it's a salsa dancing lemon drizzle skydive!

dear anyone that has either literally gotten their nose stuck in a book or has at least laughed at the concept,

we've experienced some great miracles with Robert over this last week. The first came as we taught him on tuesday. we had prepared a calendar for him that had the number of cigarettes he could smoke each day with the numbers slowly cutting down until he would eventually stop. we had planned for him to be allowed twenty five cigarettes for that day. when we came into the teach, before we even started with a prayer he grinned and told us that we were going to be really proud of him because he had only smoked 3 cigarettes that day! we were amazed and humbled. we asked him what day he thought he could completely stop by. he thought about it for a few seconds than looked back and us and simply said "tomorrow" in the end we didn't show him the calendar :) it was very humbling to see how much faith robert had especially in contrast to how much faith we had had as we had planned for him. sure enough when we called him wednesday evening he proudly told us that he had not smoked a cigarette all day! he truly has been experiencing the blessings of the spirit in his life. he reads every day and is very excited for his baptism.

on saturday we rode a train together to go watch a baptism at epsom chapel. on the train ride he saw someone he knew and started talking to them. it wasn't very long into the conversation before Robert proudly announced that he was going to be baptised on the 9th of march:) i love this guy. he has smoked again since wednesday, but he has at this point effectively cut down from around thirty cigarettes a day to about four in three days. we're confident that it will not be long until he has completely stopped once again.

i've been thinking a lot about the atonement this week. i was on exchange with one of my zone leaders this week as we began to teach a lady named sarah. as we began to teach he talked to her about how throughout life we run into many different hard experiences and on top of that we make many many mistakes. he described each of these experiences as being like picking up a pebble and putting it in your backpack. he asked her if she knew what he was talking about and she said yes that she has felt like that many times. he then explained that the only way we can empty our backpack is to follow Christ and to allow him to heal us through the power of the atonement. i've thought a lot about what he said and even more about her response. i've heard this analogy many times before but for some reason this time it took on new meaning. Preach My Gospel says that all the children of God, our brothers and sisters, need relief from the burdens of guilt and shame even though they usually don’t know why. for some reason i've never really considered the universality of these feelings. i recently met someone on the street as well who, when we talked with him about the "backpack of rocks" he acknowledged that he's felt it and knows that it's there but does not believe that it's possible for us to get rid of it. i've met others that believe that they can manage it on their own or are currently seeking to get rid of it by their own means and powers. in each case i bear my solemn testimony that because of Jesus Christ and His atonement, repentance works. as we trust in Him enough to do what He says He heals us and makes us into better people. this is the cause and the message that i get up each morning rejoicing in my opportunity to share it. i can't begin to tell you guys how grateful i am to be a missionary. i've made so many amazing friends and i've become a much better friend because of my service.

the gospel is pretty cool :)

i'm grateful for all the support i've been getting from you all and i'm sorry that i haven’t been able to be more supportive from my end in responding always. know that i love each of you and i pray for you guys as well. i feel and am thankful for your prayers.

with love

Elder Jarman

ps. you know one more plus side to an abundance of rain is the abundance of rainbows. think about it :)

no YOU think about it

pps. this is my shout out to all the awesome missionaries out there, as well as all those that are preparing or returning.

viva le (nuevo) mexico

ppps. i just ate more food than eight hamsters could shake a stick at :) 

traumatic fundamentalism and its link to fruit and nut cereal {Monday, February 18th}

Dear anyone who has ever been surprised with how good a cucumber tastes,

We’ve had an amazing week of miracles this week. You kinda think I would get used to seeing miracle after miracle every day of my mission but they really never get old and the lord never ceases to amaze me with just what he can do.

Robert is still going along really solidly in his preparation for the ninth. We started teaching him the commandments this week and it was really cool to see how readily he accepted them and desired to begin living them. It made me think about what preach my gospel teaches about commandments--that when people begin to live commandments is when they really begin to feel the gospel working in their lives. In this way the commandments are kinda like the instructions on the back of a packet of ramen noodles. You've taken your time looking at how great the noodles look on the front (when you learn about the blessings and purpose of the gospel) but you're never going to end up with such a delicious looking batch of empty carbs unless if you follow the simple direction (often time accompanied with pictures) on the back. At this point with Robert he is so set and so excited to be baptized that the only thing that could possibly stop him at this point would be the addictions that he's battling. We know and he knows though that it is more than possible for him to be clean by that date because frankly God can do anything :)

We had some amazing and some interesting experiences teaching Henry this week as well. When we saw him on Tuesday he began the lesson by telling us that he had some concerns and then describing in detail exactly what his concerns were. (it's not always this easy to determine an investigators concerns by the way) Elder Keller and I just sat and listened as he talked, we probably didn't speak for nearly twenty minutes. As he finished speaking we sat in silence for a moment or two and then asked him one question. We just asked if we could summarize all of his questions and all of his concerns with one question: Did Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ actually appear to Joseph Smith and in actuality organize a church through him. After we asked this question he sat in silence for nearly a minute thinking about our question and then replied that yes if he could determine whether or not the first vision occurred, it could basically resolve all of his other concerns. We then both bore our testimonies of the prophet Joseph Smith and of the power of Moroni's promise. It was so cool to see again just how powerful and unique the message of the restoration is. All of the debating and theorizing in the world about this church and about Joseph Smith and the restored gospel will all amount to nothing to the one question of did it actually happen. Because if it did this one bit of information cuts through all the fog and the static in the world and gets you right on the right track. It is so simple and yet so powerful. I’ve found repeatedly throughout my life that powerful simplicity usually is evidence of the influence of Deity.

