Hey! How is everything going? How is every doing? How is the holiday season? I hope that it is going good. The holiday season isn’t the same here but I am still able to feel the special spirit that Christmas brings. It is kind of interest how the spirit is a little bit different during this time of the year. I realized that Monday night while we were leaving message at a members house. For some reason felt like we needed to visit this family and leave a Christmas message with them, so my companion and I did and we felt the spirit so strong as we talked about the Savior and this time of the year. It was a pretty cool lesson, I really enjoyed it. And afterwards we enjoyed cake and juice. The members here like us…..:). We also enjoyed the Christmas Devotional that the First Presidency put on and as I watched that I got a little trunky. Seeing Temple Square all lit up and beautiful really hit me. I really wanted to be at home to be able to see the lights at Christmas time. But you can’t always get what you want. But I really enjoyed the talks that they gave and what they talked about. It is always good to here the First Presidency. I also had the opportunity to watch a movie that the church made about the life of President Monson and I really enjoyed that too. I felt the spirit really strong as I learned what makes President Monson different from the rest of the world. And it was something so simple that I was almost surprised the willingness to ALWAYS follow the spirit without hesitation. So I have now made the same goal in my life, to follow all the feelings, impressions and thoughts that come to my mind, so that I can become an instrument in the hands of the Lord. This week was a pretty good week. I really enjoyed it. On Sunday two men that my companions and I baptized received the priesthood and that is always a good feeling to see the people that you teach progress in the gospel. I was talking to Elder McNeil the other day, our district leader who is going home in a couple of weeks. And we talked about how we both are grateful for the mission and how we both feel like we are happy with what we have done on the mission. The Lord has blessed me so much. I have had the opportunity to teach some great people that truly wanted to serve and follow the Lord. And now they are progressing so much in the gospel. And I am glad that I have been able to work with the Lord in this mission.Yesterday we had our interviews with our Mission President and that was good like always. But I didn’t have the guts to ask him about extending my mission. I didn’t feel like the time was right yet, but the next time that I have the chance I will talk with him and see what he thinks. But I really enjoyed the interview, like always I felt the spirit as we talked about the work and my family. I love my president because he really worries about me and my family. He asked about Juston specifically and wanted to know how he is doing.And today my companion and I are going to go to the center of the city to buy some Christmas presents because one of the families in our ward wants to do a present exchange on Christmas so I have got to go and buy a present. But yeah things are going pretty good, nothing to complain about. It is just weird to think that my mission is ending and the feelings that I am now having. It is weird and hard to explain but things are going good and I am enjoying the work. We are going to have a wedding this week and after the wedding we are going to see if we can’t baptize the lady too. But yea…..not much to talk about this week. I just hope that everyone is doing well and that everyone is enjoying the holiday season.Mom, I hope that everything is going good. I just wanted to ask you when would be the best time to call you and on what day would be better too. So that I can talk with president about that, but I need to know today so when you get this email write me back as soon as possible. But I love you and I miss you and I hope that everything is going good. I love you and until next week.
With Love,Elder Jory B. Spotts
Dec. 9, 2009
Hey! How have things been going? How was your week this week? How is the family? How are our friends? I hope that everything is going good. Our week was alright this week. Nothings amazing happened, it just seemed like a normal week to me. But we just keep going and we do the best we can. But I sure do miss you all and I hope that everything is going good.My birthday was awesome. I loved it, because they people here made it special. We started the day out by going to one of my old areas like I had told you and we had BBQ and Lasanga( I think that is how you spell it). And it was awesome, because I love the family that made it all for me, they are probably the coolest and best family that I have met on the mission. And the other cool part was that she invited a family that we baptized while I was there. And it felt so good to see them and talk with them, because it had been over a year since the last time that I saw them. We played uno and we just talked and ate and it was great. They made me a cake and sang to me too. Afterwards we came back to our area and we went to another member’s house and they made me a cake too. Then we went to another member’s house, Rosana, and this was the best part of the day. We should up and they had planned up a ton games that they were going to play. But I couldn’t play. They said that they were going to play and whoever won got to write all over my face with lipstick. And I said no way and said that I was going to play and if I won no one was going to do anything to me. So I played and I won every single game. At first they thought that they would get me, the American, with a Portuguese language game, where we had to repeat a long tongue twister piece by piece. But did I prove them wrong. I was the only one that got it right. So I marked and wrote on everyone’s face with lipstick. Then they wanted to play musical chairs. But the mother, Rosana, was running the music. And I won two times in a row and Rosana thought that was ridiculous so she wanted to play and we did. And the last two standing were her and I, and at the end of the music she was closing to sitting down so I pulled she chair out from under her and she grabbed the chair too, but I sat down first so I won again. And everyone got mad so they grab and wrote on my face anyways. I have tons of pictures of face all red because of the lipstick. My birthday was awesome. This week my companion ran into a couple of difficulties as well. It started on Saturday with a problem with the wedding that we are going to have on the 19th. So we had to take the bus to the Mission Office grabbed a paper and take it back to our area to be signed by the couple and the witnesses. Then on Sunday we ran out of water and we went three days without water. So we ended up having to take showers at Rosanna’s house and at the chapel. Then on Monday the landlord was asking for the rent and said that he couldn’t wait until today so we spent the entire day at the bank trying to take out money so pay him. It was very heck tick. But it is the life of a missionary. We have also been having trouble finding new people to teach. So we are now working in a part of our area that is a way long ways away to be able to try and find people to teach. And it has been the hardest part of the mission; it seems like I really don’t know how to find people to teach. But when I do they almost always progress really well. So we have been teaching a few people that have really been progressing well. We had 8 people at church on Sunday so that is always good and we are doing what president asks. So we are going what we can to help the ward grow and do what the Lord wants us to do. And that is all that we can do. So I am not complaining about anything. I am doing what I can.And this morning a member in the ward here took us site seeing. It was pretty cool. He took us to a waterfall, the area where they filmed Anaconda, the Hotel Tropical, where they are constructing the temple, and it was pretty cool. I got a little dirty but it was pretty cool, we walked on the beach and ate mango, and it was pretty rad. And now I am at the internet writing to you guys. So things are going good. I am looking forward to Christmas because president decided to rent a boat and take us out on the river to see the part of the river where the two rivers come together to make the amazon and the waters don’t mix. I don’t know what they call it in English. But yeah…..i love you guys and I hope that everything is going good. Mom, if you need me to call on a different day I can. Just let me know what day and I can talk to President and he doesn’t have any problem with it. But I don’t how I am going to call you, because I don’t know where the calling card is that you sent me. I don’t even remember receiving one and if I did I have no idea what I did with it. But I will try and find it. But I also thought that I would tell you something that you need to know. I think that I am going to ask president to extend my mission…………..but let me tell you why, because for some odd reason this has come to my mind recently. To be absolutely honest I wouldn’t complain if president sent me home honorable early for some odd reason. Because I miss you all sooooo much and I am getting excited to go home. But for some odd reason I am thinking that I might ask him just be a hundred percent sure that I am doing all that the Lord wants me to. So I am thinking about talking to him and one of the other elders in my group to stay with me. But we will see what happens. I just hope that you understand and don’t get upset. I also got the package and wanted to thank you. You just forgot to send two things that I asked for; A Real Salt Lake Soccer Jersey and an Ensign in English from November. You sent me a jazz jersey instead of the real salt lake. And with the analogy of the pregnant women…..i think that you just convinced me that I don’t want to have any kids, because nine months is a long time. And if my wife suffers that means that I am going to suffer too. So count me out. And I cant see your motorcycle that you are going to buy, you have to send it as an attachment. Because the computers here don’t let you see the pics. But yeah…..i love you and I miss you a ton and I hope that you have a great week, until next week. And give kaya and bruiser a hug for me.
