WEEK 89: Summertime!

Jacksonville, FL

Companion:  Elder Welsh

Assistants

I know it's still April, but it is summer here for sure. When you walk outside at 11 PM and start sweating, it's summer.

Highlight Reel!

Monday: Family Home Evening. Had one of our recent converts and two families of returning less-active members all got together and we had an FHE lesson. Awesome!!

Tuesday: Elder Welsh went to the west side of the city and I went to the north side. Good times! Got to see Elder Collett! Elder Collett caused an accident by getting really excited about a dinosaur statue with glowing eyes on the side of the road, pointing it out to his companion who was driving, and then they rear-ended the car ahead of them. HAH! Dinosaurs. A menace to society.

Wednesday: ? It was probably an awesome day.

Thursday: Drove to Georgia. GEORGIA!!!!!!!!!!! There is something very very special about Georgia. That is the south right there. 'Murica! Fireworks! Hot-dogs! Other 'Merican things... We went up for a district meeting and took the district leader (Elder Burton!) to lunch at Olive Garden. Love it there.

Friday: Got kicked out of two apartment complexes in the course of half an hour. That was faster than usual. Also talked to a LOT of Hindu people. For reasons neither of us understand, there are thousands and thousands of Hindu people living in our area in Jacksonville. Here, in the middle of the Deep South Bible Belt, every third door is someone without a Christian background! Very odd. Once we learn Hindi we're going to have a whole stake!

Saturday: Crazy storm brought in a tornado. All the missionaries are fine. I guess it just tore up some trees... And some houses... Then we had the spaghetti dinner and dessert auction. A member gave us a bunch of desserts, which we then took to a part-member family that hasn't been to church in 20 years. And the next day, the mother and her three children came to church and stayed for all three hours! OH YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!! Kingdom-Building Brownies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh! Also on Saturday, we spent a couple hours with a part-member family tearing out Palmettos in their backyard. Palmettos are tiny palm trees with roots that just go... down. And then they wrap around pine-trees. And then missionaries come out with pick axes and shovels and almost die trying to get them out. I have never been so tired. I tried to wipe my face on my shirt and it just made my face MORE sweaty. It's like breathing soup out there, it was a million degrees, right before a storm... By the time we were finished I was using pretty much only gravity to bring the pickaxe down. Holy cow.

Sunday: Awesome church day. Had half a dozen families there with us. Got a new Ward mission leader. Taught an investigator about the Atonement. He was struggling a bit (a lot) with forgiveness. We talked about Abigail (gorgeous name. LOVE that name. Love it. Abigail Hannah Jorgensen.) and David. We told him the story of how Abigail's husband offended David, and David was coming to kill him. Abigail gathered up everything she had and went to the road to wait for David. She begged for her husband's life, and gave David what she had to make up for the offense. David accepted the intercession, and everyone lived happily ever after.

In a similar way, we have an Abigail who intercedes on behalf of those who wrong us. Ours is the Savior. He owns every sin. The adversary tried to get us to believe that we have to forgive each individual who wrongs us. But all wrongs, all offenses, all weaknesses, all sins, are owned by the Master. He stands on the road to make intercession, and we need only forgive Him. Every wickedness, every sin, every wrong against us, is an opportunity to forgive our Savior, to exercise our love for Him, to deepen our relationship, to adore.

Maybe it made more sense in spoken-form. Anyway, he liked it. One of our investigators recently lost his father. I will include as a post-script one of my favorite talks, "But if Not". I am confident in the reality and nature of the afterlife. I am secure in an excellent hope. I know, by the power of the Holy Ghost, that families are forever. A brief separation will only make our feelings all the deeper, sweeter, and more poignant when it ends. An eternity of love is the promise the gospel efforts. A triumphant rest.

Eons says:

27 And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father. Amen.

Alma:

11 Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection--Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.

12 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.

Abinadi:

7 And if Christ had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands of death that the grave should have no victory, and that death should have no sting, there could have been no resurrection.

8 But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ.

9 He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death.

Moroni:

34 And now I bid unto all, farewell. I soon go to rest in the paradise of God, until my spirit and body shall again reunite, and I am brought forth triumphant through the air, to meet you before the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah, the Eternal Judge of both quick and dead. Amen.

