"The only dog I trust is me"

Hello Everyone!

Well it's been one heck of a week! As you all know I was transferred this last week! I am still in Brooklyn but now it's southern Brooklyn in a place called Midwood! It's only been a week but I already love this place so much! People are a lot nicer and open here then they were in Parkslope so that's a blessing. It's very diverse as well! There is a lot of people from Europe, Asia, South America, Russia, the islands (Jamaica, Trinidad, Haiti, etc..), and A LOT of Jews! It's a cool area! 

My new companions name is Elder Sainteran! He is originally from Haiti but right now he lives in the Dominican Republic. And he is completely fluent in four languages!! Haitian Creole, French, Spanish, and English! Crazy stuff. He is super funny too! He reminds me a lot of my first companion Elder Barola! He says funny things all the time so I made a quote Book of him haha. We saw a dog on the sidewalk and he is really afraid of dogs so he bolts to the other side of the street and I finally catch up to him and I said dude what was that all about, and he said "The only dog I trust is me". Another funny story is we were on the bus and when you get in the bus they give you a ticket and you can't lose it because sometimes the NYPD gets on the bus and check who has their tickets and who doesn't, and if you don't you get a big fine. So the police came on the bus and of course Elder Sainteran couldn't find his ticket, so we have to get off the bus so he could look for it otherwise he'd get a big fine. He is searching through his bag and all his pockets and can't find it, but then he finally found it wrapped up in a butterfingers wrapper with chocolate all over it haha. The police man says "well looks like it's your lucky day", please note that this cop was super rude and had throwing out snarky comments. We then left and Elder Sainteran was so mad! He said "F that Effer". (But he said the real thing) And I said "dude you're a missionary, you can't go around saying that!!" He then said "oh yeah I forgot that's offensive in The U.S." I guess in Haiti they say it all the time and it means nothing. Honestly it was the funniest thing ever to hear him say that in broken English. I was rolling! 

Anyways the work this week was amazing! I got to this place and I was a little skeptical becuase honestly we had only like 2 people to teach! But then out of no where things just started going crazy this week!! We found 5 new investigators and two of them have baptismal dates for December 11th and the other ones are very promising! We even have a family of 11 people that we are teaching! It's incredible. 

Two of the people which we found are named Ed*** and Ev***! Elder Sainteran talked to Ev*** on the bus and he said that we could come over sometime and share our message. So we went over Saturday and we talked to him and his wife. He has heard a lot of false things about the church so it was good because we resolved all of his concerns. He was told that we practice polygamy and that we wouldn't allow him in the church because he wasn't a member. He then said  "I cannot believe that people lied to me and kept me from the truth" we then taught the restoration and he is preparing for baptism on Dec 11th!

Now Ed***! So Ed*** was a referral from his daughter who lives in Florida! She actually just got baptized on Saturday. So he wanted to know what the church was all about. We taught him the restoration and now he has a baptismal date for Dec 11th! After, he prayed for the first time in a long time and after he did he stood up and said "oh wow I feel good". Spirit yeah.  

So yesterday they both showed up to church and we had two other investigators show up as well! It was great because the ward fellowshipped them nicely and they had a great experience. I was talking to evens about the Book of Mormon and he told me as he started reading, the spirit was just hitting him so strong that after one page he couldn't put the book down! There is power in the Book my friends! 

So it was a really good week! This transfer is going to be really good and we are going to see a lot of miracles! Sorry this was so long, but a lot went down! Have a good week all!

Much love 

Elder Jeppson

I Truly Felt What Conversion Is

Good morning everyone! 

First off I got a call from President and I will be leaving Brooklyn! I'm a little sad but it'll be nice to have a fresh start! So tomorrow I will meet my new companion and go off to a new area! It will be hard to leave Elder Garcia though! He has become one of my best friends and I have learned a lot from him! I'm sure going to miss the guy! But hey change is good! 

It's kinda funny because we all thought Elder Garcia would be leaving so he said bye to all the ward members and investigators and turns out he's staying. On the flip side I thought I was staying so I didn't say bye to anybody! So today is going to be a busy day saying bye to everyone. Actually this morning we went to say to my favorite member brother B****! He's 24 years old and is like a homie to Elder Garcia and I. He lives in a really nice place and this morning he took us to the 55th floor of his building and we had the perfect view of New York! I'll send the pictures we took. But when we were up there it hit me hard how lucky I am to serve here and how much that I am really going to miss this place! 

Also, on Saturday we volunteered at a park and put on  like a Halloween carnival! It was fun stuff. They actually had a Halloween costume contest for dogs and it was the cutest little thing! But I got to go around asking for donations for the next years dog show and you know with my boyish cute smile I raised over 200 dollars in 20 minutes. I'm pretty proud of that! ;)

Other than that nothing crazy happened this week! Just a lot of service and getting fed by members because they all thought Garcia was leaving lol. I'm not even mad! 

But to end this email I want to talk about how much I learned this transfer! It may have not been the best missionary work wise but I know I've grown these last 6 weeks! I found out what kind of missionary I want to be, I truly felt what conversion is, I found out what kind of person I want to be, and I've found out what is really important in life. It's so cool how much the mission has helped me right now and how it is going to guide me in the choices I make in my future. I can already see it now guiding me, because I have found myself thinking about how it'll effect my future family before I make any choice. I am thankful for Elder Garcia for his example of love for others but especially family, and showing me what conversion is. I love my mission and I love all of you! Thanks for all the love and support! 

Much love, 

Elder Jeppson

You Make the Work Really Fun

Good morning everyone!

So it's cooling down here in the Big City! These last few days have been rainy and windy but we're still having fun! It was another great week for us! But honestly the good stuff only happened during exchanges so sorry but this whole email will be about my exchanges 

So first of all last Monday night we had exchanges and I was with a guy named Elder Calhoon! He's a funny missionary and he kinda looks like a sloth lol. But Monday night we were out talking to people on the street and we ran into these two guys sitting on a bench. It started out okay, he was talking to me but then out of no where he looks at Elder Calhoon and starts trying to tear him down. He tried to say things that were wrong about our church and tried to like destroy  Elder Calhoon's testimony. When he realized that is wasn't going to work he started yelling and said "get the F out of here otherwise I'm going to kill you". He literally was like an inch or two from Elder Calhoon's face. I started to walk away but realized the Calhoon was in shock and wasn't going to move, so I had to pull him away before he got punched. As we were walking away some lady stopped us and told us she was with Christ and she felt that, that guy had a Demond in him. After she said that it all made sense. We had a bad feeling about the guy but we talked it him anyways and his whole motive was to tear us down. The devils got a hold on people's hearts out here. I'm so glad that Elder Calhoon didn't get punched! But hey it would have made for a great mission story! 

