Hello Everybody! sorry for the lateness of the email this week. Today was pretty crazy. We went on a hike for P-day and it was probably the coolest hike i have ever done in my life.... and i have done some pretty cool hikes in my lifetime. We started off going up this mountain without any real trail, and we were led by these two twin boys who were 16 and an 11 year old boy. It was so sweet. We had to get up these huge boulders by climbing up these vines. On the hike, all i brought was a water bottle. But it was ok because it just so happens that the 11 year old boy is half monkey or something because he climbed up all these coconut trees and we had a ton of water from the coconuts. The rain forest we were in also had a ton of fruit trees growing. there were a million mangos, sour sops, jackfruits, sugar cane, breadfruit, etc. So we pretty much hiked an intense trail, and whenever we got hungry we ate fruit that was growing all around us. it was so cool. This has definitely been the funnest P-day i have had yet. But other then that, this week has been going pretty good. Elder Olson and I were able to go back out teaching. And some of our investigators have started to progress once again so that is a relief. Other investigators sadly are digressing, so we will probably have to drop them this week. One thing I have been thinking about this week is how our trials can help us to grow stronger. Whenever we have an investigator who gets close to baptism, a trial enters their life. Their trials either make or break them. THat is how it is with us in life. When we face our trials well, we grow stronger. When we do not handle our trials well, we often grow weaker. This past week has been really good, and i am excited to start this next week. I definitely know this gospel is true, and I know that Jesus Christ lives. I miss and love you all. Pictures will hopefully come next week from our hike and other adventures. 

Love,

Elder Nugent

How is it going everybody? Things are going alright here in Mandeville. This past week has been kind of crazy for several reasons. First, It is hurricane season, so it has been raining like crazy here, which makes biking fun... really it does. Whenever we go out, after we get  to our destination it looks like I went swimming with my clothes on, at least it cools everything off though haha. Also, on Friday Saturday and Sunday, my companion has been sick. He had a pretty bad fever, and pink-eye, and swollen glands, and a sore throat, and runny belly, so those past three days we had to stay in the house. So while he was suffering, I sprayed down our mold infested apartment with bleach so our house is now super clean which is nice. Other than that, this week has been pretty good. We were not able to teach much because we were stuck inside, but I was able to study the scriptures and the Church magazine a lot... Lets just say from now on you can all refer to me as the living Ensign haha. I love reading the Church magazines now. I definitely missed out in previous years of my life when I took no thought to read them. They are full of spiritual guidance. I encourage all of you to read them each month back home. Well this week hasn't been the best, but I have learned a lot. And I am excited to start this week. I love serving here. And time has been flying by way too fast. I know that this church is true, and I know that Jesus Christ lives, and that he directs the church through a living prophet on the earth today. I hope you all have an excellent week. It is crazy that it is already summer time. I miss and love you all,

Love,

Elder Nugent

Hello Everyone! how is it going? things are going all right here in Mandeville. This week has not been the best week for mandeville but we are hanging in there. First my companion was sick one day so we werent able to go out and teach. Second a couple of our investigators who we were working with, who we were really excited for and were progressing, pretty much dropped off the face of the world. And to top it off at the start of sacrament meeting yesterday there were only 11 members at church because it was a rainy day. It was a little frustrating, but I am just trying not to get discouraged and work even harder than ever this week to help as many people as possible come unto Christ. 

This week, I have been pondering on the importance of journal writing. Journal writing is an expression of gratitude, and a form of remembering the great things the Lord has done for us and those around us. In the scriptures particularly the Book of Mormon, there are countless references of remembering the great things the Lord has done. Remembering the Lord and the blessings he gives us daily helps us to live righteously. Another thing I have recently started doing better, is i have been keeping a study journal to record the things i learn during studies, and spiritual impressions that come to me. Writing in the journal has made a huge difference in the amount that I learn and remember as I study. I am able to remain so much more focused, and I am able to remember the things I study a lot easier. Elder Richard G. Scott said that writing spiritual inspiration down shows the Lord that we value it, and then we are likely to receive more. How true that is! I would like to challenge all of you back home to write in a journal daily. Also, I would challenge all of you back home to keep a study journal to use as you study the scriptures, and listen to conference, etc. Also make sure to write down spiritual impressions whenever they come to you. It is so important. Well I miss and love you all. I am having a great time out here. Last week I began a new transfer here in Mandeville. I still training my companion because new missionaries get trained for 2 transfers now instead of 1. You are always in my prayers. I know that this Church is true and that Jesus Christ lives and loves us. I know that President Thomas S. Monson is a true prophet living today. And I know with out a doubt that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Blessings,

