A great week in Evry 

Sorry you guys, this will be a short one. I wasn't going to write one today, but Sœur Walker insisted it happened. But this last week in Evry was pretty good for us.

So our mission has a way of porting called Montana way, that we are supposed to do, its like offering to pray for the families. Frankly I hadn't seen it work and neither had my companions, but mission president says to do it, so we were doing it.

Anywho, we had extra time we hadn't planned for, so it was my turn to pick where we go porting. So we got on a bus and I picked a stop as we went, then we walked to a street that I felt good about and knocked on the first door.

It opened, we did Montana way, they let us in. And mom you'll love this. They are Italian, so there is a bit of a language barrier, but we're figuring it out. It was a Young couple, they said we could come back.

So after we taught them we walked down to the next door and knocked. They opened, we did Montana way, they let us in. This time it was a big family. We taught them, and said a prayer, at the end we looked up and the mother way crying. They said we could come back.

In one hour we found 7 new amis. We almost set the record for the week of finding new amis this week. It was really an incredible moment for me. Previously I had received a blessing that said that if I can find all the joy and happiness here in France that I would feel if I was with my family. I felt it.

The members here are really great, they have decided I look like I am from Little House on the Prarie, and have debated if I look like I could be related to Michael Jackson, they say yes because i'm white enough. This week they are making me eat all the French specialties, it was an outrage to them that I hadn't had them yet. So snails and frog legs, and gross stuffed duck bladder here I come.

That's about all I have to write for today. I love you all and miss you. I hope you are all getting ready for General Conference this week. It's pretty exciting over here. And I will tell you all what I am telling all our amis and our inactives. If you listen to general conference will a specific question in mind, you will find your answer.

I love you, I miss you, I pray for you.

Sœur Jackson.

A visit to the Louvre and a first report on Evry

I feel before I say anything else that I should tell each and everyone of you, I just came from the Louvre. No big deal, casual thing. Haha We hit of the Louvre this morning and ate some crepes in Paris. It was sweet!!

Anywho, update on my ville, so I am in Evry. Its big. I thought Mulhouse was big, nope. I don't know how I will ever learn how to get around here and all the buses. But its cool. Its a lot greener than I thought, so that was a pleasant surprise.

My companions name is Soeur Walker. She's pretty cool, she's 23, and only 2 transfers ahead of me. She looks like she would be all quiet and patient, but she's super sassy. Its kind of awesome, i'm enjoying it. Its a lot to take in, a new ville, companion, ward, everything. But evry seems really cool, the ward is really big and they are all really nice, I think we'll get along just fine. They call Evry little Africa, there are a lot of Africans here, its kind of awesome.

Down side to Evry. The old AP is my district leader, its proving to not be the best. I knew after that first night when I had to call him to tell him we were late that it would be bad. But to top that off one of the couselers to President is also in my ward. Before, since I was way out in Mulhouse it didn't really matter, now the president could actually find out. This could be a problem. I mean its not like I go around breaking rules all over the place, and I certainly dont do it on purpose, it just seems to happen a lot with me. But the other sisters in our district are really happy about it, they think it makes them look good. Anywho.

Evry doesn't have a ton of amis right now. I think President is just going to keep sending me to areas where they have no amis, and then right when i get to the point where we have investigators, and even some close to baptism, hes going to move me! So now I have to start finding people again, because they don't have lot, kind of a bummer. Its even more of a bummer, because I am pretty awful at finding new people. Oh well, just keep going I guess.

I miss Mulhouse, and the members. I miss Soeur Casy. My last day in Mulhouse we went and said goodbye to her, so I could give her a picture of us and a letter. And she was like, well since your leaving its time I showed you this. And she had sitting in acorner a big photo album and a case of paintings. She's an artist!! Didn't even tell me. But she showed me her paintings from her fathers garden, so pretty. And then a photo album that she was very proud of, it was a service project she did for 2 years. It was so cute, man i'll miss that lady.

