Tillyke med foedselsdagen! (aka Happy Birthday)

Psych, I'm going Danish speaking!! ;) haha so I'm 99% sure yall got pictures from the Grovers and the Larson's this week and you already know my new comp! Sista Kreiberg (still workin on the accent..). YES! She's the coolest and we couldn't be happier to be together!! Funny story.. The day I got to the mission home Sister Berry asked me if I was Danish because I looked so much like the Danish sister who had arrived a few weeks earlier! haha so it's been a joke for months and now we're finally comps.

I'm not even sure where to start this week but I'mma just dive in cause there's TONS! I'm in Lake Nona now and yes, I'm technically an english sister, but will get to go on exchanges with the spanish sisters as well so that'll be good. There isn't anyone Sister Kreiberg and I can't talk to here haha. Between her danish and german and my spanish which can sometimes help with portuguese and then of course the english.. we're set to conquer. So the coolest thing is that we're equally excited to share this message and to just give it our all!! The term "equally yoked" has new meaning in my life haha. From the second transfer meeting was over I've just felt like I'm running like a mad woman and it's stressful and whatever else, but I'm. SO. HAPPY! This week Sister Kreiberg and I have had a breakthrough. I've loved and enjoyed my mission thus far and that's the down right truth. But this week something happened where I've just consistently felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude to be here!! Its the funniest thing that missions are exhausting and frustrating and sometimes I feel like I'm so inadequate.. But it's the most beautiful, rewarding, joyous experience I could ever ask for. Sometimes I feel like the physical looks are really on a downhill haha but Im the most beautiful on the inside that I've ever been- don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I'm perfect by any means. But I'm being refined. So yeah, this week wasn't even a way successful week- we started out with one investigator having a date and getting pretty close and now his mama isn't sure she's ok with it. Then within the first 2 days and teaching 2 lessons that were so filled with the spirit and so directed to their needs to a super awesome mother and her 7 year old son, we had set solid dates with them, but then we received a text that she was having reservations and we haven't gotten in contact with her since.. We met a man (when we were supposed to be meeting with his son) that was oh so bitter about some trials he's had in his life recently that he believes there isn't a God. And if there is.. He aint happy with him. We spent 2 hours talking with him in his garage about God. Normally I would be stressed on time or frustrated with that kind of situation, but he sincerely wants to know and we felt a real need to help him. He went inside after a long period of time to grab something and Sister K and I turned to each other and both said, "I feel totally calm about this. We need to stay here". We basically tied everything to the BOM and in the end asked him to try it out. We knelt in his garage and he gave the prayer. At first he was maybe a lil sarcastic and through expressing his bitter feelings, he began to calm down and started to really ask if there was a God. This whole weekend we've been receiving inspiration for how we can best meet his needs. Ay church there was an incredible talk given about trials. Unfortunately he wasn't there.. but then we had a way cool fireside last night with Elder Hamula of the 70 there!!! It was so awesome! Recent converts shared their conversion stories and then when Elder. Hamula spoke he told how he truly came to know as a teenager and was super bold but lead by the spirit. I wish I could tell yall everything, i just don't have time. Slash, words are sufficient for all these expereiences haha. I can't wait for all the meetings this week (I never thought I would say such a thing haha). We have zone conference tomorrow and MLC on Wednesday! woo, should be a FEAST. 

Oh, also the other night was a movie night at the chapel and about 90 people came!! the spirit was RADIATING. A cute lil family stopped Sisdter K and I in the hall and asked us how we know Jesus visited the Americas. We taught them about the BOM and testified. That was a way cool idea and tons of people are interested!

Fun facts: we drive a mini van hahaha. Please picture two lil blondies in a mini van with a bike rack.

The man who plays Jesus Christ in the Testaments is my comp.'s sunday school teacher.

We ride bikes like no one's business in this area :) loooove it!

My birthday was the greatest eva. Thanks to all those who sent me cards and emails and packages!!!

Jeg elsker dig

(I love you)

Hermana Jackson

Melvin. How cool was HE?!!! 

itty bitty 

The Cortez family (refugees from Venezuela)!! I LOVE them! And their lil cinthia loves meee :) 

Kissimmee mission'ries 

My comp bought me a cake! 

Sista Moffitt- loves her 

Look who it is!!!!! lil cheater hahaha totally fine with it. 

the Grovers! 

Cutest lil thing. We instantly became friends here in LN. 

We celebrated :) Thanks for the fun stuff!! It was her birthday on the 9th!!

Yeah, I'm la peor and don't have much more time after all the birthday emails...

