Sacramento Week One

Dear Family & Friends,

Hello from Sacramento!!! The land of endless sunshine, crazy Californians, and wild turkeys. I love it here! 

What a week! I left the MTC on Tuesday and Wednesday morning I was sent to my new area and met my trainer. I'm currently in the Carmichael Zone/Stake, serving in the Northridge Ward (congregation). My trainer companion is Sister Zenger from Salt Lake Utah and I love her. She is so energetic about the work and such a great example of diligence. The minute I put my luggage in my room (we live with members of the ward by the way) we were off to do missionary work! And we have been going non-stop ever since. This has been the busiest, most exhausting week of my life, yet I feel so happy and blessed to be serving here in Sacramento!

Guess what... we are biking missionaries! I never thought I would have to ride a bike, especially since I'm a visa-waiter. Never say never! Ever rode a bike in a skirt? It's definitely an accomplished art that I am still trying to master. I am so glad the weather has been nice for us. There is supposed to be a rainy season soon so we are enjoying every beautiful day we get. I'll get a picture of us on our bikes and send it with my email next week.

We go to members' houses for dinner every night so that has been really fun to get to know the families in our area. I love seeing the reaction when I tell people I am from Alabama. "Are you sure? You don't sound like it!" or "Wow... I've never met anyone from Alabama before. What's it like there?" Like it's a foreign country or something haha. I wish I was good at faking a southern accent because these people would be all over it!

So highlight of my week. We had a lesson with one of our investigators (someone who is interested in our message and we are teaching the gospel to) named Lorraine, a sweet older lady with a heart of gold. They had been teaching her for a few weeks before I got here. We were teaching lesson 3 about the gospel of Jesus Christ and I committed her to a baptismal date! So exciting. My favorite part of the lesson was at the end when we taught her how to pray. Hearing her pray out loud, probably for the first time in her whole life, and sincerely asking her Father in Heaven to help her understand what we were teaching her... what a powerful moment. The Spirit was so strong! I testified of the love that God has for her and how He is smiling down from Heaven because she was talking to Him. It was so tender that I totally started crying during her prayer. I thought of the story in the Book of Mormon when Aaron teaches King Lamoni to pray. I also thought of an experience my dad shared from his mission about teaching a sweet lady in Spain how to pray. Prayer is so crucial to conversion! It's so important that our investigators learn pray for themselves and get their own confirmation that what we teach is true.

We found a family to teach so we're hoping that everything continues to work out with them! That have 3 little, crazy, very energetic kids with lots to say. I love being around little kids because it reminds me of being around my family :) We gave them a "Finding Faith in Christ" DVD and challenged them to pray as a family. We'll go by again this week to see how it went! 

One of the many things I love about this mission is that all the missionaries, all 260 of us throughout the Sacramento area, recite a scripture at 9:59 am. It's 3 Nephi 5:13 "Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life". It's such a good reminder of our purpose, to invite others to come unto Christ. We are representatives of Him! I will strive to make sure my missionary name tag is painted on my heart.

You don't have to wear a missionary name tag to be a missionary. Just be who you are, be true to what you know is right, and people will notice! Don't be afraid to open your mouth and share your testimony. "For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!" (1 Cor. 9:16). 

Have a wonderful week everyone! I miss you and love you all!

Sister Jorgensen

P.S. My new address is 8267 Deseret Ave. Fair Oaks, CA 95628. This is the mission home address, not exactly where I live, but all mail/packages sent here will be forwarded to me.

There is a pic of me and my trainer!

She made it - California bound!

Well Mom & Dad...I'm officially a Sacramento California missionary! Our layover in Denver was super short. Both flights were good! I slept a little bit so that was nice. The mission president's wife, Sister Lewis, was there to greet the 3 of us as we got off the plane: Sister Johnson, Elder Baird (a visa waiter like us), and me.

We left the blizzarding snow in Utah and landed in the freezing cold in Denver. When I got off the plane in Sacramento and felt sunshine... Ahhhh my heart was happy. PERFECT weather with palm trees, normal trees, and a fair amount of greenery. I don't need my rain coat or tights or even a cardigan! I think I just might like this place!

We have a busy day ahead full of meetings and trainings and lots of other fun stuff. Tomorrow is transfer day so I'll get to meet my new companion. We are told that we are going to be treated like every other missionary while we are here. No special treatment for being a visa waiter! And that's fine with me! Throw me right in! As of right now, there are 60 sisters in this mission, 200 elders, and 10 of which are visa waiters. HUGE mission.

