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
Monday, November 30, 2015
Monday, November 23, 2015
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!
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!
So yeah it's been quite the week.
Love you all!
Have a blessed week
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
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
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
Monday, November 9, 2015
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
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 |
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
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
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
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