Nov 28, 2011

Well Thanksgiving was an experience I will never forget. We had 4 dinners in a period of 7 hours, the most time we had between a dinner apt was 1.5 hours. We had an amazing dinner/ lunch with Hermana Larson, who sent you the picture, and of course I am minding my manners mom. In the prayer for the food she started crying as she thanked us for being here and for making the sacrifice of being away from our families. She made a really good turkey, yams with brown sugar and oatmeal on top and a wonderful pecan pie. We even had honey butter from the Lion House, I would highly recommend it. Right before that we had a small lunch at Jacky Pauta's with her and her son Sergio and her friend that used to serve in the dreaded Salt Lake City North Mission. He was from Colombia but like a really small city in Colombia and man did he speak some strange Spanish. After he left I told Elder Bolivar that I had a hard time understanding what he was saying. Elder Bolivar told me that was understandable because he was speaking a ghetto version of Spanish that sounded kind of gangsterish. We also had dinner at the Hernandez families house and finished off at Wilfredo Ruiz's house, so we ate food from Ecuador, USA, Mexico and Venezuela what a trip around the world on a plate.

So transfers are coming up and well President called me and already told me what he intends to do. He called and said that he intends to move Elder Bolivar and I to a different district, which would break up our Spanish district and keep Elder Bolivar and I together another transfer so looks like Elder Bolivar and I are spending Christmas together. I am excited to stay together another transfer but that will make 5 transfers in this one area which is a lot. I served in West Jordan for 5 transfers and now 5 here. Now I can start making a list of the families I want to visit for Christmas. I was thinking if I have time I would like to visit the Lindemans.

After being filled with food all day Saturday, I found myself Sunday with out the slightest desire to eat. Saturday Elder Bolivar and I returned to the house at 9pm after a looong day. We were hungry so we ordered some pizza and right after I ordered it I was hit was a bad stomach ache and I knew I was in for a long night. I only was able to eat one slice of pizza, what a rip off. At 12 o'clock that night it hit me full force and I found myself in the bathroom for the next 4 hours with either a case of the stomach flu or I had eaten something that was stomach didn't like. The morning before I had weighed myself at 174lbs and on Sunday morning the scale read 166lbs. I had the wonderful experience of staying in all day (a missionaries worst nightmare). Lol all I ask is no more crackers! Crackers were the only thing my stomach could keep down all day. That night I received a phone call from a number I didn't recognize. I answered it and said hello, the woman on the other side said "Mi querido hijo como esta?" I was like what??? My mom doesn't speak Spanish and why would she be calling me. I asked who it was and she said "your mother". Lol I then understood, Hermana Espinoza (my mission mom) was calling. She said she was making me some jello and some other stuff to help me feel better. You can always count on Hermana Espinoza.

Last Sunday we went to a lesson with Hector and his family who we have been teaching. We were going to talk about going to church but before we started the lesson we were asking him some questions and he opened up and told us straight up that he had a bad experience at another church and was not going to go to any church for a long time. He told us that we could continue to stop by and teach but that he would not go to church anytime soon. In that moment we did something we had not planned to do... we dropped him. We told him that stopping by would not be a good use of our time or his if he was not going to progress. I bore testimony of the things we had taught him and told him they would bless his life. I told him if he ever needed anything to call us and that we would always be around when he decided it was time. As we left out the door he shook my hand and told me that I was a good guy and his house was always open to me if I ever needed anything. Walking out into the night it just felt so good. As I had born testimony to this man I could feel the words as they came out of my mouth. I loved Hector and as I focused on that love that I had for him and the love the Lord has for him the Spirit was able to direct my testimony and my words so they would touch his heart. That is what it is all about, teaching people not lessons. As we focus on teaching the person, teaching to their needs and not just teaching lessons or doctrine the Spirit will guide, the Spirit will teach, the Spirit will reveal to us the needs of those with whom we have stewardship. The Spirit can make even the simplest of doctrine penetrate the soul of the person as it eliminates the unnecessary information and creates a lesson that is exactly what the persons heart is longing to hear. Hector may not be ready now but the seed has been planted. I hope you all have a wonderful week and you plant the seeds where ever you may be.

