Week 8: Two Mission Months

March 20, 2017

Hola hola!

What a week! Sister Sorenson and I really buckled down this week and worked hard. We've been really trying to keep our "line" in the water as long as possible. We read an analogy in PMG earlier this week that compares missionary work to fishing (shocking), and the analogy was basically like "fishers don't drop their line in the water and leave when they don't get anything...they leave their line in the water UNTIL they get something.” We've been working on applying that, and we're planning on carrying that into the next transfer with us.

Transfer 2 Planner

Speaking of....TRANSFER CALLS!! Transfer 1 ends on Wednesday and it looks like I'll be staying in Bella Vista with Sister Sorenson, which is what we were expecting. We won't know for sure until Wednesday though. In our interviews with President last week he was basically like "yeah you still have a lot of work to do together." Haha. However, the rest of the transfer call has been a surprise! We're one of two trainer/trainee companionship staying together. Sister Bolormaa, who we live with and who is training Sister Bradshaw, is being transferred...and we're all super sad about that. Sister Utsch, who is training Sister Rowley, is being transferred. And our DL Elder Kestner is being transferred as well. We're SUPER upset about that one, because no one saw that coming and he's an amazing DL. Everyone keeps talking about how crazy this transfer is, because no one saw any of these things coming! 

Sister Sorenson's Birthday

So last Monday was Sister Sorenson's birthday and it was a straight party. At one point we had five cakes in our fridge so that was a mess. Tons of people from her last area were coming to see her and kept bringing us stuff...and then of course the people in our area were just showering us with stuff too. It was ridiculous...and we're both sitting back just knowing that this is about to happen all over again when my birthday hits next week haha. 

Last Wednesday was the last exchange of the transfer...and it's probably the last Spanish exchange I will go on. A cool miracle happened...Sister Anderson and I went and visited one of their investigators-it was actually the one I met/taught on my first day in the field! Turns out that this investigator's visa expired, so she moved back to Mexico and didn't tell anyone so that was cool (not). BUT!! This woman answered the door and told us that she has a daughter currently serving, and that she left in January. I felt really strongly that I needed to ask who her daughter was, and I was like....ehh there were 2000+ people in the MTC with me, there's no way I know her daughter. But I asked anyways and it turns out that her daughter was in the same zone as me in the MTC! This lady started freaking out and invited us to come in so we shared a brief message with her about faith in Jesus Christ, and then she started rapid-fire asking me questions about adjusting to missionary life and how it's all been. I told her that I wouldn't lie, adjusting to being a missionary is hard, but it's also equally amazing. I shared with her the quote that's like "the bad days may outnumber the good, but the good will always outweigh the bad," and she loved that. After about fifteen minutes of telling her about how my adjustment has been I told her that we needed to get going, but we wanted to leave her with a prayer. She asked if I would offer it, and of course I accepted. As I was praying I felt really strongly that I needed to pray specifically for her and her family, especially her daughter serving. This woman started crying, and when I finished the prayer she told me that I was an answer to her prayers because she loves talking to ANYONE who's seen her daughter more recently than her. As we were leaving, I realized that this girl's family doesn't even LIVE in Gilbert...they're from South Phoenix. What are the odds that they would be in the Gilbert mission...in a house of a Spanish investigator...on a day where I'm on a Spanish exchange?? Pretty slim. I know with 100% certainty that it was not a coincidence that I ran into her on that day...I know it was divine and that she needed to talk to us on that day. 

So that was cool. After that day of Spanish exchanges Sister Anderson told me that she had taught me as much Spanish as she learned in six weeks at the MTC and I was like ...yikes I know next to no Spanish haha. But then the next day Sister Sorenson and I were riding our bikes and we OYM'd (Open Your Mouth...street contact) this guy who only spoke Spanish and I realized that I know all the Spanish I need. It's frustrating because I understand almost everything I just don't know how to construct the sentences and stuff...and this homie was like "Oh I don't believe that there's only one religion" and I go "WELL...yo se La Iglesia de Jesu Cristo...." and just start bearing my testimony in Spanish hahaha that's all you need! As we were biking away Sister Sorenson and I were like man it's a lot easier to be bold and be a missionary when the only thing you know how to say is your testimony...that's a perk that foreign language missionaries never talk about. So that was funny this week.

We had a service activity at a rodeo this week! Man it made me want to go to a rodeo. Summer 2018, for sure! 

Rodeo Service Activity

I'm On a Horse, Heeyaah!

