July 01, 2013 three reasons why forgetting both the keys and the bus pass can give opportunity to memorable views of the Thames

Sent: Monday, July 01, 2013 4:53 AM
Subject: three reasons why forgetting both the keys and the bus pass can give opportunity to memorable views of the Thames

Dear those who have ever failed to describe the taste of egg whites,

We had the opportunity to watch the work of salvation broadcast last night with our ward. Originally it was broadcasted at bout midnight here so most wards reshowed it this last Sunday. My first thought was that this was probably the first time that the choir at the MTC had such a strong feminine sound to it. This was probably the first time that the sisters were able to match let alone overpower the sound of the elders in the choir. It was inspiring and amazing to see so many full time missionaries gathered together and singing together. While we watched, Elder Patten leaned over to me and whispered. "They have so much work ahead of them." I couldn't help but agree. I don't think anyone can fully comprehend the power that was present in that group of new and faith filled missionaries and the effect they will have on the world for good. Sometimes as a missionary you can lose sight of how great and powerful the missionary force is because you spend most of your time on your own doing work around and with people that are not of our faith or our beliefs. But this is where the power of such a large force comes. Their potential would not really be realized if they continued to spend so much time just with each other. The changes that they can bring about in the world come as they minister to individuals one by one. So when you think about how many individual lives will be touched by the individual ministering of so many people you begin to see the power of the missionary program. I’m grateful for all that I've been able to take part in and for all the time I will have for the rest of my life to continue in.

 

This week was fantastic for us. Joe and Benita are absolutely solid in their commitment to be baptized this Saturday--fully prepared and completely dedicated to keep their covenants for the rest of their lives. Megan as well is still solid for the 13th. This last Sunday her mother and sister weren't able to come to church because of work and illness. Megan still came. Without asking for help or a ride or making any excuses she travelled to church by herself on the busses, around a half an hour journey. We had no idea about this either until half way through church we realized that the rest of her family wasn't there. When we asked her about it she simply told us she had come by herself. She has a true and sincere desire and this is manifest through her works.

The thing that has really stood out to me about working with these three is how little Elder Patten and I really have done. All we do is come around for around a half an hour twice a week to visit and share scriptures with them. They then have, by themselves, kept commitments and gained testimonies and desires through their own work and by individually praying for themselves. They and the spirit have done all the work. Most of what we do now is just thank the Lord as often as possible that we have had the opportunity to see these changes and conversions take place.

I wish I had more time to tell you more about the three more people that accepted baptismal dates over this last week as well. They're names are Carl, Ebo John, and the last one is Alex, who was actually our first date in the area but who had some struggles because of his exams so his teaching was postponed. He's back on track now though :)

Love you guys and as always I’m grateful for your support and your prayers

 With love

Elder Jarman

 ps. what if I had no post script? . . . .

June 24, 2013 a marvelous escapade that may or may not involve a potentially explosive car, wire transferred money, and frequently renewed bus passes

Sent: Monday, June 24, 2013 4:27 AM
Subject: a marvelous escapade that may or may not involve a potentially explosive car, wire transferred money, and frequently renewed bus passes

 Dear anyone that enjoys, or at least frequently notices, the beeping noise that is on occasion made when entering a public store,

 Joe and Benita came to the visitors centre at the temple with us this last week. It was a really powerful experience for all involved. The Serrano family drove them down and the entire family attended together. This was really cool because the Serrano family recently returned from less activity and has not yet participated in the blessings of the temple. So all together learned and felt the spirit as the sisters there taught about how the temple blesses and helps families and how what is done in the temple is central to our heavenly fathers plan for our happiness. We had told the sisters to focus on teaching about families in teaching and touring the Serrano’s and they did a fantastic job. During one point of the tour when the sisters asked Joe how he felt about what had been learned so far he got emotional and bore his testimony of Joseph Smith and the restoration of the church and gospel of Jesus Christ. He is spending a great deal of time and effort now teaching and helping his wife Benita to understand and feel the importance of this message. And she has been responding. Whereas before she just kinda sat there in the lessons she now participates and reads and explains scriptures as we teach. She is now genuinely committed as well for the sixth of July!

 Megan Gilber as well has been doing really well as she's been preparing for the 13th. she told us this last week that many of her friends have not understood and even mocked her when she told them about her up and coming baptism but she doesn't mind and she knows why she is going to do it and that is what is important to her. She is a very strong individual and has even already made plans to go to efy this summer as well! Her mother has been improving loads this week as well. She has been making steps to reactivate herself and it seems to me like she is doing this in part because she realizes that she needs to be an active member in order to offer her daughter the support that she wants to. That’s one of the great things about the gospel of Jesus Christ; it makes us want to be better for those we love. Love is the one of the greatest and most lasting motives that I have seen and experienced. We want to be better because we love those around us and we know we need to improve to be a better father, mother, brother sister, or friend. We may try self-improvement in other methods but the most sure and enduring changes and improvements come as one accepts and applies the teachings of Christ into their lives and into their relationships.

I’m very blessed as a zone leader. The missionaries in this zone are all, as far as we can tell, hard working and obedient missionaries and as such the work in this zone continues to improve and increase. We do most of our work as zone leaders in training and supporting the district leaders as well as training them in their responsibilities and they then do everything that they are called to do and the work hastens. The zone currently has 13 people preparing for baptism which is about double from what is was a few weeks ago and nearly every companionship in this zone is teaching around twenty lessons a week. faith+obedience=the spirit. the spirit+hard work= miracles.

Life is pretty good!

 with love

Elder Jarman

 ps. I have eaten more cow stomach in these last few weeks than I think I have eaten in my entire life. They call it shakkee and it's surprisingly good with pepe stew and rice

 pps. Our car broke this week so we spent a little bit of time exploring London from the sidewalks. It was an experience that I enjoyed more than I thought I would.

