7/20/2015: Another week in paradise :)

Good afternoon my family!

Man, this week was pretty rough and slow. But it happens. :) Gotta keep a smile on the face of course. :)

Tuesday we had a GREAT lesson with Demarce again! Gosh it was great. He had some questions for us when we began and that was cool. Everything that he asked it was like a direct scripture popped into our heads that answered the question perfectly. We were able to talk about some things like what the purpose of this life is.(Whenever that question comes up man I just think of you Mads. ;) hahaha) But we talked about how we need to have the right end goal. We need to have an eternal perspective. Without that eternal perspective or an idea of our potential which all requires us to really understand the plan of salvation, we can't achieve fully what we were meant to. 

We then read with him in 3 Nephi 11:1-11, when it talks about the voice that they hear. And that the voice 'did pierce them that did hear'. We talked about how sometimes when we are searching for answers we don't recognize them or we aren't prepared or listening for them. I have just always thought when reading this that that line of 'them that did hear' is so small but significant. Are we always a part of them that did hear? What causes us not to be a part of them? What do we need to start doing and what do we need to stop doing? We were looking in Preach My Gospel during studies under the faith section in Christlike attributes and we decided to write down the self-evaluation for the faith section for him to do which is at the end of the chapter. When we saw him at church yesterday he seemed different. Like this really helped him to see where he was at and where he can improve and strengthen the faith that he does have. It was a cool experience. :)

On Thursday, I had the opportunity to drive Sister Lewis, the Jamaican, my old companion a year ago in Cayman, to Kingston for her exit devotional. So Sister Robinson stayed in Hopeton with Sister Slater, who came to the mission with me. She's also from Jamaica. Kingston actually. But anyway, I got to actually go to the devotional with Sister Lewis, which was so crazy weird. haha. She needed a companion. So it was just her and another elder, the AP's and President and Sister Brown. We met at a really nice restaurant with a pool that you walk over a bridge to get to the tables which are lit by candlelight. Wow. It was cool man. And the discussion that we had was all about marriage. haha. Goodness gracious. The whole time I'm thinking, I know I'm gonna have to face this sometime but... just let me be a missionary still! hahaha. Wow it was really cool though. I learned A LOT. I just love listening to President and Sister Brown. They are so inspirational and they just care about everyone so deeply. So Sister Lewis is back home now in Sav. President Brown took her home on Saturday. The mission is different without her. 

Saturday I had the great opportunity to go on trade-offs with one of the District Leaders who is actually our District Leader, Sister Williams. She is from Northern California. Man is she powerful too!  She's in the same stake as Sister Garrett. But we had a cool experience. So we were searching for a less-active and calling out trying to find him but were unsuccessful. There was a small goat trail road that went up a hill that kind of looked like it went no where but I felt that we should attempt it. So we did. And as we were walking we just kinda laughed when we got to the top because there was just nothing. And then all of the sudden there was a male voice that said as we were walking back from where we came, 'you can't just pass and not stop and talk to me'. We were like, 'well, where are you?' haha. It came from a window in a house. So we walked through some bush and made it to the front of the house where a young guy came out and we began talking to him. His name is Kenute and he loves God and he talked about how he went through a crazy experience where he was held up at gun point and hit the guy and then ran and tried to jump a wall and ended up braking his ankles and the guy tried shooting at his head but it ended up hitting through is ear and in the side of his head. This happened 3 years ago. He is very humble and is still recovering from it so he turned to farming to make a living. Well we had a great lesson with him and invited him to church and he came yesterday! And he even said that he had been invited a long time ago by missionaries and was able to go twice but then stopped. He also said that he would be coming back next week as well! Man he is just so cool! And so prepared! I'm excited to see where it goes with him as the sisters teach him. :) We just had a really good day all together. 

