Jarrett Weekly Letter 6.8.2014

Yo YO Yo

It was a pretty sick we that is for sure!!

Well to start off the week we had transfers well I found out that I am staying here in Odori and I am staying with my companion again how freakin crazy is that! I am actually way stoked he is a way cool guy I for sure love him a lot! So it is basically one long transfer with us together! It doesn't feel like a transfer passed by, things are just so fun! 

We found a investigator this week it was awesome it felt really good! Her name is Suehiro San and we met with her yesterday she is the nicest lady ever. I am not sure if she has much interests but she is for sure listening and feeling the spirit so she says.  Heavenly Father is for sure working with us. 

This week there was this unreal festival called Yosakoi, I am speechless even talking about it. So look it up first off. Well it was about 4 days long and we actually would take our lunch and dinner time and would go and watch it and it was just so unbelievable. I took a bunch of videos but they are all about 5 minutes long. So it is like colleges and just random groups dancing, either on stage or the street it was freakin legit. Everyone was in sync  but the costumes and music were unbelievable -  lets just say LOOK IT UP!!

Well I love you guys! By the way I only have like 30 minutes to write today because we have a zone activity, with President Evans...

Love you guys!

Elder Nielsen

Jarrett Weekly Letter 6.1.2014

Dear Family,

 

I am sorry I don't have much time to write this week but it was a pretty dang good week.

 

So to start of Elder Christofferson of the quorum of the 12 apostles came and visited our mission. We were privileged to hear from him Wednesday morning, and he was absolutely amazing. He asked if we had any questions and he freakin used the spirit for every question as he answered them and he used the scriptures for every answer that was really cool.  Then for the last part he told us that we really need to work with NA and that will help us boost up our numbers. He said in Hokkaido over 70 percent of the members are NA and not coming to church. That really struck a cord with me and how I really haven't been focusing on them at all so I really want to start changing that. So that was a really cool experience.

 

Then next was yesterday. SO it was the last day of the week and our numbers were really bad. We didn't have one lesson to count for the week and really  just wanted to teach a lesson. Well within the first 20 minutes we taught one lesson. Then also another miracle, we housed about 4 apartment complexes. And after the 3rd one nobody in all of the apartments didn't answer their door. Well we get to this next one and me and my companion were both saying how we should be just skip it because it is a waste of our time, because nobody is home. Well we both had the feeling that we needed to do it. Well the LAST apartment door we pinged a guy came out and we taught him a really good lesson that was a really cool experience and he really wants us to come back next week. After that we went streeting at the park. The a last contact of the night we talked to was a 19 year old kid who wants to be a professional photographer and it was so sick to talk to him! He is going to Tokyo to go take some pictures for a couple of weeks and then he is coming back! So that is going to be so dope to teach him he is pretty interested and totally got is phone number and everything! So a couple of miracles for the last day of the week which really felt nice!

 

Well that is all from me!

 

Love you guys!

 

Love, Elder Nielsen

Elder Weelson 6-2

Wow, what an incredible week!!!  This email is going to be a little bit shorter.  I'm just gonna let y ou know right now.  hahaha.  I have tons of pictures to send, so Im gonna send a little more time doing that today.  Its kinda a process on this dang computer, and we had a zone activity today for Pday.  We went to this awesome park, had a HUGE picnic, and played capture the flag.  It was so much fun.  The zone is so awesome! 

But this week was seriously the greatest!! I am so happy, and having so much fun, but have never been so focussed in my life!  Elder Bohne and I still havent spoken in english together.  Its awesome.  Im seriously loving it!  I want to take advantage of every single second I have being emersed in the spanish language.  I got a long ways to go though.  Ive reached a point, where I could just settle, and be totally fine.  Say and understand basically everything.  But there is still so much to learn, and so much I need to learn to reach that next level!  So that is going great. 

Man, I just couldnt be more grateful to be here in Fuenlabrada, with Elder Bohne.  He's such a stud.  I'll try to make sure to actually tell you how the week was, instead of just worshipping elder bohne this week!  hahaha, he's just the man.  So we had such an amazing week!!  We have so many investigators that are soooo close.  This week about 15 people had committed to coming to church, and a few others were a little shaky... there are so many prepared people!!... but yeah, 15 for sure didnt make it to church this week, sadly.  The Colombians, Edith, Marcos, Guadalupe, Gentiel, and Elizabeth are doing so amazing.  They are really falling into place in the branch.  We havent really even taught them that much, because they have just been coming to the weekly branch activities and stuff!  hahaha, they are loving it, and such incredible people.  We haven't visited them once, without them giving us some sort of food.  They have so much faith and are doing so great.  Please pray for them!  