 

 

The Serrano Family with Elder Patten and I in front of the temple,

Joe and Benita are the ones in the middle.

 

June 17, 2013 hm. . . that pepe happened to taste a lot more like milk and honey than i was originally anticipating

Sent: Monday, June 17, 2013 9:35 AM
Subject: hm. . . that pepe happened to taste a lot more like milk and honey than i was originally anticipating

Dear anyone that has ever looked at a yellow object and thought to themselves, hey, that’s yellow,

 One great thing about writing a new e-mail each week is that I’m sure that every introductory statement that I could use now has previously been utilized or been applied through a makeshift and similar way. Thus the statement that I will now make that my week was fantacular this week must not be overly unexpected or even very surprising to anyone that has yet made it this far through this epistle, not to mention the others that I may or may not have sent in previous weeks.

 Yesterday NINE investigators came to church! This is easily the highest number of people that I have ever had at a sacrament meeting. Three of them were some of our new baptismal dates. This last week has been absolutely insane. With Elder Ballard at the beginning of the week and the zone training that Elder Patten and I presented on Wednesday, as well as an exchange and one mid-transfer transfer, it is absolutely amazing that we had any time to do anything. But I feel that since we did our best to be diligent in the other responsibilities the lord has given us at this time; he blessed us in other areas that we weren't able to give as much time to this week.

 So the new baptismal dates are first a wonderful Filipino lady named Benita. She’s Joe's wife. She has been sitting in on the lessons with Joe but we were never able to get much of a response from her. In our last lesson with the Serrano’s the meeting began like thus. We had given Joe the testimony of the prophet Joseph Smith pamphlet in our last teach and asked him to read it in between visits. Before we even said the opening prayer Joe excitedly recounted to us what he had learned from the pamphlet. He remembered more of the story than I did! As he went through his recitation I was watching Helen Serrano, Joe’s daughter who Joe and Benita are currently living with. Through the dialogue she kept her eyes on the floor for the most part and I could see that she was getting a little emotional. She, and the rest of her extended family have been members of the church for many years now, but for some reason Joe and Benita never really wanted to learn more about, or even hear about the church. We don't know why he all of a sudden decided to investigate now. I imagined what it must be like for her to see her father, who before had not held any interest in the church, to recite Joseph Smith's history as well as bear testimony of it. After the teach we re-invited him to be baptized on the 6th of July and as well invited Benita. Little did we know that she had been listening through each of these teaches. We didn't even know she spoke English! Joe has also been explaining more to her about what we teach in-between teaches. She accepted the date. This is what joy is :) 

 I know firsthand what blessing the gospel can bring families. Some of the greatest experiences of my mission are those where I can see these same blessings being extended to another family, my brothers and my sisters.

I pray that I will be able to serve the people here as well as they deserve

 I love you guys and will be forever grateful for all the support and service that you have all done for me

 With love

Elder Jarman

p.s. I don't think I’ve sent you my address yet. . .

Here it is

6 belmont road

northumberland heath
erith, kent
DA8 1LB                                                       

 

p.p.s. word on the street is that summer may start here soon :)

June 11, 2013 if you give a tom-tom a name she'll be sure to want some fufu

Sent: Tuesday, June 11, 2013 5:01 AM
Subject: if you give a tom-tom a name she'll be sure to want some fufu

 
Dear anyone who is most likely severely under living their scrapbooking potential,
 
So first off I must apologize again for not e-mailing on my normal weekly time that seems lately to not really be as weekly or as normal as it has been in the past. We had a great first week in Welling this last week and it was also a great week for the zone. We picked up a new baptismal date this week named Joe. He’s from the Philippines and is living with his daughter’s family in this ward. Literally every member of Joe’s extended family is a member of the church. All of his children have joined and all of his grandchildren and all of their wives, but for some reason he has never had the opportunity. His granddaughter Breanne Serrano was baptized Saturday before last and he was attending. We met him at the service and spoke to him about the message and starting teaching him on Tuesday and he also agreed to be baptized on the 3rd of July in that same teach. He is absolutely solid and amazing he keeps all the commitments we give him and has a great ability to recognize and act on truth when he hears it. He is only in the UK temporarily though and will be moving back to the Philippines in a couple months. So the plan is to help him be baptized before he goes so he can go back to his family in the Philippines as a member of the church. He has some struggles and some pretty serious physical disabilities but despite all of those he works hard to do what he knows he should do. I already have a great love for him, and that’s' not just because he's from the Philippines (I love the Philippinos btw).  And I’m excited for his baptism.

So now to the meaty stuff:  ELDER BALLARD CAME TO OUR MISSION YESTERDAY!!!! We had a surprise conference yesterday. It was a pretty crazy day trying to organize the entire zone enough to get them all up to Hyde Park chapel on a moment’s notice but all went well and everyone arrived safely. Apparently it was a surprise because Elder Ballard was visiting Sweden with the area president and had a choice of where he was going to travel and teach for yesterday before an appointment he had in France tomorrow. He prayed and decided to visit the missionaries in London. The London mission met with him first but we came in for the end of their conference and had about twenty minutes where Elder Ballard addressed both the London and the London south missionaries at the same time. This was a powerful experience as he expressed to have all the missionaries serving in London and the surrounding areas together at once with an Apostle. He spoke to us about the simplicity of our message and the privilege it is to testify. He expressed how much he loves testifying to people about the incidents and the doctrine of the restoration, about the mission and call of Joseph Smith and about the truths of the plan of salvation. He told us that as an apostle he has many times where it seems that he does not have the strength to do what he needs to do. This was especially touching at this moment because since he arrived in Europe a few days ago he hasn't had much opportunity to rest, not to mention the jet lag, and you could see that he was fatigued even as he addressed us. He told us that when he has moments like that, he takes out a picture of the Savior and just looks at His face. Somehow while doing this he always finds the strength to do what he is required to do. He then challenged us to do the same and remember this counsel anytime our duty seems too much to bear. He challenged us to always keep Gethsemane and Golgotha in the back of our minds no matter what we are doing. He taught us many more things but these are the things that stood out to me the most through his address.

