Madison Madness

HI dear ones,

Sister Jarvis arrived excited and psyched to go this week:) She is from a tiny town in New Mexico will 11 in her graduating class. We are hitting the ground running in Madison.

I laughed my head off the other day. One of her first lessons broke her in quite nicely. It was a lady that we had contacted on the street a week or so ago and when we got to her run down cylinder block apartment she yelled "who iz it?!" ( everyone yells that here when you knock and no one knows who it "iz" when we say the missionaries haha) She said "open the door so I can see yo face." We walked into another world in there. It was dark only lit by the t.v screen. Sandy just laid on the couch talking and would yell across the room every so often to a random man who was asleep next to us. Roaches EVERYWHERE. Sister Jarvis sat down next to a bucket on the floor that was filled with black and yellow liquid. Soon to find out that every so often Sandy would lean over and spit up foul liquid. As we hugged her and left she was crying and pleading to get away from the life she lived. The Book of Mormon fell straight into the bucket of bodily fluid and we stood there and smiled hahaha. She dug it out and whipped it on the rug and continued talking. Haha these people make up a good population of Madison.

I had another tender experience with Kathryn's family. We had all got together to discuss the funeral and share a message with them. We thanked the family for letting us teach Ms. Kathryn as we all sat around in a circle. I began to cry when Cedric asked me to speak at her funeral. I never would have imagined the feelings you feel on a mission.

I love the life I live and I'm so grateful to be here. I spoke on missionary work in Sacrament last sunday and had the chance to teach both youth sunday school and Y.Ws. And talking to the youth is MY favorite. They are AWESOME. I look back at where I was before I came out here and who I was and see so many similarities as I talked with them.I would never imagined being who and where I am today. God is good to his children.

I love you all so much. Keep reading. Keep praying. He knows you.

Sister Jackson 

TRANSFERS

Happy Monday:) 

This has been a tender and tiresome week for me. We have been up and back at the hospital multiple times this week seeing Ms. Katherine. About a week ago we went for the first time. I held her hand around her IVs and looked her in the eyes and told her I love her. I can't explain the experience but the words sounded strange coming out of my mouth. I tell so many people here that I love them and I truly do but this time it came out with the conviction of everything inside of me. She was weepy and expressed the same to me. Leaving the hospital it was as if God told me subtly that was it. And ever sense that day she has quickly gone down hill and at this point probably wont make it. We have prayed with her family on multiple occasion and I get teary eyed still because of how deeply my heart feels for them. She is my family. Cedric will talk to her unconsciousness about how he is still going to go to the temple for her to seal them forever. That was her biggest wish. The whole thing is humbling and the perspective on temples and life eternal has really rooted me this past week.  

I heard a quote the other day that said "If you've found a life you love, you must have the courage to live it." Living this Gospel takes courage and it takes faith. No one is exempt. Sister Cook and I trained in our Zone Conference this week about taking control of the moments in your life. We came to this earth with determination to gow spiritually and amount to something. We promised not only God but ourselves that we would. We owe it to ourselves to keep that promise!

President Smith called us last night at 10:20 when we were laying in bed and said "Sister Jackson are you ready to TRAIN again?!" I laughed. Come tomorrow I will go pick up a brand new Sister and bring her back to Madison. Life is a good one!:) The people here are good to the core. Real fun. For the past hour and a half i'v been sitting next to a pal who has been passionately comenting and laughing to himself about youtube videos on Jesus and Blue Jeans.

Keep seeking Him. I love you all immensely and am happy here.

Sister Jackson

We had a wild storm here and were stuck inside yesterday for Tornado Watches. I was suppose to speak but we all were sent home after the sacrament for safety:) We took "shelter" At the Sherwoods. This is Xiaver who we work with. A.K.A Jimmy Falon Jr. Last week he came to church for the first time in 9 years. He is a great!

Happy MLK

Hey family! 

Things are going swell in Madison. I don't have much time today. Just wanted to say I love y'all! 

This week has God was good to us and we were able teach many lessons straight on the street as we talked to people. Between being serenaded by drunk Baptists and getting yelled off of angry country mens property we had some sweet, dear, experiences.