Then on Wednesday I went on exchanges with my last companion Elder Shepherd and his companion Elder Adams. So the thing to know about these two is they are exactly the same! Both very socially awkward and very pale, white, skinny dudes. So them walking through the hood of Brooklyn is the funniest thing I've ever seen! But they are great missionaries. We actually taught four lessons and talked to a lot people on the street so it was awesome. After they told me they were grateful for that exchange because they have been in a slump for a little bit and this reminded them how happy you are when your are diligent. Elder Shepherd is a lot better at talking with people from the last time I was with him so that made me one proud father. Haha but after we got home that night and they made me play a game called dungeon and dragons. It was a cute bonding experience. 

But then Friday was the best exchange I've had! I went with a missionary named Elder Barton! He is such a stud! He has only been out for 6 months but he is the best teacher out of any missionary I have ever met! He just has so much love for people and is so sincere when he teaches. We were finishing up the exchange and I asked him if he learned anything and he told me that this was the best exchange that he has ever been on. He told me that out of all the Zone leaders he's had on his mission that I was his favorite. I told him that he didn't need to lie to me I won't be offended. But he said "no, seriously you know how to be a missionary! You lead by example and truly live the gospel, but you also make the work really fun". That was the best compliment I've ever received! It made me feel so good about myself. It helped me to have more confidence because sometimes I still feel like I'm not qualified for this position.

I love serving in this position so much now all because of the missionaries in our zone! I've definitely learned more from them then they have from me. But it has been great to help them through their hardships. 

So overall it was another great learning week! I'm just loving my mission each and everyday! Have a great week everyone! Much love 

Elder Jeppson

We will be Changed from It and It'll Change the Course of our Lives

Good Morning Everyone!

I hope you all enjoyed your week! I know I definitely did! I really think this was the best week of my mission!! So let me tell you about it! 

So first is our boy T***! So Troy is still struggling financially (because he has 8 kids and no job) and he's still struggling with the word of wisdom and said he literally is doing everything in his power to stop. We got over there and he told us what was going on and he asked instead of us having a lesson if we could give him a blessing. His exact words were "I know you guys have the authority from God, please bless me". We talked about the power of the atonement first then Elder Garcia gave one of the most powerful blessings I've ever heard! He straight up told him that from this day forward he would live the word of wisdom and because of that his family would be blessed. The spirit was so strong after, T*** had tears in his eyes and you could see in him a determination to change! So he gave us his lighter and all his cigarettes and we got to go throw them away for him haha. The next day we went over to see how he was doing and he was just so excited and looked so happy! We found out that literally right after we left last night he got a call from his old boss telling him that they had an opening for work and that T*** can start next week!! God is good! Then after we wanted to actually read the story of Enos with him and he told us "hey I actually read this story earlier today", we didn't even ask him to! He explained Enos's whole story to us and it was just a big spiritual experience about true repentance. After the lesson we were walking to the train station and I just had the biggest smile on my face. Elder Garcia said "Why you smiling so much", and I just said because I am so happy right now I could cry. And literally right after I said that tears started running down my cheeks because of the spirit I was feeling and because the love I felt for T***! I can honestly say that, that day I felt the love that God has for Troy. It was another confirmation to me that this is where I needed to be. I just couldn't stop crying! It was a tender moment for Elder Garcia and I. 

Then on Friday I got to run my first Zone Training Meeting. Not going to lie I was really nervous! I was reminded again that day that anxiety doesn't go away lol. But the cool part is, is that even with how inadequate I was feeling I just felt that everything would be okay. And as I gave my training to help these missionaries the words just rolled right of my tongue. After I had a few missionary come up to me saying that they learned so much. Honestly I had no idea what I said. The spirit is good!! I was then reminded once again of Ether 12:27Where it says if we humble ourselves God will turn our weaknesses into strengths. It was a cool!

And then the best day of my mission was yesterday!! The one and only Elder Jeffrey R. Holland visited the New York New York South Mission! Since Apostles have such strict schedules none of us missionaries went to church and we all meet in a big gym where Elder Holland spoke to us. It was amazing! I even got to shake is hand. Right as he walked into the room the spirit just hit everyone! The Apostolic power is real my friends! So in his address he talked so much about change. He told us that if any returned missionary goes home and goes inactive then "Shame on you, and shame on me". The reason they send out 18-19 years olds is because this is pretty much the time where we decide who we want to be. And when we go and actually SERVE missions, we will be changed from it and it'll change the course of our lives. He then brought the fire about the Book of Mormon. He told us that this is THE converted tool in the gospel and we should use it in every situation to help the people we work with. And he then ended by saying "missions are not meant to be easy, if they are then you're doing it wrong". He then said "The road of salvation goes through Gethsemane". When we serve our missions we are going to feel just a little what Christ has felt. We will have to suffer just a little bit. His testimony of the savior just pierced everyone's soul. He is truly an Apostle of God!

So yes it was the best week of my mission! This week truly made me feel that I am finally truly converted to the gospel and that "I am lost in the work". I love my mission so much! I love These people so much and they are all I want to think about. I honestly have never been happier! I honestly don't want to know where I would be at in life if I didn't serve a mission! I am so thankful that Heavenly Father has changed me into the person I am today. The church is true, the Book is blue!

I love you all! Have a great week 

Elder Jeppson

A Good Leader is one who is a Friend

Good morning everyone! I hope all is well

As for me! Wow it was a really great week! Let's get right into it!

So first of all on Tuesday night we had the privilege of having President Reynolds come out teaching with us! It was an amazing experience. We taught The T***** family who are less active. Usually when we go over there the kids are all rowdy, the mom is trying to come them down, and the dad usually just chills there. But when we brought President Reynolds they were on their best behavior and fully engaged in the conversation. We talked about faith and President just went off about how the only way we can be truly unified and happy as a family is if the Book of Mormon and the gospel is the foundation of our home. He testified that when he and his family were reading the Book of Mormon and Praying as a family they were the happiest and were able to resist temptation. The spirit was so strong in their home that night. It totally had a big impact on the parents. You could definitely tell that they were pondering and motivated to do better! 

