Duncan, Jarom

Hello! This week has found me with a packed P-day, and an even more packed week. Multiple days we've gotten home just a few minutes before 9:30, which is the absolute mandatory curfew. But the friends here in Boardman are inspiring. Luis is getting baptised this week, and a couple other friends are working towards it. I'm companions with Elder Stewart, and I have been amazed by what a great teacher he is. Because of these friends, I decided to deepen my understanding of baptism. Although he is already perfect, Christ was baptized, and in doing so he set the example of obedience to Heavenly Father. Through obedience to the commandments of God, we are blessed. On things seemingly large or small. For baptism, we are promised the gift of the Holy Ghost to act as a constant guide and companion. What a blessing that is! To have the guidance of God, who knows everything, in your life! "And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfil...

Hey all! Transfers are upon us, I'm leaving the boonies in Basin city and headed to the boonies in Boardman, Oregon! Because it's transfers, I don't have a ton of time today, this one will be short. God works his miracles, usually through things you were already planning on doing. We were headed to our friend's house, and as we got out of the car, a nearby house stuck out to me. For some reason we had never knocked on it, so i told my companions we would knock it after this visit. So we did. A kid answered, and led us around to the back of the house where her dad was, and he was just sitting on the back porch relaxing. We talked to him, and he showed interest in coming to church on Sunday! That was a little sweet miracle. Repentance is an attitude of improvement, changing your will to be more in line with God's will. Christ taught us to repent, over and over, meaning it's pretty important. And he will be with you each step of the way as you strive to be more lik...

Hey all, A week ago, we knocked on a house that we hadn't been to before, that said Noe lived there. His wife answered and said we should come bwck during the week.  Some days later we got home from church, and received a text saying "Hey, Noe came to church! Feel free to stop by! Michael said he knows a lot and likes to bash. Haha good luck" So we went by again, and he warmly welcomed us in. He told us of how he'd read the whole Book of Mormon, and especially likes Alma. His wife brought us some canteloupe. We found out that he doesn't believe much of it, but he goes to church sometimes for the feeling of community. We weren't bashed, and this was a little anticlimactic, but he is one of the coolest people I've met. Studying about spiritual gifts, I found this talk from Juan Pablo Villar from the April 2019 general conference. He likens muscles to spiritual gifts, and says: "This is a long-distance race, a marathon, rather than a sprint, so do not fo...

Dearest friends, I think i forgot to hit send last week on the email. I've included it below. As for this week, there were a couple ups, a couple downs, and a lot more faith in Christ. Some things we did get to do were help move a lot of handlines, which are big pipe segments used to water large sections of field. That was epic! We got to talk to a dear friend Eddie, too. He texted us after church asking us over for a lesson, and then later we had it and told him what we talked about in church. He finished that with bearing his testmony of what he knows is true. He is awesome. I included a picture of a car below that he bought. I learned this week that repentance is a process. It is something you are always trying to do, always trying to improve. And you can. Your're never stuck. And if you ever feel alone in your efforts, Christ knows exactly how you feel, and though you might not see it, he's standing right next to you helping you lift the weight you're carrying. Èlde...

Hey family and friends! This week was up and down, and every part of it was awesome, with hindsight! Transfers happened, and... I'm staying in Basin City with Elder Day and Jacobs! We had one time we were headed to a lesson, so we parked the car, overviewed the lesson, then went in. We taught our friend Ambrosio, and it went great. When we came back out, I saw the car lights on, which was strange. Then I checked my pocket, and finding it empty, I'd realized my fatal mistake. I left the keys in the ignition of a car sitting in the middle of town. I learned quickly, and swore to never let it happen again. Then the same thing happened a few hours later. I'm proud to say, I've now got a six day streak not leaving the keys in ignition!!  We had a friend we taught say that after coming to church, she felt so much joy and peace. She felt unsure whether or not that was a good thing, because that had never been what she had known or expected from church. Thankfully, her friend a...

Hello! This week was great! I can't believe it's already May! -Free popsicles- We stopped by a house to get in contact with a friend. She wasn't there, but her husband was, and he told us that he didnt have time. But, he did have enough time to lead us to the other side of the house and give us some delicious frozen cream popsicles. The people here are seriously the kindest. The phrase "mi casa es tu casa" (my house is your house) is a staple here. I have just about finished a study for easter, focused on all of the accounts leading up to and the events after Christ's resurrection.(I super reccomend it. "Jesus the Christ" helps put things into context very well) i was then reading in the Book of Mormon, where Jesus visits and blesses the people. I was struck to see how much he loved them. So much that it brought him to tears of joy. Jesus Christ loves you so much, and he is filled with joy when you come to him. [20] And they arose from the earth, and...

Hey all! Spring is in full swing! What a wonderful time of year. My companions can testify that I say "wow. Look how pretty those flowers are!" quite often. We are in good hands, and what wonderful creations our heavenly father has made! Matthew 6:26, 28 "Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?" "...Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:" The bugs are out too. Each night when we get back, half a swarm of gnats follows us inside. They seem friendly enough, though! Pam came to church a third time! She's preferring to study independently right now, so we can't take any credit, but needless to say, she is very cool. Have a great week! I'll be sharing the good news of Jesus Christ's resurrection! Élder Duncan The neighbor's dog, Toby, often comes here. Exchanges, we had tw...