Time to go. We are fishing in a pond somewhere in downtown Jacksonville. One of the elders caught a turtle, and another one just reeled in a beer can. Good times. I love you.

~Elder Jorgensen

P.S.

But if Not

As a young man, I returned home from an eighth-grade basketball tournament dejected, disappointed, and confused. I blurted out to my mother, “I don’t know why we lost—I had faith we’d win!”

I now realize that I did not then know what faith is.

Faith is not bravado, not just a wish, not just a hope. True faith is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ—confidence and trust in Jesus Christ that leads a person to follow Him. ¹

Centuries ago, Daniel and his young associates were suddenly thrust from security into the world—a world foreign and intimidating. When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego refused to bow down and worship a golden image set up by the king, a furious Nebuchadnezzar told them that if they would not worship as commanded, they would immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. “And who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?” ²

The three young men quickly and confidently responded, “If it be so [if you cast us into the furnace], our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand.” That sounds like my eighth-grade kind of faith. But then they demonstrated that they fully understood what faith is. They continued, “But if not, … we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” ³ That is a statement of true faith.

They knew that they could trust God—even if things didn’t turn out the way they hoped. ⁴ They knew that faith is more than mental assent, more than an acknowledgment that God lives. Faith is total trust in Him.

Faith is believing that although we do not understand all things, He does. Faith is knowing that although our power is limited, His is not. Faith in Jesus Christ consists of complete reliance on Him.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego knew they could always rely on Him because they knew His plan, and they knew that He does not change. ⁵ They knew, as we know, that mortality is not an accident of nature. It is a brief segment of the great plan ⁶ of our loving Father in Heaven to make it possible for us, His sons and daughters, to achieve the same blessings He enjoys, if we are willing.

They knew, as we know, that in our premortal life, we were instructed by Him as to the purpose of mortality: “We will make an earth whereon these may dwell; And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them.” ⁷

So there we have it—it’s a test. The world is a testing place for mortal men and women. When we understand that it’s all a test, administered by our Heavenly Father, who wants us to trust in Him and to allow Him to help us, we can then see everything more clearly.

His work and His glory, He told us, is “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” ⁸ He has already achieved godhood. Now His only objective is to help us—to enable us to return to Him and be like Him and live His kind of life eternally.

Knowing all this, it was not difficult for those three young Hebrews to make their decision. They would follow God; they would exercise faith in Him. He would deliver them, but if not—and we know the rest of the story.

The Lord has given us agency, the right and the responsibility to decide. ⁹ He tests us by allowing us to be challenged. He assures us that He will not suffer us to be tempted beyond our ability to withstand. ¹⁰ But we must understand that great challenges make great men. We don’t seek tribulation, but if we respond in faith, the Lord strengthens us. The but if nots can become remarkable blessings.

The Apostle Paul learned this significant lesson and declared, after decades of dedicated missionary work, “We glory in tribulations … knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed.” ¹¹

He was assured by the Savior, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” ¹²

Paul responded: “Most gladly therefore will I glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. … I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” ¹³ When Paul met his challenges the Lord’s way, his faith increased.

“By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac.” ¹⁴Abraham, because of his great faith, was promised posterity greater in number than the stars in the heavens, and that that posterity would come through Isaac. But Abraham immediately complied with the Lord’s command. God would keep His promise, but if not in the manner Abraham expected, he still trusted Him completely.

Men accomplish marvelous things by trusting in the Lord and keeping His commandments—by exercising faith even when they don’t know how the Lord is shaping them.

“By faith Moses … refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;

“Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

“Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt. …

“By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king. …

“By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land. …

“By faith the walls of Jericho fell down.” ¹⁵

Others “through faith subdued kingdoms, … obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,

“Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight.” ¹⁶

But in the midst of all those glorious outcomes hoped for and expected by the participants, there were always the but if nots:

“And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, … bonds and imprisonment:

“They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about … being destitute, afflicted, tormented; … ¹⁷

“God having provided some better things for them through their sufferings, for without sufferings they could not be made perfect.” ¹⁸

Our scriptures and our history are replete with accounts of God’s great men and women who believed that He would deliver them, but if not, they demonstrated that they would trust and be true.

