Bronchitis

Fellows,

A lesson for the charitable-hearted: The sweetest grandma in our ward, Gramma Worschinski, contracted bronchitis last week and shared it with her family.  Elder Camper and I rushed to her aid and administered the sacrament and a blessing for the sick and afflicted.  We came home feeling good and charitable.

Elder Camper woke up feeling sinus-clogged and in pain.   A couple of days ago, I contracted the same illness.  Brethren, I have bronchitis.  Ain't nobody got time for that!

Anyway, the Work has been hindered.  We helped the ward's favorite family move their belongings into a large trailer.  We coughed over the phone to set appointments for next week (we did teach a lesson over the phone and now have a new investigator).  We watched, like, every Church movie there is, twice.  I studied for hours for the training I'm going to give tomorrow.  We hibernated all week, everyday.  We also went to our meetings yesterday morning and spread the disease.  Now the whole ward council will become zombies.

I am crying not because of the Spirit of God, but I am sneezing so much.  I can't even type wrighte.  wahtverr

I love you all.

Love,

Elder deJesus

New Jersey Diversity

Hilo,

This week, we taught a diverse group of people.  We taught a drug dealer, a paranoid schizophrenic, a porn-addicted Nigerian, gangsters, Deaf people, a secret agent, a guy with an eyepatch, a dog, and some white lady who wanted that dog to be blessed.  We helped move some Haitians, ate at a car-hopping place called Stewarts, sang in choir, and learned French from a guy in an Indian neighborhood.  The Memorial Day barbie was phenomenal.  The burgers were as tall as the ceiling.  We gave blessings galore to sick people.  Elder Camper is still 6'7".

The best part about this week was yesterday, Sunday. Remember the Melendezes from last week?  They came to church yesterday for the first time in 8 years.  And it was beautiful.  Elder Camper and I received the privilege of helping bless their babies, Justice and Mercy.  The testimony meeting was just fantastic, and many members commented on how that was the best meeting that they have ever attended.  The Melendezes enjoyed every second of church and are planning on coming back next week.

I now know that coming to church enlivens and strengthens faith.  It is just how God has designed His divine organization.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is true!

I love you all.

Love,

Elder deJesus

More adjectives for my third area

Hallow,

I have been transferred from the hoods of Irvington to the opposite: Woodbridge and Perth Amboy, NJ, where everyone is rich and white and feeds us like Hispanics.  I am back in a driving area, so we can't contact anyone!  They're all indoors playing video games and going on Facebook and whatnot!  Anyway, these emails are pretty much useless because of the lack of details.  We have two upcoming baptisms..

Here's my testimony so far in my mission, if that balances things out.  I know that God hears prayers and James's promise in James 1:5 is true.  We invite all people we meet to ask God whether or not the Book of Mormon is true and promise them that He will tell them whether or not it is.  For 90 consecutive days, I have asked Him.  I know that the Book of Mormon and the Bible are both God's words.  Ezekiel prophesied of the Book of Mormon.  Isaiah prophesied of the Book of Mormon.  The coming forth of the Book of Mormon is the sign that the Lord is gathering Israel in these last days.  I am here to gather New Jersey.  I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.  I invite people to repent.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches the Savior's Gospel completely and clearly!  I know that Heavenly Father loves you!

Anyway, I love you!

Love,

Elder deJesus

Rain

Uhmm...  There were 5 inches of rain for two days straight.  Straight up.  We did a lot of exchanges.  One was in Spanish with Elder Nuckolls!  On the zone leaders' transfer evaluation form, they put me to go Spanish.  I hope so. I love you all!

Love,
Elder deJesus

Scotch Plains 2nd

Hallow,

I have been transferred from the hoods of Irvington to the opposite: Woodbridge and Perth Amboy, NJ, where everyone is rich and white and feeds us like Hispanics.  I am back in a driving area, so we can't contact anyone!  They're all indoors playing video games and going on Facebook and whatnot!  Anyway, these emails are pretty much useless because of the lack of details.  We have two upcoming baptisms..when they get married!  Uhmm...yes.  Useless.

