Hey Everyone-
Well I loved talking to everyone on Christmas Day and so I really feel like I don’t have much to say on this email! On Saturday, Melisa was Baptized and I was able to perform it. It went well and as always the spirit was strong. The morning of the baptism we got stuck in the snow and almost didn’t make it. But now that it has been raining for the last couple of days pretty much all of the snow has melted! We had a great day on Sunday; since church was canceled last week due to the snow we had our Christmas Programs the following week! May Valleys went very well and Katie was able to come and visit and attend one of the classes as well. She seems like she is doing great. Tiger Mountain had an amazing Christmas program; there is a lot of talent musically! President Moffat decided to come and visit the ward, which he tries to do as much as he can! It was a surprise to us and we always love seeing him. Bishop Gordon gave a remarkable testimony and he once again gave us a “sh
out out†and expressed his love for us! Which I of course was smiling about cause President got to hear it! I was able to teach the Gospel Principles class and had an entire discussion on Acts 5:40-42. It went very well and it was something I hadn’t tried before! Monday was just a normal proselyting day! I am excited to be able to stay here one more transfer with my companion! He is doing great and keeps mentioning how fast his mission is going!! I tell him it only gets faster! Thanks everyone for making my Christmas special and for all of the love and support you show me!! Have a great new year! Until next week- Be Strong- Elder Russell
Elder Jason Russell
Site Updated by his parents..
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
December 15th
Hey Everyone-
We have had a wonderful week; I have especially cherished the last two days because it has snowed and looks beautiful and actually feels like Christmas! I have laughed because no one here knows how to drive in the snow and ice, so they drive ridiculously slow!!
Last Monday we went to 12th ave Cafe and I had an amazing breakfast of biscuits and gravy! The rest of the day was filled with Member lessons and we actually received two referrals!
Tuesday was Zone Conference, which lasted half of the day! I remembered the Spirit that I had felt during every meeting. Our mission has truly seen mighty Miracles, as our baptisms have increased tremendously this year and more particularly these last 4 months! I loved hearing the inspired words of President Moffat; he speaks with great conviction and with power and authority. He spoke on Angels and how they do exist and are doing a great work within our mission and helping people prepare for baptism! The spirit bore powerful witness to me to what he had said and I Testify that angels are among us~ Wednesday we had our normal meeting with Sis. Stanley, but we were unable to find a priesthood holder to attend. So we visited her anyway and talked outside on her doorstep in the freezing cold. We had a great discussion of Joseph Smith and how he prophesied the marvelous work that the church would do and how it would go forth to every nation, kindred and tongue! We also went to the Cahills, we gave them a Christmas gift (a holiday picture of my companion and me and the Movie “Mr. Kruger’s Christmas”) we were able to watch it with them! It was an old school movie but the message was still powerful!
Thursday I went on exchanges with Elder Robbins, he is from AZ and is pretty new in the mission. We had a really good day and did a lot of finding activities. We tracted into a man who was beyond nice. He let us right in and started to talk to us; apparently he knew who we were. He was a retired NFL player for the Arizona Cardinals, and his sister is actually LDS and living in Provo! I hope we will get to teach him and his heart it ready to hear the message we have to proclaim! Friday was very much a normal day and nothing really sticks out.
Saturday was a slow day, mostly because it had snowed!!! We had correlation with our ward mission leader and tried to do service for a gentleman but he was at work!! We went to a members house the Davis’ they are a great family and have a son on a mission in Tempe! We tried to do a lot of visits that night as well!
Sunday was beautiful and the church meetings were good, but because of the road conditions we only had sacrament meeting!! We ate dinner with the Carlsons! and then finished our weekly planning!
Things have been looking up and I am loving this Holiday Season! I am excited for Christmas as well. We continue to pray and fast for Miracles and Know that they will happen only after the trial of our faith!! I love this work and seeing the change it brings in peoples lives- Thats what lasting Joy does!!!
I love and miss you all I hope all is well!
Elder Russell
We have had a wonderful week; I have especially cherished the last two days because it has snowed and looks beautiful and actually feels like Christmas! I have laughed because no one here knows how to drive in the snow and ice, so they drive ridiculously slow!!
Last Monday we went to 12th ave Cafe and I had an amazing breakfast of biscuits and gravy! The rest of the day was filled with Member lessons and we actually received two referrals!
