Week 20 - MESA, AZ

 Hey family!

Wow this week has been crazy!! So White washing is hard, hahha but I
have grown SO MUCH! no comfort in the growth zone, no growth in the
comfort zone right!? But anyways, it's still hard for me, but I've
gotten significantly better at talking to people on the street. Like
way Better! It doesn't really scare me that much anymore! Hahaha after
you get cussed out, getting rejected doesn't really seem too bad. Some
guy just swore a lot at us and told us to get out of Mesa and just
some good ole stuff like that. Also, one of the Hermanas that I served
with in my first Ward said that now my Spanish is way better! So
needless to say I'm grateful I've had these hard times to grow more!:)

The bikes are doing good! I haven't had any more troubles with those!
It's SO HOT hahah on bike I'm always smelly and sweaty but that's ok.
I can't believe this isn't even hot to them.. I'm gonna die if I'm on
bike in the Summer.

On Monday we were looking for this one house when a lady came up to us
and said hello! We started talking and we found out she was a member
but innactive but we just started talking and it ended up being super
powerful and spiritual for both of us! She said she had been wanting
to make it back to church but she just hasn't and then she had been
praying and we ran into each other! It was amazing! It ended up that
we shared the same birthday too! Hahaha it was crazy! We're gonna have
a lesson with her and the Sisters in the Ward she's in.

Then we street contacted into this one family in a trailer park. We
were like hey have you talked with missionaries before?? And they were
like yeah we're members.... Hahaha what??? So we ended up talking with
the dad and they moved into the Branch about a month ago and him and
his wife are both members but the kids aren't. So we were talking with
him and he said he knows the Book of Mormon and church are true but he
just works every Sunday. So we're gonna take baby steps and have a
family home evening with them and stress the importance of daily
scripture and prayer!

Then on Saturday, (the night of the pagent, which was amazing by the
way!) we went to the same trailer park and as we were leaving a guy
came up to us and was like "Hi aren't you guys from the church of
Jesus Christ of Latter day Angels?" And we started talking more and he
was like I've been feeling empty and I feel sad and like I'm missing
something, can you help me? Hahha and I said "Hermano, I know EXACTLY
what you need." Hahha so we gave him a Book of Mormon and were gonna
go by and teach him! Literally some came up asking to be taught! Such
blessing!

Elder Hoffman from the MTC

We were working very hard and the Lord blessed us! That's kinda why I
was a little down last week but it just strengthened my testimony that
the Lord always blesses us! Every day when I wanted to quit I had
little spiritual moments that picked me up. There's a talk that is
called "The Atonement and Missionary work" by Jeffrey R holland and in
it there's so many good parts and one of them says " As missionaries
we are proud to say we are disciples of Jesus Christ, but be prepared,
that means we must walk a bit of the path that he walked, to feel a
bit of the sorrow he felt and to shed a bit of the tears that he shed"
and it goes on saying "When missionaries are struggling or rejected or
spit upon etc... They are standing shoulder to shoulder with the best
missionary this world has ever Known." I read that this week and it
hit me! I know I'm gonna struggle and that's okay! I'm gonna work my
hardest and if I don't have anyone listen to me, that's ok! Because I
know Jesus Christ lives! I know that he helps us in times of trouble!
I know he's always there for us even when we don't think he is. It may
get tougher to be a disciple of Jesus Christ as the World moves on but
it will also be more worth it. I love you all!! Thanks for all the
birthday wishes and everything!! I love you guys! I wish I was there
to spend it with you! But hey, only one more!:) take care!

Elder Jordy James

Munch a bunch of Fritos, even if the bag broke!

Happy Birthday to me!!

Nailed it--making my birthday cake!