2-16-15 Can I get a Wh. Wh. Wh. White Wash!

Hello Family and Friends this week was super interesting and exciting!! President Agazzani through a bomb at me near the end of my mission and told me in one of my emails that I was going to have a "mind shark" coming my way. I didnt know what that meant, but I will let you all know in 3.. 2.... 1.......... Blast Off.

Monday: Good Old P Day. I took a ton of pictures, but the computer wont accept my photos and the computer turns off every time I plug my USB cord in. Good old Paraguay for ya haha. We ended up climbing the Hill Lambare, which is a really famous tourist site in Paraguay (here in Paraguay, not in the world). It is a hill that has asfaulted roads and we walked up to the top and it turns out that my zone has limits with Argentina. You could see Argentina from the top and it was awesome. It was like crossing a state border. You really have no clue when you do it, unless a sign tells you on the side of the road like "Welcome to California", or the best state in the world, but I wont get onto that subject today. We climb the hill for our district activity and then we walked back down. 

Tuesday: The assistants called us and told me that I have changes!!! I left my area Ybate 1.1 and I left my dearly beloved Elder McFarland, but we go home together so I will see him again someday. I was told that I am getting sent into a WHITE WASH, or when two new Elders go to an area without knowing anything about it. I am super excited and I cant wait and I was also told that I will be training a new missionary, again! That should be fun. The last time I trained was over a year ago so we will see what happens. Super excited!

Wednesday: Change Day, got to see a lot of missionaries in the terminal. I went straight to the office! To pick up my new greenie Elder. His name is Elder Zamora!! Finally! A Latin comp. I have had 8 American comps and 4 Latin comps. Elder Zamora is from Ecuador and got baptized a year and a half ago. It is pretty amazing and we are going to have so much fun. We are both going to a new area, with new members, new people, and I am very blessed to have this opportunity. My area is called Barrio Obrero. There is a giant soccer stadium in our area and like I mean giant!! I still haven't seen it yet because I am not sure where it is (so much for giant), but that is just what people have said to me haha. 

Thursday: The fun thing about a White Wash is that you do not know anyone, anything, and you can talk to anyone. We are trying our best not to get lost, but that happens sometimes when all you got is a map. We found someone to teach though and his name is Rodrigo. He is 13 and he is a stud. He turns 14 in March and has a lot of friends that are members! He loves the church and is getting baptized this Saturday!

Friday and Saturday: Fun adventures getting lost in the rain. We are basically looking for every single person that has gone to church in our area book and that is all that we have done for two days. Elder Zamora is great, super funny and all he wants to do is work and help people come unto Christ be baptism. I will send a picture home of him next week!

Sunday: Finally Church!! We got to know all the members. It is a branch here in Asuncion and about 75 people went to church on Sunday. Sundays in Paraguay are super awesome. Sundays anywhere are awesome, but right now I am here. There is something special about Sunday.

I learned today the importance of dedication and repetition. I have done the same thing every day for about a year and a half and it says to become a master of something you have to do it 10,000 times and even then you are not perfect. I have learned the importance of self conversion and perfecting ones self. We can all be perfect in Christ who helps us kick out the the kinks, refine the edges, and molds us into who he needs us to be. I am becoming the man he needs me to be, the husband my wife will need me to be, and the father that my kids will need me to be. Even though I am not perfect, I have been extremely blessed by the Lord these last years of my life and I still have a lot to do here and a lot of souls to bring unto Christ. 

I love it here. I love the people, the sites, the blessings and everything that has happened. I am happy and it is the happiness that I see in other people that accept the gospel that truly makes me happy. I love you all and thank you for all the prayers, love and support.

Elder Jessop

2/9/15 - All of Your Heart, Soul, Mind and Strength

My Mission...... What is it like to be a missionary? 

People always talk about the missionary life. I have felt recently that I was preserved until this time so that I could serve a mission. It has been the hardest years of my life, but like they also say, its been the best years of my life. Changes/transfers are this Wednesday and I don't know what is going to happen, but I know that I must serve with everything I can because before I know it, it will be gone. I love the mission and it always makes me happy that I can share my experiences every Monday with my beloved Friends and Family. 

