Week 96

So, to start off, I was transferred back to Jardin de Lago!!!!!!!! (my second, and favorite area) So this week went a bit crazy. We had transfers, then I had my "dying dinner" (the dinner that President treats you to at the end of the mission) with President Hill, which was awesome. Then, we went to the temple with President Hill and that was the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I loved it. Finally on Friday, I got my new companion, Elder Amorin for the next two weeks. So, as for the rest of my time here, I am super happy, excited, nervous, sad, and, in short, freaking out. But it's all good.

 Tell us one experience that made you reflect on the Savior's Atonement this week.  In the Campinas temple, I reflected on the past two years and I was extremely grateful that I was able to be there and feel the Savior's love for me the way I did.

Tell us one thing about the culture that you're going to really miss. Honestly, a lot. But one thing is the excitement about soccer. They are going crazy here about the World Cup; it is crazy, super fun, and exciting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, I am super excited to see you guys and hear about the wedding. Tell me all about it!!!!!!!!!!

Love you all sooooo much and can't wait for the 14th.

Sincerely,

Elder Jardine

Week 95

So my week was good. I worked hard and we were able to mark a baptismal date with one of our investigators, Francisco so we are excited. This week was the last week of the transfer so here in a few hours, I will know if I will stay or go. This week, President Hill is taking everyone to the temple; it will probably be my last time here in the mission, so I am super happy and excited. On the 29th of June, President Marsh will officially become my new mission president and I am excited to see what happens.

As for stories:

 One convert who changed the most because of the gospel- 

The people who I saw the most change would probably be Adlemo and Josefa. I wasn't there for the entire process, but I saw the end. They are two people who are in very humble living circumstances. It appears that Adelmo had a problem with alcohol and they weren't married. Now, they are married, Adelmo lives the Word of Wisdom and they are both firm and excited about the church and I can tell that they are both very happy and feel the love of the Lord.

 One way living a specific principle helped you or blessed your life during the mission.

Obedience. Whenever I was obedient and doing what I could to be better, I always felt a thousand times better and I felt like the Lord accepted my sacrifice and work. It is definitely something I am going to stay firm with when I get home.

So now I am entering the end phase of my mission and I am starting to get nervous and excited. So if you guys want anything specific from Brazil, I will find it if I can. I only have two more emails left, so the end is near and I can't wait  to tell you guys what happens in the next few weeks.

Love you all soooooooo much and hope you all have a great week!!!!

Sincerely,

Elder Jardine

Week 94

My week was good. I had my last interview with President Hill on Tuesday (last for President and my last interview of the mission) and it was awesome. President gave me a lot of advice and a lot of answers I needed. I am super excited to apply it all when I get home. We are working hard here and are doing our best to deserve a miracle in these last two weeks.

Tell us about one person you met this week that seemed interested in hearing about the gospel-

Last Sunday, we were walking on the street and decided to ask some guys for a cup of water. They gave us some and after freaking out about my height and the fact that I was American, they gave us some carrot cake and we started to have a great conversation. One of them named Daniela was interested in hearing what we believe and gave us her address to pass by. We did this week and she seemed interested. So we are excited to see her progress.

Tell us one conversation with your companion where you learned something-

During my training, I was having a difficult time with everything and I was really frustrated. After telling everything to my companion, he just said two things- first) he asked me if I had said a prayer of thanks and second) he told me I needed to see the little miracles in every day.

Tell us 2 different times in your mission where you learned something and tell us the story. 

So I have learned a truckload of things here on the mission; here are two:

• Don't be too quick to judge. The third week in the MTC, we went to go place Books Of Mormon. My companion and I were having trouble and after our teacher showed us how it's done, we tried again. We saw a lady standing smoking and instead of passing by and saying "ah she probably isn't interested in God," my companion went and talked to her, and what do you know, she was interested and she accepted a Book Of Mormon.

• God works miracles. This one I learned strongly with the baptism of Vanessa. She came to church with her brother. We were able to teach her, and she fulfilled all her commitments, received a testimony and was baptized and confirmed and is still coming to church. So that was a miracle to me.

