Familia!
This week was one to remember, that's for sure. Conference was incredible. There really is no better way to end a week than to hear from the prophet and apostles.
Since conference was coming up we wanted to prepare all of our investigators and recent converts as best we could. I found it was the most prepared that I have ever been as well. We spent a lot of time meeting with Jasmine this week to prepare for conference and it was definitely worth it. We talked about the role conference plays in our life, read a couple of talks, talked about different ways to prepare, we tried to do everything we could think of. She even decided that all week when she would usually be listening to music she would listen to conference talks. We promised Jasmine that President Monson would speak about something that would be specific to her, something that she needed specifically at that point in her life. Since day one Jasmine has talked about how important it is to "Love God, Love everyone else, and nothing else matters." Pretty incredible that President Monson spoke the entire time about that isn't it. Before conference started, Jasmine said that she was just so torn inside. She has been being pulled in two directions for the past 4 months and she had no idea what she needed to do. She said that she just wanted to finally feel some peace. As President Monson closed the conference he said, "May God bless you, may His promised peace be with you now and always." Its pretty incredible how powerful conference is. Its amazing that even though its a message given to the entire world, it is designed specifically for each and every one of us. I'm so thankful to have a prophet of God on the earth today.
And so between conference and preparing our investigators for conference, the rest of the time was spent working on the transfer board for transfers this week. I'll tell you what, it was quite the process. Usually transfers seem to go fairly easy, this one was completely opposite. President Toone's vision the entire time has been for Elder Oscarson and I to spend the last two transfers of our mission out in the field training. Well, this transfer coming up being Elder Oscarson's 2nd to last, it was time for him to go. The more we talked about it however, the less right it felt. However, we continued forward with the plan. We moved the entire mission around to where we thought things were right and thought we were pretty much finished by the time Sunday Morning Session of General Conference rolled around. As we met after General Conference, for some reason we still felt really uneasy about it all. We couldn't figure out what it was and it seemed like we moved everyone around in every single position. Still, nothing felt right. As we moved Elder Oscarson back to serving with me, things started to feel a little bit better but still not the confirmation we were seeking for. And then it finally came as we put none other than Elder Kloepfer in a trio companionship with Elder Oscarson and I!! Things are good here in the Arizona Tempe Mission, I'll tell you what. I've always felt like someday Elder Kloepfer and I would serve together, but I didn't really want to say anything to President Toone to sway his opinion one way or another, I always wanted it to be something that was straight from God. Who would have known that little 'ol Keane and Kevin would one day be serving together as Elder Kloepfer and Elder Jurgensmeier. I'm stoked! I know that good things are in store. There is a ton I know I have to learn from both Elder Kloepfer and Elder Oscarson, I know that miracles are going to happen.
I love you all! Thank you for all your prayer!
Con Amor,
Elder Jurgensmeier
Monday, April 7, 2014
Monday, March 31, 2014
Week 84: Blessings of the Gospel
Familia!
Finally, some time to breathe! Elder Oscarson and I finished our last trainings up for this transfer on Thursday, had 30 seconds to sit down and relax, and then we headed off to get things rolling for our baptisms Saturday. Not a bad week I would say! This week we are preparing for the upcoming transfer and everything is kind of up in the air for Elder Oscarson and I. President Toone originally wanted us to go out our last two transfers and train new missionaries, but now he isn't too sure what he wants for us. Its crazy to think I have been serving with Elder Oscarson for the past 6 months....time is going so fast! I'm glad that its all in the hands of the Lord and President Toone though, that way it means there is no pressure for us :)
As for this week, it was incredible! Since we didn't have a ton of time to be in our area we made sure that we were meeting with Matt and Tasha every day helping them get ready for their baptism. Those two are incredible, I'll tell you what. Anyway, since we didn't have a lot of time to focus in other parts of our area our teaching pool has gotten a little bit small. This week we are going to find 5 solid new investigators though, so we should be back up and running in no time.
Its interesting to see how quick to forget we are sometimes. Its been made pretty evident to me these last few weeks in multiple forms. As I've had to look through classes for college coming up I've realized how much I truly have forgotten. Good thing God provides, or I would really be in for a run with Chemistry! But even then, I've seen it a lot with things spiritually this week. Being so busy, we haven't had a ton of time to meet with Jasmine, who has also been extremely busy. She sent us a message the other day that said, "Guys, I think my mormon fire is out." We asked her what she meant and she said that she didn't know, she just didn't feel it anymore. She asked us if we could meet last night and she wanted us to tell her the story of Jasmine. So, last night as we met we just reviewed all of the things that have happened in the last 4 months that we have spent together. For quite sometime, one of my favorite scriptures has been found in John 14 in verse 26 that says the spirit will bring all things to our remembrance. As we met with Jasmine last night and reviewed all of the miracles that have taken place this last little while, the spirit bore testimony so strongly of the validity of the things she has come to know. She left with a fire stronger than I had ever seen in her. This weekend is going to be incredible at general conference. I know that she is going to receive the answers that she needs to make that step of faith towards baptism. In her church she is now known as the Book of Mormon girl, and she loves it. She said that random people walk up to her and ask, "You read the Book of Mormon, right? I've always been curious about it." and she is then able to bear testimony about it and invite them to read for themselves. She is an incredible missionary and I know that the restored gospel is going to help strengthen everything about her.