With Love,Elder Jory B. Spotts
With Love,Elder Jory B. Spotts
Dec. 2, 2009
Hey Everyone!!!! How are things going? I hope that everything is going great. I sure did miss you all on Thanksgiving and on Saturday…..wanting to see the BYU vs. Utah Game. But I am glad to hear that BYU pulled off a close win. It is always good to hear that they win the big game. It doesn’t matter if they lose all their games in the season, but if they beat Utah, it’s a good year. But I sure hope that everyone enjoyed Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving here was just a normal day for the American missionaries; no one in Brazil even knows what it is. But they don’t know what they are missing out on. But things here have been going really well. It seems like I am going to be able to finish my mission on a good note. The trunkiness is going away, I think that it was just a phase. But yeah….This week my companion and I had a pretty good week. We worked hard, found a few new people to teach, and we had two baptisms. The baptism on Sunday went great. We had a little bit of a problem with the bishop because he wanted to change the time of the baptism but no one wanted to listen to him so it started when everyone else wanted. My companion and I were willing to do whatever the bishop said but the rest of ward was against him. But the baptism was very spiritual like always. We planned the baptism and it went really well. I was the only missionary that participated in the program. I sang a special musical number and I baptized the women. But the other elders just sat back and enjoyed the baptism. But it went really well. The people we baptized were an awesome couple. Their son is a member and had been talking to them about the gospel for a long time and after insisting that they visit for such a long time they finally decided to go to church and they received a testimony of the gospel. They went to church about four times and then told us that they wanted to get taught by the missionaries. We hadn’t talked to them in the beginning because someone had told us that they were already being taught by some other elders because they don’t live in our area. But the elders didn’t want to go to their house. So they came to our chapel to be taught by us. And on the first visit they wanted to be baptized and they did get baptized. I really enjoyed teaching them; it was blessing that the Lord gave to both me and my companion.I also received a pretty big surprise on Monday. We went to Zone Conference and I enter into the chapel and sat down next to one of my old companions, Elder A. Oliveira, and we started chatting and then I heard some say my name behind me. So I looked back and I saw Abelardo, I don’t know if you remember him. But he is a recent convert that one of my companions and baptized when I was in São José. Well he was there at the conference because he is going to serve a short time mission because he is preparing to serve a mission. He was the young man that we baptized after having to cast out a demon, I think you remember. But he his really good and now is going to serve a mission and we are serving in the same zone together. It was really cool seeing him there at the conference. I can’t even explain the joy that I felt when I say someone that I taught and baptized being a missionary. The blessing that the Lord gives to missionaries are amazing and you can’t receive these types of blessing doing anything else, only on the mission.But the Zone Conference was really good too. President talked a lot about The Book Of Mormon and how we need to testify more about the Book Of Mormon in our listens and we need to use it more. Because in Preach My Gospel it says that we should teach about it in the first lesson, but most of the elders don’t teach it until the second visit. Because a lot of people don’t take care of it and it seems like a waste to give one to somebody and then they throw it away or don’t read it. But President said that we should always teach it in the first lesson. Only if the Spirit tells us not to we should. I really enjoyed the spirit that was felt at the conference and what I learned. They also put together a video of the Talk that Elder Jeffery R. Holland gave about the Book of Mormon at General Conference. It went really good. And as for today my companion and I are going to go the party that the member family is going to put together for me and then at night two other families said that they are going to make me cake and have a little too. So I get not just one party but three on my b-day. That is how special I am, the people love me. But things are going really good, just having a hard believing that I can now buy beer in the States. I feel like I am getting old. And I am starting to feel like I don’t want to go home at the end of my mission. I think that I am just going to stay here. I already feel like Manaus is home. I love it here and I love the people, I already have tons of people that say that I am a member of their families and I already have a Brazilian mother. And I can find myself a wife really fast here. I have got everything that I need. So I don’t think that I wanna come home. Just for vacation…..jk. But I really do love it here and am going to miss it a ton when I have to go home. But I miss you all too much. But I hope everything is going good for everyone, I miss you all.Mom, well it sounds like thanksgiving was pretty cool for you guys, I worked. But I am glad to hear that it went well. I love you all and I am looking forward to see you all again pretty soon. And I will be able to call home for the last time on the 23rd. because that is when we are going to have our Christmas program and president wanted us to call home on this day. But if it is a bad day he said that we can call on a different day too. But yeah, apply to those schools as soon as possible for me. But I love you and I miss you and thank you for the happy birthday, I am getting old. But I haven’t gotten your present yet but I think that I will get it pretty soon. But I love you and will talk to you next week. 15 more P-Days
With Love, Elder Jory B. Spotts
With Love, Elder Jory B. Spotts
Nov. 25, 2009
Hey everyone! How have things been going? I hope that everything is going good. How was thanksgiving? I am sure going to miss my favorite holiday. And I am going to miss you all very much tomorrow too. But you will all have to let me know how everything is going and how the holiday went. And you are going to have to tell me about the BYU vs. Utah game as well. That is always the best game of the year and hopefully BYU wins this year. But things here have been going pretty good. Just work and work. But things have been going pretty good. We have been losing and finding new people to teach all the time. It doesn’t even seem like we really get to know the people before they decide to reject the gospel. But we are going to have two baptisms this Sunday. So mom you read my letter wrong….sorry. But we didn’t have a baptism last week. But the baptisms are going to happen this coming week. And my companion and I do not seem like to be the as happy about the baptism as the couple that is going to be baptized. We talked with them yesterday and taught for the last time before their baptismal Interview and they are really excited. They are totally ready for the baptism. Everything we ask them to do they do it. We asked them to stop drinking coffee and they stopped immediately. They also asked us about a few things that the love to do like play Domino and face cards and they said that they are willing to stop if they have to. But we explained to them that they can. They know that the gospel is true and are really excited about their baptism. I learned a lot from them teaching them. I learned that I didn’t have anything to do with their conversion….it was ALL the spirit. They were prepared by and touched by the spirit. And I am excited for the baptism on Sunday.Things have been going pretty good with my companion as well. We are getting along well and things are looking pretty good. We are working well together and I am really enjoying the mission. I think that I am now having the best time of the mission right now because I have learned the language and I have almost mastered the mission techniques. i cant say that I am the best missionary because that would be a lie. At times I feel like I have no idea what I am doing, but when I follow the Spirit and the Lord everything works out. We are looking at having a few baptisms next month as well. We have a few investigators that are really interested in the gospel and they are really enjoying the lessons. But yeah the mission is going good, but I am having trouble forgetting how much time I have left. I cannot get that out of my head to matter how hard I try to forget I always remember that I have got 17 weeks left……16 more pdays.But I really cannot think of anything to write to you all. This letter is going to be a little bit shorter than usual…sorry. I still love you all but I am not really remembering anything that is going on. We did have a bbq with some of the ancients….the old missionary, and I am one of them. It is really weird to think about that. I don’t feel any different. And next week there is a family in one of my old areas that is wanting to put together a little party for my birthday. So next pday I am going to have a party and that will be pretty good. But yeah………I sure do miss you all and I love you and I hope that everything is going good. Mom, I wanted to ask you something but I forgot….oh yeah…..were you able apply to those schools for me yet or not. If not you need to get on that. Because if you don’t it is going to be harder for me to enter into them. So please apply as soon as possible and send loves to everyone at Grandmas house for thanksgiving. I love you all and I miss you;
With Love, Elder Jory B. Spotts
With Love, Elder Jory B. Spotts
Nov. 18, 2009
Hey! How is everything going? I hope that everything is going good. How was everybody´s week? It seems like things have been pretty crazy. But it is good to hear that everything is going good. Things here have been going good. Just the same old stuff every day. The same old schedule everyday. Wake up, study, and walk and walk and talk and talk and work and work, then plan, then sleep and it start all over again.But Saturday we had ourselves a baptism and that went pretty well. It was a little frustrating because at the last minute my companion and I decided to try and get some jumpsuits and when we went to the closet there was only one and it was for a little child……so that wasn’t going to work. So after running around trying to find some jumpsuits we were able to find one at home and one at the Ward Missionary Leader´s house. So thank goodness we were able to have the baptism. Then another thing happened. We didn’t know that they were having mutual the same night either. So we didn’t get started on time, we had to wait for mutual to finish because they were using the home that we were going to have the Baptismal Meeting in. but after a little bit of stress and worry, we were able to have the baptism. And it went pretty good. The spirit was there like always and I really enjoyed it. I gave the message about Baptism and my companion and I sang a special musical number. He played the flute while I sang and it turned out to be a very spiritual meeting. Which is good, because the guy that got baptized had been being taught for a long time. But didn’t decide to get baptized until now. But it turned out to be good.But we had ourselves a pretty good week this week. We had a few up and downs, but we finished the week off with a baptism and it went really well. We have been teaching a few people that have a lot of doubts so we have been trying to answer all their questions, but after answering one they always come up with another. It´s almost like they are trying to find flaw in the church or in the gospel. We had a little bit of an experience a few days ago. While arriving at lunch my companion saw a lately carrying a bucket full of water and he said that the spirit told him to help her, so he did and after carrying her bucket full of water for her he asked her if we could pass by her house. And to find out she had talk to her neighbor, a member, about us and she said that if we truly are servants of God and if she truly needs to her our message we will go to her. So we did, the spirit led my companion thru an act of charity to help her. So we went to her house and we taught her and her husband. She paid a lot of attention during the message and really enjoyed it, but her husband was being a little hard hearted and said that he doesn’t believe that God and Jesus are two separate beings. So I grabbed the bible and used some scriptures and testified. And well he decided to have us pass by on Friday and he is going to invite his pastor. So we are going to have a GREAT experience on Friday. But we are not to going to argue, just teach and testify and is they don’t accept we are going to leave. But I already decided that we are NOT going to Bible Bash with him. We have also been teaching an inactive member and after a great lesson at his house he finally went to church and he took his non-member wife as well. He also said that he is going to go back to church and we are going to see if we can’t teach his wife as well. But things have been going really well. My companion and I were having trouble for a while, but we kept at it and we are being blessed now. I learned so much with Elder Sales. I learned a lot about the importance of being obedient and diligent and the blessings the Lord gives to those that are obedient and diligent. But yesterday he got transferred and I received a new companion yesterday. Elder Menezes from Piauí, he is from the same state as João and Franciane ,the family that we baptized about 9 months ago. And they are doing really well; they are firm in the church and doing really well. It has been a long time since that last time that I saw or talked with them. But I am glad to hear that they are doing well. It is the best feeling in the world hearing that they people that you baptized are still active and strong. There is a young boy that my companion and I baptized a year ago that is going to go on a mission and another young man that is going to be going about the time that I return home. The amazing blessings that the Lord has given me, i love the mission and hope that the Lord allows me to be a part of at least one more miracle before I get home. And I believe that is going to happen next week when we baptized a couple that is awesome. They really want to get baptized and follow the gospel. And things are going good with them so far. Their son is a member of the ward here and it has been cool teaching them. Because they do everything that we ask. But yeah, I love the mission and the things I am learning. I have a new opportunity to learn now with my new companion so we will have to see what the Lord has is mind for us.Mom, well I am glad to here that Kaya is alright after that accident I am glad that she hit the tree. I sure do miss her and want to see her when I get home. So tell her to be more careful. But I hope that everything is going good. But I need to know the address of the new house, because the mission needs to know. They will have to send things to you when I am getting ready to return home and sometimes they send other things. So send that to me as soon as possible. And you already sent the package to me or will send it to me in three weeks. And yesterday one of my favorite companions went home and said that he was going to give you guys a call so be ready for that one. His name is Elder Mathew Milkanin from Riverton. He is way cool; he reminds me a lot of Steve. But I love you and hope that all is well and will talk to you next week. And you forgot to answer the questions that i asked in my last letter. so look at the letter again and anser them please i wanna now all that stuff.
With Love, Elder Jory B. Spotts PS>>>I am working on this poem…….I´m no savior,I´m no superman,I´m no hero,I´m just a simple man.Black and white, without color.A bum without shoes,I´m just a simple man. Plain, No thunder, nor lighting….just rain. I´m a simple man.A lion without his mane.Just me, a simple man.
