HOME!/Quarantine insights

Hi everyone! This has been a crazy past couple of days. I got home Sunday afternoon after an 8 hour flight from Tahiti to San Francisco, a 6 hour layover, and then an 18 minute flight (xD) to Sacramento. I then got officially released as a missionary per the directive from the First Presidency Tuesday night. It has been a bittersweet experience. I miss serving the people of Tahiti, I miss the languages, I miss the culture. It's weird not to wear the badge. But it's also nice to be home during this crazy time and to be able to spend so much time with my family.

While I was on quarantine for 17 days, I had a lot of free time on my hands, so I read a lot and then decided to write some things that I'd learned because I knew that they would benefit everyone who would read them.

Thank you all for your love and support during this time and I hope you're all doing as well as possible haha.

(Writing this 20 March 2020)

Doctrine & Covenants 45:31-35

"And there shall be men standing in that generation, that shall not pass until they shall see an overflowing scourge; for a desolating sickness shall cover the land. But my disciples shall stand in holy places, and shall not be moved; but among the wicked, men shall lift up their voices and curse God and die. And there shall be earthquakes also in divers places, and many desolations; yet men will harden their hearts against me, and they will take up the sword, one against another, and they will kill one another. And now, when I the Lord had spoken these words unto my disciples, they were troubled. And I said unto them: Be not troubled, for, when all these things shall come to pass, ye may know that the promises which have been made unto you shall be fulfilled."

Mormon 5:23

"Know ye not that ye are in the hands of God?"

We are truly in the hands of God.

---

Bonjour tout le monde! I just wanted to share some things that have really touched me that I've learned while being on quarantine. I hope you're all doing okay--my prayers have been with you.

I've been reading a lot in a book my family sent me called Believing Christ by Stephen E. Robinson, and I've listened to a lot of talks as well (quarantine gives you a lot of free time haha), including one called "His Grace is Sufficient" by Brad Wilcox. I've learned a lot about what it means to really have faith in Jesus Christ (not only to believe IN Him, but also to BELIEVE Him, to trust Him) and what it means to be "saved by grace" as well. It has given me a lot of comfort and has increased my faith a lot, and I wanted to share it with you all.

I've never quite understood the meaning of "grace." I knew it had to do with the mercy of God, but I never exactly knew how it applied to me. I'm sure I still don't fully understand it, but I've learned some insights that have really changed the way I see things.

First off, we as Latter-day Saints absolutely believe in being "saved," and not only that, but being "saved by grace." Since none of us are perfect, it is impossible for us to "earn" our way into heaven because we could never fulfill the demands of justice that require perfect obedience to all the commandments all the time without a single mistake. No one but the Christ could fit into this category. But because Christ is perfect and merciful, He has satisfied the demands of justice. He suffered for all of our sins and took upon Himself all of our guilt so that we could have a chance. As He is our Savior, He has quite literally saved us. As Brad Wilcox explained, this situation is like a mother paying a piano teacher to teach her child to play the piano. The mother has paid the price--but why? Does she want the child to give her the money back (to attempt to "repay" her)? No. She just wants the child to practice and to become better than before because she loves him and sees how much it will benefit him. Is perfection expected from the beginning? No. Is it even expected months or even years into the process? No. The mother simply wants her child to utilize the gift and opportunity that she has given him to practice diligently and improve each day. Christ has no intention of us trying to repay Him--even if that were possible, that is not what He wants. He wants us to utilize the wonderful gift of the Atonement that He has given us and continue to practice and improve each day. He has no intention of us being perfect right now, and He is not disappointed that we aren't. He loves us and just wants us to keep trying. In this way, we are not only saved by grace, but we are also changed by grace--we have become something more. All He asks of us is to (1) have FAITH in Him and in His Atonement, that He can really do what He says He can do, (2) REPENT (to ask forgiveness of God, and to have the desire and to earnestly seek to change to become more like Him each day), (3) be BAPTIZED by His authorized servant (and then partake of the sacrament to renew and make covenants with God each week), and (4) receive the GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST to guide us and help us to keep His commandments and to align our lives with His every day until the end--to (5) "ENDURE TO THE END." If we follow this pattern throughout our lives and earnestly seek to do the best we can, we take upon ourselves the name of Christ and make covenants with Him, thus becoming a single unit with Him, partaking of His perfection, allowing us to enter spotless into the Kingdom of God. Our sins truly become as white as snow through Him who is mighty to save. This is what is called the "gospel", or good news, of Jesus Christ.