Capacitación de Zona: This last Friday we had our Capacitación de Zona and in our mission we talked about the importance of baptism, retention, and Reactivating less active families. That was the basis of the capacitation that we gave, my companion and I. The doctrine is that every one needs to be baptized in order to enter into the kingdom of God. After baptism everyone must be nurtured by the word of God and do all they can to live in accordance with the principles of the gospel. Unfortunately some people fall and stop living these principles, but every one can come back if they repent and come unto Christ again. The doctrine is always the answer. We talked about the applications that we are applying in our mission so that we can baptize more sons and daughters of God, help them in their conversion process, and reactivate the ones that have let go of the iron rod. We read a talk by Elder Lawrence B. Corbridge that was a Mission President in Chile in 2008 and A vision to baptize. We baptize people because it is the only way that they can enter into the kingdom of God. You can be a great person, do everything right, even keep all the commandments, but without the baptism we can´t enter into his kingdom. That is why Christ got baptized right. In my mission we are changing our mission so that we can baptize more, retain more, and reactivate more. The goal in our mission is 2000 converts this year and it is quite a t ask ahead, but God blesses us according to our desires.(Alma 29:4). It was an awesome Capacitación de Zona. 

Paraguyan Buses: My companion and I had to go do a baptism interview for some Elders in our Zone and it was the crazy experience of our time together. Talk about a 1 and a half hour detour there and back. We were supposed to be there at 5 and we got there at 6:30. We left at 7 and were supposed to get back into our area at 7:30 and got home at 8:40. It was a rough day to take buses. I looked at my map so many times and we were pretty lost, but luckily Paraguayans are really good with directions, not so much street names, but directions yes. It taught me a big lesson and now I know a lot better the city of Asunción. Good adventures.

Investigators: We have a couple investigators that are progressing and getting baptized soon. Jose Enciso has a baptism date for the 21st. He has to go to church once more but he is super prepared and super ready to be baptized. He loves God and reads everything we give him. We are trying to help him feel the spirit and recognize his answer by using the Book of Mormon. He is amazing and will get baptized. Then we got Juan Francisco, he is 42 and has been divorced but he is really interested in the church. It helps when his Best Friend is a member and went to high school with him and her two daughters are return missionaries. They have been preparing him for like 1 year. We are teaching him about the restoration and he is doing great!! Then we have the Mora Family that we found. The dad is a member and the rest of his family isn't and he really want to go to church he just didn't know where it was, but thankfully we found his house and we have an appointment with him tomorrow. The work is going great here and I love being a missionary.

I have been extremely blessed to be here in Paraguay serving the Lord the best I can. I know that the church is true and I know that everyone can know that truth if there are willing to ask God. It has been hard, but every second has been joyous, I have learned the importance of love and serving the Lord and his children because of the love that we have for them. I hope that you all enjoy my emails and I will let you know if I get changed or not.

Elder Jessop

2-2-15 La gran misión Paraguay Asunción. La mejor misión en el mundo‏

Hello Family and Friends!

This week went by very nicely and we did everything that we could to invite people to repent of their sins and be baptized. WE have a very awesome investigador named Jose Enciso. He is 20 years old and already did 2 years of military service. He loves that gospel and he accepted a baptism date and has gone to church 2. In our area here in South America. Every person before they can get baptized has to go to church 3 times in order to show that they are trying to repent. We also have another investigator family that is the Sanchez family. They are a family of 4 and we invited them to be baptized and they also accepted a baptism date for this month and we hope to help them so that they can work towards baptism and then an eternal family. Now I´d like to tell you about my week.

District Meeting: I learned the importance this week of using the Book of Mormon always. There are a lot of people that reject the Book of Mormon and don't accept it simply because they do not know what it is. We were doing a practice and my doubt as the investigator was that the Book of Mormon is false. What the Elder did in our practice was respond using the Book of Mormon and invite me to know that it is true using the Scripture in Moroni 10:3-5. It was very spiritual and helped me a ton. 

Teaching Investigators with General Authorities: So as it happens it turns out that Sister Linda K. Burton came to Paraguay this week and Sister Marriot came too. Sister Burton is the president of the Relief Society in the church and Sister Marriot is the 2nd counselor of the Young Women's and they came to visit Paraguay. On Saturday they came to my area. MY AREA!! I know that they don't really have to do anything with me because I am not a girl, but it is knot everyday that general authorities come to your area in South America. They visited one of the families in our area and that night we happened to have an appointment with that family to teach an investigator so we thought that we were doing to teach with them!!! It turns out that that didn't happen... Haha we are not as important as general authorities so we rescheduled the appointment, but it was still kinda cool. 

I am out of time. I love the mission. It is February and the Liahona this month had a theme of giving all your might, mind, soul, and heart!! That is my plan and I know that God will help me be the way that we can help many of his children be baptized in the true church of God. Thank you for all the support and all the love.