Miracle of Sarahs week. So Sunday night we had set contacting goals upon going out, and we were coming in for the night and hadn't hit our goals, mine was to get someones number. And I rarely set goals like this, unless I feel the need to. So we were sitting there waiting for a bus, and getting down that we didn't get our goal. It was a little past curfew so i had the phone out to call Elder Hall, and these people came up to the stop and started talking to us! And I stood right up, I was like, I would be the biggest idiot not to take this opportunity. and BAM, right as our bus to go home came up I got the number. It was pretty awesome, I just kept saying thank you in my head on the way home.

I can testify to you guys that setting goals, then taking them to the Lord will enable him to work miracles in your life. 

Love you all!! Miss you! Have an awesome week.

Soeur Jackson

On to Paris (or Evry)

That's so weird. Here it is again:

Well many important things went down this week. For those of you who weren't aware we had some apostles in France this week, now why you ask did we have some apostles in France? Well let me tell you, because they started the fondation of the temple!!!! AH!!!! I can't even tell you guys the reaction of the members here in France, what a big thing this is to them. Its amazing. And you can feel the spirit of the temple, and it's not even built yet!! France is catching fire!! WOOHOO!!

We had a good week, our zone did a prayer and fast thing this week with the apostles and temple, and it was awesome. We had a rendez-vous with an ami of ours who is an older woman, I love her. And we had asked her to do some reading, we started the lesson and she pulled out a paper with notes of every verse that she read, what she thought, questions. It was the most adorable thing. I couldn't help it, I reached over, grabbed her and said, I am very very happy right now because of you. She thought it was hilarious. I think I was glowing for the rest of the lesson. And we did a baptism invite, she said she will pray and if she gets an answer she will be baptized. I think that Sr. Hafen will get her baptized by the end of next transfer. Of course I wont be here for it, but that doesn't really matter in the end. Spirit of the temple you guys, spirit of the temple here in france!!!!

It is official, I will be leaving Mulhouse. It kind of breaks my heart, I spent the last few days saying goodbyes to everyone. Its hard leaving a place that has become home and you love people here. But if I decide to come back I have MANY houses to stay at, that's always nice. And several have invited the family to come stay. But I am being sent to Evry, its just right outside Paris, but its in the Paris zone. Its the smallest apartment in the mission, that will be interesting. But it will be cool....hopefully.... It's weird leaving. I love Mulhouse, and I love the people here. Plus I feel like i've learned a ton here. Everything in my life that I said I hated, or that I would never do, the Lord has had me do here in Mulhouse. But he has had me do it in a way that I volunteered happily for it. And I have loved it. But alas, the Lord has called me somewhere else.

Oh and family I sent a package off to you guys, it should get there in like 2 weeks. I hope it all gets there safely and you like it!!! Love you and miss you!!!


Well I just realized I forgot to put my address in the last one... awkward... here it is!!!

11, allee Boissy d'Anglas

91000 Evry
FRANCE

Also I almost forgot to tell you guys!! I am in the Liahona. Well the French pages...so you'll never see it. But all the members got it before us and were telling us about it, I was so worried. Not the best picture. Its my first day here in Paris, but it's all good. Apparently from the picture and the way I am all the members think I will get married RIGHT when I get home. That is what everyones parting messing for me was. Advice on being a mother, and to send them an invitation, because I look like someone who will get married right away. Weird French people.

Anywho, there you go. :)

Non-Practicing

I'm sorry that I don't have too much to report on this week. I ended up pretty sick and we had to cancel many appointments. It was really hard on my companion to be sitting home, while I just laid around.

But it was still a fun week. I learned A LOT about the Alsacian people this week. It was very interesting. It would have been a lot nicer to know it all the first few weeks here instead of the last. But what can you do?

We had a nice little miracle. An ami that has been meeting missionaries on and off for 6 years, and I have been teaching her for 4 months, came to church! This is the 2nd time she has come. And she did a family home evening with some members, it's kind of awesome. You can slowly see her changing, and she says that if she keeps coming to church it will become a habit and become easier and easier. Its really great because she has been unwilling to keep any of the commitments that missionaries give her, but we gave her a nice accountability lesson, and she showed up at church! haha That was probably one of the highlights of my week.

