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

Cuban Feast

I got to go on an exchange this week with Hermana Homer in Canyon Lakes! My very first ward in the mission. It was great and I had so many flashbacks! I got to see two of the families that reactivated while I served there a year ago.

M our most recent convert made us a Cuban feast! Platanos, meat, rice, beans, etc. it was so good! Her grandson M is excited to be baptized and is making a lot of changes so he can attend church and read the Book of Mormon!

We teach English class at an elementary school and this Friday was the graduation. The students were so excited! Many of the students had very impressive professions in their countries but now have been forced to do other jobs because they don't know English. It has been a very humbling and amazing experience for me to help them learn and in turn, be able to improve their lives.

Our investigators didn't show up to church today and we were pretty discouraged. We had tried our best to have members invite them as well as greet them at church to make their church experience a positive one. We were a little down the rest of the day. No one was opening the door, people were canceling appointments, not many people would talk to us while we were tracting, etc. We were driving down the street and I was praying for a miracle to lift our spirits. We saw a driveway full of cars with Mexico license plates. We decided to get out and knock. The family ended up being related to Mormons! They were very kind and invited us back for dinner.

God wants us to be happy and see miracles, but he can only give us those things if we have faith and act.

And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I
would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and
not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no
witness until after the trial of your faith.
-Ether 12:6

Hermana Jorgensen

Roach Season!

Roach season is here! We've found two huge ones on the walls of our apartment. Stay tuned for more.

It was Hermana B's birthday this week so we went to Chipotle to celebrate! That night we went to visit a part member family. The daughter that is not baptized asked us at the end of the lesson how we
decided that being Mormon was right for us. It was a really cool experience. I got to talk to her a little bit about how I can't remember my baptism too well but every time we teach someone and can see how it helps them it reaffirms to me that I made the right decision.

On Tuesday I had my very last zone conference. We learned a lot about the plan of salvation. We focus so much on eternal life and the spirit world and we forget to explain who makes all of it possible. The atonement is infinite and beautiful. It is how we will one day return to the Father. I was able to give my "dying testimony" (this is missionary slang for their last testimony to their zone before they go home) to all the missionaries. I explained a little bit about the most important things
that I have learned in Houston. The sacrament is one of them. My mission has taught me so much about remembering Christ. It's one of the easiest outward expressions to Christ and God that we want to use the Atonement.

Wednesday was a cool day! We went knocking and found a lady that loved the Book of Mormon! She was so excited about it and is so stoked to read it! We also set a baptismal date with D! We asked her how she feels about being baptized and she told us she just wants to do it already! She will be baptized the 9th of June!

M was baptized on Saturday and received the Holy Ghost on Sunday! She was glowing! We are so excited for her!

Con amor, Hermana Jorgensen

I like cats

D came to church! She's our little investigator! She brought her mom who is less active. They loved church! Hopefully next week we will get to set a baptismal date with her.

We had a near death experience with a dog on Saturday. We were knocking in some creepy trailers and didn't see the dog under a car. I ran away quick enough but I left Hermana B stranded but she
escaped somehow as well. I like cats more and more everyday.

Hermana Sumsion, one of my favorite companions, showed up at our district meeting on Friday! She finished her mission in December but was passing through Texas to visit! It was so good to see her. She was one of the biggest helps and supports on my mission. :)

We had a Mother's Day dinner activity on Friday with the ward! We ate a bunch of delicious Mexican food! (insert taco emoji here) our investigator came with her whole family!

Martha will be baptized this Saturday! We are so excited! She told us how much she enjoys reading the Book of Mormon and going to her church. The ward has been a huge help in her conversion. I love Cubans!

I loved the end of a talk I found this week from Neal A Maxwell:

"In conclusion, the submission of one’s will is really the only
uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar. The many
other things we “give,” brothers and sisters, are actually the things
He has already given or loaned to us. However, when you and I finally
submit ourselves, by letting our individual wills be swallowed up in
God’s will, then we are really giving something to Him! It is the only
possession which is truly ours to give!"

