March 3, 2014 - Viera 1st Ward

Hey Family!

How are all of you this week!? I hope good!

Well this week has been a really good one!  The members were so nice first of all and did so many things for me for my birthday.  Sister Duff made me a strawberry pie (my favorite!!) and got me a few of my favorite snacks as well. Sister Clark (The YW Pres.) Left cute little hearts and notes all over our door with some flowers and Sister Grover (bishops wife) made me a strawberry short cake and the elders got Sis. K and I balloons and chocolate covered strawberries! Wow Right!? Everyone has been way to nice, I really appreciate them all so much! And thank you all SO much for the fun birthday package you sent me! It was all so cute and really brightened my day up!:) It was the perfect way to start the week!

We also got to help out the young women this week and that was way fun! They were filming a video for their New Beginnings program and they themed it around the Olympics.  The skit was that they were the US Womens' Hockey Team and that they were all lazy and out of shape and not ready for the game, so we (SIster Kreiberg and I) were their trainers and we came in and whipped them all into shape! We had them doing exercises while they would read the scriptures and Ensign, we also had them do things like jumping jack and marching while they recited the young womens theme, you know to help them get into spiritual shape too! It was all a lot of fun! At the end of the skit they all gathered together and wore these cute shirts that they made with the Olympic rings on theme, except it was all the young value colors and it said Viera 1st Ward on it (way cute) and then it showed us talking about their training and the team captain talked about the training they got from us, it was way fun, and the motto of it all was come unto Christ in everyway and go for the gold! (Meaning the young women medallion).  They were all so cute and we all had a good time! While we were there a Sister in our ward (Sister Ragozzine) was telling us of a cute thing that happened the other day with her girls. Apparently Sister Kreiberg and I were on our bikes going somewhere and they happened to drive by and see us and her little girls got all excited and said where do you think they are going! And Sister Ragozzine said I am not sure! And then the cutest thing, the two little girls like 4 and 7 were talking to each other and the little one said to the bigger one do they always ride bikes? And the bigger one Chole said well you see... Sometime they ride their bikes.. And sometimes they walk too, and sometimes they even drive a car... And I'm pretty sure they can fly.... Hahaha isn't that so cute!!!! Sister Ragozzine said she just started laughing because of the way she said it all. Ah man those little girls are cute, Chole is the same little girl that always hugs me at church and tells me I smell like strawberries. They are so awesome!

Nathan our investigator is doing very well too. He came to church for the first time yesterday and loved it!!! It was so funny, we always show him Mormon Messages and clips of the Prophet and apostles and so Nathan in his mind thinks that the conference center is what church is going to be like, in a huge place with a big pulpit and the prophet and apostles speaking to you or as Nathan calls them the "really hard core Mormons" haha But when he got to church he saw that everyone was normal and he goes, where are all the hard core people from the iPad? And I explained to him that they are in Salt Lake and that the people here are people that live right here in the community and etc. He then was very surprised that so many people came up to him and introduced themselves, Nathan really liked that the people were very friendly.  Brother Pierce in the ward even invited him for dinner that same evening and Nathan thought that was very nice too. He enjoyed testimony meeting and for the testimonies he liked he would give the people a thumbs up from his seat haha it was so funny, he also sang all the songs with a big smile on his face. It went a lot better and more "normal" than I think he had thought. Sister Kreiberg and I were relieved at this because Nathan is a tad anti social and he seemed to really like meeting so many new people, he especially thought it was cool that the bishop would talk to him. We explained that the bishop is a very friendly man and that he loves to talk to everyone!  Nathan also read quotes and commented in all of his classes.  President Estes told us that he stood up in High Priests and talked about how he was meeting with the sisters and preparing to be baptized and how we have really worked on him and in a good way. President Estes also said that Nathan had mentioned that I had come over to teach him on my birthday, but didn't tell him it was my birthday because I was just happy to see him and that it was the best birthday present I could have asked for because I was excited he was back in town.  That was very nice of him. When he had found out it was my birthday days after he kept asking me why I would spend it teaching him lessons, and I told him it was because this gospel is so important and that he is very important to me and that being able to teach him was the best gift I could have gotten! Which is true, Nathan is one of my favorite people and it was a joy to be with him.