With Love, Elder Jory B. Spotts PS>>>I am working on this poem…….I´m no savior,I´m no superman,I´m no hero,I´m just a simple man.Black and white, without color.A bum without shoes,I´m just a simple man. Plain, No thunder, nor lighting….just rain. I´m a simple man.A lion without his mane.Just me, a simple man.
Nov. 11, 2009
Hey Everyone,How is everything going? How was this week for everybody? I hope that it went well for everyone. How is the weather now? How is the family? I hope that everyone is doing good. But things here have been going good. My companion and i had a prety good week this week. And we have been enjoying ourselves.Yesterday we had a pretty good experiences and some blessings fall from heaven. My companion and i had marked with a new couple to teach them yesterday. They have already gone to church a couple of times but they live in a different but visit our ward because their son goes to our ward. And their son...or someone...had told us that they were being taught by some other elders in a different ward so we didnt really think anything. But then on Sunday they came to us and said that they wanted to be taught because it seems like they had scheduled a few times with the elders in their area but they never went to their house. So they drive from their house to our chapel just to be taught by us now. So we were teaching them the first lesson yesterday and the spirit was there and is was a good lesson. And at the end we asked them if they had any questions and the only question they had was.......What do we have to do to get baptized?......so we are now looking at baptizing a couple in the next couple of weeks. And it was a blessing from the Lord. Because we had been having some trouble finding any investigators that are actually interested in the gospel. And after praying and fasting the Lord gave us even better, a family that wants to be baptized and soon too. So that was pretty cool.My companion has also been feeling pretty sick lately, so yesterday we stayed at home. In the morning he didnt want to leave because he wasnt feeling very well. But i made him leave and we went to na appointment and lunch, but he was feeling really bad so we went home and stayed home. So i got in some good reading yesterday in the Bible and i found out that David was red-headed. In the english bible it says ruddy but in the Portuguese bible it say ruivo....which means red-headed. So i thought that was pretty cool. But yeah......on Sunday we also had another guy that we had stopped teaching because we marked his baptismal date and at the last minute he decided to not get interviewed. So we stopped teaching him and said that if wants to get baptized he can come talk with us because he had been getting taught since march and hadnt made a decision yet. But on Sunday we went to his house because his entire family are members. And he told us that he wants to get baptized on Saturday. So he we will have another baptism as well. The Lord has trully been blessing us. We were really struggling for a while and now things are just falling out of the sky. But i am not going to complain because i like it.But lately we have just being working with members and have been passing by their houses to leave messages with them and ask for referrals. And we are starting to have a little bit of success with that as well. The members are starting to get referrals for us. So that is good. But yeah......we are just working and trying to do our best and are having a little bit of success. Things have been going pretty good and nest week we are going to have another transfer and one of best companions is going to go home. So i am going to miss him. But he lives pretty close to home....Riverton....so i will definetly go visit him and hang out with him when i get home. And i am starting to fill a less trunky lately and the time is flying by. I really do love missionary work. I am learning a lot and my companion and i are trying to better ourselvs a lot. We established a bunch of new goals to try and do better. I am having some of the best times of my mission right now. President has really been helping us out a lot. He really is a spiritual and inspired man. It almost seems like he knows more about us than we do. But i love you all and things are going good. Thanksgiving is coming up and i am really going to miss you guys on that day but that is alright. But i hope that everyone had a good week. I sure do miss you all and i love you. And i wish the best for all and i pray for you all as well.Mom, How have things been going? How is kaya doing? Is she enjoying the braces? I was kinda thinking that i might want to get some when i get home as well. How is the new house? How long have you guys been living there? I really wish you guys would stop hiding things from me. I dont worry to much about you guys. I know that you are all in the Lord´s hand and that he will take care of you. So dont think that i am worrying to much about you. Just tell me what happens when is happens instead of waiting for ever. But where is this house at? Is my room big? How is my tv? How is my laptop? Did you guys move all my stuff too? Is troy still living with you guys as well? How is work? How is school going for kaya? How is kezia doing? And how are her kids? I havent heard anything from them recently. But send them hugs and tell them that i love them and that i miss them too. But i hope that everything is going good. I sure do you miss you all and i love you . but i will talk to you all next week.
With Love, Elder Jory B. Spottsps.....i started learning italian and i am really enjoying that. I have a Book of Mormon in italian and i am starting to read it. It is pretty easy to understand because of portuguese. They are similar.
With Love, Elder Jory B. Spottsps.....i started learning italian and i am really enjoying that. I have a Book of Mormon in italian and i am starting to read it. It is pretty easy to understand because of portuguese. They are similar.
Nov. 4. 2009
Hey everyone!!! One more week has gone by, and i still miss everyone. I hope that everything is going good for everyone. How is the weather? How is the world? How is the family doing? I hope that everything is going good for everyone. You are all in my prayers and i love you all. The weather has been pretty good. It looks like summer is over here so the rainy season is starting up which is good. Because that means that it will get a little cooler around here. But the still means 90-100 degrees. But with clouds and rain alot more often, which is awesome. It makes it a lot easier to sleep a night.But i dont have a lot to say for this week. Because we hard a pretty diffilcult week. We lost a lot of investigators so we started searching for some new ones but we didnt find anyone. I havent been rejected so much in all the mission. My companion and i had a pretty difficult week this week. No body went to church and no one is progressing right now. So my companion and i are now starting from scratch to see what we can do to try and turn this area around. I swear that it seems likt President sends me to all the areas where the field is burned and black as night. But we are working and seeing what we can do. We are putting our trust in God to see if cant make some miracles happen here. But i did have a good experience yesterday in my interview with President Jayme. We had a good talk about studying and the work and i learned a lot from him and i really enjoyed our chat. It was pretty cool because he asked me questions that i needed to hear and said things that i was needing to learn. He helped me figure out how i can help the people that we are teaching and how i can find some new investigators. So my companion and i are going to start putting those this in practice as soon as possible so that things can get going in our area. But things have been going really good with my companion and i we have been having a lot of fun with each other. He is really cool and i have really enjoyed working with him. The transference is already getting ready to end and i am hoping that President leaves us two together because he is one of the better companions that i have already had. My other fav companion Elder Milkanin is going to be going home on the 17th. He is from Riverton and is planning on going to same school as i am when i get home. So that will be pretty cool.But yeah, President also gave me a ton of ideas so that i dont get to trunky and keep myself busy so that i dont end up wasting any time on the mission. He explained to me how a lot of elders have cried in their last interview with him because they ended up throwing their last weeks out the window doing nothing but slacking off and not working on the mission. And i explained to him that i dont want that yo happen to me so i am going to start settinf some goals and i am going to start doing the things that he suggested to me.I really dont know what to tell you guys, because nothing really exciting happened this week that i can think of. But things have been going good and i sure do miss you all, i am sorry that this letter isnt very long and it isnt that good. But i still love you all and i hope taht everything is going good. And mom, as for the schools.....i think that i will move it down to four then......Utah State, BYU, SUU, and UVU. But i really dont want to make the list any smaller that this. Because i wanted some back up plans and some choices. But i am nbot 100 percent sure of what i will do. But I hope that everything is good. Halloween sucked, because they dont really celebrate it here. And Thankgiving is also going to suck because it doesnt exist here. But i sure do miss you all and i love you all, i hope that you all have a great week and i hope that next week i will have more to write about. But i love you mom and i miss you.
