The mission isn't meant to be easy, it's meant to be worth it.

Hello my family and friends,

This week was once again amazing!! I felt the true meaning of Christmas for the first Time in my life this year! Being able to share that video this whole month has really helped with that! But the best thing for me was our mission Christmas devotional. It lasted for about 8 hours! 

First it started out with each zone coming up with a little song and they were all pretty funny but ours was definitely the best! I'll try to send the video. But after all the fun and laughs the meeting turned very spiritual. Sister Reynolds shared a story about a little boy and his sick mom. Long story short she was on her death bed and the little boy went to buy her a pair of shoes for Christmas. He went to buy them but he didn't have enough Money. So he turned to the guy that was behind him in line and said "Sir I'm buying these shoes for my mom so she can look beautiful when she meets Jesus, could you help me?" The man had an overwhelming feeling that he needed to help this boy out so he paid the rest of the cost. After the boy bought the shoes he thanked the man and The man said that he felt a little piece of heaven that day. The little boy then went home and gave his mom the shoes and told her that he got the prettiest ones they had. 

And she just broke down and started crying and hugged her son. A couple days later She ended up passing away and he was by her side the whole time. It is a very sad story but it was so great to see how Christlike these people were. Just like the boy was to his mother, the savior is always by our side. And with the man he gave and served others even when he didn't have much. This is a really good example for us to follow this season and also through out our whole lives. Christmas is all about being like the savior and all about  family. Listening to this story made me think so much about how blessed I am to have my family! I have such a strong testimony that families can be together forever and this is were we will find true happiness and peace. So that was Christmas Eve and the next day I got to Skype my family. It was so great to talk with all of them! I really felt all of their love for me as we were talking. I am so grateful for them.

Also we had Christmas dinner with our investigator Henry the Broadway dancer. It was one of the best meals I've ever had. Anyways he invited one of his friends over for dinner. And his friend has MS and is struggling with hardcore depression. We got talking with him about how the gospel is the only place that he could find true happiness and peace in his life. He really took an interest in what we were saying and started asking so many questions. He wants to meet with us every week and he will be coming to church next week also. The best part about it was that Henry was being a really great missionary to him even though Henry isn't a member yet. Henry told his friend that he  is going to become a member of our church. He was the one that invited his friend to church and told him that he will feel at peace there. Henrt is amazing! He is now down from 2 packs of cigarettes a day to only two cigarettes a day. It's been amazing to see his progress. So he will be able to be baptized by the middle of February.

And my last experience of the week involved the Millers. They are living in a motel right now on welfare and are really struggling. They only get 180 dollars a month and they ran out of money a few days ago. So they told us that they will not be able to meet with us anymore until they were able to have food and be focused again. So I started thinking on how we could help and then I remembered right before my mission my dads friend gave me 50 dollars and told me to give it to somebody who was in need. So I prayed and felt like I should give it to them.  When we gave it to them they were so grateful and they stayed tearing up.  It is a great feeling to serve others. They will be getting baptized this Saturday so we are very excited about that.

So that was my week. Very spiritually uplifting! I am thankful for my Savior and for his sacrifice for me, I am thankful for my family for all the love and support they are to me, I am thankful for all of you as well. I am thankful for my mission for the opportunity I have to strengthen my testimony each and everyday and also serve others. Even though it can be hard I love it. The mission isn't meant to be easy, it's meant to be worth it. I've really seen that out here. 

I love you all and I hope that you had an amazing Christmas! And thank you so much for everybody that wrote me this week.

With love,

Elder Jeppson

Thanks mom for the PJ's

Mission Christmas Party

My Zone

My zone.... again

My zone, yet again

Look at their Suits!

Remember the reason for the season!

Hello family and friends,

This week was really great! We didn't teach as much as last week but we worked just as hard so it was very fulfilling. We met with Henry twice this week. We brought a member over and we talked about the word of wisdom because right now smoking is the only thing that is holding him back from being baptized. Our member has a lot of experience with helping people recover from addiction so it went very well. He committed to stop smoking by February 3rd so if he stays strong his baptism will be a week after. He invited us over for Christmas dinner
also, so that should be a real fun time. Also the Millers are still on track for baptism. We met with them a few times last week and they are still free from alcohol. They are really excited for their baptism.

Also yesterday I had the opportunity to go on exchanges with my zone leader Elder Voorhees, and this went really well.  I learned so much from him. We taught 6 lessons in less then two hours and found 4 new investigators! Elder Voorhees does not take no for an answer! Anytime somebody tried to shut us down he just kept talking until he got a return appointment with them. Their was this one lady that tried to shut the door on us but he stuck is foot in the door and she was finally willing to watch the video. The spirit from the video touched her heart. She was just so calm and told us how great the video was. Then we transitioned into talking about the Book of Mormon and she told us that she would read it and we could come back anytime. It was Amazing. Also the other people we found were very solid as well.