Also fun fact: The Sacramento mission has several languages: Laotion, Cambodian, Spanish, English, Mong (sp?), and one more I can't remember. So there are lots of language missionaries here. Too bad one isn't Portuguese! I'll have to be super diligent with my language study in the mornings. I most likely will not be companions with a visa waiter.

We are at the mission office right now, the address in Fair Oaks. It's the back half of a church building. Pretty cool! Not sure where we are staying tonight. At the airport we had to quickly put everything we needed for overnight and tomorrow into one bag. These next few days will be quite the adventure!

Also, my pday will now be Mondays. So expect an email next Monday!

It was so nice to talk to everyone this morning! Tell the kids I love them!!!! I love you! Miss you!

MTC Week 5

Dear Family & Friends,

Guess what everyone... this sister missionary has been reassigned to SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA!!!! I leave the MTC Tuesday morning at 2:30am (is it even worth sleeping? haha) and fly to Cali! I am so excited!! I'm going to be a real missionary! I'm going to help and teach real people! I know the Lord has work for me to do in Sacramento before I go to Brazil. I can't wait to serve and be in the mission field! I can't wait to meet my new companion! I can't wait to meet the people! I can't wait to put everything I've learned the past 6 weeks into action!

One of the sisters in my district, Sister Johnson, is also going to Sacramento so I'll have a travel buddy! My companion, Sister Lowther is going to St. Louis, Missouri. The other missionaries in my district are going to Mississippi, Tennessee, Salt Lake, Fresno, CA, and the one that got his visa is going to Brazil. It's going to be hard to say goodbye to these elders and sisters. I'm going to miss them so much! We've become a family! But I know we are each going forth with faith to serve the Lord in the areas we were reassigned and we'll all make it to Brazil someday soon.

I am SO grateful for the past 6 weeks I've had here at the MTC. I am going to miss the strong spirit that is here! I am going to miss being surrounded by thousands of missionaries. I am thankful for the teachers I've had, Brother Pinho (from Brasilia) and Brother Belchior (from Mozambique). They have had such an impact on my testimony of the gospel and they have prepared me so well to enter the mission field. The Missionary Training Center will always have a special place in my heart.

Wednesday night my companion and I were chosen to demonstrate how to begin teaching a lesson in front of a group of the new missionaries! It was kind of nerve-wracking, especially because we had to do it in English, which should have been easy right? Wrong. It's not easy to talk about the gospel in English either! Though it was very humbling, it was a great experience for us and I am grateful my companion and I had that opportunity. We must be doing something right since we got picked!

Yesterday we had in-field orientation and learned how to be effective missionaries as we prepare to leave next week. We talked about the Doctrine of Christ, how to find people, the importance of faith, and how to work with members. We read a scripture that really stuck out to me.

2 Timothy 1:7-8 "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord..."

Now that I have my reassignment, the reality of being a missionary has set in. Honestly, I'm kind of scared! I guess I'm more nervous and anxious than I am scared- especially because I've been focusing so much on learning Portuguese and now I have to switch back to English. What if I lose all my Portuguese before I ever make it to Brazil? I know I stress about everything but this is how I was feeling. So this scripture really had an impact on me.

God doesn't give us the spirit of fear. Faith replaces fear! His Spirit brings us power, love, and a sound mind. As a missionary, I have learned that it's really not me doing the teaching. And it really doesn't matter exactly what I say. It's the Spirit! The Spirit touches hearts and people feel the love and power that comes from the message we share about Christ. People won't remember exactly what we say but they will remember what they feel. And those feelings come from the Spirit! I am so grateful for the companionship of the Spirit and the peace of mind it gives me. Even though I am nervous, I trust that I will be inspired to say and do the things the Lord wants me to do. Just like it says in the scripture, I am not ashamed of my testimony! I know the Savior lives and I know how much His gospel has blessed my life. I can't wait to take this to the people of Sacramento!

I miss you all and I hope you have a wonderful week! I appreciate all the letters, packages, and emails I've received while here at the MTC. Thanks for the constant support and encouragement! It's so weird to think that my next email home I'll be in Sacramento! AHHH SO EXCITED! I love you all!

Love,
Sister Jorgensen

P.S. Pictures are of my district and our reassignments last night

MTC Week 4

Dear Family & Friends,

Today is officially the month anniversary of my mission! And what a life-changing month it has been. I don't feel like I am the same person that walked in to the MTC a month ago. My testimony has grown so much! I know this mission will continue to change my life as I serve the Lord with all my heart, might, mind, and strength!

