The First Week! WOW!

Hey! 

It's been such a great week so far. So much has happened. My companion is awesome- her name is Sister Carter, and she's a redhead! We've had so much fun. The MTC is wonderful- the Spirit is everywhere. We have about 6 hours in class each day, and I feel like I've learned a lot. It feels like everything I thought I knew about missionary work just got tossed out a window!

 But it really is wonderful. Sister Carter and I share our room with another pair of sisters from our neighboring district- Sister Shutt and Sister Robinson. They are so wonderful, and we have so much fun! (They're the ones in the picture where we're all jumping).

 And I was in the same hallway as Sister Haire! So she was one of the first people I saw at the MTC. It was good to talk to her, and get some advice. And Elder Ludlow comes into the MTC today, so I'll have to get a picture.

The MTC has a 6am exercise class for sisters, and Sister Carter and I went almost every day last week! We haven't gone the past couple days, though, partly because we were tired, and partly because I've got a little bit of a head cold. It's really fun- they do something different each day. And we also have gym time in the afternoons, so I like to ride the bikes or do the ellipticals while Sister Carter does weights and whatnot. 

Oh! Sister Carter knows ASL! She actually wants to be an ASL interpreter, which is awesome. So sometimes we just sign at each other. Elder Bradford, in our district likes to make fun of us for it. We think he's just jealous though.

My district is so great. It's weird to think that the elders are all younger than I am, especially in our district, because they're so mature. It's really cool to see them speak and bring the Spirit. Our class actually has a one-way window. We do roleplays with our teacher acting as a progressing investigator, and so we've gotten to watch them teach discussions through that window, which is so helpful. Roleplaying is amazingly helpful. As for our district, they're great. There's ten of us, four sets of elders, and Sister Carter and me. Six of us are going to Vancouver, and the other four are off to the Tacoma mission. Our sister trainer leaders actually told us that they think our districts were together in the premortal existence, and the longer I'm here, the more I believe it!

We've taught quite a few discussions now. Bill (the one our teacher role-plays as) just committed to baptism! But he's living with his girlfriend who's got cancer, and he's her full-time caretaker, and if they get married, they'll lose her healthcare. That will be the biggest obstacle, but we've just got to trust in the Spirit! And we've just started teaching Alex- our second lesson is this evening. They have a volunteer system for this one, and we don't know whether they're members or not, but they are role-playing. Last time we were nervous, so it didn't go as well as we'd have liked. This time, we're hoping to better invite the Spirit and let that do the talking instead of us just dumping information. As our teachers like to say, it's about the picture of Christ, not the frame that it's placed in. 

I had the most amazing experience Sunday! I'd just been feeling overwhelmed and had been praying to feel God's love. Sister Carter and I went to choir practice, and the choir was singing A Child's Prayer. And then the director, Brother Egget (?) talked about just that- how God loves us so much, even though the universe is so huge and he takes care of all of it- he has time for us as well. And then we went straight to the Sunday devotional and the speaker had everyone who was nervous or had doubts about having come on a mission stand up- and just about everyone in the room did. That's about 2000 missionaries, all of them feeling as overwhelmed as I was. It was a huge comfort. Afterwards, we saw The Character of Christ- a talk Elder Bednar gave at the MTC sometime before the age change. They only show it at the MTC, nowhere else. It was so good. I got exactly the counsel I needed- to turn outwards to others rather than inwards towards myself. 

It's been so great. I hope I'm not forgetting anything! There will be a sequel email to this with more pictures. And thanks for the package and the letters from my family and friends! My roomates and I loved the Oreos so much- there's a picture of how sad we were when they were gone (it took us maybe 24 hours to eat them all....). But don't worry that we're short on treats! Sister Carter just got a 4.05lb package of fudge brownies from her boyfriend (don't ask me how he did it, he's in the Mexico MTC right now- but we're glad he did) and we've got vending machines! 

