This Week Was Fantastic!

This week was fantastic! We were able to see so much success. The Lord is truly blessing us! Roman  and Andrew were able to enter the waters of baptism and make a covenant with their Father in Heaven. Seeing children of our Father in Heaven choose to follow Christ and be baptized in the manner He was. The Spirit that was present at the baptism was unreal. The ward was so supportive- the Relief Society room was overflowing with people! The talks that were given were very loving (although not completely doctrinal). President and Sister Mullen also came to the baptism! I am so thankful that we were able to have the Lord bless us with these wonderful people to teach. 

                                                                                                    

It was completely by 

His grace that we found them and

were able to teach people as prepared as them. I am also grateful that we were able to have two more investigators there whom we also would not be able to teach without the grace of God: Madison, who is getting baptized this Saturday at 2:00 pm, and Danielle, who is getting baptized the first Sunday in March! It is nothing short of a miracle! We are so grateful for the Lord's hand that has been in our lives this past few weeks. Also, we were blessed by the Lord to start teaching  all 4 of Danielle's baptismal age kids! We also were able to start teaching a very promising father in a part-member family. Elder Drebot showed forth our faith and diligence in a minuscule manner and look at how the Lord has blessed us! The Lord is unfairly gracious to those who try to serve Him with all they have.

I was reading in Alma 12 this week and was struck by the descriptive wording of the way we fall into Satan's grasp. It used the word "encircling" in describing the chains that will encroach into our lives if we allow ourselves to be tempted by his subtle tactics. We must employ all caution in our lives so that we do not become his captive. Fortunately, we have the Holy Ghost and the light of Christ's atonement to guide us through and break the chains with which we are "encircled about" by. Satan will try to stop our progression on all fronts if he can get us to simply stop living the way God has asked. If he can get us on one thing, he can slowly get us on more and more. The power of Christ is stronger than all of that though; we can one day stand before God as changed people and look up at Him in full confidence that we have become clean through Christ's atonement and that we are free of the influence of the devil. We will be prepared to enter into eternal life with our Father and His Son. This knowledge is beautiful and it is great that we can share it!

We are so so so excited for the next few weeks! We are going to have so many baptisms here in the Jurupa Ward. The ward members are helping out so much and it is such a blessing. This is not the same ward it was when I got here. I think that this ward will continue to have the missionary fire for a long time! I hope and pray I can stay one transfer longer! I love it here so much. 

The rain here was kind of bad, but nothing too crazy! We were just soooo bored sitting in the apartment. That night I had a dream I went home and it was the weirdest thing ever. I felt as if I had had a two year dream and then woken up and life was exactly the same as where I left off. I wonder if that is what it will be like!

Oh, check out Madison's blog post about becoming Mormon! It's so stinking cool!: http://jeanmachine97.blogspot.com/2017/02/becoming-mormon.html?m+1

She is the best!

 I love you lots! have the best week ever!

Love,

Your Elder Jackson :)