Though we cannot always do all that we would like to, we can consecrate our hearts to our Father and he will recognize that effort and bless us beyond comprehension.

Hermana Jorgensen

                                                   Surprise visit from Hermana Sumsion

Feliz dia de las madres!

Happy Cinco de Mayo/Mother's day!

To start out the week we had a mission leadership meeting. President Mortensen talked a little bit about fasting. He said something that truly resonated with me, "the Lord values spiritual strength much more than physical strength." It made me think of the problems I have had with my health in the last few months. Though it has been tough to go through it, I have learned a lot about relying on my spirit. I'm very grateful that Heavenly Father has given me trials to strengthen me.

I found out that a family that we helped reactivate in my first just went through the temple and was sealed last week! Another person we activated in that same ward is now in the Elders Quorum presidency and a ward missionary! That was exciting news.

 On Sunday we had a few really neat miracles happen:
1. We were teaching a lesson outside and there was a man standing on his porch staring at us. So we went over and talked to him. We had spoken with his roommates a few days prior. It turns out that he just arrived here from Mexico a month ago and was baptized there in January! He's been trying to find the church!
2. We were driving through a neighborhood and I saw a little girl dancing around with a book in her hand. It looked like the Book of Mormon but we weren't sure. We got out of the car and began speaking a little bit with the little girl and her grandfather. They aren't members but she's had the book since she was two and learned to read by reading it and the Bible! We're heading back on Tuesday to teach them!

Talking with the family on Sunday was the best! I loved seeing all of you, and I can't wait to see you again. I love Mother's Day because I get to talk to to all of you but the best part for me is being able to celebrate my angel mother.
"No love in mortality comes closer to approximating the pure love of Jesus Christ than the selfless love a devoted mother has for her child." -Elder Holland

Con amor, Hermana Jorgensen

                                                             Skyping on Mothers Day

Carlos & Laban

Greetings from Bear Creek!

My area actually touches my very first area in the mission. So most of my surroundings are pretty familiar. My companion's name is Hermana B! She's from Mesa so that has been fun to talk about.

I had to say goodbye to one of my favorite members of the Woodlands 3rd Ward named Victor. Hermana H and I cried all the way home. We also said goodbye to M which was a little heartbreaking as well. Everything feels more real as I'm entering the last few months in Houston.

The investigators and members in Bear Creek are amazing! We have two people with a date for this month named M and M. They are from Cuba! So spiritual and wanting to learn. We also have a little family we are teaching. He is a member but hasn't been since he was a teenager. She isn't a member and we are hopefully going to set a
baptismal date with her this week! We were reading in 1 Nephi 4 with them and when Nephi cut off Laban's head Carlos said, "um... Wow...." We laughed for a solid 3 minutes about it. They love reading the Book of Mormon. Last night we had a lesson with them in the Bishop's home. We taught her about the sacrament. She can't come to church every Sunday due to her job so we challenged her to fast to find a way to make it every Sunday.

We went knocking quite a bit this week. We found a man in an apartment complex that had heard a lot about Mormons and he was asking us many questions about Joseph Smith. His idea of the church was skewed but I promised myself I wasn't going to walk away until he understood that we don't worship Joseph Smith. He was amazed when we taught him about Jesus Christ and God and that there has always been a prophet called to guide us and tell us God's will. We taught him nearly all of the Restoration and it was a cool experience. We taught him again and it went well so I'm excited to see how he progresses. We had a goal at the beginning of the week to find a certain number of investigators. By Sunday night we were missing just one person. It was 8:45 pm but we were determined. We tried a potential investigator but we got the wrong house number. So we started talking to this lady and she was very hesitant to start but warmed up a little in the end. She let us teach her and we will be headed back this week! Prayers were answered.

