October 19, 2015 - Arroyo Grande 1st Ward

Still no word about his knee...we continue to pray that he will be able to stay on his mission and be healthy.  He has seemed a bit down the last few weeks - we are hoping it's just a phase.  I imagine homesickness is starting to set in - plus it's football season! :)

All,

I have had a pretty good week, spirit wise! Not a terribly great week in any other sense though. Things are going absolutely great! This week was full of hard work, a lot of trying and nothing following through, but a lot of inspiration and getting ready to really become the best missionary I can be.

Update on the knee. I booked an MRI for tomorrow morning, and won't know the results until Monday next week. I will get the results before emailing home though, so I will be able to tell you what is going on. We had interviews with President Felix on Wednesday, and he, being a physio therapist, told me how things work and what could possibly happen. He gave me a few options for what could happen, depending on if I need surgery and what kind of surgery it will be. He is pretty adamant in keeping me around. We don't know what it would do to my Visa if I did need to go home for a short time, but he said he will pull all the strings he can to have me stay in the mission if it would affect my service. We will see what happens, but I want you all to know how great of a Mission President I have, and how caring and just great to me and all the other missionaries he is. He truly is amazing. 

So, Leonor is doing well... We think. All of our appointments fell through this past week, with things being scheduled by her parents on the nights we usually meet. We haven't had any contact with her since Sunday of last week, so we are pretty worried. She is insanely faithful though, so she should be okay. We just hope we can see her tomorrow! We will see what happens with that. Also, Jude called us and said he didn't want to be baptized anymore, which is something I am used to from him, so we have dropped him as an investigator for now. 

Other than that, we have seen a lot of closed doors this week. We have seen almost all of our plans fall through, and we are just soldiering on and getting ready to absolutely kill this week! 

We had dinner with a family this week, and the dad is a CEO of a company, and during dinner, he pulled out a football signed by Peyton Manning... Not only that, but it was the 55th touchdown pass football from a couple years ago when he broke the record for most TD passes in a season. Pretty cool! 

It's been a struggle this week, but things are going well. I finished the Book of Mormon this week, and started it again! I am going through soft copies of the Book right now, and marking one topic in all of them. don't know if that makes sense at all, but right now I have started a study on Christlike Attributes, and it has been so amazing so far. I absolutely love it, and I love learning about Christ. He truly is the motivation in all I do, and I truly know he is the head of this church. He is the reason for everything, and he is the reason I am able to be clean again after I make mistakes. Not only that, but it is through Christ that we do hard things. It is the enabling power of the Atonement which allows us to exceed our mortal capabilities and become more than we ever thought we could be. I know this to be true, I have seen it work through me these past few months, and I see it work through me as I am able to stretch myself, more particularly my knee right now, to do things I don't think I would be able to do without him. I love him, I love this gospel, and I love serving here, I truly am blessed.

So, those mudslides weren't in our mission, but holy, the traffic on the 101 was craaaaaazy! We have gotten some rain this week, and everyone is gearing up for a wet winter.... Just my luck! 

I was also wondering if I could send a package home. Would I send it to Ontario or is there a place that I can send it to across the border? Let me know, and I can print out some pictures off of my phone and send them to you too :) 

I love that talk about music and the gospel! It is amazing, and I am sure you uplifted the Branch so much yesterday! (Bryan and I spoke in church the previous day - Bryan used this talk: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/04/the-music-of-the-gospel?lang=eng )

Great to hear about Maddy! That is so exciting. (a friend is expecting her first baby)

Okay, that's all from me I think. I spent about 49 bucks on the office supplies a couple of weeks ago, just so you know. And if i could use the card to print these pictures for you all, I would love that! :) And to send this package to you. 

Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support! They mean the world to me, and they help me get through my days! I love you all!

Love,

Elder Harvey 

October 12th, 2015 - Arroyo Grande 1st Ward

Thanksgiving weekend - first of the holidays without Jaxon so we had the missionaries over for supper in his place.  The kids were asking Jameson which brother or sister he liked best and when they asked if he liked Jaxon he said "no, because he's not coming home" :) 


All,

So great to hear everyone doing so well! I am emailing late today. It's Columbus Day and our library in AG is closed and the Family History Center is getting fumigated! So we found the Santa Maria Library is open, and here I am! I just got back from the doctors actually, and they need an MRI, which needs to be cleared by Mission Medical... So we will hear from them in a bit!

