I can't believe Jacob's first 6 weeks are over. They went so fast! He has grown so much and is so happy. Being with kids with his own values, standards and purpose have been great for him. As of yesterday he is in California.  He is ready for the real work to begin and will be knocking on people's doors, doing his own shopping and speaking real Spanish.
We are all real excited for him.

California Here I come

Hola Familia,

Este es la ultima carta antes soy en el campo! ( this is the last letter I’m sending before I go into the field) I´m very excited to get back to the states! Although, I´m going to miss Mexico a little bit. My comp and I are both going to the same mission so we will both be on the same exact flights. This week was great! TRC was last night and we met with a lady named Carlita. She was so nice, we talked for like 15 minutes just about stuff.  I guess our Spanish is getting good! My comp just got help from a psychiatrist here and they think that they found a med to help him and it has. Before, he couldn´t speak during lessons at all, but now he´s doing great. For our priesthood meeting this past week we had a lesson on the parable of the olive tree and it was so good. Presidente Torres said that because of the prayers of the prophets in the Book of Mormon the Lamanites were spared and because of that, they are now able to hear the restored gospel. He said it was very important to him because one, he is a ¨Lamanite¨ and two, that we all were going to preach the gospel to his people. It was so good. I said closing prayer for the Devotional on Tues night. It was in front of the whole CCM I didn´t know why I agreed to it haha. I finally got James´ tie at the Tienda today. John has a red one, and James has a greenish one. They´re nothing special but they´re from Mexico so that´s something. I got Kaitlynn a tag that says Futura Misionera haha she´ll probably wear it every Sunday.

Everyone´s learning Spanish, studying, teaching our daily lessons, and other stuff. I think that everyone is ready to get out in the campo ya. Our friends in our casa are going to Chile Concepcion, Quito Ecuador, and Peru. Most  of the people in my district are going to California though. I can´t wait to eat a real hamburger again.

Sorry for making my last letter short, tell President Hark that it won´t happen again haha.. I got some money out of my account from an ATM here. I got about 200 pesos which is like $16.

We have played so much volleyball here it’s not even funny. But it’s so fun to be able to play with the whole district. My night teacher (used to be fake investigator Fernando but who really is Hermano Chan) is a Patriot fan and he was so excited when the Pats won the Super Bowl. Spring training is coming up soon so if you guys could e-mail me a little info every week about the Bucs that would be awesome. Hermano Chan also likes Real Madrid so I tease him about how I think that Barcelona is better haha

The weather has been perfect the past couple weeks. We haven´t gotten much precipitation and I only need to wear my sweater in the mornings when it’s a little chilly. I´m not looking forward to having to pack again but I can´t wait to back to the States. Apparently Lord of the Rings is pretty big with Mormons, so we have been arguing about which is better, Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. I´m a little outnumbered.

I have not received any mail at all here, so I haven´t received your letters. Not much else to talk about but I hope this is sufficient for an e´-mail. Hasta Proximo Lunes!

Jacob is busy busy busy! He wants everyone to know how happy he is and that he loves his group of young men that are serving with him.  He sent a shout out to Joe Hinzy with his TERRIBLE TOWEL!   He will be leaving for California on February 10th. Endings at the Mexico MTC are new beginnings for a great new experience. 

Jacob didn't write much this last week, he was sick. Everyone down in his Casa had it and they told everyone to stay home and stay in bed and sleep for two days. I'm sure he wasn't too upset by that.  The group recovered enough for them to go to the Temple (not inside). They were doing extensive remodeling and cleaning so it was closed. He got to go to the visitors center though and loved it. Everyone sang Happy Birthday to him on the Temple grounds. What a great memory for him! Here are some pictures that he had taken. Doesn't he look so happy? I have never seen him so full of light and Joy! Choosing the right does that to you.

CCM

On Thu, Jan 8, 2015 at 11:54 AM, Jacob Emerick <jacob.emerick@myldsmail.net> wrote:

Hola Familia,

I hope you got my e-mail I sent last Wed night just saying I got here and all my bags here safely. WOW where to begin!? The CCM (MTC) is awesome! It´s even better than Disney World! Sorry John and James but I´m having way more fun here! My companions name is Elder Wockenfuss. HA he actually was called as the District Leader too! So we are the District leaders in our District! Our district is awesome, there´s Hermana. Ivey, Simonsen, Greenfield, and McGill, Who´s Grandad works at the DC temple! There´s  then me, and Elders W, Griffin, Thompson, Ackley, and Froelich. Our teachers name is Hermana Montoya and she is the Best!!!!! The classes are all pretty much in Spanish with a very few English words. Everyone here teaches in Spanish. For the Native Spanish speakers here it´s like the Provo MTC in the U.S.  They are here for like 11 days then leave! But everyone else stays for 6 weeks! I´ve already had to teach some lessons in Spanish! The investigator’s name is Fernando, he´s such a cool dude.  