So those are some stories from the mission. I will tell a lot more when I get home. Right now is the World Cup also so things are exciting especially when Brazil plays.

Thanks for telling me how things are going; keep me up to date on things.

I love you all sooooo much and hope you all have a great week!!!!!

Sincerely,

Elder Jardine

*Elder Jardine will be returning home from his mission on Saturday, July 14th. He will report in church on Sunday, July 15th at 11:00 am. The address of the church building is 10962 N. 6400 W. Highland, Utah. There will be a luncheon to follow the 3-hour church block. Hope you can all join us in welcoming Nathan home.

Week 93

My week was good. We had zone conference (President and Sister Hill's last) on Wednesday and I learned a lot and was also able to talk with my President who also helped me a lot. So now, I am good. I was stressed because of our area and my companion, but now I am all good so no worries. 

We are working hard and doing what we can. I am praying for another miracle this transfer, so we will see what happens. I have my last interview with President Hill tomorrow and I am super excited to see how it goes. I am excited to see how things go until the end of my mission and see what is going to happen with me for the new transfer (I hope I just go to another area as a trio and work until Friday afternoon and just go home, get my bag, and say bye, then go.) but, honestly, I have no idea what will happen. We will just have to see.

I am good. Doing what I can and trying not to think about how much time I have left (when I see a commercial plane, I get the weirdest feeling of dread, excitement, anxiety, and a whole bunch of things, so that is interesting).

It is good to see that all is well there. Keep me up to date on all of the happenings there.

I love you all soooooo much and hope that you guys have a great week!!

Sincerely,

Elder Jardine

Week 92

So this Tuesday, we were surprised with an emergency transfer. My new companion is Elder V. Silva. As for the area, we cut Denise and Edinaldo; they weren't progressing, so that was sad, but we will live. 

We were able to baptize Vanessa so we are super happy about that. It was truly a miracle. The mission tour didn't happen due to the strike that ended (for now). So things are just normalizing now so no problems. We have zone conference this Wednesday which I am excited for. These things are always super helpful (it is also my last one).

I am good- a bit stressed because of some things that are going on, but I will all be taken care of so there shouldn't be any problems.

It is good to see that all is going well there and I am excited to hear about the wedding and yard getting done. Keep me up to date on things there.

I love you all sooo much and hope that you all have a great week!!!

Sincerely,

Elder Jardine

Week 91

Nothing happened at transfers. I stayed here and so did Elder Ribiero. Our week was good. A few members gave me some goodies on my birthday.

We are working with Vanessa and she is progressing. She will be baptized this Saturday. This week, we will have a mission tour and I am interested to see how we get to Campinas (the truckers had a strike in the entire country blocking all the freeways and good stuff like that. So basically, the entire country is having a gasoline crisis... so we will see how long this goes). 

Edinaldo and Denise are going a bit slow so we are trying to see how this week will go-if we keep or cut them. So we will see what their attitudes are. 

I am good here-working hard and still not believing that this will be my last full transfer of the mission so we will see what other surprises happen in the last weeks of the mission.

I am glad to see that everything is going well there and I hope all goes well this week.

Love you all soooo much and hope you all have a good week!!!!

Sincerely,

Elder Jardine

Week 90

My week was good. A few things are happening, so return of the bullet points:

• We are teaching a couple named Edinaldo and Denise and they are progressing and have a desire to learn. It's just that Denise said that she is a bit hard-hearted due to her past, but she still wants to learn and do something about it. So that is all we can ask for. So that is awesome.
• We taught  the sister of a member on Saturday. She came to church two weeks ago, but we were only able to teach there this week. Her brother's schedule is crazy apparently, but the lesson was awesome. The brother is named Alinho and he is returning to church and was struggling with support (his wife is a less active that is a bit of a rebel apparently), but now he has a greater desire due to the fact that his sister, Vanessa will be baptized the 2nd of June!!!!! It was an awesome experience and we are super happy and nervous because...
• transfers!!!!!! One of us will be transferred tomorrow. We should know soon, but either one of us could leave. So that is nerve racking.
• yesterday was stake conference and it was awesome because both President and Sister Hill spoke and President Perrot of the Seventy also spoke (who was also the past president of the Campinas Brazil mission). I learned a lot and I really felt the Spirit, Especially since Vanessa was there!!!

