Letter 47....Life in Martinique Begins!

I am in awe at the speed with which these missionaries adapt to their new surroundings when they are transferred.  In my personal letter Jake told me I should never worry about him, as he is always secure in the plan God has for him.  These words were just the thing I needed to hear from my Missionary Son.  He really loves his companion already, and Martinique sounds like a great new adventure.  The Senior Missionary Couple there have a Facebook Page called "Sunshine In My Soul."  I encourage you all to ask to be added.  They put up fun pictures of the Mission quite frequently, and this really warms my heart.  I sent Jake a great "Hump Day" package...his halfway point is on July 10th.  I had a lot of fun spoiling him with all kinds of things from new light colored pants and ties to Nutella and my homemade chocolate chip cookies.  I love and miss him, but I am so happy he has the ability to rise to the challenges he's been given, and I feel blessed that Jake is not prone to anxiety or depression.  What a gift from God that is.  

This is totally crazy! 

Cest Vraiment Bizzare! 

Oh my days..... the change the change!  The people are different the French is better the transportation is different they even changed the island!!!  It is totally crazy!  but I love it:) the people are more French influenced and have lighter skin here in Martinique,  The French here is more Parisian and I am hoping to improve my accent:) but all is well! I am with Elder Bodily and that is going great!  He is a great guy and we are wlaking the world over!  Actually we are going to ask and see if we can get bikes for our area!

But in the mean time we are taking these crazy busses!  The busses run at all sorts of times and places and sometimes just pass you right up! It is always a litlle crazy trying to finish lessons in time so we dont have to walk about a million miles! The busses here drive super fast and comfort is not a concern,  they turn super sharp and are all about the fast lane! when you stand up and hold the top rail  I think i feel like a rag doll being thrown from side to side,  it is pretty sweet! 

With the extra travel time I have lots of time to either One: come up with things to talk about or Two: think about gospel topics or Three: put fallen  mangos in the road in hopes you get to see them blown up by cars flying by. I recently started a new goal that I have to memorize one scripture every day, I'm going to try to do it for a whole year! That sounds like a lot right? well it is,  but i am pretty determinined to do it! 

I read a sweet quote that i want to share by CS Lewis: "you find out how strong a wind is by triing to walk against it not by laying down,... that is why bad people know very little about badness they have lived a sheltered life by always giving in"

I love you all very much and thank you for the many lessons that you have taught me before and on my mission, thank you for the support,

Avec Amour

Elder Lewis

The Elders were given these Bananas and they carried them all the way back to their apartment...huge feat!

Elder Lewis & Elder Petersen Wearing their Lava Lava's....Mom say "Oh Brother!"

The Two New Elders On Martinique

Best Fruit Juice Maker in Gwada! A favorite of Jake's

Letter Number 46 Good-bye Guadeloupe HELLO Martinique!

My heart is heavy with the news of Jake's transfer call to Martinique.  He will be leaving his best buddies and investigators who are close to baptism.  He will be leaving just as they open the new meeting house the Missionaries have worked so hard to fix up for the congregation.  I know this is mission life, but I know my Son well enough to know he will be torn up as he leaves his beloved Guadeloupe. I have been to Martinique and it is beautiful.  He will love his companion and his new mission life here as well, it will just be an adjustment for him.  He will make new friends and meet new people who respond to the message he is there to present.  It will be fine. But in my heart...I know this will take a little time for this wonderful missionary to adjust and get his new normal on.


Welp, all good things have an end I guess, except for exaltation that one is pretty much just eternal, but in the mean time I received a transfer to Lamantin, Martinique to be with elder Bodily! I'm going to be on FOOT and by the end I might just amputate them also, but it will be great. 

my address will be changed

elder jake evan lewis

residance Aigue Marine 

Bat. A3 Appt. 7 

Rue dorsale

97200

Martinique (fr) 

Pretty crazy right? I didn't see that one coming. 

I am pretty sad that I will be leaving Basse Terre here in two days and will be missing the opening of the group this next Sunday but I am confidant in the will of the Lord for me.

On another note,  I will be coming back to Gwada for a couple days for Zone Conference in July, That will be sweet!!  If you sent any letters or stuffs I will get them there.