I´m the only one in the Companionship that can speak some Spanish. Until last night I was the one really teaching the lessons. Haha I´ve already learned so much Spanish! I can easily have very, very small conversations with some natives, (ex. Sports) and can communicate to workers and teachers some (very little) Ha ha. My companion didn´t have a suit when he got here so we had to go to the reception to get him one and the lady spoke zero English. So I had to help him by translating what I could to help him get what he needed, but we´re still waiting for the right size for him.

 Food wise the first couple of days I felt a little sick (toilet wise) but now I´m getting used to the Spanish food. Every other day we switch between American food and Mexican food, for example Hamburgers, pizza etc. and Mexican Tacos, taquitos, and other awesome food.

 As far as exercise goes every morning, my comp and I run with other elders in our Casa. First week it was just five of us in one casa but now since the greenies are here we have a full house. One of the Elders that just moved in last night plays for the BYU soccer team! As we ran I kept up with him the whole time, which is saying something because we are at 7000 ft here compared to 2000 in Pa.  My comp. and I are the only ones in our room (each holds 4) so we share a whole bathroom to ourselves which is awesome. The mornings here are definitely the hardest because you have to wake up but after the run I feel great.

We are continually learning Spanish and some words I've learned are , la expiacion, el Salvador, agradecidos, versiculo, capitulo, Santa Biblia, verdad and much more. I´ve felt the Spirit so strong here, in class, lessons, en nuestro casa, everwhere! Our branch presidents are great. Presidente Torres was a little upset when Elder Wockenfuss was called as DL because he couldn´t say his name! He said 'I just call you Elder Fuss! HAHAHA So Elder W, wrote Elder Fuss on the back of his nametag for Sunday its going to be awesome.

For fast Sunday I bore my testimony, in SPANISH. WITHOUT  ANY NOTES! I had it written down then when I got to the podium I put it back in my pocket and went from there! One lesson when we taught the first vision to Fernando, as I was reading the First vision in Joseph Smith history the spirit was so strong, as I was reading it in Spanish I started to cry. It was so powerful. I know that the Spirit is what teaches especially when I speak such broken up Spanish. Sorry guys but I have barely even thought about you. It´s just great here and I haven´t felt homesick at all. This is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. The people here are just such great members. They have such strong testimonies of the gospel.

 A couple more things, we have a store (tienda)  here where we can buy all kinds of awesome snacks, ties, shirts, stamps and everything. I only played cage soccer once so far, other times I´ve played ultimate frisbee and everyone thinks I´m amazing haha.

 When we first flew in last week the drive through the City was crazy. I saw a lot of stuff that dad probably saw on his mission. It was so cool and surreal. Well I think that might do it for now. I'll see if I can send some pictures!

Hasta Lugo

Elder Emerick

P.S

Also to answer some of your guys questions, the Airport in Atlanta was fine, I got off went to the bathroom, asked someone where my next plane is, walked all the way to the other side of the airport and met like 7 other missionaries there. Some of whom are in my district and the others are in our casa. Customs was fine too. When I got off the plane in Mexico D.F. my bags were together waiting for me. I put my bags through the thing and they looked through my stuff but that was it. Also I just went up to the immigration lady she looked at me, punched my visa and off  I went to get my bags. I feel the Savior had been watching over me.

There´s not much of a limit on how much time I get for e-mail, just as long as I can get stuff done in time.

·         Here’s my schedule:

·         Wake up and run

·         Shower get ready

·         Go to breakfast

·         Personal Study

·         Class

·         Lunch

·         District Duties

·         TALL, (computer language study)

·         More Study/Prepare for lessons

·         Exercise

·         DPS (Daily planning)

·         Dinner

·         Lesson with investigator, but it’s going to change soon because tonight’s our last lesson

·         District reflection

·         get ready for bed/Talk with Elder Evelo, Kingsford, and Holt (Best buds rooming next to us that were on our flight from Atl)

