6 More Weeks!

April 12, 2021

Hola hola!! 

Wow another fast and crazy week!! A ton happened so I'll just get right into it! 

Last Monday we had another lesson with Paty and Diana and they are doing so well!! They are finally starting to read the Book of Mormon consistently so we are super excited about their progress! It really is the key to conversion!! 

On Wednesday we were able to go and get vaccinated!! We got the Johnson&Johnson which was nice because it's just the one shot. But the next day man it wrecked almost everyone who got vaccinated. I just had a headache in the morning, nothing bad, but Elder Neilson and the other elders in the apartment were hammered. They had chills and were feeling pretty rough so Thursday morning was pretty quiet. Luckily though, Elder Neilson recovered enough by the evening and we were able to have some fire lessons with our friends Alex, Maria and Alicia. María is actually going to Pheonix for a little to care for her brother who's sick, so we are praying we can still keep in contact because she's not great with technology. But Alicia was able to watch all 4 sessions of Conference! And Alex is doing awesome and super ready for April 23rd!! 

In other things, we had a couple really good exchanges this week!! I went with Elder Hannemann's greenie on Tuesday and then the Zone Leaders on Friday. Lots of fun, always nice to get to know other elders and I learned a ton in both experiences. 

Continuing on with the week, we had another solid lesson on Friday with Luis and Carmen as well and they continue to be the best ever!! The one issue, however, continues to be they are just so dang busy on the weekends. But, we did have a huge miracle as an Hermana in our ward, honestly one of the sweetest women on earth, drove 20 minutes on Sunday watch Luis play the guitar at a restaurant just to support him and finally be able to meet him and his wife in person. She said they were both so happy to meet her and that Luis even had her request a few songs to play. You can't beat these people, they are the best!! 

Sunday was a great day and I had the opportunity to speak at church! It was my first time giving a talk in Spanish and I have to say I don't know how well my story and analogy translated but overall it was a great experience!  I actually felt pretty comfortable speaking and just had a few notes which is a stark contrast to my word for word written out and then read talks in the past haha. I know the gift of tongues continues to bless and magnify my efforts daily and it's so cool to see! 

Lastly, we got transfer news last night and I'll be staying in the EP 3er barrio for another 6 weeks which I couldn't be happier about!! I was expecting to stay here and am beyond excited for the next little bit with the people here I love so much. But, there was one twist, we'll be getting a third elder so we'll have a trio, and on top of that my area is getting split which is all a little crazy but it'll all work out! Like I said, I'm so grateful to be staying here and to continue working with my amigos I love so much. 

For my spiritual thought I'll leave you with what a little of what I shared in my talk. That is that Jesus Christ really is the light and the life of the world! And, as members of His church we have access to that light that others can see!! The gift of the Holy Ghost is one of greatest gifts Heavenly Father could give us and will guide us as we seek it's influence. Let your light so shine so that others can see your works and glorify your Father in Heaven and that they can see the light of Christ that is reflected in each of you! The Savior truly is, as Abinadi so beautifully and boldly stated, "the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened." 

Love you all so much!! Have a great week! 

Mucho amor,

Elder Jackson 

1 Pretty much invincible now 

2 Exchanges selfie ft Christmas tree

3 Sunset through the window