Week 47 --- Testimony

SQUAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Soooooooooooooooooooo another week down my friends, and stuff went down, so I'm gonna tell you about it, because if I don't my mom gets upset, and I don't want that. Sooo the first thing I wanna tell y'all about isn´t something that spiritual, but it was cool so I'm gonna tell y'all about it anyway. Soooo the other day, we were ending our day and we stopped by the chapel because we had to use the bathroom really bad, and there was a class going on with some of the members in our ward and right before we left one of the members told us to stay for a little, and she left, and a little bit later she came back, and for no reason bought us groceries. The members here freaking love the missionaries, like a lot!

Also we taught this lady the other day, she was with her friend who happened to be a member, so they let us in. Something happened during this lesson that was just sooooooo special, in the middle of the lesson she stopped us and asked me to share my testimony. She told me to explain how I came to know Jesus. So I testified to her how I obtained my testimony. After she told me that it was something really powerful, and we were able to set a baptismal date with her. I learned something very special in this moment, that even the most simple testimonies can have such a big impact on people. So never be embarrassed to testify. D&C 30:11

And your whole labor shall be in Zion, with all your soul, from henceforth; yea, you shall ever open your mouth in my cause, not fearing what man can do, for I am with you. Amen.

Don't doubt your abilities, don't fear that you can't do a lot, because God is always with you, and with Him you can do all things.

Also something funny happened in Sacrament Meeting yesterday. When the Bishop announced the person who was gonna say the closing prayer, that guy who was gonna say the prayer was in the back of the chapel and, pointed to the Bishop in a way that was like " I got you Bishop." It wasn't very reverent but it was kinda funny, and after the meeting that same guy likes to talk in English came up to me and said I´m the man because I'm American, and that all the Americans are the best. I felt a lot of pride for my country in this moment.

So I don´t know if I have already told you all but I´m a big fan of empanadas.  Well we’ve got a place kinda close to our pension that has empanadas, and I have bought a few, or maybe more than a few, because when we went in the other day, she asked me "lo mismo?" which means” the same?”  So I think I need to take a break from empanadas.

Well that´s all I got for today so CHAU!

Week 46 --- Frickin Victoria

Squad!!!!!!!!!!! Gonna start with a shout out to all the dads out there because yesterday was Father's day, shout out to my dad especially because he raised me into the man I am today. So I forgot to include the name of the Elder whose training I'm finishing, his name is Elder Gato, which means Elder cat, he´s from Peru. So my first week in my new area was different, there is a lot of walking to do. We  have 2 neighborhoods pretty darn close where we were, but then the next closest is a 30 minute walk, and we don't have any investigators that live close so we walked a lotttttttttt. Especially to this one lady´s house whose name is Victoria, now I'm gonna explain why I titled my email Frickin Victoria.  Well, we had an appointment with her my first day here, so we walked there it was like 35 minutes away, she said she couldn´t, but if we came by tomorrow, she would be available all day, so the next day we went again, again she was busy, so she said tomorrow again. So again the next day we walked all the way out there, and she wasn't there. So we spent a lot of time walking this week to the same person´s house. We never ended up teaching her, but it's whatever.

So the week started off pretty bad we hadn't taught anyone until saturday, it was neat, we were just rejected by someone, but before they closed the door on us, we just asked really quick who around here needs a little help, and she pointed across the street, and said they just lost their baby. So we went over there, and knocked on their door, at first they didn't want anything at all, but because I have a little experience losing someone that I love I was able to testify about the plan of salvation, and about how the only thing that helped me escape the pain I was experiencing was knowing about this plan that God has for us, and that she can see her baby again. They finally let us in, and we had a great lesson, and we were able to set baptismal dates with her and her husband. It was so powerful to see her realize that she can live with her daughter again. I absolutely love teaching people the plan of salvation; it is such a special experience.

Other thing that happened this week that wasn't quite as spiritually uplifting, we walked into this place to pay the energy bill for our pension right? and on the TV they were showing one of those live prank shows, when they do a prank and film  the people's reactions, but what was so bad about this one was that it was about Jesus Christ. It hurt me to see that, making jokes about the many miracles that he did for the people.

Also we had our last Zone Conference with President Goates, because we are getting a new mission president, and his last counsel for us had a lot to do with finding our eternal companions and stuff, he taught us how we need to date, he said that we need to set a curfew so we don't do bad things, so if any of you don't have a curfew, make one.

Well That´s all I got for this week, I love you all, and I will talk with you next week!

---

Elder Keaton Jorgensen

Argentina Mendoza Mission

Pics with good ol papa Castro, and his daughter, and then there is a pic with family yacante, and lourdes our investigator, and the drawing is from my pal Ivan, he´s 7 and he's the goat, and a pic moments before I left good ol’ San Juan

Week 45 --- Transfers . . .

SQUAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So last night we received transfer calls and......... I'm finally leaving San Juan, and I´m headed to Maipu, which is in Mendoza, and I´m gonna train! So that´s pretty cool I´m pretty excited not gonna lie, but some cool stuff happened during my last week in Rawson so you know what? I´m gonna tell ya about it. So first thing that happened is I went to the doctor, to check on my back, well apparently my spine is jacked up, and I need to go get an MRI, and then I´ll need to do physical therapy to get my back in shape, so that´s cool, we didn´t get to work at all that day, because we were in Centro all day doing that stuff.

Also I went on exchanges with my boy Elder Kitchen, and well the person that we were supposed to have lunch with had to cancel, so we went to buy some food, and we walked by like 4 places where we could have bought food, but we just kept walking and we walked into this little store, and so we got a few things, and I handed him some money and he said no it´s alright I´m a religious man too, so he paid for our food, I thought that was pretty cool.

Ohhhhh also the other day we were walking in the street right, and we saw this lady raking like a lot of leaves, sooo as representatives of Jesus Christ we offered to help, and for the first time in my mission she said yes. So for like half an hour we raked leaves and chatted with her, and we started to talk a little about what we do, then we started talking about her family, and she told us that her mother recently passed away, so we just testified of the plan of salvation, it was such a powerful experience, I could feel the spirit so strongly just testify of this to her.

Also because it was very likely that I was gonna leave Rawson, the Bishop wanted me to share my testimony in Sacrament Meeting and say bye, which is weird because the previous 2 or 3 missionaries hadn’t done that, but it was cool.

Now to share something, it´s actually a quote my former home teacher, Brad Farmer, gave to me before I left, but I just came across it again. It’s called “The Fellowship of the Unashamed.”

I am a part of the fellowship of the unashamed.

The die has been cast.  I have stepped over the line.

The decision has been made.  I AM A DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST.

I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure.

I’m finished and done with low living, small planning, smooth knees,

colorless dreams, tamed visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need pre-eminence, positions, promotions, plaudits, or popularity.

I don't have to be right, first, recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded.

I now live by Faith, lean on HIS presence, walk with patience.

I am uplifted by prayer, and labor with power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven.

My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my Guide is reliable.

My mission is clear.

I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, divided, or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy,

 ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won't give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up stored up, and paid up for the cause of Christ.

I must go til he comes, give til I drop, preach til all know, and work til he stops me.

And when He returns for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me.

My Banner will be clear.

I thought this was awesome, so I wanted to share it. Chau!

Elder Keaton Jorgensen

Argentina Mendoza Mission

​Photos:

Elder Kitchen eating some ramen AND all of my doctor stuff.

Week 44 --- Well that's unfortunate . . .

Squad... Soooo I made it another week, and I’m doing well, but something unfortunate happened, that´s why I titled this email "well that´s unfortunate" so yesterday on the way to church like 2 blocks from our pension, we happened to walk right by a murder scene... So that was a rough way to start off the Sabbath day. Good thing I got to take the sacrament yesterday. Now it’s all chill.

Not much else happened this week, we are losing all our investigators, not like dropping them, but literally losing them, we can’t find them even all the GOATs. They kinda just disappeared. So that has been a little frustrating, but things happen, I’m just gonna keep on working. I wanna tell you about my pal Hermano Castro, he is the best, he calls us his niñitos (little kids) he does a lot for us. So the other day his wife got really sick, and his son wasn’t able to be home to help him give her a blessing of salud, so he calls us up, cuz we tight ya know, anyways we went there, we went in, and it´s a little cold now, so he offered to make us a hot drink right? So he made us some sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet hot chocolate it was tasty. He had a kid serve a mission, so he knows what it’s like to have a kid in the mish, so he always tells us that his goal is to make us feel at home as much as possible.  He´s a nice man.

Like I said it has been a pretty uneventful week, but tomorrow I have to go to the doctor to get my back checked out, and next week is transfers again, so next week I´ll have some stuff to write about. I´m sorry for not having much this week but it happens, but I’m gonna share a scripture now, because scriptures are nice. 1 Nephi 21:14-16

14 But, behold, Zion hath said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me—but he will show that he hath not.

15 For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel.

16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

We have trials, and a lot of times we blame God, saying oh he doesn’t love me, or he forgot about me, but as you can see, we are the ones who forget, when things are going good for us, do you think that sometimes we forget to show gratitude to the person who gives us everything, I think so. He will never forget about us, he loves us, we are his everything, and he should be our everything.

That´s all I got so I´ll talk to you next week!!!!!!!!

---

Elder Keaton Jorgensen

Argentina Mendoza Mission

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Note from Mom:

 Keaton tells me he isn’t in a sketchy area because he and his companion are both gringos; only latinos work in sketchy areas.  Hopefully he isn’t telling me this to make me feel better.