Well Hello.
I Will get straight to the week. :)
Tuesday we went up to Le Havre for district Meeting. After District meeting we had a district activity, and went up to the city of Etretat. It is on the beach and has the prettiest cliffs in the world! its so awesome! Tuesday also marked my 6 month mark in the mission, and in honor of that, as is tradition, i burned a tie. :) It was cool. :)
Wed We Taught Marie-Jo the first lesson with a member (who continually talked, despite the briefing we had before basically telling him to stay quiet until asked to bear his testimony... that made it difficult, but we got it done...) and it went ok. the rest of the day we spent contacting, except for English class which went as usual.
Thursday We had an appt with Shi-Lin, but he texted us before hand and told us he was gonna bring a friend! awesome! She is chinese, too, but speaks good french. We taught them both the first lesson, and it was great to have Shi-Lin translate on things that werent completely clear. We then had Chinese class, then taught a less active man in the branch. Eventually, we took Marie-Jo to the same members house who helped us the day before, but rather than teaching her the next lesson we just read from the BOM. (we were afraid if we taught the Plan of Salvation with that member, Marie-Jo would be endowed by the end of the night, so we decided against that... :D )
Friday. We contacted in the morning, planned for next week in the afternoon, and had PPP in the evening. It was a good day...
Sat was the greatly anticipated day. I would find out whats happening next transfer! But first we had a meeting with our DMB which went well, lunch, Then Samedi sports in the mud! :) Then finally i was able to hear the news of getting transfered to be with Garrett, er, uh, Elder Maxfield, down in Chartres. :)
After that, we went to see a member family really quickly, then did some pass backs. Then we went home and celebrated the time change by going to bed a bit early.
Sunday, was supposed to be an awesome day. We invited Agathe to church again so i could say bye to her (nice way to get her back to church, huh?), plus Shi-Lins friend was going to come, and we were going to commit Marie-Jo to baptism. Well, Shi-Lin wasin paris, so neither of them were there, and Marie-Jo told a member she didnt want to investigate anymore. We called her and tried to talk to her, but she feels that shes already in Gods presence. Sad. I was so disappointed and bummed out. Even more than i was with Agathe. But there was a little sun shining thru the clouds... Agathe did come, and a man was walking by the Church, and decided to come in to Worship God when he saw Jesus Christ on the bldg. He only speaks English, is from South India, and had a plane home in the afternoon. We taught him the first lesson in English, and hes really excited. Im not sure if we have missionaries in india, but ill find out and refer him over there if we can. It was awesome because randomly this week Elder Poussard decided to start practicing his teaching in English. I dont think it was a coincidence that he ended up teaching a lesson in his 2nd language at the end of that week...
I bore my Testimony in Church and said good bye to everyone, and then in the afternoon we did some pass backs, and ate dinner with a member.
And that was the week. :)
It was disappointing to be dropped on the last day of the transfer, but i can still say that i have left the campground better than i found it despite that. My replacement here is Elder Horne, who was in my MTC district. Hes a great guy, and Rouen is being left in good hands. Im sad to leave, yet excited to get out. :)
Things have gone Great With Elder Poussard. Hes so funny and such a good missionary. Im gonna miss being with him. I went to the Dr to get legal. they wont let me stay here unless im healthy. so yes, just a normal visit. :)
I think Elder Maxfield and I will make an awesome team! Our Pday will still be Monday, but i know some cities in the mission do Email on Wed because the libraries are closed on monday, and many places, on top of that, are closed...The Church is true, and Im as excited as ever to be here. Im so excited for Conference next Week, too!
Until next week, and for the last time in Rouen, Au Revoir!
Elder Jergensen
Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Well. This week has gone quite ok. Tuesday I had 2 doctors appts in the morning. the first for XRays and the second for a check up. i passed. dont worry! and i was even able to identify little animal pictures to prover i can see. that may seem easy. but its not when you see a rabbit and the answer is lapin! cuz its french! :) (speaking of which.... mom asked how the language is coming. its better than it used to, but i still miss a lot in conversations. its good, but could be better! :) ) Tuesday continued with an exchange with the LeHavre elders after the doctors appt, and Elder Sumrak and I went contacting and not only did we find someone who was interested for us here in Le Havre, but as we went to set up a RDV with another lady, she said she actually lived in Le Havre, which was cool. After, we taught Agathe (investigator) then Shi-Lin ( Recent convert) and even had a Chinese class afterwards! :) Shi-lin was so happy to teach us chinese!
Wed we had Interviews with President which went well and had a training from the assistants on using our planning resources better. it was great. We had English class in the evening which went the same as usual.
Thursday There was a national transportation strike. Thats never good for missionary work! So we moved our planning up a day and did it on thurs and had a RDV with some members that night which went great.
Friday We had a district meeting which went awesome and then we had a RDV with Agathe. We retaught a principle which we felt she needed again, and then felt she was ready for a baptismal interview, so we scheduled one for the next day, sat. After the RDV, we had PingPongPancakes. that went awesome and we had a few more people than usual there, which was nice.