We then taught another member who is returning to activity. She has been doing really good!! I don't know if I told this story already but I'm going to again. There was a point where she wasn't even coming to church then she started to let the missionaries come by. She came back to church and was pretty consistent about it. We then asked her if she wanted to go to the temple but she said no because she was scared that we did weird things in there lol. But then we taught her about the Book of Mormon and she started reading 15 chapters a day and finished it in less then a month. She then went and did baptism for the dead and is now working towards her endowments! This last week we talked about missionary work with her and President was so great in this lesson. We asked her if she would allow us to teach any of her family of friends and she said "its crazy that you mentioned this because I just referred the missionaries to go see my sister". President told her by sharing her testimony with her sister and others Is fulfilling her missionary responsibilities! And by doing missionary work she will truly become converted to the gospel! So she is just amazing! Miracles yeah!

On Friday we had what we call "Mission Leadership Council" where all the leadership of the mission gets together and talk about what our missions needs help with. And one of the assistance gave a Training on leading by example and truly loving the missionaries you serve. It really made me ponder of what kind of leader I am and who I need to be. Because there is a big difference in leaders who love and listen to you and are willing to get down and help lift you up and leaders who just yell at you and saw you need to do better. A good leader isn't one who is a great public speaker or really knowledgeable about things, it's one who is a friend, who loves, lifts and inspires. It was a really good lesson for me to learn! 

Then on Saturday we took C******* to the Temple!! It was such a cool experience! We had a member come with us and he got to baptize her! She said she loved the spirit in the temple! I also was able to confirm I few people so that was cool! It brought back memories when my Boy Jon campbell took us to the temple every Friday morning before school! After she took us to this really fancy Manhattan restaurant that was not cheap! But hey she insisted that she should pay so I didn't complain! 

So it was a great week for us but also our zone! We had 6 baptisms and 1 temple trip!! Miracles in the Brooklyn Zone! 

Have a great week all. Much love! 

Elder Jeppson

New York, the City of Dreams

Hello from the other side! :) New York the city of dreams.

So this week was solid!! There was a lot of distractions because of Mission meetings and general conference so the work was a little slower but it was still good! 

First and foremost, T*** is a such a stud! Man this guy watched all sessions on general conference and just loved it! We met with him earlier in the week and he is just so stoked to get baptized! Everytime we go over there he just brings up the fact of how happy he is to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost! Sometimes we don't realize how blessed we really are to have the Holy Ghost! Sometimes we just need to step back and understand that we have the opportunity to have the 3rd member of the God head with us constantly if we are worthy of it! With the Holy Ghost we can overcome anything life and Satan throws at us! That's why Troy is such a good example to me!

Also we met with C*******this week. Just a reminder, she's one of our recent converts. But this week we talked about the temple with her and she's actually going to go to baptisms for the dead this Saturday! I'm so excited for her. It's cool to see how strong she has been ever since she's been baptized. I know the temple will continue to help her stay active. 

While we're on the subject, we also have another member named W****** going to the temple on October 29th! But he's actually going to take his endowments out!! I've been working with him ever since I've been to this area! There was a period of time where he didn't come to church for 5 weeks! It's been cool to see the change in Him because within 5 months he went from being very less active to fully active and preparing to go to the temple! It's been so cool to work with him!  So miracles are just all over the place this transfer! 

I hope everyone enjoyed Conference this weekend! It seems that it gets better and better every time! I learned so much and I had a lot of my questions answered! My favorite talk Though was by LeGrand R. Curtis in the priesthood Session! He talked about the Book of Mormon and it was straight fire! I really liked when he said, "we need to make the Book of Mormon the foundation of our family and home." It made me think of how much the Book of Mormon has shaped my testimony and helped me through hard times on the mission. It's crazy every time I sincerely study the Book of Mormon I always feel the spirit so strong and it makes me never want to sin again haha. I've seen it truly change lives out here! All the people that I've seen get baptized are because of the spirit they feel when they read the Book of Mormon. If you are CONSISTENTLY and sincerely studying the Book of Mormon you WILL NOT falter in your testimony and that's a promise. So my challenge to you is make the Book of Mormon the foundation of your home. :) 

Conference Yeah!

But yeah it was a good week!! I hope you all have a great day! Much Love 

Elder Jeppson

What a Guy!

Good morning everyone!

I hope all is well in Utah and wherever else you may be around the world! This week was a really good one for Elder Garcia and I! So let's get into it. 

First of all being a Zone Leader is a lot better then I thought it would be! I thought it would be a lot more stressful, but honestly it's not too bad. The difference is that as a district leader you have to run a district meeting everyweek, but as a Zone Leader we only have to run a Zone meeting once a month.  It's actually really cool because now you feel responsible for 20 other missionaries. More responsibility, but more opportunities to help other missionaries. I get to go on exchanges with all the Elders in our zone and help them strive to better in missionary work, but more importantly help them in their own personal conversion. 

So we met a guy this week named C******! He was just chilling outside a project building and we just started talking to him. We found out that he was in jail for 30 years! We asked him how he felt about it, and he said "Well I was only supposed to be there for 20 years but they just kept adding time, I missed my family of course, but I knew that God was going to take care of it so I just waited patiently and put it in his hands." His faith was incredible! It made me reevaluate my faith because sometimes I can complain that 2 years is a long time, but I haven't even been alive for 30 years!!! So it made me think how blessed I am to serve here and that two years is actually a really short time! So I got rebuked and I'm going to count my blessings more then my problems for now on. 

Also we have the coolest investigator ever!! His name is T*** and he is just as pure in heart as our recent convert L*******! He lives in the projects and his wife is very ill and not to mention he has 8 kids!! All he wants is a better life for his family. We have been teaching him for just over a month and he has already finished the Book of Mormon, read the whole gospel principles book, watched over 40 general conference talks, and is almost finished with the pearl of great price, and is on section 50 in the Doctrine and Covenants!! If that doesn't scream PURE I don't know what does. His testimony is so strong!! He already knows Joseph smith is a prophet and that the church is true!! He is going to just love general conference next.   

Also funny story about T*** to show how pure Is! He was taught the word of wisdom a few weeks ago so we were following up and he told us he wasn't having any problems with drinking or smoking, and then he said but I decided to add another thing to the word of wisdom. He said "We shouldn't participate in any sexual relationships until we are married." We said "perfect T*** that's exactly what we are going to talk about today and we taught the law of chastity. What a guy!

