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

Busy Busy Bees

Hello all!

This week has been so crazy, I don't know where to start! We have a
new investigator that we're super excited about- well, it's actually a
family! They are amazing and we really are hopeful that they will be
baptized! We've only taught two lessons so far, and we're going back
on Wednesday. We've met with so many people, I've lost count. The
thing that's brought us the most success has definitely been focusing
on part- member families and on names that members of the ward council
gave us. We've also been shotgun tracting- meaning we just knock a few
doors around whoever we're visiting! We've actually seen a lot of
success from that- we've met two people who are interested and that
we'll hopefully be teaching! We've also been meeting with a lot of
people who are less active, and will be teaching some of them as well.
Hopefully they will feel the Spirit and a desire to come back to
church! God definitely does not do random- we were able to have things
come together so that we could see and meet people we needed to
multiple times. Yesterday we actually went to see someone and as we
got out of the car to go their apartment, we ran into him right by our
parking spot coming back from getting a package! It was crazy! We've
seen a lot of miracles this week! I am more tired than I've ever been,
but also more motivated- there's a lot to do!

As for funny stories...well, we had a few! This one is the best
though- We were at Cortina's house (she was baptized recently so we're
teaching her the recent convert lessons) and she has a lot of animals.
She's got a gorgeous black poodle named Misty, a chameleon, a lizard,
and a turtle. So of course we wanted to hold the turtle. He's tiny,
fits in the palm of your hand. Well, I guess Sister Forsyth made him
nervous or something because he peed all over her! We laughed really
hard about that. And we went out to sushi this week- Sister Forsyth
has never had sushi before! We ate a lot. We even ate fish eggs! I
tried the raw tuna and it was pretty weird. Then last night, we met
this old man who was definitely interesting. A less active member,
kind of grouchy- we'd been asked to drop by. Sister Forsyth shared the
'You Are Special' story with the puppets with gray dots and gold stars
(even though we couldn't remember the names of the puppets). He had
this sweet dog named Oscar....who was so filthy! My skirt had
gray....stuff from his fur all over, and my fingers were gray where I
scratched his ears!

This week has been amazing for my testimony too. As we've met so many
different people who either have left the church, or haven't yet
joined, or even meeting with active members, I feel like I've learned
a lot about how different each of Heavenly Father's children are. In
Relief Society yesterday, we talked about the parable of the seeds,
and the discussion stuck on the seeds in stony ground, those who
"received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the
word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself,
but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth
because of the word, by and by he is offended." (Matt 13:20-21). We
have seen a lot of people who left the church because they were
offended, by doctrine, or by an individual. As we talk to them, I just
want to tell them, "can't you see you're risking your own salvation on
hurt feelings? Can't you see that you're hurting yourself even more by
leaving church meetings behind?" And as they've left behind going to
church, many of them have also neglected their scripture study and
prayers as well. Sister Forsyth and I talked about it in training, how
leaving church because of offense is like trying to stab someone else
with the hilt of a sword- sure they may get bruises, but the person
holding the sword is hurt far worse. This rambled on for far longer
than I meant it to, but the real point is, do not lose sight of the
big picture. Why do we go to church? To partake of the Sacrament and
renew our covenants. We go to church for God, not for people. (The
people just come as a package deal). We go to church because we
spiritually need that for our week. We go to church because we are all
imperfect. There is a bigger picture to be seen. Why are we a part of
this church? Because it is true. Because it is the one path to
salvation. I know I cannot afford to leave this path behind. I read in
Matthew 16, "what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"

Okay, I promise that's it for the rambling! It's just something I've
been thinking about a lot this week- focusing on the big, eternal
picture for our own progression. Speaking of eternal progression,
someone I was teaching in Hazel Dell got baptized this week and we got
to go! His name is Logan. He's an eleven year old that we were
teaching because he didn't get baptized at eight. It was really great
to be there! It was weird too, to be back in Hazel Dell, because I
feel like I've changed so much since leaving even though it hasn't
been that long.

Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful week! Stay close to what you
know is right, and don't forget to step back and look at the big
picture sometimes!

Stay strong!
Sister Jacobs

Sister Forsyth tries Sushi for the First Time

From a text message received today!  Thank you to wonderful people who share with us their love for our sweet Sister Jacobs!

First Transfer to Mountain View

Hello all!