Sat we played some badmitton with a member in the morning, then hurried to the train staton to pick up the Zone leaders, who were here to interview Agathe for baptism. After an hour and a half, the interview ended and she had decided she wasnt ready yet and wanted to wait a little longer before her baptism, which is good, i guess, that she sees how important it is. After the interview, we played Samedi (samedi is saturday in french) sports with the ZLs and some members. That evening, we went to a members to do service and to eat and share a message. on our way, agathe called us and said she wanted some time, and would call us when she was ready to see us again! wow. thats a disappointment. it was on my mind all night, and i felt so sad that she was so close, and now doesnt want to see us for a little bit. :/ but thats missionary work and we have to move on. Yest though, we got the consolation prize. The lady we met contacting on tuesday came to church! it was so great. we showed her the Restoration video and she was crying so much, and after chuirch when i went to talk to her, she was bawling again. she assured me that it wasnt that she was sad or that she didnt like it, but it was actually the opposite! i smile and said, i know, its the holy ghost touching you. Its so great to see the gospel touch peoples lives! We will have two RDVs with her this week, and hopefully well be able to see her to baptism!
This is probably my last full week here in rouen. Transfers are in 9 days, and president says i should be out. Which is sorta sad in some ways. All the great members here, and Agathe, and now our new investigator Marie-Jo... i wont be able to see the next part of the path with them. But I also know that in my next city, there will be similar things, equal opportunities...
That pretty much sums things up here. Things are great. it sounds like things are good at home, too. The Church is true!
Until Next Week,
Elder J
Wed we had Interviews with President which went well and had a training from the assistants on using our planning resources better. it was great. We had English class in the evening which went the same as usual.
Thursday There was a national transportation strike. Thats never good for missionary work! So we moved our planning up a day and did it on thurs and had a RDV with some members that night which went great.
Friday We had a district meeting which went awesome and then we had a RDV with Agathe. We retaught a principle which we felt she needed again, and then felt she was ready for a baptismal interview, so we scheduled one for the next day, sat. After the RDV, we had PingPongPancakes. that went awesome and we had a few more people than usual there, which was nice.
Sat we played some badmitton with a member in the morning, then hurried to the train staton to pick up the Zone leaders, who were here to interview Agathe for baptism. After an hour and a half, the interview ended and she had decided she wasnt ready yet and wanted to wait a little longer before her baptism, which is good, i guess, that she sees how important it is. After the interview, we played Samedi (samedi is saturday in french) sports with the ZLs and some members. That evening, we went to a members to do service and to eat and share a message. on our way, agathe called us and said she wanted some time, and would call us when she was ready to see us again! wow. thats a disappointment. it was on my mind all night, and i felt so sad that she was so close, and now doesnt want to see us for a little bit. :/ but thats missionary work and we have to move on. Yest though, we got the consolation prize. The lady we met contacting on tuesday came to church! it was so great. we showed her the Restoration video and she was crying so much, and after chuirch when i went to talk to her, she was bawling again. she assured me that it wasnt that she was sad or that she didnt like it, but it was actually the opposite! i smile and said, i know, its the holy ghost touching you. Its so great to see the gospel touch peoples lives! We will have two RDVs with her this week, and hopefully well be able to see her to baptism!
This is probably my last full week here in rouen. Transfers are in 9 days, and president says i should be out. Which is sorta sad in some ways. All the great members here, and Agathe, and now our new investigator Marie-Jo... i wont be able to see the next part of the path with them. But I also know that in my next city, there will be similar things, equal opportunities...
That pretty much sums things up here. Things are great. it sounds like things are good at home, too. The Church is true!
Until Next Week,
Elder J
Monday, March 16, 2009
Well. Another week has yet again flown by like nothing! Its CRAZY!
First off, Happy Anniversary to the Parents... :)
next, it seems like every enrichment night is a RS birthday party.... ??? haha
And I liked Brads team name. I would have loved to hear Sanch and JP doing that commentary! haha
Ides of MArch- I always Celebrate that day! With Pi day the 14th, ides on the 15, ur anniversary on the 16th and St Ps day on the 17, its one of the only times in the year there is something to celebrate 4 days in a row!
Tacos- no i dont miss tacos! im more of a burrito fan, and we make burritos (completely from scratch) weekly. :) i get my share of mexican food! :)
(And won is spelled won, not one, dad... LuDeen is rolling over in her grave right now...)
Idk if i read right, but 94 pct of ur new patients are in Ur smaller office? interesting...
There are other missionaries from our side of town, too. like Eli and Dallin just to name a few who i think they would also know well.
And i think im gonna look into cooking classes from members! :) I think im a decent cook. the only problem is the recipes i have, you have to find a substitute item for half of the stuff!
I cant believe the Y has an 8 seed again. against A&m again, too.
And you have lost my iPod!? lame! :( whatever....
now for the week. Monday we went and ate with some members. We eat with them every week on mon. This week, theyll teach us the 1st lesson! :)
Tuesday We did alot of contacting, and taught Shi-Lin, as well as a crazy lady who didnt really give us a chance to teach, because everytime we started talking about something, she would argue with us and turn the lesson another direction. what can you do...
Wed we had district meeting with the zone leaders there, and then had exchanges with them, too. My task for the meeting was to pick a BOM missionary and talk about his qualities. I chose ammon and it was the most fun task ever! after the meeting, Elder Bennett (a zone leader) and I went to a less active appt and watched the restoration video, which went pretty well, then hurried back to teach English class, which went as usual.
Thursday i had a really cool experience. Im gonna photo copy my journal or something and send it home, because its too long to write with all the detail id like to.
