Christmas and a wedding

Up to?

This week was way cool.  It was nice to be able to spend so much time with families and friends in the area. Christmas was great.

We spent Christmas Eve with the Gonzales family from Chile. They are really cool. They have a four year old named Vicente. He is the funniest kid ever. He was spending all the time trying to act out the church Christmas videos. He was all hung up on wise men too. First, he was going through the cupboard and grabbed some walnuts and yelled, "IS THIS MYRRH?!?" It was super funny. Then, he had us play the shepherds and wise men visiting baby Jesus. My all time favorite, though, was him being the angel that came to Mary to tell her she would be Jesus' mother. He quoted the scripture almost word for word. Then, halfway through, realized he didn't have an actor for Joseph and yelled, "HHHUUUU!!!! WE DON'T HAVE ANYONE TO BE JOSEPH!!!" I love that kid. They had some non-members from Peru and Chile there too. We are playing soccer with one of them today.

We spent Christmas with the Perry family. They are one of my favorite families. They are super cool. The son likes Pokemon too! He is a return missionary who went to New Zealand and got married about a year ago.... there is hope for me yet! He has like all the original cards and a Nintendo 64 with Super Smash Bros (supes jelly). We had a sweet jam sesh at the end. It made me want to learn how to play guitar better.

Then, on Friday, we took the train down to Mandurah to go to Elder Elkington's buddy's wedding. He taught him for a bit and grew up with him so we got permission to go. It was really cool. We ate this thing called a hāngi. It is a New Zealand thing where they bury the food and slow roast it overnight up to a few days. It was really good there. We had a jam sesh there too.

At dinner last night, the brother was hating on America during the whole meal. It was all good though. People here think all the same things about America that we think about them. Stereotypes are everywhere and unfair. My companion told me about a time when he was in an airport and some Asian people were pushing their eyes together and laughing about it. It's like what Americans do to make our eyes look Asian, but the other way around.

Yesterday, in church, I got all trunkie. I saw all these little babies and families together and I was all, "Dang, I wish I were a dad." I can't wait to come home so I can start a family. I am grateful for my mission for that. It is helping prepare me for a great future.

We've had heaps more drunk people yelling at us recently. People can be pretty dumb when they are drunk.

I heard The Amazing Spiderman 2 comes out May 2nd - pretty close huh? I heard the trailer was boss too. I hear a lot of stuff.

A kid in my ward got called to Fiji today. That's pretty exotic, no? I'm at 30 weeks. That's crazy. I feel like this is my life now. I've spent my whole life waiting to be a missionary. Now that it is here, I don't know what to feel. I love it though. Being a missionary is the best decision I have ever made. A missionary went home early last week. He had only been out for 10 weeks. It was pretty sad. I made a commitment a long time ago that I would never come home early. I'm gonna do all I can to stay worthy and love the work. I am so grateful for Jesus Christ and his sacrifice. My understanding of it has grown so much on my mission. I still can't put it into words yet, but I understand now. I am eternally grateful to my Father in Heaven, my Savior, Jesus Christ, and to my family for teaching me so much and giving me so many opportunities to grow.

I love you all,
Elder Jamison

Joy

Hey everybody!

This week was way cool. We found a lot of new investigators and had tons of fun. I have finally broken myself. I have been trying my whole mission to subdue myself but I have realized, both in my studies and in my life, that if I am not happy, I will not do well as a missionary. If the gospel brings me such great happiness, then why was I so down? 'Cause I was doing it wrong! God desires us to have joy and do His work.

Elder Elkington and I have had so much fun together and at the same time we have tried as hard as we can to help people.  We went caroling the other day with the sister missionaries in our district and there was this drunk as guy that cussed us out, yelling about how we are Pagans for celebrating Christmas. We just laughed about it. The other day we were walking down the street and some other drunk guys in a taxi yelled at us to come over. We went over and they yelled at us about how God doesn't love anyone and how we have been brainwashed and have had Christianity forced down our throats.  Six months ago, that would have shaken me for the rest of the transfer, but I see now the true joy of missionary service. I love being a missionary and I love my life more than I ever have. I love you all more than ever. I feel myself filled with the love of Christ.

Have a good Christmas! I love you all!
Elder Jamison

Service, sunburn, scorpion

Hey err body!

Week 28 has been pretty good. We have been struggling a bit with teaching.  DJ is out of town, so we haven't taught Taylor. Natalie is never home and the one thing we managed to get a hold of her for she canceled on. Neither Matt nor Alisha came to the ward Christmas party or to church because their kids got sick from the heat. I guess we need to do some finding huh? You can't dampen these spirits. We will never be beaten!!

This week has been pretty good, but first, one last depressing story. My camera uses AA batteries and kills them really quick, so I bought some rechargeable batteries. Yes, they can be recharged, but they last like half as long as normal batteries. It is super annoying, and because of it, I don't have a ton of pictures this week. I will resolve the problem... AND SOON!!

We had a really cool P day. We went to the beach and played at a park there. I have a really cool district. On Friday, we did a ton of service. I got super burned and came home and crashed. I slept for like three hours and woke up super sore. I will either return super tan or with severe skin cancer.

The ward Christmas party was on Saturday and it was really cool. We invited a ton of nonmembers but none of them came. But the members invited some people who did. We probably had close to 20 people there who were less active or non members!! It was so cool! The DJ was a non member. His name was Paul. I talked to him about DJ stuff and he showed me how his sound system worked. It was really cool. He played We Wish You a Merry Christmas by Weezer. At the end, it was so cool.

Hey could you send me some more pictures? I was going through mine the other day and realized I don't have any with Nate or Colton. It really helps to get over discouragement when I have something to lift me back up. Thanks so much for the pics you did send though! They are so good! That is pretty cool about all the snow there! Most people here have never seen snow.

We found a scorpion in our flat the other day. It was so crazy! I got a picture with someone elses camera. It was just a little guy but I guess they are the most poisonous. I'm stoked for Christmas! I get to talk to you and everything! We need to set that up somehow. I am allowed to Skype, but I don't think our computer is set up for that. I might just need to call you. Let me know and we will figue it out. It was my companion's birthday yesterday - 21. Cool, huh? My third companion with a birthday with me - and mine is next month! Life moves too quick.

We taught a lesson to a part member family yesterday. They are only part member because the dad's first wife won't let the kids get baptized. Anyway... they are so cool. He is our assistant ward mission leader. He will be sealed to his new wife in a few weeks in Denmark where she is from! It is gonna be sweet. They met on the Lord of the Rings online game. It is like WoW but LOTR.

I've heard some stuff about the new X-men movie. It sounds so cool. Don't ask me where I heard it though... I have my sources. Ha ha! Anyway, it looks sick so I recommend it. Guess what? I'm going to a wedding on the 28th!! Cool, huh?! Yeah, my companion taught someone who is getting married and we got permission to go that day. I'm pretty pumped. I'm gonna be the only white guy there... ~Awesome~!