After our lessons we went over to talk to this lady and her husband that we gave a blessing to last week. She has cancer in her lungs and has really been struggling for the last couple weeks and they also told her she had cancer coming from the pancreas. She is not a member but she strongly believes in the priesthood. Her sister is a member and tells them a lot about the church and they really like it but don't have any intentions on leaving the Catholic Church. But we gave her a blessing and in the blessing it was said that she would be healed from the cancer if it was God's will and also that her and her family would feel at peace in their lives no matter what happens. We got a call from them This week and they told us the day after the blessing they found out that there wasn't any cancer coming from the pancreas or anywhere else. And she will be able to have good treatment
for the lung cancer! It was a miracle because the doctors were positive that she had pancreatic cancer a couple weeks ago. But one day after the blessing it wasn't there! That was such a testimony builder for me!

But after our exchange Elder Voorhees gave me some really great advice! He said "be The best missionary you can right now, if you do that you won't have any regrets after you get off he plane." And this really hit me. I only have a short time to be a missionary. I really need to give my all and do the best I can. But this also applies to our lives. We always need to be the best we can, even when times get hard. We will be blessed more then We could imagine if we do this.


Our mission is getting together on Christmas Eve to have a devotional! We all had to come up with a funny song so I'll try to get a video of it and send it to you guys. But anyways it is supposed to be between 60 and 70 degrees that day! It's really weird but I'm not going to complain!

I hope that you all have a great Christmas! Remember the reason for the season! And I can promise you as you do this you will see an increase of spirit in your homes and you will also see and increased love and understanding in your family. I love you all and have a blessed Christmas!

P.S I've only received two emails today and I'm pretty bummed about that! So I would really like to hear from all of you! So please email me if you love me. If not pretend that you do love me and just do it.

Elder Jeppson❤️

"Don't Procrastinate the Day of Your Repentance"

Friends and Family -- 

This week was amazing! We had so much more success and were able to talk to a lot more people. The first part of the week was very slow but Friday, Saturday, and Sunday picked up really quick. Within those 3 days we taught 16 lessons and got 9 new investigators. The Lord blessed us so much with these people to teach. 

We taught the Millers a couple times this week and they are finally keeping the word of wisdom. They had the hardest time giving up alcohol but they are seeing the blessings and feeling the spirit a lot more ever since they stopped. They have been sober for about 2 1/2 weeks so if they keep it up they will be able to get baptized next month! They showed up to church again and the ward was so welcoming to them. They really enjoy it and they already feel like they are apart of the church. And they are the first investigators that I have had that read from the Book of Mormon and pray every night. It has been so great to see them progress.

Also we had the opportunity to meet with our investigator Henry The Broadway dancer. He is coming along very well! We have a great conversation with him every week and he tells us that he knows this is what he needs in his life. He was finally able to come to church and that was amazing! He told us after that this was the best church that he has ever been to. He said he felt at peace the whole time. And the ward was so great to him too. They were super excited to see him there and he committed to some members that he would come next week also. He likes it a lot. He is also having us over for Christmas dinner so that's going to be a blast!

Last week I talked about the new Christmas video "A Savior is Born" and let me tell you this video gets better and better each time we share it with others. We were able to show the video 44 times this week and I can feel the spirit working on each and everyone of those people that we showed. This video was the reason we were able to find all of those investigators. Many people don't realize that we believe in Christ and after showing this to them it changed their views about us Mormons. "They said they really like how we are trying to keep Christ alive". 

We had a great experience one night with an amazing Hispanic family. We knocked on their door and the husband answers the door and we talked about how we were sharing a quick Christmas video about Jesus Christ and he told us that his family would be back in like 20 minutes and told us he wanted us to come back to show it to all of them. So that was like at 9:30 at night which isn't the best time to be out in Huntington station. But anyways we went back and we showed them the video and we bore testimony about Christ. And then the man says "in my honest opinion I think that you guys are the best Church out their. He told us that his daughter is 12 and she hasn't been to church yet and told us that he would like her to go to our. And she was there and was so excited that she would finally go to church. She asked how she could become a member of our church, it was amazing. So they will be at church on Sunday and we will be meeting
with them on Friday. It was a miracle.

This has been an amazing week and I have truly seen the blessing of "Obedience" we need to be obedient to be an instrument in the Lord's hands. And with the Christmas season coming up this is a perfect time
to realign your life to Christ. We always have second chances because of him he is always there for us. So if your struggling just take a step back and look at all the things the Christ had done for you. I know he has done so much for me and that's why I'm out here. And I want to leave you with one of the greatest quotes I have ever heard. "Don't procrastinate the day of your repentance" this little quote has changed my mission around and I know that it can help you in your lives. Have a great week y'all.