Matt and Tasha's baptism was incredible. They were both referrals from the Gilbert Open House. Matt has never really had any knowledge of the church and after going he knew he needed to find out more and then Tasha has two siblings that are members and going to the open house was the last little push she needed to make the step of meeting with the missionaries. Its always amazing to see how God leads and guides His children to more fully find him and come to understand His plan for us. Especially Tasha's journey has been incredible. Tasha has been through a lot the last little while, especially going through the passing of her mother 5 years ago. After their baptism, Tasha got up to bear her testimony and just stood up there crying. Finally she was able to express what she was feeling and talked about how she was experiencing one of the most amazing feelings that she had ever felt. She spoke about how as she stood in the water and started to get dipped back into the water she had a flash back of her life. She remembered everything that had gone on, both good and bad, and then the moment she entered into the water all of that disappeared. She said that as she went under the water she saw her mother standing in front of her smiling and then instantly feelings of peace and love came over her. She bore testimony that she knew what she had done was what her mother wanted her to do, but not only that it was what her Father in Heaven wanted her to do. I'm so thankful to be able to meet such amazing people.
I'm so thankful to be here in Arizona serving. The people here are incredible and have impacted my life forever.
Con Amor,
Elder Jurgensmeier
Finally, some time to breathe! Elder Oscarson and I finished our last trainings up for this transfer on Thursday, had 30 seconds to sit down and relax, and then we headed off to get things rolling for our baptisms Saturday. Not a bad week I would say! This week we are preparing for the upcoming transfer and everything is kind of up in the air for Elder Oscarson and I. President Toone originally wanted us to go out our last two transfers and train new missionaries, but now he isn't too sure what he wants for us. Its crazy to think I have been serving with Elder Oscarson for the past 6 months....time is going so fast! I'm glad that its all in the hands of the Lord and President Toone though, that way it means there is no pressure for us :)
As for this week, it was incredible! Since we didn't have a ton of time to be in our area we made sure that we were meeting with Matt and Tasha every day helping them get ready for their baptism. Those two are incredible, I'll tell you what. Anyway, since we didn't have a lot of time to focus in other parts of our area our teaching pool has gotten a little bit small. This week we are going to find 5 solid new investigators though, so we should be back up and running in no time.
Its interesting to see how quick to forget we are sometimes. Its been made pretty evident to me these last few weeks in multiple forms. As I've had to look through classes for college coming up I've realized how much I truly have forgotten. Good thing God provides, or I would really be in for a run with Chemistry! But even then, I've seen it a lot with things spiritually this week. Being so busy, we haven't had a ton of time to meet with Jasmine, who has also been extremely busy. She sent us a message the other day that said, "Guys, I think my mormon fire is out." We asked her what she meant and she said that she didn't know, she just didn't feel it anymore. She asked us if we could meet last night and she wanted us to tell her the story of Jasmine. So, last night as we met we just reviewed all of the things that have happened in the last 4 months that we have spent together. For quite sometime, one of my favorite scriptures has been found in John 14 in verse 26 that says the spirit will bring all things to our remembrance. As we met with Jasmine last night and reviewed all of the miracles that have taken place this last little while, the spirit bore testimony so strongly of the validity of the things she has come to know. She left with a fire stronger than I had ever seen in her. This weekend is going to be incredible at general conference. I know that she is going to receive the answers that she needs to make that step of faith towards baptism. In her church she is now known as the Book of Mormon girl, and she loves it. She said that random people walk up to her and ask, "You read the Book of Mormon, right? I've always been curious about it." and she is then able to bear testimony about it and invite them to read for themselves. She is an incredible missionary and I know that the restored gospel is going to help strengthen everything about her.
Matt and Tasha's baptism was incredible. They were both referrals from the Gilbert Open House. Matt has never really had any knowledge of the church and after going he knew he needed to find out more and then Tasha has two siblings that are members and going to the open house was the last little push she needed to make the step of meeting with the missionaries. Its always amazing to see how God leads and guides His children to more fully find him and come to understand His plan for us. Especially Tasha's journey has been incredible. Tasha has been through a lot the last little while, especially going through the passing of her mother 5 years ago. After their baptism, Tasha got up to bear her testimony and just stood up there crying. Finally she was able to express what she was feeling and talked about how she was experiencing one of the most amazing feelings that she had ever felt. She spoke about how as she stood in the water and started to get dipped back into the water she had a flash back of her life. She remembered everything that had gone on, both good and bad, and then the moment she entered into the water all of that disappeared. She said that as she went under the water she saw her mother standing in front of her smiling and then instantly feelings of peace and love came over her. She bore testimony that she knew what she had done was what her mother wanted her to do, but not only that it was what her Father in Heaven wanted her to do. I'm so thankful to be able to meet such amazing people.
I'm so thankful to be here in Arizona serving. The people here are incredible and have impacted my life forever.
Con Amor,
Elder Jurgensmeier
Monday, March 24, 2014
Week 83: Gotta Love Craziness
Familia!
What a week! From Phoenix to Maricopa to Yuma we were all over the place this week, but it was incredible. Zone Conferences are honestly one of my favorite things to do. Not only do we get to go all over the place and see all the missionaries, but we get the opportunity to train on something that we are passionate about. This time around we are focusing on the Doctrine of Christ, our missionary purpose. The Doctrine of Christ is the simple doctrine that allows us to progress in this life. Having Faith in Christ, Repenting, being baptized, receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the end. Each of these elements are absolutely critical in our lives and only made possible through the Atonement of Christ. The Atonement of Christ is the driving force of each and every element of the Doctrine. In my training, I have been able to talk about what the driving force of the Atonement, and how it should be our driving force. Christ, with all things stacked against him was able to succeed because He loved. We read in 1 John that "perfect love casteth out all fear." Perfect love allows all things to be possible. Because Christ loves us, He did what He did. Because We love the people we teach, we do absolutely everything we can to allow them to access the Atonement of Christ to its fullness. That type of love is the driving force of everything, and it has been awesome to be able to experience that for the people I have been able to teach.
And so with Zone Conference taking up nearly all of our time, our week turned very crazy trying to keep track of all of our investigators. We were able to have a few appointments, and all are still doing very well. Letasha and Matt are both being baptized this next Saturday and so that is going to be awesome! Jasmine is still working on her testimony of President Monson being a prophet and so General Conference is going to be key for her. We were also able to find a few new investigators and so things are looking great!
