Three for Three

Hello!

I'll start with the exciting news. Transfers are almost upon us again
and so we got our transfer letters on Friday. And....Sister Forsyth is
being transferred! So I get to stay here, but I'm getting a new
companion. The joke is that no one can put up with me for more than
six weeks, but in truth, it's just what the Lord wants. I feel like
I've learned so much in the past twelve weeks and I'm excited to keep
growing! Sister Forsyth is going to the YSA Ward and she's going to be
an STL (sister training leader). She's actually still in our stake and
in our district, so she's not going very far! Her ward even meets in
the same building! My new companion will be Sister Slattery. Sister
Forsyth actually trained her, back when she was a new missionary, so
I've gotten to hear a bit about her and she sounds awesome! Oh, and
they're giving our car to another area that needs it more, so we'll be
walking/biking/begging for rides. It will be an adventure.

Besides that, this week has been a little odd. We've had more
appointments fall through than ever before. But we also had some cool
things happen. We were able to put someone new on date for baptism!
Her name is I, and she's younger. Her mom is a member but her
dad isn't and she and her brother been taking the lessons for a long
time. It's hard to commit them to come to church since both of them
are young, and there's no parental support- dad goes to another church
and mom works. Hopefully she'll pull through though! They live two
seconds from the church, so it's not too bad.

We also were able to get into contact with L, who we haven't seen
in a few weeks because they had to go out of town. We had a great
visit with her, and she was really excited for church and the trunk or
treat! She didn't end up getting to come because her daughter got a
fever. But we'll keep reaching out!

O is doing well! He missed our lesson on Wednesday, and we
couldn't get in touch with him, but we stopped by on Saturday night
and ended up getting to have a really good lesson for him and his
boys. He is so ready for the gospel and he really wants it for his
whole family. He's been encouraging us to meet his wife so we're going
to drop by again this week and see if we can catch her! She might need
Spanish missionaries though...as much as I want to teach them, we have
to do what's best for them. But we'll wait and see, I guess! Saturday
night was actually really interesting. We had an appointment with
B the car guy. So we went and they let us in.....and then they
dropped us. They didn't want to commit to anything or convert to one
church or the other. That was kind of sad. But it was interesting to
see the contrast between them and O- one unwilling to commit,
not opening up, and the other, totally humble and ready, and wanting
to have his whole family take part.

Anyway, that's sort of a brief rundown of the really interesting
things that are happening! It feels like I've been here forever, and
yet it's hard to believe it's been nearly three months. Time does fly
by! We've got some exciting plans for the next week, beginning with
pumpkin carving for P-day today!

I love you all! Stay close to the Spirit and remember to rely on Him,
and everything will fall into place. He has a plan and He knows what
you need to do. The greatest thing I think I've learned this week is
that if I act, even if I have no idea what to say, God will make up
the difference. As long as I am worthy to have the Spirit, loving the
people, and doing my best, He will provide! The promise in the
scriptures is real! Have a great week! And Happy Halloween!

Sister Jacobs

Thru Trials, Tests, and Triumphs

Hello all!

This week has been really great. We've gotten quite a lot done! We've
been so busy, there's not time for much else. It feels like as the
weeks go by, our schedule gets more and more full.

We put two people on date for baptism this week! The first was B-
she is really amazing. Her husband is a member and they just had a
little baby boy. She already has a testimony, and she and her mother
in law talk so much about the gospel that there's not much for us to
do! We're just along for the ride! She's getting baptized in November.
The second person is O!! We were getting worried because we
hadn't been able to get in touch with him for over a week. He was
really busy and had to cancel and reschedule a few times, and then we
didn't hear from him. So we were going to our appointment (they live
kitty-corner from his cul de sac) and we ran into this random guy and
started talking to him. He'd actually met some other missionaries that
day (I've got a funny story about that for later). So we were talking
to him, and just as we finished, O drove up to the corner! We
were afraid he was going to drive away, but he pulled over and waited
for us, so we got to talk to him and set up another appointment! It
was definitely a miracle. And the lesson was amazing. The members we
took really hit it off with him, and they're both returned
missionaries. We talked about the plan of salvation, and we got him a
date for baptism! He really wants this for his family too and he told
us probably 10 or 12 times to stop by during the day to meet his wife!
She's Catholic, but he says she has some misconceptions about our
faith. So we're taking the same members over to meet her sometime this
week.

We got to do a lot of service as well! We helped an older sister in
the ward rake her leaves- there were a lot! We got pictures too. She
gave us copies of paintings that she's done, just because she's nice!
Bishop has one of her paintings in his office too- she's really good,
and very sweet.

