Elder Jose

Hi mom!Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:03:15 +0000Love you! The MTC is amazing! Elder Holland spoke to us on Tuesday (Last night) and it was POWERFUL. I truly love my companion, we get along fine so don't worry. He works me hard and I am better for it. He is very knowledgeable and understanding. Sounds like you are having a little fun at home. But I can promise you that I am having a much better time right now, I couldn't be happier to be serving the lord, I know that I am not the only one being blessed for serving the lord but that you also will receive many great and marvelous blessings because of my obedience. I love you all so much and pray for you. With great love, YOUR Missionary, ELDER Alister Blue Jose

Wed January 21, 2009 5:37 PMYeah the 27th. We will be in the airport early in the morning, so expect a wakeup call. I haven't got anything in the mail for a while, although Joseph has sent me a few letters through MyElder.com It has been cool to hear from him. What's the news on my bike?

Wed January 28, 2009 12:38 PMI Just Got Here and Guess What my first area is. Oak Ridge!(east), Elder Spesh is my Trainer, he has only been out for six months but he is apparently very knowledgeable in the Book of Mormon, we have one lesson to teach tonight, and one BAPTISM planned for Sunday! It has been raining since about 11 and actually just stopped for a while. P-day is on Wednesdays (today), I did get my bike but I have yet to put it together. I love you thanks for the E-mail, Keep em comin'. CIT (Church is True)First week!‏

Wed Feburary 04, 2009 10:04 AMA lot has happened this week so I will start off with what happened from the beginning, Elder Speth is as new to this area as I am so we spend a lot of time tracking and trying to familiarize ourselves with the area and the members, the lady that was going to be baptized is like a crazy black version of Grandma Rose, She makes me laugh every time we go to see her. Unfortunately the baptism didn't go through, apparently one of the members in our ward offended her and she decided to give a second thought about it, which I personally think is a blessing in disguise, because she was mostly getting baptized because the missionaries told her to, and not because she had a testimony that this was the one true church. We are still teaching her and things will be better. I gave out my first Book of Mormon on Saturday to a Wiccan lady She was a bit strange but she had the best intentions at heart, she said she would read it but we could not commit her to pray about it, either way I am sure it will bless her life. Church was crazy here the ward in Oak Ridge is growing a lot because of a lot of move-ins, but the ward here is very missionary minded and ready and willing to spread the gospel, it's neat. I just want to remind you that "...every member (is) a missionary" and the work is a lot easier when the members do the finding.I love you all and look forward to your packageLots of love! Elder JoseHappy P-day!‏

Wed February 11, 2009 8:57 AMHow are ya'll enjoying Life! You all had a lot of questions so I will start by answering those. Dad, My companion is nice. It has only rained a few times since I have been here and the only ice I have seen here has been in the form of snow (which promptly melted soon after hitting the ground). Oak Ridge isn't very southern because of the nuclear facility it is more like Idaho Falls, so I haven't had any authentic southern cooking YET; however there are still some very good cooks. I did get my bike and I am using it, but there IS a lot of steep hills here, which are fun to go down... not so much the other way.Mom, Yes I got your letter, but Landon’s was too short to be called a letter, also the cookies and spam arrived yesterday Thanks! Anthony, I love it out here, the work is going forth with enthusiasm and diligence, the biggest shock is how much actual physical work actually goes on, the bike riding is killing me, I wish I were in better shape before I came out.I love you and hope I have answered your questions, lots of work to do,Gotta go. Bye. (Mom, could you please forward this to grandma and grandpa Johnson for me?)

February 25, 2009Well, Things are actually going really good, the days in and of themselves seem like a lot of work with not a lot of progress, however every week we look back on the things we accomplished that week they seem grand, in fact this week we will be having our first baptism, his name is Fred, I didn't want to say anything in case he backed out on us, but his testimony is strong and I have faith that he knows it is the right decision. Biking here is a little different from back home mostly because of all of the hills they are not so fun going up, but going down is really fun. I actually think you are getting more rain back home than we are here, but it has been really cold, more than I thought it would be, those wool socks you sent are really coming in handy. Well I love you and appreciate your E-MAILS; I will probably be sending a letter soon as well.