Tuesday was Zone Conference, which lasted half of the day! I remembered the Spirit that I had felt during every meeting. Our mission has truly seen mighty Miracles, as our baptisms have increased tremendously this year and more particularly these last 4 months! I loved hearing the inspired words of President Moffat; he speaks with great conviction and with power and authority. He spoke on Angels and how they do exist and are doing a great work within our mission and helping people prepare for baptism! The spirit bore powerful witness to me to what he had said and I Testify that angels are among us~ Wednesday we had our normal meeting with Sis. Stanley, but we were unable to find a priesthood holder to attend. So we visited her anyway and talked outside on her doorstep in the freezing cold. We had a great discussion of Joseph Smith and how he prophesied the marvelous work that the church would do and how it would go forth to every nation, kindred and tongue! We also went to the Cahills, we gave them a Christmas gift (a holiday picture of my companion and me and the Movie “Mr. Kruger’s Christmas”) we were able to watch it with them! It was an old school movie but the message was still powerful!
Thursday I went on exchanges with Elder Robbins, he is from AZ and is pretty new in the mission. We had a really good day and did a lot of finding activities. We tracted into a man who was beyond nice. He let us right in and started to talk to us; apparently he knew who we were. He was a retired NFL player for the Arizona Cardinals, and his sister is actually LDS and living in Provo! I hope we will get to teach him and his heart it ready to hear the message we have to proclaim! Friday was very much a normal day and nothing really sticks out.
Saturday was a slow day, mostly because it had snowed!!! We had correlation with our ward mission leader and tried to do service for a gentleman but he was at work!! We went to a members house the Davis’ they are a great family and have a son on a mission in Tempe! We tried to do a lot of visits that night as well!
Sunday was beautiful and the church meetings were good, but because of the road conditions we only had sacrament meeting!! We ate dinner with the Carlsons! and then finished our weekly planning!
Things have been looking up and I am loving this Holiday Season! I am excited for Christmas as well. We continue to pray and fast for Miracles and Know that they will happen only after the trial of our faith!! I love this work and seeing the change it brings in peoples lives- Thats what lasting Joy does!!!
I love and miss you all I hope all is well!
Elder Russell
December 8th
Hey Everyone-
We did have a wonderful week, unfortunately Melissa’s Baptism got pushed back until the 27th of December and I will still be here for that! I still get calls from her about twice a week and her updating me on how things are going. She went to a singles dance that she thought was boring because there weren’t any guys, ha but she loves the idea of attending a ward full of students her age! We found a couple of new investigators last week but had to drop most of them, we continue to search for the true in heart looking for the truth, and we know there are many out there!! On Wednesday, we continue to have our weekly scripture study with the Cahills, it’s been great. The daughter has really set an amazing example for the rest of the family and the Mother realizes this and has been coming to church consistently. They are a great family and the Mother is so spiritual, I feel so welcome when I go over there! On Thursday we had exchanges in the morning with one of the Assistants, it went very well and he has been impressed with Elder Bogle. I have been blessed to serve with him and he brings a lot of faith, has been adjusting wonderfully and keeps telling me how fast time is flying, we get along like brothers! He is already on planning on staying with me sometime in Utah and maybe going to school! Later that night we had a Mission Christmas party! I loved being able to gather with everyone and to feel of the love of others and also the spirit of Christmas! The food was amazing, honey baked ham and Mormon funeral potatoes!! My favorite! We also got to watch the movie “A Christmas Carol” with the guy from star trek! It was an amazing movie! Friday wasn’t the best day; I had the pretty long and bad headache that wouldn’t go away! But I tried my best to continue to work and finish the day off strong, I continue to ask my self why this has been going on for most of my mission and why is it getting worse. It prevents me from being my best self and giving it my 100% effort! I have come to realize that this might be a trial from the adversary, his power is real. But the power of our Heavenly Father is also very real and powerful. I finally asked for a priesthood blessing (I don’t know why I have waited so long, I guess it was my natural self telling me a could handle it and I’ll get one when it gets worse). My companion Elder Bogle gave me a blessing (his first) on Saturday night, and my headaches haven’t come back yet! That is such a testimony to me as to the power of the priesthood and how amazing it is and what a blessing it is to those who are able to use it to benefit others! Saturday was a very busy day for us with a lot of meetings and lessons we were able to teach! We also did service at the food bank again, and I made sure I grabbed some more Cheez-Its! Haha (they beg for us to take food) Sunday was also very busy and like I have said before it can be exhausting with 8 hours of church and meetings! And right after church we ran over to the Stake Center and watched the First Presidency Message for Christmas! I loved it and it was almost like General Conference, which I can’t wait for the next one! I have been feasting on the words of the New Testament and can’t get enough of it, I have been using the book Jesus the Christ as my guide to helping me understand all of the passages and teaching of Christ! It has been an amazing experience and I keep praying that I won’t ever loose this desire and so called thirst for the scriptures! Today will be kind of a busy day as well; we have a dinner appointment with our ward mission leader and than a lesson with a less active family, and then a member lesson with the high councilor over missionary work! I have been excited for the efforts I have seen with the ward and I can feel that they trust us and are starting to give us referrals!! Well I love each and every one of you, I hope that you will find joy in the Christmas season and I pray that you will all come to know our Savior even Jesus Christ a little more this season, by reading the scriptures and praying!! It will only bring eternal and lasting happiness! I love this gospel and the work I am apart of, even though it can be a challenge sometimes!! Have a great week!