Last things! So this was the last week of Parkslope actually being a ward before it all gets dissolved next week! It was the perfect last week because they ended it with a primary program! It was so cute to see all the little kids singing and baring all their sweet simple testimonies. Not gonna lie I really did tear up. :') Then in Sunday school the teacher had a few members bear their testimonies about this ward, and both C******* and L******* bore their testimonies. It was so cool because they said things like they were happy that they finally found the truth and happiness that they are looking for, and how this building will always have a place in their hearts because it's where they got baptized. But they both said that they were sad that the ward is dissolving, but accepted that it was what God wanted. It was so cool to see their faith and trust in God. I got the spiritual prompting again that I am I found the people I'm here for. This was probably the best Sunday on my mission. 

It's been a great week full of new experiences and spiritual experiences. I am very happy with this new change and I'm grateful for the testimony I have gained so far on my mission. I love you all! Have a great week. 

Elder Jeppson

"Gotcha!"

Hello Family and friends, 

Sorry I didn't write last week it has been so so busy!! So I'll just give a few highlights of last week! 

Firstly we were able to see our investigators J*** and J*** Jr! They are the best! Jose is really struggling with work and providing for his family that he his so stressed out! So we showed him the video "good things to come". Basically it's Elder Holland talking about his financial trials and how he was worried about his family and how he was going to provide for them, but he because of patience and faithfulness to God, blessings did come his way. So it was exactly what Jose needed to hear at that time. He was in tears the whole time and he finally stayed true to his word and showed up to church the next day!! Wow it was a miracle. 

As you know we took L******* to the temple on Saturday! She was pulling my leg telling me she lost her temple recommend. She saw on my face that I was really worried so she finally told me she was kidding. But she did baptisms and she loved it! She said the spirit in the temple is very strong! After, she was walking down the slippery stairs from the baptismal font and pretended to slip and said "catch me". So we were freaking out cause she is a pretty large woman! She was then walking away and turned around to us and said "haha gotcha". She's such a jokester! But it was such a cool experience for her! We had 3 new members go to the temple for the first time that day! Also I'm going to send out a funny video that Elder Garcia made of L*******. 

And lastly we had transfer calls today!! So I found out that I'm staying here in Parkslope!! But the catch is that I am now companions with Elder Garcia and I'm going to be a Zone Leader. I was quite shocked when I got this call from president! I asked president if he was sure that he got the right guy and he said yes, and that he had the strongest spiritual prompting about it. He is such an amazing man! He can take away your fears really quick and make you feel so good about yourself. Not going to lie I'm still nervous about it, but I prayed about it and got a confirmation that this is where I need to be right now. So I'm excited for the opportunities I will have to grow spiritually but also to help other missionaries! 

The sad part about all of this though is I have to leave cute Elder Shepherd!! All his weird comments and quirkiness has really grown on me these last 3 months. It has been so cool to see him grow and truly change! I'm glad I had the opportunity to train him! I really love the kid. But change is good! I can't wait to be with Elder Garcia! He actually graduated from Herriman with my sister Lindsey and cousin Kolby! He's a super cool, funny, down to earth kid from Hawaii. I love those Pollys! We are going to have a great time! 

So that's it for the week! Thanks for all the support and prayers! I'm going to need them! Also shout out to the BEST mom ever! It's her birthday today so treat her nice. Love you all

Elder Jeppson

New Experiences and Inspiring Moments

Hello Everyone, Brade here!

Wow this week was crazy! Didn't get to much done with investigators but wow it was busy!

So first of all we were told that the ward I am working in is getting dissolved into 3 other wards. So we called President Reynolds asking him what we should do about all of this and he told us to come this office the next day because he needs our help making new zone boundaries. So Elder Parrish (tall guy), Elder Garica (short brown guy), The Shepherd and I all went. 

During this meeting president Reynolds was the cutest little thing. He was so stressed out because he has so much on his plate. He even said "this is stupid, let's just leave it the same! It's a lot easier that way". It was adorable because he has the cutest little voice and it's hard to picture him mad. He later then backed it up by saying "if missionary work was easy, then everybody could do it". Wise words of PR himself. 

He said that whole mission is going to need to step up because there are gonna be some members and investigators who aren't gonna want to travel an hour to get to their new church building. He has such strong testimony. I love that man! So this week our focus has been on getting in contact with every single member in our ward. Elder Shepherd and I made over 300 phone calls in the last week and did so may home visits. Oh, not to mention, there's 600 people we need to reach out to that are supposedly members. Fun stuff

So here's a fun story for y'all! Elder Shepherd and I were walking back to the train station one day and this Muslim guy starts shouting at us to come talk to him. So we go over there he asks a little bit about our beliefs and then ask if we know about Muslims. We said not much, then he asked if we wanted a Quran! I said yes so he goes and gets one and comes back and then asks us we want to go into the Mosque. So we went in and took off our shoes, we went done stairs and saw all these men washing their feet, hands, faces, etc.. Getting ready to worship. We then watched over 100 men do their prayer ceremony to Allah! It was so cool! They are some humble people. They put their noses all the way to the ground when they pray. It's the real deal! It's sad because in New York they have a really bad rep because of the extreme terrorists. But they are some of the nicest people! I think it's so cool that in New York I can experience all different cultures. Wow I'm so blessed to serve here!

Last story of the week! So J** is leaving for Boot camp tomorrow. I'm pretty sad! I came out on a mission expecting to change people's lives, but no I was wrong, in turn J** changed mine! I was not expecting to come this close to an investigator. His story is so Inspiring! I know he isn't baptized yet but he his truly becoming converted to God. So I'll tell the story again. 

J** grew up in Africa! His father abused is mom and they lived in very poor circumstances. There was one point that him, his mom, and sister all got kidnapped and were put through a lot of trials. They escaped, and then moved to New York. Now J** grew up in the projects. Not the best place to be raised. He got into drugs, into violence, gangs and all that crazy stuff! He got to a point in life were he felt he didn't have a purpose and was going to take his own life. There was one day he was thinking about what he was going to do and he said a voice came to him saying "I'm hear". It was the first time he ever felt like God exists. That motivated him to change. He put himself in a program that showed him how to get over his past and live a successful life. He started to be happy again and then a month later after he got out of his program we ran into him. We started teaching him and his mom. They came to church and started to read the Book of Mormon and are now hooked. He is gonna have to wait to get baptized until he gets back from boot camp but he gets it! And now we are here and he is one of my best friends! I love J** and I'm gonna miss him! It's so cool that he is going to serve our country and bring his light through out the world. So far he is the miracle of my mission.

