Let the Lord change you!

August 4, 2014

wow. every ones emails were incredible. the photos. I'm dying.

I got Lori and Millie's package.. I wear the flip flops ALL the time. thank you. . and millie looks so old I'm dying.

this week coming up will be kind of hard for me. 3 of my companions go home this week on Wednesday, Sister Larsen, Garn, and Sister Daniels

also bubba(aka Preston) is getting the priesthood.. I don't know why it is making me sad but I really wanted to be there to see him get the priesthood but that's besides the point, I am THRILLED for him. literally I love that GROWN UP kid, he is the most handsome most genuine kid I have ever met in my life. literally so lucky to have him as a sibling.

We got to work at Ellis island this week! Classic, my companion is native and I was like "hey after can I just run her upstairs to show her what this is and explain a little so she can know, she isn't from here!" The lady was like OF COURSE! hahah she goes no look go over there and get a tour thing and go tour for an hour.... so me and my companion felt so awkward with these head cassettes in Ellis island with thousands of people! we ended up taking them off and I just explained to her everything. it was a walk down memory lane because I vividly remember the picture of all of us sitting in the upstairs area with the Lyons and the Montgomery's, it was such a trip! Then we did  service there and it was so fun! I got to use my Spanish.. imagine that.. explaining genealogical/historical things in Spanish ... but it went well.

That leads me to Byron, he was the sick one. Pray for him. literally he is perfect. We taught him law of chastity last week, and today we are teaching him the word of wisdom. He is so genuine, and so sincere about learning, and CHANGING. he will be baptized, hopefully next week but if not next week for sure this month. But he needs your prayers. Pray for him specifically that he will be able to resist temptation. He came to church and church surprisingly this week was decent! He called us on Saturday night and asked us what a word meant in the Book of Mormon, he was reading what we left for him to read. WHAT?! that doesn't happen. I love him.

Last person I will ask you to pray for. her name is Hermana Ynomar. She is from the DR she is a member, and she has cancer.. literally of everything. like bone, breast, muscle I mean everything. The chemo is really taking a tole on her right now, and it really is having an affect on me and my companion because we love her. SOOO please pray for her.

what did I learn this week? hmm I just think the only things I ever learn is that my Heavenly Father loves me. That He is real, and that He is always there. I love being with Hermana Detrinidad, she is teaching me a lot. I only have 2 transfers left on my mission, (transfers started today) and it is really making me reflect on who I am, or who I have let the Lord shape me to become. It is an amazing transformation when you let the Lord truly shape you to who he wants you to become. I still lack in every aspect, but I think the important part is that 1. I am trying, and 2. I am willing to change.

let the Lord change you this week. be willing to have him transform you. I love you all.

love: Hermana Jorgensen xoxx

1. me and my comp go running there everymorning.

2. ellis island

hes Byron!

the pererya family! solid! I love them!

BYRON! AND THE CAYETANOS! my favorite people in the whole area of union city. I live for the cayetanos. they just got baptized in april!

me doing studies.. :) my comp took a sneak picture!

Went on exchanges with my MTC companion.

July 28, 2014

well.. what a week. i don't even know its been crazy. i feel like we literally RAN from appointment to appointment.. sweating like no one could believe, went on an exchange to Bayonne, and ended it with church.

seriously this week i learned a lot! sister detrinindad and i worked SO hard. we taught so many lessons, had so many members with us ALL day and just walked and walked and walked. testified and testified and testified. its been crazy but its been good!

on Tuesday i went to Bayonne on an exchange... with HERMANA WEINSTOCK.. MY MTC COMPANION! hahah it was such a trip seriously 15 months later.. haha when we were together i couldn't even say hola.. it was SO fun! Bayonne is beautiful right next to the bay of Newark! only like 9 miles from our house but took us an hour to get there because traffic is incredible! also its the city so yeah. but it was just such a trip to be together and to talk about what we learned and what we've experienced!