Anyway, today has been absolutely insane haha so this is going to be a short one, but hopefully things will be a little back to normal next week.
Con Amor!
Elder Jurgensmeier
What a week! From Phoenix to Maricopa to Yuma we were all over the place this week, but it was incredible. Zone Conferences are honestly one of my favorite things to do. Not only do we get to go all over the place and see all the missionaries, but we get the opportunity to train on something that we are passionate about. This time around we are focusing on the Doctrine of Christ, our missionary purpose. The Doctrine of Christ is the simple doctrine that allows us to progress in this life. Having Faith in Christ, Repenting, being baptized, receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the end. Each of these elements are absolutely critical in our lives and only made possible through the Atonement of Christ. The Atonement of Christ is the driving force of each and every element of the Doctrine. In my training, I have been able to talk about what the driving force of the Atonement, and how it should be our driving force. Christ, with all things stacked against him was able to succeed because He loved. We read in 1 John that "perfect love casteth out all fear." Perfect love allows all things to be possible. Because Christ loves us, He did what He did. Because We love the people we teach, we do absolutely everything we can to allow them to access the Atonement of Christ to its fullness. That type of love is the driving force of everything, and it has been awesome to be able to experience that for the people I have been able to teach.
And so with Zone Conference taking up nearly all of our time, our week turned very crazy trying to keep track of all of our investigators. We were able to have a few appointments, and all are still doing very well. Letasha and Matt are both being baptized this next Saturday and so that is going to be awesome! Jasmine is still working on her testimony of President Monson being a prophet and so General Conference is going to be key for her. We were also able to find a few new investigators and so things are looking great!
Anyway, today has been absolutely insane haha so this is going to be a short one, but hopefully things will be a little back to normal next week.
Con Amor!
Elder Jurgensmeier
Week 82: Precious Moments
Familia!
What a week! It was Spring Break on ASU, man campus was DEAD, but our area exploded. This week we taught more lessons with a member present than I have ever done in my mission. It seems like the more things Elder Oscarson and I have on our plate, the more solid investigators we find to teach. God is definitely blessing us.
This week we had a couple opportunities to train throughout the mission. Zone Conferences started and so we were able to go to Phoenix and Phoenix South Zones. Its always great to be able to go back to my old areas and hear how people I taught are doing, especially those that I was able to see baptized. Its such a blessing to hear of their progress in the Gospel. As well, this week we had our first ever Sister Training Leader meeting. With all of the new sisters coming out, there is a new assignment for this sisters in the mission. They have had this assignment for the last couple months, but this was the first ever meeting when they had a chance to come together and receive specific training pertaining to only their calling. Elder Oscarson and I were invited to take part in it, so we did our best to train the sisters how to lead the other sisters in the mission... hopefully they thought it went well haha. I'm thankful for all the opportunities that I have to share a little bit of the things I have learned throughout my mission. It truly is a blessing because I always learn even more as I'm preparing.
With it being spring break quite a few of our investigators went out of town. One of which was Jasmine. I've talked a little bit about her family situation, but just to remind you they are Atheist. It has been pretty difficult for Jasmine because Christ has become such a huge part of her life and its difficult to not share that with the people closest to her. Well, the day she left for her trip, she sent us a picture of her standing at the New Port Beach temple, the next day she took a picture at the San Diego temple. She told us for a huge portion of the time they were in the car they were talking about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. Time and time again I'm amazed at the things that she does. She shares the truths she has come to know with everyone, and it has been awesome to see how God has provided her with opportunities to share these truths with her family. I know just as talked about in the Family a Proclamation to the World, "Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ." His teachings are found in the restored gospel. There is no greater place to be than in a home centered on His teachings. I'm thankful that Jasmine has had opportunities to share this Gospel with her family.
As the week continued, we had some amazing experiences with our investigators, but one of the most precious experiences happened last night. Every 3rd Sunday of the month we have what we call the Mission President's Devotional. At this devotional 2 recent converts share their conversion story and their testimony and then President Toone takes some time to speak. As missionaries, we try to get everyone we can to these Devotionals. They are powerful. Everyone I have ever taken has been baptized into the church. Last night we invited several of our investigators to attend, but only two were able to make it. I was conducting the meeting, so I was able to sit on the stand and look out to see everyone throughout the meeting. As I looked at Tasha, one of our investigators, an overwhelming feeling came over me and I had somewhat of a flashback to the beginning of my mission. Tasha is a native american and is 23 years old. My first transfer in the mission, Elder Hernandez and I were teaching a native american named Michelle. I had never seen it before, but Michelle looked just like Tasha, only 15 years older. Michelle had such a strong desire to be baptized, but had become an alcoholic and couldn't kick the habit. The last I heard Michelle had been sent to jail because of an Alcohol related incident. As I looked at Tasha last night, memories of this experience flooded my mind and then a thought came to my mind, "You have helped save her of so much heartache." I don't know what lies ahead in Tasha's life, but I do know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ transforms our life. It helps us reach our divine potential and overcome all the potholes along the way. Last night, Tasha sent us a message and said, "Today was just great, so thankful and blessed to meet everyone that I met today....and its just everything feels so right for that next step to a happier life and to be closer to my Heavenly Father." I am so thankful to be teaching people my age; people who are unscared from the difficulties that life often brings. These people have grown to mean so much to me, and I'm thankful to share something that is so dear and so close to me with them.
A few minutes after the devotional was done I ran into Andres and Teresa, two people I was able to teach and see baptized while I was in Casa Grande. They told me that they were preparing to enter the temple in June and they wanted me to be there. I have forever been changed from the time I have been able to spend in the Arizona Tempe Mission and I am so grateful for the time that I have left to dedicate to my Savior and to these people.
