Week Three at the MTC for ME

Familia,

I love you so much!! I'm just writing a letter of gratitude and thanks.  You guys are helping me beyond belief out here. Your daily letters always make me so happy.  I absolutely love this place.  It is the greatest experience I have ever encountered, and ever will.  I find out a lot about myself everyday.  I thank you all so much for supporting me, and for loving me unconditionally, I truly feel it.  I think every member should have to spend at least 3 weeks in the MTC, this place is incredible. You learn so much.  I absolutely love my teacher Hermana Plowman, she is so amazing.  She is so energetic and excited about this work that I can hardly wait to get to class.  She sincerely cares and helps me personally.  My faith has been tested here, but has truly been strengthened.  I've learned to believe, although sometimes it's hard, I know God is with me.

When I was at the temple this week I saw Austin, Landon, Karson, BJ, and JM.  Tears instantly came to my eyes because I hadn't seen them all together since college.  Almost all of them are in the MTC now and Landon just got his call to Paraguay.  I can't believe we are all missionaries now.

So, yes my ear still hurts.  I went to the ENT again and he said there was still a hole in it and that I need to get it checked again when I'm 3 weeks into the field.  He printed a picture of the hole so that the Dr. in New Jersey could see if it was getting smaller.  I'm pretty sure it will heal, but if it doesn't he said it's an hour surgery to fix it and I'd be out a week.

I've started the Book of Mormon over again, so I can know for myself it is a true book.  It has been a struggle to read and understand all of it, but I am learning and understand it more and more every day.  My prayers have become so sincere and I have been asking so many questions.  I feel like it is a blessing though that I am starting over because I am learning so much for myself and about myself.  Look up the mormon message called "The Will of God" it is So GOOD!  My new favorite quote that I am starting to believe is "My God is not a distant God".  It's hard to believe sometimes, but I know in my heart he is with me always.  I believe in Christ. Every day I kneel morning and night before my Heavenly Father and give thanks for this opportunity to be a servant of my Savior, Jesus Christ.  As I prepare each day in the MTC not only for my mission, I prepare for the rest of my life.  I am building a foundation of faith in my Savior so that i can build off of it for the rest of my life. I know that everything I do now is preparing me for something else I do in life. I came in with little knowledge or faith in this church, but let me tell you my faith and knowledge have grown immensely.  There are days that I feel completely inadequate to this call, but like mom keeps reminding me I am called of God.  This work is true, my faith is growing, and my testimony is being built every day.

Love
Hermana Jorgensen Dos

Ps.  Thanks to Momma Jo and Huxfords for the great graduation pics of Tanner and Braize.  They are so thoughtful to send them to me, it brightened my day.  Grandma Jorgensen wrote me and how sweet she is, always thinking about praying for others! Bailey's I love the letters, Aunt Kim yours touched my heart. Grandma Sharon thank you for your support.  Honey's I adore you all, I love the candy.

Elder Eldredge, Hermana Jorgensen, Elder Mcallister

MTC fun

We are still having fun while learning.

My zone at the temple.

Hermana Miterian and me.

Some of the hermanas from my mission.

Picinic on P-day

I love my companion.

I saw Ben, he's now one of us MTC people.

All the college missionaries.

1

I Can Do Hard Things!!!

ALRIGHT HAYY FAMILIA! 

So i went to the real world on saturday to get a check up for my ear ya know cause its been hurting. Anyways they had to call you mom to get my insurance and seriously right when they called you i heard you say hello and i stepped away and started crying!! Ahhh i hope you got my message that i told you i loved you and happy mothers day from the receptionist! So yes my ear has been botherng me, like kind of a weird pain but I'll tough it out. I got a blessing from Elde Beals and Elder Hullinger. 

 So for Mother's day relief society Janice Kapp Perry came!! She is the lady that wrote the songs "As Sisters In Zion, Im Trying To Be Like Jesus, I Love To See the Temple, Childs Prayer, and many more!" We watched a thing about moms, and of course everyone is just bawling seriously just dying. We got to sing her songs for her, and the spirit was so strong! She just wrote a new song called "THE Sisters Of Zion" she hasnt put it out yet, but she wanted us Sister missionaries to be the first to hear and SING it for her!! Seriously you can only imagine the spirit!!

