Well, the end 

has come 

Elder Albrethsen

Colonia, Uruguay

Companion:  
Elder Peaks

Tuesday, 12 Mar 2012

 Hola, everyone!

Yesterday, my last day of work, was pretty crazy. haha We had big storms to deal with and a couple great lessons. I will be home in a few days to tell you all of the great stories (which that was). For those who read my emails, I will type up a great novel as I will have a few extra minutes to type after I return.

  

Marcelo, who is moving to Chile, wants me to come visit him and go surfing

I’ve had the time of my life here in Uruguay that I will never forget. I received innumerable blessings and friends from my service and, above all, had my testimony strengthened beyond anything I could have imagined.  I will truly miss it here in Uruguay, but I’m excited to go home . . . mixed feelings, to put it simply. 

Enjoy these few photos and we will be seeing each other in a few days.

Cookie face game!

At the beach on p-day

Great people we are teaching . . .

Christian, another investigator friend, instructed me in how to do an asado—he let me do it!  I’m going to have an asado for my family when I get home.

Wednesday, I catch a bus to Montevideo at 5 am and have a few hours to spend in the city.  I hope to go through a session at the Temple with Mateo. Then Thursday about midnight I fly out of Montevideo . . . and am on my way to the States.  (Picture of aeropuerto in Colonia)

                                             I love you!!!! 

Elder Jonathan Albrethsen

The 

Last Supper

  

Let the events of this sacred gathering bring you hope and peace through Jesus Christ.  lds.org

Wow, my final full week 

Elder Albrethsen

Colonia, Uruguay

Comp:  Elder Peaks

Monday, 5 de marzo 2012

Hard to believe I am where I am. Two years have come and gone. It’s an exciting time, but a little sad. I love the mission field. It's had its ups and downs!

This week was intense! We had a ton of great lessons with our gators!  Marcelo is moving this week—sad day, but I hope to visit him in Chile someday. He is a stud!  

We also had a couple great lessons with Christian—another stud! I’m going to miss a lot of my friends I’ve made here in this country.

Relying on members to help us reach Jeromy’s mom.  We are working with everyone to make it to church. That seems to be the big step these days, the hardest to take. We had Jeromy in church, which means if his mom approves, he can get baptized this weekend. We’ll get the details tonight on what’s going to happen. We have members going by to talk with the mom since she gets home at 9:30 pm, sometimes 10 at night.  So it’s out of our hands a bit. We’ll keep praying for him and for all the rest of our great gators that we have, hoping that they can continue to progress.

Fun stuff we have done this week. We had a horse come and mow our lawn haha

We had an asado with Marcelo and ended up eating kidneys and we had tacos. They were ok... major lack of hot sauce!    

The cookie face game and hamster-powered computers.  We played a game which involves using cookies put on your forehead and, then, using the facial muscles to move it to your mouth.  Sometimes crumbs get into your eyes, but it’s fun! haha.  My comp has the pictures and we are trying to send them. It will be great to have a functioning computer again, haha. These hamster-powered ones lack power and upgrades! The more advanced ones with weasels are always taken!

Well, as I come to the close, I’ve really had the lesson shown to me of how lucky I am to have the gospel in my life.  A life without knowing Jesus Christ or Heavenly Father would be one of extreme difficulty.  Every day we meet people whose lives could be entirely changed and infinitely better if they would just stop and listen to the message we have, but most still choose to reject us.  I know without a doubt that God lives and loves us and is continually refining us.  I’ve seen many miracles manifested before my eyes and prayers answered, almost immediately sometimes! I love the gospel of Jesus Christ; it has brought me to know why I’m here in this life and why our short and small bit of time on earth is so precious.  

These two years have been a mini lifetime and the lessons are permanently with me. 

I will never forget this country.  Truly, this has been the most unique experience of my life!

I love you all and hope you have the best week ever!  Stay awesome!

If you have never checked out any of the websites I’ve had at the end of my emails, I hope you will take time for this one today.  It has profoundly changed many lives!