I love you all!
Con Amor,
Elder Jurgensmeier
What a week! It was Spring Break on ASU, man campus was DEAD, but our area exploded. This week we taught more lessons with a member present than I have ever done in my mission. It seems like the more things Elder Oscarson and I have on our plate, the more solid investigators we find to teach. God is definitely blessing us.
This week we had a couple opportunities to train throughout the mission. Zone Conferences started and so we were able to go to Phoenix and Phoenix South Zones. Its always great to be able to go back to my old areas and hear how people I taught are doing, especially those that I was able to see baptized. Its such a blessing to hear of their progress in the Gospel. As well, this week we had our first ever Sister Training Leader meeting. With all of the new sisters coming out, there is a new assignment for this sisters in the mission. They have had this assignment for the last couple months, but this was the first ever meeting when they had a chance to come together and receive specific training pertaining to only their calling. Elder Oscarson and I were invited to take part in it, so we did our best to train the sisters how to lead the other sisters in the mission... hopefully they thought it went well haha. I'm thankful for all the opportunities that I have to share a little bit of the things I have learned throughout my mission. It truly is a blessing because I always learn even more as I'm preparing.
With it being spring break quite a few of our investigators went out of town. One of which was Jasmine. I've talked a little bit about her family situation, but just to remind you they are Atheist. It has been pretty difficult for Jasmine because Christ has become such a huge part of her life and its difficult to not share that with the people closest to her. Well, the day she left for her trip, she sent us a picture of her standing at the New Port Beach temple, the next day she took a picture at the San Diego temple. She told us for a huge portion of the time they were in the car they were talking about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. Time and time again I'm amazed at the things that she does. She shares the truths she has come to know with everyone, and it has been awesome to see how God has provided her with opportunities to share these truths with her family. I know just as talked about in the Family a Proclamation to the World, "Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ." His teachings are found in the restored gospel. There is no greater place to be than in a home centered on His teachings. I'm thankful that Jasmine has had opportunities to share this Gospel with her family.
As the week continued, we had some amazing experiences with our investigators, but one of the most precious experiences happened last night. Every 3rd Sunday of the month we have what we call the Mission President's Devotional. At this devotional 2 recent converts share their conversion story and their testimony and then President Toone takes some time to speak. As missionaries, we try to get everyone we can to these Devotionals. They are powerful. Everyone I have ever taken has been baptized into the church. Last night we invited several of our investigators to attend, but only two were able to make it. I was conducting the meeting, so I was able to sit on the stand and look out to see everyone throughout the meeting. As I looked at Tasha, one of our investigators, an overwhelming feeling came over me and I had somewhat of a flashback to the beginning of my mission. Tasha is a native american and is 23 years old. My first transfer in the mission, Elder Hernandez and I were teaching a native american named Michelle. I had never seen it before, but Michelle looked just like Tasha, only 15 years older. Michelle had such a strong desire to be baptized, but had become an alcoholic and couldn't kick the habit. The last I heard Michelle had been sent to jail because of an Alcohol related incident. As I looked at Tasha last night, memories of this experience flooded my mind and then a thought came to my mind, "You have helped save her of so much heartache." I don't know what lies ahead in Tasha's life, but I do know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ transforms our life. It helps us reach our divine potential and overcome all the potholes along the way. Last night, Tasha sent us a message and said, "Today was just great, so thankful and blessed to meet everyone that I met today....and its just everything feels so right for that next step to a happier life and to be closer to my Heavenly Father." I am so thankful to be teaching people my age; people who are unscared from the difficulties that life often brings. These people have grown to mean so much to me, and I'm thankful to share something that is so dear and so close to me with them.
A few minutes after the devotional was done I ran into Andres and Teresa, two people I was able to teach and see baptized while I was in Casa Grande. They told me that they were preparing to enter the temple in June and they wanted me to be there. I have forever been changed from the time I have been able to spend in the Arizona Tempe Mission and I am so grateful for the time that I have left to dedicate to my Savior and to these people.
I love you all!
Con Amor,
Elder Jurgensmeier
Week 81: The Power of Positivity
Familia!
Once again another amazing week. Time just doesn't stop. Pretty obvious, I know, but it was made very evident this week. Weeks are just flying by, especially this one. It seemed like every moment we were either training missionaries or in a lesson. Things have been incredible lately in our area. We have been finding people who are willing to not only listen to our message, but to act upon it. Our members are incredible in helping us. For example, this last week we went out to dinner with a few of our members and our waitress told us that if she sold 6 peanut butter pies she would get a gift certificate from her boss. Seeing that there were only five of us, our member said, "I'll tell you what, we will buy all 6 if you'll meet with these missionaries and hear a message from them tomorrow." Something simple, I know, but they are some of the most missionary minded people I know and are so eager to share what is important to them with everyone they meet. Its good to be a missionary.
Like I said, our area has been incredible lately. More than just finding a lot of new investigators, our current investigators have made some amazing strides. Last week we committed Jasmine to finish the Book of Mormon and she did so this last Thursday. For about a month now she has known that the Book of Mormon was scripture, and that it was true, but she has really struggled with the idea of Joseph Smith being a prophet. As we challenged Jasmine to finish the Book of Mormon we really emphasized the promise found in Moroni 10 where it says, "Ye shall know the truth of ALL things." We promised Jasmine as she finished it, that she would come to know that Joseph Smith truly was a prophet. Feeling that big things were going to happen, Jasmine asked if we could plan on meeting Thursday at the Mesa Visitors Center. So, we met. Jasmine is a huge journaler, and one of the best ways she receives answers is through writing her thoughts down. So, Jasmine pulled out her journal and read us the experience that she had the night before. Towards the end it said something along the lines of "I know without a doubt in my mind that the Book of Mormon is true, but where did it come from? The only explanation could be that it was translated by Joseph Smith, but does that make him a prophet? YES." And as she finished writing the word "Yes" she closed her journal. She said that so many questions and so many unknown items rushed to her head after she had written that, but as she wrote the word yes, she knew that the answer was directly from God. She knew that there were always going to be questions, the future may never be super clear, but she knew for that instance the Spirit of God told her spirit truth. Some of the moments from my mission that I hold dearest to me are when the veil is thinned and truth is understood. Jasmine asked us if we were surprised at what she had told us, and as I thought about it I honestly wasn't. In the introduction of the Book of Mormon we read a promise that says as we put forth the effort to read, ponder, and pray with real intent, answers will come; knowledge that Joseph Smith was a prophet being one of them. I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon and the revelation that we can receive from it. We truly can find answers to all of life's questions.
