INCOMING MISSIONARIES

DEPARTING MISSIONARIES

Love in the air!

Love was in the air this month in Jersey and so was the snow!  The snow is certainly beautiful here, but is also dangerous because it creates havoc on the roads and since we have a lot of trees their limbs break as well.  And yet, another record was set in this great state.  The historic Blizzard of 2013! Snow, wind, ice, sleet, rain…gotta love it!  But since the groundhog didn’t see his shadow we are hoping for Spring to be right around the corner.

This month we had our great departing missionaries go to George Washington’s Winter Headquarters Museum, The Empty Sky 9-11 Memorial and the Russian Teardrop.  We had lunch at a Portuguese Restaurant in Newark and visited the famous Graffiti wall too! Someone had sprayed “NJMM 4 LYFE”.  Someone has been tagging?  Can’t imagine who it was??? We are hoping to return to Ellis Island and The Statue of Liberty at the end of May and into the summer.  That hurricane Sandy really took its toll.  We drove down to the shore and there was still a lot of work to be done.  Pretty sad!

We also had the Historic Surge of Missionaries 2013 begin this month.  26 missionaries arrived! We had to use both vans and a car to get them to the mission home.  Then feed the little army, interview them, and get them all settled in every bed, couch and floor bed we could find.  It was great!  We love having all these new sisters come and the extra elders as well. We have had many senior missionaries arrive and will continue to receive them in the next few months.  We love our senior missionaries.  They are amazing!  They have been out scouting for the apartments, helping with furniture and getting 100 more beds, mattresses and pillows.  The office staff also continues to amaze us with all their hard work and efficiency.  

This month our focus was “Relying on the Spirit”.  One of our missionaries said, “That is exactly what I need, to build that ability to rely on the Spirit.  My dad told me ‘never deny a generous thought!’ It’s great because the more we focus on that it helps miracles happen. The more we teach by the Spirit, the more people feel the spirit and get baptized.  I love the way it works!  Just in the last 20 minutes it worked!  We walked into the library and there was someone coming in and I felt something tell me to open the door for her, so I did!  She approached us about 10 minutes later and told us she was a member that hadn’t come to church in a long time!  She wanted the missionaries to come over! The Spirit is real!”  Don’t you just love that!?!?

Our missionaries continue to work hard and we are so proud of them.  27 new converts into the water!! Our missionaries love the people of New Jersey.  They continue to develop faith to find and they put in great effort every day!  That is our new theme for the second half of our mission.  LOVE, FAITH and EFFORT!

We are looking forward to having Elder D. Todd Christopherson of the Twelve and Elder Tad Callister of the Seventy come and spend an afternoon with us with March!

I looked out the window and what did I see, two Mormon Missionaries smiling at me

They had brought me such a nice surprise, a Book of Mormon right before my eyes

I can take some time and read it through, study, ponder and pray about it too

It was really so and it seems to be the greatest thing that ever happened to me!

Missionaries of New Jersey hope you will share a Book of Mormon with a friend or someone you run into.  Just open your mouth!  It’s pretty easy.  Then you can say one day,

I looked in the chapel and what did I see, many converts smiling back at me

They were happy it was no surprise, the gospel light shined bright in all their eyes

We can share the gospel with everyone.  Give pass along cards you know it’s fun

It is really so, and it seems to be, if you share the Book of Mormon you will be happy

Hey, here’s a fun fact of New Jersey: Leo the MGM Lion, Cheetah the Chimp of Tarzan, and Elsie the Borden Cow are buried in New Jersey. Not only Whitney Houston, Frank Sinatra and Sting, but famous animals are here as well! We love New Jersey!

And we love you,  Dad and Mom, Grandpa Jon and Bon Bon, Jon and Bonnie, President and Sister Jeppson NJMM

THE COLD ZONE!

My goodness! It has been frosty, cold and terribly freezin!  We have been tryin to stay well in this wintry season!  Yes the damp cold has hit Jersey with a vengeance and we have all been feelin it! We have been wearin thermols here along with earmuffs, gloves, scarves, hats, warm coats, boots, layers and whatever else we can to keep us warm! We were warned about the damp cold here.  Last winter was nice and quite balmy.  But it is true!  When that damp cold penetrates everything you have on your body and hits your bones it is COLD!  It actually aches and takes you a while to warm up! But you know what?  There are “SNOW” missionaries like Jersey ones.  Even in this immense cold they are out and talkin to everyone!  This month our missionaries will have taught close to 6,000 lessons to investigators.  A big shout out to them all!  They have caught our new slogan for the next year and a half…..Love, Faith and Effort!  They are lovin more people, havin more faith and puttin in a lot more effort!  We are very proud of our missionaries!