So a lot of excitement now. It is hard to believe that only three months ago, I came and reopened this area (it is a ward and the missionaries we transferred due to some problems with the rules). I am excited to see if I will go or if I will stay; either one, I am happy. This next transfer will be 5 weeks and it will be my last full transfer and it is also the last transfer of President Hill, so we will see what happens there. Either way, I am really excited to see what happens, and finally be able to shed some light on what will happen with me as my mission comes to a close. But don't worry; I am working as hard as ever so I don't regret the last moments of my mission.

It is good to see that everything is going well there. Keep it up with the yard and everything. 

Love you all soooooo much and hope the best for you all!!!!!!  I will tell you about the transfer next week!!

love you!!!!!

Sincerely,

Elder Jardine

Week 89

This week was a bit difficult. We are working hard and doing everything we can, but people don't always receive us. We have some new ideas, so we will do a few tests and see what works better. 

Amanda is progressing; she went to church this week and she loved it. Her boyfriend (a less active returning member) is also beginning to kind of pull her ear about a few things like reading and praying about the Book of Mormon. 

We also have interviews with my president. We had a priesthood lesson about pornography and what we can do to protect our families. I thought about Brigham's program and I really hope that it keep progressing.

I am super excited for Mother's Day. I can't say an hour when I'll call yet, but you can count on 5:30 -6:00 pm here, so around 2 there. I will send you and email before I call.

It is good to see things progressing there and that Lauren's surgery went well and that the yard is going better.

Well, I will call you on Mother's Day and yes, I remember my Skype password, so no worries there.

Have a fantastic week and see you guys on Sunday.

Sincerely,

Elder Jardine

Week 88

This week was good. We worked hard and are having some success. We are teaching some people, but nothing solid yet other than Amanda. 
We had a service project of painting on Saturday which was fun. And we found a woman named Elena who looks promising. Other than that, not much is going on. This week, we also have zone conference so I am looking forward to that; we will see what happens.

I am glad to see that everything is going well there and can't wait to see you guys on Mother's Day. I will start trying to figure something out here and when I have something solid, I will tell you.

So my president said that my release date will be July 15th, so I will have two weeks with the new president. All I know about him is that he is from North Carolina. I really wanted to be there for Hayden's wedding, but sorry, that is not going to happen.

So that's all for now; I know it's not much, but it's what I got for ya.

Have a great week and keep me up to date on things.

Sincerely,

Elder Jardine

P.S.-my companion is from Fortalesa, Brazil. He had 1 year and 2 months on the mission. He is a great guy and we are getting along.

Week 87

So my week was good. We are having more success here and finding a lot of new people to teach. We have an investigator called Amanda who came to church and loved it. I also gave a talk in church about unity. I felt pretty good about it. I had a little hiccup this week which I will tell you about in another email. I am good just waiting to hear about the transfer that will happen tomorrow. My companion and I are good and we enjoyed this transfer even though the area is a bit difficult.

It is so good to hear that things are going well there with the pool house and Charlotte. I can't wait to see you guys on Mothers Day!!!!!!!

Well, that's all for now; not much. But I will have more to tell you next week, I promise.

Love you all soooooooo much and hope you all have a great week!!!!!!!

Sincerely,

Elder Jardine

Week 86

So my week was good. We are working hard and things are going well. Sergio was at church and our lesson with Amanda was great. She said that she would come to family night tonight with our ward mission leader so we are excited to see how that goes. Other than that, nothing super exciting is happening. 
We had the opportunity to teach a Native American which was cool, but it was also the most difficult thing I have tried to do. It was amazing to see her innocence and their (her 5 year old daughter's) sincerity; it was amazing.

It is cool to see how things are going there. Keep me up to date on things. When I receive my travel plans, I will let you know, but I think that it won't come until my final weeks here. We will just have to see.

