What did we NOT do this week?

Labor Day totally threw me off yesterday...I don't even remember what happened last week! hmm...ok, here we go...

Found a dead mouse in our apartment one night, contacted a the city fair, painted Hna Socorro's living room, passed out, good lessons, good finding, Ellis Island...

On Sunday, we had 6 investigators at church!! It was crazy good and testimony meeting was one of the best ever. Loved it. Martin came and he is still so excited a preparing for baptism. I love that man. When we went over to see him last week, he told us that he had had some trouble understanding what was going on in the Book of Mormon so, rather than give up like most other people would do, he decided to draw out what was going on! He showed us these huge, pro-style drawings of Lehi and his family with all their names and then the boat and them leaving Jerusalem with the corresponding scriptures written out beneath. He had about 3 or 4 drawings he had done. How cool is that? The Book of Mormon is so important and I am so glad he found a way to make it speak to him.

Rafael and Francisca came to church too. I don't know if I've told you about them but they are this older Dominican couple (not married, obviously) who are taking lessons from the JW's at the same time as us. He spoke a lot with missionaries in the DR and really liked it so they are progressing pretty well. They are getting closer and closer to realizing that while other people may teach good things to help them be better people, this is the doctrine of eternity! Every time someone bore their testimony about the Book of Mormon in church, Francisca just clutched her book closer and closer to her. I have wanted to see one of my investigators get married for basically my whole mission so maybe this will be the one!

We had a walking day on Thursday and it was REALLY hot (I think it was our last big heat wave for the year...due to that hurricane) so we went walking down to Lucina's, about 45 minutes walk away and by the time we got there I was passed out. That was exciting. Haha, but I'm good, don't worry. What else is new, right?

Yesterday was a great p-day. We hiked Garret Mountain with Hna Socorro...it was the same hike we did together last year on Labor Day...my first p-day in the field! But now when I looked out over Paterson, I recognized all the buildings as if I were looking out over Provo. It was really neat, and great weather. And last night for finding time we drove past downtown and saw a huge circus tent set up and a fair going on. It was packed with people so we decided to go and make some contacts and get some potential new investigators. It worked! We found some pretty cool people...and that's not even to mention our Mexico bracelets we got...and free ice cream...and saw several members/inactives. Very productive. I'll put some pictures.

So, it was a really great week. We had some very powerful, spirit-led lessons and spirit-led finding. I love that. I think that often as missionaries we take for granted just how much we have the spirit with us every day. I know it is a great blessing and it can truly guide our lives if we let it. Thank you so much for the packages I've gotten recently! Mom, the candy bar was exactly what I needed. And Chris, Megan, Michael, and Cari, I LOVED the pictures of everybody. I have them in my scriptures to show off to people. They are adorable. And my comp loves the little glowworm thing. :)

I am so grateful to be a missionary. I love it every day. Thanks for all your love and support to me. I miss you mucho but I love you mas!

Love,

Hermana Jackson

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Wedding ring

Labor Day totally threw me off yesterday...I don't even remember what happened last week! hmm...ok, here we go...

Found a dead mouse in our apartment one night, contacted a the city fair, painted Hna Socorro's living room, passed out, good lessons, good finding, Ellis Island...

On Sunday, we had 6 investigators at church!! It was crazy good and testimony meeting was one of the best ever. Loved it. Martin came and he is still so excited a preparing for baptism. I love that man. When we went over to see him last week, he told us that he had had some trouble understanding what was going on in the Book of Mormon so, rather than give up like most other people would do, he decided to draw out what was going on! He showed us these huge, pro-style drawings of Lehi and his family with all their names and then the boat and them leaving Jerusalem with the corresponding scriptures written out beneath. He had about 3 or 4 drawings he had done. How cool is that? The Book of Mormon is so important and I am so glad he found a way to make it speak to him.