Stephen E. Robinson compares making covenants with God to two companies. The first (us) has a lot of liabilities, maybe even more than its assets. It is not financially stable. The second (Christ) has infinite assets. The second company proposes a merger to the first company to create a corporation (making covenants/creating a covenant relationship). What then happens to the first company? Is it still in financial ruin? No. It acquires the assets of the second and is in the black--it is financially stable, not through its own achievement, but through the power and ability of the second company. The only thing the first company needs to do is to not dissolve its affiliation with the second company (not break the covenants we have made) and it will always be stable. In like manner, when we take upon ourselves the name of Christ and make sacred covenants with him at baptism and in the temple, our weaknesses and faults are literally absorbed by His Atonement, which is infinite and covers all of our "liabilities", no matter how many there are, and we inherit His "assets" to create one perfect entity. As long as we stick with Him and have our hearts changed by our earnest desire to follow Him and show this through our honest efforts to make and keep sacred covenants with Him, everything is paid and accounted for, and we are justified to enter into the Kingdom of God. We take part in His perfection--as a team, we are "in the black."

These are only a couple of things that I've learned, and I know I didn't explain everything super in depth and there's a ton I left out/don't know yet, but I would recommend going to the sources themselves (the book Believing Christ by Stephen E. Robinson and the talk "His Grace is Sufficient" by Brad Wilcox) to get a much better and more insightful explanation. But what all of this has helped me to see is that through Christ's grace and mercy and endless love, He has truly satisfied the demands of justice and has become my Mediator and my Redeemer and my Savior, and if I do what He asks me to do and try to become who He wants me to become and align my life to His in the best way I can with the limited knowledge and abilities that I have, I can become something more than I am right now and can be counted worthy to enter into the Kingdom of God. As long as I am with Him, my liabilities are absorbed by His assets and I am worthy and clean right now.

A couple other thoughts that I loved from Brad Wilcox's talk:

Christ does not make up the difference--He makes all the difference. He does not make up the rest after all I can do. He suffered for all of my sins, not just the ones I can't cope with myself. He is there before, during, and after all that I can do. I show Him my gratitude and willingness to utilize His Atonement by doing what I can each day to follow Him and improve.

Many people imagine getting to the Final Judgement, only to find Jesus with a clipboard weighing our good deeds against our bad deeds and deciding if we are good enough to get into heaven while we are begging Him on our hands and knees to let us stay. But it will not work that way. There was a boy who was really struggling spiritually. In fact, he had no desire to have any part in spiritual things. His parents sent him to EFY to try and help him. He didn't even last one day. He called that night and said, "Get me out of here." He could not stand the spiritual environment that he found himself in. If it is not our desire to enter into the Kingdom of God, we will not be begging, saying, "Please let me stay," only to have Jesus tell us that we are not good enough. No, it is more likely that we will be in the presence of God saying, "Get me out of here," and the Savior will be the one saying, "Please stay. Please. Use the Atonement I have given you. I love you. Please stay." If we really have the desire to be in God's presence, we can be through Christ's Atonement and grace. But if that is not our deepest desire, we will not feel comfortable there and will want to leave. God's grace is a gift, but we still have to acknowledge it and take the efforts required to accept it. How would you feel about yourself in this moment if you were standing in the presence of God? Would you want to stay?

Doctrine & Covenants 45:3-5.

"Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him--Saying: Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed, the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified; Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life."

