California - February 26, 2012

Hey Family,
Thanks for all the birthday wishes and all! I had a good birthday out here; it was different, that's for sure, really just a regular day. We did get into a disagreement though (they were wrong, we were right type of thing), this guy thought we worshiped Joseph Smith, and we testified and taught and testified, and he was blocked, I think he was a little drunk actually. It was really sad because his kids want to come to church, but he won't let them. When they turn 18, I know they will be baptized. That is the true joy for me, to see the people that want to follow Jesus Christ. I also took a fellow missionary to the office, he was getting a new missionary, Elder Fulks from Lewis, CO (he went to Dolores High School), really close to us, haha, crazy huh? The same day, Sister Mason from my MTC district also went to the office as a trainer, her trainee is from Lima, Peru and doesn't know much English, haha. I also had to say bye to like, my favorite companion, Elder Lopez, who flew home to Florida, and my ZL, Elder Wisner, 2 super great Missionaries. So, the birthday was great!!!!

ELDER LOPEZ, ELDER GROVER, ELDER WISNER

Great other news, I will be getting a missionary straight from the MTC tomorrow. Me and Elder Stone will stay together, but I will be "training" a visa waiter, who is waiting for his visa to come in so he can head down to Mexico. That's exciting right? I am super excited! I guess that makes me a daddy (JJ will know what that means). Yeah, I will get to meet him tomorrow. but sadly I won't know how long I will get to be with him, it just depends on how long it takes for his visa to come in, but I am super super excited to do this! Also, next week I should have his name and what mission he will go to and all that awesome stuff. I love you all so much! I hope all is going well back at home and that you have fun. I can see we keep growing in missionaries from our ward which is super great!!!

Love you all
Elder Jesse Grover

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELDER GROVER!

California - February 21, 2012

WELLLLLLL hello!!

Sorry to hear that state wrestling didn't go as well as you were hoping. That's so funny that Jade took 4th, seriously, I think that is crazy. JJ, me, and now Jade, all 4th place, wow, haha! Jens, you better work hard to join the 4 club, haha! 4 boys, 4 4th places, haha, we could probably make a TV show out of it or something, haha! Then we could make like a million dollars!

Yes, we had transfers and guess what................................................ I am staying here with Elder Stone. Yes, I will hit my year mark here in East Sac, right where I started my mission. I think God wants me to do something here, and I just haven't got to it yet, haha! This will be transfer #7 here for me, how crazy! Only 1 in the MTC and 1 in Stockton, other than that the whole year was here, how crazy is that? I am so excited, first, the Chavez family came to church and are working towards the 3 of March for baptism, and second, Gloria, who moved out of our area into the sisters area, but still in the same ward, is getting baptized this weekend, I am so excited to be staying here. We also have this less active who had not gone to church for 6 months, and he was baptized only 2 months before that, but he is coming back! We always got along super well, he likes to "read people" (like Edward) but I must be like Bella because he says I am not easy to read. So we have always got along, and he is doing super, super good. Last I heard, he will probably be put in the Elders quorum presidency, not official, but it is in the works (as missionaries we hear so many things, it's crazy). Oh, you have no idea how excited I am to stay here. Plus, my birthday lands on transfers, so if I would have got transfered, I would have had to leave and meet new people on my birthday, but I get to stay here, where I have spent pretty much all of my mission, so i am so excited! So good news, if we ever come to visit my mission afterwards, we can pretty much stick to one area, haha! A lot of the people I love so very much are here in this ward, it is so fantastic here! My follow up trainer, Elder Lopez, goes home, this is his last day here, how insane, huh? I was with him when I hit my six month mark and now I am here at almost one year, still not 12 months, I am only 11, let's not jump the gun here, haha.

Requests for a package, well, food!!! Maybe some of those chinese food packet things that we always cook, and then recipes so we can cook. We love to cook and bake, and we have a house, so it's a lot easier than an apartmant. I don't know what I want, oh man, aaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!! No, I am doing really well. By the way, no, I did not meet my goal of lose 20 to be 20, but I did make some progress, and I have hopes to continue losing little by little. Summer is coming up, and it is supposed to be a hot one, so that will help a lot. We have not gotten like any rain, it has been super dry, so it is supposed to be super, super hot. We have cars, but we still have to do lots of walking and bikes cause we do have limitations on miles and everything, but it's so much fun here!!!!!!! We will have to come visit, there are so many people I want you all to meet, my blood super awesome best ever family in Blanding, Utah, and my new family here in Sacramento. On missions, families grow, seriously, you grow to love so many people here, you have no idea. Well, thank you so much for all you do, I love you so much!