With love,

Elder Jeppson

We have a new flame to go out and work

Hello family and friends,

Sorry I'm emailing so late. I have just been thinking of things to say but nothing really happened this week. But we did have zone conference and we got to hear from President and Sister Reynolds so that was great! They are some amazing people. Also at zone conference they put a monitor in our cars that checks our speed and how aggressive we are driving. So this week has been very annoying with that thing because every five seconds while I'm driving it yells at me to "check my speed". But hey at least It'll keep me from getting a ticket.

We taught that same couple the Millers 4 times this week. They have been very good on keeping the word of wisdom this week so that made me very happy. And they are also not fighting as much so they are truly progressing. They showed up to church on Sunday and they said they had a great experience so that was cool too. 

And we also taught a lady who has been meeting with missionaries for like 3 years now. Before she was doing it just to have company and so they could do service for her. But on Thursday we had the best lesson with her. After the lesson she told us that she was going to start taking this seriously and actually do the things we tell her to do! So that was our little miracle for the week.

For the month of December we were given a video to go around and share to people called "A savior is born" at first I didn't really like the video but now I love it because it Brings the spirit every time we
share it with somebody. When we share the video we knock on the persons door and don't even give them a chance to talk. We just press play and the spirit just touches them as they watch the video. It is truly amazing. It really reminds us about the true spirit of Christmas. The gifts and toys are all fun but when we focus on Christ during christmas we can feel peace and true happiness and true love for our families. And I was really reminded of this on Sunday during sacrament meeting. 

I was having the hardest time this week with the desire to work and I had a hard heart about it. But then during sacrament meeting a lady got up and bore her testimony about Christ. And I don't know what it was but I just felt the spirit so strong and I just felt at peace. After, all I wanted to do was go out and share
my testimony of Christ. 

So this week Elder Olmstead and I have a new flame to go out and work and to not give up until the work is done. Because if Christ can give his life to us we can give our full dedication to him. So I was very humbled this week. It was a great feeling.

So my challenge to you is just go out a share your testimony about Christ with just one person. I promise you it'll make a huge difference in them and also in yourself. Have a great week all.

With love,

Elder Jeppson

Miracles

Hello it's Elder Jeppson here,

So this week has been very interesting.  First we had transfers on Tuesday! We got two new elders, Elder Woodmansee and Davis. And let me tell you they are some neat guys. But it's pretty fun with them. We played rugby for morning workouts with them so that was fun. But other then that This week has been very very slow with the work. We didn't teach many lessons but oh well that's how the mission goes sometimes.

But we did have a couple miracles this week! 

First we went over to visit the Millers (the couple I talked about last week) and oh boy that was quite the experience. We were talking to them outside and then out of now where this 70 year old lady came and started cussing out our investigator. She was calling her some very rude names and also started hitting on Elder Olmstead and I. She told me that I was a fine piece of meat so that made me laugh.  But it got to the point were the lady wouldn't stop yelling and swearing that we had to walk to the other side of the motel complex. Then some guy heard her yelling and came out of his room wondering what was going on. Then he saw our name tags and asked us who we were. So we explained and then he told us that he is looking for a church. He said that he had made some bad mistakes in past and he told Us that is was actually that day he turned his whole life to God. So it definitely was not a coincidence we met him. So the next day he showed up to church and he told us that he really enjoyed it. And now we are meeting with him regularly. So that was amazing.

Also we met with Henry the Broadway dancer yesterday. We taught him the gospel of Jesus Christ and once again he told us that he believed everything that we said. We asked him if he had been reading from the Book of Mormon and he told us he read a little bit. And we asked him what a little bit was and he has already read 15 chapters in two weeks so that was amazing. He told us he really likes the principles the book teaches and he told us he will be attending church regularly. And he is still on board to be baptized!

Even know it was a hard week I still had he opportunity to meet these amazing people and to be apart of the lords work. Just remember if you are ever struggling Heavenly Father is only one prayer away.  

Have a great week all!

With love,

Elder Jeppson

Anything is Possible through Christ

Hello family and friends,

This has been one interesting week! First of all we got our transfer calls today and I will be staying in Huntington for another transfer. So I still haven't experienced city missionary work but that's okay because Huntington is finally progressing after many years so I'm happy.

So Mary got baptized on Saturday and I had the opportunity to baptize her so that was a special day for me. After the baptism she was walking around giving everybody hugs and she had the biggest smile on her face. She told us that this was the best thing that has ever happened to her and that she has never been this happy in her life.

