Week #47: Goodbye to the Taylors

This week has lasted forever....but it has been really good. We had
zone conference on Tuesday- our last one with President Taylor! The
Spirit was so strong and everyone was pretty emotional. There's a lot
of missionaries going home this next transfer as well (a huge chunk of
our zone). That took all day! And it was Sister Frisch's 20th
birthday! Also I hit my 11 month mark on Wednesday and that's totally
insane.

11 month mark!  Reflection time!

The most unusual part of this week was that only one of our set
appointments all week actually went through....we're used to some
percentage of cancellation but this was crazy. We did end up doing a
lot of spontaneous service! We helped Julie's family set up a yard
sale, and helped a lady we met at ARP clean her house, and also we
went to Sherry's (their apartment complex just got new windows) and we
convinced her to let us help clean up the dust that all the window
people had left.

Cassie puts on armor of God and bats her eyes too!

We also did an FHE (family home evening) at the church on Tuesday for people who wanted to come and had an armor of God lesson- that was fun! We used the same lesson later with Beth and Cassie (Cassie is four and she loved it!).

Flashback to first transfers!

Our one set lesson that went through was Mike and it was awesome! We're hoping to take him to the temple visitors' center soon- that would be an awesome goal for him to have! At first he seemed pretty reluctant but then he decided to go for it! He really is changing his life- he is not the same guy I met three weeks ago. It's amazing!

On Friday, Sister Otake who'd signed up to feed us was sick so we got to go out, and we went to this little Italian restaraunt on the Main St of Troutdale. It was soooooo good! I got a seafood risotto- yum! So if you're ever in Troutdale, it's worth it!

I think that's about all the fun stuff that happened! For a spiritual
thought- service is the cure for just about everything! I heard once
that to heal physical ailments, one has to turn inward, but for mental
ailments, one must turn outward, i.e. Serve others. It's amazing how
it can help lift the mood and make everyone happier!

Scenery!

Cool view

I love you all- have a great week!
Sister Jacobs

Week #46: Short and Sweet

Multiomnah Falls

My email will be short this week- we just got back from a hike, and we have a whole bunch of things left to do! We went and hiked Multinomah Falls as a zone- it was awesome! And while we were there, the American Heritage choir from Utah came to hike it as well, and they sang at the bottom! It was awesome. Some of them came up to us and said when they're on tour they like to take missionary selfies, so we took one with them. And they gave us CDs too!

As for the rest of this week- it was awesome. We went on exchanges, visited people, and shared the gospel. One miracle story- on exchanges, Sister Frisch and Sister Nielson went by a less active
member and met her and her daughter, and invited them to the ice cream social on Saturday. Then, Saturday, the daughter, Aubrielle, comes with her dad! And they had a lot of fun- made some really great friends in the ward and just had fun. Then, Sunday, they came to church! It was awesome!






Thought for the week - Amos 7:14-15- "Then answered Amos, and said to
Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was an
herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit: And the Lord took me as I
followed the flock, and the Lord said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my
people Israel."

Zone Hike

Sisters Hike

We as missionaries may not have bachelor's degrees in theology (like
someone we're teaching). We may not have a lot of worldly experience.
But God has always worked through the weak and simple! He did with
Amos, He did with Moses, He did with Joseph Smith, and now He does
with me. Without worldly experience, all we have is our testimonies-
and that is all we need! That is what allows the Spirit to come and
speak to those we teach.

Sister Frisch and Rainbow

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

Zone Breakfast

Zone Service Project

Week 45: How Many Miracles is Too Many?

This week has been absolutely amazing! We saw miracles every day,
little and huge! This ward is the bomb!

Burger run while getting an oil change!

Do you remember Mike's friend David I mentioned last week? The one who wanted to be baptized. Well, we ended up referring him to the elders in Happy Valley where he lives. And on Friday, he texted us to say thanks for all we do, and the elders had met with him and he has a baptism date for July 16th!! And he was so happy because, as he put it, "I can't imagine the joy I'll feel." So we are really excited for him! And Mike should be able to baptize him if he stays on track!

Tuesday night (sorry, this email is going to be all out of order), we went by a less-active member's house and they'd had the craziest week-a week I wouldn't wish on anyone. Well, that morning she'd been thinking about getting a priesthood blessing for her and her daughters, and then we showed up! And we called up some priesthood holders and the spirit was so strong. It was incredible. She didn't
think she was going to be able to come to church on Sunday either- she texted us Saturday night- because her daughter's boyfriend couldn't find a ride home and she couldn't leave them unsupervised.

Beautiful Troutdale

Well we'd jokingly said she could bring him, and...she did! Just for classes, but it was awesome. It took two carfuls- but she got her two Primary aged children, her two Young Women's age daughters, her daughter's
friend, boyfriend, and her mom and dad all to church. And they participated and had awesome questions, and were talking about becoming temple worthy and meeting with Bishop and it was kinda really awesome! And the little girls loved Primary, and the daughter's boyfriend really liked priesthood- he told someone he might be back next week! So that was a huge miracle! They are at the right place in their lives for sure.

