We had bowling as a district activity!! there are 4 more in the district, but here from left to right is E. Hernandez, E. Womack (my companion), E. Gallup, and me, E. Newman
Monday, January 27, 2014
Week 9/10 Mucus and Miracles =P
Hey everyone! sorry for not writing back last week...we had a sweet zone activity where we played futbol (soccer) and we only got an hour to write...but know that although we have been sick together for the majority of our companionship (hence the title), but we are pretty much beter now.
this last week was crazy! we continued to work harder than ever, and we found 2 new investigators, Vanessa and Samuel. It is exciting to see how they will progress with us, and i hope all the best for them. My faith and testimony has definitely grown a ton since ive been here, but i had an experience that mega boosted it this last week.
this experience was yesterday. Yesterday, we had made plans to pick up 4 different investigators, and we had a ride for them and everything. But much to our dismay, when we went to go pick them all up, all 4 of them were not there or able. So once again, we had 0 at the chapel. it hurt a ton to not have any again, as we worked so hard. i wanted to cry, and later in the night, last night, i actually did cry, during companionship inventory. i cried because i want them there so bad because we know how true this gospel is and we know how badly we want them to enjoy the blessings that come from it. I am realizing just how much i am starting to love these people and how much we desire for them to experience the blessings that we have experienced-through and only through the Gospel of Jesus Christ; doing what HE wants, and in HIS way.
I am grateful for this incredible opportunity to serve and I know that although i only have 2 months, i am learning so fast the requirements or demands of the mission, but also the spiritual lessons I need to learn.
We have a Father in Heaven and it doesnt matter where you are in this world, or in other worlds for that matter, He lives and he loves all of his children. ALL of us. for this reason, he has provided this plan of Salvation and I know that when we fully submit to doing his will, we are blessed and he rewards us for it.
Muchísimas gracias por todo y estoy agradecido por todo su apoyo constante y su amor. Me encanta mi misión y se que este es que mi Padre Celestial quiere para mi en este parte de mi vida. (Thank you so much for everything and I am thankful for all of your constant support and love. I love my mission and I know that this is what my Heavenly Father wants for me in this part of my life). Hurah for Israel!!
love you all,
Jason
--
**Elder Newman**
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
News for Natalie
Still no call for Natalie yet but we did find out when you put your papers in, they only issue a mission call if your availability date is within 120 days. So as a result it maybe yet a couple more weeks until Natalie gets her call. Her availability date is the end of May
Late on Monday
Around 5 o'clock I emailed Jason to ask where he was and how he was doing and ....surprise he answered. Turns out he had a zone activity and wasn't able to write during his normal time. Here is just a tidbit from him.
.....I have been doing great out here! i really didnt even get to write in my journal last week because i really have been getting lost in the work out here. it is so fun to everyday get to prove ourselves to the lord who we are and who we want to become. I know that some days are hard and i get distracted with thinking about what the future will be like, but the second we talk to someone who has no teeth, lives in a concrete house with cardboard to cover the windows, and seemingly not a hope in the world, its then when we get right back to work and all is well. I am also amazed at how much the gift of tongues is allowing me to learn more and more spanish. i think that by the end of this week, i will be able to comfortably say that i have learned the language. i mean, there is only a certain amount that you need to know as amissionary, and after the everyday learning just comes naturally. i am glad that i am becoming bilingual! the mission is just so great. .....
Monday, January 20, 2014
Jason. What no PD today?
It's after 4 and I've usually heard from Jason by 1 at the latest. Not sure what's up but no letter today it looks like. :(
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Still Waiting
Natalie contacted her bishop to see if a call has been issued but ...... sadly no. Maybe next Friday.
Monday, January 13, 2014
Jason Week 3 2014 - New companion
hola everyone!
this last week was amazing. on monday, we had exchanges and i got a new companion. his name is elder womack and he is from kaysville. it is so nice to be able to speak english freely to one that understands, but dont you worry-when it comes time to speak spanish, the switch is flipped and we speak like the natives! (haha not really...i wish) he is so funny! i laugh at everything he says and i love it because it makes me happier throughout the day. he is the best.
over this week, we recieved/contacted like 13 people in the street/bus, and recieved 3 new investigators. oh and yesterday, we had stake conference and there was a broadcast where 4 speakers: a married couple, d todd christofferson, and robert d. hales, spoke to us. it was so awesome-elder Christofferson spoke spanish!! like a boss! haha very cool.
saturday, something very special happened. we were walking along, on our way to make a visit, when all of a sudden this drunk man came up to us, yelling, but not agressively, just loud enough so we could hear him. his shirt was unbottoned, revealing a lot of scars, burns, and tattoos. he said ´´hey, hermanos, give me a blessing!!´´ and for the first few seconds i was like oh man were in trouble, but i dont know if it was the man in me, or just the spirit that took over, but we just went with it. ´´buenos dias, hermano!´´ we said, and we just started to talk to him. he wanted this blessing so he could stop drinking and what not. he talked to us for a long time, and at one point he spit a little, and almost hit us. anyway, i said ´´ok hermano, well have a blessing´´ meaning just a prayer with him. so we folded our arms and he knelt on the ground. so what did we do? we knelt with him. right there, practically in the middle of the street, we had a prayer. i said it, and just said the desires of my heart for this man, that with gods help he would be helped. in the middle of the prayer too, he said ´´touch my head´´ so i did just for a second or two, to make him feel better. i dont know if we will ever see him again, but i know that the spirit that we felt was so real and strong.
