11-26-12 150 Members to NJ to Help This Weekend!! Sister Evans Again!!!

DAD MOM BALD MAN RACHELLE LIZA EMM and my other fellow friends whom I love

SISTER EVANS (my mtc companion) IS MY NEW COMPANERA!!!! OOdaLalleY!!! I absolutely love her! I am so stinkin excited. I can't even tell you. We've already had a miraculous 3 days of missionarying around. Lots of new investigators who have been so prepared to hear this gospel. And Peter is progressing ever so beautifully. And Laura and Ken and Von. I love each of them so much.

Oh how much we have to be grateful for! Never will we be able to repay our dear Savior for what He has done for us. How wonderful, how marvelous, how magnificent is He! He lives. And because of Him, we can repent. I am so grateful for repentance. I am so grateful for each of my many many weaknesses, for I have been so blessed to experience the power of the Atonement, the transforming, strengthening power of His love and grace. I love Him. And I'm doing all that I can to show Him that I do. Tho still, I fall short. But I repent. I am working hard to never be the person I once was. To push forward and upward. To reach outward and heavenward. I will continue to give all that I receive and receive as I ask.

Our stake sent over 150 members to help the people in New Jersey this weekend. Its so humbling to serve among so many incredible disciples of our Lord and Redeemer. I am forever grateful for our dear Father. How great is our reason to rejoice. Glory to God, our all knowing, all powerful, all loving Father and Maker. I will praise Him and His Son forever.

LOVE SISTER JEPPSEN

11-19-12 Thanksgiving

DAD MOM RYAN RACHELLEY ELIZA EDONG and my other beloved friends

Hello! So Mom and Dad are travelling the world right now. What are the rest of you doing? What are you guys doing for Thanksgiving? Where are you staying? What are you doing? 

Let me introduce you to Peter Koranteng. We found him last week, walkin around talking to all the world around us. And he is absolutely wonderful! He is from Ghana and tho he looks like he is in his 30s, he is 50 years old. Oh how prepared is he! He is wonderful. We've seen him three times this week and we are having dinner with him tonight at the Starks. I love him so much. He is hilarious, and is always equipped with some sort of clever joke.  

So something that I've been struggling with is remembering and applying all the things I have been so abundantly blessed with. Heavenly Father has opened the heavens to me, He has given me so much - and now it is up to me to put my knowledge to action. I have gained a testimony, I have developed a greater knowledge of His divinity and of the character of our Savior. But now is my opportunity and responsibility to fully receive these precious truths by applying them, by living and becoming as our Savior. These last few weeks I have been frustrated with myself for not constantly remembering and living all the things I have learned. As I went to Stake Conference this weekend, I asked Heavenly Father how I can remember to live the things that He has taught me. And oh how grateful I am, for surely as we ask, we do receive - as long as we are willing and striving to receive. Something that I have learned is that it is important that we learn to receive when we ask, for so often I find myself becoming distracted and forgetful to think, ponder, search, and listen when I do inquire of the Lord. Well, Heavenly Father opened my eyes and He gave unto me as I asked. My thoughts have been so consumed and concerned about forgetting the things I have learned that there has been no time for me to remember! This surely is a ploy of the adversary that keeps us from progressing. In Proverbs 23:5, 7 it says: "Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he." What we think is what we become. My thoughts have been set upon forgetting, and so I forgot. How silly of me! And I am so grateful to be able to repent, to change, and by the grace of my Savior to apply, live and become all that He has so abundantly given me. 

Mom, you have a wonderful friend, Ron Darmawan - who sent me a package from Hawaii! I have no idea who he is, but he was very generous in his gift. I am so honored to have the love and support of each of our dear friends. Thank you. I am forever grateful to our Father in Heaven to be blessed with such incredible people in my life. 

Sitting in Stake Conference this week, I could not help but feel at home. We are brothers and sisters. We are children of God. We are family, here to support, to lift, to protect, to learn from, to grow with, to practice and prepare to live with our Father in Heaven again one day. 

Sister Carter is leaving Wednesday morning and I will be getting a new companion! I have loved every moment with her and look forward to what Heavenly Father has in store for me. How marvelous it has been to be companions with Sister Carter

LOVE SISTER JULIA

Peter!! 

