Wednesday, November 20, 2013

11-15-13 Julia is in Our Arms!!! Homecoming Talk is Nov 24th at 1:00pm Come If you Can!

MY BELOVED FRIENDS

In memory of God's hand throughout the coarse of my mission in Washington DC - I will be speaking in church Sunday the 24th at 1:00 pm at the Boulder City Chapel (1550 Buchanan Blvd, Boulder City NV). All are welcome to come!

There will also be a Barbecue Open House Saturday night the 23rd from 6:00-9:00 pm of which all are invited. It'll be at the Jeppsen home (1541 Sunrise Circle, Boulder City NV). It would be great to see everyone. I am forever grateful for your support, prayers, and love. 

LOVE JULIA JEPPSEN






To all our Dear, Wonderful Family and Friends,
I can't express how great it was to be able to go meet many of the people Julia has been talking about for the past 18 months!  Truly MIRACLES happened to make it such a fabulous experience.   Thanks to your prayers and the grace of our God, I recovered from my head injury just in time to go. John and Emma joined me and it is an experience that can never be replaced.  The timing of so many special events was a blessing.  I'll tell the story with pictures...

Julia is in my arms!  
There is nothing like it!
Emma is Julia's New Companion at this transfer! 
Farewell to the Wonderful Mission President Riggs and his wife at the Mission Home.
We got to sit in on the Mission Transfer Meeting where all the departing missionaries bore their testimonies.  They also sang a song... "Joy to the World" and then "I'll be Home for Christmas" (cruel but too funny!)
Visiting the Ritchies.  Go Launching Leaders! 



Visit with Wonderful Jeff.
Lessons/Visits with Recent Converts: Anderson, Isaiah, Luis, Sonia.
This photo is with Amazing Anderson and Rafael.
Essential Stop... McDonalds!



Those that eat McDonald's Ice Cream Cones together, stay together FOREVER! 


We got to visit with John's Brother and his sweet family. Five beautiful Jeppsen Girls! 

We went to the Gorgeous Washington DC Temple for Baptisms with her Converts.


We got to experience Chunyu's Baptism.  We got to hear Julia speak. She was confirmed that day so she could go to the temple for baptisms that night.

At the church we got to see Jeff and Nghia sing in the Choir.  John and I both had tears falling!  
We stayed with one of her adoptive families, the wonderful Starks in Centreville.

Thank you again for all your thoughts and prayers!!! Julia loved her mission and has grown so very much. It is amazing what serving the Lord 100% of their time for 18-24 months will do! I am grateful for her willingness to serve God's children and in the process become more like Him. As Julia says often, "God is good". He truly is good and good to us. I love you dearly!  
Jody Jeppsen



Tuesday, November 12, 2013

11-12-13 Julia's Last Missionary Email!!! Full of Gratitude to God


DAD MOM RYAN RACHELLE LIZA EMMA and my beloved brothers and sisters
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIZA LOO!!! I'm so happy and grateful you were born! We shall celebrate in real life in but a few days.

I thank my Heavenly Father for allowing these last precious moments in Virginia to be sacred and revelatory. Surely He has answered my plea. I cherish my mission. I've loved every moment.
God's timing is flawless. His mercy, wisdom, and power is beyond comprehension and I thank Him for allowing me the perfect amount of time as a 'Facebook' missionary at the precise time needed. He is the Master planner. I marvel at His grace. Our beautiful cousin Charlotte messaged me on Facebook the other day and asked if she could interview me before I returned home. She and her sweet friend are doing a semester long project about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and Sister Woodbury and I were deeply impressed about how thoughtful and sincere their study of our faith has been. I had the privilege to meet them at the Temple Visitor's Center yesterday immediately after completing a sacred session in the House of the Lord. I love Charlotte. She is so beautiful. I cannot thank God enough for the privilege to share with her the sacred truths we hold dear. Charlotte is beautiful - she is so honest, sincere, kind and loving. She asks questions and is so full of faith. I'm honored to call her our cousin. 

While studying the other morning, our dear Savior led me to read Elder Oaks talk, The Challenge to Become. The Spirit carried these words to my heart:
"We should remember that our family relationships - even more than our church callings - are the setting in which the most important part of [Christlike] development can occur. The conversion we must achieve requires us to be a good husband and father or a good wife and mother. Being a successful church leader is not enough. Exaltation is an eternal family experience, and it is our mortal family experiences that are best suited to prepare us for it."
I have been forever changed by my mission, for I have walked with our Risen Lord. I have experienced His redeeming and enabling power in such a way that has transformed and refined me. I have come to see the hand of God in all things and I praise Him for His intricate and intimate involvement in our lives. I love and thank Him with all my the energy of my soul. I've experienced countless miracles and will always remember His matchless mercy and grace.