He has the power, but it’s our test.

What does the Lord expect of us with respect to our challenges? He expects us to do all we can do. He does the rest. Nephi said, “For we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” ¹⁹

We must have the same faith as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.

Our God will deliver us from ridicule and persecution, but if not. … Our God will deliver us from sickness and disease, but if not … . He will deliver us from loneliness, depression, or fear, but if not. … Our God will deliver us from threats, accusations, and insecurity, but if not. … He will deliver us from death or impairment of loved ones, but if not, … we will trust in the Lord.

Our God will see that we receive justice and fairness, but if not. … He will make sure that we are loved and recognized, but if not. … We will receive a perfect companion and righteous and obedient children, but if not, … we will have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing that if we do all we can do, we will, in His time and in His way, be delivered and receive all that He has. ²⁰ I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

WEEK 88: Katie's Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Katie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a happy day. You are so grown up! 11????? What!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Happy birthday. I love you SOOOOOOOOOOOO much. How did you get to be so great?

It was an awesome week! Do I say that a lot? I feel like I do. They're awesome! Monday we took our investigator to President's home for Family Home Evening. Then we drove across town at top speed to see a little Brazilian family who I now love more than life, the mom joined the Church in Brazil abut hasn't been in 20 years, now she wants her husband and three children to learn more about it. So she walked into Church and now we're teaching them.

I definitely did not go to a hard mission. My mission has been awesome. People are friendly, there's a culture of faith, it's always gorgeous outside and we have a mini van. What could be better?

Monday night was transfers. It was great! Some last minute changes made it a little crazy. More than two thirds of the mission was moved around! Yikes! Big shake up, but change is good. Always good.

Tuesday we got the new missionaries! They seemed particularly nervous. We responded in typical southern fashion by feeding them until they were so full that they couldn't think about anything else! Perfect. I love hearing the testimonies from the new missionaries. They are so perfect. "I have no idea where I am or what I'm doing here, but I'm a missionary now and I definitely know the Church is true so... Amen." What else is there?????? Perfect.

The next day we took out the departing missionaries to work with us for the day. That's always an experience. Missionaries call "going home" "dying". It does feel that way. Like we were close to the veil and now they slipped through. They are awesome and wise. Miss them already. Taking them to the airport is always hard. I tried to convince Elder Welsh to crash the car so we'd have to turn back and keep them all but he declined.

We went tracting in a neighborhood that turned out to be nothing but Indian people! Jacksonville is a refugee city and so we get every nationality imaginable, but Indians (the Hindu kind, from India. They cook with an enormous amount of curry and smile really big) are definitely the plurality. They do not speak English very well, so we have a great system. Elder Welsh knocks, and I stand directly in front of the door holds the Book of Mormon at shoulder height and smile as big as I can. They open the door and Elder Welsh says, "Hello! Have you read this book?" "No..." "Can we come in and teach you about it? It will make you happy!" they let us in, a little confused, and we sit down and pray and then we teach them. We usually get about 5 minutes into a discussion and they finally ask, "So, what, exactly, are you doing here?" and we laugh and say, "We're here to baptize you! If you get baptized, you can be as happy as we are!" And then they smile and say, "Oh..."

Hehehe, so it's not a perfect method. We're working on it. But a lot of Indian people have a very clear concept that something about the white boys with black tags is cheerful.

Saturday we had a bunch of service projects. Did you know leaves turn brown and fall off of trees?!?!?!? What?????? Yes. They do. And they need to be raked. Endlessly raked. Sigh. We taught Heaven and Praise and Melchizedek and Wisdom and Righteousness on Thursday! It went well! Ish. They were pretty insistent that animals do not have souls. Not really sure how that came up or why it was so important. Anyway, we'll get them.

It was a week of spiritual promptings. A prompting to knock that certain door or drive to that certain place to visit that certain family who just so happened to be waiting for a hello, for someone to reach out and love, a prompting to have a particular lesson or leave a particular commitment. Sometimes it can be hard to tell what is a prompting and what is not. I think that's because we give ourselves way too much credit. I am really not that smart. I'm not that calm or confident or instinctively self-sacrificing. If I have a good though, if I feel confident or sure or just good, for me, that means the Holy Ghost is in play. Maybe He planted the thought or maybe He is ratifying it, but if it's good, it wasn't my idea.