Rafael and Francisca came to church too. I don't know if I've told you about them but they are this older Dominican couple (not married, obviously) who are taking lessons from the JW's at the same time as us. He spoke a lot with missionaries in the DR and really liked it so they are progressing pretty well. They are getting closer and closer to realizing that while other people may teach good things to help them be better people, this is the doctrine of eternity! Every time someone bore their testimony about the Book of Mormon in church, Francisca just clutched her book closer and closer to her. I have wanted to see one of my investigators get married for basically my whole mission so maybe this will be the one!

We had a walking day on Thursday and it was REALLY hot (I think it was our last big heat wave for the year...due to that hurricane) so we went walking down to Lucina's, about 45 minutes walk away and by the time we got there I was passed out. That was exciting. Haha, but I'm good, don't worry. What else is new, right?

Yesterday was a great p-day. We hiked Garret Mountain with Hna Socorro...it was the same hike we did together last year on Labor Day...my first p-day in the field! But now when I looked out over Paterson, I recognized all the buildings as if I were looking out over Provo. It was really neat, and great weather. And last night for finding time we drove past downtown and saw a huge circus tent set up and a fair going on. It was packed with people so we decided to go and make some contacts and get some potential new investigators. It worked! We found some pretty cool people...and that's not even to mention our Mexico bracelets we got...and free ice cream...and saw several members/inactives. Very productive. I'll put some pictures.

So, it was a really great week. We had some very powerful, spirit-led lessons and spirit-led finding. I love that. I think that often as missionaries we take for granted just how much we have the spirit with us every day. I know it is a great blessing and it can truly guide our lives if we let it. Thank you so much for the packages I've gotten recently! Mom, the candy bar was exactly what I needed. And Chris, Megan, Michael, and Cari, I LOVED the pictures of everybody. I have them in my scriptures to show off to people. They are adorable. And my comp loves the little glowworm thing. :)

I am so grateful to be a missionary. I love it every day. Thanks for all your love and support to me. I miss you mucho but I love you mas!

Love,

Hermana Jackson

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Teaching the ice cream man sure has its perks!

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Hey everybody!

How is life back on the west coast? It has been dumping rain for 2 days straight! Crazy stuff. It rained on Monday too...and when it rains here, it is always accompanied by high-speed winds, thunderclaps louder than you've ever heard in your life, and lots of falling trees (as was the case when we came out of a lesson on Monday night...refer to picture #132...that is our car and that is the tree that landed right next to our car!). So yeah, it has been fun.

We found some pretty cool new investigators this week...one is the ice cream man! We talked to him outside his house and had a good lesson with him (we didn't know yet that he was the ice cream man), and then after the prayer he said, "Hey, I'm just getting ready to leave for work." "Oh that's cool. Where do you work?" "I sell ice cream. Do you want some?" He then opened his garage door to reveal a huge ice cream truck and he gave us each a free popsicle. Woohoo! Then another new investigator we found as we were looking for a referral we had gotten from a member. We knocked on a door (apparently the wrong one) and a guy answered. We asked for Matilde and he said that she rented the other half of the house but that she wasn't home right then. We got to talking with him and as he opened the door a little wider, I saw that he was standing in a recording studio! He plays and records music for different churches. Hermana Schleske told him I was really into music so he handed me his guitar and I played and sang "I Stand All Amazed." He stopped me in the middle, turned on all his recording gear, and told me to start over. He burned me a copy of the cd right then and there. Pretty rough recording, obviously, but sweet, huh? I'll try to send it to you. He said that anytime we wanted to come back, he would record me for free. :) So then we got to talking with him and all the different music he does and he asked, "You know, I go to all these different churches every Sunday doing music for them, but I don't get why there are so many churches!" Perfect lead-in to a lesson about the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love it!

