4/20/15 - The Power of Prayer‏

Hello Family and Friends. Another week has come and gone really fast. Time has no mercy. This week was super awesome. There were a lot of activities that I´d like to share with you and I hope you enjoy the letter.

Divisions: I did 2 divisions this week with Elder Samaniego (Peru) and Elder Allton (St. George, Utah). 

I do divisions about every week, but I thought I´d tell you anyways. 

Baptism Interviews: I did 4 baptism interviews this week, which are the best and spiritually uplifting. Three of them were of the Ocampos Family and the other was of a young 20 year old adult named Bernardino. I love baptism interviews. I've only done about 50 in my mission ,but each one is a spiritual experience and it is a great privilege to get to know people that have come to know that the gospel is true and that are wanting to be baptized in the church. 

Investigators: We are teaching still: Liz Paola, Andrea and Mateo Molinas, Dario and Alba Centurion, Gerardo Fleitas, The Feika Family and the Acosta Family. Liz Paola is trying really hard to find the truth. She just needs the pray and ask God!! She has never constantly prayed in her life and we are trying hard to help her with her prayers. Gerardo is the husband of a member who is active and he started coming to church. We have a family home evening planned for this Wednesday and we hope to helped him  be baptized on the 26th of April. Dario and Alba is a special case, we are trying to help them get married and baptized, but their case is special. they came to church last week and are progressing a lot. Andrea and Mateo are grand kids of a member. Their whole family are members except for their mom. We are trying to teach them all, Andrea and Mateo came to church on Sunday and we just need to ask permission for their mom and they will be able to get baptized. There are a lot of investigators to teach and the end goal is always the same; helping them make covenants with the Lord through baptism. Elder Zamora and I are working hard. 

Shoes: I am coming to the close of my mission and I have gone through a couple pairs of shoes. This week my shoes just fell apart and I didn't know what to do haha. My companion and I decided to tape them for the day/ (Don't worry mom I have other shoes that I will wear). It was a terrible idea, but I learned not to tape shoes again haha.

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I learned the importance of Prayer this week. I finished the Book of Mormon and I realized how easy the Lord has made it to know the truth. I am so grateful for prayer and the privileged that it is to be a missionary. I have love every second, every tear, every laugh, every feeling, every person and every moment that I have had here

District Activity

4-13-15 Got A Whole Lot Of Paraguayan Love‏!!

Hello Family and Friends! This week was excellent. Filled with good activities and fun events. Here in the city there are a lot of weird things that happen to be honest. Maybe I should go to Argentina again, I'd only have to walk 30 minutes and cross a river and bam, I´m there. The mission has blessed me tremendously and I'm very grateful to be here. My time is shortening, but that's just a part of the mission right. I would like to take a moment to talk about this country.

Paraguay is awesome. There's honestly not a lot to do in this country, but it is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Here in the city is not very pretty, but even though I'm not in a pretty part of Paraguay, the people are still loving, kind, and super super super calm. Everybody knows each other which is something very different from the United States. In my country we don't really know each other, even some of our neighbors. Here it's a very different world. Every one says Grandpa to the old people or Grandma. At first I got really confused and thought, wow this guy must have had a lot of kids, but I was glad to know that its just a loving way to say friend. The people here are so loving and the food is SO GOOD!!! Not going to lie it is not the most healthy food in the world, but it is definitely happy food. It makes me really happy. Being here as a missionary, it has blessed me a lot. There are exceptions and sometimes as a North American some people think I'm a spy, sometimes I say that I am a spy for kicks and giggles and we always get a good laugh. The people are humble and always helping each other. I have learned here the importance of loving thy neighbor and doing my best to help those in need. This country has changed my perspective of life. It is a third world country and I have seen a lot of humble, lower means families, but that does not take away their smiles and their hopes. I know that if they world accept the gospel then they could have the hope for a much better world in another place and build mansions in the heavens. I love Paraguay and I'm sure going to miss it. 

We are teaching a couple of investigators:Liz Paola, Carol, Sofia, The Centurion family, The Molinas Family, and Martha. Coral and The Centurion family went to church on Sunday and the rest have been to church recently and we are trying to help them complete their assistance's so that they can get baptized. A lot of them are progressing and they have plans to be baptized on the 18th and 25th of April and on the 2nd of May. I will let you know of their progress. With Martha I learned the importance of actually acting with the faith that one professes. She is awesome and she told us on Saturday that she wants to know the truth and find out for herself if the church is true, but she doesn't want to go to church. We can´t expect God to answer our prayers and guide us if we do not keep his commandments and if we are not obedient to what he tells us to do.

I'm so grateful to know this gospel. I'm grateful for my parents who raised me in the church when I was very little. I'm grateful for Heavenly Father who always stretches out his hands lovingly to lift me when I fall. I know that this church is true and it is something that I treasure most dearly in my heart. I know that if we listen to the words of the ancient and modern day prophets then we will be able to return back to our Heavenly Father who has prepared the way for us to return back to our heavenly home. I love God. I love this country, I love these people, I love this gospel and I'm very grateful for the privilege that I have had to be here. 

Thank you for the love and support. I promise that I will have pictures next week. 

