally EVERYONE thought we were trick or treaters.. offered so much candy.. hahah then we tried to offer back the Book of Mormon.. they didnt seem to like our offer hahah but whatever that's life!

I'm doing good.  I'M FINE :) i miss you all. you all look just fabulous. and i cant wait to talk to you next week! expect a letter father for your birthday!!!!

Love You all




Companion Study at a cemetery filled with beautiful fall leaves.



Our running path, so beautiful.  


Saturday, November 2, 2013

Baby's bday Say What 16


October 28th, 2013

wow Lexi's mission just sounds incredible. How does that even happen that she gets to see all those people.. Jealous! 

Can i just tell you this random A.D.D. moment i had this week. I just randomly remembered when Preston got his leg stuck in the metal fence at Disney world and it took him forever to get it out! and we finally got it out... and he sticks it back in!!! HAHAHA i cant stop laughing whenever i think of things like that! Hope you guys had fun in Disney for baby's bday.

Anyways this week was great, how about dad called Kat and it just so happened that i was with her!(Kat is the wife of the 1st counselor in the Bishopric.  She told Ashlyn she would pick up a package from Mark when he was on an overnight in NJ, so he called to set up the handoff :)) We brought her as a team up to teach our investigator with us! I was literally talking all about you dad and just the whole family and then she goes "omg a las Vegas number is calling me what if its your dad.?" I was driving so i couldn't even look at the number but she answered and i could slightly hear his voice, well not really just like i don't know just the typical way dad would answer the phone and i knew it was him and instantly my eyes tear up!!! I WAS DYING!! but don't worry I'm not distracted! They are excited to meet you, i truly love them!

  We had zone conference and we were "inspired" by my dear mission president and other missionaries! I actually LOVE  going to those cause i love being with other missionaries, seriously some of the missionaries in the mission are just absolutely the strongest people i have ever met! It is incredible the testimonies people have and you would all be surprise i actually get up and bear my testimony in front of everyone almost every time! haha what has gotten into me? I'm just this spiritual giant that no one even knows about! 

This week has been hard finding people.. we found NO new investigators.. we have one right now and he is really progressing he just cant handle the word of wisdom so its a little frustrating! The imlays sent me a package i sure love them. I am so happy for Chaddy. I really do remember when he texted me that! I called him later that night after i got his text and he told me the story and cried! it honestly was when he got his testimony. Heavenly Father loves his children.

We had a noche de hispanidad! So I'm in a district and there are 3 branches and between 3 branches we have 37 different nationalities! So you can only imagine how fun that night was! We had so many different types of food, ritual dances and songs and just EVERYTHING! President Jeppson was there and he played his guitar he was jammin! He is amazing! Videos to show you when i return.. in a year almost exactly as of tomorrow :) haha yay! The missionaries all got up and sang called to serve.. SOOO typical. 

 But oh here's my new "assignment" for me and my comp! SO literally NO ONE has visiting teaching.. Less actives show up to church and people act like they are brand new and they make them stand up and introduce themselves as new and they get really offended and hurt.. WELL we are kind of frustrated with it cause it happened like 3 times in a row to less actives that have been showing up for like 9 Sundays in a row! (btw just looking at the rude born again christian staring at me again) SO we make an appt with the relief society president and we tell her who needs visiting teachers who doesn't have them and like just focused on specific people... WELL yep guess who has a new assignment me and my comp! WE are teaching relief society in Spanish next week about visiting teaching. haha cant be mad about it though because i literally asked if we could because I'm so tired of their lack of visiting teaching! AND now currently me and my comp are praying and assigning EVERYONE in relief society a new companion and people to see..feeling a little stressed about it, and it is  SERIOUSLY THE HARDEST THING ever. BUT we wanted to do it because we want this branch to keep growing. Our branch president loves us! We went to his house yesterday for a AWKWARD lesson with his whole full grown family that fell away from the church but he bore his testimony yesterday and cried and said how grateful he is for us and the motivation and improvement he has seen in the branch since we have come in.

Its babies birthday! YOU TELL HER I LOVE HER! and share the knee story with pressy haha tell him i love him for writing me :) i love them all.

Anyways I'm excited for dad to be so close I'm actually gonna be in Newark at 4 tomorrow.. hah SO CLOSE! but i love you all .I'm doing good i promise. This gospel is true. My heart is sold on it. My testimony is strong and i love this work. love you all! xoxxx hasta la proxima!

ps. so its "fall" but i swear it is winter.. 

