Wah tah goh wan! I am doing well here in mandeville! TIme has been FLYING by it is already almost the end of the transfer. I cant believe ive been here for 5 weeks already. The work is going pretty good here. My companion and i are working really hard, and we have a couple of families that we are able to teach so i am grateful for that. I love teaching families because the gospel will have a huge impact on their whole family unit for the rest of their lives. I love being out here. The work is definitely different then when i was in May Pen though so i am still getting use to it. I love visiting members of the branch in all of the branches that i have served in. There is a definite difference in families who accept the gospel and those who do not. There is almost a night and day difference. Those families who are living the gospel are so much happier, their homes are filled with love and the Spirit. Places where I go where individuals and families have not accepted or are living the gospel are much darker and depressed. It is crazy to see how much of a difference the gospel makes in peoples lives. This week I have been thinking about the influence that every individual has on the lives of those around them. In our lives, many of our actions not only affect ourselves but also those around us. Many of our actions help to either raise people up and bring them closer to God and happiness, or bring people down and away from God and into misery. As i was thinking about this, i was thinking about all the times where I have set a bad example for others, so I would just like to apologize to everyone for the bad examples that I have set in my life. I promise i will try to do and be better. I love missionary work it is tough, but it is worth it. I love all of you back home as well. thank you for all of your prayers and support.

Love

Elder Nugent

Hello everybody! how has the week been? i have been doing great. This week has really flown by. It seems like yesterday that i was sitting here emailing you. The work has been going really well here. We have been working with a couple of families and one of them should be getting baptized in about a month. Also, a couple of investigators that i taught in May Pen are getting baptized! one of them is getting baptized on April 1. So that is really cool! I am very excited for them. I have been getting along well with my companion. We have been working really hard every day. The branch that I am serving in is really cool too. They have been feeding us and have been really helpful in the work. 

This week we had a lesson with "Mr. T". In the beginning of the lesson we were just talking with each other and then he started rapping for us, and to make a long story short the spirit wasnt really there. After that, we opened up the Book of Mormon and started reading with him and the minute we started reading, the room filled with the warmth of the spirit. It was very cool to see the night and day difference of when the spirit was and was not there. Another awesome thing happened this week: I dedicated myself to uphold a higher standard of cleanliness in our apartment. As I was cleaning, the thought hit me: "how can I expect to one day organize a planet if i cant even organize my apartment right now?" and since then the apartment has been cleaner than ever before, and it feels much nicer in the apartment then it did before. God is a God of order. We should try to live Godly lives while here. 

Time has surly been flying by. I am loving my time here in Mandeville. I have learned and grown a lot. I know that this gospel is true and I know that Jesus Christ lives and that he truly did atone for our sins. I love him and I will always serve him. I love you all back home too haha. Feel free to write me letters and such. it might be a while before i recieve them though. I hope you all have a good week. Included are some pictures. Some are with members, missionaries, companions, and investigators. Love and miss you all

Love, 

Elder Nugent

How is it going everyone?! things are going great here in Mandeville. This week i have been making more of an effort to write in my journal. It is so amazing how much of a difference journal writing makes in our lives. it really helps us to think and remember the blessings that occur in our every  day lives. 

Yesterday, elder Diehl and i taught a class about faith. One of the main points of the lesson was that faith without works is dead. When we pray to the Lord and ask him for blessings, we have to do all that we can do in order to receive those blessings, and then the Lord will do the rest if it be according to his will. For example if sometimes we pray for health and strength, and then afterwards we do not exercise and eat healthily, that prayer is a foolish prayer. Instead we should be praying for the Lord to help us make healthy decisions and helps us to gain more self disciple to adhere to the guidelines of diet and excersie. The lesson reminded me of an investigator who we have named Dr. M (for confidentiality). Dr. M is a very intelligent man (he has 4 PhD's) and had a dream of building a museum. Dr. M then had the faith that he could make that dream a reality by using all of his savings and all the extra money that he earns to go towards building his dream. I was able to look at the museum. It was a gigantic unfinished building. Dr. M said the museum should be finished near the end of the year. Dr. M had faith that he could achieve his dream so he put all of his effort into achieving that dream. That is the kind of faith required for salvation. We need to have sufficient faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to act and do everything in our power to follow his teachings by repenting of sins, making and keeping sacred covenants, and enduring to the end. We must act on the things we have faith in because just as the Bible says, "faith without works is dead". This week has been an awesome week. We are working with the ward members and investigators to help push this great missionary work along. Sorry this email is short again. Next time i will hopefully be able to include pictures. I love and miss you all