I actually want to tell a story about my last area. It happened on Monday, the very last day that I was in the Woodlands. I consider it one of the coolest experiences I've had in my mission and maybe in my life. So there was a family that we were trying to teach a few months ago. One of the kids is a member but the rest of the family isn't. One day the mom left the kids for some guy and so the kid's uncle and his girlfriend moved in. She wasn't fond of us... One time we knocked on the door and she raised her voice a little and told us they already go to church and that we shouldn't come by anymore. So we felt kind of bad and didn't think much of it. Well she shows up at church a few weeks later! I asked her if we had met before and she said no... I felt very uncomfortable. Another few weeks later the elders called and said they had a referral for us. It was A! I couldn't believe it. We went over today and she was so nice! She stopped in the middle of the lesson and apologized for the time she got mad at me and said how sorry she felt and that it was just a stressful time. Today she was telling us all of her desires and that she thinks we can help. She got my email because we are being transferred and she emailed me right away and said how grateful she was that we went by. The atonement truly is something we can all access. I don't know if I will ever comprehend Christ's love for me but I feel it every time I repent or change. I'm so grateful for His sacrifice and love. It means the world to me.

Con amor, Hermana Jorgensen

                                                 McKenna & Hermana Homer with Victor

    McKenna can see Krispy Kreme from her new apartment window and she is a little scared about how often they may visit.

Oh mi Padre

It was my last week in the Woodlands! We have transfers tomorrow and both of us will be taken out of the area due to the lack of Spanish sisters in the mission. We are sad but I'm excited to get into a new area!

I was quite sick most of the week so my comp and I had to hang out in the apartment most of the week so it wasn't too eventful.

V the Argentine is the best!! She told us this week she wants to be baptized. We're passing her off to the elders so hopefully they can progress her :)

M found a bunch of names to be baptized for soon! We're so excited!! I'm so sad to leave her.

On Sunday, I got to sing in a Spanish fireside. I sang "Oh My Father" and it was an awesome experience. I had never felt the words to a song like I did last night.

"Then, at length, when I’ve completed
All you sent me forth to do,
With your mutual approbation
Let me come and dwell with you."

I have felt God's love for me so strongly here. In every tribulation I have faced, I've seen God's hand. I'm so grateful for His love and how He has shown it to me. Happiness and love don't fill our lives by having fun all the time, but by learning from mistakes and trials. I love my Father in Heaven. I know that one day I will be able to dwell with Him.

Con amor, Hermana Jorgensen

Quiche

M is officially a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! She told us over and over when we went to see her this week. :) she's so happy and has talked to both her mom and brother about speaking to missionaries!

We got the best referrals this week! One was a lady from Argentina. She has been attending an English ward up in Conroe with her sister and brother in law who were just baptized. She doesn't speak a ton of English so we convinced her to come to the  Spanish ward this week. :) She's really sweet and she asked us in our first lesson what it takes to become a member of the church!

We were invited to a Guatemalan birthday party this week. It was pretty fun until we realized only her close family was invited... And us. Not to mention they spoke the dialect of Quiche so we had no idea what they were saying. At least we got some tres leches.

I finished Mormon in the Book of Mormon this week! I'm almost finished with the whole book in Spanish! It's a bummer that all that amazing stuff happened when Christ  visited the Nephites, but they quickly forgot and were destroyed. There's still hope though. I love Moroni's words at the end of the book:

Mormon 9:
36 And behold, these things which we have desired concerning our
brethren, yea, even their restoration to the knowledge of Christ, are
according to the prayers of all the saints who have dwelt in the land.

37 And may the Lord Jesus Christ grant that their prayers may be
answered according to their faith; and may God the Father remember the
covenant which he hath made with the house of Israel; and may he bless
them forever, through faith on the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Through our faith we can restore others to a knowledge of Christ.

Hermana Jorgensen

Tacos de Trompo

Feliz lunes,

After Pday ended last week we got a call from an investigator we taught a few weeks ago. He wanted us to start teaching his friend. So we all met up and it turns out that his friend is a journalist and has investigated a ton about the church. He is of another religion and they believe that God and Christ are the exact same person. Which I honestly didn't understand so I asked him some questions but it still doesn't make sense to me. That was only the second time I've ever bible bashed on my mission. We still walked away as friends though so it wasn't too bad.