Side note: I had no idea that David Jordan was the mission president for the London north mission! I had about a triple take when I saw him on the stand coming into the conference. Unfortunately I didn't have the opportunity to speak to him due to the incredible rush and multitude of people there. I’m pretty sure he didn't see that I was there, but it was still a completely unexpected and cool experience to have a run in with my old high school lacrosse coach!

We've had a lot of miracles this last week and even today in the time I’ve been e-mailing you guys and I wish I had more time to express more to you guys but hey this is kinda how things have been my entire mission :)

Love you guys tons and I love hearing about the many great experiences you guys are having.

 
With love

Elder Jarman

 
p.s. have I mentioned that I occasionally go running along the Thames where I’m living now :)
 
p.p.s. I recently started exploring my Asian roots and started cooking with a wok. I’m happy to report that no one has yet suffered any fatal injuries.
 
p.p.p.s. it is not yet uncommon for me to occasionally eat peanut stew, just throwing that out there.

 

Elder Keller, me and loads of other missionaries in London on our way to see Elder Ballard

 

May 27, 2013 Brief but not berev

Sent: Monday, May 27, 2013 5:07 AM
Subject: brief but not berev

 

hey guys sorry about this shortitude of this e-mail I'm not going to have too much time to e-mail today but I should have some time on Wednesday. got lots to tell you :)

love you guys

sincerely

Elder Jarman

 

 

Sent: Saturday, June 01, 2013 3:21 AM
Subject: Re: drivers license

 

Sorry I wasn't able to e-mail on Wednesday I ended up being on the road all day and now am living in Welling.

I'll repent and give you guys more details when I e-mail for reals on Monday.

thanks

with love

Elder Jarman

 

 

Another successful transfer stuffage

 

May 20, 2013 when the elves departed, only the taste of the river remains

Sent: Monday, May 20, 2013 4:53 AM
Subject: when the elves departed, only the taste of the river remains

Dear anyone who feels surprisingly cool anytime they inadvertently make use of the word "wherefore",
 
So in starting we have now OFFICIALLY moved in! All of the stuff that we call ours, as well as the stuff that just kinda seems to follow us around, have now been transferred to our new flat in the Hamble River area--which of course meant that numerous portions of the week were spent "sorting" various materials into new positions that comprise bunk beds, desk spaces, and furniture sculptures. Due to the suddenimity of the move we ended up moving into another set of missionaries’ flat instead of buying a new one, so we have been creatively conforming what used to be a two man space into a four man space. I must say the experience has been quite fun and has involved a lot less duct tape than I previously would have supposed.
 
I’m so excited to open up a new area! Like really this is something that I have wanted to do for nearly my entire mission and I really thought that I would probably never get the opportunity. We built our new area book a few days ago and it was really quite intimidating/ exciting to open up the area book and see absolutely nothing inside of it. It’s a little bit like looking at a blank sheet of paper that eventually is going to be turned as you your mid-semester art project and picturing just what you’re going to do with it. This area has so much potential. We haven’t had much opportunity to work in our area because of moving and exchanging hassles but the time we have been able to spend, has been fruitful and we've gotten loads of names from the people in this ward that we will be visiting this week so we have some great places to start. So get ready for some miracle stories :) cuz they're coming.
 
Interestingly though we still are teaching Rebecca, even though she is in the Southampton area. She lives really far away from the Southampton city itself and is basically impossible for the missionaries without a car to get to so we've been asked to continue teaching her and visit her on splits with the Southampton missionaries. She is still doing fantastic and has accepted to live all of the commandments. She won't be able to be baptized this coming Saturday like we originally planned but she is still working towards baptism and we will be setting a new date with her on Tuesday.
 
I hit my 18 month mark a few days ago, which is an interesting experience for a missionary. I don't usually spend too much time thinking about the months because that only seems to make the time go even faster, but this was an interesting moment of introspection for me. I remember when I was a new missionary how much I looked up to and sought to be like the missionaries I knew that had been out for 18 months. I watched everything they did, especially my zone leaders, and copied every good thing they did and also used any mistakes they made to justify my own less than perfect choices. Being on the other side of the spectrum, with that memory has made me recognize that my actions will most likely have much more weight than I will recognize or even suppose. I still sometimes find it interesting that people listen to me at all, let alone take what I say seriously. The weight of knowing that people are watching can be quite heavy at times, but I welcome the opportunity to grow. I don't think we can ever realize how much different we are as active members of the church and how much we can stand out to those around us. And we can never fully appreciate how much of a positive affect our good choices can have on those we associate with. I find I have even more reason to "watch ourselves and our thoughts, and our words, and our deeds" when I know that others are as well. Being an example is probably one of the best helps you can be to your friends and your family.
 
I love you all and I’m very grateful to you for all of your support and help and especially your prayers,
 
With love

Elder Jarman

 
ps. my bunk bed looks out over a river so basically the first thing I see every morning is boats and swans. I highly recommend it.

 Epic view from my flat's balcony

 

 Winchester Cathedral

 

 "What the Harry Potter?"