Wanted

In terms of investigators/baptisms....this week we might have had a baptism low-key fall into our lap? Haha we went and met with this family and it turns out they have an overage youth, named L, and the only reason why he's not baptized is because he's scared of the water. When we went over there to meet with them we didn't even know that this OAY existed...we definitely consider that a blessing from working so hard this week, and we're currently brainstorming ideas to make him not scared of the water. 

We also have someone who we've been teaching this transfer who wants to be on date but can't because he's being adopted by this family in our ward and is waiting for his adoption papers to go through...pray that they'll go through quickly! He's an awesome kid and his family is super great as well. His name is R.

A, our golden YSA investigator, is proving to be difficult. Every time we drop by her house she is all for the lessons/activities but she's cancelled every single appointment we've set with her. Also she's 19 and goes to bed at 7 PM every night? So that makes it really hard with the YSA ward when all their activities START at 7. We've got a few tricks up our sleeve for this coming week though...stay tuned.

And then there's the M family. They're part-member, and they have an OAY as well. Apparently the missionaries who taught the husband really pushed the wife to get baptized as well and it scared her...so she has a strong distrust of the missionaries and for that reason doesn't want her son to be baptized. But they have an older daughter who was baptized at the same time the dad was so…I'm confused. We met with them two weeks ago, and they're the family that came to church. However, we think that she knows she needs to be baptized because she won't look us in the eye...it's interesting because as a missionary you always know when people know that what you're saying is true...because their eyes tell the whole story. If someone won't look you in the eye, it’s probably because they're ashamed of something or they know you're right. Every time. She has a stake calling in scouting though and she is the definition of magnifying your calling...so we are going to try and meet with them this week as well.

Other than that...it's just life out here! This past week I turned two months old in the mission!

In two mission months I've...

-learned how to bike with no hands

-changed a tire (mandatory vehicle coordinator training don't worry haha)

-patched a bike tire (Sister Sorenson’s...happened last night)

-been the butt of more 'Idaho' jokes than ever before...yesterday someone told me I sounded like I was talking with a potato in my mouth! haha

-found lifelong friends in my MTC district and my house

-come to realize how much I truly LOVE winter

-received three priesthood blessings (not including setting apart/father's blessing)

My Bike Ate My Skirt

-had one baptism (week 1...clutch.)

-given out probably 15 BOMs

-biked around an average of 30 miles a day

-talked to everyone I've seen

-bore my testimony in English AND Spanish more than ever before in my life

-completed half the BOM

-come to know my Savior, Jesus Christ, more than ever before.

…and honestly probably a plethora of other things I can't remember now. But yeah that's what I've got! Have a good week! I love you!

Sister Jacobson 

Week 7: Is it a Bird? Is it a Plane? No, it’s Sister Sorenson Not Wearing Glasses!

March 13, 2017

Hey Hey!!

You're In!

Okay so this week went by CRAZY fast. I haven't thought about the gram at all since coming on my mission...but I sure as HECK thought about the gram this week because I so badly wanted to post a picture announcing my acceptance into the best undergrad ad program in the nation!! Man oh man. As soon as I saw that picture I felt this huge weight being lifted off my shoulders. I didn't even realize I was so tense/stressed about that application until that moment. Life became a lot more manageable once I realized that I actually have a future to come home to in sixteen-ish months. (Mom explanation: We received an email on Tuesday evening, March 7^th, notifying us of Jenn’s acceptance into BYU’s Advertising program. We immediately forwarded the email on to her but knew that she wouldn’t read it until the following Monday, March 13^th.  We also knew she was eager to find out the result and would be ecstatic when she did. We were trying to figure out a way to notify her before Monday when we received a text message Wednesday morning from a Sister Barrott in Arizona.  She sent us a picture of Jenn and told us that she had fed her and her companion over the weekend and was going to feed them again that night. It was an answer to our prayers! So we sent Sister Barrott a picture of us holding a sign telling Jenn she had made the program and she agreed to show it to her. Sister Barrott’s daughter even videotaped Jenn’s reaction and sent it to us. It is priceless!) Isn't Sister Barrott awesome? I love her and her family so much! They fed us twice in one week and each dinner was delicious yet HEALTHY!! I told her that it reminded me a lot of the way that my mom cooks, so it was like having a little taste of home. :) Thanks so much for all the congratulations and all the support! It means the world.

Joint Celebration

And thanks mom for the fun package! Sister Sorenson and I threw a joint congratulations and birthday party last night and we had a really really good time. I'll make sure to send some photos.

