Nov. 17, 2014 'Hastening the work!'

Quote of the week "Come, sit by me and let me serenade you with opera"....

What a week.

It has been so interesting to see the Lord work with Sister Adorable and I over the last few weeks. We've been doing a lot of service over the last few weeks. Like a ton. Our schedule is pretty much, lessons with M. & A., tracting, and service for members. With a few less active visits here or there. We're not finding a whole lot of new investigators and it has been kinda frustrating, but then we realized the Father in Heaven has a different task for us to focus on. The Relief Society here is really awesome, but there are a lot of "group"s. Which was something that I wanted to help with when I first got here.... but I didn't know how and it wasn't happening with 2 exchanges a week and lots of people to teach. Well, Heavenly Father has made it very doable to focus on that now! And come to find out, the Relief Society Presidency is focusing on unity with the sisters as well. Clearly there's something bigger than our plans going on.

Last Monday we had a pretty powerful lesson with M & A. We learned some really cool teaching tools last week that I think I shared and we implemented them with them. So good. We gave them notebooks before conference to take notes in and asked them to take them out and write how they felt their life would be in a year if they a) got baptized or b) didn't. A. said that her life in a year would be described with "lost" if they decided not to get baptized. M. described it, "life as is." Not that there's anything wrong with it, but they've seen a brighter light and they know it would be hard to go back to life as it was before. After that little activity, we asked them to think about their next step on this path. We had them write down what they felt they needed to do individually in order to progress. A. said that she wanted a Priesthood blessing. Our teamup was Brother Giddings, our ward mission leader. So he gladly performed that for them. M. was blessed to know that he's at a crossroads and he will make the right decision. A. was blessed that no matter what others think or say, she would have the courage to make the proper decision. When we walked out of the lesson, Brother Giddings told us that he has the strongest impression that they know, especially A.

We're doing something new with the missionaries in the zone. Our focus for the rest of the transfer is baptismal invites. We're shooting for a cumulative of 250 invites between now and the end of the transfer. Every time a companionship invites someone to be baptized, they text the Zone Leaders #FloodTheFont and then forward it out to the rest of the zone. It has been so cool to get text after text of missionaries inviting their investigators to be baptized. The work is hastening! :)

J. & M. Remember them? Well, they're really good friends with Brother Giddings and the Giddings had all four sister missionaries and J. & M. over for dinner on Thursday. It was like a preview of Thanksgiving, haha. We talked about the Gospel, but then we had to run off because of another appointment. Brother Giddings followed up with us on Sunday and told us that M. shared some very personal concerns with him and they talked about those. He also said that they asked him, "We are intrigued and fascinated by the church. Don't give up on us. We feel something here that we don't get anywhere else." That brought tears to my eyes. I'm glad that they feel something and they recognize it. I love them. I really truly do. I feel like the Lord is giving me a glimpse of how he must've felt when some of His spirit children were so close to choosing Christ, and then changed their minds. Luckily I know, and I feel very strongly. that J. & M. will come around. It'll just take a few more sets of missionaries.

A. was sick on Sunday so her husband, M. came to church alone. We introduced him to the Stake President who talked to him for a minute. We've been meeting with them for almost 4 months. Can you believe that? So crazy. Anyway, M. was touched with President's words of encouragement. We have another lesson with them tonight. It's been about a month since we've extended the baptismal invite, so we're fixin' to do it again! :)

Well. That's this week!

Love y'all! 

~Sis J.

Nov. 10, 2014

Quote of the week: "You have no idea how badly I wanted to take my leg off and smack him with it!"

Well. What a week!!!

