28 September, 2015 - Another week.

Dear family and friends, 

Well, we are almost at the end of another transfer. It is kinda cool to end a transfer on General Conference Weekend. Awesome!!!

Tuesday was slow but we managed to see some people. One member found a new place to live via miracle. She needed a bigger place to fit her whole family and she bought a place for $6,000. BOUGHT, not RENT! That's awesome! It was slow, but we needed some time to tidy up the apartment for inspections and I had to pack to go on exchanges tomorrow.

Wednesday was exchanges! I went to the Echo Hills Area (About 2-3 miles south of us) with Elder Reyes. We also had apartment inspections. It was weird being inspected because I wasn't even at our apartment. We both did good, just need to sweep the patio, which we never stepped foot in. We saw a lot of their investigators and had dinner with their Ward Mission Leader. He is a really good guy. Our area did really good as well so it was a good day for both of us. Since my companion is a DL and our district is full of sisters, we only do exchanges once per transfer.

Thursday was our weekly planning which isn't that bad, we are just inside a little longer. Once we got outside, we did teach a family of 6, sort of. The parents weren't really involved. Unfortunately they are moving out of our ward by the end of the month, but the kids will be baptized by some lucky missionaries. We had dinner with the Bishop, who is the only bishop I ever had that constantly uses the word "Dude". He is really awesome. He took us to the oldest restaurant in Hemet. A Chinese place that has been running for 45 years.

Friday kinda sucked because we had planned so much and they all fell through except for one. Bishop also asked us to stop by a lady in the ward who recently had an accident. We stopped by and the ward already provided blessings and they are on top of things. We did have an excellent BOM reading session with a less active. We are currently in the Isaiah Chapters and he knows a little more than we do. Why doesn't he come to church?

Saturday was kinda the same thing. We did manage to get some paperwork done though. (YAY) We had dinner with some members that collect almost anything. The wife is in the process of buying antiques to re-sell at a Rummage Sale they have in their senior community. The husband is planning to do missionary work there by handing out Book of Mormons. The members here are good with their missionary work. They always bring at least 1 nonmember to church every week.

Sunday was the Primary Program!!! It reminded me of home and how great primary was. We also had some good lessons on repentance and being a good role model for the young men as Melchizedek priesthood holders. Also, our zone leaders had a baptism at our building so we helped them set up and clean up. We had dinner at the Stenzels and their 3 boys are 14, 16, and 17 and they are just like any other set of brothers who always tease and goof around with each other.

Today we played Volley-ball with both zones in the Hemet Stake, writing e-mails, and doing the usual P-Day stuff.

Next time on "Mission with Jewkes" : General Conference where 3 new Apostles will be called, our quarterly trip to the Redlands Temple, and transfer call for the upcoming transfer. Stay tuned and don't miss out.

❤Elder Jewkes

22 September, 2015 - Raincoat Needs

22 September 2015

Dear Brother and Sister Jewkes,

We all send our best wishes to you from the California Riverside Mission!  Pres. Mullen and I feel so blessed to serve with your amazing sons and daughters.  They are taking the gospel to many people. This week sixteen people were baptized.

September is usually the hottest month of the year here in southern California.  Though winter seems a long way off, we need to do some advance planning.  As you may have read, an El Nino effect has been setting up in the Pacific Ocean this summer.  The effect is so strong forecasters are 95% certain we will have a very wet winter in California.  In fact, rain comparable to 1998 has been forecast for this part of the state.  That winter in Riverside County more rain fell than any of the previous 100+ years that records were kept!  If you would like to read more about El Nino, we have included the September 10 update from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at the end of this letter.

Since we have had so little experience with rain here in Riverside County we contacted a mission president’s wife in Washington where rain is common.  Here is the clothing that their missionaries wear to be prepared for rain:

Elders:

- *Breathable waterproof jacket with hood (Solid color:  black, taupe or navy)---long (A longer jacket provides more coverage.  However, a full-length coat is too long should the elder be assigned to a bicycle area.)

- No umbrella (They preferred using the hood of their coat.)

- Rain overshoes (rubber shoe covers) Totes makes these.  About $20 a pair OR waterproof shoes (not hiking boots).

- Breathable waterproof pants (for bike elders or others who may want them.  Do not buy these now if your son is currently on a bike.  That may change by the time the rain comes.)

Sisters:

- *Breathable waterproof skirt-length coat with hood.  (For January and February sisters will not be assigned to bike areas because of the difficulty of staying dry with skirts.)

- Umbrella if desired.

- Knee length black rubber boots.  These do not pull on over shoes but are worn instead of shoes OR overshoes.

*Breathable:  not plastic or PVC.  Fabric should keep rain out but allow body moisture to escape.  Plastic keeps the missionary damp inside the coat; this means he or she is cold.

While it will be a cold winter for California, it will not be Utah or Illinois cold.  Coats do not need to be heavy.  They can be layered over sweaters.   It rained last week and quite a few of our elders and sisters had no coat and no umbrella.  If you have sent coats and umbrellas and overshoes, do not go out a buy different gear. Let’s see how the rain goes.  If you haven’t sent rain gear with your missionary you might look at the suggestions above.