On Friday we got to do some service at the fair with Special Angels. Every year they open up the fair for all the groups in Houston that work with special needs. We helped get them to all the rides and whatnot. It was fun! Earlier in the week we also got to help them out with a banquet they have every year to raise money for their organization. It's actually a really cool cause and I had no idea there were so many programs for kids with special needs.

We went knocking quite a bit this week and found some great new investigators. One of them has two nephews serving missions. We knocked into another lady and she looked at us and said, "come in." That was easy. We found another group of people that are in their 20's. It was very interesting teaching them. They had a lot of great questions and couldn't understand that Hermana H and I don't smoke or drink.

We were on campus for the first time this week! Super fun and very different from anything I've ever done as a missionary. We get to go to institute, play sports, and teach family history! It's pretty neat!

We read something really cool in district meeting that I would love to share. As a mission we have learned the importance of family history work. It truly is an amazing work and I have learned so much from it. My heart really has been turned:

Frederick William Hurst was working as a gold miner in Australia when he first heard Latter-day Saint missionaries preach the restored gospel. He and his brother Charles were baptized in January 1854. He tried to help his other family members become converted, but they rejected him and the truths he taught. Fred settled in Salt Lake City four years after joining the Church, and he served faithfully as a missionary in several different countries. He also worked as a painter in the Salt Lake Temple. In one of his final journal entries, he wrote:
“Along about the 1st of March, 1893, I found myself alone in the dining room,
all had gone to bed. I was sitting at the table when to my great surprise my elder
brother Alfred walked in and sat down opposite me at the table and smiled. I said
to him (he looked so natural): ‘When did you arrive in Utah?’
“He said: ‘I have just come from the Spirit World, this is not my body that you see,
it is lying in the tomb. I want to tell you that whenyou were on your mission you told
me many things about the Gospel, and the hereafter, and about the Spirit World
being as real and tangible as the earth. I could not believe you, but when I died and
went there and saw for myself I realized that you had told the truth. I attended
the Mormon meetings.’ He raised his hand and said with much warmth: ‘I believe in
the Lord Jesus Christ with all my heart. I believe in faith, and repentance and baptism
for the remission of sins, but that is as far as I can go. I look to you to do the work for
me in the temple. … You are watched closely. … We are all looking to you as our
head in this great work. I want to tell you that there are a great many spirits who weep
and mourn because they have relatives in the Church here who are careless and are
doing nothing for them”
(Diary of Frederick William Hurst, comp. Samuel H. and Ida Hurst [1961], 204).

By doing missionary work, we do not only help the people we teach, but thousands of those that have already passed on. I'm excited to start working on M's family history with her!

M's baptism was incredible! We got to stand inside the doors and help her when she got out of the font. She gave me a big hug and it was one of the best moments of my life. While she was changing, Hermana H and I taught the restoration to all of her nonmember friends and family that were there. There were quite a few people that didn't speak Spanish so we got to do it in both Spanish and English. I don't think I've ever felt the spirit that much while saying the first vision or testifying of Joseph Smith. The nonmembers loved it and the spirit was so strong in the room.

Con amor, Hermana Jorgensen

Indian tracting

Hello!

We went finding quite a bit this week and knocked into some interesting people. My particular favorite was an Indian. Their door mat said "bienvenidos" so I was excited that I already knew the family was Hispanic. We knocked and they opened but the guy didn't look very Hispanic to me. I got confused and I don't know why but the first words that came out of my mouth were, "Do you speak Spanish?"
Him: No...
Me: *pointing to the door mat* Why not?!
Haha it was probably the worst door contact I've ever done... He ended up being Indian so that was a plus.

We went to a laundromat to give out some fliers for our English class and a drunk man started talking to us and kissed us on the hand...
That's all.

We were walking by a taco truck and I asked the woman when she was going to teach us how to make tortillas. She told us to get onto the truck so she taught us right there! It brought me back to my Waffle Love days. Then we got free tacos and horchata :)

Mili got her interview this Sunday! Everything is looking perfect for her baptism this Saturday. Her mom is flying in from Mexico for her baptism! She is so excited! She loved conference and she's an angel.