March 4, 2009Fred got Baptised and is staying strong!!! Tell Andrew I only have 106 more before I can come home, Elder Speth has still been a little discouraged even though the baptism has come and gone, I think he has gotten so used to having little succsess, and now that he is having some he doesn't exactly know how to handle it, Also he is really stressed about training me right. I have been trying to give him encouragement but he is so hard on himself. He truly is a great missionary, he just doesn't realise it.This next week I will have been out six weeks (not including the MTC). To answer dads question they usually keep you in your first area 3-6 transfers (a transfer lasts 6 weeks), so I will be in Oak Ridge for a while, and most of our area is urban or suburban, so no real country people yet, although there is a member of our ward who is a true southern boy, his name is Remfro and he is a recent convert, I will send pictures...Speaking of, My camera has been acting funny lately, the auto focus doesn't work unless it is zoomed in a little, and there is no way to manually focus it, Dad where should I take it to get fixed?Ma! Tell the Laurells thanks, I hung all the hearts they sent me all over our appartment, Elder Speth was thrilled...I love you all, Even though I go days without thinking about you... Just kidding! I know that things I am doing as a missionary are blessing you as a family and I am motivated to work even harder. My zone leader told me "Don't worry about what you're missing at home." I replied "I'm not missing ANYTHING; they are the ones missing everything by not being here."

March 11, 2008Well, Good News And Bad News, Bad news is a specific Elder in our district, not to mention any names, Went and got the rest of the elders in our district sick, including myself, I have gotten over it really quick, I just have a few sniffles here and there (I took Zicam^^), but it really hit elder Speth hard, so that has really slowed us down for the last few days, The good news is I think that we are going to baptize a "Gangsta" this transfer, He has been living next to Fred for a while now and has noticed the change that we have brought into his life and he really wants to change his life around in the same way. Last week was really discouraging, we don't have a lot of investigators right now so most of it was spent finding with little success, But the lord blessed us for being obedient and working hard and the investigators ended up finding us. I love you all and am glad to hear things are going well, Just to answer a few questions, Yes spring has arrived here in TN the People here would disagree but it feels like short weather to me. No I haven't seen any mosquito traps, but I will keep my eye out. I don't know how the fishing is here; I will have to ask around.

March 18, 2009 I will also send an update e-mail, but just to answer your questions real quick...I talked to the member who was working on my camera, he said that he could not fix it and that it would be cheaper to replace it than to have it fixed. Tennessee is the only place I have seen Drive thru cigarette stands and STORES; the smoking problem is that bad here, but it hasn't bothered me yet, I will let you know when it does. I started to take vitamin c after I got sick (don't want that to happen again) If you feel so inclined to send me sardines again, may I request some King Oscars? Those ones you sent me had a good flavor but weren't as tender and flavorful as King Oscars.I sent a letter home this morning and I hope it gets there soon. Not a lot has been happening since I last wrote an E-mail, Elder Speth Has been sick so it has slowed things down to a standstill, Fortunately he is better now and we can finally get to work, yesterday was the first full day of missionary work we have had in a week and it felt great, although it was quite warm.Sorry the mail is so short but you will be receiving a letter soon and it has a bit more detail, I am just in a bit of a rush, We went fishing today and it hasn't left a lot of time for other things.Gotta go, Love you, Bye.

March 25, 2009It was good to hear from you all again. Thanks for the postcard from the Hoover Dam, I will make sure not to lose it. So Clint and his family are coming too Tennessee? Nashville isn't in my mission, but tell them to drop by Oak Ridge if they get the chance there are a few cool touristy things to do here. Yes, Mom we are all over our sicknesses so don't fret too MUCH. however I do have a request. I want to thank you for your prayers I can see their affect in my daily life, next time you pray remember to keep my companion Elder Speth in them we both needs some spiritual upliftment. I will continue to work hard the best I can, but I know the difference a prayer from a loved one can make. I love you all and I want to thank you for raising me right and encouraging me to do the right things. P.S. Tell Onda Thanks for the letter, I almost drowned in the love that it filled me with.

