Hello all you lovely people! I hope your week was good! We had a great

week full of hard work out here in Broomall! Tonight it's supposed to

get a little crazy, around 8 pm it's supposed to start snowing and

then not stop until 4 pm tomorrow, we are predicted to get 12-18

inches of snow so it's gonna make the work an adventure for sure!

We have seen so many miracles! James was baptized yesterday and it was

so powerful! It was actually really, really cool. His dad (who used to

be a member) came and spoke about how proud he is of James for

following Christ's example and for being baptized. His grandmother (a

nonmember) was asked if she is a member of the church and she

responded "Not yet." And his old nanny (also a nonmember) came and had

lots of questions about the Book of Mormon and Jospeh Smith and all

that good stuff! It was so spiritual and awesome and I just love

seeing this little family be complete, working with them has changed

my life.

Agnes is doing so well! She is so excited to be baptized next week and

to take that step! She has so much faith in Christ and in who He is

that working with her has strengthened my faith in incredible ways! I

love her so much and she's just awesome!

This week was so good! We really buckled down and got to work. A few

weeks ago we knocked on the door of a lady named Cynthia, and she was

just leaving for work but asked us to come back another day, well over

the last twoish weeks we had tried to stop by a few times and met her

son, Courtney and her husband Eric. Both times she wasn't home.

Finally last Monday we stopped by and she let us right in! We shared

#Hallelujah and got to know her. She isn't active in a church right

now but has been looking for a church to start going too, she accepted

and set up a return appointment right there! We are going back on

Wednesday and it's going to be awesome!

Towards the beginning of my first 6 weeks here in Broomall we were by

this apartment complex and we street contacted a lady who was outside

smoking, she wasn't interested so we just went on our merry way. Well

this week we were down by the apartment complex again and she was

outside smoking, she saw us and waved us over. As we were walking up

she goes "Are yous those Latter Day Saints?" We said yes and she goes

"sit down." We quickly took our seats, she began telling us that she

wants to go to church again, but not to her church, she grew up

Jehovas Witness but she knows something is missing there. she's going

through some trials and really need Christ but she feels like He isn't

listening when she prays. We asked if we could do anything for her and

she asked us to read out of the Bible. Well what a prefect opportunity

to bring up the Book of Mormon, so we did just that! We read a little

from Ether 12 and related Ethers story to her story. She expressed

that we made her heart happy and she's glad that we were able to be

friends, she couldn't remember her phone number so she's supposed to

call us sometime soon to come back! She's so sweet!

This week we also met with a man named Bruce, I think I mentioned him

last week. He was a potential so we stopped by and he let us in, so we

shared He Lives and he invited us back but he wanted to meet at his

church. Well we ended up asking him if we could meet at our church and

he had no problem with that! So we met there and did a church tour,

but the best part of this church tour was a little girl named Gwen,

she is the daughter of the member who came with us that night and she

was so excited to share the gospel! As we were finishing up the tour

we came to the picture of the first vision, Gwen was so excited that

she just exclaimed "That's Joseph Smith!" And proceeded to bear

testimony in a way that only little kids can about the restoration of

the gospel. The spirit was so strong! Bruce was touched enough by it

that he agreed to come to church even though he is heavily involved in

his church, he just needs to pick a Sunday where nothing to big is

going on. He also really appreciated the Book of Mormon and said he

would start reading it every night!

Also in our adventures of contacting our former investigators we found

Phyllis. Phyllis has a daughter and a granddaughter who are Mormons,

she watches Music and the Spoken Word every Sunday as she gets ready

for church and even tunes in to General Conference! She knows a lot

about our church, but has no desire to convert. It's sad sometimes

because older people will often tell you that they are too old and set

in their ways to convert to the church. So they don't even try or let

us try to teach them. She welcomed us to come back and visit but not

to teach.

Adventures as a missionary come in all shapes and sizes. First we went

to knock on a door and as we opened the screen door and before we

could even knock we heard "who is it?" We answered, and she reasoned

"Not interested!" We then went on to another house and the son was

sitting outside, we asked if his mom was home and he ran inside and

then his mom poked her head out the door "yes?" We introduced

ourselves and said she's met with missionaries before to which she

slammed the door. We then tried another house and no one was home, so

we tried the next door neighbor and get this, the house smelled so

good and I could not place the smell. The lady opened the door and she

expressed interest in us coming back, but she had a hard time

understanding me because she's from BRAZIL and her English isn't so

good! I could have died! The smell was food that I love so much, oh

man, Heavenly Father works miracles when you work through the hard

times! We are hoping to go back and teach her and her family this

week!

Brother Waters is doing so good! He came to church and stayed for all

three hours plus the baptism after! There is something in him that is

changing. We've had members who knew him from the time he converted

telling us that he's never been so happy and that whatever we are

doing to keep doing it! He has struggles, just ask every person does

but he's overcoming those struggles step by step. Watching him change

and become the man he is becoming has helped me change, and has

reminded me of what this gospel really means. Just as a general

authority once said "The Church is not a country club for saints, it

is a hospital for sinners." I can see that at work in Brother Waters,

he's changing.

We saw Sister Kerns again this week and she's doing okay, she's still

hesitant to come to church but the spirit is slowly working on her.

She used to never have her quad out and now it's taken it's place on

the table and she reads from the Book of Mormon more often than she

did before. She's incredibly sweet.

We met with Abby again this week and she's so awesome! She just gets

the gospel. We were talking about the Ten Commandments and she just

talked about how she feels like they are rules from a loving parent

and as we live them, life is simple! Yes, as we live and obey the

commandments of God life is simple, sometimes it's hard, and we still

have trials but overall our lives are easier as we follow Christ with

a willing heart and and open mind.

Kevin is also doing well! His schedule has been a little crazy lately

but he's doing good! He loves the Book of Mormon and he loves sharing

the impressions that come to him as he reads!

We had an awesome dinner with some Korean members last night, I love

Korean food. Like I could eat it all day every day. I don't know what

they do that makes it taste so darn good but whatever they do I hope

they keep doing it. I can say if I was called to Korea I would gain so

much weight, even if all we did was walk. It's that good.

This week I have been rereading the conference talks from October to

help prepare for the one in just a few weeks! I was reading the talk

"The Master Healer" by Sister Carole M. Stephens (relief society 1st

counselor) and she said something that really stuck out to me.

"May I suggest that we begin, as Nephi says, “with unshaken faith in

[Christ], relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to

save.” Our faith in Jesus Christ enables us to meet any challenge.

We, in fact, often find our faith deepened and our relationship with

Heavenly Father and His Son refined in adversity."

When we are faced with trials and temptations, or faced with illness,

sadness, hopelessness, or the afflictions of this mortal life, let us

remember Him and that He is mighty to save. Most of us know the

scripture in Alma 7

11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and

temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled

which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his

people.

12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of

death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their

infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to

the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his

people according to their infirmities.

He suffered not just for our sins, but for everything! My friends and

family the things you are going through right now, the trials,

temptations, pains, and afflictions, He has gone through too! Don't

forget to turn to him because He knows better than anyone what you're

going through, and He knows how to help you. Christ is the Master

Healer and can heal us from anything and everything. Don't forget to

turn to Him, in D&C 6:36 it said "Look unto me in every thought, doubt

not, fear not." We have no need to fear with God and Christ are near.

I love you all so much, I miss you all. I love my mission. I love our

Savior, Advocate and Redeemer. He is my rock, my foundation and my

Best friend.

I hope you all have a great week!

Until next week,

Sister Jackson

Sayles Family (James baptism)