I just want to finish by saying how grateful I am to be a servant of the Lord and for prayer.  Prayer is the key to everything.  With a faithful prayer in your heart ALWAYS, and taking time to stop, think, meditate and pray is so so so so powerful.  I know our Father in Heaven listens.  He activiley listens.  And is so anxious to bless us.  I am so happy.  I feel so grateful to be able to give EVERYTHING I have to help just a little bit with this great work.  I love the people here in Spain.  I love you guys so much.  If I have learned anything these past few weeks, its Love.  I seriously feel such a love in my heart.  I am so thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ.  He always turned outward, and loved.  I feel such a passion in my heart for this work.  I have never felt something this strong in my entire life.  A love so strong for these people.  A desire so strong to serve the Lord.  A faith so strong, that Elder Bohne and I can be insruments in the Lords hands to bring forth His will.  I love you all so much.  Hope you have an amazing week, thanks for the emails and letters! I appreciate them tons!  Life couldnt get better!!!!! I'm so dang happy.  

till next week, signing out,

Elder Weeeeeelson.

haha

ARG - Elder Gillett 6.2.14

Ehhh it was just a one day thing! (being sick) Seems to happen a lot down here but oh well! I am doing perfectly fine now! But now Elder Santos says he has "bronchitis". ugh...  We found some good deals on jerseys and stuff this week so I bought a few things with the money I got from trading with one of the members! Got some FC Barcelona socks, a banner thing of BOCA juniors, and a jersey of River Plate! The champions of the league in Argentina! I will make sure to send pictures next week! But yeah my ipod thing is already not working... No idea whats going on with it! 
So this week was another slow week! We have a couple new investigators and they are doing good! We visited Ruben and he has stopped smoking a ton but hasn´t completely quit but he is going to try to this week! And we couldn´t get him to say his first prayer with us the other day when we talked to him! So we will see how it goes with him this week! 

We taught a lot of less active because they have changed our mission to a pilot program to only focus on the recent converts, menos activo members, and the investigators! So that has been really cool! Supposedly we have a member of the 70 going on tour of our mission this week and he will be visiting our district! I don´t know for sure but thats what we heard! 

Then with one of our new investigators Rosa who lives in a really nice house! hahah anyways she is catholic but doesn´t go to church and doesn´t read the bible (like everybody in Argentina) haha They all say "Yeah I am Catholic but I never go to church or read the bible" So basically they aren´t :) haha but she told us before we taught that she didn´t have much time but when she let us in we talked for like a little more than an hour! She was really interested and wants us to come back to teach this thursday! So we will see how that goes! 

Then we have another investigator who had a baptismal date with some missionaries before but never ended up getting baptized! He is SUPER knowledgeable about the bible and if the bible doesn´t say it, he won´t do it! HE really likes everything about our church though but because of the fact that nobody sees god in the bible, he doesn´t believe in the restoration! So we try to talk to him about it and explain it and everything so he promised us he will read the book of mormon with real intent and see what he actually thinks about it! And then it sounds like this saturday we are going to have a party of some sort with the ward and play soccer all together and everything so we are hoping for some of the ward members to invite some friends and we can all play soccer and get some new investigators and everything too! But thats all for this week! Love you all! 

This week (Elder Frampton 6-2)

Dear Family and Friends,

 

How Is everyone? Is everything going good at home or on the mission?

 

So this week we went and just visited our lists. I could honestly end my email at that ha ha. its getting a little bit picked up here with the work. The more I hear the ward talk about the last two missionaries it makes me sad that their conduct would be like it was in this area. But people come on missions to change and so they will get there.

 

So one of the days this week we were out trying to meet all these people on our lists and its like 8:15and we had no success all day and were close to home. I had written down one more name and we both were on the edge of going or just calling it but we decided to check it out. We knock on the door and this Egyptian man with no shirt on opens the door and he tells us to come in. So we went in. We sat down as he finished up on his phone call. He then he looked at us and asked us what we are doing. We start to explain he was on one of our lists and ask what he remembers about the last missionaries. he cant remember when they last visited but he asks what makes our religion different. It starts to turn into a small "Bible Bash" until he asks us to read something from our Book. We open up and read a little and he starts asking questions about the Book of Mormon. So like every missionary knows we turn to the introduction to help explain the book. We ask him to read the last two paragraphs and he starts reading but has a hard time with the words. In the last paragragh he stops for a little and we think he is struggling with the words but he looks up and says "I know this book is true, I can feel it even before I finish it. You knew to have me read this? how did you know I would feel this way?" It was soooooooo awesome! We testified of it and e wants us to come back and teach more. It was amazing to see how the spirit touches those who are ready and how the lord expects you to work all the way till your last stride.

 

So It ended up being an awesome week and I am really learning how to love the mission out here. I am greatfull for all of the support and love! It really means a lot. I love you all!

 

-Elder Frampton

Devins letter

Dear Family and Friends,

 

How is everyone!? I hope everything is going good for you all at home.