Yesterday we were leaving an apartment complex and as I drove I saw a lady crossing the street in my rearview mirror and something subtle inside me said talk to her. So I stopped the car at the stop sign and I chased her down. We began to teach her the Restoration and tears streamed down her face in despire. She fights many demons and wolfs in this life. I looked at her brown eyes as I read a few things to her from the Book of Mormon. And I felt gratitude once again for Our Savior and the knowledge he gives us.

Another neat highlight happened last night when we were driving home last night a sister called me and told me news that made me want to cry. A few months ago I wrote home about a boy named Quan, who we stopped at and challenged him in Bball. And if we won he had to listen to us.... Sound familiar?? Quan is the winner now because he is getting baptized! I couldn't believe it. The work is pressing forward!

I love you and I love the Book of Mormon. There is truth in it. Keep reading. Thank you for being my best friends!

Sister Jackson

Not a bad place to live:)

We snapped this one foggy morning in a route to get our investigators ready for church.

Good to Come

Hey hey hey. 

I hope you all are enjoying the snow. I sure miss it. It still is frigid here. I've been wearing my coat around my apartment all morning because our little Florida Heater can't keep up with this whether! Man. I don't know what to say about this week. It has been hectic. Sister Anderson had to be emergency transferred because of somethings going on with the people we see and my new Companion is Sister Cook. And she is a real sweet and a great missionary.

Other than that really all this week has been is knocking doors, prayin,  and trying to find people to teach. I love the people here and there is a lot of good here we just are on the hunt. (Usually are:)).

We were listening to a talk the other day and a scripture it talked about was Luke 4:18

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised."

That call is upon all of us missionaries or not. And even though we can be the one to feel poor, brokenhearted, captive, blind or bruised, God delivers us along our paths to help others. Keep serving and loving the ones that surround you in your life. I love you all, miss you all, and pray for you all daily! Thanks for being my joy and peace:) Sending you loads of love from the Florida Georgia Line!!

Sister Jackson

HAPPIEST NEW YEAR

Hello my wonderful family. I hope y'all had a rockin' New Years! There sure isn't another place/life I would have rather woken up in on Jan 1! I love the life I live:) 

2017 could not have began any more miraculously. On a mission I believe you hit a time where you feel like you are working harder than you ever have, doing everything you possibly can to go the extra mile, mentally tired stretching for earnest heavenly help with your heart completely submersed and vulnerable and yet...you see nothing. And that's where i felt I was at. Day after day I gave Him everything I knew how to.  Of course I knew God was with me and I knew the work has absolutely nothing to do with me and me seeing the fruits but you can't help but feel defeated at times. I have done pretty good at staying full of hope my whole mission but Sunday morning after we had tried to pick up a family of kids we teach and their struggling mama refused it was a little punch. And Jashanti and her mom who we've been really breaking though with lately didn't show. And my heart hurt. I sat there during the sacrament emotionally and physically exhausted asking God what more I could possibly do. Asking him for his hope and strength. Questioning where am I going wrong. 

I know this is a raw, emotional draining email BUT what I want to say is that God is real and he knows all well better than me and all of us. That afternoon we went to see Katherine, Cedric's bed ridden mom whom we have been teaching extensively. She had gotten her answer. Cedric was standing in the kitchen the night before when she said "I want to be sealed to you FOREVER." She has had so many concerns and questions and doubts (as any one who is honestly seeking should have) and she finally has felt God connect it for Her to feel the truth of this Gospel. Both Sister Anderson and I became emotional. I sat there in awe at how aware He is. How no matter where we are in life or how much we have lived he will provide. He knew Katherine and has been by her bed side much more than we were ever able to be. There are still some set backs we are working through as to how to physically get her baptized and to church but peace is in her heart and mine. 

The lesson God taught me that day and every day roots from the divine principle of trusting our Maker. He has a plan for each one of His children. I know my sole happiness is only present when my TRUST in him is also. How he loves us. How he knows us. 

I love and miss y'all daily:) I have the best family, how I am BLESSED!

Sister Jackson

Take a look at my cute New Years KISS:)