Hey family!!

Wow! What a week. I feel like I`m in a different mission! My companion is a boss! Elder Prestwich from Riverton, Utah is a capo and we`ve been working hard this week! Right before cambios I was talking with an Elder who was in our Pinch about how to work with people! He gave me a great answer when he said, "together is the best way to work with people!" Elder Prestwich and I have been working together and it has made the mission something else! We pass the day en la calle talking about pavadas and of course things that we liked, things that we can improve on or ways that we as a companionship can do things differently. It has been really open and really funny! He is one of a kind! haha Some of the things in his mind are.. interesting, but with careful thought he`s got a point! We`ve had a great week- kinda a lot of doors in the face, but without a doubt we are doing our part! Presidente Stapley shared something with us about seeing great things happen in our missions, we HAVE to have the spirit with us!! Si o Si! Which consequently means that we must change. Well we`ve been through lots of changes this last week and something that we`ve tried to do with all these changes is promise the Lord our work and our hearts! You had a point there last week mom, I took what you said and it helped me a ton! =) Ha at different times in the week we had like ALL doors shut in our face and all the appointments canceled and that was when the promise that we made came back into mind and it helped us give a little bit more! I found a sweet scripture in Hebrews 10 that I learned un montòn from-

35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.

36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.

38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 

39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

Monica is doing great! We worked with her this week to have a different outlook on faith! Instead of just asking if these things are true we invited her to trust the feelings that she has already had and go forth with faith! She prayed later saying, "Lord I believe these things are true and I`ll keep listening, but help me to learn more!" WOW! Que capa! We`ve got the best investigators! ha. Also we`ve been able to work a little bit more with her family and a friend of hers!

So yesterday we were with the familia Moya and we talked to them about using their computer for skype! They said that it would be fine. I`m assuming that we`ll do it after church here (like 1 pm) or something like that. I still will have to get more info, but I`m super excited to chat with you guys!

I wish Ryan and Dad a great great birthday and hope that you guys have a great week! Love you guys tons and will be thinking of you guys on your big days!

Love ya guys tons!
Saludos
Elder Jolley

Hey hey!!

What a week! thanks for your updates and for sharing a little bit of what you guys are going through!

Well, I`ve got me a YOUNG companion! Ha. I`m so excited, I`ll be able to say goodbye  to a companion when the time comes! That made me super happy! His name is Elder Bryce Prestwich from Riverton Utah! He`s got about the same time as I do (but less.. remember that!) He`s a ball of animo! I`m super grateful to be able to have him as a companion and for the work that we`re gonna pick up in the next transfer! We had an interesting week this week, with Elder Lopez getting ready to go home we were taking care of final preparations- it`s strange to see them go home but it was a good opportunity for us to grow closer as a companionship and see what the Lord had been teaching us in our time together. Today in transfer meeting there was a really special spirit as many good friends went home. The missionary spirit has a great power to touch the hearts of those that hear their messages and great influence to change us from boys to disciples! Elder Lopez was a huge help for me!

Our progress with Monica has been slow and steady. For this coming week we were able to get her to commit to having more that one lesson! Ha. When we talked with her she was frustrated because she hadn`t received an answer. She is determined to know if this church is true and if this is what she needs in her life. She explains to us that she has been not only on her knees praying, but she feels "sprawled out" before our Heavenly Father. Her praying habits have changed a ton! Before it was every now and then and now she has learned to pray all the time because she loves the relief that she gives. For us it`s easy to see that the Lord is greatly showing her that these things are correct!! But for her we have seen it a great blessing as she learns to surround herself with the fullness of the Gospel and the special tools that we`ve been given to feels the Savior's influence in our lives! She hasn`t been reading the Book of mormon very much- it makes us happy and hopeful for what she`ll be able to experience as she starts to apply that in her life. Ha, we thought of that part of Ratatouille where el chefsito takes a bite of the one thing and it`s good, and then the other and that`s good too but to add them together! mm that`s an explosion of truth!

