Farewell Niceville!

HI FRIENDS:)

THANK YOU FOR THE BIRTHDAY WISHES. I am 20 and 10 pounds heavier with the 5 too many cakes i ate this week:) Thank you for loving me:) Transfers are HERE and I'm headed to Madison Florida this week! It is the very edge of the mission past Tally! It is always bittersweet leaving but I know God needs me there. My last week in Niceville was a really really good one. I am just soaking up the memories... sometimes literally!!!!

SO I don't know what my luck with pee lately is but somehow I just can't get away. Every week we help a grumpy lady change her sheets and clean her little trailer. With out fail there is always Dog poop and pee all over the floor. This time I managed to stand in it until Sister Fox gave me the cue to move and because of our back to back appointments I had soggy sticky shoes and feet for the next 7 hours. It was straight FILTHY and all we could do was laugh! That day was just all laughing as we knocked on houses in the back woods where the only thing people were interested in was the F word and using sharpie to write the house number address on the outside of their house haha.

We had contacted into a lady at the food bank were we volunteer at and was able to make it over to her house this week. She is an organized hoarder and her house was sensory overload. She was broken. And searching for purpose. It astounds me daily how much love the Lord gives me for those I teach. It is REAL. We sat there for 2 hours with our arms around her as she cried and cried. I was reading in my setting apart blessing and one of the things it mentions is the chance to help others recognize who they are and what they mean to God. This week that opportunity came time and time again. It is SO humbling.  

Goodbyes are hard. When you leave an area you look back and really think about who you were there for. There is a 27 year old girl named Kristy who I know I needed just as much as she needed me. She grew up in the church but stopped going when her parents got a divorce. So many steps have been made from the first time we knocked on her door and she barely let us in, till yesterday when she came to church for the first time church in 8 years. Gosh how I love her. It is the GREATEST calling to be able to be there hand in hand with someone as they come closer to God and his gospel. On a mission there are lots of promises to you with gifts that you are given or blessings to help you and to be honest sometimes it is really hard to see those on regular bases. But with Kristy they could have not been more apparent. I know if not for anyone eles I was sent to Niceville for her.

I know that is how it is with all of in life. We all are given our personalities and hearts to help someone or something in the World for the better. And although its a life long pursuit I know God leads us to exactly where he needs us in life. I pray we can all trust that and have the courage to be the Sons and Daughters he needs! I know I have questions or doubts weekly and what it comes down to is clingy to our Father. He will hold and carry you.   I LOVE YOU I miss you! And I can't wait to see all your beautiful faces in 2 short weeks:)

Love, Sister Jackson

BROTHER PAULUS. He is a Mennonite that we visit. He is awesome. 

This is Rhonda from the email!