Elder Jepsen - Mission Entry 49 - WOW, WOW & WOW! What a Week!

Wow... where do I start? So much has happened this last week!

Sunday before last we had Walter Rane visit our ward. His son was to give his newborn baby a blessing and he was going to be there for it. I got to say hi to him really quick and shake his hand and stuff. I didn't want to start talking to him about how much I loved his artwork and that my dad was an artist as well, as he seemed kinda busy and was with his family. Really nice guy though.

Tomorrow we are going to be visited by Elder L. Tom Perry. We are going to have a two hour meeting with him and we are going to recieve valuable guidance and counsel from him as a mission. I can't wait! It's going to be wonderful! He's going to be the first apostle of the Lord that I meet in person! Elder Donald Hallstrom of the Presidency of the Seventy will be there as well. Amazing how blessed you are on a mission!

To prepare for meeting with him each companionship has been encouraged to teach twenty lessons each week and we have been working hard to reach that goal together with the congregation here (which has been great experience). Now we have surpassed that goal and we are seeing so many blessings from it. We found eight new families this week that were "less active" and that are very much willing to come to church and to have us over to teach them. The work is amazing here and I truly enjoy working in this area. Every night we have a dinner appointment with a family, and then we have a member come out and teach with us. Then we go and visit our appointments and the needy and less active members and families of the ward.

Now for other fun stuff, I just found a blender in our apartment and have been making banana milkshakes ever since. So, yes Mama, I am gettin my frooits (fruits, just in case).

My new mailing address is:

Elder Lee Edward Jepsen

2216 Pleasant Ave. S, #101

Minneapolis,MN 55404

USA

Gotta go, gotta mission to do!

Love y'all

Elder Lee Jepsen

Elder Dallin H. Oaks "Religious Freedom" From BYU-Idaho Part 1

Elder Dallin H. Oaks "Religious Freedom" From BYU-Idaho Part 2

Latter-Day Saints at 2010 Vancouver Canada Olympics

Mormon Olympians: Nyman to race Monday

http://www.mormontimes.com/people_news/sports/?id=13319

A Torah Bright, shiny gold medal in halfpipe.

http://www.mormontimes.com/people_news/sports/?id=13427

Gold-medalist Torah Bright example of faith, dedication

http://www.mormontimes.com/people_news/sports/?id=13515

Mormon Pikus-Pace still in the running for skeleton medal

http://www.mormontimes.com/people_news/sports/?id=13426

Mormon luger is best American with sixth-place finish

http://www.mormontimes.com/people_news/sports/?id=13403

Canadian David Bissett wins bronze in 4-man bobsled

http://www.mormontimes.com/people_news/sports/?id=13571

Elder Jepsen - Mission Entry 48 - WOW, WOW Minneapolis!!!

I'm sorry to hear that you're still not well. I hope and pray that you both soon get better. Soon the present will just seem like a small bump in the road. Like you have told me so many times before "The best blessings do not ensure maximum ease, but does provide maximum opportunity for growth - and growth is always an uphill road." I know the Lord will continue to bless you, He loves you more than even I do.

WOW, Minneapolis - WOW! I love this place even more! It's awesome!

If you still remember? I never was a man of many words... well that's no longer an option available to me! We are splitting up with members every day and that allows us to get more than twice the work done, because the members here also give us referrels and bring us around to people that they have in mind for us to teach, as well as to our own appointments. The Lord is showing us a great deal of trust by allowing us to be the missionaries to teach all these wonderful people. Last week we were blessed to teach thirty or more lessons to people prepared to hear the Lord's message. I feel so grateful and I love being a part of this! I'm teaching... and that's why I am here (well, teach and BAPTIZE).

Life has already fallen into a more steady and effective rhythm in our apartment. It doesn't take long, really. Transport here is a simple matter, we bus it everywhere and it didn't take long to sort out all of the routes. I love the ward... they're so amazing and they're so pro-active in the work as well. This is a fantastic experience and I just love being a part of it!