I love you all and am excited to talk to you soon!

Love,
Elder Jamison

A new companion

Hey err body,

Transfer happened this week. My new comp is a boss. His name is Elder Elkington. He is from New Zealand and is about a year into his mission. He knows pretty much all the people from New Zealand. All the families there are related, so odds are you know someone they know. It's pretty cool. He actually grew up with DJ so teaching Taylor might be easier now. We are gonna tear it up though - baptize for sure.

Last night, I was reflecting on my mission and thinking of all the people I taught. Manuel and Moses, Nichole, Jesus and Guadalupe, Bro Brown. I am staring to be frustrated with missionary work. We come to love the people we teach so much, then we leave them. I wont see Manuel and Moses for another 18 months. It is kinda hard, but it is worth it. My capacity to love has grown so much from my mission.

There were these two drunk as guys we tracted into a few days ago. They were totally wasted, but they offered us a drink and had us sit down with them. They had a lot of questions about missionaries, God, and other things. I can't really explain it, but I felt like I knew these guys. It happens every so often. You are talking to them and you feel like they need your message. I hope they listened to what I said and will come to accept the gospel. I hope everyone I talk to does.

We taught Matt and Alisha again this week. This was probably the best lesson we have had with them. Alisha was there and was asking all sorts of questions. She asked how she could gain faith from having no faith. We shared Alma 32 and taught her that if she had at least a desire to believe, that was enough. I hope she can start progressing and decide she wants and needs the Priesthood in her home.

I had a pretty cool dream this week. I was sitting in my room and dad was asleep on the bed. I was just sitting there listening to headphones. I heard like three or four songs all the way through that I had almost forgotten. That was a cool dream. I guess I have been losing a lot of weight again. My comp saw a picture of me giving myself a haircut and pointed out my stomach has abs now. Not that they have gotten bigger, but the fat around them is gone. I am all skin and bones now. All the fat I built from my first area is gone. It is also partly because the people here eat way healthier than Americans.

I love you all so much!
Elder Jamison

Has it been six months?

Wow, the time is going so fast, I'm hitting my six month mark in three days.  Elder Bunda is getting transferred.  He is going to be a Zone Leader.  I'm staying here and getting a companion named Elder Elkington.  I think that is his name.  I may be killing him this transfer so that will be pretty cool.
**editors note - "killing him" may refer to this being Elder Elkington's final area or it may mean that Elder Jamison will be pushing Elder Elkington to work very diligently.  I have asked for clarification.

I had a dream last night that I was in a fancy Chinese restaurant and the Millirons were there.  I was in my missionary clothes and I started freaking out.  I saw Noah first.  Then, he took me over to the booth where Sam and his parents were.  It was pretty cool.

I gave myself a haircut this morning... I messed up a bit on the sides.  I cut too high up on my side burns, but it looks good and even and my glasses cover most of it.  Actually, I'm looking pretty studly.

We have been trying really hard to find new people to teach but it is not going too well.  The other Elders in our flat are doing great though - new investigators every day.  That is okay though.  I know that if I am obedient and do all I can, I will do the work God needs me to.  I'm starting to get sick of all the millipedes.  They are super annoying.  We found a half eaten dead rat in our yard yesterday.  It was super gross.  My new study spot is our roof.  It is really cool because I get a great view of the city on one side and a national park on the other.

Our zone has set some amazing goals for this transfer.  We just set a goal to teach and baptize 26 people, which is the sum of each companionship's baptismal goal.  We have decided, as a whole, to give all we can this transfer.  It is our Christmas gift to the Lord.  Our companionship goal is one baptism.  We have four weeks to find, teach, and baptize this person.  Please pray for me.  I need all the help I can get, as does Elder Elkington.

I love you all so much.  Keep strong in the faith and know that Jesus is the Christ.  He lives and, through him, all things are possible.  Never ever give up the knowledge you have for what the world has to offer - like in President Uchtdorf's talk in conference.  "Don't exchange the priceless pearls of true happiness and eternal values for a fake plastic trinket that is merely an illusion and counterfeit of happiness and joy."

I love you all so much and I love Jesus Christ and my Father in Heaven.

Love,
Elder Jamison

Scripture Study and Navid's Bunnies

 Scripture Study

Navid's Bunnies

Fasting results, Cool stuff list, New investigators, Thanksgiving

Hey Everybody,

This week has been pretty cool. Matt got a job! We have been fasting and praying for him for a long time. We are hoping that the secrurity can help bring a peace and love to his and Alicia's home that will help them out.

I made a list of all the stuff that is awesome here that I need to bring back with me. Milo, which is like hot chocolate or Nesquick but totally different. Tim Tams, which are little chocolate cookies that you do Tim Tam slams with. Turkish Delight, which is a boss candy bar like the orange and raspberry sticks you get at Christmas but better and bigger. Solo, which is like carbonated lemonade. It's super good. Mi Goreng, which is like ramen noodles but thicker and better.

I learned some good Mormon pickup lines at the Perry's house. They are member family in our ward. "Which temple is your favorite? cause I'm looking at mine." "Is your name Virtue? Because you garnish my thoughts unceasingly." "Your name is so familiar, I think I remember it from my patriarchal blessing." "Wanna hold the Priesthood?" Ha ha. Pretty good, no?

We taught some Jehovah's Witnesses the other day. They only wanted to argue. Every time we tried to bear our testimonies, they would shut us down with some random point of doctrine. It's okay though. We tried our best.

We found a lot of new investigators this week. My favorite is a Chinese lady we met yesterday. She is going to China to see her family over the holidays, but will be back later. Her name is Aga. She is in her 20s. She doesn't know who Jesus Christ is. She has never heard of the bible, and she doesn't know what baptism is. She is a clean slate who really wants to learn.

Another lady we met couldn't tell where I was from again. This has happened a few times now. I guess I don't sound like an American. They always have to ask what my accent is. This High Priest in the ward stretched and yawned REALLY big in Sunday school yesterday. I almost died trying to not laugh.

I love you all so much. I am pumped to be a missionary. Transfers are next week - crazy! I'm gonna hit six months in just a few days. It's almost Christmas. I'm almost 20. It's all zooming by so fast.

Thanksgiving isn't a holiday here, but the Americans celebrate it and some Australians know about it.  November is a month of Thanksgiving. It is gonna be cool. Your dinner plans sound boss!

Love you all,
Elder Jamison

Guadalupe was baptized!!

Upto Bro?!

Hey everything here is boss! We had five dinner appointments in two days this week. Crazy huh? Usually not many people feed us but we got a ton. I have still been losing weight though. I'm down to 58 kilos. I guess my baby fat is leaving. You can see my abs without me flexing again. I look like a stud.

