Coming Home

Welcome home Elder Herman!
Our family is together again! 

      Elder Jake Herman returned home from the Mexico City North Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Saturday, December 29, 2018, after serving for two years.  He was able to meet two nephews and one niece for the first time, and had two other very excited nephews eagerly awaiting to play baseball with him again.  Welcome home Elder Jake Herman!!

One Last Time (Week 101)

      My last letter, can you believe it!? This week was a good one! Cecilia Baron Arroyo was baptized and man she is very special. She has been so excited in the church and has gone to everything! This week she presented us to a friend and has told us that she is talking to everyone about us haha. We are trying to teach her to read now, haha. She is really receptive to the spirit and is always telling us how she feels. We did a family night as a district zone on Friday and that was very cool as well. And yesterday we went to the temple as a zone! It was very cool to see the lights and everything. Man I love the temple! So it was a good last Sunday on the mission. I also gave a talk! And this Sunday is my homecoming at 11.

                

Spiritual Thought Of The Week

       Well… my time it has come to a close. These 2 years really have been a life changer. I have learned so much. I am so grateful for the time that I have had to represent the Lord. These are times I will never forget. My testimony has grown so much. I really have grown to love the gospel more than ever and to know my Savior as he knows me. Coming on the mission was not an easy decision for me, but I am so grateful that I could complete my duty and give this time to the Lord. I have learned to do what the Lord wants of me and to submit myself in his will. I have learned that that is the way to being happy. I have strived to develop Christlike attributes and have seen great changes in myself. I have been focused on working diligently to help the children of God return to His presence and find the same happiness that I find in the gospel. And I have looked to test my faith by doing things that seem impossible or difficult. I have seen the Lord's hand helping me to accomplish my goals and doing his work. I came on a mission to repay the Lord for all the blessings He has given me and I ended being more in debt to Him. He love us so much that He will always bless us. I cant wait to someday be in His presence and give Him a big hug thanking Him for all the opportunities that He gave to me here in this life. The mission wasn’t easy, but it sure was worth it! I am excited to be able to apply everything that I have learned on the mission in the real world and start the next chapter of my life. We will see you on Sunday!

                

Con muchismio amor, (por la ultima vez) Elder Herman

Last Baptism

Mexico City Temple

Mexico City Temple

Teotihuacan (Week 100)

Elder Herman at Teotihuacan

      Sorry I didn't write yesterday, I was in Teotihuacan and man that place is sweet! We had a tour guide that's a member and he gave us the tour using the Book of Mormon and history of Mexico and man it's nuts! I learned a ton! And the cool thing is that they are still finding things, and more evidence of the Book of Mormon is coming out! But the pyramids are really cool! I want to go back someday! And we had an activity on Sunday night in Tepotzotlan and gave away hot chocolate and man it was great! We talked to a lot of people and had them write what Christmas means for them. And Cecilia came with us and man she is so awesome! She has a good testimony already and she will be baptized this week! Before, she hated her husband, but now everything has changed and she says that in the house with all of her family it has been better, and she is just seeing the miracles of the living the góspel! And she is sharing the góspel too!

Spiritual Thought Of The Week

      The power of living the góspel is so strong! I have loved being able to help people come unto Christ and see the difference in their lives. These last 2 months I have seen people change sooo much and they are so happy and you can notice it, that is the coolest part! God is so good and sent us His Son to teach us the way to get back to Him. Christ is the perfect example and He has told us His doctrine and we know what we need to do to live with Him forever. Now we just have to live it and share it with others! Reading the Book of Mormon reminds me of how perfect His plan is! Our Father in Heaven is so loving and has given us everything that we need to be happy in this life and in the life to come for eternity! I love this góspel so much and I love sharing it also! I hope we can all be grateful for the birth of Jesus Christ in this Christmas season and live His góspel that He has taught us! I love you all!

Con Amor, Elder Herman

Lighting the World!

The missionaries that are finishing their missions
and will be going home next week.

It's Not Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas (Week 99)

Santa & Elder Herman

      Good week in the work of the Lord. We celebrated Navidad on Wednesday with our devotional. It was great! President really went all out, haha, he dressed up as Santa! And we did the birth of Jesus Christ so that was fun too. I was an angel and the star, haha. On Saturday we did a little activity to find people in a Pueblo Magico and there were a lot of people and we had a lot of success! I love Christmas we all need mas Christ!

Spiritual Thought Of The Week

       Well we had our Christmas devotional and it was really cool. As this Christmas season is starting we have been planning a lot of activities and I just love this time of year! But I love the fact that I can be a representative of Jesus Christ this month. It’s a month were we remember even more our Savior. We celebrate the fulfillment of all of the prophecies of a Messiah and Redeemer. It is also a month of service to others, and like the initiative Light the World, we must give as he gave. Last week was Light the World and now this weeks is Light the Community. I hope we can all look for ways everyday to serve our neighbors and city. I love watching the videos of Light the World they fill me with love and joy, and when I am the one serving I am filled with even more joy! I love this time and I love serving. I hope you have a great week full of happiness and service to others!