With Love,Elder Jory B. Spotts
With Love,Elder Jory B. Spotts
Oct. 28, 2009
Hey everybody!!!!How was the week? Any good and exciting news? How is the family? How are Lacia and Alicia? I hope that everything is good. How is clinton doing? I havent heard from him in a long time. How is Robin and his family doing? How is Aunt Ann and Roger doing? How is Uncle Morgan and his family? And how is glenna doing as well? And how is Kezia doing? I hope that everything is going good. I sure do miss you all and love you all. And i hope that you all know that.My companion and i had another week. But not a lot happened this week. We had a pretty rough week actually. We have been teaching a lot of people that have no interest in one the gospel, two their own lives, three there families, four in God. It is relly hard for me to deal with these type of people. Because i cant handle seeing them reject the most amazing and Marvelous gift the God has given us.....The gospel. The gospel brings so much joy, life, love, emotion, feeling, light, and guidance to our lives. It is hard to think of a life without this great blessing. I trully cannot comprehend the thoughts of those that dont accept it or do not have the desire to understand more. And it hurts me inside literally hurts me. On Sunday, i think is was Sunday. We passed by a bar and i saw a man drinking and smoking. I got eye contact with him and said Good Afternoon, How are you? And he said...Peace to the Lord. Everyone says that to us here because they trully recognize us as servants of the Lord. And when he said that to me ans i saw him i seriously felt a pain in my heart, because i could see and feel the pain that he was passing. I see the darkness and emptiness of his life. And it was weird feeling that. It is the worst part about being a missionary, seeing and feeling the darkness that is cast of the people but Satan, our own brother.But we were able to teach an awesome lady on Saturday. I told you all about Marcilene and Gilson, the family that we found last Saturday. Well Marcilene took us to her neighbors house to teach her, who said that she wanted to here our message. So we went there with them and we taught the first lesson. And while we were there Nizia, the lady, told us that she had been looking for a church because she had just got down leaving her old church. And she said that one night she prayed and asked the Lord to show her what she should do. And that night she had a dream and in the dream she saw thousands of churchs and she said that she saw one church that was lifted up into heaven. And that all the other churches were burned by fire. And she said that she knew that God was trying to tell her that she needs to find this one church that was taken into heaven. So she has been looking for this church, so we testified to her that this church is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And she really enjoyed our message and wanted to go to church with us and she went and relly liked it. So we have found another great person to teach. The Lord is blessing us, i just hope that she is able to recognize the Spirit and the truthfulness of the gospel.But i think that is just about all that has happened this week. My companion and i are just working and trying to found the Elect sons and daughters of our Beloved God and Father. I love the gospel and i love you all. Joseph Smith was and is a prophet of the only livng God. I cannot wait to be able to go to the temple again. This week i have reading a lot about it and i have missing it a lot. In fact i have decided that when i get home the first thing i want to do is go directly to the temple and do a session in the Salt Lake Temple. And i want to do this as a missionary too so it will be before i am released. I would to go directly to the temple when i arrived off the plane in fact. But i love you all and i miss you and i hope that you all have a great week.Mom, i love you tons and i hope that you have a great day and a great week. Things have been going good and somethings have been relly hard. It has been very hot lately and it has been hard working in the heat and in the sun. Especially when it seems like nobody wants to hear your message and you get stuck in the sun the entire day. But it sounds like things are going good for you all. I hope that things can get better in our country and in the world. I hope that BYU can start playing better as well. That sucks that they lost and dallas better get their act together as well. But yeah.....and apply to those schools as soon as possible. But i love you and i miss you and i hope that you have a excellent week and day. and tell Kaya that i love her and miss her and that she needs to continue to do good in school AND in church. most importantly...CHURCH. The Lord comes first....Matthew 6:30 somethingWith Love,Elder Jory B. Spotts
Oct. 21, 2009
Hey Everyone!One more has past by and we had ourselves a really good week this week. I would to say that i really ejoyed it. But first how is everyone doing? How is the family? How is the world? How is our country? How is the sports world? I didnt hear anything about that this time. But i hope that everyone is doing good. I really love you all and i thank you all for everything that you have all done for me while i have been on my mission.We had some pretty good experiences this week. On Saturday we probably had the most marking experience of the week. We woke up and studied and went about our normal day and then left to work. And we went to our first appointment with Gilson and Marcilene. We went knocking doors in an area on Friday and we found this family. But they were leaving their house so they marked with us to return on Saturday. So we went to their house first thing in the morning. And it was na AMAZING experience. The Spirit was most definetly present during the entire lesson. And after the lesson Marcilene said that she was looking for a church and that she didnt like the churches that she had already visited and attended. And she proimised that she would go to church with us and she did. So on Sunday we went to their house to take them to church and Gilson told us that he felt something different when my companion was teaching the first vision and he said that there was no way that he couldnt believe that it is all true. He said it is true what you guys taught us and Marcilene said the samething. She went to church and loved it and said that she is going to return next Sunday. It was na awesome experience to feel like you are being used as na instrument in the Lord´s hands. And we trully felt that when we were teaching them. They are na awesome family and already have a testimony that these things are true. So we are going to continue to visit them and in a few weeks probably baptize them.We also had some cool little experiences during the week when we felt the spirit really strong in our lessons and we found some cool new people to teach. We are going to have a baptism on Sunday, Nelito is going to be baptized. He has been investigating the church for a long time and now wants to be baptized so he is going to get baptized on Sunday. We had a pretty interesting experience last night in the rain.....it rained a ton last night and because of that we ended up having to cross na overflowing creek bare foot. Because our area is really big and he have a routine route that we take everyday to get to one part of our area. And we always have to cross this little creek. And because of the rain it was way flooded and the water had carried our normal crossing log with her. So we wandering upstream in the dark at night looking for another way to cross the creek. And we found one.....a wobbly log that didnt look very safe, with water flowing both over and under it. And our shoes were full of mud so we knew that if we tried to cross we would end up in the creek. So we decided to take off our shoes and socks and cross it bare foot. And after struggling a cross we both made it safely but our feet were so dirty that we decided to walk to our next appointment bare foot with church clothes. So people we lughing at us during and after we crossed the log. So that was pretty interesting experience.But i hate writing letters because i always remember tons of cool sutff that happened before i write. But when i sit down i forget eveything.....so i am sorry. We also had Zone conference again on Monday and we both really enjoyed that. They talked about planning and goals. And both my companion and i were thinking that we would do a little bit better in both those aspects. So we are doing better and trying to better too. Haha i just remembered something else that happened on Monday too. We got on the wrong bus to go to the conference and ended up on the other side of the city. When we were waiting for the bus we saw a bus that was going were we wanted to go so we got on it. But we didnt look at were else it was going. So it happened that it went to the other side of town first. So we ended up arriving way late at the conference as well. It was pretty funny. Both my companion and i got a little bit of a laugh out of it. But it also was a little bit annoying. But....Mom, i hope that everything is going good and that you and Kaya and lving life. Things here are going good. Things are going pretty good here. My companion and i are getting along great and we are working a ton. We ran into some problems with the Bishop because he doesnt want to help evandro. We do pass by his house all the time to help him and are trying to find someone in the ward that is willing to help him as well. And dont worry, i understand that it is both my companion and i that teach the people. But yeah......i hope that everything is good. And yeah apply to those schools for me and i think that i am going to go sutdy Economics as my major. So if on the application they ask for my major put that. Because i think that is what i want to study. But yeah.....things are going good. Dont worry to much about me but i love you all and i hope that you all have a great week.
With Love, Elder Spotts
With Love, Elder Spotts
Oct. 14, 2009
Hey! How is everyone doing this week? I hope that everything is going good and that everyone had a great week. My week turned out to be pretty good. My companion and i have been working and trying to find some new people to teach. And i sent some pictures to you all through a member that lives in my area. Because it is a lot easier that way, so i think that she is going to send you guys some pictures every week or something like that. I dont really know.So i just got done with my first week in my new area. And i would have to say that i enjoyed it. This area seems to be one of the better areas on the mission. The members are awesome. We try and pass by the house of atleast one member day because they are that cool. Just about all of them are older members, meaning that they have been members for some time already. And my companion and i get a long really well. I have never met a brazilian that speaks english like he does. We can talk about anything in english without any problems. And he speaks without a accent like other missionaries and brazilian do. So we talk about music and movies and all sorts of things. We sing worldly music in the street together because he knows them all. It is pretty rad!But as for our experiences or this week......we had a couple of downers and a couple of awesome experiences too. On Thursday last week we had a downer. We got up early to visit a recently baptized member named Evandro. He was baptized in between the sessions of General Conference . Well after having a great lesson with him and leaving we went on with our normal day until after lunch we were walking home to use the bathroom and we saw evandro drunk and high. He confessed to us that he was addicted to drugs and that he needed help. And it was really sad to see him that state. So we called the bishop becaue we cant do anything anymore because he is a member so the bishop is in charge of that stuff. And the bishop said that he was going to pass by his house that night.....but NEVER did......he decided to wait until Sunday to pass by. Apparently he didnt feel that it was THAT important. So Sunday came around and Evandro had gone missing.......so bishop didnt pass by. After a few days we went back to his house to find him at home, but evandro was totally different. His countinance had totally changed. And it seemed like he had falling a little bit. But yeah.....Evandro is really struggling but the bishop doesnt even seem to care. He told us that he was going to pass by there on Monday and once again did not. So we are a little annoyed with the bishop and really dont know what to do. But that is life.Yesterday we also had na awesome family that was going to get baptized move to another state. But we passed their address to some other elders so that they continue receiving them so that they can still get baptized next week. So we helped them pack up yesterday and helped them move. They were na awesome family and it was hard to see them go. But they are still going to be baptized and that is really all that matters.The other night we also had a pretty cool experience. We went to Rosana´s house to teach her husband, Nelito, who is going to be baptized pretty soon. And we left a message with them and then she arrived home from work and said that she wanted a priesthood blessing. So my companion and i gave her one. I did the anointing of the oil and he did the sealing. And soon after i put my hands on top of her head to anoint her with oil she started to cry. And she didnt stop crying until after the blessing. And it was really weird. Becaue she said that she was crying because she was happy. And my companion and i were talking afterwards and we both realized that it was because she had felt the spirit very strong during the blessing. And it was good. Because it helps us know the the power of the priesthood is real and i am so grateful for the opportunity that i have to be able to be a Priesthood holder. It is a very important responsibility but it brings such great blessings in our lives. I have had many experiences on my mission that are evidence that the power of the priesthood is real. And i know that it is.On Saturday i also got some great news. Elder mills called my and told me that two people from my old area that i was teaching got baptized and that on Saturday they are going to baptized one other person that i was teaching. So atleast i know that the work that i did in my last area wasnt in vain. Because another elder was able to benefit from the hard work that i put in to help those people. And that makes me happy. Well things have been going good and i am looking forward to one more here in Terra nova.Mom, i sure do love you mom and i miss you tons. And i too think about you everyday and i also pray for you every day. I sure do miss you all. But i will see you all very soon. But as for the schooling.....i want you to apply to these schools for me mom. BYU-Provo, BYU-Idaho, BYU-Hawaii, USU(Utah State), SUU, UVU(Utah Valley) and Wyoming(i know that i will have to spend extra but i am just applying to see what happens). I think that this is a good start, 7 schools and then i will start narrowing it down as i go. But i am still trying to figure out what major. I am having some dificulty with that. But i will work it out. and you can go ahead and send all that stuff when ever is best for you or what you think would be best. But it might be more expensive because of the weight. But yeah.....i wanted to ask you something or say something but i cant remember what it is...but i do want to know what Ariel had to say about me.....i wrote to her a couple of times but i never got anything back. But yeah i love you all and i thank you all for everything. You are in my thoughts and prayers. Take care and start getting ready for me to come home because it is coming up soon.
