Monday, November 25, 2013

Two baptisms!

Hey, family & friends!

I don't have a ton of time to write, but suffice it to say this has been a wonderful, yet interesting week.

We had two baptisms!  Wilber and Kaylee both had beautiful services and beautiful confirmations.  I'm so excited for their futures in the Gospel and so grateful to have been a witness to their strength and closeness with God.  How great is our calling!





Well, I certainly love all of you.  If you're holding onto past mistakes, let them go.  If you're excusing your behaviors because "that's just the way you are," change.  But accept that change won't come immediately.  This life is all about change, and though it's uncomfortable, it's incredibly rewarding.



Love,

Sister Jacobson

Pics:

1. Sister Kuhns, my mission mom, went home last monday!  Aaahhh!

2. Wilber's baptism!

3. Kaylee's baptism!




 

Monday, November 18, 2013

Aaaaawesome News!

Hey, family & friends!
 
Aaaaawesome news!  In several regards!
 
Tuesday, we got to speak at a stake Young Men's/Young Women's (Jr. High and High School age youth) activity on prayer and missionary work.  And Wilber, our wonderful Ugandan friend, spoke too!  He stood up and said, "My name is Wilber, I'm from Uganda, and I've come to the conclusion that this Church is true."  He related his conversion process and his excitement, and talked about what brought him here to America.  He said that he originally thought God had brought him here for education, but now he knows that he was brought here to find this Gospel.  THEN, everyone split into two groups: one pretending to be people that don't know how to pray, one pretending to be missionaries teaching people to pray.  Those two groups broke into little groups of 4-on-4 groups.  We were missionaries (obviously)..... with Wilber!  It was AMAZING watching him teach people to pray (even though they were only pretending not to know).  He said some amazing things about how when he prays, he likes to repent first because he doesn't want to enter God's presence unworthily (!!).  Partway through, the "investigators" broke character and started asking him real questions about prayer, his experiences, etc.  What a privilege to get to know him this way--we really didn't teach him.  He taught us.
 
Wednesday, we had another lesson with Chriss (side note: we've been seeing her every day, essetially).  She was expressing some more concerns about the Church, and we were answering them with "doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith," and the like.  All of a sudden, she gets really quiet for a second and says, "Something just dawned on me."  She then related to us how for the past year or two, she's been praying to strengthen her walk with Christ, and she suddenly realized that with us, she has been this whole time.  She then clutches her chest, closes her eyes, smiles, and when we asked her how she felt, says, "It feels warm in my chest and all down my arms. I want to just bask in this.  ........................Holy ----!"  Always a firecracker, this one.  But she recommitted to be baptized on the day we had scheduled her for, and proceeded to quit smoking her e-cigarette the very next day so she could!  She's absolutely amazing, and the ward has been welcoming her with open arms.
 
This week I've learned a lot about forgiving myself.  In church yesterday, many of the talks were on meekness, and I realized that I need to start applying that to myself more.  We so often as people are fine with forgiving others, letting them know how much we love them, treating them well, etc., and that's wonderful!  But truth is universal.  If we don't apply that to ourselves as well, we are not entirely meek, humble, submissive, or completely fighting off the natural man.  Feelings of guilt need not linger longer than when you've repented to your Father in Heaven.  He forgives you, so forgive yourself.  Let it go. 
 
Oh yeah!  Sister McKnight and I are staying together!  Woo!  And we're part of a new zone they're creating: Pocatello North Zone!  One of our zone leaders is going to be one of the soon-to-be former APs, and our district leader is going to be Elder Meier from my MTC district!  There's a whole lot going for us this transfer, and we're excited to be spending the hollidays together, too!
 
Well, I sure love you all.  Thank you for your prayers and support.  We sure need them!
 
Love,
Sister Jacobson
 
Pics: 
.Last district Sister picture
 
 Praying like Enos

Early am running in the snow with toe shoes!(picture at the top of the page)

 

Monday, November 11, 2013

Woooo!

Hey, family & friends!  

So, this is the second week on my mission that I've broken 20 lessons taught to investigators with a member there.  Two weeks ago, we taught 21, and this week, we taught 23!  Woooo!!  We've been so busy, it's ridiculous.  However, I'm eternally grateful for the Lord and His blessings on us and our area.

Taryn was baptized!! It was beautiful.  There was another baptism taking place in the church building right before, so getting the baptism clothes and everything set up before was a bit stressful, but it all came together in the end.  I feel like almost every baptism I've been a part of has been like that!  The Adversary does NOT want that important step to be made because he knows the eternal happiness they will gain from it and the associated living of Gospel standards after it, so he will stop at nothing to ruin that big day for everyone.  Luckily, Satan is nothing compared to God!