Ok- im gonna send that, but put a modified version here. Elder Bennett and i prayed on Wed night during our planning to know who we should look for in our contacting. Both of us thot a blonde girl, about our age, and he said he was seeing her with a stroller, too. I didnt, so we prayed again, and decided that wasnt necessary. We went out contacting thursday morning and for 45 mins did not pass anyone who fit our description. I felt like we should go back to the place i pictured her at the night before in my head. So on the way home, we took a little detour to go by there. and we saw a blonde girl with a stroller. She was a t a bus stop with lots of people, so not really contactable. So Elder Bennett "dropped" a pass along card right by her, and we left. As we were walking home, i was saying a prayer in my heart that shed find the card and call us, and out of no where, i said "hey, weve got to go back and talk to her. shes the one we were looking for." so we did, left her with a family proclamation, and walked away happy with her name number and adress. Awesome!(sad side note to the story- she didnt show up to the RDV we scheduled. But that doesnt matter... we did our part and followed inspiration. Were gonna go by her adress that she gave us to see if its real. but nevertheless, it was still a neat experience.)
later, after the zone leaders left, Elder P and i went hometeaching with a member to a less active, then taught Agathe in the afternoon, followed by a DMB meeting.
Friday we did contacting, weekly planning, taught Agathe again, and had PPP in the evening, which all went well. :)
On Saturday, We had samedi Sports, and other than that, we just had a ay full of contacting, because our priesthood had district (stake) priesthood meeting in Caen. so we couldnt have any RDVs with members or girls really.
Yest was a good day, too. We had church, where we taught Agathe. Right now, the baptism isnt so sure, but were hoping for the best and will do what we can. After church, we went and ate with a member, and then took the sacrament to a shut-in member, and in the evening, we went and did some contacting. :)
It doesnt sound like much, but i think this was the best week of my mission so far. our district mtg was really good, and the story from thursday was a real faith builder. We had tons of lessons taught this week, and things are on an upturn here. the work is hard, but it has to get done! The Church is true, and everytime some French person tries to convince me it isnt, my testimony only gets stronger. Its great being here! and i cant wait to hear from the General authorities in a few weeks!
Until next week!
Elder J :)
First off, Happy Anniversary to the Parents... :)
next, it seems like every enrichment night is a RS birthday party.... ??? haha
And I liked Brads team name. I would have loved to hear Sanch and JP doing that commentary! haha
Ides of MArch- I always Celebrate that day! With Pi day the 14th, ides on the 15, ur anniversary on the 16th and St Ps day on the 17, its one of the only times in the year there is something to celebrate 4 days in a row!
Tacos- no i dont miss tacos! im more of a burrito fan, and we make burritos (completely from scratch) weekly. :) i get my share of mexican food! :)
(And won is spelled won, not one, dad... LuDeen is rolling over in her grave right now...)
Idk if i read right, but 94 pct of ur new patients are in Ur smaller office? interesting...
There are other missionaries from our side of town, too. like Eli and Dallin just to name a few who i think they would also know well.
And i think im gonna look into cooking classes from members! :) I think im a decent cook. the only problem is the recipes i have, you have to find a substitute item for half of the stuff!
I cant believe the Y has an 8 seed again. against A&m again, too.
And you have lost my iPod!? lame! :( whatever....
now for the week. Monday we went and ate with some members. We eat with them every week on mon. This week, theyll teach us the 1st lesson! :)
Tuesday We did alot of contacting, and taught Shi-Lin, as well as a crazy lady who didnt really give us a chance to teach, because everytime we started talking about something, she would argue with us and turn the lesson another direction. what can you do...
Wed we had district meeting with the zone leaders there, and then had exchanges with them, too. My task for the meeting was to pick a BOM missionary and talk about his qualities. I chose ammon and it was the most fun task ever! after the meeting, Elder Bennett (a zone leader) and I went to a less active appt and watched the restoration video, which went pretty well, then hurried back to teach English class, which went as usual.
Thursday i had a really cool experience. Im gonna photo copy my journal or something and send it home, because its too long to write with all the detail id like to.
Ok- im gonna send that, but put a modified version here. Elder Bennett and i prayed on Wed night during our planning to know who we should look for in our contacting. Both of us thot a blonde girl, about our age, and he said he was seeing her with a stroller, too. I didnt, so we prayed again, and decided that wasnt necessary. We went out contacting thursday morning and for 45 mins did not pass anyone who fit our description. I felt like we should go back to the place i pictured her at the night before in my head. So on the way home, we took a little detour to go by there. and we saw a blonde girl with a stroller. She was a t a bus stop with lots of people, so not really contactable. So Elder Bennett "dropped" a pass along card right by her, and we left. As we were walking home, i was saying a prayer in my heart that shed find the card and call us, and out of no where, i said "hey, weve got to go back and talk to her. shes the one we were looking for." so we did, left her with a family proclamation, and walked away happy with her name number and adress. Awesome!(sad side note to the story- she didnt show up to the RDV we scheduled. But that doesnt matter... we did our part and followed inspiration. Were gonna go by her adress that she gave us to see if its real. but nevertheless, it was still a neat experience.)
later, after the zone leaders left, Elder P and i went hometeaching with a member to a less active, then taught Agathe in the afternoon, followed by a DMB meeting.
Friday we did contacting, weekly planning, taught Agathe again, and had PPP in the evening, which all went well. :)
On Saturday, We had samedi Sports, and other than that, we just had a ay full of contacting, because our priesthood had district (stake) priesthood meeting in Caen. so we couldnt have any RDVs with members or girls really.