April 1, 2009 - April Fools Day!Hey Everybody! TODAY is April Fool’s Day, and P-Day so Elder Speth and I Biked Over to Our zone Leaders apartment and attacked them dressed like Ninjas, it was kinda fun. Elder Speth and I have been doing really well lately. We have been working hard and preaching the gospel. We are all over our sicknesses (and have been for a while) and things are finally getting sunny except for a few rainy days here and there. Sorry about the rough weather, I hope the church building is ok, Just remember the church is still true even if the building falls down^^. I love you all and thank you for your support, I think I am doing alright both temporally and spiritually (Although I would appreciate some more cookies).

April 08, 2009Hey guys Sound like things are going good in Idaho as well as in South Africa. Well I am happy to report that things are going well here too, though I have to admit missionaries do get a little distracted around conference, we had the privilege of watching all four sessions in our church building as well as priesthood session, It was cool to think that even though we are all hundreds of thousands of miles apart we were all united at the same time under the voice of a prophet of God. Singing in unison as one congregation, I loved every minute of it. The Sunday Morning session Made me a little sad though most of the talks were about Temples, one general authority compared it to home, not only did it make me homesick, it made me Temple sick. I have such a desire to do temple work but because of the work I am doing I will not be able to do so. So I have a favor to ask. In my absence, will you make up for the temple work that I could be doing by doing as much temple work as you have power to do? I promise that the joy you will find in doing temple work will make up for all the joy you would have had spending time with me, the same missionary work makes up for the time I would normally spend with you.A quick update on the things that are going on here, Barbranne (the lady that was going to be baptized the first week I was here) has regained the desire to be baptized, but it's a little more complicated than that...Missionary work rocks!!! I wouldn't trade this for anything. P.S. Dad, Thanks for keeping track of my camera, and YOU’RE words of encouragement. (Mormon was entrusted with the responsibility of keeping the plates when he was 10, not Moroni =P)April 15, 2009Hi GuysTransfers Are coming up soon and all the missionaries are getting antsy. There's a rumor going around that quite a few missionaries are getting transferred, but we won't know until Saturday. But it has really made me think about how much I have grown to love the people here. I am going to miss it if I end up leaving. Elder Speth has been a lot more cheery about mission work lately, I am glad to see him growing and becoming stronger. I appreciate all the love and prayers (and candy and toys and sardines and scriptures) you send for me, and I can tell they do help. I love you all and look forward to hearing from you soon. P.S. Dad it is really rainy here, when are you going to get me a Marmot?

April 22, 2009Today was transfers and I ended up staying in Oak Ridge, But I do have a new companion. His name is Elder Mauer. I just met him today so I will tell you more about him next E-mail. Remember the lady who was going to get baptized the first week I got here, but didn't? She got baptized on Saturday, They encourage missionaries not to perform the actual baptism but since Barbranne is old and frail I got to go into the water and help Brother Dunn baptize her. It was a neat experience. Sorry For the short E-mail, but things are crazy and I HAD to go. Talk to you later Bye.

April 29, 2009Today is p-day again... We went fishing again... My companion caught more fish than me again... Elder Maurer and I are getting along great, I love serving along with him, he is the district leader of the Oak Ridge district, but he is used to being district leader. We are both really excited for this TRANSFER; I can already see good things starting to happen.We are teaching these three kids Shelby, Kayle and Jon. Their mom is Pentecostal and she doesn't really care what church they join as long as they believe in Jesus Christ. They really like our church and they seem excited to join. I just hope their mom will be able to figure things out eventually, she worries me.Anyway things are really green here it is really cool but it makes me sneeze quite a bit. It is also really warm, but I will get used to that.Well I will look forward to Mothers Day and talking to you all.Love Your Elder