Just do good things! The better the better! Do the very best thing you can think of, and that's the Holy Ghost giving you as much as you can handle. And also, the Holy Ghost is a unique experience. We call it a thought or a feeling but that's not really what He does. My favorite word is "impression". He is unique. He is personal. He leaves and influence and a trace. He cannot be counterfeited. I know the unique feeling, if I have not desensitized myself in the cheap and the common. The unique feeling of the newborn child, of the glad hallelujah, of the realization of a dream or the connection with someone we love, of the sudden epiphany or the warning against danger that comes firmly but inexplicable to us and to those we love. We can start with what we know He says, and learn His language from there.

Anyway, Church came along and there were almost 30 people we're working with there. Recent converts, returning less-active families, investigators, etc... It was incredible. It was like having our own branch! It was wonderful.

We have a great life. We have the absolute greatest mission. I love my mission. I love my life. And I love this Church. I know it is true through the Holy Ghost. By listening, you can learn to recognize it as easily as a favorite song or recognize your sibling's angry cry or hurt cry or sad cry or tantrum cry. You can recognize His feelings as easily as you can tell whether a loved one is happy, sad, upset, or nervous. You can know and be known as simply and surely with Him as with any earthly relationship. It's just a matter of getting to know each other, paying attention to the little things, doing things together, taking time for each other, asking each other questions and giving honest answers. You develop love with Him mostly the same way as anyone else. Little by little we go. Little by little we make friends with Them. Little by little we learn to reciprocate, and therefore to feel, Their love.

I love you.

~Elder Jorgensen

WEEK 87: Here's a Little Joke I Wrote!

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA

COMPANION:  ELDER WELSH

ASSISTANTS

Everything is better when you start with a joke! So I came up with 11 this week!

What's the most popular thing in the Book of Mormon?

Siah. Everybody wants Mo-Siah.

What did Stephen, the super supportive Apostle, say to Peter when he tried to walk on water?

Jew can do it!!!!

What did Nephi say when he got to camp and saw that Laman and Lemuel had set everything up incorrectly?

Retent! Retent!

What did the Stripling Warriors say about their captain?

He-de-man!

When the Lord told the Jaredites that He did not approve of their wars and wickedness, what did the prophet say?

"Me Ether!"

Who was the biggest whiner in the Book of Mormon?

King La-moan-i

What is the first thing you say to a Nephite who loves the ocean and the color black?

"Hey Goth!" (Hagoth)

Who was the most romantic character in the Book of Mormon?

Kisskumen

Who was the hungriest character in the Book of Mormon?

Om-om-om-om-om-ni.

Did you know Joseph Smith had an African cousin who made swords for a living? They called him "Blacksmith"!

What do you call a nephite general who was just taught the word of wisdom?

Herbal-Teancum. (herbal tea)

And then here are some that I just know:

What did the three wise men say when they gave their gifts to Jesus?

We brought gold and frankincense! But wait, there's myrrh.

Why did the Lamanites walk with a limp?

Because of all the Knee-fights!

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, oh goodness. I think I need to lie down. That was wonderful.

Alright. We had a great week! Tuesday was some meetings on the west side and then lunch at the Olive Garden, of course. Wow we eat a lot of salad. Then wednesday was a meeting here downtown. It was delightful. Then Thursday was the TEMPLE TRIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love the temple. I love going every six weeks. I made a goal to do 100 sessions in the first year after my mission. That's going to be a gorgeous year. I got to sit right next to the mission President the whole time there and we talked about it afterwards. It was just special.

Then friday we did weekly planning. The highlight was probably our plan to buy 30 yoga balls. we have this one red yoga ball that is always in our way but Elder Welsh loves it so we decided we might as well buy it some friends. We'll see if those plans come to fruition. Saturday we raked leaves and I got a tick on my side by where your ribs meet your back! They are MEAN little creatures! I accidentally pulled it off because I thought it was a thorn or something so Elder Welsh announces that he needs to torture me. He puts a knife on the stove and heats it up and then puts it where the bite was but the stove is electric and the knife is metal so really he just electrocutes me. THEN he takes the knife and burns the bite with it! Apparently that gets the head out? Gross. Anyway, he burned me pretty good! It's been a few days and there's no infection. So I guess it's good! Elder Welsh to the rescue!

