January 27, 2014

Well this week was an interesting week. Honestly the beginning of the week was really slow and I almost started feeling like I wasn't even doing missionary work, I was doing nothing. Emma was in the hopsital so we didn't get to see her at all. Not completely discouraged, but slightly getting there. Then Friday we do weekly planning, and as it is the first Friday of the transfer we set goals for the next 6 weeks at the end of the planning. When we finally arrived at this point I looked Soeur Tehoiri in the eyes and I said 'Soeur Tehoiri I had had a dream the last night and that I know that this transfer we will see miracles, but more than that, I know that we will find a mother with children who was waiting for us' (rarely do I like to fix specific goal like this, unless I feel very strongly about it). And she was like 'okay, that's great!!!! Let's do this!! Now tonight do you think you could dream of the ville that she lives in so that we can find her?' So we wrote down the goal, and we prayed and finished that planification.

Then Saturday we scheduled a few hours for porting in a new area, in the first hour we found 2 mothers both with 3 children that we get to go back and see this week. Then that night we went and did service for a member, after she drove us home with a friend of hers, who after the member dropped us off she fixed an appointement.

Then Saturday at church we had some new members I had never seen before so I went and talked to them. Apparently the husband had been someone that was an old ami that I had recently called that hadn't been to the church in a bit, so he and his wife were at the church and his wife as a friend that she has to take lessons with us that we will start this week. 

Then! That night we had finished our rendez-vous and had an hour left, so we went to find a member who hadn't been church and a woman with a stroller came up and asked us how to find somewhere. So we just walked with her to show her the way, just talked about things, where she was from. As we dropped her off at the Marie, she was like 'I would love to have your number and meet with you so that you can share your message', she has 4 children.

It was such an incredible weekend. And it was evidence to me of many things. 1, when you work for the lord eventually you will get your reward, not always at the beginning of the week, but without a doubt the Lord will send blessings your way. 2, keep working!! If I had remained discouraged, or that last hour went home early because it was cold, I would not have found those people. 3, fix inspired goals and have faith in the Lord!! 4, the lord will create a path for you when you follow the spirit and are acting on his behalf. And 5, the Lord loves me, but more than that, all the people around me.

Such a great week! I hope each of you have an equally awesome week!! Love you all!!
Soeur Jackson.

January 13, 2014

First off, wow i'm missing the temple this week.
Now down to buisness. Next week is transfers and normally I wouldn't be transferred, I would stay with Soeur Tehoiri for one more, but apparently EVERYONE thinks differently. All the ward remembers think i'm leaving next transfer. And so I was talking about it with Soeur Tehoiri because anything is possible, and she said she'll call president and cry, it was really cute. Its possible because this last transfer a girl was hospitalized and had to go home, and another sister got her visa and left so President had to do some emergency moving of sisters, and there is now a ville where there aren't any sisters right now, so we'll see...kind of hoping I stay, because that it just the thing that makes sense, and I would love to finish training Soeur Tehoiri. But i'm pretty sure I will, that is just the logical thing.
But more importantly than transfers is this weekend we will(should) have a baptism!!! Her name is Emma, and she's pretty amazing, she is of course Africian :). We met her 5 weeks ago, she was at church on Sunday and said she'd been looking at different churches to find a church with the spirit. :) And so she's getting baptized. She's been one of those 'golden amis'. We taught her the plan of salvation, and we used these little pictures, and at the end we motioned to the pictures and asked her what she thought of the plan. And she was like 'well if we have this knowledge, then obviously there is a god, and obviously he want us to live with him again one day'. In my head I was like 'and that is why I am here.' And when we taught her the Word of Wisdom we introduced it and were like it is pretty important and a commandement from God, and all that, and started with alcohol, and she just took it from there and was like 'of course its bad to drink alcohol because then you get addicted and it takes over your life, and then where is God? Its the same with smoking and drugs'. No kidding, I sat there with my mouth open for a minute and was like 'well yeah, that's it, okay, (close the brochure)'. So its been pretty awesome so far. And the baptism this Saturday! Its kind of awesome because my goal for Soeur Tehoiri was for her to have a baptism in her first transfer so that she would have the attitude that she can get a baptism all during her mission, and the Lord just prepared a golden road that leads straight to that goal. Love it when the Lord works miracles.