May 6, 2009Hey, Family.Thanks for your E-mails Guys. It's Always good to know what's going on back home. Well it's been really Rainy here lately, and it's supposed to continue all throughout this week. Weird things have been happening lately. It seems that wherever we go we seem to run into some opposition, contention or stumbling block for us as we are doing missionary work. What's even weirder is that we are having more success than I have seen my whole mission. I think that the adversary is trying to work at us because we are doing something that he doesn't want done. He's trying to discourage us by giving us opposition, Drive away the spirit that we have with contention, and slow us down with stumbling blocks. Even though we have been facing all of this, we have remained diligent and are still finding success. It is the strangest thing I have ever experienced, and I love the lord for the way he has been blessing us for remaining diligent, It has strengthened my will to know that I am stirring up so much commotion that the adversary has taken notice and has started to work against us, I just Have to remain diligent and rely on the lord and I know that he will see us through. My advice to All Y'all back home is to remain diligent "watch and pray" I remember being back home and having a hard time finding time to pray and it can be easy to fall out of the habit, but I know the strength that he can provide if all we do is ask. I know that the Lord loves us and he does answer prayers. I love you all and I look forward to calling home on Sunday. I love you all and will talk to you soon.Love Elder Jose

May 13, 2009Hey Family,It was nice to hear from you all on mothers day (although I am a bit sorry I wasn't able to talk to Grandma and Grandpa in South Africa, don't worry we will talk on christmas) i love you all and wanted to thank you for your love and support. I was a bit nervous to see dad yesterday. I was worried that it would make me homesick, but seeing how proud he was that I was doing this WORK and how willing he was to support me really strengthened my testimony that I am doing the right thing. It made me want to stive to be better for you all back HOME.WELL; we did not go fishing today. Instead, President gave us permission to go to a minor leauge baseball game with some members. it was super fun.love you all and hope to hear from you soonElder joseP.s. Mom Would you e-mail me the address of my blog again. I would like to tell a few freinds where it is at, and also I would still like the worm threader if you can find them. On that subject, Anthony What was the name of that bass bait you mentioned on sunday? I didn't quite catch it.

May 20, 2009Hey everyone,How are you all doin back home?Things here are well. We have quite a large number of investigators, but they are progressing a lot slower than I would like. It does keep us busy. We have biked quite a bit the last two days. It is pretty tiring, but fun.So they are going to be changing our weekly schedule this next transfer so I thought I would let you know what was going on. Starting June 1st P-Day will be on MONDAYS and District meetings will be on Fridays. So expect an E-mail from me on Monday the first of June and Following Mondays.I will write more next week but we are in a bit of a hurry today so I will talk to you later.Elder JoseP.S. THANK you for the fishing advice, but I still need the URL of my blog so I can Mail it to my friends.

May 27, 2009Hello EVERYBODY Just wanted to let everyone know I am doing alright. I have been doing quite a bit of bike riding lately... in the rain... uphill both ways (just kidding, it's not that bad but the rain coat has come in handy). Tennessee is really green right now, it is really pretty. Byron and Stacey have not come to church yet. We feel that they have some hidden concerns and are still a bit nervous to come to church. Transfers are next Wednesday, but we won't know who will go where until Sunday night, I personally hope I will be staying, but the odds are against me. I will let you know what happens on Monday.I really have grown attached to Oak Ridge, I love the ward and I love the city, the people here are about 50/50 some are cool and some are just plain ignorant in one way or another. The other day we were on a doorstep talking to a lady, the conversation went a little something like this."Do you think it would be important to know if god called a prophet?""Yes ""Do you think it would be important to know if Christ established his church in the earth today?""Yes""Do you think that if Christ established his church on the EARTH THAT you would want to belong to it?'"I would probably still go to my church""Even if it were Christ’s church?""Yup""..."It is a little frustrating sometimes, but fortunately not everyone is like that and we do have success. I just wonder what is going to happen when I go to a more rural part of TN where everyone is like that. Honestly, the thought scares me. But I know that I will be sent wherever I am needed and as long as I work hard the lord will bless us. Thank you for raising me right, and teaching me how to not be ignorant. I love you and will write soon. Love Elder Jose