Sisters Jacobs and Frisch with Sister Viraskry

We also had a day full of awesomeness on Saturday- which we might not
have had, except we followed the Spirit. Sister Frisch found out
someone she taught was getting baptized Froday evening in Seaside (a
good three hour drive from here, either on windy roads or a packed
highway- extra packed because it was Rose Festival weekend) and we
just got a bad feeling about it (and we couldn't find a ride). So we
stayed home and planned next week really well, got an oil change and
new brake light on the car, and then our Saturday was free- we talked
to 27 people and all of them were nice! We found two new people to
meet with, a referral for the Spanish sisters, and just a lot of
positive contact. We saw the Bram's (he's 96 and she's 86) and Sister
Fleet. And none of it was quite what we planned on! It was really
amazing. We don't know what would've happened if we had gone to the
baptism, but we know we saw miracles for following the Spirit!

Daily Planning and Ice Cream

Another funny thing this week- we rarely followed our plans, and never exactly. We managed to get in touch with a lot of people that have been impossible to get in touch with, and we met with people that have been hard to meet with, and we also were able to meet with Sabrina again! She really feels the Spirit, and she wants it, but I don't think she realizes how badly yet. We had an awesome lesson on Friday morning and she asked some really great questions! It was fantastic!

A funny story- we volunteered at Snow Cap (a local food bank) on its day and we met an older Russian woman named Maria, and Maria had the fattest Laborador I have ever seen! His name was Bobby. She told us, she just loves him so much, and she gives him too much food! He was probably as big as she was- she said he weighed 160lbs! It was the cutest thing ever- this little old Russian grandma and her fat Lab.






So basically it was an amazing week! As for a spiritual thought- in
this Ward, we go to the Addiction Recovery Program (ARP) with some
less actives and investigators. And it is so cool to be there and to
feel that wonderful Spirit as people are working so hard to change
their lives. This past week, we talked a lot about trusting in God,
and I had a few thoughts- I had the thought that we can choose to
believe He loves us. Just like in any other relationship, we have to
choose to trust Him and believe in His love, and then He will always
come through! I also realized that it's possible to help and be
helped. We don't have to always be one or the other- it's possible to
be both, sometimes even simultaneously!

Trip to Shari's

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

PS:  I almost forgot- jailhouse burritos! We had a lesson with Mike and he made us these- if you can decipher the recipe, you can make it! (There
was a soft taco part with what looked like retried beans and ramen noodles, and then the mashed part, which I think is the recipe he gave
us)

Week # 44: Across the River

This week has been really eventful, with transfers and everything! It
was a lot of crazy packing and saying goodbye to people. We were able
to see Megan and Cody on Tuesday, as well as Stephanie and Sister
Kahm. They're pretty awesome- hopefully everything goes well for them!

Last picture with the Taylors!

Then Wednesday was transfer day! So we went to the office with all my stuff, of which I have way too much. Sister Frisch was at the transfer site in Portland, so I got to ride in the van with a bunch of other missionaries headed down there. And then we made it to Portland, and from there drove to the Columbia ward! We've been super busy- this
area is really on fire and we have a pretty big teaching pool! So we had a couple lessons, talked to a whole bunch of people, and still had a little bit of time to unpack. And, funny story, this is the ward
that Sister Slattery (one of my old companions) served in right before she was my companion! We live in an apartment with the sister training
leaders, which is a fun new experience since I've only lived with members so far.

So! I little bit about Sister Frisch- she's from Arizona (that's two companions in a row!) and she has five younger brothers! And they are all super tall (like most of them are significantly over 6ft). She
went to BYU before she came on a mission (so we might have met briefly). We've been having a lot of fun!

We've met with a lot of people- a good portion of this ward is less
active, and the missionaries before us met a lot of people so we have
a huge list of investigators to go through and meet as well. I can't
even name all of them....anyway, more on that as things go. Everyone
in the ward is super nice! Not just the members either- it's the whole
area. A lot of people are really willing to talk to us. So it's really
a lot of fun.

Sisters Jacobs and Frisch

One huge miracle story- we had Mike come to church yesterday! He is a
less active member who Sister Frisch hasn't seen since she got here
six weeks ago, and he came to church. He is really nice, definitely
working through a lot of stuff, but he told us he has a friend who
wants to be baptized, and wants Mike to baptize him! So we called his
friend and he is really ready. They both have some stuff they will
have to get through, but I think they can make it. We're not sure if
we'll get to teach him since he's down in Happy Valley, but we'll see!

Anyway, we are looking forward to an amazing week! As for a spiritual thought- a great scripture I read this week is Alma 36:27 which says: "And I have been supported under trials and troubles of every kind, yea, and in all manner of afflictions; yea, God has delivered me from prison, and from bonds, and from death; yea, and I do put my trust in
him, and he will still deliver me." The Lord has definitely been with me through all kinds of troubles! He has never given up on me,a no has helped everything to work out in the end, even if it takes a long time.

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

New Apartment