yesterday, almost the same thing happened. we were looking for this one house, when again a drunk main stopped us to say hello. he was even more drunk, for he could barely stand up, and you have to know that when they ask us a question, we have good intentions to answer it they just dont really take too much interest in our answers. we talked to him for about 15 min and then did and said what we could to initiate that we had to go. we got to start walking away, and didnt get too far because we were really still just looking for this house. he called us back, and we knew we were protected so we went back to him. he was saying ´´come give my wife a blessing´´ so we thought ok, we did this just yesterday so we will do the same thing, just have a prayer with her. we walked behind this house, pulling back a doormade up of boards and sheet metal, to reveal a reallly poor backyard, and a really poor lady. this lady was not in fact his wife, he was just drunk and didnt know what color the sky was. haha. we had a prayer with her, and she was so gentle and nice. then he came back to the backyard, and his voice got a bit louder. i really didnt understand too much of what he was saying, but i understood the negative things that he said, and in regards to her he was being disrespectful. we gave her a pamphlet of the gospel of jesus christ, and she couldnt read but she was shaking in fear from this abusive drunk guy as she looked at the pictures. i know this sounds terrible, but i did the best i could and i said to him ´´hermano, do you know who she is?´´ and he said my wife (really-not the case). i told him ´´hermano, she is a divine daughter of god´´ and she started to feel at peace with us being there. are we going to go back to teach her? you bet we are! tomorrow in fact. i pray that the spirit will be with us.
in these experiences, i noticed a few things. that the powers of satan and hell are very real, and can be scary at times, but also that the Power of God is more real than ever, and as his representatives, we have power and authority in our words. The gospel is real, and its in thosemoments that we are fully confident and speak withour fear that the spirit is present, and the powers of heaven are with us.
Im so glad to be here and i know this next week will be even better. 4 awesome speakers, 3 new investigators, 2 drunks...and a partridge in a pear tree. love it!
bless you all in always,
Jason
--
**Elder Newman**
this last week was amazing. on monday, we had exchanges and i got a new companion. his name is elder womack and he is from kaysville. it is so nice to be able to speak english freely to one that understands, but dont you worry-when it comes time to speak spanish, the switch is flipped and we speak like the natives! (haha not really...i wish) he is so funny! i laugh at everything he says and i love it because it makes me happier throughout the day. he is the best.
over this week, we recieved/contacted like 13 people in the street/bus, and recieved 3 new investigators. oh and yesterday, we had stake conference and there was a broadcast where 4 speakers: a married couple, d todd christofferson, and robert d. hales, spoke to us. it was so awesome-elder Christofferson spoke spanish!! like a boss! haha very cool.
saturday, something very special happened. we were walking along, on our way to make a visit, when all of a sudden this drunk man came up to us, yelling, but not agressively, just loud enough so we could hear him. his shirt was unbottoned, revealing a lot of scars, burns, and tattoos. he said ´´hey, hermanos, give me a blessing!!´´ and for the first few seconds i was like oh man were in trouble, but i dont know if it was the man in me, or just the spirit that took over, but we just went with it. ´´buenos dias, hermano!´´ we said, and we just started to talk to him. he wanted this blessing so he could stop drinking and what not. he talked to us for a long time, and at one point he spit a little, and almost hit us. anyway, i said ´´ok hermano, well have a blessing´´ meaning just a prayer with him. so we folded our arms and he knelt on the ground. so what did we do? we knelt with him. right there, practically in the middle of the street, we had a prayer. i said it, and just said the desires of my heart for this man, that with gods help he would be helped. in the middle of the prayer too, he said ´´touch my head´´ so i did just for a second or two, to make him feel better. i dont know if we will ever see him again, but i know that the spirit that we felt was so real and strong.
yesterday, almost the same thing happened. we were looking for this one house, when again a drunk main stopped us to say hello. he was even more drunk, for he could barely stand up, and you have to know that when they ask us a question, we have good intentions to answer it they just dont really take too much interest in our answers. we talked to him for about 15 min and then did and said what we could to initiate that we had to go. we got to start walking away, and didnt get too far because we were really still just looking for this house. he called us back, and we knew we were protected so we went back to him. he was saying ´´come give my wife a blessing´´ so we thought ok, we did this just yesterday so we will do the same thing, just have a prayer with her. we walked behind this house, pulling back a doormade up of boards and sheet metal, to reveal a reallly poor backyard, and a really poor lady. this lady was not in fact his wife, he was just drunk and didnt know what color the sky was. haha. we had a prayer with her, and she was so gentle and nice. then he came back to the backyard, and his voice got a bit louder. i really didnt understand too much of what he was saying, but i understood the negative things that he said, and in regards to her he was being disrespectful. we gave her a pamphlet of the gospel of jesus christ, and she couldnt read but she was shaking in fear from this abusive drunk guy as she looked at the pictures. i know this sounds terrible, but i did the best i could and i said to him ´´hermano, do you know who she is?´´ and he said my wife (really-not the case). i told him ´´hermano, she is a divine daughter of god´´ and she started to feel at peace with us being there. are we going to go back to teach her? you bet we are! tomorrow in fact. i pray that the spirit will be with us.