 

Jane Austen's grave

May 06, 2013 when all else fails pineapple is probably your best option

Sent: Monday, May 06, 2013 5:00 AM
Subject: when all else fails pineapple is probably your best option

dear anyone that has either intentionally or unintentionally used scriptural adverbs in daily conversation,

One of my favorite things about serving in leadership positions as a missionary is conducting 24 hour exchanges with other missionaries. This week I had the opportunity to have two. With twenty two missionaries in our zone we have to do them quite frequently in order to work with as many people as we can. We also found out we're getting six new missionaries in this zone next transfer as well so we'll soon have twenty eight! Anyways during one exchange we had this week with one of the Chinese area's in Portsmouth, I got a call from Elder Manga telling me that while I was on exchange Rebecca accepted a baptismal date for the 25th of May! After much celebration and not a little whooping, I hung up the phone and we continued working. (side note, the Chinese elder I was working with, is named Elder Wu and he's from mainland china in a little town near Shanghai! how cool is that! he joined the church as a student in Sweden and left on his mission shortly afterwards!)

About five minutes later I got a call from one of the assistants with some more exciting news, he told us about the new six missionaries coming into the zone and then told us that we would be getting a new Chinese companionship coming in in the middle of the transfer as in about a week from today and that they would be taking our spot in Southampton( there's a lot of Chinese people in Southampton) so we needed to find a new area for us to move into on the fifteenth of May. They asked us to evaluate for ourselves where we would be needed and then to counsel with the Lord and the stake president on where we could go. This was a little bit of a shock to find out we're going to be moving mid transfer, especially so soon after picking up a baptismal date, but we were exited as well. After a lot of counsel and prayer we've decided we're going to go and open a new area in the Hamble River ward, called Farham Gosport.  I'm really excited to open up a new area. This has seriously been a dream of mine since practically the beginning of my mission! I’m sad to be leaving Southampton ward after only three weeks of being here but I’m sure I’ll love Hamble river ward just as much.
 
We had a really cool experience teaching one of our Chinese investigators named Tom this last week. He’s also from mainland china and had no religious exposure before he came to Southampton to study at university.  He met the missionaries a few months ago and has been coming to YSA activities since then but hasn't had much time to meet with the missionaries. We recently began teaching him the lessons. When we asked him about his beliefs he told us that he believed in Jesus Christ and in the Church because whenever he came to church or read from the book of Mormon he felt a lot happier and felt like he wanted to do all he could to make others happy as well. As we then taught him about the doctrine of the Holy Ghost he did have a hard time understanding but he frequently expressed that he still felt like it was true and that it was good.  It was amazing to me to see such pure faith and to see that with the power of the Holy Ghost Tom could know that the gospel was true; he could feel it was true.  He may have not understood very much but he had already received a witness of its truthfulness.  It made me think of the brother of Jared's response to the lords question if he would believe the words which he would speak. The brother of Jared knew that what the lord would tell him was true even though he did not know all the details yet. Tom knew that what the church teaches was good and true by the power of the Holy Ghost even though he had not yet received a firm understanding of the gospel principles or doctrine, this belief though is enough to motivate him to seek that greater knowledge.
 
Love you guys and I am always grateful for your support and you prayers

With love

Elder Jarman

 
ps. i feel like something earthshateringly important is happening this Saturday that might make a lot of people, including me, very very happy
 
pps. i'll have to get back to you guys about the details for calling this sunday, cuz i don't know them yet
 
ppps. i probably say the words dingo and crocodile about 70% more than i used to currently

April 29,2013--It's commonly misconceived that you would not be accosted by wild horses while driving through the new forest

Sent: Monday, April 29, 2013 4:28 AM
Subject: it's commonly misconceived that you would not be accosted by wild horses while driving through the new forest

 dear those who have ever changed dinner plans on account of sudden discoveries of green in unexpected places,

so we've had an exciting and eventful week this week. Elder Manga got his license this week so we've began doing missionary work in a car, which is completely different experience to what i'm used to. Mostly in that i don't get as hungry as i used to and my shoes aren't wearing out as quick, surprisingly though i still get just as exhausted by the end of the day, which is interesting. Somehow i guess i always assumed the exhausting part of missionary work was the walking but i guess it's not.

The work is going really well in south Hampton; we have an absolute miracle investigator that the missionaries began teaching shortly before i got to the area. Her name is Rebecca and she is an amazingly wealthy woman.  Half a year ago she saw a documentary on funerals and someone in that documentary was a member of the church. she was really impressed with how strong and loving this woman was especially in face of the recent death she had experienced. Then Rebecca basically forgot about the experience. A few months later her husband died of cancer. Through her struggles at this time she had many spiritual experiences and at some point remembered that woman she saw in the documentary and decided to learn more about what she believed. After researching the church for some time online she decided she wanted to be taught and the missionaries showed up a few days later. It’s crazy when we go to her house because she lives out in the countryside. So when we go there we drive down many winding green lanes that have random packs of wild horses roaming around.  It’s basically exactly what i originally pictured when i found out i was coming to England.

I’ve enjoyed working in my new calling, it is demanding and requires that i spend a lot more time doing administrative things than i've previously done but i've already learned a lot. Throughout my mission i've been taught and inspired by my leaders and i can easily think of a few leaders that changed me as a missionary and as a person through their ministering. i've been spending a lot of time thinking about those leaders and what it was about them that helped me so much. Although my leaders have helped me in many ways, the thing that i feel has changed me the most is when leaders helped me to expect more of myself. This never happened through them simply telling me to do more or even to be more. i gained these greater expectations as i worked with them and observed the way they worked and interacted with different people. Especially when i've recognized and witnessed a deep love of god and of the people we serve in my leaders it has always left me with a desire to be better and do more and expect more than i have before. None of these leaders were condescending or boastful, they never tore me down for my inadequacies but instead praised me for what i could do and helped me understand where i could be doing better. i've already had some experiences where i've been blessed to be able to recognize the great potential that the missionaries in this zone have. What i want to do and what my hope is, is to somehow help them to see it as well. i know the only way i can do this is if i trust the lord enough to let him guide me when i speak to or work with any of these missionaries.

missionary work is fun :)

i love you all and i love good cheese, of which there is a great abundance in England

 
with love

Elder Jarman 

ps. recently the sun came out in england . . . and there was much celebration

you know that phone call smelled a lot like the ocean

Sent: Monday, April 22, 2013 4:35 AM
Subject: you know that phone call smelled a lot like the ocean

 

Dear anyone who has ever wanted to stand on the front of a ship and yell I’m king of the world like they do in titanic (that is in titanic isn't it?)