I love you guys tons, sorry not too much time today! I love this gospel and love my Father in Heaven. I know that when we are honest before Him and seek His divine help- truly humble then without reservation or hesitation we are helped and comforted in our lives! I pray that He will continue to bless my family! Hasta luego!

Elder Jolley

How-day!!

Hey guys, Happy Monday! I like these days! Well from "the Forest" we´re doing great, had a crazy great week and are loving the work and seeing the Lord bless us in every aspect of the work. It´s hard to believe a week has already gone by, but I feel really good about it, we made good use of our days and came out with one of the best weeks that I´ve had here in Bosques :). Thanks for your emails- You guys are always in my prayers and I appreciate the constant support. Please send my love to the family!

Elder López and I are doing great, true buddies! He right now is working with another Elder who will be leaving at the same time. We have only a week left of the transfer and Elder Lopez and I are gonna work super hard before he goes home! I will now have 6 of my companions out of the mission field and en casa. Kinda weird loosing all my buddies, but I am glad that we´ve all been able to leave good friends. I don´t know if I´ve told you guys thi,s but Elder Lopez is like the Latin version of Elder Nielson so that makes things super funny and a nice little reminder of good bros! We found 9 new
investigators this week- haven´t been able to work really well with all of them yet, but all left a great impression on us and a lot of hope to help them progress. We went out this week with the goal to complete our goals. We planned well and then we saw the Lord do His own work with our plans. Many times we were in situations where we tested to see if we would take advantage of what he had given us. On Wednesday we went to a members house and gave a blessing to La Hna. Zarza, we didn´t have a lot of time cause it was already late, but right as we left her daughter's boyfriend came in, we said hi and then left. When we were like a block from our house I had the worst feeling like we had just lost a great opportunity, we were bummed, but we thought with the time that it would be better for us to just get home. With another step I had the strong impression that we had to turn back and tell that guy who we were and what we do. His name is Sebastian and he was kinda surprised that we had came back just to introduce ourselves. As we talked just a little he opened up and said that he would be interested in talking more with us. We haven´t been able to find him again, but that was a great lesson for me and I am sure it left a seed there for a little later. By learning from that experience the Lord had prepared other things in the week that allowed us to have more success- new people found or lessons taught- everything really simple, but "by small and simple things" right?

Monica is doing great!! She has only had time for us to pass by once this week, but when we were there we got to know her kids too, Mauro y Myra! We had left the Book of Mormon and a little place for her to read and when we went on Thursday she was a little confused about "the need of another bible." The spirit was strong as we were able to testify and teach about the Restoration of the Gospel. She accepted RE bien the Book of Mormon after that lesson as was DETERMINED to ask God in order to have an answer for herself. Along with the great questions that Monica has, she is also super funny! She´s super easy going in the moment and then when it´s time to listen she´ll be like "bueno chicos, what do we have to talk about today?" Haha. We also were able to invite her to be baptized on May 18 and she said that she would prepare herself and work towards that day so we´re happy to have some progressing investigators.

Book of Mormon reading has been super good. I try and read 6-7 pages a day and I´m learning a ton! On Saturday Elder Lopez had to go to the mission home to take his English test (we´ve been practicing English together... sometimes he does better than me!) so I had a good chance to get caught up on some reading and also had a good conversation with the Hna. Stapley about Book of Mormon. I was the only one in the house so I got some quality time spent with the President and his wife! They're incredible! I´m sad that they´re heading home so quick, but we´re doing a lot to get things ready for Pres. Thurgood and his wife!

Alright family I gotta get going! I love you guys, I know that this work is the work of God. I know that the Lord has fulfilled His promises in restoring His gospel again to the earth! Without a doubt I am sure that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and will guide and direct us in our lives. I know that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is real. It is the power that He was given to free us from our sins and to give to all of us Salvation. We can be saved through His precious Atonement!