 Also we have four other people on baptismal date. One of them is Henry, the guy I talked about last week. And Henry is a very flamboyant Broadway dancer. And we found out that he is famous. He was a guest on Donald trumps yacht, he was in a tv series called Miami vice. He played the role as a pimp in the show, and he was a speedo model! He showed us some pictures and it was the funniest thing ever. So it really pumped me up when I found out we were teaching a celebrity.

Anyway We met with him a few days ago and we taught him the plan of salvation. Once again he told us that he believed everything and that is all made sense. He said that he has been looking for this happiness for a long time.  So he is progressing towards baptism and that makes me pretty happy.

And then this week we got a call from our bishop saying this couple called him and that they wanted to be baptized. So we went over to where they are living and as we were talking to them, we found out that they have been through a lot! 

We found out they were taking lessons from missionaries a few years ago but then stopped. But now they want to be baptized. They realize that the gospel is the only way that they can be helped in their case and know that this is the only way they will feel true happiness. 

Our last visit we gave them both blessings and after the blessings they were both relaxed and so peaceful. They told us that they can really feel Gods love through us. I honestly feel like a therapist every time we go over there but it's all the spirit. They are amazing people and are so pure in heart. But they are dealing with a lot right now so hopefully everything will work out soon. But if there is one thing that I have learned out here is that anything is possible through Christ and his atonement.

So yeah it's been quite the week.

Love you all! 

Have a blessed week

I just felt like we needed to go there

So this week has been super busy! We did service 5 days this week with a grand total of 20 hours. It was good though because it is always nice to see the smile on people faces when you serve them.  Also we had zone training meeting that lasted four hours and we also had president interviews this week. So it was very busy but very rewarding. My Mission  President is amazing! He really does care about everyone and he has a really strong spirit with him. He told me that
he sees me as a strong leader in this mission so that made me feel good about myself. Also he was very impressed with The growth in Huntington because this area used to be dead. So he ask elder Olmstead and I if we would be okay staying in Huntington for another Transfer. So yeah I should be here for one more and I'm okay with that.

We also had a really amazing experience this week! It was Saturday night and Elder Olmstead and I were not having any success. All of our lessons were falling through and we were getting rejected left and right. So we were about to just call it a night but then I started looking through the list of former investigators. And I saw this and I just felt like we needed to go there. So we knocked on the door and we found out that the person we were looking for had moved three months
ago. But we started talking to the guy that moved in. We explained whowe were and he let us in immediately. We started talking and we found out that he used to be a Broadway dancer and got invited to be on dancing with the stars next year. But then we started talking about the church and we asked him if he was religious, and he told us he was raised Catholic but doesn't really follow it. So then we taught him the restoration and he was agreeing with everything we were saying. Then he said "I don't think it was a coincidence that you guys showed up tonight." And we explained that it wasn't and that we had a prompting to come over here. After, we invited him to be baptized and he said he would!! He committed to be baptized on January 10th. It was so amazing. He also told is that this would be great for his brother, so next time we will be teaching both of them. So there is our little miracle of the week.

Also Mary will be getting baptized on Saturday so we are very excited about that. And she is really excited also. She told us she never thought she would be a Mormon but she knows that it is the truth now.

So the work in Huntington is really progressing.

Have a good week all

Love Elder Jeppson

Invite Just One Person to Church

Hello family and friends,

So this week was a good one! It started out with me going on exchanges with my zone leader Elder Hussein. Elder Hussein and I decided to go knocking Tuesday and as we were deciding were to knock we passed by a street that we both were inspired to go back to. We started knocking and the first 3 houses we went to were all solid people. We taught them the restoration and all 3 of them told us to come back. After our exchange I got a call from elder Hussein telling me that all 3 of those people have baptismal dates. Miracles happen when you follow the spirit, and I've seen that through out my mission.

Also yesterday I was about to teach a lesson in elders quorum and one of the members of the bishopric pulled me out of the room and told me that someone was here for us. And we go out and it was Jorge and his family, the guy that I talked about last week. So we gave them a tour of the church and then took them into a room and taught them the plan
of salvation. They told us that they believed that everything that we were saying was true. They were feeling the spirit that they felt last week. Jorge told us that he will be at church next Sunday also, because he likes the feeling he gets when he comes to our church and he likes how everybody is so welcoming. It was so amazing! I will keep you posted on him and his family.