Love Elder Grover

P.S. Yes, I got the package, and I was super grateful it got here, cause we have what we call mail fasts every transfer when we have changes and so they hold everything until after everyone is changed, and it got here the last day that it could have, good timing;) thanks so much !!!!!!!!!!!

DON'T WORRY, IT'S APPLE CIDER, HA HA!

ELDER GROVER WITH RAMON PEREZ

ELDER GROVER AND ELDER STONE

CALIFORNIA SUNSET

California - February 13, 2012

Hey family!!!

How are things at home? That is so awesome to hear that Jade and Jens did so well at region, I am so proud of you guys! But remember, it is not over; Jade, you've got to outdo me and JJ at state, the best we ever got was 4th, so show us up, you have been good at that, haha :) "Beware of Pride Boy!!!!" haha! Just Kidding, you both are so awesome! I just love telling all the other missionaries about my awesome family. Oh, my brothers did this, and my nieces and nephews are cooler that yours, my family is just straight up better, hahah, "Beware of Pride Elder", haha! No, I love you all so much, I really feel the support you guys give to me. There are times when I feel down, I really do. We had the Chavez family committed to a baptismal date for the 25 of February, and they didn't come to church, I was heart broken! You learn to love these people so much. Don't worry, it isn't over for them, no, we are going over tonight to re-establish a new date. I know they will be baptized, so I am not worried. The best feelings I have ever had in my life have been out here, but also the most heartbreaking feelings come here too. When we were kids and the girl we liked didn't like us back, we were hurt, or when our best friend called us a name, we were hurt, but out here the the hurt is more of an eternal aching. You ask yourself every night, "did I really do all I could have done with this person?" or "did I testify to this person who was talking bad about the church?" But I promise the JOY, eternal joy, outweighs the hurt, and your support has kept me here. I promise every missionary at one point in his mission wants to go home, but the family support, the companions, the Leaders, and everything helps you out so much.

I was talking to a missionary today, he is in an English ward and someone was up giving the talk in church, and they said, "if you don't go on a mission, it's okay, the Atonement is there for you to repent." He said that he was upset, and I was upset too. Yes, God will forgive you, but no, it's not okay, and I know this because of my wonderful father who alwasys told me that not serving a mission was the worst decision he ever made. Dad, I want to thank you for helping me to understand that missions are important, and it is not only important for us, it is very important for other people, they are starving spiritualy without us. No, it is not okay to Not serve, we have to, we have to prepare, we have to live our lives worthy of it. I wish I would have not done a lot of things in my past because I have scars, and it still hurts. The Atonement is real, and it can heal us, but we have to do everything possible. We know we need to serve missions, so if we don't go, we are denying it. I am so very grateful to be here on my mission, I really am.

By the way, I was just talking to a lady here in the family history center where we are emailing, and she asked where I was from, and of course I said Blanding, Utah, and she said, "well, I go there like every year". They are really good friends with the Eberlings, haha, Small world right :)

Well, this is the last week of the transfer, and I fear I will leave :( But I have also had a feeling that I would stay, maybe that is me just wanting to stay, I don't know, haha! There are just some really awesome people I am working with here. We have had a lady who has come to church 2 times, and she is praying for the 25th. She is even moving out of her house because she is living with someone and he doesn't want to get married. So, she is leaving, she is going to live in a room of a friends. By the way, we have not even taught her the law of chastity yet. She said, "I have felt the spirit every time you have come. Usually I feel down because my boyfriend drinks and is abusive, but every time you come I feel so good, and I know I can feel better." Every time I think of this, I thank my Heavenly Father for the opurtunity I have to be a messanger of his spirit in bringing peace to those who are ready, she was elect. We found her by going to visit a potential who no longer lived there,and she invited us back because she wanted Bible studies, and we said okay. We came back and shared the Book of Mormon with her, and she has read everything we have left, even with her abusive boyfriend. She can not read Spanish, she can barely read English, but she trys so hard to understand. She doesn't know a lot of English volcabulary, so we have to translate words she doesn't know, but she is way nice, her name is Gloria.

Well, Happy Valentine's Day, will you be my valentine, hahahahaha, jk! This is like an intresting hoilday on the mission, it is like, uh girls, what? haha! But thanks so much for all you do for me, and for giving me support with packages and letters and emails, it is so very nice to have! I love you all so very much.

Love Elder Jesse Grover


We went biking last P-day for fun. This is me, I look pretty good on a bike, huh? haha!

A White Christmas in California

This was our Chrismas Baptism; I was thinking, and I was like, I probably never sent you all a picture.