The week has been crazy! District Leader is "lower" than a Zone Leader. But yeah, Leonor is doing well! Her baptismal date looks like it will be pushed back a week, but that's okay! We want her to be as ready as possible for her baptism! Her parents have joined in the last two lessons, so we think we have a shot at teaching them as well! Super exciting for that family, and we are super ready to get to work!

Sounds like it's been a mega fun weekend! Oh, yeah, remember Jude? Well we FINALLY saw him, and he now has a baptismal date of November 14 :) He is super awesome, knows everything is true, just needs to fix some things and he is good to go!

My new companion and I are getting along pretty well! He is definitely different than my other two companions, but that's okay! We are getting a lot of work done and having fun! Only serving in one ward now feels weird, but it's nice being able to spend time in a more condensed area! I am still at the same apartment, but now there is four missionaries living there instead of just my companion and I! 

Anywho, things are going pretty well. Let's hope that this MRI gets approved, and then I can get a move on and figure out what's wrong with my knee out here instead of in Ontario. Definitely wouldn't want to go from 28 degree weather to -28 degree weather...... haha. Dad, I did get your meme! Laughed out loud. That is so me! And you can tell Jameson that I like him just fine! Haha. Goofball. 

Love you all, thank you so much for all of your prayers and fasting towards me. I KNOW this church is true, and I know that I am doing the right thing. A lot more people this week have told us that what we are doing is useless, but I know that it isn't, and that I am serving Jesus Christ, and representing him. 

Love you,

Elder Harvey

Once again we were close to our computer when he emailed so we emailed back and forth for a few minutes...this is some of his conversations...

•  I met a missionary that is from our new District! His name is Elder Bradley, from a branch that starts with A.... So look out for his parents!!  He is an awesome missionary, and he's is training and Elder Strom from NELSON BC  (he ended up being from Belleville (close Jaxon) and Bryan  has met his father...small world!)
• Bryan asked how his knee was feeling: It doesn't feel any different, no, but I do all the work I can, just not really caring about the pain. If I have to go home, I will go out with a bang haha

October 5th, 2015 - Arroyo Grande 1st Ward

Transfers happened - I can't imagine changing roommates every 6 weeks or so - it must be hard but by the end of his mission he should know how to get along with anyone!  He talks about his knee in this email - we received a phone call at midnight on October 1st - it was the mission president.  He had called my cell phone and I didn't hear it ring so he left a message asking us to call him because Jaxon had hurt his knee.  This is NOT the phone call you want to receive!  Bryan contacted Bro. Felix and talked with him about what happened.  Jaxon will explain it in his email.  We would appreciate prayers on his behalf, hoping that they will be able to make it workable for the remainder of his mission and he will not have to come home for a surgery.  We will keep you posted...

All,

Okay, so yeah... this week has been a craaazy one! Transfers happened, and then apparently my knee decided to lock up, General Conference, and just normal crazy missionary stuff!

So, starting with my knee! I wasn't really planning on telling everyone at home what happened, just because I was really hoping that it would fix itself and not do what it did this past week. I was playing basketball about a month ago and I planted weird and pain shot down my right leg! So, of course, I kept playing for a bit and then went home and iced it and all of that! The pain persisted, but only while getting up and walking up or down stairs, and some other things, but I kept going! I had President Felix look at it at Zone Conference, and he gave me some tips and such and finally, this past week, it locked up for a little bit. Basically, I am going to see an orthopedic doctor, and we are going to see what is going to have to happen. I have been praying crazy hard the past few weeks, and I really hope nothing major is going to happen, but I know that wherever I go, the Lord needs me there. There's no such thing as coincidences in the Lord's work! If I need surgery, Sister Felix is going to have to clear it with Mission Medical. We will just see what will happen! I should have an appointment sometime this week hopefully. Thanks for your prayers, and Elder Leavitt, Elder Dorius, and Elder Hortin were able to give me a blessing a few weeks ago! 

