This week was a lot of running around and work. We walked a ton. My legs actually hurt. I´m pretty sure we walked at least like five miles per day. Things are heating up here in Santiago. It`s pretty dang hot now. It`s not as hot as home, but they don`t really have an ozone layer here, so the sun is very strong. Luckily, it starts to cool down around 6pm, so we get a couple hours of cooler weather at the end. :) We went to the clinic yesterday for Elder Bahamóndez. He has a problem with his colon. Basically, he just cant eat fat.
So I just want to share a neat experience from this week. We are teaching a less active name Daniel. He is pretty much super active now. He has been trying to decide if he wants to go on a mission or not for a while now. He wants to, but he provides the majority of the money for his family...his mom, dad, him, and two younger brothers, so he is worried about what`ll happen to them. For the reason of income, his parents are completely against it. They aren`t members of any church and don`t want to listen to what we have. We were basically having a heart to heart with Daniel and his mom. She started talking about how she is sure that serving a mission has been real easy for me because I´m a grengo from the United States. I love how Daniel responded. "Mom, every missionary has a different story. They all come from different backgrounds. We have three missionaries in our ward who were baptized and within two years went out on a mission. Every one with a story different, but all amazing."
That just really got me to thinking how truly amazing the Gospel of Jesus Christ is. So I`m a convert missionary. Elder Bahamóndez is a convert missionary. Elder Gutierrez is a convert missionary. Each of us comes from a different part of the world....Arkansas, Chile, Bolivia, but the gospel has had the same lasting affect on each of us. Each of us has felt the love of the Savior and from that love has sprung forth a desire to share it with the world. The gospel truly is so amazing. It doesn´t matter who you are, where you come from, if you´re the only member in your family, what your past is like, or even the mistakes you´ve made....the gospel cleanses us. It brings us closer to Christ and drives us to make the necessary changes in our lives to live in harmony with His law. It is in that moment that we find not just happiness, but eternal happiness. There is a huge difference...and when you feel it, you never want to go back. I testify that this is the reality. There is no other way to achieve it than through the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I invite you to embrace this, love it, make it a part of you, and be eternally happy. In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Con Amor,
Elder Jackson
Saturday, December 5, 2015
November 25, 2015
This week absolutely FLEW BY! It´s super cool being in a new environment. New people, new miracles, new adventures. The bad news of the week is that Elder Bahamóndez got sick Sunday morning at like 1 in the morning throwing up. He was throwing up all night...didn´t really sleep either,so we didn´t get to go to church on Sunday. It was a day in the house. He slept all day. I took advantage of the day...slept for like an hour, did my laundry, washed his sheets, and cleaned/organized the house a bit. By the end of the night, he was feeling a little bit better. I feel like more than anything, he was just really tired from the whole experience. I understand.
So I´ve started a diet and to really start bucklin down with my exercizes. I am getting ready for the summer seasons ahead. It should be fun. I feel really good about it all. I am already starting to see results. :D
So this week I found a scripture that I really like.
26 And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preachof Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write accordingto our prophecies, that our children may know to whatsource they may look for a remission of their sins.
27 Wherefore, we speak concerning the law that ourchildren may know the deadness of the law; and they, byknowing the deadness of the law, may look forward unto that life which is in Christ, and know for what end the lawwas given. And after the law is fulfilled in Christ, that theyneed not harden their hearts against him when the lawought to be done away.
What I like from these scriptures is what it says in verse 27. "may look forward unto that life which is in Christ." I really like what it says here. We have the knowlege from Heavenly Father to know that the things of this life aren´t the things that we should hope for, but that we should look forward unto our lives in Christ, or Life Eternal. I love this scripture because when I read it, I think "You know, that´s a good point. I should invest in THAT life..not this one." When I do that, it makes it WAY easier to sacrafice the few things in this world that we do to be numbered in the people of God....so that we may be called saints. When I read things like this, it just makes me so grateful for the gospel and the way it changes your prospective. It eliminates your temporary desires and replaces them with eternal desires and goals. That´s what we all NEED to make it through this world. If we don´t have it, the world is quite hard.
