Hola Familia!

Hola familia!

What a wild week! So I don't know if I ever told you this but we had 2 new sisters move into our apartment in the 3rd week of this transfer because one was coming here from the MTC on a visa holdover for Belgium, Sister Powers. Anyway, she was one of my really good friends in the MTC so it was crazy that of all the places she got sent to wait, it was NJ Morristown, my apartment. So we had a blast and she just left this morning for Belgium so now her comp, Sister Child, is in a trio with us until she gets a new comp coming out here from Temple Square on Wednesday. Crazy huh? So on Friday, the 4 of us did an exchange and Sister Powers and I were in charge of teh Spanish area while Hna Bushman went to help out Sister Child in the English area (they had been struggling a lot because they were whitewashed in). So you know what that means? First, I got to drive for a day! :) And second, we had all Spanish appointments...and I was with a sister who had learned French in the MTC! Haha, yeah, for an entire day I had to hold down the fort with the Spanish world. We got a baptismal commitment made! Haha, I was so nervous going into it. I really wasn't sure if I could do it. But I just prayed so hard and I have never felt the power of the Lord working through me so strong as Friday. I understood more than I ever have and really had the chance to get to know the members who came out with us more because I didn't have Hna Bushman to fall back on to talk to them. :) It was a great experience, and way fun to get to spend the day with Sister Powers, both of us in the field for less than a month!

But now I've been out here for over a month! Crazy, huh? I was thinking about it and I am already 3 months down on the mission...that's like, 1/6. But I don't like to think of it that way so...I won't :)

Wasn't General Conference amazing? We got to listen in English in the Relief Society room with the English branch while the Spanish was bradcast in the chapel for our members and investigators. I especially loved Elder Andersen's talk on Saturday afternoon all about the arms of the Savior reaching out to us. I love that imagery and in the last month out here as I've been studying the Book of Mormon, I have realized just how many times it says something like "the arms of the Lord are extended continually before you," or his "brazos de misericordia" I don't know in English...arms of mercy directly, I guess. Anyway, it was great. And our investigators that came loved it. I can't wait until the talks come out in the Ensign to read again and study. And I hope everyone got the plug for member missionary work from Elder Perry :) Haha. Oh, and talk about a POWERFUL testimony from Elder Holland! That is definitely one that can't just be read again, it has to be watched. He just threw it all out on the line about the Book of Mormon! Wow. I am coming to feel that way more and more every day the more I read it. It is so important, even for just 5 minutes a day! I wish I had known that before my mission!

So I have officially made my first Spanish mistakes...that I know of... :) We were having dinner at the branch president's house on Thursday and she was asking about foods we like and then I said something like, "Me gusta comer jueves" (I like to eat Thursdays) instead of huevos (eggs). Yeah, that was a good laugh. And one of our investigators was talking about how she hurt her shoulder (hombro) really bad and I was trying to clarify the story when I said, "Que paso a su hombre?" (What happened to your man?) Yeah, another good laugh. We'll just leave it at that. :)


I miss you tons, but I love you more!

Love,
Hermana Jackson