Love,
Elder Nugent

Hello everybody! how is everyone doing? I am doing well in Mandeville. I
love it here. the area is so beautiful and the weather is very delightful.
It is like spring time but all the time. It is really nice. I am getting
along well with my companion Elder Diehl. We are working hard. Missionary
work is a little different in Mandeville than May Pen. A lot of people here
have jobs during the day so it is very difficult to find people to teach
consistently because they are so busy. The branch is a lot smaller too. We
probably average about 30 people per week who come. It is definitely
different, but I enjoy it. This past week we had a really cool experience
teaching a man. i will call his name mr. t for confidentiality sake. Last
week, we had our first real sit down lesson with mr. t. We were planning on
just teaching him about the restoration of the gospel. As we were teaching
him he wasn't really absorbing anything. He is one of those people who
believe in a lot of conspiracy theories so it was pretty difficult in
getting things across to him. As we taught, he wouldnt really think about
what we were teaching him and he always would bring up some other
conspiracy theory. After a good while of this ineffective teaching, I felt
prompted to tell him to stop fornicating. Previous to this, Troy never told
us he had been fornicating, and normally we dont bring up the law of
chastity in the first sit down lesson. But I followed the prompting and
told him to not fornicate. When I told him this, the whole lesson changed.
He looked at me and said, "you know what? I think you are right" and he was
much more open to us and what we were teaching. He was way more receptive
to what we taught him, and he agreed to try to stop fornicating and to
start reading the Book of Mormon, and to start praying about it. It was
such a cool experience. After we finished the lesson and were walking back
towards our next appointment, Elder Diehl told me he had the same
impression to tell him to stop fornicating. It was such a cool experience
to know that we had been truly led by the Spirit to know what to teach Mr.
T. I know that this gospel is true. I am so thankful to have the
opportunity of proclaiming it to Jamaica, and especially Mandeville. I know
that Jesus Christ truly suffered and died for our sins, and I know that God
answers prayers. Sorry this letter is a little shorter than my previous
ones, I will try to upload some pictures next time. Until then, Have a good
week, I love and miss you all. Mandeville is great I love serving here.

Love,
Elder Nugent

Whats up everyone?! how is everyone doing? i am doing great here in my new area. I love being here in Mandeville. Mandeville has the perfect climate it is pretty much like spring time 24/7. The people here a really friendly and the roads here are very hilly... but that just makes riding bikes here even more fun. My companion and I are getting along very well. We have been working hard to try to get the members of the Branch to help us even more in our missionary efforts. Members really are one of the biggest contributing factors in helping people come into the church. Im sorry to say but i probably wont have as many crazy stories here in mandeville as i had in May Pen... Maybe thats a good thing though haha. But i am very excited to be serving here. I love the area, I love the branch, I love my companion so I am excited to see the things that will happen here in Mandeville. 

         This past week, I have been reading in the Book of Mormon in the book of Alma. In Chapter 49, the Lamanites go to war against the Nephites. The Nephites, under the inspired direction of Captain Moroni, are able to fortify their cities so that when the Lamanites came to battle against them they were able to defeat the Lamanites and not one soul was lost amongst the Nephites. Due to lack of time, I wont go in very deeply into the details of the chapter, but i would like to encourage everyone to read the chapter, and i will provide some insights. Just as the Nephites were able to fortify their cities, we need to fortify our lives and our homes. We need to build up boundaries and fortifications that will keep us safe from temptation and sin. Just as the Nephites placed their strongest forces at the entrances of their fortifications, we need to place our strongest forces in our minds. We need to protect ourselves from the temptations of satan, who desires all of us to be miserable. There are many ways to do these things. We need to purify our thoughts, read the scriptures, pray often, attend Church to name a few. We need to set up our fortifications and boundaries now before the enemy tries to come and destroy our soul. If we wait, it will be too late. Again I would like everyone to read that chapter and apply the principles to our own individual lives in the fight against sin. I love being here in Mandeville, I love serving my mission. I would not trade it for anything else. I know that this gospel is true, I know that Jesus is the Christ, and I know that this is his work. I still love and miss you all back home. You are in my thoughts and prayers. 

