Sister Jacobson's Glimpses of Gilbert: May 2018

Week 70: The Molecular Structure of LSD

May 28, 2018

Hello hello!

Got our trunky packets :(

It's been a good and busy week here in the great AGM with lessons, full proselyting days, meetings, and transfers! This transfer is off to a great start already and I'm excited to see what the Lord has in store for us.

Tuesday night Sister Rowley and I had dinner with K and C, our newest investigators. They prepared a delicious meal and it was way cool to see how the Lord guided our conversation at dinner. Sister Rowley and I had prepared to teach the Plan of Salvation, and our whole conversation over dinner was centered on the sufferings and hardships we face in life, how we get through them, and what comes after this life. It was the smoothest transition into teaching the Plan of Salvation. This lesson was probably the closest to a perfect Plan of Salvation lesson I've ever taught on my mission. It was so guided by the Spirit. I felt like everything I was saying was being given to me. It was incredible to watch C and K's reactions. We started teaching the pre-Earth life and initially it was a foreign concept to them, but the longer we talked and the more Sister Rowley and I explained it, the more they began to understand. Multiple times C said "it just makes sense!" K commented that knowing that God knew us before our life here on Earth means that God knows exactly what trials we can/cannot handle, and that provided her with a lot of peace. After we taught about the Spirit World, K was on the edge of her seat. She goes "What's next?!" haha, she was completely enthralled. You could just see the wheels turning in their heads and all the various bits and pieces they'd heard from other religions were clicking together. It was a moment where I realized just how miraculous the restoration of the gospel truly is; I think that growing up in the restored gospel it might be easy sometimes to take the precious restored truths for granted, but being able to teach people who have never had all the doctrines pieced together and seeing the difference it makes for them really puts things into perspective. Long story short, they loved it. We asked K what it would mean to her to know that the things we've shared with her are true, and she got scared. She told us that she knew she would need to give some things up. The look in her eyes said it all...she knows that it's true, but her faith isn't sufficient enough yet to make that leap of faith to baptism. We told her to continue reading and continue praying and that she would get there one day. Man they are so golden. Unfortunately they left town Saturday morning and will be gone until July 7th. I'm so bummed! But they asked me to make sure my new companion stops by after July 7th so they can keep learning. And they reassured us that they would be taking the Book of Mormon with them on their trip...good news!

Sister Jensen and me

Wednesday morning we had transfers and Sister Rowley left me. :( That was a bummer, but my new companion’s name is Sister Jensen! She has been on her mission for ten months and is from Harriman, Utah. I have been her STL for her whole mission, so we already know each other really well. I'm pretty sure she's the cutest person in the world and she is an awesome missionary.

We had the STL meeting this week! Five of us STLs are going home this transfer, so five of us gave trainings at the STL meeting. It was a great meeting! It was awesome to get to learn from some of the best missionaries I know and to hear some of their experiences and things they've learned.

Sister Jensen and I were in the apartments one night trying to contact people and we rounded a corner to see a guy sitting at a picnic table. I made eye contact with him and he was just...dark. You know those people who you can just tell have been through hell and back? He was one of those. I was initially really scared to go and talk to him, but the Spirit was so calming and reassuring. We started talking with him and within the first 2 minutes of the conversation he asked why we were wearing badges. We explained they were name tags and we were missionaries. He perked up and said "So you're believers?? So am I." We started having a great gospel conversation with him, and he told us a little bit about himself and how he came to believe in God and Jesus Christ. Eventually he told us that he's looking for a church. We invited him to come and check out our church, and gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon. We got his number and a return appointment for this week! While I was writing down his number, Sister Jensen asked him about his tattoo on his arm. He kind of chuckled and goes, "Are you ready for that one?? That...is the molecular makeup of LSD." and then he went on to explain how he's made some really bad choices in his life, but those choices have all led him to God in some way shape or form. It made me think of Alma 24:27, "the Lord worketh in many ways to the salvation of his people." This guy has had a rough life, but through his experiences he's been able to find God. I don't know why some of us pass through seemingly harder things than others, but I do know that God has a higher purpose in mind with the trials He gives us. God might place us all on different paths, but ultimately His end goal for all of us is the same--He wants us to return home to Him!

Missed a patch with sunscreen

Saturday was a bit of a tough day for us. We didn't have any appointments, and it was a full proselyting day...on a long weekend. We were out contacting all day long and it was pretty hot outside. Not too many people were home/answered the door/were too keen on talking to us...but nevertheless there were tons of tender mercies to be grateful for!

