Can you see anything???

Sent from my iPad On Jan 27, 2014, at 11:48 AM, Jacob Hirschi wrote: This week was a pretty crazy week. Not as crazy as living on a tourist hotspot, but nonetheless, it was a great week. First, to try to explain the subject of the email. So my comp, Elder H, is from Utah, but was never one to get out and do a road trip or anything like that, where he would have to drive long distances on his own. Or drive on the highway......so yes, he just started to drive consistently on the highway about two weeks ago. So combine the lack of experience and the crazy whipping blizzard that's going on at the same time. I was a bit scared for my life at one point, but we made it out alive. Ok so I wasn't scared for my life, but there was a blizzard. We couldn't see anything, and it came out of nowhere! I still laugh at the thought of me thinking to myself about 6 months ago- I can't wait not to be cold for two years. Didn't exactly go according to plan, but do good times ever really go according to plan? Last night, I had the opportunity of going back to the 4th ward to see a 9 year old named J get baptized. The baptism was packed, and it was a bittersweet moment to see everyone I used to be around all the time! But I enjoyed it, and I have a picture or two but I forgot my camera, so I'll have to post it next week. After the baptism, we were teaching a Liberian family, and they also said they want to get baptized too! They have a father who's coming from out of state in order to get baptized with them, and it's going to be this Saturday! So it's coming up quick, but it's great to see a family come together through the gospel and begin their journey together through baptism. Can't wait for it. So to answer the question about Aunt Sara's package, I'm REALLY sorry I ever said I never got it because I definitely did! I just forgot about it, but I for sure have it and a thank you card should be on the way soon! Speaking of which, yall got my package/fat card right? Just want to make sure it didn't get lost...Also can I have the Moseley's address? I need to send my Christmas cards... Also regarding the cold- I'm totally warm. I have clothes, but some people's hearts need a sweater or two! Just kidding, I love these people haha I probably wouldn't listen to a message if it was snowing and freezing outside either...let me know if you need anything else! Love you all! Love, Elder Jake Hirschi

Global Warming

January 8, 2014 Sooo global warming may not be just warming, but I'm beginning to believe in it more and more each day. Everyone says California is way hotter than usual, and New York is way colder and snowier than usual, so I'm starting to see some patterns... but anyway. Luckily it's not too bad here. We had quite the snow storm last week, and New York acatually went into a statewide state of emergency where it was basically illegal to be outside-oops. It was mainly for the plows to catch up and save the roads. Which worked really well. The roads are really good, and today it's actually reaching the 30's which sounds a lot better than back home (-20 windchill??). So the storm was fun. And everyone we talked to actually thought it was a joke that NY made it a state emergency. It was bad for the past few years, but we haven't seen anything yet. Usually kids get baptized in our church at age 8 (we call it the age of accountability), and a couple kids in our congregation are 9 and haven't been baptized yet. So we talked to them and they're both getting baptized within a month! It should be fun. Cutest little guys ever. They're both living in lower income families. When we asked one of them what he got for Christmas, they said they didn't get anything. But his brother said- "I just wanted to spend time and be with my family on Christmas, and that's what I got." The other boy lives in really impoverished conditions- we feel like we're going to fall through his porch when we step on it haha but every time we go over there the family is together, as well as cousins. Even among people that have nothing, most everybody here has a family, which is a huge blessing. It's one of the common factors between us and the people we're teaching that they can latch onto and understand the gospel better through. When you learn about Jesus Christ and God's plan for us in terms of you and your family, there is so much more purpose and meaning. It's great. This week I gained a greater appreciation for my ability to just live and breathe and think like a normal person. We talked to a guy who told us his life story, and I was literally depressed afterwards, because he had a long history of psychosis and depression. I wanted to do something to help him, but felt as if anything I said wouldn't be good enough. I did however walk out of his door feeling really good. I had two feet to walk on, so many friends and family to lean on, and a perfect ability to think and breathe on my own. Sometimes that's all you need in this world. When all else fails, look to the basic things that you enjoy, and know that someone ALWAYS has it worse. We are so blessed as fairly new missionaries to have a totally booked schedule basically every day. We barely have time to relax, but I like it better that way! Happy New Year, and to answer a few questions-no we didn't even make it past 10:30 haha Love, Elder Jake Hirschi

The big update!