Yest was a good day, too. We had church, where we taught Agathe. Right now, the baptism isnt so sure, but were hoping for the best and will do what we can. After church, we went and ate with a member, and then took the sacrament to a shut-in member, and in the evening, we went and did some contacting. :)
It doesnt sound like much, but i think this was the best week of my mission so far. our district mtg was really good, and the story from thursday was a real faith builder. We had tons of lessons taught this week, and things are on an upturn here. the work is hard, but it has to get done! The Church is true, and everytime some French person tries to convince me it isnt, my testimony only gets stronger. Its great being here! and i cant wait to hear from the General authorities in a few weeks!
Until next week!
Elder J :)
Monday, March 9, 2009
Well hello.
I cant believe how fast the weeks are flying by now! Wow. it honestly seems like it was just a day or two ago that i was here! and this coming week, we already have alot of RDV's scheduled, so it should fly by even faster! wow
So to answer some questions first: studys: For Personal study, right now I am in 2 nephi and read a chapter or 2 each day. and then I read out of Jesus the Christ, the last book in the approved missionary library, as i already Read the other 2 on my mission. Its a long and sophisticatedly written book, and hard to understand sometimes. but Im liking it so far. :) and then i also will read out of PMG. For Comp study, we talk about pers study, then will plan lessons for the day, and practice teaching, or read sections out of PMG. Mostly in Eng, btw...
Leaving Rouen? Ive all but been told Ill be leaving on April 1st (no-not an april fools joke... :p) And on one hand, i really will miss it here, but on the other, im excited to get out to another city, meet new people, and have a change.
No, the Time didnt change here yet... I actually dont know when it does!
And It was good to read the story about seminary this week. thanks. :) what ever happened with prop 8 this week?
and when am i going to get the fam calendar, katie?! :'/
Ok, now to the weekly report... :)
Mon Night we had dinner with a family in the branch, and it went quite well. There are 2 inactive kids in the fam who we are trying to work with...
Tuesday we had district meeting with Le Havre, which went quite well, as we talked about goals and being better missionaries, etc. afterwards, we had a RDV with a lady who called us last sunday and said she wanted to meet us. She showed up and asked where Elder Taetua was. She almost left when she realised he wasnt there, but i explained to her that he is gone, and weve replaced him. She stayed and we taught her the message of the restoration, and at the end, Elder P felt that he should commit her to baptism. She said shed want that, so we went home and worked out a calendar for her to be baptized in 3 weeks, my last weekend here! :) After her lesson, we did weekly planning (our first opened time since the friday before, when we are supposed to do it!) then went to a members house for dinner and a message. We talked with them about using PMG more, and effectivly. (by the way, what did the elders share with you the few times theyve been over recently? looking for ideas...)
Wed we went to a members apt and carried a washing machine up to the 4th floor, and took the old one down! then we did some contacting, followed by teaching Agathe for the 2nd time. we taught about the plan of salvation, set officially a baptismal date for the 28th, and also she bore a powerful testimony of the atonement during the lesson. after that, we did some more contacting, then went to Teach English class, which went well.
Thursday We taught Shi-Lin the Second lesson, which went well. i love teaching him, because it forces us to slow down as teachers to make sure he understands, which helps his growth alot, i believe. Later in the day, we went to a less active who we are working with and taught him about repentance and enduring to the end, because he seems to have a hard time with keeping commitments. Then we went that evening to a members house and presented PMG again, just with different chapters, then had dinner there too.
Friday we did contacting in the morning, weekly planning in the afternoon, then a new thing we are starting- PPP- in the evening. Ping pong pancakes. We play Ping pong, eat pancakes, and leave a message. the goal is to establish better branch unity with the members, as well as with the missionaries, and also to have friends come and see the missionaries as people. It went pretty well i think. We also have been praying as a Zone for one of our districts this week, who has been struggling lately. on Friday we found out that they each had extremly good weeks and our prayers are being answered. it was neat. This week the Zone is praying for our district as The Zone Leaders will be here this week. :)
Sat we made cookies in the morning, but after the 4th unsuccesful batch, we decided to abandon ship! haha Then in the afternoon we played sports, followed by going to the church for 2 potentially new Amis. well, they both didnt show up, which was disappointing, but what can you do. just keep chugging!
Yest we had church in the morning, which was good as usual. Then in the afternoon, we went to do passbacks. find old investigators. there was a problem with the bus line, so it ended up taking all afternoon just to go to 3 places! ahhh! and that was the week. the very fast week. crazy. So, we now have a baptismal date, which is quite good and exciting news. It is an essential step in the plan of God. Im excited for Agathe, as well as all the people we work with. things are great here, and i hope they are just as good back at home!
until next week, Elder Mitch Jergensen
I cant believe how fast the weeks are flying by now! Wow. it honestly seems like it was just a day or two ago that i was here! and this coming week, we already have alot of RDV's scheduled, so it should fly by even faster! wow
So to answer some questions first: studys: For Personal study, right now I am in 2 nephi and read a chapter or 2 each day. and then I read out of Jesus the Christ, the last book in the approved missionary library, as i already Read the other 2 on my mission. Its a long and sophisticatedly written book, and hard to understand sometimes. but Im liking it so far. :) and then i also will read out of PMG. For Comp study, we talk about pers study, then will plan lessons for the day, and practice teaching, or read sections out of PMG. Mostly in Eng, btw...
Leaving Rouen? Ive all but been told Ill be leaving on April 1st (no-not an april fools joke... :p) And on one hand, i really will miss it here, but on the other, im excited to get out to another city, meet new people, and have a change.
No, the Time didnt change here yet... I actually dont know when it does!