 

So let’s start this e-mail with the most scenery changing announcement I’ve received in the last week. Just a few hours after I sent my e-mail to you last week, I received a call to move to Southampton and become the new zone leader of the Portsmouth zone. This call changed our plans for the next few days quite a bit. The next day we received a call telling us that Elder Keller would be moving as well to serve in Welling with a certain Elder Pond that you may or may not remember from about a year ago. This made for a very hectic Tuesday.

 

Luckily we already had an appointment to visit Robert that day. The very first thing that he said when we came into his flat was, "I heard you guys are moving!" so much for the surprise.  Binky, another recent convert, apparently told him shortly before we got there. We decided to have our last lesson with him on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As we talked we focused on the last step, enduring to the end. Robert told us that he saw that the way he saw it he only had one big step left for him in the gospel, which was for him to endure to the end living the first four steps for the rest of his life. We asked him about how he felt about the gospel of Jesus Christ. His response was one of the most powerful experiences I’ve had on my mission. He told us that before he met us he was often sad and struggled along and that his parents had been worried about him. He told us that his parents haven't really been supportive about his decision to start coming to church and become a member. But then he bore to us a powerful testimony about how the Gospel of Jesus Christ has blessed his life, changed him as an individual, and made him into a happy person. He feels like the Gospel fulfilled all that his parents want for him and he can't understand how they don't see that.

 

So far on my mission I haven't really had the opportunity to work with a recent convert much after their baptism, due to my tendency to be moved immediately after the baptism. I feel that I have been so blessed as I’ve worked with Robert to see how the gospel and the church has made changes in his life. It never ceases to amaze me the changes that occur in a person as they are exposed to the power and influence of the Holy Ghost. These changes are subtle and hardly recognizable day by day, especially in ourselves, but the effect over time is a deep, powerful, and undeniable to those that experience it.

 

Recently we had training by one of the key people that worked on the organization of Preach My Gospel. One thing he taught that I’ve found to be profound was about the restoration. He asked why the restoration was important and we all gave many different answers with the kind of things you would expect--that we needed prophets, or the priesthood authority, or the people (both collectively and individually) needed God’s direction in their lives more. He answered that all these answers were part of it, but the whole answer was still missing. He then taught us that the restoration was important because the Gospel of Jesus Christ needed to be restored. The Gospel of faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism by proper priesthood authority, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end had been lost and changed, split and distorted over the years. This Gospel is the only way for God’s children to be successful in this life and to eventually return to live to be with our Heavenly Father again. This is our unique message, and the only one that has the power to heal individuals, families, and eventually the world. it's kinda a big deal.

 

My new companion is named Elder Manga and he's from Melbourne Australia. He’s an awesome missionary and super funny. He also wears ugg boots. . . apparently in Australia even the guys wear ugg boots. Southampton is a super great area and we're going to be using a car for the first time on my mission soon--not yet though :)

 

Love you guys and as always I’m super grateful for all your support.

 

With love,

Elder Jarman

 

p.s. we watched a certain leadership training video in ward council yesterday. I recognized a certain joseph fielding smith, his little sister, and a random backside of someone straightening a bed.

 

the only real difference in appearance corresponds directly to the luminosity of the book

Sent: Monday, April 15, 2013 4:13 AM
Subject: the only real difference in appearance corresponds directly to the luminosity of the book

 

Dear those who have ever regretted drinking orange juice shortly after brushing your teeth,

 

Today I want to talk about miracles :)

A few weeks ago we had a guest speaker in Epsom ward who is currently serving as temple worker in the London Temple, named Sister Knight. Sister Knight bore her testimony on the power of prayer and shared an experience she had recently in the hospital. She was going in for an operation and was really nervous about the procedure and anxious about the pain she would be going through.  As she was lying on the hospital bed before the surgery began, she prayed for comfort. Shortly afterwards one of the doctors who was preparing her for the surgery came up to her and quietly told her not to worry because he was a high priest in the Melchizedek priesthood.  She was surprised and amazed that he had realized both that she was a Latter Day Saint and that she needed exactly that kind of comfort at this time. She did not get the opportunity to speak to this man after the surgery and she had no idea who he was or where he came from. (no he was not one of the three Nephites, just keep reading)

 

About a week and a half ago me and Elder Keller were contacting around the Redhill town centre after we had stopped by a few potential investigators in the morning. As we were going about contacting a woman came up to us and asked us if we were Mormon.  We said yes and asked her how she knew us. She told us that her husband was a member of our church and used to serve in a bishopric back in Ghana but hadn't been to church for some time now.  She asked us if we could visit her husband and help him back to church. She also told us that she was not a member. As we visited her husband, Albert, a few days later we realized that his name was not on the records of the Epsom ward, but that he had been living here without anyone from the church knowing.  He told us about how he worked at the local hospital as a heart specialist. After asking some more questions we learned that it was him who comforted Sister Knight in the hospital a few weeks ago! 

 

I can testify that god knows each of his children and is mindful of all of our needs. He answered the prayer of one of his faithful daughter by giving an opportunity for one of his less active sons to serve and then also provided a way for him to reconnect to the strength and support of the lord’s church. And on top of that Albert told us that he would like us to begin teaching his wife as soon as possible, and that they both will be coming to church this next Sunday!