We also had a funny experience yesterday. So we had our appointments all fall through so we decided to call a less active in our area to see if we could come see her. She directed us to where she lives and man was it far..... We drove for about an hour before we got to her home! So it's really hard for her to come to church because it's about a $500 round trip. She is originally a member from Spanish Town and so is her boyfriend and her two brothers who were there. She said that she really misses the church and wants to come back but has some setbacks. We were able to have a really spiritual lesson with her and she was very grateful that we were able to come by. Her name is Sheviene and she is just the sweetest lady ever! I want her to come back so badly! She says she is going to move back to Spanish Town hopefully soon if things line up. I hope and pray it happens. 

Well, I love you all. I hope you have a fantastic week! Be safe! Keep on keepin' on!

Love,

Sister Mouritsen

7/13/2015: Wah Gwan?!

Wah Gwan?!

Good afternoon my wonderful family!

This week was a great week of course. I mean nothing too exciting happened but it was still awesome.

I had the opportunity to go to MLC (Mission Leader Council) again this week. Man was it great! That literally is one of my most favorite meetings to go to. I mean I love them all but this one is my favorite. Getting to council together about the mission and everything and then coming out with a solution is really awesome and inspirational.

A cool thing happened this week. We were teaching some guys about the Restoration on Tuesday, Buju and Roshane, and we had a pretty good lesson with them. They seemed pretty interested. Daneisha, who is a member, was with us and she bore some powerful testimony. Then a guy walked up and started talking to us and was wondering what the heck we are all about and was asking about the Spirit and we were able to help him to understand the nature of the Godhead more and specifically the Spirit and it was a really cool experience. I think that he could feel the Spirit from when we were teaching Buju and Roshane as he walked up because he was asking why it felt different and good when he walked up. It was cool. We haven't been able to see him since though. He's been busy... We are hoping to be able to see him again soon though. He is awesome! His name is Roy.

We had another cool experience with the Wright Family on Saturday. We had the opportunity to watch the Restoration video with them. Man was the Spirit so strong in their home too! They even wanted to watch another one so they clicked on the one about the apostasy and we were like... uhh.. okay. haha. But it was interesting to see how that influenced them even more and they understood more about how Christ's church needs to be and how it has to have certain points to it like baptism by immersion and by the proper authority. After we watched it they sat there for a second and then we asked how they were feeling and Patrick the husband said, 'All of this is true. But...' And then proceeded to tell us things about their church....  I was sad... But we were able to testify about the Book of Mormon and how praying to know if it is true will help them to know that there is only one church with all of the truth on the earth which is why it was restored just through one person. Joseph Smith. Not many people. They are such a great family though and every time we get to teach them I just can't help but picture them in white temple clothing getting sealed as a family. Someday. I know it will happen. I love this family!

Sorry for the short email. Not much else happened this week.... Well lots always happens haha but.... These were the most exciting things.

I do know without a doubt though that this is Christ's church and we are so blessed to be able to be apart of it. It has blessed my life more than anything and I will forever be grateful for the decision that I made to get to serve the Lord and share the Gospel with these people. I know this is true. And I know that the Book of Mormon is true. Most of all, I know that God lives and I know that Jesus Christ lives and they love us more than anything.

I love you all. Be safe. Be good. Be strong. :) Continue to ETTE!

Love,

Sister Mouritsen

7/6/2015: Transfer Day :)

Good morning my family :)

Not too much happened this week. We just had transfers so we were driving back and forth a lot between Mandeville and Spanish Town. 

Tuesday Sister Robinson and I picked up Sister Lewis, the one that I served around in Nassau and took her to the Trainers meeting a long with Sister Oman, who we then picked up in Old Harbour and her companion Sister Slater. They both came out with me and they get to serve together! I'm so excited for Sister Lewis and Oman to train though! It's both their first time and they are so excited as well and I know that they will be GREAT trainers! President Brown let Sister Robinson and me stay in the trainers meeting which was interesting because she is still in training haha. So we were like spotlighted getting asked questions and all that stuff. It was great though because it really helped the meeting to go well and for the trainers to hear from Sister Robinson about the training and her experiences and then from me as the trainer. It was a great meeting and I was able to learn a lot once again. That is my 3rd trainers meeting that I have had the opportunity to go to and they are so different every single time! It really helped so much. The Spirit was very strong and I was able to see where I can improve as a trainer and just as a missionary in general. :) Sister Robinson and I are great though. We are just sisters and I am positive that we have been friends for longer than when we met on May 20. 