And last night we had a meeting for all the ward mission leaders. And I learned so much from that meeting. We talked about setting effective goals. And The most effective thing isn't the goal itself, it is what you are going to do to achieve that goal. The numbers don't matter,numbers are just a measuring tool. So I learned anytime that you set goals for yourself don't measure your success on if you achieve the number, measure it on if you did all you could and did the necessary steps to achieve that goal. Also we talked about how it just takes one person to open their mouths and to invite someone to church and that will lead to thousands of people. So just a little challenge, invite just one person to Church this week. It can really make a huge impact. And another good reminder from that meeting is that the spirit is brought unto our hearts not into our hearts. The only way we can feel the spirit is if we let it in. So just remember if you're having a tough time feeling the spirit, just remember you've got to be the one to invite it in.

Also many leaves fall here in New York so we have to dedicate one whole day to rack people's leaves. We did one house this week that took 23 big plastic bags so it's a fun time. So yeah that was my week miracles and a lot of service. I hope that you all have a great week.

Love, Elder Jeppson

This is a "Please do not come back I'm not interested note" that was waiting for Elder Jeppson and his companion while they went to a follow up lesson

Just Love the People

This week was immensely better then last week! Last week we taught 4 lessons and only had 1 new investigator. But this week we had 18 lessons and 10 new investigators so a lot changed around. And the difference in success was because of the increase of faith Elder Olmstead and I had. It was amazing when we just put our trust in the Lord he lead us to so many great people. And it was crazy because no one seemed to say no to us! They all just kept on letting us in.

One of the guys we found was named Billy. And we knocked on Billy's door and he was just smoking some weed and having a good time. And at first he was just messing around with us and joking around, but something changed in Billy as we were talking to him. He said "I'm going to be honest with you guys, I'm looking to change my life around and I don't think it was a coincidence that I met you guys tonight." He told us that he was looking for a church but didn't know what the truth was. So we taught him about the restoration and he told us he would read from the Book of Mormon. We have another appointment set up with him tomorrow so I'll let you know how that goes.

Also last night we were really struggling. We had 8 lessons set up and they all fell thru except 1. And this one man is named Jorge. We found Jorge last week and we taught him the restoration. He really liked it at first but then got confused about Joseph smith. So he was going to drop us and not let us come back. Jorge's first language is Spanish so we thought maybe there was some miscommunication while we were teaching. So we asked if we could bring somebody over who speaks Spanish and at first he was hesitant but then agreed to it. So we brought our Spanish member yesterday and him and Jorge just started talking in Spanish. We had no idea what our member was saying to him but the spirit was so strong. Out of no where Jorge just started crying. He looked at Elder Olmstead and I and said that him and his family will be at church next week and we can count on that! He told us that he is looking for the right church where his family can feel comforted and find happiness. So we told him this is where he will find that happiness. He said the only reason he let us in was because he felt love as we talked to him. After the lesson he gave Elder Olmstead and I a big hug. It was such a great experience.

So this week I learned how important it is just to love the people! And I can truly say I do. They've already changed my life so much. I love how Heavenly Father reaches out to me constantly. After I had a bad week last week he switched it around for me and placed amazing people in my path. This work is amazing.

Thank you for all you guys do! I love you all.

Elder Jeppson

A Little Tough and Really Strange

Good Morning family and friends

So this week was a little tough and really strange. It first started with Elder Olmstead and I's encounter with an atheist. He kept on telling us the we didn't know anything and that we weren't open minded. He told us that we have been brain washed and there isn't a God that loves us. But Instead of just walking away we tried to testify of what we knew and that didn't work well.  he went off telling us we are ruining our lives at such a young age. So we just asked him if there was anything that we could do for him and decided to leave after 45 minutes of being bashed. But we left a Book of Mormon on his porch so hopefully he reads it. 

Also we had another lady tell us that we were anti-Christ. So I politely told her that the gospel and this religion was centered on Christ and she would not listen. I was thinking in my head okay keep telling me more about my religion and what I believe.  This week was hard also hard because all of the people we had appointments with thought it would be funny to ignore us. So yeah that made me pretty chapped. As you can tell we didn't teach many lessons. So that was a little rough.

The next day we had to go to the hospital because one of the sisters in our district got a flu shot and almost went down. The nurse was mad for her coming in for just being pale but like 5 minutes later her blood pressure dropped and the nurse said that we almost lost her. So yeah that was pretty nuts. But she's all good now and still smiling. 

Also the sisters in our district were having some tough times and we spent all week trying to help them out. Elder Olmsteads advice for them was to just get over it and they didn't like that very much so I got on my 'inner therapist' and tried to help these sisters out. I felt like It was an episode of Doctor Phil or something.  But everything is better with them so we're in good shape.

So this week I was thinking why we weren't having much success and I was blaming it on myself, which wasn't makeing since because we were obedient this week. But then Elder Olmstead told me Christ was perfectly obedient and did all he could and people still rejected him. And he had a lot worse weeks then we have. So it was a good reminder that when people reject us as long as we give it are all then Heavenly Father will be happy with us. 

