Week #50: Moving Week

This week we helped so many people move. It was awesome, but it was a
lot! Tis the season, I guess. Everyone's going new places. It's pretty
fun!

The first person we helped was Roszena - she's a investigator who was just moving from a second floor apartment to a first floor apartment.
We helped her on Wednesday and Thursday and we recruited other
missionaries to help. It ended up being super last minute so no one
from the ward could come. And she wasn't packed yet, which made it
harder, but between us and some kind neighbors with a truck, we got it mostly done! All the heavy stuff at least.





We also helped Megan and her family- on Tuesday we'd gone to this
neighborhood that we call the dollhouses since they're tiny houses
crammed really close together- Bishop had told us to try finding
there. So we did and we met Megan! She had prayed and asked for help-
they were just moving next door- but they've got four kids under 8. So
we went back on Friday and helped clean up and get stuff finished. It
was great! They are a really good family. She actually works for a
clothing company that we're pretty sure is LDS too!

Okay so we only helped two people move, but we helped Roszena twice!
Cumulatively it was about seven hours of moving. Then we helped at
Snow Cap as well and moved some heavy boxes of food.

We also made pickles with Sister Dover on Tuesday! We helped get stuff
in jars and into the boiling water, and she gave us some in return-
we're excited to eat them in two weeks! It's really amazing to see the
canning process, and then to watch the pickles marinate over time.

We got to see a lot of our people this week- they're all doing really
great! Most of our scheduled lessons actually went through and then we
had some awesome drop-by lessons as well. On Tuesday we realized
around 6pm that we hadn't taken a bathroom break all day, because we
were so busy! Anyway, the point is that this week has been so awesome
that it feels like two weeks! And I turned twenty on Tuesday so that
was crazy. It feels weird not to be a teenager anymore! We did get the
most awesome Texas sheet cake at dinner- it was actually gluten free,
but it was the best I've ever eaten!

So that was the week! My though this week is on the temple- since I
studied it this morning and also we get to go on Wednesday!! The
temple is amazing.

President Hinkley once said about the Savior “There is none to equal
Him. There never has been. There never will be. Thanks be to God for
the gift of His Beloved Son, who gave His life that we might live and
who is the chief, immovable cornerstone of our faith and His Church.”
I read that this morning while studying the temple and I realized
that, to me, this quote represents what the temple is all about. It
represents the Atonement and His desire to have all of our Heavenly
Father's children partake of those blessings. It is a place set apart
from the daily chaos, where none of the worldly commotion can be
found. It is a place where we can come closer to our Savior even just
by standing on the grounds. It is, truly, the House of God on the
earth, which makes it our home as well since we are His children. I
feel at home whenever I go to the temple. I feel of my Heavenly
Father's love for me and for my family. I know that the sealing power
is real- the power to bond families together not only in the eyes of
the law, but in the eyes of God. I know I have an eternal family! That
is a priceless blessing!

I love you all- have an amazing week!
Sister Jacobs

Week #49: Transfer News and The Parable of the Quilt

Week #49: Transfer News
First off- transfer news! Sister Frisch and I are both staying! We are
super excited- Columbia Ward is the bomb. There is so much good stuff
happening!


Fourth of July was awesome- we had a great PDay! And then we went and volunteered at a Funfest out in Corbett- basically for two hours we told people not to park in the performer parking. But it was a lot of fun! And then we made fudge  with Sister Dover and the Columbia River sisters (but we forgot to take a picture....tragedy). I did get some good pictures of the fireworks on out way home! People were setting them off out in the middle of the street, which was so crazy.

Tuesday was the last district meeting of the transfer! And the last district meeting for a lot of the elders too- it's crazy! And when we found out about transfers- I think over half of our zone is leaving.  It'll be so fun though- a lot of good missionaries are coming in. And then for the rest of the day it was pretty much back-to-back lessons, which was crazy- none of my areas have been this busy before. It's so awesome! One was a less active member that Bishop felt impressed to tell us we should go by- she is super prepared, and she feels like she needs the Spirit back in her life. And she does some awesome photography! And we made smoothies for Beth and Cassie Wood too, so we
got to see them- I have a great video of that so hopefully it will
send!