 After that my companion had to go to some meeting, so i had to go on a spilt with the zone leaders for 4 HOURS!! It was kind of uncomfortable because everyone would look at me funny because it was just me and the 2 elder zone leaders. One of the heads of the mtc people assinged me that, it was actually a nice break! 

 I watched a very inspirational movie about Joseph Smith's life. I dont know where you get it but people say it is very common, it was the best church movie i had ever seen. I was crying like a baby through the whole thing! 

So here is the trial of the week! We had TRC which is where you teach members, they do it so you can practice. The first person we had to share a message with was a returned elder, and i was so nervous. I dont know why but i have a really hard time teaching elders. My nerves just shoot through the roof, and no not becasue they are cute. But we got in there and seriusly i lost it. I shut down i didnt speak at all, i was nervous. I left the meeting with tears in my eyes out of frustration, and i saw my teacher Sister Plowman whom i ABSOLUTELY ADORE. She is the greatest thing to ever enter my life in the MTC! I walked out and said i cant do this. It is too hard and i never feel the spirit. She said okay go teach the next one and we will talk after!  She said just go and pray to feel the spirit to help you. I prayed and went in there and it was a lady, which was immediately better, but i talked! She asked me why I came on  a mission, and I TALKED! I talked ALOT! Seriously the spirit was SO STRONG! I ended crying while bearing my testimony! I had to give the prayer at the end and i couldn't even finish because i was crying from the spirit! I walked out of that meeting with tears rolling down my face from the spirit literally consuming my soul. What a difference it was from the first meeting! Sister Plowman came and talked to me and literally said, "See You can do hard things!" WHAT JUST LIKE MOMMA! Maybe thats one reason why i love her so much!! 

We had to go and do service tuesday morning and boy was i tired. We had it at 5:50 a.m. like seriously MTC as if we don't already get enough sleep you allow us the opportunity to do service at 5:50 :) (you like how i said allow us, instead of make us) haha see I'm changing! JK 

 OH TUESDAY DEVOTIONAL! GUESS WHO CAME!! drum roll please..... RUSSELL M. NELSON! What a beautiful sight to see. He did so well! He talked a lot about just smiling and knowing that everyone is cheering us on. Even our ancestors on the other side!

O Did i already tell you about me starting the BOM over? Well i am going to try to gain a greater personal testimony of it and i am already finished with first nephi and i finished it in 4 days! I actually understand it and LOVE reading it! I pray every time that i understand it, and it works! 

Okay seriously here is another great email story. Im sitting at lunch with everyone and an elder walks over and sits kind of by me and starts talking to us and we are talking back, he is from Fiji, and then he was like well i only really came over here to get her email.. meaning mine! He asked for my email... so uncomfortable i gave it to him cause i felt dumb, but i will never email him! How is it that these Elder's don't get it.

 So Wednesday night i was talking to Elder Beals and he told me some great advice, he said, " Look at your companion as if she was Christ, and then tell me the different love you feel for her" I have been doing that, and it is incredible if you look at anyone as if they are Christ! It works! I challenge all of you to look at others as Christ, or as Christ would. 

Spanish is coming along slowly but surely, yesterday we had to teach the other district and it was the worst day of the week. I couldn't speak again. I ended up leaving crying again. Sister Plowman just hugs me and says i can do it! I Know i keep talking about Elder Beals but he is such a great spiritual person! Yesterday he went through the restoration, and the plan of salvation with me. He helped me memorize scriptures, and seriously i just CRIED in front of him because the spirit is so strong. He believes in me when i feel like i cant do it. We said a prayer after and he asked that i would retain what i study because i told him i struggle at remembering stuff. BUT no i don't like him, I'm just so grateful for his help haha he just understands me and helps me so much. I told him i felt bad that I

A little MTC attitude

Me and my companion

Elder Beal and I

Cross Fit MTC style

I told him i felt bad that I keep asking him to help me but he said something interesting, he said, "Our purpose for our missions are to serve people. No matter who it is we should serve, i believe that you are the first person i should serve on my mission, by helping you know what to teach so you can bring many other unto Christ." He is just the Greatest! 

I know that i love you all. I pray for you and adore YOU! write me on dear elder! sorry lex i have no time but i read your letters and love them you are my hero!! xoxxx muahhhhhh!!!

HERMANA JORGENSEN DOS! 

Our First Email From the MTC

   May 10, 2013

OKAY!