I wish I had time to tell you guys about all the miracle that Elder Keller and I see on a daily basis and all the ones especially that I’ve seen this last week but this is going to have to do it for now :)

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

With love

Elder Jarman

ps. Elder Keller has ALL of the living scripture films. We’ve been thoroughly enjoying them and we've been using them to teach investigators and recent converts as well

pps. I’ve once again reached the recent conclusion that in fact celery is vastly underrated

ppps. Muffins too for that matter 

manwich with custard? but alas the breakfast menu ends at eleven thirty! {Monday, February 11th}

dear anyone other than the man with six fingers on his right hand,

end of week one in redhill and things are going amazingly well! we've picked up 8 new investigators since i got into the area and already have one new baptismal date with robert (who i can’t remember if i told you guys about last week) he's going to be baptized on the nineth of march in just under a month from today. we had a pretty cool miracle with him in that in our first lesson with him he asked us about the word of wisdom and we briefly explained it to him. when we told him about smoking he was really hesitant about giving up and i kind of got the hint that he really didn't want to. in our second teach with him, after he had attended church and read the first nine chapters of the book of mormon he told us that he really wanted to give up smoking! coincidence? i think not! 

we also started teaching a really cool uni student named henry just yesterday.  he's twenty six and really really intelligent. he doesn't really have a religious background but started becoming much more spiritual in his later years. when we were talking to him he told us about all his theories and ideas about god and it turned out that a lot of the things he had come up with were all mostly true and the only concerns he had were things that were easily answered by the restoration of the gospel. things are going great here. 

sorry i don't have too much time to write this week but just know that the work is going great and i'm loving being back into the epsom ward with all my old friends from the beginning of my mission.

love ya guys tons and i'm grateful for all the support you guys give me

with love

Elder Jarman

ps. german pastries. . . . just as good as they sound

pps. german missionaries even better :)

antediluvian flood patterns and what that has to do with magenta mounds {Monday, February 4th}

dear those who take pleasure in the sound of a toaster when it's finished toasting,

Well! I have some great news and some great stories to tell about my new assignment in a little town we call Redhill.

We started the new transfer with a hailstorm of amazing blessings. The first night after we got into the area we found and began teaching an Indian family named Jiju and Sino. They have two kids and both have been Christian since birth in India before they came to England. They were more than willing to listen and to begin to study the book of Mormon both with and without us. we'll be seeing them again this week soon. Thursday we had great experiences both in finding and teaching. We found a really nice middle aged woman named Christine knocking. When we first knocked on the door she just yelled through the door that she wasn't interested but then as we were walking away she opened the door and invited us in. After we taught her she told us that she had no idea why she invited us in but that she usually doesn't let anyone into her house--in many cases not even her own family members.(incidentally she also had the most energetic Staffordshire bull terrier that I have ever met)

Beginning of Thursday we had no appointments set up for our Friday. But finding went so amazingly well on Thursday, that we ended up spending all of our Friday basically going from one appointment to the other. We taught another new investigator on that day named Robert who is actually the brother of an former investigator that Elder Keller taught before I got to the area.  On Saturday we began teaching yet another new investigator named Leroy--an amazingly funny African man who suffers from a bit of short term memory loss because of a bus accident a few years ago. It's been just blessings followed by more blessings with some whipped blessings to top it all off. (incidentally i also recently ate a cherry flavored piece of chocolate so make of that what you will)

It's been a really interesting experience for me to come to Redhill at this time, it being part of the Epsom ward. On Wednesday I was picked up from my flat in Farnborough and driven to Staines where I waited for some time and met with Elder Pond. (it was the first time I’ve seen him since I left Staines) and then drove from there to Redhill to meet Elder Keller. I felt a little bit like I was rewinding my mission and coming back to where I first started. The fact that I’m now serving with Elder Keller kinda compounds that as well. I have a huge advantage moving into this area in that for most moves you move into a new area where you have no idea how to get around or who's in the ward or what your companion is like. I came into Redhill already knowing my companion, renewing my old friendships with the ward, into an area that I remember like the back of my hand! (incidentally I’ve never really understood that statement. I mean who really spends time contemplating and memorizing the back of their hands)

One of the things I’m most excited about is the chance I have to apply the experience I’ve gained throughout my mission into the service of my first ward.