in these experiences, i noticed a few things. that the powers of satan and hell are very real, and can be scary at times, but also that the Power of God is more real than ever, and as his representatives, we have power and authority in our words. The gospel is real, and its in thosemoments that we are fully confident and speak withour fear that the spirit is present, and the powers of heaven are with us.
Im so glad to be here and i know this next week will be even better. 4 awesome speakers, 3 new investigators, 2 drunks...and a partridge in a pear tree. love it!
bless you all in always,
Jason
--
**Elder Newman**
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Playing the waiting game
Natalie has turned in her papers and is just waiting for her call. Will it be domestic or foreign? We will see. Stay tuned.
Jason Week 2 2014
Hey everyone! i once again only get a half hourtoday because we have exchanges! so theres not a whole hour like usual. life aof a missionary-busy busy busy! I am happy though because this last week was so amazing. I can truly feel that I am learning a lot and that confidence is sescond nature. I know that I dont know the language like i want to yet, but i am starting to understand a ton more!
my companion, Elder Ibarra is leaving the area and i am sad and excited at the same time. sad, because of course, he was my first companion and i really didnt have to worry about anything with him by my side because he is practically omnipotent (he knows everything) in spanish. he has helped me so much and im grateful that the lord blessed me with such a wonderful first companion. happy, though, because latertonight, i get to continue on with my adventure, with a new companion. all i know is that his name is Elder Womack (assuming he is from the us, of course), and that he has about 5 and a half months. fingers crossed!
we are currently working with a family, familia silva, of 4, mom dad son and grandma, and the mom and son have baptismal dates for the 25th! still working with the dad and grandma...gotta love these die hard catholics :) they are so nice and I know that the Lord has been preparing them.
I had divisions/exchanges twice this last week, both times we were in my area, so i had to play senior companion for a bit. it was hard, but it definitely boosted my confidence a ton.
ATTENTION ALL: apparently there is another address to send all mail to, and it is safer and faster. the address is
Julio Velasquez
Elder Jason Reid Newman
P.O. Box 1486
Presidio, Texas 79845
I fasted yesterday for feelings of peace, and to start to actually FEEL like a missionary. last night, we got a call from the zone leader and he told us all about the exchanges. I was so excited and giddy about thinking about what my new companion will be like, how things will go, etc. aaah i love the gospel and i am feelin good!
as a representative of our lord and savior, Jesus Christ, I know that when we keep his commandments, blessings are poured out upon us. I know that we are all his children, and that true happiness is found through acts of righteousness, and doing our best to obey his will.
John chapter 14 (the bible): read it! its awesome and talks about keeping the commandments.
I love you all and am so so thankful for your love and support. adios!!
--
**Elder Newman**
my companion, Elder Ibarra is leaving the area and i am sad and excited at the same time. sad, because of course, he was my first companion and i really didnt have to worry about anything with him by my side because he is practically omnipotent (he knows everything) in spanish. he has helped me so much and im grateful that the lord blessed me with such a wonderful first companion. happy, though, because latertonight, i get to continue on with my adventure, with a new companion. all i know is that his name is Elder Womack (assuming he is from the us, of course), and that he has about 5 and a half months. fingers crossed!
we are currently working with a family, familia silva, of 4, mom dad son and grandma, and the mom and son have baptismal dates for the 25th! still working with the dad and grandma...gotta love these die hard catholics :) they are so nice and I know that the Lord has been preparing them.
I had divisions/exchanges twice this last week, both times we were in my area, so i had to play senior companion for a bit. it was hard, but it definitely boosted my confidence a ton.
ATTENTION ALL: apparently there is another address to send all mail to, and it is safer and faster. the address is
Julio Velasquez
Elder Jason Reid Newman
P.O. Box 1486
Presidio, Texas 79845
I fasted yesterday for feelings of peace, and to start to actually FEEL like a missionary. last night, we got a call from the zone leader and he told us all about the exchanges. I was so excited and giddy about thinking about what my new companion will be like, how things will go, etc. aaah i love the gospel and i am feelin good!
as a representative of our lord and savior, Jesus Christ, I know that when we keep his commandments, blessings are poured out upon us. I know that we are all his children, and that true happiness is found through acts of righteousness, and doing our best to obey his will.
John chapter 14 (the bible): read it! its awesome and talks about keeping the commandments.
I love you all and am so so thankful for your love and support. adios!!
--
**Elder Newman**
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