Elder Jory B. Spotts
Elder Jory B. Spotts
Oct.7,2009
Hey family and friends! How is everything going? I hope that everything is going good? By the letters and emails that i receive it seems like everyone is having a pretty good time with out me and that no one is really missing me too much. But it is good to hear that everything is going good for you all. Things have also been going pretty good here too. I am now in my 7th area and i received my 11th companion yesterday. I sure have been moving around a lot. Yep, i got transfered yesterday. But i think that it was for the best. President ended up closing my last area which this is the 3rd time that he has done this to me. So both my companion and i were transfered. But it definetly was for the best of things.I was struggling a ton in my last area. I passed through 6 weeks of work work and work without any results. But on Saturday and Sunday we were able to take 10 investigators to General Conference and they all loved it. I know that they felt the spirit and i know that they were spiritual strengthened. Because i sure was too. Elder Jeffery R. Holland sure did give na very spiritual talk and made it very clear that the Book Mormon IS ture and that the this IS the church of Savior Jesus Christ, and that Jospeh Smith WAS and IS a prophet of God. I really enjoyed his talk and i will never forget the spirit that i felt while he talked. I have already forgotten the words but will never forget the feelings. I really learned a lot for General Conference and felt that i have some changing to do. But things are going pretty good. I got my last General Conference under my wings. So the next time that i watch General Conference i will be watching it at home on the couch with my family. OH YEAH!!!!!!But i am really enjoying my new area. I was feeling pretty horrible in my last area because i was working so hard and nothing was happening. It was the longest 6 weeks of the mission and i didnt baptize a single person. But i was able to help a ton of people and Elder Mills, my MTC companion, will now teach all the people that i was teaching and should be able to baptize a few. Because we had a baptism coming up on the tenth and we had a few people tell us that they wanted to get baptized. So i am sure that elder mills will enjoy baptizing the people that i taught. But that is all good, i am now in a new area with a new companion and i am hoping that i can make a difference in this area. My area is called Terra Nova(New Land). And the members are really cool. I met quite a few of the members and the bishop yesterday and i liked them a lot. They seem to be great people. And my companion is also pretty cool. He is from São Paulo and his name is Elder Sales. He is a little bit new on the mission, 4 months. But he is pretty cool, i will have the priviledge of being his first american companion. He also speaks english and he speaks pretty dang good too. I was pretty shocked to hear him speak it so well. He doesnt have a thick accent like the other brazilians do.But things are going pretty good but i am having trouble in remembering what happened last week. But i am not really having any luck. We did have a Zone Party at our house and it turned out to be a mess. But the food was really good. We ate lasagna and i really enjoyed that. But things have been going good and i am hoping that i can make a differen in my new area. But that is about it....i cant really think of anything else to say.Mom, i did want to thank you for the stuff that you sent me and i think that i am going to be telling you next week to what schools i want to apply so that you can get on that. Because i think that i have just about figured it out. but yeah....i hope that everything is going good for you. I sure do miss you and i think about you everyday. The trunkiness continues. But it seems like while i am working i forget about home and am only able to concentrate on the work which is good. I also wanted to ask if you could send a few things to me. A baseball for one of my companions, a real salt lake soccer jersey for one of my comps, jazz basketball shorts for one of my comps, a sweet tie, and the Ensign(Liahona) from November in english when it comes out. And i know that that might be a lot of stuff, so buy the cheaper stuff first if you dont have the cash. Because the jersey is going to cost from good cash and the shorts too. But the baseball shouldnt cost too much. But yeah.... i should be sending more information about applying here pretty soon to the schools. I think that i am going to apply to Wyoming, BYU, USU, SUU, and UVU. But i will gett he rest of the info to you next week. I love you and i miss you.....until next week. Prolongue os Bons Momentos.
Elder Jory B. Spotts
Elder Jory B. Spotts
Sept. 30,2009
Bom Dia! How is everyone doing? I hope that all is well. It sure does sound like things have been going pretty good. And that makes me happier knowing that everything seems to be going good. I sure do miss you all, but things here have been going pretty good. I am getting really excited to watch general conference. And we have been planning on taking a ton of people. We starting talking about it and inviting everyone a long time ago so a lot of investigators are going to be able to make it. And it helps a lot that the ward here is going to take a bus to the stake center. So we wont have to take all o four investigators to the stake center, but just the bus. So we are pretty excited about that.This week was pretty good and little bit interesting. We were able to mark another baptismal date. There is a yound kid(14) that hás a bunch of friends that go to church and he told us that we wanted to be baptized. He has already been attending seminary and he plays soccer with the young men in the during the week and has been progressing really well. Which is good, his name is Wendell. He is pretty cool kid. But we marked one date and we lost another. The girl that is madly in love with my companion got mad at us because he doesnt want to date her. And said that she didnt want us to pass by her house anymore. So we starting going to her house to teach her sister. And they are going to go to conference with us Sunday. General Conference is going to help a ton. Because we have been teaching a ton of families and a ton of people that have doubts and stuff. But i know that the conference is going to swipe away all their doubts and questions. So we are planning on taking 10 investigators....atleast. we also started teaching all the members that live in our area how to invite their friends and family members. So the members are all planning on taking atleast one person with them as well. So if everything goes as planned there are going to have a ton of people visiting at the conference which is going to be awesome.Today we are also having a Zone get together to try and excite the elders and chill out a little bit. So we have a TON of elders sleep at our house last night. Which was a little annoying because i had sweeped the entire house and then they all came in and messed it all up again. But that is just the way things have got to be, so i am going to have to clean it again after everyone leaves the house. Last week on p-day after i wrote to you guys my companion and i also went to Pizza Hut to celebrate his 20th birthday. Which was AWESOME!!!! I was able to taste a little bit of home in every bite but pizza ended up a little expensive. But it was worth it. We had a blast. And it was funny, because my companion wanted to take a ton of pictures and Elder Mills didnt like that too much because it makes us look like tourists and Elder Mills being from a small town doesnt like to call to much attention. So Mills was making fun of him and telling him to put the camera away. It was pretty funny.And on Saturday we had a little bit of a funny experience. We were all walking to lunch ando ut of no where Elder Mills was like i gotta poop. So i asked him if he wanted to go back home, but he said that he didnt, and that he would wait until after lunch to go to the bathroom. So we went to lunch and after lunch it got worse and he was like rushing with my companion. But i stayed behind them with Elder Souza because i didnt want to walk fast. And it started to rain and i got pretty wet and it left the roads all muddy. But elder souza and i got home after the other two and we say elder mills shoes outside the door and they were all muddy. But Elder Souza looked at me and said......Será que ele se cagou.......(Do you think he pooped himself?) and sure enough elder mills was in the bathroom taking a shower because he had filled his shoe with onions and tomatoes. It was hilarious!!!!But yeah....Things have been going pretty good. I dont really have anything to complain about, except for the fact that all my leaders are all over me because my companion and i had a really rough transfer. We didnt baptize anyone and my leaders are asking me all these like what are going to do different and i finally got upset and told them to worry about their own areas. Because my companion and i have been working hard but we havnt had any luck in finding people that want to accept the gospel. And it has been hard, and i also dont teach people just to baptize them and let them fall away. I alone baptize people that are trully ready and that really are going to stay in the church. And there are a lot of elders here that just baptize and let their baptisms fall away. Like in one area close to mine one elder past through and baptized 30 people but no one is going to church any more. And i dont see the point in baptizing without helping them to stay in the church,But i love you all and i very thankfull for all that you have been going. Keep up the good work and pretty soon i will be at home. I love you all and send hugs to everyone. I sure do mis you all. With Love, Elder Jory Spotts Ps. The stuff that you sent me was good. but you didnt get me the information for all the schools that i put on the list. but thank youas. Because my companion and i have been working hard but we havnt had any luck in finding people that want to accept the gospel. And it has been hard, and i also dont teach people just to baptize them and let them fall away. I alone baptize people that are trully ready and that really are going to stay in the church. And there are a lot of elders here that just baptize and let their baptisms fall away. Like in one area close to mine one elder past through and baptized 30 people but no one is going to church any more. And i dont see the point in baptizing without helping them to stay in the church,But i love you all and i very thankfull for all that you have been going. Keep up the good
Sept. 23, 2009
Dear Family and Friends,
How was the week this week? I hope that everything is going good. Things here are going pretty good. Atleast i dont have to much to complain about. The weather is still HOT HOT AND HOT. But winter(rainy season) is coming up pretty soon, which will be a blessing. But i will have to think a little bit about the things that have happened this week.....Well we did have a pretty good week. We ran into a couple of problems because we have an Elder that lives in our house that is dying(going home in two weeks). He is dead......the only thing that he wants to do is stay at home. So we go on splits a lot with Elder Mills so that his area doesnt go way down. He is already struggling enough because his companion doesnt want to work. So i figured that my companion and i could help them out a little bit. They are going to have a baptism on Saturday and we are looking at baptizing a 17 year old girl on the 3rd. But we did have a couple of cool and funny experiences this week.The first stroy will be the funny one.......so the we were teaching the girl that we is preparing to get baptized, Liza, the third lesson which is about the first principles and ordinances of the gospel....Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Holy Spirit, and Endure to the End. And the lesson was going really well and at the end of the lesson i felt like i needed to invite her to be baptized, so i did. She accepted but she said she has a few doubts . but after accepting the funny thing that happened was she said that she entered into the church because of my companion. She said that she wants to date him.......so i asked her if she thought these things were true and she said that she really thinks that what we are teaching is true but she got interested in the church because of hime. She says, ´Ele é LINDO´. Which means that he is really good looking. And it is funny because he got really embarrassed and had no idea what to say. I started laughing a little bit. because she really wants to date him but we had to explain to her that he cant because he is a missionary and that he cannot date until after the mission. So she decided to say that she is going to wait for him and the entire time my companion was all red and didnt say a single word. I had to do all the talking, because he is a little bit of a shy guy or as some people say he is a nerd. But he is way cool. I like him a lot, he is a great mission. Elder Mills and i always joke around with him because he knows a ton of stuff that doesnt have any value. But he is cool.The other story is a little bit spiritual. It was an awesome experience. On Saturday we were walking to an appointment and we passed a guy that was sitting a lone with his baby son. And i felt like i should talk to him, so i did. We went and explained about the family and he really enjoyed the conversation so we gave him a pamphlet that talks about the families and the first lesson for him to read and we marked a day to go to his house(the next day). So on Sunday after church we went his house and we taught the first lesson to him, Cristiano, and his wife, Patrícia, and we to find out he read the entire pamphlet and really loved it. We taught him and during the lesson he stopped us and asked if he could say something, and we said yes and let him talk really fast. And i thought that he was going to say something about the church and how is was wrong or something. But to my surprise he said these words, ´Vocês trazem a bênção.` You bring the blessing.....or what it really means is that we brought a different feeling in the house. He said that he felt peace and joy and really enjoyed our presence in the house. And i really thought that was cool, because no one had ever said that on the mission. It was the first time that i had heard that and it was awesome. To know that we really do carry the Spirit with us everywhere that we go. But they turned out to be an awesome family and we are going to go back there pretty soon. He said that he really enjoyed the Joseph Smith story. We will just have to see if we really did find an elect family or not. But i really enjoyed the experience in there house. But things have been going really well and we are having some success lately. Atleast it seems like it. We dont have anyone to baptize, but we have a couple of people that are really progressing and if they go to general conference i know that they are going to get baptized. So we are trying to take a TON of people to conference because it is the most spiritual event that they have in the church. Just about every single person that we took to last General Conference got baptized because of it. So i am getting really excited for that. But yeah....I hope that everything is going really good with everyone. I sure do love you all and i miss you guys sooooooooo much. And Yes Mom i am WAAAAAAAYYYYYYY TTTTRRRRUUUUNNNKKKYYYYY!!!!!!!!! I cannot lie. I love the work with all my heart. I love the joy that the gospel brings to the people. I have had the opportunity to help a ton of people and i am so thankful for the time that i had here. But i am just about ready to go home. Because i miss you guys so much. But i am still working hard and i wont stop working. Because a missionary cannot do his OWN will but always has to do the LORDS will. And beause i promised the Lord that i would give him Two Years, not a year and a half. So dont worry about me mom. Yes i miss home a TON and i cant wait to get home. But i am going to continue to work until the end. Not for me, but for the people, and for the Lord.But i got a few letters from Sherra today and that made me WAY trunky. Because she sent a ton of pictures. Of Alexis Melbergs wedding and Elliot Tuttle got married too. And it brought back a ton of old memories and i couldnt stop thinking about home and how much i miss everything. But i love you tons and i hope that everything is going good for you guys. It makes me sad knowing that my father doesnt help me on my mission, but i love Robin and Juleah tons because they have helped me out so much. And i know that someday i will be able to thank them and i will. It just sucks that Mike has decided not to serve a mission. But in a few years he will regret it, because we will see the consequences. Because the mission is incredible. You CANNOT replace it with anything else. You learn soooo much. But yeah.....i love you all and i miss you all as well. I hope that eveything is going good. And dont forget about the college stuff, i really need to start doing that. I love and i miss you tell Kaya that i love her and that i miss her and tell Juston the same thing the next time that you see him.
