How marvelous a work

Hey guys,
First of all...No baptism. Never did I realize just how hard it is to stop smoking. David rocks and he's my brotha! I'll try to send pictures next week.
After some good advice from our zone leaders, we have decided to put more of our focus on finding and teaching new investigators and I know the Lord is blessing us in that regard. We got 5 new investigators this week, and we are praying that they will show potential. The work is progressing here in Johnson City and I love it. I really really hope I don't get transferred. I have a good feeling that I'll be staying but there's no guarantee. Transfers are on the 18th so next week I'll be able to tell you if I'm staying or going.
Sister Bernard has opened up a lot. She and I get along great, and she's even opening up a bit as we teach. I love her so much and I know that as her mission progresses, she will be blessed with the ability to teach with power. She's got it in her, I know it.
I know that throughout my emails I have talked little of district meetings and zone conferences and I'm not sure why. Zone Conferences sets such a good tone for each transfer and having district meeting (as long as it's a good district leader) each week is da bomb and gives me the strength and motivation I need to press forward with faith. This upcoming transfer Elder Snow will be coming for our zone conference and I'm pumped. General authorities often lay the smack-down and I know it will be a good boost.
I haven't heard any updates on President Griffin so I'm assuming that no news is good news. Thank goodness!
Well my family, this week has been another one of learning. As a missionary I am finding more and more that the gift of repentance is my best friend. How grateful I am to have the opportunity to repent constantly. I am positive that the more we repent, the more we are able to recognize how abundantly blessed we truly are. Know that I love you all very much.
~Hermana Jackson

Lookin' good in the hood

HEY!
We had some good lessons with David this week. He has stopped smoking for 5 days now so we may be having an impromptu baptism this weekend. YAY! He has set so many dates for himself that we decided to do everything to be ready at a moment's notice and the ward is very supportive of that. He really is a very spiritual man and is eager to set an example for his family and share the Gospel with them. Yay for member referrals! I don't know if I told you that he's black, but that just adds so much more to the picture. He's black through and through and I love it. He's hilarious and we have a good time with him both spiritually and jovially. Does that make sense? I don't know if I said that right. Anyway, life is good in the hood as David would say.
As for Yareli, we met with her a couple days ago and she seemed pretty distant so we're hoping to get to the bottom of it. After all, she is a teenager (16) and it could have just been one of those days. We meet with Renae again on Wednesday but the elders have been in their home a lot, which is wonderful. As much as we love teaching her, it would be best to see the elders take over since they can support her and her family within the ward. As for right now, Renae still feels like we should teach her though, so we'll see how it all works out.
I'm not sure what has happened this transfer but I feel like I've taken a turn as a missionary. Various experiences have really strengthened my testimony this transfer and I'm so grateful to be surrounded by wonderful missionaries, ward members, and companions. This work is truly of God.
I love you all and just realized my time is ticking. Keep it real, keep praying, keep loving!
~Hermana Jackson
P.S. Pray for Presdident Griffin. He has pneumonia! :(

Getting settled in

HI!!
Can you believe it's halfway through the transfer already?! My goodness. Things are looking pretty good. We are still having a hard time finding new investigators but it's a work in progress. What's awesome is that we're gaining a lot of trust with the members and have some good team-ups set up this week with members and investigators. I am grateful for such a blessing.
Mom mentioned that their stake is working on re-activating 900 members this coming year and that makes me so excited! I hope you and Dad can get involved and feel the Spirit of missionary work in your lives. Members make such a difference. Tear it up you guys!
We are still working with David and Yareli. We have told Yareli to stop asking her parents about baptism because they are feeling pretty pressured. Missionaries have showed up at their home in Nashville and it's not looking good. We just assured her it was important to bear her testimony to them, but back off on asking them about baptism for a while. We are also working harder on getting the YW in the ward to fellowship her so she'll have more of a connection to the Church than just the missionaries. Oh how I hope I stay here this upcoming transfer!
We are officially moved. Today we are going to clean the apartment in Elizabethton so it can be inspected tomorrow but other than that and 12 bags of Goodwill stuff that sisters and elders left behind in BOTH apartments, we're good to go. It feels great to get it behind us. The members helped a lot but we still didn't get as much work missionary work done as we had hoped.
We received a referral from a member. She is actually in a different ward but this investigator (her name is Ranae) didn't have a very good experience with previous elders so she wanted to have us teach her. She is more than willing to join the church if she knows it's right. It seems like it may take some time though. She is one of those who feels like she needs to know EVERYTHING and she's also having a hard time accepting Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. Please pray for her. She is A-MAZING and has a stronger relationship with God than anyone I have taught on my mission. She'll get there, I know it!
So I can't put into words how much I love this work. We are tracting a whole bunch lately and the more we talk to everyone, the stronger my testimony gets. The South is a tough place. I saw that in Jeff's mission they're pushing for 100 baptisms in one month. Here, it's 38. No matter the difference, I know that the field is white and we all can take part in missionary work wherever we may be. Now don't forget it.
I love you all, I feel your prayers, and they're bein' answered!! Until next week my friends...
~Hermana Jackson

Happy Fall Y'all!

