Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Run, run, run

 Hey everybody I just wanted to say thank you so much for that book of pictures and messages from all of you! It helps me so much whenever I read it.  It just gives me a boost and keeps me on track and working hard. Hope those of you in Hawaii are having fun. Haha it's so funny, everyone here is always on vacation, even though they basically live in paradise and most of the time they go to Hawaii. It's pretty sweet, at ever members house they have super expensive berries and fresh avocados for dinner (like every single night). It's pretty awesome cause I'm probably not gonna get to eat this many berries ever again.
 I love my mission so much I have already learned and grown a lot. I know for a fact this is where I am supposed to be and that I was supposed to speak english. I am already convinced this is the best mission in the wold haha ;)
 My mission president is awesome he always is inspired in everything he says and does. His wife is awesome haha her overall rule is to run. If you are sick, run. If you throw up, run. If you hate running, run. Alot of missionaries hate it but we have the lowest cost for health care out of all the missions in the world. The first thing she told me when she heard about my ankle was to run and I did. I have seen so much progress with it and I know it will be back to 100% some time in the near future.
 I have already learned about the importance of obedience. Elder Alldridge and I strive to be exactly obedient and everything we do and I have already seen blessings from it. My trainer Elder Alldridge is awesome, we are getting some real unity down when we teach and in everything else we do. I am definetly gonna go visit him at Utah State after my mission. Haha it's funny because all my shirts are BYU and his are USU. Just a little bit about him, he is big into football he won state and played safety on the westcoast all star team on his high school team in Logan. He is 6 foot but pretty tiny for a football player. Big into running, played lax all of high school and is the oldest of 2.
 By the way Stu! We were at the Greives for dinner last week and they told us about their son who served in Mexico and we found out he was your companion! I gotta go soon but I just wanted to tell you some of the funny stuff that has happened on my mission. I have met the craziest people of my whole life out here (though I love them with all my heart) and I won't even try to explain some of the stories because I wouldn't do them justice but here is a list of the greeny things I have down during my first transfer (which is almost over!)
1. Fell asleep in my slacks because I was so tired
2. Fell asleep during nightly planning because I was so tired.
3. Forgot my tag to my first member dinner
4. Put my tag on backwards        
5. Called myself Sister Orgill, then Brother Orgill, then finally Elder Orgill haha........
Other stuff that I will remember next time

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

We can do this!

Thank you so much Mom and everyone else! I have loved all of your comfort in the letters and emails I have received. I promise I will work on writing y’all back haha. I'm so sorry it's taken so long but we can only write on p day and the last couple ones have been hectic. I got to go to the San Diego temple today! It is the most beautiful temple I have ever been in! It's awesome in this mission we get to go to the temple 4 times a year. The San Diego if you are in the southern part and the Newport if you are in the north. By the way I am in the Del Mar stake which is a really rich area and is close to the beach. It's also the lowest baptizing stake in our mission but Elder Alldridge and I have been working really hard to change that. Our ward only had two baptisms last year but their new goal for the year is nine. I know we can achieve that we have been working really hard to find lots of new investigators and get our members in gear to help us out. This week has flown by! It feels like I'm already getting scared my mission is going too fast haha. It started off pretty hard, we had a crazy night on Thursday with all these crazy people and then Friday it seemed like everyone just hated us. We focus a lot on contacts in our mission which is talking to people on the street. On Saturday we got up and we did not want to talk to anyone after the day before. But we put some smiles on and talked to everyone we saw. We were so blessed we found this Hispanic family and had the most powerful lesson I have ever been in. We set baptismal dates for the parents and the two kids that were old enough. I feel so blessed out here I just see tender mercies from the Lord all the time. I can feel your prayers for me as I work. More recently we have been acting more and more like sister missionaries haha. We started making brownies for investigators and less actives which really helps soften people's hearts and let them know that you care about them (especially when you drop by during the 8 o’clock hour). Plus we have been making index cards for members with their commitments, encouragement, and their follow up date on them. Oh by the way I got the book that you all made which is awesome! I love it so much! It has really encouraged me to work harder. Thank you so much for the encouraging and inspiring messages and for Mom and Dad's testimonies. I love you all so much I really wish I could be more specific and talk to all of you but I will work on those letters so I can do so. Thank you so much Grandma for all the letters! I just got them yesterday so I will read them tonight! I'm so excited that you are going to the temple! I love going so much, it is really just a time where you can feel close to God and be at peace from the world. You guys are the best family ever. I don't know what I would do without you. I will work my hardest out here so that I can represent you, the Lord and His church well.
Love, Elder Jeffrey Buchannon Orgill :)

Sunday, February 10, 2013

The Work is picking up!