On another note again, on Saturday we had a huge Polynesian day! There were a few tahitian missionaries and some members who put it on for all the members in Guadeloupe. It was sweet!! We ate tons of food that was cooked in a tahitian oven;  and you just dig a giant pit make a fire with rocks put the food in, put a tarp and cover it with sand till there is no smoke.  It is super crazy good.  We left it for like four hours and then opened it up and ate.,

 It was a great miracle for all of the members in Basse Terre because there were many investigators and inactives who came. The event was huge and this paragraph doesn't do it justice. But yeah. There were games and food and sun, I might of got a giant sunburn. 

For  p-day today we went to the "beach of deshaies" which was also the first p-day that I had on Guadeloupe.

I'm pretty sad to see all my good friends here go.... but I am ready to make some new ones. 

also.....i might of bought  a lava lava and be wearing it around the house from now on;)

Love You All

Elder Lewis

Questions from Mom:

What was the "worst thing you ate this week?"

worst thing eeaten!!! there is a fruit connected to cashews!! look it up!! it is the most nastiest thing ever!!

best thing, a fresh pinneapple juice with fresh kiwi also:)

Jake's last P-day with his District! Jake spends it where it all started....same beach.  

Washing Dishes with Brother Duflot

Jake and Sister Hamel

Letter Number 45....Almost to Hump Day!

Where has the time gone?  We are almost at the year mark.  Elder Lewis has had such a positive experience on his mission so far, and as I follow the progress of other Missionaries around the world on the Facebook Missionary Mommas site, I am so grateful the Jake is doing so well.  I am especially grateful for the good health he has experienced so far.  I am LESS enthused by the photo of my Son holding a 3 foot long machete they are using to cut and eat their coconuts with.  Not to mention OTHER interesting activities!!!!! I am rolling my eyes here.  Yes, they really are 19 and 20 year old boys.




What a wonderful week in paradise! 

.........side note, us and the elders chased and tried to kill a giant iguana.  It got away due to a quick move in a distracting moment. 

In other news iI was studying about the Atonement and Elder Callister explains that he had infinite power which came from the Godlike qualities that he possessed.

It was these qualities that gave him this power. Sooo I was studying it and I realized that when we are trying to become more Christ like we are literately increasing in not only stature with God but we are gaining power. Our authority changes and becomes power. It is like in Jacob 4:6 when he talks about how their faith became unshakable as they searched the proprieties. 

In other news again, this week was pretty boss, I had an exchange that I did with Elder Elhert who is now in

Capesterre and it was super awesome, when we went over to A's house that night and he asked him to look him in the eyes and say "i will stop smoking" except it was more like Je vais arretter de fumer but that is not too important. He calls us now when ever he is having problems and we remind him of the promise of the Holy Ghost after baptism and that is enough. 

The Atonement is real and powerful, I see it every day all of its infinite qualities influencing my life. It is really incredible the way it has changed and shaped my life,  and also the lives of many others here and all over the world.

"truly incredible!"

Love You All

Elder Lewis

The famous Bokit

Letter Number 44

Jake had a wonderful week, it sounds as though he attended a mini-conference that was very influential and powerful for him.  It is always inspiring to be taught by wonderful teachers who light the fire within you to change for the better.

Rebonjour,

This week was absolutely fantastical.  I'll start with a couple really cool things that happened to us.  First of all on Wednesday we were at Elder Gammiettes house doing service.  He is a Seventy of the 4th quaurm, so already being pretty sweet experience just chilling with a Seventy doing yard work, the next day for the commemoration of the Priesthood we were going to go hike this 6 kilometer hike in the forest, and he wanted to set up a bunch of markers and stuff but he didnt have much time so he asked us to go run the trail with him. (remember this is a seventy) so we did! We ran 8 elders and him and we talked about leadership and how we much we should constantly surround our weakest memebers with the most love, often slowing down our own speedy progression to help them so that they can make it to the end too. 

We also had a part where one person is blindfolded and the other has to guide him over all of the roots and mud and not off the cliffs.  It was super cool the way he related to new members and missionaries. He told us that it is like we are in the light already used to our surroundings and that we have to slow down and guide them step by step holding them even with our arms around them. it was also compared to Christ and how he is always there next to us. He guides us and takes us by the hand even carrying us sometimes accross obstacles. 

