6/27/2016

I hope you got all the pictures. A got baptised!!!!! Wow! It was so amazing. It was just a great day. We woke up and the sun was shining and we were stokedddddd! It has been raining all week and we didn't want the rain to dampen the mood of the baptism. So when we woke up to the sun we were ecstatic! The service went well. There was some conflict with the bishopric being there and it was a bit chaotic. Everything is just sooo laid back in this ward haha that's just how Ghanaians are. I love them tons though! But it all worked out. So my boy Elder Steuer came up to baptize A because he taught him for a while before he dropped off a few months ago. So that was a super cool experience. Apparently the water was freezing cold haha and I was blamed by the whole ward for it for some reason so that kind of sucked to be honest. But it's okay. There wasn't really anything I could have done...the water boiler was broken but I gladly took the blame so no worries.

It was amazing to see the support that A received from his wife and the ward. His wife R has been in all of the lessons, she reads the Book of Mormon and does everything A does. She is just a bit behind him. We cannot really figure it out. But she knows this is what she needs to do. So we are really going to help her get there. They have the cutest little boy named B and for him to grow up in the gospel would be perfect. So we are really looking forward to teaching them more and being around them more. They leave for a vacation for 10 days but will be back soon so we will be over there first thing! We were able to have one of our investigators come to the baptism to watch! His name is H, he is from Columbia and he is only 17. And wow he is a great kid! He loved the baptismal service and we were able to have a lesson with him after. We watched the restoration video in Spanish and it amazing, I couldn't understand much, and Elder Withers speaks fluent Spanish because he studied it for 6 years. But I did feel the spirit and it was just a powerful experience. H was so grateful for Joseph smith and all that he did. He even testified to us that he knew he was a prophet and that the Book of Mormon was true. It was a testimony to me that the spirit is that powerful. It's crazy, I've realised how much my testimony grows in every lesson that I teach and for some reason I've noticed that more and more the last few weeks. But H is such a great kid. He told us how happy he was when he talks with us and prays. We are so happy for him.

Oh and the girl you see in all the pictures with A is V. She's the 16 year old who's parents won't let her get baptised. But she teaches with us all the time and seriously has the strongest testimony. She is amazing. Pretty sure she has more gospel knowledge than all the missionaries. But she is a great example to all of us.

Well that's basically our week. I went on exchange with Elder Campbell in our flat and it was a good time. He's from star valley Wyoming haha. He's a great kid. He runs track and every time we run in the morning he destroys us hahahaha but it's good. We had lots of fun. Elder Aubin is also in the flat now. He is in my MTC group and he's a stud. We went on exchange a whole while back when I was in Bedford. He's a Frenchy haha I call him Pepe all the time haha. Sometimes he sounds like Richard Permin and its hilarious hahaha. But the flat mates are great. It was Elder Withers birthday on Wednesday so we threw a mini party and had some cake. Elder Withers and I have tons of fun. We are always laughing. But the work is moving along.

Lords Hand

I have seen the Lords Hand is helping A be ready this week. He was nervous about doing it alone without his wife but he really knew it was something he wanted to do and needed. He was ready. He realized that his wife would support him and follow in his footsteps. I have also seen the Lords Hand in H. We stopped him right outside Tottenham Hale station and he listened to us! It was so amazing. He was very interested and listened to the spirit even if he didn't realise it.

I love you guys! So much. Thanks for being the best. I hope all is well back home. Can't believe sam is home so soon. Time is flying. I love you! The gospel is the best.

No short cuts

Jake

P.s. Haha I'm assuming you heard about the EU referendum hahah it's been chaos here. Everyone that didn't want to leave his ticked! They just yell at us and flip out haha so it's pretty crazy to be honest. Oh and there was some major flooding in London because of all the rain so that was crazy. Love you guys!

6/20/2016

What a week it has been! So it has been pretty crazy to be honest! Lots has happened! So my new companion is Elder Withers. He is from Cleveland Ohio and he really hopes the cavs win tonight hahaha. And I'm sure Hank (friend/neighbor/fanatic Cavs fan) feels the same way. It's crazy that last year we were watching the finals in Newport on senior trip. But anyways, Elder Withers has been out a year and some and he went to BYU for a year before he came out. He is 19 and his birthday is on Wednesday so we are going to have a party haha. We get along super well and laugh tons. He actually reminds me of Hank haha so it's pretty fun. Everyone knows what it's like when Hank and I are together, it gets a bit crazy haha. But he works super hard and we are going to have a great transfer. Oh and he studied Spanish for like 7 years back home so that really helps when we find South Americans. We have found a lot of people from Argentina this week haha I tell them that my friend Johny lives there and they all freak out haha so that's pretty funny.