Oh, update on Danny...I don't know if you remember him or not but we have been teaching him for a LONG time...basically since I first got back to Paterson. He has been making lots of drastic changes in his life to come unto Jesus...hair cut, leaving the women, and now he has finally stopped smoking and drinking completely!!! It is amazing to see the progress he's made. It's been a slow, steady process with him...our members involved in the lessons have wanted us to give up on him numerous times but we haven't felt like we should. And now he has a baptismal date! Awesome. The last big hurdle is getting him Sundays off work consistently...it's kind of hit and miss. But he will be able to if he has the faith, I know it. And Minerva...she's still a work in progress as well but we feel like we're getting a little closer every time we meet with her. Expect good news about her very soon... :)

My companion and I are getting along really well and getting a lot of good work done here. We have been blessed over and over again this week as we have just given all we can give to the Lord and letting Him do the rest. I'm grateful for the comfort and guidance of the Holy Ghost that we can receive when we do what's right. Something that I've learned a lot about lately is PATIENCE! Patience with yourself, Patience with others, and Patience with the Lord. All 3 aspects are crucial in being able to fully follow the Lord's path for your life and fulfill what He knows you, and only you, can fulfill. I am so grateful for all of you that have experienced patience with me over the years and the way the Lord has taught me that he knows best. He always knows what we need and when we need it. Follow His plan for you, be flexible to it, and things will turn out better than you could have expected (see the last 2 verses of Alma 34).

I hope everything continues to go well. Mom, I hope you're feeling better. Grandma is leaving soon, yeah? I hope she had a wonderful visit. Tell her I love her. And Nana's birthday is coming up, right? Happy Birthday, Nana! :) Take care. I miss you mucho but I love you mas!

Love,

Hermana Jackson

P.S. The other picture is my comp and I at Lucina's baby shower. The decorations were done by Emma, the member who owns the house we live in...she is SO flying out to Utah in several years to decorate for my wedding. Haha. :)

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Back-up plan: cry!

What a great week to finish out an amazing transfer and power us into the next! We had 2 baptisms yesterday!!!!! Eric got baptized right after church and Maria a couple hours later. It was just wonderful. Eric's grandma, Matilde (got baptized almost a year ago) was just crying so much to see her grandson get baptized. She bore her testimony and the spirit was so strong. And this coming Sunday, Eric's mom Lucina is going to get baptized! How cool is that? Matilde, Lucina, Eric, and his little brother are who are in the picture #0074. The primary kids sang at his baptism and he was just so excited all week. I love teaching that kid. A couple of days ago when we were getting him ready for his baptismal interview, we asked him about Jose Smith and he went on to tell us the entire story from the childrens Book of Mormon...starting with all of the questions JS had to the vision and on to using the Urim and Thummim to translate the plates! Haha, smart kid. He was so ready!

Maria's preparation on the other hand was not quite as smooth. Never have I seen the powers of Satan working so hard against somebody to get her to back out on her decision. We went to visit her one day and as I was doing her dishes she just started coming out with doubt after doubt about the church and prophets and coffee and who even knows what else. We had a lesson with her that day and did not let her go a day all week without seeing us. I have never prayed harder for somebody in my life! I kept telling Heavenly Father, "It has taken her 6 years to even say yes to get baptized. I know she will get her answer in the next 2 days to be able to know these things are true." It took a lot of faith and fasting but we could not back down and she came through so confident and happy in the end. After her baptism, she was just glowing and was saying how happy she was that she finally did it. I attached 2 pictures of her...one with her family before her baptism and one with her after. She is so strong and is going to be the key in reactivating her husband's entire family. The way they all rallied around her at her baptism yesterday was amazing.

We found some pretty cool new investigators this week, which was needed because as much as we've been trying, things have been rough in that aspect. But the Lord always blesses us when the time is right...and for me it seems to always be in the last week of the transfer cycle. Oh, speaking of transfers...I am staying in Paterson again and Hna Binning is getting transferred! Crazy, huh? So you can keep sending your letters directly to me (for the address, email my mom). I'm going on my 5th transfer (total) here in Paterson...that's longer than I was in Morristown but I have so much more energy here. That means I get to be here for Lucina's baptism and hopefully for some others we hope to see this transfer. It will be great! Hna Binning is really sad to be going. We have worked really well together...we are SO different from each other but it made a good balance in the work. This transfer will take us halfway into September...meaning I will be repeating days in the same area (considering I arrived in Paterson last year on Sep 2). I am excited though to see what it holds.

