July 28, 2014 ~ Week 53

Good Morning Everyone..
Sometimes as a missionary on P-days I feel like a little kid who is only allowed to play with his imaginary friends on Mondays until 6. So, my imaginary friends... Let's talk about marriage! 

Not for me you silly gooses! You are very silly gooses for thinking that I would be concerned with that! That's still at minimum 2 years away. No. The marriage I speak of is that of Josephina and Jorge. They are two members of the ward, and Josephina has a really good relationship with us. She invited us to the wedding! To be honest, I think it was the first real wedding I've ever been to. Most of the weddings I would have taken part of were in the temple, so I could only go to the reception. It was really cool to see an LDS non-temple marriage. Bishop Scherer was the one who married them. Now she is Dominican and he is Mexican. Barely anyone knew English there. It was funny because the ceremony was in English too! Sister Badilla translated though. It was at her house. It was really an awesome time. I loved the actual marriage ceremony though. The main focus of it was that they are to serve completely for the rest of their mortal lives each other. Mortal lives was a phrase used often throughout the ceremony. I am so grateful though that it doesn't just have to be through our mortal lives that we are able to serve and be with the ones we love. If we prepare now, and live our lives so that we can be ready for that commitment, we can be sealed for all time and eternity. I'm excited for Jorge and Josephina. They plan on going to the temple and getting sealed next year and it's going to take a lot of work, but it will be worth it! 

Also, as you all know, I hit my year mark this past week. As part of missionary tradition, I burned a shirt. Unfortunately I wasn't too smart about it. I burned a long sleeve shirt figuring it would be used less. But I forgot I have a shirt packed away in my bag that I was planning on burning because it was ripped, but oh well.  We went and burned it at the church in the parking lot. It made a big mess though so we went back Friday morning to clean it all up. That thing burnt so hot and for so long. It was crazy. 

We got 5 awesome referrals this week from members. It is so cool to see members
involved in missionary work so much here. We've been working on that a lot and it has been one of our main focus points since we've been here. Good things are about to be coming! The church is true! Never forget that!

Love to Everyone,
~Elder Jorgensen

{Enjoying his Hump Day Package from home.  YES....that is a stuffed camel.}

{Cinnamon Rolls made from scratch...mentioned last week.}

July 24, 2014 ~ Happy Hump Day!

One year ago today was an incredibly bittersweet day for me as a mom. 365 days ago, I dropped my sweet boy off at the MTC and entrusted him into the care of his Heavenly Father. I always knew he would go but never realized how incredibly hard it would be. There have been days that I could hardly breathe because I longed to talk to him. There have been nights that I have cried myself asleep because I missed him so much. There have even been moments that I missed walking by his messy room. I have survived one entire year of family prayers, dinners, traditions, holidays, and vacations without him.

As hard as it has been at times, I KNOW WITH EVERY FIBER IN MY BODY that he is exactly where he should be. And that I gain strength to make it through the hard days because of a very loving Heavenly Father who hears my MANY prayers. How will the next 365 days go? I suspect the same, BUT now I only have one more year of missing him until he will Return With Honor. HAPPY HUMP DAY Elder Cody Jorgensen! I LOVE YOU TO THE MOON AND BACK!

July 21, 2014 ~ Week 52

Hey everyone...

So do you want to hear a secret? I really hate writing emails. You know why? Because words don't work very well. Especially words that aren't spoken. But do you know why I write emails? Because if you could even get a glimpse of a portion of my life, of the miracles that I see on a daily basis, each and every single one of you could not doubt that God lives, and that He loves His children. 

This week I've been overcome with God's mercy. A year ago this Thursday, an arrogant, ignorant, emotionally unstable 18 year old kid said bye to his family,
grabbed his suitcase, and walked away from everything he has ever known. Somehow, through a series of most miraculous events, that 18 year old kid changed. He turned 19 of course, he put on some weight, destroyed a couple pairs of shoes, but this change goes much deeper than that. Over time, that kid learned about Jesus Christ, not just who He was, and what He did, but who He IS, and what He DOES. Our friend grew, and understood. He taught, and testified. He laughed, he
cried, he even screamed once or twice. But somehow, he kept changing. God's mercy and love reached out to our friend when he was weak. God reached out when he was strong. When everything was going right, God's hands guided him. When everything was going wrong, soothing words and feelings were always available. Cody began to understand that to trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding, was indeed divine guidance. He saw that as he acknowledged God in all his doings, his path was guided. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Cody began to love in a way he never could have before understood. He learned to pray with real intent. He knew that he needed to devote everything to serve our Heavenly Father. Elder Jorgensen still has a very long way to go, but he thanks God every day for bringing him where he is now, and has faith that he will be shown where he needs to go next. 

