Watch conference this weekend!

                                                                                                                  September 30, 2014

So yesterday we got to go to the temple which is always amazing of course! I think probably the only thing I don't like about being a missionary is we don't get to go that often but we are lucky to have one in our mission! Our mission president sent us a list of promises made by the Logan temple President and they are amazing!
Here is what regular temple participation will do for you:
1. If a man, you will become mighty; if a woman, powerful.
2. It will serve as a great “insurance protection” for your marriage.
3. The blessing of the Eternal Gods will be called down upon you, and great spiritual growth will be yours.
4. Unseen angels will watch over your loved ones when Satanic forces tempt them.
5. You families will draw close to the Lord and there will be no empty chairs in the Celestial Kingdom.
6. Your children will go on missions.
7. Your children will get married in the temple.
8. The veil will be thin, you will have great spiritual growth, and many spiritual experiences will distill upon you.
9. You will be prepared for exaltation-with a celestial body, a celestial mind, and a celestial personality.
10. You will become receptive to divine guidance and you will receive spiritual perception to help you grapple with your problems and cares.
11. You will see clearly how to make critical decisions that weigh heavy on your mind.
12. You will become Christ-like.”

How cool is that? There really is amazing spiritual power that comes from regular temple attendance! Afterward we met in the chapel inside the temple with him and the temple president and they talked about the covenants we make inside the temple. It was truly amazing to hear from the inspired men. I wish we could do that more often! lol

So were really starting to get to know the area now and are meeting most of the investigators. Things are starting to run a little more smoothly which is really nice! Elder Gulbransen is a funny guy haha we get along really well! This week should be a good one since we got to start it off with the temple so we are hoping to see lots of miracles come from that and also this weekend is conference! I just realized it will be my last general conference as a missionary which is super sad to think about but I'm excited cause It'll be my last chance to listen to our prophets while I am set apart from the world. so it should be really amazing :) I hope you all are as excited as I am to listen to conference! I can promise you all if you watch it with questions seeking inspiration you will find your answers and feel the Lord's love for you!

Love you all! :)

Sister Eldredge, Sister Andrasko, Me and Elder Gulbransen. We split the Ladera ward!!

 Elder Gulbransen and I

Some families from my previous area

 Love this family! The Snells are way awesome!

 

Brother Adams is Bandelier's ward mission leader!

  The Taits! They were the first and 2nd to last family to feed me in this zone! Love them!

 This is Justin Fiaui. Seriously one of the coolest guys I know. He took us out to breakfast every Pday!

   The Burrup family, they are great!

 The Cooks! Super awesome family!

 The Cowles! Love that family to death! Bishop Cowles was the bishop of Bandelier ward

 The wonderful Johnson family!!!

September 23, 2014

Well I am now serving in the Ladera ward which actually used to be a part of my last stake until the beginning of this year. Now it's part of the Los Lunas stake! The members here are pretty awesome! Our apartment is definitely the nicest one I have been in haha. We got super lucky cause the apt manager just got baptized a few months ago so she hooks it up a lot haha.

I am training Elder Gulbransen. He is from Shelley Idaho. He just graduated high school. We get along super well so we are always having fun! He seriously reminds me of my cousin Dyrel so much its crazy hahaha. So I always just laugh at him cause its like I'm just hanging out with good ole Darell ;) haha.

So we are still trying to learn the area and everyone who they have been teaching (which isn't much lol) but it's been really fun! Also in my district it's just us and three sets of sisters.... normally (no offense) people wouldn't like to have that many sisters in their district but all the ones in mine are super awesome and I know how consecrated sisters can be so its gonna be a great transfer :) well I only have 3 minutes till this computer kicks me off so sorry this is so short! Hope you all have a wonderful week!!!!

Love Elder Espinoza

  NEW ADDRESS

 Elder Jaden Espinoza

1700 Market St. Apt. 508

ABQ, NM 87120

The gospel is amazing isnt it??

                                                                                                                   September 15, 2014

Last week was an awesome week of course! Also, got some pretty exciting news! My Mission President called me to be a trainer and a district leader again. I guess the district I'm going to is struggling pretty bad so I'm excited to see a big change in that district lol. I'm also very excited to train again! I always hoped to get to train during my last two transfers but now I get to with 4 left so there is a good possibility I can train again which would be awesome! Its so cool to see missionaries you have trained doing well in the mission. The Elder I trained earlier unfortunately went home so I'm excited to get to again!