Our miracle day was Wednesday- Sister Forsyth felt like we needed to
go over by the church so we did, and just walked around talking to
people. We found four new investigators! We met two people from Chukke
(a small island in the Cook Islands- it's a US territory and the
Church is big there) and they were really open! Then we had our first
lesson with Br, the custom car guy, and it went really well! We
took the elders quorum president with us- hey both served in the
military, and we just figured they'd get along well! And we were
right! We taught the Restoration, and now Br's wife is interested
in learning more as well! They are going to read this week! It's
pretty amazing how the Spirit works! Br said over and over again,
"it's amazing that I let you in" "it's amazing that we invited you
back" and "no one else has ever gotten this far." The Spirit is
definitely opening his heart to the gospel!

We had an investigator come to a Relief Society activity as well-
C- and she loved it! The Relief Society really was good at
reaching out to her, and it was fun, and a sister talked about how to
stay strong in the gospel in the last days, and not be a "bystander."
She got to meet Bishop, which was really good. Hopefully she can start
coming to church in November! She is a lot of fun, and she has so much
faith.

Oh, and the funny story! So....bit of background. A lot of the elders
like to tuck their iPads into their waistbands (don't ask me why). So
the guy we were talking to said that these two clean-cut young men in
suits started walking up to him while reaching for something tucked in
the back of their pants.....he thought they might be drawing a gun on
him! We told the zone leaders about it later (we think it might have
been them- they are the most tall, really, in our zone) and they
thought it was pretty funny.

This week has been a bit interesting- even though we've had so many
miracles, and it's been so great, I've been feeling a bit stressed and
worried, feeling like I need to be a better missionary. I've been
trying to figure out what I can do, not only to stave off feelings of
self- doubt, but also to become better. I have spent a lot of time
praying and studying, and the answer I've gotten is just to keep
pressing on, just keep going. I have improved from where I used to be-
that's for sure.  I'm still learning how to rely on the Spirit and to
listen while still working hard and being energetic and happy. My
ponderizing scripture for this past week (I think I mentioned it in my
last email) was Alma 26:27, part of which says "Go amongst thy
brethren...and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give
unto you success." So my answer was I need to go out and try to be the
best I can and trust God to make up for the rest, because I am far
from perfect in every way. It's been interesting to look back on the
week and see all the good we have done and realize that even if I
didn't always feel good, the Spirit does cover the difference. I'm
learning to take things one day and one step at a time! It says the
same thing in the hymn "As Zion's Youth in Latter Days":

Thru test and trial we'll have our fears
But we will not despair.
We're here to serve a righteous cause;
Truth gives us strength to dare.
We'll love and learn and overcome;
We'll sing a joyful song,
As Zion's youth in latter days,
Triumphant, pure, and strong!

I love you all! You are always in my prayers, and I know that God will
take care of you and help you even though right now I can't be there.
He is the one we must strive to be close to always!

Sister Jacobs

It seems like it's only been three days!

Hello all!

This week has just flown by. It feels like just three days ago, I was sitting here writing out the last email, and yet somehow it's been longer. It's hard to believe I've been out for over two months! Which isn't very long, but it feels like quite the landmark.

We have had an awesome week. We met with a lot of people that we've been trying to meet with, mostly less active members, and a few investigators. We met with one twice this week! Her name is Crystal, and she is pretty amazing. She has such a strong faith in Christ, and is willing to go wherever he leads her. She has been meeting with missionaries for a while, but she seems to be really prepared and in a good place in her life to truly accept the gospel. We also met this awesome guy named Brian (featured in the pictures that I will actually remember to attach this week...) that does custom cars. Originally, he wasn't interested at all, but we just talked to him and showed interest in his life and what he was doing (because it was way cool) and he really opened up. He's had experiences with other people being more pushy that really made him not want to listen, but since we were there for him as a person, he invited us to come back and tell him more! The Spirit definitely touched his heart. And it is always good to not be pushy! We can't force anyone to accept the gospel, we can only invite and show them the fruits that it brings.

We went on exchanges this week, which was super exciting! The sister trainer leaders used to be over this area, so Sister Singleton (who came here with me) was really excited. Bailey, one of our investigators, just had her baby on the first and so we dropped by and Sister Singleton got to meet him! We had an awesome day. We were able to meet with a lot of people and really to work hard, and meet one or two people that we've been trying to get in with! The Mountain View ward is amazing.

We also started doing Meals on Wheels this week! It's something Sister Forsyth did in her old areas that she loved. We're going to go every week! It's a lot of fun. The people are great, and it reminds me a lot of my job at BYU, so I feel right at home! And we get to help people, which is the best part.