Elder Spotts
How was the week this week? I hope that everything is going good. Things here are going pretty good. Atleast i dont have to much to complain about. The weather is still HOT HOT AND HOT. But winter(rainy season) is coming up pretty soon, which will be a blessing. But i will have to think a little bit about the things that have happened this week.....Well we did have a pretty good week. We ran into a couple of problems because we have an Elder that lives in our house that is dying(going home in two weeks). He is dead......the only thing that he wants to do is stay at home. So we go on splits a lot with Elder Mills so that his area doesnt go way down. He is already struggling enough because his companion doesnt want to work. So i figured that my companion and i could help them out a little bit. They are going to have a baptism on Saturday and we are looking at baptizing a 17 year old girl on the 3rd. But we did have a couple of cool and funny experiences this week.The first stroy will be the funny one.......so the we were teaching the girl that we is preparing to get baptized, Liza, the third lesson which is about the first principles and ordinances of the gospel....Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Holy Spirit, and Endure to the End. And the lesson was going really well and at the end of the lesson i felt like i needed to invite her to be baptized, so i did. She accepted but she said she has a few doubts . but after accepting the funny thing that happened was she said that she entered into the church because of my companion. She said that she wants to date him.......so i asked her if she thought these things were true and she said that she really thinks that what we are teaching is true but she got interested in the church because of hime. She says, ´Ele é LINDO´. Which means that he is really good looking. And it is funny because he got really embarrassed and had no idea what to say. I started laughing a little bit. because she really wants to date him but we had to explain to her that he cant because he is a missionary and that he cannot date until after the mission. So she decided to say that she is going to wait for him and the entire time my companion was all red and didnt say a single word. I had to do all the talking, because he is a little bit of a shy guy or as some people say he is a nerd. But he is way cool. I like him a lot, he is a great mission. Elder Mills and i always joke around with him because he knows a ton of stuff that doesnt have any value. But he is cool.The other story is a little bit spiritual. It was an awesome experience. On Saturday we were walking to an appointment and we passed a guy that was sitting a lone with his baby son. And i felt like i should talk to him, so i did. We went and explained about the family and he really enjoyed the conversation so we gave him a pamphlet that talks about the families and the first lesson for him to read and we marked a day to go to his house(the next day). So on Sunday after church we went his house and we taught the first lesson to him, Cristiano, and his wife, Patrícia, and we to find out he read the entire pamphlet and really loved it. We taught him and during the lesson he stopped us and asked if he could say something, and we said yes and let him talk really fast. And i thought that he was going to say something about the church and how is was wrong or something. But to my surprise he said these words, ´Vocês trazem a bênção.` You bring the blessing.....or what it really means is that we brought a different feeling in the house. He said that he felt peace and joy and really enjoyed our presence in the house. And i really thought that was cool, because no one had ever said that on the mission. It was the first time that i had heard that and it was awesome. To know that we really do carry the Spirit with us everywhere that we go. But they turned out to be an awesome family and we are going to go back there pretty soon. He said that he really enjoyed the Joseph Smith story. We will just have to see if we really did find an elect family or not. But i really enjoyed the experience in there house. But things have been going really well and we are having some success lately. Atleast it seems like it. We dont have anyone to baptize, but we have a couple of people that are really progressing and if they go to general conference i know that they are going to get baptized. So we are trying to take a TON of people to conference because it is the most spiritual event that they have in the church. Just about every single person that we took to last General Conference got baptized because of it. So i am getting really excited for that. But yeah....I hope that everything is going really good with everyone. I sure do love you all and i miss you guys sooooooooo much. And Yes Mom i am WAAAAAAAYYYYYYY TTTTRRRRUUUUNNNKKKYYYYY!!!!!!!!! I cannot lie. I love the work with all my heart. I love the joy that the gospel brings to the people. I have had the opportunity to help a ton of people and i am so thankful for the time that i had here. But i am just about ready to go home. Because i miss you guys so much. But i am still working hard and i wont stop working. Because a missionary cannot do his OWN will but always has to do the LORDS will. And beause i promised the Lord that i would give him Two Years, not a year and a half. So dont worry about me mom. Yes i miss home a TON and i cant wait to get home. But i am going to continue to work until the end. Not for me, but for the people, and for the Lord.But i got a few letters from Sherra today and that made me WAY trunky. Because she sent a ton of pictures. Of Alexis Melbergs wedding and Elliot Tuttle got married too. And it brought back a ton of old memories and i couldnt stop thinking about home and how much i miss everything. But i love you tons and i hope that everything is going good for you guys. It makes me sad knowing that my father doesnt help me on my mission, but i love Robin and Juleah tons because they have helped me out so much. And i know that someday i will be able to thank them and i will. It just sucks that Mike has decided not to serve a mission. But in a few years he will regret it, because we will see the consequences. Because the mission is incredible. You CANNOT replace it with anything else. You learn soooo much. But yeah.....i love you all and i miss you all as well. I hope that eveything is going good. And dont forget about the college stuff, i really need to start doing that. I love and i miss you tell Kaya that i love her and that i miss her and tell Juston the same thing the next time that you see him.
Elder Spotts
Sept. 16, 2009
Good Morning! I hope that you are all doing great. To anyone that is reading this. The time here sure does seem to fly by when you are working. It doesn´t even seem like a wek has passed by since the last time that i wrote to you guys. But things have been going pretty good. The weather has cooled down a little bit so i havent been dying anymore and i am no longer feeling sick. I am getting over two weeks of pooping water. I thing that i got some type of bacteria in my body or something. But that problems is being resolved and i am now pooping solids. I thought that everyone might like to know that . But things have been going pretty good. We had ourselves a pretty good week.We worked pretty hard this week but i was slowed down a couple of days because of the sickness. On Wednesday and Thursday i was throwing up and pooping a ton. But i called the presidents wife and then the Area Doctor called me and we told me to take this one medicine and i also got a blessing from my companion and i am now feeling a lot better. But this week was a good one. We set a few goals with some of our investigators to help them get to church and we were able to reach quite few of these goals . 9 investigators went to church and they are progressing really well. One investigator really enjoyed the church but she doesnt even live in the city. But she decided to come to the city every weekend just to be able to go to church. But yeah....my companion and i were feeling really good when we saw all these people at church. And we felt een better when they all said that they loved it. We also had zone conference yesterday and that went really well. I really felt the spirit and learned a lot of things that i can do to help my investigator feel the spirit i feel the desire to follow God. And i felt the Spirit and learned a ton. And i am now feeling a little less trunky and a lot more excited. I think that it was the sickness that was killing me. I was always feeling tired because i wasnt able to eat and i wasnt gettin the nutrition that i needed. But i am feeling a lot more excited and i am going to work my butt off again until the end of the mission. This past week i also found out that a sister from one of my old areas is moving to my area. So i went to her house and helped here prepare her house a little bit because she will be moving in prety soon. I am really excited for that. Irmã Antônia is her name and she is one of my favorite sisters. She loves me and i love her family so much. I am probably going to go to here house almost everyday just to say hi and to eat because she always gives us food and she cooks good too.We have also havent had running water in our house for the longest time. I had to take a shower at the church and we have to get water at the church to be able to wash our clothes and our house. The owner of the house had just forgotten to pay the water bill for about seven months. The last time he payed the bill was in Feb. So the water companion cut our water line. So i am now not only suffering a little more but i am learning what it was like to be a pioneer. We dont have water.......but yeah. What happens, Happens. Enjoy it right? So i am enjoying not having water. I have also managed to lose 20 pounds in the last two months. So i am pretty skinny. But yeah......I am pretty excited to hear that BYU is winning. That is awesome, lets just hope that it doesnt turn out to be like last year. Starting out good and then sucking it up. And i am sorry to hear that Kaya broke up with her boyfriend, but i also think that it is for the best. But how is school going for her? Work? Friends? And things like that. How has everyone been? I sure wish that i could be there to be able to see the leaves change, because they dont change here. Everything is the same all year around.....Green. Keep me up to date on the games and BYU. Who are they going to play this week? You got to let me know how there schedule is and things like that. How they will play each week and all that jazz. I was talking with one elder, Elder Hopkins from Provo. And he was telling me that they are going to play against Tennesse too. Which is another really good team. But if they start doing really good it might make them decide to change the BCS into a playoff. Because he was telling me that the Mountain West is looking pretty strong this year. But yeah......Let me know how everything is going. I sure do miss you guys and i love you tons. I Hope that you all have a great week. And give kaya a hug for me and tell her to keep her head up, because it could be worse. Love you guys.