And It was good to read the story about seminary this week. thanks. :) what ever happened with prop 8 this week?
and when am i going to get the fam calendar, katie?! :'/
Ok, now to the weekly report... :)
Mon Night we had dinner with a family in the branch, and it went quite well. There are 2 inactive kids in the fam who we are trying to work with...
Tuesday we had district meeting with Le Havre, which went quite well, as we talked about goals and being better missionaries, etc. afterwards, we had a RDV with a lady who called us last sunday and said she wanted to meet us. She showed up and asked where Elder Taetua was. She almost left when she realised he wasnt there, but i explained to her that he is gone, and weve replaced him. She stayed and we taught her the message of the restoration, and at the end, Elder P felt that he should commit her to baptism. She said shed want that, so we went home and worked out a calendar for her to be baptized in 3 weeks, my last weekend here! :) After her lesson, we did weekly planning (our first opened time since the friday before, when we are supposed to do it!) then went to a members house for dinner and a message. We talked with them about using PMG more, and effectivly. (by the way, what did the elders share with you the few times theyve been over recently? looking for ideas...)
Wed we went to a members apt and carried a washing machine up to the 4th floor, and took the old one down! then we did some contacting, followed by teaching Agathe for the 2nd time. we taught about the plan of salvation, set officially a baptismal date for the 28th, and also she bore a powerful testimony of the atonement during the lesson. after that, we did some more contacting, then went to Teach English class, which went well.
Thursday We taught Shi-Lin the Second lesson, which went well. i love teaching him, because it forces us to slow down as teachers to make sure he understands, which helps his growth alot, i believe. Later in the day, we went to a less active who we are working with and taught him about repentance and enduring to the end, because he seems to have a hard time with keeping commitments. Then we went that evening to a members house and presented PMG again, just with different chapters, then had dinner there too.
Friday we did contacting in the morning, weekly planning in the afternoon, then a new thing we are starting- PPP- in the evening. Ping pong pancakes. We play Ping pong, eat pancakes, and leave a message. the goal is to establish better branch unity with the members, as well as with the missionaries, and also to have friends come and see the missionaries as people. It went pretty well i think. We also have been praying as a Zone for one of our districts this week, who has been struggling lately. on Friday we found out that they each had extremly good weeks and our prayers are being answered. it was neat. This week the Zone is praying for our district as The Zone Leaders will be here this week. :)
Sat we made cookies in the morning, but after the 4th unsuccesful batch, we decided to abandon ship! haha Then in the afternoon we played sports, followed by going to the church for 2 potentially new Amis. well, they both didnt show up, which was disappointing, but what can you do. just keep chugging!
Yest we had church in the morning, which was good as usual. Then in the afternoon, we went to do passbacks. find old investigators. there was a problem with the bus line, so it ended up taking all afternoon just to go to 3 places! ahhh! and that was the week. the very fast week. crazy. So, we now have a baptismal date, which is quite good and exciting news. It is an essential step in the plan of God. Im excited for Agathe, as well as all the people we work with. things are great here, and i hope they are just as good back at home!
until next week, Elder Mitch Jergensen
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Well Hello.
How are things going back in america? Things are good here!
We will start with the week!
monday after Emails we went to a members house who has inactive kids- not kids, like my age.... We had a little family home evening with them, as the branch pres has asked us to work with the specificly. afterwards, the son drove us home. but he didnt realize we have an apt, and just took us to the church! haha so we had to hurry home to get in on time!
Tuesday we had a RDV (oh- thats rendez-vous, and DMB is branch mission leader) with a less active, and one of our deacons came with us and spent a few hours doing missionary work after the RDV. it was good to have him along, altho he seemed to be a little embarassed around us 2 guys in suits talking about church stuff! haha We did alot of finding on tuesday!
wed we went contacting in the morn, then lunch, Then some porting up in the hills. We went back to the church afterwards and taught Shi-Lin the first lesson again. Elder P¨is French, and speaks really fast. Shi Lin and I were laughing cuz neither of us were keeping up with him! haha. but we taught the first lesson, and he seemed to remember everything pretty well! which is really good. Its been so long since we taught him that lesson, so that means hes been studying and stuff! yay we did some sports contacting in the afternoon, then eng class in the evening.
Thursday We had Zone Conference, which went really well. We talked alot about the Book of Mormon, and being better teachers, too. I thought it was a really good meeting. President really emphasized that we should be using the BOM, because no matter what scripture we find in the Bible, the BOM backs it up. and it is our special message, the BOM. It was good. We came back home afterwards with the Le Havre Elders and had exchanges. i was with the Elder who is fresh out of the MTC.
Thursday the two of us went porting and contacting which was just grand! it was good to do tho, because i felt like i would have been able to lead a lesson if we were let in. so it was good to see that. Then we went and played some sports with our youth which went really well! we played some american football, soccer, and basketball. That night we had a RDV with our DMB and talked about the missionary work here, and ideas we have had.
Sat we spent all day moving a member acrossed town, which was pretty good. his new place is on the 4th floor of a building without an elevator! haha fun!
And then yest we had church, but left early for a baptism in Elder P's last ville. that went pretty well, and it was neat for him to see his old branch. :)
other stuff: yes I have gotten all of your letters. it was sad to hear about Larry Miller, but good that the Jazz and Cougs are doing well. maybe they can win a game in the ncaa's this year! :) And its good to hear that all is well up to now for Tyler! Yes, i checked the gmail, and it works for me. :)
Thanks for getting me out of Jury uty, that was kind of you! :) and the shopping center in menifee was there b4 i left... Sounds like Stk Conf went great! We have general conf in olny a month! i am so excited! :)
Things are good here in Rouen! Look for the miracles in life, and life will be better! its easy to get down in hard times, but mind over matter works! See the blessings and be thankful, rather than seeing the challenges which have been given us to help us grow!