I love you all sooooooooo much and hope you all have a great week!!!!!!!

Sincerely,
Elder Jardine

Week 85

So my week was good. We had zone conference which was cool and we were able to work hard for the rest of the week. 

I loved General Conference!!! I was able to watch all the sessions and enjoyed every minute. The solemn assembly was fantastic. I felt really good sustaining our new prophet and thoroughly enjoyed the talks and announcements he made!!! 

As for a favorite talk, I can't choose one yet so we will see. And everyone was suuuuuper happy about the new Brazilian apostle and if you noticed, one of the Seventies had the name of Martins; he is from my mission so that was also exciting.

The new temple announcements were also surprising, especially about the one in India (does India already have a temple or not?) and Russia. So that just goes to show that the Lord's work is progressing and now faster than ever.

I am good here. We are all getting along and doing all that we can so we hope to see the work progressing here.

I am glad to see that all is well there and keep me up-to-date on things.

Love you all soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much and hope you all have a great week!!!!

Sincerely,

Elder Jardine

Week 84

So, our week was good. We worked hard and did our best, but unfortunately, we didn't have much success. We weren't able to teach Amanda, but Sergio (her future husband-member -returned missionary-returning back to church) started the process, so fingers crossed that all goes well. 

We are trying to work with some other investigators, but things aren't going perfectly. But we will keep trying. We are also working with more less active members which is going well. We had one come to church for the first time in like 4 years, so that's fantastic.

We had divisions last week which was fun. I was with Elder Lopez from New Hampshire. It was great. We also have zone conference this week which is exciting; can't wait to see what happens there and at General Conference too. So I will tell you about that next week.

So that's all for now. Hope you guys had a great week and have a great week this week.

Love you guys soooooo much!!!!!

Sincerely,

Elder Jardine

Week 83

So, I was transferred to Jundiai Planalto and I am opening the area. My new companion is Elder Ribero from Fortalesa, Brazil. We are working hard. It is a great place and our area is huge. We are still getting to know the members and such, but things are progressing little by little. I am healthy, just a bit stressed (1-because of opening an area and 2-because the house was filthy when I got here. But with the help of the other two missionaries here-Elder Emeric and Elder J Silva-that was taken care of). 
I am starting to get excited to see what I can do in this area (it might be my last). So hopefully next week I will have a bunch of good news for you guys.

I am sssssuuuuper happy to see that things are progressing there and that Ashley said yes (send me a video por favor) and I can't wait to see Charlie at Mother's Day.

Keep having a great time there and keep me up to date on things. Love you all sooooooo much and have a fantastic week.

Sincerely,

Elder Jardine​

Week 82

This week was good. We worked hard and had a lot of success. Unfortunately, we weren't able to talk to Douglas, but we have him marked for tonight so that will be good. We had interviews with President which was good. He gave me sone advice that I am applying. But other than that, it was a pretty normal week. We were able to find 10 new people to teach and we already have a bunch of references to contact this week so that will be fun.

It is great to see how things are going there. Enjoy the snow and Charlie (who I am super excited to see on Mother's Day by the way) and keep me up-to-date on how the proposal goes if it still hasn't happened.

I love you all soooo much and hope you all have a great week!!!!!

Sincerely,

Elder Jardine

Week 81

So just to start off... I am being transferred tomorrow.

My week was good. We worked hard and things are going well. We had divisions with some other missionaries which was good. We had a Nerf war and were able to work hard.

I am good here. The sun is super strong, but we were able to work all the same.

It is good to see how things are going there. Keep sending me pictures of Charlie and Tucker. I will let you know about my new area and my new companion next week which is exciting because it will probably be my last area!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Underneath are some pictures of some members and investigators; the senior couple are the ones who have a daughter in Lehi and are planning on moving to Utah. They are awesome because every time we visit them, they always give us a lot of food!!!!! They are amazing.

Keep me up to date on how things are there and now you can start the count down of 16 weeks. I can't lie; I am a bit trunky.

Love you all and have a great week!!!!!

