If you've been following Elder Jarnagin's adventures for the past 18 months, here is a long overdue update! Elder Jarnagin has been writing weekly and is doing fantastic, but as his mom and head blog updater, I have been slacking.
Here's a look at his past 5 weeks-
Elder Jarnagin was transferred to Gardnerville, NV and is serving in that area, as well as in South Lake Tahoe and covering any Spanish needs in the area. He is also serving as the District Leader and learning so much.
From February 27th-
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| Elder Jones and Elder Jarnagin |
Elder Jarnagin said, "It's weird how much I have changed out here, things like loud music and a messy house bother me now. I need to feel the Spirit more than those two things."
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| Tahoe snow- and don't worry, those aren't REAL legs! |
From March 6th-
Elder Jarnagin was asked by the Young Men's president here in NH what was one hard thing he's had to do on his mission and how that hard thing has blessed his life... Here's his response-
"I think one of the hardest things that I have done on my mission is trying to help a companion that struggled with anxiety and homesickness. It was really hard because I had not dealt with it before and I have not really dealt with what he was feeling. It is really hard to help a companion when you can't emulate. To deal with the problem, his anxiety, my own feelings, everything, I turned to the Lord. That really is the best thing to do in any trial, turn to Him who knows all and has conquered all. Jesus Christ knows what we are all feeling and what we will feel. He has already suffered for our sins and all that we will go through. He knows how it feels to be homesick, and anxious, and impatient. When I turned to Him, I was able to be less stressed, I was able to become more like Him, and in doing so I was better able to help my companion work through what he was going through. When we humbly turn to the Lord, we can find the strength to make it through any trial that besets us! I know that is true!"
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Dad's favorite game lives on in Nevada!!!
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From March 13th-
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| Elder Jones un-denting the car |
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| Fixed??? |
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| Elder Jones got a typewriter! |
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| When Elder Jones feels like dying from drinking too much milk... |
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| More Tahoe Snow |
We've been giving service at Fish. Fish is a thrift store, except it’s a chain all through Gardnerville and Carson. They are super nice as far as thrift stores go.
From March 20th-
Service with Elder Landrin on exchanges-
Yerington never leaves-
I was on exchanges with Elder Franco. I found out I am allergic to Green or bell peppers….. Like bad. We did morning program and then we planned. We then made breakfast which was breakfast burritos which was more peppers than egg. My vision started to go while cooking and eating. I couldn’t see my plate to eat my food. We got ready and I was feeling better until studies where I couldn’t see my page and my head felt really bad. I tried to use the bathroom, but to no avail. I then sat on a foam pad in the bathroom for an hour until I threw up. I then cleaned myself off and then we went to a lesson with this guy named Ryan who doesn’t believe that God loves him so we talked to him about that for an hour.
Service with Elder Franco. (Elder Franco was Elder Jarnagin's trainer and is now his Zone leader!)
I lost my tiwi card, so Elder Jones is driving :/
My (Mom's) Early morning Seminary class is studying the epistles of Paul. I had asked parents, adults, leaders, and friends of my students to write a modern day epistle to my students. Here is Elder Jarnagin's Epistle-
Epistle of Elder Jarnagin
It is good that you are where you are at right now. Seminary really is a great place, one of learning and one that I am so grateful that I was able to participate in. It really is a sacrifice to get up earlier and to come and to get ready to learn. Even if you are forced by your parents, you are showing good desires by coming.
That is what this whole thing is about, our desires. What do you desire? Do you want to live with your family forever? Do you want to be happy forever? Do you want to live with Christ and Heavenly Father forever? I would be sad if you said no to any of those, these which are all parts of eternal life are the greatest blessings that we can have, and living a life worthy of those blessings is a blessing in of itself.
Now that you have those desires, how are you going to get there? What are you willing to give? What are you willing to give up? There are many things that we have to set aside in life and things that we have to do in order to receive the greatest blessing of all. These teenage years are hard, I know, I have been where you are right now, I am not much further down the path than you. I know that what you are faced with daily is hard, some of the things we go though are unlike anything any people of the past had to go through. When you are trying your best to live the Gospel and the commandments, most of those around you are doing the opposite and are trying to drag you with them. Don't let them do that. There is so much more in store than what you can see and what you can feel now. It requires faith but the blessings of Gospel living are there; I know, I am feeling them now. Living the commandments brings a joy that I had never felt before, it comes with feeling the Spirit more strongly. There are some things that you need to do right now to feel the Spirit more strongly in your life. Feeling the Spirit starts with living worthy, and that means cutting unworthy things out your life. There are so many excuses that you can make, "oh, it's not that bad" "It's just a little" "I'll figure it out when I go on a mission" No! No excuse works! If there is something unworthy that you are doing whether it be breaking a commandment or bad music, language, whatever, you know it is bad! Stop doing it, using it, whatever! It many be hard, but you can do it! I promise you as a representative of Jesus Christ that the moment you take the proper steps to rid your life of sin and unworthy actions that you will feel the Spirit more strongly than you have ever felt and that you will taste of the joy that comes from His companionship.
There are laws of commission, things that we do that make the Spirit leave. Then there are laws of omission, things that we don't do that if we did do them we would have the Spirit more. Some of those things are the "Seminary answers". I hope that when you answer a question with "Prayer, scripture reading, going to church" That you mean it. These things are vital. Out here in the field, when we talk about those three, we call them CPR (Church, Pray, Read) and remember that CPR is that thing they do so people don't die. I love it when people don't die. When we don't read, pray, go to church, we are spiritually dying, that's not good! I don't like it when people spiritually die! I can promise you that if you SINCERELY do all these things and not just because your parents force you, that you will feel better than you ever have before! Don't miss the opportunity to get closer to your Savior! Really read, don't just skim on your phone. Skim milk is gross, it's like white water, no one wants colored water when they want milk. Drink whole milk. It's super good, just like studying the scriptures. Don't do a skim study, do a WHOLE study! It's way better! Way more spiritually tasty. Really Pray, the all powerful creator of us, and everything, our own father is right there, waiting for us to talk to Him, to ask Him for the things we need. Go to church! Really go to church, don't just sit in a church building and derp on Facebook or send snaps of your bored mug to all your friends, really go to church! Listen to the speakers, to the Hymns, to the Sacrament prayers. There is a peace that you will feel, again, going to church is so vital to feeling the Spirit.
To wrap this up, it may seem like this has gone all over the place, but really it still is about our desires. Do you desire to be happy? Then you need to have the Holy Ghost as your constant companion. If you want the Holy Ghost as your companion then you need to really do the things you are supposed to, and you need to mean it. This life is a test, and it is a choice, if you don't want to be happy, fine, no one is forcing you. But if you want to be forever joyful, here is the path, take it or leave it. Your older brother, Jesus Christ, is beckoning you to follow Him, He knows the way, and if you follow Him, you will never be lost. I have found no greater joy than following my Savior's path, becoming like Him, serving Him. The same course is open to you, if you desire it. I close this in His Holy name, even Jesus Christ, amen.
Tuesday, August 1-District Meeting was good! It was Sister Parra’s birthday today and Hermana Martinez’s last District Meeting before she dies, so we had a birthday party for lunch and then we had a funeral. Pretty fun! The Kelly's have been doing great with not smoking! Brother Kelly is getting baptized Saturday if all goes well! We have been teaching Peter on and off and we are doing a church tour with him next Tuesday!
Service at the Food Pantry