June 1, 2009Well tomorrow will be my last day in Oak Ridge, I am getting transferred in Wednesday, but they won't let me know where until transfers. It’s pretty sad leaving this place, especially because it seems like we are finally making some progress. Byron, Stacy and Alicia came to church this week, and Byron was excited to come next week, we also have this Spanish investigator who is progressing faithfully named Eduardo. It is going to be hard to leave them, but I know they are in good hands. Elder Maurer is an amazing teacher and I know he will do his best to help them progress in the gospel.A couple of side notes. The Marmot keeps the water out very well even on the bike. It is a very nice COAT. MOM I suggest researching some stories about the Prophet Joseph Smith, and relating them to you. There is a surplus of knowledge we can gain from the example the Prophet set for us as saints.Grandma and Grandpa know it is hard but try not to get too trunky. Elder Davies from the west side is really struggling (He leaves on Wednesday), from my observations it is a difficult experience with many conflicting emotions On the one hand there is the joy of accomplishment and of returning to loved ones, but on the other hand you are leaving a people you have grown to love to return to a world of trouble and worldly care. Remember to soak up the last few weeks of your mission; it is going to be a while before you can return to it.I 'm thankful that I still have a while to go before you can return to it.I 'm thankful that I still have a while to go.

June 8, 2009I am now serving in Alcoa with Elder Fraser (Pronounced like Laser) he is from Canada!!! This is going to be a pretty interesting experience, Because this is Elder Frasers last transfer, but he's still working so we are gonna do some good here. Alcoa is a very interesting place; it is right next to Maryville and another city WHO’S name I can't remember, so essentially its one really big city. Fortunately it is a car-share Area so we will only be on bikes every other week, the missionaries in Maryville, gets it the rest of the time. I am driving now because Elder Fraser lost his driving privileges for running a cop into a street light (That was before I got here). I am a little nervous though because, it has been a while since I have driven and the car doesn't have handle bars. Anyway I am just getting ready to have some good times in Alcoa.Love you all. Elder Jose.

June 15, 2008
Well after one week in Alcoa I still like it. This is a great Area with lots of potential and I am privileged to serve with a hardworking companion (trunky as he is). Our teaching pool is a bit low but we're picking up new investigators, so the work should be a bit more exciting in the weeks to come. Thanks For the E-mails, sounds like it has been an exciting week, Tell Alicia to get better soon, and tell Aubrey 'thank you' for keeping me in her prayers. Tell Scott and Emma congratulations on the new house, and good luck moving (that's the most help I can give from here).Tell Granny Rae thank you for the letter. Oh and HAPPY FATHERS DAY DAD!!! I love you all so much I Appreciate all you have done to make it possible for me to serve a mission. Have a great week.Elder Jose

June 22, 2008
Hey Family,I hope you all enjoyed your weekend, Church was a bit disappointing, we didn't have anybody come to church... again. We are still working though. We have been having some pretty sporadic weather lately; it has been an inconsistent pattern of thunderstorms and heat. I am sorry I don't have much to write about, but know that I love you and look forward to more E-mails.P.S. Dad my camera is working the same as it used to, I think that A high speed SD card may make it work a bit better.

June 29, 2009
Thank you all for the e-mails, I am gladdened to hear from you and to know what's going on back home (and South Africa). I wish that I could report such news from Alcoa, but things have been a little slow this past week and it seems that our only investigator is slowly losing interest. Fortunately we have gotten our hands on two promising new referrals which should make next week a bit more interesting. The work will pick up again, Elder Fraser and I just have to get our momentum going again. I love you all, the church is still true.Love Elder Jose

July 6, 2009
Thank you all for the E-mails, sounds like a busy week in Idaho. The fourth was a bit strange for us because we were not allowed to participate in any fireworks, but it was ok because we were fed three times in a row. Some new investigators took us to an all you can eat Breakfast Buffet, then we went to the ward picnic for lunch, and then a member fed us dinner at their house.Speaking of the new investigators, they seem very promising. Christine just recently moved from Utah about 2 years ago, she had been taking the lessons in Utah and already has a testimony of the Book of Mormon; she is just having some trouble quitting smoking. About a year ago she married Duke. Duke has only heard good things about the church and is eager to learn more. Duke has no word of wisdom problems and wants to help Christine quit smoking. We are very excited.Elder Fraser is very trunky (he leaves in 10 days) but we are still getting along very well, although it is a bit more difficult to stay focused on the work when he talks about home a lot.I love you all. Take care. I look forward to hearing from you all next week.Elder Jose