But then I was reminded about something that happened Thursday and I realized that we did have success. So we taught Mary on Thursday and that was an amazing lesson. We asked her to pray to know if the Book of Mormon is true and immediately she told us I already know it's true. We were so pleasantly surprised when she said this. Then she went on to say that she knew this church was true. She knows Jesus is the Christ and she knows it wasn't a coincidence we met her. She said "this is not just a religion, it's the truth." It was so amazing! The spirit was so strong. So she is excited to be baptized. That was such a testimony builder to me!

Also we had stake conference this week and we had president packers son Allen Packer of the 70 speak to us. This meeting was amazing! Also two of our investigators showed up. I felt the spirit so strong and I just had a very deep love for everybody. It made me realize how lucky I am to be out here serving these people. And even though they reject us I should always love them no matter what. So this next week I am going to work on just always having that love for the people. So this was another humbling week. I was very grateful for the increase of faith I gained this week.

Yeah just a crazy but good week out here. Even when it's hard I'm smiling at that is what is so great about this gospel. I love you all!

Have a great week.

Elder Jeppson

New Transfer, New Comp, MORE MIRACLES

Good Morning friends and family, This is Elder Jeppson speaking

This week was once again a good one! I am not with Elder Barola anymore. He is off to Bell Harbor. I'm not not gonna lie I will miss that man. He taught me so much, but there is one thing I learned from him that will always stick with me, and that is to give even when you don't have much. Anything he had he was offering away, he is always putting others needs before his own. He taught me how to truly love the people and I will always cherish that. Now I have a new companion named Elder Olmstead. It was funny because all last week I had a feeling that he was going to be my new companion, and once they called are names saying we were companions I just started laughing. Elder Olmstead and I hit it off right away. We are already on the same page and we are doing so much more work in Huntington. It's kinda funny because he is the senior companion and district leader but he follows everything I say. I love it so much. He's really funny also, so it's going to be a good transfer.

So within 2 days we found eight more investigators! It's been so amazing these last couple weeks! We taught all of them the restoration and they committed to read the Book of Mormon. And the amazing thing is, is that they all seemed sincere about it! The best thing about most of these people is that they all believe in God they just haven't found a church that they feel is right. So they are literally perfect investigators!

Also Elder Olmstead and I went to McDonalds for lunch the other day, and the lady who was taking our order asked what church we were from, so we explained and then she started telling us that she prays to God but doesn't have a church to go to. So then we told her we could help her come closer to God and she was so excited! She gave us her home address right away and we didn't even ask. She told us to visit her once a week! Her name is Shania and we'll be meeting with her today.

We also met a man Named Beau. We went to his house and him and all of his friends were smoking weed and drinking. He came outside and we talked to him for about ten minutes. We found out that his daughter died in a car accident when she was just fifteen months old. He was wondering where she was and if he would ever see her again. So we taught him the plan of salvation and after that lesson you could tell he felt the spirit. He also asked about the Book Of Mormon and we gave him one and he told us he would read it! He also invited us back next week. Once again we found another person that is prepared to hear the Gospel. 

Miracles are happening each and everyday!!!

And yesterday we were trying to find out who to visit, and I guy named Marlene came to mind. He has been an investigator for about two years now. He is nineteen and is very religious. He is having some problems with the Book of Mormon though. At first he told us that he read the Book Of Mormon and prayed about it, but didn't receive an answer. Then we asked him again Did you read the "Book Of Mormon?" Then the truth came out. He said that he has only read the introduction and a couple chapters in 1 Nephi. So we asked him right there "So don't you think It would be a good idea to read the whole thing?" And he was still shaky about it. So once again Elder Holland to the rescue! We showed him the video The Testimony of the Book Of Mormon. After the video Marlene aid "wow that is powerful." So we asked him will you read the Book Of Mormon? And he was still shaky at first but then said he would read it. The spirit was so strong in that lesson!

So that General Conference talk "What lack I yet"  I've gotten another answer to that question. And that answer was to rely on God more, and ever since I have done that he has lead us to amazing people. Just praying where to go knocking has changed our success so much. And all of those people above are proof. So if you are wondering what you should do better in life just ask in prayer and it will change everything for the better. I have seen that first hand and I know the same thing can happen to all of you.

Words can't explain how happy I am! Like I've said in the passed, this work is so fulfilling. Yes there is struggles sometimes but seeing others happy because of the gospel makes it all worth it. I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Love,

Elder Jeppson

We Wanted to Finish Strong! (End of Transfer 2)

Hey it's me!

