Week 38: Hump Day

This Friday was my 9 month mark!! I can't believe it's been that long.  I'm already halfway through....that is too crazy. I got the best package though- everything was cut in half! It was awesome :)

It was a good week! We taught a lot of doorstep lessons and talked to a lot of new people every day. And, we also lost our car on Wednesday, so back to walking! (I calculated it- I've been walking for about half of the time I've been out! I don't know how to have a car anymore.)  Luckily, they took it on Wednesday- transfer day- so we got to go see everyone who was transferring! All my old companions were here, except
Sister Forsyth since she's home. It was awesome- like a big reunion.  And then, we had to go back to the office later because our phone stopped working! Turns out our number had somehow accidentally gotten cancelled. We got it fixed right up though.


We finally got to see Stephanie again on Thursday! She's been down
with pneumonia for a few weeks. Now she's doing great though. Her kids
are super fun- Aiden, who is almost 8, kept saying he wanted to be
"bath-tized".

Megan and Cody are doing awesome- they made it to church this week!
And they got the baby's first picture- it looks like a little gummy
bear. Everyone but Megan thinks it's a boy. They're making a lot of
preparations for the wedding- it's pretty exciting!

We met one interesting fellow while we were out knocking- really nice.
He's been researching religion for a long time, so he was telling us
about how they'd proved Joseph Smith wrong and all that, and how he'd
searched every religion but hadn't found one that's 100% right, with
nothing "proved" wrong- so we testified of prayer and of finding out
from the Spirit. As we talked, he opened up more about his search and
how he definitely believes something is out there, though he isn't
sure what. He said he hadn't intended to say that much, and then as we
left, we said, "don't forget to invite God into your search!" And it
seemed like he actually might do it, which would be awesome. It was
interesting- reminded me of the promise given to missionaries that if
we are willing to open our mouths, God will give us the words He would
have us say- maybe it doesn't apply just to is, but also to them. It
happens over and over- if people are willing to talk, they'll
sometimes end up telling us more than they intended (and sometimes
more than we want to hear) because the Spirit is there and it tells
them they can trust us. It's pretty cool- no pressure at all...... But
the church must be true, because they've let a bunch of 18-20 year
olds do this job.

Anyway, I love you all! Can't believe I've made it this far- 9 months
to go! Have a fabulous week!
Sister Jacobs

Week 37: I Think I'll Stay

Transfer news is in- Sister Dearden and I are both staying! Woohoo!  This week's been pretty crazy- but the week before transfers always is. So I'll be here for May and part of June- I don't know where 2016 went, but I want it back! My 9 month mark is on Friday- that is crazy! Sister Dearden describes it as "climbing an expert rock wall only to find a super slide on the other side all the way to the bottom, where there's a bunch a bunch of guys waiting with wedding rings, babies, and student loan checks, and someone's trying to push you down because they don't know about the super slide yet."


On Monday, we had an awesome hike! I'll attach pictures for sure. I've got really good ones on my camera- haven't figured out how to get them from there to my iPad yet. But I've got ones that everyone else took. It was so gorgeous! It was nice to get the fresh air and the trees.  Honestly, it feels like we're out in the woods all the time- pretty funny. The falls were gorgeous. Then Monday evening, we had two polar
opposite lessons with some potentials that we dropped by. The first was very open and willing to listen! She asked really good questionsand committed to read and pray about the Book of Mormon and get back to us on a time we can meet. The second- well, in the first minute, he talked about every controversial issue except polygamy, then was
twisting our words, and just wasn't listening. The most interesting
thing to me was how the Spirit was so apparent in the first conversation but not the second. Just being willing and open invites that Spirit in. She may not get back to us while I'm here, and I may
not teach her, but just giving it a chance let that Spirit in. And the second one- we think he may have been trying to make us question. He
wasn't willing to understand or let us help, even just to clear up misunderstandings. Anyway, that was an adventure.

Tuesday was our MMTC with the Relief Society! We gave them all name tags and mission calls and talked about our purpose as missionaries.