So that is pretty much the crowning miracle right now, we are really excited for it. :) Keep being awesome and have an awesome week, love you all!!!

The Power of Prayer
Happy fête des Rois!!!! I hope you guys all have a wonderful one!

Before I tell you my story this week I have to tell you one of the best lines that my funny little Tahitian said, I had just finished explaining what subjunctive was in English, its WAY harder in French, and after about a half an hour she says 'oh I get it. Wow Soeur Jackson I have no idea how you learned French, in fact its French that's hard and English that's easy'. and me 'YES!!!' haha

We had some really cool things happen this week, but one thing that really stood out me was something that happened during fast and testimony meeting yesterday. I have had some incredible experiences during my mission where I have seen miracles happen from prayers, its crazy, its like prayer works or something ;). 

So for the whole month of December every night when I said our prayer to finish our day I prayed for a member, Soeur Balloum and her son. So one Sunday at the beginning of December I was talking to her and she mentioned that she had a son that she hadn't seen in years and that is very closed to the fact that she's a member, and that it makes Christmas really hard for her that she never gets to see her son. So we prayed everynight that for Christmas his heart would be softened. And in testimony meeting Soeur Balloum stood up and told a story about how Christmas is always hard for her, and she prepares herself every year for it. So on the 29th she had her other children over for a Christmas party, and heard a knock at the door, who could it be? It was her son and he brought all his all his family for Christmas. It was the first time she had had him and his family at her house for many years. It was an incredible testimony builder to me, once again, the power of sincere and constant prayer.

Also Christina got baptized. It took two dunks, and each time she came out and took a huge gasp like she's been held under for 5 minutes, but eventually we got there. haha She was so happy, but even happier was her mother. It was really special.

So that's a little taste of my week. I hope you guys all have an awesome beginning to the new year! Love you all!!

 A Little Blessing

 

Well along with all the other miracles of Christmas, Soeur Tehoiri and I are getting a baptism. Although it wont really count as ours because she is 8 years old, but we have been teaching her, so we are counting it in our hearts.

Her name is Christina, and her family just became active 2 months ago after years and years of inactivity. So since she hadn't ever really been to church we have got to go teach her about the gospel. It was really fun teaching an 8 year old, and definately a learning experience, because you have to change everything and keep it extremely simple for a child. And aside from the lesson we had to have about how she wouldn't be under water for an hour and drown, or how God is going to ressuscité each of us it has been really great watching an 8 year old gain a testimony and learn of all these things. 

One of the best parts though was after the 2nd lesson she started praying that she could be spiritually ready for baptism, and that was when she started really understanding. It was kind of amazing to see an 8 year old understand the Celestial kingdom and have that goal in sight. She wants to live there with her family for eternity, and now she nows that baptism is what it takes she really wants to be baptized. It is adorable, although she's really concerned that her sister who is 4, wont be able to live with them in the celestial kingdom because she isn't baptized. It has been amazing to see a child understand the truth, without all the details. It is the little things, that really couldn't matter in the grand scheme that so many people can get caught up on. And for this child it just took the simple truth, of the first vision, of the holy ghost, of the plan of salvation, and she knows what she had to do to live with God again. She has gained her own little testimony, despite being 8, and she is ready to put her faith in the lord, even when it meant she would drowned in the baptismal fount.

So this Saturday we will be having an 8 year old baptism, that finally showed to me the truth of what Christ meant when he said be as little children. So excited.

Hope everyone has a great new year!!

Gros Bisous!

Soeur Sarah Jackson.