so this week we didn't pick up Byron to come to church.. we let him choose for himself if he would walk to the 20 blocks by himself and wake up on time to get here... HE DID!  oh it was a Christmas miracle

I have been study a lot lately and been listening to conference talks while I'm  in the shower, and getting ready! There is a talk that i felt helped me a lot as a missionary to be calm.. i feel awful i don't remember the name but it talks about being converted the Gospel, not converted to the church. There are so many people that just go to church because they like all the activities, or they like the social events, but when something happens, or when someone offends them, they immediately leave. He talked about truly having a testimony of the Gospel, doing things because you really are converted to the Lord. As a missionary i think i get so nervous to bring those to church or to activities because i just get a little nervous about what they are going to say when really all i need to be focusing on is helping those that i teach  become converted to the Lord and his Gospel, not his church, not his social activities.

 i look back and think and reflect on how i think i was only converted to the church, to the activities, and sometimes even then i only went because MOM MADE ME! but oh how i have changed. i am converted to the Lord. i know that THE GOSPEL is what gives us the happiness.. not the church. It is so critical that we strengthen our testimonies everyday through pray, studying the scriptures, ACTING as Christ did, and going to church. i know that in the Gospel is where happiness lies. TRUE happiness.

i love you all. till next week. xoxxx

Love Hermana Jorgensen!

I'm obsessed with these kids. i love them. i cant explain.

Love My Companion

July 21,2014

emailing.. its like a love hate relationship. To this day I still don't know if I actually like it. haha BUT I'm doing it anyways! thank you all for the words love and encouragement, and the pictures that were "painted". I love all the little silly stories told, and the dumb commentary it really makes me feel like I am there sometimes! Ive been thinking of you all together visiting lexis mission and being in Wisconsin! OH HOW I CANT WAIT TO GO THERE.

.

So yes this week was amazing.  It obviously had its ups and downs. I hung out with Elder Welburn this Monday haha oh how fun it was.. like I don't know we played soccer for a while it was just good to catch up it feels nice to have someone you knew before  here! He has grown so much and matured so much its CRAZY! We had interviews with President that day and Sister Taggart! They are great! I walk in and they say (both of them) "We already love you because Emily just loves you!" haha I had a little hard time because I knew we were going to have interviews so I just reflected on the Jeppsons and WOW DO I MISS THEM. But it was a good interview. President Taggarts focus is DOING what Jesus would do. I love that. Actually ACTING as He does.

The other night we had a lesson with 2 of our investigators and an investigator of the elders. BYRON was there and Brian (the Dominican that makes all the inappropriate comments) well that lesson went well.  Byron was making every comment that was CORRECT and then Brian was there contradicting him and saying incorrect things.. I don't know how to explain it over the computer hahah lets just say that my companion and I were just praying the WHOLE TIME and we ended it quick because it was getting out of hand. We ended up walking home with Byron and it was pouring rain, and he hadn't eaten anything so I bought him pandebono (best thing in the world) and we were walking home.. he is SO SOLID oh my gosh. As we were walking home its getting closer to being 9:00 o clock and we were like 7 blocks away.. we had 5 minutes.. I had no idea what to do.. I'm training so my companion doesn't really know the importance of obedience yet, and Byron we just met him a little while ago we don't even know him really well. So I'm just walking (big strides to speed up the pace) and we have 4 minutes left and 7 blocks to go.. I turn around and say to Byron sorry its raining and its late and yeah WE HAVE TO RUN! we give him our umbrella and we just take off running!!! like BOOKING IT! soaked out of our minds running in skirts with purses and flats.. once again! home at 8:59 on our knees praying to start planning at 9:00... bravo we were home on time. I don't stand for disobedience.. Byron definitely thought we were psycho hahah We talked to him later and he thought we ran home because my dad was going to be mad if we were late.. hahahah we were like uhh yeah something like that! haha so FUNNY!