Sharing what I've learned


October 21, 2013

 This might be a short email but sorry! This week was great. We went on that splits like i had mentioned before and umm yeah it was BLEHHHHHH. Could I communicate with the lady that was with me.. NO! 

So Ive been feeling a little sad that Ive been here for like almost 5 months and I haven't had a baptism yet.. So I'm not quite sure what my purpose is or what help i actually am doing for this area... but yesterday at church kind of helped me see my purpose. So we take this girl out Haz, who is 17 years old and is a senior in high school.. i don't know if i have ever talk about her. But She has been struggling. BUT we have been taking her on team ups with us to go and teach people, and then after I always just talk to her and share like a spiritual thought with her. Well recently she has just been like unloading when she gets in the car like all her problems and stuff. I have been just giving her advice and talking to her about pretty much all of my problems i have had and she just opens up. Well I didn't really think that it mattered that much that she has been coming out. BUT yesterday Gus (1 counselor of the branch) asked her if she would come up and share her favorite scripture and her testimony. She got up there and was like well to be honest with everyone here I don't have a favorite scripture because well I don't read the scriptures.. (shocked when she said that...) (proud of her though to admit it) BUT then she said but my testimony, that, i can say i have. She said i would like to say that i have gained a testimony because i have been going out with the sister missionaries. She said one time, after we taught someone, we got in the car and i was just talking with sister jorgensen and i told her i didn't have a testimony and she snapped at me and said haz do you believe in God? i said yes.. She said that he lives? That he is your father? I said yes... She said do you believe that he loves you? I said yes.. She said do you know that Jesus is the Christ? That he died for you? I said yes.. She said now haz don't you ever tell me again that you don't have a testimony. Even though it may be simple it is the strongest testimony. Haz then continued and said I want to bear my testimony (started crying) That I know God lives and that even though it maybe be a simple small testimony, i can now say that i have one. I am grateful for sister jorgensen and her example to me and for the sister missionaries allowing me to go with them... She continued her testimony and during it all i just had tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat and for one split second i felt like i was being an effective missionary.. That night i texted her that i loved her and told her to not forget to pray, and she wrote back and said " i love you too, thank you to both of you, i have seen a change in my life, and i am grateful that i got the chance to get know you both." I just love that girl. It is weird how if i never came on my mission i would have never met her.. I have funny stories from this week but no time to write them, lets just say i ended up in Manhattan once again on my mission.. NOT ALLOWED but the boat that we thought was right for liberty island was WRONG so yeah whoops! haha 

hey fam i love you all. ! LOVE YOU! tell baby i love her and to have the best birthday ever. also tell bubba that he is the best brother for always writing me when he doesn't have to! i love you too Lexi! mom and dad. goodness i love you both as well :) oh also Austin (you remember him my friend ya know Austin) yeah he got his mission call to CAMBODIA!! crazy!

Hermana dos

Say What!!! FALL is Amazing


Friday, November 1, 2013

FALL HAS ARRIVED


October 16,2013

sooo SORRY I couldn't email this week on Monday because it was Christopher Columbus day... LAME! I KNOW! But its okay :) Here's my story for the week, so sorry that they aren't as spiritual as Lexi's. I cant seem to find that here, in Jersey, the apostles don't just frolic here in dirty jerz like they do in the promise land :) haha I wish I was kidding but I'm not! ANYWAYS