Thanks for all the love,
love, Elder Jergensen
How are things going back in america? Things are good here!
We will start with the week!
monday after Emails we went to a members house who has inactive kids- not kids, like my age.... We had a little family home evening with them, as the branch pres has asked us to work with the specificly. afterwards, the son drove us home. but he didnt realize we have an apt, and just took us to the church! haha so we had to hurry home to get in on time!
Tuesday we had a RDV (oh- thats rendez-vous, and DMB is branch mission leader) with a less active, and one of our deacons came with us and spent a few hours doing missionary work after the RDV. it was good to have him along, altho he seemed to be a little embarassed around us 2 guys in suits talking about church stuff! haha We did alot of finding on tuesday!
wed we went contacting in the morn, then lunch, Then some porting up in the hills. We went back to the church afterwards and taught Shi-Lin the first lesson again. Elder P¨is French, and speaks really fast. Shi Lin and I were laughing cuz neither of us were keeping up with him! haha. but we taught the first lesson, and he seemed to remember everything pretty well! which is really good. Its been so long since we taught him that lesson, so that means hes been studying and stuff! yay we did some sports contacting in the afternoon, then eng class in the evening.
Thursday We had Zone Conference, which went really well. We talked alot about the Book of Mormon, and being better teachers, too. I thought it was a really good meeting. President really emphasized that we should be using the BOM, because no matter what scripture we find in the Bible, the BOM backs it up. and it is our special message, the BOM. It was good. We came back home afterwards with the Le Havre Elders and had exchanges. i was with the Elder who is fresh out of the MTC.
Thursday the two of us went porting and contacting which was just grand! it was good to do tho, because i felt like i would have been able to lead a lesson if we were let in. so it was good to see that. Then we went and played some sports with our youth which went really well! we played some american football, soccer, and basketball. That night we had a RDV with our DMB and talked about the missionary work here, and ideas we have had.
Sat we spent all day moving a member acrossed town, which was pretty good. his new place is on the 4th floor of a building without an elevator! haha fun!
And then yest we had church, but left early for a baptism in Elder P's last ville. that went pretty well, and it was neat for him to see his old branch. :)
other stuff: yes I have gotten all of your letters. it was sad to hear about Larry Miller, but good that the Jazz and Cougs are doing well. maybe they can win a game in the ncaa's this year! :) And its good to hear that all is well up to now for Tyler! Yes, i checked the gmail, and it works for me. :)
Thanks for getting me out of Jury uty, that was kind of you! :) and the shopping center in menifee was there b4 i left... Sounds like Stk Conf went great! We have general conf in olny a month! i am so excited! :)
Things are good here in Rouen! Look for the miracles in life, and life will be better! its easy to get down in hard times, but mind over matter works! See the blessings and be thankful, rather than seeing the challenges which have been given us to help us grow!
Thanks for all the love,
love, Elder Jergensen
Monday, February 23, 2009
well hello!
This was a pretty exciting week! Monday after Emailing home, Elder Barton and I went to A member familys home and had dinner with them and Shi-Lin and taught Shi-Lin a little lesson on prophets. It went well, and it is great to see how well the members integrate him, despite the language barriers!
tuesday We had a district meeting which went well. we Talked about things like testimony and working with members. We then went and cleaned a less active's backyard for service with the Other Elders. Elder Barton spent some time in the apt packing after we said bye, and that evening We did a bit of contacting and then had a little goodbye party with the institute for elder B. It was good. There was a nonmember there, and we got to talk about our missions and our purpose with her. Then we rushed home to get in on time and Had Elder Bartons last night in France with me!
Wed Elder B had a train at 730, and then i had the morning alone. i walked around town a little to celebrate that, spent some time cleaning and stuff. it was aight. Elder Poussard came in and unpacked, we talked about the Work here and stuff, then taught English class. Hes a pretty cool and funny guy! Hes french and that has already helped me alot with the language. we get along pretty well. :)
Thursday we worked alot in the Area book, did transfer cleaning, a few hours of contacting, and taugh 2 less active lessons, both went well. I really liked Elder Barton alot, but theres something about Elder Poussard and his teaching I really like. It helps alot that he is French, but i feel that with Him, the work will pick up alot here. Im excited!! He has alot of good ideas and is a great teacher, so i am excited to learn from him!
Friday we spent the Day in Paris. We saw some stuff- the louvre, the eiffel tower, arch de triomphe, and then headed over to versaille for mission conference. Elder Oaks was very complimentary of our mission. We took a picture with everyone, then all got to shake his hand before he talked (he asked where i was from, and said he really enjoyed hemet when he was there last year! :D). We heard from President and Sis Staheli, Elder and Sister Paya of the Area presidency, and Elde and sister Oaks. They all did great! Im in a hurry and forgot my notes, but he basically said that europe is tough, but just like we are all given different levels of challenge in life, so are missionaries. we need to put in our 100 percent effort, and if that yeilds zero baptisms or whatever, it will be a better served mission than the disobedient missionary who gets 50 baptisms, because we did the best we could. It was a great evening.
Sat We did some contacting and lots of planning! Transfer planning and weekly plannnig! and we did samedi sports for a little. it was good to run arround and play a little bit after all that planning!