This was the last week of the transfer and Elder Barola and I really wanted to finish strong, and well that's exactly what happened. It was very fulfilling! This week we found 13 more people to teach! We were wondering  where they have been this whole time and we found them all in the same neighborhood! It was simply a miracle. When you actually listen to the spirit on where to go great things happen. This was actually the first week that we achieved all of our goals also! We did so much teaching it was insane. There is so many pure In heart people that are ready for this gospel and we finally found some. We have 8 lessons set up next week so I will let you know how all of those go.

But Elder Barola will be getting transferred which makes me sad but the work still goes on. I'm glad I get to stay in this area though!

After that I went on an exchange with my zone leader -- "The Italian Stallion" -- Elder Resinelli. I went to his area for the day. We helped move an 1000 lb stove out of somebody's basement so that was a fun experience. After that we went to teach a lesson. And that lesson consisted of 2 hours of bible bashing. This guy would not commit to read the Book of Mormon. He is so focused on the bible that he says there is no need for another book. Anything we said he had something else to go against us and most of it didn't even make sense. But Elder Resinelli liked to bash back so that's why it was two hours. 

Finally I told Elder Resinelli to let me talk and I just testified about how the Book of Mormon has changed my life. I told him that it contains the fullness of the Gospel and how he can get all his questions answered by reading the Book of Mormon. Then we showed him a video from Elder Holland talking about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. It's called the "Testimony of the Book of Mormon" it is amazing. You should all watch it. But after we showed him he didn't say a word, the spirit was so strong and we could tell it was touching him. So we asked if he would read it and he finally committed to. It is so amazing when the spirit directs our lessons.

So this week I learned about the importance of testifying. If we show others how this gospel has changed our life's and that we know it's true, it truly impacts them. Always testify of what you know and always follow the spirit. I am very grateful for the experiences I had this week.

Thanks for everything! I love you all

Elder Jeppson

The Gospel Isn't Just The Best Way, It's The Only Way

Dearest family and friends,

This is your friend and mentor Elder Jeppson speaking. And I would just to let you all know that this week was impeccable. I learned so much and my testimony was definitely strengthened.

The week started out with me seeing my boss Mitch from the golf course I worked at.  He was in Manhattan for the week and we happened to be In Manhattan for an appointment. That was the last appointment so we will not be able to go to Manhattan anymore. So the timing couldn't have been better. He took us to lunch and also to the Met. The Met is in the top 5 museums in the world. It was pretty amazing. So that was
a great way to start out the week!

On Friday Elder Barola and I were having a rough day! We couldn't find anyone and all of the lessons that we had set up fell through. So we were pretty upset. But than Elder Barola said a prayer and after he said "we will find someone tonight" so we went knocking late at night which isn't the best thing to do but what I've learned is to never put off a spiritual prompting. So we found a neighborhood that we both felt good about. 

We got out of the car and it was pouring rain and it was so windy. But we still went out Knocking. The first house we went to we found a family. We set up a returned appointment with them and they seem very interested. The second house we knocked on we had a guy reject us with kindness, so at least that was good. And then we
knocked on one more house. A guy by the name of James answered the door. We explained that we were missionaries and that we have a unique message about our gospel and that it will bring everlasting happiness to his life. And without any hesitation he said "okay come in". We were so surprised because nobody else in New York just let's us in.

We taught him the whole restoration of the Gospel and gave him a Book of Mormon. The spirit was so strong in that lesson. He told us to come back every Friday! It's funny once again when we were discouraged the Lord showed us a miracle. It's amazing how Heavenly Fathers timing is always perfect. And This applies to everything. We may feel like we don't get answers to our prayers. But we do they just come on the Lords time. But the lords time is the best time. 

A great quote I heard from Jeffrey R Holland was "Hold fast to what you already know and stand strong until additional knowledge comes."  Stand strong until
the answers to your prayers come!

Now general conference! This conference was amazing! This was the first conference that I actually watched every session and paid attention. I got an answer to everyone one of my questions! One talk that stuck out to me was by Elder Lawrence. He talked about how the spirit works on us a little bit at a time, otherwise we would get overwhelmed. 

Also another great principle I learned is that it's about the direction we are heading, not the speed we are going at. It's so true! It doesn't matter how long it takes to gain a testimony, it just matters if we are taking the necessary steps to gain one. I hope you
all got your answers from conference because I know I did. Don't just forget about this conference, go back and listen to these talks and I promise something new will touch your heart. But the biggest thing is to apply what we learned in our lives. Spiritual change happens when we apply what we learn.

So that was my week! I just want to let you guys know that I love this gospel so much! It's changed me more than I could've imagined. The Gospel isn't just the best way, it's the only way. And if you're ever struggling with your testimony Just take Elder Hollands advice and "Hold fast to what you already know and stand strong until additional knowledge comes." I love you all thanks for the prayers and support!