Elder Jonny Albrethsen

http://mormon.org/people/

Take a few minutes to listen to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints tell why

 

I'm a Mormon

While our backgrounds and experiences are diverse, we share a deep commitment to Jesus Christ, to each other, and our neighbors. Watch these stories of faith in the everyday lives of Mormons. 

Ups, downs and

falls of the week 

Elder Albrethsen

Colonia, Uruguay

Comp:  Elder Peaks

Monday, 27 Feb 2012

Wow, what a week...     

I truly will miss the mission field. haha The random adventures and crazy people we run into is awesome! (not to mention, angry monkeys)

 

We had zone conference this last week in Montevideo. What a time that was! haha.  It was like coming home again.  Man, I miss the big city! I love all the movement and motion all the time and all the buses.  We caught a bus at 5 am to Deo and made it to the church at about 8 am, half of us, at least.  The others missed their bus.

It was a great conference.  We focused on the Book of Mormón and how key it is in conversion.  I love the book of Mormón!  It is powerful!

My famous back flip face plant. Things were going pretty smoothly until Elder Glenn started a contest to see who was doing their exercises in the morning and studying their scripts. haha Well, I eventually volunteered myself and tried my luck at jump roping while answering questions. haha My best friend, Elder Wilson, was yelling out different things to do while jump roping and, well.... I heard him yell, “Hey, do a backflip!” Somewhat confident in my ability to do flips, I tried . . . and failed—epically! At the conference we gave our final testimonies as dying missionaries [elders headed home at end of mission].  My first comment was, “Don’t tell my mom!” haha. Ah . . . It was a very spiritual meeting!!

Afterward the real adventure began. I had come to Montevideo armed with gifts! for vagabundos! haha I had brought all my blankets that I didn’t need anymore and decided to give them all to the less fortunate.  Well, we went out in search for those living on the street.  The first two that we found rejected our gifts! I couldn’t believe it! Great free blankets and they didn’t want them! I was bummed, to say the least.

Goofing off with my old companion, Elder Fleming

We did talk with some skaters who wanted to go find the guy who punched me in the face and beat the snot out of him. It was great.  We eventually did find some who needed some blankets and were able to share a short message with them.  All of them asked about my face and were ready to go beat someone up. haha I was amazed at the defense these people were willing to do for the missionaries.  I hope to return to the city with the rest of my things in a couple weeks and find people who might need them. (me and my old comp, Elder Fleming)

We bought peanut butter!!!! Yeah! We found some!  hahaha Best day of our lives!

My favorite family from Colonia! Marcelo and Catalina are our best investigators. They are moving to Chile.

                       

  Emerson, the cool neighbor kid.  That kid is a stud!

  

I have a great story involving Mateo.  I baptized him when I served in Deo, but I will have to write it at home tonight since I’m short on time.  I hope my mom puts it up in a couple weeks for you. (Picture is from the Montevideo days)

[Note: Below is the letter we received today from Jon’s mission president]

I have to go!! I love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elder Jonathan Albrethsen

(With his companion, Elder Peaks)

Dear Albrethsen Family,

On 13 Mar 2012 Elder Jonathan Jacob Albrethsen will be returning home from the Uruguay Montevideo West Mission.  It has been a wonderful opportunity for us to have him as a missionary.  He has served the Lord valiantly over the past two years.

Elder Albrethsen has been a dedicated missionary and a wonderful example to all he has associated with.  Elder Albrethsen is loved by his companions and by the people whom he has served in all his areas.  He has worked faithfully as a representative of Jesus Christ in teaching His restored gospel.  You can be well pleased with his service as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

We express our sincere appreciation for the sacrifices you have made to support him during his mission.  We will miss him, but we are happy for the opportunities that await him as he continues to serve in the Lord’s Kingdom.

 May the Lord continue to bless your family in all that you do.

Sincerely,     

Ronald W. Heaton                           Thank you!                

President Ronald W. Heaton

Uruguay Montevideo West Mission

                               President and Sister Heaton

(Elder Glenn and Elder Rio, the zone leaders, are behind Pres. Heaton. Elder Glenn is from Elder Albrethsen’s home ward in Utah)