He is doing very well and it is so great to see how excited the members are about him too. Every week we talk about the people we teach in Ward Council, but it doesn't really seem real until our investigators come to church. When everyone got to meet Nathan they got to see how amazing he is and how much he has grown closer to the Savior. Being able to teach Nathan has taught me many things. When we first started teaching him at the beginning of every lesson without fail he would say "I don't want to do this anymore, church is not for me and I am not even sure if God exists" But every time we taught him the spirit was so strong that he would ask when are you coming back and what should I read from the Book of Mormon to prepare for our next lesson.  He did that for about 3 weeks straight and Sister Kreiberg and I weren't sure if he was going to go anywhere.  But slowly the spirit has been working on him, he now reads from the Book of Mormon and prays every day. And when we come over he is always excited to tell us that he completed his "homework" he also likes to bear his testimony to us but in a "secret way" he likes to tell us that the spirit is working on him and that he now is learning more that ever that he has a Father in Heaven.  It is so incredible to see the changes that he has made. He still likes to mess with Sister Kreiberg and I all the time, and I am still the hammer... But it is such a joy to be able to teach him. I am so grateful that Heaven Father trusts us to teach his children, it is teaching me so much, words cannot explain!  Seeing others come unto Jesus Christ is the best feeling in the world, knowing that others can partake of the same blessings that you receive and have more happiness in their lives is the best! I love it!

Well I love all of you!!!

Sister Jamison

February 24, 2014 - ten months today!

Hey Family what's up!

                  I hope you all are having a great week! Sister Kreiberg and I sure had a wonderful week! So many miracles! To start this last week we were able to go to the temple as a zone and can I tell you it was wonderful!!!! I have missed going to the temple so so much and it was just what I needed! Being able to go has made me realize how bad i have missed it! And how important it is to go all the time! When I get home I want to go everyday! Haha So you should all go as much as you can! You are so lucky you can go whenever! I cannot and its torture! We also had a great zone conference this week as well. President Berry gave us all some very great advice and it was all exactly what I needed to hear! And I am even more excited because tomorrow is the start of a new transfer and Sister Kreiberg and I are staying together! Wohoo!!!! We are a celestial companionship!

                    We also had a really good lesson with Nathan on Tuesday right before he left for his vacation this week.  He is doing really well. When we were there he was saying how he feels like he might as well get on the bus and that this would be good for him. ( The bus- meaning the gospel) We had a super spiritual lesson with him and talked about how the spirit communicates with us and he really loved it. He is kind of a hard head sometimes, but he is getting there. When we walked in it was so cute, Nathan before we could even sit down or say anything looks at me and says, "hey ask me if I read what you told me to, go ahead ask me" and I said "Nathan did you read the Book of Mormon?" and before I could even finish he says "yes I did, all of it!" and then he said " ask me if I prayed.." and I said Nathan did you pray?" And again before I could even finish he says " Yup every day.." He was so excited to tell us about it, haha then we sat down and he said i knew the hammer was going to ask me and show me a picture of Jesus if I didn't do it and I didn't want to feel bad so I did it. ( I showed him a picture of Jesus anyways...) He laughed a little bit and pointed and said see there she goes again! Sister Kreiberg and I usually pull up a picture of Jesus on our iPads and hold it in front of our faces. Haha it always gets Nathan, but we do it because we were teaching him in one lesson that everything we ask him to do comes from Jesus Christ and not us, and now every time he sees a picture he does what he should. Haha its kind of like a kid but thats ok!  

                          We also had a really great lesson with Debi and Emily Duschl yesterday.  We taught them the Plan of Salvation and really emphasized families.  They both loved the lesson and want so badly for the dad and son to get involved. Even though it is harder for the other too they are very supportive and will sit in on lessons when we come over, and that is soo nice! They are such a great family and so ready for the gospel!  

