Monday, March 26, 2012

March 26, 2012

I wanted to add some of my thoughts this week.  Izach didn't mention in the message he sent me for the blog that he currently has a very difficult missionary.  The kind of missionary that no one wants to be companions with and is on the verge of being sent home.  I am so impressed with Izach and how he is dealing with the situation.  He is bold in telling this missionary that we will obey the rules and we will work hard.  He is working hard, and certainly sounds like succeeding, to understand this missionaries heart.  He is focusing on finding and helping this missionary to see his strengths.   This missionary is very resistant to change telling Izach that even the army couldn't change him.  Izach responded with I am not going to change you just going to help you succeed - me and Heavenly Father.   Izach has always had such a compassionate heart, such a deep understanding of people and it is so wonderful to me to see him finding and using those strengths again. Love it!!

March 26, 2012

As for the mission, last week was a great week we did A LOT last week!  The Fayette Elders came down for exchanges and me and Elder Beattie went to Greeley to teach the Tibbotts. The lesson went ok but we hadn't been there in a while so they had a lot of time to forgo what we had taught them.  They had a good question about baptisms for the dead they thought we were just baptizing them and taking away their agency.  I felt like we answered it really well but they wanted more so we told them we would find more answers for next time. Of coarse they said they wanted us to come back!   On Friday the zone leaders came down for a surprise exchange.  Me and Elder Roberts went out and walked around Manchester all day but before we left the house Elder Roberts asked me how many potential investigators we were going to find that day.  I kinda stopped and thought about it and said 2, I think we can find 2 P.I. today.  So we said a prayer before we left and then went on our way.   We were walking and we would see people and try and talk but most of them didn't want to talk but we were able to leave them with a mormon.org card, so that was good.  Then we were walking up a road and we saw a lady walking her dog across the street so of coarse being friendly I said "nice day for a walk isn't it" she said "yes it sure is" then asked us what we were doing. =) YES!   Then we walked across the street and began to talk to her about who we were and what we were doing.  She had questions already!   We asked if we could have her info and if we could set up for a day that we could come by and teach her.  She said "well I'll be home later today how about then."  We said "awesome, we'll swing by later!"  Then we parted ways and began to walk back to the house for lunch.  We were walking past one of the bars and there were 2 guys standing out front so we said "Hi, how are you today" one of them looked at us and then went back inside.  The other turned out to be the manager of the bar and stayed out and talked with us for a while.  He said that he wasn't happy with his job and that he was going to start looking for another one.  We asked if he had ever talked to missionaries before and he said he had them knock on his door but never listened to them.  We asked if he would be interested now and he said sure, so we got his info and he said to come by during the week! =) AWESOME!!!   We went back to the house and ate lunch and then started to walk towards the ladies house that we talked to earlier.  As we were walking a girl came out of her house and we asked if we could give her a card.  She said sure and we asked if she had ever talked to missionaries before.  She said no, so we asked if she would be interested and she said yes, she had actually recently decided that she needed some change in her life and wanted to get closer with God! =) SWEET!  She said to come by during the week.  We started to walk to the ladies house again, of coarse we were filled with excitement for how the day was going.  We walked past this house with a ramp going into a pile of woodchips we laughed about that and Elder Roberts said lets go knock on the door.  We did, a lady answered and looked at us and said look fellas I really don't have time right now,  I'm getting ready for work. We asked if there was a better time to come back and she said any day before noon.  She then said I would really like it if you came back though.   We said oh don't worry we will! =)   We then walked to the ladies house taught her the restoration, invited her to baptism and to church and to read and pray about the book of Mormon.  She accepted all of them and asked if we would come back.   We said absolutely!  Sadly she wasn't at church on  Sunday but that's ok.  We will go back and talk to her this week, things come up sometimes.  AWESOME week!!!!!!! and to top it all off I got to baptize my investigator Paul on Saturday!  SOOO COOL !! Funny story about it though.  We have a little baptismal font so it was a tight squeeze but we got in there and I  said the words perfectly and pushed him under.  As I was bringing him back up I feel this jolt and heard a BANG.  I smacked his head on the hand rail as I was bringing him up! =S Ha.  It was ok though, he said it didn't hurt, just startled him.  Of coarse everyone gave me crap about it but it was ok it was pretty funny! =)   I'll never forget my first baptism that's for sure! =) haha.  Such a good week I'm looking forward to another great one here in the IDMM Manchester Branch! Remember to always look on the bright side the more you focus on the bad the more bad flows into your life! =)
Love Elder Jach.