His plan for us is perfect! Though I will love and cherish my mission forever, I thank Him for sending me home to you - my precious and priceless family. Miracles will not cease. He lives. And He is coming quickly.
LOVE SISTER JEPPSEN

Fall in Virginia

 Departing Temple Trip

 Youssef's doing great :)

Sonia was baptized!! I love her and her beautiful family. Atlas - I finally got a family photo

 Charlotte, our sweet cousin

Friday, November 8, 2013

11-4-13 Time Is Growing Short! I Cherish Every Moment


DAD MOM RYAN RACHELLE LIZA EMMA and my dearly beloved brothers and sisters

I've been at a loss for words on what to write this week. Time is growing so short and I reverently cherish every moment. Serving as a full-time representative of the Living Christ has been a privilege of which I will thank and praise Him forever. I know that He lives. And He is coming so soon.
I remember saying goodbye to you 18 months ago. I wept as I realized how long we would be apart and how little we would correspond. Just moments before entering the Mission Training Center, Mom asked me to leave a voicemail on her and Dad's phones that you could listen to throughout the mission. I could hardly speak as I tried to express my love for her, for Dad, and for our family. I went forward, for our Savior continually reassured me that this was the right decision. I love Him and trust Him with all my heart, might, mind, and strength. And as I gave Him everything I had, He transformed me.
Oh how I thank and praise our Father in Heaven for sending me to serve in the DC South Mission, at this time, and with these people. I could never have imagined the miracles He has so graciously allowed me to experience and to be a part. I cherish my mission. It is so sacred to me. President Riggs, my companions, my fellow servants, and my brothers and sisters here in Virginia. I can hardly type the words to express my love for them and for my God.
I remember countless miracles wrought by His Omnipotent hand. And they have not ceased. I look forward to many more miracles ahead. They've only just begun.

Thanks be to God.

LOVE SISTER JEPPSEN


Elder Ritchie and his excellent object lessons :) 

Fall

Facebook!

Saturday, November 2, 2013

10-28-13 Gospel to Every people...Face to Face= Facetime, Facebook, Skype! We-re Online!


DAD MOM RYAN RACHELLE LIZA EMMA and beloved brothers and sisters
I cannot express how grateful I am to know that God is sending angels to attend to you Mom. Shirley, Heidi, Noah, our dear WARD family - how grateful I am for their Christlike compassion and outreached hands. I've plead for angels and surely He has sent them in great abundance, from both sides of the veil. Emma, you too are her angel. I'm sure of it - I'm so grateful she has you and Dad there with her to help.
I feel so confident in our Savior Jesus Christ. I love and adore Him. The time that He has granted me to serve as a full time missionary has been most precious and sacred to me and I reverently thank Him for the miracles I've experience and seen. The other day, some kind brother we met along the streets of Arlington was very curious about our lifestyle as missionaries. Shocked, he asked if we would do this for the rest of our lives. Thankfully and happily, I was able to answer "No." Our Father in Heaven called us to serve full-time for but a season. He wants us to return home, to have families of our own, and to progress in the manner He intended. My mission has changed me forever. I will always remember and cherish this time, and yet, I look forward to the unfolding miracles that lie ahead.
My friends - Christ is coming! Our Savior and King is coming quickly. I cannot but scratch the surface in words the excitement, joy, and urgency I feel coursing through my soul. In glory and power beyond our mortal comprehension our Risen Lord will come again. And it is but moments away. The leadership of the DC South mission has now been authorized to proselyte online!  We have been commissioned to proclaim the gospel via online resources. In Mosiah 16:1 Abiniadi prophesied of our day saying, "The time shall come when ALL shall see the salvation of the Lord; when EVERY nation, kindred, tongue, and people shall see EYE TO EYE and shall confess before God that his judgements are just." Eye to eye, face to face: facetime, facebook, and skype. To EVERY nation, kindred, tongue and people we will proclaim the truth. Our Father in Heaven and our Lord Jesus Christ have created and refined this online realm with wisdom and great power. The world is interconnected and twined in ways unimaginable than ever before. The gospel is flooding the earth and will only increase in momentum. No more backpacks and scriptures, but ipads and iphones will we carry. The fullness of times is now and its laid before our fingertips. We live in the FUTURE!! We live in those marvelous days every prophet looked forward to. The time is NOW. Regardless of location or association, we have been commissioned to invite ALL to come unto Christ. Our mission will be getting ipads and iphones in December and I'm soo excited to be a part of this unfolding miracle back home. It is most exciting.
There was a missionary in the Baltimore mission who was baptized only a few years ago. None of his family took interest in the gospel while he was home and he was the only one to join. When the Baltimore mission was authorized to go online a month or so ago, he taught his family the lessons over skype, eventually involving the missionaries and members from his hometown too. He will be returning home to baptize his entire family in 2 months time! What a miracle. This is the beginning of a whole new level of missionary work. I'm so happy

I love you all!

LOVE SISTER JEPPSEN

Sister Woodbury... Yeah McDonald's Ice Cream Cones! 

 I trained Sister Bell. Sister Bell trained Sister Herring. Sister Herring trained Sister ____

Good old Donovan! I love him. He's doing great!