Here is the latest letter from our sweet missionary. Thanks for keeping him in your prayers. -K.

I just got done playing 4 hours of basketball. I'm so tired.  lol.  We literally play basketball almost every day. We go to the church at 5 in the morning to play. I'm so thankful for dad teaching me how to play because I'm actually pretty good! Too bad I was a punk most of the time about it. Tell him sorry. To be fair, I just never liked how serious people took it. There are better things to take seriously.

This week was really busy! We had zone conference this Wednesday and I gave a training in front of a lot of people. I've decided I really like giving trainings. I made a metaphor where I gave someone a cupcake and was like "Sister Gaytan, will you eat this cupcake." and she did and she said it was good. Then I went to someone else and just gave them a raw egg and said, "Elder Ames, will you follow the example of Sister Gaytan and eat this egg? She just ate an egg." And we did the same thing with a bottle of oil and flour and whatnot. The point is that you cannot teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ as individual things. Like you can't just read Faith as one thing and Repentance as another and pop a baptismal invitation completely out of context and void of significance. Because that's gross. Just like eating a raw egg. It was super fun. And then on Friday we went to the temple and it was so nice. The Celestial Room in the Manhattan temple is probably one of my favorite ones I've decided. I really like the windows. The temple is wonderful. I can't wait to go with you A LOT when I get home. Because you're so sweet. Like a cupcake. 

Church this week was really nice too. We had a lot of investigators come and it was super fun because YSA's are the kings and queens of fellowshipping. When they stood up to introduce themselves (all of them are seperate groups of people with no ties to each other) they were like "Hey I'm --- and I'm not a member but I want to be." YSA is the best. They're actually making a YSA stake now. Wowza. I'm busy. Little sleep deprived but that's chill. I'll nap when I'm home. On your floor. 

Next week is the All Mission Conference where the entire mission gets together and plays games. I'm excited. We have to think of a chant and decorate a flag and make a skit about the Alma the Younger and the Sons of Mosiah. Kind of a fun one. Speaking of them I was reading about them this week and it made me think a lot about motives. I like theirs. They would tremble and shake at the thought of a perishing soul. I'm trying to aquire their level of charity. A lot of times it's easy, especially as missionaries, to do things for the praise of others. Kind of a pharisaical manner of doing things. But theres a world of a difference and it depends on their concern for others, and not themselves. That's a huge difference. Idk. I just think we all should care about each other more and things would be ok. I really like that new video that the church put out that I posted on Facebook. Because it's true! We can be patient and kind and not judge others.

Today we're going to go to the store to buy groceries and probably end up taking a nap at some point. Naps are great. You're great. I love you. I hope you're really happy and know that you have a boy who loves you SO SO SO SO SO MUCH. SO MUCH. SO SO SO MUCH. 

xoxoxoxoxo
--jackson. 

Jack was assigned a new companion last week. His name is Elder Taylor from West Valley City. Jack says he's a sweet guy, a hard worker and a great teacher. What more can you ask for? Here is a little bit from his letter home this week. Note: Jack sends both Tracy and I a separate letter each week, so if you are feeling like his dad is left out, don't worry. He loves that guy and makes sure he knows it!! 

Hi sweet mom! It's me! Your boy! Bello! (I meant to type "hello" but I'm going to keep "bello" because that's like how the minions say hello because I'm a minion I guess.) FYI...he hates the minions. You're the cutest mom. I love you. You're so nice to me. I love my mom. SO. MUCH. Don't worry about my bedding. I'm sleeping on good sheets and I wash them every week. I'm a clean guy. My mom taught me well.

I love my area a lot. You know Marié? She literally gives us like 4 referrals a day. And she brought 3 friends to sacrament yesterday. She got called to be a teacher just barely. She's great.

We had this lesson the other day in which the Noceloti Family told us that they wanted to be baptized. Jessica has known about the church for 10 years but they never could accept baptism. They told me that they should hang a picture of my face on their wall to remember the Elder that finally did it. lol. But idk, I really didn't do anything. You just got to love people sometimes. Jesus is great. Love that guy. He's the perfect example of unadulterated love.

Yesterday we had a super cool investigator come to church with his girlfriend. He said he was surprised at how normal everyone was and how good he felt because he heard that mormons were a cult and they put stuff in the water. lol. Jokes on him. We are definitely not normal. But in a good way, right?

Today we're going to go buy groceries and then later we're going to go play basketball with another companionship. We can't leave our area on p-day now except for once a month for zone activities. But we don't technically have an area because we're YSA so we can still go to the chapel to play. #blessed.