Monday, March 19, 2012

March 19, 2012


I definitely hope that you are right and it is Pres Jergensen trusting me and not just throwing this kid on whoever will take him... Ha.   No I know that Elder Wally is here to teach me and to learn from me.  I guess he has a pretty bad reputation with other missionaries as well.  I talked to my zone leaders and they said they were pretty worried when they heard he was my new comp, but I've talked with him a lot and gotten some things straightened out.  I know he will get better because he has already started to.  Last week was pretty tough.  I got sick and we had to stay in all day so I could sleep.  I'm doing better now.  We had zone conference.  That was pretty fun.  Got to see Elder Meservy and Winchester "my MTC comps" .  Winchester is training and Meservy is still in my same zone. I see him regularly so that's always fun!   We had stake conference yesterday and Paul drove us down everyone was coming up to him talking about his baptism and I got kinda worried, but the more people that asked about it the more excited he seemed to get! =)   I'm SO excited to see him get baptized on Saturday.  We're setting it all up and it’s a lot of fun!  A lot of nonmembers are going to be there as well and I hope it will open some new teaching doors for us and get the members excited about missionary work.  Our other investigators we weren't able to see last week because we were so busy and I was sick.  We had an appointment with Chad but he ended up not being home but that has happened in the past and he was really apologetic about it.  He said sometimes he gets called into work and that he is not just blowing us off, so that's good.   I feel like he has some real potential.  We haven't been able to meet with Audrey,  but she was excited for another lesson so we're going to try and set one up for this week.  The Smiths are still really busy with their kids and work, but still want us to have a lesson with them.  So we're doing our best to set one up.  They said to keep trying so we will.  We haven't been able to see the Tibbots for a while, but I'm gonna try and see them this week.  We have exchanges and I'm gonna try and get out there then ;)   Well the mission brings out the best and the worst in me I've been really depressed this past week.   Between being sick and getting a new comp, ha not a good combination of situations.  But that is ok its turning around and I'm starting to feel happy again! =)  Keep pushing forward whenever you're on the right path more things will get put in your way to stop you from progressing just remember that is Satans way of getting you to miss all the good things that are happening all around you!
Love Elder Jach

Monday, March 12, 2012

March 12, 2012

This week we had transfers on Thursday Elder Adamson went to Story City just north of Ames and I got a new comp named Elder Wally like the movie.   He has been in the army special forces for the past 3 years and has another 3 years when he gets back.   He's a pretty cool guy really head strong and opinionated but nothing I can't work around.   He seems to really like   me and keeps saying we're going to get along great,  I can already tell, haha.   There's a few things I need to make sure he doesn't do.  He says he offends people a lot because of his humor and sarcasm and he thinks he's always right, but don't worry I can fix all that! haha ;) He's a good missionary though.  He knows the gospel pretty well and he knows a lot about other religions and about the apostasy which is good for this area.   He said he's been in trouble with President Jergensen a few times already and cant seem to stay out of trouble.  I told him he won't have to worry about that anymore cause I don't get in trouble cause I obey the rules, ha, don't know if he liked that too much but oh well.  The mission is still going good though I still have a few tough days especially after transfers but no worries just keep pushing forward.   We have two new investigators that we taught for the first time on Friday. Ones name is Chad and the other is Audrey.  They both live in town so we can see them pretty much anytime no problem so that's good.   They both really liked the restoration and want us to come back.  Chad was raised catholic and he's what the catholic's call a "digger" which means he asks a lot of questions and wants to get answers.  Which is great cause we have most of  the answers.   Audrey is an older lady and has been in a few different religions because she doesn't agree with a few things.  She was really into the lesson and had a bunch of questions.  We were there for and hour and a half and she wanted us to stay ,longer and keep talking, but we had other appointments we had to go to.  She said well give me a call and we'll set up another time for you to come over, ha, so that was great!   Paul is still doing good he gets kinda discouraged if we don't teach him something new.  So we're doing our best to always teach him new things.  His cousin Heather the JW said she would come to church with us and invited us to come to her big sacrament thing where they pass around the bread and wine but only 144,000 can eat and drink it.   So we're gonna go to that with her, should be pretty fun.  Haven't been able to go to the Tibbots lately but we're going to try this week if we have time.   We have zone conference on Friday and stake conference this weekend.   I love being busy!!! =)    Everyone literally has the ability to move mountains, all you need is faith!
Love Elder Jach