Then we had three breakout groups- Brother Turner did one, Sister
Burgoyne, and us. We did an open question sort of thing and then a
package game- how to build a good missionary package! We did our job
too well- since then, we've gotten chalk (to keep ants out), cake mix,
jello, fresh produce, and a can of olives. So we don't really have to
go grocery shopping this week ;) our intent was for them to send it to
missionaries from their Ward that are out! Hopefully it helps with
that too. Anyway, it was a blast- the Relief Society is a lot of fun!







Wednesday night, we met with the Pears. Brother Pears had just gotten home from the hospital and he bore his testimony for the first time!  He said he definitely believes in the power of the priesthood. He got a blessing at the hospital and he looked a lot better than usual. More color, more energy, actually joking around....Sister Pears was glad to have him home. It was a good lesson! He has a testimony- he just
hasn't totally admitted it yet.

Thursday was zone meeting- it was a good meeting. I love those meetings because I always seem to leave with a better sense of direction and also more enthusiasm! (I am glad I'm not an STL though- that's more meetings than I could handle!). We had an FHE that night at Sister Paul's house- we made a CPR puzzle. Just her and the Morrises came, but we're hoping to make it a weekly thing. She's having a rough time with a lot of things so we're trying to help her
get through it!  We also met with Megan- she and Cody are doing well!

Megan definitely believes and understands the gospel. Now she and Cody just have to really commit to living it! So this next week we're bringing someone to help fellowship Cody. We've been bringing Sister Kahm to our lessons and they get along really well.



Friday was kinda sad- Jimmy's wife decided she didn't want us to come
over after all, so she dropped us (and Jimmy, by proxy). Jimmy was
doing really good- he's ready for the gospel and he believes it. He
will get baptized some day! She's just not ready for it yet. Anyway,
we ended up having a good lesson with just the Morrises- they are on
track for the temple in the summer and they're excited. They can make
it! Dean is really committed.

Saturday, we had no appointments and at first we thought it was going to be really rough but it ended up being a really good day! It was actually relaxing- everything was in our control. We went by Sister Kahm's (she's the one who gave us produce- someone gave her some, and it was too much for them to eat!) and we talked to a lot of new people, just had good conversations. It was one of those days where
just about everyone you meet is polite and in a good mood (might have been the gorgeous weather). And Ruth Santos (Brother Turner's daughter) made us chocolate chip cookies from my moms recipe! That wasthe best part- a little piece of home. So it ended up being awesome.

And yesterday was a normal day! So it was a wild week. But in the end, a lot of good things happened- gives new meaning to the scripture "after much tribulation cometh the blessings." So the moral of the story is, keep on pressing on and good things will happen! The Lord isalways watching out for you. He's just helping me learn to rely on
Him- I did ask for it.

Love you all! Have a good week!
Sister Jacobs

Week 36: This Ward Is On Fire!!! (Or at least the building is)

This email will probably be short- we're leaving for a hike soon!
So, to explain the subject of my email- we had an interesting event

happen early Friday morning! Someone broke into the church building, stacked some hymn books around the podium and lit them on fire!  Luckily, approximately an hour later, some guys came to the church to play basket ball and smelled the smoke, so they were able to put it out. They had a temporary podium and sound system set up for Sunday and the chapel still smelled faintly of smoke. It was an adventure!

It's actually been a really adventurous week. So, first of all, greatnews- we got a car on Monday! Woohoo! So Wednesday we were following our sister training leaders from service to lunch and at the last minute they realized they have to change lanes and they didn't realize there was a car in their blind spot! So they got in a bit of a fenderbender. You can't see the damage from six feet away, but it did crack the bumper so they'll have to replace the whole thing. We helped them
out- so I was glad I knew how to do everything with the paperwork! The other guy was really nice though, so that helped. Luckily, they aren't going to have to take away our car. We get to keep it until it retires, so we've got about 600 miles left.

