I Ride With Jesus

Hey hey my sweet family. I have embraced a real love for the South again this week. Hahah so many hilarious wild stories i wish i had hours to tell you all. Some newly learned skills (or attempted to learn) include; hacking trees with a machete, whip cracking, skinning and gutting fresh shot turkeys, finding and ridding ourselves of ticks, and becoming best friends with/sharing the gospel with motorcycle gangs. It's.The. Best.

We had exchanges this week and i want to tell you briefly of a neat experience this week. Sister Pau'uu and i had the chance to go teach a less-active. After dinner we began the lesson and with in minutes the course of the lesson changed and the spirit took it from there. the whole lesson went to the core of a previously unspoken concern of the existence of a God. The way we can feel Him and of truth in this life. She was in tears as she spoke of a time she was sure she felt the spirit. Not only did my understanding of her heart grow that evening but my love as well. I shared a recent personal experience about my own test of faith and prayer and how i came to fell of the reality of a God. I saw the power that sharing a deep, raw, personal experience can have in the teaching process. The cool thing is that that experience had just just happened days prior to her lesson. It brought me again back to the knowledge that our trials aren't for us, but more importantly for the benefit of others. 

It reminds me of the thought by David A. Bednard "the work you preform is a whole lot more about who you are and what you are becoming, than what you will ever say."

That's SO true with everyone of us. Whether its our callings, schooling, work, family relationships... our character trumps all eloquence of things said and taught. 

Be REAL and be true to YOU! This is something I've come across over and over again in the mission field and am passionate about if you can't tell:) I encourage you all to go out  and find whats real and whats true for you! Find what fills your soul and have the courage to obtain it..TODAY! I love you all immensely. 

Jesus Christ Lives!

Sister Jackson 

"Joker" and "Big show" from the Madison Motor Gang. We connected real quick with their patches of "JESUS IS MY BOSS" and "I RIDE WITH JESUS" #attaboys

1 YEAR

MAN. I live a good life. This week was nothing less than hectic but, the absolute best. I hit my year mark last week and it is a little surreal. So many laughs, tears, heartaches, faith-trying and faith-promoting experiences. So many days full of exhaustion and devotion. So many countless days on my knees. So many lessons learned about myself and inner battles and victories through the Savior.  So, so many tender mercies and people I adore with my whole heart.  

Sylvia was baptized on Saturday. It was tender to watch her son, who was once taken and raised in the branch due to the drug environment, become a member, serve a mission and come back to baptize his momma. The Gospel of Jesus Christ elevates us to our divine potential with courage. That I know.

Every heart wrenching, exhausting, lonely day out here is completely worth it. They do not compare in the slightest for the joy that is felt for people like Syliva. I have hope and gratitude in my heart for this Gospel. I love my Savior. It is hard not to love someone who loved you first. How much more fully I have come to know him personally over this past year. I would not give that up for the world.

I know God answer prayers. It amazes me in the way He does, but he does. Never have I felt such fulfillment and purpose in my life than on my mission. And the cool thing is we should always create our lives to feel that. How lucky we are to know what creates that. It is the Savior and His Gospel. What a beautiful life WE LIVE!

Sending you so much love!

Sister Jackson:)

A Wet Week

Hello everyone! I don't have much time today but I just wanted you all to know I love you!

Sylvia is schedule to get baptized on Saturday. We sat in her little dark trailer with the smell of boiling pigs feet this week and I felt such gratitude to of been apart of/witnessed the growth and victories she's overcome.

To accept your weaknesses and deficiencies is to reject the enabling power of Jesus Christ and the plan of salvation. We are all changing constantly. No one is cast in stone. What a beautiful message and chance we have to become better than who we were yesterday. 

I am grateful to be serving. I love my Savior. Keep "drinking deeply" from the Gods words! Thank you for the being the best family I could dream off. I love you:)

Sister Jackson:)

Ja'shanti, one of our investigators!

Crazy week

Hey fam! I didn't feel like typing a group email so I figured id just send ya what I sent my mish pres!