MMM happy birthday, I need a root canal..... I went to the dentist this morn and it turns out I need a root canal. So should i get it here, or just settle on antibiotics for the rest of the mish? Also, i did get one package from anthro (!) and one from the fam. Their calling my name from under the bed haha. Thank you!!! I'm sorry I don't have time.. I know that's the worst. We saw SOO many miracles this week and I really do love these people!! Man. But excited for the adventure ahead! and honored. I love you so so much! Have a good week!

The Continued Adventures of Hermanita Jackson

Pfff hahaha it's been a WEEK! I've got oodles to report on so buckle down while this flies all ova the place..

Last Monday was district Pday and we played some fun games at the chapel, one of them being chair soccer haha. First off, I've never laughed so hard in my life- my throat hurt the rest of the day haha. Second off, I was literally fiiine all day and then that night my foot started hurting like it was a lil tweaked. To the point where I was hobblin around. We had exchanges that night and I got in touch with ma roots with my Danish friend Sister Kreiberg!!!! Within 1 minute of me talking about Mama's cousin Serita, we were flipping out cause she knows her! small world, eh? Then we got an unexpected call from el jefe. He was slightly confused when I answered as Sisters Jackson and Kreiberg.. Member how I said there aren't any spanish STL's? That's about to change! Not gonna lie, it's pretty crazy and slightly scary haha, but what an honor! I'm excited for the growth that will take place and to really learn how to serve and love. Attending MLC last week was like being a freshman entering college again haha. But that's the coolest meeting I've prolly ever been to. There were things said that were definitely for me. It was actually super fun too. Hermana Fisi is going to be one as well! But we'll be english/spanish sisters. I'm guessing I'll be here in Hunter's Creek (Lake Nona area) with my Danish friend! We'll see. Anway, what a night that was on Monday. I couldn't sleep due to my foot and my mind runnin' all over the place, but guess what happened! I woke up without any signs of pain in my foot! Prayers. Are. Answered. It was way cool. We had a fabulous day together and she clued me in to some tips haha. 

So last week I never talked about the Grovers! How cool are they!? It was such a treat to be with them and they brought us 1. home made cookies that I had been craving. And 2. MUSIC! Tell Hermana Grover how awesome her parents are for me!

We gave service to Louise (the one we cleaned her house and have been walking with every other morn) and she offered us money at the end. We both refused and just told her we loved her. She buried her face in a big hug and cried. ahh, I love being a missionary!!!

We were visiting some referrals and such the other day when randomly  person nearby that sounded cool popped up on the record. We called  him and he said to come over right then! He's so prepared and so excited to read the BOM! We've seen so many miracles this week by contacting EVERYONE! haha lets just say, the comfort zone is expanding big time :) We have a blast contacting everyone and are finding some golden people. 

Melvin. He's SO ready! We found him 2 Saturdays ago out on his driveway and we invited him to church. He hasn't come to church, but we were able to see him 4 times this week!! He keeps inviting us back and asking if we can read in the BOM! He's from Puerto Rico and has a sick beard that's braided, like 6 in. and has beads on the end. Super hard spanish, but what a gem! He's progressing really well, besides coming to church... and we're hoping to set a date this week. My dream came true the other day when we gave service at a school as a steak and I got a HELPING HANDS SHIRT!!! haha Melvin actually wanted to come to that, but didn't wake up till late, unfortunately. Oh man, the humidity hit us pretty hard this week haha! woooo. It's all part of the experience and I totally accept it :)

 We went to Wild Life Florida this morn and had a blast holding animals and such. A memebr owns it so we got a private tour. Anyway, I wanna end this with telling you how truly happy I am to be here! What a blessing to share this joyous message with EVERYONE. Please try and step out of the comfort zone this week and share your testimony with someone (or everyone haha)! We had a member just tell us a cool story of him at work sharing a BOM with a couple and then hadn't heard from them for several weeks. He found a reason to call them and it turns out they lost his number and were hoping he would call because they were meeting with the missionaries and going to be baptized! Stepping out of the comfort zone=stepping into the miracle zone. Lemme know how it goes! I hope y'all are happy and healthy.Les amo.

Hermana Jackson

Lulu took a swing at my face. Luckily I dodged it haha. 

lil rascals try'na get me through the fence

We pet the porky and he licked our hands! 

Matchin. 

Its really real!

Walkin with Louise this morning. We do an arm workout with canned beans haha. 

Louise's tupperware sale that we helped her set up :)

This is Marcus. Sister Brooks and I found him 2 months ago and he's getting baptized this Saturday!!