We also talked about introspection and how we set goals durring the week and on Sunday when we haven't accomplished them we take the sacrament to re-charge our batteries. It gives us that extra hope and encouragement to keeping going and continually improve. It was incredibly awesome the way that he taught,  full of questions and light and knowledge.  I hope that I can continue in the light to be able to feel and be guided by the spirit like he is.  And even more.

On Saturday night I had a meeting with President Eclaire who is the second counselor in the Missionary  Presidency and he spoke about faith exhorting us to search for more and more faith so that we are pushed to repent so that we can receive a remission  of our sins and in the end so we can  have the spirit to be with us every moment of every day to an extent that people will reconize and ask us what is the difference. 

All of this is made possible by the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  As I study  this, the greatest event that ever has happened on the earth, and the most important, I am again and again brought into awe in thinking of the mercy and justice of our God, even our Father in heaven. I know that as we draw near unto him he will draw near unto us, I have experianced it, and it is the most wonderful thing  I can even imagine. 

On sunday we did splits with two of our strongest members in Basse Terre, we went arround to many of the investigators and the inactive members inviting and encouraging them to come to the church in Basse Terre this next week! 

I love you all,

Elder Lewis

Questions from Mom?

What was your most inspirational moment from this week?

The Lord always waits for us to do our part, because he is "bound when we do what he says but when we do not we have no promise" 82:10

It is like the brother of jared principle. the Lord guided him in everyting and when he needed light he said " what will ye that i shall do" so he moltens the rocks, asks the Lord to touch them and his faith was great enough to pierce the veil. 

How is your investigator A doing with his smoking?

Hmm thanks for fasting for him.  His date is the 21st of this month, he needs probably to stop smoking this week or we will have to push it back.

We met a man that smokes 350 cigares in a week. he fed us lunch on saturday and is reading teh book of mormon

What was the best food you ate?

We ate yellow fin tuna with him, delish

Jake on Spits...in Heaven because he is riding a bike! Giving us the old "stink eye"

Jake titled this picture "Hey it turns out I can cook!"  I say "Hey it looks like you can EAT!" HA HA

Letters 42 & 43.....!

This letter is probably my most favorite letter Jake has ever written.  I love how he has inspired me to talk to Heavenly Father...reminding us all that he is there waiting.  I know this to be true, but sometimes I get casual in my prayers and communication with my Father in Heaven.  It is very exciting to see how with the help of Heavenly Father a man can be able to quit smoking.  I will pray for A today and hope he continues to be strong.



Soo, this is the moment at the end of the week where I try to think up all the great and wondrous things that happened and I  often look at the screen and pull a blank... hahaha but this last week was super great, we had three investigators at church, A, he came and he loved it so much, he participated a whole bunch in the investigators class and he was super happy after the matter, this week he is getting medical help to detoxify his body from all the smoking he was doing and he is down to less than 10 cigarettes a day. Pretty great stuff.  We go over there every two days to share spiritual messages with him and fortify him.  What a great guy.

I love too see the way that the priesthood is given to men for the benefit of others. The deep feeling of the Holy Spirit that enters into your heart when you lay your hands on someones head is incredible and humbling.  I know that it is truly God's power and authority restored on the Earth today. I love you all very deeply. 

Heavenly Father is only a prayer away, commune with him, he is waiting.

Elder Lewis 

Letter 43

Bienvenue à ma vie,

Elle est belle, ce que je fais, est precher, et recevoir la joie, je ne peux pas immaginer autre chose a ce moment

But in other words, things are looking up here in Basse Terre Gaudalope, or Basté Gwada, if you speak  a little Creole, 

This week was fantastic and full of miracles that I just simply dont have time to write about, but I will tell you about the normal stuff, so A is doing really well, last Sunday he  only smoked three, and he is working towards his date of the 21 of June, he wasnt able to come to church because it was mothers day and his ride let his wife take the car in the morning. That is a problem that won't exsist when we are in our cozy little group here in Basse Terre the 8th. Most of our investigators can walk and those who can't will be much more willing to drive! That will be the life. 

I recently found a renewed love of the Book of Mormon, I found an english copy that a missionary from a long time ago marked up underlining all major doctrine found within and annotating it. inspired me to do the same, but I am going to read the infinite atonement and under line all the scriptures from there in a copy. im super excited for that. i  am pretty sure that i could personal study for half of the day and share what I learned with eveyone for the other half. 

Kembé Red

Elder Lewis