Hi My Family,
It seems like fall came and went. It has been really cold here the past few days and with the humidity it goes straight to the bones. I wish we could have enjoyed fall a bit longer. The colors didn't change as much as I had hoped but with all the trees, the colors we DO have are gorgeous.
Okay, so this past week was another week of adjustments. Sister Bernard and I were able to talk about her fears of missionary work and there are a few improvements but not many. It is a work in progress and we are learning together. We get along well.
It was a pretty slow week for us. We only got one new investigator, Jackie. She let us right in and thanked us for not being JW's. She is anxious to learn more, but we're not sure of her motives so I'll keep you up to date on that.
Yareli is wonderful and soaks everything in. We are still trying to figure out how we can get her parents to budge and give permission but we're not having much success there.
David is also someone we've been teaching. They found him in June, set a baptismal date with him soon after that, but he has a smoking problem and didn't quit. He's a great guy, but I'm wondering if there are some underlying concerns that are keeping him from baptism. Please pray for him.
You guys, missionary work really is amazing. It's such a roller coaster of a lifetime, and you know how much I love roller coasters! Life is great here in Johnson City and even though I feel very inadequate, I know that is all part of the adversary's plan to bring us down and by golly...it's not going to work. Stay strong family and keep the faith. I love you SO much!
~Hermana Jackson

A whole new world

Hey,
A new week, and whole lot of changes. I am now in Watauga. At least that's the name of the area I'm serving in. There used to be 2 sisters and 2 elders in the area, but since the number of missionaries is being decreased in the TKM, the area has now been combined and we cover it all! Though it can be overwhelming, it's also very exciting.
One not so exciting thing is that we have to move apartments in a week. Thank goodness for a great ward who is willing to help us out.
So, my companion is Sister Bernard. We get along just fine but she doesn't participate much in lessons so we have a few things to work on. Please pray for the both of us.
As for the investigators here. We have a couple. One is Hispanic!! President pretty much told me that I'll be in English areas the rest of my mission so the Lord is reaching out and letting me use my Spanish at least a little. Her name is Yareli. She is 16 and living with her uncle for the time being. She has been taught almost everything in order to be baptized and really WANTS to be. The problem is her parents. They don't see the need and won't give permission. Please pray hard for her parents to open up. They live in Nashville so it's not like we can go visit them. Do you have any ideas? I haven't dealt with this type of situation before.
Life is great, the work is great, and I'm looking forward to seeing the work progress here in this area. I love you all and I'm so grateful for you.

~Hermana Jackson

A weekend of bliss

Hola fam,

There is so much in my heart and mind that I want to share with you in this email so I hope I can convey it. First of all, we found out that both Sister Crockett and I are being transferred out of Grove Park. It was pretty unsettling at first but it didn't take me long to remember by whom this work is guided. He knows what is best and that's all that matters. I just hope I'm in my next area for more than one transfer.

General Conference. What a trip, eh? Never have I been blessed with so much insight and such a drive to work with all my "heart, might, mind, and strength." Besides the pornography part, Elder Scott's talk hit me to the core, as usual. What about you all? I would LOVE to hear your insights on General Conference if they are things you feel you could share. I can't wait to get the Ensign.

Now, I received some pictures from Dad and you all look fabulous. Thank you dad for the pics. I was thinking about you and praying for you all weekend imagining the goings on and the organized chaos of having 9 little ones buzzing around. Dad said they all slept downstairs. Seriously? How did THAT go? I'll admit, it did hurt my heart a little to know I had missed out on the memories but I would much rather be here and live it vicariously.

Now, we had a lesson with Romelia in between conference sessions on Saturday and the lesson I had planned and prepared for didn't go down, so it was up to the Spirit to do the talking. I knew that was the only way to get through it. Thankfully we had a team-up from the Spanish branch with us who helped explain things in Spanish that I couldn't. The Spirit was there, Romelia wants to learn and feel more, so now that we're leaving the elders will be taking over. I trust them to do a good job.

I can't think of the other things I wanted to say, so this will suffice. I can't express to you my love and gratitude for the path we are on to being an eternal family. Please know that I know the only way to get there is through our Savior and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Remember Elder Eyring and what he said about the gravestone? There won't be any empty chairs right fam?

Abrazo fuerte,

Hermana Jackson

Dreary weather, bright work!