Guess what!!! Guadalupe was baptized and confirmed like five hours ago. I still have to wait another week for pictures, but Elder Shields confirmed it all to me. Her mom reluctantly signed the permission slip. Guadalupe received a real spiritual confirmation the church is true. When we are baptized and receive the Holy Ghost we are so much better. We are happier, have more peace and joy in our lives, and we can experience so many blessings that God has for us.

Did I tell you about the Iranians we taught last week? I think I did but just in case we taught some Iranians the other day and they were keen as. They don't live in our area, so we referred them to some Sisters in their area. We heard this week that they are progressing amazingly and might be getting baptized!! I'm so happy when our hard work pays off. Our area isn't doing so hot. All our baptismal dates dropped but we won't give up. All of them can still progress and they have only a few concerns. I went on exchanges twice this week, once with Elder Pearse in our district and once with our zone leader, Elder Duke. We have been teaching this guy named Brother Brothers. He is cool. He is less active and needs a lot of help. He wants to go to the temple though so we are working with him. On Sunday, we sat in on Primary. I was so amazed at how strong the spirit was. We sang some songs and had a very simple lesson, but the spirit was unrestrained. I think Primary is the best. I'm going to nursery next week ;) If primary is simple and spiritual just think how epic babies are!

OH OH OH !!!!! I JUST REMEMBERED MY DREAM!!!  So, I was at transfer meeting and Gustavo was there. his named tag said Elder Tafi though, which was odd, but it was still him. I gave him the biggest man hug and was so PUMPED!! I cant wait until you all go on missions. Colton, Gustavo, Carter, Kurt, Thomas, Michael, err body. You are a bunch of studs and I miss you a ton. Adam and Jake come home soon. mid-March I think. Make sure you let them know how much I freaking love them!! I love getting your emails, I don't have a ton of time on P-days, but I do read them all, and I try to reply to them. Just know that I love you and am so grateful for your support. I especially love hearing about my awesome siblings, you are a bunch of studs. All of you are so different but so unified and awesome.

Love you all, see you lates.
Elder Jamison

A cool week

Hey everybody!

This week has been so cool!

On Monday, we saw a ton of kangaroos! They were little greys. They are about 4 feet tall and pretty cute. The red ones only live in the outback. They can be like 8 ft I guess. I'm starting to get onto metric system now. It kinda makes sense.... but not really.

On Tuesday, we taught Matt and Alicia. They really are so cool. We are gonna be fasting with them tomorrow. They really need to decide whether or not they want to get married here in Australia. I know that, with the fast, they will be blessed. If they do get married then Matt can be baptized!! His date is set for Dec 18th right now.

On Wednesday, we did some service for the Perry family. They are really cool. Sam Perry is the son who is moving in with them. He is recently married to a Kiwi lady. She is really nice and a good cook. Sam is so cool, he is a Pokemon nerd too! He has almost all of the original Pokemon cards! He told me a little about the new game that just came out. I guess it is pretty cool. Pokemon rocks. Later that day we got to teach a family from Iran!! They were super nice, they didn't speak a ton of English but we gave them a Persian book of Mormon and they want to know more. They don't live in our area though so we gave their address and number to some Sister missionaries.

So...  the garbage system here is pretty crazy. People just leave piles of junk on the road. It gets picked up weekly, but you can find all sorts of cool stuff - full sets of tires, furniture, toys, scooters and skateboards. It is super sweet. The newlyweds who can't afford a ton go out on weekends and find stuff they need. Pretty cool huh?!

We are starting to teach a guy named Able. He is from Sudan. He grew up around a lot of bad stuff. They moved to Kenya to escape the war there that is going on and then came here to Australia. He is praying about our church and whether or not he should be baptized. He says he will do whatever God asks him to.

I guess the other night I was talking in my sleep... in Spanish. Crazy huh? I guess SoCal rubbed off on me. I was singing in my sleep the other night too. One night, I had a crazy dream. I was just home off my mission and I saw Nate. He had adopted a baby from Africa. It was super cute. Crazy stuff. Dreams are really weird.

Okay, okay, okay... GUESS WHAT!! I'm so pumped!! Elder Shields emailed me and said that Guadalupe is getting baptized on the 16th!! I want to just shout out loud!! I feel like crying right now I am so happy. I don't know how it happened, but that is what he told me.

My testimony is rock solid and nothing will take me away from the truth. Jesus Christ lives. He is the Savior of the world and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is His church on the earth today. This is the truth. If you want to know this for yourself, ask God. He loves you and will answer your prayer.

I love you all so much.
Elder Jamison

Expensive Food, Postman, Kangaroos

Dear Bishop Remington

Bishop Remington,

I have just returned from Perth Australia. While there, I had dinner at my brother's place (Robert Elliott) and the missionaries were also there. One of them was a young man from your ward. I can’t remember his name, but I am sure you know who he is. Young looking with dark blond hair and glasses. He and his companion gave a great after dinner presentation on the Savior to three inactive and one non-member who were also there. Sounds like he is enjoying his mission and judging from the lesson he presented he is doing a great job. Looked in great health and happy. Thought you might want to pass this onto his family.

Regards,
Susan Fisher



Hi Sister Fisher,

Thank you so much.  That would be Elder Joshua Jamison. His family was in our ward until we had a re-boundary of ward a couple years ago and they fell into the Lakeridge Ward.  Yes, he is an outstanding young man and comes from a great family.  Thanks so much for the report.

Best Regards,
Ron

Service, teaching, Australia is a melting pot.

Hey Err Body,

This week has been pretty sweet - slow, but sweet. There aren't too many people here that want to hear about the gospel. That is okay though because the people we do teach are so solid. One of them is a woman in her 40s named Natalie. She has two kids who are so cool. They live with her on weekends and with their dad during the week. She is a pretty cool lady, she needed help painting her son's bedroom. It was nasty as. It was the grossest empty room I had ever seen. When we were done with it that place shined. Gorgeous! She took her kids to see Thor 2 the other day. I didn't even know that had come out. Supes jelly. She grew up Catholic but she has a lot of issues in her life that need the help of the Atonement. I am excited to begin teaching her.

We teach this other family too. They are a part member family. The dad, Matthias, is from Ethiopia and is not a member. He wants to be though. He is a great guy and has a lot of faith and love for others. His wife, Alishia, is less active and has been since she was a little girl. She doesn't have very much faith, which is sad, but she is an amazing lady who wants to find happiness and love in her life. They have 4 kids who are so boss. We built a trampoline for them. What sucks is that Matt and Alishia were married in Ethiopia which isn't a recognized state of marriage here in Australia. They need to be legally married before Matt can get baptized. He has a date for both though... Dec 18th. I'm so excited, I hope I am still here next transfer.

There is also another part member family we are teaching. One day, a couple months ago, a less active member named DJ knocked on the missionaries door and asked for the Bishop's number. He said he wanted to get his life in order. Now he is active. He paid tithing last week. We are teaching his wife Taylor. She a is great lady and has a lot of faith. She wants to know everything about the church before she is baptized so we have been pushing her date back a lot. Right now we are shooting for Nov 23rd.