The next day we had Transfers! Which is probably one of my most favorite meetings. One of them. So we drove to May Pen to pick up Sister Lewis and Sister Brown and had to drop off Sister Robinson there so they she could stay with Sister Frey so that she wouldn't be alone. Sad day... But I love getting to meet the new missionaries at transfers and getting to hear the testimonies of their trainers! It is just so cool to see how perfect every trainer is for the new missionary. It really helps the training experience to go smoothly for them to transition from the real world haha. And that they get the opportunity to serve each other and the Lord together. 

Another reason that I love transfer meeting is that we get the opportunity to hear the testimonies of those missionaries who are going home... Which is the saddest thing ever. A lot of them went home this transfer.... At the beginning of the transfer when President Brown's wife, Sister Brown, got up to bear her testimony she talked about how the Elders going home were the first Elders they had when they started their mission. They have already been serving for 2 years! She talked about how time goes by so quickly... And that we need to make the best of it. And to live in the present! Though that can be one of the hardest things to do sometimes. 

After transfers I drove Sister Lewis and her new trainee who is from South Africa, Sister Dasha (and she even knew sister Mashabela,who goes home next transfer....) and sister Judd back to May Pen. Picked up Sister Robinson and away we went back home to Mandeville. We were able to see Demarce on the way home and had a great lesson with him about the Restoration. We were able to watch the video with him because he has a laptop! Gotta make use of the technology when it's around. hahaha. But it was very inspiring and he just talks like he is a member! Man! His family though is the struggle at the moment. If only they could see the blessings the church could bring them in their lives. We were able to do a fast with him yesterday on some specific things he has been struggling with and it seemed to help, which was great. 

We were also able to have an awesome lesson with Clifton as well! He finally called us this week and told us that he was reading the Book of Mormon and had some questions. MAN! We freaked! We were just so excited and happy! He said he loved it and really wants to keep reading it because it is so interesting. He read 1 Nephi 8 about the Tree of Life that we left with him. Yes man! It was great. :) Blessings come with patience.

We had a really cool lesson with the Wright Family as well. They have been reading the Book of Mormon together! But they said that they forgot to pray about it.... Man. The only thing they are struggling to understand though is the Priesthood. So we are doing our best to study up more and pray about how we can help them specifically to understand. They are an amazing family and so tight! The whole lesson I was just picturing them in the temple in white hahaha! Gotta start with baptism though..... :) 

Things seem to be looking up and going great. I really have gained a testimony of fasting and prayer this week. They do wonders! 

Well I love you all so much. Be safe. Be smart. Pray. Keep on Keepin on.  Big up yuhself.

Bless up. :)

Love,

Sister Mouritsen

6/29/2014: 14 Months..............Nosah!

Hello my wonderful family. :)

First off... Sorry I did not email last week.... my bad... Sister Robinson and I had the opportunity to drive to Kingston again. We took sister Maenetja and Elder Martin and his companion Elder Lewis to Kingston so that they could get TRN's and police records done just in case they go off-island. They are all serving in May Pen so we just drove through, picked them up and headed off. It was a long day and stressful haha. A lot happened and it ended up taking a lot longer than usual. But it was good. We had a great time together figuring things out.