July 13, 2009
Hey Family It is good to hear about the missionaries leaving home, and it is wonderful hearing from our returning heroes (Grandma and Grandpa). The last week has been kind of a bummer because Elder Fraser and I both got some kind of stomach bug, so things have been moving a little slower than usual. This Sunday kind of made up for the rest of the week though, it started by having a new investigator coming to church. Her name is Karen and we had taught her and her son the Thursday previous. She really enjoyed the service and I don't blame her. It was one of the most spiritual sacrament meetings I have had since I have been in Tennessee. After church we went and taught her again and she expressed the desire to be baptized. She understands that she has some obstacle to overcome before she can be baptized but she is bright and optimistic about her conviction to live god’s commandments. Her son Dwight is cool. We got to go to priesthood with him, and he seems to enjoy the company at church. I will be losing Elder Fraser on Wednesday and I won't know who my new companion is until then, but it will be sad to see him go. He has been a good companion and was really easy to get along with. Love you all, stay safe.Elder Jose P.S. Dad, I haven't gotten the package yet, the Mission office is probably holding it until transfers.

July 20, 2009
Hey family,
Sounds like you all have had a busy week. It has been busy here too, I got my new companion on Wednesday, his name is Elder Mathew Condie. Elder Condie is from St George UT, my first companion from Utah. His MTC group was held in the MTC an extra 2 weeks due to an outbreak of the swine flu in the MTC, so He has only been in the mission for 4 weeks. He is still a little green, but then again so am I. So far we have been having a lot of success finding people to teach, but I am a little nervous about the size of our teaching pool and getting them all to progress, We are probably going to have to drop a few and focus on the more promising of the group and go back to the rest later. Elder Condie is going to be a great missionary were going to have a good little run together. I Love you all thank you for your E-mails. P.S. The last few weeks of your mission are als the most dangerous, so travel safely Grandma and Grandpa.

July 27, 2009
It may be hot in the South, but Summer is great for Missionary Work. We are doing so much teaching. Elder Condie and I are having quite a bit of success, we are still working with Karen who is Quitting smoking and progressing steadily in knowledge of the gospel and the testimony, we are very excited for her. This Past week we had lot of success in finding people to teach, which means this next week we will have lots of teaching to do. I am ecstatic and so grateful that we have been trusted By the lord to do so much. I just hope that Elder Condie and I are up for it all. Thank you again for the E-mails. I love to hear from you. I will keep you posted on what I am up to.love Elder Jose

August 3, 2009
Today is P-day again and this time we took a short half mile hike in the smokies. I was surprised at how beautiful the mountains are here. I was trying to compare them to the mountains out west, but they are two completely different kinds of pretty. Pictures don't do it justice (I will send some home anyway). Sorry For such a short e-mail but I am a little short on time today I will write more next week. Just be thankful for the knowledge of the gospel that you have. The repercussions of the Apostasy are very apparent here. I will tell you more about that next week. Love you Elder Jose

August 10, 2009
Last week I told you to be thankful for the knowledge of the gospel that you have. That's because the week previous we were invited to go to another Church service on Wednesday night... The church is called the "Restoration International Outreach" or "R.I.O." (it is a branch off of The Church of God, and their church is gaining popularity in the Area) I went there to see why it was so popular and perhaps see another view of the Gospel. What I got was 45 minutes of Gospel Rock 40 minutes of "Why we need more money for 'mission work'" and 5 minutes of false doctrine. I was very disappointed, but now I know why their church is popular. (It's the music).Anyway, you probably want to know how the mission work is going. Well it is hot here so people are grumpy and don't really feel like talking so we are having a hard time finding new investigators, but on the upside the investigators we do have are progressing quite nicely. It is great to see the change coming along in their lives as their light and testimonies grow. I love you all and encourage you to continue building the strong testimonies that you have. Knowing nothing more than the fact that God is our loving Heavenly Father will change your whole aspect on life. Imagine how the impact of knowing the fullness of the gospel will bless you. I urge you to continue to seek knowledge and grow.I love you all dearly.Elder Jose