Planning...what's planning?

Happy belated Memorial day United States citizens! :)

Good news! its no longer freezing Btw!.... It's now terribly hot and Humid.. hahaha The irony..

Sorry my email is so late.. all the libraries were closed and i have been waiting for this creeper guy to stop watching "how to" videos on holes in socks...  So i can EMAIL!!! haha

Anyways... We had a crazy crazy week this past week. 

First, Everything we had planned had either fallen through or had to change due to spontaneous service opportunities. We helped a super nice lady with her yard work, Then help a couple move in, Elder Hutchenson said "wow i have never done so much service on my mission. i feel like a crippled old man" hahaha He is Hilarious! I work that guy so hard... I feel bad sometimes. But he is always willing to work its so great! The next step is just getting him to speak up more often! he is very quiet and shy, So we all try to get him out of his shell.

But whenever he goes to the "courts" in Troy he just opens up! he talks to everyone. I guess he is just a thug, who knows. Everyone who plays basketball there is Amazing! We usually play one game with them when we walk by. They call us CHURCH SHOES! haha 

We also had our service hour at the nursing home, We usually ride the bus because its too long of a walk, BUT we missed the bus due to watching a family of Asians fighting outside of a restaurant. So we walked.... and walked.... and WALKED! Then finally realized we weren't even walking in the right direction!! we walked 3 miles in the WRONG DIRECTION! haha so we had to walk another 3 miles to a bus stop to go home and it went the wrong way... hahahaha We quickly learned more about the bus system that day. 

I am slowly but surly learning more names of the AWESOME members in our ward. They are so great they feed us and tell us such great stories! haha I find the best question to ask is What is the craziest thing you ever saw on your mission? Never fails to amuse me! haha

The work here has abruptly ceased for some crazy reason! all our investigators are just no where to be found so we Tract and talk to people almost all day everyday!  But almost always after an appointment falls through. Things have been just crazy lately, One of our Zone leaders Elder Gemienart Became very sick overnight, So Elder Lords the other ZL asked us to go on exchange with them Because they had things that needed to be done that day. So elder hutchenson so Eagerly volunteered himself to be a Zone leader for a day! haha OH was I so happy he did that! haha once i heard what they had to do all day i definitely counted my blessings. They had to move all these things into all the sisters apartments and do all these training's, while I stayed in their super nice apartment and took a nice Jacuzzi bath and played mini golf. Hahaha it was .. uh.. ineffective haha

On memorial day our stake had a HUGE BBQ with an amazing turnout! We had burgers, investigators, slips and falls it was great! we all got super sun-burnt! 

I definitely learned that, even if things don't go according to plans, It happened for a reason. You might not ever know why god put you in the path of a lady who smells like dead cats, but he does it for a reason! and the best thing to do is to put your faith in him and listen to the spirit and just let it guide ya!:)

I hope you all have an amazing week! and start enjoying this summer!

And I promise i will post more pictures next week.. totes forgot my camera...

:)

Love Elder NY Jepsen

Culture Shock!

Well Good Mormon Everyone!:)

Allow me to expound on my CRAZY CRAZY week.

So Monday and Tuesday completely consisted of Packing all my junk i have accumulated in Massena, Then saying my goodbyes to everyone. Which was kind of hard, I had grown so close to everyone up there.

Then on Wednesday we had transfers! What a long and spiritual day! Many great missionaries in this mission went home last week... it was super weird to see them go. 

It took us 3 and a half hours to get to Utica from Massena, Then took us 2 hours to get to Albany. The van we came up in was the Zone leaders van in Albany. We had 5 missionaries and their MASSIVE LUGGAGE!! And guess who had to be squished in the back seat with all of it because no one else would speak up? .... Yes, yours Truly! haha .... blessings.

Anyways, Albany is HUGE! the buildings are amazing. we drove right through it... then straight to troy which is the epitome of Ghetto. haha its so great! Elder Pettit and I got to troy and met Elder stoddard and Elder Hutchenson. There they drove us to our apartment. And by this time i was VERY nervous because i just saw Troys apartment and... it didnt look so hot. So we get to Cohoes then proceed to the "Island" which is between the Hudson river. Right below a State park. Then, we go in the apartment and... its SO SICK! It's like a Super old penthouse! haha 

..Tender Mercy... 

Elder Hutchenson is from Rose Hill Utah and a studly soccer player. He is Hilarious!! every little thing he does. He reminds me of mr. bean! He has been out for about 2 transfers. And these last four days he is taking over an area for the first time and EVERYONE canceled or bailed on him. He was so discouraged he thought it was him!:( I told him that is missionary life and you will Always have some of those days! haha He is great. 

Cohoes Troy and Lansingburgh are completely different from my last Area! Did i mention it is ghetto? haha People come up and talk to us and ask us questions! we can talk to people all day its so nice! Now the next step is getting the Hutch to doing it by himself:)

The first Full day i was here, A strange guy named Dan came up to us and asked us If we like the German flute or Hermonica better then proceeded to play very loudly and sporadically.... Then he gave me some of his drawing and poetry. I wont go into too much detail on the poetry but let me tell you its just.... Great . The last one ends like "so ends the prickly  life of Larry the French Fry" hahaha But i digress.