We received our transfer calls this weekend. Actually I had the awesome privilege to give transfer calls. :). It was so cool! So AP Elder Ruesch called me Friday night and told me all that was going to happen and man was it a lot! We had been told earlier that there was going to be some big changes here in Mandeville once again... Which is strange because normally there wouldn't be because all the trainees are here but low and behold.. Jeez um.... So Sister Robinson and I will be staying together which I am stoked about! We knew that would happen haha. But they are splitting our district. So our district used to comprise  the four Hopeton Elders and the 6 Mandeville sisters but... Now they are kicking the Hopeton Elders out and putting in 4 sisters instead and split us into two districts which is so sad... So there is the Hopeton District and Mandeville District. And it will be like off-island was. A sister district leader in each district. Sister Wint is coming back from Nassau. She was the district leader after me, and she will be the district leader in Hopeton. Then Sister Williams will be the district leader for us here in Mandeville. I have still been called to be the STL here in the area, but I have also been called to be the Sister Training Leader Zone Leader now. Haha. Whatcha? That is a first for the mission. I don't think I have ever heard of sister Zone Leader. So we will see how it goes haha! What's next?.... I thought my last transfer call was crazy enough. It's great though. I really love it. Honestly! :) So there are still Zone Leaders but instead of them being in Hopeton, they have been moved to Santa Cruz. It really was a crazy transfer call! I got awakened up by Sister Robinson and the other sisters at 6 am because they wanted to know their transfer calls! hahahaha! Yeah, I waited until 6:30. Is that rude? :) hahaha.

Alright, to the more important things:

This week we had a really awesome experience! So we were out in Asia to see an investigator, referral from a member, named Pauline and when we got there she was sitting with another gentleman, named Mr. Jennings, ya. We began talking to them and got to share the message of the Restoration with him and at the end of the lesson, we committed him to be baptized on August 8th! He said, "alright, if I come to know that these things are true than yes." And then he just started laughing like crazy! And we looked at each other like... What in the world just happened? And he says, "As soon as I saw you guys pull up I was about to get up and run away! Mormons!"  He's met missionaries and been around the church before. He used to live in the States in Las Vegas and has been back about 8  months now. He didn't come to church yesterday though like he said and hasn't been answering his phone so... I dunno what happened. But I'm hoping and praying that we can get back in contact with him. He was so awesome and the Spirit was so strong as we taught him.

Yesterday we had a great lesson with Demarce! He came to church and was able to receive the Priesthood Blessing that he was supposed to get last week. As we talked to him about the blessing he was so funny he said, "Man, it was like Brother Powell knew exactly what to say to me...." Haha. Of course. ;) He said it was a really cool experience and said it helped him to receive some more direction and guidance on what to do. He has really had a stumbling block put in his path that has been hard for him to overcome. So in the lesson we talked about prayer. So simple but it was such a good lesson. We read in Luke 22:42-43 about Christ in the Garden when he says, 'nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done' and then the angel comes to him from heaven and strengthens him. We then read in Moroni 10:3-5 about prayer and asking God. I love the way this section outlines prayer, that when we receive these things, the Book of Mormon, etc, we need to ask God in the name of Christ. Which is so essential. But ask God it the name of Christ if these things are not true, so ask with specific questions. Also you must ask with a sincere heart. You really do want to know. And real intent. Like you intend to act on the answer that you have faith you will receive from Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you by the power of the Holy Ghost. We see here the illustration of the Godhead which I love, how they are all working together just for you to receive this answer. Then the blessing/promise is that by the power of the Holy Ghost we can know the truth of all things. Man was the Spirit strong! We then read another scripture in Jeremiah 29:12-13. That if we pray to him like this with all our hearts, he will hearken to us. It was cool the see the change in Demarce. We then committed him to be baptized and to pray this way about a few dates we extended to him. Man was it powerful. I just love Demarce and I pray that he will be able to recognize the answer.

I have never relied so much on prayer in my entire life. And so much on my Savior Jesus Christ. I know that he lives and loves all of us. And I can't imagine not having a relationship with them. My life has been forever changed from the mission and I will never regret coming out here. The Gospel is true. So go find it out for yourself once more through REAL prayer.

I love you all.

Well I hope that you all have a fantastic week. Sorry again for not emailing last week. Be safe. Be strong. Prepare well.

Love,

Sister Mouritsen

6/25/2015: Reply from the Mission Office

With no letter from Leah this week, we wrote to the mission office to inquire about her. Yes, we are concerned about her. The last time she didn't write she had the Chikungunya virus and was very ill. Here was the reply from the mission office:

Good morning, Brother Mouritsen –

Your daughter is doing well; on Monday, she had an assignment to bring two missionaries in to Kingston to have some paperwork done, and forms signed, in preparation for upcoming transfers.  This always takes longer than you would like, here in Jamaica.  So, she may have run out of time to email that day.  If so, it is my fault and I am sorry.  I have been a parent of a missionary 4 times, and I know how we look forward to hearing from our sons and daughters.