We had a cool meeting on Sunday night! There is a baptism temple trip in December for all the recent converts and returning members in the ward, and we thought it would be great to start them preparing now. So we're having a few meetings in between now and December! Last night was the "orientation." A member of the bishopric went over the recommend interview questions and we talked about each of them. We went over the nuts and bolts of the process- what door they'll walk in, what they'll wear, what it might look like, etc. Those of us who have gone to the temple before bore our testimonies, and they got to ask us questions. It was really a,axing how the Spirit was there, and I really could envision all of them going to the temple, not only to do baptisms but to someday receive their endowments! They are amazing people and I'm so excited for them.

Yesterday we had a cool experience. We were leaving the house after our "lunch" time (we took a short nap) and we were wondering who to visit. Well a name just sort of came to me, and it felt rig, even though we hadn't talked about visiting that person today. She's so,some we've been trying to see, but she hasn't been home yet. Anyway, she lives maybe two blocks from us so it wasn't a big deal to drop by. And she was there! She was actually just leaving to pick up her kids, but she said we could come back. So she left and we walked across the street to talk to some neighbors who were outside! Well, they know some members of our ward already because their kids went to school together. Anyway, we have a return appointment in two weeks with them! (What makes that even greater is that a week or two ago, we were knocking some doors on that street and we skipped that house because they had a pretty straightforward "no soliciting, we've found religion, or refrigerator works" sort of sign on their porch) Anyway, so we said goodbye, and Lo and behold, the person we'd originally come to visit was already home again! So we wet to talk to her! We had a great conversation with her- she has met missionaries before and has Mormons as in-laws (who regularly send her missionaries) and she seemed excited to come to church and ward activities! We can't meet with her until November because of crazy life stuff going on. And as we were talking, some members of our ward were out walking their dog and saw us, so we introduced them! It was a really cool afternoon!

There were a few other little cool things that happened this week:
- we met a sister in our ward who served a mission in Anaheim CA! It was the year after they stopped allowing the missionaries to visit Disneyland
- as we were walking outside one day, a little boy ran up to Sister Forsyth and gave her a little flower and said "here you go, you're beautiful." It was so cute!
- Sister Forsyth also made up a song! Which she now regrets because I keep singing it. It's like "You Are My Sunshine" except the lyrics start with "We know you're home, we know you're home! Won't you please come and answer the door?" Who says missionary work isn't fun?
- we have had Mexican food three or four times this week. We had Costa Vida on Monday, Muchas Gracias on Wednesday, and Taco Bell on Thursday. And we have leftovers!

As far as the spiritual side of things goes, I had a cool experience this morning that I want to share. So I've been kind of tense lately, and worried about who knows what. Anyway, I prayed last night and asked "what lack I yet?" like they said in General Conference. The answer I got was  "patience." I thought that was funny, because I'm not really impatient, at least with people, usually! But I followed the prompting and turned to the "patience" section in Preach My Gospel chapter 6 this morning. It was exactly what I needed. The section is really short, so I'll copy and paste it:

"Patience is the capacity to endure delay, trouble, opposition, or suffering without becoming angry, frustrated, or anxious. It is the ability to do God’s will and accept His timing. When you are patient, you hold up under pressure and are able to face adversity calmly and hopefully. Patience is related to hope and faith--you must wait for the Lord’s promised blessings to be fulfilled.

You need patience in your everyday experiences and relationships, especially with your companion. You must be patient with all people, yourself included, as you work to overcome faults and weaknesses."

The part about not becoming anxious really hit home, because that's what I've been is anxious! And the part about accepting God's timing, and facing hard things calmly and hopefully. Below it was a reference to Alma 26 which has been one of my favorite chapters as a missionary. In it, I found some scriptures that hit me like a ton of bricks, in a spiritual sense. The first, verse 27, has become my "ponderizing" scripture of the week. It says:

 "Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success."

Now, for those of you that don't know the Book of Mormon like the back of your hand, Ammon was one of the greatest missionaries. He converted an entire nation to the Gospel. He is the one speaking in this verse- meaning, he faced hard times and anxiety, and homesickness, and he almost gave up! But he didn't. And the last sentence, "bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success" felt like it was spoken directly to me. As I finished the chapter, I read verse 36, which says:

"Now if this is boasting, even so will I boast; for this is my life and my light, my joy and my salvation, and my redemption from everlasting wo. Yea, blessed is the name of my God, who has been mindful of this people, who are a branch of the tree of Israel, and has been lost from its body in a strange land; yea, I say, blessed be the name of my God, who has been mindful of us, wanderers in a strange land."