                  Well Sister Kreiberg and I have been biking again all week, we have the worst luck in the world with transportation! On Tuesday we had to get the car towed in the morning because the whole electrical system crashed.  Then later that day while we were in a lesson my bike got ran over, the kick stand broke off and plastic pieces that protect the chain, and the chain came off which isn't too big a deal and my helmet got all smashed up. So as you can imagine we ended up walking for the rest of the day. Not gonna lie I was pretty worried that somehow during the day my legs would break and every form of transportation I had was going to be gone. But lucky that didn't happen! But my bike is fixed now so we are all good! The car is still in the shop and who knows when we will ever get that back! Oh well!

My companion is typing next to me and she types so fast you could swear her fingers were going to fall off her hands..... crazy... by the time I write one email she has finished about 5. I don't know how she does it.... And they are longer than mine too haha.

                   Guess what, today is my 10 month mark, so crazy, I can't believe I am on the down hill from here! I will see you all before you know it! And I can't believe I am 21 tomorrow...... Wow that is weird I still feel like a kid! Honestly the only thing I am excited about for that is the fact that my driving record will be cleared... phew.... hahaha

                 Well that's all for now family! I love you all so much! See you soon! talk to you in 3 months!

Sister Jamison

February 17, 2014

Dear Family,

How are you all this week? I hope doing very well!

This week has been a good one for Sister Kreiberg and I. We have seen

many miracles and I felt that I have learned many things. We have been

able to have a few good lessons with one of our investigators Nathan.

He still is in the same pattern that he has always been, we go over

and he tells us he doesn't think he's ready to change his life and to

live the Gospel. But as we teach the spirit Is always very strong and

by the end of the lesson you can tell he thinks about the things we

teach the spirit has touched his heart. Yesterday we had a lesson with

him and we thought he was going to drop us, but we helped him to

realize that the gospel is so important to each one of us. That it is

the only way we can return to live with our Heavenly Father, And that

as he reads from the book of Mormon and prays he will know his answer,

and that he will know the truthfulness of the restored gospel that we

have been teaching him. Nathan has been struggling to keep his

commitments to read from the Scriptures and pray. We taught him the

importance of how to feel the spirit and receive an answer by keeping

commitments. I think he understands now that the Book of Mormon is the

literal evidence of everything that we teach, of the truthfulness of

the Gospel and the plan that our Heavenly Father has for each one of

us. We recommitted him to read from the scriptures and pray this week,

even while he is on his vacation. We will see how that goes for him.

This week we have also been able to contact Lynda again. She was out

of town for about a week and a half and we weren't able to get a hold

of her.  Tonight we will go over and teacher the Plan of Salvation.

She is very ready to receive the gospel. It is just a matter of

helping her understand that coming closer to Heavenly Father and

living the Gospel is how she is going to receive the lasting peace and

happiness that she seeks. And that she can be with her husband

eternally. We also had a miracle this week with the Duschl family that

we are teaching. They have been very busy with their different

schedules this week. And we have only been able to talk to them on the

phone once. We invited them to come to church unsure if they would be

able to attend seeing as they had family coming into town. But

yesterday Debi Duschl and her son Alex came to sacrament meeting. It

was very good, it talked a lot about families and Debi and her son

really enjoyed it. It is amazing how the Lord has blessed us with

these miracles. We've been praying very specifically and very hard

that he will bless the lives of our investigators so that they will be

able to progress in the Gospel. It has also helped me to realize that as

a missionary I really don't do that much, I simply do as I'm told to

teach the people in the area that I serve and to pray for them day and

night. But really the miracles in the progress of each individual that

we teach comes because of the Lord. Sometimes it is so frustrating to

be able to see that as a missionary you only really do so little. All

you were asked is to be obedient and to use the atonement to carry you

through this work. And if you can't do that then the work does not go

forward.  Missionaries do so little when it comes to the progress of

others, but yet their obedience plays a huge role in the progress of

the people that are being taught. Every day I try to become better, I

can see exactly what it is that I need to do in order to use the

atonement more in my life. Sometimes it becomes overwhelming because I also realize that getting better doesn't ever end. There's always

something that we can do better. I think that is my favorite thing

about the gospel. Is that we can always progress no matter what, the

atonement has made it possible for us to be better than we were

before. I am so glad for the people that I've been able to teach him

to help I have been on my mission this short time. I have been able to

see peoples loves change because of the gospel and it is the most

rewarding feeling that I have ever felt, something that I don't think

I will ever be able to explain. But I can see that my mission has

helped me more than any other person that I've been able to meet.