Going to church yesterday was really funny because it was amusing to count the double takes from the members of the ward. Most would walk up to me and shake my hand and welcome me to the ward then take about two steps away, pause, slowly turn around whilst squinting at my face, slowly raise a finger and say "wait a second. . . . I know you!" This experience repeated itself many many times over the course of the church service.

Another really cool thing for me to see is how much progress certain individuals and families have made over the last nine months. Some people who were just returning to activity when I left have now become fully active members of the ward and in some cases have gotten their families into the church as well.

I got to head off now, but I really could write for like an hour about all the great experiences and insights I’ve gained in my first week in Redhill with Elder Keller. . . but you guys are going to have to wait for another time :)

with love

Elder Jarman

ps. attached is a picture of team bountiful

pps. in England the difference between French fries and English chips is only really a matter of size. guess which one is bigger

they still left a card even though nobody was home

team bountiful

alma chapter 35 verse 1 {wednesday, january 30th}

dear those who remember the word epsom from previous email correspondence,

eight and a half months ago i left my first area to whitewash train in stains. in leaving epsom i spent the night at a newly opened area called redhill which was part of the epsom ward. the next morning i sent an e-mail to you guys letting you know of the transfer from a computer in redhill town centre's library. i am currently sitting two computers down from the very computer i used to send that e-mail.

i got a call yesterday morning informing me that i was leaving farnborough and moving to serve in redhill! and on top of that i learned i was being called to serve with Elder Jaxon Keller! i just got here about an hour ago i've unpacked and in about another hour i'm going to go meet up again with some members of the epsom ward that i knew from before.

it's been a really crazy past 24 hours but i'm super exited to be back in the epsom ward albeit in a new area

my address is

flat 1, 81 station road

Redhill, surrey

Rh1 1DL

can't wait to tell you guys how my first week in redhill with elder keller went next monday!

talk to you soon

Take Luck

with love

Elder Jarman

packing a trunk could either be constructive or self destructive, depending of course on wether or not you are an elephant. {monday, january 28th}

dear those who care more about a successful snowflake to mouth maneuver than the possible negative effects of the public-ness of such an action,

Elder Gill and i have seen some great miracles this last week. one of my favorites is the fact that we finally began teaching mark again this last week. he's been going through some difficult family challenges over the last month or so and hasn't been able to meet with us because of it. on monday however we decided to stop by him again and we found him in! as he opened the door he greeted us with a smile and invited us in. as we asked him about how he was doing he told us about the challenges that he's been facing and all the doubts and fears that have been weighing him down since the last time we saw him. for the most part we just sat there and listened to him as he expressed his concerns. as i listened i wondered what could i possibly do to help this man through his challenges. as he finished speaking he looked at us as we sat in silence for a few moments, me not knowing what to say, him waiting for a response. i began speaking, not really knowing what i was going to say but, as they always do, the words came. we spoke for some time about our heavenly father and about the incredible power of prayer. he told us that he recognized that he needed god in his life and he committed  to begin praying at least every morning and every night. i've been impressed with this, and other situations, where i've learned that missionary work is really just what friends do for each other. i've had hundreds of conversations like this one both before my mission and during my mission. where we as friends can talk together and where i, as a member of the restored church of Jesus Christ can share what i know to be the solutions to all of life’s problems and challenges. there’s really nothing weird, pushy, or selfish about sharing yourself and your experiences with a friend in need. that’s what friends do. that's what makes friends friends. we called him later in the week to see how his daily prayers had been helping him and he told us that not only had he been praying every morning and every night but that he's been praying multiple times throughout the day, in fact every time that he felt down or negative or his load seemed too much for him he's been praying and he's seen and immense difference in both how he's felt and how he's been able to face his challenges. and this is the kind of experiences where you feel true joy. in seeing someone you care about finding joy and peace for themselves and knowing that you've been able to play some small part in them finding that help.

other than this we've had some great miracles in out teaching this week. a lady named Jenny, who has dyslexia, began reading the book of mormon this last week and came to church. she told us that she was able to focus better and learn more than at any other church that she's been to before.

we also had a less active named briget fry come out to church this last week for the first time in nine years. we walked with her to the church. the entire time up there she kept on telling us how nervous she was and how scared she was to go back in the building. as soon as she walked in the door no less than three members of the ward that recognized her jumped on her. hugging her and welcoming her back. after the meeting she told us that she felt like she had returned home. i found great pleasure in telling her that she has.

there really is nothing better than this work. nothing has ever made me happier. i''ve never been happier.

thank you all for your love and support. i wouldn't be out here right now if it wasn't for all that you all have done for me throughout my life in helping me get to this point.

With love

Elder Jarman

ps. i've recently began crafting my own herbal teas. inasmuch i have graduated from tea enthusiast to tea senai!

(actually it’s just sliced ginger root with lemon and lime squeezed in and a member gave me the recipe so it's not actually that impressive. . . but still!!)

pps. i knocked on an igloo two days ago. no joke :)