   I kind of have a good idea of where I'll be going haha but we will see! If so, I know some missionaries in that district so it will be super exciting! So our investigator is still doing amazing! One of the ward missionaries actually took her to the temple on Saturday to just walk around and feel the amazing spirit there and to talk about it a little more. It sounded like it was an amazing experience for both of them! Fellowship is the best way to help investigators progress towards baptism then eventually the temple. With this girl it is almost like picture perfect how it is all happening! Its almost too good to be true but hey the gospel is amazing isnt it??

  So I am pretty sad to get transferred so quickly but I am excited to go to another ward where hopefully I will finish my mission off! YSA wards are really fun but I love family wards cause you can get super close to families that will just adopt you into their family lol. Well it'll be exciting to see who I get and where I will end up tomorrow! Love you all and hope you have a great week!!!
Love Elder Espinoza 

Our whole zone before we went to Sky City last week.

 Our Stake Presidency

The Bitsoies! My favorite Najavo family lol

#makeitaclaudineday

09/09/14

So last week was pretty awesome! Going up to Sky City was a great experience. Definitely a one in a life time chance for me to go up there. Too bad we couldn't take any pictures though!!!

Last week was also another one of great success and many spiritual experiences! We had our mission leadership council again and it was all about raising the bar and our level of consecration. We also talked about not being apathetic or complacent. I think this is really what our mission needed to hear and I know I benefited from it greatly! Our zone training the next day was also just as spiritual. I think Elder Taylor and I work great together for this zone! We are hoping to see lots of miracles come from raising our bar to the Lords bar. So last week we had some awesome spiritual lessons with our investigators and both came to church and are progressing really well! One has a baptismal date for the 27th of September! She really is just so solid its amazing! Her parents aren't very fond of it but she says they won't stop her from doing it. She is so goal driven and really wants to learn truth and do the right things its amazing to meet young people my age who really strive to just be good people and do the right things. We are hoping that our other investigator sets a date with us for baptism. He has been coming to church for over a month now but 3 of those weeks was in my old family ward! He also is a wonderful guy! In our last lesson we were talking about coincidences and the days he used to believe in them or wasn't sure but now he doesn't anymore cause he doesn't think its a coincidence that he has been around the church for so long and keep getting lead back to it. So we are just having the best time teaching people! Missionary work is the greatest thing ever honestly!

So two years ago today my companions mother passed away. Last night he told me all about it and how wonderful she is and I honestly can not wait till the day that I get to meet her! I definitely know without a shadow of a doubt she is in the spirit world working hard with us and supporting us in our work. :) So every year on the 9th of September my companions family and friends do this thing in honor of his mother cause she was just a wonderful woman full of service. I think they do it on instagram or something but on the 9th of September they look for service as much as possible and then take pic of it I think and say #makeitaclaudineday. So I would invite all of you to make today or whenever you read this a #makeitaclaudineday and look for opportunities to serve in honor of my companions mother. Also, this is an amazing opportunity to share the gospel with people and tell them why we serve our brothers and sisters, it is all cause of the Savior and His atoning sacrifice that makes EVERYTHING possible.

Love you all and hope you have a great week :)

Love Elder Espinoza

                                                                                                                             September 2, 2014

Hello hello!

  So last week was one of the best proselyting weeks I have had in a long time! It feels so good to finally start teaching new investigators who really do want to know about the restored Gospel and are looking for truth. It never fails to amaze me how powerful the spirit is when you teach the first lesson of the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That message just means SO much! We are teaching this guy who is so prepared it's ridiculous! He is a huge scouter! He actually works for the Boy Scouts full time. He's like a district executive or something like that idk so he has been in just about every church building in ABQ meeting with stake presidents and stuff like that haha so he has been involved with lots of members. Also during the summer he is the camp director over a scout camp and our stake had girls camp there and he meet lots of people from our stake. Turns out he lives in our stake and is a YSA. The members did a wonderful job of inviting him to come to church and take the lessons and we just had one of the most spiritual lessons with him. Its just so exciting when people want to learn and accept commitments from us and actually do them with real intent! Its so amazing. 

  So we had two investigators at church on Sunday and both are progressing well :) This is the first time since I've been in this zone for the last 6 months that the YSA has had investigators at church! So everyone is super pumped!!!!!

   Today we are going up to a reservation called Acoma. They are having their feast day so they make a bunch a food and people come eat for free but you're supposed to bring stuff with you. Its open to the public, I guess, so the Elders out there wanted us all to come and support it hoping it will help out with the work. So the assistants will be picking us all up in the transfer van and we will be heading out here pretty soon! Should be fun. I guess its in sky city which isnt open to the public and if you want to go a native has to take you so its a pretty special opportunity that we have! Well I love you all and thanks so much for the support!!!!

Love Elder Espinoza 

Our Zone