Love,

Elder Nugent

Wahta go wahn everyone!? things are going very good here in Jamaica!
There have been a couple of big changes that have happened this past
week. On Saturday I got a transfer call and I will be leaving on
wednesday to serve in Mandeville where dad grew up! my address for
letters and packages will still be the same because they just get sent
to the mission office. I am very excited to go and serve there! I will
miss May Pen a lot though. I never realized how sad I would be leaving
until I had to say goodbye. I have had a great time getting to know
and work with the members of the branch as well as investigators that
I have been teaching here. I will also be sad to be leaving Elder
Montgomery. He has been a great example for me and has helped me to
become a better missionary. My new companion's name is elder Deahl. I
have met him once before and I can tell he is an awesome missionary so
I am excited to be serving with him as well.

On Saturday, we had a district conference for all the branches in
the mandeville district that i was able to attend. Elder Anderson from
the Quarm of the Seventy came and gave a really good talk. He talked
about how we as members of the Church need to make sure that as we go
to church and do the things that we are supposed to do, we need to
feel the Spirit. He said that when people go to church and just go
through the motions without feeling the Spirit, one of two things may
happen: 1. the person may stop going to Church and stop going through
the motions, or 2. the person may continue to go through the motions
without feeling the Spirit. Both cases are sad. We need to make sure
that as we go to Church and do the things we are supposed to be doing,
we are not merely going through the motions. We must always strive to
have the spirit to be with us, and be worthy to always have the spirit
to be with us.

I have truly gained an appreciation for the Spirit especially as
a missionary. When we teach lessons, and the Spirit is present, the
people we are teaching make a firm resolve to change and become
better. When we teach lessons and the Spirit is not present, the
people who we teach dont have as great of a desire to change, and many
times they dont make a true resolve to change. I know that this gospel
is true. I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the
world. I know that Joseph Smith was a true Prophet. And I know that
the Book of Mormon is true. I know these things not because I am a
missionary, but because the Holy Ghost has borne witness to my heart.
I love and miss you all. I love serving the Lord here in Jamaica.
Thank you for all your prayers and support.

Love,
Elder Nugent

Hello everyone! whats up? hows it going out there? Things are going good here in JA. My companion Elder Montgomery and I are continuing to be hard at work here in Jamaica. I have been learning a lot from him. He is an awesome missionary. I hope I will continue to serve with him next transfer. We have been working with some pretty cool people lately, and i have faith that they will become converted to the gospel and go into the waters of baptism very soon. Hopefully I will be here when they do. The work is going great though. I love being out here... and speaking of love, valentines day is just around the corner so i think this calls for a special edition email.  The following is a list of the top 10 things i love about Jamaica and serving a mission:

10. Banana Chips.... mmmm so delicious

9. The Tropical climate... everywhere is so green and luscious. there is fruit on almost every tree. it is so beautiful, especially after a heavy rain storm.

8. Riding my Bike.... sounds weird i know, but bike riding is cool in jamaica. It is especially cool because whenever i ride my bike it feels like i am mountain biking because of the rough roads and rain foresty bush that grows everywhere.

7. There are little shacks pretty much everywhere you go on every road where  you can buy almost any necessity like toilet paper, food, etc.

6. Cook shops.... delicious food at a delicious price. Some of the best tasting food and it is very very inexpensive

5. Teaching people the gospel at night while sitting on their veranda. It is quite relaxing and very spiritual.

4. having daily studies for 2 hours. I thought i would hate having to study the gospel for 2 hours a day, but i love it so much now. I am able to learn and feel the spirit and improve and learn to help others improve it is great.

3. Always being busy... I do something every hour of every day. there is really no time for idleness. I am constantly busy. It is exhausting but i love it.

2.  Growing my testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love learning about the gospel and strengthening my testimony. I love feeling and learning from the spirit.

1. Seeing people become happier and see there lives change as they apply and live the principles of the gospel. This is what makes it all worth it. Seeing someone before knowing about the gospel, and then watching them improve their lives and become happy is one of the greatest things in the world.

bonus. receiving letters from everyone at home i love that too haha.

As you can all tell i love my mission. i have had many great experiences while here in Jamaica. I wouldnt trade it for anything. i love serving the Lord. I know that this is his Church and I KNOW that he leads and guides and directs this work. I also love all of you back home. And I love hearing from all of you. Feel free to write me a valentines letter... maybe even 10 things you love about me. hahahaha just kidding about that last part. but i would love to hear from everyone. well i miss and love you all... until next week. Likkle more

Love,
Elder Nugent