Enos 1:27

"And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father. Amen."

I know that Jesus is the Christ and that He is my Savior, my Redeemer, my Advocate, and my Mediator. It is by His grace that I can stand worthy right now and after this life in the presence of God. No matter your struggles, your past, your weaknesses--have faith that Christ can heal you. Have faith not only in His identity as the Son of God, but also that He can truly do what He says He can do. He can make you clean. Don't tell Him that He can't. He can. Have faith in His atoning power.

I love you and hope you all understand just how much God and Jesus Christ know and love you.

Elder King

Quarantine

 We got to video chat with Jordan yesterday for a long time! I was so happy to get to just hang out and chat with him, and also see how he is doing with all of this Corona Virus craziness. We got word earlier this week from his Mission President that COVID-19 has officially made it to Tahiti. Darn. Apparently a French politician who unknowingly had it, was in Tahiti on business and started it there. There were 3 cases that Jordan knew of as of yesterday, but he said that it'll spread there in no time, because it's such a small island and Tahitians aren't naturally super sanitary people. He said earlier that day he was at the grocery store and there was a cake on a table and people were just going and taking slices of it with their hands and eating it right there, and licking their fingers and everything! He was offered some, but politely declined ;) 

He got the call right as he was getting to a members home to use their computer to email and call us, that the missionaries there are to self-quarantine for two weeks! Luckily he was at a members home and could use their computer still, so he got to call us. He's not sure if he'll be able to call or write for the next two weeks or so, so we were so grateful to have an extra long call with him yesterday. He said they had just been to the grocery store, but may go back on their way home for a few more things before being home for two weeks. Luckily he had just received his birthday package and decided to open it early! So he got some snacks and some books and things to keep him busy for a while :) He's been mostly staying home since last Thursday, on the advice of his Bishop. He's been reading and writing songs and playing games with the Elders he lives with. He's taking this all in stride, but I could tell he is nervous. I could tell he wished he was safe at home with us, and not on a little island in the middle of the ocean with medical care that's not quite up to what he is used to. But he'll be okay. He told us how his last companion had a problem with eye infections, so they went to a doctor and the doctor literally used the flashlight feature on her cell phone and shined it in his eye, then said everything looks okay to her...!! So it's a little sketchy haha. 

Since Jordan is new to his area, he hasn't gotten to know very many ward members yet, and he said that none of them have offered them dinner or even checked on him and his companion during all of this. Pretty different from his ward in Moorea that took such good care of him! He said they are fine though and don't need anything. And that honestly, he wouldn't want to eat food from other people right now anyway...probably smart! Tahiti is more of a city too, not as rural as Moorea, so there's not as much of an abundance of fruit growing everywhere. But he did find some pretty good apples finally at the grocery store there and he's super happy about that!

Jordan finally had the opportunity to go to the temple there! He said it was so neat to be inside and to see all of the beautiful Polynesian design. I'm so glad he got to go! This is a picture of the Papeete, Tahiti LDS temple:

Jordan didn't send a group email this week, but he did respond to an email I had sent him checking in on him:

I'm doing well! This has been a very long week haha we've stayed in the house since Thursday because our bishop told us to and we've been pretty worried and stressed about it. Tahitians are not the most sanitary people and they are not really doing anything about it, so I think it'll spread really quickly, but we'll see. President Fox just said to keep working like normal but be careful about not shaking hands with people and stuff. There are apparently 3 confirmed cases here, but the symptoms don't show up for 14 days usually so I think there are actually a lot more people who have it who just don't know that they have it. I guess we'll find out soon enough! Haha. The Stake here decided that we can't do the sacrament for now, so we just stayed at the house all day and played Monopoly haha. But it's going well, we're not exactly sure what's going to happen, but I think it's going to spread a lot and we'll be in quarantine pretty soon. Some people think we might get sent home after a while, an elder in our house has a girlfriend who was serving in South Korea and she just got sent home, and they were taking care of the problem much better than Tahiti is, so we'll see haha. I love you too and you have been in my prayers too. 

