Last Blog

Well everyone, if you can believe it, this will be my last blog post as a missionary. Yep, 18 months have passed by so very quickly it's surreal! I wish I could convey the things I have learned and the ways in which I have changed, but then I would have to write a book, haha. I had the opportunity this week to bear my testimony 5 different times, highlighting different lessons learned in each one, and I still couldn't convey it all!

     I truly will miss lots about being a missionary, all the people I have met here, missionaries, members, and investigators. But what I will miss the most is just being a missionary... set apart from the world, my number one focus centered on Christ, everyone recognizing me as His disciple (nametag)... and .being able to talk to anyone and everyone about Christ. But I recognize that I was called on an 18 month mission for a reason - if God wanted me to be a full time missionary forever that is what he would have called me to do. I know I will always be a missionary, but not like how I am right now.  However there are many more wonderful things in store for me and I am truly just beginning again:) One of my favorite quotes says, "Celebrate endings for they precede new beginnings." I know new and exciting things are in store! 

    I would like to leave you with a condensed version of the things that have become soul knowledge on my mission... I testify that God is our loving father in heaven, He sent us here to this earth to learn and to grow. He, and we, knew this life would not be easy, nor was it meant to be. There would be temptations, trials, and adversity; however, our Heavenly Father sent his beloved son Jesus Christ to this earth not only to set the perfect example for us to follow, but to take upon Him all of our sins, sickness, pains, and infirmities. He did that, so we would not have to bear them alone and that we would all have the opportunity to be cleansed and free of sin. I know that Joseph Smith is the prophet of the Restoration and restored in its fullness, the gospel of Jesus Christ and the priesthood, on the earth. Evidence of the miraculous and needed restoration, is the Book of Mormon which Joseph Smith translated through the power and authority of God. I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God and has helped me to understand my own personal relationship with our Savior. I know we have a prophet on earth today, whose name is Thomas S. Monson. And because of this marvelous restoration and through the priesthood, that power and authority of God, families can be united together for time and all eternity. There are no permanent endings,  all because God loves us, oh, so much, and desires for us not only to make it back to Him, but to have the opportunity to grow and progress and then choose to follow Him. I know these things are true with every fiber of my being, and you can know for yourself as you pray and ask God for yourself! I leave my testimony with you in the name of Jesus Christ Amen. 

~ With Bunches of Love,

 Sister Jordan

Home Monday, October 17, 2016

2 weeks and counting

So, conference was MAGNIFICENT...if you haven't seen it, go and watch it!! Instead of summarizing my top favorite talks (I loved them all), I want to share with you a parable that came to my mind as I was watching conference.

I was pondering on the fact that I have about two weeks left on my mission, and I thought about how excited my family is to have me home, but especially my mom. She is pumped to have me coming back!! I thought for a moment, how would she feel if I gave her a call and told her I had decided not to come home... that I was having fun, I didn't want any responsibilities, but wanted to go see the rest of the world and if I wanted to get in contact with her I would. I thought about this for a moment and imagined how my mom would feel, then the parable hit me.

Now, I would NEVER do that, (don't worry mama I am coming home!), but it made me think of our lives here on earth. Heavenly Father sent us here to learn and to grow, but to ultimately return back to him. Imagine his immense heartache when he sees that one of his children has decided that they don't want to come home, or have begun to take a path that will never bring them to Him again. I cannot comprehend the anguish he feels when we say to him, "No I don't want to keep the commandments...I'm having too much fun. Or, no, I don't want to repent right now, I will do it later. Or, no, I'm too busy, I can't read the scriptures right now." I invite each of you to reflect on the life you are living right now and ask yourself, "am I on the path that will bring me back home to my father in heaven?"

The world is so loud and enticing and its allure will continue to increase. However "be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee wither soever thou goest and .. if thou art prepared thou shall not fear." The most wonderful message about this whole parable (and a huge emphasis in conference) is that change is possible. Not just temporary change, but lasting, eternal change! And that change is made possible through the atoning sacrifice of our Savior Jesus Christ. To quote Isaiah "His hand is stretched out still!" 