With Love,Elder Jory B. Spotts
With Love,Elder Jory B. Spotts
Sept. 9,2009
Well one more week has passed by and it sure does seem like things have been going really good for you guys and that you guys have been having a ton of fun. Which is good, i hope that things can continue to go good for you guys. I sure do miss home and now that it is getting closer and closer i am starting to get trunkier and trunkier. But my companion and i are trying to stay pretty busy and it has been working. We have been working our butts off. But we just arent having any good results. We pass the entire day working hard in the hottest month of the year here and we dont have any investigator progressing very well. So we are just going to continue to do our part and hope that some time in the future we will be blessed with some elects. But we have been having some experiences that have been a little bit different. We have been really struggling with Carla and Marcio lately. The couple that was suppossed to get married this month. They have been fighting a ton and have been having a lot of difficulties. And we really have no idea what to do. We might have to stop visiting them, but i hope not. A couple of days ago we had a really weird experience at their house. We went there and we starting talking about the impostance of the family and how they can have a better family. We took with us a little booklet that the church made that helps with that and we decided to read a little bit of it with them. So we did.......but something weird happened. During the lesson Carla started acting really weird. She started looking at us really weird like she had never seen us before and she was breathing weird and looking at everything in the house really weird. But we kept teaching and didnt really think anything of it. But she kept doing the same thing and she was grabbing her head like she had a headache and she was crying so Marcio put something on her forehead to help her out. But at the end of the lesson we decided to just say a prayer. And after the prayer she like woke up and started asking us if we were going to give a lesson and a bunch of questions. So we had to explain to her that we already gave the lesson and that we had finished and that she was acting weird and she said that she didnt remember anything. And the other thing is that we felt a terrible feeling while she was acting weird. Like satan was in the room trying to get in the way of this family. Like he doesnt want us to help them. But it was a horrible feeling. I have already felt it a couple od times in my life and i would have to say that it is the worst feeling. After we left my companion said that he felt the samething and that he didnt like it. It was really weird so we left out telephone number with them just in case anything happened. But yeah.......the mission is full of weird experiences.I also went on splits yesterday with my district leader and that was pretty cool. I worked in his area that doesnt have any hills so i was able to rest a little bit from my area. Because my area is full of hills and i hate it. I have never felt so tired in all the time that i have passed here. It sucks! But we are really working hard and just have some struggles. We arent teaching Josemar any more. Because we cant find him at home. But hopefully some other elders will be able to run into him and help him out.But yeah i think that i am going to cut this letter a little short because i really dont have anything else to say. Because nothing has really been going on, just that we are trying to fix the relationship that the missionaries do not have with the members here and you know how important it is that the missionaries have a great relationship witht the members. So we are trying to find out where all the members live to be able to visit them and start a relationship in this area. But i am definetly jealous to hear that you went to the temple and Costa Vida. I miss those two places soooo much. And it has been the longest time since i talked with Jen and i cannot believe that she is married. How weird is that? The next time you go there you will have to tell her to write me and let me know how she is doing. Because i wrote her twice and she never wrote me back the little butt. And i was way excited to hear that BYU won. That is awesome, but i just hope that this year doesnt turn out like last year, thy started out the season really good and then they started to slip. And ended up not having such a good year. But i just thought that i would let everyone know that i am starting to get really trunky and it is making the mission really difficult. Because the time is starting to pass really slow and i want to know what the cure is for trunkiness. Because it is going to end up killing me. But yeah i love you all and i miss you all as well. I hope that all is well and if you can, try and write me a little bit more. I am starting to feel like i am not that very important to you guys anymore. But i love you all and i hope that you all have a great week. You will have to tell my how dallas is doing too. I love you and her name will stay a secret. I dont even know how you guys found out that i am writing her. But yeah.....they are just letters. Its not like i am planning on marrying her or anything but when those plans are made i will let you know who she is.
With Love,Elder Spotts
With Love,Elder Spotts
Sept. 2,2009
Well.....Good morning everyone! I hope that everyone is doing good. Thongs here are going pretty good. I woke up to some letters this morning and it was a good feeling to be able to hear from some people. I got kaya´s letter and i also received a letter from Brandon Goggia and some special girl......:) Brandon seems to be doing really good and has some high hopes. He talks so positive, i wish that i could be a little bit more like him. And it seems that kaya is doing good as well and the special one too. It is always good to hear from her.;) but i dont think that i am going to let anyone on the secret yet. She is just a friend that writes me and gives me support on my mission and helps me stay strong. Maybe something will happen between us when i get home or maybe not. For now i am trying to stay focused on the work of the Lord. Because that i is my calling so yeah in the future we can take about that.This week was a pretty good week, my companion and i have been working a ton. We are trying to baptize eight people this month. That is our goal this week, but we arent sure if you are going to be able to reach it. But we are going to do our best to do so. The house is a lot cleaner and no i wasnt able to take anypictures of my scrubbing the floor....sorry but i didnt even think about that at the time. I was to discussed by the house. But the house is a lot cleaner now. We cleaned it again a little bit last night before bedtime and we are going to clean the bathroom when we get home. My companion and i also had a pretty good lunch yesterday.........Pancakes with syrup and Macaroni and Cheese. Yeah it doesnt exactly sound very good, but when you dont have any money and nothing else to eat......you gotta do what you gotta do. But it turned out to be good enough.We had a funny little experience the other day as well. I had forgotten how Manaus is a little bit because my last area is a lot different. So we were walking in the street and this girl was looking at my companion like she had met him so i figured that she was a member. Being new to the area i dont know who everyone is. We passed her and she hissed at us like they say.....she called us by making the psss sound with her month so i turned around to talk to her. And she got all nervous she was with her friend and turned to her friend to say “i didnt think that they would come back” and her friend said “ Well of course they would....they arent def”. Because she just thought that we were good looking and i forgot that is wha the girls do here, so we got her name and she wants us to pass by her house so we will. But i thought that it was funny because she called us but had no idea what to do if we turned around and she got nervous and scared. My companion thought that it was hilarious. But that is what the “snakes” do here....they like the missionaries.We have also been having a little bit of trouble with a family that we are teaching, Marcio and Carla. They are supposed to get married and baptized on the 26th but they started fighting and they arent sure if they want to get married anymore which also means that they cant get baptized. But i know that satan is entering into their lives to try and stop the good from entering. So we are working with them and are trying to help them out a little. But it is a little difficult to fix marriage problems when you have never had any marriage problems. I have no idea what it is like to be married. But the more i see these fights the less i want to get married. I think that i am going to have to date a girl for atleast five year like Brandon to try and get to know her first. Because i dont wanna get married for time and all eternity to a witch. I wanna be happy for the rest of my life. But yeah we ran into a little bit of a difficulty there. But with patience, prayer, and fasting we will work this all out. They are an awesome family. We also found a guy called Josemar that is pretty cool as well. He was sitting in the street and i felt like i should talk to him so i did and we had a great spiritual lesson with him, we are going to go back to his house on Friday so hopefully something good comes out of it. But things have been going good, we have marked a few baptismal dates and have found some pretty cool people. So i am pretty excited about this area. But my old companion Elder Milkanin was training and he called me the other day to tell me that his son.....his companion decided to go home. He said that he doesnt like it here and wants to go home so he did. Milkanin was a little bummed because he did everything that he could to help him but his son was already set on going home. He didnt even want to give it a chance. Which is sad because he is really going to regret it. The mission is hard but you CANNOT replace it for anything. It is best thing that eny 19 year old young man can do with his time and it is a great investment to be able to have a better future. There is also a family here that reminds me of our family, because they have the rebelious child that wants to do everything his way.....Juston. and they are really strugglinh with that. He wants to move to São Paulo so they are going to let them do so. They are going to make him live on his own more than a thousand miles away. Praying that he will grow up. But things are going good. Time is flying by fast and we are working our butts of here. I use the butt word too mom. But that is about aour week. I dont really know what else to say. But it seems like everything is going good for you guys. You are all in my prayers and i hope that everything can go good for you guys.Mom, i wanted to thank you for everything that you do. I love you a ton and i miss you, i think that i have learned to appreciate you more being thousands of miles away than i did when you always by my side. I love you tons. I got a letter from Jadie Kendrick as well and i wanted to thank her for sending the pictures and the letter. Sorry i cant write her back but you know how the rules are. But i wanted to thank her and tell her hi for me and that it was nice to hear from her. It sounds like you guys had a blast fishing. I sure do miss fishing a lot as well, we will have to go when i get home. But i love you all and i hope that you all have a great week and that you all Go with God as the brazilians say, which means let Him always have a place in your lives. It is awazing the difference that He makes in our lives. I love the mission and i love you all as well. But i think that i will have to say good bye until next week. Everyone hang in there and remember that in life we cannot do want we want to do, but we do what we have to do. The gospel is true and i konw that God has a great love for you all, always do His will and not yours. Until next week......LOVE YOU ALL!!!!! With all the love in the World,
ELDER JORY BRENT SPOTTS
ELDER JORY BRENT SPOTTS
Aug. 26, 2009
Hey everybody. How is everything going? I hope that everything is going good. Things have been going pretty good around here and a lot of things have been changing as well. But is sure is summer and the hottest month of the year is coming up next Month......September, it gives me chills. But things have been going really good. I am feeling a little sad right now because i am missing my last area a lot. I got transfered on Tuesday so i am now back in the big city and i really miss my last area. Maues was the best area that i served in. I am not going to lie, i cried a ton when i left. At church they let me bear my testimony to everyone in the front and i cried. I had to say good bye to a lot of people that i have grown to love. That are almost like family, i would have to say that i miss Carlas family the most. They are awesome! And they cried so much when i left too, when me and this other elder, elder teixeira left, everyone in the branch went to the airport to say goodbye. And the branch is so cool that they even gave my presents to give to Mom and Kaya. It was hard to have to leave them, but it seems like i am needed in some other place. My new area is pretty cool, it is called the City of God(Cidade de Deus). There is only one problem.......TONS of hills. I have met quiet a few of the members and they seem really cool and i think that i am going to like this area. I also live with the Zone Leaders and one of the Zone leaders who just barely got called to be Zone leader is my old companion from the MTC Elder Mills. So i am now sleeping in the same room as him once again and it has been really cool. But when we arived yesterday i was priviledge to see the dirtiest house in the mission. We spent almost the entire day today scrubbing the entire house. I was on my hands and knees scrubbing the floor because it was so dirty. We also renewed our visas today and that took up half of the day. But we had a pretty good day. We had the devotional last week also on Saturday and it turned out awesome. The spirit was there so strong the entire time. The members thanked us and said that it was really good. And it seemed to help them out, because for the first time in a really long time. I think since i got there the Elders President went visiting and it was really good. We as had Princesas Baptism and it went really good. I was able to baptize and it went really well. I really will miss that area a lot. But what can i do, some day i will be able to go there again. I hope that that day will be here in 7 months when i finish my mission.......hint.......hint.But i really dont have anymore time to be able to write you guys. My new companions name is Elder Cook from Fort Collins, Colorado. He is pretty cool and i think that things are going to go prety good this transfer. We already have a family that is going to get married and baptized on the 24th of September. But yeah i hope that all is well and that things can start getting better for everyone. I love you all and i will talk to you all next week. Sorry that my letter wasnt very long, but i didnt have a lot of time today to be able to tell you all about everything that has gone on. I love you all and MOM......stop crying about me being gone. I will home in 7 months. It is coming up really fast. Until next week! With all the love in the world from the white gangsta and the man of the streets.......