Well, bad news. Mari, our other investigator with a baptismal date, lost her job on Friday and her boss made her move out. She moved out of the mission so we can't teach her anymore. :( We are working to contact the missionaries there and get her taught again, so everything will work out just fine. It's a bummer but I know the Lord is aware of her.

Hermana Homer was teaching a family in her last area that was going to be baptized in March. A lot of hermanas finished their missions in January so there were a few areas where sister missionaries had to be taken out. After they left, the family stopped progressing. We just got permission this week to teach them. We will need your prayers because we have to get them baptized by the end of the month... It will all work out. They have four girls and it's a mad house but they are all really sweet.

We got a call from our mission president and got some exciting news! I'm now a YSA missionary! We get to cover both the Spanish ward and the YSA ward that meets in our building. I get to go on a campus every morning and do some other cool stuff! I'm super excited!

Conference was amazing! Two of my favorite talks were by Bonnie L Oscarson and Patrick Kearon. I loved that she talked about defining moments we all have. We all know the doctrine, but we have to believe it! I loved talk on the refugee effort. Even though the world is crumbling, it was so beautiful to me that there are still people with good hearts. It reminded me that I need to lend a greater hand to those in need. I couldn't believe that it was my last conference in the mission field. Time has flown by. I can still remember my very first conference in my first transfer in the field. I was reflecting a lot about all that I have learned on my mission. I am further in debt to my savior and my Heavenly Father for all that I have experienced. They have taught me so much. One theme I noticed throughout conference was our divine heritage as children of a loving Heavenly Father. Something I have learned throughout the past 14 months is the worth of a soul. I will never truly comprehend the love that God has for me but I have seen a glimpse of the love he has for his children, especially here in Houston.

Con amor, Hermana Jorgensen

La semana santa

¡Feliz Pascua!

I can't believe this was my second Easter in the mission field!

On Wednesday President Mortensen came to a meeting we have each week with our High Councilman. We've been trying to build up our ward recently and asked him if he would come and help us out in the meeting. He talked a little about the sacrament and I would like to share a few things that he said. He spoke of missing sacrament meeting even just one week can darken our mind and impair our judgement. The sabbath day has been spoken on very frequently by apostles and prophets in the last few months and years. President Mortensen said it is a way that we can maintain peace and hope while the world continues to fall. With bombings and other current events, we have a way to receive protection from the Lord. We will find it in taking the sacrament every week. Our minds will be illuminated and we will be able to carry the spirit with us all throughout the week.

M is now being baptized on April 9th! She is so lovely! Yesterday during church she took my planner and wrote "gracias por existir."- thank you for existing. She is so sweet and has given me a huge testimony that God really does know us individually.

Recently the Texas Houston Mission has worked a ton in family history work. The mission president has received multiple calls from around the world including from Family Search to inquire what we have been doing with genealogy. The mission as well as a few really smart members put together a five module course to teach family history. On Thursday we received a training on how to teach it. It's amazing how much family history can turn our hearts. My experience in the temple last week truly has turned mine, both to my ancestors and to the Lord. I've never felt the spirit in such a way as I did last Wednesday in the temple.

Friday night I got to eat dinner with a recent convert from my very first ward. He ended up moving to another mission, but has been struggling lately so he came up to the Woodlands. It was great to see him and to hear how much the church means in his life. He works on the bishop's storehouse regularly and attends baptisms for the dead as often as he can.

Saturday night we went to the general women's conference. I got to see Hermana McCurdy (my "daughter") as well as a few other hermanas I loved serving with. Hermana McCurdy hits her 9 month mark this week. It feels like I just trained her! Where has the time gone? It was the best women's conference I've ever been to! Everyone spoke on service and love. I especially loved Neill F Marriott's talk on edifying the Kingdom of God. As women and disciples of Jesus Christ our first role is to build his kingdom. One way we can do that is to become like the Master. I loved that Sister Marriott asked herself, "how would Christ respond?" I've been asking myself that quite a bit the past two days. Christ left a legacy of service and love and we shall do the same. It's not easy but it's possible!