1. Saturday morning we had breakfast with our stake president, President Derrick. He is a great example to me of Christ-like love. He shared some spiritual experiences with us missionaries serving in the stake, and we shared some miracles with him. It was a great time!

2. The Lord gave me an opportunity to see how much I've grown. Saturday morning we had a conversation with a guy for probably about 45 minutes. Initially the conversation was an awesome gospel discussion, but towards the end he started anti-ing us. It became very clear he did not agree with the church, and more specifically he was attacking the Book of Mormon. I've been antied a lot on my mission, but it's been probably about three months since I was last antied. I was surprised to find myself very calm. I was sitting there talking to this guy, who was trying to be very hostile, but I was so calm. I was comparing it to the first time I met someone disagreeable on my mission and how unsure I felt about everything, and I realized the reason why I felt so calm was because I KNOW that the things I'm teaching people about are true...and nothing this guy would say could ever hold a candle to the things I've already come to know. I know the Book of Mormon is true and that Christ's church has been restored, simple as that!

3. We dropped by a former investigator and she committed to come to church! She'd never been before so she said she was willing to check it out...and then she ended up showing up yesterday! Miracles!

4. At the end of the day we decided to stop by a family that Bishop asked us to visit a while ago. I've knocked their door so many times and they've never answered...but Saturday night they answered, let us in, we had a great spirit-filled conversation, and they ended up committing to befriend one of our investigators! It was awesome! It was a great way to end the long hot day that we'd had.

100% diva with my mask

All in all, it's been a great week. I feel so strongly that something amazing is going to happen this transfer. I feel like the Lord is clearing our time for us...we were supposed to be super busy this week teaching V all the lessons so she could get baptized on Saturday but since she's no longer investigating that's not something we need to worry about, K and C are headed out for the entire duration of this transfer, and one of our recent converts just moved to New York for the summer so we don't have to worry about teaching her the new member lessons...suddenly we are finding that we have more time to get out and do the nitty-gritty work. I feel like the Lord is saying "these are all things that are good, and important, but it's not what I want you to be doing right now." The Lord is making it possible for us to find someone He's prepared, because it's hard to find time to find when you're teaching lessons all day! I'm excited to get to work and find who all the Lord has prepared.

I love you all! Have a great week and happy Memorial Day!

Sister Jacobson

YSA FHE

Temple View YSA for life!

Week 69: J Got Baptized

May 21, 2018

Helllooooo!!

Got the Elders back

It has not been long since I emailed but so much has happened! We've seen some amazing miracles, as well as had some awful heartbreak. We'll start with the heartbreak:

Last night we got a message from V right before we went to bed. In short, she dropped us. Hands down the hardest drop of my mission. I've never been dropped by someone who had received as clear of a witness as V had...and let me tell you, the sting is REAL. We are absolutely heartbroken. We're not entirely sure what happened, but she spent the last two weeks out of town with her family, who are not very supportive of her interest/decision to be baptized, so we think that has to play into it. The doorway to communication isn't closed entirely yet, we think we still have a chance to save it...please, please keep her in your prayers. She was supposed to be baptized in two weeks.

Transfer 11 - One of the best!

Also last night transfer calls came in and unfortunately...Sister Rowley will be leaving me. We knew it was coming--actually last week President told us that she was being transferred--but last night made it official. We both only have six weeks left of our mission and we are ready to see what the Lord has in store for us in this last sprint to the finish-line.

So both of these things were a little bit hard...but I've learned that the hardest moments always come before the greatest, most miraculous moments. Regardless of what happens with V, I know that the Lord has a plan for her and a plan for us. I know that this is Christ's church on the Earth, and that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. With this priceless knowledge, all other worries and cares kind of melt away because I know that God's plan is far greater than any kind of plan that I can concoct on my own. He's got this, and I trust Him. :)

On a better note...we'll get to the big miracles of the week!

