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.