Familia!
So, I'm here in Casa Grande, loving it. Its definitely different than Tempe! It reminds me a lot of Idaho. Tons of open area, tons of dirt roads, tons of farm land, and very few people. It makes things a little bit difficult, but I know that there are still plenty of people here that are searching for the truth. No joke, I think over 50% of the people that live here are over the age of 70... a little different than covering the area surrounding ASU. My companion is Elder Waite. He has been out for one transfer and he is a stud. Training is two transfers long, so I will be doing the second half of his training. I'm stoked for the things that lay ahead.
So, as for the work in Casa Grande, its different. Sometimes it takes about thirty minutes to drive to an area where we will have a couple of lessons. In Tempe, it took a max of like five minutes to cross our entire area, so it has been pretty hard to figure out how to best work this type of area. I have been praying a lot for guidance to know exactly what I needed to do to help Elder Waite and to be able to find all of the people that are searching for the Gospel, and it has been amazing to see how God has guided everything that I have been doing.
We have quite a few investigators that have potential. None really working towards baptism yet, but I know that there will be several on date in the coming weeks. One of which is Mercedes. Mercedes is awesome. Her sister was baptized over a year ago and ever since she has been interested in the church. The missionaries have been stopping by her house for the last couple months and she has really progressed. She has gone from not even believing in God to knowing that the book of Mormon is true. She just has a few issues with some commandments that she feels shouldn't be wrong for her to do. It has been hard as we have tried to testify to her that since she knows the book of Mormon is true, she knows that Joseph Smith was a prophet, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true church again established on the earth, which means that the commandments taught are commandments of God. She just can't seem to connect the whole picture. Yesterday we had a lesson with her and I was stumped. All throughout church I had no idea what we were going to teach her to help her out, to help her progress in the gospel. As we got home before dinner we decided that we would pray and seek guidance from God to know what Mercedes needed to hear. As we prayed tons of things flooded into both of our minds. Its truly amazing how strong the power of prayer is. We were able to go into our lesson with Mercedes knowing exactly what she needed to hear. She still is not completely sure about baptism, but yesterday we got one step farther. She has never prayed with the missionaries before and so I knew that was something she needed to do. She needed to gain a testimony in praying vocally, and so yesterday we were able to get her to saying the closing prayer before we left. She said some key things in her prayer that helped me know exactly where she was. She said "God I know that this is your true church, and I hope to be baptized in it someday." Although it is a struggle now for her to obey all of the commandments, I know that she will gain a testimony of it someday and that she will be baptized in the near future.
This whole situation really got me thinking about my life and the mission. So many times we let our desires get in the way of true happiness, and true happiness comes directly from obeying the commandments. In Mosiah 2:41 we learn that someday we can "dwell with God in a state of never ending happiness." How amazing would that be? But, earlier in the verse we learn that to reach this goal we need to obey all of the commandments. Now in my life, I know that I have made mistakes, I have broken a few of the commandments. However, I know, without a doubt, that there is a way to correct these wrong doings. Later on in Mosiah chapter 3 it talks about the natural man (our worldly desires) is an enemy to God unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord. This whole situation has just really made me realize how key it is to control our desires. We all have them. Some are great desires and we should pursue them, but those that don't comply with the will of God we need to control. However, I know sometimes we slip and fall, but something that we need to know is that the safety line has already been thrown. The Atonement has already been completed, all we have to do is humble ourselves and use it. My testimony of the Atonement has been strengthened so much as I have seen my investigators use it. It is also very painful when they decide not to use it and take all of the weight of the world on their shoulders. There truly is an easier way to this life, and as we turn unto Christ and use his sacrifice for us, we can find it. I just wish that everyone I came in contact with understood that.
Anyway, take care. I love you all and hope that all is well at home.
Con Amor,
Elder Jurgensmeier
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