I hope you guys like the pictures, I want to send all of them but I don´t have the time and these e-mails only allow for a certain amount of space. Thursdays are our P-Days! Tuesdays we have devotionals and they are soooo cool because they are in Spanish but we have a translator as well. The speaker was Elder Salinas and he was awesome. He basically told us that as he looked out at us and saw that he needed to change his talk so he spoke his entire talk from the heart. It was exactly what we need to here. I felt the spirit so strong, he told a story of a young missionary that could not speak English very well let alone Spanish. This Elder was in the field for 18 months and was wondering why he hasn´t been made Sen Comp yet. So Elder Salinas decided to give him a shot. There was an investigator of the church for 15 years that finally decided to get baptized that lived in the area of this missionary. Elder Salinas talked to him about why he joined the church and he said that the Elder that could only speak very little Spanish was the Elder who converted him, because as he sat there squeezing his hands together, closing his eyes and thinking about what to say, he said he felt the spirit overcome him and he knew that this church was true. He said that he didn´t understand what he was saying but he still felt the spirit. And that made me feel good because he said it doesn´t matter how well you know Spanish, or how well you think you know the gospel, what matters is that you go and serve the Lord with all your heart, might mind and strength and give it the best effort you have and the Spirit of the Lord will do the rest. It was such a powerful talk.

 Another thing that happened to me just 15 minutes ago was during lunch. We were having chicken tacos and the chicken is on a plate and you put them on the tortillas which you took. It was awesome, but when a noodle dropped off my fork into the juice it splattered all over my new shirt. Lucky one  Hermana (sister) overheard us because she was right behind us and gave us a tide pen to use. It got on my left side so when I took out what was in my pocket I forgot my missionary manual, which has the key to the casa and my given pesos amount on a barcode inside. We went home to clean up my shirt, luckily one of our friends in the casa had bleach, but then I realized I forgot it. We went looking everywhere for it in the comedor (cafeteria) but we couldn´t find it so we just decided to try the reception to see if they found my manual. On the way I said a little prayer in my head to ask Heavenly Father to help us find it. So at the reception (She doesn´t speak ingles) I asked her if someone turned in my book and sure enough she had it right there waiting for me. I felt so lucky, and thankful at the same time. I don’t know why this e-mail is so long. My district is the best, it’s an honor to serve them as 1st councilor to the district leader haha. I wish you guys could see this place it is just so beautiful at night. It’s also pretty loud. Elder Griffin said that he bets police here just get in there car and turn the siren on for no good reason. haha The night we got here (Nuevo Ano) ( New Year) there were so many booms and everything that night. At first I was a little scared here but now I feel pretty much at home and am completely confident in myself, companion, and the Savior.

I keep thinking of other things to say. Every week we have to give a 5 min talk in Spanish. This week ours is on baptism, although I don´t know if I´ll be giving it because you don´t know if you´re speaking or not until he says ´we will now here from Elder…….´ The branch presidency is awesome, the CCM presidency is awesome. Our President´s name is President Pratt,  he actually gave a talk in General Conference on tithing you could probably find it online. But in the next couple of weeks I think we might have the 1st counselor become the president I´m not sure.

There´s just so much to do here….. I´m looking around at everyone else´s e-mails and they have like 10X more e-mails than me, what’s up with that!? Haha I hope you guys read my e-mails, because you didn´t tell me you got my last one. The weather here is not what I was expecting, Its pretty cold. The first few days it was hot but then the last couple days it has been in like the 50´s which feels freezing. You will have to send me a missionary sweater when I get to California. Also no one in our district has received mail yet,  Don´t you guys love us haha. Forward this message to whomever.

The Mexican food is the best Mexican I have ever had because it’s real. Also as I was talking to an advisor in the Reception (we´ve been there almost every day haha) I told him that I was going to Carlsbad and he said ´Muchas Mexicanas!´HAHA I´ll end my e-mails for the week by showing you guys what I´ve learned so far.

Es mi testimoni que Jesucristo viva. Yo se que Thomas S. Monson es un profeta do Dios. Yo se que El Libro de Mormon es la palabra de Dios y vedadero. Yo se que mi Padre Celestial es amoroso y quire venir a El. Yo se que Jose Smith fue un profeta, y en el nombre de Jesucristo Amen.

Haha its pretty limited but it’s a testimony, hopefully I´ll learn more next week! Alright talk to you guys later.

¡Hasta Lugo por real este tiempo!

Elder Emerick

Jacob's farewell talk

Greeting, talk about previous talks, say thanks

Today in my talk I split it into three main sections, where I started, where I am now, and where I hope to be/going.