As the star of our story went from being some kid, to our friend, to Cody, and finally becoming Elder Jorgensen, we have often wondered how such a drastic change could have occurred. This is because Jesus Christ lives. He has redeemed me. Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth: O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities. I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me. And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted. My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath
preserved me upon the waters of the great deep. He hath filled me with his love, even unto the consuming of my flesh. He hath confounded mine enemies, unto the causing of them to quake before me. Behold, he hath heard my cry by day, and he hath given me knowledge by visions in the night-time. And by day have I waxed bold in mighty prayer before him; yea, my voice have I sent up on high; and angels came down and ministered unto me. And upon the wings of his Spirit hath my body been carried away upon exceedingly high mountains. And mine eyes have beheld great things, yea, even too great for man; therefore I was bidden that I should not write them. O then, if I have seen so great things, if the Lord in his condescension unto the children of men hath visited men in so much mercy, why should my heart weep and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow, and my flesh waste away, and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions? And why should I yield to sin, because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give way to temptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my peace and afflict my soul? Why am I angry because of mine enemy? Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul. Do not anger again because of mine enemies. Do not slacken my strength because of mine afflictions. Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will
praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation. O Lord, wilt thou redeem my soul? Wilt thou deliver me out of the hands of mine enemies? Wilt thou make me that I may shake at the appearance of sin? May the gates of hell be shut continually before me, because that my heart is broken and my spirit is contrite! O Lord, wilt thou not shut the gates of thy righteousness before me, that I may walk in the path of the low valley, that I may be strict in the plain road! O Lord, wilt thou encircle me around in the robe of thy righteousness! O Lord, wilt thou make a way for mine escape before mine enemies! Wilt thou make my path straight before me! Wilt thou not place a stumbling block in my way--but that thou wouldst clear my way before me, and hedge not up my way, but the ways of mine enemy. O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm. Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mineeverlasting God. Amen (2 Nephi 4)

I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know we can change. I know that the Gospel is true. I know that the Book of Mormon is true, because I have had the same experience as so many of the prophets who write these words. Here's to another great year!

Love to you all...
~Elder Jorgensen

Elder Jorgensen and a chicken????

July 14, 2014 ~ Week 51

Hello everyone!

Yet another week has come and gone here in the beautiful state of Pennsylvania and the mission work is still going strong! We have been able to have an awesome week! It's definitely been a learning week for me though. It felt like new lessons to learn were around every corner. Funny what happens when you are searching for revelation... You get it. 

At the beginning of my mission I always thought that the only reason I wasn't perfect at everything was because I wasn't trying hard enough... That is a problem I've actually had for most of my life. Being patient with myself has never been a strong point. But hey! Ether 12:27 says my weaknesses will be made into strengths right? They are. It's incredibly humbling to look back even 3-4 weeks and see how much better I am at everything I do. I have moments when I slip, but when we just keep going we just keep growing! 

This Monday we were able to teach an investigator, Louise, and we asked her to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized. She said she would think about it and pray about it, but that she would prepare to be baptized in August. I'm excited for her, mostly because she already knows it's true. You can tell as a missionary what people know, and what they have testimonies of. It's pretty easy. The hard part is helping them realize it. That's why prayer is so important though! Heavenly Father knows how to teach people so much better than I can, and he knows them so much better than I do! 

The rest of the week has been awesome as well, and I will never get over people telling us how perfect our timing was when we knock on their door. It's the best feeling in the world knowing we are being led and directed by God. 

So my Mom wants more pictures... I will send more pictures today. Some of them may be older ones, but here are some pictures.

Love you all.

~Elder Jorgensen

P.S.

So remember one thing... Sisters covered my area before we got here. We are saved in everyone's phone as the "sisters." We must act our part. This week I learned how to make cinnamon rolls from scratch. I've made 4 or 5 dozen of them this week, and we have been having a lot of fun giving them to people and telling them I made them from scratch. I didn't take any pictures unfortunately...

4th of July

Elder Pintor, Elder Bevans, and Elder Jorgensen

Elder Jorgensen and Elder Bevans

FB Post

I'm grateful every day for the opportunity that I have to choose what I want. To choose who I want to be, and what I want to believe. I am even more grateful that I've been given a knowledge of my Savior, Jesus Christ, so that I can choose to follow him. That one choice, and all the choices I've made that stemmed from that first decision, is why I am who I am today, and why even in a world full of turmoil, anger, and confusion, I can find peace, love, and understanding.

"Men... have become free forever, knowing good from evil: to act for themselves... they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil." 2 Nephi 2:26-27

July 7, 2014 ~ Week 50

Hey everyone! 
My email will be slightly brief today but it's been a good week! As far as investigators and lessons it has been pretty slow, but most of that is due to the 4th of July. It's a pretty big deal in Pennsylvania. A really big deal. It was cool! 

So on Friday we went and helped a member of the ward in his garden, then we helped him bring some food to a less active who doesn't have much. Then we went to my favorite member Hispanic family's house for a while, and had a ton of food. Then we went to Kirby park in Wilkes-Barre and watched the big fireworks display that was there, then we went in. 

As for transfer results, neither me or Elder Pintor are leaving, so we are
together for another 6 weeks at least! It'll be fun for sure! We had zone training on Thursday up in Scranton. Me and Elder Pintor were asked to teach for 20 minutes on how missionaries can recognize and use the spirit more in their lives. We didn't want it to be just like every other zone training, so we decided to not just go up there and preach. What we did is we got up there and started preaching and then I got in an argument with Elder Pintor about something, and then we taught each other about the topic.  It was cool because everyone actually payed attention. It was a great experience. We taught about how every single aspect of life, or of anything, is built on the Gospel of Jesus Christ, being faith, repentance, baptism, Holy Ghost, enduring to the end. Everything is.

Love you all! Sorry for rushing this email, and all the personal
emails I sent as well.  I will write better next week. Lots of love!

-Elder Jorgensen