Love,

Elder Jolly

Nov 21, 2011

Hello,

Well this past week was pretty good except I am really tired. We had exchanges monday night through tuesday night so I was serving in Western Hills with Elder Murillo for the day. It was definitely my favorite exchange because well we had a car and I got to drive. It was my first time driving in nearly 10 months and man did it feel good. Along with that we were able to teach five lessons that day.

Last sunday I had to give a talk and well I decided not to write it out word for word like I usually do. I had a short story written out but the rest I just said occasionally looking at my notes. It felt really good! I was pretty nervous before I got up to speak, so I said a prayer and just asked that the words I needed to say would come to my mind. As I got up to speak the nerves went away and it just flowed. Afterwards the Gospel Prinicples teacher Sister Batty from the Dominican Republic came up to me and congratulated me. She said sometimes she would get in trouble when she would speak while on her mission because she would be so bold that she would offend people. She said I was pretty bold, I hope I didnt offend anybody but if I did well there is something they need to change.

Tuesday I got an amazing call from the Elders serving in my old area. Nicolas and his wife Augustina were getting baptized the next day. Elder Hernandez and I found Nicolas and his wife like a week before christmas last year. I taught him over the 8 months I was in West Jordan but his wife was never interested. She would listen to us teach him while she cooked but she never would come sit down. Eventually we sent over the senior couple that teach english and Augustina slowly began to take the english classes and pray. She began to read the Book of Mormon. From that point she began to progress. At the baptism I was afraid Nicolas wouldn't remember me but when I saw him he recognized me immediately and said Hermano Jolly. He skipped my handshake and went for a big hug.

We had dinner with Jose Hernandez and his family for his birthday. They thanked us for teaching him and helping him prepare himself for baptism. He told us that what made the difference between us and the countless missionaries that had taught him before is that he said we brought a lot stronger spirit and he knew when we taught him what we said was true. They had us sign a journal for him with our address so they can write us and invite us to the sealing in a year, Elder Bolivar will still be in the mission but I will sadly have already finished. It is amazing to see the joy that these people have as the make the decision to get baptized. You can see it in their countanace and in their eyes. It is an amazing experience and I am looking forward to continuing to disfrutar in the experience. The Spirit really does guide this work.

Love,

Elder Jolly

Nov 14, 2011

This past week was really good, other than the fact that it is freezing cold and the space heater does litttle to keep us warm. We have finally started to see a little success from our finding efforts. A week ago we had a dinner apt with the Chavez family but we arrived a little early so we decided to tract a few houses. We began walking down the street looking for signs of a hispanic house. We walked down a culdesack and for some reason out of all the houses on the one street and in this circle we only knocked this one door. A lady opened the door and we began to talk. She told us of how she had never talked with the missionaries before and how she wasnt really interested. We set up an apt with her on the basis that all she had to do was listen. Friday the day of the apt came and at 6 we knocked her door. A man opened and told us Christina was not there but another lady said "let them in it is cold outside" so we entered the house and they called Christina to see when she would be arriving home from work. We had about an hour to wait until she would be home, so we began talking to the family that lived there and Christina's kids. They made us some food to eat and when the mom walked in she saw us eating dinner with the kids all laughing and having a good time (I think we earned some brownie points from her). Then we all sat down together and began the lesson. There was Christina (about 28), her son (9) her daughter (4) her sister (13) and her parents (no need to include age). We had a great lesson in which they were all involved asking question and feeling the spirit. After she told us that she would like us to come back because she likes how what we shared can help her kids. I still dont know why we knocked that door and only that door but the lord has a purpose for everything.

Second miracle, happened saturday night after a crazy long day of work and no success. It was about 7 pm and we were knocking the door of several former inv when for some reason I decided to go knock a house that we had found a few days earlier where a hispanic family was living. As we walked Elder Bolivar asked where I was going so I explained to him that we were going to knock this door again. He agreed and off we went. We knocked the door and a man about 40 years old opened the door. I shared a little message with him and asked if we could teach him more. He invited us in and asked us to share more. We talked with him for about 15 minutes about the Book of Mormon and its purpose in testifying of Christ and the restored gospel. At the end he sat there quiet and then told us how he had been waiting for us to come by. He told us of he past struggles and how God had helped him fix his life and that he decided that he needed to be baptized in this church because of it and he was just waiting for us to come find him. The experience really increased my testimony of how God really is preparing the hearts and minds of the people to recieve the message we just need to put in the effort to find them. God is always working in our lives preparing us for bigger and greater things. Sometimes the way in which he prepares us is not how we would like but we cannot see with the infinite vision that God has. We have to have the faith that everything will be ok and that it is all for our benefit.