I hope that everyone enjoyed Easter! I was far away from my family but I felt them close. I got to spend the afternoon with one of my favorite families in the Woodlands. This Spring, my testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ has been strengthened like never before. I am eternally grateful for His infinite love. I know that earthly
limitations will only be with us for a short time, and on that great day when the Savior comes, we will all rise again and be united with those that we love.

Mosiah 16:6-8
And now if Christ had not come into the world, speaking of things to
come as though they had already come, there could have been no
redemption.
And if Christ had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands of
death that the grave should have no victory, and that death should
have no sting, there could have been no resurrection.
But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and
the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ.

Con amor, Hermana Jorgensen

I Stand All Amazed

Hello!

M is doing great as always! She told her family about her baptism and they are so supportive of it. It was one of her biggest worries and it is now all taken care of. She is so amazing and intelligent!

On Wednesday we went to the temple and I brought my very first family name ever! I got to do her baptism, confirmation, initiatory, endowment, and sealing to parents, all in a row! It was an incredible experience for me. I had never done sealings but the spirit in that room was one of the sweetest I've ever felt. The temple is a sacred place and I always feel peace there that comes from God.

We had the greatest miracle happen yesterday: we received a call Saturday night from a recent convert in our ward. She told us about her cousin that is new in town and wants to come to church. So we made a few calls and arrangements and got her to church yesterday morning. She ended up loving it and we set up an appointment for a few hours after church. We taught her the restoration and throughout we discovered that she was about to be baptized a few months ago in California but she had to move to Texas just a week later so it didn't work out. She had been searching for the church again but it was proving to be a little difficult and then she finally moved from Dallas to Houston and found us! We felt inspired in the lesson to invite her to be baptized on April 23rd. She is all for it and super excited. It was so amazing! I've never had the opportunity until now to set a baptismal date in the first lesson. The hand of the Lord is so great.

We are also teaching another little family. The mother is a recent convert but is the only member. Her son is eight and she wanted us to help prepare him to be baptized. We are trying to also focus on the father who is not a member either. We've been teaching them for a few weeks. A really humble and sweet family. You can feel the love in their home. We taught them about the Book of Mormon and it turns out the father and son have already been reading each night! They take turns reading verse by verse. So cute.

Yesterday my companion and I got to teach Relief Society. We taught on the atonement and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I learned a lot while preparing for the lesson and got some practical experience while knocking doors. We've been trying to use the church's Easter initiative as much as possible. It speaks of the resurrection of the Lord and that through him we can find new life. It has brought us in contact with a lot of interesting people. One woman we contacted said we could come back another day because she didn't have much time, but as we said bye and were walking away she opened up and began to explain that her husband had just died a few days previously. We had a really great discussion with her and I realized how important the knowledge we have is of the atonement and resurrection. I began using this question in contacting, "how can the resurrection benefit you in your life?" Many people don't know how to respond, I wouldn't either! We must take advantage of the gift we have that is the gospel and share it with all those that surround us. I know that my Redeemer died, but he also lives.

"I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine
To rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine,
That he should extend his great love unto such as I,
Sufficient to own, to redeem, and to justify.
Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me
Enough to die for me!
Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!"

Con amor, Hermana Jorgensen

Sweatin' to the Oldies

On Tuesday... WE SET A BAPTISMAL DATE WITH M! She is the greatest! She listens to general conference talks every morning and is making her way right along in her reading of the Book of Mormon. She always tells us how the gospel had brought so much peace into her life! We are so stoked for April 16th :)

We went to Special Angles and all of them forgot who Hermana Homer was so they kept introducing themselves to her. It was hilarious! The rest of the time we played Connect Four, Uno, and Candy Land. Then they worked out to "Sweatin' to the Oldies with Richard Simmons."

We kind of dropped C this week. Or rather, he dropped us. I'm still confused about it. But the nice thing is that he is continuing to come to church.