Hey Dad and everyone else! Things are going great here in Carlsbad California! The work has really picked up since I talked to you last. That first week was a lot of tracking and unsuccessful attempts at talking to less actives. We talked to every person we came across on the street and we knocked on so many doors but we had no success. Elder Alldridge were sorrowful that we could not make these people happy but we knew that the work was about to explode. Last Tuesday after I emailed all of you, I read Mom's conversion story and Sterling's letter that I hadn't read yet and my heart was filled with power, love, and comfort. I had this feeling like we were about to see a lot of success and that the Lord would bless us with opportunities if we continued to be obedient. I have many weaknesses but through the grace of our Savior all things are possible.
I was reading in 3 Nephi the next day and came across the part where the 12 apostles that Jesus had just called were praying and being sanctified through His atonement. I often remember the cleansing ability of the atonement and forget about how we can be sanctified through it and become better, more like our Savior. It said that as they prayed He smiled and His countenance shown upon them. I prayed very hard to be sanctified and have His countenance shown upon me. I could feel myself being filled with His love and felt guided in all that I said and did.
We then started to experience huge success we went to this less active person's house and no one was home so we went across the street to a apartment complex and knocked on one door. The person spoke no English and said no one else in the complex did. We went to another door and met this lady named Maritza. She spoke English and said we could come back the next day. She is in her early 20s and has a cute little boy who is very nice and a Mom and husband who do not speak English. When we came back we taught her the restoration and invited her to be baptized on March 2nd. She said she felt a peace and would work towards that date. After that the work started to explode. It seems like every other door we knock on is another potential investigator.
This guy named Omar who works at Shell and is currently homeless came up to us and asked us to start teaching him and this guy named Joe pulled over asked us for a Book of Mormon and then let us teach him at his house. I feel so blessed all the time. (Quick tangent) we were riding our bikes and were passing a cross walk when I suddenly just slam on my brakes and a car zooms a foot in front of me. We had the right of way and I didn't even see the car coming…. I just slammed on the brakes without thinking. I know that the Lord is looking out for me.
*I have to go soon…..
This ward has not had a baptism in 6 months so the recent success has really pumped everyone up. I got to bear my testimony this Sunday and I think everyone got really excited about missionary work. Our ward mission leader is awesome and always is looking out for us and the Bishop is very wise and guided. I feel blessed beyond what I deserve but am willing to do whatever the Lord wants.
I got the packages which were awesome! No letters yet because they are being forwarded. Yes, Karie I can see the pictures and thank you so much for the ones in the mail. Kim, you can send the pull up bar whenever and can Mom send an assistance band. I love you all, and will work on letters. :)
Love, Elder Orgill

Sunday, February 3, 2013

1st week out - Encinitas area

Hey Mom and everyone else! I love you all so much sorry it has taken so long for me to reply but I have been really busy out here and haven't gotten letters yet because they were forwarded from the MTC and my zone leaders haven't given us the mail yet but I should get it tomorrow.

I absolutely love it out here! I am in the Encinitas area which is really nice and is close to the beach. There is actually an amazing view from the library I am in right now. My trainer is Elder Aldridge. He is from Logan Utah and has only been in the field 12 weeks. He is the only one in our mission training that early so it is strange but awesome. He is a super hard worker and we are always going non stop which I love. I love the bike that Dad got, it is super light weight. I'm not sure if it has fenders though. We ride our bikes half the week and the other half we get a car. I'm not gonna lie this area has a lot of really steep hills and I had kind of a hard time my second day when we rode 14 miles up and down hills. Hahaha I fell asleep in my white shirt and slacks one night because I was so tired. But I'm getting back in shape quickly and it has already gotten easier.

The members are great we get to eat with them pretty much every night and give them a lesson. All their houses are HUGE it's crazy. Well except for the ones that live right next to the surfing areas. The people are friendly... most of the time haha we have had quite a few people that love to yell at us and bible bash. We try to answer their questions and understand their point of view but most of the time you just have to testify and ask them if they or anyone else needs any service. And then there's a lot of people who are "spiritual" and say that "God can be that cloud or that tree" or that "they are on their own path and that we need to stop telling people to change their paths" we try to explain that all we are doing is inviting them to read the Book of Mormon and to pray to know if it is true but it is very sad because there are so many lost people that will not even open up their hearts. My heart longs for them when I go to bed at night. I am so sorrowful that I cannot share this love that I have felt with every person I contact. But I do have faith in the arm of God and I know that as I work I will learn how to help people understand that. I love you all and am so grateful for all that you have done, especially for your testimonies. I have to go but I will email you again next Tuesday and try to get some letters out.
Love,
Elder Orgill