So lets just get it over with.. the awkward days of missionary work! SO we have a less active, named Marth. SUPER LESS ACTIVE. So we get call from her on Wednesday night and she says hey can you and the elders come over so they can give a blessing. We were like oh yeah, thinking this is just great she is asking for a blessing using the priesthood like yes!! Well we had to arrange it with the elders to come over, because they couldn't come in the house without another man because she just lives with her 2 daughters. So, they call it a "team up"(they have to have other men assist), and then they had to ask President if it was okay to drive that day because it is technically our "walking day" . But President said it was okay. So we show up, Me and Sister Garn, to her house and we ring the doorbell... no answer.. We see the elders "team up" pull up but no elders. So we ring again and no answer. We called her and asked her where she was and she said, "Oh I'm at work, and i won't be home but that's okay cause the blessing is for Priscilla..." seriously Priscilla is her 22 years old daughter who I have "taught" before and she has NO INTEREST WHATSOEVER. I was kind of like hmm that's weird but okay. So Abby (her youngest daughter who is a member) comes and gets the door and it is just awkward cause she doesn't understand why we are there.. We told her the elders were coming to give Priscilla a blessing (who has a cyst on her neck that the doctors don't know what it is) She said okay come in... So we came in and Priscilla was in the kitchen cooking and saw us and was like uhh.. hi? We were like HI?  Your mom said you needed or wanted a blessing? She was like umm I have no idea what you are talking about... So she goes back in the kitchen and just leaves us awkwardly sitting in her living room (which is right by the kitchen) and I over heard her call her mom. She was like, "Mom why did you do this? I hate your religion. I don't even like the missionaries. And then some swear words were streamed into her yelling.. haha Then she started rambling in Spanish and yeah.. AWKWARD! So the elders finally show up and they were like hey! So we are here to give you a blessing! And I had text them before they arrived and told them everything that happened so they came in and were like Okay... Priscilla You need a blessing? Were you sick or something? She was like yeah I don't know why my mom asked you to come I just had the flu thats it.. When she said that I was about to be like NO YOU LIAR! YOU HAVE A CYST STOP MAKING YOUR MOM LOOK BAD! Anyways long story short She denied the blessing and we just taught her about the Book Of Mormon... And we asked her about faith and the bible and what she believes. To make this long story short she said.. "The Bible is like a fairytale. Its just full of stories and fairy tales, and love stuff and dumb stuff and you can make it what you want." .... hmmm not exactly but whatever! I mean I've never read the whole Bible but I sure as heck know it isn't a fairy tale book...  Then we asked her if she had any religion or beliefs and she was like ya know I have been really studying religion and I think I'm gonna go into Buddhism... None of us knew what to say... hahah Sorry this is so long BUT needless to say this lesson was a DISASTER! We had a "team up" with us and everything... SO AWKWARD! My comp and I are going back there tonight for the first time so this could be interesting! 

We had transfers yesterday and umm can we just get a moment of silence... SISTER GARN AND I GOT A NEW CAR! 2014 Cruz!! Yeah we are riding in style... 26 miles on it :) SPOILED HERE IN JERSEY! Okay also Megan Larsen from our home stake is in my mission! NO ONE TOLD ME!!! Still here in Passaic! I'm serving here for 6 months! I want to serve here another transfer after this one.. SO EVERYONE START PRAYING NOW!!

 I have to give a training to like 8 other missionaries on Friday about having faith.. JUST A LITTLE NERVOUS! haha but its been good for me to prepare for this because it has been helping me! Oh also today I am going on splits with a member in my ward who doesn't speak English AT ALL! To see someone who doesn't speak English at all either... WISH ME LUCK! Spanish is KILLING ME! but its okay I am understanding it! THE MISSION LIFE IS GREAT! hey i love you all! Thank you Lori and Millie for your letter and grandma for always faithfully writing me :) 
LOVE YOU ALL!

beautiful fall leaves :) not my area, I'm more in a city! Megan Larsen from our home stake!



Loved Conference

October 7, 2013


Okay how about this! You know sister Atkinson right? well she was "sister" Atkinson but she went home! When she was here i would talk about Africa all the time! She called me and asked me for the name of HELP International and everything like months ago. So I gave it to her, and she called me last Monday and was like soo you are gonna be so mad but I'm going to AFRICA!! (cause i told her to wait for me) but she said I'm going to MBALE! They just called me tonight like 1 hour ago and said "im on the team" haha I laughed! She goes I told them you referenced me and everything and Candice they lady that works at the office said she remembered me! AHHH i just died talking to her telling her all the places she needs to go and see and what to expect... it made me really miss Africa.... But hey look at me recommending people to do good :) 