Well Friday came and we had another appointment with Byron and He had to move the appointment back.. to 7.. well at 7 I had to teach piano classes so my companion and I are calling everyone to do splits with us because we found this out as we were walking to the appointment! We found 3 people! My companion is literally the worlds greatest.. because that lesson we were planning to invite him to be baptized! Long story short I am teaching piano, we all end and she tells me he said he is going to be baptized august 10th.. and at some point in the lesson he was tearing up.. we walked home with him! he is perfect. AND MY COMPANION IS SERIOUSLY THE GREATEST. just like no fear. I love her.

Saturday we taught 7 lessons.. all on the street because no one loves us to have us over haha our team up Brian walked with us for 4 hours.. I LOVE HIM. 16 years old, baptized less than a year ago, only member in his family, goes to the temple monthly and go out with the missionaries daily. he literally is the greatest example ever.

Sunday. we literally walked 142 blocks.. we probably walk that much everyday but HOLY cow we walked SO MUCH. We went to church at 7:30 to have a meeting PEC 20 blocks, then we left to walk back 20 blocks to walk with Byron, and then returned to the church 20 blocks, then after church we all walked home.. 20 blocks.. then we went to bishops house.. 32 blocks there.. and 32 blocks back.. imagine that.. ay ay ay! Its good though because I need some exercise. Byron loved church.. Someone asked him what's impeding you to being baptized and he just said "knowledge"... WHAT?! anyways I'm not getting my hopes up or getting over excited for this child of God, because he still has to learn EVERYTHING. but just keep him in your prayers.  I have faith.

I really do love my mission. I have learned so much. I have truly come to love my Heavenly Father. He is so real. He really does just want what's best for us. I know that He lives. I love this Gospel. I literally LOVE this gospel.. I don't know how to describe my feelings.. I know it is true. We are truly blessed to be witnesses of Christ in these last days.

I love you.

love: Hermana Jorgensen xoxx

soccer! elder welburn and I

we made these "name tags" and gave them to our members "every member a mission"

 Hermana beltran at church... crying I love her. 

District bonding over food!

hermano calix. a great return missionary.. years ago  

That's Some Exercise People

July 14, 2014

well well well. greeting from a gloomy day here in jersey! its raining.. NOT SHOCKED! haha but wow what a great week.

We met the Taggarts this week! Holy heavens I'm obsessed with their daughter Emily. She is 17 and we just go together. Afterwards she and I were just talking the whole time and her mom comes up to us and she goes " I just knew you two would be the best friends, I just had a feeling right when I met you sister Jorgensen" hahah classic. Sister Taggart soooo HIP. Young and spunky! They have a 10 year old daughter named Sophie. I WANT PRESTON TO MARRY HER.  President Taggart is a humble man, with a lot of good to bring to this mission. You can tell he is still a dad with young kids although he is old. But he has the lingo of us youngins hahah I love the Taggarts. 

Training is good! my sweet sis is literally perfect. Like I always say she is already pre-trained . So of course we are having a good time being together.. as for something you could pray for maybe would be the work here. We literally WALK FROM 1-9 ALL day. because NO one wants us to come over.. not even the members. Sometimes you just cant take walking for 9 hours everyday.. you get tired! but we aren't losing faith! We are praying and fasting so hard to soften the members hearts.We are working hard at texting them weekly and giving words of encouragement! and we heart-attack them and everything! but its still a little rough just keep praying.

