Letter Number 76

One of the greatest blessings of Jake's Mission has been the Senior Missionary couple Elder and Sister Turner.    As you can see here, they serve the missionaries and the mission tirelessly.  They take them on many adventures and provide parties and social experiences for them. Honestly, I am going to do this with my activity day girls this winter...looks so fun.  The District had a conference this week and Elder Lewis was feeling a little tired but looks happy and content here.  We have five more months and he returns.  How time has flown..I miss him every day but I am so grateful for these testimony and life-changing experiences.

This week has been crazy! we had 4 of five companionships change on the island!

All is well, we were contacting and we met this lady named Martine who was a really strong Catholic, well we missed our return rendezvous and came back a little while later and she told us we were bad predicators. She then let us in and we talked.  She had been given a book of mormon by a member 19 years ago but couldn't remember who. We brought a member and as we taught the restoration we felt inspired to ask if it was a certain member.  We didn't know her first name but the member did.  As soon as he said it she started almost leaping out of her chair in jubilie.  She was very excited. We are bringing back the member who gave her the book and she is preparing to be baptized.

Life is good and the Lord is great. Our testimonies are stronger than sight once they are written upon our souls never to be erased. one could almost say that our testimonies are distilled upon our souls as the dews from heaven. Interesting how that all comes togeather.

France is pretty crazy right now.

I love you all,

Elder Lewis   

What a fun activity

Elder Lewis and Elder Petersen roasting to perfection for the perfect S'more

Elder Pape's Birthday Roast...Thank you Sister and Brother Turner

Letter Number 75...The Sand Snowman

Wow...I love the excitement in this letter.  I'm can't wait to hear of the transfer in his next email, will the dynamic duo be together for another 6 weeks, or is Elder C on to another adventure elsewhere!  I was able to speak to his companion on the phone a couple of weeks ago, and we had a great conversation, Elder C is an awesome missionary.  Jake has been blessed to work with all amazing Young Men who are diligently trying to work hard and serve the Lord.  I feel such a blessing in this miracle!

Snowman Caribbean Style

This week was super great. We decided that there are no excuses not to have lots of member lessons and lots of high quality member referrals in Fort de France saying that we have a good portion of the members here. We really put ourselves to the work and things are really starting to get going now. We had a sweet miracle with this lady coming to church. She was super sceptical and thought we were a cult when we met her a few days previous and then she called us Saturday saying she had read the brochure and was bringing her friend with her to church.  She only came for Relief Society but was very touched by the spirit and proclamed that she will be coming here for a long time...... add a little conversion and I am thinking she'll be coming the rest of her life. 

Great things are happening here on Martinique, Many miracles:) 

This is the last week of the transfer and we are going to make it the best week ever, it might be the last week of me and Elder Christensen's epic 24 week journey together and there is  no limit to what we are going to do. There is a chance we will be staying together a 5th transfer but that would be super crazy. We would be in 100 percent sycronized together. We are great friends.

President Occolier and his brother are super pumped for the new year, they got up and did a presentation in Elders Quorum and talked about our goal of one baptism per month per companionship. They believe, and their faith is helping others believe as well. The branch of Martinique is experiencing real change and real growth. We had 14 baptisms in 2014  and that tripled what had been done before. this year we are going to quaduple that. The Lord is willing and we are willing, the branch is going to explode here. We are excited to see and experience the way it takes all of the members to their maximums. 

I love you all

Elder Lewis

Wrecked Slave ship Monument..Elder Lewis' t-shirt
says "think snow"  a Christmas present!

Monument to a lost Slave ship

Elder Lewis' District

Beach Baptism

Letter Number 74

What a wonderful Christmas Gift...the Gift of Baptism and the Holly Ghost.  I love this image and all of the images of the Ocean Baptisms. So touching and so Beautiful.  As I embark on the New Year I will follow Elder Lewis' invitation to reflect on the Atonement and how it is the cornerstone of everything in this life and the next.

Happy New Year 2015

What a wonderful time of year, as we have been in the process of increasing our teaching pool lately, we have noticed that there has been lots of hearts softened this time of year. Many people who would not have opened their doors opened them.

I don't have much to say about this last  week but I really do know this Church is true. My favorite topic of the gosple is the Atonement, being that it is the center of everything we do.  I love reading the scriptures and finding the relations that everything has back to the Atonement. Sometimes it is hard to see at first,  but in the end we find that everything really  just is "auxiliaries to the Atonement."

I hope that we can all reflect upon the Atonement as we seek to become better through Christ this next year.

Love you all

Elder Lewis

Renaud's Baptism

Jake and Elder Christiansen posing in Santa Hats for 2nd Christmas