The highlight of my week was getting to "host" the new missionaries that came to the training center on Wednesday. My district, along with several others, lined up on the curb to greet the cars that came in to drop off their missionaries. I watched all the teary-eyed moms hug their sons and daughters goodbye for 18-24 months and I knew exactly what that felt like. After each missionary said their goodbyes, we took them to their residence, picked up their books, and walked them to class. I hosted three sisters- one going to the Philippines (speaking Tagalog- what??!!), another to Jackson, Mississippi, and the other to Tulsa, Oklahoma. I enjoyed getting to know each of these sweet sisters and calm their fears about the MTC. We get to host next week too! My cousin Rex and my old roommate Rachel are coming next Wednesday and I am super excited (if either of you are reading this, I can't wait to see you!!!).

Elder McArthur, one of the elders in our district, was lucky enough to get his visa yesterday! He's probably the most prepared out of all of us so it's definitely not a coincidence. He leaves Monday November 4th straight to Sao Paulo! So excited for him. All of us who haven't received visas yet will get our temporary reassignments this Thursday! So stayed tuned for next week's email to find out where I'll be serving until my visa comes! I can't wait! It's like getting another mission call!!!

Okay I just have to mention how beautiful the weather was this week! AH I love fall and the mountains and the different colored leaves on the trees. Those of you in Alabama... I heard about your little cold spell... bundle up!

This week I've been studying a lot about Christ-like attributes. I really like Jude 1:22 that says, "And of some have compassion, making a difference". The ultimate example of compassion is our Savior Jesus Christ. Matthew 9:36 says, "But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them... because they were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd". So what did the Savior do? He encouraged us to pray that He would send forth laborers because the "harvest truly is plenteous"! We are those laborers. He wants His lost sheep to be found. That's my purpose as a missionary- to invite others to come unto Christ and to care about that one lost sheep! Christ is our shepherd.

I also like the account of the Savior visiting the Nephites in the Americas in 3 Nephi 17. As He looked around the multitude there, He said, "Behold my bowels are filled with compassion towards you" and then He blessed the sick, afflicted, and all the children. He "did heal them every one" (v.9). I testify the Lord has compassion for each one of us and He does in fact heal us. We ALL have need of His healing- we all have struggles, pains, worries, stresses of life. Christ has so much compassion, love, charity, and mercy for us. With this compassion, we can make a difference. We can see others through the Savior's eyes. We can be a source of healing and love for someone else. We can make an impact in the world for good!

Thanks for the many letters and emails! I know I say this every week, but I truly am so grateful for all the love and support. It means so much to me! I love you all!

Have a wonderful week and Happy Halloween!!!

Love,
Sister Jorgensen

MTC Week 3

Dear Family & Friends,

I can't believe another week has come and gone! Friday already?! Mid-October already?! Crazy!!!! This week was good! A lot of really cool things happened this week. I have so many reasons to be grateful for this incredible opportunity I have to serve.

On Sunday, Sister Bonnie Oscarson (Young Women General President) came and spoke to all the sister missionaries during Relief Society meeting. She talked about the parable of the vineyard in Jacob 5, specifically verse 72 where it talks about the Lord laboring with us. There is nothing too hard for the Lord and because He is always with me, I can do hard things!

On Tuesday, my district decided to sing with the MTC choir. We sang the Mormon Tabernacle Choir version of "Praise to the Man"- so beautiful and powerful and WOW. I wish you all could have heard it! And guess who came to speak? Elder Dallin H. Oaks, one of the 12 apostles. Yup, 2 general authorities in one week. We must be at the Missionary Training Center or something :) Elder Oaks gave an incredible talk about the only "true and living" church. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is "true and living" because Christ lives and He is at the head! The Lord guides our church through modern-day, living prophets and apostles who have His authority. The Heavens are open! I am so grateful to be a missionary for our true and living church!

We are still progressing with the language and working hard with teaching our lessons. It's not easy, that's for sure. But I know I am supposed to be here and there are people out there that need to hear the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ! The other day I was sitting in class and thinking about how truly happy I am. Happy to be in the service of the Lord and becoming the missionary that He wants me to be!

Another thing that made this week awesome was that I found out, thanks to a sweet letter from my mom, that I was accepted into the Journalism program at BYU!!!!! SO EXCITED! Even though I won't be returning to BYU until Spring 2015, it's so comforting to know that I have a place when I go back. Ahhh I am so excited! All that hard work paid off! I can't wait to see where Journalism takes me, especially with coming back fluent in a second language (according to God's will of course). He has blessed me so much!!! No doubt that everything works out when you put your trust in Him and do His will.