So that was my week! Full of new experiences and inspiring moments. Thanks for listening. Until next time.

Much love,

Elder Jeppson

The Shepherd and Drunk People

Hello from Da Hood!

This week went really well! A lot of good experiences.

So First and for most there was one night we were walking home and Elder Shepherd turns to me and says "I'm positive that I could beat you in a fight". So I looked over at him and said, "Oh yeah? That's cute". He didn't like that very much so he challenged me to a wrestling match. I was gonna saw no but I had to show him who his Daddy was. So we went to the church at its already like 9:30 at night by that point. But he sets the timer and then says "we will play submission", So he comes up to me and tries to take me down but then I just grabbed his leg flipped him over my shoulder and put him in a choke hold until he tapped out. So after, I got up and I said "so who's your Daddy?" He said "Your Daddy". Then I said "That's right son now let's go home". Haha that was a good time.

Another funny thing that happened this week was we went to teach a new investigator we found and she opens the door and let's us in and just leaves for a good 5 minutes. When she's coming back into the room you could see on her face that she was drunk and she's coming in and she smacks her head so hard on the wall. She went down for the count for a few seconds. She finally got up and we actually had a really good lesson with her about the Book of Mormon. Drunk people amuse me.

More on the spiritual side, we got these investigators named Jesus, Guadalupe, and Jesus Jr who are all super cool. We've been teaching them for like 4 months but they are really flakey. But this last week was really good. We met with them twice and they straight up told us they weren't messing around anymore and that they really need our help. We had a bomb lessons about the restoration and they believed all that we were saying. The spirit filled that room. We showed them how to get General conference talks from YouTube and they watched 6 talks in one night! You could say things are picking up for them.

Also we had a super good member present lesson with Pam. The best way to do missionary work is through the members. So we brought a Member named Sister Pinkard over to Pam's house. Pam's big problem is she feels like there has to be "the right time" for her to be baptized. Sis Pinkard shared her full conversion story and how she thought that she had to have the right time as well, but then realized that God wanted her to be baptized now and she can learn all the other stuff later. That was exactly what Joan needed to hear and she set a specific day to be baptized for herself. She told us she was just going to take it on faith. She is such a good example to me! Remember that members are the key to missionary work!

That was our week! Very busy jumping place to place teaching people and fun times with The Shepherd and drunk people in the hood! 

Shoot me an email! I wanna hear what's going on in your lives. 

Love you all!


Elder Jeppson

Challenge to Study Faith

Good morning my loves,

Interesting week here in Brooklyn! I wouldn't say it was much of a work week, but more a working on my personal conversion week.

We did have a miracle with the work this week though! So we met with our boy Bret The 15 year old. He's doing so good. He is still reading the Book of Mormon consistently everyday! Wow I definitely know I wasn't doing that when I was 15! We got talking about Doctrine of Christ which is Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. Anytime you talk about these steps the spirit it always so strong. We invited him to be baptized and he accepted to be on September 11th! That was a powerful moment! After the lesson I started thinking about what President Reynolds always says "Have The Doctrine of Chirst written in your hearts". If we have it written in our Hearts we will act on any spiritual prompting that we receive without delay. Now the way we apply it in our lives is by continuing to strengthen the faith that we have by the little basic things (scriptures, church, prayer, and service). We then must have "Real time Repentance", where we don't procrastinate, we repent and commit to become better. We then have the sacrament to represent Baptism, so we shouldn't be going through the motions when we partake of it. We have to recommit ourselves for the rest of the week. Then we must always be worthy of the spirit and making sure we act on the promptings that we receive. If we have the Doctrine of Christ written in our hearts there is no way we can fail!

Also I gave two trainings this week! One in District Meeting and the other in Zone conference. It's crazy now that I'm one of the older missionaries I'm getting a lot more opportunities to help other missionaries. This is another witness of Heavenly Father helping me overcome my weaknesses. Of course it was scary getting up in front of everybody with my anxiety, but I can definitely see all the help I receive from Heavenly Father. My topics were "Having the faith to find people to teach" and "Talk with Everyone". It was cool having the opportunity to share my testimony with these other missionaries. But I feel that this was more for me then them. It definitely helped me improve. It was cool because while I was studying for this I had the impression that I needed to invite the other missionaries to study the topic of faith either from the Book of Mormon, preach my gospel, or a general conference talk for 20 minutes each day. So I would like to challenge you all to study faith from the Book of Mormon or a General conference talk. And I can promise you that you'll be able to see an increase of spirit and confidence in your life.

Oh and we had interviews the President Reynolds this week! He is the best. He just has a way about him that makes you feel like the best person ever. He always says the nicest things and he makes you want to change and be better just by being in his presence. After, I hugged him and he is just a cuddly little thing. He's someone that you'll love no matter who you are.

But more work wise it's been sad because Pete, Eve, and Pam haven't been to church in awhile. :/ we met with them all and had great lessons with them but still haven't been at church. Pete ships out to the Army really soon so we're hoping that they can get baptized before he leaves. Keep them in your prays so it happens please!!

Sorry this letter was more about me personally and not about are actual week, but the week was pretty slow so his is what I got. Have a good week all! 


I love you

Elder Jeppson

Jesus Wants to Forgive

Good morning to you all on this beautiful summer day wherever you may be around the world!

This week was kind of a slow compared to past couple weeks but it was still a good one!


So this last week New York has been in what they call a "heat Dome" where it has been between 90 and 100 degrees everyday. But because of the humidity it feels like 115! It's quite unfortunate if you ask me. So within the first 5 minutes we leave our house we are already soaked in sweat! Wow it sucks. The best part about it is we pass the ocean everyday and aren't allowed to go swimming. :') it's a rough life. But it's okay I'm still having fun.

Funny story! So we got a call from Elder Garcia and Parrish Tuesday night but we were in a lesson. So I texted them asking what was up and they said "you know, just Stuck in an elevator". Ha, so we ran to the church and tried our best to open the elevator door but it wasn't even close. So we called a mechanic and an hour later he showed up but we had to go to another lesson. So the mechanic had no way to get into the building. Finally we came back and called the mechanic again and he showed up an hour later! He finally got them out! They were stuck for 2 1/2 hours overall! Haha it was the funniest ever! They made a whole video series and it's so funny. Good times.