Okay, so I maaaaay have forgotten to tell you about a super awesome baptism. We found a YSA guy named Azlan back in July, and he got baptized last week! It was super amazing to see someone that I was able to find enter into the waters of baptism, and make those sacred covenants with our Heavenly Father. He is one amazing guy, and he has been doing amazing things already in the church! 

What else. Oh yeah, Leonor! She is awesome, and she is on track to make her baptismal date of October 17! She is progressing really well, and we feel like she really truly desires to be baptized! The coolest thing though is that her mom has done a 180 this past week, and she actually sits in on our lessons now and gives some input! We are super excited for Leonor and for her commitment to be baptized! I will let you know more about that as we get closer to the date!

So. Transfer calls were pretty sad this week. It appears that every companionship is getting changed except for one, and SURPRISE! I am getting transferred..... kinda. So Elder Leavitt is leaving! He has been assigned to be a Zone Leader down in the Simi Valley YSA Ward, and my new companion will be Elder Duplessis, and he will be the District Leader! Super excited to serve with him, and as for WHERE I am serving? So, they split my area, and I will be serving in the Arroyo Grande 1st Ward alone, while the Pismo Beach Ward is getting Sisters! Yup, Elder Harvey has been pinkwashed. I am super excited for this next transfer, and for the challenges and miracles it will bring!

So, General Conference! How amazing was that? It's funny, I have been ponderizing all transfer long, and I am glad we have been challenged to do it by a General Authority! I have seen some amazing blessings come from doing so, and I really do suggest and challenge everyone to do it! It brings a clarity to your mind that isn't easy to explain. And as for President Monson, as I am sure you all saw, what an amazing showing of courage and determination to share his witness of Jesus Christ! Something I noticed was that those last words that he just barely was able to get out, were words that testified of the divinity and actuality of our Lord, Jesus Christ! What an amazing man, and I really hope that he makes it to April. I also really appreciated Elder Holland's talk, and President Nelson's! I really do have a sincere and amazing appreciation for you Mom, and I really do love and appreciate all that you have done for me these past 19 years! Same to you Dad, and the rest of the family! I love you all, and I am so appreciative of the time we have been able to grow together as a family, and I feel like I have, weirdly enough, gotten closer to you all while being out here! 

Anyways, thank you so much for your continued prayers and support. I love you all, and I am grateful for all of you! We will keep you updated on my knee, but, I truly will go wherever my Heavenly Father wants me to go! 

Have an amazing week! 

Love,

Elder Harvey

I was still on the computer when he sent his email so I quickly sent him one and we had a short email "conversation" :)

• could you send my seminary scriptures?  They have all those amazing markings that Sis. Guenther had us do which could be useful
• I also loved those pictures/cards from Elder Crapo's mom - where did she get them?  Can you get more?
• Oh, and for the record, this weekend (of course!) we are on a member food fast! We are only able to eat food we buy today and cook out of our apartment. Typical right? Only on Canadian Thanksgiving. I feel lilke it's racist or something.  (they are usually fed one meal a day from members of the congregation)

September 28th, 2015 - Arroyo Grande and Pismo Beach 1st Wards

I pulled a bad mom move and forgot to email him that morning :(  Thank goodness Bryan remembered and I managed to get a few off on my phone that he received before leaving the library (they use public computers to email each week since they don't have computers or internet in their apartments)

Hey All,

Noticed there was no email from Mom this week! Hope the funeral was a great experience for her. I read the sticky note from Aunt Yvonne on Monday night that was in my journal, and it was really nice to see what she said before I left! 

Okay, you don't know how happy seeing and hearing about Hudson's football game! That is so great. I remember spending a lot of time in the backyard, going over some scrambling drills before I left, do you remember that Hudson? Is that what you used in that situation? Keep going! You will eventually have to step up for your team! 

This week has been really cool! So, big news, I extended my first Baptismal Invitation this week, and Leonor accepted! It was awesome, but we figured out on Thursday that her parents aren't ready for her to get baptized yet! We will see what happens in the next couple of weeks, as we are fasting and praying for her and her parents! We have another appointment with her tomorrow, and it is going to be awesome! She came to church yesterday, and the youth really wrapped their arms around her and helped her through everything! She knows the church is true, and it is amazing to see her desire to go to church and to learn more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ! She is really the only investigator that we have right now, still in the finding phase! Transfer calls are this week, so Elder Leavitt and I are nervously awaiting those! We really want to stay together for another transfer, but we will see what will happen! 

