Swimming Possum

¡Feliz lunes! 

I saw a real live possum! Which is pretty exciting because they are all usually dead on the road. We were running the other morning and it just plopped in this little lake we ran by and started swimming...

Also I had the best Nacho Libre corn (elote) ever from this cute little Hispanic man. It has the chile and mayonnaise and cheese on it. The food here is unbelievable. 

This week the Lord put a lot of people in our path. We were knocking and contacting people on the street and such for about 5 hours the other day. At the end of the night I felt like we should go to a taco road stand. Probably just because I was hungry. So we were talking to a lot of the Hispanics that were there and telling them about our English classes. This one guy overheard us and we started talking. We invited him to come to church the next day and he came! We have an appointment with him tonight! We also had a family home evening with a less active member and her neighbors last week. The family home evening part didn't actually go very well... We didn't think too much of it until today. We went to go work out with P and M this morning for Pday and the neighbor lady was there! Coincidence? I think not. She said she wants us to come over this week! This stuff happened to us all week! 

P was confirmed yesterday and also gave the opening prayer at her friends baptism in another area. I love her so much. Her progression has amazed me. Her complexion has changed and she's so much happier. She is also changing the lives of a lot of her friends and we are teaching quite a few of them. M is getting baptized in September and we are so excited about it. She has changed a lot as well. She's a completely different person now. We had a lesson with her this week and she asked if we could teach her about repentance. Repentance is the only way we can find peace. God wants us to come unto Him through His Son and receive guidance. He wants us to confide in Him. It's not easy, but it is a heavenly gift. I'm so grateful for my Savior and because of Him I have the opportunity to repent everyday and to receive peace in my life. It makes me better and stronger. I've realized how important it is to humble myself and seek forgiveness everyday. 

Con amor, Hermana Jorgensen

McKenna's hair and eyelashes look flipping' fantastic!

Finally...Blue Bell is back on the shelves

Bautismo

Well this is my week:

We met this lady at a restaurant and she came to English class! Something cool that I have noticed recently is that most people trust us immediately. It's neat.

These are my favorite ladies in Houston. I love them so much. We work out with them and drink protein shakes on Mondays. One of them just got baptized this weekend and the other is getting baptized in September! Whoo! 

P's baptism!!! Or in other words: one of the happiest days of my life. I was thinking the other day about when we met her. It was the beginning of last transfer. We got a random phone call from a random member in another part of town. So we went and ended up meeting this guy's coworker. Lots of things happened to keep us from going to meeting her. We finally realized that all of it was happening because she is so prepared. She has one of the strongest testimonies of the Book of Mormon that I've ever heard. She was so happy yesterday. I realized how much love I have for these people.

I love the Lord. 

Con amor, Hermana Jorgensen

"I know Spanish"

Feliz Lunes!

  

We were at a recent converts house and we were talking to her grandson.  "I know Spanish: quema, pollo, trampoline..." 

   

I'm in a trio right now! Hermana S and I got our trainee. She's pretty cute. Her name is Hermana McC. She's from back East and lives only like an hour away from New York City. Pretty neat. K and B got baptized on Saturday! It was the best. Their mom was so happy! Their dad isn't a member and he just barely let them get baptized so that has been really cool. He even came to the baptism! Their confirmations were really beautiful as well. We set a few more baptismal dates for September this past week so keep our investigators in your prayers! 

     

We are learning how to "master teach" at the moment. This simply means to teach in the way that Christ did. In Matthew 7 it speaks of Christ at the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount:

28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:

29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

The difference between the Scribes and Christ was the Origin of their power. The Scribes taught pure doctrine, scripted and memorized and more often than not, they did not abide by their teachings. Their power was derived from men. We know that Christ received His power from God. He applied his teachings to his listeners lives as well as His own. He taught in such a way that the people actually taught themselves. This way of teaching is not easy. Nothing that Christ did will be easy for us to do. The best way I can describe it is a refining process. But I've seen the astonishment that comes from inspired questions and teaching. I love my Savior and His example to me. This Gospel is everything to me and I am so grateful for the this time to dedicate my service to God. The many experiences that I am having help me to understand the Atonement more and more. Invite someone to learn about the Gospel this week!