Elder Nugent

Hello everybody! How is it going? It is continuing to go well here in Mandeville. This week has been pretty good. Time has been flying fast, and our investigators are still progressing so I am pretty excited about that. Not too much new has happened this week. Still just working hard to help our investigators become truly converted to the gospel. 

Our apartment is still being invaded by flying cockroaches so that is always fun haha. Last preparation day Negril was fun. We went to the beach and chilled, and then we went to this place called Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville. It was pretty cool. Negril was so beautiful. I was thinking how blessed I am to be able to go to these places that many people spend their lives just dreaming about going to. And to think that I have the opportunity of living here for 2 years while serving the Lord. What a blessing. 

This past week, A lot of the things that I learned about in studies and such was about prayer. Prayer is so essential for us to come close to God. I read in a quote that it is through prayer that we come the closest to God. Prayer is truly a form of work, and is something that we must continue to develop throughout the rest of our lives. I have really been trying to improve my prayer relationship with God and receive revelation for my own life. In Preach My Gospel they say that the only way we can know of spiritual truths is through prayer. I would like to encourage all of you back home to continue to work on and evaluate your prayers. As we do so, we will begin to know God even more in a very real sense. 

I love serving my mission. I have definitely learned that there are many areas in my life where I can improve. Thank you all for your support through the years of my lifetime. I know that Jesus Christ Lives, and that He is truly our Lord and our Saviour. I know that this missionary work that i am blessed to take a part of is truly the work of the Lord. I love you all and miss you 

Love,

Elder  Nugent

P.S. the pictures are mostly of Negril last monday and also the picture where i look quite angry is when an investigator floured me on my birthday

Hello Everyone! wah tah goh waahn? Mi deh yah! This week has been quite excellent if i might say so. It started off about a week ago. My companion and I were out in the middle of nowhere teaching a great family the first lesson. It was the first time teaching this family so we didn't know the area well, and it was starting to get kinda late by the end of the lesson. After the lesson, we waited forever outside with a member to find a taxi, but no taxis were coming our way. I was getting quite worried, because I wasn't sure how we would be able to reach home. The place where we were at would probably take about 3 hours to walk back home. We all said a couple prayers in our hearts. Eventually, a police truck came and stopped because one of the police officers knew the member we were waiting with from way back in the day in high school. The member somehow convinced the police officer to give us a ride. As we were driving with the police officers, we learned that they had just intended to drop us off at a post office which was also clear out in the middle of no where. But, we were able to use our people skills and we became friends with the police, and they decided to drive us all the way back to the town. Later in the week I learned that police officers never give people rides. My companion and I were truly blessed by the Lord. He answered our prayers and provided a way for us to get back home safely. He also softened the heart of the police officers to give us a ride all the way to the town. What a blessing it was. I am so grateful.

Mandeville area is doing awesome though. We are working with several people who I feel have truly been prepared by the Lord, and this week we had more people in sacrament meeting than we have ever had before. The area is doing great, and we are starting to work with the members more in helping them to do missionary work. Well, Today will also be a good day. We are spending the day with the zone in Negril, which is at a beach that has 7 miles of white sand, it is very famous in Jamaica. It should be fun. Thank you for all your prayers and support. I am truly enjoying my time here in Jamaica. It has definitely been the hardest time of my life, but it has been the best time as well. I know that this is the work of the Lord, and I know that he hears and answers our prayers. I know that he loves us and that Jesus is the Christ, our Lord and our Savior. I know that we are led and guided by a living prophet to day. In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

With much love,
Elder Nugent

P.S. picture should come next week.