As well this week we found one of the most amazing people that I have ever met. Her name is Christella, and she has such an incredibly positive outlook on life. The way that we found Christella was a miracle. Elder Oscarson and I were in an apartment complex knocking a door of a referral we received. After we had knocked a couple of times and with no luck, a memory of over a year flooded back to my mind. I remembered at the very beginning of my mission when I had been on exchanges with one of the assistants. We had been in that same exact apartment complex and had knocked a door for a referral they had received. I remembered that a man had come out and they set up a lesson, but that was about all that came to mind. So, with that memory pressing my mind we decided that we would go check it out. As we knocked the door, Christella came out and we set up a lesson. Something simple that didn't seem like a miracle at the time, but has proven to be so now. We had our first lesson with Christella this week and it was a very humbling experience. We started the lesson with a prayer and I asked Christella if there was anything in specific I could pray for for her or her family. She told us that she was really struggling in school, and so my initial thought was, "Ok, I will pray for her that she learns and understands the material." But no! She continued to tell us that because she was struggling she would ask that we pray for her professor because she knows it must be hard on him when students don't understand the material. We continued the lesson and asked a few questions to get to know her a little bit better. Christella had scars all over her body, and I figured they were from a car accident or something, but as she continued her story she told us that 6 months ago her boyfriend had stabbed her 27 times. She told us that it was a medical miracle that she was alive. She had been in a coma for several weeks and the moment she awoke she said, "I knew that God was real, He loved me, and that He had a plan for me. In that moment I knew that I was to play a role in impacting the lives of many people." Christella doesn't have any religious background, but she knows truth when she hears it. As we finished our lesson we asked her to say the closing prayer and she expressed gratitude nearly the entire prayer. She ended the lesson by telling us, I feel good about this and I want to learn more. Never once have I heard Christella say a negative thing. She is one of the happiest people that I know, and yet 6 months ago she went through one of the most brutal experiences. Without knowing it, Christella has impacted my life forever. Positive attitude in this life is absolutely essential. However minor or however large, difficult times will arise. However, with even a particle of faith, even in the worst of times we can experience the peace and joy that come from a belief in God. He is our Father, and as such He will always be with us.
I love you all, thanks for all of the prayers and support!
Con Amor,
Elder Jurgensmeier
Once again another amazing week. Time just doesn't stop. Pretty obvious, I know, but it was made very evident this week. Weeks are just flying by, especially this one. It seemed like every moment we were either training missionaries or in a lesson. Things have been incredible lately in our area. We have been finding people who are willing to not only listen to our message, but to act upon it. Our members are incredible in helping us. For example, this last week we went out to dinner with a few of our members and our waitress told us that if she sold 6 peanut butter pies she would get a gift certificate from her boss. Seeing that there were only five of us, our member said, "I'll tell you what, we will buy all 6 if you'll meet with these missionaries and hear a message from them tomorrow." Something simple, I know, but they are some of the most missionary minded people I know and are so eager to share what is important to them with everyone they meet. Its good to be a missionary.
Like I said, our area has been incredible lately. More than just finding a lot of new investigators, our current investigators have made some amazing strides. Last week we committed Jasmine to finish the Book of Mormon and she did so this last Thursday. For about a month now she has known that the Book of Mormon was scripture, and that it was true, but she has really struggled with the idea of Joseph Smith being a prophet. As we challenged Jasmine to finish the Book of Mormon we really emphasized the promise found in Moroni 10 where it says, "Ye shall know the truth of ALL things." We promised Jasmine as she finished it, that she would come to know that Joseph Smith truly was a prophet. Feeling that big things were going to happen, Jasmine asked if we could plan on meeting Thursday at the Mesa Visitors Center. So, we met. Jasmine is a huge journaler, and one of the best ways she receives answers is through writing her thoughts down. So, Jasmine pulled out her journal and read us the experience that she had the night before. Towards the end it said something along the lines of "I know without a doubt in my mind that the Book of Mormon is true, but where did it come from? The only explanation could be that it was translated by Joseph Smith, but does that make him a prophet? YES." And as she finished writing the word "Yes" she closed her journal. She said that so many questions and so many unknown items rushed to her head after she had written that, but as she wrote the word yes, she knew that the answer was directly from God. She knew that there were always going to be questions, the future may never be super clear, but she knew for that instance the Spirit of God told her spirit truth. Some of the moments from my mission that I hold dearest to me are when the veil is thinned and truth is understood. Jasmine asked us if we were surprised at what she had told us, and as I thought about it I honestly wasn't. In the introduction of the Book of Mormon we read a promise that says as we put forth the effort to read, ponder, and pray with real intent, answers will come; knowledge that Joseph Smith was a prophet being one of them. I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon and the revelation that we can receive from it. We truly can find answers to all of life's questions.