So, I did forget to tell you this, but last week I started driving! It's awesome. I got my "Tiwi Card" which is a card for the device that is in our mission cars that monitors our driving and such! So I have been able to drive while on exchanges, and it has been awesome! I will send a picture or two of me driving! Haha, I was so excited! 

It really is amazing to be out here. I see miracles happen everyday. Maybe not in the form of baptisms or investigators to teach, but we have countless members asking us how we manage to keep our spirit's up, and we honestly are just having a fun time with what we are doing. We contacted about 20 DNC's this past week, got yelled at a bunch, and just laughed it off! I really have figured out these past three months that there is no point in keeping everything in and letting them fester until you start hating what you are doing! There is no point in doing so. You just have to learn to laugh at yourself, and to shake things off and keep moving! So that is what I have been really working on. It is crazy to think that it has already been 3 months! I miss you all, a lot! And I hope you know how much I love each and every one of you!

Sad to hear about the passing of Elder Scott this past week, but it really just makes me even more excited for General Conference this week! WOOOOOO! I have been super pumped for this weekend alllllll transfer long, and I think Elder Leavitt is glad that this weekend has finally come, so I can finally shut up about it :P Hopefully you all can listen to every session! I am so so so so excited! 

I think that's really it for this week. Everything is going really well, and I activated my credit card too! Just so you know. I was actually wondering if I could buy a label maker from Walmart! It looks like it's only 20 bucks, and that way I can make sure my credit card is working. Let me know! 

I love you all. Thank you so much for all of the prayers that are coming my way and for all the care you show me. I really do appreciate everything that you do for me, and I can feel you all working through me. I love this Gospel, I know that it is true, and that this church holds the Priesthood Authority of God, and that it also holds the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know it's true, and I know that we can all find out for ourselves! We just have to put our faith in God, put some effort into truly finding the truth, and we will find it residing in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints!

Love,

Elder Harvey! :)

September 21st, 2015 - Arroyo Grande and Pismo Beach 1st Wards

Anyone who has ever been inside Jaxon's car - YOU'VE GOT TO READ THIS TO BELIEVE IT!! :)  Plowman family - you are also mentioned below :)


All,

Sad to hear about Aunt Yvonne, but I know she is in a better place! She isn't feeling the pain that she was feeling before, and she is happy as can be in Spirit Paradise! 

This week has been a down week! It's okay, just a lot of appointments falling through and such! We had a super awesome lesson with a girl name Leonor, and she is really excited for our second discussion tomorrow night! She looks hopeful, and we are really excited to see where it can go :)

Big moment of the week! We had my first Zone Conference on Wednesday, and it was AWESOME! It was all about the Book of Mormon, and about how we can better use it in our proselyting! Beforehand, President Felix asked for everyone to prepare a talk, and that three people will be called on to share their thoughts during conference. So, of course, when they called the people that would be speaking, my name was called first! It was awesome, talking about how much the Book of Mormon has blessed my life and strengthened my testimony! If there is ANYTHING I have learned these past 2 1/2 months, it is the importance of the Book of Mormon in our conversion to Jesus Christ and His restored church! The Book of Mormon is amazing, and it really will bless all of our lives  as long as we read it! President and Sister Felix extended us a commitment to "read the Book of Mormon everyday of our lives without missing a day!" And I am so determined to do so! Any who feels like they need to, which should be all of us, should take that challenge! It doesn't have to be a lot, but reading out of the Book of Mormon, even if it is only a verse a day, will strengthen you in ways that you can't even comprehend! Anyways, another funny thing that happened at Zone Conference that is going to be hard for you to believe is that Elder Leavitt and I won an award for the cleanest car there! Yeah, I know, Jaxon Harvey having the cleanest car? That's not possible! But it is! It was awesome.