Tarus came to stake conference this weekend met a member of the 70 the mission pres had his baptism interview and the DL said it was the most powerful interview he's ever had. He was on fire. Then yesterday it was the strangest thing. We began the lesson and he couldn't even keep his eyes open and was real scrimy and fear sunk in. I though he better not be high. And sure enough he did a summer salt thing off the couch and my heart dropped. He got up asked all these questions and about Joseph Smith and the black getting the priesthood. His mom had filled him and all of a sudden his whole motivation to stay off weed and to do good went out the window. The lesson went down hill and he eventually got up and walked out. Our other baptismal candidate for this week also got offended by something and is now going down hill. I honestly feel like I'm morning hahah its crazy how deeply you love everyone out here.

trans calls were last night and we are getting another sister in Madison so we will be a trio. I know sis smith has been really worried about me with all the many challenge with training my comp and the senior couple here is best friends with the Smiths so they talk all the time about how tough she can be so in essence I guess they feel like giving me another sis to help me out is what the senior couple told me. I'm not sure if it will help or make things a bit tougher so we will see:)

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!

President Smith,

IN THIS MISSION we press forward diligently with faith and hope no matter the out come. In this mission we are courageous. We are fearless. I have seen these mission cultures many many times this past transfer in Madison, the district and in the missionaries across the mission. 

My heart has been all over the spectrum this week. I'm grateful you had the chance to meet Tarus this weekend at Conference. Elder Wilson was kind to him. He took his shoulder and asked him if he was working or in school, what he wanted to study. What he was doing in life. Then he proceeded to talk about how him getting baptized will influence his life forever. That he personally understand what remarkable effects of this Gospel has had on him. Tarus loved every minute of it and said that someday He might be up there doing what he's doing. On the way home from the Conference we talked about how he felt it was all for him. That they mentioned scriptures and stories that we had just studied on the way up there and in his recent readings. He had his baptism interview with Elder Millard right before and just kept saying "That guy was so spiritual." He had a powerful interview. Tarus was on cloud 9!

However, the adversary works hard as ever right before and after the break of life changing experiences that bring us joy and salvation. With our lesson last night as we began the lesson it began to be apparent that he was high and brought up questions about Joseph Smith and blacks and the priesthood and eventually stood up and walked out of the lesson. We guess that his mom evidently filled him with all these anti ideas. And the rest went down hill. Gosh its tough to invest you entire heart into something and someone to have it get beat up senselessly it feels sometimes. He was so close to SO much joy with the companionship of the Holy Ghost. It just made me really ponder how much our Father in Heaven hurts and yearns with his way ward children. When we struggle and fall. What hope and expectations He has for all of us. How he can see the divine potential in us when often we can't.

BUT in this mission we press forward diligently with faith and hope no matter the outcome. Courageously and fearlessly we serve Him. 

I was reading/pondering in the Book of Mormon this week and I came to the realization of just how much they all were constantly in the wilderness. Through out the whole book. Somewhere someone is "traveling in the wilderness."' Ha its no wonder why we often feel in a spiritual wilderness.What do you think God was trying to teach us today through them and their history?! We feel as though we may be fighting for faith and truth. At times we may feel starved of hope or certainty. But we press forward. 

Just as Ammon and 15 other of Mosiah's strongest men journey to the land Lehi-Nephi "they knew not the course they should traveled" yet they traveled. They knew where they wanted to go and where they wanted to be yet they weren't sure of the exact course to take. But THEY TRAVELED. How similar are we? We know who we want to live with in joy and peace someday. We know what kind of family we want to have. What kind of people we want to be at the end of our missions and through out our lives. So we take our tools of the gospel and travel up and down till we reach the day. What a journey it is!

Sister Jarvis has been doing well this week. She beats her self up so we really have been focusing on the role of herself vs. the role of the spirit and how proud God is off her. Nothing else matters because she here, worthy, and trying. 

I have never been in a trio before but I'm sure Sister Hulstien will be a great addition to Madison!

I'm grateful to be here serving my mission. Thank you for the love and council that you and Sister Smith share widely and deeply!

Much love, 

Sister Jackson:)