As well this week we found one of the most amazing people that I have ever met. Her name is Christella, and she has such an incredibly positive outlook on life. The way that we found Christella was a miracle. Elder Oscarson and I were in an apartment complex knocking a door of a referral we received. After we had knocked a couple of times and with no luck, a memory of over a year flooded back to my mind. I remembered at the very beginning of my mission when I had been on exchanges with one of the assistants. We had been in that same exact apartment complex and had knocked a door for a referral they had received. I remembered that a man had come out and they set up a lesson, but that was about all that came to mind. So, with that memory pressing my mind we decided that we would go check it out. As we knocked the door, Christella came out and we set up a lesson. Something simple that didn't seem like a miracle at the time, but has proven to be so now. We had our first lesson with Christella this week and it was a very humbling experience. We started the lesson with a prayer and I asked Christella if there was anything in specific I could pray for for her or her family. She told us that she was really struggling in school, and so my initial thought was, "Ok, I will pray for her that she learns and understands the material." But no! She continued to tell us that because she was struggling she would ask that we pray for her professor because she knows it must be hard on him when students don't understand the material. We continued the lesson and asked a few questions to get to know her a little bit better. Christella had scars all over her body, and I figured they were from a car accident or something, but as she continued her story she told us that 6 months ago her boyfriend had stabbed her 27 times. She told us that it was a medical miracle that she was alive. She had been in a coma for several weeks and the moment she awoke she said, "I knew that God was real, He loved me, and that He had a plan for me. In that moment I knew that I was to play a role in impacting the lives of many people." Christella doesn't have any religious background, but she knows truth when she hears it. As we finished our lesson we asked her to say the closing prayer and she expressed gratitude nearly the entire prayer. She ended the lesson by telling us, I feel good about this and I want to learn more. Never once have I heard Christella say a negative thing. She is one of the happiest people that I know, and yet 6 months ago she went through one of the most brutal experiences. Without knowing it, Christella has impacted my life forever. Positive attitude in this life is absolutely essential. However minor or however large, difficult times will arise. However, with even a particle of faith, even in the worst of times we can experience the peace and joy that come from a belief in God. He is our Father, and as such He will always be with us.
I love you all, thanks for all of the prayers and support!
Con Amor,
Elder Jurgensmeier
Week 80: What a week!
Familia!
Man, do I love transfer week. It always teaches me a valuable lesson. Sleep is not necessary, or so it seems haha. I'm not sure how we make it through, but its amazing the things you can get done with God's help.
Monday wasn't too crazy of a day. We spent most of the day with the departing missionaries. There were only three in this group, so it wasn't too hectic. One of the Sisters that went home came out with me!!!! What??? Time is going way too fast. After the departing dinner and program we took the Elders to our place to make it easier for the early morning airport run.
My favorite day of the week was probably Tuesday. It started at 5:30am and ended the next morning around 3 am. Lots of time for miracles. Its a bitter sweet feeling dropping the missionaries off at the airport to head home. They will be missed, but its an exciting time for them. The best part of the day is usually picking up the arriving missionaries. They are are a mixture of emotions; lost, scared, nervous, happy, tired, but mostly excited. This transfer we switched things up a little bit from the last transfers. Usually they are running around all day with tons of orientation, but this transfer we made it a little more calm and took a lot of time to get to know them. As we have in the past few transfers we went to the Visitors Center at the Mesa Temple to watch the Joseph Smith movie and then allow them to have some time to set goals for their mission on the temple grounds. Elder Oscarson and I have been working a lot with one of our investigators Jasmine. She loves the idea of serving a mission. She is still working through a couple different things, but she has been receiving a lot of answers. One of her hold ups is knowing if Joseph Smith was a prophet, so we thought "Hey, a double wammy. She needs to know Joseph Smith was a prophet (we are watching a movie about him and the restoration) and she loves missionaries (there are 20 brand new ones)." So we invited Jasmine to come along. A few days before hand we asked her if she would prepare some thoughts about how a missionary could impact someone's life and help them come closer to Christ. When we got to the visitors center, President Toone took a few moments to talk to the missionaries and then he had us come up and introduce Jasmine. After she bore one of the most heartfelt testimonies. That day Jasmine went from completely against the idea of Joseph Smith being a prophet to thinking more than ever it is a possibility. She has been making some amazing progress. She is telling everyone about the Book of Mormon and how true she knows it is. She compared herself to Samuel the Lamanite. He knew truth and he found a way to spread it, even if it was on a wall with arrows and stones coming his way. She has been facing a lot of trials, but she won't give up the ground that she has won. I am so grateful for her and the example she is. She is the definition of a follower of Christ. She would give up anything to do what He asks. She is nervous for what the future holds, but she knows that as she continues forward with Christ, there is nothing to doubt.
Then, after all day Tuesday with the new missionaries came Transfer meeting. With all of the miracles that we have been seeing on Campus we all felt really inspired to increase the number of missionaries serving there. About 6 months ago there were only two sets of missionaries on campus, now there are five. There are so many prepared people, and it is up to us to reach them. President wanted to make sure that we put some of our best missionaries on campus, and so he put there none other than Elder Kloepfer! And since Elder Oscarson and I are over housing assignments, of course we live together! There are going to be some good things done on campus. Here shortly is might even be known as BYU-A.....we'll see, that's a ways off.
How grateful I am to be serving in such an amazing place. As the Gilbert Temple Open House, Celebration, and Dedication have all wrapped up this last weekend I know that there are great things in store. And to think, not too far in the future the Phoenix temple will be completed and the miracles will just multiply. His work truly is hastening. I know that this is His Gospel, and its our privilege to reach out to others and share it.
Con Amor,
Elder Jurgensmeier
Man, do I love transfer week. It always teaches me a valuable lesson. Sleep is not necessary, or so it seems haha. I'm not sure how we make it through, but its amazing the things you can get done with God's help.
Monday wasn't too crazy of a day. We spent most of the day with the departing missionaries. There were only three in this group, so it wasn't too hectic. One of the Sisters that went home came out with me!!!! What??? Time is going way too fast. After the departing dinner and program we took the Elders to our place to make it easier for the early morning airport run.