 The Garfields (They are related to the Stewarts!!) We love them

Former Bishop Walter. He is absolutely fantastic. 

11-13-12 Arnold got Baptized and Gift of the Holy Ghost for His Birthday!!

DAD MOM RYAN SHELLY LIZA EMMDONG

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!! LIZA IS 18 YEARS OLD!! OODALALLEY!! And she got a brand new BICYCLE!?!?! Road bike = the greatest gift a mortal father can give to his daughter. haha. Well done pops and momdre. I reserve the family vacation of biking the Californian coast for when I return home. 

Arnold is baptized :) It was so wonderful! He is extremelely accomplished, and yet he is so humble and so polite. The entire ward was so supportive; the youth made it their week's activity to attend and participate. And to celebrate both his and Liza's birthdays (spiritual and physical), Arnold recieved the gift of the Holy Ghost! Afterward, beaming - he said he's felt happier, more energetic, and absolutely wonderful ever since his baptism. This gospel surely is true. 

The night before his baptism, the oh so incredible Stark family invited Arnold, Luis, and we sisters over for dinner and a lesson :) I cannot even describe how perfect the evening was. We were so happy! I was surrounded by these remarkable people who I love and treasure, these people who I have grown spiritually with, who I have sacrificed everything for and who have sacrificed just as much, if not more, for me. I love Arnold. I love Luis. I love Brother and Sister Stark.

Miracle: With our member revelation work, Brother Stark had referred us to one of his neighbors. We felt like we should stop by their home one day, and when we did, George, the man of the house was absolutely pleasant and friendly. But he had guests over at his home so he pointed us to another home further down the street and told us to knock on their door. So we did! And this beautiful girl, our age, opened the door. Her name is Laura and she welcomed us in and she was so prepared! She is so inquisitive and so sincere. She's great.

Another Miracle: Great day, out walking on a street of which we felt so prompted to walk. Beatrice, a 17 year old girl from our ward was out with us for the day. It was an incredible day. I started talking to this wonderful man, now investigator, Steven. He's black, baptist, and the happiest most positive and energetic man ever. He is so sincere too. He asked so many questions about the Book of Mormon and the Spirit touched his heart upon hearing the First Vision. While I was talking to him, Sister Carter and Beatrice talked to Peter, a great man from Ghana. We set up a time with them and taught him Sunday with the Starks. He is so prepared too! And so humble. Gosh. I love this work!! I am so grateful to be part of this work.

LOVE SISTER JULIA

Our new coats!

Arnold's baptism :)

I love them!

                              Our district

11-5-12 Hurricane Sandy was not so bad for us in DC!!

DAD MOM RYAN RACHELLE LIZA DONG and my fellow friends

Hello!! Hurricane Sandy was not nearly as bad as we had prepared for here in DC, which was a blessing. The hurricane was basically just really windy and rainy. We didn't get hit hard at all.   But those in New York and New Jersey didn't  fair as well. Our stake is sending coats, clothes, boots, and gift cards - of which the missionaries will have the opportunity to hand out to both members and nonmembers in need. We weren't allowed to work while the storm was passing through, and after sitting in our apartment too long for sanity, we escaped to the Starks home where we were able to teach their two darling grandchildren (both who aren't members) about our Savior.

I love this work. Our teaching pool was starting to look rather slim this week, so Sister Carter and I knelt down in prayer to our dear Father in Heaven, asking and pleading that He would guide us to those who He had prepared, those ready to receive this gospel. It was so remarkable. We went out, bundled up in our wonderful new eskimo coats. God led us, clearly and gently, guiding us to the houses and the streets we needed to go to. Our righteous desires to find and teach were answered. We were welcomed into several homes where we were able to teach some incredible people! It was miraculous. They were each so prepared. How marvelous is our Father!

Expect answers. He has promised that He WILL answer. "If ye will not harden your hearts and ask me in faith, BELIEVING THAT YE SHALL RECEIVE, with diligence in keeping my commandments, SURELY these things shall be made known unto you." (1 Nephi 15). I love our dear Father in Heaven. He lives and He loves us. I will serve Him forever.

LOVE SISTER JULIA JEPPSEN