Best contact ever! Told him our message was better than a magnum bar and he gave us free ones!! haha Reminded me of Spain with Papa. He wasn't too open to our message, but he put the card in his truck :) 

Look familiar with Sista Allred? haha 

digital macro on a lil Geico. 

the cool thing to do out here.  

can I get a whoop whoop? 

cool spider 

The Grovers! 

Mas nubes

Fin de Julio

Hey mommy!! How's the adventure goin? Alrighty so I have a few items
of business haha. I want you to know beforehand that I'm healthy as an
ox and happy as a clam 
I don't want clothes for my birthday. Let's be real, I'll just have to
lug it around haha.
I got my hair fixed the other day.. I couldn't handle how bad it
looked. So yeah that took some dough cause the only place we knew of
was ulta. Sorry bout that. It felt super nice though. I figured a lil
primp up is nice every once in a while haha.
Would you mind checking on the money on the card? We are going to wild
life Florida next week and it shouldn't cost cause a member owns it,
but I would like to be sure.

I'm running low on time today, I apologize!  we're all talkin and
chillin in the chapel after district pday haha. Plus these iPads just
don't function like computers. First world problems right? Hahaha hey
I heard they're taking iPads to 120 new missions!! Does that include
Spain?!
BUT please send everyone my love and assure them that I'm happy as can
be! I couldn't be more grateful to be here. And I couldn't love my
situation any more knowing that you and papa are doing most of the
same things in España. This week in gospel principles they asked us to
think of someone who has sacrificed. I thought of Christ, I thought of
Joseph smith and others. But I thought of you and Papa and sure
appreciate the attitude in which you chose to accept such a big call!
We (my companion, me, the English sisters and the English elders in
the ward) also got to talking while reading in the Book of Mormon for
the day on Sunday. We read in Jacob two and were talking about the
influence of parents. Your influence has been incredible! I hope you
know how blessed I feel to have been born to goodly parents  this
Book of Mormon challenge has been the best thing to happen to me. To
read aloud and share insights every morning is the most special thing.
I'm growing tremendously out here. Like yeah, I'm still pretty
immature haha but I feel different inside at least. I'm continually in
awe of this sacred calling. How did I get so stinkin lucky?! Imma send
a message that sister brooks' dad sent her and let her share with me.
It's beautiful. Anyway, love y'all so much and hope everything is
great! Imma try and respond to the dearelders today! I love em!!

CON MUCHO AMOR, tu hija Hermana Jackson


While we lived in the pre-mortal life with Our Heavenly Father all of
us spiritual children wanted to be like our Heavenly parents. We
wanted so much to be like them that we were willing to leave their
presence, on the chance of not returning through choices of agency,
and come to earth to gain a body with which we would make choices and
in-act the Atonement. We knew that it was Father's plan and that our
Elder Brother and Savior would implement this plan. We all agreed, at
least all of us that are here upon the earth. And when we decided on
the plan i am sure as is usually the case by common consent, we raised
our arm to the square and witnessed that we would accept this plan of
salvation. Sometimes we raise our arm to the square only for ourselves
as individuals, as in the temple ceremony and also when we sustain
leaders or those to new callings we raise our arm to the square not
only as individuals but as a ward or as a church. In the temple after
having received our own endowments then  we go on behalf of others we
raise our arm on and in their behalf. I believe that in the grand
council we all raised our arm for us individually for Father"s plan
but then most important on behalf of every soul that was coming to
this earth that we would sustain and lift up and assist all of
Father"s children from the prophet to our bishop from our bishop to
our earthly families. But what i think we sometimes forget in  our
selfishness is that when we raised our arm to the square before this
earth came into being we raised our arm to support each other. Yes
every soul that would come to this sphere. That means i raised my arm
for those who are drunkards, rapists, homeless,the sick and afflicted.
I raised my arm for what we call the dregs of society as they stood
next to and with me in that grand council. I raised my arm for those
who would be fatherless and the widows. Those that suffer depressions
and addictions, those with genders differences. These same individuals
stood next to me and raised their arm high in that council to support
me in my earthly trials and now i cannot, no i must not forget them. I
once loved them and i must learn to and remember to love them once
more. As you go forth in your labors as a called and set apart servant
of the one who has set the plan of salvation may you look upon all of
His children as those we stood next to and with in the council in
Heaven. Every contact, every referral and every member, we raised are
arm for. This has helped me as i go forth in my calling.