That is all the people we are teaching. In comparison to the California Ventura mission, we are teaching about a third the people. We tract A LOT. I really don't like tracting, but it seems to be the only way to find people to teach. I think I want to start focusing more on less actives and part member families. There are a lot of those here.

I am just now realizing how big the world really is. I always knew it was huge, but being in a different country really proves it. There are people here from everywhere - Iran, Sudan, Ethiopia, America, Tasmania, New Zealand, the Polynesian islands, etc. I love that aspect of it so much. These are all children of God and he loves them all so much, no matter where they are from. People talk really funny here. I might say something that sounds weird to you. If I do, that is because everyone says it here. They say zed instead of z here too. When I first heard someone say it I cracked up, it was so funny! There was a crazy lady at a dinner appointment we had. I guess schizophrenia is really common here. I think I have met at least five people who have it. Most of the old people here are Anglican, or part of the church of England. They never want to talk to us, but we teach a surprising number of Arabic people. They want to have Christ in their lives so much.

I saw a magazine cover that made me almost die. It had articles in it about all the cool movies coming out soon. Amazing Spiderman 2, Captain America 2, Robocop, Godzilla, X-Men... AAAAAAAAAA!!!!! jk. I'm fine now, I have stopped caring so much about missing things. I just tuck it away until when I get back.

I love you all so much,
Love Elder Jamison

First week in Australia

G'day Mates!

Ha ha. Oh, I am so stoked to be here in AUSTRALIA! I'm kinda bummed too though. I'm gonna miss California. That is like my second home now, but I am so excited to serve here. The people are great and I love being a missionary.

The first thing I noticed in the airport was all the Sister missionaries. Every single one of them was a solid 7 at least. I was so confused. What is happening to the world?! But it is all cool. Half of them went to the Sydney mission.

Another thing that weirds me out is Asian people with British accents. They are everywhere here. It really throws you off at first. I couldn't sleep on the plane so I spent 15 hours going out of my mind. The missionaries here are pretty cool! The rules are a lot less strict here - especially about ties. You can wear whatever tie you want! So crazy! There are so sexy ties here in AUS.

The people here don't eat sugary cereal. If you want to get like Fruit Loops or something it is $11. I am going to starve. I just spent six weeks living off of cereal. Its all good though. The ramen is great and they have this one cereal that is like Cocoa Crispies but not as good.

One funny thing my comp does is whenever we see a good looking girl on the street he hits the sun glasses holder thing under the rear view mirror. It comes down and there is a picture of Jesus in it. I guess it kinda helps. All it does for me though is draw my attention to the fact that there is a good looking girl nearby.

The ward here is so boss. They are great people and they love missionary work. We had a ward activity with around five nonmember families present. The church attendance in this ward is up too. California had heaps less actives and only about 90-ish people in the meeting. Here there is a small amount of less actives - enough to keep us busy - but around 200 people come to church. It is so great!  This one guy we met while tracting asked me what nationality I was. He didn't think I sounded American and when I asked him what I did sound like he was too embarrassed to tell me. It was pretty cool.

My companion knows a Sister in the Portland visitors center mission. Her name is Louisa Priday. If you know her tell her Elder Bunda says, "Hi." Everything here is beautiful, the ocean especially. I can't even tell you how crazy this world is. I can't believe how big it is too. It took 15 hours to fly here at 600 miles an hour. There is still so much more I haven't seen. I am so grateful that God loves us so much and has given us so many blessings.

I love you all so much and can't wait to see you again. I'm gonna be so sexy when I come back, with my accent and whatnot. Oh, also d**n and h**l are not bad words here. People throw them out left and right and there is no issue. You can even say them in church! I'll try to keep myself pure but don't judge me if I drop a D-bomb in my homecoming talk.

Love you all!
Elder Jamison

Safe arrival of Elder Jamison

Dear Brother and Sister Jamison,

We are happy to inform you that your son, Elder Joshua Paul Jamison, has arrived here in the Australia Perth Mission, and we thank you for sending him to us.  We are glad to have him here, and have confidence that he is going to be a fine missionary.

His companion in the North Beach Area, Elder Bunda, is a strong and faithful missionary.  He will play a vital role in the adjustments and training process your son will go through.  We encourage you to pray for his success and happiness and to write letters of encouragement and support.

It is our privilege to have him serve with us.  It is a great trust that you and Heavenly Father have placed in us to assist him in realizing his full potential as a servant of God.  We will assist in every opportunity to help him to grow in the gospel, to bless others and to invite all to come unto Christ.  He will truly be an instrument in the hands of the Lord.

May the Lord bless you to experience the joy and satisfaction that comes from having a son serving in this sacred responsibility.

Sincerely,
President  and Sister Lindsay
Australia Perth Mission

To Australia

GUESS WHAT!?!

I got my visa two days ago! Yes indeed I fly out to Australia in 5 hours. My time in California is unforgettable and I am sad to leave. I have grown so much here and learned how to be a good servant of the Lord. I hope that I can continue to see progress while I serve in Australia.

This week has been so strange. I saw some nuns one day - SO WEIRD. Do you remember that M&Ms commercial when they see Santa and they are all "He does exist!" and Santa's all "they do exist!" It was just like that. I wrecked hardcore on my bike. It hurt really bad and my hand is scraped up like nobody's business. One of our investigators was having this candle show thingy. They smelled pretty nice and there was some dang good horchata there. Then yesterday we were going to see this lady who is 100 years old and her family was randomly there. We knocked on the door and they go "Elders come in! Sit down and eat!" We were all "WHAT!?" It was so random. The 100 year old lady and her son were basically deaf and they were a little crazy too, it was super funny.

Oh, I have met so many amazing people here in California. This has become my home. I almost can't stand to leave it. I know that the people all around the world need this message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I now this is the truth and, most importantly, I now that Jesus Christ lived and died so that we could be free from death and sin. Never lose hope. You can do whatever life throws at you if you trust in God.

I love you all!
Elder Jamison

The Plan of Salvation (Sidewalk Chalk Version)

I'm so happy to be on a mission

Being a missionary is so weird.... the craziest things happen to us all the time.

At 7-11 there was this 12 year old looking kid working the counter. He was obviously not old enough to sell alcohol.  When we asked him how old he was he got all shifty and said ...... 18.  It was pretty funny.

The neighbor kids lit up a smoke bomb and threw it in our manager's back porch. She isn't the nicest lady.

There is this crazy song playing every where about what foxes say.... weirdest song ever.  I don't know what the music industry is coming to.  I miss music a lot but I have found that my past interests help me connect with people.

I'm so happy to be on a mission. I have been thinking a lot lately about how blessed I have been my whole life, you and mom were the best parents I could have ever asked for.

I am having a great time here, yeah there are some discouragements but it is all awesome, and it is helping me prepare to be all that I am meant to be. The time is going way too fast.  Mom said that Marisa Storts is back already! Crazy, I am about 1/4th the way done... INSANE.