Well family, I hope things are going better for you all. To my wonderful brothers, don't be afraid to write me every once-in-a-while...at least maybe one more time in my mission. :) I know that this gospel is what brings true happiness in our lives and that Heavenly Father will guide and direct us as we seek Him. My theme for this week/transfer has been 1 Nephi 10:17-19. I absolutely love what that says about being led by the Holy Ghost. Heavenly Father really does answer our prayers. Take care and I'll write again next week with the details of my new comp. I miss you tons but I love you more!

Love,

Hermana Jackson

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What a great week to finish out an amazing transfer and power us into the next! We had 2 baptisms yesterday!!!!! Eric got baptized right after church and Maria a couple hours later. It was just wonderful. Eric's grandma, Matilde (got baptized almost a year ago) was just crying so much to see her grandson get baptized. She bore her testimony and the spirit was so strong. And this coming Sunday, Eric's mom Lucina is going to get baptized! How cool is that? Matilde, Lucina, Eric, and his little brother are who are in the picture #0074. The primary kids sang at his baptism and he was just so excited all week. I love teaching that kid. A couple of days ago when we were getting him ready for his baptismal interview, we asked him about Jose Smith and he went on to tell us the entire story from the childrens Book of Mormon...starting with all of the questions JS had to the vision and on to using the Urim and Thummim to translate the plates! Haha, smart kid. He was so ready!

Maria's preparation on the other hand was not quite as smooth. Never have I seen the powers of Satan working so hard against somebody to get her to back out on her decision. We went to visit her one day and as I was doing her dishes she just started coming out with doubt after doubt about the church and prophets and coffee and who even knows what else. We had a lesson with her that day and did not let her go a day all week without seeing us. I have never prayed harder for somebody in my life! I kept telling Heavenly Father, "It has taken her 6 years to even say yes to get baptized. I know she will get her answer in the next 2 days to be able to know these things are true." It took a lot of faith and fasting but we could not back down and she came through so confident and happy in the end. After her baptism, she was just glowing and was saying how happy she was that she finally did it. I attached 2 pictures of her...one with her family before her baptism and one with her after. She is so strong and is going to be the key in reactivating her husband's entire family. The way they all rallied around her at her baptism yesterday was amazing.

We found some pretty cool new investigators this week, which was needed because as much as we've been trying, things have been rough in that aspect. But the Lord always blesses us when the time is right...and for me it seems to always be in the last week of the transfer cycle. Oh, speaking of transfers...I am staying in Paterson again and Hna Binning is getting transferred! Crazy, huh? So you can keep sending your letters directly to me (for the address, email my mom). I'm going on my 5th transfer (total) here in Paterson...that's longer than I was in Morristown but I have so much more energy here. That means I get to be here for Lucina's baptism and hopefully for some others we hope to see this transfer. It will be great! Hna Binning is really sad to be going. We have worked really well together...we are SO different from each other but it made a good balance in the work. This transfer will take us halfway into September...meaning I will be repeating days in the same area (considering I arrived in Paterson last year on Sep 2). I am excited though to see what it holds.

Well family, I hope things are going better for you all. To my wonderful brothers, don't be afraid to write me every once-in-a-while...at least maybe one more time in my mission. :) I know that this gospel is what brings true happiness in our lives and that Heavenly Father will guide and direct us as we seek Him. My theme for this week/transfer has been 1 Nephi 10:17-19. I absolutely love what that says about being led by the Holy Ghost. Heavenly Father really does answer our prayers. Take care and I'll write again next week with the details of my new comp. I miss you tons but I love you more!

Love,

Hermana Jackson

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"Ok, I'll Do It!"

Those 4 words (in the subject line) are the best words I have heard so far on my mission. Let me tell you about our AMAZING experience we had this week...