And, another even more awesome adventure- we were doing some service
on Thursday for Sister Pears. She had some stuff to clean out and she
also is trying to make a fire pit out of an old washer drum. So she
handed us a sledgehammer and told us to get the plastic off the bottom
so just the metal was left! I'll try and send a video clip. It was
awesome! So we whacked stuff with a sledgehammer and plastic got
everywhere. And we found a carpenter ant in her apartment building.

On a more spiritual note, Jimmy came to church on Sunday! And he loved it! It was kind of awesome. He didn't get to stay for all three hours
because of work, but he stayed for half of Sunday school. And our ward was really welcoming. It was awesome.

As for a spiritual thought- my scripture of the week is 2 Kings
6:15-17. The Lord will provide us with the strength that we need to do
what He asks us to do! It is pretty awesome.

I love you all- have a wonderful week! Il, have good hiking pictures
next Monday
Sister Jacobs

Week #35 Return of the Sun

This last week was one of those that just seems to last forever. It was odd, because it was sunny just about all week! And hot! For the first time in months, I didn't take my coat or umbrella with me when we went out. It was kind of odd....I was grateful last night when it rained a bit! I guess that means I've adjusted to Washington weather!

On Monday we had a fun FHE at the Turners. They invited the Kahms over and it was a lot of fun. We did the lesson- a matching game with the Ten Commandments- and then we played a game and had ice cream! I ended up with vanilla ice cream topped with peanut butter and homemade strawberry sauce- it was so good!

On Tuesday we were going to go on exchanges but Sister Arnett got a cold so she stayed in for the day and we postponed it to the next day instead! We saw Sister Paul- she's doing really well! We saw her again yesterday and she said she'd relapsed due to stress and sickn ess, but she's back on track. She is a really neat lady!  We had dinner at the Turners- these really delicious cheesy potatoes. And then we saw the Wieses- fun as always. Karl, their two year old, told us a pretty word story- I'll see if I can attach the video. He has a big imagination! The scripture study was small- only Sister Bork came, and we ended up really just talking about family history and the spirit of that. She
loves getting to find names!

So Wednesday we went on exchanges. I went to the Felida Ward with
Sister Arnett. It was pretty fun- we talked to and taught a lot of
people and I feel like I learned some better ways to be a better
missionary! It was a good exchange. Also, it was nice to be in a car
for a day!

Thursday, we exchanged back and we saw Sister Carter- we set up to
watch conference with her too. She's doing really well! She's slowly
getting closer to quitting smoking too. We walked a lot after that and
saw some new people. We met with Megan and that went really well! She
understands things really well and definitely has a testimony.

On Friday, we helped some people move- that was fun. They are moving
into our Ward and seem really nice! The funniest part was that the men
that were there to help wouldn't let us carry any of the heavy
stuff...

Then general conference! We watched the first session at home, which
was nice, then one with Megan. Then Sunday, we watched with the Kahms
and Sister Carter. It was amazing. I love General Conference! I love
getting to hear from our inspired leaders and being able to be
uplifted by the Spirit. We needed it especially this week- we've
walked a lot and worn ourselves out a bit. It was wonderful to hear! I
love the exhortations to help those around us in any way we can.