This week we get to go to the temple. I'm happy. ☺️I'm going to go change my laundry. I am so thankful for you and for this gospel. And I love you so much! 
Talk to you in a bit,

Xoxoxox

-your boy.

HEY SWEET MOM!

Let me tell ya. Talking to my family is the single most revitalizing thing. Like it grounds me so much and I feel great. BECAUSE YOU'RE SO CUTE! I LOVE YOU. So much. More than I am able to express. I am so thankful for you and for dad and Sam and Matt and Maddie and Rowdy. I love you. Wow I'm so lucky and I'm so happy I was able to talk to you yesterday. I am overwhelmed with love. And it's nice to talk to you 3 DAYS IN A ROW! IT'S LIKE I CAME HOME FOR THE WEEKEND. #BLESSED

So transfers are happening! I'm staying! But I'm losing Elder Contreras. 😓 but that's ok because I'm getting a new companion that is super cool. His name is Elder Nathan Taylor. Super nice guy. Red head. Very funny. So I'm pretty excited. Elder Contreras is going down to zone 8. Love that guy.  Also guess what?? ELDERS HARDING AND JOHNSON ARE COMPANIONS. My MTC comp and my child! Down in Red Bank! How fun.

Today we're going to play games at the park and then probably going grocery shopping and then probably the mall. Who knows. Right now we're doing laundry and I've decided that I love doing laundry. Sorry I made you do all of mine for 20 years lol. You're so nice to me. I love you.

We had a pretty good week this week. I mean last week's of transfers are always a little bit slow but this week we had to help sisters move their apartment and I got some cool art. 

Anyway. You're cute. I'll talk to you more later.
Xoxoxoxoxoxo

--your boy

This week was really good. I was back in Elizabeth for a day on an exchange with the APs. It was really fun. Also, this week we had Mission Leader Conference and it was really edifying. Basically it was a good week and in a couple days I'm excited to talk to my mom!

On Saturday we went to the New York temple with some recent converts and also members from the YSA ward. It was so great albeit a little stressful. When you have a ton of people going to what feels like the smallest temple in the world things get crazy and whatnot but it was so fun. We left for the temple super early in the morning and got there at like 7:30. We took the bus and the subway and didn't even get lost. Go me. And then Yomairy and her (kind of) brother came with all the old zone 6 missionaries. It was so nice to see everyone. And we did baptisms for them and then Marié and the rest of the YSA came and we did more baptisms and basically we saved a lot of souls. My friend Alejando got his mission call to Boston this last week and he reports this Tuesday. No MTC. How nuts is that? Crazy. When Marié came out of the temple she was like " that was better than going to the beach. I don't have words." Lol she's so funny.

This email is going to be short but I'll tell you everything you want to know on Sunday when I call home. You're so sweet. Do you know how much I love you? It's so much. Xoxo!

--Your boy.

Here's the latest from Elder Nielsen. We love him. -K

Hey cute family!

​God is good and the Plan is true.

We had the loveliest baptism that has ever taken place ever on Saturday. Marié is literally one of my favorite people and was the best to teach. This week we had a hard time because we had this lesson with her that really sucked. She had a really hard time believing in modern prophets and it just ended full of unstable feelings and it killed me. So I hardly slept that night because I was just w o r r i e d but then we got messages from her in the morning that were like "hey guys I'm ready for my baptism. I got my answer!" So that was really nice. And her baptism was one of the most spiritual experiences that I've had the honor of witnessing. She was really nervous and she was really emotional but she literally asked Hno Cuc if she could stay in the baptismal water because she felt the spirit so strongly. And literally no joke she came out of the water and said "guys we knew each other. Before this life we knew each other." And then she was bearing her testimony and was like "guys this church is true and God is real. He was with me in the water and he is with me now. I have never been more sure of anything." And she was confirmed on Sunday and is going to the temple this Saturday. It was so fun to teach her. She's a good friend.

Want to know my new hobby? Listening to talks! Like not just General Conference talks but like John Bytheway and Hyrum Smith and Brad Wilcox and Hugh Nibley. I'll send a few for you to listen to. I love John Bytheway. Idk. New little thing I like to do. I have them all on my iPad. #blessed.

But basically I just want you to know that I'm a happy guy and I love you so much. I'm going to send you more of an email later but right now I have to go change my laundry and then go buy food. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. And God is so good. I thank Him every day for giving me you.