Ammon endured so much during his mission, and he was gone much longer than 18 months. Yet this is how he felt at the end of that time. Sometimes I feel like a wanderer in a strange land- this is a new place, with a new culture! And yet God is mindful of me. He is mindful enough to tell me what I can do to be better, to feel better. And that is part of what I fasted and prayed for yesterday.

The moral of this story is that things get hard! Sometimes we lose that small voice in the pace of everyday, or in worrying about what is to come. But Hod is mindful of us, enough to tell us what we can do to improve, and enough to bring me peace this morning. He knows you and what you need. Even in hard times, we must be patient and rely on His timing- and that is my goal for this week!

I love you all! Stay safe, and stay close to your Father in Heaven!
Sister Jacobs

Changing Colors

Hello all! Hopefully your week has been amazing! Ours certainly has.
General Conference is the closest we get to vacation as missionaries-
that and Halloween!

We had a lot of fun this week, meeting people and knocking doors! We
had some really good lessons. The best by far was with O. We
knocked on his apartment door a few days ago, and he was totally
receptive. We set up a return appointment. His wife didn't really want
to learn more though, but since he did, we met at the church and
taught the Restoration. We watched the twenty minute Joseph Smith
video and it was easy to tell that he was feeling the Spirit! He had
so many great questions. We invited him to be baptized and he said
yes! We're hopeful to set a date next time we see him! He actually
borrowed the Joseph Smith DVD to show his wife to see if she would
like it and want to learn more.

We met with a lot of recent converts and less active members and
they're all doing pretty well. Some of them are still struggling with
stuff. Bishop asked us to visit a family so we went by and set up a
time with them. The wife and kids are inactive, but the husband still
goes to church. We got there and met with him and he said that he just
learned recently that his wife had never actually had a testimony,
after forty years of marriage. So his advice to us was to make sure
whoever we marry has a testimony. He looked like he was really going
through a hard time, but as we talked it was clear his testimony will
not be shaken. Maybe his wife will see his example and someday want
that for herself.

That was actually the second person we talked to who hadn't ever
really had a testimony. The first was a family, only two of which are
members. She really had a lot of anger towards the church because I
guess a lot of members are "hypocritical" in her eyes. She told us she
took her kids to some activities and sat alone on the sides and no one
reached out to her at all. Now while I do not deny those members
should have reached out, I think part of the problem was that she did
not reach out either. And especially out on my mission, I've really
been gaining a testimony of the Sabbath Day and our need to observe
it. We don't go for the people. We don't go because we're supposed to.
We go to renew our covenants and be spiritually uplifted in
preparation for the coming week, and not a lot of people understand
that. She had just held on to this anger for so long that she was not
willing to listen. It was really heartbreaking to me, because I felt a
little like she did when I was younger, that no one reached out. But
as I've gotten older, I've realized that it was because I needed to
reach out first and then I found I was welcomed with open arms. People
are not perfect, but we do our best. She did not want to hear anything
though.

We met a lot of good people as well! I just realized it sounds like a
depressing week. Overall, it really wasn't. We were able to meet
Daniel, a pastor with a wonderful testimony and knowledge of the
scriptures. He asked a lot of really good questions, about prophets,
and mostly about why we have "more scripture" with he Book of Mormon,
and also why we celebrate the Sabbath in Sunday and where is that in
the scriptures (which I don't actually know but we were able to bear
testimony and leave him with a Book of Mormon and an invitation to
read and to check out General Conference).

We also were able to finally meet B, our one progressing
investigator! She just had a baby! We met him in between the Saturday
sessions of Conference. He is such a sweet baby and she is so amazing
and fun! We are waiting to teach her until she recuperates a bit, but
she is definitely ready. She wants it for herself and her son. Her
husband is already a member. It's really exciting!

We met with the T family again and they had some great questions
about the temple so we talked to them about that. They are definitely
doing great! We watched a video of the marching band that the kids are
in (marching band is bigger than football out here- it's pretty much
all we hear about) and they're really good!

As for the reason behind the title of my email, it's partly due to
seasons and partly because I had a realization- either I'm constantly
sunburned, or I actually have a little bit of a tan! That will go away
come winter though- we're just waiting for the clouds to roll in. The
leaves are stunning. I don't know if I ever actually realized how
vibrant leaves could get. I'm excited for them to really turn colorful
so I can take lots of pictures!

Anyway, that was my week! Hopefully everyone is doing well! Love you all!

Stay strong!
Sister Jacobs