We had another group of wonderful missionaries depart and, of course, a brand new wide-eyed group arrived.  We thought it was cold here, but they had just left the MTC in Utah where they were havin cold zones enough for the whole country. Minus degree weather, freezing rain and ice everywhere and lots and lots of snow! We’ll take a little cooler Jersey for now!

Speaking of a cold zone, we had our zone conferences this month.  However, they were not cold, but very warm and loving! We have such a great time at zone conferences because we get to be with all the missionaries in a 3 day period to have yummy food, some fun, be with friends and should we say mission family and share our faith.  The five F’s of life!  The missionaries were taught great ways on “How to Begin Teaching and Working Effectively with Members”. We are sure hopin all of you back home are working effectively with the missionaries! We also had some instruction on diggin in the scriptures because as you know our scriptures are pure gold!    We had fun singin along with Sister Jeppson who tries to give the missionaries some stress relief.  The letter game during lunch time proved to bring laughter and smiles to many! Some of our missionaries showed off their talents at lunchtime as well.  After the Birthday Song and Way to Be Bag, Elder Pike from Utah did his impersonation of Elmo! Sesame Street had come to the mission.  Then Elder Miguel from Mozambique, Africa showed us a martial arts routine. Elder Blanco from Mexico played a beautiful piano number as did Elder Waite from Idaho.  It has been pure joy having the missionaries use their instruments, voices and a variety of talent to entertain us during Zone Conferences.

We are now heavily involved in Interviews.  Jon and I travel to each zone and interview the missionaries.  President takes one in a room and asks all the hard questions and I get to take the companion in another room, give a gospel message along with chats about their life, home, problems etc and then they all get bagels, fruit, yogurt, string cheese, fruit snacks, drinks etc,! So interviewing is certainly not cold and boring.  The missionaries come away hopefully with a feeling of warmth and love from the both of us.

As for the missionary work…it is HOT!  Lots of lessons, lots of investigators and hopefully lots of baptisms to come out of their hard work.  We had 17 more children of our Heavenly Father enter the waters of baptism.  Jon and I have the best calling each Sunday to see several baptisms each week.  Another family of three, a mother and her daughter and a quiet, shy 13 year old were baptized this week. 

Last month I was in a hurry to pick up my daughter at the mission home and get her back to our All Mission Christmas Conference. A policeman pulled me over and told me I was speeding.  I told him the situation, told him I was a missionary. He said “well, just watch the signs”. I told him he made my day and that I had something to make his day and gave him a pass-a-long card. He thanked me and I sped off.  I told the missionaries what happened and to my surprise one of our darling missionaries, Sister Herrea was pulled over by a police officer a few weeks later.  She started telling him what the missionaries do! She gave him a pass-a-long card and a Book of Mormon.  He gave them his number, they set up an appointment and they are now teaching this policeman! We have decided when you meet a cold police officer give him a pass-along-card with Jesus on the front of it and he will warm right up!!

We are busy getting new apartments, beds, furniture, making new zones and gearing up for the incoming missionaries that are upon us shortly.  We are excited! 

Even though we are in a cold zone here in Jersey our hearts are warm and we are glowin with the Spirit!  We love and miss you, Dad and Mom, Grandpa Jon and Bon Bon,  Jon and Bonnie, President and Sister Jeppson….NJMM

  

CHILLIN!

We’re Chillin in Jersey!

The snow finally hit!  After last years dribblin of snow we were hopin for the same! Not to be!  We have had several snow storms and it is beautiful with all the trees here, but it has a chill to it that we were warned about.  My bones do ache with that chilly wind and air.  I really have to layer my clothes and for sure wear scarfs and gloves.  Otherwise my fingers can’t move and my ears freeze off.   Does that sound a little chilly?