New comp Elder Withers

But this week has been good but chaotic. All the missionaries met at Kings Cross St pancreas for transfers and it was crazy! Everyone was trying to find their companions and it was just crazy. But it all seemed to work out and everyone got back to their areas haha. 

So we were able to see A this week quite a few times. He has really been reading the Book of Mormon and praying a lot. He passed his baptismal interview on Saturday so he will be getting baptised on the 25th! We are so stoked for him! He is sad that his wife isn't ready yet but he knows it's something he needs to do. And we are so grateful for his faith. We really feel like his wife will follow him after she sees and feels the spirit. We know she will get there. But A is awesome. They have a little boy named B and A loves his family so much. He really knows how much the gospel will help them! So G on the other had hasn't been answering. We were really really excited for her and she was doing so well. And she was English!!!! And she was progressing to well! But we won't give up. She responds here and there so we will figure out what's up.

Later this week we found a couple named J and C. They are both 19 and they were super interested in meeting. We set an appointment and the actually met with us the next day! It was so great! We taught them about the restoration and the spirit was so powerful in the lesson. I felt it so strong, and my testimony of the gospel and of Joseph smith grew so much when the first vision was said. It was really an experience I am so grateful for! They both

loved the lesson and said they felt something special. We are seeing them on Wednesday so we are really really excited about that!

A friendly window washer while Jake was getting ready for the day!

So something sick happened! I started talking to this guy on the tube and I asked where he was from and he said Chile! So I asked where and he said Concepcion! Haha so that was soooo cool! I was so happy you have no idea. I said my brother lives there and it was just super cool! And then I asked what he was doing here and he said promoting fly fishing! Haha I was pumped! He showed us a bunch of pictures of fly fishing in Chile and even told us that a lot of the guides that work for the outfitter live in Salt Lake City haha. So it was just a crazy connection. And then another cool thing happened. We were walking through the gates at the station and these two girls sounded so American so we asked where they were from and they said Balboa Island Newport Beach California! Hahaa I was super stoked! I told them it was a great place and that you guys were actually there! So those were two cool things that happened!

LORDS HAND

I have seen the Lords Hand in strengthening my testimony when we teach. I have seen that every time I testify I feel the spirit and it always comforts me. It has been a crazy stressful week and I felt a bit down for the first bit of the week but but the end I really felt that it would all be okay. And I am grateful for that.

Well I'm assuming Balboa was great! I love you guys. I hope the break was good! Crazy that it's summer and Sam gets home so soon! It freaks me out. I love you so much!

Jake

NO SHORT CUTS

Questions

1. Companion questions

2.  Where do you get your hair cut?

Anywhere, usually like a cheap Turkish barber hahah. But it just

depends. They are usually pretty expensive in London so it's hard but

we find cheap places.

3.  Are you being fed by members? How often? What do you eat?

We don't go to members for dinner. Sometimes, the African

women make us stuff and bring it to he chapel which is nice. But

sometimes it's sketchy hahahaha

6/14/2016

Soooooo transfers were this week and I will be staying in London north Lea Valley ward! My new companion will be Elder Withers. From Ohio I think. Not close to where jack is serving though. It's crazy at the end of next transfer I will have served 6 months in London! So I'm pretty sure in the next 2 transfers I will be shipped off to Norwich, or like Canterbury. But that will be cool haha. Gotta change it up! Let just hope I'm somewhere nice in the winter, where I can get some snow. That would be amazing!

So this week has been gooooood! We were so blessed as a mission to have Elder Oaks come!!!! So that was super super brilliant. London south mission came and we got to see some of the boys from the MTC so that was sooo good! It was nice to see elder Johnson especially and just to have some good laughs about the MTC days. But the Elder Oaks conference was so powerful. He talked a lot about repentance and how important it is in our teaching and I think everyone basically filled up their entire notebooks with notes from him. He had us laughing pretty hard a few times and it was great haha! But really, everyone was so grateful that we had an Apostle come and speak to us. It was a day full of personal revelation and there are alot of things I can work on. We then heard from Elder Kearon and his wife! That was also great! Haha it was funny how they met actually. So Elder Kearon was found by 2 missionaries right outside the chapel on exhibition road! Right where I found for hours on end every day. He was taught and baptized in about 5 weeks and then Sister Kearon came to London on a study abroad. Haha they met and eventually got married. So that was a pretty awesome story haha. But the spirit was very strong on the conference and President and Sister Stevens were great. They shared their testimonies and it was super powerful. I love them so much. It was just a great conference. But it did take alllll day haha so some missionaries were pretty spiritually drained. But it's alllll good!

