Familia!
What a week, man time is flying. I can't believe that Dalt is home...crazy stuff. Elder Oscarson and I usually try to go on about two exchanges per week, and this week we got to go to COOLIDGE! Man, I love that place. Coolidge will always be my second favorite area, right after the area that I am currently serving in haha. It was awesome to be able to go back and remember all of the miracles that I was able to see there. The miracles that happened in Coolidge truly were a direct result from the members getting involved in the Work of Salvation. As I was there we were able to visit some members who are still working on the Family Mission Plan that we started about 6 months ago. It was awesome to see as they talked about the many opportunities that they have had. They have even taken a random family who just lost their home and opened up their own home for them to live in. The members in Coolidge truly have lost themselves in our Father's work and it is amazing to see how many families they have brought into the church.
While I was there I was also told about a family that I had taught who had just been baptized. I was able to reflect on a few months earlier when Elder Myler and I had been walking down the street. It was about 8:45 and we were about ready to head home for the night when we decided that we were going to walk down the street to try and talk to a few people. As we got to the end of the street, we were just standing there talking and I said, "That house right there, there is a family that is going to get baptized." Not thinking much more of it, we continued on our walk and headed home for the night. A few days later we were going to eat dinner with a member who lived on that same street. As we pulled into the street, the family who lived in "that house" was standing outside washing their car. We got out of our car and walked up to meet the Salsgiver family. We talked for a few brief moments, and set up a lesson to return. Our first lesson with the Salsgiver family, we found out that the husband was a less active member and that the family had been taking lessons in Utah several years earlier. As we continued to teach them, the husband was hesitant to reactivate, and the family wasn't too sure if they wanted to come to church. However, when we started involving the members, all of that changed. The members completely wrapped their arms around the Salsgiver family and about a month ago the father was able to baptize his wife and three of his children. The thing that I love about this work is the change is literally visible in those who start living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Not only has this change taken place in the lives of the converts in the Coolidge area, but the members are truly the ones who are benefiting the most. As we become lost in the Work of our Father, we become exactly who we need to be. I hope that some day I have the opportunity to serve in Coolidge again.
Being in Coolidge for a day was great, but then it was also awesome to get back to my own area. The YSA wards on Campus are awesome. This week we had the Cowboys and Angels activity that turned out to be a huge success. Essentially it was a giant country dance haha. There were TONS of non members that came, two of which were legit cowboys. They had come from Kansas on a cow run to pick up some cattle in Arizona. While they were walking through the mall at the beginning of this week, a random person walked up to them and gave them an invitation to the party and said, "Trust me, you two will love this." So, they figured, why not and decided to come. They told us since it was a free party they thought, "Man, we should be nice and at least bring a couple cases of beer." ....luckily they didn't haha. They loved it though. They had never even heard of a Mormon before, but we are going to start teaching them on Facebook back in Kansas and see where it goes.
I love this work. I know that there truly is nothing else that brings more joy than sharing the Gospel. I hope you are all doing well!
Con Amor,
Elder Jurgensmeier
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