This week we saw Pete about 5 times. All 5 times we had really good lessons that applied exactly to what he was going through. He even told us "hey it's like God is talking directly to me". Good job Pete you're getting it. But for some reason he still slept in so he didn't come to church. We even went to knock in his door and he slept right
through it. Oh Pete, he's a silly one. But we did see him Sunday night and he asked when he could get baptized, so we told him he needs to come to church twice in a row. So he promised that he Would come every week until he leaves to the military on September 9th. He's still super solid. But yesterday he invited his friend over and we had a really good discussion with her! She told us that she used to go to church, pray and all that, but for the last two years she hasn't made the best choices. So we asked her if she still prays and she said she doesn't because she feels good wouldn't answer her prays because she is doing bad things. So we testified to her that no matter what we do God loves us and will forgive us. She was still hesitant about it so we showed her the video "Jesus wants to forgive". If you haven't seen it I would strongly recommend it. It's about a guy who was involved in drugs, alcohol, and robberies and long story short he messed up more then once but was still forgiven. It is super cool! So we could tell the video really hit her and she told us she would pray that night and it would be the first time in 2 years! Also she agreed to have the missionaries in her area visit her! Super cool!

Also we met with Pam this week. She has been under the radar the last couple weeks but we finally got her this week! She called us 30 minutes before we went to her house and asked us If there was anything that we wanted her to read before we came. So 2 Nephi 31 came to mind. We got to her house and the first thing she tells us was "God told me I'm ready". I was PUMPED!! She then went on to explain that while she was reading that chapter she had to stop in the middle of it because she was feeling the spirit so strong. She said "this is the first time I've felt like I've gotten an honest answer to my prayers". She told us she was going to start coming to church every week and we set her baptismal date for sept 18th! Wow she is getting it. It was so cool.

So that was our week! Full of Hot days, miracles here and there, a few good byes, and corky Elder Shepherd jokes. Good times! I hope you all have a great week! 


MUCH LOVE

Elder Jeppson

A Lot of Good Things Are Happening

Hello everyone,

I hope all is well with all of you! Let me know what's going on in your lives!


So this was the last week of the transfer! Both Elder Shepherd and I are staying in ParkSlope for another transfer, which I'm excited about! He has really opened up to me these past couple weeks and I've really grown to love the guy! Also I'm glad I'm staying because I have grown such a great love for these people! Especially Pete! Man that kid is like my best friend. I know I still have like a year left but it is going to be hard to leave this place and these people!

Speaking of Pete, we saw him five times this week! The kid gets it! We talked about baptism and repentance this week and everything finally clicked for him. He is really excited to be baptized now! We have to push the baptism back to August 21st because he has been crazy busy with military stuff, but it'll be good so he can be completely ready. He also invited his friend to sit in on the lessons, so she was there 3 of the 5 times. She told us she was starting to get addicted to the Book of Mormon!! That's a pretty good addiction if you ask me! ;)

On Saturday we had a crazy busy day! This lady in our ward needed help setting up for a giant block party in her community, so we gathered some missionaries and went over. We come to find out that all the other volunteers she had coming bailed on her so we pretty much ran the show. We ended up grilling all the food for the party and the sister missionaries did face painting for the kids and were in charge of the inflatable slides and stuff. She also had a drum line show up! It was a group of kids from the ages of 10 to 18 and they were really good! I'll send you a video of them getting turnt up in the hood. 

Later that night we were walking home and this random guy just stopped us saying he needed help. He went on to explain the trials he was going through and said he really needs Gods help in his life. So we pulled out he Book of Mormon and testified of the peace and strength he will get from it. He promised he would read it! After, he told us it was not a coincidence and he knew it was God leading us to him! It's cool when people recognize that!

Also we have this set of project buildings that we go to pretty much everyday, and every time we are walking through them we always have this group of kids come up to us and say "hey what up homies, now Hit the whip". So then I do and all the kids get pumped up but then the teenagers start laughing at me because I look so white when I do it haha. But making kids smile and laugh is what the missions about right? Haha I love little project kids.

Yesterday Consuela and Marianne got confirmed members of the church and also received the gift of the Holy Ghost! Wow that was a special moment. They asked Elder Shepherd and I to confirm them so that was such a great spiritual experience. After, Consuela bore her testimony, telling her conversion story and saying that she knew this was the true church. I got another confirmation by the spirit that I did my job. That's always a good feeling.

So that was my week! A lot of good things are happening right now so I'm really happy right now. Shoot me an email and let me know what's going on! I love you all.



Elder Jeppson

Fourth Times the Charm

Good morning family and friends, I hope life is treating you all well! We had quite a good week ourselves so let's get into it! 

So first of all some of you may know, but we got Facebook back!! We had members from the mission department come drill is about it. So I will not be able to message or comment back sadly, but feel free to tag me in pictures and comment on things! It'll be really good in helping the work move forward in NYC!

Also, the work is going well this week! We picked up a new investigator named Brett this week and he's a 14 year old stud! He really wants to be baptized! So when we went to his house this week his dad let us in and was giving us the dirtiest look! As we were going through out the lesson his dad kept popping in and showing us how opposed he was to our teachings. He said "I don't want my son believing that". So he was super hard hearted. Then we were talking to Brett and  he told me that his dad really likes football! So I turned around in my chair and brought up football with his dad and he went on and on about anything football and he even likes John Elway so we clicked there! So we had a little bonding time and it was cute. He then brought up religion and told us how he wants his kids to be able to know Jesus Christ and live good lives so he told us he wants us to continue working with him and said we can come over whenever we want!! Wow football softens hearts I'll tell you that!! What a miracle that was. I thought for sure he was not going to let Brett get baptized, but wow I was wrong. 

Also this week we were lifting weights and Elder Shepherd was lifting and he did more this week then last week so I said "wow that was really good" then he said in his cute, nasally, nerdy voice  "Don't doubt the Shepherd". Haha I was rolling on the ground!! Maybe you just had to be there, but I thought it was funny. 

