Knocking on Doors

Hello everyone!

It's been an action filled week! I met my first anti- Mormon, and got
threatened with a shotgun!

Now that I've made sure everyone's paying attention...no, it wasn't
quite that dramatic. Last Monday night we were knocking doors and we
met a guy who is really against the Church. Sounds like he's holding a
grudge for something that happened a long time ago, and he kept
mentioning Joseph Smith and Brigham Young (that, and the fact that we
don't have the gold plates were really all the arguments he
presented). The most interesting thing I noticed about him though was
the negative air that surrounded him. It just felt dark. And even
though he was grinning, he was very clearly not happy. Not just
because there were Mormons at his door, though I'm sure that was part
of it! It was deeper than that- there was darkness in his heart.

As for Mr. Shotgun, I went on exchanges for the first time on Tuesday
and we knocked on this guy' stood. He was nice until he saw the
name tags...... Thank goodness that's not my area. Basically he said if
we came on his property again, he'd get out his shotgun. It was less
scary than it could have been, but it left a bad taste for the rest of
the night.

There were more positive parts of the week than negative, thank
goodness. We had our first district meeting! It was canceled last week
for zone conference. There's three companionships - us, the Spanish
sisters, and our district leaders. We talked about a lot of good
stuff, and learned a lot. We went over the How To Begin Teaching
section in Preach My Gospel again, and role-played it.

We visit a lot of less active members as well. We had a cool
experience with one of them. We'd planned to teach on faith, but as we
were talking to her, both Sister Girot and I felt that we needed to
teach about scripture study. We still started with faith, but we
wrapped it around to scripture study and challenged her to read this
week. Before we left, she gave us these crocheted scripture cases!
They're really cute, and she said they were very durable too.

One of our new investigators has got to be one of the most interesting
people I've ever met. To give you an idea- we walked into his house,
and floor to ceiling, there were stacks of banana boxes. They were
filled with books and stuff, but we are still curious as to why they
are exclusively banana boxes...he is so ready for the Gospel though.
We taught the Plan of Salvation and he really liked it and liked how
it all made sense, even though he had some questions we weren't sure
how to answer.

As for tracting in Hazel Dell, it's been going fairly well. We've been
practicing making our door approaches more interesting and varied
instead of sticking to a routine. It's been helping a lot- we have
more conversations now with people. We found one new investigator-
she's 95! We've seen her twice and we're going back next week.

It's also been pretty smoky from all the fires north of us. This
summer has been unusually hot and dry for them- I still haven't really
seen any rain, and last Tuesday the temperature was just over 100
degrees. Even so, the longer I'm here, the more I love it. The trees
are definitely growing on me (pun intended) and the more I'm here, the
more I think I wouldn't mind living up here. Of course, I haven't seen
any real rain, so maybe that will change my mind. The trees and
flowers are all so beautiful, and it just helps me to have some peace
when I look at the forest, and the huge pines, and remind myself how
long they've been patiently growing in that same spot. They've seen so
much, and weathered many storms, and they grew so tall. That's a goal
of mine, to weather all my storms and grow stronger because of them.

This week has actually been really good for me in that sense. I've
been learning a lot about growing and about the Atonement and about
leaning on God. In my life I've always been afraid that messing up
means that somehow I am the worst person ever, and that I can't be
saved. But this week has been eye opening for me. For about two days,
every lesson and every topic and everything I studied was about hope.
About how the Atonement is a hopeful thing. We read Ether 12 with one
of our less actives, and verse 27 is all about how we need to use our
weaknesses to come unto Christ and He will make them into strengths.
Then we read 1 Nephi 1 with a recent convert, and in verse 14 it says
"because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto
thee that they shall perish!" It never says we have to be perfect or
that our mistakes make us irredeemable. In fact it's the opposite. All
we have to do is come unto Him. Okay, it's harder than it sounds, but
the point is that it doesn't matter how we've messed up as long as we
use that mistake as a way to come unto Him, to learn and change and
grow. It's okay to mess up, and we can be hopeful and positive about
it. We- well, I- don't have to beat ourselves up about our mistakes.
We will have regret and sorrow, but that doesn't mean we can't change.
We also read a conference talk from last April- "Latter Day Saints
Keep On Trying." I highly recommend reading it, including the
footnotes. I know in Gospel Library at least there's some really cool
points in there.

Anyway, being here is quite the adventure! I miss you all, and you are
always in my prayers.

Stay strong!
Sister Jacobs

Stepping Up

Hello!

This week has been pretty eventful! We got a lot done. Last Monday

night, we met with an investigator who is really wanting to get

baptized, but he's working on making a clean break with his church, so

he's not on date yet. He was really nice though. We taught the Ten

Commandments, with hand signs to help remember them! The hand signs

are something I've been learning since I got out here. They're pretty

fun! We had an appointment with a less active couple after that-

they're working towards the temple! Yay! We talked about the

Commandments with the as well, and I also felt like I needed to share

this one video- a Mormon Message called "The Savior Wants to Forgive."