Con cariño!

Elder Jessop 

Elder Arteaga, My second companion in the mission. He goes home in 2 weeks!

1-28-15 I´m Going To Go On a Mission And I Want To Be Ready......

Hey everyone!! This week was a week of goodbyes in my Ward where I'm serving in Ybaté. It was a great and fulfilling week and it has all just been a blessing.

Benjamin Machuca: This is a future missionary that is going to The Argentina Buenos Aires North mission and the guy is a stud to say the least. We eat at his house on Wednesdays and he is fully converted. He is a light and my life and I know he is going to be a great missionary. He just wants to help people come unto Christ and save souls. The Ward is going to miss him.

Victor Ortellado: Victor is going on a mission to the Lima Peru West mission. He has had two other brothers that have gone on mission's and he is super awesome. He has had a lot of help to prepare himself to go and he will be a great missionary.

Sunday we had a really awesome investigator in church named Jose Enciso. He is 20 years old, has already served in the military and is really prepared to hear the Gospel, accept it and be baptized. We found him doing contacts in the street and he just let us in as if he was expecting to see us. We hope to see progress with him and all of the other investigators that we are teaching.

Today I went to the temple to clean it. We went up stairs and cleaned the hallways where all the electrical stuff is. I really wanted to go on the roof, but that didn't happen. I love the temple and it is truly a blessing in our lives.

I love the mission. Words cant describe the feelings, emotions, and peace that it brings to the life of a Young man like myself. I have been changed by it. I have been sanctified by it and the reward has been indescribable beyond measure. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is Gods kingdom here upon the earth and that the Book of Mormon is the key to that truth. I love inviting people to read it and feel the peace and comfort that comes by doing it. It has brought me great joy and peace. God leads this church and his missionaries. I know that to be true.

Elder Jessop

P.S. Please I wanna wish by big sister Amanda Jessop a Happy Birthday!!!!!

1-19-15 - The Mission.........

Hello Family and Friends. This week honestly I don't remember very well. I got kind of sick and it has all just become one giant blur, but  luckily there are some significant experiences that I had this week that I would like to tell you all about. I am doing great here. I have become the "old missionary" that I never thought I would become and I am loving life. It is a little weird because my companion and I go home together and everyone asks us when we go home and no missionary wants to answer that question haha. It has been an amazing experience and I am enjoying while it lasts.

Carlos: One of the great men that we met this week is 33 years old and is looking fro spiritual and temporal well being. He has a normal life, not married, no kids, and went to church on Sunday because a member invited him. We read him a scripture in the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is really super powerful. It can help someones life in any way. We read him Mosiah 2:41 and explained to him the importance of keeping the commandments so that he can be blessed with the things he is looking for. We are hoping to help him do these things so that he can repent, come unto Christ, and be baptized and in that way he will be able to find what he is looking for. 

Juan David: One of the other great men that we found this week,(usually all the great people we find are women so it was a big surprise). He is 42 and is super great. He is a really good friend of some members and he is always at their house in our area. We had a service project in their house and we cut down a tree and he helped a ton. He played professional soccer here in Paraguay and is a lawyer. We are helping him learn about the church and the members are helping him a lot. I know that if he reads the Book of Mormon to find out if these things are true he will be baptized and not just because us or his friends want him to, but he will have those desires that will come from his heart to follow Christ. 

It is amazing how simple the ways of God are: He literally asks us to love him and do what he says, which is easy of we are humble because he knows what is best. It is really heartbreaking to meet people that really don't have desires to know about the church or follow God. Satan has them so wrapped around his finger and so controlled that they think that they are Happy living in their sins and then when something bad happens they dare to blame it on God. The mission has really opened my eyes to the wickedness of Gods children and how little the righteous really are  and it makes me sad and I can only imagine how God feels. He sent his son Jesus Christ to suffer for all the sins of mankind, but if we do not repent we must suffer even as Jesus suffered, which caused such a perfect being as him to sweat blood from every pore (D&C 19:16-19). I am very grateful that I don't have to suffer if I chose with my own free will to repent and it makes me extremely sad that people chose to not repent and to suffer for their sins. I have tried so hard to convince people of their sins and help them repent and some do and I have felt much joy in seeing them repent and be baptized because there is no other way to get into the kingdom of God. there literally isn't any other way, it is impossible under Gods law. I have grown to love the people I meet and I feel Godly sorrow when they don't repent because it is the only way to find lasting happiness.