 

Ammon sums up my feeling pretty well when he said "Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel." :)

The work in England and throughout the world is increasing, expanding, and hastening and I feel blessed to be able to witness miracles like this one every day in this work.  Miracles are not always this obvious, but they are always there.

 

I love you all and I wish I could tell you more about everything I’ve experienced as a missionary.   Time and my typing-strength-endurance-limit-thingy doesn't quite allow it.

Thanks for all your support and for sharing your stories with me each week. I feel and rely on your prayers

 

With love

Elder Jarman

 

p.s. recently me and Elder Keller have begun eating quite regularly something called the egg noodle sandwich. It’s exactly what it sounds like.

 

pps. it's finally starting to get warm here! I went outside without my coat on for the first time this year yesterday

 

ppps. I have some pictures I need to send to you guys soon as well!

this kind of general conference usually involves a lot less guns, and the color green isn't nearly as pervading.

Sent: Monday, April 08, 2013 6:17 AM
Subject: this kind of general conference usually involves a lot less guns, and the color green isn't nearly as pervading.

 

Dear anyone who has every questioned the reason behind calling a certain type of winter hat "a beanie",

 

I’ve been told that I should write weekly and not weakly.  . . . fortunately I did not take offence, mostly due to my attachment to the cows contained therein.

We’ve been blessed mightily this last week in our finding efforts and have begun teaching many new investigators and found many more interested people for our message. We had a really cool experience teaching one of the new investigators, a Portuguese lady named edna. she didn't speak english overly well but this didn't faze us, bout half the people we teach don't really speak english :) We were having a really difficult time understanding a concern she was expressing because Eu não falo português muito bem!  so while elder keller was teaching i said a prayer and just basically asked that we would be able to understand her and help her to understand us. after i finished the prayer i aked her a question about what she was trying to express, and she answered it. things still weren't clear so i asked another clarifying question. she responded bringing a little more light onto the subject (still working through the language barrier). So we asked another question to make sure we were undertanding, she told us we were getting closer but still just a little bit off but in her answer we learned just a bit more about what she was trying to express. Finally we asked one more clarifying question and she responded in a way that we were able to nail down to a T what her concern was and then adress and resolve it. In answer to my prayer we were able to learn, and discern, "by study and also by faith"

 

I had a very special learning experience about the atonement this last week as well that i want to share briefly. we began teaching a less active this last week who loves the church but has decided not to attend because his choice of lifestyle flagrently disagrees with the teachings of the church. i've taught people like him before and i've always found it difficult to disregard the natural man tendacy to want to abandon those that seem to be trying to forsake God and become confortable with sin instead of the other way around.  Recently one of our leaders shared an analogy that has stuck with me. He described missionary work as being like an ambulance driver--in that we cannot heal people ourselves but that we can help them best by connecting them to the only one who can, our Saviour and our Redeemer.

 

In this way he compared sin to physical wounds and Christ to the doctor who can treat those physical wounds. (this analogy was talked about during conference as well). when i viewed this person in this light, it was a lot easier to see him for who he truly was a son of God and my brother. it made it easier to not define him by the injuries that he was suffering from but who he truly is behind the scars and who he is meant to become.  it is natural to feel compassion to those who are suffering physically, it should be just as natural to feel the same, if not a greater, compassion for those who are suffering spiritually--even when those injuries are self inflicted. i know and i have learned repeatedly from experience that the Atonement of Jesus Christ can heal and cleanse anyone who will let him. no one has a hopeless case, in fact when we take stock of the infinite nature and power of the Atonement we can have an infinite hope for the progress of any of our brothers and sisters. to put it simply, if we look to christ hope abounds and overflows into every aspect of our lives and our future.

when conference finnished Elder Keller looked to me and simply said, the gospel's pretty freakin cool. i definantly agree :)

 

with love

Elder Jarman

 

ps. has anyone ever snickered at a snickers?

when lines are on the decrease the titles of subject are sure to parallel

Subject: when lines are on the decrease the titles of subject are sure to parallel

Sent: Monday, April 01, 2013 9:03 AM

 

Dear anyone who immediately stops liking hair the moment it is detached from one’s head,

 

I’m going to have to apologize in advance on the length of this week’s e-mail. Those that live close to the temple had the opportunity to attend today (we don't get this opportunity often) and so the time that I would usually be spent in composing and reading e-mails was given over almost entirely to previous mentioned activity. So I’ll just give a few great highlights from this last week. 

 

Robert was given the Aaronic priesthood yesterday and was ordained to the office of priest! i was fortunate enough to be asked to be part of the circle. all day before the actual ordination Robert was so excited for it to take place. he kept on asking us through the entire church service when it was going to happen. As well another recent convert, of about four months, named Binky who was involved in Robert’s teaching process was able to participate. It’s always so rewarding to see new members of the church already involved in church work and service.

 

We gave a presentation on ways to share the gospel with friends, and the upcoming London media initiative during Sunday school in church this week. the members of the ward were all very excited about the upcoming opportunities to share their faith with others. Usually when missionary work is brought up, most people approach it with a very dry attitude, as in they're used to getting the same message over and over again. But with the new publicity of the church and all the media work the church is doing in London, soon there was a buzz in the air. We also had the opportunity to have some role plays with members of the ward so they could practice teaching basic doctrine and extending invitations. I got paired with Robert :) he's already doing great on the missionary front.

 

There is a recent convert in the ward that is still involved in the choir of her previous church. We attended an Easter service in that church yesterday to watch her performance.  After the meeting the vicar came up to me and began asking me questions about the church. We had a great conversation about the restoration and about how truth can be found in all churches. We also had a great conversation about the recent convert, named Susan, and about the work she does for both of the local congregations. Susan is a true Christian in my eyes in that she seeks to serve and love everyone she comes into contact with and is able to easily bridge denominational gaps in order to do so. The vicar declined my invitations to learn more about the Restored Gospel but he did accept an invitation for us to do service for St. Matthews church where he presides :)

 

I love you all and I wish you a happy Easter!