Hola Mi Familia! Holy cow. What have I gotten myself into?! Seriously what the hey nobody told me how hard this would be! Lexi you LIAR! Everytime I read your emails they seemed so nice and easy! So its obviously different here than i thought. Did you know that elders and hermanas can actually talk to eachother here.. seriouisly weird right?! KIDDING I'd die if I couldn't talk to everyone..haha you know me! 

So my companion is 21 she is from Anaheim, California. She and I are very different. Although she helps me so much. I have been trying to look at the positives of things. My district is also.. weird!  All the Hermanas are going to my mission and we all leave the same day, which is june 10th! All the Elders are going to Guadlahara east mission, same as Jo Millers Mission! I have met so many cool sisters here, there is this one sister in my zone, which i absolutely LOVE my zone! But her name is Hermana Materian! She is from LA haha she is a HOOT! She understands me, and literally keeps me sane. Then I randomly met this girl from Pennsylvania, Sister Voyales, instantly we clicked. Iove her! She leaves in a week though to california but she is a DOLL! The sleeping arrangments well its kind of hard to fall asleep it takes a good 45 minutes for me to fall asleep and i SWEAR 6:30 comes literally SOOO soon! I hate it! The food you guessed it is absolutely terrible. UGH! Get me some real food! I am living off of spinach... 

 Umm I see Karson all the time! Love that boy! He leaves a day after me, it is so nice seeing people you know here. Serioulsy so nice. I also see Brody Leprich here, his mom married the Crandall dad i dont know if you remember them.. I literally have never studied so much and so long and so hard in my life. I am literally DEAD by the end of the day. It really shows me how much I really didnt study in school.. whoops haha The language is hard, I am  getting better at it, but it is hard.  So its coming slowly but it is so discouraging. But ive made it a week, im sure i can make it the rest! Well lets cross our fingers :) This past monday was really hard, I literally wanted to check myself out of the MTC! My companion and everyone else pretty much are gems at spanish. They are soo good. So I get discouraged easily. I hadnt cried once since ive been here, but on monday I was just extremly frusterated and gave up. I cried for like a solid 45 minutes to my companion and other girls that are in my distirct. I couldnt speak in any of my lessons, nor feel the spirit in anything, until tuesday. I said a specific prayer and asked that I would be able to ask Gloria, my investigator without looking at anything AND IT WORKED! Que en el mundo?!! Seriously I said like 2 phrases and that is literally the only thing that made me want to keep going at the MTC! The spanish is coming along now, i just need to have faith! Everyone keeps saying have faith have faith and in my head im like what in the world everyone how much more faith can I have?! BUT I tell you now, you can always increase your faith!! 

The devotionals are great, chad lewis came he played for BYU and then the Philly Eagles! I liked his talk, he talked about not giving up! It was like a slap in the face because i was literally giving up... On my paper it says i am officially retired as a missionary October 27th, 2014!! I sure hope you guys are looking forward to that day :) Maybe i'll even get back in time for babies birthday! Oh how I pray that is what happens :) So everything here reminds me of the family!  I also met 4 other sister and an elder going to my mission the same day as us speaking spanish and they seem really cute! So i am feeling a little bit better!  I am so JEALOUS that you get to talk to lexi! Oh what I would give to see her face, let alone hear her voice. Treasure that moment with her,and tell her that I adore her in every way. She is my greatest example right now, knowing that she has done this hard task in the MTC. I am thankful for her to go before me and to be able to experience this with me! 

 OHHHH my gosh listen to how terribel this is! I was sitting at dinner and an elder walks up to me and puts a note on my tray and says this is from elder something.. i forgot his last name, and i open it and its says, "you are beautiful write me on my mission." He gave me his address, name, email, and his FACEBOOK name!!! WHAT?!!! that doesnt happen here... it was SO awkward.I left it on the tray and let the people that are cleaning dishes recieve the friendly note :) it was terrible, I wasnt even flattered in the slightest bit. 

 This church is TRUE! Yes, it is testing my faith to be here but i wouldnt want it any other way. I wouldnt want to be anywhere else right now. Yo se que Jesu Cristo es mi Salvador. ME ENCANTO MI SALVADOR! TIll we meet again in a short 18 months, stay sweet my beautiful family. xoxx

HERMANA JORGENSEN DOS!

Seeing Karson

My Companion and I with our study books

Friend from Africa

Unexpected package from Momma

Another friend

Outside at the MTC

Hello again Karson

Siter Voyales and I pointing to our missions on the map