With love
Elder Jolley

Hola querida familia!

Wow! What a weekend no?? It´s super nice to come off a Conference weekend. Thanks for the great thoughts that you guys shared on your favorite talks! I´d have to agree with your choices- all were incredible! I had several that were "answers" to a lot of prayers. I LOVED the talk by Jeffery R. Holland.. Of course he came with an incredible message. I think what I loved more was my "theme" that I found from conference:

63 Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

President Eyring on Saturday morning said it best! The way that I´ve seen it (at least from my end) is that many people want Christ in their lives and all the blessings that come with His glorious light, but because He is a God of "high expectations" we too have a part to play! I loved seeing that theme, Christ knocks, let Him in! I think for me the best topics were on confidence and on seeing the good out of everything that happens- keep pressing on obediently and the "dawn will come!" That was a blessing. Ha I need to apologize, I didn´t want you all to think I was super bummed about BYU, doors open and close, in the end if we´re doing what´s right we´ll enter into the right one! :) If anything that was a huge blessing for me so, Thank You! It really did open my eyes to how real the up coming events are and that I can´t just shoot from the hip (like I kinda did with BYU). President Monson said, "Some of life's greatest questions can be answered by faithful obedience until the end." That was my favorite line! :) Things will be good.

This week we had a good week. A couple reunions and things that took up time, but there is so much good things too. We were blessed to find this week!!! Vamos todavía! We found a really great lady named Monica. She had talked to missionaries like 14 years ago and "got to charla 3" she repeatedly told us! Ha. We had a good talk with her about the Restoration and invited her to read from the Book of Mormon. We have a cita with her later this week.. we´re excited to see how things went with her.

I don´t know if you guys heard, but this last couple weeks or so there has been HUGE flooding here in Buenos Aires and has caused some serious damage to many different areas. I believe it was Martes when the storm hit us the most. We were in a lesson with a less active family- and were also able to find their cousin and teach him- As we went through the lesson it started to sprinkle, then rain, then down pour! Elder Lopez watched out the window and the sad realization that we´d be walking home (had been sunny all day so we didn´t even bother thinking about umbrellas or anything). We ended the lesson and began to walk on home! :) A couple "only on a mission" experiences were had that night as we walked in knee deep water. In the end we were jumping in every puddle and walking under every waterfall that came off the houses! We learned how to embrace what was going on I guess! Anyway the lesson we had with the family was really cool. Matias (the cousin) was in the house working on the computer and when we asked if he wanted to hear a message about Christ he was a lot hesitant! Later we found out that he was expecting that we would shout and jump around and talk in weird languages- as is the custom with other "missionaries" of different faiths. We were able to share out of the Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 25:23 and explain the purpose of the Book and also of the eternal love of the Savior. As the lesson went on, we could tell he was more and more interested and was grateful for nuestra visita when we left. We later found out the he was "greatly impacted" by the spirit and the difference that he had felt as we read from the Book of Mormon. That helped to secure my own testimony that no other book can testify tan poderosamente como the Book of Mormon! We have another cita tonight and we´re hoping that he´ll be there again.

Things always move forward! Always are going up! :) I loved what Elder Anderson talked about. Maybe in today's vision we cannot see what we´re doing, but the Lord is working miracles and the church independently will go to every ear that will listen. I love being a missionary and I´m grateful to be becoming a disciple of Christ. I really love Him and this work! I hope that you guys have a great day! A big hug to all and please know how much I love you all!

Elder Jolley

Hey family!! (a hello to Grandma and Paka too!)