I spent some time in the health center this past week (my companion has been sick) and I happened to pick up one of the Ensigns, one of our church magazines, where I found the best quote ever: "Often small acts of service are all that are required to lift and bless another: a question concerning a person's family, quick words of encouragement, a sincere compliment, a small note of thanks, a brief telephone call. If we are observant and aware, and if we act on the promptings which come to us, we can accomplish much good" (President Thomas S. Monson). LOVE this quote! It reminded me of a sign we used to have in our house when we lived in Arizona. It said the verse in Hebrews 13:2 "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares". Whenever we feel like we should say something nice to someone or smile at the person walking by, do it! We never know what people are struggling with. We never know what our small act of kindness can do. Little acts of kindness can make the biggest difference to someone's day. So there's my little thought about being nice to people :)

Ok I just have to say thanks again to everyone for all the letters and emails this week. I feel so loved! Thanks for the uplifting words, I need them! I love you all!!! Have a great weekend!

Love,

Sister Jorgensen

P.S. So about the pics... here's our classroom, the other is when I ran into Memo, the other is playing in the leaves during the temple walk last Sunday. Another is of all the girls in our district (we attempted to all wear black, white, and red- yes this is how we add flavor to our lives here at the MTC- haha). Enjoy!

MTC Week 2

Dear Family & Friends,

HAPPY FRIDAY!!! I have been looking forward to P-day all week. When you sit in a classroom for 10 hours a day (seriously), and your head is spinning with so much Portuguese you are about to explode, you kind of start to go crazy! As stressful as it is sometimes, there really is no place I'd rather be right now. I know I am supposed to be here and I am so thankful for the Lord's help through this adventure. I am SO blessed to have such supportive and loving friends and family. I feel your constant prayers and thank you for the letters of encouragement. They are much appreciated!

I hope everyone had a great week! Portuguese is still a work in progress (as it will be for a very long time). We do lots of grammar lessons, vocab flashcards, and role playing of teaching situations. We also do an hour of online language study each day. The program we use is kind of like Rosetta Stone but it follows the Preach My Gospel lessons. It's very helpful! I can now recite my missionary purpose and Joseph Smith's First Vision in Portuguese! We've been practicing while we exercise. I forgot to mention this in my first letter but our classroom is on the 5th floor of our building. We climb 96 stairs (yes, we counted) everyday- actually multiple times a day. I can totally see my Heritage dorm building at BYU from the window in our classroom. It's so close!

In the middle of our busy days, we have an hour of gym time. My companion and I either go to the fitness center or run laps around the campus outside. The weather has been super cold and rainy lately, so yesterday we went to the gym that has an indoor track. It's nice but it's very small. 10 laps is a mile. I ended up running around the track 30 times. It took a lot of mental effort but it's so nice to be able to have that stress-release after being in class all day. I love exercise time. And I'm glad I have a companion who likes to exercise. She doesn't like to run as much as I do, but we work it out. Between going up 96 stairs and running, I think we're (hopefully) making up for the delicious cookies and ice cream in the cafeteria :)

I met a girl in the lunchroom going to the Birmingham, Alabama mission! She was so sweet and friendly. I wish I could remember her name. She leaves on Tuesday. I still can't believe that English-speaking missionaries are only here for 2 weeks. I told her she was going to the best mission in the world! So watch out Birmingham.... You've got some awesome missionaries headed your way! This just reminded me how we now have tons of Russian-speaking sisters on our floor in our residence. Russian?! I am so glad I only have to learn Portuguese. I've met some missionaries who are here at the MTC for 12 weeks because they have to learn two languages, like French AND Tahitian. Holy cow.

So just a quick note about the visa thing. It is very rare for Brazil-bound missionaries to get their visas while in the MTC and almost all of us will have to be temporarily reassigned to another mission. My companion and I were talking to President Nally, the MTC President, on the way to lunch the other day and he told us there are over 1,000 "visa-waiters" in other missions around the country right now. As much as I hope I get my visa soon, it probably won't happen. If I do get reassigned, I will find out the Thursday before I leave the MTC (which happens to be Halloween!). Lots of Brazil missionaries have been getting reassigned to Texas and California. So we'll see what happens! 