The MTC store has a great discount, so I went ahead and bought myself new scriptures, which I highly recommend. Trying to have investigators read out of the scriptures I've had since I was 8 just didn't feel professional. So- for my family- send the kids with a little money, it's a 40% discount! I just got a soft cover set, like they have in chapel libraries, but they have the really nice leather ones here too. I kind of wish I'd just got really nice ones. 

Anyway, to make sure I don't run out of time, I'm going to stop here. The next time you hear from me, I'll be in Vancouver!!

Love you all!
Sister Jacobs

I made it safely here!

July 23, 2015 (sent by snail mail)

Dear Family & Friends,

They keep telling me to write and tell you I made it here safely, but I think you know that since you dropped me off!  It's pretty crazy around here.  My companion is Sister Carter--she's a gorgeous redhead.  Everyone is so nice and seems to get along very well.  Already, we're prepping to teach investigators.  It's mostly role playing.  The oddest part for me is the lack of a defined lesson plan.  I'll have to adjust to that, but as we learn to be guided by the Spirit, I know that method will be better.

We did some role playing in our districts today during our additional study time.  Sister Carter and I visited a gay, atheist couple brilliantly portrayed by Elder Alvarez and Elder Johnson.  One was a professor of theology at the U and the other was a science major.  We managed to leave them with a Book of Mormon and one, the professor, said he would read from it and we could come again.  I know it was a role play, but I still feel like it helped me a lot.

We met our Branch Presidency tonight.  They are so sweet and their wives are just the cutest, nicest ladies.  Oh, and as it so happens, I am actually living two doors down from Kacee!  Well, actually Sister Haire.  It's been great to see her, if only briefly.

The food is great!  It is like the Cannon Center, but with less stations and more tables.  There is about 2000 missionaries here.  I guess we're the biggest batch this summer!  About 700 of us reported on the same day!

Anyway, I have got to leave some stuff to tell in my e-mail.  My P-day is Wednesday and they will also let me e-mail when I get to Washington, I think, so you know I made it safely.

Hope to hear from you soon!

Love,

Sister Jacobs

Chili Cheese Dogs, Cats, And Investigator Discussions

At about 3:30pm yesterday, the sister missionaries picked me up to go visit some investigators with them. We started out by going to Sarah's house. I was pretty nervous, but it was actually very interesting. Sarah lives alone and loves to talk. She had a lot of really cool stories. I didn't talk much, but it was nice to sit and listen and watch the sisters teach. 

The second investigator we visited was Jacinya. She made us dinner- chili cheese dogs and fries. We talked with her and her husband for a while about just normal stuff, and then moved into the lesson, which was eternal marriage. Her husband is a member of the church. They are both wonderful people. The hardest thing to get around is that Jacinya doesn't want to pray to know if the gospel is true until she feels ready. The only issue is, that could be never. When we were talking with her, it got to the point where there wasn't much left to say, and I felt the need to talk about taking a leap of faith. I compared it to me going on my mission- I'm more scared to go than I'll ever admit and I still have doubts about going. But, at the core, I know that these are surface fears, that God wants me to go and serve and that he will prepare me on the way. So even though I've been afraid and unsure throughout this whole process, I've also been hopeful and willing to serve the Lord. I don't know if that will have an impact on her, but it seems like she's just scared to move forward and leave behind the things that she's known for her whole life in the Catholic church. It was easy to see how much she loves her church, and how much she loves God. 

Anyway, both houses had cats and it's cottonwood season as well, so my sniffles have been going crazy. That made the discussions a little weird for me since I was pulling tissues from my purse every couple minutes. Jacinya's cat is a beautiful gray one named Laryl. The problem is, I love cats even though I'm allergic to them. It's very sad. 

Four days to the MTC!

My Call

I received my mission call about one month ago. Since then, I have been preparing and studying as the day grows closer. Now, a week and a half away, I've set up this blog in order to share my letters as I send them. Only 9 days until I report to the MTC!