Sincerely,

Elder Jardine

Week 79

My week was good; we worked hard and we had some success. Leah and Raissa are progressing, but we had to move their date to 27-2 because they weren't at church this Sunday.

Funny story... we were in one neighborhood that is the farthest from our house and a dog started to follow us, so we were good samaritans and bought him a bone. He took it, walked a few meters and dropped it in the dirt.  He followed us all the way to our house, so we gave him our leftovers. He was funny. Other than that, not much happened.

It is crazy hot here and the sun is ridiculous, but we get by. Thank heaven for sunscreen and rain, so it is all good.

I am soooooooooooooooooooooo freaking happy to see that all went well with Charlotte . Keep me up on things and keep having great weeks.

Love you all soooooooooo much and hope everything goes well for you guys!!!!!!

Sincerely,

Elder Jardine

Week 80

Wow!  A lot is happening there! I am suuuuuper happy about Charlie (Elder Jardine's sister, Jessica, and her husband had their baby; they named her Charlotte Rose). I have used her for about 3 messages about the plan of salvation and stuff, so that is amazing! 

My week was good. Saturday was a bit rushed. We were flying around our area to try to teach lessons. Friday we had a leadership meeting and we were able to establish that the lesson minimum for each companionship is 15 lessons per week, so we will work with that. 

Unfortunately, Leah and Raissa decided to stop receiving us due to the fact that they both were proposed to so that is a happy/sad moment. But we have a new investigator named Douglas who is basically a member; he just needs to be baptized so pray that it works out. 

We are good here. I have officially entered into the last 18 weeks of my mission  It goes by soooooo fast. Transfers will be on the 6th and I will go to my last area.

So that is what is going on. We are happy and healthy and excited to keep working.

I love you all sooooooooooooooooooooo much and hope everything works out there!!!!

Have a great week.

Sincerely,

Elder Jardine

Week 78

This week was good. We had a million things happening:

1. Monday we taught a lesson with President Hill. It was the mother of a member who we thought lived in our area, but afterwards we learned that she isn't. But it was a cool experience.
2. Wednesday we had multi zone conference and I was able to conduct and give part of a training (we basically read a bit, had some elders do a practice, and president took it for there. We did that about 6 times.). It was great. I could feel the Lord give me his strength. (I was feeling sick and didn't know if I could stand that long without needing to use the bathroom.) but it was all good and afterwards president said that that was one of the best zone conferences he has had.
3. Thursday we had divisions with the assistants in their area which was cool. I stayed with Elder Morris from my group and we were able to teach a small family. It was really cool to see how Morris taught and see where I can improve.
4. The next day, we went and did a baptismal interview which was fun. The girl passed, was baptized and confirmed so that was cool.

So that was my week. I am feeling better and we are working hard and starting to have more success. We weren't able to find a bunch of new people to teach, but we will start working more with the members to receive more referrals and teach more part member families, so we are excited to keep working with that.

The weather here is good. I am not having problems with the weather, so it is all good. We aren't really receiving too much rain, just once in a while (almost every day), but I am enjoying it.

It is good to see how things are progressing there. Keep me informed about the family and the happenings there.

I love you all soooooooo much!!!!!! Have a great week!!!

Sincerely,

Elder Jardine

Week 77

So to start off, no I didn't get transferred and neither did my companion which means that my next area will be my last. It is crazy. Our week was good, but the best part was on Saturday we received a call from another missionary who said that he had marked an appointment for us. That morning, we had prayed that we could teach 3 new people and that they could accept a baptismal date and, what do you know? We got there and we were able to teach a couple and their daughter and they all accepted a baptismal date for the 16th of February!!!!!!!!
When we left, we were soooooooo happy. It was like the best two year's hallelujah moment. They were all super nice, even the dog (which is a labrador) was great!!!!! GOD ANSWERS PRAYERS, YOU GUYS!!!!!!!! 
The only down part of the week was that on Sunday, out of nowhere, I developed a fever. But it is all good. I am taking care of it and already feel a thousand times better. I am thinking about taking vitamins to better my health. We will see.