What else happened? Goodness so many things. Ummmmmm.... Oh! You will love this. So about six weeks ago a fantastic young man named Marquez was baptized. Hopefully you remember him. Well Marquez's aunt just moved in with him. Her name is Jessica, and she has five children. Their names are Heaven (13) Praise (11) Melchizedek (9) Wisdom (7) and Righteousness (3). Melchizedek and Wisdom came to Church. You should have seen the look on the bishop's face when we introduced them! HAH! Best day ever.

This whole beautiful new development prompted some serious discussion between Elder Welsh and I about names for our future children. I, as most of you know, would like at least 15, so there will be a big demand for names. Some of the ones we came up with were:

Elder Priesthood Jorgensen

Mormon Peter Jorgensen

Micah Zerin Jorgensen

Joseph Hyrum Jorgensen

Nephi Lehi Jorgensen

Enoch Zion Jorgensen

Seth Isaiah Jorgensen

and then for girls

Eve Mary Jorgensen

Hannah Elizabeth Jorgensen

Rachel Liahona Jorgensen

Rebekah Sarah Jorgensen

So good.

It's just so GOOD! It's so FUN to be here. Never have I had more fun than when I have let go and learned and obeyed. I have chosen to make my life one of covenants, and so my agency is no longer independent, but representative agency. I don't choose whatever I want, I choose either to obey or to rebel. And to obey is such a JOY. Oh it's such a thrill. I have never been more happy or creative or lighter or more free. I have never had so much pleasure and liberty and ease and peace as when I work my life away in obedience. And it requires repentance. Sometimes major, tearful, frightening, difficult repentance. But repentance is deeper than I ever knew! Because of the Atonement, the past can be an innoculation against the virus of sin, not a permanent weakness. I love the Atonement. I love to repent. I love to change! I love that you do not have to wait! I love that there is no minimum amount of time that must pass. I love that this moment can be completely different than the next! I love that every modicum of time is a pivot that can change the trajectory and an infinite, eternal soul.

What other joy is there in the world? What could compare to this vision of Gods and men, of eternal families, foreordination, divine destiny, the drama of apostasy and restoration, the excitement of visions and miracles? What other thrill is there to be had????? What other life would even be worth living? I love this life. I love this gospel. And I love the Prophet.

One of our neighbors who also is one of our investigators has become a dear friend. He objects pretty strongly to there being so much talk in the Church about Joseph Smith. He asked very frankly why we talk about him so much if he's just a man.

Yes, he is just a man. A man among boys. A holy oracle. A Prophet of God. He performed super-human feats. He spoke with the voice of the Almighty. He lives on in glory.

But that's not why we speak of him. That's not why we sing "Praise to the Man". We talk, or I suppose I should say, "I talk" of Joseph Smith because through him I have come to know the Christ. I would never have found faith and confidence and the protection of the gospel without the evidence of the Book of Mormon. I could never have understood the gospel of Christ without the clarity of the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, the revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants, and the further corrections in the Pearl of Great Price. I never, ever could have found safety for my soul in this most thrilling and terrifying of times without the shield of faith given to me by the Book of Mormon. I have held the Book of Mormon, I have read it, I have obeyed the challenge held within it to get down on my knees in my native dust and beg my God for a witness, and I have had a matchless touch of the Divine confirm it's truthfulness to me. I know that it is true, and God knows that I know that it is true, and thousands and thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands, of people here in the Florida Jacksonville mission now know that I know that it is true. And because I know, I know that God the Father lives. That His son Jesus Christ came to this earth to be bruised, broken, and torn for us. I can cry unto Him for mercy for I now know that He is mighty to save. I can pray always that I may enter not into temptation. I know to repent, and to forgive. And although repentance is not easy, if I try with all my heart to obey His gospel I know now that He gives this promise: "Verily Verily I say onto you, notwithstanding your sins, my bowels are filled with compassion for you. I will not utterly cast you off, and in the day of wrath, I will remember mercy." I know the Savior wants to forgive.