We spent a lot of time with the old non-praticing's this week too, who are just not able to come to church because they are so sick. They are so grateful to see the missionaries, and so touched by our spiritual messages. They have incredible testimonies of faith after all that they have been through. And they are in some amazing trails but stay true to the faith, and are just unable to attend church. It may not be baptisms, but some of my best moments on the mission has been with these old people, they are incredibly strong, and deserve to be supported just as much as the person on the street.

One of them, Sr. Casy, I know i've talked about her, but I believe she is just so amazing. We were sharing a talk from conference, it's one that mom loves, the beautiful morning talk, given by a 70. We talked about how we have some super hard challenges but have to be positive. And for the first time I heard her say something not very positive. She said that she didn't understand why she was in a wheelchair and not able to move (she is in a wheelchair in a VERY high apartment building with stairs, and is unable to leave it, she's on the 6th floor, so once a week someone comes and does her grocery shopping). She said that you read about all these miracles in the bible, why don't they still happen? That she would love to be able to walk. But that she will die in that apartment, alone. I might have gotten a little teary eyed, and had no idea what to say. What do you tell to that person? I have no idea how she feels. But lucky we had our little conference talk in our hands and could read to her:

"Trials may come, and we may not understand everything that happens to us or around us. But if we humbly, quietly trust in the Lord, He will give us strength and guidance in every challenge we face. Even in a darkening world, we as Latter-day Saints may sing with joy, knowing that the powers of heaven are with God’s Church and people. We may rejoice in the knowledge that a beautiful morning lies ahead—the dawn of the millennial day, when the Son of God shall rise in the East and reign again on the earth."

Then the words seemed to fall into place after that. We testified the best we could that God had saved her to come forth at this time because he knew that she was strong enough for these challenges. And said that she can't even image what he has waiting for her on the other side. It was one of my favorite lessons honestly. And I think that's true for a lot of people in the world. They don't know why Heavenly Father gave them challenges, and sometimes we never find out. But if we are trusting in the Lord he is going to calm us, and if we endure to the end, how great shall be our reward. (as a missionary this is something we tell ourselves often, although instead of a grand house, the reward is seeing your family :).) I love these people here, they will be really hard to leave.

So there is a story from Sarah's week, enjoy. :)

I hope everyone has a good week!! Love you all!!! Miss you like crazy.

Sr. Jackson.

Exchanges in Paris

This week I got to go do exchanges in Paris with Sr. Pulupuna!!! Seriously she is one of my most favorite missionaries. She's just one of the best. This is her last transfer and then she returns home. She is also my grandmother on the mission, it's awesome, I have the best mission heritage ever. She's been in some pictures that I have sent home, she's the Tongan. :) But it was super awesome. I can officially say that I never want to serve in Paris, and never again do I want to go Grocery Shopping in Paris. But It was really good to spend this last time with her before she leaves, get some awesome advice. Sr. Pulupuna is just the kind of missionary I want to be, all of her actions are out of true love for every person, she is always serving, and she just loves everyone! I love it, if I turn out like her I will be content with myself.

Another note, our mission had a goal, that by the 12th of September (because an apostle was supposed to come) To have 100 baptisms. That goal was made 3 months ago, and the mission just reached it!!! Woo-hoo France Paris mission!!! haha The Apostle is still coming, but not to talk to the missionaries anymore, he is coming to rearrange stake boundaries. Which also means that the mission boundaries with be changing, this will be interesting. But it is really cool too, here's part of what is going down. So on the 15th of September they will create a 3rd stake in Paris and integrate the Lorient district to a stake located in Rennes. France will literally be convered by stakes as it was prophised by President Kimball in 1976. It's kind of amazing.

I found something i'm sending you guys for Christmas that you will love!!! I just have to figure out how to actually get it...It's a bit difficult. haha But all is good!! France is progressing at a nice little pace, and it will be totally ready for that temple!! 

Hope you are all doing well!!! LOVE YOU!!!

Sr. Jackson.