It happened this week. I took my watch off in public and I heard someone say "Woah...check out her watch tan!" This week AZ was hitting the mid 90s. RIP. I think for the first time in my life I'm drinking enough water. I've been downing 100+ ounces of water every day this week, and more when you factor in the Gatorade and juice I drink as well. It's crazy.

We worked HARD this week. It was the first week of the transfer that we didn't have any exchanges and we made the most of it. We contacted so many people and we saw miracles. 

The first one is that we were working in our YSA ward, and we put an address into our GPS that is really far away and we sat there in our car and said...is it worth the miles?? (We only get 1100 miles a month...you would not believe how fast 1100 goes by.) We decided it was...and when we got to that address there was nothing there!! Ohhhh, we were so mad. But then I started feeling really strongly that we needed to stop by this referral from the Elders that we've been trying to contact for a few weeks now. We drove all the way back and stopped by this referral and finally met this girl! It turns out that she is totally golden. She's amazing. She's super busy and super intelligent...and she's looking to add religion into her life! We found out when we stopped by that she had just gotten home...so if we hadn't gone to that super far address we wouldn't have caught her. We'll start teaching her this week.

Another Amazing AZ Sunset

Then that night we were out on bikes...and we decided to go stop by some Potentials. Since we just whitewashed in we've spent the majority of this transfer trying to get our feet on the ground and make sure that no one falls through the cracks. We've been knocking this one door since basically the beginning of the transfer with no response. We decided to knock on this door and we finally got a response!! This teenager named D'A opened the door and we read him a passage from the Book of Mormon and he told us that the other Sisters had left him a copy and he's been reading! It was super cool. He's interested in coming to YSA, so we'll have the Elders stop by this week. 

Haha, funny story…We street contacted this lady the other night named B. She was super nice, but told us that she knows everything that there is to know about "John Smith." Haha....except his name evidently. 

We contacted a less active/part member family this week. The other missionaries have worked with them in the past and have dropped them because they weren't progressing....but the mom is the non-member and she just received a stake calling in scouting and is magnifying her calling so we thought that maybe she would be more receptive. We taught them last Monday night and invited them to come to church this week, because they haven't been to church in a while. THEY WERE THERE YESTERDAY!! They walked in and I was like "Sister Sorenson...it's the M’s." oooooooOOOOHhhhhhHHH!! That was super super cool. And then it was way awesome sitting there and listening to the talks and realizing that everything that was being said was catering EXACTLY to this family's needs. 

A fun twist that happened this weekend! We got a mini missionary! Our mission has roughly 24 stakes within it, and each month two stakes send Laurels/Priests out with us on "mini missions." They come and live as a missionary for a weekend. We got the call last Thursday that we would be hosting two minis and honestly we were pretty bummed. We were so excited to have a weekend where it was just the two of us, because we haven't been together for a full weekend since the very start of the transfer. Plus minis are stressful because they don't really know what they're doing and a lot of times their parents have made them come so they're kind of a handful. But we were like okay this is fine, let's look at the blessings. Really all we could come up with was that we would get to do splits on Saturday and we'd get a lot of work done, and we would be able to attend every single Sacrament meeting and ward council on Sunday.

Mini-Sister B

So we roll up to the "pick up the mini" meeting and the APs tell us that one of our minis wasn't coming until the next day, which we were also annoyed with haha. However, the mini we had with us was super awesome! Her name was Sister B and she was 17. The only scary moment we had with her was our Friday night dinner, when she started bearing testimony of Satan. Hahaha that was kind of worrisome but as missionaries you ALWAYS back up your companion so both Sister Sorenson and I were sitting there like "Amen...Satan is REAL and he WILL try and get you." haha so that was kind of funny but it all ended up good. 

Saturday morning we got a call in the wee hours of the morning telling us that our second mini had cancelled and we were SOOO MAD. Like literally that ruined all of our plans for Saturday and Sunday and Sister Sorenson and I were like "Wow, people just don't realize how much bailing on the missionaries ruins their lives" haha a little overdramatic…but we quickly adapted our plans and decided that I would lead out all day on Saturday, since that had been the plan if the other mini came. Man...Saturday was rough. When you have minis you want all these miracles to happen and you want everything that is missionary work to pan out perfectly because you're trying to give these people a good idea of a mission...but nothing was working haha. No one was home, and every single one of our lessons cancelled...and it was just a mess. Sister B was a TROOPER though. At one point we were working in our closest ward...and we weren't having any success, and Sister Sorenson started feeling like we needed to move to Cloud Creek--our farthest ward...which we had already biked to once that day. We stopped right there and I said a prayer on the street. I went "Heavenly Father...we are out working and we don't know where to go...please help us know where you need us to work." and as soon as I said that I felt this overwhelming sense that we needed to go to Cloud Creek and I knew that He was right there with us.