Here's my testimony so far in my mission, if that balances things out.  I know that God hears prayers and James's promise in James 1:5 is true.  We invite all people we meet to ask God whether or not the Book of Mormon is true and promise them that He will tell them whether or not it is.  For 90 consecutive days, I have asked Him.  I know that the Book of Mormon and the Bible are both God's words.  Ezekiel prophesied of the Book of Mormon.  Isaiah prophesied of the Book of Mormon.  The coming forth of the Book of Mormon is the sign that the Lord is gathering Israel in these last days.  I am here to gather New Jersey.  I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.  I invite people to repent.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches the Savior's Gospel completely and clearly!  I know that Heavenly Father loves you!

Anyway, I love you!

Love,

Elder deJesus

Apostle-hugging

Dear fa ily a d f iends,

New Jersey Morristown Mission was privileged to welcome Elder Lowell Tom Perry from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife (President Jeppson's first cousin) into the Morristown chapel for an emergency all-mission conference yesterday.  I had the privilege of attempting to wrap my arms around that man's torso and failing; he is huge!  A giant both physically and spiritually.  When they entered the chapel with our mission president and his wife and a general authority, everyone stood up in respect and the Holy Spirit immediately filled the room.  He gave a couple of fist bumps and proceeded to the stand.  Each missionary received an opportunity to shake their hands.  I hugged him.  I'm never washing my right hand and clothes again.  I'm afraid that the traces of Priesthood that my clothes and hand have acquired on contact with Elder and Sister Perry might wash out.

Oh!  Speaking of emergencies, I don't know if I wrote about our apartment building burning.  Two weeks ago, the apartment two floors below us started emitting smoke.  No one saw it at first.  We just heard sirens, which are common here in Irvington.  Then I noticed through the kitchen window the fire engines headed toward our building.  The dumb alarms sounded and before long, were headed down the stairs only to be told by some cop to "Go use the other set of stairs or something."  Before doing that, however, he opened the 5th floor door for those firefighters to haul up some sort of thick hose.  Thick smoke ignorantly billowed out of the door, ruining that morning, so we nonchalantly walked down the other set of stairs to watch the building burn from outside.  We got bored and headed to the library, which was more exciting than our burning building.  Thankfully, the fire only affected that apartment on the fifth floor and no one was harmed, especially our Pop Tarts and breakfast that I was about to eat before we were naively evacuated.

Well, things here are getting monotonous.  Elder Walker and I are figuring out what more we can do to make this area that we opened more exciting and fulfilling for both us and the missionaries after us.  As a mission, as I've said before, we have set a goal to contact 10 people on the street per day, and to invite 1 person to be baptized per day.  Doing so, and sometimes exceeding, the goal does not satisfy us anymore.  What more can we do to make our missions more meaningful and exciting here??

Uhmm....  Packages.  Yes.  We have 2 boxes' worth of packages in our apartment now!  Now our bodies can actually receive sustenance.  Happy Easter!  We four Irvington elders also got fed by Bishop and Sister Klusey on Easter, which was a miracle!  Neither Irvington areas have active members to feed us, but the Kluseys volunteered last-minute.  They are awesome!

I can't think of anything else....  Saffa is now not progressing because of his two new jobs and family.  If only he didn't have two jobs and a family!  We haven't heard from Clement since last transfer.  Emmanuel is the closest investigator to progressing, and he doesn't even do things to show his faith!  What?!  All of our other investigators have been taught once and just got busy with their lives or something.  If only they didn't have lives!  Missionary work would be tons easier.

Oh well,

Still Finding

Dearest,

With 10 minutes remaining, I apologize for not writing this email last week.  There was a lot going on spiritually and temporally.  Some really good memories were created that I will just have to write in my journal.

The Work here is plugging along.  Most of it is finding people to teach, however, since we just opened the area, and there was a confusion in the records as to whose area people belonged to and whatnot.  All of our lessons but one this past week were to investigators of the Church.  President Jeppson is emphasizing consecration and contacting this month and set a goal of contacting 10 people per day.  Elder Walker and I end up contacting 15 per day and inviting a couple to be baptized if they find out from God that the Book of Mormon is His book!

General Conference was amazing though!  I loved Elder Bednar's talk about how the Atonement of Jesus Christ was accomplished not just to take our sins, but to strengthen us.  It enables us to become better people.  Something that Elder Walker and I love to teach is that Jesus Christ did not just die for our sins; I wouldn't die for my mom because she's a sinner.  He died to preserve the good in us.  Whatever form the help that comes from the Atonement of Jesus Christ helps us to become stronger and more godly, which is God's purpose for us in the first place.

I love you all!

Love,
Elder deJesus