He sent some pictures too:

Here is Jordan with his companion Elder Rogers

A black sand beach that Jordan loves

He said the sky was so bright red and beautiful!

Elder Rogers special skill...haha

A teenager drew this for Jordan

Jordan says he hopes everyone is staying well and "faaitoito!" 
which is a Tahitian saying that means "Take courage and be diligent!" 

Pictures!

Jordan was able to send us some pictures this week! No email, but we did get to talk with him :) He still has to go to members homes to email or call, and sometimes he only has a cell phone to use for connecting with us. But the members there are so kind to let him.

He is liking his area and his companion!  He said it's nice to have so many stores close by. He also said that people in Tahiti are also going crazy about the Corona Virus and buying everything up there too....but he has what he needs :) He assured me that they also have 72 hour emergency kits and he'll be fine. There's really no emergency and no one there has even had it.  It's scary how everyone is reacting though. But he's not concerned at all. All is well!

A big difference about where he is now, is that there were only about 30 people at church! I guess the church building is far away and harder for people to get to. In Moorea there were about  200 active members in his ward. Still small, but 30 is really small! They do have 6 people they are teaching the gospel to though!

Jordan was able to send a few pictures, so he started where he last left off, which was his last week in Moorea. He had the privilege of performing the baptism (his first one on his mission!) for a 19 year old girl that he and his companion had been teaching! She actually got her cousin interested in the church as well and they both ended up being baptized! I know it was a really special experience for Jordan. I think it's so interesting that the Baptismal Font is outside! Everything seems so casual and relaxed there. But the important details are still the same!

He also sent some pictures of some people he got close with there. It looks like he visited them to say goodbye and they gave him a shell lei as a parting gift :) This is the same lady that made him a hat, and it looks like this time she made him a fan! I love the picture of Jordan and his companion in front of that couples home. I love to see what the homes are like there, and to see Jordan with the people that he has grown to love. I love them too for being so kind to my boy!

And of course, he sent one last beautiful scenic picture from Moorea, and it even has a full rainbow!

Jordan says it's as hot and humid as ever there, but he's laughing through it! He says the days are long but the months are short. He's already been out on his mission for over 6 months! He's 1/4 of the way through!

Thanks for your prayers, emails, letters, and continued support while he's away!  He may not always be able to reply, but knowing you're thinking of him and receiving emails and letters from you means so much to him. He was excited because since he's on Tahiti now, the Mission President drops off any mail he gets right to his house! He doesn't have to wait for zone conferences anymore! The other day he received the birthday package we had sent, and 3 letters!! He said it felt like Christmas :) I'm so happy his birthday package got to him before his birthday! He said he can hardly wait for his birthday to open it, haha! Can you believe our Jordan will be 20 at the end of this month?!!

Here is Jordan's address if you'd like to send him a letter, or a birthday card! I'm not sure how long a letter takes to get to him, but he will love it whenever it comes. Just remember to use an international stamp! They're $1.50 and the post office has them. Please talk with me before sending packages though, as there are regulations for those. This will be his address throughout his mission:

Elder King, Jordan
L'Eglise de Jesus-Christ des Saints des Derniers Jours
Mission de Tahiti-Papeete
B.P. 93
Papeete 98713
French Polynesia

Here's a screenshot from our video chat :) I just love seeing his happy face!

E HAERE AU I PAPEARI

 Transfer!!

We got an email from Jordan Monday evening telling us he's been transferred!! This will be his first time changing locations while serving, and we were so anxious to hear where he would be transferred to! It could be anywhere in his mission - which boundaries are this:

It's a little blurry and hard to see, but the entire outlined area is Jordan's mission boundaries. The island of Tahiti is labeled in bold letters, and is the center of his mission. But it basically covers all of French Polynesia, from the Cook Islands to the Marquesas.