So we went to Cloud Creek....and no one was home!! Man we were expecting to see this huge miracle and then...nothing. Haha and we ran out of water halfway through our bike ride to CC and then no one was home so we were like in the dead heat of the day in AZ with no water with a mini missionary. We were so delirious haha at one point we saw a hawk swoop down and catch a prairie dog so that was cool...and then Sister Sorenson goes "LOOK!! ANOTHER ONE!!" and I looked and it was a UNITED AIRLINES COMMERCIAL JET hahahahahaha I seriously think I almost crashed my bike I was laughing so hard. She literally thought a commercial jet was a bird of prey. Haha I can't remember if I said this last week but last week she thought a coyote was a turkey?? This is what happens when you don't wear your glasses. 

This is turning into a very long story but basically at the end of the day on Saturday we asked our mini what she thought and she went "It was really hard but it was so rewarding!!" and we were like what the heck is this girl talking about we didn't see any miracles, we saw the opposite of miracles if anything! And she was like "I'm willing to run out of water in the middle of the day and have people cancel our appointments if it means I get to feel the Spirit like this all day every day." and it was just like BOOM. Humbled. Haha Sister Sorenson and I were like wow we were just absolutely wrecked by this mini who knows next to nothing about missionary work, and it definitely made me appreciate the blessing of having the Spirit with me all the time. 

Companions for 1 Month

Then, on Sunday, since our plan to go to all our meetings was ruined when our second mini cancelled...we made it to all sacrament meetings and one ward council. The ward council was INCREDIBLE. It was the single best meeting I've ever been to in my life. It was centered entirely on missionary work...and once the ward mission reported, the bishop trained us. He told us that "no one becomes celestial because someone else thinks they are. You become celestial because you move closer to Christ." and he also told us "we don't have time to be offended by other people--our calling is too important." Both of these statements really hit me, and the Spirit was tangible in the room. Halfway through the training, as I was being enlightened and edified I realized that if our other mini had shown up I wouldn't have been in that meeting, because the plan was for Sister Sorenson to attend all the ward councils, and for me to attend all the sacrament meetings. Everything happened just as it was supposed to, and I'm so grateful for it. 

This is the last week of transfer one! We had interviews with President this week and mine went well...I am running out of time so I can't talk about it but I'll send a letter! 

I love you so much! Thanks for all you do!

Bella Vista Zone's Soccer Squad

What I Can't Listen To

Sister Jacobson 

Secret Admirer?

Week 6: I Am Not Ashamed of the Gospel of Christ

March 6, 2017

Hola hola!

My New Pet

It's been another great week out here in the San Tan Valley. This week Sister Sorenson's grandma sent her a letter with our address as "Sun Tan Valley" and we laughed for days about it because it's so true. The tan lines are gnarly. And it's still winter here. This week temperatures were hitting in the 90s though...so I'm not sure if this really qualifies as "winter."

Last Monday we had Family Home Evening with the Mitchells! It was phenomenal. Brother Mitchell has such a unique testimony of Joseph Smith because he played the role of the prophet. The Spirit in the room was amazing and I learned so much from him. One thing that he told us is that Joseph Smith wouldn't have been half of the man he was without his interpersonal relationships, like his relationship with Hyrum or Emma or his parents. It really got me thinking that I am who I am today because of the people I have been blessed to associate with. He also told us that yeah, he played Joseph Smith in the film...but he's more concerned about the name that he took upon himself when he was baptized--Jesus Christ. He encouraged us all to remember that each of us has taken Christ's name upon ourselves, and encouraged us to ponder what that means to us and what that means for our lives.

Service Activity
w/ Hermana Anderson

This week was a little slow. We went on exchanges three times. Exchanges are awesome because you get to get out of your area and spend time with a new person and learn from someone else...but they are so DRAINING. And they can be a little frustrating because it kind of kills the momentum that you have with your companion. I feel like every time Sister Sorenson and I are together we see miracles but when one of us leaves the area the work just halts and suddenly no one is home and we spend all day knocking doors, ha-ha. I went on exchanges with Sister Anderson twice this week and then with Sister Cedeño, who is my STL. Sister Cedeño is from Venezuela...she is an INCREDIBLE missionary. She's also the only sister from Venezuela serving outside of her country right now. She goes home next transfer. Every time I'm with her I learn so much and we laugh a lot, because she's hilarious.