Some high lights of the week! Well Tuesday night we taught our investigator Edwin who is 24 and I never really have a lot of faith in him because he is 24 single working in new york city.. i mean ya know..  Just hard to have faith BUT we had a wonderful zone meeting all about faith and that is our monthly focus and it is great! So i was a little over board on the whole faith situation, i was on such a spiritual high! haha Well we get into his house and this is the second time we have met with him and he was just a little sketchy about reading and praying.  He was like ya wanna know something cool and sister Garn and I were like yeah. He was like this past week my cousin called me who lives in the DR and he needs money, and he said I always promised my family I would send them money if they needed. So he goes on to say the next day he went and played the lottery, and right when he said that i was just like OH MY GOSH.. no we cant do that.. hahah Anyways he said i played the lottery and i never win. I play only every once in a while (that's good) he said I NEVER win. Well i put the lottery ticket on the fridge and forgot about it, He said that next day he went to the same gas stations to buy a drink and the guy at the front desk said Edwin you won the lottery ticket! He said right when the guy said that he thought for a second how that was a blessing and that he won that money to send to his family, and how he never wins. He said it was weird because instantly he thought of us, and what we had talked about.. he said i couldn't get it out of my mind, the conversation that we talked about. (we talked about how god is real and prayers and miracles can happen) He said he read some of the BOM and liked it... and sorry to leave you there but we have an appt. with him on Tuesday so! haha i will update you later!

I loved General Conference didn't watch it like the usual! SIster Garn and Elders Diaz y Daniel we all watched conference together in the SMALL clerks office in our church..  We brought milk and oreos and chips and salsa and it was GREAT! Conference actually meant something to me this time. Boy did they throw down on commandments, tithing and the law of chastity to be specific!  It was great! We had an investigator and her 5 kids come (who will soon be the elders investigator because she lives in their area) But I went into conference with a question "What does it mean to trust in the Lord?" All the answers seemed to be the same to me... FAITH. So I am starting small by having a better attitude and being completely positive about everything i do, say, think, so on and so on! A quote i really liked was by Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Doubt your doubts, before you doubt your faith." Also Jeffrey R. Hollands quote i couldn't quite catch but it was about disabilities.. and i just cried. haha My zone leader watched it somewhere else then me and he said when I heard that quote i thought of you and your little sister he said it was incredible! Everyone here knows aubs :) 
Sunday conference was incredible too! Maybe the second coming is coming or something... like all of the apostles and everyone just testified to strengthen and hold strong to our testimonies and endure... JESUS IS COMING!

Oh i allowed dad to do service :) This homeless man stopped me and said hey young lady you got a dollar.. I knew he was homeless so i said yes, and I looked in my wallet and saw another dollar bill so i gave him 2. We continued to talk and I invited Him to come to church and he started having tears run down his face and he said "i cant i stink." I kind of over spoke him and said no everyone is invited we are all children of God. He said "No Young lady, i stink." He said, " No one will want to sit by me i haven't showered in a week." "I am 64 and i live behind that restaurant under that shelter thing. I haven't even met my grand kids." He slowly started walking away and I looked in my wallet and pulled out the 5 and walked to him and gave it to him and said, "Do what you want with this money, and never forget that you have a Heavenly Father that loves you." Don't ask me why I said that. That same night I had the opportunity to have a young women come out with us as a team up. I love Haz. I know she is struggling.  She said can i ask you something? I said yeah. She goes I want to help my boyfriend come into the church and be a member but how can i do that if i cant even be a good member or live the commandments myself? Well I just laid into her and told her my whole life story and how no one is perfect and how we need to repent, and also HOW YOU CANT CHANGE BOYFRIENDS! HAHA we all know that.. now ;) haha But i seriously bore my testimony for like 35 minutes, and the main things i said was i know that Heavenly Father loves you and wants you to start living his way so you can return to him. She just sat there with tears in her eyes and said thank you, can i come back out with you on Tuesday! So i hope i am being a good influence on her!
I don't know why I said those things i did, but that night as I was praying I just had an overwhelming feeling that God loved me. I reflected on the things that i said to haz and the homeless guy, and truly came to realize that i was speaking by the spirit because in all reality i learned from the words i spoke probably more then they did...

I know God lives. I know he knows me better than I know myself. I know he loves everyone equally, and more than we can comprehend. More than I can comprehend. May you all have a great week this week, and never forget that God is watching over you! Make good choices, and live worthily :) LOVE YOU ALL!!!!
xoxx

hermana jorgensen!

ohhh the holidays :) i love you momma!


1. my zone!



2. My wonderful most inpired zone leaders they seriously help me so much (the outfits might throw you off haha but i promise they are just incredible)



1. how people dry there clothes. haha what?! 2. me and my comp at zone meeting! I LOVE ZONE MEETINGS!