This week I have been learning about the power of sincere prayer. It's so comforting to be able to kneel beside my bed at the end of every day and just pour out my heart and soul to my Father in Heaven. I know He is listening, I know He cares, I know He truly wants to help me. Prayer keeps me humble as I continually acknowledge the blessings- the countless blessings- that He gives me each day. At first I would pray "Heavenly Father, please help my visa to come so I can serve you in Brazil" because I REALLY just want to go to Brazil! In Jacob 4:10, it says "seek not to counsel from the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand" (also see Isaiah 55:8-9, the Lord's ways are higher than our ways). I have to trust that the Lord is in control and He knows what He is doing. He has a plan for me, just like He has a plan and purpose for all of us. My prayers have changed. I say, "Father in Heaven, I am YOUR missionary. I am here for you and I am your servant. I'll go where you want me to go and I'll be who you want me to be." Prayer is essential to developing our relationship with God and feeling His love in our daily lives. We can pray anytime, anywhere, for anything! When life becomes more than you can stand, kneel. Ask God for help. Pray to have more faith. Pray to be more loving. Pray to be more humble. Pray for inspiration and guidance. Pray to be an answer to someone's prayer. He is always there to listen!

I love you and miss you all!

Sister Jorgensen

MTC Week One

Dear Family & Friends,

Thank you SO much for the letters, emails, packages, and most importantly, the love and support! I can't believe I've been here for 10 days now. It's gone by so fast, but yet feels like I've been here forever. I have learned and grown so much over this past week and a half! I have no doubt that these 6 weeks here at the Missionary Training Center will prepare me for what is to come in my mission.

I'm so glad it's finally our first P (preparation) day! My companion and I woke up at 5:30 this morning to make it to the laundry room to beat the rush. We also found this secret classroom on the 3rd floor of our classroom building where we could print out our emails. That way I could read what everyone wrote me, think about what to write, and not waste any of my precious limited email time! It's super nice.

Life here at the MTC is busy but awesome! I am learning so much! The Portuguese is coming along. The first few days were pretty rough, especially because our teachers didn't speak English. After teaching our first lesson in Portuguese last Friday, I felt so overwhelmed. I wondered how I could ever learn everything in just 6 weeks. But I know it's possible! I can now pray, say my testimony, and talk about the basics of the gospel in Portuguese. We also sing a hymn in Portuguese before each class- I LOVE it. We taught a lesson yesterday and I didn't have to use any Portuguese notes! My companion and I call it our "caveman Portuguese" but at least we're trying. It's not so much about the words we say but the Spirit that we bring with us. I have realized that when I don't stress out so much about planning everything, the Spirit really does prompt you what to say. I know the Lord is blessing us for our hard work, obedience, and strong desires to serve Him. 

I am in a district with 6 sisters and 4 elders. All 6 of us girls are in one room (3 bunk beds) and we are all together every minute of every day. We get along and we're all really good friends now so it works out! Of course sometimes I have to bite my tongue and put on a smile, but I am trying so hard to just love and have charity for others, and see them how Christ would see them. My companion's name is Sister Lowther (from South Carolina) and she is also going to Brazil Sao Paulo North. She did a year at BYU just like I did. She is strong in areas where I am weak (for example, she is a lot more bold than I am) so we teach together really well!

The biggest thing I've learned so far is the importance of FAITH. We've been taught about faith in Christ our whole lives, but not until this week did I really come to understand it. When I have faith in my Savior, I put my FULL trust in Him. When I sit there and doubt my Portuguese skills or knowledge about the gospel, I am not trusting Him. I am doubting the Lord's ability to help me! I know the Lord knows me and has a plan. I need to have confidence that everything will work out! Whenever I get frustrated, I like to look down at my name tag and remember than I am truly a representative of Jesus Christ. My purpose is to invite others to come unto Him. I am saying and doing those things that He would do if He were here. I know that when I do everything I can on my end, the Lord will do the rest. I have felt it this week as I have been humbled time and time again. The Lord blesses us when we accept His will and His timing and put our full trust in Him. Read Alma 13:28-29. It's a good one :)

I am so so so so grateful for this opportunity I have to serve a mission. Whenever I get homesick or tired, I try to remember how I need to make the most of my time here at the MTC. Never again will I get the chance to be surrounded by 3,000+ missionaries who are sacrificing 18-24 months to serve the Lord. There is such a special spirit here. Never again will I get the chance to be taught by such incredible teachers who have so much to share with us about the joys of missionary work. Never again will I get to attend so many uplifting conferences, devotionals, firesides, and speakers and be taught about the gospel and what it can do to change lives.

Ahhh I could write for hours about all the things I have learned and experienced this week but time is running out. I love you all so much and I want you to know that I have a testimony of the Savior. We are never alone and He is always there to carry us through whatever we are going through. He lives! 

Sister Jorgensen

P.S. Pics are of the district, the temple, and getting to wear jeans on Pday!