This week has been a wild ride from start to finish- it feels like
it's been a month! I can't believe that just three or four days ago, I
was still in Hazel Dell. The last few days there were busy as well-
saying goodbye, teaching people, and Sister Girot and I got to take
two new sisters out for the first time! Their names were Sister
Marsden and Sister Foster. We had two appointments but they both fell
through, so we went and tracted a bit at this complex we'd been
meaning to visit, and it went so well! We talked to a lot of people
and quite a few were interested, I think! Of course, they're all in an
interesting spot in their lives- everyone in that complex is being
evicted for about two weeks because of a change in ownership.

Wednesday was pretty crazy. We had a mission-wide transfer meeting so
everyone came to the mission office, and President Taylor spoke. It
was amazing. President Taylor is an incredible man and a great leader.
He spoke for a while and got us all fired up again about Then we
swapped out companions, got set up, and headed out! Only it took me
and Sister Forsyth a bit longer, because it turns out we're reopening
an area (so we got whitewashed too). So we had to get car keys, a
phone, figure out housing, etc. We actually didn't get into the house
until about 4:30- we live with a mom and her daughter, and the mom
works, and the daughter isn't home from school until then. So we had
to put our groceries in someone else's fridge for an hour or two. It
actually worked out- we'd already met our ward mission leader's wife
because she came to pick us up since I guess our area didn't used to
have a car, so we went there and talked with her and met her husband,
Brother Winks. Then we dropped off our suitcases and we met with a few
people and figured out who we could go see and met with the bishop and
the STLs who used to be covering this area (they covered two wards,
but now they've only got the YSA ward). Anyway, cool story, it turns
out that on my first day when Sister De Leon (who is one of the STLs)
and Sister Eyerly took me to an appointment, it was in this area. So I
already know one of the investigators here! And that was something
they were worried about, I think- the transition between sisters. It
was pretty cool. I'm glad I get to help teach her!

So for the past couple of days, we've been busy, busy, busy with
visiting people and getting to know our ward. We've been meeting with
auxiliaries and getting names. Sister Forsyth says the best place to
start is part-member families, and that seems to be true. We've had a
lot of success already with going and setting up appointments with some
of them. Hopefully we get to teach them all! We have so many names
that I'm actually working on compiling a master list of people we need
to visit. The sisters over this area before weren't really able to
concentrate on the work here, because they had a lot of
responsibilities in the YSA ward. Everyone here has been really
excited to have their own missionaries finally. So there's a lot to do
and organize, and get to know about the area. It has so much potential
and I'm so excited to see what happens!

Sister Forsyth is amazing! She has been out for fifteen months, so
this might be her last area before she goes home. We actually got to
go to a baptism in her last area on Saturday morning- that was cool!
I've been learning a lot from her about how to be more effective at
just talking to people, and how to really work with the ward. We have
knocked maybe ten doors since we got here, and yet I feel more
productive now than ever. We've been so focused on the ward and who we
can work with, how we can help out. Our visits with the auxiliaries
were amazing, and we were able to get so much on our lists of people
to visit and what to do. We've started visiting and trying to set up
appointments. I feel like I'm learning so much on how to run an area
and get things organized. It's been a blast. Our area is pretty small
too, so we can get a lot done since it's so easy to get everywhere.
This transfer and this area are going to be spectacular!

As for the spiritual side of things, this week has been amazing.
President Taylor gave us a scripture study assignment the transfer
before I got here, and I've been going through it. It's a list of
chapters in the Book of Mormon. There are so many powerful chapters
about the doctrine of Christ and what we teach. I feel like I've been
learning so much. I've actually been reading my scriptures just about
every chance I get just because they're so powerful. The scriptures
are amazing. I love how they teach powerfully and simply about what we
need to know to obtain salvation. The Spirit is so strong every time I
open the, and I've been able to learn so much about things that can
help me, and things that can help people we teach. Actually, I'm going
to include the list of chapters in this email, and I challenge all of
you to read them. You cannot miss the Spirit that will flow into your
life. Your desire to follow Christ will be strengthened and your
knowledge of how to follow him will increase. I know this because it's
happened to me, even just in the last couple days. I can feel myself
changing and becoming who my Father in Heaven wants me to be.  I think
that already I'm not the same person who left on my mission in a lot
of ways. So read the chapters! You will not regret it!

I love you all! You are always in my prayers. Stay strong!
Sister Jacobs