From Sacrifice To Blessings

Iaorana to'u utuafare!

Sorry I couldn't email Monday, the internet was down.  But président gave us a little time to e-mail today.  Thanks so much for the e-mail and skype!  I loved seeing you all and talking to you!  It sounds like everyone is doing great!  I love the emergency e-mail, too ha!  EMERGENCY!!!!  I need a sandwich haha!  In Tahiti, it's more like, EMERGENCY!!!!!  We just got done eating and someone else asked us to eat haha!  

My companions favorite scripture is in Ether and talks about weaknesses and I love them both so much!  I like in Corinthians how it talks about not just weaknessess, but all trials and persecutions.  It reminded me of the conference talk by Elder Holland in conference.  I just got my ensign this week and have been loving reading it haha!  It's soooo good!  Elder Holland talked about standing up for our standards and our beliefs and even suffering for Christ.  (He shared a story about the missionaries that got food thrown at them.)  On my mission, I haven't had to suffer a lot physically like those sisters because the people here honor our choice to serve God.  But, we are always "sacrificing" things because of our love for God and our desires to serve Him.  Each of those "sacrifices" turn into huge blessings.  Tt's like the magnet that you sent me haha.  Some blessings come immediately, some come later, and some don't come until heaven, but they always come.  (Something kind of like that haha.)  Anyways, that was kind of a wierd rant, but I also like 1 Peter 2:20-21 that talks about suffering for Christ and Mark 10:28-30.  So, I don't have a lot of time, but as I said I have been loving my ensign and I wanted to share something short and sweet with you.  Elder Neil L. Andersen said in his talk, "Family is the treasure of heaven."  I loved that quote a lot!  I always tell my investigators how much I love you all and it's true!  I love you all so much!  I am so grateful for the amazing plan of our Heavenly Father that allows us to have an eternal family!  I really liked what the 2nd counselor in the Relief Society said (I think it was in the relief society ha): the three things that will prepare us to be an eternal family is family prayer every day, family book of mormon study every day, and family home evening every week.  I'm so grateful for conference and for the opportunity we have to be guided by a living prophet who is guided by our living and loving God.  I know that Thomas S. Monson is the prophet of God on earth right now and that, if we follow his counsel and the apostles and other leaders, we will have an eternal family!  I love you so much!  Have a great week!

Ua here au ia outou!

Elder Jessop