Love,

Elder Jolly (falling asleep at the computer)

Nov 7,2011

Well this week was pretty decent. I have had better but I have had worse. Elder Bolivar and I are really struggling to find so we have been implimenting our new finding idea. For those who haven't heard of this idea, Elder Bolivar's dad sent it to us and wow it has resulted in some powerfull lessons. We set up lessons with the leaders of the ward and went over to teach their family. We taught a lesson all about missionary work, using inspiried questions and asking them to tell us of their conversion story. Most hispanics here are first generation members so their conversion story is something very close to them. As they would share their conversion story it would invite a beautifull spirit into the lesson. We then would read the parabole of the lost sheep with them and talk about how we need to find the lost sheep. After we would get on our knees and Elder Bolivar or I would offer a prayer pleading that the Lord would place in their mind the name of someone ready to accept the gospel, we would pause for a little bit to give the spirit time to inspire them, meanwhile Elder Bolivar and I would silently continue praying. After the prayer we would get up and ask them what names each person felt and we would make a plan for each person on how to introduce them to the gospel and us. We had an extremely powerfull lesson with the bishop's family in which after the prayer his wife was crying, she told us a name came to her mind that she would have never thought would accept the gospel... it was her brother. We left that lesson and were overcome at the power of the spirit that was felt.

We had a Halloween fireside as a mission in which Stephen B. Allen a area seventy and the director of missionary work came and talked to us about missionary work. Wow he nailed hard on how our mission will determine who we are. If we dont work hard on our mission we wont work hard in life, if we are slacker missionaries we will be slacker members of the church. The thing he said that impacted me the most is that he said "You only have 2 years to do the this work and an eternity to reflect on it". It was a powerfull talk and we all left spiritually uplifted. It is true this work is the most important work in the church, bring imortality and eternal life to God's children. I know this work is true and that we may not see the fruits right away but for those who accept this gospel it will make all the difference for them and their future generations.

Love,

Elder Jolly

Oct 31,2011

This past week was good. It has finally started to cool down so it is easier to work hard and not die from sweating. Although our landlord keeps the temperature set at a nice 60 degrees and so well we freeze during studies. I know this may sound weird but I am super cold when I sleep so I sleep with my beanie on. I got your package and loved it, we have already eaten all the snickers and a tuna helper. Two weeks ago Elder Bednard spoke at our regional conference about the difference between conversion and testimony. He told us that a testimony is not good enough to get us through the challenges the world throws at us, only a deep conversion can help us weather the storms.

We had a baptism on saturday for Jose Hernandez ( husband of hna. Moreno) and it was awesome. He had met with more than 10 sets of missionaries before but when Elder Bolivar recited the first vision he just said "wow I felt that and I know you know it is true" of course in spanish. His wife was so happy that he finally got baptized and they are making plans to go to the temple in a year, hopefully everything works out.

So when I went back for the baptism of Rubi and Alejandro I got to see all the old ward members which was awesome. They all came up and asked how I was doing and what was new. Fred Mendez (former Jehovah's Witness) was at the baptism and he told me some great news. When I had left he told me he was definitely not looking to get married but I told him that you never know what God has planned for you. Well Fred is engaged now to a lady from the old ward. They are planning on getting sealed in the temple in April of next year and Fred wants me to go. Also, I saw the Burquez family oooh man I miss Hna. Burquez's cooking. Anyway, ran up to me and grabbed my arm and said Elder Jolly, I have a surprise for you, we have our interview this week to get prepared to go get sealed in the temple as a family. She told me the moment they know the date she is going to call me so I can attend. It was awesome to see that everything is still going good back in the River 9th Spanish Branch and people still remember me... sweet! Anyway sorry this email is not to spiritual lol I promise to do better next time, we just have a lot going on today and not much time to write. Hope you got my letter mom!

