Hello
everyone! Im still pretty sure we just entered 2017, but that’s the funny thing
about time, it flies! I’m so thankful for last year! 2017 was one of the best
years of my life! It was the year I spent being a full-time missionary for the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! I hope you all can look back on
2017 with fondness and that you can look toward 2018 with hope!
Well,
a lot has happened this week! It has been fridged up this way, like
ridiculously cold. Luckily here in Jersey we don’t pump our own gas, so we get
to freeze only when we preach the gospel! The great thing about that though is
the Spirit keeps you warm! We had some rather interesting street contacts this
week, we were in Salem and no one was answering doors, but there was this lady
on the street! We asked if we could share a video and she said yes. Little did
we know she was drunk as a skunk! Like to the max, she even smelled like
alcohol, and had a baby doll shoved down her shirt. It was a rather interesting
conversation. We also met a lady who let us share a scripture with her but she
didn’t believe in Jesus Christ, she was more of a scientist.
We
did lots of service this week. We helped a family pack their moving van, which
was very entertaining. It was like watching my family pack a moving van (if you
know my family you know this would be entertaining)! On Friday it snowed, and
as a result we were grounded. So Sis. Roberts and I took our shovels and went
to go shovel driveways, it was great fun! It was also so so so cold!
We
saw some amazing miracles this week! The first one being a lady named Venita.
We had had all of our plans cancel, or fall through and we had no idea what to
do! So we pulled into an apartment complex and started to knock. Every door had
rejection behind it, and we were starting to get discouraged, then the last
door we knocked, we met Venita. She let us right in and we got to talk with her
about the Book of Mormon. As we talked we found out that a lot of her family is
members, and that as a little girl in Fiji she had listened to the
missionaries! It was so awesome! She has a busy schedule but she invited us to
come back for sure!
Lastly,
yesterday we had had all of our plans fall through once again. So we were just
walking around trying to meet with people, but to no avail. As we got back in
the car I saw we had a missed call from a number with an area code I did not
recognize! We listened to the voicemail and found out it was a guy who wanted
to know when church services were. We called back and as we talked with him we
found out he was 18 so we brought up the YSA that meets in Philadelphia, and he
said “I don’t know what that means” we explained and then asked if he was a
member. He said no. We asked if he was meeting with missionaries in Washington.
He said no. He explained that he had gone to a family home evening with one of
his friends and couldn’t stop thinking about it. He told us he has questions
about life and about God that he wants answered. We told him that our job is to
help find those answers, and he was so happy! It was such a miracle! I LOVE
MISSIONARY WORK!!!!!!!!
Ahhh
family and friends! Missionary work is so great! In fact, missionary work is
the Lords work! Jesus Christ spent His life preaching eternal truths, I have
learned more about Him as I have preached eternal truths. As I was looking back
on this last year, I really came to understand this quote by President David O.
McKay.
“True
Christianity is love in action. There is no better way to manifest love for God
than to show an unselfish love for your fellow men. This is the spirit of
missionary work”
Seriously
though, the love I have for our Father in Heaven and our Savior is what keeps
me going everyday. It’s what makes me have the drive to shovel random driveways
and not expect praise or even a “thank you”. It’s what made me come on a
mission to begin with! Just like in D&C 4:3 “If any of you have desires to
serve God, ye are called to the work.” If you have a desire to serve God, you
are called to the work! That doesn’t mean you put in your papers right now and
serve a mission, that’s just a part of the work. The real work is serving your
neighbors, your spouse, your children, your boy/girlfriend, your siblings, who
ever! That is God’s work, showing love in action.
My
New Years resolution is to live by this other quote from President David O.
McKay
“Every
member … a missionary!” You don’t have to wear the tag to serve God, we are all
called to serve, some choose to do it full time.
I
love you all!
Always,
Sister
Jackson
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| Shoveling Snow |
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| Sister Roberts |
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