Tuesday night, we went over to see Maria DV and her husband, Danny. A couple of days previous, Hna Binning and I both felt very strongly that we needed to have a set appointment with both of them there in order to really help Maria progress and help their family. Maria had been praying about getting baptized on July 25 and told us that she didn't think it was right. We were devastated, clueless on what to do next with her, until finally we received the promptings to meet with them both. So we went over, she gave us dinner, and we got to talking. Our lesson was on faith and repentance. Danny had tons of questions about different things and then Maria turned to him and started explaining to him the same principles we have been teaching her for weeks about really just relying on the Lord for your support. As she explained it to him, I could see it all just clicking in her mind and she was really gaining a testimony of it. We went on in the lesson and talked about the blessings of the temple. We shared a story from the Feb 2010 Ensign (she LOVES the Ensigns) about a family who wanted the blessings of the temple but it says they weren't ready to keep all the commandments. It was so applicable to Maria and Danny's situation. As we read the story, I looked at Maria and said, "Maria, we have felt the promptings of the Holy Ghost to tell you that now is the time to get baptized and get your family to the temple. We fear that if you don't do it now, you never will. Now is the time to receive these blessings." After a little more discussion with them, I was looking down at my scriptures, wondering where to turn to next, when suddenly Maria said, "Ok, I'll do it." I thought I was dreaming it. I looked up and started laughing in disbelief and asked about 3 times, "Really? Are you serious? When?" "On August 1. I just checked the calendar and Danny has it off work. It hit me as you were reading that story. I just need to do this." So basically, to summarize that entire huge paragraph, Maria DV is getting baptized on August 1 and she has just been glowing!!!!!!!!!!

With the excitement of all of this, I have been thinking a lot about the tender mercies of the Lord that he gives us every day as His missionaries. We were clueless a couple of days before that lesson on what to teach her, but through diligent study and prayer, the Lord led us in our studies and planning to plan exactly what she needed to hear and blessed us with the spirit to touch her heart. Also, ever since I came back to Paterson, the members and other missionaries have been asking me, "Sister Jackson, when is Maria getting baptized? You know that you're back for her, right?" Yes, I knew, and I felt the pressure big time, especially when things weren't going as well as we had hoped. But the Lord blessed us. This is not a chance every missionary gets...to be able to serve in the same area twice. I know that it is another tender mercy of the Lord that he has given me to remind me of His love.

In other news, Eric (the 9-yr old) is also getting baptized on Sunday and we are way excited for him as well. Minerva, on the other hand, is having some doubts and will probably take several more weeks to be ready for baptism. I would rather have that though so that she is really doing it for her and not her son.

Oh, and just so you know, Mom and Cari, I think I like reading now...yeah, I know, it's hard for me to admit :) but I do enjoy reading and have this thirst to read lots of books after the mission...of course, that could just be because I can't right now, so I want to (maybe that's the rebel in me). Anyway, there's the update on me. :)

I think that's about it for this week. Prayers are being answered every day out here. I am so grateful for this time in my life the Lord has given me to serve Him. I'm humbled by the trust He has in me to teach and testify to my brothers and sisters about the doctrine of salvation. Our theme this transfer in our companionship is, "Love it. Every day." And I do. Thanks for all your love and support. I miss you tons but I love you more!

Love,

Hermana Jackson

Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven

First things first, Happy 1st Birthday, Claire! Wish I could be there for it...haven't even met her yet but hey, she looks cute in the pictures. :) Be sure to send me some pictures of the occasion.

My address until at least August 2 is: 99 N 12th St #1, Prospect Park, NJ, 07508. The office address is still ok, I will just only get mail from there once a month...so that's only about 4 more times for the rest of my mission, so I would prefer at the house now. Thanks!

Our emotions depend so much on these people we teach...it's quite entertaining. We have 2 baptismal dates coming up! Eric (the 9-yr-old) is so excited to get baptized on Aug 1!! We gave him a children's Book of Mormon and he read all the was to Alma 48 in 2 days. He says it's his new favorite book. He just gets it so much! His mom, Lucina, is still a little unsure of when she wants to/can get baptized. We are trying to encourage her to get baptized with her son but we'll see what happens. She is doing really well though. They both came to church again yesterday and loved it. And for our other baptismal date...Minerva has decided to get baptized! Her son, Cristian, just moved here in May from the DR and he is a really active, strong member of the church. We've been teaching Minerva but things have been going kind of slow with her but the more we see her, the more things just click with her. We did a fast with her last Monday (her idea) to help her receive an answer about if she should get baptized. Cristian called us on Thursday and said, "I think my mom is going to get baptized!" We tried going to see her but she wasn't there so when we saw her last night, we talked to her about it. We challenged her for Aug 1 and at first she hesitated a lot and then Cristian said, "Come on, mom, just put a date on it and if the date comes and you're not comfortable, we can put it off." She said yes! And then Cristian added, "Hey, you should get baptized on my birthday (typical Hispanic thing to do...they always want things to happen on their birthdays or holidays) and I can baptize you!" We asked when his birthday is and he told us July 31, and she agreed! It will be an awesome birthday present for him.