Sunday Shi-Lin Recieved the priesthood! :) So exciting. he told me hes going to bless the sacrament in 2 weeks! We also got one of the guys we have been working with, Fr Massamba, to come to church. i was so excited to see him come in! We did some contacting, more Area book Work, and took the sacrament to and gave a blessing to a shut-in sister.
It was a good week. :) im excited to be here and know the church is true. It sounds like everything is going relatively well at home! thanks to all who write so often. talk to you next week.
love, Elder Jergensen :)
This was a pretty exciting week! Monday after Emailing home, Elder Barton and I went to A member familys home and had dinner with them and Shi-Lin and taught Shi-Lin a little lesson on prophets. It went well, and it is great to see how well the members integrate him, despite the language barriers!
tuesday We had a district meeting which went well. we Talked about things like testimony and working with members. We then went and cleaned a less active's backyard for service with the Other Elders. Elder Barton spent some time in the apt packing after we said bye, and that evening We did a bit of contacting and then had a little goodbye party with the institute for elder B. It was good. There was a nonmember there, and we got to talk about our missions and our purpose with her. Then we rushed home to get in on time and Had Elder Bartons last night in France with me!
Wed Elder B had a train at 730, and then i had the morning alone. i walked around town a little to celebrate that, spent some time cleaning and stuff. it was aight. Elder Poussard came in and unpacked, we talked about the Work here and stuff, then taught English class. Hes a pretty cool and funny guy! Hes french and that has already helped me alot with the language. we get along pretty well. :)
Thursday we worked alot in the Area book, did transfer cleaning, a few hours of contacting, and taugh 2 less active lessons, both went well. I really liked Elder Barton alot, but theres something about Elder Poussard and his teaching I really like. It helps alot that he is French, but i feel that with Him, the work will pick up alot here. Im excited!! He has alot of good ideas and is a great teacher, so i am excited to learn from him!
Friday we spent the Day in Paris. We saw some stuff- the louvre, the eiffel tower, arch de triomphe, and then headed over to versaille for mission conference. Elder Oaks was very complimentary of our mission. We took a picture with everyone, then all got to shake his hand before he talked (he asked where i was from, and said he really enjoyed hemet when he was there last year! :D). We heard from President and Sis Staheli, Elder and Sister Paya of the Area presidency, and Elde and sister Oaks. They all did great! Im in a hurry and forgot my notes, but he basically said that europe is tough, but just like we are all given different levels of challenge in life, so are missionaries. we need to put in our 100 percent effort, and if that yeilds zero baptisms or whatever, it will be a better served mission than the disobedient missionary who gets 50 baptisms, because we did the best we could. It was a great evening.
Sat We did some contacting and lots of planning! Transfer planning and weekly plannnig! and we did samedi sports for a little. it was good to run arround and play a little bit after all that planning!
Sunday Shi-Lin Recieved the priesthood! :) So exciting. he told me hes going to bless the sacrament in 2 weeks! We also got one of the guys we have been working with, Fr Massamba, to come to church. i was so excited to see him come in! We did some contacting, more Area book Work, and took the sacrament to and gave a blessing to a shut-in sister.
It was a good week. :) im excited to be here and know the church is true. It sounds like everything is going relatively well at home! thanks to all who write so often. talk to you next week.
love, Elder Jergensen :)
Monday, February 16, 2009
Well Hello.
This was another pretty good week in France! :)
Tuesday We had a RDV with Shi Lin and taught him the rest of the 5th Lesson. We will start reteaching the first 4 lessons here soon. im excited to see what he has retained through our first RDVs, between the language problems and time, and all of the information being completely new to him. We also did lots of contacting. it started hailing on us a little before we went in, too! it was amazing.
Wed, Parkers Birthday :), we had interviews with President and AP training in Caen. Things went good there- he told me I will be staying in Rouen one more transfer, officially gave me permission to use hotmail for pictures and a backup to this, and gave me some tips to not be so tired all the time, amoung other things. :) I was also really impressed at Sister Staheli. She talks to all 150 missionaries for 15-20 mins every 6 weeks and thats it. You would not expect her to remember a thing we talked about (especially since last interviews were 10 weeks ago...) but we picked right up where we left off, and she was asking specific questions about things we talked about before. I was so impressed and touched by that. Wed night we taught english class, and started an exchange with the Le Havre Elders.
Thursday I went to the Prefacture- the legality dept- to continue the process of being legal here. that took a little time, but my Visa expires next week, so im now good past that. :) Since we were on exchanges, we had two companionships contacting in Rouen, and between us all, we got alot done! 3 phone numbers in one day plus a few other good lessons taught! it was a good missionary work day.
Friday was also very good. we had three lessons. the first was with a less active who hasnt been to church in 30 years. We left him with a book of Mormon and i think he was really touched by it. it was from Elder Bartons Primary, and then Bro. Fernandes asked us to put our testimonies in it as well. after that, we taught and investigator lesson 3. we want to work with her daughter, because her kids seem to be the biggest challenge in getting her to church. the daughter wasnt there, but hopefully in the future. Later we taught another less active family, also. it went ok. I think that all three of these families would benefit the church so much, and benefit from the church even more than that!
Saturday was spent in the apt most of the day so Elder Barton could start packing. he goes home this thursday! crazy! But we had a meeting with our DMB and dinner with some members and left them with a message about the prophet. I also found out who my next Companion will be!