~ With Bunches of Love,

Sister Jordan

Mailing Address: 1429 Grandview Ave #24

Papillion, NE 68046

Diligence

This week's blog is all about diligence... what it is and why we need it! I have been studying faith partnered with diligence, and what I have found is AMAZING!!!   Faith is a simple doctrine, yet so vast and deep at the same time. I have learned that diligence can be achieved when we take things one step at a time. I saw this MormonAd with a toothbrush with a bunch of toothpaste on it and a quote of, "I think this will be enough for the week". It was pointing out the importance of doing the small and simple things consistently, and over time to produce the desired results. We wouldn't dream of only brushing our teeth once a week, even if we used a whole tube of toothpaste, it is the same with our faith. Faith gives us the ability to be diligent and the power to be patient. We nourish our little seed of faith and then we have to wait. Most times, I think Heavenly Father's greatest lesson for us is to learn to fully rely on him,  and continue to move forward, even if we aren't seeing the results we expected. President Ucthdorf gave a most wonderful talk on faith during the women's broadcast. He taught that faith comes with a price... it takes patience, humility, diligence, and perseverance, however the results are beyond comprehension! Not only are we promised eternal life with our Father in Heaven, having faith allows us to have a happy life here on earth despite the trials and opposition that will occur.  When our faith is rooted firmly in our Savior, we not only have the ability to move mountains, we are given the strength to overcome the spiritual "mountains" of our mortal lives. This week is general conference, I invite each of you to come with a question, exercise that faith, and as you receive an answer, act on it! I know that diligence is not an easy thing, nor was it ever meant to be, however it is completely, 100% worth it!   ~ With Bunches of Love, Sister Jordan Mailing Address: 1429 Grandview Ave #24 Papillion, NE 68046

Manna from Heaven -

  This week was amazingly eye opening!! I learned so much from the simple things I saw each day. Back story...so Sister Draney, my new companion, has an amazing talent for recognizing gospel lessons in everyday situations, so I made a personal goal of recognizing a parable everyday. And the results were wonderful!!! I will share two of my most favorite parables from this week.

1. I was sitting on our couch looking out onto our balcony(we are on the third floor). And a thought came to my mind, "What if there weren't any railings on that balcony?" We wouldn't sit out here,because of the possibility of us falling. Or, if we did sit out on the balcony without any railings,  we would be soooooooooooooooooooo very careful.

Lesson: The railings on the balcony are like the commandments. At first, they may seem like a limit to our freedom, when in reality, the railings/commandments allow us to be truly free! Not just free but safe as well!

2. This morning after my prayers, I glanced over at Sister Draney and she was kneeling in light! The early morning sun was beginning to come up and she happened to kneel right in the only spot of light in the entire room.

Lesson:As we kneel in prayer and offer our hearts to heavenly Father our lives are filled with light. A light that is discernible!. Light could represent many things, testimony, knowledge, personal revelation, peace. It was so wonderful!!!!

Now, instead of calling it my daily parable, I have changed it to...My Manna from Heaven. They are sweet little moments that pass by so quickly. However, it fills my heart and soul with love and the realization that God is everywhere around me. I invite you to look for your own personal Manna and your eyes will be opened to all the wonderful things Heavenly Father is teaching you!

~ With Bunches of Love,

Sister Jordan

Mailing Address: 1429 Grandview Ave #24

Papillion, NE 68046

Families and Marriage???

So whether I like it or not, the topic of this week, at least for me, personally,  has been the importance of marriage and family. Not that I don't like marriage or family, but as a missionary that hasn't been something I have needed to focus on, at least for myself personally...but that has changed, haha. It started with my studies in Alma chapters 20-26, which is all about Ammon and the sons of Mosiah's and their missionary efforts among the Lamanites. These Lamanites became so converted to the Lord that not only did they bury their weapons of war, some even sacrificed their lives, rather than break the covenant they had made with Heavenly Father.

And a thought came to my mind, "Many of us say that we would die for what we believe!", but I think more important than dying for our beliefs, is living for them. Then the question came, "What can I do to more fully live for what I believe?"