I love it here in Cali but I am feeling my time to leave is close. Transfers are next week, I think it is coming around then. Nov 4th is my guess, but I can't really know for sure. It could be later today even.

I love you so much!
Elder Jamison

A tough week

Hey Everybody,

Elder Shields and I have hit a wall. We have been so excited and so blessed this transfer. We had some amazing progressing investigators and we found so many people who wanted to come closer to Christ. This week it all seemed to fall apart. We have had a lot of trouble contacting one of our investigators with a baptismal date.  A former investigator, that we were able to contact after trying so long, canceled her appointment with us.  An investigator we found, and thought had amazing potential, has stopped progressing.  Worst of all, two of our investigators might not be able to be baptized.  Their family situation is complicated and their mother will probably not allow them to be baptized.

At this point in the transfer we feel depleted. It is hard to be a missionary sometimes, but I know, and Elder Shields knows, that those miracles we saw really were miracles.  The people we have taught this transfer have come closer to Christ and the people, especially the children, we have talked to have changed us as well.

Having General Conference has been a real blessing as this week. We both gained a lot of insight on what we can do to be more productive and have the Spirit more as missionaries. We both thought that some of the talks were directed at us as well as to some of our investigators, who we intend to share the talks with. Hope is not lost, as long as we have faith that God will provide for us a means by which we can accomplish His work. I am so thankful to be a missionary.

I have been reading Jesus the Christ a lot recently. It is crazy complicated language, but I am learning a lot from it. I have also been thinking a lot about how lucky I have been. I grew up in the true church of Jesus Christ.  I was always provided for, but I still had to work, and learned the value of it. I have been blessed with unshakable faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement. I know it is real and I will never deny it. Before my mission I would often wonder what would happen if my faith was put to the test. If I was threatened for my belief in Christ. I often questioned whether I would stay strong, but now I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, I will never deny my God. I know he is real.  I know he loves all his children, and I know that through obedience and His power, we can do all things. I can't remember the scripture off the top of my head, but a prophet said if God asked me to do all things I could do them.  I know this to be true. If God told me to do something, I could do it. Whether or not I would do it is a different story though, but being a missionary and the conference talks we just heard helped me see there is hope for me. I would always think there would come a point when I would be perfect and I could stop my progression.  However, now I see that I will not and cannot ever be perfect, I will always be trying to come closer to Christ.

Sorry this letter is so heavy, but this week was crazy. I learned so much. I'm still a super immature teenager. I'll let you know about all the crazy things that have happened in my other letters.

Love,
Elder Jamison

Come listen to a prophet's voice

Here is what I will be doing this weekend. I invite you to watch too. Afterward, let me know what you think.

The people here are amazing! I don't want to go to Australia anymore

This week has been so awesome! We have seen so many miracles!  We have been having quite a bit of difficulty getting in contact with a lady named Mireya but we were finally able to on Saturday. We taught a lesson about the word of wisdom as she had expressed some concerns about her being tired all the time, and we attempted to set a baptismal date with her. She didn't want to commit to a date within the year, she believes that she needs at least a year of study and church attendance in order to be truly converted. We are thankful for her desire to be committed but we asked her if she would pray about the 4th of November, which is the date we wanted her to shoot for. We have another lesson with her on Saturday and she has said that she will come to church next week. We are hoping to find her an amazing ward member as a fellowship.

We have also made a good amount of progress with two of our investigators who have accepted a baptismal date, Jesus and Guadelupe. They have shown sincere desires to learn about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and have both been to church multiple times. Jesus has told us that he has felt the Spirit in Sacrament meetings before, but we aren't sure if Guadelupe knows what the Holy Ghost feels like. We hope that we can help her receive a spiritual confirmation this week as her baptismal date of October 19th approaches.

There are so many wonderful things happening in our area. We are also excited to begin teaching a family of three. While on exchanges with Elder Epps, we decided to pray for a specific miracle, we prayed that we would find a family of three to teach. Immediately after getting out of the car we saw a man cleaning his truck. We talked to him and we came to find that he was the head of a family of three and they were extremely kind and open to us. I have come to know through experience that when the true desire of our hearts is to serve the Lord, that desire is projected into the appearance of miracles.

We had four investigators at church yesterday! It was crazy! The people here in Oxnard are so amazing! I don't want to go to Australia anymore... I LOVE IT HERE TOO MUCH! I will cry myself to sleep for sure when I have to leave.

I must go, the tie rack at the Bargain Center is calling my name.
Adieu

I am so pumped now!

This is the most legit thing EVER!! I love being a missionary. I am dog tired and going kinda crazy - WORTH IT! I am so happy to be able to help people learn about how they can have better lives.

On Monday, I hurt my leg. We were playing sports and I totally ate it and my ankle got super swollen. I refused to stop working, so now it hurts super bad - WORTH IT!

I gave a talk in church on Sunday.  The 2nd Counselor called us up on Friday afternoon and asked if we would speak on Sunday. Short notice. Mine was all about love. In Romans, Paul says that if we can fulfill the commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves, then none of the ten commandments will be an issue. Adultery, murder, theft, covetousness, all stem from hate. If we can develop Christ-like love for others, we can overcome temptation. That was the gist of my talk.

President Castro called this morning, I got all sweaty and started freaking out..."My visa came, my visa came!" Nope. Elder Shields is gonna be a car mechanic in the mission. YES!

I love Cali so much. I don't even want to leave anymore! I had a dream last night that the second coming of the Savior happened while I was a missionary. Elder Shields and I ran around telling everyone "He has come! He has come!" I felt so happy and excited to share the good news with the world!

BRING IT ON OXNARD! I am so pumped now! We even came up with a way to help overcome our exhaustion! We are going to eat better this week! Smoothies, peanut butter, and fish... and pizza rolls... and candy... and cinnamon rolls. Okay, okay just the good things. I really am tired of being tired, so we are gonna do something about it.

All the kids here call me Zuko. The first day I told them that was my name and it stuck. That is gonna be my name when I get home too! Danny Zuko - or Zuko from Last Airbender? Take your pick.  Either way, it's legit.

Love you all!
Peace out!
Elder Jamison

A Few Pictures

Mindy Smith, Elder Jamison, Jacob Hurst

 Elder Shields and Elder Jamison

 Jesus, Guadalupe, Elder Shields

Blessed are all they who are persecuted for my name’s sake... 3 Nephi 12:10

This week has been totally awesome! I'm in Oxnard right now with Elder Shields. He is such a bro. He is basically a copy of me. He looks like me, is the same size as me, has the same interests as me, and is 9 days younger than me. We get along awesome! We have met and taught a lot of really cool people too.