I know of the ten commandments, of the sacrifice and boldness and righteousness of hundreds of mighty prophets. I know of miracles of which I never would have conceived. This raise in vision has banished the impossible and the unthinkable from my mind, for all things will be done in the wisdom of Him who knoweth all things. I know How to make covenants, when to make them, why to make them, and can be bound up to my Father through them. I know of His nature, of His attributes, of His feelings and thoughts. I know of His spirit, and through diligent searching and study have come to develop a communication with that spirit. I know of His prophet. That He has a mouthpiece on the earth who strides in glorious, divine power across this earth and declares truth and light. I know my family is an eternal, endlessly powerful dynasty. I know that my Savior loves me. That He knows me. That He longs for me. That He weeps with and rejoices with and begs and entreats and commands even me. That I may be His friend. That we may be joint-heirs. That we may be brothers again.

I know. And God knows. And if you don't know, you had at least better know that I know. I know the Book of Mormon is true. It is a holy and a pure and a wondrous book. There is the light of the Lamb. There is the Word of the Holy One. I wish I could meet the Prophet Joseph and tackle him and sit and weep with him and thank him for his sacrifice, for his questions, for leading me back to my Jesus, that Shepherd, Heir, and Christ. I love Him. He lives, and because He lives, the whole entire world can know what I know. One day they will. I want to know so much more. So much. I am thrilled to learn it.

I love you.

~Elder Jorgensen

LETTERS HOME

Hi mom!

There is a Sister Malm in our mission! Not sure what her first name is. Oh wait! I can know everything. Sierra Malm is from Payson Utah, and has been on her mission for 3 months. I'm glad you loved snowboarding and skiing! That sounds incredibly fun. I love to remember the general authorities are real people! Sounds like the Elders are doing good work and Cassidy is quite the scripture chase champion. We play a game called Book of Mormon Baseball where one person reads a verse and the other person guesses first the standard work it is in (for a single) next the book (for a double) next the chapter (for a triple) next the verse (for a home run). It's a super fun game. I love it. Booyah!

I love Treasure Island! If Cassidy liked it, the same author also wrote Kidnapped which I loved as well. I love you. I'm glad you got so much revelation from conference. You are amazing! Thanks for working on my blog. My companion is very nice. He is from Morgan Utah, his father is a general contractor and he has a younger sister who is 12 and twin brothers who are 14. He actually went home for a while, but is back out and rocking it. He loves golf and trucks and cowboy boots and wants to study business and be a contractor like his dad. He's a good-old country Utah boy. I love him and sometimes he laughs at my terrible homemade jokes. And he makes delicious smoothies and eggs!

You are great! I sure miss you! Guess what? Mothers day is in like, five seconds! Can you believe it??????? WHAT IS HAPPENING? I love you. Thanks for being great. How's the diploma in my name challenge going?

Hehe, you're going to like the big letter. It's got jokes and an investigator named Melchizedek in it!

~Elder Jorgensen

Letter to Elder Joshua from Cassidy, age 13

Hey Joshy, this week Katie and I went snowboarding! OW! I must have face planted or fallen every 2 minutes! I am still sore! I got the hang of back rail and can almost do front rail! It was a lot of fun, but I worked so hard that that when we got home I had a mono relapse, but all I had to do was take a nap and I was perfectly fine, so fine I went skiing the next day! It was so much fun! I felt so cool being able to say "Yeah, I can ski and snowboard, whatever mood I am in." ;) We went up to Brian Head on Thursday, we snowboarded on Friday, and we skied and drove home at Saturday, we arrived at 1:30 on Sunday morning! 

Dad and I have been playing dice every night and yesterday I won the game in 5 rolls! In one roll I got 550 + 1500 + 1500 + 2000 = 5550! AHHHH! I couldn't believe it! I went from a total score of 4100 to 9650! Dad was just amazed! I can't wait to play you when you come home, you will probably find I my skill has grown over the past 2 years.  