My favorite day of the week was probably Tuesday. It started at 5:30am and ended the next morning around 3 am. Lots of time for miracles. Its a bitter sweet feeling dropping the missionaries off at the airport to head home. They will be missed, but its an exciting time for them. The best part of the day is usually picking up the arriving missionaries. They are are a mixture of emotions; lost, scared, nervous, happy, tired, but mostly excited. This transfer we switched things up a little bit from the last transfers. Usually they are running around all day with tons of orientation, but this transfer we made it a little more calm and took a lot of time to get to know them. As we have in the past few transfers we went to the Visitors Center at the Mesa Temple to watch the Joseph Smith movie and then allow them to have some time to set goals for their mission on the temple grounds. Elder Oscarson and I have been working a lot with one of our investigators Jasmine. She loves the idea of serving a mission. She is still working through a couple different things, but she has been receiving a lot of answers. One of her hold ups is knowing if Joseph Smith was a prophet, so we thought "Hey, a double wammy. She needs to know Joseph Smith was a prophet (we are watching a movie about him and the restoration) and she loves missionaries (there are 20 brand new ones)." So we invited Jasmine to come along. A few days before hand we asked her if she would prepare some thoughts about how a missionary could impact someone's life and help them come closer to Christ. When we got to the visitors center, President Toone took a few moments to talk to the missionaries and then he had us come up and introduce Jasmine. After she bore one of the most heartfelt testimonies. That day Jasmine went from completely against the idea of Joseph Smith being a prophet to thinking more than ever it is a possibility. She has been making some amazing progress. She is telling everyone about the Book of Mormon and how true she knows it is. She compared herself to Samuel the Lamanite. He knew truth and he found a way to spread it, even if it was on a wall with arrows and stones coming his way. She has been facing a lot of trials, but she won't give up the ground that she has won. I am so grateful for her and the example she is. She is the definition of a follower of Christ. She would give up anything to do what He asks. She is nervous for what the future holds, but she knows that as she continues forward with Christ, there is nothing to doubt.
Then, after all day Tuesday with the new missionaries came Transfer meeting. With all of the miracles that we have been seeing on Campus we all felt really inspired to increase the number of missionaries serving there. About 6 months ago there were only two sets of missionaries on campus, now there are five. There are so many prepared people, and it is up to us to reach them. President wanted to make sure that we put some of our best missionaries on campus, and so he put there none other than Elder Kloepfer! And since Elder Oscarson and I are over housing assignments, of course we live together! There are going to be some good things done on campus. Here shortly is might even be known as BYU-A.....we'll see, that's a ways off.
How grateful I am to be serving in such an amazing place. As the Gilbert Temple Open House, Celebration, and Dedication have all wrapped up this last weekend I know that there are great things in store. And to think, not too far in the future the Phoenix temple will be completed and the miracles will just multiply. His work truly is hastening. I know that this is His Gospel, and its our privilege to reach out to others and share it.
Con Amor,
Elder Jurgensmeier
Week 79: What a Life
Familia!
What a humbling week this has been. I literally have no idea where to start.
More than anything this week I am so thankful for the miracles that come from following subtle promptings from the spirit. Often times we don't even know the direct results from our actions, but its such an amazing experience when we get to see the entire picture. To start, this week was our Stake Conference. Our Stake Presidency was reorganized and so Elder Piper and Elder Hansen of the 70 both came to the sessions. Saturday evening session was one of the most amazing sessions of Stake Conference that I have ever been to. The whole thing was devoted to missionary work, and so they had three panels that they invited up to answer questions. The first panel was a group of returned missionaries, the next panel was Elder Oscarson, President and Sister Toone, two sister missionaries, and I, and then the third panel was a group of recent converts. They asked us several different questions about the work of salvation and conversion, but the most powerful part came as the converts bore testimony of the journeys and the great experiences that they had. One of the converts, Daniel, was a guy that Elder Oscarson and I had the privilege to teach. The members of the 70 asked several questions to begin and then as they finished with their questions, they turned it to the congregation. The first questions that was asked was something along the lines of, "How do we got over the fear of being rejected as we invite our friends to participate in the Gospel? How do we become more comfortable with people telling us no?" As the question was asked it was amazing to see as Daniel reached out for the microphone and boldly stated something along the lines of, "You don't. I wouldn't be here if people had become comfortable with me telling them no. They cared about me and my salvation and so they were never comfortable. They never gave up on me. When I said no they found out the deeper concern and together we overcame it." After the program was over Daniel came up to us and reminded us about the experience that we had a few months earlier. For quite some time we had taught Daniel at his home and it just didn't seem to be as productive as it could have been. We invited him to meet with us at the institute, and the very first time that he came we had our lesson in the chapel. As we walked into the chapel an overwhelming spirit filled the room and for the next while we talked about prayer and the power of the Holy Ghost. As we finished the lesson and knelt to pray we asked him if he would say it. He said no, but as he talked to us Saturday night he walked us through the process we went through with him to break that wall down. As that wall came down and as Daniel uttered the first words of the prayer the spirit came into the room with such power. For the next 5 minutes or so Daniel sat there crying, for the first time in quite some time he was feeling the power of the Atonement of Christ. It was subtle promptings that Elder Oscarson and I received to continue forward with Daniel, but little did we know how profound of an influence it was really having on him until he told us Saturday.