I love the mission and I am extremely grateful to be here. I love the Paraguayans oh how I love them and how they frustrate me sometimes haha. I have found myself here and I have realized more than ever how much God really does love me and each and every one of us. 

Elder Jessop

1/12/15 Does God Know That You're Willing to Pay the Price?‏

We had a lot of activities this week: Zone Conference, Family Search History, New Investigators. It has been a lot of fun and very fulfilling. I have learned a lot and come to know myself these past couple weeks and I'm grateful. Now on with the week!

Getting to know my Roots: I was in a members house this week named Benjamin Machuka. This young man is getting ready to go on a mission. He has his mission call to the Argentina Buenos Aires North mission and he leaves on January 27th. Before he goes he has started to do a lot of family history work. He wanted me to log on to my family search history profile so that he could look and my genealogy tree. Anyone who is familiar with this website will know that every person has a family tree where they can log on and see who all of their ancestors are up to how far you can go. Some can find stories of family members up to the fourteen hundreds and some go a little farther back. Those of you who don't know the website you can log on to (familysearchhistory.org). So I was going through my family search history on my dads side and I got back to the 1800´s and I found out that I come from the Fish family, then I kept going back. 1700´s, then 1400 AD, then 1000 Ad, then it just kept going and I got to 23 BC and at this time Benjamin Machuka and my companion couldn't believe that I could go that far and then I found more roots and I kept going back to: 200 BC, then 500 BC, then 1000 BC, and it was crazy and that day I just got to know my roots and the best part was that on the website I found a family line that went from Andrew Lamont Jessop to... you guessed it ADAM!!! It was pretty mind blowing and it made me really excited for family history work.

Mission Farewells!!: In the ward I am serving in there are 4 future missionaries. One goes on January 15th named Rodrigo, one goes on January 27th which is Benjamin, one goes on January 29th which is Victor, and the last, but not least goes on February 11th which is named Samuel. There are also about 40 returned missionaries in this ward of the 100 active members which really strengthens the ward tremendously. The first of the future missionaries that leaves is Rodrigo. He gave his farewell talk and it was pretty espiritual. It is amazing how the work just keeps going with or without you, but the mission doesn't end after 2 years or 18 months of service. IT is a lifetime calling. I wasn't called to be a missionary for 2 years only to go home and forget everything I have learned and go back to what I was. My service as a missionary for my Lord and Savior will be one for life and I am grateful for that.

Zone Conference: President Agazzani threw a zone conference this week, which is like a conference where a bunch of missionaries get together and learn from the President. He finishes his mission in June and he will probably have only one conference left. He assigned my companion and I to do a part of the conference. We talked about the importance of bringing the conversion directly to the importance of Jesus Christ when we talk to people. Always talk about him so that we can have the spirit when we talk and help people come unto him and be perfected in him by His Atonement. We also taught the importance of teaching our investigators with the repentance steps so that they can truly repent of their sins and know how to come unto Christ through baptism. They also taught of how we should use the Book of Mormon always, always always to respond to doubts and help others feel the spirit. We also learned how to iron clothes, make beds, and be clean haha. I guess in the mission we learn a little bit of everything right.

Investigators: We are finding some really good people recently. We have Richard, Griselda, Eduardo, Carlos, Francisco, Vader, and Ilse. I don't have time to tell you about all of them, but I will let you know how they progress.

I absolutely love it here. I read a quote by Elder Bruce R. Mc Conkie that said, "We have to convince that Lord that we are willing to pay the price for anything that we want and in that way he will help us fulfill our earthly purpose". That isn't the exact quote but something like it. We have had some difficulties here in the missionary work, but as I have striven to come unto Christ and live how he has taught us, I have felt spiritually lifted and fortified. I have told him that I am willing to pay and I have been extremely blessed for it. I know that he lives and that he loves me. I know that the Atonement cleans, purifies, and wipes away sins. I have felt it daily. They say that the best convert in the mission is yourself and I have really tried to let the Lord mold me into the person that he needs me to be. the mission goes by fast and any return missionary can testify of that. I still have time left to help people come unto Christ and invite them to follow him. I am happy, joyful, filled with love, and I hope that you all enjoy my letters. 

Thank you for all the support and love.

Elder Jessop

Elder McFarland and I

1-5-15 Looking Back on the Week‏!!

Hello Family and Friends!!

This week went by just like every week, super duper fast. It is pretty amazing. Elder McFarland and I had some great triumphs and trials this week, but I have seen so many blessings and I am very grateful. Now on with the week.