Remember how I sometimes (or every other week) used to get frustrated, irritable and have bad days where I was down? Well, forget all about it, I haven't been in that corner for the last four months. To constantly see people's lives change for the better, as they apply the very gospel that we teach and find the short route to God's direct counsel and direction is the best. God is changing me as much as those I am teaching, I feel so ALIVE!

I love you! Thank you raising me in the church!

Elder Lee Jepsen

Have You Had Your Smile Today?

Smile, it's universally contagious!

An Apostle Speaks of Our Day

An apostle serves as a messenger and missionary for Jesus Christ and delivers His Christian messages to those who will listen. Such messages can often be of a prophetic nature, hence an apostle is also known as a prophet.

In 1978, the late Neal A. Maxwell who at the time was an apostle with the title Elder in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, delivered a powerful and prophetic sermon at Brigham Young University concerning what he called "The Secular Church."

This particular message stands today as an excellent example of modern-day prophecy. He spoke of the rise of irreligion as the new state religion and prophesied the impact this would have on important moral issues of life such as family, marriage and religious rights. Elder Neal A. Maxwell's prophesy spoke very directly of our world today, thirty years later, warning all people of all faiths. Many more prophecies have been shared by his fellow apostles since then.

Elder Jepsen - Mission Entry 47 - WOW, Minneapolis!!!

I appreciate your prayers on my behalf, thank you! I am sure that as my mission speeds though my life, much of the good that I experience is thanks to your many prayers for me.

Sorry to hear that you guys are not well. Couldn't you take some of these challenges in small portions, one at a time? My prayers are with you, I hope and pray that you all get better soon.

WOW, Minneapolis! I am actually in Minneapolis, WOW!!!
WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!!!!

I love it here!!!! What more can I say, I love it!

Currently I am serving with Elder Noffsinger. He's a quiet elder, but he is at the same time a diligent and hard worker. We've already conncted really well and we are getting along great. I love it!

It's not as cold here as in Thunder Bay, but it snows much more...We have so much snow, it's crazy! We use the buses to get around a lot, allowing us plenty of opportunities to meet and contact people and keeps us out the snow, when it's at its worst.

I still have a hard time finding my way because we have a big area, just bordering downtown Minneapolis, I love it here. I'll be working on getting my camera repaired as fast as possible, I need to show you this place! We get to talk to a lot of cool people and because it's a bigger city, not everyone we meet or contact is ready to receive or accept the gospel. One such example is when a person we contacted turned out to be a drug dealer. His agenda being in rather stark contrast to ours in more ways than I can begin to number, it was a brief but eye opening encounter. Not that I mind the odd challenge, but I don't think he or I was ready for this one.

We were downtown the other day and I saw that they have skyways in between most of the buildings to keep people focused on shopping without getting distracted by the snow and cold, clever! We went there because the stake-president owns a restaurant called "Eddington's," they have a special discount to missionaries on what they call "The Bottomless Bowl of Soup" I have never tasted better soup (or it probably seemed that way because I haven't been home for while, Mom), but they let you eat AS MUCH AS YOU WANT, how can you not like this place? I love it!

But it gets even better. The best part of it all here is the congregation, they're amazing!!! They are really focused on missionary work, and all the members are pitching in. Their goal is to have enough members available for the missionaries to work in splits with the members EVERY NIGHT, and also feeding the missionaries EVERY NIGHT. I've come to missionary HEAVEN!!!

Like our great Bishop back home and many Bishops I've met before, the Bishop here is a hard worker and he's constantly supporting and helping us in our work. Not only him, but the all of the auxiliaries are doing what they can to assist us in the work. I've met so many awesome members here that truly back us up and work with us as missionaries. It makes me want to work harder than my hardest and be a better missionary than I thought I could. I really loved my old area, but my time was up and am so grateful to have come to this area and I am excited to work here! I really hope that the Lord may find me and what I can do with His help to be of some use in His plan for this area.

Well I love you all and I really miss you, but then again not really. ;)
Take care!

Elder Jepsen

Two missionaries die in Romania

Click on the link below for more details:

ksl.com - 2 LDS missionaries die in Romania