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

March 7th, 2012

March 7th, 2012
Everything is going great!  Transfers are tomorrow that's pretty scary.  I'm really nervous about my new comp and whether he'll be a hard worker or not we've been working so hard here and have started seeing a lot of success.  If someone who doesn't work comes in he might mess it all up.  President Jergensen said that my new comp is full of energy and feels like he will be good, so i hope he is right.   Me and Elder Adamson have really been getting along and having fun together kinda sucks to see him go.  This area has grown so much in the last 6 weeks it's crazy we actually have a teaching pool and haven't really had to do any tracting which is awesome.  We tract like one day a week for an hour or 2.   We had another awesome Sunday.  Another random guy came to church and we're going to teach him this week or next he said he'll definitely be back on Sunday!  Ha sweet!  Then one of the members called and said that they were just at a friends house and they said they would like the missionaries to come over and teach them so we called him and set up an appointment for tonight excited for that.  This area is exploding and Elder Adamson is bummed that he's leaving.  Paul is excited for his baptismal date and is still doing great.  His cousin Heather (the Jehovah's Witness) is still taking lessons from us and told us that she thinks we are really nice and genuine people she was going to come to church with Paul on Sunday but her sister (also a JW) made her go to church with her.   That's ok we will keep teaching her and I feel like it could easily lead to baptism.   Her husband doesn't seem too interested and won't sit in on the lessons, but he hears most of what we teach her so that's good.   As for the Smith family we still haven't been able to get a lesson with them but we're still trying.  Luis pretty much doesn't want anything to do with us.  He still won't answer the door when we can hear him inside.  We knocked 5 times one day and he still didn't answer, but that's ok maybe one day he'll except lessons.   The Tibbotts son had a heart attack last week so we haven't been able to see them lately.  Their son is doing ok now and we should be able to go see them next week. Faith is still not progressing and her mom had  Sunday off and still didn't come to church so we don't know what's going on there, but we're still teaching her and she's good when we're there so we just need to figure out what's going on.   Still loving being on a mission! Remember when you're in the service of your fellow man you're only in the service of your God.  Mosiah 2:17
Love Elder Jach

March 5th, 2012

I had a phone call this week from a mom that lives in Izach's mission.  She lives in a town of about 3500.  They (her family of 7 kids and husband) are the only members.  They call it little Rome as it is full of Catholics.  It was such a wonderful phone call.  Every time she talked about Elder Jach she got teary.  He had been there for Family Home Evening and had bore his testimony.  "What an amazing and powerful testimony" she said.  What mum doesn't love to hear that.  She talked of his growth since he entered the mission field 3 months ago and of his constant smile.  Apparently it is not at all typical for them to be teaching so much.  Their family has lived there for 15 years and have never seen the missionaries so busy.  She attributed that to Elder Jach and Elder Adamson.  "They work so hard" she said.  How great that was for another mom to reach out and share her thoughts about our boy.