Thanks so much for your pictures, I loved seeing tons of them! :) (began to forget who you all look like! Ha) Sounds like you guys had and are having a blast in St. George! I was really impressed by the "penados" of everyone. It looks a tons like Argentina.. super short on the side with "thick wavy locks" on top (Skyman haha) And I wasn´t for sure, but I think I saw Rynee wearing caprees in one of those pictures...? ¿Avisemos a Analisa? Ha just yoking around! :)

Alright so with the bummer news of BYU I have a little bit more time to be writing you guys- mejor así! I am doing super good, the weather is turning super fallish right now. We´ve had a couple beautiful days here, but then this morning we woke up to some rain. I love seeing the change of colors and being able to feel the fall air right now! Bosques is good!! We are supposed to be in each area that we go to.. I´m sure that the asignaciones come from our Heavenly Father. I get around now, there are a lot of different street names so I´m no pr,o but where we need to go, I get there! That´s been a great blessing, I now feel more involved in the work here and that´s nice. I feel like I can pray and study more specifically for those that are here. Igual, this week has been pretty tough, we aren´t finding a lot of "sure" plans or "sure" people to plan for. We are still working with our less active lists and on our part we are contacting more and more. If we don´t have a lot to do in order to have success, well we need to make our own success! The people here are open to talking, commitment is what we are working to strengthen in Bosques! Elder López and I have been pretty stressed.. we try not to show it or say it but it´s there for sure. One thing that is great about Elder Lopez and the work that we´re doing right now is that we are open to improving. Por ahí we don´t have a lot to show in Bosques but the Lord is helping us to change! We´ve been working constantly on being more open with each other, finding ways to always be excited and happy in the work and to enjoy ourselves. As we´ve done that as a companionship we´ve seen great blessings and a greater friendship between us. It´s something that I´ve been wanting to improve as a missionary and the Lord sure knows what we need! :)

Well this week we had the opportunity to go to a mini-zone conference that President and Sister Stapley attended and taught at. The topic was Faith, Hope and Charity. In Buenos Aires Sur we´ve been able to place high metas to esforzarnos to be better missionaries and to come to know our Savior better. The goal that we set from this zone conference was to be able to read the Book of Mormon in 90 days! Andale Andale! Ha that´s quick reading.. we´re gonna do it though! This last week I had a couple great studies to start off my 90 days. I got to studying about what each principle meant and how to notice them in OUR lives and how these attributes were noticed in the lives of Nephi and his family! I wanted to share with you guys a thought I found on hope. "In our day, the word hope shows uncertainty or even doubt. In the scriptures the word hope is something that is sure and is assured. As followers of Jesus Christ we can have a surety, assurance and trust that we will receive all blessings that have been promised to the saints." That helped me out this week as we continue to work with the assurance that we are doing good for the Lord.

Well, Happy Easter!! Hope it went well for you! The Easter Egg hunt doesn´t exist here. It is a well known holiday in Argentina, but it has more to do with La Semana Santa. This whole last week there has been a great focus in the churches of the last week of Jesus Christ's life. There are lots of movies that we saw people watching and in general a lot of people come close to the church this week. Yesterday, it was hard to believe that it was Easter Sunday.. snuck up on me! To get me in the mood I read a talk by President Monson from May of 2011 called "He is Risen." He explains the Plan of Salvation in such a clear way and you really see the need of a Savior in our lives. The rest of the day, and especially through the Monday meetings I loved being able to focus my attention of the great sacrifice that that Savior offered for me.

10 Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God;

11 For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him.

12 And he hath arisen again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of repentance.

13 And how great is his joy in the soul that repenteth!

Over this Easter Sunday I was grateful for my Mediator, who took upon Himself the punishment of my sins so that I can hope for an eternal life. I am grateful that He has set the conditions whereby we may repay Him! I know that repentance is essential for us to be able to receive all blessings of the Atonement. Yesterday I was grateful to know that I will one day be judged by Him and no one else. We truly are subject and greatly indebted to Him for the price He paid for us, but how amazing it is to know that He has made the way easy for all of us! I can´t wait for General Conference and hope that you guys all have a great rest of the week!

Love ya
Elder Jolley