We are gearing up for an awesome week this week, and we are hoping to find a lot of success in the plans that we have made! I can't remember any guy named Steve, so I am going to assume that we are no longer teaching him! Haha. Leonor is really our only investigator now, and she is 14! Her parents are super supportive in her learning for herself and choosing her own path, so we are really really excited for this next week! She took the Restoration really well, she told us she felt the Spirit and she has been reading the Book of Mormon! Score! But yeah, we are really hoping things go well!

Really quickly, HAPPY BIRTHDAY LACHLYN! I woke up yesterday, looked at the date, and yelled it! Hope it was a fantastic day! I miss birthdays! Oh and really quick, there is a family in my ward who know the Plowman's! It's the Gonzales family! We had a super awesome conversation at dinner on Tuesday about Bowmanville and such! It was awesome!

I hope you all are doing well! Thanks for all of your continued prayers and support, it means a lot to me! I know this is God's work, and this is the true church on the earth today. The Priesthood is real, and Joseph Smith really did see Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and through him, Christ restored His true church! I know that without a doubt in my mind!  

Thanks again for everything, it means a lot!

Love,

Elder Harvey

September 13th, 2015 - Arroyo Grande and Pismo Beach 1st Wards

There seems to always be an adventure or something exciting to happen to him each week.  I appreciate his positive attitude and desire to do what he's been asked.  :)


All,

Okay, I have to say, that is HILARIOUS!! Opposing your own calling... LOL! That's awesome. Exciting to hear that you are on the District Council though Dad! And I am sure Seminary will be exciting for you Mom! Sounds like a really busy and hectic week, but glad to hear that everything is running relatively smoothly up there! They still stand for Oh Canada every morning?! I remember doing that!! That's insane. Sounds like you are all having a blast re-adjusting to life in Ontario! 

My week.... Wow. We had quite the amazing week, I must say. A lot of hard work, and a lot of miracles that we have been praying and fasting for. This week, we had our exchanges with the Zone Leaders! It was a great exchange, and I was able to go with Elder Dorius and Gosh. It was a great time. We were in Shell Beach, just knocked on a couple of doors and about to get back into the car, when something was telling me to go to a house across the street that had the door open! So I was going to shrug it off, and had one foot in the car when the Spirit hardcore chastised me, and told me GO AND KNOCK THAT DOOR. Haha. So we went, and we had a good hour long lesson with them! Lyn, the lady in the home, said that she had a lot of questions about religion and about the church, and Steve, the husband, had actually taken the discussions up in Paso Robles years ago! He said he loved our church, loved what we stood for, and we talked a lot about the Holy Ghost and about the Book of Mormon, and invited them to church! Super awesome experience, and it goes to show that we really need to listen to the Spirit. Heavenly Father opens doors for us and if we don't take advantage of the blessings that He tries to give to us, or the opportunities to share the Gospel that He grants us, we just won't get those opportunities!

Then, on Wednesday, we were walking down a street, when this man yells from behind us "STEVE! MURRAY!" So, we turned around, and I just started talking to him from where we were and he was a man on a scooter, who's name is Jude! He asked us if we were going to the Bible Study class tonight at the Kingdom Hall, and we said no. Haha. So we started talking to him, and he asked us who we were and we told him, and he proceeded to tell us about this stroke he had, and about the trials he has been going through the past month or so, and how he can't use the left side of his body anymore, and we talked about the Priesthood authority that Jesus had being back on the Earth again, and he started tearing up and told us to follow him back to his house! So we sprinted beside him while he was booking it home on his scooter, and we went into his backyard where he had a SIXTEEN FOOT STATUE OF THE RESURRECTED CHRIST! It was crazy. But yeah, we taught him the Restoration and he totally loved it! He said we should be teaching History classes and have everyone know about Jesus coming to the America's, and then said that we should make a movie about it! We told him there is a movie, and that we can give him one for free, along with the Book of Mormon and some pamphlets! He loved it. He is going to come to church this Sunday, and we are so excited for him. He said yesterday that he knows that the church is true, so we have been making some really good progress with him! It was amazing to see the light that came into his eyes when we taught him about the Book of Mormon, to see the Holy Ghost touch his heart, and to hear him tell us how good he was feeling while we spoke with him. The Book of Mormon changes people. I fully believe that.