Con Amor, Elder Herman

The Good Life (Week 98)

      Another great week in the work. We started off Light the World with a service activity as a mission. It was great! I love Christmas time and I am very grateful I am a missionary during this time. We only have one investigator progressing right now and its Cecilia, the wife of Jose Luis. She is still really excited to get baptized and still talks about how she felt when she saw her husband get baptized. We are working a lot with the zone so we can have more success. Now that they split our zone we are only one district and it’s the one district that struggles a lot, but we are going to see what we can do. This week we saw a lot of improvement so we are hoping that that keeps up.

 Spiritual Thought Of The Week

      Well this week I have been thinking a lot about forgiveness. As I have been thinking I have decided that it is key to have a good relationship with other people. Our Savior is the best example of forgiveness. As he was being crucified and mocked he said “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” If we could learn to forgive everyone quickly we would have more love and patience for others. Forgiveness is also an essential part of our life here on earth. We must repent and be forgiven of our sins by our Father, but if we do not forgive others we will not be forgiven of ours sins by the Father. “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:14 and 15. Let us be quick to forgive so that we can live a life without burdens and anger. Jesus suffered for every one of our sins, making it possible to be forgiven. We must understand that and accept the atonement in our lives and understand that others can also change and be forgiven. I am so grateful for this amazing gospel and the great plan that our Father in Heaven has for us. I know these things are true and I love you all so much and hope you have a great week!

Con amor, Elder Herman

Unforgettable Week (Week 97)

      This was an unforgettable week! We had 2 baptisms for 2 very special people! Samuel finally got baptized after 3 years of investigating the church. It really was tough getting him baptized, but the Lord did His work! He had told us a couple of times that he didn’t want to get baptized so we just focused on the little things, and every night at 9:15 I called him to see how we was going with the Book of Mormon. I started calling him like that about 2 weeks ago, after he told us that he didn't want to get baptized, and in these 2 weeks he is in 2 Nephi 17. The Holy Ghost has testified to him and has made him know that he needs to get baptized. He bore his testimony that he knows he can have an eternal family and that these things are true. Pure joy. Then Jose Luis also got baptized. Well, we had been teaching him for some time and a couple weeks ago we actually stopped teaching him. Then we found him in the street and he told us to visit him and that he didn’t want to get baptized because he didn’t have clothes! So we talked to him and worked everything out and boom! But he has a lot of family problems and his family had never listened to us, but his wife went to his baptism and after said that she wanted to be baptized also! We are seeing the Lord's hand in His work! I know that this is the work of salvation and it brings so much happiness!

Spiritual Thought Of The Week

      Well there are many spiritual thoughts that I have but man, the power of the Book of Mormon is so strong! I have seen the book change my life and the lives of so many others! If you are not reading the Book of Mormon, start now! Just read one verse every day and you will see the difference, and if you don’t, others will. A scripture a day keeps the devil away! We are so blessed to have the Book of Mormon and to have this knowledge. I know these things are true and I am just so grateful for everything the Lord gives us! I hope you all have an amazing week! Hasta Luegoooo

Con Amor, Elder Herman   

Bautismo de Marlen! (Week 96)

Elder Herman, Marlen, Elder, Elder Hernandez

      This week was kinda crazy. So we had another cool experience. We found an old investigator, Jose Luis. We went with him and talked a little and he said the only reason he didn’t want to get baptized soon was because he didn’t have any clothes! So we got all that figured out and he accepted to get baptized this week! So that was unreal! And Samuel has been reading the Book of Mormon everyday, so that’s great. Haha. I call him every night at 9:15 to check how he's going. Then on Friday we had the baptism of Marlen! It was great! She was really happy and excited! But that day I felt terrible and threw up a couple times, but the baptism was good! And this week the zone is looking to complete the standard so that would be amazing! And they are changing a lot of stakes and the mission a little, so this would be the last week that the zone is together so we are going to end it well!

Spiritual Thought Of The Week

      Many times on the mission I have been so surprised by the power of God. But everything depends on our faith. God works through our faith. Ether 12:12 says “For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith.” If we don’t have faith we cant do anything. But if we have faith “ye can do all things which are expedient unto me.” Moroni 10:23 It is so important that we can always have faith and just believe! I've seen so many miracles in the the Lord's work and I have seen how he truly works through our faith! I love you all and hope you have a faith filled week full of miracles!

Con Amor, Elder Herman