Wednesday: People gave us a ton of random free stuff today. This one guy came running out of his house to us holding a giant can of fruit. This other lady gave us a bunch of avocados, and some kids sold us some candy bars. There is a guy here named J. He wants to get baptized but is on parole. He has changed a lot and has really taken hold of the atonement. He is looking at 2016 to be baptized but may be able to get off parole in January if his trial goes well. Pray for him! He is so amazing and deserves all the blessings of heaven.

Thursday: We met this sweet family today. They are really cool and we taught them the whole restoration lesson. I can see them getting baptized no problem. We have a return appointment with them tomorrow. We have a ton of neighbor kids in our complex. They basically love us. They are pretty cool. They try to get us to say dirty things in Spanish but we just say silly stuff instead.

Friday: One of the neighbor kids had a birthday and they gave us some cake. It was really good. We gave her a dollar for her birthday. We walked through an alley and I saw my first bullet hole in a wall. I've seen like 30 since then. We are in the ghetto part of the mission. We see some crazy stuff. It is the coolest thing ever.

Saturday: There was a big boxing match today so all the people had it on their TVs as pay per view. It was $70 to watch. People just blew through so much money. It was a really big deal. We had a sweet lesson with a neighbor kids named Jesus today. He and his sister came to church with us on Sunday. Jesus is really funny. He reminds me of Gustavo.

Sunday: We saw a zombie today. This kid was walking down the street with a crazy limp and it looked like he was missing an arm. When he saw us looking at him he started running at us and yelling crazy stuff. It was super scary. It was like a scene straight out of a zombie movie. There were some girls that drove by us in their car the other day. A lot of people think it is funny to yell sacrilegious phrases at us. These girls did it, but then the light turned red. It was really funny. We walked right past them and gave them a big smile and a wave. They were super embarrassed.

Being a missionary is super cool. Stay classy everybody.
Love Elder Jamison

Transferring to Oxnard

"Brothers and Sisters, ALOHA!"  Ha ha, I'm gonna do that in my homecoming talk. Then say, "I didn't serve where they do that. I just wanted to know what it was like."

Hey, have I told you about Brother Walbrecht? He is a super cool guy in our ward. He has started a bunch of snowboarding companies including Grenade. When he was younger, he worked for Dr. Martins and guess what? He booked Weezer's first show! He is such a boss! He likes my Wonder Twins movie idea. That would be so sweet and epic!

Elder May got his visa. I'm the only one left in America now. It is only a matter of time. I bet I'm here for a whole year! That would be epic.

Transfers are coming up. I'm going to Oxnard. I'm going to miss Nipomo more than anything. I feel like curling up in a corner and crying, but Oxnard will be awesome. I'm so stoked to go there. My companion's name is Elder Shields. I have heard good things about him so I'm pretty excited.

I told some people to look you up on Facebook. The Hursts are so sweet. You would love them.

Gotta pack and say goodbye to everyone.

LOVE YOU ALL!!!
Elder Jamison

YM, work, sausage, ward families

OH GOSH BIGOSH I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!

OK. Supes awk. My third selfy haircut, and I messed it up. I was going for my usual, 8 on the top, 4 on the side, then I went too far up with the 4. My hair is now all at a 4. It isn't that bad, I think it is the same length you would cut it to dad, but I now have the shortest hair in the district. I'm rocking it though, apparently I look way older with short hair.

Let everyone know how much I miss them. It is the good miss though. I have never once felt like I wanted to stop being a missionary. I hope that I can make all you back home proud. Who is the new YM prez? okay okay okay guesses... Brother............. Tanaguchi? That would be EPIC! Well let me know.

Did you get the key I sent you? That was a little embarrassing. I realized how much I love work the other day. I was helping someone assemble a swing set and I was all... POWER TOOLS!!!! I love working. I am stoked to be a man someday.

I got some of those sweet Aidell's sausages the other day. I couldn't find any Jalapeno & Mango, so I just got the Habanero & Green Chili. It was pretty dang good.

Don't ever stop being EPIC!! Let me know all about school and what classes yalls are in. Is Elizabeth going to LO or Lakeridge? I know the teachers at LO better so it would be sweet to compare and all. How is the ward? You lost some sweet people. It's all good though, I love our ward, almost as much as Arroyo Grande 1st ward. Actually you are a close tie. I love it here so much. It is going to be hard to leave. I will come back though. ROAD TRIP! After you graduate Elizabeth I will drive you all down here to see all the people. My personal favorites are the Hursts, Manuel, the Lockes, the Bendixens, the Marrils.... my list is way too long. I need to write them all down somewhere so I never forget.

No matter how much I love it here though, I am so excited to go to Australia. I don't think I was ready to go 3 months ago. I needed to come here first, but just you wait, I'm having a feeling that my visa will come sometime this next transfer. Then, I will be on a 20 hour plane ride to the other side of the world.

I love you all so much!
Elder Jamison

Doldrums

JAMBA LOA!

I have been trying to focus on developing Christ-like love this week. It is hard for me to understand how he loves all of us, even the pompous ones, but then it helps me to reflect on myself. How can he love me? I don't deserve his love, but he gives it freely. I really want to learn how to do that.
I love you guys so much. I have the coolest family ever. You all make me so proud. You're cool. You go to concerts all the time, and you stick together. I hope my family can be as cool as you guys. I know that Heavenly Father is proud of you too. You really are all foreordained for greatness. We are so lucky. We were born into the one true church of God on the earth. Faith comes like a second nature to us. We have always known who we are, where we are going, and what we need to do to be happy. Never forget that. I love you all so much.
This week was kind of crappy - not that it was super bad, but it was really stale. I need to find a way to get a pro investigator. No one has progressed past lesson one. I don't know what I am doing wrong but I am trying to find the issue and eliminate it. I really do love this work and these people.
Brother Bendixen told me about how dad tried to sell him his bike. That was super funny. I told him that it would be sold soon anyway. Michael will have it someday. I can feel it. OH!!!
I met a kid who is just like Michael!!! You have seen pictures of him already. His name is Jaden Sola. He is the boy at the baptism I had. He looks a little like Michael and he acts like him too! Yesterday he told me about his pig. He has been raising a pig to sell at a fair. He bought it for like $300 and sold it at $1,900!! HE IS ONLY 9!! He says he is going to use the money to buy a steer and raise it for 5 years and sell it at $15,000! He will have mission and school paid for before he is 16! This kid is driven. That is why he reminds me of Michael (the entrepreneur).
I love you all so much and can't wait to see how much you all grow and progress!