November 11, 2015 Another Eventful Week in Santiago Chile
Well, this has been a very eventful week! First off, Elder Sarceno and I have been kind of on and off sick with some stomach virus.(Thanks Elder Tejeda! Haha) We had a “Tunnel of Times” activity in the stake center this Saturday. Elders Sarceno and Tejeda weren´t feeling very good, so I went with Elder Brown! Some of the members from the ward had asked us if we could help them with the stand and recording the dance. Our booth was the decade of the 40s. For the dance, we did the Tango and Swing. It was pretty neat to see all of the dances through all of the years. Also, everybody was dressed up, so it was pretty much the real deal.
I found out Saturday night that I would be leaving Las Industrias for changes, so Sunday and Monday were spent more than anything saying bye, sharing my testimony, and trying to balance teaching with all of that. We went ahead and rearranged the house for Summer(moved the beds downstairs so it wouldn´t be so hot.) and I packed everything up….I have A TON OF STUFF! I swear I looked like a sister at the change meeting. Haha It´s all of my winter jackets and weights and stuff like that, so I don´t feel that bad…it all worked out. J I got called to a sector called Las Araucarias. It´s in the stake Las Araucarias. Lol It´s in the communities El Bosque and La Píntana, so there is a part of the sector that is flaite. I was excited about that. Also, it´s right by my first sector in Gran Avenida and about 15 minutes in bus to Ducaud, so I´ll probably be seeing people that I know fairly frequently. My comps name is Elder Bahamóndez. He is a Chilean from Chillán. I´m way excited to be with another latin finally!! :D I love having a good time with other grengos, but I have a great time with latins too AND my Spanish gets better. We actually already knew each other and were friends. He was being trained in San Miguel my first three months there, so it was really awesome to hear that! We have a ton in common. We are both only members, members of little time, we have similar interests and desires….we have decided that it was completely revelation that President Cook assigned us together. I am really excited for everything that awaits us here! :D Also, I am temporarily living with Elders Anderson and Velueta whom I lived with before! So the house is super fun! We have a blast! :D
With all of the changes and all, I have been thinking a lot about a scripture I found a while back that talks about our job as missionaries.
It spells out VERY clearly what we must do as missionaries. We must harken to the voice of the Father, or the scriptures, prophets, and Holy Ghost. He will give us council in all things and even be with us. Then we must bring our causes unto Him. That is our responsibility to God Our responsibility to the people here is to teach/show them the path they must take in life. I really like this scripture...that it includes the act of showing. As missionaries, we have no power if we merely tell someone what they must to do achieve eternal happiness, but if we show them THAT IT WORKS...with our lives as living proof...then we have the power of God with us. That is what we NEED as missionaries...to show that God is still all-powerful. That He lives. And that He guides us. I testify of these things. That this is possible to achieve for everyone...missionaries and members. If we want to make a change in the world, this is the way that we must do it. One God led decision at a time. As we do this, we will see the power of our Heavenly Father manifested in our lives. Of this I testify, in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Con Amor,
Elder Jackson
Nov. 4, 2015 Wow
haha I knew that one day in my mission I would reach a point that it would take me less time to respond to emails than it takes me to write to President Cook...that day is today. haha That`s alright, more time to focus on the work! ;)
This week went by really fast. I haven`t really felt myself the last four or five days, sick to my stomach, headache, but you gotta tough it out out here! Like the Mensajero said last week, we have to choose to be "fighters" and not "survivors". I remember thinking much before I came here that a mission was all fun and joy and games. Although yes it is ALL of those things, IT IS WORK! To really have sucess, you have to work harder, push yourself further, and focus yourself more in this time than you have EVER done before in your life. Sucess isn`t baptisms, reactivations, a skyrocketing assistance, or even knowing the scriptures perfectly. For me, sucess is being able to kneel down at your bedside before you go to bed, and tell your Heavenly Father that you gave it your all. That even though you aren`t perfect, you did the best you knew how. That you put in 110%, and that tomorrow you`ll give him 111%...that for me is the definition of sucess.