HI!
This week has been a good one. We have been tracting--and tracting--and tracting. We haven't seen as many results as we would like, but we did come across a 7th Grade Science teacher named Jill. Great name, eh? She is a pretty hard core Lutheran but she has shown a lot of interest in the Book of Mormon. We were supposed to have already met with her by now but one of her students went into the hospital and she re-scheduled. Oh man, she's a hoot, lemme tell ya! I hope and pray that I'll have more to tell about her next week.
As for Romelia, she's doing really well. We also had an appointment with her, and we even brought someone from the Spanish branch with us and she wasn't home. She was expecting us earlier so it was a mis-communication thing. Either way I was able to talk to her about how her reading is going and she loves the Book of Mormon and wants more for her children. WAHOO!! So, you guys I really need your prayers on this one. I get pretty stressed out when it comes to speaking Spanish because the desire is there, but the fluency definitely isn't. Sister Crockett is a great support and helps me study. I love her!
That's the latest and greatest here in the Grove Park area. We attended Catholic Mass this past week and it helped me really appreciate the simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how meaningful it is to attend sacrament meeting each week.
Transfers are on the 7th so they're coming up fast. Sister Crockett is most likely out of here so we'll see what comes next. I love you all, I love this work, and I hope you are all progressing in the Gospel the way you should be! :)
~Hermana Jackson

So far so good...

Hi fam,
I feel a bit out of touch lately. I guess it's because I haven't written very much but hopefully this week will be back to normal. Unfortunately the flu is really going around the mission and a lot of missionaries are getting really sick. A few have had the swine flu and have had to wear some funky masks and such.
Sister Crockett and I are doing well. We are having a bit of a hard time finding new investigators and it can put a damper on things. We are trying to keep the faith and are becoming very good companions and friends. This week we taught Romelia Perez. I don't remember mentioning her, but she is a media referral who has become a new investigator. Since it's in Spanish I teach alone which can be a little difficult for the both of us since I don't have Sister Crockett helping and since she doesn't understand much of what's going on. Please pray for us. I know that the Lord has put her in our path for a reason and if He thinks I can do it then I know I can. It won't be easy though.
We are focusing on Chapter 4 in Preach My Gospel and it's full of things that I am personally working on. Much of it has to do with following the Spirit in your teaching. Sometimes I find myself hesitating when I teach because I don't want to be too bold. Yeah, whatever Sister Jackson! Forget that! I am so grateful for PMG and the inspiration we can receive from it as missionaries.
I have been told my whole mission that success isn't always about baptisms. Well, I have recently received a letter from a former MTC elder who is having baptims up the yin-yang and there are commitments up and down within our district. I know the adversary is trying hard to discourage Sister Crockett and I but it's not going to work. We are still going to work hard and serve the Lord the very best we can.
I love you all so much and I pray for you every day. Please keep Romelia in your prayers okay? ~Hermana Jackson

Feelin' better...

Hey guys,
My last day with a fever was Saturday morning so things are looking good. The swine flu is goin' crazy out here so I wouldn't be surprised if that's what we had. I can't describe how good it felt to start working again. My life is complete!
I am sad to say there is not much to report because we haven't been working. We had Stake Conference yesterday though and it was awesome! There were talks on adversity, faith in Jesus Christ, and missionary work. President Griffin spoke and he expressed how much trust he puts in us as missionaries and it really hit home. Not only does President trust us with this work, but so does the Lord. How grateful I am to be in His service. Having been out for 10 months I have to make sure I don't get stuck going through the motions--for every day should be cherished.
Guys, I love you so much! Until next week...~Hermana Jackson

Stayin' in Knoxville

Hi Fam,
I am in the Grove Park area, which is in Knoxville County and is technically in Knoxville but it's considered the Fountain City area. I guess we're called Grove Park because that's the name of the ward. It isn't nearly as rural as Loudon was so we have access to lots of things. The ward is extremely supportive in our efforts too, so that's a plus.
I am with Sister Crockett again and I'm thrilled about that. She's a hard worker and it's been nice to get into a groove and work hard without distractions. There is now a trio in Dalton with Sister Steele, Sister Taft, and Sister Hammond so I'm the only Spanish sister in an English area. I'm okay though--a little bummed that there isn't a ton of Spanish here but at least there's some, and when I do use it, I'm all alone since Sister Crockett knows NADA!
It will be good for me, and I know it is the Lord's will. Sister Crockett and I really feel like this could be a great transfer depending on our attitudes and faith. We have set some goals for this transfer and we fully intend to meet them.
I don't know if I mentioned my district in my last area, but it wasn't much to shout about. That's probably why I didn't talk about them. In any case, I love my district here. We are very unified and our district leader is very in tune. He is actually from Alpine and I went to high school with his older brother Ty Hogge. Small world in the church, eh? Elder Hogge really is the bomb though. He has strong faith and a great attitude about the work.
A side note...Does the name Turvaville ring a bell? They lived in Hong Kong for a couple of years during the time our family was there. We had dinner with them this week and when I said I was born in Hong Kong they about had a hernia. Dad, you were John Turvaville's YM President and he is now the YM President in our ward here. Small world in the church, eh? :)
We don't have a lot to work with here in Grove Park yet, but there is definitely some potential and we're going to find the elect. I'm sure of it! I know there's always a reason we are sent to areas we are called to, even if we don't know what they might be.
You guys, I love your guts! I am happy to hear that you're all doing well and being blessed. Keep the faith and keep pressing forward!

~Hermana Jackson