ELDER JORY B SPOTTS
ELDER JORY B SPOTTS
Aug. 19, 2009
Good Morning!!! I hope that all is well. I hope that things are able to cool down for you all. This letter might be a little short because i am not exactly sure what to write but i will do my best to fill you all in. But things have been getting better and worse at the same time. We are going to have a baptism on Saturday and we are also going to have that devotional that i was telling you all about. Which is going to be awesome. Things have been slow but they keep going. Nothing new has really been going on. We just keep doing the same things everyday...Sleep, study, work, sleep, and everything all over again. I am hoping to leave this area soon. I really like the members and everything but i feel like i am ready to move on. But right now we are working with a few people that are progressing pretty well. A few investigators have baptismal dates already marked and things are looking pretty good in that area. But we are now trying to find some new people to teach so that when these people get baptized we have some other people ready to be baptized right afterwards. Saturday we will baptize Carla´s cousin that has been progressing really well and is really cool. Her name is Vanilsa but everyone calls her Princesa(Princess).We are teaching on investigator that has been having trouble believing that the church is true but she does everything that we ask her. So we decided to try and teach her the first lesson again and we did with a little bit of a twist. We decided to read Joseph Smith History with her to help her understand the story better from Joseph Smith´s point of veiw and it turned out to be a pretty good lesson. It was actually my companion´s idea to use Joseph Smith History and it turned out to help a lot. But i am still not sure if it will help her see the truth. But we will have to see we are going to go back to her house on Friday i think. But yeah.....that is about all that i have to say about this week. I know that it wasnt much, but i really dont have anything to say. I am really not having a good day today. I really need your guys prays. I am struggling to be a good trainer and a good companion. My companion and i are having some problems and i dont know what to do. You all know how i am.....a little prideful. So pray for me to be able to learn to be more humble. And to have a little bit of patience as well. I love you all and i thank you so much for everything that you have all have done, or are going, or that you will do to help me out. i love you grandma and grandpa norton and i miss you guys and you are always in my prayers. I love you all and hope that everything is going for everyone. Mom, i am glad to hear that Juanita is going to serve a mission. You will have to congradulate her on her calling and send a good luck from me. And tell her that i said that it is going to be an amazing experience that she will love. I hope that all is going for you mom and just keep saving dont give up now. I have already been telling everyone that you are going to come. Just have faith and keep saving. Keep going your best and everything will work out. i really want you to come and meet all the people that i have taught and met. You will love the experience. Just keep working at it. DON`T GIVE UP!!!! And tell kaya that she is never going to figure it out. the only way that she will figure it out is if she asks and i tell her. But transfers are coming up and i dont know how it is going to end up. We will find out what happens on Saturday. But i have a feeling i am going to stay here for atleast one more transfer. But everything is in the Lord´s hands. I love you all and i hope that everything calms down a little bit at home. Give hugs to grandma and grandpa norton and to grandma roberts for me as well. And i think that Grandma Roberts birthday is coming up next week so i will try to send her a letter but i am not sure if it will arrive on time. So buy her a birthday card and then Put this message inside it. Dear Grandma,It seems like you are starting to get pretty old. I have already lost count on my fingers. But i hope that you know that i love you and that i miss you. And i hope that you have a fantastic birthday. I am going to try and write you a letter soon. But Happy Birthday!!!!!! I love you Grandma!Your pain in the rear grandson, Elder Jory Brent SpottsBut i love you mom and just hand in there and keep going. Try not to get discouraged. Everything has a time and everything will work out.
With Love,Elder Spotts
With Love,Elder Spotts
Aug. 12,2009
Well........One more week has gone by......A few more struggles and a few more experiences. The mission isn’t easy. A lot of things happen that you wish wouldn’t, and a lot of things dont happen that you wish would happen. It has been really difficult in this area and especially this transfer. I haven’t been able to baptize in over a month and that is a very discouraging thing at times, because missionaries have the tendency of looking at their baptisms as a success mark. Which really isn’t the mark of success. And we end up comparing ourselves with other elders that are having a lot more success. But I am struggling and trying to get through it.We have been having a little bit of trouble with the branch here. The members are becoming very unexcited and I don’t understand it. We work so hard and have been doing our best to help the branch but a few things have been happening and the members are becoming very unexcited and the attendance at church has been very low. So this Monday we sat as a district and decided to chat about what we could do to help the members. Because I haven’t been having a lot of success with the non-members, so I figured that I should try and do something to strengthen the branch. So we decided to start planning a devotional that we are going to have next week. We are going to try and mark a slide show and talk about the church and the history of the church and how it all started. Because I don’t think that very many of the members understand what the early saints went through to be able to have the gospel. So we are going to try and help them understand that they are the pioneers of this city and this branch and that what they do today will have an effect on the future of the church and the gospel in this city. So we have been working on that are hoping that it will help them get a little excited about the gospel and the work. But that is a work in progress. So you will hear more about that a little later.We had a pretty interesting week. It has been really hot lately so the work has been very tiresome but we keep at it every day. We were able to start teaching a bunch of people and we are also in the process of stopping to teach a few people. Trying to find the people that are waiting and have been prepared for the gospel isn’t an easy task. It is actually the hardest part of the work, because you have to be rejected so many times to be accepted once. But we are teaching a few new investigators and one family of old investigators that once again didn’t go to church to they cannot be baptized this week. But I got some ideas from my Zone Leader to help them. Because they do everything that we ask but it is hard for him to go to church because he plays soccer on a team and almost all the games are on Sunday. But we are going to see what we can do to help them out. The struggles continue as a trainer as well. I am in the process of teaching him how to plan and all those things and I am going to let him be the senior companion on Thursday so he will plan everything and do all those things. You know how it is mom; you have already down it once. But it is just so hard to try and teach someone to do all these things when you yourself aren’t even sure that you know what you are doing. I am still having trouble in the lessons because I don’t think that the investigators are understanding what he is teaching and I don’t feel the spirit in the lessons like I did with my last companion because my last companion and I taught so well together. We flowed so well together, but I don’t have the same thing with my son. I just hope that it ends soon and I don’t have to do it again. But yeah, I feeling like president is going to leave me here for at least one more transfer so we will have to see how things continue. But yeah………That is just about all that I can think of right now, I don’t know what else to write. But that is really what has been going on. I am struggling right now so I really need your prayers right now. But I love you all and I hope that everything continues to go well. I am still in the dark with what is all happening with Grandma and Grandpa Norton. I got a letter from them that says that Grandpa is going through chemotherapy but nobody is telling me anything and I would really like to know what is going on. But yeah tell them that I love them and I miss them and that they are in my prayers. I am really thankful for all that they have been doing to help me while I have been on the mission. But I love you all and I hope that all is well. Mom, keep strong and always remember that somewhere in the world there is someone that is struggling more than you. But we are both in the same boat, I feel inadequate. I don’t feel like I am qualified to be doing what I am doing. But God loves you and so do I. the storm will pass soon and the winds will calm and the sun will shine. And will how have things been going? How is the family? How is work? How has the weather been? What are you guys doing to start and prepare for winter? Man do I miss the snow!!!! Kaya, stay out of trouble and be careful. Logan might be an awesome guy and might treat you right and might really care about you. But you have got to think of your eternal future. Is he going to take you to the Temple? Is he going to take you to the Celestial Kingdom? Encourage him to go to church and prepare to be able to do that for you. I love you and I want the best for you. And as for the music……..I wrote it for a girl. Why do you want to know? And yes you know this girl? She has been writing me on the mission and is an amazing girl. And no she doesn’t know that I wrote that music for her. But she does know that I like her. But anyways……….if you give me a good enough reason to tell her name I will tell you, but it has got to be a really good reason. But I love you guys and I will talk to you all next week. Pray for me and I will pray for you all. Have a great week!With all the Love in the World,
Elder Jory Brent Spotts
Elder Jory Brent Spotts
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