Love
Elder Jamison

Teaching Jim and Alex with Elder Newmyer

Hey everyone! This week has been pretty amazing. We have made so many strong connections with the ward members! The people here are so generous to us. They know who we are and what we are called to do. They both trust and love the missionaries and I am so thankful for that.
We had a pretty amazing lesson with Jim Carnehan. His wife is a member and I am at a loss for why he has not been baptized. He has read the Book Of Mormon many times. He has a profound understanding of both the Old and New Testaments. He is reading the Doctrine and Covenants. He keeps all the commandments, including the Word of Wisdom. He has a testimony that this church is Christ's church restored to the earth through the prophet Joseph Smith, and he has even submitted family names to the temple and has had work done for them. When we ask him why he has not been baptized, his excuses are weak and half-hearted. I believe that there is an underlying issue that he has not yet come to terms with. I have been fasting and praying to know how to help him, but I haven't yet come to understand his reservations. I do have hope however. He has had all the lessons and has come to church consistently for many years. He will be baptized someday soon, I hope that it is within the next 6 weeks, but whether it is or isn't he knows what is right and will eventually choose to make both baptismal and temple covenants with his Father in Heaven.
We also had a great lesson with an 18 year old boy named Alex. He was a referral from the Kilpalinen family. We taught him about the restoration of this gospel. It seemed that it went well, until we called the Kilpalinens the next day. They said that our lesson had scared him away a bit. He hadn't expected us to give him a Book of Mormon, invite him to be baptized, and tell him so much about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. It really goes to show how amazing our calling is. I am 19 years old. I have spent little to no time studying doctrine, and am not a very eloquent speaker, but when the Spirit of the Lord speaks through me, I become something else. I become a missionary, a disciple of the Lord and Savior of the world. I can teach with power and authority and can truly invite others to come unto Christ.
This concept was shown yesterday very well. We talked to a man who had some very deep questions about God, the creation, covenants, and the gospel in general. In the beginning we gave fairly standard answers and comments. What really started it off was when we said that we are saved through Jesus Christ. The man asked, "What does that mean? Why did he have to die for our sins? Couldn't God just have redeemed us with all his power and might?" The question was deep and puzzling, but through the Holy Ghost, Elder Newmyer and I were able to testify that our Heavenly Father, in all his infinite wisdom and glory, does have the power to redeem us. The way that he provided for us to be saved was Jesus Christ. This was the only way that we could have our sins removed. His plan is perfect and marvelous. I am so proud to be a part of this great work.
My new companion is very different than either Elder May or Elder Bostrom. Guess when his birthday is? August. I get to go to the temple again this transfer! How lucky have I been? A baptism, two temple trips, Zone conference, two mission calls, amazing trainer, and I'm only 2 months in. My mission is going to be amazing. I am so excited to preach the gospel, and I become more and more anxious to go to Australia. I feel pulled there by something. I know that there is someone there who needs me. I know that "My Friend" is out there, waiting for me.

Stay strong my friends. I love you all so much.
Elder Jamison

There's a bear!

I spotted this black bear across the lake while we were heading to a member's house.

 District Mealtime

Visa Status

Key to a testimony

Okay okay okay, first thing first... I GOT NO PACKAGE WITH SAID GUMMY FROGS!!!!! This is an outrage.  It's all good though.
This week was sweet! Transfers are tomorrow.  My companion is leaving me!!!  :.(  He is going to be a District Leader in Santa Barbra. My new companion will be Elder Newmier.  No one knows who he is, so I am clueless right now. One of the Elders from my MTC district got his visa, so it begins.
I'm super excited that Rebekah is talking to Aaron. One of the things I learned from my studies this week is that The Book Of Mormon is the key to conversion. If someone can gain a testimony that the Book of Mormon is of God, then they can know that Joseph Smith was a prophet, that he was called to restore Christ's church on the earth, and that Thomas S Monson is a Prophet of God. If Aaron (and anyone else you share the gospel with) will read the Book of Mormon and take Moroni's challenge in Moroni 10:3-5, then a testimony of this Church and its divine origins will come.
I bought a ton of cool ties today, they are super sweet. I can only wear like half of them but they were thrift store ties so I got like thirty for the price of two.
The LA temple was amazing.  There was this guy in the session that sneezed.  His sneeze echoed around the room and sounded super crazy. It was really cool.
I'm feeling super scattered right now, I can't remember anything that happened this week it is all a blur.
If I can think of the stuff I wanted to say I'll send it in a letter.

I love you all!!!
Elder Jamison

Week 7?

I can't remember what week I am on but that is not really important. THIS WEEK WAS SO COOL!!! We had Zone Conference on Tuesday and I learned so much!!  Our mission president gave us "The Talk"... it was a little awkward at first but it turned out okay. The next day Elder Bostrom and I went on exchanges with our Zone Leaders. I was able to teach three people and they all chose a baptismal date!! Ashlyn is an early 20's hipster who is pretty cool. She is tiny and has a squeaky voice too. She has been going to church, FHE, and has been reading the Book of Mormon. She knows that the church is true and wants to be baptized. She still has to go to church a few more times and keep the Word of Wisdom for three weeks straight so she is going to be baptized on August 17th! After Ashlyn, we taught a girl named Courtney. She is one of the most prepared people I have ever met. She has been watching The District on YouTube (a missionary training video) and has a fierce desire to be baptized. She has chosen the 28th as her date and couldn't be more excited. I hope that I can go to her baptism, and Ashlyn's as well. I am not the missionary in their area so I need to find an investigator who wants to see a baptism to be able to go. MOTIVATION!!! I have a few in mind and I am PUMPED!! After teaching Courtney, we went to teach Ian. He has been investigating the church for a long time and is finally ready to commit to be baptized. He has had some trouble keeping the Word of Wisdom up to this point, but he has begun to see the blessings that come from keeping the commandments, and in our lesson with him Elder Johnson said some amazing things to him. He is ready to commit and stay strong and will be baptized on Aug 3rd. The next day, Elder Bostrom and I were super excited and ready to see miracles. We went to go see Maricella, Moses's mom, who said that he is too young to make the decision to be baptized. We talked with her and testified that Moses has grown so much from coming to know God. We followed the Spirit in talking to her and it was powerful. She may not change her mind, but the things that we said and the changes she has seen in Moses, she will not forget. That same day the coolest thing happened. Elder Bostrom has been in a boot for a while for his ankle. Some of the girls in our complex have seen him on his crutches. They decided to help us out. These young girls went door to door selling some kiwi strawberry punch for a few coins and raised around 70 cents. They gave us some of the juice, the money, and some pretty rocks to help Elder Bostrom feel better. It is so amazing to see little children love so freely. They have not been corrupted by mistrust or selfishness. All they can feel is care and concern for others. I feel so grateful for their example to me and I will try to emulate the Christ-like love they have for others. The longer I am a missionary, the more I come to feel the love for others that helps me teach them. For those who listen to our message, I can know from the Spirit what to teach them to help them find happiness. For those who don't, I feel indescribable sadness. They don't know what they are saying "no" to. They don't understand the joy that comes from the gospel of Jesus Christ. There was a woman the other day who listened to us for a few seconds and said that our words were twisted and to go away. How can they be twisted? Our message is one of happiness, love, salvation, and exaltation. I am a 19 year old boy, I have sacrificed to come to teach these people, I am called of a prophet of God to bring the message of Jesus Christ to them. They don't see that though. I am not sure what they see, but I want to know. How can they not see this for what it is? Heavenly Father loves them, Jesus Christ loves them, as a messenger and disciple of Jesus Christ, I am a conduit of that love, I feel it pulse from Him, to me, and towards them. There are some who accept it and some who don't. Please pray for them that don't. There will come times in their lives when they feel lost, alone, or afraid. They will have nowhere to turn because they don't understand the atonement of Jesus Christ. I hope that when that day comes, they will feel of His love for them and they will see that without His gospel, they cannot find true joy. Never give up on teaching people, our friends and family who are not members of the church need this message. There is nothing in the entire universe that will bring them more happiness. I am so excited to continue to find those who are ready, and to plant seeds of faith in those who are not. I love you all so much and keep you in my thoughts. You are right next to Jesus Christ as my inspiration and my rock.