Since as long as I can remember I have always had the desire to serve a mission for the Lord; probably singing ‘I hope they call me on a mission’ with Jake Snyder in primary furthered or even started my deep desire to serve a mission. In elementary school I loved to sing at the chorus concerts. It gave me a certain feeling of accomplishment. I never got a solo, even though I was the only boy who stayed throughout the music program into middle and high school. From singing in school to primary I loved all the songs about serving missions. Throughout my childhood I knew that I was going to serve a mission, I just didn’t know when or how. Although it was most definitely after I had grown a foot or two. I was taught at a very young age that a mission was a very important thing for young men and women to deeply consider. I can recall my dad asking me when I was about 6 or 7 ‘Do you like girls yet?’ I responded with a resounding NO. His reply was ‘Good! You’re not allowed to like girls until after your mission!’ Back then I gave no thought of this as a mission was many years away. I am that sad to say that what my father told me has come to pass. Not that I don’t like girls like a little 5 year old but I haven’t gotten into a serious (or any kind for that matter) relationship at all. I now realize what he was telling me back then and it showed me how important missions are.  A couple years back I started to become nervous. Being given larger roles in musical productions, playing soccer for crowds and with the varsity team, and singing with choral groups has made me anxious to not mess up, hence the nervousness. I always strive to do my best in all that I do. I hold myself responsible for mistakes, shortcomings, and all manners of negativity. I would always be scared that I would mess up in front of the whole school, let my team down, or let myself down. So because of all this stress I believe I became a nervous person. Even in my senior year after 6 years of musicals, main roles, many speaking lines I was still just as scared/nervous as the first time I had a major role. This has made me more conscious of why I was getting nervous before activities such as musicals or talks.  I was watching Doctor Who, a fantastic television show, and the Doctor (who is an alien from a distant planet and can travel through time and space that is played by a human character) was talking to a young boy who was scared of a specter underneath his bed sheets. It could have been just a friend playing a trick on him, or a monster that the Doctor has been searching for. (Sorry you have to watch the show) He told him “Are you scared? You see him on the bed. Look at it does it scare you? ‘Yes’ Well that’s good. You want to know why that’s good? ‘Why’ Let me tell you about scared. Your heart is beating so hard I can feel it through your hands. There’s so much blood and oxygen pumping through your brain it’s like rocket fuel! Right now you could run faster, and you can fight harder! You can jump higher than ever in your life and you are so alert it’s like you can slow down time! What’s wrong with scared? Scared is a superpower! There is danger in this room and guess what its you! Do you feel it? Do you thinks he feels it? Do you think he’s scared, nah loser.” So from this the Doctor is telling this young frightened boy that scared is not something to feel bad about. In fact scared helps us and even can bring out the best in us. So if we are scared to do something we were given the ability to do it. Like in 1Nephi 3:7 “Read it” If the lord has commanded us to do something, we can do it, even if we’re scared. I’m sure Nephi was a little hesitant to go back to Laban’s house because when they first asked for the plates, he threatened to kill them, but if we go forth in faith than we can do anything.

When I first received my mission call in the mail I wanted to rip it open that second as I have waited for it for at least the past couple weeks. But my parents wanted to invite people over to share with the experience, so I waited a couple more days and finally got to open it. Dear Elder Emerick, you are hereby called to serve in the California Carlsbad Mission. This was somewhat a surprise to me because I had guessed state wise the San Diego Mission which is exactly below my mission. So it was a testimony to me that California was the mission I was supposed to go to.  But then a couple of sentences down it said that I would teach the gospel in Spanish! This was another testimony to me because I had prayed that I would learn a new language on my mission. But I was also astonished to see that I would go to the Mexico MTC, as I had also prayed to go another country on my mission. So I had received what I had been praying for and the Lord’s will was also met by me going to California, the place where I needed to be. I was so excited when I read the rest of the letter, it told me of all the blessings that would help me and my family while I was on my mission. I read the missionary booklet that told me all the things I needed and since August I have been anxiously waiting for December 31^st. It has been awesome telling all my friends on Facebook, Twitter, and at work what I’ll be doing and how great the next two years are going to be. I am so excited to start my mission and embark on the greatest journey of my life.

Now as I leave for Mexico, then California I know that what I am doing is for the Lord. I know that because he died for us that we can return to live with him and that’s why I want to serve a mission. I want to share that message and the message of the restored gospel. It won’t be easy, some days I will feel that this is one of the hardest things I have ever done. But I know that these next two years will be the best two of my life so far. I like it when I go out with the missionaries and help them with their appointments. I can’t wait to learn Spanish! I’m sure the Mexico MTC will be tons of fun and I will learn a lot there. My parents have helped me learn how to study a little bit and showed me a Spanish App that helped me remember some remedial Spanish. They have been so supportive to me for my mission and they, along with everyone else have been such a blessing. I will definitely remember your love while I’m out serving the Lord. Thank you for everything you all have done.

Testimony