So I think I told you about A and R, the Brazilian family we are teaching kind of on and off. Well long story short they have bailed on our last few appointments because they have had family over from Spain. But we were able to go over the other day and when we walked in, A first thing asked when the next baptismal service was! We told him the 25 of June and he said he would be ready! So it's pretty quick but he is so prepared! His wife is in full support but wants more time. She will realize how important it is when she see A baptized. And when she knows A can baptize her. They have a little boy named B and they are just a perfect little family. The gospel will help them so much! We just have to go over a few things with A and really help him understand how important this step is but he's alllll good! We are also teaching G, who elder Burgess referred to us! She is also amazing and is making lots of progress! So we are stoked!

Well it has been a good week! Felt long but also fast! I think the few months leading up to the year mark get slow but also fast. It's Strange. I'm a bit jealous of you guys in Newport haha. Balboa is like our second home and I hope it always stays like that. It's the best. Ride some waves for me and get pitted haha. I love you guys! Be safe, and get a balboa bar for me! And I cannot believe Sam has one transfer left! Blows my mind! Love you!

Our dear friends the Justices's took a package over to Jacob.  We were hoping they would bump into him at the Visitor's Center but I think we have pushed our luck enough!  

6/6/2016

So this week has been pretty crazy. Hahaha I'm super tired to be honest but I'll get all settled in again and back in the routine. We have had to wake up pretty early the last few days to head into London for meetings with all the missionaries. It was good to see some of the boys I haven't seen for a while. President gave some brilliant trainings. I love president and sister Stevens so much! But it was a good week none the less! I was thinking a bit and I realised that today was graduation last year! It's crazy that it has been a whole year since highschool. And senior trip was this week. It blows my mind haha. I'm assuming you guys have seen Kirky and that he is awesome. Tell him I love him lots! It's crazy that Sam will be home soon and all of his buddies.

Pres. and Sister Stevens group "goofy" picture!

So we have seen Tinkerbell quite a bit this week. She is doing great and is totally progressing in the gospel. She loves praying and absolutely loves reading the Book of Mormon. It's so amazing to see how just the Book of Mormon can change someone's life immensely. I regret not reading it as much as I should have back home. It would have helped so much. But Tinkerbell is doing great! We are teaching two other people that have baptismal dates for the end of this month.

One of them is B, he is a Muslim man who doesn't practice who is from Spain hahaha, it's a strange combo but he's super sweet! He loves keeping the commandments and he talks about how much peace he feels when he comes to the church. The only problem is that he works all day every day basically. But he did say that if his job holds him back from coming to church that he will quit! WHATTTT! He's amazing! The Lord will really bless him so much. The other person we are teaching is named J. She is an English lady who is a referral to my boys Elder Burgess and Lindsey in Britannia who  referred her to us. She it exactly obedient and she has a baptismal date for the 26th of June! AND SHE IS ENGLISH! So that will be so cool! She has read all the pamphlets by herself and she loves it! The Lord is really blessing us right now. We actually are teaching quite a few people. Let's just hope they can all keep progressing. Life is goooodd!

So Elder Oaks is coming tomorrow! So we are super super excited about that! Hopefully we can say hello to some of the guys from London south! It will be so good to see them honestly. It's crazy that we were all in the MTC almost a year ago. But it's going to be such a special experience to have Elder Oaks talk to us. I don't really know what to expect. It's just going to be amazing!

LORDS HAND

I have seen the Lords Hand a lot this week. We have been able to be with president and sister Stevens this week and I just feel so lucky and grateful that the Lord sent them here to this mission. We are so lucky to have them. I have also seen the Lords Hand in preparing B and J. They are both just great people and the gospel is perfect for them. Elder Tonks and I were walking from the Hyde Park chapel the other day, it had just warmed up for the week and it was super nice outside, very humid actually. And it just felt so good haha. We just felt super lucky that we have been able to serve in London. It's such a cool place. There are diners outside everywhere and it's actually warm and people just seem so much more happy. I know I'm going to leave London sooner than later because I have been here the last 6 months. It's a bummer because I love it so much. The Lord has blessed us with such an amazing place to serve.

I love you guys! Thanks for always being the best! Can't believe school is out! the beach is coming soon haha! Love you!

Jake

NO SHORT CUTS