Sisters Cedeno, Sorenson,
Anderson, and Me

When I was on exchanges with Sister Cedeño we taught M one of the new member lessons. M had to cancel her lesson last week so it had been a while since we'd seen her. Also, she decided to bring her husband, K and her son, A. K just had his records removed from the church and is very...aggressive. It's a hard situation and when I found out that K was coming I was nervous because Sister Cedeño speaks great English but with K you have to be quick on your feet because he will take anything you say and twist it and make it sound horrible. I was really worried that he would overpower the lesson and we would lose control. When we started teaching I was getting annoyed with K because he kept interjecting unhelpful things into the lesson and I just wanted to be like...this isn't about you right now. This is about your wife, M. We were teaching the plan of Salvation and I said something like "if we live a good life, then we will be rewarded" and he just jumped all over that and started talking about all the things he's seen in his life (he's in the military...been deployed three times...he's seen a lot)...and how he thinks it's total BS that we will be rewarded for living a good life because so many people are terrible. In that moment, the Spirit hit me so strongly and I realized that these lessons are just as much for M as they are for K. I felt so much of God's love for K and I knew, KNEW without a doubt that Jesus Christ completed the Atonement so K wouldn't have to carry the burden of the pains of his life. I interrupted K and started bearing testimony to him of the power of the Atonement. I promised him, as a representative of Jesus Christ, that Christ suffered and died for him so that he wouldn't need to endure his trials alone. I promised him that if he reached out to God and Jesus Christ then they would be waiting for him with open arms. He told me that it didn't feel like that. I told him about my junior year, when Cam died and dad was diagnosed with cancer. I told him that I hadn't been to war, that I hadn't seen half of the things that he's seen...but I told him that I have felt utterly and completely alone, and that I've felt like God turned his back on me...and then I told him that it is in those times, when it is hardest to pray that we need to pray the hardest. The spirit was thick in the room and it was really emotional. If you know me then you know that any time I talk about the gospel and feel the spirit, really feel the spirit, I get really emotional and cry. Ha-ha, anyone who was at my farewell should know that. It's been weird because ever since I was set apart as a missionary I have been so stoic. I've felt the spirit more than I ever have before but I've been a rock and haven't cried at all...until this night.  K got all quiet and it was clear that something had touched him. It was an amazing moment and definitely something I'll never forget. 

Check Out My
Super Cute Bike Helmet

So Sister Cedeño and I also had dinner with a family who is literally Jaime's family. It was weird. I walked in and I was like....am I actually in Farmington? Ha-ha, anyways, we were leaving dinner and we were on our bikes when this dog comes OUT OF NOWHERE. He starts barking and yapping and biting at my skirt. I start screaming and pedaling faster and then I got smart and put my feet up on the seat. The dog then went after Sister Cedeño and she was screaming. It was so funny but then the dog ran away and we were fine. It was terrifying for like a good....45 seconds of our lives. But we're all okay and now I can say I was chased by a dog ha-ha!

Gilbert AZ Temple

This week we also got to go to the temple!! Wednesday morning we had the 7 AM session and the temple is about 30 minutes away. Ha-ha the alarm went off at 4:45 a.m. and I wanted to die, ha-ha it was sooo early. But the Gilbert temple was beautiful. After our session my zone stayed in the celestial room for about an hour. It was so peaceful and so needed. I love the temple. I love the peace and clarity it brings into my life and I love the promises we make with God within its walls. I can't imagine my life without the temple, and I don't want to imagine a life without the temple! 

Also this week I realized how childish it is when people slam doors in our faces or just walk away as we're talking to them. Before this point it just hurt my feelings...but I had a moment this week where I was like...we are nineteen year old girls. What are we going to do to you?! What are you afraid of?? What propels you to be so rude to us? If we weren't missionaries they would talk to us just normally. I realized that they don't like us because we are bold. We go out and we talk to people two, three, times our age--something that would scare just about anyone. We declare loudly and boldly that Jesus Christ is our Savior, and that He lives and that His gospel has been restored to the Earth today through the prophet Joseph Smith. We call people to repentance and teach that God loves them no matter where they've been or what they've done. We bear powerful witness that the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and that it is the word of God. We are not ashamed of the gospel of Christ and we are so secure in our knowledge that it makes people uncomfortable, but just because they're uncomfortable doesn't mean we have to be uncomfortable. We have an amazing gift to share...so why don't we share it more, no matter the consequences?

That's my food for thought this week! 

I love you!

Sister Jacobson

Spanish Crash Course

Stickers from Some New Friends