Elder Russell
We did have a wonderful week, unfortunately Melissa’s Baptism got pushed back until the 27th of December and I will still be here for that! I still get calls from her about twice a week and her updating me on how things are going. She went to a singles dance that she thought was boring because there weren’t any guys, ha but she loves the idea of attending a ward full of students her age! We found a couple of new investigators last week but had to drop most of them, we continue to search for the true in heart looking for the truth, and we know there are many out there!! On Wednesday, we continue to have our weekly scripture study with the Cahills, it’s been great. The daughter has really set an amazing example for the rest of the family and the Mother realizes this and has been coming to church consistently. They are a great family and the Mother is so spiritual, I feel so welcome when I go over there! On Thursday we had exchanges in the morning with one of the Assistants, it went very well and he has been impressed with Elder Bogle. I have been blessed to serve with him and he brings a lot of faith, has been adjusting wonderfully and keeps telling me how fast time is flying, we get along like brothers! He is already on planning on staying with me sometime in Utah and maybe going to school! Later that night we had a Mission Christmas party! I loved being able to gather with everyone and to feel of the love of others and also the spirit of Christmas! The food was amazing, honey baked ham and Mormon funeral potatoes!! My favorite! We also got to watch the movie “A Christmas Carol” with the guy from star trek! It was an amazing movie! Friday wasn’t the best day; I had the pretty long and bad headache that wouldn’t go away! But I tried my best to continue to work and finish the day off strong, I continue to ask my self why this has been going on for most of my mission and why is it getting worse. It prevents me from being my best self and giving it my 100% effort! I have come to realize that this might be a trial from the adversary, his power is real. But the power of our Heavenly Father is also very real and powerful. I finally asked for a priesthood blessing (I don’t know why I have waited so long, I guess it was my natural self telling me a could handle it and I’ll get one when it gets worse). My companion Elder Bogle gave me a blessing (his first) on Saturday night, and my headaches haven’t come back yet! That is such a testimony to me as to the power of the priesthood and how amazing it is and what a blessing it is to those who are able to use it to benefit others! Saturday was a very busy day for us with a lot of meetings and lessons we were able to teach! We also did service at the food bank again, and I made sure I grabbed some more Cheez-Its! Haha (they beg for us to take food) Sunday was also very busy and like I have said before it can be exhausting with 8 hours of church and meetings! And right after church we ran over to the Stake Center and watched the First Presidency Message for Christmas! I loved it and it was almost like General Conference, which I can’t wait for the next one! I have been feasting on the words of the New Testament and can’t get enough of it, I have been using the book Jesus the Christ as my guide to helping me understand all of the passages and teaching of Christ! It has been an amazing experience and I keep praying that I won’t ever loose this desire and so called thirst for the scriptures! Today will be kind of a busy day as well; we have a dinner appointment with our ward mission leader and than a lesson with a less active family, and then a member lesson with the high councilor over missionary work! I have been excited for the efforts I have seen with the ward and I can feel that they trust us and are starting to give us referrals!! Well I love each and every one of you, I hope that you will find joy in the Christmas season and I pray that you will all come to know our Savior even Jesus Christ a little more this season, by reading the scriptures and praying!! It will only bring eternal and lasting happiness! I love this gospel and the work I am apart of, even though it can be a challenge sometimes!! Have a great week!