An email from the Grovers

(Hermana Grover is from Orlando, and is serving in our mission - currently serving in the Canary Islands. She and Megan had an art class together at BYU. One day in the spring, Hermana Grover said to Megan, "I received my mission call!" When Megan asked where, Hermana Grover told her it was to the Spain, Madrid Mission. Megan of course told her that we were here, serving, and would be her Mission Parents. A few weeks later, Megan got her mission call, and when she told Hermana Grover, she said, "That's where I'm from!" The Church makes the world much smaller!)

President and Sister Jackson,

We've been waiting and waiting for the opportunity to meet Hermana Jackson while she's serving here in Florida.  Since it was beginning to look like we might not ever have the privilege of Spanish-speaking sisters assigned to our ward, we asked President Berry if it would be okay if we sort of took matters into our own hands and traveled to her!  President Berry was characteristically accommodating, and okayed our getting together in Kissimmee (only about an hour away from us).

What a delight it was to meet your daughter and her companion, Hermana Day!  We had so much fun visiting over lunch.  They even took the time to prepare a spiritual message for us.  As we're sure you know, you have every reason to be proud of your daughter.  She appears to be serving valiantly, carries the Spirit with her, and represents the Lord and your family extremely well.  She is a special young woman.

Here are a few photos from our visit today.  In a following email is a little voice recording we made for Hermana Grover that we thought you would enjoy too.  Thank you for sharing your wonderful daughter with us here in the Florida Orlando Mission!  Thank you, also, for taking such good care of our daughter there in the Spain Madrid Mission!

Blessings!

Bob & Melissa

Servicio!

Yep, you better believe it was another fabulous week around these parts of Kissimme/ St. Cloud (we technically cover both areas since we're spanish). The theme this week was service. We saw a recent convert last Sunday night and he kept apologizing for his lawn and said he can't get ahold of the guy to come do it. So we mowed it the next day! It was actually super fun using that monsterous weed wacker thing and we finished just in time for the rain to pour. His face when he showed up right as we were leaving :) priceless. 

Tuesday we were up in the St. Cloud area and had planned to stop by a member's house who had been through a rough family situation recently. She couldn't think of anything for us to do, but we insisted. So we mowed her lawn too! haha We had to borrow some clothes and shoes, but it was so great to help her out a lil bit. After that we asked her how she's been and she started to vent. I started getting worried about time (I want to be sure I'm using time wisely) when I all of a sudden got such a feeling of peace and confirmation that we needed to listen to her. DUH, that's what Jesus would do. We recieved a text from her not long after leaving that basically said that he day was "blugh" before and that she had said a prayer right before we arrived that she could feel better. The Lord loves us and surely answers prayers. I'm happy I was a means to answer hers in a small way.

Wednesday we had service with the english sisters at Mimi Larson's house (Gary's mama!). Joey had us spanish sisters go cause Mimi knows me and that would open the door for the english sisters. We shared some great videos that she and her house helper, Phylis, LOVED. We sang 2 songs (yeah, SIster Moffitt has the voice of an ANGEL! It's incredible) and it really brought the spirit. After eating a smorgasborg(sp?), we planted some branch things and they taught us tons. They were the funniest ladies ever, we were laughing the whole afternoon. 

Friday night we got a call from the ZL's to do service the next morn for a guy that speaks spanish! It ate our miles, but it was SO worth it! We did some hard-core digging and such (#myarmsstillkill haha) and then we taught the restoration and invited him to the baptism that night! He came and loved it and said he would come to church.. Unfortunately that didn't happen, but  we're praying for him and hoping to get by there again. 

Gotta run!!! I'll have to tell you aout the temple next week. It was AMAZING!!!

LOVE YOU!!

Hermana Jackson

Mowing a forest for a recent convert 

 Yeah I actually used a monstrous weed wacker thing! way fun.

Never gets old

Cause we could without skirts on :)

Dad, how do you like that shirt? We wore her clothes cause we didn't have our work clothes with us 

The new thing. They'll next be converted to earrings 

Service day at Mimi Larson's!! 

A nice afternoon in the rain. Thank goodness for those lovely hats she lent us ;) 

spe-ider. Irracnus deathicus... name the movie. Still one of my fav's. hint: it's one of Scotty's too. But it's not How to train a dragon. 

That Mimi sure is a HOOT! We had a blast with her.

And we really did work. Made a nursery actually. We learned lots of new stuff! And got mangoes from her tree :) 

TEMPLE DAY!!!! 

Sister Barattiero woke up at the crack of dawn to take us and then took us to a way yummy breakfast! 

Service on Saturday morn.. Got my first red ant attacks haha worth it though cause miracles came from that service!!