Tuesday: Today it rained and it was awesome. I learned today the importance of making not only a good decision, but the best decision that there is. I should be willing to do what it takes so that I can receive the blessings of choosing the best decision. I can do that by following the path that the Lord wants me to follow because he knows what is best for me. I can learn what path he wants me to follow through the scriptures, ancient and modern prophets, my patriarchal blessing, and personal revelation. Every one of us has promised blessings waiting for us in the future, but some of us might not receive them if we don't make decisions that will lead us to those blessings. It is the best decision that I ever made when I decided to serve a mission. I have never been so blessed for this decision and I hope that I can keep making the best decisions of my life to receive the best blessings that I can from my Father in Heaven. 

Wednesday: Happy New Year!!! Today we had to go home at 7:30 due to safety purposes. It isn't like I was planing on staying up until 12 to see the fireworks haha. I went to bed at 10:30, like normal. I learned the importance of not letting a worldly desires take over my spiritual desires because if I do so then I will be subject to the worldly laws and will not be able to complete with Gods laws. Here in this area we literally have the best members ever! We have 9 return missionaries that are not even married yet. I don't know what they are doing with their lives but they are not married ;-). Then about 70 percent of the ward are return missionaries. It has the highest attendance rate in the whole mission which consists of over 60 churches. I have learned a lot here just in these few short weeks. We are leaving a lot with the members and hope to see a lot of success from it.

Thursday: Had a great lesson with one of our investigators named Vader. When I found out that his name was Vader, it made me think of Star Wars. I love Star Wars, but besides the point Vader is progressing and reading in the parts we leave him and we hope to baptize him in the coming weeks.

Friday: We had our Mission Ward Meeting and that was awesome. A lot of the mission is going to change pretty soon. 27 missionaries go home this change and 21 come. 15 go home next change and 28 go home in May and then my mission president finishes in June. The mission is undergoing a lot of changes and the goal of the Church is that each mission has about 200 missionaries and our mission has 230, but slowly it with go down to 200. President is calling a lot of new leaders so that they have experience when the new mission president comes. The mission has been the best experience of my life. There is a new mission plan that consists of: baptisms, retaining baptized members, and reactivating inactive members. That is what we are going to apply in the mission so that we can see more success than we have ever had. 

Saturday: Great Day. Nobody got baptized, but we are looking for those miracles really hard and we will find someone that is ready.

Sunday: Fast and Testimony meeting. always the best. I love church. I love God. I am very blessed.

I got my mission release papers today. I feel like I am dreaming. It is like the day you think will never come. I officially go home May 6th. It has been a fun ride and I still have a lot of time left to help people come unto Christ. Christ is everything. He is the light, the way, the truth. He is the savior of mankind. He is the only way by which all mankind may be saved.I love him and I know that he loves me. This new year I have a lot of goals and plans. I am so grateful for the support and love and I hope that you are all happy and have a great year.

Elder Jessop

12/29/14 - New Companion, New Change, New Years

Hello everyone, this week was awesome. We had a lot of activities and a lot of things happened that I'd like to share. 
We found some new investigators finally and we are excited to be working with them with my new companion. I guess I will start with him:

New Companion: His name is Elder McFarland. He is from St. George, Utah (I have had a lot of companions from Utah). 

We got here in the mission together so naturally we are going home together in May. We are super excited to be together here in our area, bummed that I had to say goodbye to Elder Huntsman, but I have been here so long in the mission that it is just another part of life changes. We are super excited and we are going to do a lot together here in Ybaté.

Tuesday: We had our Christmas activity of the mission. We went to a place called Quinta del Carmen and played games and stuff. 

The whole mission was there. Our mission consists of 235 missionaries and we fill up the joint. We played soccer, capture the flag, volleyball, water balloon toss and it was awesome. We also watched the Christmas devotional of the church, which was spiritually uplifting as well. I met my old companion there, Elder Hampton

I love that Elder. We were companions for 5 months and it was nice to see him. It was a fun Christmas activity. I even got to be with the mission President.

Cake Making: We made 13 cakes this week... A LOT OF CAKES. We gave them away to all the members in our area. They were all banana cakes and they were pretty good. 

Thursday: I got to Skype with my family on Christmas Day. It was a great experience and the last time I will do it before I go home which is kinda crazy. It was fun and I saw my two best friends from High School Cody & Jordan along with my Aunts, Uncles and cousin.
Other than that we had to go inside at 7:30 PM instead of 9:00 PM because of a department security mandate. We made Christmas dinner too. We had milanesa, chipa guazu, sopa Paraguay, potatoes, and a lot of really good Paraguayan food. This is a Paraguayan manger. Awesome.

