week #6 -Last letter from Jamaica!

730 days

104 weeks

24 months

17 transfers

9 companionships

5 areas

2 years

1 mission

Countless lives changed. 

The greatest change wrought being my own.

I love my mission.  My mission has changed my life because I now know the truth.  I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer and that it is only in and through him that we can be saved.  I know that our Heavenly Father is mindful of each of us and loves us more than we can comprehend.  I know that the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored through the prophet Joseph Smith.  I know that the Book of Mormon is true.  I know of the power of the Atonement.  I have seen it change the lives of those I have taught and I have felt the sweet peace it brings in my own life.  I know that our Heavenly Father is on our side and doing all He can to bring about the salvation of every single one of us, if we will but give up our own wills and choose to follow.  I know that all of this is true.  I know and I have chosen to follow to the best of my ability.  Nothing but my best will cut it, but I know that because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, my best will be enough.  I hope and pray that I can make it. 

To anyone that thinks that we can repay the Lord through our acts, I will tell you that we cannot.  There is nothing that we can do of ourselves to be saved.  It is only through Jesus Christ that we are saved.  My mission has not been a sacrifice, but a great blessing to me. 

Strive to serve the Lord each day in your life and he will use you for the good of his children.  You do not have to be a missionary to share the gospel.  We can teach in word and deed each day, and with each little act of service we will become more and more like Christ.

Jamaica has been the perfect place for me.  There is nowhere else that could be better for me to learn all that I have.  I love my little island under the bunnin' Caribbean sun.  I love the people of Jamaica and I have been inspired by the faith of many of the members here.  I have learned much from them and made many good friends. 

I am sad to leave, but the next phase of life is calling.  I am excited to take the future by its' horns and begin my life. 

I love you all. I am grateful for all your many prayers and your support.
This is it from JA. 

Nuff Love Breddren. 

Elder Pullan signing off. 

See you all on Thursday!

IM COMING HOME. 

weeks 4 & 5- Portmore

June 22, 2015

(I asked Daniel to share his thoughts on marriage and the state of the family as a unit of society in Jamaica.  Derek & I are speaking about marriage at youth conference on Thursday.)

My thoughts on marriage-

Marriage between a man and a woman creates the fundamental unit of society.  There is no better way to raise a nation than in the homes of its families.  If you try to find a better way to raise the next generation, you will fail.  Family and marriage has been established from the beginning.  It is ordained of God, and will ever be the only way to true happiness.

I have seen the effects of the deterioration of the family during my time here in Jamaica.  Jamaica displays a culture that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.  It began as slaves brought across the ocean from Africa.  They were later emancipated and Jamaica was nourished by England.  They gained their independence around fifty years ago.  Their roots have not been ones that foster marriage and family.  Although the majority of the island is Christian, the devil has his playground on the old "slave mentality" that was created.  Marriage and family was not a thing among the slaves, and it has not been a priority ever since. 

The Family Proclamation states in its second to last paragraph that nations will suffer through the deterioration of the family.  Come to Jamaica and you will see the affects of people not getting married. There are teenage girls all over the place with young children and no father around to take care of them. They become stuck in a downward spiral because they can't pursue an education and work and take care of the kids at the same time very well.  It is not just the mother that is affected, but the children suffer too. They grow up with no father and take on the same mentality of their parents. 

I do not speak for everyone in Jamaica, but the majority live like this. 

I know that as we follow the laws of God and are married and raise families as He has directed us, we will find joy and our communities and nations will receive His approval and be blessed. 

I am out of time. I will tell you about my week when I get home. 

I love you guys!

Love, Elder Pullan

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June 15th, 2015 

Hey Fam,

This week has been great.  Stake Conference was yesterday in Spanish Town.  I was able to attend both the adult session on Saturday, and the Sunday session.  Elder Gammiet from the area presidency addressed us, along with Stake President Lieu and President Brown.  I got to see a lot of my friends from Boulevard and from Linstead.  I have been serving in the stake since the day it was created, so I knew a lot of the people there.   

Elder Sullivan and I have been doing good work and having a good time.  Portmore has been hot and mosquito infested as usual.

I am having some mixed feelings as my mission draws to a close.  I have loved my mission.  It has changed both me and the course of my life.  I now know that the Church is true.  I know that Christ is at the head of this organization, and that he called Joseph Smith through a miraculous vision in a sacred grove near 200 years ago.  I know that the Book of Mormon is true.  I have seen these truths change lives time and time again.  The first life it changed has been my own.  I am so grateful for this.  I love my mission.  

The work marches forward as usual. I love you all. I will keep working hard to the very end.  

Nathan- Great job doing missionary work. That is fantastic. Keep it up!

Love, E. Pullan

week #3 -Portmore

Hey everyone, 

I had to put together photos from my whole mission and send them to the office so that they can put them in an exit video.  It took up all my time.  Sorry.  This week was good though.  The beach was nice. The work was great.  Nothing out of the ordinary.

It sounds like you are all doing great. I can't wait to see you all!

Love, E. Pullan

week #2 -Portmore

Hey everyone, 

I don't have a whole lot to say, so I will keep it short.

Everything was good this week.  We had Zone Meeting in Kingston on Wednesday.  We talked about reactivating those that are less active and finding new people.  That was my last Zone Meeting…

On Saturday, we went back into Kingston and Elder Sullivan got his Patriarchal blessing. He was pretty excited to get it.  We did some teaching this week.  We have a lot of less- actives in our area, so they keep us pretty busy.

We are going to go and chill on the beach this p-day, so that will be fun. 

We have been extending the challenge of reading 6 pages of the Book of Mormon every day to people.  Many of the members in our branch have never read it all the way through.  If you have not, then do it!  6 pages a day will get you through in 100 days.  Do it and pray to know it is true.  I have done it myself and I know that the Book of Mormon is true. There is not a doubt in my mind about it.

I love you all. 

Tek Cyare.
Love, E. Pullan