Now you ask, what has this to do with marriage and families??? Everything! Families have been under Satan's attack since the beginning of time. Adam and Eve didn't really have the perfect family, and neither did Lehi and Sarahia, however because of their example and teachings, we have the ability to strengthen our families against Satan's attacks. And that first begins by LIVING what we believe. In Relief Society, we talked about the characteristics of a happy family. Among those were service to others, family prayer, family traditions, physically activity, encouraging language, empathy, finding meaning in negative life experiences and knowledge of family roots. By the way these were all found from google, not church sites!!

It was such a testimony to me of the security of this gospel. Not only do we have the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the priesthood, but all of the activities and focuses of our church are meant to strengthen marriages and families. 

I invite each of you to reflect on your life and see what can you do to more fully live what you believe, and then take that matter to prayer. I know that as we reflect on ourselves, not only will we receive an answer on what we can do to improve ourselves, this will also be an answer on what you can do to further strengthen your families. Heavenly Father wants for us to succeed, He loves us and that is exactly why He sent his son, not only to atone for our sins, but to give us the ability to become greater!

~ With Bunches of Love,

Sister Jordan

Mailing Address: 1429 Grandview Ave #24

Papillion, NE 68046

Tough Week

Sooo...this week was one of the worst weeks of my mission. That being said, Heavenly Father filled this week with numerous tender mercies!!!:) Also some new beginnings and spiritual insights as well!!!

So, I had a cold last week, no big deal, except it came back five times stronger this Tuesday as a sinus infection. I had to stay in most of the week, but my wonderful companion took very good care of me. And there were a ton more blessings that came my way. I have learned a lesson in patience...again...I went through various waves of feeling better to feeling horrible and I couldn't figure out why I wasn't well already. And I realized everything happens for a reason and to look for the lesson in my being sick. It was very hard because when a missionary is sick, our entire work gets put on hold, our people go unseen and others go unfound because we have to be home. I felt frustrated because all I wanted to do was to be out and no matter what I tried, I stayed sick all week long. Then it hit me, Heavenly Father doesn't need me, that this work will still go on without me... that have the privilege to be used as an instrument in God's hands, that the experiences I have, are meant to build my testimony and conviction, and sometimes that happens when you are in bed all week:)

Now for the new beginnings and spiritual insights... I am getting a new companion this week, her name is Sister Draney and she is just a bucket full of sunshine.  She has only been our for about 6 months, but has been called to be a sister training leader here in Papillion, and I am SOOOO EXCITED!!! Also, with this being my last transfer (vomit;)), I have been reflecting on the changes I have made and how I want to be able to finish strong and with no regrets, and I came across this quote from Elder Holland, "Cherish everyday you've been given." And that is my plan cherish the infinite moments and the hard times, the tender mercies, and rough patches that come with this wonderful experience of a mission!:)

~ With Bunches of Love,

Sister Jordan

Mailing Address: 1429 Grandview Ave #24

Papillion, NE 68046

Heartbreak in the field -

This week was a bit of a heartbreak week. All of those wonderful amazing miracles I shared these past couple of weeks, all of those people dropped us. :(  For one reason or another, none of them were ready to make a real commitment. Then, on top of that,I got sick (hahaha), but never fear, there is a lesson in every trial.

I have learned to embrace trial and opposition. They are essential to our progression and it is how we become better. Especially because I have been trying to focus on developing humility. Going through opposition helps us to recognize our dependence on the Lord and gives us a chance to recognize the little things God has given us.

So here are a couple little blessings from this week:  (1) being able to real time chat with Trae, especially because we are both missionaries now... (2) making funfetti cake with a 5 year old named Aria... and (3) President Gardner brought us mint oreo milkshakes because I was sick. There were so many more little tender mercies for which I am so very grateful for. And as it says in Mosiah 24:15 "Submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord". That is the test of this life, and I know we are never in it alone!!

~ With Bunches of Love,

Sister Jordan

Mailing Address: 1429 Grandview Ave #24

Papillion, NE 68046