Now I don't know anything about them, but they seemed like really good

people, so I was a little unsure about showing it. But I did, and I

think it touched their hearts, and maybe it's just something they

needed to hear. Who knows what will come of it!

On Tuesday for our exercise time, Sister Girot and I went for a walk

and we found blackberries growing on the side of the road! They run

rampant here. And those blackberries were delicious. It still amazes

me how green everything is, and how big the trees are. It's been

growing on me this week- trees are pretty great. I love the peaceful

feeling that I get from them. They've been growing for so many years,

against incredible odds, and some didn't make it. But some did, and

they stand so tall, and they're still growing. They just stand still

and do not move, no matter the winds or the rain.

We visited a potential investigator, Myra, as well. She was getting

ready for her daughter's birthday, and mentioned that there was a lot

of weeding to do, so we sort of talked her into letting us help. It

was a small backyard, and with three of us, it went pretty quickly.

She asked a lot of questions about missionaries, and what the Church

believes. She's pretty firm in her church though, but maybe someday.

She was impressed with the fact that we were willing to help out and

get nothing in return. Service is so important, and it's true that not

a lot of people will do things for free anymore. Service is a good way

to form relationships, because the they see that you care about them

and want to help them. So I hope Myra knows that we care about her!

We got a little lost on our way to dinner on Tuesday, and decided that

we were going to get a GPS. It turns out there are three 65th streets

out here, and none of them connect! But the other two are new tracting

areas, so it was okay. We found our way eventually. We had dinner with

Sister H and Brother B- I think that when they got

married, Sister H just kept her maiden name. They are the most

opposite couple I've ever seen, and it works for them. They're very

nice!

We also taught some younger boys- one is baptized, and the other is

working towards baptism. They were full of energy! It was hard to keep

them focused, so we tried to keep it interactive and easy to

understand.

On Wednesday, we had our training meeting to talk about a few rules

and to hear from President Taylor. I learned a lot of cool things from

him. He said that by being here, we are fulfilling a promise we made

in the premortal life. He also asked how wide the strait and narrow

path is - wide enough for Gethsemane.

On Thursday, we were in meetings for a majority of the day. We had

our zone meeting in the morning, and talked about our goals, and then

we drove out to the Vancouver Stake Center to meet with an iPad

specialist from SLC. He just wanted to know how it was going and what

could be improved. We finally were able to get back to work at 3,

starting with an appointment at the R's. With them, we were

talking about enduring to the end, and I felt the need to share D&C

8:2-3, which talks about how the Holy Ghost speaks to us- when our

mind and heart are in unison then we are doing what is right. I know

in the past, when I've done wrong things, I can think back and

recognize that my heart and mind were disagreeing, which created

confusion. That discussion went an interesting direction after that-

they started talking about why they don't make it to our ward on

Sundays, even though we never brought that up. That wasn't even what

the lesson was on! So perhaps they'll be inspired to know what to move

around so that they can make it to church.

I had a thought some time on Thursday about how we need to trust the

Lord and let Him direct us. He can take care of both us and our loved

ones better than we ever could on our own. It's like we're all in a

museum and there's this huge painting, and we're all standing so close

to the canvas that our noses almost touch it. We can only see a few

brushstrokes. But the Master, the painter, He stands back and He is

the one that can see the whole canvas, and He can see that we are the

painting, or that the painting is of us, His children. He knows what

we need better than we do.

We had a wonderful appointment with the J family as well. When we

arrived, Sister J was reading her scriptures, so we thought it

would be better to read with the who,e family, and forego the lesson.

So we read a chapter in Ether. It was amazing to see the effect it had

on the family. At first, they were hanging back a little, and Charlie

was just standing off to the side. But as we went on, they all got

more involved. We stopped every couple verses to explain what was

going on, and they got more and more into the discussion. They applied

it to our day. The scriptures have so much power. Reading them

together brings people together. The scriptures do so much more than

counsel us. They comfort us, and they brought the Jones closer

together, and closer to God.

We've done a lot of tracting this week! Though we did get two

potential investigators out of it. It's mostly just hot, and

sometimes, people are less than polite. But the two we might be going

back to see were awesome! And last night, we ran into an inactive

member. He was pretty funny and I hope he comes to church on Sunday.

We also had a service project, helping a sweet old Russian couple

move. Their grandson is the one who actually called us to help (and a

set of elders) and he's going on his mission soon to.......Fresno

California! So I felt very confident in telling him he will have a

wonderful mission, since the people I know who served there have said

only great things about it.