I don't know how it happens but we work through out the week and it feels like all we do is walk and preach on the street, and we never really find anyone sincerely interested but then it comes Sunday and boom we have 3 investigators at church. I don't know why I ever get nervous or think that we wont have people coming to church because GOD IS IN CHARGE and is blessing us for our efforts.

we wake up Sunday at 6. We leave by 7 walk 20 blocks to go to ward council for an hour, then we walk 20 blocks back to go pick up our investigator Byron and then walk 20 blocks back to the church! THATS SOME EXERCISE PEOPLE! hahah classic. so Byron. He is from Guatemala and just got here 9 months ago, he is SO humble, and we just contacted him on the street! He came to church with us and boy oh boy are we ever so excited.. but NERVOUS! seriously in a Hispanic branch you never know what will be mentioned or said.. the week before I don't know if I told you but 2 investigators and a couple members  left because the things they were talking about in church were HORRIFIC. they were pretty much fighting and bishop was asking for more money from people. ANYWAYS. haha so we are just praying. Sacrament was good.. I uhh directed the music.. without the piano.. haha SOS. seriously classic. Then we had second hour. Well it was Ward conference so we were pretty calm about what was going to be said. Some way or another we were talking about the Restoration, but got led into technology and praising missionaries.. highly uncomfortable! Then our OTHER investigator who is my age from the DR is just cracking jokes in front of the whole class.. just seriously I don't even know what was going on because I was just praying so hard. I find Sundays quite comical because you just have NO IDEA what is going to happen. LONG STORY SHORT Byron and Brian our investigators stayed all 3 hours and even more because we walked home with them 20 more blocks! so from 9:15- 2:15 we were with them and they really liked it! Byron has potential! like sincere potential. SO PLEASE PRAY FOR HIM.

This less active who I literally LOVE came to church.. Hermana Beltran.. from Ecuador 75 years old. Its been 20 years or so. Her 19 yer old grand son just died 2 weeks ago (we had no idea)..  also her other grandson has been serving in the independence mission for the past 8 months so Lexi you probably know him! I forget his name.. haha sorry I'm awesome! anyways as we were all leaving to go to second hour I hear, "Jorgie" I turn around and its her. WHAT TEARS JUST FILLED MY EYES AS I TURN TO LOOK AT HER. I have literally passed by her house the past 2 weeks EVERYDAY and called her if not twice, once a day. she never answered. I don't know how to explain to you the way I feel for the children of God here in New Jersey.. from other countries but I wish I could describe HOW MUCH love I feel for these people.. just from barely knowing them. It made me think and wonder honestly how much love our Heavenly Father has for us.. I can not even begin to imagine.

a little update on the people from Eatontown

Sammy: Progressing! Reading the scriptures!

Alfonso: Received the Holy Ghost

Ricardo: Passes the sacrament, and has a CALLING! young men's second counselor

Sister Duke: Just doing amazing work down there. Seriously the BEST thing Eatontown could of gotten.

I really do love my mission. This has been the most humbling experience I have ever lived through. Speaking Spanish.. and STILL messing up even though I've been out for 15 months it continues to humble me. I am SO grateful for the opportunity to struggle and to grow. To learn and to progress. To serve and to LOVE. I LOVE everyone I talk with, everything I do, and most importantly I LOVE my Savior, and my sweet Heavenly Father above. They LIVE. They really do.

Enjoy your time together fam! send my love to the family in Wisconsin I really do miss them, I miss that place.. its been a long times since I've been there! The memories will forever remain.

I love you all. have a blessed week full of memories and FUN! write me letters hello? I'M STILL HERE ON THE MISSION!

love hermana Jorgensen   xoxx

Everything will work out

July 7^th, 2014

well what a good week to talk about! I have been learning so many things! first things first remember how Lexi taught the 3rd hour to the youngins for the 5th Sunday.. I didn't realize or remembered to tell you that I DID TOO! haha when Lexi was teaching them SO WAS I! 

This week was a week FULL of rain. I kid you not when I say that it rained 4 days out of the week. and I don't really know if people UNDERSTAND what "rain" means here.. it means literally YOU CAN NOT WALK because everything is just drenched. of course we were already outside away from the house when it started POURING. so me and my poor sweet Hermana detrinidad just were drenched.. it made for some very long days!