I miss you and love to hear your stories every week, I still have my book of super coupons from you and there are times when I want to use a greek mythology coupon. I keep them on my bedstead so every night when I go to sleep I see them and remember you. I love you and not a day goes by that I do not think of what a remarkable example you have been to me. Some of my favorite memories are of you just sitting with me and i could ask any question I could think of, and you would tell me the answer. You are the smartest person I know and I want to grow up to be just as funny, playful, smart, and amazing as you are. I love you!

-Cass    

Elder Joshua’s response today:

BEST LETTER EVER!!!!!!!!

Hey Cass. I think about you every single day! Do you know that?!? Way to go snowboarding! You are awesome. I love snowboarding! I'm glad you went even with mono! It's way more fun to play than be sick. You ski too???? Champion.

Dice is so fun! I love games. You got 5550 in a roll???????????? Holy cow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is some serious skill.

I love you too Cass. I'm glad you read my letters! I'm glad you kept my coupons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you for being my sister. I love sitting with you! Sitting and talking and hearing your awesome questions and stories and thoughts. One day when I grow up I want to be just like you. I love you. This letter made me tear up a little bit and I just love it. I just love you.

WEEK 86: General Conference

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA

COMPANION:  ELDER WELSH

ASSISTANTS

Lake City, FL on Tuesday

Gainesville, FL on Wednesday

Jacksonville, FL on Thursday

Ocala,  Lake City & Jacksonville, FL on Friday

Okay stories. Ready?

Tuesday was Lake City, which is halfway to Tallahassee from here. While there, we went off-reading in our little Corolla to this tiny trailer on a hill by a river surrounded by willow-looking (alright so I'm not a botanist) trees. It was probably the most gorgeous thing ever. We just sat there on the porch and talked about the gospel as the sun set into the lake. Then we went on a walk with a gorgeous little family of 5, and they invited us in and listened in rapt attention as we declared the restoration of the gospel. Then we gave a blessing to a man who was a bishop, a ward mission leader, and now has not been to church in years and years. We gave his little grandson a tender blessing that he could not give himself. A reminder to "watch and pray always".

Wednesday was back to Gainesville. First time I've gone proselyting in Gainesville since I got transferred from there 14 months ago! Can you believe how time flies??? We did an impormptu service project for a man whose beautiful deck had been rotted out by the moisture from the inside. I thought of that deck often throughout conference as the Brethren warned us against facades and hypocrisy. Then we went to a pizza place and I had leftover stromboli for breakfast the next day. It was delicious, but stromboli is essentially a pizza burrito, and I don't know about making it a regular part of your breakfast diet...

Thursday was back home to Jacksonville. We drove like crazy people from appointment to appointment (i have a terribly tendency to never plan travel time...) and finished the night with a family of recent converts. The wife was raised in the church but had fallen away for years, and the husband just joined a year ago. We sat in their kitchen with them, their arms and legs covered in tattoos, his large, wild red beard (they're in their 20's) hanging down onto his chest and their big dogs running around everywhere, and I teared up to hear them testify and express their joy for later this month when they will receive their endowment, and a special day in June when they will be sealed for time and all eternity. If there is a more perfect family in this world, I'd have to see it to believe it.

Friday I was up at 4:30 AM to drive to Ocala to fetch Elder Welsh, five to Lake City for a meeting at 9 AM, drive back to Jacksonville in time to leave Elder Welsh on the North Side for the night with some Elders there and barely make it back to our side of town (we are on the South Side of the River) in time for our evening of appointments. It was a lot of driving. We did stop for lunch at Olive Garden in Lake City though. We probably eat at Olive Garden three times a week. They have unlimited salad and breadsticks for five dollars, and we usually only have time to eat one real meal a day. So we go in and DEMOLISH those salads. Holy cow. We ask for two giant bowls at a time and by the time the server has refilled our water we need more salad. Elder Welsh has insisted we leave large tips because by the end of our lunch hour the servers are always a little stressed out and I'm pretty sure one of them had started sweating. We're hungry! So if Olive Garden goes out of business this month, you'll know why.