On Saturday our appointments all fell through so we did some more

tracting, and that night just before the ward activity that we

attended, we got a referral for a new investigator. Sister Girot and

I both agree that we were able to receive that because we were being

obedient and working hard, even when it would have been easy to do

nothing. Then on Sunday we fasted for baptisms, and that afternoon we

set up one appoint,met with a potential investigator over the phone!

Then we went out to an appointment with someone new, and met Stephanie

on the steps near those apartments (hence the subject of this email)

and she seems so ready! She's looking for a church, and trying to find

peace for her and her kids, so we set up an appointment and left her

with a Book of Mormon. I really hope she reads it, because if she does

she definitely will feel the Spirit.

Anyway, I won't make this email any longer- it's already approaching

novel length! But this week has been awesome, and I've been feeling

the Spirit more and more. Our lessons have been getting better as we

work on teaching with unity and by the Spirit, and we've been working

on door approaches as well! Missionary work is not easy, and at times

seems crazy, but it is absolutely worth it and this gospel is

absolutely true.

Stay strong!

Sister Jacobs

PS Send pictures! Missionaries love pictures!

Forest for the Trees. Sister Jacobs is in Vancouver!

Sorry about the resend, for those of you who got it- we've got iPads
here, and I'm still getting used to the system. But they are an
amazing tool for us, definitely. No more big bags full of books! It's
nearly all electronic- the scriptures, the planner, the
pamphlets...it's pretty great. Definitely makes things easier!

Anyway, this is my first email in a week and a half, so there's a lot
to cover. The day after p-day, we had an In-Field orientation. That
helped quite a bit, I thought. We talked a lot about how to approach
people on the street and about working with members. The teachers even
put on a little play- I couldn't tell if it was actually funny or if
I've just adjusted over to missionary humor. But there were some great
moments.

The next few days were pretty normal. I did receive half a dozen
cupcakes- thank you Ashley!- and they were delicious. Our room just
had so much junk food we didn't know what to do with it. I don't
remember whether or not I mentioned the four pounds of brownies that
Sister Carter received, but we did manage to finish those as well.

I had my first Fast Sunday at the MTC as well (17 left!) and it was
pretty amazing. Two of the elders fro my district did a musical number
in sacrament meeting- a duet of "I Need Thee Every Hour." It really
brought the Spirit into our meeting. And Sheri Dew spoke at our Sunday
night devotional! She talked a lot about how all people have access to
priesthood power, even though only men hold the keys. She said that
our access is proportionate to how well we keep the covenants we have
made.

We flew out of the fifth- and reported to the travel office at 3:30
am. We got to call our families from the airport, and talk to them a
little, which was really nice! I had a burger for breakfast at the
airport, since we hadn't had a chance to get food before that. We met
President and Sister Taylor at the airport. They're really awesome and
I'm excited to work with them. We went to the mission offices to get
our iPads and learn about a few logistical things, and then we all
went out on exchanges. The thing I noticed most is the trees. They're
everywhere, and they're huge! And there are so many kinds too. I miss
being able to see the sky like we've got in Colorado, but at least
it's trees and not buildings! Anyway, for exchanges, I went with two
other sisters to an appointment with a lady named Donna. She was very
sweet. We talked about the Plan of Salvation and she really opened up.
We sang a hymn and just talked to her about the gospel. It was so
wonderful. That night, the five sisters slept in the mission home, and
I think the elders went to a motel.

The next morning we had our transfer meeting! I'm assigned to the
Hazel Dell ward, and my companion is Sister Girot. She's from Utah and
she just finished her own training. She's super cute and I love
working with her. There will be pictures! The funny thing is that I'm
actually the designated driver, because I have more experience. So
we've been having fun finding our way around- I look at a map before
we leave and she navigates based on landmarks, shops and things. We've
gotten a bit lost, but we're getting the hang of things now! The trees
don't help with that.....they're gorgeous, but they like to hide the
road signs!

Our first appointment was with Mallory- they'd set it up before I
came, and it was pretty fun. She'd actually made us cookies! We taught
her the Restoration (well it was mostly Sister Girot. But I'm starting
to speak up more now that I've learned the ropes!) and left her with a
Book of Mormon. We thought for sure she was ready to hear the Gospel,
but we got a call from her yesterday and I guess she and her husband
are going to a different church. That was pretty sad. We're going to
call her back at some point today (since we only got a voicemail) just
to ask what changed her mind, and to let her know that we're always
here to help out.

We had dinner at the Trumbos' house! They really spoil the
missionaries. There was steak and yams and salad, and ice cream for
dessert. And they absolutely wouldn't let us help clean up! They're
very nice. We went back Saturday and helped them paint a wall in their
backyard. Sister Trumbo says that whenever we come to do service, she
takes pictures and texts them to our parents, and that's what she did!
They sent us home with a box of donuts, and when they found out we
didn't have a dinner appointment, they invited us to come out for
Chinese food. It was really good too. They're a really great couple,
but unfortunately they're moving to Utah soon! Most of their stuff is
already there. One of the other members of our ward also brought us
Costa Vida one night! It's out of our area so we can't go get it for
ourselves.