Elder Russell
Friday, December 5, 2008
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Dec 1st
Hey Everyone-
It was such a wonderful week! I am glad to hear everyone had a great
Thanksgiving. To start off on Monday, we played basketball until I went to my
Doctor Appointment; he gave me some antibiotics for a sinus infection and I have
already noticed a big difference!! Our ward mission leader in the Tiger mountain
ward took us out to dinner to a Mexican restaurant. On Tuesday my companion and
I went to a New Missionary Orientation. It was a great meeting and I loved
being able to see everyone! Wednesday was a pretty normal day, we did have
district meeting in the afternoon and later that night we went to the Cahill�s
for our weekly scripture study! We are going to start having family home evenings with them as well!! They are the
nicest family in the world! Thursday was Thanksgiving!! In the morning we had a
mission Turkey Bowl! We played a lot of different sports like basketball,
ultimate frisbee, frugby(football and rugby) etc... I had a great time but I am
still sore from all the run
ning! We had dinner with the Feelys; I really didn�t know who they were. They
are a young couple in the ward and the wife had her family in town! Her brothers
and sisters were my age and they attend BYU! We had a great time over there. We
had to come in early that night at 7, so we studied! On Friday I got a call from
Melissa, and she asked me if I would baptize her this Saturday! I told her I
might not be able to because President Moffat is very strict with not allowing
missionaries to go into other areas for a baptism! But I talked to him and He
said he would give me special permission only because... (Then he gave me some
great compliments) but I have to keep it on the Down Low, so other missionaries don�t find out!! I was so happy and felt very
blessed!!
We have continued to work hard and pray daily for miracles! We
want to be able to baptize in Tiger Mountain this transfer, so were working
towards that blessing and praying for faith! Sunday was also great! Later that
night we went over to Bro. Jarmans house because he wanted advice on his new
calling (high councilor over missionary work). That�s about it for this week. I
am truly grateful for all my blessings! Today we are going to XXX burger again
with our Zone and than playing Pickle ball!! I am doing great and thanks for all
the support and love!!
I hope everyone is doing amazing! I love ya all!!
Elder Russell
It was such a wonderful week! I am glad to hear everyone had a great
Thanksgiving. To start off on Monday, we played basketball until I went to my
Doctor Appointment; he gave me some antibiotics for a sinus infection and I have
already noticed a big difference!! Our ward mission leader in the Tiger mountain
ward took us out to dinner to a Mexican restaurant. On Tuesday my companion and
I went to a New Missionary Orientation. It was a great meeting and I loved
being able to see everyone! Wednesday was a pretty normal day, we did have
district meeting in the afternoon and later that night we went to the Cahill�s
for our weekly scripture study! We are going to start having family home evenings with them as well!! They are the
nicest family in the world! Thursday was Thanksgiving!! In the morning we had a
mission Turkey Bowl! We played a lot of different sports like basketball,
ultimate frisbee, frugby(football and rugby) etc... I had a great time but I am
still sore from all the run
ning! We had dinner with the Feelys; I really didn�t know who they were. They
are a young couple in the ward and the wife had her family in town! Her brothers
and sisters were my age and they attend BYU! We had a great time over there. We
had to come in early that night at 7, so we studied! On Friday I got a call from
Melissa, and she asked me if I would baptize her this Saturday! I told her I
might not be able to because President Moffat is very strict with not allowing
missionaries to go into other areas for a baptism! But I talked to him and He
said he would give me special permission only because... (Then he gave me some
great compliments) but I have to keep it on the Down Low, so other missionaries don�t find out!! I was so happy and felt very
blessed!!
We have continued to work hard and pray daily for miracles! We
want to be able to baptize in Tiger Mountain this transfer, so were working
towards that blessing and praying for faith! Sunday was also great! Later that
night we went over to Bro. Jarmans house because he wanted advice on his new
calling (high councilor over missionary work). That�s about it for this week. I
am truly grateful for all my blessings! Today we are going to XXX burger again
with our Zone and than playing Pickle ball!! I am doing great and thanks for all
the support and love!!
I hope everyone is doing amazing! I love ya all!!
Elder Russell
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