Friday night was a wonderful night. We have an investigator named Cody who live RIGHT next to us. We can see in his window from our parking space. He has a beautiful little family, he's studying to be a lawyer, he's in his early 30's, and he has been going to church for a year but doesn't feel he knows it is true! Well he called us on Friday and asked that we come give his daughter a priesthood blessing. She is 2 and had a 105 fever. We came, and we asked if we could give a lesson on the priesthood before the blessing. It was one of probably the top 10 most intense lessons of my mission (and we have some pretty intense lessons). We taught him the biblical pattern of dispensations, the use of the priesthood and role of priesthood holders. We testified of the apostasy, mourned together over the darkness and confusion in the world, and then bore witness of the restoration. We told him we were more than well-intentioned boys with name tags and a mini-van. We are just and holy men, members of a sacred Order and mantled with a divine endowment, sent to bless the people of the world, and that if he would have faith, his daughter would be more than comforted, she would be healed. He expressed hesitancy to accept, and then the Spirit made him a significant promise, through us it said,

"Cody, if you will come to General Conference with the question of whether Joseph Smith was a prophet in mind, you will receive an answer this weekend."

He was pretty skeptical. He's been praying over it for a year. But we promised, we blessed his daughter, her fever disappeared and the next day she was dancing around the room. He came to conference, he received an answer during Henry B. Eyring's talk in Priesthood session. He knows the message of the Restoration is true.

I say the message is true. I love the Prophet. I sustain him with all my heart. I love my Savior. I do not understand Him fully, but I love Him better today than I did yesterday, and I'm working on the rest. My favorite talks were by Elder Bednar, Elder Holland, and Elder Ringwood. There was also a delightful one on music and dance, but I cannot remember the name of the man who gave it! Elder Clayton? Anyway, I hope you hear the music this week. I did. 185 years ago today the Church was organized. And today is Jesus' birthday. Happy Birthday to Him. Happy April to you.

Love,

~Elder Jorgensen

Letters Home

Hi Mama!!!

A three hour time difference is a lot. Priesthood doesn't end until 10 here! Crazy. I wish I was there to help with yard work! Your scavenger hunts can be MORE challenging? I feel like without additional clue I would have starved to death searching for my chocolate bunnies! Cookies sound fantastic! Hehehe, gluten free. I miss gluten free. Lets make a deal, when I get home, everything will be gluten free and dairy free and sugar free and in fact, you know what? Maybe just no food. What is it with people and FOOD? It's like being around a bunch of addicts! With alcoholics, nothing is fun without drinking and everything revolves around the next taste. Same here but with fried chicken and potatoes and cheese. And bacon. Goodness. No. More. Eating.

OOoo I did like those bright blue ties. Hehehehee yeah, a missionary is a pretty easy conversation topic. Happy Easter!

WHAT?!?!?

First of all, that easter-egg hunt looks fantastic. What fun!!!!!

Second, when did they get so BIG???????

Sigh. I love them so much. I have the most beautiful Sisters in the world. They are the greatest, happiest, most wonderful thing that ever happened to me. How did they get to be so amazing?

Third, when I left Kiev was the capital of the Ukraine, which was a NATO country. How could Kiev possibly be in RUSSIA? Did you know I have been gone for 20 months? Apparently that is a very long time. Anyway, Don is going there! That is so COOL (usually we are not supposed to say cool because it is undignified, but I figured the setting made it appropriate). I think it gets hot there in the summers and absurdly cold in winter. WOW! Kiev...  Yeah that's definitely supposed to be in the Ukraine. What an awesome mission!!!! I hope he is half as excited as I am.

I will pray for Grandma. And for Kinley. Kinley is amazing. She's like Elizabeth... Just too good to be real. You just stand there and wait for someone to yell, "Cut" and for a real-live person to come onto stage instead. Or for them to just be translated. Hope her heads okay. Happy Easter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

***************

To Cassidy:

HAPPY EASTER!

I miss you twice as much. You were in Missoula?? FUN!!!!!! Hahahahaha I forgot about President Uchtdorf talking in German! I almost fell off my bench laughing! Sounds like you are a rich little chocolatier! I'm so glad you got to see Don open his call! You are the best Cass. I think about you every day. Thank you for writing to me. I love you.

~Elder Jorgensen