Plan of Salvation lesson

We picked up a new investigator this week named N! She actually found us. A little bit of a crazy story....a few months ago Sister Rowley knocked on N's door and gave her a Book of Mormon...but we were never able to get back in with her family so we ended up dropping them. Last Tuesday our zone was at the church building for district meeting and one of our zone leaders heard someone knocking on the window. We all thought he was crazy, but then a few moments later someone started knocking on the side door. We went out there and it was N. She asked if any of us covered the S C apartments and Sister Rowley and I were like...that's our cue haha. We went outside and started talking to her and it turns out that her family had hit rock bottom. They were about to be evicted, were dealing with some serious medical stuff, and all around their lives were basically falling apart. She told us that she'd called the crisis center and had been advised to find the nearest church building and she'd be able to get some help there. We were able to get her in touch with the Bishop, and then a few days later we dropped by and she invited us right in. We read from the Book of Mormon together, and set up a return appointment for this upcoming week. So far they seem to have real intent; they want this for their family. We are excited to see what happens!

J got baptized

We had multiple lessons with J this week...let me tell ya...thank goodness that boy was so golden haha because we threw so much information at him in such a short amount of time. On Thursday we met with him and taught him the law of chastity, tithing, fast, and keeping the Sabbath day holy. I honestly think that was the worst lesson Sister Rowley and I have ever taught...but J totally understood everything and committed to live all the commandments! He's a stud. Right at the end of the lesson he really opened up and told us about how his life wasn't anything like he imagined it to be. He got very emotional--and J is a hard, construction worker...not someone you'd expect to get emotional--as he was talking about his childhood, you could just tell that he was really, really hurting from things in his past. And then he said, "I'm just grateful that God has given me another chance to be the person that I want to be." We were able to testify about the power of Christ's Atonement, and the opportunity to change and get second chance after second chance after second chance--the Spirit was very powerful. When he said the closing prayer he was like "Thank you God, for sending me your..." and then he stopped FOREVER before saying, "your...shepherds of...knowledge" Hahaha it was amazing. It was like the cutest thing and possibly the highest compliment I've ever received. And then he said, "Because before I truly was lost, but now I truly feel found for the first time ever." It was so tender. He was so prepared to receive the gospel.

J's fortune cookie

He was really nervous for his baptismal interview--he almost got cold feet--but when he showed up for the interview we were able to go over the questions and resolve a lot of his concerns. And luckily our District Leader, Elder Morrill, was awesome and made J feel really comfortable. Right after he passed the interview he went to get Chinese food and his fortune cookie said, "You will pass a difficult test that will make you happier." Haha too perfect. Last night he told us that that was the last sign he needed that he was making the right decision.

Bryant and J

His baptism was super small; only a handful of people there, but the Spirit that was present was very tender. I know that God is proud of J and for his decision to be baptized. I know that J is going to be blessed immensely. Bryant, the YSA member we'd brought to most of our lessons, baptized and confirmed J and it could not have been more inspired. J is afraid of water, so we knew we needed someone J trusted to baptize him. The first time he went under his knee popped up, so he had to be baptized again. It was sweet to see Bryant reassure J that he was going to be okay and that he just had to do it one more time. In the confirmation, multiple, multiple times Bryant reaffirmed God's love for J, and blessed J that he would be the means of bringing many souls unto Christ. Afterwards J told us that he felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. Friends and family I know that the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is TRUE and has been restored to the Earth. I know that God loves each of us, and that there are people being prepared in YOUR spheres of influence to receive the gospel. If the Elders hadn't stopped and talked to J that one day while he was working on his truck then he may have never been able to feel that weight being lifted from his shoulders, or in other words, forgiveness for his sins. There's not enough time to not be bold and to not invite. We are the Lord's hands--literally and figuratively--here on the Earth and He needs us to be the best instruments we possibly can be. This is the greatest work in the world. I love it and I love this gospel. Most of all, I love the Lord.

I love you all, have a great week!

Sister Jacobson

Started My Plan this week

My Plan is stressing us out

San Tan zone at zone sports

San Tan zone ready for Nerf Wars

A's wedding

Week 68: The Power of Godliness (The K’s Got Baptized!!!!)

May 16, 2018

Hola hola!

Yes, I'm an AGM missionary!

Happy Wednesday! Obviously today is not Monday! We had the opportunity to go to the temple with our zone this morning, which was amazing. We have been looking forward to our temple trip all transfer. We had to wait until week six for it but the wait was worth it! I love the peace that the temple provides!

Okay so, SO much has happened since I last emailed...this has been one of the greatest weeks of my mission! We have hardly had a spare minute to breathe, but what else is new?

Exchanges with Sister Jensen!