Here is Jordan's email:

Iaorana tatou! (Hello everyone!) I GOT TRANSFERED TO PAPEARI!!! It was SO incredibly sad to leave Moorea, but I'm so excited to be here. It's so different from Moorea haha. My new companion is Elder Rogers, he's hilarious, I'm pumped to get to work with him. Papeari is on the south-east-ish of Tahiti. And Elder Giles--my 2nd companion at the MTC--is in my district here! So that's gonna be super fun. I miss the people of Moorea so much, they are very special and I've grown to love so many of them. But there are more people to love out there! I know eventually it'll be sad to leave here too--there are people to love no matter where you go. Merci pour tout le soutien que vous me donnez (Thanks for all the support you give me), ua here rahi au ia outou.

Elder King

PS:

We also had two baptisms this Saturday! Two cousins Heia and Maria got baptized together on the same day, they are very close and it was a really special day for them. I got to baptize and confirm Heia, and Elder Ringger got to baptize and confirm Maria. I'm so excited for them, it was so hard to leave, but I'm so happy I got to be there to see them get baptized, I've seen them change so much and it's been such a special experience for me. Now it's time to grow to love the people of Mahaiatea :)

So Jordan is on the island of Tahiti! In an area called Papeari! Of course I had to look it up to see where that is:

I'm happy to know he's on Tahiti, where it's more of a city and there are lots of stores and food options and good technology for keeping in contact! I don't actually know what his area is like though, if it's touristy or more rural. I can't wait to talk with him on Monday (hopefully!) and ask lots of questions! 

It also warms my heart to hear how much he grew to love so many of the people on Moorea where he was. And that he had such a neat experience getting to see someone's life change for the better as they come unto Christ. My heart is so full <3

The Bananas Strike Back

Jordan had a situation with some bananas this week....he was given a big bag of bananas (he said like 30 bananas!), which he was trying to bike home with (haha), and ended up crashing ...twice! He landed on the bananas the first time, squishing all but 4 of them (hahaha) but they cushioned his fall nicely! So he left the squished bananas on the side of the road and continued home with the 4 good bananas in the bag. Then when the bag got caught in his spokes, he flew off his bike, bruising his shoulder and ribs on one side, and scratching the palm of one hand, but nothing major. He's laughing about it now - thankfully!! 

Here's Jordan's email from this week:



A Word of Counsel: Do not bike with an extremely heavy bag of bananas hanging on your handlebar. It's possible that you could lose control and fall off your bike, and then get back on and five minutes later, the bag could theoretically get caught in your wheel and make you fall off your bike again. Theoretically ;)

We've been teaching a lot about the Restoration of the Gospel and Church of Jesus Christ this week to help members prepare for the General Conference this April. The prophet has said that each individual and family needs to prepare themselves for this upcoming conference by reading the account of the First Vision found in Joseph Smith--History, as well as by thinking of what your life would be like without the Book of Mormon. I am so incredibly grateful for the knowledge that I have because of Restored Truth through the Book of Mormon and modern-day prophets, and for the joy and peace and direction I have in my life because of it. I hope you will all do what you can to prepare for this next Conference too, including praying to know if the Book of Mormon is true or not, or even praying for a strengthened testimony if you have already received your response. If there are prophets on the earth today, we must know! It is absolutely imperative to know and listen to what they say. Just like Moses for the ancient Israelites, the prophets of today lead the Lord's people out of the hands of destruction and into the promised land. If we listen to them, we will not be led astray. We will find so much more joy and peace in our life and with our family, and we will know how to obtain all of the blessings that God wants for us in this life and in the life to come. Listen to the words of the prophets. God has never closed the heavens. The heavens have only ever been closed by men and their unbelief. God has always been willing to give revelation to those who are willing to receive it. For those who want to listen, there will be a General Conference broadcast on TV and churchofjesuschrist.org the first weekend of April where we will hear the prophets and apostles of God speak to us. What in incredible opportunity--I can't think of anything more important. All of their words from years past are available on churchofjesuschrist.org .