 

With love

Elder Jarman

 

ps. I have literally eaten more chocolate in the last three days than you can shake a stick at. Because after I finished I couldn’t even move to pick up the stick!

pps. no seriously though it was a lot.

ppps. who came up with the word baboon?

the barbary of declining crumpets the right to joust

Subject: the barbary of declining crumpets the right to joust

Sent: Monday, March 25, 2013 7:14 AM

 

dear anyone that has ever either eaten green eggs and ham or ever sincerely wished to do so,

We are experiencing some exciting times here in the London south mission. I’m not sure if you guys have been informed on yonder side of the pond but a certain musical was released in London this last week who's title includes the words book, of, musical, mormon, the. not necessarily in that order. So as such we have been seeing many new and exciting advertisements around our area. (i'll send some photos as well) in my opinion, the church may not agree with the content of that musical but there has never been such great free advertising for the church or the book of mormon. Yesterday as we were contacting a guy we stopped told us he knew who we were and after a short chat he closed with saying that he had not yet had the opportunity to see the new musical. We replied by telling him that "the book is always better" :)

 

In response to the book of mormon musical and all the interest this has peaked in the book of Mormon, the church will be starting a four week media campaign for mormon.org.uk in london  where the church has bought out several of the largest train, tube, and bus stations around london and will cover all such locations with advertisements for mormon.org.uk (i'll probably send some picture of this as well.)

We've already began to see the effects that these events are causing and the increase of people referring themselves to receive a copy of the book of mormon or to receive missionary visits.  Baptisms have already occurred because of the musical :)

 

We’ve had many great opportunities for finding this week which has been some of my favorite experiences.  I seriously cannot tell you guys how much I love doing finding work as a missionary.  I mean think about it, every day we leave our front door with the intention to talk to and make friends with as many people as we possibly can that day.  And then we act on that by talking to everyone that we come in contact with.  We talk with them about themselves, their families, their beliefs, and overall who they are. And then we share with them who we are, what we believe and we invite them to learn more. It is so much fun! I literally can't even begin to tell you (and that’s a literal use of the word literal) about all the amazing and unique people that I have met and befriended on my mission.  And that's just one of the things that wakes me up every morning excited for the day.  I mean it every day when I thank Heavenly Father for the day that he has given me. (side note: anyone that has not yet seen the new mormon message Earthly Father, Heavenly Father, needs to go do that right now)

 

Robert is still doing fantastic; he's preparing to receive the priesthood now and progresses so much each week. I’ve loved working with the recent converts here in Red Hill because it's amazing to see how much having the Gift of the Holy Ghost changes and supports people.  Watching those changes is incredibly rewarding. With every meeting we have with these people it seems that we teach them less and they teach us more.

 

I have to go now but I’m excited each week to tell you guys more about the miracles we see each week

 

Love you guys ton's

 

Sincerely 

Elder Jarman

 

 

the last heist of the hamburgler resulted in a decrease of plastic.

Sent: Monday, March 18, 2013 5:22 AM
Subject: the last heist of the hamburgler resulted in a decrease of plastic.

 

dear anyone whose name does not include john, jacob, schmidt, and jingleheimer,

 

In writing this letter i will strive to avoid repetition of previous statements, themes and discourses, especially in matters that have been heretofore included and expounded upon. this will in fact be difficult because many of the previously mentioned people in previously mentioned letters have in fact been previously mentioned. In other words repetitive redundancy is in and of itself both repetitive in its redundancy, and redundant in its repetitive qualities.  and this is the reason why this e-mail was began in the most redundant of previously mentioned beginnings of previous e-mails. so just where did the word kapeesh come from?

 

Two highlights of this past week were both in the work i've been able to do with the recent converts of this ward. in my previous areas, i never had too much opportunity to work with recent converts but the work i've been able to do with them in this area has been some of the best experiences of my mission. the first one was as we began teaching Robert the new member lessons. Elain and Susan, both of which have been members of the ward for under six months have both been asigned as ward missionaries. they were assigned to be the ones to teach Robert the new missionary lessons. Elder Keller and I came along for the first teach just to make the transition and to help out where we were needed. it was so cool to sit in a room with three people who could all be considered quite new to the gospel and listen to them teach each other about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and share with each other how the gospel has been a strength in their lives. powerful testimonies were bourne and the spirit was strong as they all strengthened each other. as we finished the lesson Robert thanked both of them profusely and said an amazing prayer of gratitude for the lessons he has learned.

 

The next day in sacrament meeting all of the adult recent converts in the ward (with the exception of robert) gave talks. and they were amazing!  All of them were super nervous before they got up there but were so strong in their declarations. in most cases i would not have even been able to tell that they were new to what they were doing. Susan talked about how after she has joined the church she has felt that she has grown and that she has more time to do what she loves and has more time to care for and support people. as i've been thinking about this experience i've thought a lot about serving in the church in general. you would think it's amazing that people who are so new and so relatively inexperienced could rise to and accomplish what these individuals have accomplished, that they could work and see miracles as i've witnessed them do.

 

but when you think about church service and callings in general it's miraculous that anyone is able to do what they do. who can honestly say that they have been adequate of themselves for any calling that they have received. it's always seemed to me that we don't do anything in the church that were really fully prepared and capable of doing. the church and the Gospel is always asking us to do more than it would seem that we can do. President Shamo once told me that the lord does not call the qualified, he qualifies the called. this is how each of us grow and become more who Heavenly Father knows that we can become. he makes up the enormous difference between where we are and what is required of us and helps us to become the kind of person that can give even more. i've seen this in my own service in the church, however small that may be.