Maria Montoya, who quit smoking after 40 years - amazingly cool awesomness!

California - February 6, 2012

Dearest Family,

I am sorry, this week wasn't as eventful as the last, and so no news. I guess I will just combine this week and next week's letter into one. Okay, love ya, bye.

Love Elder Jesse Grover















Okay, fine I will write more, haha! No, but seriously, compared to last week this was really uneventful, of course there were things that happened, but nothing big and crazy. We did have a family come to church, the Chavez family, it was Stake Conference here, so I don't excatly know how much they enjoyed it with translation and everything. Plus, they are used to the catholic church, which is only one hour long, so anything longer than that, they are like, "oh, I was thirsty", stuff like that, but when they come to the regular sunday services, I think that they will like it, they are a super cool family. We have a lot of really awesome people we are working with, and every time that transfers come up, I fear I will be leaving, and bam transfers are soon! So I've got 2 weeks to do work here in East Sac, and hope I stay, but that's the joy of transfers, you are always working hard because you just never know if you are staying or going and you just want to keep working hard. You would think that this was run by God or something, it is just so organized, oh yeah it IS run by Him, and that is how us 19 year olds can't mess it all up. We see that every day in little miracles and stuff like that.

Jade, it sounds like you are all smarty pants, and have to make you ugly dumb older brother look bad, always just one uping me, aren't you? Dang, you will probably be AP at like 4 months, little Mr. Awesome, always getting the girls too, haha, JK! I am super proud of you!

I love you all, thanks for all you have done for me!!!!!!!

Love Elder Jesse Grover

P.S. I discovered this cool thing on LDS.org, the directories, those are super cool. I am on there, I can see all the missionaries out and pictures of the fam, oh wait, no pictures of our family, but there is a picture of JJ and Tamra. It was a really cool discovery, I can see who is serving in our ward as missionaries, which is really cool, our church is so organized. Well love ya'

California - January 30, 2012

Hello Family!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This week was a little crazy. We got told on Thursday that there would be a Special Mission Conference. We were a little shocked and a little worried about what was going on, some thought the world was going to end or an earthquake was going to happen, lots of crazy ideas, but we were a little surprised when we found out what it was actually for. We were all sitting there waiting, and they had us all stand up, and Elder Jeffery R Holland came in with President Weston and his wife! Yes, THE Elder Holland. We all got to shake his hand, and he interviewed every single one of us. He looked into our eyes and said we all did well; he said none of us were perfect, but we were good. He asked me where I was from, I said Blanding, Utah, and he was like, "oh, San Juan Broncos huh?", I was like, "uh..... yeah". Elder Holland knew my high school, haha! Crazy huh? Yeah, we have quite the reputation I guess :) He came to check on the mission beause we lost our mission president for awhile. He said he was worried because usually he gets to missions and they are in a mess when things like this happen, but he said we were in very good shape. We have a very good temporary mission president, and that the work was still progressing. But he did say that this was no excuse to slack off, we still neeed to improve, and when he talks to you, oh you want to improve! Wow, you think he is good on television, try listening to him live, within 10 yards! Wow, it was absolutly wonderful, words can't even describe it!!!!!

This week we also saw Gladys Knight and her Saints Unified Choir, which was super awesome. It was a fantastic event. Her and her husband have solid testimonies, and the songs were more upbeat than usual, but really good. Yeah, her and her husband are both converts, she followed after her kids, they were baptized first, and then she was baptized. She was taught when the missionaries were teaching the 6 memorized lessons, and she said after the second one, she was ready to be baptized. She then got married to her husband, who was not a member, but they had been friends for like 30 years. They got married and he wanted to find out what this whole Mormon thing was all about, he was baptized and raised up a very staunch Baptist, but he now testifies very bodly of the truthfullness of the church, it is really awesome.

Our investigators are doing well, we are still teaching them, and they are still passing through lots of trials. We are teaching a lady who is about to leave her boyfriend because they are not married, and she knows that living with someone is a sin. She goes to another church, so she wasn't going to be able to come to ours, but we decided to call her Sunday morning and see if she could come, and guess what, her ride to her church fell through, and she asked if we could get her a ride. So we found her a ride and she came to our church. She told us later that she was praying, asking God which church he wanted her to go to, and then it worked out that she was able to go to ours. She liked it, it was a little more mild than she was used to, she goes to a Christian church, and some of those are a little crazy, haha. But, it was a really packed week. But all is good, I hope all is well at home. Just keep praying and keep working hard. Love you all so much!

Elder Jesse Grover