 

So this week I went to my new area that I am sweeping into. Its hard to sweep. A sweep is when 2 missionaries leave an area and 2 fresh missionaries come in. So we both know like nothing about the area. My companion is great though. he has been through 4 sweeps so he knows what he is doing. he is from California and he is like 6'4'' and like 280 pounds. I forgot a picture this week but he is great. So this week has been a lot of organizing and trying to figure out names. its also been huge on service and the amount we do here. I am getting sunburned we are out side serving all the time. Our WML is super service oriented and so we are always out and about with him ha ha its awesome. So this week was mentally hard ha ha. I heard that 6 months out is another rut for most missionaries. So I have just been thinking alot about my life and my mission and it makes me notice all the things that are going on. So this area we are starting fresh and so it seems to be going so slow ha ha but I know it will pick up. Thanks for all the support that I have been given. its hard to know what to talk about out here because nothing is really progressing or anything. But I want you to know that everything is good I am learning alot and I am praying for you all!

 

- Elder Frampton

ARG- Elder Gillett 5.26.14

Yesterday was flag day in Argentina too so everyone was cooking asado and other stuff too! We even sang the national anthem of argentina in church yesterday too! hahah

So this week was a realllly really good week but I can´t seem to not be sick since being here in Argentina! I think I am getting used to the water and food still right now!

But yeah this week we went and visited Hermana Paz(peace) haha! She is super nice and is like 30 years old or so! Has a bunch of kids and split up with her husband to be baptized in the church a couple years ago! But she has had some problems with overcoming some addictions with smoking (like everybody in Argentina) but we visited her once a couple weeks ago and she was like I don´t know if I can quit! I really want to but I don´t know how! So now a week or two later we decided to go back and visit her and see how she was doing! She invited us in and she shared her testimony with us and read some scriptures (2nd Nephi 9:41 i think-about god being the gate keeper for heaven and how he is waiting to welcome us in if we can be obedient) And she really liked the scriptures so we offered a priesthood blessing at the end... and I gave my first priesthood blessing in spanish! It was really hard at first but then the words kinda of just came out of me and I don´t remember a ton of waht I said but I do remember a feeling of just being really powerful and loving during this blessing! It was super cool! And after we finished she turned to us and said thank you so much! That was exactly what I needed! We talked to her for a little bit longer and then I heard Elder Santos say "do you have any cigarettes in your house right now?" she said she does and he told her to go get them! There is a scripture in the book of mormon that he referenced that I am not sure where it is but it says you can break the chains of sin with gods help! so he read that and instead of chains he read the cigarettes! So she did it! She ripped them up! and threw them in the trash and said I am done! She came to church yesterday a few days after this and came up to us and said that she has been clean of them since we visited which was like 3 days!

Then on saturday we went on splits with different elders in our district so I was in a companionship with Elder Dahl from Logan! He is a stud! hahah we worked really hard that day and had a lot of success talking to new people and now in their area they have a bunch of new people to talk about the evangelio (gospel) too! But during this time Elder Dahl´s companion went with Elder Santos to teach Ruben and some menos activos in our ward! They went and taught Ruben and during this they had a strong member of the ward go with them and help to teach! They taught about the word of wisdom and that he can stop smoking! And he agreed to it! He gave them the cigarrettes he had with them and told them he would stop smoking and come to church on sunday! He wasn´t able to come to church on sunday though because he got called in for work and really needs to money! But we will go visit him this week and make sure he comes this next week! Maybe he will be ready for baptism soon! haha and during the lesson there was a menos activo member who walked by and noticed the missionarys talking to Ruben and he went and joined in and helped to testify of the church and everything! I guess Ruben even said he KNOWS that Joseph Smith is a true prophet too! Really crazy and awesome week! Now to find out a way to fix the water so we aren´t always getting sick down here and stuff!

I woke up sick this morning... again! I think it was something that I ate but I feel a lot better now! They have a really nice advanced filter that we are able to use in our apartments but I don´t think that is the problem! The problem is at members houses when they might not have a filter for the water or something! Yeah i haven´t ate anything yet but I don´t want to drink the water because that is what is making me sick I think in part! So i am drinking tang mix! Which hopefully it doesn´t come out the same color! haha   The mission is too much fun to not keep pushing on!

We are even going to play some soccer also! haha

---------------

Pictures attached-
#1  Elder Gillett sporting a cute hat
#2  Very PROUD of how CLEAN they were able to get their shower! If you remember the last picture, it looks A LOT better. However, he accidentally bleached the tips of his Nike shoes while cleaning the shower. And admitted to getting pretty HIGH while smelling all the fumes. haha-  (he didn't know that bleach would ruin/discolor his shoes...)

#3  His NEW (used) ARGENTINA Soccer jersey -