I love you so much,
Elder Jamison

Birthday Bro

Birthday Bro - Jacob Hurst.  I love him so much.  He has just recently become activate again and is trying to go on a mission.  He has lost a lot of hope of going, so we are trying to boost him up.

A Typewriter

Dear Family,

We got this typewriter from a lady at a yard sale.  I also got a sweet Twilight backpack there.  I just finished the Book of Mormon again and have started the Old and New Testaments.  I have come to love the scriptures.more and more every day.  I especially love to read the words of Christ.From the way he speaks, you can really sense His love and care for all the people he teaches.  The more I come to understand the Atonement and the nature of Christ, the more I love all those around me and those I have left behind.  This became especially apparent at the Bendixen's (Angie and James) house.  I got to see family pictures of the Taylors and of us.  I miss you all so much and think about you often and individually.  The one thing I wish I had brought more of is family pictures.  Please send me all the pictures of family that you can.  Physical pictures are okay, but email ones work a little better.
I know that God lives and that Jesus Christ is our savior and redeemer.  There are many people that think we, as Latter-day Saints, believe that we are saved by grace and works.  This is not true.  The one and only way we can be saved and exalted in the Kingdom of God is through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  All mankind has been redeemed through His blood and will receive some form of glory.  What our works do is show that we are changed by the grace of God.  By keeping His commandment the best we can, we are showing that we have accepted the Atonement of Jesus Christ and want to truly become like He is.  Jesus Christ is my first inspiration.  Next, is you - my wonderful and eternal family, and third, are the children of god that I am called to serve and teach.  I love you all and will be writing to you each soon.

Love,
Elder Jamison

Pictures

Moses and Manuel

Kelly, Nicole, and Jaden burying their symbolic weapons of rebellion.

And they did also bury their weapons of war, according as their brethren had, and they began to be a righteous people; and they did walk in the ways of the Lord, and did observe to keep his commandments and his statutes.  -- Alma 25:14

Elder May, Elder Jamison, Richard and Nicole, Elder Bostrom, Elder Hofiens

Injury, a haircut, and a testimony

This week was pretty slow.  My companion tore some ligaments in his foot and got a nasty spider bite, so we have been resting a lot.  NO FEAR!!!  We are still stoked to teach the gospel and have been calling people more than tracting.  We will all have trials at some point and this is just one of them.  I wrote all of you some letters on our type writer.  I just mailed them two hours ago so they should get there tomorrow or Wednesday.  I love you all so much.  That is awesome that Michael has a job, he will like Albertson's a lot.  It was super weird being in Angie's house because she had a picture of the Taylors.  I just never expected to see them but I liked it a lot.  That is one thing I wish I had more of, pictures.  Could you please send me as many as possible?  Emailed ones work best, but hard copy ones will work fine too.  In my letters to you, I gave you each a personality sticker.  I bought a ton of stickers at Walmart and I thought that it would be sweet to describe you all with stickers.  Dad is the Hulk.  Mom is the Invisible Girl.  Rebekah is Electra.  Michael is the Thing.  Elizabeth is She-Hulk.  Rachel is Spider Girl.  My sticker collection was limited, so I worked with what I had.  I love you all so much and am so excited for all of you.  Let Gustavo know I am excited for him and let me know where he is called to.  I did get a hair cut.  I did it myself so I had Elder Bostrom take tons of pictures.  My first selfy hair cut.  We taught this kid named Cody the other day.  He is 23 and a history and bible major at a bible school.  It was a little sad talking to him because all his studies and learning about God have been logical and dry.  He has no faith or hope.  All he has is fact and reason.  There are a lot of people like this today.  Work as hard as you can to show people the hope you have for the life to come.  I am so excited for the day when Jesus Christ will come again - when every single person who ever has or will live will be brought to the knowledge that he is our savior and redeemer.  The atonement is everything.  Without it, we would be lost and alone in our sins, but our Heavenly Father loves us so much that he sent Jesus Christ to be our perfect example.  We have been saved from our sins.  The atonement covers them all.  Now, we need to take full advantage of that and do all we can to become like Christ.

I love you all,
Elder Jamison

First Baptism

This week has been super cool.  I had my first baptism.  Her name is Nicole and she is super cool.  She is only 19, but she got married and quit smoking so she could be baptized.  I'm sending some pictures of her and her family (Manuel and Moses).  I love you all so much.  Do good things.

To California

Hi everybody!!!

I'm finally in the mission field and am PUMPED!!  On the first day, we talked to a guy named Chris and his son Zach.  He told us about how he is on dialysis and has been waiting for a kidney for 6 years.  He said he has lost hope and feels that God has forgotten about him.  We told him that God will never forget him and that there is always hope.  We gave him a mormon.org card and he said he would watch the videos.

A few days later we taught a 10 year old boy named Moses.  His dad, Manuel, was baptized only a few weeks ago.  When I asked him what he liked to do he said be with his dad.  That was so cool.  We taught him the first lesson in PMG and he understood and loved it all.  He then gave the most humble and sincere prayer I had ever heard.  He loves the gospel and knows it is true.  He wants to be baptized, but his mom won't let him.  We have fasted for her and will be seeing her later this week.  Hopefully she will allow her son to be baptized when she understands the importance of the decision.

My trainer is Elder Bostrom.  He is super cool and has taught me so much.  Here in Nipomo, there are a ton of sketchy people.  There is a guy who stands on our corner named Chris.  We call him toga man.  He has a sad story and is basically crazy now, but we love him.  There is also a guy who lives in a motel.  He goes out on the side walk and rams an RC car into his cat all day.  When we moved into the apartment, there was a light saber in the closet.  We don't know where it came from but it is there.  The power went out last night and the neighbors started burning stuff.  We were all saying it was the second coming, which would have been awesome, but it wasn't.  The whole area lost power though, all the way to Santa Maria.  I saw Angie yesterday.  Her husband is in my bishopric and she is the young woman's president.  This one lady needed help setting up a yard sale and she had a "Team Edward" backpack.  I asked if I could buy it and she gave it to me.

I love you all!

Elder Jamison