Sister Mouritsen is a fine missionary, and a special young woman, and we love her here.  She is dependable and works hard, and she accepted this assignment without complaint and was happy to help.

Please try not to worry; she is doing great!

Sister Elaine Hall

Jamaica Kingston Mission

4 Garelli Avenue,

Kingston 10, Jamaica

876-618-1625

6/15/2015: 7 day oh 7 day...

Hello Family!

This week was crazy! A lot happened but yet not a lot happened haha.... yeah.... It also felt like 7th day Adventist goers bash Sister Mouritsen and Sister Robinson week. It was rough! 

Sister Robinson and Sister Mouritsen

So we received a referral from the office for a man named Robert. We called him and he told us that he works at NCU. So we went there and as we were walking to find his office, we noticed right above his office was a big sign that said, 'Ellyn G. White Research Center'. Oh jeez... haha. So we walk into his office and he says that he got on our website and signed in his information and said that he wants a Book of Mormon. Well we got the opportunity to teach him all about the Restoration and about the Book of Mormon and he just sat quietly and listened. He is a very intelligent man and very, very.... very into the Adventist church. And of course after we taught he asked us about the Sabbath Day. Haha. There was nothing we could say to 'combat'. I don't wanna Bible bash anyway. The conversation ended up going all the way to how Rome is secretly trying to destroy.... Or something like that. I don't know. But I walked out of there saying... I am not uplifted at all. haha. But he said that we could come back again and teach him more about the Book of Mormon. So we'll see how it goes this week.

I also had the opportunity to go to May Pen this week to go on a trade off with Sister Brown and Sister Frey came to Mandeville to work with Sister Robinson. It was great. May Pen is HOT though. We had some great lessons and were able to talk to a lot of people so it was great! Except for the fact that right after we got there, we went out to the car and it wouldn't start! The battery is dying... So we flagged down a biker and he went and grabbed some truck mechanics and eventually a taxi driver stopped and started just screaming "alright I'm here to help!" Where are the jumper cables? And he jumped the car and then rushed away. Well thank you nice screaming man! haha! 

Wednesday when I got back to Mandeville, Sister Robinson and I were able to go out to New Port and see a man named Clifton, whom we had called. His number was in our phone from the previous missionaries in the area. He is awesome too! We were able to have a fantastic lesson with him about the Restoration! He told us that he had run into Elders about a year ago but they never contacted him again so he was happy that we called! Then we saw him again Saturday and talked all about the Book Of Mormon. He said that he would read it and pray to know if it was true and if Joseph Smith is a true prophet. He wasn't able to come to church yesterday though so... Hopefully next week! He is great!

Thursday... Oh man. You'll never guess what we got to do for service. A less-active raises chickens right? I bet you know where this is going... Well they came to full grown and he needed help killing, skinning and gutting them. So the 6 of us Sister's drove up there and got to help out. Man it was fun! So I got to catch the chickens, then we strung them up by their feet on a wire, grabbed a knife, and...cut the head off. haha. Literally that's what happened. And then once it drained, we took it down, and plucked it, and gutted it. There were about 25 chickens we did it to. And then we bought one to cook up. Mmm! Brown stew! It was a once in a lifetime thing. :) You'll love the pictures. ;) It really reminded me of when we went Iguana hunting in Cayman. But...Less gory.... hahahaha....

Yesterday was our second 'battle' with the seven day... So we called up a less-active, named Latoya, she is actually another less-active's daughter (Audrey), and asked if we could come over and she said yes. So we get there and it was kind of awkward... She invited us in and it was like everyone came in and soon we find out.... They are all devoted 7th Day Adventists..... I knew from the start this wasn't going to go too well. They really attacked us and took everything we had to say for a joke.... A lot happened and I was pretty shook up about it. And very sad that there are people out there who just don't want to hear this. If only they knew what we have. If anything, the experience really strengthened my testimony and my knowledge of the gospel and of the truth. Nothing can tell me this isn't true because of the experiences that I have had on the mission and off. I love being a missionary for the good times and the bad. The bad help me to rejoice in the small victories, and the big ones. :) 

Today we got to have a Zone P-Day. So the Zone drove up to Mandeville and we played volleyball and armball and made a whole bunch of chicken and rice and peas and fried dumplings and all that good stuff. It was a great Preparation day! :)

Tomorrow we get to have Zone Conference and I cannot wait!