I love you all and think about you and pray for your well being more than you know :)

Elder King

He also said in a separate email:

I also got the Dengue again this week (second time's the charm), but it wasn't too bad. My companions gave me a priesthood blessing and it passed really quickly. Dengue mosquito.

He didn't send an email last week, but we got to have a short chat and he told me he had a bad headache and felt like maybe he had gotten The Dengue (pronounced Dang) Fever again. He told me in our video chat this week that he did end up getting it and he mostly just slept the beginning of the week. He recovered quicker than last time though, and got out on his bike again - and that's when the banana incident happened...

He seems happier than he has in a while when we chatted with him though! It was such a great chat and so good to see him laughing and joking and so happy :) 

I just love that boy of mine so! 

RAIN!

This week we just got a short reply to an email from Jordan. No group email and no phone call. I think he's been busy. And I'm so glad he's making time to have fun on his P-days!
And - he did upload some pictures!!

He replied to an email I had sent him earlier last week, saying,

 "I'm doing well, it rained HARD this week! Everywhere was like flooded! Haha it was insane but really fun too! Now its super hot and humid today, but we're gonna go play some basketball so that'll be fun! Its with all the missionaries on Moorea, 6 elders and 4 sisters. Its not competitive or anything, just shooting around, but its fun. At the chapel of Pao pao. Love you too!"

And then I saw the pictures he sent, and he wasn't kidding! It did rain HARD!
And he does look like he's having fun :)

If you look to the left in the background of this picture you can see the house built up on a mound and up on stilts. I'm guessing flooding must be a regular thing there. I guess it's bound to be on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean! 

They must have been driving around in it...

Crazy! 

Anyway, Jordan had Zone conference on Tahiti last week, and sent some pictures from the boat ride to Tahiti for that. I love that he appreciates the scenic beauty and wants to share it with us in pictures:

And we got a picture of Jordan with his new companion Elder Ringger!! 

On the boat to Tahiti

This must be some of the other missionaries that took the boat together to Tahiti. 

I love seeing Jordan's happy face!

At Zone Conference, the Mission Presidents wife takes some pictures and posts them to the private facebook page. There were only group pics this time where I had to search to spot Jordan. But I found him!! I LOVE having whatever pictures of him I can get! I love being able to get a glimpse of what he's doing and what it's like there:

All of the missionaries in Jordan's zone with the Mission President and his wife

They always feed them well at Zone Conference <3 

I'm so happy Jordan gets to sing there too

Wish I could see some video of the singing so I could hear his voice :)

I'm SO grateful for what technology he has there so we can get pictures and updates so often!

Les miracles

We got a short email from Jordan today, as well as a few pictures!

He was sad to hear about the Kobe Bryant and his daughter, and had actually heard about it there yesterday. News travels around the world fast. He said some people there follow our sports, and it was on the news there too so people knew. So sad.

Here is Jordan's email this week:


Les miracles


Iaorana tatou! It's been a good week, we've had a lot of ups and downs, but overall things are going really well. 1 Nephi 17:1-3. This Saturday we have a baptism planned, and she asked me to be the one to baptize her, I'm really excited. She has read to Helaman already after only a few weeks, and she brings her cousins to our lessons, and now they want to be baptized too! They asked us if they could be baptized before we could invite them! Haha. It's really been a miracle.  

I love you all and hope you're doing well.

A faaitoito!

Elder King

Pictures he sent:

Study Spot 

Tie passed down from Elder Peck (His MTC teacher), to Elder Mozos, to him

poulet citron (lemon chicken)  very, very popular there 

view of Tahiti in the distance

view from an ami's house they visited

Zone conference is this coming Wednesday, so he gets to take a boat to Tahiti and meet up with the other missionaries in his zone as well as the Mission President and his wife! Jordan is looking forward to it. I am looking forward to the Mission Presidents wife posting lots of pictures from it (hopefully!)