Letter #8 the week with a silver lining...

iHOLA! iHOLA! iHOLA!

remember when we got to skype on christmas and it basically was the highlight of my life!? yeah. i sure do! dang! i seriously love my family SO much!! thanks for being so wonderful! the combo of skype and facetime definitely MADE my christmas!! ah!! i love you ALL so much!! thanks for being so gosh dang wonderful!! :)

anywho... this week. dang. it has definitely been a roller coaster week. ha ha. i think because of the holiday season and the hustle and bustle of it all, people are just too busy to make time for us. one day we got 5 referrals, which we were SO stoked about! but then every single one of them rejected us. actually, in one day, we had 13 rejections! do you read that!? 13!! ah!! it was seriously the most discouraging day EVER!!

BUT... missionary work ALWAYS has a silver lining... and this weeks silver lining: AH!! makes me so happy just thinking about it!! :)

okay. i've contained myself... are you ready? okay. the three youth that we have been teaching... in english might i add... have been put on date for baptism for january 12th!! ah!! have you ever heard of anything so completely wonderful!? seriously the happiest moments of my life when they accepted the invitation to follow the example of Jesus Christ and enter into the waters of baptism... ah!! i can't wait for the 12th... can't wait at all!! it gonna be the most wonderful day ever!! ah!! anywho... thats when i totally and completely forgot about all the rejection we had all week! woohoo!! i love being a missionary!! :)

anywho.. my spanish is still a struggle. its a day to day struggle. but i know i just need to be patient with myself... blah. i don't think its a coincidence though, that our most progressing investigators are english speaking... juss sayin. cuz i'm gonna be honest. i'm a pretty dang good missionary in english! especially to the youth! and i don't mean that in a conceded way... i just mean that in a way that i can relate to them! blah. anyways. i can't wait for that one great day (probably in a couple months or so...) when i'll be able to make a difference in the lesson. when i'll be able to understand the worries and concerns of our investigator and be able to help them fluidly and clearly!! bah!! one day. ONE. GREAT. DAY. ha ha. anywho. this is the lord's work. no doubt about that! and i feel so blessed to have the opportunity to bring his light to those lost in this dark world!! :)

thanks for all your love, support and prayers!! hope you all had a beyond wonderful christmas!!

xoxoxo.

love your missionary,

Hermana Jordan Ashley Forte

Letter #7 My Inspired Reassignment

HOLA Y FELIZ NAVIDAD MI FAMILIA!!

ahhh. this week had been one to remember... i. love. denver. but more importantly, i love the people in denver! especially the people we teach! its so amazing. ah!! i love this work!! anyways... okay. no more freaking out. real words: okay. the lord has seriously blessed me SO much this week. everyday there is a tender mercy present and it never ceases to blow my mind!!

first of all, i love my companion. her name is hermana florez. and she's from dc. her mom is from el salvador and her dad is from ecuador, so speaks fluently and has been in a spanish ward her whole life!! its so perfect! becuase she speaks perfect english and perfect spanish, so... she teaches me new things everyday in spanish, but at the same time we've been able to bond and connect and have so many fun times and laughs in english! its the perfect combo! ah! i love her so much already!! she was definitely an inspired placement in my life!! :)

anyways... as for my speaking of spanish. woowee. my spanish is still struggle-ing. like real talk. LA LUCHA ES REAL!! but i can sense myself learning more and more everyday! but... i will admit. the few youth that we have taught in english, have definietly been the best lessons we've taught thus far! becuase i was able to actually contribute and teach!! ah!! man oh man. they were so good! and the spirit was so strong! goodness gracious. i've already fallen in love with all the people here! my favorite thing in the world: testifying and being able to SEE them feeling the spirit and how my words are touching their hearts!! ah!! i love missionary work! even in my simple spanish, when i testify, the spirit is so strong. and its the best feeling in the whole entire world!! :)

anywho... denver. yes. its awesome!! sometimes i forget i'm in denver though, cuz it feels like a mini mexico. ha ha. who knew there were so many hispanics in denver! its crazy! we average teaching 6-8 lessons a day! there is so much work to be done! ah! this week was amazing though... the mission goal was find 5 new investigators each week... are you ready? this week. we found 8!! ah!! isn't that incredible!! it was seriously such a wonderful week! i love feeling the spirit every single day! i love finding his sheep and teaching them the gospel that "has a familar ring to their ears!"

this week was the ward christmas party, and that was definitely an experience all on its own. first of all, i realized how much spanish i didn't know! ha ha. so embarrassing. but second of all, i realized how loving and amazing the hispanic culture is! i mean, i never thought i could ever love any culture as much as i love the polynesian culture... but... i think i definietly found a close second! ha!! ;) actually... the other day in my journal i wrote how similar the two cultures actually are! its so awesome! ahh!! i just love my life and the amazing opportunities i've had the chance to experience in these short 22 years!! :)

anyways... this email is turning into straight up bable... anyways. all is well over here in denver. there is no doubt in my mind that this is where i'm suppose to be right now in my life! this was definitely an inspired reassignment! there's been too many moments ALREADY where i have felt inspired to say something that was spot on exactly what they needed to hear! then later my companion told me she never would have thought to say that... she's so good at complimenting me and making me feel so great! i love her. she is so wonderful! :)

speaking of wonderful... i can't wait to skype you, my wonderful familia... in a couple days i get to see your beautifully bright faces!! ah!! SO. MUCH. HAPPINESS!!