Speakin of chilly, I have cooked a lot of chili since the season started.  I have also prepared a lot of meals for celebrations.  President Jeppson and I had each zone over for a “Jingle with the Jeppsons”.  We had what seemed like a full eight course breakfast of French toast, waffles, yogurt, bagels, sausage, bacon, fruit of every kind, whipping cream and then eggnog, chocolate milk, OJ, apple juice and milk! I think President cooked around 300 or so French toast! Then when the missionaries were stuffed we jingled with the bells singing Christmas carols, read missionary Christmas stories and studied from the scriptures of the Savior’s birth. President Jeppson and I ended with a song from Whitney Houston, who grew up in New Jersey, “Who Would Imagine a King”.  We played a game where the missionaries had to guess a character from the Book of Mormon.  Upon guessing the right one they picked a pair of socks which were so generously donated from brothers and sisters, cousins and children back home.  Each elder had a new pair of either, dress socks, athletic socks, hiking socks and the sisters also could choose softies too.  These new socks should keep the chill from their footsies!  Not only that, we as a mission, want to “Rock their socks off”;  the people of New Jersey that is! President was given a tie by every missionary with their name on it and I was given a personalized ornament by every sister.  They are real keepsakes!

Besides new socks, our dentist, Dr. Craig Proctor sent out dental hygiene kits to go in stockings for all the missionaries.  His Stake youth committee wrote personal Christmas cards to each elder, sister and senior missionary along with a scarf and candy for all. And to top it off, our niece, Hannah Rich, made a beautiful warm hat for each missionary for her Gold Award for Girl Scouts.  Now that was a labor of love.  She called this project “Warm Heads, Warm Hearts”.  Hannah hoped that if the missionaries were warm then her heart would be warm! From their heads to their feet the chill of the weather has been taken away. 

These New Jersey missionaries have been given a lot this year by many generous people.  They have been so very nice and never naughty this season so that is why they have been spoiled.  Many gift cards, money donations, clothing and such have been received with thankfulness and appreciation. We even received a box of little fleece scarfs from primary girls in Florida to help victims of Sandy for Christmas. It is enough to give you chills of warmth and tenderness to your heart!

Speakin of chills, we had two wonderful mission firesides with investigators and members of the stakes here in New Jersey.  The missionaries spoke, and sang so beautifully.  Everyone felt the spirit strongly. But, sadly to say, I blew it trying to speak Spanish.  I am learning to bear my testimony in Spanish and I got up to say “Buenas Noches” and for whatever possessed me to say “Buenas Nachos” is beyond me!  But when that came out, the house came down.  I tried to compose myself and chill so my face would stop blushing!  I have been teased ever since!

The highlight of the month was our All Mission Christmas Conference.  Everyone came together to have a fantastic devotional with speakers on the Savior, Joseph Smith by the Assistants and missionary experiences related by all the Stake Presidents and their wives.  We had a delicious dinner served by the Morristown Sisters, senior sisters and helpers, then Alex Boye’ entertained us and delivered a spiritual Christmas message for us all.  He then spoke at two more firesides Friday and Saturday nights so our missionaries could bring their investigators. We had a great time celebratin and chillin together. It was a great stress reliever.

But our wonderful missionaries don’t chill very long. They worked very hard this year bringing children of our Heavenly Father into the waters of baptism. We will have over 325 baptisms this year!  There are 325 more individuals who have changed their lives and accepted the doctrines of Christ.  We see baptisms every week and believe me it NEVER GETS OLD!  The chills run through your body every time! 

And as each transfer goes, our departing missionaries had a great time seeing sights of New Jersey and culminating it all with a trip to the Manhattan Temple.  It always puts a chill in your heart when they leave because you love them so much and you may never see some again! 

But life happens you know and that is why you make the most of everyday with who you are and who you are with. We are lookin forward to an exciting New Year!  We hope family wise it will be a better 2013 for us.  We added a new grandbaby and lost two grandbabies so we are looking forward to an exciting New Year of more grandbabies!  

We are also havin an exciting New Year about to begin with 100 more missionaries comin to our mission! Our first big installment is comin up! The first twelve of seventy sisters are about to make their move on Jersey! It just gives you the chills doesn’t it!

Love to all, We miss you! Chillin in Jersey but lovin it! Dad and Mom, Jon and Bonnie, President and Sister Jeppson..New Jersey Morristown Mission