Missionary Moment - Puerto Rico San Juan & Dominican Republic Santo Domingo West

Good morning all! I pray your all doing well and have enjoyed a change in weather as here it does not. Haha although we have had an unholy amount of rain that left 26th street flooded to your hips and our apartment street flooded to the ancle! Mucho Aqua!! 

 This week was pretty different for sure! On Tuesday I had a pretty great exchange will the dominican that lives with us now whose a brand new missionary and is super start but much more funny! He can describe things much better than I and brings the spirit into lessons that was sometimes a challenge to do with just spanish-learning missionaries.  

 Thursday however, was zone conference.  Never have i ever seen or experienced something like the conference we had had. Maybe it was the people that were there or what was taught by the leaders that changed.. much was discussed and taught during the conference.. to be more charitable, help others feel and recognize the spirit during lessons, focus ourselves on the Book of Mormon and prayer to know if it really is true, and as we mark names of Christ in that volume of scripture we are looking for Christ and that we should, as missionaries help others look for him too. By the end of the conference I expect us all were waiting for the silly portion of it, then snacks, then home. However when the assistants to the president called us back to stand in one big circle, the 2 Elders stood in the middle asking if anybody had wanted some candy.. but as each person wanted some candy a younger Elder was called to do 7 push-ups for each piece of candy another missionary wanted. After 3-4 missionaries had asked for sweets the task began to talk its toll on the young missionary, after several more missionaries asking for candy less and less people were willing to ask for any more and the young missionary kept doing the push-ups. After yet another missionary asked for candy the young missionary had yet gotten down with a warm smile and did 7 more grueling push-ups to the point of trembling and shaking, but he did each of them. 

I personally hadn't understood what the activity was for until after this moment, when the assistants called out to us asking if anyone else wanted candy, just then a senior missionary who was in change of missionary homes and plumbing walked up to the young missionary and embraced him with a hug. He then got down with the young missionary and completed 7 more push-ups with his help and support, after this round they then embraced each other with another hug, but the young missionary wasn't done. The assistants called out again to anybody else and all were silent until they asked a sweet sister of the mission that had been in my district several transfers ago was asked personally if she wanted candy. She shook her head in tears and the assistants asked why not? She simply said that he needed to suffer.. the young missionary then gave another warm smile and said its okay, I want to. He did then 7 more. Nothing I say can describe the way the young missionary shook and tembled after each push-up. 

In that moment I pictured nothing but my Savior there in that circle. Jesus Christ suffered and died for me. For you. He did much more than just 7 push-ups for each of us individually and I know that he had done it willingly and voluntarily. 

The activity was to show how unbelievably real the Atonement of Jesus Christ is for each of us. It's infinite. 

Jesus Christ overcame the world, and so can we. Because of what he had done in that Garden. He knows you. He Loves you. I testify with all my heart that he lives and he is "intimately concerned of you needs, your goodness, and your prayers for help" as well as our Father in Heaven. 

I invite you all to study more about Christ, His teachings, and His sacrifice.  I invite you all to share this story with friends or family that all may know the truth of Jesus Christ through another testimony. 

I love each of you. Christ loves you, he wants us to be with our Heavenly Father again as much as He does. 

 Elder Jorgensen