Another thought that came to me during conference is one I've thought
of before, but seems to be increasingly relevant in the modern world.
During the sustaining of the prophet and apostles, anyone who watched
heard the person shouting "No!" in the background. What struck me was,
first of all, it continued on, calmly and without interruption, as the
Lord's work always will. And second of all, the thought I've expressed
before- there is just as much, if not more, good in this world than
bad- the bad is just louder. In that conference center, when the
sustaining vote was taken, many thousands raised their right hands in
a silent affirmation that they would support and uphold the prophet,
that they would follow him, that they have faith he is called of God.
And one (or two) people called out against it. Thousands to one, and
yet our attention draws to that one- because they were louder. Had the
faithful shouted "yes" rather than silently raising hands, they would
have shaken the roof. Just as that occurred, so it occurs every day in
the world- good, wonderful people go silently and unobtrusively about,
doing good, wonderful things, while those who desire bad make a
ruckus. Think of what we hear about and see in the news- even as a
missionary, it leaks through! And we aren't even allowed to watch the
news! Bombings, and deaths, and shootings, and abuse, and horrible
things fill the air. And those good people keep moving forward, doing
good things. We are reaching the last days before the Savior comes-
when the whole world is in commotion. But don't forget that He will
come! He will descend from heaven, bringing peace and joy and love,
and as was quoted in conference multiple times- Rev 21:4 "And God
shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more
death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more
pain: for the former things are passed away." So I guess the point of
this ramble is, don't forget that there is good in the world- more
good than bad. The sun still shines, the rain still falls, the flowers
are blossoming, and we are alive.

I love you all! I love being a missionary and being able to serve my
Savior, Jesus Christ. I know that He lives and He loves each of you
and He knows you better than you know you. I am excited to be here and
to reach out and help people to find Him, to find what they need. I
hope you have a wonderful week!

Sister Jacobs

Week #34: Hallelujah

This week was a lot of fun- we had FHE with a less active member and
her kids, and we talked about the armor of God. We talked about how we
need to do the basics or we will not be able to stay "afloat" in the
world. We had an object lesson where we showed how when you put an
orange in water, it floats, but when you peel it, then it will sink.

Tuesday was zone conference! It was awesome. President Taylor talked about Ammon and Aaron in the Book of Mormon- how Ammon is this very demonstrative personality, someone we love to love. He gets a lot of attention! But Aaron was an equally good missionary, and also close to
the Spirit and to the Lord. He just was quieter, one of the background people, who nevertheless did his best and found much success. And I had the thought that I am literally an "Erin"- though I may never win a lot of worldly praise, if I work as hard as I can, I can still find good success! And our scripture study was that night - Mike wanted really badly to talk about the last days and the symbolism even though
we were talking about the birth of Christ. So it got a little
tangented. Anyway, Wednesday was wapis- always fun! We helped Sister Kahm out with getting some stuff done. We met with Sister Paul and she said she hasn't smoked in five days- she's so close to quitting!! The Pears are the same as always, and we got to see Stephanie too!





On Thursday we went to clean the soccer arena windows. So on Monday we had some emergency transfers and such because someone went home and so now Sister Carter is in my zone! It was exciting to see her after 8 months! Well, we've seen each other briefly in between but still- it's pretty cool. I definitely feel like I'm a different person than I was 8 months ago.

Friday was weekly planning, and pizza for dinner- it was actually pretty good! We talked to some new people and contacted a referral that we got from the temple visitor's center- actually the wife of a former investigator, so that's cool! We'll see what happens there. And the Wilsons were in town so they took us out for lunch! It was awesome! So we took a pic in front of Dutch Bros- which is kind of a
northwest landmark.

On Saturday we walked A LOT. The most we've walked this month. We talked to a lot of people, and we got to watch the Women's Conference with Megan! It wasn't as spiritual as we would have liked since Cody was leaving for work and they were arguing a bit... But it was still good! Conference is the best!  We made fries during dinner time- that was fun!

Sunday- Easter! Yay! And Fast Sunday, so we had fast and testimony
meeting. There were a lot of really good testimonies. One of the girls
in the Ward reports to the MTC on Wednesday- she's going to Argentina!
So she bore her testimony. It was a good Sunday. We spent our
afternoon and evening egging people's houses (with construction paper,
not real eggs, don't worry :) ). Then we had dinner at the Harrells-
they are a fun family! And it was delicious. We dyed a few eggs with
them afterwards. It was a good Easter Sunday!

It's been a good week, and it flew by. The thing I remember the most
is one night receiving a beautiful spiritual confirmation that He
lives! And He loves us and knows us each so well. He is present in
each of our lives even if we don't always realize it.

I love you all! Have a wonderful week!
Sister Jacobs