Love,

Elder Jolly

October 24, 2011

So this past week was good although I think I am getting sick. My throat is killing me and I have had a killer headache for a few days.

Jose still seems good to go for his baptism this saturday. He just loves to talk and joke around so it makes the lessons super long sometimes. The otherday we taught a lesson on the Word of Wisdom that took an hour and a half because he had a ton of comments and questions. He is way awesome though and he loves it when we come over to teach.

Lucero is another one of our investigators who we have started teaching recently. She seemed pretty interested but she has a ton of doubts. Leaving her house after teaching a doctrinaly and spiritually sound lesson we pondered on how she can have so many doubts and how people can be so confused about who God is. She told us she doesn't believe that God is a man, she believes God is love and God is peace but he doesn't literally exist. She believes God created our spirits, I was so confused. How can God not really exist and still create us. How can God just be love and peace and still know us personally. I know God is a man, and I know that understanding His nature and who He is is key to understanding who we are and our purpose.

This past week we were finally able to meet with Lizeth. Our senior couple has been a huge help lately with Lizeth and Erik. Erik is always out of town working and he takes the only phone and car they have so it makes communication almost impossible with Lizeth. The Crawfords (senior couple) went over to their house this past week and took Lizeth and her kids out to dinner and then brought them to the church so Lizeth could go to the english class. Afterwards we taught her and the Crawfords watched her kids. It was a huge help and she is still crazy excited about getting baptized, they just need to find a time when Erik is in town so they can get married.

The baptism for Rubi and Alejndro was awesome! It was a spiritually over powering baptism in which tears were shed. The room was full with people standing everywhere and also a ton of missionaries were there. Having been taught for two years several (to say the least) missionaries have been involved in the teaching process. After two years of finally waiting they were able to be baptized. As I pulled Rubi up from out of the water she just looked at me with tears in her eyes and said "Gracias, gracias". It was an awesome experience that I will never forget.
I feel that people who have never really done an investigation of the church and it teachings are left in the dark. They do not understand what they are missing out on. They do not understand the blessings they are foregoing. It's all true, it really is, and people who dont believe in this work have never sincerely read and prayed about the Book of Mormon either that or they have denied the spirtual confirmtion they have recieved. It may be a bold statement to make that this is the only true church on the face of the earth but it is a statement I feel confident making for I have recieved a witness of it truthfulness.

Love, Elder Jolly

October 17,2011

Well this week was a good week. We taught quite a few lessons and extended a few baptismal dates. Jose Moreno was handed back to us from the Zone Leaders and he is solid for baptism. We gave him a date for Nov. 5th and then when we stopped by sunday to remind him of church he asked if he could be baptized earlier so he now has a date for October 29th. We taught Jose Sagabadra for the first time this past friday. He just randomly showed up at church last sunday so we went up to him and were like heyy.... baptism.... well something along those lines. At the end of the lesson on friday he accepted baptism for the 6th of nov and he showed up for church sunday so things with him are going well.

I really learned the blessings of service this week. The sister missionaries Sister Chatter and Sister Hurst invited Elder Bolivar and I to lunch on thursday so we went. Sister Hurst went to go pay but her missionary credit card wouldnt read so I went up and slid my card and paid. Later that day 2 different cars drove up and gave us $20 each, blessings..... We are teaching this man Wilfredo who has been meeting with missionaries and going to church for more than 10 years and finally I just asked him why he wont get baptized to which his response surprised me. He is married to a member who is sealed in the temple to someone who has since passed away, and he asked why can men be sealed more than once but women no. It was a very deep doctrine question, but really comes down to the simplest answer. Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge. Sometimes we dont understand the why but we have to settle for the answer of "It is something we cannot answer but is the church true?". He even sat down with M. Russell Ballard before and asked him, he didnt have time to answer fully but he said he would call him later. Regretfully Wilfredo lost his phone since then and got a new number so he never got the full answer.

    BTW mom, we recently went by and visited the Espinoza family and I was told to tell you that I have been adopted as their white son and they are my brown family. Lol still love you mom.