We realize this is an expense at a time of year when additional expenses are difficult and we are sorry for that.  We felt, however, that you would want to know what is coming so your missionary can be prepared.

We are two weeks from transfers.  PLEASE ship boxes to the Mission Office so that they do not arrive at an apartment where your missionary no longer lives.  We are now hand delivering mail from the office to the missionaries.  This should eliminate lost items.

Thank you for continuing to support of your missionary.  Your love and encouragement are so important to them.  Thank you also for your prayers for the work they are doing.

Faithfully yours,

President John and Sister Jana Mullen



El Niño Update And Outlook For Temperature And Precipitation

During Winter 2015-16 In US

What is the current forecast for El Niño conditions this winter?

On September 10, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC) updated its forecasts for the current El Niño and the coming winter.  CPC now estimates that

El Niño conditions have a 95% chance of continuing through the Northern Hemisphere winter of 2015-16, gradually weakening through spring 2016.

Named El Niño Eggplant by Decoded Science,

this promises to be the most significant El Niño since at least 1998.*

The implications for weather across the US and farther are immense.

 How Will El Niño Affect The Weather In the Continental US?

The updated CPC forecast shows a typical El Niño effect over the continental United States: Warmer than normal across the north; Cooler than normal across the south.

 Precipitation is expected to be enhanced over the south, including parched California. *According to the National Climatic Data Center, during the El Nino of 1997-98, California had its fifth wettest January-February in the 103 year record up to that time.

Is El Niño And Its Effects A Done Deal?

El Niño Eggplant is with us and getting stronger. All forecasts call for it to peak in mid-winter.  However, powerful countervailing forces are at work that could alter the precipitation and temperature patterns that normally accompany El Niño.

In particular, the pool of much-warmer-than-normal water over the northwest Pacific Ocean (affectionately known by meteorologists as ‘the ‘blob’) tends to create warm and dry conditions over the west coast and is thought to be a major contributor to the California drought. The weather this summer seems to be a see-saw between the two distinct patterns induced by El Niño and the blob.

Forecasters are fairly certain that the El Niño correlation with

precipitation across the southern US will hold this winter.

21 September, 2015 - Another week

Dear Family and Friends,

This week was an interesting week with a lot of events I will explain later on.

Tuesday we had another baptism. This guy's name was Joseph and, unfortunately, not a lot of people attended but I did get to see my last companion, Elder Manson, again. We didn't really do a lot because it was DDM all morning and filling the font all afternoon. But we did get some paperwork done from the last 2 baptisms, so I guess it was productive.

Wednesday we had to have our weekly planning because there would be a multi-zone tomorrow. We did get to see 2 investigators though, which wasn't too bad. Also, for dinner we got to see Bro. Dunn's large old-timer gun collection and a small sword collection. He loves to show his antiques. We also helped a member give some blessings so today wasn't too bad.

Thursday was our Multi-zones. We had the same training that was given to the General Leaders of the church, which really focuses on the importance of the Sabbath day and how we can make it more spiritual. We also got Tiwi's installed in the mission cars. Tiwi's are a monitoring device that records your driving and talks to you when you 1) speed 2)Turn too sharp or accelerate and brake too quickly and 3) When the driver isn't buckled. You also have a card you need to use to log in so that your driving can be recorded. Which sucks because I have a card, but i don't drive...I haven't drove in almost 3 months. The highlight of the day was when a member brought us In-N-Out!!!

Friday there was a lot going on. We contacted referrals all morning, Cornia had to give PPI's so I just sat out in the hall for an hour and then we helped a LA move to Long Beach. Then we had dinner with the Elder Quorum's family and got some referrals there and ended the day with a Book of Mormon reading session with a Less-Active family.

Saturday we got to do a blitz for Valle Vista West...again. They got 12 referrals so they got some work to do. Then, we had Taco Bell with the Zone Leaders. We met a referral we had and he is GOLDEN! All he has to do is get married and he is good to go. He had the lessons before he moved here and was about to be baptized before he left. SCORE! Then, with money we got for dinner, we had Carl's Jr and met Judy who was super excited to see us. It was also Stake Conference so we went to the Adult Session after we got NEW PHONES. It'll take awhile to adjust to them.

Sunday was the rest of Stake Conference. The emphasis was on Sabbath day and even President and Sister Mullen was there and even spoke. Every pair of missionaries in the stake brought 1 or 2 investigators...and there are 13 companionships in the stake. After Stake Conference, we struggled to hit the standard, but we did!! (At the last minute). It was good that we did. There were some people that really needed to see us at the time we showed up.

Today we played B-ball, e-mail, and we are about to have a birthday celebration with one of the member families in the ward. Ruby, which reminds me of Charlee, is turning 14. Johnny reminds me of Kevin Shelton, and Luis reminds me of Tucker so naturally I love this family! We will also help the Dunn's move a TV later today as well.

I hope that everything is going well back home and I'll write ya'll next time.