Our investigators M. and A. They know!!!!!!! Sis Adorable and I walked away from our lesson last Monday and we both just know that they know. We also feel pretty strongly that this is supposed to be a trial of their faith and that M. isn't going to get another job until they make the initial leap of faith for baptism. It's weird how I just know it. But I do. Anyway. They've been really busy this week so our next lesson is tonight They're so close! Keep praying! They'll get there

A few weeks back one of the YW asked us if we would write in a harmony line for the song "I am His Daughter" so she and her friends could sing it at the YWs night of excellence. We helped them learn the harmony and they sounded great!! It made me cry. Surprise, haha The YW of the church are so amazing. But really though, so amazing

I haven't told y'all about our other investigator A! Well. We met her on Halloween. We were tracting and it was a bit chilly. We didn't dress for the weather so we were chilly, too. We decided to knock doors near dinner which happened to be in a wealthier neighborhood. Like the great and spacious building. Or, rather, lots of little great and spacious buildings. Usually the people aren't all that receptive in that part of the are. Anyway. It was a weirdest thing. Every street that we'd prayed about had at least one person who said they'd let us come back. That's a bit deal for that subdivision. Anyway. One of those people was A. She opened the front door and said, "It's cold outside! Come in!" So we did. We talked to her for quite a bit and the Spirit was really strong. Long story short, we went back for a lesson this week We had planned to teach the Restoration, but when we got there, all she needed to know was that God loves her. We talked a lot about that. The whole lesson. She has had a lot on her shoulders. And it's nothing that I could relate to. Nothing at all. I remember praying in my heart that Father in Heaven would put the scripture in my mind that I needed to share with her, because I couldn't do it alone. He guided us as we taught together.

A few days later, we were thinking about her again and decided to "heart attack" her front door. This is my all time favorite way to show people I love them Sis Adorable and I got sticky notes and put Book of Mormon scriptures and quotes from the apostles and all sorts of good stuff on them. We stuck them all over her door and drove on our merry way. On Saturday she texted us to thank us for the notes and we invited her to church. At our lesson on Wednesday she mentioned that she is very much "spiritual" and not very "religious," so we didn't really expect her to come. But on Sunday morning, she asked for the address and brought her husband, M. We met him for the first time at church. We're really looking forward to seeing her again this week She is the sweetest sweetheart in the world. About 2 minutes after she left church, she texted us again and thanked us for inviting her. I love her lots

We had a great meeting this week with a guest speaker who has been teaching institute for like 30 years. It was amazing to watch him teach. As he taught, he said something about the cleansing power of the spirit because of the Atonement. So, essentially, every time that you feel the Spirit, you're feeling the cleansing power of the atonement! I personally think that's why the Spirit tingles. because it's a part of being cleansed I thought that was so cool!

The Dent Family threw a special Utah State University themed dinner this week. I love my fellow Aggies Sis Adorable didn't love it, haha.

Hodson, Sister Dent, Daniel, Brother Dent, Kyler, Gammon,
Me, Katya and Brigham. Good family 

The Young Women's Night of Excellence Program was themed "Be your own hero."
Sis Adorable, Maya, Olivia, Eliza, Cambrie, Aidyn, me. They're so cute

November 3, 2014

Quote of the week: "I hope you aren't getting to be a... what's the word?... trunker?"

I love cool weather. Like. Way too much. This week while Sister Adorable and I were tracting, it was chilly. And I was so excited that I started skipping! Maybe my enthusiasm for the cold will rub off on my Texan companion, haha. I love her :)

Well. Our investigator M. dropped us. Moving on.

The W. Family is doing really well. We were so bummed to miss them last week, but they were, too. We talked to the 13 year old daughter and invited her to the YW's Night of Excellence and she's way stoked! She's all lined up with a ride and everything. I like this ward. They're rockstars. I don't think I express that enough. But I felt a LOT of love for them this week. :)

I like helping people move. We did that a lot this week. Which was fun :)

Halloween was great! We had to be in at 6pm. Sooo I spent 2 hours writing in my journal, and then I went to bed at 9:30! Go team! But while I was writing, I realized something really cool. A few weeks back Sister Adorable was talking to me about how she had all these goals for her mission. She wanted to help a family come back to activity, she wanted to help someone get on their mission, she wanted to teach a part member family etc. And as we've talked, she's seeing that a lot of those things  have happened. And I thought, "Well. I should've done that!" I didn't feel like I had a vision of things to do over the course of the mission... just that I wanted to do good and be good. But then I thought a minute. And I realized that I felt that I would rather help people come to the gospel that would stay, than have a lot of baptisms. And you know what? Heavenly Father is answering that unspoken prayer. I haven't had a huge about of success as far as baptisms are concerned, but each person that the Lord has allowed me to teach and witness their baptism, is still active. And I am so grateful for that. We just gotta get our investigators M. & A. on that bandwagon, haha.