That experience alone made my week, but to make things even better this week I was able to baptize Rikki, the girl that I found on facebook. One of my favorite parts of baptismal services is to hear the testimony of the recent convert moments after entering into the waters of baptism. Rikki talked a little bit about her journey, and how she came to find the church. For the last year or so of Rikki's life she said that she had just been miserable. She said that often times she would cry herself to sleep because she was living in such a confusing and difficult world. She had always known there was a higher power, but never once did she believe that the higher power could be a source of help and strength for her. In one of Rikki's most difficult moments she found herself on facebook and my video popped up. So, she watched it, liked it, and didn't think much of it. A few days later I sent Rikki a message and invited her to attend an activity that we were doing. After the activity we went into the chapel and spent some time talking about Christ. As she bore her testimony Saturday she said in that moment she felt the spirit speaking to her in a way that couldn't be denied. She knew that what she was feeling was directly from God and sent in a way that was directly for her. From that time forward Rikki continued without ceasing to search, study, and apply the Gospel to her life. In the past month Rikki has read over half of the Book of Mormon and looks for every opportunity to share what she knows with those around her. Once again it is such a testimony to me how aware our Father in Heaven is of us. Rikki was a complete stranger to me. I didn't know her, I didn't know her background, and I didn't know the difficulties she was facing, but God did. Its interesting to note that God's work and glory is our salvation, but to do so he works through us. I have such a testimony of following the subtle promptings that come from the spirit. As we are ready and as we are willing, God will let us know exactly the things which we should do.
I am so grateful for the Gospel and the blessings it brings. Especially for the family unit. It was tough hearing the passing of Grandpa, but I am so grateful for the knowledge that the Plan of Salvation brings. Grandpa is spreading the gospel to those who haven't had a chance to hear it. He left a legacy of love, work, and testimony for all of us to implement to our lives. I know that we will all be reunited again, and what a glorious reunion that will be.
I love and pray for you all!
Con Amor,
Elder Jurgensmeier
What a humbling week this has been. I literally have no idea where to start.
More than anything this week I am so thankful for the miracles that come from following subtle promptings from the spirit. Often times we don't even know the direct results from our actions, but its such an amazing experience when we get to see the entire picture. To start, this week was our Stake Conference. Our Stake Presidency was reorganized and so Elder Piper and Elder Hansen of the 70 both came to the sessions. Saturday evening session was one of the most amazing sessions of Stake Conference that I have ever been to. The whole thing was devoted to missionary work, and so they had three panels that they invited up to answer questions. The first panel was a group of returned missionaries, the next panel was Elder Oscarson, President and Sister Toone, two sister missionaries, and I, and then the third panel was a group of recent converts. They asked us several different questions about the work of salvation and conversion, but the most powerful part came as the converts bore testimony of the journeys and the great experiences that they had. One of the converts, Daniel, was a guy that Elder Oscarson and I had the privilege to teach. The members of the 70 asked several questions to begin and then as they finished with their questions, they turned it to the congregation. The first questions that was asked was something along the lines of, "How do we got over the fear of being rejected as we invite our friends to participate in the Gospel? How do we become more comfortable with people telling us no?" As the question was asked it was amazing to see as Daniel reached out for the microphone and boldly stated something along the lines of, "You don't. I wouldn't be here if people had become comfortable with me telling them no. They cared about me and my salvation and so they were never comfortable. They never gave up on me. When I said no they found out the deeper concern and together we overcame it." After the program was over Daniel came up to us and reminded us about the experience that we had a few months earlier. For quite some time we had taught Daniel at his home and it just didn't seem to be as productive as it could have been. We invited him to meet with us at the institute, and the very first time that he came we had our lesson in the chapel. As we walked into the chapel an overwhelming spirit filled the room and for the next while we talked about prayer and the power of the Holy Ghost. As we finished the lesson and knelt to pray we asked him if he would say it. He said no, but as he talked to us Saturday night he walked us through the process we went through with him to break that wall down. As that wall came down and as Daniel uttered the first words of the prayer the spirit came into the room with such power. For the next 5 minutes or so Daniel sat there crying, for the first time in quite some time he was feeling the power of the Atonement of Christ. It was subtle promptings that Elder Oscarson and I received to continue forward with Daniel, but little did we know how profound of an influence it was really having on him until he told us Saturday.
That experience alone made my week, but to make things even better this week I was able to baptize Rikki, the girl that I found on facebook. One of my favorite parts of baptismal services is to hear the testimony of the recent convert moments after entering into the waters of baptism. Rikki talked a little bit about her journey, and how she came to find the church. For the last year or so of Rikki's life she said that she had just been miserable. She said that often times she would cry herself to sleep because she was living in such a confusing and difficult world. She had always known there was a higher power, but never once did she believe that the higher power could be a source of help and strength for her. In one of Rikki's most difficult moments she found herself on facebook and my video popped up. So, she watched it, liked it, and didn't think much of it. A few days later I sent Rikki a message and invited her to attend an activity that we were doing. After the activity we went into the chapel and spent some time talking about Christ. As she bore her testimony Saturday she said in that moment she felt the spirit speaking to her in a way that couldn't be denied. She knew that what she was feeling was directly from God and sent in a way that was directly for her. From that time forward Rikki continued without ceasing to search, study, and apply the Gospel to her life. In the past month Rikki has read over half of the Book of Mormon and looks for every opportunity to share what she knows with those around her. Once again it is such a testimony to me how aware our Father in Heaven is of us. Rikki was a complete stranger to me. I didn't know her, I didn't know her background, and I didn't know the difficulties she was facing, but God did. Its interesting to note that God's work and glory is our salvation, but to do so he works through us. I have such a testimony of following the subtle promptings that come from the spirit. As we are ready and as we are willing, God will let us know exactly the things which we should do.
I am so grateful for the Gospel and the blessings it brings. Especially for the family unit. It was tough hearing the passing of Grandpa, but I am so grateful for the knowledge that the Plan of Salvation brings. Grandpa is spreading the gospel to those who haven't had a chance to hear it. He left a legacy of love, work, and testimony for all of us to implement to our lives. I know that we will all be reunited again, and what a glorious reunion that will be.
I love and pray for you all!
Con Amor,
Elder Jurgensmeier
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