With love,

Elder Jeppson

"Sometimes in life you're going to start out slow" Elder Jeppson

You guessed it, it's me once again

This week was very challenging. We didn't find any new people and we went knocking for many hours! So that was a little frustrating. Also we had investigators say that they were excited to Come to church on Sunday, but they never should up. So we went to visit them after church and they totally Ignored us. But that's just how missionary work goes. If missionary work was easy and great all the time then there wouldn't be any opportunities to grow. We have hard times so that we can be stronger and better missionaries. So far every week here has been a humbling experience. Once again sometimes In life you're going to start out slow, but it'll be alright.

Also we are having a lot of changes in our mission so it is hard to get used to the new rules. As of tomorrow there will be no more sports in our mission. When I heard that my heart was so sad😪 So today we went out on a high school football field and played flag football! It was a lot of fun and I made some nice catches so I'm pretty pumped about that😏 We had to make the best out of the last time. But I know that our mission president is an Inspired guy, so i know if I follow all these new rules then I will see a lot more miracles and see more blessings in my life. So I will be focusing on not what I'm giving up and more on what I will be receiving. I'm actually excited about the changes!

We had another great lesson with Mary this week and she is definitely going to get baptized and I am really happy about that. I love visiting her and her mom. Her mom is 91 and she has no filter. She joins in on our conversations and she likes to swear a lot. Everything she says is so funny! She also is now supporting Dio in getting baptized which is a huge step! We are so excited for her.

Oh and we went to The Brooklyn bridge this week! It is so amazing! I couldn't ask to be in a better place! I will send some pictures!

So that was my week! A lot of learning and growing. It was hard but rewarding. I can't get down on myself because I have seen so many miracles already so I just need more patients. But the New York New York South mission is the place to be. Thanks for all the prayer!  Love you all very much

With divine love,

Elder Jeppson

    

Repentence, It is so Beautiful

Good day family and friends it's me once again

This week was once again a good one! It started out with Elder Bennet (A general authority from the 70) came and talked to us. He came to help us out because we are the lowest baptizing mission in the U.S. So yeah that's unfortunate. He talked to us for seven hours on how we need to be exactly obedient and and not waste time. He told us if we are not on our knees before 6:31 A.M. we are choosing to be disobedient. So you could say that hit me pretty hard. He was yelling at us and it was beautiful. It's not very often where I'm excited when somebody is yelling at me. The spirit was so strong in that meeting. He is such an inspired man and I felt like he was just talking to me. So I know if wasn't just random that he was the one who came to our mission. He has what we need. He talked to mission president and I know a lot is going to change in our mission. It's going to be hard
but it's the only way for us to be better.

So this week I made sure I was up at 6:30 and in bed by 10:30. Andhonestly I saw a big difference in the work. We found so many more people this week and it's because I have the lords trust that I'm serious about this great work. And like I said we are a lot happier when we follow the schedule exactly. So I am once again grateful for
these humbling experiences.

We taught Julio this week and he really wants to know what the true church is. So he committed to sincerely read and pray about the Book of Mormon. Like the promise says in Moroni 10:3-5 if you ask with a sincere heart and real intent he will manifest it unto you. And I truly believe that Julio will get an answer. We will be meeting with him next Wednesday so I'll keep you posted on his progress. Also Dio is still progressing. She keeps on telling us "that there is nothing that will take her from this true Church". It's so great to see the change she is having and how much happier she is. She calls Elder Barola and I her spiritual grandchildren.

Also this week We were walking down the street with two other elders that went knocking with us and this big guy came up to us wondering what we were doing in his neighborhood. He was cussing us out and told us to leave his neighborhood. Then we told him we are just missionaries for our church and his attitude totally changed! He wasn't mad at us anymore and he started warning us about dangerous people in the neighborhood. So he apologized and told us to be safe and have a good night. It's cool to see when people recognize you are a representative of Jesus Christ.

And on Friday we went and did service for a lady in our ward and shewanted to call our parents to tell them how we are doing. We tried my mom first and she didn't answer so we called our home number and McKinsey answered. It was so good to hear her voice! I guess she told my parents that the mission president called so my dad called back thinking it was the mission president. So I bet him and my mom thought something bad happened to me. I'm all good though! But it was so good to hear my dads voice too! I didn't get to say anything but Hello but it was a cool experience. The best part about it was I didn't even get homesick. So it was great.

SO I have had a great week! Elder Barola and I will be in the city  tomorrow and probably will see the Empire State Building of Brooklyn bridge. so I will send more pics probably next week. I love you allhave a great week!

Elder Jeppson