We had a really good lesson with them on Saturday. We felt very strongly that we needed to talk about the Spirit. So we did. And by the end of the lesson, we both felt like we know they've received an answer. And they know it, too. It's just hard because of his job, which we understand. They're still super solid... but we've just about done all we can as missionaries. Soo we'll see. The members are taking such good care of them. They're coming to our dinner appt and we'll be watching 'The Prophet' of the Restoration with a little testimony meeting afterwards. Speaking of testimony meeting. Yesterday was perfect. Sister Adorable and I were fasting that the members who bore their testimonies would be in line with what they needed to hear. And our prayers were answered. They know they're getting baptized. It's just a matter of when. It's hard when they have to choose between paying the bills, or joining the church. Any advice from any RMs would be fantastic.

Aaaaand that's a wrap! Life is good! :)

Til next week,

Sis Jacobs.

Monday Oct. 20, 2014

Quote of the week:

Neophyte: A person new to a group or religious practice.
So the Lamanites who repent and are baptized are (wait for it...) Neophyte Nephites! 

This week was pretty much full of miracles.

We're developing a really good relationship with the W. Family (less active). We always visit when she's making dinner so it can be crazy, but we decided to tell scripture stories to get the whole family involved. We told the story of the 2000 stripling warriors and it was so good!! It reminded Bro W. of another story (not from the Book of Mormon... but it means he was listening!) and somehow we got on the topic of Star wars. So our challenge to them was to find a star wars story that would relate to the Book of Mormon. Haha. We'll see how that goes :)

M. & A. Them folks are great! We had a kinda intense lesson with them on Friday. We were on an exchange so Sister Adorable wasn't with me... which is always hard. We teach really well together. Anyway. We were working on setting a date for baptism and a couple of things came up. One of which was the Word of Wisdom. A. likes her tea and coffee every once in a while. And Sabbath Day observance. M.  works at a church on Sunday. And after we taught about not working on Sunday, he began to realize that his work, even though it was at a church... is work. He feels torn about leaving because he's doing so much good there and doesn't want to leave them.

I realized how similar I am to him. I talked to them about the decisions I'm facing with school. I don't want to think about it, but the truth of the matter is, January is going to come and I need to have made decisions that will determine that chapter in my life. Going home doesn't mean that my mission wasn't right, or wasn't worth the time, or that I didn't make an impact, or that I will forget the lessons I've learned or people I've met when I move on to that next step. It just means that the Lord will need me elsewhere. M. made a comment that he's been thinking similarly. January is coming whether he likes it or not, and at that point church start time will change to 9am and he'll have to choose between this or that.

Last week Sister Adorable super-powerfully promised them that as they observe the commandments that we teach, they will receive an answer for sure. So I brought that up again. I don't even remember how it all went down. I just remember inviting them to strictly keep those commandments and when they did, that's when they'll receive their answer. I asked A. to stop drinking tea and coffee. And I asked M. to quit his job. I remember walking away from the lesson... scared. I didn't want them to be offended. But I knew that those were promptings and I'm here do the will of the Lord. I thought of all the people that came soooo close to baptism and at the last minute turned away. And then I remembered something that M. said in one of our lessons, "You don't dwell on the things you don't know. But you always testify of what you do know. I don't know if I have received my answer, but I do know that I have felt more peace in my life since we've met y'all." When his words came to mind, I shut out the negative thoughts. And I focused on what I do know. I know that we are here for them specifically. I know that the Lord loves them. I know that I love them. I know how I have found happiness. And I know that my purpose is to help them find that same happiness. And even though I was worried on Friday night, Sunday came and they both were at church. I am so grateful for the power of the Spirit. And the knowledge that I'm not on my own errand, but His. We're seeing them again tonight :)

All day Friday I had been making lots of phone calls trying to fill Saturday morning with a fun activity for Sister Castleton since she was visiting my area on exchanges. To no avail. So I asked her if she happened to bring a pair of pants and her service shirt. She had! So we set out Saturday morning "Service Tracting." Basically we just tract in pants and a tshirt offering to do service. I don't know what feeling was more overwhelming, the excitement of being able to fit in my jeans, or the discomfort of the jeans themselves. Who needs 'em?! Haha.