We taught a young men's/young women's class this week!  We related the Gospel to gatorball (that game I told you about that we play on P-days).  No big deal.  Actually, it was wonderfully fun.

Tons of crazy things for taking care of our Sisters!  Stress here, nightmares there, phone calls everywhere, and organizing meetings/musical firesides!  It's a wonderful thing to be a Sister Training Leader, though!  They all teach me so much and I'm honored (and sometimes confused) to be part of it all.

New investigator: Gabby!  Adorable little 12 year-old girl.  Fun story: her dad lives in another part of Pocatello and is being baptized this coming saturday and hopefully will be able to baptize her in a few weeks!

Chriss came to Taryn's baptism and to church!!  She felt peace at both!  Woo!

Everyone else is doing great, too!

Not a lot of time!  Sorry!

Love you all!  Buy and read "The Power of Everyday Missionaries!"

-Sister Jacobson

 


Pics: Mom, you're not going to like these...(She was very right! I don't like anything about snakes! This was the hardest blog update for me to work up due to looking at the snakes!)


           per Katie..."Snake fun !" (Is there really such a thing?)                    





 

Monday, November 4, 2013

Series of "coincidences"

Hey, family and friends !

I feel like I'm getting really repetitive with saying that this was another amazing week.  Nevertheless, it stands: this was another amazing week!

We asked Wilber how he feels about his baptism coming up.  He simply said, "I'm ready."  I think our insides did the Macarena.  He's just amazing.  Need I say more?

Chriss is making SO much progress!  We went over with a member the other day, and it turns out he's the perfect fellowshipper for her!  He was a convert to the church with a similar conversion story to where she is now.  She feels kind of guilty for investigating another church when she's been Catholic for 60+ years, but she's starting to recognize the change in her life.  He started talking about how while he was investigating the Church, he started reading the Book of Mormon more and more and didn't really know why, and Chriss said, "Oh, so maybe that's one of my signs!"  My insides got good at the Macarena this week.  She's been reading the Book of Mormon with increasing fervor, and she even told us that we had become a big part of her life.  (Cue the obligatory "awwww!")  We've been having more contact with her, brought her hot chocolate the other day so she could have that instead of coffee.... she's just so amazing!  We love her so much!

Kenzie's still solid.  Church was a party with her yesterday.

Halloween: locked up from 5:00-9:00 with our zone of missionaries in a stake center.  Pot luck.  Space Jam.  Wreck-it Ralph.  (The iron tear glands of Sister Jacobson may have been breached a few times during that movie...)  Yay.

Back to the good stuff!  Through many miracles, we found two new investigators this week!  One's name is Socorro, and she has three children.  She just moved into the area, and has been going to the LDS church off and on for 8-10 years now.  Exciting, no?  The way we found her is a neat story.  So.  There we were.  On exchanges.  Because Sister McKnight wasn't here, I got a bit lost, and we drove past the Elders that serve in the stake helping someone unload some stuff into their house.  We smiled and waved and drove away.  The second time I mistakenly drove that way and passed them again, we decided to get out and help.  Turns out, they were out walking and a lady picked them up for a ride (with her teenage son, so it was koshe) and told them they were going to help her friend move in (kind of against their wills).  So through a series of "coincidences," we were led to help her out, got to know her, asked her about taking the lessons, whabam.  She's awesome.

Another is a foreign exchange student from Italy!  She's been living with members here, has gone to church and seminary, and loves it all!  Protocol states she can only be baptized here with her parents' written permission, understandably, and her host dad told us later that her parents are coming to visit around Christmas!  We haven't talked to her about it yet, but how amazing would that be for her parents to be here to witness it?  She already feels the Spirit and knows it's all true.  She's an absolute sweetheart.  We're also playing tennis and eating barbeque (Texas style for Sister McKnight) with her and her host family today.  So fun!

Mission Leadership Council.  Always a party.  We got to ride up to Idaho Falls with President and Sister Brinkerhoff!  LOVE them!  Also, all the New York missionaries in the mission minus Elder Cook were there, so we took a picture.  Sorry, Elder Cook and associates!
Representing New York !


Began teaching Jim.  SWEETHEART.  We love him.

There is no way in under on God's green Earth that this Gospel is not true.  I know it.  I live it.  I love it.  And I never won't know it, live it, or love it.  Read Alma 5 and assess your "mighty change of heart."  Mine is changing every day!

So much love,
Sister Jacobson





 Always Study your white handbook!










The people weren't home so we taught their scarecrow!