This week was also full of fun and laughter.. We take out team ups everyday.. and some of them are just HILARIOUS! I wish you could all experience what my companion and I go through here in Union City! haha

Just a quick over lay of a story that happened this week. So this older couple named  john jay and Miriam (less acvtive) . They came on a team up with us.. so that means they came walking with us. Well the appointment cancelled so we went to go try a referral that they gave us. They are the KING AND QUEEN of referrals.. not necessarily "great" referrals.. so meaning not any of them really like us.. or live there or work out but HEY at least they are doing it because NO one else gives us any!  we go to try this referral who never answers when we come by.. she makes us stand on the corner so she could go knock her door, and then we she answered we would just show up.. like a sneak attack...? hahah uhhh what?! Lets just say it was SO awkward she like whistled at us to come over when she answered the door as if we were like dogs.. hahah I mean then she was leaving and a guy was coming to pick her up who is married and she is married and they are going out.. long story short the referral Gina called john and Miriam and asked them if they could tell us to NEVER pass by again or call her... HAHAHAH what?! we didn't even talk to her? or do anything?geez Hermana detrinidad and I were just DYING laughing. hahaha it was SO funny!

oh happy b-day to grandpa! was thinking about him all day and night on the 4th! so it was raining all day of the 4th and all the night before and I started praying that it would stop for the night time because we were allowed to go and watch fireworks until 11! but if its raining obviously not... so it rained all day and at 7 we all planned to go I seriously was praying so hard because this is the only night on the mission that we get to stay out late... well at 6:30.. the sun gradually started coming out... at 7 it was sunny and at 10 we ENJOYED THE FIREWORKS on the Hudson bay in Hoboken from New York!!! What a silly little thing to be having a cow about but SERIOUSLY this is just another testimony to me that Heavenly Father does answer prayers.

Another little testimony builder. Anyways I have been praying a lot about school because I feel like it is coming up and I should know what I should do. I cant really seem to find an answer and my companion and I every time we find random people on the street share a scripture with them.. not everyone but people that will give us a second of their time. We always invite them to come to church but their answers are ALWAYS the same.. "I don't have time."

So we always pull out 3Nephi 13: 32-33.. I would quote it but I only have Spanish scriptures so go look it up! BUT it pretty much says look for God first in all things, and then all will work out and be okay in the end. SO we always read that with them and tell them that if they look for God first, if they keep the commandments, do what God would have us do EVERYTHING will work out. Well I guess I have never really been paying attention when I read that because I don't know why but I came to study those 2 scriptures again and just really think about it. I think as humans we get really worked up as in "what will I do next?" "how do I know what I'm supposed to do?" "where am I supposed to go?" "How come He isn't answering me?" But it made me think, as my companion who is seriously perfect I love her. She said "ya know I never received an actual answer to do anything. I didn't know if I SHOULD go to the states to study, I didn't know if I SHOULD go on a mission because He never gave me a clear answer. BUT I know that if you are keeping the commandments and doing what is right, "putting God first" in all things, whatever you choose if it is good, will be what Heavenly Father wants you to do. That is so applicable in all that we do. We might not necessarily understand the details of if we should do this or if we should go there or receive a clear  answer to big decisions. BUT if we are doing what God would have us do, and "putting Him first" how can we go wrong?

I have made a promise today (well last week) that I will never miss a day of reading my scriptures when I get home. Now maybe some days will just be a verse or 2 because you get so busy, but I will ALWAYS make time for My Heavenly Father because I know that He ALWAYS makes time for me. I know that God lives and that He loves us. He doesn't set us up to fail, nor lets us fail when we are asking for His guidance! I seriously am obsessed with the mission. I LOVE IT. I am so grateful that I am here right now in my life. I needed this.

I love you.

Hermana Jorgensen xoxx

our best friend and favorite team up alanCITO :) haha he is seriously SO awesome! (doesn't speak a thing of English) bless his soul

happy 4th yall!