Wednesday, we saw Sherry- she is making some awesome progress! We took
Sister Barker from the Kelly Creek Ward because she has conquered some
of the same fears that Sherry is dealing with, and it was so great.
Sherry opened up a lot. She really will make it- she has such a strong
testimony of Christ and the priesthood and the Book of Mormon. She is
amazing! Then we ended up helping a former investigator pack- I'd
never met her before- but they moved this past weekend. It was pretty
fun! We got to see Roszena and actually talk with her, and we're going
to help her pack too- she's just moving within her complex though.
That night, we took an ice cream break too- we've both been pretty
tired out! And there's a Dairy Queen in our area- we saw it Monday on
the way back from Corbett. (Funny thing about our area- it's pretty
big, but only about half of it is residential- the rest is businesses
and such, right on the Columbia. So we don't usually cross the
highway).

Thursday we saw a lot of people- we saw Carlena again and we weren't able to have a lesson but we were able to put her on date for baptism!! She really wants to be baptized. We're pretty excited. And we had dinner with the Nordstrom's, which was amazing as always, and then we kind of had dinner again- we dropped by the elders quorum BBQ, hoping Mike and a few other less active members would be there, but no luck. We did snag some food though!

Friday was odd but awesome. It was the departing temple trip, and Sister Black goes home this transfer, so we had Sister Nielson for the day. It was pretty crazy! So she kind of weekly planned by herself while we did our weekly planning. And we went out for lunch, and found out more about transfers! So it was a wild day. We got to see Sabrina too- she's doing really well. She loves the Plan of Salvation.

On Saturday we helped Roszena out with packing and such, visited some older members of the Ward, saw a twelve year old recent convert (we painted nails). It was pretty fun.






Sunday was mostly church and meetings afterward. We had dinner with
the Bangerters so we had our meeting with Bishop too (and grasshopper
pie, which is only one of the best things ever).

Needed a DQ run!!

So it's been a good week! It was the last week of the transfer so of
course it was strange- it always is. I had a really good studies this
morning- I ended up studying the trait of humility and its one that
I'm coming to love and understand more. Humility isn't a lack of
confidence or of education or whatever. Humility is choosing to follow
God and use our talents towards His plans rather than our own or what
we think! So then I wrote this cheesy little short story that I'm
going to share with you.

Cute Statue in Yard!

"Once upon a time, there was a red and cream quilt. This quilt was
very proud, for its maker had spent endless hours labor I over its
seams and squares, making it perfect in every way. Not a single stitch
was out of place. The quilt maker tied the quilt up with a red satin
ribbon and the quilt thought it had never been prettier. She was proud
to be given to the quilt maker's granddaughter for her birthday. But
the quilt had not realized how young the granddaughter was. On the
appointed day, the ribbon was torn off and the quilt wrapped around
small shoulders. It held itself stiffly, trying to properly display
the beautiful pattern, but the child was not having it. What followed
were endless hours of being dragged around through rooms, through
dirt, through toys, and being made into a tent or a floor or a
tablecloth for all of the little girl's games. As years passed, it
became a bedspread, over which many midnight snacks were eaten. It was
taken to 4th of July parties where stray sparks singed the once- pure
cream. The quilt gradually gave in, resigned to its fate. No longer
was the fabric neat and clean or every stitch perfect. Some squares
had begun to fray. The quilt gave in, trying not to pay attention to
the juice stains or loose strings. Then, one day, before the quilt
realized it, the girl that she had been given to so long ago was
laying her own child inside the blanket. The girl, now a mother, told
her daughter stories, and the quilt listened. They were stories of a
girl and her blanket- a gift from a grandmother long gone- having
fantastic adventures, going to picnics and parties, sharing late
nights, and snuggling up at day's end- somewhere warm and safe. She
told of how every fray, every stain, every loose string, had a memory.
The quilt felt something change- it finally understood. It's purpose
was not to be perfect for display, to have not a stitch out of place.
It's purpose had been to warm a little girl and be her friend. The
quilt finally understood- it was more perfect for being worn, because
it was full of love and memories."

I love you all!
Sister Jacobs

Week 48: Hello to the McAteers!

This week has been another awesome one- we worked super hard and saw
so many miracles! And we've been trying to be as exactly obedient as
we can as well- huge blessings come from following the guidance of the
Lord and our leaders.

It starts out with Tuesday district meeting- which was amazing! We had
some awesome trainings and a great role play on how to find. So we
took that and went to work! We found two new people on Tuesday-
Shaleyah (and her two adorable daughters) and the brother-in- law of a
less active member we've been trying by! We also got in touch with
someone that missionaries have been trying to get in touch with for a
while and set an appointment. (And we had an epic breakfast-for-dinner
with the McDowells').