Anyway. We prayed about a certain road and started driving there. It was in a developing neighborhood and the street was reeeeally long. No houses for a good bit. We got to the end of this loooong street and there were 2 houses. Two. I looked at Sister Castleton and I was like, "Well. I guess one of these 2 people really needs help!" We knocked on the first door and we saw a little girl run up the stairs... no answer. So we walked over to the 2nd house and a woman was pulling out of her driveway. Greeeat. We walked up to her window and we were like, "Hey! We're missionaries and we're in the area just to serve! If you need any help with raking leaves or cleaning the house or..." She looked at us with wide eyes, "Are you serious?" "Yeah..." "I'm just on my way to buy some paint for the garage." "Really?! We love to paint! Can we help?!" Yes. Yes that just happened. She asked us to come back in an hour to start painting with her. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Can I get an Amen? Haha. We came back and met the lady who was so excited to have us there! At the end of our painting extravaganza she asked us what we wanted for pay. We just asked for a return appt to talk about the Gospel and she said, "That would be awesome. I've been trying to get closer to God lately and have been wondering how I can do that." Miracle! :) We're going to see her tomorrow. Super stoked.

Wow. I don't think I've written this much in a long time. Heavenly Father is good to me. I see miracles every day. I know it's true! :)

Sis Jacobs

Painting for service. The dark color is the new one. :)

Halloween Dinner at a member's home. Meatloaf and potatoes! Mmmm!

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Oct. 14, 2014

Quote of the week: "Fall for Jesus because He never leaves!"

Happy fall, y'all! Sorry for the late email! Columbus day had all the libraries closed, so we're doing Pday today! Yay! :)

We've been working with a less active family, the W Family. They're awesome! We just stopped by and asked if we could practice the lessons on them and this is like the 3rd week that we've seen them. They're great! They watched a couple of conference talks and we helped the mom download the Gospel library app so she can listen to the Book of Mormon on her way to and from work :)

Tracting is so good! I know I talk about it a lot... but it's amazing to me how much better my days and weeks go when we make it a priority :) Every night we pray about where to tract and kinda narrow down to a couple of different streets. We felt prompted to go to a certain one and knocked a lot of doors. We didn't find any success and it was about time to go to our next appt. We knocked on one last door and a woman opened the door. She was exhausted because she had just moved in and couldn't lift anything because of her back problems. So we got to help her! I was so grateful for the opportunity to just... help someone on the spot! :) Did she become an investigator? Nah. But we got to help and that's all that matters :)

On Saturday, the Elders had a baptism and our investigator M. came to it! His wife, A., was at work so she wasn't able to come, but it was perfect. He turned to us and mentioned that he's been to lots of different baptisms for lots of churches, but on Saturday the person getting baptized wasn't just giving something, but he was receiving something, too. It was really cool :) Church on Sunday was perfect for them! Sometimes us missionaries hold our breath on testimony meeting Sundays because we never know what'll be said... but it was perfect! Tender mercy for sure :)

Yesterday we had another lesson with M. & A. and I love them :) They are sooooooo close! A. has the Gospel Library app on her phone and uses it all the time. He prefers the paperback copy. It's always a race between the two to see who can open up to the scripture faster :) The last few lessons that we've had in members' homes have been so good. We'll leave to go to our next appt or to get home on time and they've stayed talking with the members til like 10 or 10:30pm each time! Go fellowship! They're getting close. Sister Adorable and I know that they are one of the reasons that we're companions. We just connect with them real well :)

Life is good! I can't complain! I am so happy here. And I am so grateful every day for the people that the Lord has placed in my life. Sometimes I wonder why He loves me, but I never question that He does.