 

i'm super exited to be serving here in redhill with Elder Keller for another transfer. he's such a help to me and i'm glad to have his support for at least another five weeks.

 

i love you guys and as always i'm grateful for your support and your prayers.

 

with love

Elder Jarman

 

ps. as i can so far tell only one of you has a mormon.org profile. this person shall remain nameless. but the name may or may not begin with an R and rhymes with ebekah Jarman.  As for the rest of you, this is me calling all of you to repentance :)

 

it's commonly misconceived that you would not be accosted by wild horses while driving through the new forest

Sent: Monday, April 29, 2013 4:28 AM
Subject: it's commonly misconceived that you would not be accosted by wild horses while driving through the new forest

 

Dear those who have ever changed dinner plans on account of sudden discoveries of green in unexpected places,

So we've had an exciting and eventful week this week. Elder Manga got his license this week so we've began doing missionary work in a car, which is completely different experience to what I’m used to. Mostly in that I don't get as hungry as I used to and my shoes aren't wearing out as quick, surprisingly though I still get just as exhausted by the end of the day, which is interesting. Somehow I guess I always assumed the exhausting part of missionary work was the walking but I guess it's not.

 

The work is going really well in South Hampton; we have an absolute miracle investigator that the missionaries began teaching shortly before I got to the area. Her name is Rebecca and she is an amazingly wealthy woman.  Half a year ago she saw a documentary on funerals and someone in that documentary was a member of the church. She was really impressed with how strong and loving this woman was especially in face of the recent death she had experienced. Then Rebecca basically forgot about the experience. A few months later her husband died of cancer. Through her struggles at this time she had many spiritual experiences and at some point remembered that woman she saw in the documentary and decided to learn more about what she believed. After researching the church for some time online she decided she wanted to be taught and the missionaries showed up a few days later. It’s crazy when we go to her house because she lives out in the countryside. So when we go there we drive down many winding green lanes that have random packs of wild horses roaming around.  It’s basically exactly what I originally pictured when I found out I was coming to England.

 

I’ve enjoyed working in my new calling, it is demanding and requires that I spend a lot more time doing administrative things than I’ve previously done but I’ve already learned a lot. Throughout my mission I’ve been taught and inspired by my leaders and I can easily think of a few leaders that changed me as a missionary and as a person through their ministering. I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about those leaders and what it was about them that helped me so much. Although my leaders have helped me in many ways, the thing that I feel has changed me the most is when leaders helped me to expect more of myself. This never happened through them simply telling me to do more or even to be more. I gained these greater expectations as I worked with them and observed the way they worked and interacted with different people. Especially when I’ve recognized and witnessed a deep love of god and of the people we serve in my leaders it has always left me with a desire to be better and do more and expect more than I have before. None of these leaders were condescending or boastful, they never tore me down for my inadequacies but instead praised me for what I could do and helped me understand where I could be doing better. I’ve already had some experiences where I’ve been blessed to be able to recognize the great potential that the missionaries in this zone have. What I want to do and what my hope is, is to somehow help them to see it as well. I know the only way I can do this is if I trust the lord enough to let him guide me when I speak to or work with any of these missionaries.

Missionary work is fun :)

 

I love you all and I love good cheese, of which there is a great abundance in England

 

With love

Elder Jarman 

 

ps. recently the sun came out in England . . . and there was much celebration

 

 

We had a baptism in the River Mole before I left Redhill

 

The Epsom District

you know. . . this isn't exactly how it's usually done. . .

Dear those who are strangely amused by slide screen screen savers,

Robert was baptised and confirmed over the weekend! this entire week i've been freaking out and praying that everything would go well and it totally did! it's still amazing to me that he has made so much progress in so short of a time. I met Robert the first day i was here in Redhill, we taught him the next day, and then he attended church with us two days after that. the next time we saw him, he committed to be baptised on the ninth of march and stayed firm to that commitment till it was realized.

i've thought a lot about his progress and his baptism and talked a lot about it as well with Elder Keller and other missionaries. when i first met Robert and even the first time we taught him i would never have thought that he would now be a member of the church. even after he accepted a date i, regrettably, had my doubts. throughout the entire process of teaching him i have been repeatedly humbled as i have witnessed Robert’s great faith and the miracles that followed his faith.

i have learned that no matter how bleak the outlook is, and how dark the way looks, God can always provide the way as long as we exercise faith in him. this principle applies in both physical things, such as the many miracles we read about in the scriptures, and even more amazingly in spiritual things. God can change, magnify, and enlighten individuals. the potential of each of his children is much more than any of us can comprehend. it's hard sometimes for us to see this, when we keep on looking at people through the lenses of our own weaknesses. But i've learned that we need to remember that God sees His children a lot differently than we do. Robert has a bright future ahead of him. and i am grateful that the lord has allowed me to get to know him and witness his conversion.

it's always amazing to me how seemingly random people we meet on the streets can become such amazing and great friends--how someone that you first meet with reservation, can become someone who you love dearly. this is one of the most amazing aspects of missionary work and it's something that each of us can, and often do, experience every day. Robert was a stranger only six weeks ago. Now he is a good friend and someone who i will always remember and do my best to support.

life is pretty good :)

well as always i have loads of more stories to tell but alas they’re going to have to wait for another day.

love you all and i'm grateful for all the support you give

with love

Elder Jarman

ps. it's transfer week again. so updates will most likely come around sometime on wednesday.

pps. there's a guy sitting next to me looking at an atheist website. he has the word "hate" tattooed on his knuckles. i think i prefer what’s on my screen.

ppps.it started snowing again today! winter’s not done yet here in england!

pppps. does anyone actually know what a "woodchuck" is? do they actually chuck wood? who named them anyways?