His name is ELder Poussard and He comes from Bordeaux France. So he is a native French speaker! I am so excited for this opportunity that ill have to work even more on my language! im so stoked! Hes a fun guy, too. Ive met him once or twice, as he was the trainer for one of my best buds in the MTC. i was so happy when i saw his name. itll be a great transfer!
Yest We had Church in the Morning. Elder Bartons last Sunday in France. So he said goodbye to most of the members, which was... i cant think of a good word. fill in the blank. haha We spent the afternoon making sure records were up to date and stuff so things would continue to run smoothly when Elder Barton left. Last night we went to a members house to say bye to them. Actually, the family who we ate with on Christmas. They are way neat and we had a good time there. We also had a Branch fast yest for missionary work here in Rouen (you cant skip out on that one when ur the full time missionary here! :p).
And that pretty much sums up the week.
I was impressed with Myrls missionnary work! and also jealous that i wasnt able to be at ur couples reunion! haha. Mom commented how we might not know how much of a scriptorian Merrill is, but I do. :) he was my number one participant when i taught priesthood in the singles ward last summer. it was a devistating week when Merrill and Bishop Gray werent there! 85 percent of the participation was gone!! haha
Congrats To Brad on being a Cougar! Thats exciting to hear! oh- i also got a letter from him and nathan both today... Ill write back soon. :)
The mission joke is that the first phrases a new missionary learns from hearing others speak are: "i dont have the time", "Im not interested", "you're a cult", "Im in a hurry" while pointing at their watch, and "oh, the jehovahs witnesses..." so to answer your question, no, we usually dont get much in before they tell us one of these things. Which is too bad, because this is the true church and we have a message that will change their lives. i know its true and why i am here!
til next week! Elder Jergensen- formerly known as Mitch
This was another pretty good week in France! :)
Tuesday We had a RDV with Shi Lin and taught him the rest of the 5th Lesson. We will start reteaching the first 4 lessons here soon. im excited to see what he has retained through our first RDVs, between the language problems and time, and all of the information being completely new to him. We also did lots of contacting. it started hailing on us a little before we went in, too! it was amazing.
Wed, Parkers Birthday :), we had interviews with President and AP training in Caen. Things went good there- he told me I will be staying in Rouen one more transfer, officially gave me permission to use hotmail for pictures and a backup to this, and gave me some tips to not be so tired all the time, amoung other things. :) I was also really impressed at Sister Staheli. She talks to all 150 missionaries for 15-20 mins every 6 weeks and thats it. You would not expect her to remember a thing we talked about (especially since last interviews were 10 weeks ago...) but we picked right up where we left off, and she was asking specific questions about things we talked about before. I was so impressed and touched by that. Wed night we taught english class, and started an exchange with the Le Havre Elders.
Thursday I went to the Prefacture- the legality dept- to continue the process of being legal here. that took a little time, but my Visa expires next week, so im now good past that. :) Since we were on exchanges, we had two companionships contacting in Rouen, and between us all, we got alot done! 3 phone numbers in one day plus a few other good lessons taught! it was a good missionary work day.
Friday was also very good. we had three lessons. the first was with a less active who hasnt been to church in 30 years. We left him with a book of Mormon and i think he was really touched by it. it was from Elder Bartons Primary, and then Bro. Fernandes asked us to put our testimonies in it as well. after that, we taught and investigator lesson 3. we want to work with her daughter, because her kids seem to be the biggest challenge in getting her to church. the daughter wasnt there, but hopefully in the future. Later we taught another less active family, also. it went ok. I think that all three of these families would benefit the church so much, and benefit from the church even more than that!
Saturday was spent in the apt most of the day so Elder Barton could start packing. he goes home this thursday! crazy! But we had a meeting with our DMB and dinner with some members and left them with a message about the prophet. I also found out who my next Companion will be!
His name is ELder Poussard and He comes from Bordeaux France. So he is a native French speaker! I am so excited for this opportunity that ill have to work even more on my language! im so stoked! Hes a fun guy, too. Ive met him once or twice, as he was the trainer for one of my best buds in the MTC. i was so happy when i saw his name. itll be a great transfer!
Yest We had Church in the Morning. Elder Bartons last Sunday in France. So he said goodbye to most of the members, which was... i cant think of a good word. fill in the blank. haha We spent the afternoon making sure records were up to date and stuff so things would continue to run smoothly when Elder Barton left. Last night we went to a members house to say bye to them. Actually, the family who we ate with on Christmas. They are way neat and we had a good time there. We also had a Branch fast yest for missionary work here in Rouen (you cant skip out on that one when ur the full time missionary here! :p).
And that pretty much sums up the week.
I was impressed with Myrls missionnary work! and also jealous that i wasnt able to be at ur couples reunion! haha. Mom commented how we might not know how much of a scriptorian Merrill is, but I do. :) he was my number one participant when i taught priesthood in the singles ward last summer. it was a devistating week when Merrill and Bishop Gray werent there! 85 percent of the participation was gone!! haha
Congrats To Brad on being a Cougar! Thats exciting to hear! oh- i also got a letter from him and nathan both today... Ill write back soon. :)
The mission joke is that the first phrases a new missionary learns from hearing others speak are: "i dont have the time", "Im not interested", "you're a cult", "Im in a hurry" while pointing at their watch, and "oh, the jehovahs witnesses..." so to answer your question, no, we usually dont get much in before they tell us one of these things. Which is too bad, because this is the true church and we have a message that will change their lives. i know its true and why i am here!
til next week! Elder Jergensen- formerly known as Mitch
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