El fin

Hola,

This morning the Jehovah's Witnesses knocked on our door. It was a little uncomfortable when she saw my name tag.... But she was a really nice lady and we gave her some snacks because we totally felt for her knocking doors in this weather.

We met L this week! She is the girlfriend of a member. We opened the lesson with a prayer and she was crying because she was so happy and nervous. She's adorable! It was amazing to see her desire to
establish a connection with God.

The Gascas, a family from the Woodlands, came and surprised me! Hermana Beaty and them put it together and I had no idea! It was so good to see them! :)

Somehow the whole ward found out that I'm leaving and so I got called on to speak many, many times. Haha but it was good. I had a few revelatory experiences while writing the talks. They also all invited us over for dinner. I love Hispanic food.

L finished the Book of Mormon this week!! She's seriously amazing. She always tells us how much she loves it and how it is changing her life. I love the Book of Mormon.

Wow. I can't believe that it's been 18 months! The time has flown by! There is so much I would like to say but I guess I'll keep it simple. I'm incredibly grateful for what the Lord has taught me. I have
received an undoubting testimony of the Book of Mormon and the sacrament especially. Those small principles have changed me for eternity. I have been so blessed by His hand and by His children.
There are so many experiences I've had that have testified to me of the divinity of our Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ. THIS is His church and His everlasting gospel. He is completely aware of our hopes and desires and He wants us to have success, even more than we do. I love Him and wish to always have His name on my lips. May we forever let Him mold and shape us into what He wants us to become.

Now vemos pronto, Hermana Jorgensen

Sweaty

Hola!

I went on exchanges with Hermana Gutierrez this week! She's a Mexican angel! She was born in the capital of Mexico and makes my Spanish sound very American. She's very sweet though and a fantastic teacher.

L's baptism was amazing! She was so happy and had that beatific glow that always happens after someone is baptized. I love it. She is reading in 3 Nephi! Isn't that insane?! She's almost finished with the whole Book of Mormon!

Somehow the whole ward found out that I'm finishing my mission next week so I keep getting called on to speak at everything.....

Tracting this week was a bit sweaty but I love it because we always knock into the neatest people! Houston is so humid!

Every other transfer we have interviews with our mission president. Somehow he always knows exactly what I'm thinking. We talked for a little bit about hope. It really is a beatiful principle. It's an
attribute of Christ that will take us far in life. I love the hope that the gospel brings.
“Being blessed with hope, let us, as disciples, reach out to all who,
for whatever reason, have ‘moved away from the hope of the gospel’
(Col. 1:23). Let us reach to lift hands which hang hopelessly down.”
Neal A Maxwell

I got to see Andy (cousin) today! We walked into the bakery where she works to look for her. It is conveniently located less than a mile away from where we live! I was nervous she wouldn't recognize me but she said, "of course I recognize you, you're my cousin!" It was so good to see a familiar face. It's so crazy how God puts us in the places we need to be at exactly the right time.

I can't believe that it's my last week. I have truly loved everything about my mission. It has helped me see what God wants of me and my potential. Better than that, it has taught me to see others' potential. It is truly amazing to be a missionary.

Les quiero a todos, Hermana Jorgensen

Viva America

¡Feliz día de independencia!

Mission leadership training was so good! We learned some cool things that we will apply in the zone. One of my favorite parts of the meeting was when one of the assistants was testifying about eternal
families in a practice lesson. The spirit testified so beautifully of the simple truths he taught. #familiesareforever

We had a really good zone meeting. The zone has been struggling for a little bit with a few different things. So we all took the things that we didn't like about it and buried them. Literally, we buried them in the ground. I think that's a good principle for life. Taking the things that bog you down and letting them go. It's a great way to start new. We all felt so much better after. I picked a few
missionaries in the zone to share their testimony of their favorite baptism or recent convert experience and how it has changed them. The most perfect moment for me is to see the light that comes through the power of the atonement and repentance. I love that process. It was so
inspiring to hear the experiences of all the missionaries about the change that they have seen in others.

L is almost finished with the Book of Mormon! We are all excited for her baptism this Saturday!!! We extended a baptismal date to J but she said that she wants to pray about it. So we will see what happens this week!

