The Gospel is not Weight, it's Wings

Iaorana to'u Utuafare!

Remember how I told you about how it hasn't really rained yet in this sector?  Yeah, that just changed haha.  I feel like I'm back in Papeari.  It's really nice though for it to rain.  It's a nice conversation with Tahitians.  You can have a 5 minute Tahitian conversation with them just saying that it's raining haha.

This morning, I got a call.  The boyfriend (Lorenzo) of one of our investigators (Hinano SPITZ) called me this morning to give me some great news!  Him and Hinano have decided to get married the 1 August and he will baptize her!  I have been working with this family for a while and I love them so much!  But, the parents of Hinano were against her marriage and her baptism.  After talking a lot with the mom at family home evenings, she is fine with it.  But, the dad still is against it.  But, Hinano and Lorenzo have decided to stand up for what they know is right, no matter what the consequences will be.  I can't imagine how hard that decision is!  But, they used their courage and faith in Jesus Christ because they know that "The gospel is not WEIGHT, it's WINGS."  Even if the decision will hurt her relationship with her dad in the short run, in the long run it will allow her family to be together forever in God's kingdom.  There are no blessings greater than that.  Every sacrifice is worth it.  Like Hinano and Lorenzo, we need to take courage and be examples for those around us.  Thank you so much for the amazing examples you are for me!  I am so grateful for all that you have done!  I love you so much!  I know that with Jesus Christ, we can become an eternal family.  Sacrifices will be necessary, but oh how it is worth it!  Thanks again!  Love you!  Have a great week!

Ua here au ia outou!

Elder Jessop

Eternal Families

Iaorana to'u utuafare!

Since I have been in my new sector, it has hardly rained.  It rained for a couple weeks at the beginning just because of a cyclone that was a ways out, but, since then, it has just been sunny.  It's supposed to be getting into the "cold season," but, it still seems super nice haha!  I just talked to some Americans at the grocery store, so it's still plenty hot for people to come vacationing.  It was super hard talking to them, though.  After we were done, my companion turned to me and goes, you are so awkward when you speak English ha.

This week, we had a wedding Saturday and they had me be a witness.  So, I sat at the fancy table in the middle and signed a paper haha. The marriage was between two of our investigators, William MATAIO and Roselyne MATAIO.  I love them so much!  We already baptized Roselyne's brother, Noel, his wife, Noella, and their son Noé.  And, we teach William, Roselyne, and her mom, Tetuaura. Their family is one of the families that I am closest to here.  I call Roselyne's mom, Grandma, and she gets the biggest smile ever on her face!  Anyways, it was really cool to see them get baptized, but I was a little sad that their baptism wasn't the same day.  They both smoke and they have cut down a ton, but we are still working on it.  Now, we just get to have another special day for their baptism ha!  I will try to send a picture of them.  Anyways, I really love teaching a big family and watching their house change!  They are all so much different than when we first came there!  God works miracles inside us all, but it's usually little by little, so sometimes we don't even notice it.  But, when you look back at who you were and who you are, you can see how much He has done.  I'm so excited for them all to continue and prepare for their baptisms, but, also for the temple so that they can be an eternal family.  I know that families are really important to our Heavenly Father.  If not, He wouldn't have made them eternal.  I know that by doing the small and simple things, we will prepare ourselves to become an eternal family!  I know that God lives and loves us and He will help us!  I love you so much!  Thanks for all you do for me!  Have a great week!

Ua here au ia outou!

Elder Jessop

Stronger, Better, Happier

Iaorana to'u utuafare!

A week ago, a 70 came and talked in our stake conference, Elder Pearson.  I got to listen to him Saturday night and then twice Sunday and his talks were great!  He brought a strong spirit with him! Then, this Friday and Saturday, we celebrated the 170th anniversary of the church in French Polynesia.  We got to go watch all the stakes do dances to represent the different islands and cultures on Friday and then we like marched and sang for a little bit during a fireside Saturday.  It was super cool to be able to see some people from my old sector!  And it made me think about how happy I will be to see them after my mission, and even more after this life.  Anyways, I just wanted to share something that Elder Pearson talked about.  During the priesthood meeting, he asked someone to come up that had been baptized, but wasn't a deacon yet, a deacon, a teacher, a priest, his son (just got back from a mission in Spain, but hadn't been released yet, so, he represented missionaries), the translator, and then the stake president.  He talked about how God has given us a pattern to become like Him and as we "lift where we stand" God will help us become something greater and greater, until we become like Him.  He said that we need to help every young person to serve a mission.  He explained that, even though our purpose as a missionnary is to help others, God's purpose for us is to become someone greater so that we can build strong families.  I know that to be true.  I see it every day!  I know that, as we serve the Lord and try our best to do His will, He will build us up and make us stronger, make us better, make us happier for now and for eternity.  Like I said in my last e-mail, I've fallen in love with my ensign haha.  And I really liked a quote in it that Elder Neil L. Andersen said.  He said, "The way you feel in the temple is a pattern for how you want to feel in your life."  I feel like how we feel in the temple with our family is a pattern for how we want to feel in our home.  Like it says in Doctrine and Convenants, God gives us a model for everything.  Sorry this e-mail was really scatter-brained and all over the place ha, but I want you to know that I love our Heavenly Father and I know He loves us.  I know that He gave us His son, Jesus Christ, so that we can become like HIm.  I know that Thomas S. Monson is his prophet today and, if we follow him, we can build an eternal family.  I love you so much!  Thank you so much for giving me the chance to serve a mission and to serve my Heavenly Father!  I know He will help us become an eternal family!  