i can't wait. i love you all so so so so so much!! never forget that okay!?

i love this gospel so much. i love the happiness it brings me in my life. i love our loving heavenly father and his continuous watching out for his children. i'm so grateful that he loves us so much that he sent his son, jesus christ, to die for us! ah! really does boggle my mind... i love this christmas season. for he truely is the reason for the season! and i feel so honored to have the opportunity to share his message with his name over my heart this holiday season!

i love you!! keep smiling!! and remember you have a missionary that love and misses you dearly in the state right next door!! :)

xoxoxo.

love always,

your missionary,

hermana forte

so my denver adress for the next 6 weeks:

8357 W. Floyd Ave, #1-103

Lakewood, CO, 80227

love and miss you all!! like SO much!! ah!!

Letter #6 I have the most important role...

so... adios, provo! hola denver!

ahhh!! i'm gonna miss these crazies so much!! love them all!!!

wow. this week has been quite a whirlwind. as you may already know, after my travel plans changed twice in one week i found out my visa actually hasn't been processed yet. therefore... i got temporarily reassigned to the COLORADO DENVER SOUTH MISSION!! woohoo!! at first, i'm not gonna lie, i was definitely bummed. however, after a couple days to prayerfully think about this reassignment and an amazing blessing given by a sweet elder in my zone... i am content and excited with this new assignment! :) i know that i am on the Lord's time. the Lord's errand. and i am more than willing to go where he would want me to go!! :) i know this change has happened for a reason and for whatever reason colorado is where i'm suppose to be right now. and i can't wait to find out that reason! :)

on another note: this week's devotionals were phenomenal!! sunday was the annual christmas devotional where our wonderful prophet gave a few words, as well as Elder Russell M. Nelson!! ahh!! such wonderful men lead our church!! i just love it so much!! :)

then... tuesday devotional Elder Quentin L. Cook came and spoke to us.. which was so great as well!! can you believe i've had the amazing chance to hear from so many general authorities while i've been here!! dang. i'm seriously so blessed!! i love the mtc!! :)

SHAUN!!! i found the albanian elders again and i had my camera this time!!!
 ha!!! such awkward elders. sooo funny though!!! miss and love you!!!!

anywho... Elder Cook's wife told the cutest story that seriously touched my heart... so much so that i actually bore my testimony about it in our zone testimony meeting... like who am i?? ha ha.

so the story... it was about a cute little girl in a school chirstmas play of the nativity! and she was so excited for her part, so her mother assummed she was one of the leading roles. when the night came of the play, the mother was quite to see her daughter sitting on a chair on the side of the stage. towards the end of the play, on her que, the most excited little girl jumped out of her chair and held up the star above the baby Jesus! on the drive home the mother was congratulating her daughter in such a great job in the play, and the honored daughter excitedly said, "i had the most important role, mom! i showed everyone where the baby Jesus was!"

last day with our teacher hermano hoskisson!! love him!! such a short little funny man!! sad day!!

now i dunno why, but this story really hit me. so when i stood up in that testimony meeting i felt so strongly about what i had to say, as i told every amazing missionary in my zone that this christmas is gonna be the most different type of christmas we have ever had in our lives... because WE HAVE THE MOST IMPORTANT ROLE!! ahh!!! we have the role of showing all we meet the light of christ!! ah!!! i just feel so blessed!!! i have the amazing oppo

rtunity to wear the Saviors name over my heart as i share his story, his gospel, and his light to everyone that i can!! ah!! && thats what the christmas spirit is all about right!? ah!! i dunno. i just seriously love being a missionary so much!! and i can't wait to get on that plane to denver early monday morning and start this amazing work in the real world!! ah!! i'm so stoked!!

i'm obviously so sad to leave my amazing companion, my amazing district, and my amazing zone and zone president!! but... i'm so excited all at the same time!!