Earlier This week Consuela and Marianne got interviewed for baptism! So right before Lorraine's interview I asked if she was ready, and all she said was "Lamb to the slaughter" haha she is such a funny lady! But her and Consuela both passed so that's good! And then finally Sunday came!! Both Marianne and Consuela were super late to Church! We were so worried when they didn't show up. But then they finally came and told us that They had a lot of distractions this morning. Satan really tried to stop them from being baptized, but it DIDN'T work!!! After church They both went to change into their white jumpsuits and Lorraine comes out and says "I'm ready to go to space" (implying she looked like an astronaut) it was so funny and cute! :) But then the service happened and the relief society sisters sang "When I am Baptized" and immediately invited the spirit. Marianne asked me to baptize her so we went first and it took four times haha!! She isn't the smallest lady. So finally I had her kneel down at it worked the fourth time! I felt so bad for her but she was so willing! Then Consuela went and Elder Shepherd got to baptize her! It was so cool to see him experience that on his first transfer! After they got changed They both bore their testimonies and it was so precious! Consuela did great and talked about why she likes this church, then Marianne got up and her testimony got me! She talked about how we found her and how this is the only church that she has felt the spirit at. She then said she felt at peace and clean and at that moment I felt the spirit so strong feeling that Heavenly Father was proud of me and that I found one of those people that my patriarchal blessing said I would. Wow these experiences make all the rejection and hard times worth it. I'm so happy right now! These are definitely special special people! 

So that was our glorious week!! Please email me and let me how everything is with you guys! I love you all!

Elder Jeppson

Kidney Stones are NOT Fun

Good day family and friends,


So it has been a hectic 24 hours for me haha! So I woke up Sunday morning with some random stomach pain but I didn't think anything of it. But as we were at church and working through the day it started do hurt real bad. So we went home and it was like 9 pm and I just tried to go straight to sleep but that didn't work. I tried medicine and everything and nothing worked! So it was so much pain I lowered my pride and I finally called president Reynolds at 2 in the morning and told me what was going down. He told me to go to the emergency room and get things figured out. So we got there at 3 am and they did an ultrasound on me so that was cute. The reason they did the ultrasound was because I guess I was peeing blood. They said there is only blood in your Pee when you have an STD or a kidney stone haha. So we come to see that I peed out this kidney stone around 5:30 a.m. Fun times! We had to walk there so it was pretty scary walking in down town Brooklyn
at 3 a.m!! But all is well and I feel better.

Everything is going great right now! We actually taught the law of chastity 3 times this week and they were all to black old ladies! Haha so that was fun. So Consuela and Marianne will be interviewed this week and will be getting baptized this upcoming Sunday! Pete and Eve are going to be the following Sunday because we don't feel like they are fully ready quite yet! But  things are still going well with them. We have some others on baptismal date for August so we'll see how that goes. So good work is going on here.

We also met a super cool lady named Nina while we were knocking in the projects! It's always fun knocking in project buildings. So much weed and fun things like that. But we talked to her at her door and she let us right in! As we got through the discussion she told us that she never answers the door for strangers, but something kept telling her to let us in. She kept on telling us how happy she was that we came by and says that she wants us to teach her husband as well! She even has a co worker who is Mormon and has talked to her before but she never gave her a Book of Mormon! She was so happy when we gave her a copy! So moral of the story, share the gospel with your friends and don't be afraid to give them a Book of Mormon.
 

So last story has to deal with "The Great Elder Shepherd". We were at a members for lunch yesterday and the member was asking us where we were all from. She asked Elder Shepherd and he said vernal and then she said "oh I went to the vernal temple open house a long time ago". Then he said "oh I wasn't even there yet" (implying that it was a long time ago). And she took it as that he was calling her old and she didn't like that very much. So he reached out and touched her shoulder and said "sorry I didn't mean it that way, I'm just socially awkward". Hahaha it was the funniest thing ever! You just had to be there.

So it was quite the week for me! Kidney stones are not fun, Elder Shepherd is socially awkward, and we have two baptisms next week!! I'm so excited. I'll send pictures next week! Have a great week all! Much love


Elder Jeppson

Giving it Your All

Hello Family and Friends,

I hope all is well wherever you may be! Things are going good here in the Heart of Brooklyn!

So we started of the week with a zone conference given by President Reynolds and the assistants! It was definitely the best zone conference I have been to on my mission!! It was 8 hours long but it didn't feel that long and I enjoyed the whole thing! President Reynolds is such an inspired man! The whole conference was about giving it your all and personal conversion! 

Elder Young (one of the assistants) gave the work shop on giving it your all. He showed a little clip out of the movie  "Facing the Giants". It was the part where the coach has one of the football players bear crawl with another kid on his back and then blind folds him. He tells him he needs to give it his best effort and not give up until he doesn't have anything left. So while in the middle of the crawl he's getting super tired, but the coach keeps yelling at him to keep going and to give it his all. So finally when he runs out of juice he takes of the blind fold expecting to only be at the 50 yard line, but then finds out he made it all the way to the end zone! Super motivational so you should watch it. But it really made me think about if I have been giving it my all, and how at the end of my mission I want to feel like I've given it my all and have nothing left. So that was a great experience for me. Then it was Presidents turn and his whole talk was on personal conversion. He told us that your most important convert out here is yourself. He brought up the scripture D&C 18:15 where it says  "And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!" That one soul is each of us! I liked this conference because they didn't grill us saying we are bad missionaries and that we need to do better, they made it so personal and showed us what personal conversion is. Honestly if i didn't go on this mission I would have know idea what it means to be truly converted to Jesus Christ, but Because of this experience, I'm figuring it out.

The work is going great this week!! Marianne told us she was so thankful to us for stopping and talking to her that day, "because without it, I would still be looking for a church I feel comfortable at" super cool! Consuela is great! She is so ready to be baptized! She literally has no hesitation! See has been to church now 7 weeks in a row! Pete is solid! We had a lesson with him where he was hesitant at first about committing to follow every commandment, but by the end of the lesson he said "you know what, I've already changed my life this much, I might as well go all the way". Dang this kid is my inspiration!

We met with Bridget again (she was the one who has the son that had that crazy conversion experience). But we met with her 3 times this week and really hammered down on the restoration and the Book of Mormon. She finally understands the importance of the restoration and said she would pray to know if he was a prophet. And then yesterday she came to church!! Miracles are happening all over this place.

Interesting experiences:


Oh we also got in a bible bash with a Jehovah Witness! Haha I decided that I would let Elder Shepherd do his first bash on his own. This guy was testing him at first seeing what the Shepherd knew about the bible then out of no where this guy starts roasting Elder Shepherd on the bible. So I felt bad and stepped in a just bore testimony about the Book of Mormon and the guy was super hard hearted so we left haha. Elder Shepherd was so proud of himself though so that's good.