As Elder Hirschi's mom, I am soooo sorry I have neglected to update this blog in months!  He is doing well in the New York Rochester Mission, where he is still serving as he awaits his visa to Brazil.  Yes, it's been a loooong time.  That has been the nature of the beast with missionaries getting visas to Brazil.  The New York Rochester mission has been wonderful, and all us well!  I will post several letters to catch up, then will do better posting each week!

December 2, 2013

This week is probably the most eventful week of my mission so far. First of all, in our district we have:

Elder B, Elders V and M, and Sisters J and S, plus me. The names come in to play later:)

This week, on Thanksgiving, we started the day by cleaning the house of one of the coolest members in the world. They were out of town, and we love them so much we decided to clean their house. We began, and getting about 6 hours into it, the boys were lost, having no idea what to do next. Not because it was almost finished, but because it was so messy haha. The girls kept us in check, and after a few trips over a couple of days, we were able to finish cleaning. There's a picture attached that shows one section of our efforts.

I had surgery on Friday. It all went well! Elder B had to wait 6 hours at the hospital from start to finish, but for me it felt like less than an hour. I felt GREAT! When I was in the process of "coming to," I translated some Portuguese with Elder B, solved math problems that he quized me on, said hello to every doctor that passed by, and asked some really random q's about the Gobi desert to the nurse tending to me. I still can't figure out all the weird looks I was getting...so once again I am crutches-bound. But my district is my new family right now, and they for sure treat me like family. I am well looked after every day. We were worried Elder Bird would be bored on Friday after my surgery because I was couch-bound, so we had a BBQ with the district Friday night. We got a gift card for $35 from a member, and me and Elder Bird bought $35 worth of steak for the BBQ with everyone. It was fantastic, until it came back up in the bathroom haha. 

So on Sunday Sister J wasn't feeling well, so we went to the  sister's apartment to give her a blessing of comfort. We talked for a while and it was time to take my pain pills. Before I knew it, I was out for the count! In the meantime, Sister J was getting worse. She's gluten intolerant, and she thinks she ate some gluten over Thanksgiving. We were trying to get her to go to the hospital, and she wouldn't go. She's a total stud. But she should've gone anyway. Because this morning she had to be ambulanced over to the hospital! We went and visited her with the other elders to make sure she was ok. She's doing better and just got the go ahead to leave. 

The point of the story is that even though we're away from our families are far away, sometimes across seas, we still have families here with the people we form friendships with. On a mission, you can't just learn to like the people you're around. You have to learn to take care of them, mourn with them that mourn, walk with those who are discomforted, and be a family when they don't have one. I'm so grateful for the people I teach with and get to know here on a mission. Elder B leaves in 2 and a half weeks, so we're getting another elder named Elder H. He's going to Brazil also! It will be so hard to see Elder B go. He's like a big brother to me, and I'm glad I could meet him and see a great example of a big brother. Well, we have to go pick the Sisters up from the hospital, so I can't respond to any more emails, but love you all!