Friday and Saturday: The first two days of the week when we actually could get a full day of work in and they were awesome days. We have really been struggling to find new investigators in our area and we found quite a few on the weekend. We found one named Vader, yeah like Darth Vader hehe, that made my day to know his name. He has an Uncle that is a return missionary and he is planning on getting baptized in January. We found a young man named Rodrigo that goes to a Japanese Paraguayan school. He is not Japanese though. He is super awesome and is planning on being baptized in January. We found a women named Rosa Ayala, she has had a rough life. Her son died in a bike accident (DON'T BUY A BIKE HANNAH!!), her other son was seriously traumatized from it and is looking for peace. I love finding people who are literally looking for God. Then we show up because the spirit led us. It was a miracle. It has all been a blessing.

I love the mission. I love the paraguayan people. I love my calling. I love my Savior. It is a true love. I feel his presence in my life. I'm happy. I'm at peace. I have never felt so much joy in my life. Despite the difficutlies that every missionary faces, through Jesus Christ we can always find an exit. He carries me and lifts me when I cant go anymore. His Atonement has made me who I never that I would become. His Atonement has changed me and I'm eternally grateful for it. I love him and he loves me. If there is anything that I know, it is that. The greatest knowledge that I can have and I'm extremely grateful that I can share it with others. 

Thank you for the support and love. I've got 3 changes, or transfers left and I hope to take advantage of each and every one!!!
I love each and every one of you and I hope you enjoy my letters from this humble abode in Paraguay.

Elder Jessop

12-22-14 Merry Christmas!!‏

Hey everyone!!! Merry Christmas!! We spent a lot of time this week looking for new investigators in our area. We are doing a lot of contacting and searching.

I want to wish you a Merry Christmas to all and I hope that you all have a great week with your families at home. Don´t forget about the Savior during this Christmas. Take the time to remember him give thanks for all that he has done for us. As for that I will be seeing my family on Thursday! Thank you for the love and support.

!Feliz Navidad! ¡Feliz Navidad! ¡Feliz Navidad Le espero un año de felicidad! I want to wish you a Merry Christmas! I want to wish you a Merry Christmas I want to wish you a Merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart!

Elder Jessop

12-15-14 Feelings without Explanation............

The Mission...... Let me tell you about it.

The days go by, the weeks, the months, and eventually the years. Can two years really shape the life of a young man like me? Does one mission really mean anything at all? Why would a teenage kid waste his life doing this thing called a mission? What does it mean? Why did he go? What is he doing? Will he come back? When will he come back? Is it false or true? 

My dear Family and Friends, a lot of these questions I have heard here in the mission. Time after time I feel the constant urge to get on my knees and cry joyfully of the blessing that it has been to be here in this country serving this mission. Some people here that I have talked to think that I'm wasting my time, think that I'm in it for money, think that I want a girl, think I should go home. For our beloved Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, it wasn't a waste of time, he wasn't in it for the money nor the fame, nor the glory, his mission changed his life. 
My mission is changing my life, I have never been so grateful, never felt so much love, never had so many hardships, never felt so much joy, never have I helped so many people find hope, peace, and purpose. 
The mission really does change lives. It has changed mine and I'm extremely grateful. 
A guy drove by us the other day in a car while we were walking in the street and shouted,"Those two men are liars!!!". 
He had never met us, didn't know my name, didn't know anything about me, and just because I'm representing Christ he called us liars. 
Christ was called a liar, a winebibber, a fornicator, and a false Christ. 
I have been called a liar, an adulterer, a coward, a thief, and every day I come to understand more and more the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It wasn't easy for him and it hasn't been easy for me.

I love the mission and I love hearing the people who say, 

¨These young men saved my life¨.....I have heard that.

¨These young men changed my life"..... I have heard that.

¨These young men have brought me peace and happiness.....I have heard that

I have seen so many miracles, blessings, and changes in my own life and in the lives of others. It makes me want to cry remembering all the great moments and spiritual moments. I have learned how to love, I have learned how to treat others, I have learned how to be like Christ, I have learned patience, how to serve, how to act, and how to be. I have tried so hard to do my best and when my body begs for rest and mercy, the Saviors example helps me to keep going. I assume it will be like that before he comes. 

I know that our Savior lives. His atonement is real and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is his church. I know it, I live it, I love every second of it. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS. See you on Skype family!

Elder Jessop

​We painted a wall for our converts. The Sanchez Family.

​Ward Christmas Activity