Last week I had the opportunity to go on exchanges with two sisters. The first exchange was with Sister Jensen--who has been on her mission for ten months! I've been her STL her whole mission and I absolutely love her. I love when you can see how much someone has grown, and I learn so much from her every time I'm with her. We had an awesome day spent teaching some investigators, finding some new potentials, and setting up some return appointments! Miracle of that day: We taught the Word of Wisdom to V via Skype and V was SO excited to live the WOW!! She told us that a few months ago she realized that she felt gross and dependent upon coffee and tea so she quit...and then she said that she sees now that that was the Lord preparing her to be baptized months down the road!

Exchanges with Sister Coley!

The second exchange was with Sister Coley--a sister who has been on her mission for about a year. I've been her STL for a few months now, but somehow we've never gone on exchanges together! It was really fun to get to finally spend a day with her. We were in her area, a bit further South than my area, and we did a ton of finding! We were able to contact a part-member family with over-age youth in their area and set up a return appointment, which was way awesome. Miracle of that day: Our dinner gave us a referral for one of their friends who actually lives up in my area. It turns out that the address is actually in the Elder's area, so I sent the referral over to the Elders. They were able to contact the family, get in, build a good relationship, and are going back tonight for dinner and to teach them more. Blessings! It never ceases to amaze me how the Lord places us right where He needs us to be in order to help His children.

This week we had the coolest thing happen to us! We had an appointment set up with two of our investigators on Friday, and when we showed up, one of their kids was like "Oh, they're already asleep...come back a different day." Okay let's make this clear...it wasn't even a little bit late. It was MAYBE 6:30 p.m. Sister Rowley and I got back out to our car and got inside and were a little bit frustrated. We were trying to decide where to go next, when Sister Rowley was like "Let's go knock on K's door." We talked to K on the street back in March and have been trying to get back in with her ever since without any luck. So we go and knock on her door. K answers and is like "Oh my gosh! It's hot out there, come on in!" (Thank you Arizona heat!!)

The comps

We asked her if she had a few minutes to sit down and read with us, and she was super excited! We promised that we would only be about ten minutes, and both Sister Rowley and I were planning to give her a little bit more background on the Book of Mormon and to read the Introduction. Straight out of the gate K goes, "How do you know that the Book of Mormon is a sacred, religious text that we should follow?" Haha so we started talking about prayer, and how the Holy Ghost works/speaks to us. K was literally hanging on our every word. We start reading the Introduction to the Book of Mormon, and about a paragraph or two in she goes, "Well, we know that Christ appeared to the people in Jerusalem...but what about people in other parts of the world?? Aren't they important to Christ?" And Sister Rowley and I were like yes!! Absolutely!! We kept reading, and seriously like three sentences later it described Christ's mortal ministry in the Americas. K was fascinated. She said that it just makes sense! And then...we get to the part where it's talking about Joseph Smith in 1823 and she goes, "Well...this is in 1823, but what happened before 1823??" Haha so at this point, Sister Rowley and I were like "Okay, let us teach you about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ." She loved it! She told us that she had always wondered why there were so many different churches. And she told us that she had always been curious about the Book of Mormon and how it came to be. As she was reading the last two paragraphs of the introduction she told us that she was absolutely, 100% going to read and pray about the Book of Mormon. Then, her husband, who had been doing some work at the kitchen table, spoke up and said, "And just so you know...I've been listening in, and there's nothing I've heard that I don't agree with. I will also read and pray about the Book of Mormon." So cool!!! They are so prepared, and are honest seekers of truth. The only downside is that they are going to Minnesota in two weeks for the entire month of June, but they told us that they want a solid foundation before they leave! It was just cool because there Sister Rowley and I were, super salty because our appointment fell through; when in reality the Lord was preparing the way for us to pick up two new investigators that night!

Last week we also realized that J’s baptism date was rapidly approaching and we still had to teach him all of the lessons except for the restoration and plan of salvation. We were pretty sure we would have to push his date back, which we were bummed about. We called J to talk with him about it and he says, "Sisters. I'm ready. I am prepared to meet with you every day next week if that's what it takes for me to be baptized next weekend." Haha I've never had that happen before! So last Friday we taught him the first half of the Doctrine of Christ and the Word of Wisdom. It was a bomb lesson! J had had a really cool dream right after he prayed about if he should be baptized or not, and to him it was a sign that he needed to trust the Lord and be baptized as soon as possible. And he was stoked to live the word of wisdom! He told us he was a little bummed to have to give up sweet tea, but he also said that it would be a small sacrifice to make. We met with him yesterday and he's doing great--hasn't even felt the temptation to have tea since he committed to live the word of wisdom.