I just wanted to share a miracle that happened last week. While I was in Ducuad, we taught a young woman named Janice Saez and her sister Jailyn. They were PERFECT! Golden! Super smart, caught on fast, didn`t drink or smoke, had manners, and were just fun! We taught them for a while. One day, they went on a Scouts camping trip. We didn`t hear from them, so we called. Janice told us something bad had happened. We thought surely they`d done something that went against our teachings. The next day, we met with Janice and she told us that one of her friends had died. From that point on, her sister, Jailyn, didn`t want to listen to us. Even though we were still great friends, she never sat in on the lessons after that...up even after I left. Last week in the mensajero, I saw her name on the list of people that had been baptized. I can`t express the excitement I felt in that moment. At first I thought that maybe it`d been a mistype, but as I read it again, it said very clearly JAILYN SAEZ. I thought to myself "NO WAY!? HOW?" I began to meditate on that question, how? I have come to the conclusions of two deciding factors in the event.
1. God makes a way-God loves all of us. Although sometimes things happen in life and it changes our process of conversion, our loving Heavenly Father will ALWAYS present us with more opportunities to accept His son Jesus Christ and to follow Him. I don`t know exactly what happened to make her change her mind, but I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that it was divine and that she saw/flet the hand of God in her life. No other sensation could make a person change their life in an instant.
2. Her sister was there to guide her-Though Jailyn was passing through a hard time in her life, she always had the example of her sister Janice to guide her. Having first handly seen the change in the life of Janice, I know that she is strong, that she was always there pushing her sister, showing her what to do, helping her through her struggles, and inso doing all of these things, becoming an "instrument in the hands of God."
I want to testify of something that I`ve learned to be a truth in my time here. The influence that you have on other people, is the most important asset that you posess. Whether it be for good or evil, you are always influencing someone. People that you know, people that are just passing by you in the street, and the people on the other side of the veil that are watching you. Every action that you make is doing one of two things, edifying the Kingdom of God or tearing it down. I have seen this to be the case in 100% of situations. I invite each of you to meditate about this, to decide what affect you are having on others. If you don`t like the answer you come up with, change it. Make the changes necesary to obtain the answer you want. As you do this, you will feel the power and influence of God in yourself. You will see yourself become an "instrument in the hands of God." Of this I testify, in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Con Amor,
Elder Jackson
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Week #58 This is my scripture of the week
77 And I give unto you a commandment that you shall teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom.
79 Of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are,things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgments which arena the land; and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms—
This is my scripture of the week. Even though we have been super busy with great new families, a ton of service, lots of studying, and lots of fun, it is something that I have been thinking and meditating on a lot here lately. I read this about three weeks ago and it still comes to my head, so I feel it important to my ministry. In these scriptures, we find a commandment and promises from Heavenly Father. The commandment..."to teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom." I like the wording here. It doest`t say teach what is cool, interesting, nor what YOU feel will touch a person. It is very clear. "Teach the doctrine of the kingdom." We are to teach the gospel to all creatures on the Earth! Now, you may be wondering, "What is the doctrine? The scriptures say a ton of stuff that`s important." Luckily for us, we have prophets and apostles to guide us in this endeavor. As a missionary, we teach the doctrine of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The doctrine and the fundamentals that make everything else true. When we get a grasp on these foundations, we expel on our our newfound knowledge in other mysteries of God. These fundamentals can be found in chapter three of a book called "Preach My Gospel". I exhort each of you to seek this book, if it doesn`t have a place in your house, and study chapter three. I promise that when you do that, you will understand the true doctrine of Christ.When we complete with this sacred calling from the Lord, he promises us the company of his grace, or in other words, the blessings of living the gospel. One of which, is the company of the Holy Ghost who teaches us "the truth of all things." By the power of the Holy Ghost, you will be instructed more perfectly in theory, principle, doctrine, law, and all things that pertain to the Kingdom of Heaven. When we obtain this said perfection we understand things not only as they are, but as they were and how they are going to be. We understand the eternal prospective, which is the key in obtaining Salvation to our souls. As it says in verse 80, we will be "prepared in all things" when the Lord calls us to magnify another calling,or commission, in His kingdom.I testify that as we accomplish His will in all that we do, we will have a perfect understanding, perfect happiness here on the Earth, and eternal glory in the kingdom to come. Of this I testify, in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Con Amor,Elder Jackson
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