Hello everybody! how is it going?! thank you for the birthday wishes, I appreciate it. This past week has been good. The Jamaicans have a tradition where when it is your birthday they throw flour all over you. They call it flouring. So, naturally, on Tuesday I was floured. Pictures will come next week. 

Everything has been going well here though. Yesterday, I gave the longest talk I have ever given in a sacrament meeting. It was roughly 30 minutes long. My companion overestimated the length of his talk so he only talked for about 8 minutes, so I had to make up the difference haha. It was good though. The mission has definitely moulded me into a better teacher and speaker. 

It is crazy how the mission has been changing me. I hardly have any fear about going up to random people on the street and talking to them. I love studying the gospel like never before. Before I came on my mission i thought gospel study would be like a chore, now it is something i look forward too. It is amazing to me how every time you read your scriptures you learn something new. 

Everything you learn, if applied into your life can help you become a better, happier person. Many people spend their lives searching for the secret of life, how to be successful, and how to be happy. The answer to all of those questions are contained in the scriptures. we just have to open them with an open heart and read and study and ponder and apply them into our lives. 

Time has also been moving than faster than ever now. It feels like every day i just wake up and then go to bed. Everything is moving like a blur. I love serving out here though. We are working with a really cool investigator who is 16 who should be getting baptised on may19. He is awesome. he has been reading and praying and so i am excited for him. training is going pretty well. 

My companion and I definitely have our ups and downs, But i am thankful because i am learning so much from this experience. After all, we go through troubles and trials so we can learn and grow. I love this gospel, and I love my Saviour Jesus Christ. I know that he lives and loves us. I am so very grateful for our living prophet who helps us stay on the strait and narrow path that leads to eternal life. I love and miss you all,

Love, 

Elder Nugent

Hey everybody! how is everything going? I hope you are all doing something fun for my birthday hahaha. Just kidding but I am doing great here in Mandeville. We have someone who should be getting baptized in 2 weeks so I am excited about that. A quick funny story is about to follow: so yesterday at church, out of the blue over 20 non members came to church. In church, My companion and I teach an investigator class where nonmembers go to sunday school. So in our investigator class we had about 25 people that we taught which is much more than the usual 5 that show up on other sundays. After the class I learned that most of those new people are students at a bible college and many of them are studying to become clergy, and they showed up to get more information about our church for a research paper. so, they came to the church and were all pretending to be investigators. It was kind of disappointing to learn that they just came to the church to write a paper, but hopefully the message of the restoration which we taught them will plant some seeds in their hearts, and hopefully they will be willing to learn more and find out for themselves that the church is true.

This past week has been good though. We have been working hard. Training a new missionary can be challenging at times, but I am definitely learning in the process. We had another cool experience a couple weeks ago with one of our investigators. I will call the investigators name Dr. M.. Dr. M has been taught by missionaries for about a year and still has not been baptized. Then, a few weeks ago he had a dream where he saw his dead grandfather and Joseph Smith, and they were friends. The very next time that Dr. M came to church we had a lesson about temple and geneology work. Dr. M had been taught about temple work before, but I think he really felt the spirit testify to him at church about the divinity of temple work and genealogy because right after church, He came up to us and told us that he wants to be baptized as soon as possible. He should be getting baptized a few weeks into May if all goes well.

I love serving here in Jamaica. Everyday I love this country more and more. And everyday I learn more and more. I love my mission and I love the people here. I definitely know that this church is true and that Jesus Christ truly lives. I know that we have a prophet on the earth today who leads and guides us. Sorry this email is a little bit shorter today too. But I am sending a couple pictures and pictures are worth a thousand words. so technically this letter is really long. haha

P.S. as of tomorrow I am no longer a teenager that is another weird thought. time sure is flying. P.P.S. The pictures are of our Preparation day. We went to Treasure Beach in Saint Elizabeth. The person that is in a few of the pictures with me is the companion that I am training.