We also had Stake Conference this past weekend, and we had Elder Pimmentell of the Seventy come, and he was AWESOME! He spoke about so many different things, but one that really stood out to me (I wonder why!) was about missionary work! He gave everyone a simple suggestion on how to do simple, but effective, missionary work! He said that all you need to do is work "My Church" into every conversation you have! It's a simple SIMPLE thing! And so non-threatening, but it really can spark a conversation that can change people's lives! 

So yeah, we have had a much better week this week. Good luck with your Seminary classes this week, and everyone else with school! Remember, Heavenly Father has placed you there for a reason! Be that "City that is set on an hill" and "Let your light so shine before man!" Do the simple missionary work that you can do, and you will make a difference in someone's life. I know it.

I love you all so much, thank you so much for all that you do for me and for the prayers and fasting that is done on my behalf. I feel them working in me day by day, as I do those hard things that I never thought I could do. I feel them pushing me along, giving me strength to do everything I can to Preach the Gospel.

Oh! Almost forgot, we woke up this morning AND IT WAS RAAAAAIIIINING! I shall try to send a video of it today. Fasting and Prayer works! Rain was part of my fast yesterday.

I would love some Salt and Vinegar chips if you ever have a chance to send anything! Expect a little something from me in the near future!

Thanks so much for all that you do! Stay strong!

Love,

Elder Jaxon Harvey

September 6th, 2015 - Arroyo Grande and Pismo Beach 1st Wards

We have arrived in Kingston - yet still in a hotel waiting for our stuff to arrive.  You'll see from his letter that I was asked to teach seminary.  For those that don't know - it is an early morning scripture study class for kids ages 14-18 - and because our congregation is small - the class would consist of my three kids and one other girl.  I taught it last year in Chilliwack but the class was bigger and it was only part time - so I was hesitant to accept the invitation until I talked with my kids and basically got their approval to be their teacher.  (I did say yes, and it's been going great - my kids are up and ready every morning and even make it enjoyable to teach  :)  ~Jenny

All,

How great it is to hear about your arrival to Kingston! Glad to know you have gotten there safe and sound. Okay Mom, I have to say, I laughed out loud when I read that you got called to be a seminary teacher. Did you seriously not see that coming? I did :P That's too funny. You should take the calling! That's just my suggestion. The Lord has placed you in that Branch, and has extended you that calling because He knows you are ready for it, He knows that you can bless the lives of the students in that class, and that it will help bless your life as well. I have realized that with my calling as a missionary. 1 Corinthians 10:13. Or 1 Nephi 3:7. Or Numbers 11:11-17. He calls us because we are ready, and who the Lord calls, He qualifies. Do it. That's my advice. You will see blessings come from it, I know it, and I testify of it. 

This week. Well, what a week it was. Not a good week at all honestly. We knocked so many doors, we tried to see so many people, and I guess the Lord just wanted us to learn patience and humility, because we saw almost no body. We have been working our tails off this past week, but we have some amazing things planned for this next week. We are really trying to get better connections with the members, and we are starting to see some glimmers of hope from that. We also had Zone Meeting this past week, and it was great! The Spirit is so strong when we meet together as missionaries to strengthen eachother, and I love it. I have been reading a lot out of the Book of Mormon, and I have began trying to memorize as many scriptures as I can. I should have a buttload of scriptures memorized by the time I am home! 

Fast Sundays are amazing. We are able to be in two testimony meetings, and the Spirit is so strong. We also got to teach a class yesterday, on missionary work, and how members can better become missionaries! It was awesome. The members in our wards really seem like they want to do missionary work, and we are getting ready to enact a plan where we can help them reach their full potential as missionaries! All you need to do is prepare yourself. You aren't going to find missionary opportunities if you haven't properly prepared yourself to loose your tongue. Doctrine and Covenants 11:21.

Anyways, hope everything is going well, and that you are able to adjust this week! Good luck to Hudson at tryouts, to Aydan in the strings class she should still take, and Emerson in his FVDES schooling, and Lachlyn in her new schooling as well! I love you all, and I thank you for the prayers that are given on my behalf. You are all such a huge strength to me! 

Love, 

Elder Jaxon Harvey

Elder Harvey and Elder Jaxon

Zone Conference

Eating at the Mission Home