Sometimes it doesn't seem fair because you we are here to serve

others. But the wonderful thing about forgetting about yourself to

serve others and help them be converted to the Gospel, is that you

become more converted to the Gospel than ever before. I can see the

Lord bless their lives, and I can see how he has blessed my life being

here. Every experience I've had is something that I have realized that

I needed, and I am so grateful! I can see though that I am not done

yet, I have not become as converted as I know that I can be, and for

that I am so grateful that I still have eight months to work at it. I

love you all and I hope that you are doing all you can to come closer

to the Lord each and every day. I know that it can bless your life

more than you could ever hope for. The gospel is the most wonderful

gift that we have ever been given. It is the perfect tool for us to

return to live with our Father in Heaven. We are so lucky. I will talk

to you all soon.

Sister Jamison

February 10, 2014

Hey family,

How are you this week! I hope really well! Sister Kreiberg and I've

had a pretty good week.

We were able to have a few lessons with Nathan and the Snavely family,

and they all went really well. Nathan tells us that he's not sure that

he can get back into religion and during our lessons we are always

afraid that we might lose him, but by the end the spirit is very strong

and he always asks when we are coming back. He also likes to joke with

me and call me the hammer because I always know what to say and confuse him I guess.  I like to think of it as I ask questions that make him

think hard. Even though he is a little skeptical he always keeps his

commitments, which is really great. We also had a really great lesson

with Emily and her family this week. We have been trying to contact

them for a while and it's been a little hard, but the Clark family

Emily's friend, had offered for us to come over and have dinner with

all of them and Emily's family so that we can meet them and teach them

a lesson. Emily's mother is more religious like she is and was really

into the things that we were teaching.  Also as we introduce the book of

Mormon she got excited and said that she would read it. Emily's father

and brother however are less religious but the lesson was so good and

the spirit was so strong that Emily's father asked most of the

questions. He wanted to know where the book of Mormon came from and

what is the evidence that Joseph Smith is a prophet. We were able to

explain all of these things to him and the spirit was very strong in

the lesson. It was so nice to have it in the Clark's home, having the

members there makes the lessons more powerful and more comfortable for those we are teaching. We are very grateful for the testimonies that

the Clark family was able to share. Hopefully this week we will be

able to see Emily's family again and follow up on how the book of Mormon

reading has been going. Sister Clark is so excited about all of it

that she called us this morning and asked what it was she could do to

contact them through the week invite them to church and have them in

her home again. It’s so great to see the members get involved in

these types of things. Their desire to do missionary work grows and it

makes our job so much easier. The people we teach trust us more and

they are more willing to have us over more often when they have

friends that are members as well. Sister Clark also told us this

morning that Emily had said last week that she was walking through the

house and she walked past her brothers room Alex and he was at the

foot of his bed praying. For Alex this is a huge since he just got out

of rehab and he is not too religious himself. The family is going thru

some major changes and you can see them slowly turning to their father

in heaven for help. During the lesson Alex and the father seem to

listen very intently which was very exciting for all of us. We know

that if we can get the father on board and start praying about the

book of Mormon the son will as well. And that the conversion for

this family will go so much smoother. It is always nice when families

take the steps together. Also this week we have been having troubles

with our car. As we drive the brakes go on and it makes it very

dangerous. We took the car into the shop to get it looked at, and they said

that the sensor is broken. On Friday after it was fixed as we drove

the brakes locked themselves again. We called the mission office and

have been telling them about it and they keep telling us to get it

fixed. This week hopefully Sister Kreiberg and I will be able to go

do some service for an investigator of ours. I am not sure what we will

be doing but it should be fun we will be at her work. Well I love all

of you and I will talk to you next week.

Sister Jamison