Sister Ashley Jacobs - July 14, 2014

Yesterday President Wolfert and his wife, Ashley’s mission president, returned home to Utah from serving in the Georgia Atlanta North Mission for the past 3 years. Lincoln, Lexy and I were able to attend their Sacrament Mtg. and hear about their mission. Afterward, we had the chance to hug them and thank them for watching over our daughter with such love and care. It was a very tender experience as they shared with us what a great job Sister Jacobs is doing in the mission field. ~Lisa

Hellooo,

This week I've been really looking forward to Pday. And I don't even know why!! I just woke up sooooo excited to read emails and stuff. Then I heard from you guys!!

I'm so glad that you got to meet the Wolferts!!! I love, love, love them. I always assumed that there were so many missionaries that they could never really know each of us individually, but when they came to Elberton and Pres. told me I'd be getting an STL call from him the next week (a leadership position in the mission - Sister Trainer Leader), Sis Wolfert looked at me and said, "Look at you. You have come so far. I knew you could do it!" Which meant a lot.

Sister Wolfert told me to take what I learned, and let it propel me. And I did. As soon as I was done being trained, I trained. And then I got a 3 month old missionary. And another 3 month old missionary. The Wolferts showed me trust and love. If they can love 230 missionaries individually, one of which being a broken Sister Jacobs, then who’s to say Father in Heaven can't love us individually, too? And the best part? That love has propelled me throughout the rest of my mission. I work through love. I learned how to love through my first companion, and I was shown much love and trust from the Wolferts. I believe it has built a foundation for the rest of my life as well.

(We are going on our Stake Youth Pioneer Handcart Trek this week to Wyoming.) Have so much fun at trek!!! :) Good times. Such good times. Hm, advice for Lexy... love it. (Ashley went 4 years ago and we asked her to share advice to help Lexy get the most out of the experience.)  I am all about the attitude. If she comes to the conclusion to love her family and love the trek and who she's trekking for, then she will grow a million times more. She'll get 100 times more out of it. There was one mission area here that I wasn't thrilled to go to. I decided it wasn't going to be as good as my first area before I even got there. So I half-heartedly loved it at first. And it was harder to full heartedly love it. More recently, I was sooo worried about leaving Hartwell. That I would compare it to my dear Elberton branch. Soooo when I got the call, I decided things I would love about it. A ward! Lots of houses! Being fed more than twice a month! Hanging out with other missionaries on Pday! Meeting in a chapel! Having ward missionaries! The list goes on. And guess what? I. love. it!!

Here's a more relevant analogy for Lexy. My sophomore year I had the best homecoming date ever. It was so fun!! My date, the group, our activities, it was all perfect. I doubted I would ever have that much fun at a dance ever again. So I didn't. Luckily I pulled my head out of the sand my senior year and I decided that every.single.date I went on would be the best date in the world. And it was. If she can focus on the love that she has for her Ma, Pa and family, then she won't compare her family to anothers'. She won't want to be elsewhere. She'll be so grateful for her own experience and because of that gratitude; she'll be blessed with strength. Alma 29. We ought to be grateful for the things which we have been called to do. A lesson I've learned over and over out here in good ole Georgia :)

Exchanges are good. I'm still working on building a relationship of trust with the other sisters (... and with the members, haha). But it's going well. Investigators are slow, but we're doing an awesome activity with the members to help them reach out to their friends. Not necessarily to get referrals, but to help them talk to whomever they can.

Ooookay. Have fun! I love y'all!! :)

~Sis Jacobs.
Here's a photo of the Sister Trainer Leaders with new mission President Bennion & Sister Bennion.