Tracy Roberts was right: the mission brings an oxymoron of feelings!! ha ha. and i'm not even in the field yet... crayy cray!! ha ha. ah!!! i can't wait though!!! :)

anyways... i love you all so much!! && i'm so grateful for all your love and support!! like real talk. you have no idea how much it means to me!! i am seriously so blessed!! ah!!! I LOVE YOU!!!

hope your listening to lots of christmas music and drinking yummy hot chocolate && watching all the christmas movies you can!! :)

ahhh!!!

i love you. i love you. i love you all!!

merry early CHRISTmas!!!

xoxoxo.

love,

hermana jordan ashley forte

Letter #5 Life in Spanish Antarctica

welps.. this week has been a bluuuurrrr... or a buuurrr... not exactly sure which one. ha!!

so. much. spanish... so. much. spirit... so. much. cold... but... so. much. to. be. grateful. for!! ah!! i'm not even in the field yet && i love missionary work so much!! ah!!! except it was definitely 1 degree the other morning: NOT. A. FAN. my new conclusion: provo is the antarctica of utah. && i'm living in the spanish training part. ha ha. i'm definitely still hawaiianized and not use to this type of temperatures. ha ha.

first of all i need to start off with the highlight of my week... devotional:

thanks mom for the little piece of heaven in the middle of this arctic tundra!! ha ha

so there i am listening to this wonderful speaker. and there is these two elders sitting in front of us. and for some reason i was strangely intrigued by them! first of all, there were extremely touchy with each other. and then they took off their suit coats when they were just told not to. acca-awkward. ha ha. but yeah. anyways. funny elders. so yeah. as the meeting ends i overhear them speaking and i notice their language is crazy nuts awesome! so as they are walking away i ask, " elders! where are you from!?" and they turn around and look at me with a perplexed look, then one replies, "albania." oh my goodness. you won't even imagine how excited i got! i immediately asked them if they knew motra forte! then the one elder looks at me and my tag and says, "oh! are you the sister of sister forte in tirana!?" ha ha ha ha ha. i died. anyways.... long story short they had just gotten there the day before. so it was 4 in the morning their time. so they were exhausted, to say the least! BUT... they had just seen shaun a couple days before!! nuts huh!? i felt like i got a little piece of my sister!! ah!! then they he said some strange story in broken english about how sister forte said he should look for me so that sister forte doesn't kill him?? uh.... i was a little confused. but i was so happy i didn't care that his story made completely no sense. ha! maybe its an albanian humor i'm not familiar with? ha ha. anywho. i was bummed i didn't have a camera with me to take a picture with these two elders. but i had them write down their names for me in my notebook:

-Rinorld Zeqiri (Rei)

-Kristi Coka (Choka)

our all-sisters district freezing our butts off in the cold!! woohoo!! :)

oh man. so yeah! they say hello shaun!! ha ha. and mom & dad. no worries! they reassured me that she is doing amazing and is safe and sound!! ha!! anyway... totally and completely made my day! actually no.. my week!! i mean what are the odds? and why else would i feel so intrigued by them!? no doubt it was the spirit! i needed the boost from my sister all the way in albania! ah!! i love you so much shaun!! :)

but yes. the tuesday night devotional was suppose to be elder ballard... so i was so stoked like all day! but then of course the first snow of the winter happened that day... and... Elder Ballard couldn't make it due to weather conditions. BUM-MER right? but then... the speaker: Bruce C. Hafen who was a emeritus general authority spoke to us... && wow. real talk. no doubt in my mind he was inspired to speak to us. he was so completely AMAZING!!!! everything that came out of his mouth i need to hear i swear!! it was awesome!!

my favorite quote from him: "this is HIS work. its visionary work! its personal work!" and the more i got to thinking about it... duh!! this work is so amazing!! ah!! its indeed so visionary and personal!! and i have no doubt in my mind that the Lord has a personal work for me to do! i know that there will be people in argentina that i will be able to touch, that no one else can!! ah!! i seriously can't wait. 10 days people. 10 DAY!!! ah!!! then i'll be on a plane headed to argentina... hopefully!! still haven't received my travel plans... but i'm hopeful!! (fingers crossed!!)

but yeah. long story short... this week was great! we got to host this wednesday! which was so much fun! basically a host is when we pick up the new incoming missionaries and 'host' them or just help them get to where they need to be and stuff on their first new day at the mtc!! it was AWESOME!! i got to host the cutest girl from el salvador. but has lived in cali for the passed couple of years.. she seriously was the cutest girl i think i have ever met in my life. no joke!! she made me so happy!! and it was so fun to see how excited i got when she asked me question about the mtc... cuz i really do love it here!! but sometime i get caught up in my own thoughts and forget...but i always ask for forgiveness when i do! because i'm so immensely grateful to be here and for all the amazing experiences i'm having here! :)

i love my zone. i love my zone president. i love my district. and i love my companion. like real talk. the lord has seriously blessed me so much through this whole experience!! i have all the perfect 'cushion' and support to help get me through these troubling days of learning spanish!!

i love you all!! and i'm so entirely grateful for all your love and support!! it definitely gets me through the hard times... spanish is hard. but i know that with the lord on my side. i can conquer this language!! i know that i will learn on the lord's time... this is HIS work. and i'm on HIS time right now. and i'm so grateful for this opportunity to be HIS instrument and bring the light of the gospel to those in argentina!! hope you all are staying warm and drinking lots of hot chocolate!! :)

love you all always and forever!!

all my love,

from your missionary,

hermana jordan ashley forte