My new companion is from Nicaragua

June 30, 2014

drum roll please.... my companion's name is HERMANA DETRINIDAD FROM NICARAGUA!!! hahah it is so loco i love her. She is straight up from Nicaragua. She studied in Springfield Missouri for 2 years before so she is learning English but other than that we are straight Spanish.. oh does my head just hurt. I am learning a lot!

Its interesting how much I have learned about trusting in the Lord on my mission. I was so nervous that all of my numbers would drop, that I wouldn't find anyone to teach, or that I just couldn't do it. BUT wrong. The Lord gave me a native who was trained before she even came. She literally contacts with no fear. She teaches everything without hesitation, and just is HISPANIC so its so easy to relate with everyone. She has a lot to learn about missionary work such as asking questions, and being okay with silence but hey we all still need to learn stuff like that I'm not good at that , but I'm not here to teach her! SHES HERE TO TEACH ME! wow i love her. haha we get along great. Here we are when we met.

Transfer conference was good. We had to say bye to President and Sister Jeppson.. wow you know i was just CRYING my eyes out the whole entire time. oh and heres some big news. I hugged a man for the first time in 14 months.. PRESIDENT JEPPSON! We all got to hug him. Seriously i can't express how much i love him and Sister Jeppson. When i went in to hug him he whispered "I sure love you Sister Jorgensen. You did it, you stayed and have completed miracles you never would have had you gone home." i just died hugging Sister Jeppson goodbye as well. i will be seeing them when i get home.

This week we have seen so many miracles from being exactly obedient!

1 little miracle that happened was on Friday!

Fridays and Saturdays are LONG days because we leave at 1 and don't return until 9! and we are WALKING all day.. and it is HOT. so i was dreading Friday and we didn't have ANYTHING set on Friday right away so why not just trickle out of the apartment a little late i mean it was hot out and just not pleasant! BUT we left at 12:59 because I know there is a reason why we need to be obedient, because the Lord has asked us to. So we leave and we are walking and there is this old lady from puerto rico and she is just wandering. She asked this guy who spoke English in her broken Spanish for some help to this super market, and i could tell that she was super flustered. We go up and ask her what she is looking for and she told us, she told us she was only here on vacation and doesn't speak English. So we said okay the store is this way, that way, this way, and you'll find it. But i decided ehhh we should just walk with her and show her. It was far.So we started walking and talking and we arrived to the place. She started crying and said "I was praying to my Heavenly Father to send  me angels to help me because i have been out here in this hot day for an hour looking for help, and here you are. Heavenly Father has literally sent angels here to lead me to what i was looking for." She just kept kissing our cheeks and thanking us, and then she walked away. Maybe to you it doesn't sound like this huge great story but to me these are the stories, the experiences that keep me here on my mission, that increase my faith and that truly show me that God is in the details of our lives. Exact obedience brings blessings whether it be for myself, or for His other children out in the world. 

Saturday was fun, we walked for 5 STRAIGHT HOURS! holy sweet cow. yeah 5. 

Sunday we had 3 investigators at church! woo hooo.. The most since I've been here! We are trying! Ricardo who got baptized in my last area remember.. yeah he passed the sacrament on Sunday! 

President Taggart is here, and I haven't met him yet but sister duke texts him and told him we are excited he is here and asked how his Sunday went and he replied literally " Thanks, we are very pumped. We look forward to working with you. see you soon. love pt."

hahahahha soooo he seems SUPER rad! 

ummm world cup games are CRAZY HERE. literally Colombia won and EVERYONE was on the street standing on their moving cars yelling honking throwing flour EVERYWHERE. just like i cant even begin to tell you. hahah we couldn't even walk it was nuts.

ALSO the bravos came and took us to dinner. I LOVE THEM. i just about cried when i saw them. seriously i just cant describe the love i feel for these people here in New Jersey. i love, LOVE. I LOVE IT. 

i am doing good! i know that God lives. He truly is in the details of our lives. He is aware of us. I am grateful for the Gospel, to be here on my mission to learn and to grow. I know this is the true church. love love love you all.

hermana jorgensen xoxx