The church is true my friends!

~Sis Jacobs.

 I love the South in the fall! It's pretty. It's funny. This is pretty funny :)

The souvenir I got from biking on Tuesday :)

Oct. 6, 2014 - General Conference Comments

Quote of the week: "Sometimes we may be awkward..."

^^ Elder Bednar nailed it. But really though :P

Hey y'all! Can we just talk about General Conference for a minute?!

So good, right?! When Elder Bednar started speaking, I dunno if you thought, "Man. I wish our investigators were here!" But I know I wasn't! M. and A. were sitting right next to us and listening to every word. Those two are great :)

'Meet the Mormons' Movie is more of an informational thing than a proselyting opportunity, so we won't be going to see it in theaters after all! We got to watch it on Tuesday! So good. So very good. We laughed. We cried. I sure hope y'all are near a theater that is showing it! The Spirit is way strong. Especially in the last one. But I'm biased to the whole missionary thing... haha

My testimony is always strengthened when others try to tear it down. It doesn't happen a lot. But it does happen occasionally, and I'm grateful to stand up for what I have learned to be as truth.

Once again, conference was great. I got a lot of answers to questions I had, and a lot of answers to questions I didn't realize I had. Heavenly Father is cool like that :)

The church is true! And even when we're awkward, the Spirit still testifies, thank goodness! ;)

Love y'all!
~Sis Jacobs.

Sept. 29, 2014

Quote of the week: '1 Nephi 2:15 really stuck out to me . . . "

Aloha one and all! :)

Well. This week flew by.

M. and A. We missed them. A lot. Glad they're back in town :) They're doing really well! We've mapped out all the rest of the lessons they need to take and things and they're ready to do it! I just love them :) They're loving the Book of Mormon and have lots of questions. The quote of the week is actually from M. He was like, "that's such a random verse. Why did they put that in there?" And I was like, "Easy scripture mastery." Jokes. I didn't say that :) A. came to the General Women's Broadcast on Saturday! Was that not the best in the world? I think it was great! So A. is sandwiched between Sister Adorable and me and we kept leaning over to explain things at the same time, hah. It was funny :) It was a miracle! We asked her after it was over if she's receiving answers to her questions and she told us a cool story. The other day she was at work and a co-worker came up to her and told her that another co-worker commented on this new glow that A. has about her. "I didn't think anything of it until that talk about glowing. I've noticed the change inside of myself, but I didn't realize it's something that other people can see, too! Is that a sign?" Yes A., it is :) Miracle? yes. I believe so. :) The Spirit is real. Revelation is real. The Church is true, my friends! Surely it is :)

Our investigator C. is a rockstar! I don't even think we've talked about her. And by we I mean I. Hah. Go mission life. Anyway. She grew up in Arizona and she and her young family moved out here in May-ish. She was having a harder time finding friends than she thought, so her LDS friends in Arizona called up someone in the church and asked if we'd go by to let her know about the activities in the area. Well. That referral happened before I even got here. One of my previous companions, Sister Winegar, and I tried to meet her a million times. No luck. So then Sister Adorable got here and I was like, "heck, why not?" So we tried again and actually met her! She didn't really grow up with a religious background, but she knows that Christ is important and she wants to know how she can apply that in her life so her kids (4, 2 and 6 mos) can have that foundation. This last week she's been practicing prayer the way that we've taught her and she felt the spirit for the first time. She was lying in bed, half praying, half sleeping and she thought, "Are you really there? Do you really love me?" And an overwhelming warmth came over her whole body that she completely woke up and she said she almost felt silly for asking those questions, "Of course he loves me. Of course He's there." We had a really awesome conversation about listening to the Spirit. She's cool :)

I love it here. I look around this quiet library of people that I don't even know and I feel love. What on earth would ever give me such an opportunity to feel love? The calling of missionary. I am ever so grateful for it :)

Love y'all! Have a happy conference week! :) Prepare and I know you'll receive the instruction that you're seeking. 

~Sis Jacobs.