So yep, it has been a good week....really hot, as always. Up to Saturday morning, we had 0 new investigators, which was pretty depressing, but we ended up pulling it through on Saturday and Sunday hardcore.

Oh, yeah, and Eric's abuela, Matilde, taught us how to make Mexican flan the other day! It was so good! Sorry Mom, but flan from a box is just not going to cut it anymore :) This stuff tastes like the stuff you get in the restaurants. Haha. I am trying to learn how to cook some Hispanic things before I get home but it is really hard to find the time to learn anything other than desert stuff, because that's the quickest. But so far I can make flan, bonuelos, tostones/platanos, rice, and this way good Dominican drink called "morir sonando" (to die dreaming).

I think that's about it for this week. Just keep praying, do your best, and things will work out, no matter what's going on. I love this work and I know that the Lord is answering your prayers for me. Thanks for all your support. I miss you tons but I love you more!

Love,

Hermana Jackson

Hna Binning, what happened this week?

Hey family!

Oh my gosh, we worked our little tails off this week! We are bound and determined to see some results in this area and are not resting till we get it. But unfortunately, with all that, I have no idea what to tell you about this week. The investigators we have are just taking their time progressing so we are really focusing on finding LOTS of new investigators. I know Heavenly Father has people here who are really prepared, we just need to find them!

So, on Sunday nights after planning, my comp and I usually go through our week and talk about the good/funny/random experiences to tell about in our emails. Last night, our conversation went a little something like this:

Me: "Hermana Binning, what happened this week?"

Her: "Ummm...we reached our goals...but they don't really care about that..."

Me: "We found some crazy Dominican men working on cars...but that's really all there is to tell about them."

Her: "Yeah. I don't know. But it was a really good week! Why can't we think of anything to write about?"

Me: "Oh, I cut my bangs."

Her: "Yeah, you could write about that!"

Me: "Ok, good idea. Good night."

I don't know if I've just gotten more serious on my mission or if the funny things have just gotten so normal that I don't feel like they're worth telling or what, but just trust me when I say that we did have an amazing week. We didn't get to do anything fun for the 4th of July because it was on a Sunday. Hermana Binning and I were remembering last July 4th in the MTC watching the fireworks from the Stadium of Fire and we looked through our camera at pictures of us then. But hey, we did get to go over to a member's apartment for an appearance at his little gathering for the branch and share a spiritual thought about the promised land. This member lives on the top floor (13th floor) of a retirement home with a perfect view of the NY skyline and the fireworks. Anyway, I think I gained a new appreciation for the 4th of July yesterday. Most people that know me know that I'm not very patriotic at all. But last night all the members of the branch were so excited to sing "America the Beautiful" in gratitude for the life and opportunities that have opened up to them since coming here. We had people that have been here for everything from 2 to 33 years and they were all just grateful for being here. They still love their countries, surely, but they recognize the blessings they now have and that their children have been given. I realized how grateful I am to have been born and raised here. I think I finally came to grips that being grateful for my country and the blessings I have is not a sin and it doesn't mean I think I'm better than anyone else who lives in another country, it just means I love who I am, and I'm ok with that.

Anyway, that's about it for today. I think I will write a hand-written letter if time allows today, and include a picture if I can. Our p-days have officially been cut mission-wide by an hour permanently to utilize prime finding time. I hope things are going well. If you have any specific questions ask me and then it will give me something cooler to say. :) I miss you tons but I love you more!

Love,

Hermana Jackson