At our lesson last night we finished the Doctrine of Christ and taught the Ten Commandments. J was really tired from work, but he kept saying how excited he was to receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost! We brought our ward mission leader with us and he was floored at how well J understands everything. Afterwards he texted us and told us that J is totally prepared and ready for baptism. After last night we feel confident that he is ready for baptism this weekend. As of right now he should be getting baptized on Sunday! Please keep him in your prayers; we still have a couple of lessons to teach him.

And finally...potentially the best day of my mission, and perhaps the best day of my life. On Saturday I had the opportunity to go back to Desert Ridge and see three of my favorite people get baptized! It felt like coming home! It was so good to be back in Desert Ridge and to see so many people I love and care about. I miss that area so much!

P got baptized!

Back in August, a family of seven was baptized. Their youngest daughter, P, was seven years old and was unable to be baptized with the rest of the family. However, she was arguably the most excited out of all of them to be baptized. When our district leader interviewed the family, P was the first one to volunteer to be interviewed. We didn't realize that she was being interviewed until she was finished--passing with flying colors, might I add! Haha P was so sad she wasn't able to be baptized with her family, but she turned eight this month so she was able to be baptized on Saturday. She was soooo excited. She gave me a huge hug when she saw me and her eyes were just glowing. It was extra special as well because her dad was able to baptize her. That was the first time that her dad has used the Priesthood to perform an ordinance, and he was super nervous, but the Spirit that entered the room was pure. I love that family, and I know that God does as well. I am so excited for their sealing in the temple in August.

K's w/all the Sisters who taught them

The K's!

Then, a few hours later, MK and LK were baptized!!!!!! I taught the K family the entire time I was in Desert Ridge...which was about eight months. That's a long time to spend in an area, and an even longer amount of time to spend teaching one family. It was a really special day to be able to see them be baptized. I have never seen the Spirit work in the lives of a family more than He worked in the lives of the K’s. Their story is long, intricate, and has many moving parts--I don't have the time to put it all in this email. I know I've told it in previous emails so if you want to find it you might have to go looking haha, but the main overarching theme is this: God is aware of each and every one of us in our lives, and LOVES us more than we can comprehend. Multiple times while teaching the K’s I had the opportunity to feel of the overwhelming love that the Lord has for them. He never once left them alone as they were working through their various challenges and concerns; instead, He was right there beside them, leading them and guiding them to the truth. Honestly, the K’s baptism had nothing to do with anything that us missionaries, or ward leaders said or did--but it does have everything to do with what the Spirit whispered to their hearts. I remember on multiple occasions receiving texts from MK or CK along the lines of "Hey, I read this part of the Book of Mormon, I liked it because of this" and then elaborating on what they learned. Or I remember another time, when MK saw my companion and me biking and stopped his car to tell us that he'd read 3 Nephi and knew he needed to be baptized. Or another time, when MK watched General Conference and bore powerful witness to us that the prophets and apostles were truly men called of God. Or another time, when the family was sick and couldn't come to church, when they decided to stay at home and read Jesus, the Christ. Or another time, when after years of fasting and praying, CK got up and bore her testimony of the reality of a living prophet on the Earth. I could go on and on and on. The miracle of Saturday was that their baptism was truly the result of a lot of little tiny miracles over the course of many, many, MANY months of studying the scriptures, offering heartfelt prayers, attending church with an open mind, applying the good of the gospel, and genuinely trying to live a good life in line with the Savior and His teachings. I have a testimony that conversion doesn't happen all at once, but occurs over a long period of time with constant, consistent effort. The Spirit at their baptism was so powerful and so...lasting. When CK saw MK in white she burst into tears, and as the K’s ministering-teacher (formerly known as home teacher) baptized both MK and LK he began to cry as well. If I'm being honest, I'm not sure if there was a dry eye in the room. Bishop hit the nail on the head in his closing remarks. He said that the reason why the Spirit was so powerful was because of D&C 84:20: "In the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest." As we make promises with God, we draw closer to Him. We learn more about Him, which in turn, teaches us more about ourselves. I testify that the Spirit felt at the K’s baptism was of God. It was truly a celestial day. I love this gospel. I love this church. I know it is Christ's Church restored to the Earth today. I know that Jesus Christ is the only way to find true, everlasting happiness.

I love you all! Have a great week

Sister Jacobson