03/30/2015

Dear Family,

Thanks again for the great letter! I always enjoy hearing what is going on at home and how everybody is doing.

We got our transfer letters this week. A lot of people were switched around. I am staying in the Battleground ward. Elder Aguirre is going to Gresham to be a zone leader. I am bummed that he is leaving. He has been such a great companion and we got along so well. My new companion is Elder Brase. Do you remember him? We were in the MTC together. He's the one from Kansas. I'm way excited to be companions with him. I think that we will have a great time. Transfers are on Wednesday... so look for Fred! (Marilyn's note... Fred is a guy that records stuff from Jaxon's mission then puts it on Facebook. That is how we saw Jaxon at the Christmas party, and a few other times. He just records the missionaries on transfer day, sometimes we get a glimpse of Jaxon, but he avoids the camera like a plague. I don't know how to make it so everyone can see it on Facebook.)

This week went really well. It went by fast. We met with a lot of great people. Mike came to a baptism on Saturday. He really enjoyed it. He had some really good questions. He was asking about the authority to baptize and about the significance of it. He seems to be getting it more and more. I don't think he will be baptized on April 11th, but maybe down the road. We had a sweet tracting experience. We were just going door to door, talking with people before an appointment we had. We talked to this one really nice family who knew a family in the ward. The husband wasn't home and he is an ex-pastor. They have three daughters between the ages of 13-19. We gave them For the Strength of Youth pamphlet and their mom said that she wanted us back on Thursday when the husband was home and that he had some questions. We talked to the family in the ward that knew them, and they said that they are actively looking for a church to go to. We were wondering if it would be a bashing fest, but they said that they wouldn't do that. Keep us in your prayers and hope that things go well Thursday. I have a good feeling about them.

Okay so is that Justin Coburn that got his call to Everett? You just said Justin... Is Justin Bean working on his papers? How about Tanner Hart? Any word about Starkey?

Thanks for the Steve Ard connection. Yes I do remember talking to Mrs. Treasure about that. I hope I will be able to meet him soon.

Thanks for the package. I have enough sweets to last me for awhile!

This Sunday was the best sacrament meeting I have been to so far. The Spirit was so strong as we talked about the Atonement. The choir sang two songs and they did an amazing job. There were two talks that I really enjoyed. One sister talked about how she had a serious biking accident and she suffered major brain damage. Her husband was right behind her when it happened. Not even 50 yards behind him was a brain surgeon from Portland State University. He was able to position her the way she needed to be and he gave her some assistance. He knew exactly what he had to do. The ambulance came and picked her up and she spent a lot of time in the hospital in critical condition. Eventually she came out of it, and now she has some hearing and speech problems but she is fine other than that. The next talk was from a brother that was a police officer. He talked about how he was called to a scene where a pedestrian was hit by a car. He was barely alive. They rushed him to the emergency room and when he visited him a few days later, he was amazed at what great spirits the man was in. He had lost his leg, yet he was still happy. He knew of the power of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The speaker didn't know if he was a member of the church or not, but he new that he had a relationship with the Savior. Then he talked about the enabling part of the Atonement. We often talk about the redeeming power, but sometimes we overlook the enabling part. God won't take away our trials, but he will give us strength. That man never got his leg back, the sister that talked still has problems, but they both were strengthened through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Then the closing song was I Know that My Redeemer Lives. It was really powerful and the Spirit was so strong.

For the last couple of months, I have been studying the four gospels. I read all of Matthew up until the final events. Then all of Mark up until the final events and so on. this week I am going to read the final events of Luke etc. I have never really studied the New Testament before and I am loving it. This week is going to be really special as we remember the Savior and what He did for us. I am so thankful for the Atonement. Jesus Christ knows exactly how we feel. We are forever indebted to Him and I have loved being in His service for the past eight months. 

I hope everyone has a blessed week. I love you!

Love,

Jaxon