We ran into another dude this week who looked like he was homeless and asked us if he could share a bible scripture with us. So we go on to find out that he sold all his stuff and became homeless because that's what Jesus told us to do. He went on for a little bit telling us that the has become perfect, and then finally he let us talk and Elder Shepherd brought up the Book of Mormon. It was funny because he used some preacher voice and was using words like "thee" and "Nay". It was the cutest little thing. After, we were walking away and he turned over to me and said "That Man was a fool" haha. Good times with new missionaries in Brooklyn.

So that was the week! Pretty good but not as good as July 31st will be! Only two more weeks until they enter the waters of baptism. I love you all, have a good week!

Elder Jeppson

Go to the Temple as Much as You Can

Happy day family and friends,


So it was an interesting week here in Brooklyn!

Like I said last week that I went to the temple! Wow I love the temple so much. It's not easy only being able to go every six months. For those of you that have the opportunity, go as much as you can! You are lucky to live 5 minutes away from the temple. But anyways I just think it's so cool that we have a temple in the middle of a really busy city with people honking their horns all the time and making noise, but then you go into the temple and you can't hear a thing and it's so peaceful. Super cool!

The people are doing great here! We finished up all the lessons with Pete and Eve! Edve had to go out of town for military training for two weeks but when she gets back we are gonna review the baptismal interview questions and they'll be getting baptized! It was cool because we taught all these commandments this last week and they just accepted them with faith and were totally willing to sacrifice whatever It took. Wow they are a great example to me! Also Pete is like our best friend now and hangs out with us on p-days! We play basketball with him every week. He's the man!

We had one day this week where we literally didn't have a break! In the morning we did service for two hours doing yard work, and literally right after we had a lesson with Marianne. She is doing so good right now! She came to church again and we had a lesson on the word of wisdom and she just excepted it like it wasn't a big deal! She said she'd do anything to follow God's commandments! Then immediately after that we had a lesson with Pam! We talked about being baptized by proper priesthood authority and she understands that she needs to be. She said she thinks she'll be ready for July 31st for baptism. And then immediately after Pam we went to Conseula's house! We had the member from Utah, FaceTime into our lesson. We talked about the Celestial Kingdom and the member bore her testimony on having an eternal family! She was tearing up while she did so and the spirit was so strong. Consuela said she wants that for her family! She decided that she'll be ready for the 31st as well! So if everything goes as planned we will have FIVE baptisms on July 31st! Wow I am so excited for that day. It'll be right after church so all the ward members will be there and it's just going to be a great spiritual experience! I feel so blessed that the lord has led me to meet all these amazing people.

One last story! So we met this lady yesterday and her son just got baptized in Florida. She told us his conversion story and it is intense! Her son was in the hospital with heart problems, then while in the hospital he had a heart attack and died! He said he went to a peaceful place and Christ was there and gave him a hug and said "son now is not your time, go back and accept my church and pray about its message." His spirit then came back into his body and he woke up! The doctors had previously determined him dead so they were so shocked when they saw him wake up!! So while we were teaching his mom we just kept on referring back to her son's experience on how this has to be the true church otherwise her son wouldn't have had this experience and accepted this church. She totally agreed and said she would read and pray about the Book of Mormon! She also accepted to be baptized!

Miracles are happening all over his place! So so blessed!!

Super spiritual week for me! No death threats this week or any crazy experience for me, so I guess that's good. Elder Shepherd is doing good. He's finally starting to be "less" awkward in lessons so that's good! Haha. He'll get it soon. Anyways have a great week Fam! I love you all


Elder Jeppson

I've Never Been Happier

Good morning Everyone, and happy late Fourth of July!

I'm writing today because I'm going to the temple today which I'm pretty excited about! But anyways our week was pretty good! Like I told you last week I am training now. My trainees name is Elder Shepherd and he's just a cute little guy. He's and corky, awkward, funny kid from Vernal Utah. He has a thick accent that everybody here likes point out to him constantly. Haha anyways he's picking missionary work up pretty quickly! He's super knowledgable about the gospel and has a lot of fire to work!

So we had some funny experiences this week while we were street contacting. We talked to some really cool black guy that was just jacked out of his mind!! Wow his biceps were huge! But anyways he told us that we were straight Gangstas! But not the dummies running around in the street, but Gangstas for God. Haha it was awesome. 

Then there was another lady I talked to and I offered her a card and then she went on to shout some choice words that aren't so nice and then told me shove the card up my... you know what. I was laughing so hard on the inside! But I said "oh.. Well that kinda hurt", and She then went on to say some other things so I decided I should probably leave and I told her that if there was anything we could do to help her to give us a call. It was a fun experience. :)

Now the people!

So Pete and Eve are doing great! Elder Hunt said bye to them for the last time last Monday and it was super sad! We were all crying and stuff. It made me realize how much I truly love these people! Before I left on my mission my Dad gave me one piece of advice and it was "Just love the people". I've been trying to figure out what that truly meant my whole mission, and this experience was the answer to that question! I really feel like they are family to me! Pete is my brother. He even said that he honestly will fly out to Utah and spend a week with Elder Hunt and I. It was such a special experience. These are times that you look for on a mission. Anyways they are still looking good for baptism this month.

Also Marianne is doing great! She was the one that walked into Church last week and wants to be baptized. So she showed up to church again and stayed all three hours! She said she kept on getting the chills all throughout the meeting because she was feeling the spirit so strong! We then had a lesson with her after church and it went super well. She knows the Book of Mormon is true already! So we pushed her baptismal date up to July 31st instead of August 14th! That's how much she is progressing! Wow I don't know how we got so blessed to come across her.

Consuela and Pam are doing good as well! We didn't get to meet with Consuela this week but she came to church and still wants to be baptized. We gonna push her date back a week so she can be completely ready though! We also had a good lesson with Pam this week. She said she still wants to be baptized but she wants to be completely ready and willing to commit to this for the rest of her life. So she'll come around in the next few months.

In the end we had 5 investigators show up to church on Sunday! It was such a blessing to see them all walk in! The ward did so good with fellowshipping them as well! Bishop has already set home teachers for them so that they can already feel apart of the ward.

I am definitely at the best part of my mission so far!! I've never been happier and it makes me want to work as hard as I can because I only have a year left! I love my mission and the Lord so much. Thank you for all your prays, they have definitely gotten me to the point I am today! Have a great week all

Oh one last thing! Yesterday we were playing a little bit of basketball and I was guarding this really good black kid and he ended up full on dunking on me and I took a tumble. Haha it was embarrassing but pretty cool that I'm getting balled up in Brooklyn. I'll send you a video of him dunking!

With love and care,

Elder Jeppson