Elder Jessop

4/6/15 - Put God First

Hello Family and Friends! This last week was very awesome. In Paraguay they call Easter Week Semana Santa, or Holy Week. Basically it goes like this. 

Sunday before Easter Sunday:They remember when Christ went into Jerusalem on a donkey.

Thursday:They remember the last supper. 

Friday: The crucification (NOBODY DOES ANYTHING THIS DAY. It is like people start living the law of Moses again)

Sunday: The Pascua, or Easter.

It is one of the two times in the year when everyone remembers Jesus Christ. Easter and Christmas. All week there are Jesus pictures, movies, videos, and it is a nice time of year. If only they remembered Christ always though. It is a really Catholic tradition here. The best part of the tradition other than the remembrance of Jesus Christ is the making and giving away of Chipa. I LOVE CHIPA. It is like a bread thing, filled with Paraguayan cheese, and anis. I have to take a picture, but for another day.

This week I had interviews with my mission Presidente. It was my last one. He taught me a very important lesson about the importance of putting God first always in every decision that I make. It says in the scriptures that if I put God first in my life then I will not have to worry about the things of this world, that I will have everything given unto me by God. that doesn't mean that life won´t be easy and it will just be a free ride. God gives us trials so that we can grow and if I always put God first then I won´t have to worry. 

General Conference happened this week. I mostly learned the importance of having an eternal perspective in everything. That this life is not the end. That there's more that will be awaiting those that are worthy of Gods presences. I learned that MARRIAGE in the temple is essential to Gods plan and if we don´t make that covenant with God then we, with our own choices will lose the promised blessings of exaltation. They talked a lot about marriage in conference.

It is hard to describe how I feel. I don't know what to feel. I am trying my best to keep an eternal perspective. I guess the best way I can describe my feelings is just telling you how much love I feel for you, God, and for all of his children. I have seen a lot of things here in Paraguay. I have never been so blessed...they are eternal blessings and I can not explain them in this email. I love God. The greatest treasure that I hold dear is the knowledge that the god I love also loves me. The mission has been fulfilling beyond a level that I can´t describe and I want to thank you all for being a part of it. I´ve still got time left to keep trying my best to help people come to Christ. This opportunity has helped me come unto Christ and strive to be like him. Thank you for all the love and support, until next week.

Elder Jessop

3/30/15 - LIGHT

Hello Family and Friends, this week was very fulfilling and I enjoyed it. It has been raining the past 4 days, but that hasn't downed our spirits. Apparently every year around this time it rains. I would like to tell you about the week.

Military Hospital: There is a foundation here in Paraguay called Operation Smile and what they do is they do surgery on the babies that are born without a lip, get it, operation SMILE. It is a super awesome foundation and they are located here in Asuncion. We had the privileged to go and help move some things for their foundation. The girl in charge knew how to talk in English. This week I met like 3 people that tried talking to me in English, it was bizarre. 

Changes: This last Wednesday was change day. a couple missionaries went home and a couple of missionaries came to the mission. I'm staying in Barrio Obrero with my companion Elder Zamora. It turns out that he will be my last companion and I am in my last area because I am going into my last change. It has been pretty unreal and quite a blessing to be here with Elder Zamora. He has taught me a lot and I have really learned the importance of Christ-like living with him. 

The biggest news that happened this week is that we had 3 baptisms:

From left to right: Elder Jessop (hehehe), Ausucena, Susana, and Isaias. Asucena is the daughter of Susana and it was a blessing to find them and Isaias is a reference of The Galeano Family:

This is a part of the family that introduced Isaias to the gospel. Isaias had a really spiritual experience. He took the decision to get baptized on Friday. He wasn't sure, he had been going to church and listening to us, but he had not yet had a manifestation of the spirit. We decided to go into one of the rooms of The Galeano Families house and pray. We invited Isaias to ask God if he needed to get baptized. He asked and received his answer and got baptized. It is amazing how simple the invitation of the Lord is. It was a truly wonderful experience to see them all get baptized. Quite a few people come to support, including our other two converts: Rodrigo and Ramon

One of our other investigators came to the baptismal service to. Her name is Liz Paola and she is the girl in the turtle neck purple long sleeved sweater. Liz Paola came to church on Sunday and is planning on getting baptized the 11th of April. the whole thing was a great experience.

I have been trying my best to make goals to try and be not only a better missionary, but a better person as well. My whole mission I have tried my best to represent the Lord in the best way that I can. I am grateful for the mission. It has been such a wonderful blessing and has really helped me to become more Christ like and live like he lived. I read a scripture the other day in 3rd Nephi 12:48 that says, "I would like to you to be perfected like I am perfect...(paraphrased.)" god wants us to be perfect and that is why he sent his son Jesus Christ to help us in that desire that we can all have. Although the mission ends for all missionaries, the goal and desire to become like The Lord and Savior Jesus Christ doesn't end and will never end. The is what I look forward to most. I look forward to becoming like my God. I know that I can through his Atonement. This week I exhort you all to think of the Savior and remember what he did for you. I know that he lives and because he lives, we will all live again one day.

With all the love that I posses 

Elder Jessop