On Wednesday everyone in our English class brought food from all of Latin America! It was so fun and the people we teach are so special and fun. We have a blast teaching them. We had our second lesson with H from English class this week. We taught him the restoration and it went so well. He has so many great questions and learns very quickly.

On Sunday three little adorable Hispanic kids decided to sit by us. It was pretty fun!

Over the past few months I've been able to do family history for an hour a week. I've found a few names and on Wednesday I get to do a name in the temple. I will be able to do everything from her baptism to her endowment!

We were in a laundromat the other day and a man started asking us about what we do as missionaries. The conclusion of the discussion was this: "Take a day off for yourselves. Go to a club, God won't be mad at you."

This week in ward council we talked a lot how to strengthen the ward. One of the women spoke about how when we see and feel the happiness of the gospel, we must reach behind us and take others with us.
Luke 22:32 and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

Even those that were baptized at eight years old have experienced some kind of conversion to Christ in our lives. We are under covenant to find and teach all those we can about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. 

HE is the only way.

Hermana Jorgensen

Long Live the Woodlands

Transfers are here once again! Time is flying. Hermana Homer and I will be together for another transfer in the Woodlands!

M is doing so well! She came to a baptism this week as well as a women's conference. She's on fire and reading the Book of Mormon everyday!

On Tuesday we had a leadership meeting and President Mortensen shared a passage in the New Testament that I love. John 15:1-8. My favorite verse was 5
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in
him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do
nothing.

It reminded me of Ammon in Alma 26:12 

Yea, I know that I am nothing;
as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but
I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea,
behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which
we will praise his name forever.

I truly am nothing without Christ. Through Him we have been seeing so many miracles. As I abide in Him and His word, I know I will have success in bringing others unto Christ.

We found an investigator through English class and he said he would like to meet with us. He said he said he has a good life but he feels a hole in the spiritual side of things and says that he thinks we can fill it. We started teaching him and are super excited to see how it goes.

This Thursday Sister Carole M Stevens and Bonnie L Oscarson came to Houston and gave a special training to all the sister missionaries. I have been so lucky to be on the presence of a ton of general authorities lately. I can't believe it! They talked a bunch about the worth of souls which is always a good reminder. I think it's hard for
everyone to begin to comprehend the love of God but it's so important.

I got to see my recent convert P this week! It was so special. We got to pick up her daughter E from the bus stop. It was the highlight of my week.

Con amor, Hermana Jorgensen

Why am I not Hispanic?

Buenas tardes,

On Monday our investigator's friend made us some alligator! That was one of the highlights.

M, our golden investigator, came to church! She had never been before and loved it! The members did a fantastic job at making her feel welcome. We taught her some of the plan of salvation this week. She has terrific questions and loves to learn. It's amazing! She reads the Book of Mormon everyday and loves it. We are going to finish teaching her the last part of the plan of salvation and we will set a baptismal date hopefully for April! She is so prepared and excited to receive the gospel.

C, our other awesome investigator, is doing really well. He is also reading the Book of Mormon everyday and comes to church every week. He has felt a little uneasy recently about being baptized soon but we had lunch with a member family in the ward  and they explained to him that this is his chance to follow Christ. He feels a lot better about it now. He fasted this weekend and said it was an awesome experience! We are going to set a baptismal date with him as well!

The Gascas had us over for Sunday dinner again and made us another feast of meat and guacamole. Why am I not Hispanic?

I had the privilege of teaching the atonement to quite a few people this week and also had some experiences that taught me more about it. I've always loved this scripture because it describes so beautifully all of the ways that the atonement heals us:

Mosiah 14:2-5
2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out
of dry ground; he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see
him there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted
with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised,
and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did
esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our
iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his
stripes we are healed.

I know that Christ died for me. It doesn't matter what we are going through, he suffered and died for every single struggle, pain, weakness, hardship, etc. that we experience. I've never felt the power of the atonement so strongly in my life. It truly gives me strength and has changed me.

Con amor, Hermana Jorgensen

McKenna with Hermana Galvan who McKenna says is hilarious and teaches the missionaries how to do family history