❤Elder Jewkes

14 September, 2015 - A Great Week

Dear family and friends,

This week has been a great week. We had one baptism and we have another planned for tomorrow.

Tuesday was my first interview with President Mullen. I didn't think it was that scary... once I stepped into the room. He really gave me good advice about preparing for the day and better planning. We also had a baptism! My first companion came back for that and it was great to see him again. It also started to rain and the primary song that goes "I like to look for rainbows" song came to my mind all day.

Wednesday was our monthly ZDM. It would have been yesterday, but the interviews had pushed it a day later. It was glorious because Cornia's bike is now fixed and prepared to handle the thorns. With that, we were able to get a lot of lessons in today. Hopefully, it will be the end of our bike problems.

Thursday was our weekly planning so we didn't go out to work until 3, but it's important to plan...plus we got a good nap so it's alright. With the time we had, we found 3 people to teach. Also at our dinner appointment, the de Tomaso's had their non-member sister and nephew with us so some seeds have been planted.

Friday was a day of revelation. The morning wasn't that great, but the afternoon was better. We happened to be at the right place at the right time to help a Recent-Convert in need of comfort. That makes up for the morning. It was really a day of Recent-Converts and Less Actives.

Saturday was fun. We had a mini exchange while our zone was on blitz in Valle Vista. I went with one of my Zone Leaders, Elder Reyes. He is a really cool guy. Afterward, we got an interview for one of our investigators and he is ready to be baptized on the 15th. My last companion will be there. Then we had an investigator who won't put in the faith to believe in the Book of Mormon. He gets hung up on ridiculous things and is pretty stubborn, but we had a good day. Had a lot of lessons.

Sunday was Ward Council. We got a few people to go see later this week. Sacrament was about families and the importance of Sacrament. Sunday School was about having faith. Elder's Quorum was about avoiding pride. Then we had dinner with Brother Minor (Elders Quorum councilor), Bishop Minor, and President Minor (from the Stake Presidency). We had the best steaks I ever ate in my life! We found some people for the Spanish sisters and they were impressed with my Spanish.

Today we went on a hike at Simpson Park. We had so much fun. Then, we came to the stake center to play some 4-square, and now I am e-mailing to you all.

We had a good week and look towards another one. I miss you all and I hope that you are doing well. I will write to you next week.

❤Elder Jewkes

7 September, 2015 - Mission life

Dear friends and family,

This past week has been interesting. The only thing that really sucked was that we had bike problems all week (mostly Cornia's bike). Hopefully we can get it taken care of for good tomorrow.

Tuesday was pretty good. We went to see people as usual. The highlight of the day was the interview for a girl named Kashmir. She needed to be interviewed by someone from the mission presidency and she passed. So she is actually being baptized tomorrow. This is my first baptism that I am organizing.

Wednesday was really good. We found 6 more people to teach. So we were walking and a mother talked to us and she said she wanted us to teach her 4 children the gospel. The parents aren't members and they are a little skeptical about baptism, yet she wants her kids to have a church and she wants the LDS church to be that church. We'll see what happens. We also had a member take us out to KFC because we didn't have a dinner appointment. Then we gave a blessing for the Spanish Sisters. 

Thursday was alright. We had our weekly planning which takes forever. Then we worked on bikes some more. Our mission leader went with us to see two investigators. One is bed ridden and the other is involved in a complex court case. Then, he took us out to dinner because we didn't have a dinner lesson that day either. Then, we went with Brother Phinkstein to see an investigator who loves the church, but won't be involved with it. This guy is really annoying me. He basically embraces the gospel, but won't be baptized.

Friday was bad. We didn't have any lessons. We tried to fix our bikes for hours with no luck. Then we had dinner with the Campbells. Scotty Campbell is a bass player and the rest basically play everything else and Bro. Campbell from the bishopric is kinda against bass. I still love him though. Then we went to see some people who recently moved into the ward.

Saturday was alright. We had some lessons, but one investigator made no progress because he was looking at anti-Mormon resources to do his research and won't read the Book of Mormon. He really frustrates me because he won't put in the effort to read the Book of Mormon because he is too hung up about the facts and the history of Ancient America.

Sunday was fast Sunday and we had an investigator come that we didn't really expect to see at the time because of his court case. Not only that, he also bore his testimony. He didn't really have no church in his life and attended our church for the first time and he just stood up and talked to 150 or so members. Sunday School was great. We have a Recent Convert who was called to teach the class. It was his first time and he did really well based on his circumstances. We went to see a set appointment and they slammed the door in our faces. People, don't set a return appointment to slam the door. Just say no the first time. We biked 2 miles to see you and you didn't even want us there. This week was frustrating with our investigators and potentials. We had dinner with the Newman's and Bro. Newman gave us a ton of inspirational advice and stories about how the gospel saved his life several times.

Today we played B-Ball, hung out with the Mountain View and San Jacinto elders, due to car situation, and currently E-mailing.

Well, this week was interesting. It was also my 2 month mark. Time flies so fast. I learned that the days drag on while the weeks fly by. It is so weird. I love you all. Enjoy the following week.

❤Elder Jewkes