So this is the end of week two. It was a very unproductive week (relative to the amount of what you would call average missionary work). Many things went wrong and caused us to have to use our time to take care of a bunch of administrative things, but overall it was not toobad. We only have a car to use every other week so I spent this week riding abike. The mission gave away my bike while I was gone but they had an extra that they gave me so I have been using that. There were a bunch of repairs that had to be done on it but all went well and I have a working bike now.
I don’t remember if I said this in my lastletter but at interviews my mission president confirmed that he plans to keep me here in Des Moines 3rd until Elder Knight goes home. That will happen the 5th of October and at that point I will probably be herefor 3 more months so I will probably be here for the next 6 months at least. Now that is always subject to change at the last minute, but it is very likely that is how it will work.
So it was a hot week, and because we did not have the car or many appointments either we spent a lot of it out riding bikes in the heat. Summer just started this week so the heat is just going to get worse but strangely I kind of enjoy it.We also used a lot of miles last week so even though we have the car this week we will be on bikes for a lot of it again.
Elder Knight is doing well. We get along and although we don’t have much in common we are learning a lot from each other. He will be 22 months old on the 29th(aka he has been out for 22 months on the 29th). I don’t know how old I technically am because I have yet to hear when my return date will be. I am waiting for my ministerial certificate from salt lake to arrive so that I will know. Anyway we are doing well and work well together. He is a hard worker and I am learning a lot.
The area is doing well. Because of our off week we were not able to follow up a bunch like we had planned but that will happen this week. We have a lot of people to teach and a couple baptisms set for next month. They are children whose parents have been members for a long time but wanted to wait to baptize their kid suntil they were older so that they could chose for themselves. Of course I don’t agree with that. You should baptize them so that they can enjoy the blessing of the Holy Ghost earlier and if they choose to reject it when they get older that is their choice then. But either way because they are older we have the opportunityto teach them and set up their baptism so we are looking forward to that.
We have many other potentials but no one that is really progressing. We have had a few people drop us and we are working hard to find more people to teach and to help the community in any way we can. The members here are awesome and I am well fed. This week should be a good week and I will do all I can to make it the best week. I thank all of you for your prayers and faith in my behalf. I pray for those of you back home who are close to the fires that are sprouting up.
So not much else to add here. sometimes it is blazing hot and then with in 20 min clouds come in and we have monsoon rains. i rode my bike in both. not much else of note happened.
Please continue to pray for me I need all the help I can get. I love all of you thank you for everything.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Monday, June 18, 2012
Jacob's first letter home.
Dear family and friends.
I am doing amazingly. I am so excited to be back out on a mission. It has not been easy but I love it. I don’t know where to begin. When I got here I got sent to the mission office to receive a little training then I had an interview with my mission president then had dinner with him and a few others then I went to bed. The next day was zone conference so I got to meet a bunch of other elders and enjoy a very spiritual first day.
At zone conference I was assigned to serve in the Des Moines 3rd ward. So far I have been enjoying it. I have not had too much of a chance to do a lot of what you would call regular missionary work I went on exchanges and worked in a different area for my first day here then I spent the next couple days devoting a lot of my day to doing service work at the Iowa Senior Olympics. I enjoyed both the exchanges and the Olympics. At the Olympics I spent most of my day outside in the hot humid Iowa weather. It was blazing hot and humid during the day then both days ended with a flash monsoon. It was nice to be able to spend that time working with the community and with the other missionaries in my zone. I was able to get to know many of the members of the community and we had an amazing impact on those that attended. At one point I was helping at an event where people where throwing soft balls (not so soft I came to find out) and they were trying to make it into board with a hole in it. I was behind the board to retrieve those that missed and flew away. One of the event coordinators came up to me and told me that I needed to watch this next guy because he threw really hard and I should stand back. So I turned around, walked back a bit then turned to face the front again, just in time to notice a ball coming straight for me and slam into my shoulder. It hurt but I am fine. I just have a bruise that will go away eventually.
I guess I should mention that I baptized someone on Saturday. There are a lot of Burmese refugees here in Des Moines. There was one family who fled to Salt Lake and joined the church there. They then moved here and about a month ago they gave the missionaries a referral for another set of refugees here in Des Moines. The Elders have been teaching them for about a month and 2 of the girls were baptized on Saturday. They have really cool and unique names but we are asked not to use them in our letters so I will just say they are defiantly Asian names. Elder Knight (my Companion I will talk about him later) baptized and confirmed the older 16 year old and I baptized and confirmed the younger 13 year old. They are amazing girls who really want to do what is right. Their English is surprisingly good, however there is a lot they still don’t know. Before I got here the church put out a request for a translator to help teach them and their family, and it just so happened that there was one living here in Des Moines and even better he was a member who had stopped coming to church but wanted to start coming again. It’s amazing the little miracles the lord gives us. These girls are growing fast in the gospel and are really excited to attend girl’s camp this year.