We found some really cool new investigators this week. We were in the parking lot and a man approached us and asked to which church we belong. He said he noticed our dresses and was curious because his mother dressed the same while he was growing up. We ended up getting a time to meet with him and he was so humble and wanted to do the right things. Because of work and other things he had kind of fallen off the path but desires to be a disciple of Christ. He was excited about the
Book of Mormon! We also met another similar man while knocking doors yesterday. We talked to him a little on the doorstep about the "keys of the kingdom in heaven" that are mentioned in the book of Matthew. We talked about the binding power of these keys and how essential they were in guiding the church of Christ due to the ability to bind. We also mentioned the evidence of these keys being lost today. "Until death do you part" is not a phrase God would like us to use. He said he was interested so we got to teach him the restoration just like the other man, he was so humble. He expressed his desire to start back on the gospel path. I learned so much from these two investigators. We always have room to grow and we have to realize it! Discipleship requires constant change.

I shared my testimony in church yesterday. The last fast and testimony meeting of my mission. :'( I talked about the change that we get to see so frequently in others. I was reading and found a scripture that defines that moment of change and light so perfectly.

Mosiah 27:29 My soul hath been redeemed from the gall of bitterness
and bonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold
the marvelous light of God. My soul was racked with eternal torment;
but I am snatched, and my soul is pained no more.

Everyone has felt that darkness and regret that comes from sin, but the atonement is in easy reach. Just like Alma the younger we will be forgiven and pained no more. We can receive so much power from Heavenly Father in forgiving ourselves and others. The gospel is divine. I am so grateful to live in a country where I can practice it freely and preach it openly.

Attentamente, Hermana Jorgensen

Light pollution

Hola!

We set a baptismal date with L this week! She will be baptized the 9th of July. We taught her the plan of salvation this week and it all made so much sense to her. We were amazed by how much she knew as well as all the deep doctrine she pulled out of the lesson. It was incredible!

On Friday night we were able to participate in something amazing! Every fourth Friday all the recent converts in the mission can take their family names to the temple to be baptized for their ancestors!
We went with M. She was baptized for both of her grandmothers as well as her mother. It was so beautiful to see these new members participate in vicarious ordinances and too see them in white again. :)

On Sunday I got to see some of the members from one of my favorite wards :) It was a really tender few minutes. I got to talk to the ward mission leader and his wife and their three adorable children. I will never forget the example of sacrifice that they have taught me.

This weekend we had a mission president's fireside. A few recent converts shared their conversion stories. One woman spoke that I met up in the woodlands. I loved her story. She had always been Catholic but wasn't very active in the Catholic Church. She loved the bible and read it often. Her and her daughter went on vacation to Boston and she decided that she wouldn't take the bible because they usually have it in the dresser at the hotels. Well she booked a room at the Marriott and that night she reached in the drawer to read the bible and found the Book of Mormon! She started reading it and loved it. She decided to tell her husband and shortly after they contacted their member friends. Those friends ended up being the bishop in the woodlands Spanish ward. They were baptized five weeks later. :) I was thinking so much about that story last night because all around us people are being prepared. They are ready to receive the gospel and we have the ability to satisfy the need they have for it. She said that finding the church was like "coming home." It's so true! I love the feeling I get when I step in the church. It truly feels like I am exactly where I'm supposed to be.

President Mortensen spoke in his talk that night about the need that others feel to for the gospel. At times, they fill that need with things of the world. He said that the light of Christ is often polluted by artificial light. There are so many distractions and things of the world that we can buy and experience, but only the true gospel of Jesus Christ will fill that need that we have.

Con amor, Hermana Jorgensen

Little tiny Buddhas

Happy Monday,

Today we went to a Vietnamese Buddhist temple. It was under construction but still cool.

The wedding was fantastic! The great news is that J finally got Sundays off! This Sunday at church she totally defended the Sabbath day and said that as she has quit working on Sunday she feels a
greater peace in her home and the kids are calmer. We will be setting a date with her this week!

We will also be setting a date with L!

On Wednesday we had three dinners: pupusas, tostadas, and crepes.... Sooo full.

On Thursday I got to translate for a Harris County Sheriff! It was challenging, but neat! I love Spanish!

M's date was dropped :( His dad doesn't want him to be baptized anymore... He was kind of bummed but it's okay. We are going to try to get his dad to some activities and to church! I love him and M.
They're great.

I got to go on an exchange with the Jersey Village Hermanas! It was a lot of fun! They are amazing missionaries. We got tacos de trompo that night and a man came up to us saying he's been to church before. We're going to go teach him this week!

We got a request for a bible so we went and dropped it off at the requester's house. He was from Ghana and such a pleasant man. We gave him a Bible and a Book of Mormon! We will be returning to teach him this week!

We went finding Sunday night and had a cool experience. A Puerto Rican woman answered the door and we were getting to know her. As we were speaking her family was yelling for her, but she just stayed there speaking to us. We asked her what she believes her purpose in life is. She said she wasn't sure. We shared Alma 34:32 and asked what she is doing now to help her to prepare to meet God. She said she honestly wasn't doing much. It was so interesting to see her just stand there and talk with us even though a lot was going on inside the house. She was so honest and humble. The light of Christ is real!