Love,

Elder Jake Hirschi  

From Dec. 2, 2013

This week is probably the most eventful week of my mission so far.
This week, on Thanksgiving, we started the day by cleaning the house of one of the coolest members in the world. They were out of town, and we love them so much we decided to clean their house. We began, and getting about 6 hours into it, the boys were lost, having no idea what to do next. Not because it was almost finished, but because it was so messy haha. The girls kept us in check, and after a few trips over a couple of days, we were able to finish cleaning. There's a picture attached that shows one section of our efforts.
I had surgery on Friday. It all went well! Elder Bird had to wait 6 hours at the hospital from start to finish, but for me it felt like less than an hour. I felt GREAT! When I was in the process of "coming to," I translated some Portuguese with Elder Bird, solved math problems that he quized me on, said hello to every doctor that passed by, and asked some really random q's about the Gobi desert to the nurse tending to me. I still can't figure out all the weird looks I was getting...so once again I am crutches-bound. But my district is my new family right now, and they for sure treat me like family. I am well looked after every day. We were worried Elder Bird would be bored on Friday after my surgery because I was couch-bound, so we had a BBQ with the districtFriday night. We got a gift card for $35 from a member, and me and Elder Bird bought $35 worth of steak for the BBQ with everyone. It was fantastic, until it came back up in the bathroom haha.
So on Sunday Sister J wasn't feeling well, so we went to the  sister's apartment to give her a blessing of comfort. We talked for a while and it was time to take my pain pills. Before I knew it, I was out for the count! In the meantime, Sister J was getting worse. She's gluten intolerant, and she thinks she ate some gluten over Thanksgiving. We were trying to get her to go to the hospital, and she wouldn't go. She's a total stud. But she should've gone anyway. Because this morning she had to be ambulanced over to the hospital this morning! We went and visited her with the other elders to make sure she was ok. She's doing better and just got the go ahead to leave.
The point of the story is that even though we're away from our families are far away, sometimes across seas, we still have families here with the people we form friendships with. On a mission, you can't just learn to like the people you're around. You have to learn to take care of them, mourn with them that mourn, walk with those who are discomforted, and be a family when they don't have one. I'm so grateful for the people I teach with and get to know here on a mission. Elder Bird leaves in 2 and a half weeks, so we're getting another elder named Elder Herreira. He's going to Brazil also! It will be so hard to see Elder Bird go. He's like a big brother to me, and I'm glad I could meet him and see a great example of a big brother. Well, we have to go pick the Sisters up from the hospital, so I can't respond to any more emails, but love you all!
Love,
Elder Jake Hirschi

From November 25, 2013

This week is hopefully going to be as good as last week was! We saw numerous miracles, and had some amazing experiences as well.
 Miracles:
We've been visiting a number of people who used to come to church but have fallen away or lost interest recently. Our job is to help bring them back. So we visit a man named Will, whose wife died not even a year ago. His wife got him interested in the church, and now that she is gone, he was bitter, angry, and uninterested in associating with it. As of Monday, that is. We went over there and I'm only halfway exaggerating when I say he used more vulgar words than non-vulgar words in our "discussion" (very one-sided). He was in a whirlwind of a mood, and I wasn't sure if his pets were going to survive the week haha. We visit him again on Wednesday, and he's a little better. Not 100% but at least he wasn't yelling too much. We gave him a chapter or two to read so we could discuss it the next time we came over. Then on Saturday, we went to his house and he had a 100% turnaround. He had read the chapter, actually enjoyed it, and started smiling and even laughed once or twice. It was truly one of the best things I've seen on my mission. I like how we don't work for money or praise, because the change that comes as a result of people turning to the gospel is far better than money or praise, as cheesy and cliche as it sounds.
   We had multiple experiences just like this, including a man coming to church who hadn't come in 2 years, at least. The missionaries have visited his house twice a week for as long as we can remember, and he's never come to church. This week he came to church, and he said "wow, it just feels like I'm home again." Such a humbling, gratifying experience again!
   We also helped a woman write a letter to her son who lives in the virgin islands, who she wants nothing more than to be with again. She is blind, and has failing kidneys, as well as diabetes. Her relationship with her son has been scarred because she was supposed to bring him over to the US and she's having trouble doing so. Her son doesn't even know that she is blind or has any of these problems, so he misunderstands the difficulty in getting the paperwork done required to bring him over to the US. Her son is mad at her because he thinks she doesn't love him. They talk very little over the phone, and we suggested she write him a letter.  She can't even see us, and we've only met her one other time, and she still trusted us enough to ask us what to write in this letter to her son. It was another humbling experience and one that was important for me to learn this week. It helped me appreciate the great family I have, and the ability I have to email home every week, even if we can't talk on the phone very often or see each other very often!
   So long story short, we had a great week. I'll be straight-jacketed and under the knife this week so Elder Bird is going to have to figure out a way to entertain himself for a couple days. We're planning a big bbq in our district, so that's something to look forward to also.

 Dad, how many days did it take you to recover? I'm going to try to beat you, so heads up.
 Mom, thank you so much for the package, the Portuguese talks are great, and I do appreciate the hoody I've missed it... and
 Megan, thank you so much for the tree, which is displayed on our wall, it's gorgeous.
 Johnny, we have our old 90's family pic up above the kitchen sink, and you're the cutest 4 year old I think I've ever seen. Thanks for the letter.