Con amor, Hermana Jorgensen

Sister S taught McKenna to play the violin! Lets just hope that she practices a lot before she gets home!

Cheerleaders

Bueno,

As I was in our apartment office this week, a little black kid came up to me and we had like a 30 minute conversation about Lil Wayne. I don't even know anything about rap music. But yeah he rapped for me. My favorite quote from English class this week, "Is it called cheerleading because the boys are cheerful when the girls jump around?" -Y from Russia. He sounds like Gru.

     

We had a bomb restoration lesson with J from English class. He's 17 and recently moved from Mexico. He has come to church a few times and loves the Book of Mormon. So we taught him and his Aunt this week. It was such a good lesson! He understood it and loved it! We are going back this week to teach him! He even marks his scriptures! He's going to get baptized. This area has surprised me so much. There are so many awesome teenagers here that are really ready for the gospel. 

     

So I'm getting transferred! We were covering an area that got dissolved into ours this transfer but now it is getting its own missionaries again. So I'm going there! That's where a few of our investigators actually live so I'm excited! I am quite sad that I am leaving Hermana S though... Also I just found out that I'm training a new missionary! That will be interesting because I feel like I just got here too!

     

I learned a lot about the spirit this week. It's so important to keep it with you. Even though all missionaries will have the spirit no matter how disobedient they are, the power of the spirit can weaken in your teaching if we are not obedient with exactness. It makes a huge difference. We cannot rely on our own abilities or talents. We must rely on the spirit, and that is how we will have the full power of the spirit to be with us. My teaching has improved a lot since I have learned to rely on the Lord and the Holy Ghost. I love Christ. The Atonement is real.

Con amor, Hermana Jorgensen

"Chancho, I need to borrow some Spanx"

Hola!
     

The other day we were fed a sandwich with 2 tamales inside and hot chocolate with Maseca (corn powder for tortillas) inside... Then last night I ate an entire tilapia fish. Head and all. Also we were trying to find a less active member's apartment in a complex and as we turned a corner there was a little chancho 10 year old boy wearing
rainbow leopard print spanx... Hermana S and I were also in a dance performance with some ladies from church. We even had the big skirts and everything.
     

K and B are so excited for their baptism. It's happening on the 15th we were blown away when their dad gave them permission to be baptized (part member family). P is also doing so well. She testifies of the Book of Mormon like every lesson. She is almost to 2 Nephi already! We found a bunch of really prepared people this week. We are using a really cool way of teaching that our president loves and it works! Exciting things are happening.
     

I'm reading 2nd Nephi in the Book of Mormon currently. I was reading in chapter 4 about Nephi praying to the Lord and asking forgiveness. He says in verse 17: "O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities."  My first thought when I read this was, "If Nephi thinks he is a sinner then I have a lot of repenting to do." For reals though he makes us all look bad. Nephi was so valiant and righteous. But the truth is that we all have weaknesses. No one will be perfect in this life. Not even Nephi. But he is basically perfect in one thing and that is repenting. Verse 33: "O Lord, wilt thou encircle me around in the robe of thy righteousness! O Lord, wilt thou make a way for mine escape before mine enemies! Wilt thou make my path straight before me! Wilt thou not place a stumbling block in my way--but that thou wouldst clear my way before me, and hedge not up my way, but the ways of mine enemy." I love his prayer in this verse. Heavenly Father is probably so unimpressed by my prayers! I realized how much more sincere I need to be in my repentance and that I truly need to change my heart. He truly pleaded with God and I know that God answered his prayer and
protected Nephi from all unrighteousness. The Book of Mormon is so powerful and I am kind of embarrassed that it took me 19 years to realize that. Once we start sincerely studying the Book of Mormon and applying it to all aspects of our lives, we will start becoming the person our Heavenly Father needs us to be.

Con amor, Hermana Jorgensen