My memories about my first baptism:

     I was nervous and excited at the same time. We had been working with Erica for the entire transfer. I said a prayer to help me feel better. I had spent most of the day before memorizing the baptismal prayer, but in the end, it all worked out and I was able to baptize Erica. I felt good and excited to know that I was doing what I came here to do.

Well, that was my week. Tonight we have a lesson with President Hill so I am super excited to see how president teaches. And this Wednesday, we have zone conference. I will be conducting the meeting so that will be fun as well as the training that me and Bachiochi will give, so pray that all goes well.

Keep having awesome weeks. Be sure to send me pictures of Charlie (Elder Jardine's sister, Jessica, and her husband have chosen Charlotte Rose [aka Charlie] for their baby's name) so I can show everyone here . Be safe and have a great week.

Love you all sooooooooo much!!!!!!

Sincerely,

Elder Jardine

Week 76

This week was pretty relaxed (for a missionary standard). We taught a lot and walked more-either in pouring rain or burning sun which I didn't really mind. We are progressing with some investigators, but no baptisms yet. We found two people called Jose and Luiza who have a daughter who lives in Lehi, Utah and are members!!! They are super nice and we hope to baptize them before they move to Utah (which is a surprise in itself, seeing as how they are like 60-70). But we have some plans, so we are excited. 

Tomorrow is transfers and we are still waiting to know who will go and who will stay (I could be either one so I am almost wanting to call the assistants to see why the crap it is taking so long) but we will see. Right now, my companion and I are trying to be the best examples of obedience so we can whip our zone in shape. We are reading the missionary manual and are doing our absolute best to do everything with exactness. It isn't easy, but I certainly feel better than when I wasn't that obedient with my last companion.

Well, I am great here. Glad to see that everything is going well there and I am super excited for my little niece (freak, I am old!) Keep me informed on stuff and be sure to let everyone there know that I love them.

I love you all soooooo much!!!!!!Have a great week!!!!!

Sincerely,

Elder Jardine

Week 75

This week was good. We had leadership meeting a few days ago. Then, I had an interview with president after. It was great! I love talking with president; he is a great guy and an incredible example and mentor for me. So you can imagine how I felt when one of the district leaders of my zone said that he had no respect for president and that president doesn't care about him (just because president didn't pay to help a knee problem that came from when he broke his toe a month before the mission). But I did what I could to help. Our investigators are great. We had one named Diogo come to church, so that was super exciting!

I am good here. Still a zone leader. Transfers are on the 23rd so we will see if I stay or go-could be either one honestly. I am also suuuuuper excited about the 6th of February (that's when Jessica, Elder Jardine's sister is due to have her baby). I cant wait to be an uncle so you can bet that I will be praying for that.

You guys keep having an awesome week and keep me in the know about things.

Love you all sooooooo much!!!! Have a great week!

Sincerely,

Elder Jardine

Week 74

Well, things here are going well. We are working hard and are having some success. The weather has been interesting here- either blazing hot or raining, so it has been interesting to work. We are finding some new people to teach. It is just that nobody is coming to church which is frustrating! But we will work with them. We are working hard with various members who are a great help to us.

I am good-working hard with Elder Bachiochi to whip our zone in shape which is kind of frustrating but we get by.

I am glad to see that everything is going well and hope that the Lord continues to bless and protect you.

I love you all sooooooooo much!!!!!!!!! Have a great week.

Sincerely,

Elder Jardine

Baptism

Merry Christmas from Brazil!

Elder Jardine with his companion, Elder Bachiochi

Week 73

This week was great! It was great to see you guys and talk!

So, yes, the baptisms happened!!! It took a bit more work than needed (president had to interview one), but it all worked out great. They were baptized and confirmed, so we ended the year out strong!

New Years was great. I made a video of all of the fireworks that were going on. We also spent some time with a member, so that was fun. I ate a ton of food, especially meat . Now, I am super excited to work on this year and see how I can get better.

So ya, I am great-happy and motivated and a bit crazy. That's a good combination, right?

I hope things keep going well and that the Lord continues to bless you.

Love you all soooooooo much!!!!!!

Sincerely,

Elder Jardine