First Training!

The mission is going to change so much in the next 6 weeks! We have about 40 missionaries leaving and 53 new ones coming in! I won't know anybody!

Oh, I gave my first training this week at our Zone Development Meeting (ZDM) and I was super nervous, but apparently people liked it! It was really cool. I enjoyed designing the white board and making it all fun for my trainings. The zone is great and I think the trainings that we did will help us all be better missionaries. Elder Hale and I are super unified and were able to teach with such fluidity. We also made a poster for our favorite Elder Westenskow.

This week was one of those weeks where the Lord humbles you and shows you what it is that is stopping you from progressing. Elder Hale and I had had a hard time finding any success in any phase of our work, whether it be finding, teaching or getting people to church. We didn't get it; we seemed to be working hard and using our time wisely, but no fruits were showing. When we prayed to know how to get out of this rut, the Lord chastened us well and told us that we needed to lift our expectations and increase our diligence. We saw that we had not been believing that our efforts would bring forth fruit. We decided to change our attitude and expected to find success, and in one evening we were able to contact 56 people and pick up two new investigators and put one on date for baptism. The Lord really does bless us when we truly believe that we will succeed. I'm ashamed that I had not had that attitude the rest of the week and expected that the Lord would bless us. My faith was weak. I know that as I keep this attitude of working hard and completely believing that success will come, we will see more precious souls progress toward baptism and eternal life.

Oh, I wanted to tell you that there is a Brother Roberts here who was missionary companions with Chris Street! Do you have Chris' phone number or address so I could give it to him? He said he wants to get back in touch with him. I also met someone who was a companion with one of the Farr boys on his mission in Detroit! Such a small world. 

Elder Hale is from Pleasant Grove, UT, which is by Provo. He will be going to UVU in the fall. I'll give you his contact info so you can get in touch with him. He says you sound like a saint and wants to meet you and dad! 

I learned so much from Elder Sy (one of the assistants to the president. The AP's ward is right next to my greenie ward! It was like going home!) on exchanges. He is a fantastic missionary and does an excellent job of teaching doctrine very simply and always listening to the Spirit in what he should say, and not just being repetitive. I learned that we should view each contact in the same way we do a prayer: some of the words will be the same, but it needs to a sacred, spiritual experience that is unique every time. I really enjoyed that. We took that idea into our proselyting area and saw much more success. Elder Sy has a great heart. 

With Elder Westenskow and Elder Pennington I also learned a lot. Elder Westenskow was my 3rd AP. I was really impressed, as I always am, with just how Christlike Elder Westenskow is. There are not too many people that are more loving and genuine in all that they do. I so love being around him and learning from him and I am so blessed that I was able to serve around him this transfer. I'll miss him when he goes home next week, along with Elder Andrus and about 23 other missionaries! 

I love you so so much! Thank you for all you do! Is there anything I can do for you?

Love,

Your Elder Jackson :)