I remember my first Sunday in the mission field. I was so excited to get a break and even take a nap! I imagined being able to hang out all day at the apartment and relax.  I will never forget how shocked I was when I found out that it was in fact the most stressful day of the week. We had to worry about investigators coming, less actives, and the attendance as a whole. I couldn't believe that we were actually going to tract! I was thinking to myself all day that I didn't feel very rested. Though it was hard to get used to at first, I have now come to realize the real meaning of the Sabbath day. The mission has taught me that it's not about resting in general, but resting from temporal things to focus on the spiritual. Visiting those who didn't come to church, hoping that those you visited during the week and called will come, meeting and counseling together about how everyone can reach out and help those that are struggling. My Sabbath day has most definitely evolved from a day all about myself to a day all about others. I will be forever grateful to the Lord for showing me what true Sunday worship really is. I know that this is the Lord's work. That he is at the helm. His work and glory truly is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of all the children of God.

Hermana Jorgensen

"Take me down to the little white church"

This week was the best!

Hermana Gomez taught us how to make pupusas this week! So good. Then another member of the ward fried is an entire fish. Good luck recognizing me when I get home....

L, an investigator who is living with a ward member, is so golden! We taught her the restoration this week and she loved it. She even read the Book of Mormon after getting eye surgery! She should be
getting a baptismal date this week! Pray that she will be able to get in the water with her eye!

D was baptized on Thursday! Her mom made this huge lemon, raspberry tres leches cake. Best day of my life. Then she was confirmed on Sunday. :)

J and C came to church! C is a less active member and J is not a member of the church. They haven't been able to come due to work, but they were able to this week! They are getting married tonight by the bishop and we are so excited! They have expressed to us before how they only desire to keep the commandments. We love them.

At times missionary work can be discouraging, but through it all I have seen the hand of the Lord. He has blessed us with unbelievable miracles. I know He lives and is just waiting to bless us. All we have to do is obey him, and we will receive more than we ever thought we could. This is the Lord's work and I am truly blessed to be a part of it.

Paz y bendiciones, Hermana Jorgensen

 McKenna labeled this picture "Legit actors from a Spanish novela" Can't wait to hear this story!

Ojitos

Hello!

MLC (Mission Leadership Council) was intense! We are falling short of our 600 baptisms in 2016 goal so we got a "priesthood assignment" from president to set a certain number of dates in the next 2 weeks. One of the counselors in the mission presidency shared an incredible story that I loved. I hope I don't butcher it:

President Chappell was taking a psychology class at BYU and the
professor shared an experience that had change his life and career
forever. He was at a picnic with his family and one of his patients
was there. She was holding his son and his head was resting on his
patients neck. He was thinking of how sweet the scene was and all of a
sudden he had a sort of vision. Behind Jan, the field opened up and
became a beautiful clearing. Jan looked different. She held her head
in a regal manner and had a look of complete peace and contentment on
her face. She had a strong and illuminating light around her. He was
having a vision of this woman as a celestial being of sorts. It was
odd to the professor, as Jan had expressed much anxiety and worry to
him. He said that this vision completely changed the way he thought
about people in general. He said that after that experience he saw
everyone's mortal bodies as just a mere covering over the beautiful
potential and light that we all contain within.

I got to share that story in zone meeting with all the missionaries in the zone. We all went around and shared how we see the worth of souls. It was so edifying!

The ward council told us about a part member family in the ward. We went over and talked to the mom. She is a member and said she would love to be going to church but doesn't want to go if the whole family isn't going to go as well she said she's going to talk to her husband about going to church and learning more! We are excited to see what happens!

On Saturday we had another MLC but with all three Houston missions! Elder Robbins came from the 70! He spoke a lot about various aspects of the atonement. One thing I loved that he talked about was
forgiveness. If we don't forgive others we are putting ourselves further into captivity. We become less free and less happy. He taught a lot about so many things I am eager to put into practice in my life!

D and M both came to church yesterday! The ward encircled them and shepherded them so well! They loved it! D had her interview and everything went well! We are stoked for her baptism this coming Thursday!

We visited L who was our miracle child last Sunday. She came for the first time last week and told the Sunday school teacher that she wants to be baptized. The only bummer is that she just got eye surgery
this week so she couldn't come to church and she doesn't know when she can get her eye wet.... We'll figure it out!

My last transfer starts today... I can't believe it! I'm staying in Bear Creek with Hermana B so not much will change. I love serving the Lord in Houston!

Hermana Jorgensen