Anyway, as far as the next few days go, we had a lot of appointments
with less active members, and investigators. We're teaching an eight
year old who is really cute. His dad won't let him get baptized
though. Everyone has been really nice so far. We've done quite a bit
of tracting too. In the future, I think we'll try and get more
referrals as well, especially once we know the area better. Yesterday,
we tried to find an old referral, got lost, and accidentally left our
area! But we turned around right away and the made sure we let our
district leaders know. Next time, we're going to bring a better set of
directions for sure. That's a lesson learned! As for results from
tracting, we didn't have too much success until yesterday- we found
two people who were interested! So we're going back to see one of them
on Saturday, and the second wanted to come to church first. I'm really
praying that it goes well and that they'll be protected from Satan's
influence in the intervening days. Also last night we ran into a
family of inactive members and they told us to come visit! It was a
cool experience.

As for where we're living, we're with Sister Vincent. She's really
cool, and very much into saving money. Apparently it costs a lot to
have garbage picked up, so we try and create as little trash as
possible. She also does something cool that I never knew before- she
keeps a tiny bowl of coffee grounds in the microwave to absorb odors
and flavors and such. And when she replaces it and pours the old ones
in the garbage, they help that to stink less as well. It's pretty
cool.

The people are great out here, and I know I'm in the right place. I've
felt good and comfortable since I arrived, and I know that's the Lord
telling me this is where I'm supposed to be. The Spirit is definitely
here, and it will only get stronger as I adjust to this new lifestyle
and new place (the humidity is definitely going to take some time). I
love you all and hope everything is going well!

Sister Jacobs

First Service Hours

A kind member of Sister Jacobs' new ward texted these pictures to us from service and the "blessings" of service!  Looking good!

Arrived!

Dear Missionary Family,

We are delighted to inform you that your missionary has arrived safely to the Washington Vancouver Mission.  We already love them and are excited to serve with them.  We have enjoyed becoming acquainted with them and are confident that they will become an effective instrument in the hands of the Lord in sharing the gospel with the people of Washington and Oregon.

We have assigned them a companion who is an experienced, devoted, and motivated missionary.  All of our missionaries understand that one of the greatest privileges available in the mission is to train a new missionary.  This first companion will be a special person to your missionary’s life and will help give them a great start here.

We feel that our greatest responsibility is the care and welfare of your child.  We want to assure you that we will be in close contact with them.  We will be observant of their physical health, happiness, and spiritual well being.  We will work closely with them throughout the mission to help them succeed and fulfill their calling as a representative of the Church and as an ambassador of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Please be assured that we will be in contact with you if we ever encounter any concerns that would call for your attention.  We see you as a great asset to the success of your child while serving in the mission field and will work closely with you if the need arises.

Thank you for the sacrifices you are making at home to have your missionary in the field.  We have seen the Lord bless the families of missionaries who are serving in untold ways.  We know that his blessing will be upon you as well.

Attached are photographs of your missionary taken with us at the welcome dinner at the mission home. 

Please feel free to contact us at the mission office with any questions that you may have.

With love,

President and Sister Taylor

Washington Vancouver Mission

Learning Lots

From a snail mail received on August 1, 2015

Everything is going well here!  I am slowly adjusting to the busy schedule.  There is something to do just about every minute of the day!  And since a lot of it is inside, both Sister Carter and I have been a little starved for sunshine.  Our district is great--we all get along well, and we're able to mess around and talk, but still focus when we need to.

Slowly, I am coming to see the Spirit more in my life, and I'm also learning how to have more effective study and prayer.  One of the hardest parts for Sister Carter and I is separating the actions of personal study from companion study.  I've also been learning some humility and how to follow someone else's lead; since Sister Carter is the senior companion.  I have so much trouble not taking over and leading study time, but I know I can learn to follow her lead or the Lord would not have put me in this situation.

One of the most interesting things I've observed about the elders in my district is they way each companionship complements one another.  It's fascinating to watch them learn and grow, and I can only strive and hope that Sister Carter and I are doing the same thing.

So far, I haven't run into too many people that I knew from before.  I have seen a couple familiar faces, from classes and such.  One elder, I met during LSH, and it's Elder Shaner, I believe.  I have a hard time with not just using his first name--it might be a little weird if I accidentally do, because I'd say "Elder Jacob..."  Too close to my name!

It's been great having Sister Haire down the hall.  I did take pictures with her and she gave us a lot of good advice!  Anyway, I think I'll stick to one page for now.  Love you all!

Sister Jacobs