Then, Wednesday, we had some surprise service in the morning, and then we had Sister Kniff come with us to visit some people, and we ended up having an awesome doorstep lesson with a former investigator about family history! And we had another awesome day, just teaching people we found and visiting others. We found a woman- Carlena- just knocked on her door and at first she was ready to turn us away, but as we talked she said the Spirit told her we were God's messengers and He had sent us. So we gave her a Book of Mormon and we set up to come back on Thursday to help out with cleaning her carpet-

some family had trashed it. And she said she'd love to come to church Sunday! Then,
Larissa (a Laurel in the ward) was coming with us to a lesson which
ended up being later so we wandered around and taught more people! And
Larissa was awesome to bring for the Greens (mom is a member but
hasn't really ever come, and her daughter is pretty interested).
Larissa offered a ride to Mutual and everything! Then we had dinner
with the Bangerters which was awesome of course. Then ARP- which is
awesome! I'm so grateful we get to go, because the spirit there is
incredible.

Thursday morning, we got to meet the McAteers for the first time! They
are awesome. They showed a slideshow about themselves- they have a
lighthouse on Prince Edward Island! And they're just super sweet and
loving and it's pretty exciting. We'll miss the Taylors, but the
McAteers will for sure be perfect for this mission! Later in the
afternoon, we met with Terra (the one we got in touch with on Tuesday)
and just tried to feel out her interest level- she has a hard time
with Joseph Smith, which is one of the most important things of
course. So we will see where that goes! Then we saw Sister Lamont who
is so fun! And then we helped clean Carlena's carpet! We had to figure
out how to use a steam cleaner which was pretty fun. It totally helped
though! And she was so grateful. So we let her know we'd set up a ride
for church. It was awesome! We ended up having dinner at like 7:30
though since we didn't have a dinner appointment and we ended up super
busy. And then, we met with Mike. And it turned out to be amazing! We
ended up talking a lot about church discipline....but it was what he
needed! He needed to understand that it's all based on love and
helping people in their journey back to Christ and also how important
it is to forgive ourselves.

On Friday, we toned it down a little bit. But only because it was
weekly planning day- which we got done in record time! And then we met
Suzanne who we've been trying to get in touch with for ages! And she
is awesome! She's going to school and working, but she really wants
God in her life more. And she does photography! So I was super psyched
about that. Then we were going to see Shaleyah but they weren't home
so we went by Beth and Cassie and that seemed more meant to be! Cassie
saw us outside the window and so they were waiting for us to come. It
was so fun. Cassie gave herself a haircut....Beth was so sad. It was
so long and gorgeous! Of course, Cassie was still very proud of her
haircut. We also got to see Sabrina, and Lori came with us, which
turned out perfect! Lori relates well to everyone, but they had very
similar experiences so it was awesome. We ended up reading with them.
And we ended up having dinner super late again but it was totally
worth it. And then we dropped by Sister Pryor and she fed us some
amazing enchiladas, and offered to help out with some people we've
been trying to find friends for!

Then Saturday we kind of crashed and burned....we did service in the
morning, and tried by a few people but then Sister Frisch wasn't
feeling too well so we got her a priesthood blessing and we both ended
up sleeping for a couple hours. It felt so good though- we both needed
it. We saw so many miracles though! Every day is miracle day in
Columbia ward.

So on Sunday, Carlena came to church!! And she loved it- she wanted a
Gospel Principles book so we got her one and when we dropped it off
later, she was telling us how much she felt like she belonged, and the
peace she felt, and it was kind of the best thing ever. The Lord is
leading her for sure! She told us how much opposition came up trying
to keep her from church but then she heard exactly what she needed to.
And our ward is great at welcoming people! We had Sheryl there too-
this is the second time she's been to church in maybe twenty years.
Everyone was great about introducing themselves! And Carlena made
awesome comments in Gospel Principles too. So it was a great Sunday!
And we ended up waiting with Cassie and Sheryl while Beth met with
Bishop real quick after church. Cassie is hilarious- I'll send a clip
of the video I took; hopefully you can hear it.

Moral of the story: it was a week of miracles, and all because we were
following the council of our leaders! They are definitely authorized
in their callings to help us and to help God's work move forward. It's
awesome!

I love you all tons- have an amazing week! Happy Fourth of July!!
Sister Jacobs

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