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

More MTC Pictures

 I am going to Perth, Australia

Elder Moeaki in my glasses.

We so excited!

MTC Pictures

Sister Bohemer, Sister Haake, Sister Laulu-Pututao, Sister Unsicker, Sister Brown

Back:  Elder Holyoak

Front:  Elder Jamison, Elder Castro, Elder May

My MTC Zone at the temple

Teaching in the MTC

First things first... my visa didn't come.  None of the Australian ones have, so I have been temporarily reassigned to the California, Ventura Mission (Spanish speaking).  I am super excited and I leave on Monday the 17th at 3:30 am for the Santa Barbara airport.  I was a little discouraged when I first learned that my visa hadn't come, but I know that wherever I am sent, the Lord is preparing people for me to teach.  One of the people I have been teaching here is named Dave.  He is in his late 40s and has had a rough life.  He did some time in prison.  I don't know what for but I really don't care.  He has a firm belief in Jesus Christ and the atonement and has come to know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God.  He is especially excited about Jesus Christ's visit to the Nephites.  We have had him read parts of 3 Nephi and he has committed to be baptized as he comes to further understand the restoration of the church.  He readily accepted the knowledge of the apostasy and was thrilled to hear that the priesthood power is again on the earth.
Another of our investigators is Thrijae (3jay).  He is in his early 20s and has had some struggles as well.  His father died of cancer a few weeks ago and it hit him really hard.  While in the hospital, he prayed to God, saying he would do anything if his dad could be saved, but his dad wasn't saved from death.  It hit his faith hard and he didn't have faith in God for a while, but he was at his friend Mario's house and the missionaries stopped by.  They had a quick lunch and just talked for a while.  Then, one of the Elders turned to Thrijae and said, "You can see your father again."  That night, he couldn't sleep.  He let us into his home to hear more about what the missionary meant.  We let him know of God's love for him and some of the plan of salvation.  Tears came to his eyes and we all felt the presence of the Spirit.  We told him that we would do anything to help him through his hard time and he told us that was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to him.  Two days later, we went to his house again to keep teaching, but when he answered the door he told us we had to go.  He had not slept again that night and had an amazing dream.  He was fishing with his dad on a pier and that was it.  They didn't talk or look at each other the entire dream, until the end, when his father looked over at him and smiled.  He woke up in tears and felt the Spirit very strong.  He was so excited he called his mother, who had been facing some challenges as well.  She hung up on him when he told her he had met with us.  She later told him that he was a fool for listening to us.  When he told us this, I wanted to respect the wishes of his mother and leave after bearing testimony and offering any assistance we could provide, but my companion, Elder May, persisted.  He kept talking to Thrijae and kept bearing testimony that the Spirit would bless his life.  So, eventually, Thrijae let us in again.  We talked for a while and Elder May shared an amazing story about an Elder in his home ward that was a convert, whose family had disowned him after his baptism and haven't spoken to him in 25 years.  Thrijae then let us know that he had been having some suicidal thoughts and knew that his roommate had a hand gun in his drawer.  I bore testimony that God loved him and that he had a purpose on this earth.  We told him he would see his dad again and that the Spirit would bless his life.  Elder May saved Thrijae's life.  If I had my way, we would have left him there, not having come any closer to Christ.  He would have taken his life because I didn't listen to the Spirit telling us to continue to try.  I have committed to never let that happen again.  The worth of every soul is great in the eyes of God.  I will do all I can to bring them back to Him.
I love you all so much and pray for you every day. I am not the same as when I left, I have grown a little more like Nephi.  When Laman and Lemuel try to throw him in the sea, he says, "Touch me not, for I am filled with the Spirit of God, even unto the consuming of my flesh."  That is what I want - to have every part of my body filled with the Holy Ghost and to have the power to truly convert the people of Santa Barbara and Perth.

P.S. I was kidding about Spanish speaking.

MTC Week 1

The MTC is really cool.  I'm learning so much about the gospel from my teachers, the Elders in my district, and especially the sisters in my district.  There are six Elders and five Sisters.  We are all going to Perth, except three of the sisters who are going to Wellington, New Zealand.  It's only the third day but I already feel like my testimony, my knowledge of the gospel, and my spirit have grown.  I want you all to know that I know that serving a mission will bless my life and the lives of those I teach.  I know that God lives and that he loves each one of us individually.  We all have unlimited potential.  All we have to do to tap into that is to do the things we are asked.  Keeping the commandments is so easy.  The more we do it, the easier it gets.  I love you all and hope to NOT see you soon.  I'll see you in two years.

I'm Official

I'm officially Elder Jamison now.  I'm finally a missionary.  All the primary and priesthood lessons all my life have been meant to bring me to this point.  I am ready and willing to serve the Lord and have never been more excited about anything.  I could never have been as prepared as I am now without the influences of my leaders, friends, family, and, especially, my parents.  I am extremely grateful for their influence in my life.  I will always have those who have helped build me on my mind.  My one goal now is to make my teachers, friends, family, and my God proud by bringing others to the knowledge of the true church of Jesus Christ.