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)  

Hearts that are softening  

Elder Albrethsen

Colonia, Uruguay

Comp:  Elder Peaks

Monday, 20 Feb 2012

Wow, what a week...

I’ve already forgotten haha but my comp just reminded me and it all came back!

Last Tuesday we had district meeting and every district meeting we get our mail. Well, I got my tickets home, haha. It was really unexpected.  We didn’t think we´d get them till next week or the week after, but they showed up and it happened to be on the day that Elder Wilson (who goes home same time as I do) and I had divisions, haha. So we had a lot to talk about while we were on divisions.  And  . . . we got a lot done . . .

We taught a guy whom Elder Olsen and I found about a month and a half ago. He has work off and is taking quite well to the charlas....lessons.  He drinks a bit, but he is super cool! We have had members going by his house every day this week.  He is going to get baptized.

They were resistant to missionaries for years

Jeromy has been taking the lessons for the last couple weeks and is getting baptized on the 3rd of March.  We had a great lesson with his parents on Sunday. They have been resistant to the missionaries for several years and we made it in.

We also had a great lesson with Jeromy’s grandfather whose wife passed away 6 months ago. He completely rejected me and Olsen, but after the lesson we had with Jeromy’s folks, we talked with him for 15 minutes and I explained the plan of salvation to him.  Well, he didn’t have much to reject after I told him that he could be with his wife again. He did soften up after that. 

We also had another lesson with our Jewish family.  They are lightening up little by little. We got the dad to pray yesterday. It was great! 

As for our best investigator, Marcelo, he is moving to Chile to live there with his wife, agh!!!!!!!   As for Vilma and Jorge, we haven’t been able to pin them down. They are just all over the place, but she still wants to be baptized!  We have some other potentials and we will see how they go.... 

Time has passed by super quick. This last week flew by and it rained on us the whole time!  Haha It’s been super humid too.  Seems like quite the change to go back to cold and dry instead of wet and sticky all day.

                                                                          Keep holding fast to the Iron Rod!

 

              (Elder Heaps, my comp)

Tomorrow we have zone conference in Montevideo. So next week will have a lot of pictures!!!   No worries, Mom.     

[Jon’s Mom:  My grandchildren helped me select supplemental pictures that we found off the Internet]

                                                                                            I love you !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elder Jonny Albrethsen

Draw closer to Jesus Christ

                  Learn from Elder Dallin H. Oaks how the Sacrament can bring us closer to the Savior.  (lds.org)

The Torah  

Elder Albrethsen

Colonia, Uruguay

Comp:  Elder Heaps

Monday, 13 Feb 2012

Well, well, another wonderful week has passed by and have I got a couple wonderful stories for you!  I’ll tell about our three main families . . .

An enormous birthday celebration!  First, Vilma and Jorge!!!  They are not getting baptized this weekend. It was Vilma’s birthday yesterday and she couldn’t make it to church due to an enormous celebration of family!! So…. maybe next week.  We are praying for her.

My favorite family—Marcelo and Catalina.  Marcelo is missing Catalina so much that he is thinking of spending a couple weeks down in Chile with her.  If he goes, I won’t be here for the baptism of their family, but they will be getting baptized, that is 100 percent sure.   We had a couple great lessons with him by explaining more of the gospel of Christ and watching the film on the Restoration of the Savior’s church.  It was great. He is rededicating himself to reading the Book of Mormón due to the fact that it was Catalina who read most of it to him and did the studying.  We will have to see how things go.

Gabriel, our Jewish friend, is finding answers in the Book of Mormón. Our fam that lives out in the boondocks—Carmen and Gabriel, well, we got there and did service for him by cleaning up a tree that the city came to cut down in their yard. (It was about 50 some feet tall, no joke) We went in and began talking about all the things they had been studying and what they believe.  I had done some research to find out the book they believe in, the Torah, is the name given by Jews to the five books of Moses that begin the Hebrew Bible (Exodus through Deuteronomy.) He told us how he had read the first two episodes of Nefi and I was thinking that he meant the first 2 chapters of 1st Nephi. He meant the first two books of Nephi! It was awesome! He was starting into Jacob and going strong. Lots of his complicated questions were answered by the Spirit.  It was great!!! He wanted about a week before our next visit.  I’m assuming he will almost be done with the Book of Mormón by then. We made sure to invite him to commit to pray every time he reads the Book of Mormón to ask God if it is true and the revealed word in these latter days. He committed to do so!  So we will see how it goes

We are working with a couple part member families and hoping the parents change their mind about the church and come back (less active.) So we continue to pray and work!

Elder Heaps and I on our P-day

I love you guys!  Keep being awesome and remember us in your prayers!

Elder Albrethsen

Exhort Them to Pray

It is our privilege to pray to our Heavenly Father, who “loves us enough that He gave His son as Our Savior.” 

              --Pres. Henry B. Eyring   lds.org

Found a Jewish family 

Elder Albrethsen

Colonia, Uruguay

Comp:  Elder Heaps

Monday, 6 Feb 2012

Staying up all night at transfers.  This week was a lot of work and, wow, a rough week energy wise.  We had changes this last week and it was cool haha. I was super tired cause me and Olsen stayed up talking forever about great times during our short 6 weeks together.  But 5 am came around and we went to the terminal to drop him off and I went with Elder Lopez from El Salvador back to his place. We worked in my area all day.  

(Elder Olsen is on the far left)

We picked up my new comp, Elder Heaps from Idaho, at 2 in the afternoon and continued working as a trio ‘cause the new comp for Elder Lopez (Elder Fleming, my old comp) slept through his bus leaving in the morning. He wasn’t going to make it till midnight.  (Elder Heaps is on the left)

We went on some crazy adventures down in Centro to work in Elder Lopez’s area.  There are some weird families over there in his area, haha.  But we worked till nine or so and went home. This was my first moment to sleep in almost 36 hours. 

We woke up at 11:30 pm or so to go pick up Fleming. Luckily, he made it and we went home and went to bed.  6:30 am came all too soon haha.  Goodness! Wednesday and Thursday were some of the longest days ever just ‘cause my body was hurting from lack of sleep, but now things are good, haha.  (Elder Fleming is on the right)

We did have lots of great lessons. Our main investigators are Vilma and Jorge, and Marcelo and his wife Catalina, who went to Chile this week.  Vilma has promised us to work for the baptism date of the 18th of this month!! So we are super stoked for that! With Marcelo, he works a lot ‘cause his new hotel is asking that he goes in every day now to manage and take care of problems. So we rarely see him.

            

We found a Jewish family who had just moved in a couple weeks ago in the far corner of our area.  They were super cool, haha. They have a son, 2 or 3, who was running around in the buff, to put    it lightly.  Crazy lesson, but we have at least one more visit with them this Wednesday. It should be pretty interesting. They don’t really believe in Christ and have a lot of other religious books and different point of views.  It’s super interesting to talk with them.  We   hope to have a great conversation and lesson on Wednesday.

Half our zone played volley ball down on the beach this morning.  It was cool!

We have more service in a couple hours. I’m going home to take a nap… I’m so tired, haha but keep up the good fight and stay awesome everyone! I’ll be seeing you soon!              

[Jon will be home in 5 weeks]

The Church is TRUE!!!!

Elder Albrethsen

Know That 

Jesus Lives

Gather at the Christus statue to hear a living Apostle’s testimony of the Savior.

                          (Go to lds.org)