 I do have a couple requests...at the top of my Christmas list (perhaps early than Christmas so Elder Bird can see it) it the reenactment of our 90's family picture that we took at the Roenthal's right before we left for our missions. I've been craving it like crazy! Also another inhaler is never a bad thing:) Thanks and have a great week in Wichita!!
 Love,
 Elder Jake Hirschi

From November 19, 2013

So today is my 5 month mark away from home. Time flies by, yet a ton has happened. Miracles happen left and right if you just open your eyes to them. For example, I have to get knee surgery. Boo hoo. At first I was praying that I wouldn't have to get knee surgery, because typically when you're on a mission you get sent home for surgery, no q's asked. There's a missionary who left home yesterday because he has to get surgery on his wrist. He should've left in December but he has to go now. So this happens all the time. But after seeing a series of miracles, I'm more blessed than bummed. 

 First of all, it's a minor surgery, so I do NOT have to get sent home for it. Miracle in and of itself. Second of all, and perhaps more important, I'm not in Brazil yet. If everything would've gone "according to plan" I would be in Brazil right now, and definitely would've gotten sent home, because they wouldn't let me get surgery internationally. I hurt my knee by kicking a soccer ball. I've kicked thousands of soccer balls, and I've never had to get surgery because of it. But because of what the doctor said, this was going to happen eventually. I don't think it's coincidence that it happened while I was randomly kicking a ball in NY, as opposed to Brazil. Part of my reason for being here may be to get surgery, and be all healed before going to Brazil, and kicking thousands more soccer balls:) So I'm grateful that I am where I am, and it doesn't bother me that I'm not in Brazil yet.

 So in our ward the sister missionaries started what's called the ward fast calendar. I hope I haven't mentioned this yet, because I can't remember. But anyway people in the congregation sign up for a day to fast on. They sacrifice two meals and consecrate that day to fasting and remembering and praying for certain people. The missionaries call these families the night before they are going to fast, and they tell the family which names the missionaries have asked them to fast for. The night after they fast, the missionaries call again and report all the miracles they witnessed that day, and thank the families for contributing to those miracles through their sacrifices. There's something about getting a whole network of people to sacrifice and pray for one cause, that produces miracles and blessings beyond what it would've been without the sacrifice. The miracles have been overwhelming, and part of that is due to the fact that we're simply opening our eyes. Always watch for miracles, because they're there. 

 One exciting thing that we were able to do this week is attend a Baptist Gospelfest, or gospel music concert. It was a hit, and more than 300 people showed up. A featured singer from Georgia sang, and she knocked the roof off the place. The choir that sang also blew us away, and gave us a free CD (despite the $10 required donation we paid:)). That was so much fun, and even though we were 2 white people out of about 8-10 there total, we felt fellowshipped and made a lot of friends. 

 Sorry the email is so long, there was just a lot that went on this week. I can't write nearly as much as I want to!

Have a great week-

Love,

Elder Jake Hirschi

From November 11, 2013

This week was great, we did a lot of good work, despite Elder Bird being so close to going home. He has about a month left, and it's really easy to get "trunky" or distracted by thinking about home so much, but he's doing great. He's in charge of the missionaries in our little area, and he gives such great trainings. At the end of the training multiple missionaries were getting sick last week, so they asked for blessings from us. It was such a great experience to feel the spirit as I was able to lay my hands on someone's head and bless them with health and safety. I don't know where else you'll find a group of 19-21 year olds on their own organizing times to meet in order to listen to each other tell about the miracles they've seen in the lives of other people, and how they can better teach other people the principles of living the gospel. I also don't know any other place where teenagers would knock on random people's doors and invite them to hear a message about Jesus Christ haha but it's such a great experience. Even taking religion out of the picture, it's fun to meet new people and learn about their lives each and every day. This week I had my MRI on Saturday, and a follow-up appointment tomorrow, so I'll have actual results from an actual doctor pretty soon. Mom, thank you so much for the package, it's so perfect for my language study! Letters are coming soon!
Love,
Elder Jake Hirschi