Ua here au ia outou!

Elder Jessop

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

Poor in Heart

Iaorana to'u utuafare!

Thanks so much for skype yesterday!  I loved seeing you all and talking to you!  I really can't believe how much Jake, Nick, and Sami have grown!  You're too tall!  Stop haha!  Thanks so much for your support and love!  You are the best!  

So, for this week, Saturday we had a lesson in the morning and then all of our other lessons fell through.  We weren't worried at all because we had a lot of extra people to visit as back up plans, but nobody was home.  Nobody ha.  So, we ended up getting a couple hours free to go do some door to door (sorry I don't know if that's how you say it in English, I just translated it haha).  We wanted to try and find some investigators in that huge area where we don't have investigators or members so that we can kind of open up that area.  But, then we found out that they are almost all rich, French catholics who are not at all interested or accepting ha.  Nobody has door bells, you just yell IAORANA!!! at the gate.  Half the time there would be people there, but they would ignore us and the other half of the time they would come just to tell us to go away ha.  The whole time I just thought of the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5:3.  I'll try to rough translate it in English.  It might say something like: Blessed are the poor in heart, for the kindom of heaven is theirs.  It can be really hard for rich people to accept the gospel because money can harden our hearts and make us think that we don't need God.  It's really hard for them to be poor in heart.  But, the poor in heart are accepting of God and his gospel.  So, it's them who will accept eternal life.  I'm so grateful for all the many blessings that God has given us!  It's absolutely incredible!  I've seen every day on my mission that, without Him, we can do nothing, but, with Him, we can do everything!  I know that God is our Heavenly Father.  I know that Jesus is our Savior!  He lives and He loves us!  I'm thankful for the gospel He has given us, the path that leads to eternal life.  I know that through His gospel we can be an eternal familly!  Thank you so much for all you do!  I love you so much!

Ua here au ia orua!

Elder Jessop

Skype Times

Iaorana to'u utuafare!

Thanks so much for the e-mail!  Sorry I don't have time this week to do a long e-mail, but about the times, is it possible to do the 4 o'clock one?  I think that is like 8 o'clock your time.  My companion's family couldn't do the 11 o'clock one?  I am super excited to talk with you on Sunday!  Have a great week!  I love you!  

Ua here au ia orua!

Elder Jessop

More Faith Than Fear

Iaorana to'u utuafare!

I'm excited for skype in a couple weeks!  For skype, we can either do it at 7 o'clock in the morning here or like 4 o'clock in the afternoon on the 11th.  I think that would be like 11 and 8 for you or something like that.  I had no idea it was Mother's Day the 11th until my dad said last week ha.  Mother's day here is two weeks after that.  But, I'm super excited to skype!  I have been practicing my English with my companion so that I can talk well haha.

Anyways, this week was good, but super weird!  They are doing a little film thing here of the first missionaries in Tahiti and they asked some missionairies to be in it.  They asked me to be in it, so I knew it wasn't that serious of a film ha.  So, my companion and I went and did that for a couple days and it was the weirdest thing ever.  It was super hard for me because I didn't feel like a missionary.  But, it was a cool experience and now I can go back to missionary work!  One experience that was pretty cool this week was with one of our investigators named Jeanne.  At the end of the last lesson, we invited her to read the Book of Mormon and pray to find out if it is true and, if she knew it was true, to be baptized.  She read and she gained a testimony of the Book of Mormon.  So, at the end of this lesson, we invited her, again, to get baptized.  She said no and then started explaining how she is living with her boyfriend and his family and they don't accept our church.  Then, she started explaining that, because of that, we need to stop coming.  It was a super weird experience because I already knew what she was going to say before she even said it.  It was like she was telling me something I already knew, so I wasn't taken back by it at all.  I just kept talking to her, definitely by the Spirit, not me, and after a while she said that she is going to go to her family's house in Paea to tell them the news that she is "mormon....going to get baptized" haha.  I loved that so much!  She almost counted herself as a member of the church already, and just before she was wanting to stop the lessons with us!  She then explained how much she just really wants to get baptized and was so excited and so thankful!  I really loved seeing the change that took place in her heart!  She knew the church is true before the lesson and after.  That didn't change.  What changed was her faith and her desire to follow the Savior.  I like to know that everyone is afraid.  We can't change that.  But, we need to have more faith than fear.  That's when we will follow the Lord.  That's when we will follow the path that leads to eternal life.  

I know that this church is true!  I know that God lives and loves us!  If we place our confidence is Him, He will lead us to eternal life, the greatest gift He could ever give.  I'm so thankful for Him and for you!  I'm so thankful that we can become an eternal family!  I love you so much!  Have a great week!  And have more faith than fear!  

Ua here au ia outou!

Elder Jessop