So I am serving with Elder Knight from Mesa Arizona. He has been out for about 22 months. I don’t know how much to say about him other than he is a good missionary and he works hard. Although I have technically been with him for a week, we have been busy and because of some of the events that we have been doing I have spent a lot of time with other elders in my district and not a ton of time with Elder Knight so I am still getting to know him. He likes cars and loves working on them. He loves dirt bikes. We get along well and I am enjoying working with him.
I LOVE being back out on a mission. This really is the lord’s work. I feel the spirit so strong. I love it so so so so so much. Watching people change their life’s and come closer to God. There is nothing better than this. Thank you, all of you, for your prayers and faith on my behalf. I love all of you. Please continue to pray for me. It is going to be a hot week this week and I am going to be on a bike. I am excited for this chance to finish my mission and I look forward to the many experiences and challenges I have ahead of me. Please write me.
I am doing amazingly. I am so excited to be back out on a mission. It has not been easy but I love it. I don’t know where to begin. When I got here I got sent to the mission office to receive a little training then I had an interview with my mission president then had dinner with him and a few others then I went to bed. The next day was zone conference so I got to meet a bunch of other elders and enjoy a very spiritual first day.
At zone conference I was assigned to serve in the Des Moines 3rd ward. So far I have been enjoying it. I have not had too much of a chance to do a lot of what you would call regular missionary work I went on exchanges and worked in a different area for my first day here then I spent the next couple days devoting a lot of my day to doing service work at the Iowa Senior Olympics. I enjoyed both the exchanges and the Olympics. At the Olympics I spent most of my day outside in the hot humid Iowa weather. It was blazing hot and humid during the day then both days ended with a flash monsoon. It was nice to be able to spend that time working with the community and with the other missionaries in my zone. I was able to get to know many of the members of the community and we had an amazing impact on those that attended. At one point I was helping at an event where people where throwing soft balls (not so soft I came to find out) and they were trying to make it into board with a hole in it. I was behind the board to retrieve those that missed and flew away. One of the event coordinators came up to me and told me that I needed to watch this next guy because he threw really hard and I should stand back. So I turned around, walked back a bit then turned to face the front again, just in time to notice a ball coming straight for me and slam into my shoulder. It hurt but I am fine. I just have a bruise that will go away eventually.
I guess I should mention that I baptized someone on Saturday. There are a lot of Burmese refugees here in Des Moines. There was one family who fled to Salt Lake and joined the church there. They then moved here and about a month ago they gave the missionaries a referral for another set of refugees here in Des Moines. The Elders have been teaching them for about a month and 2 of the girls were baptized on Saturday. They have really cool and unique names but we are asked not to use them in our letters so I will just say they are defiantly Asian names. Elder Knight (my Companion I will talk about him later) baptized and confirmed the older 16 year old and I baptized and confirmed the younger 13 year old. They are amazing girls who really want to do what is right. Their English is surprisingly good, however there is a lot they still don’t know. Before I got here the church put out a request for a translator to help teach them and their family, and it just so happened that there was one living here in Des Moines and even better he was a member who had stopped coming to church but wanted to start coming again. It’s amazing the little miracles the lord gives us. These girls are growing fast in the gospel and are really excited to attend girl’s camp this year.
So I am serving with Elder Knight from Mesa Arizona. He has been out for about 22 months. I don’t know how much to say about him other than he is a good missionary and he works hard. Although I have technically been with him for a week, we have been busy and because of some of the events that we have been doing I have spent a lot of time with other elders in my district and not a ton of time with Elder Knight so I am still getting to know him. He likes cars and loves working on them. He loves dirt bikes. We get along well and I am enjoying working with him.
I LOVE being back out on a mission. This really is the lord’s work. I feel the spirit so strong. I love it so so so so so much. Watching people change their life’s and come closer to God. There is nothing better than this. Thank you, all of you, for your prayers and faith on my behalf. I love all of you. Please continue to pray for me. It is going to be a hot week this week and I am going to be on a bike. I am excited for this chance to finish my mission and I look forward to the many experiences and challenges I have ahead of me. Please write me.
Monday, June 11, 2012
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