THIS WARD IS AMAZING!! they are willing to teach with us and help spread the gospel. They are just eager to work! ah i love it. PEOPLE FEED US!!! i cant believe it. I have never just wanted to hug everyone in sight before in my life. haha

We had a great discussion in Elders Quorum yesterday, about secular things and spiritual things... which turned into a Debate. Then I pulled out a scripture i LOVE in Collesians 2:8. I urge you all to read it! IT reminds me not to believe in the deceit of men and of sciences. But to believe in Christ!:)

I hope you all have a great week!

And i look forward to telling you more zany stories of Albany next week!

Love always,

Elder Jepsen

 this is the bridge between Cohoes and Waterford- probably the least ghetto view you can find:)

our apartment! 

Ch ch ch ch CHANGES!

HEY! everyone, I hope you all had an amazing Mothers day!:) 

For me it was a PERFECT way to end such a crazy week by seeing My Mom and Dad and my sister. It was so great to hear their voices and see their faces. 

..they are still there so that's good.. haha We had A lot to talk about because this last week many things happened.

We had our Branch BBQ that we put a lot of time and effort into, and it turned out just Great! we had many many people show up and have a good time and share stories about Family History. It also boosted our numbers on Sunday so that was good too haha.

On Saturday Elder Neus and I Helped try to find Hypodermic needles in the parks up here with the Chamber of commerce (which was crazy btw) Then we helped this really nice lady with here big time yard work and changed her views of Mormons, YES! But after that we got a call from our Zone Leaders.... 

They told us the changes that are happening around the Mission and..... that I am being transferred to... North Albany. I think Cohoes to be more exact.. haha. It IS A Brand NEW walk area. I was in Shock! I am now going from the Smallest branch in the Mission to the biggest ward in the mission. It is definitely going to be different than the north country. I will be serving with an Elder Hutchenson. I am going to miss Elder Neus! It never felt like work when we were companions it always just felt like Chillin with your best friend. I'll miss that studly son of a gun! haha

It is sad to have to leave all the people I have grown to love and care for and all the weird back woods things I see up here but, I know I have been called there for a reason. And that is where the lord needs me:)

SO in memory of my Massena, where I was "Born" this email will probably be shorter than usual so i can just post pictures of the fun I've had the last 6 months!

Thank you ALL so much for all the love and support you give me! I promise i will always keep you Updated for the next 3/4 of my mission!:)

Love always the Northerner at heart....

Elder Jepsen

Keep NY NORMAL! (it's going to be a bumper sticker soon, just watch)

We work hard...

Splits with Elder Adam- They really bonded

Double DIPPED!

Deb's Baptism 

Hey You's Guy's!

Well We had a typical crazy/weird week! haha 

No joke...Every appointment we had this last week fell through or bailed... It was just one of those weeks I guess. And it just happened to be the week I went on exchange with my District leader. hahaha But, No worries! I hunted them ALL down and either had a lesson with them or Rescheduled with them. (it all happened for a reason though) We can't take no for an answer. It's their Eternal salvation!:) 

Besides that we saw a good share of really weird stuff, like we usually do. And it has been raining ALL THE TIME! It is constantly cloudy and somber here. Even when it rains we are  out walking and trying to help people. I think I kind of got Elder Neus sick by walking in all that rain.... He was out for the count all day Wednesday! But eventually he became better and we  went back to poundin the pavement.

Being out here in the same area for almost 6 months is beginning to take its toll. Lately I had been feeling really burned out and tired. Everyone keeps giving me grief about how I am being transferred and leaving Massena... Which doesn't help! haha But I am so grateful to be able to be here for that long! I have met people I never would have met. And created friendships that will last a lifetime. I have helped change this area to help further the work here. I have been able to do things I never thought I would be doing! I have learned so much here!

I really started thinking about that Saturday at the Baptism. And Let me tell ya, it will be a memory I will never forget! 

In the beginning it was so stressful. We get to the chapel and look at the water and it is SUPER dirty and FREEZING COLD! So we finally clean it out, and we get a call and our Pianist canceled at the last minute! So we had to find a piano player.... we didn't.... haha Elder Duckworth had to and he hadn't played in years! 

Then when I was Baptizing Debbie I said her Maiden name and not her Other name.... UGH! haha super Embarrasing. I was so Nervous i Spaced out! I couldn't remember anything I said! it was all just a big BLUR! haha Soooo... She had to be "double dipped". And ooooh did people love teasing me about it. hahaha 

But it all worked out and it was amazing! There were so many people there, I was so happy. The spirit was definitely there.

You watch these people grow as you first meet them, then you teach them and become so close and finally help them enter into the waters of Baptism. It is such an amazing feeling!

The confirmation is the Icing on the cake! Elder Neus confirmed her a member and Did such an amazing job. That sacrament meeting was probably the Best fast and testimony meeting I have been to yet on my mission. 

This next week we have our Transfer calls. I am very very anxious to hear what is going to happen up here.
OH AND MOTHERS DAY!! We get to finally call and skype our families! I am so excited.

I hope you all have an amazing week! And always try to go out of your way to say "hello" or introduce yourself to people in your ward. FELLOWSHIP is soooooo key in the church and helps out the missionaries a TON!!!

Love ya all! Happy cinco de mayo......

"keep NY ....normal...." haha

-Elder Jepsen

P.s The Baptism pic!! That's Deb in the middle. And "mother neus" haha