Well, I hope all is well! Have a great week!! Be safe and be good. :) Ha. Love you all.

Love,

Sister Mouritsen 

6/8/2015: I can't believe it's June....

Good Afternoon!

This week was stressful and great haha. :) I am really loving Mandeville and the experiences that I am getting the opportunity to have. 

Wednesday we had District Meeting. Elder Davis is our District Leader and he is fantastic! President Brown also came unexpectedly and it was an awesome meeting. We talked a lot about how we can improve in our areas with the members. The member work seems to have decreased over the mission and we talked about how we can earn trust with members and less-actives. 

After the meeting President Brown said that he wanted to talk to me. We had a good talk. This week I was going through a lot of stuff and I was stressed out with everything that was going on...  He comforted me and told me that I was right where I was supposed to be and that the Lord really will help me with all the things I have been called to do. He also asked me if I would like a blessing from him and it was the perfect thing. Of course I was in tears and everything because of what I was told. It was just an experience that I will never forget. After the blessing when we were walking out, President Brown said to me, 'I just found out why I needed to be here. I woke up this morning knowing I needed to be in Mandeville but I didn't know why.' It really strengthened my testimony of going after the 'lost' sheep. Maybe I wasn't 'lost' but I realized that day that I needed help and the Lord was mindful of me and that President Brown followed that prompting and was able to help me in my time of need. This gospel is so true. haha. I know that with all my heart.\

 

So on Thursday we had to drive to Kingston again because I have the opportunity to go to MLC. It was the most amazing meeting I have ever been able to go to. We talked a lot about the mission and what the mission needs to improve on as a whole. I really got to see inside President Brown's head and how he thinks. It was a great council and getting to be a part of the council of how we can all improve was just amazing! It really was! That's just all I have to say about it. haha! I am really glad that I get to go to it! We left the house around 6:30 so that we could be in Portmore by 8:30 where we dropped off Sister Robinson with the Portmore sisters and the STL's in Boulevard picked me up for the meeting at 10. The meeting ended around 5:30 or 6 and we dropped the Portmore sisters off at their appointment, got some dinner, and then drove home. We didn't get home until about 9 that night. It was SUCH a good day! 

Friday we had a fantastic lesson with some new investigators. We met Patrick while walking on Green street and we got to meet with him. We met in his house with his family as well, his mom, and two of his brothers. It started out by them asking crazy questions like, what do you think about the mark of the beast and all that. ugh. We reigned them and and we had a lesson about our purpose as missionaries and the Godhead and it was one of the most powerful, spirit-filled lessons I have been able to have on my mission. It was just amazing to see the glow on their faces. 

We got to see them again yesterday evening and the same thing happened but it was even stronger! We shared the message of the Restoration and his brothers had to work so they weren't there but his sister-in-law Ann-Marie was there and she was so in to the lesson. At one point as we were teaching, someone walked in and started talking and she glared at them, shook her hand at them and was like ' SHHHHH!!!!' and began listening intently to us again. hahaha! It will never cease to amaze me how scriptures just come to mind and they are the perfect scriptures. It shows how important it is to study so the Spirit can brings things to our remembrance. Not new things, but things we have studied. I love the Scriptures!! We committed them to be baptized and to pray to know if the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith are true. They also said that they would come to church this Sunday for sure! I hope and pray that they do. It was just so cool!! 

We also woke up Friday morning after returning from Kingston to a flat tire... That was fun. I now know how to change a flat tire. haha. The things you learn on your mission. :)

I will send more recent pics next week. Sorry about that. I love you all! Have a safe and great week!

Love,

Sister Mouritsen