Hey all! Sorry there was no update last week because we ended up hiking something called Purgatory chasm, which basically means you're not going to have time to email. It was great-- full of boulders and chasms and standing water. May have gotten bit by thousands of breeding mosquitoes but it was worth it.

This past week was TRANSFERS WEEK! My first time helping the Packards discern the will of the Lord for where everyone should go. It was a pretty incredible experience and I learned a lot about how important the council process is. And we sent out the first no-mistake Transfer-texts in 6 months according to sister packard. So at least we got that right! Also spent a day or two with the departing missionaries and sent them off to the airport, one of them being my last companion Elder santiago. I'm gonna miss him a lot. One of the calmest, most genuine missionaries I ever served with.

Sunday we headed up to Lowell to go to church in the spanish/portuguese group (E. Mccann and my specialty, considering we are spanish/portuguese) and it was an awesome church experience. The portuguese half was all brazilians, and amazingly enough, that was the first time in my mission I ever spent time with brazilian members! Its  was all cape verdeans up to then. It was REALLY. REALLY refreshing. I understood everyone and good to speak nothing but portuguese for all three hours, including translating young mens and elders quorum. Then at the end of church, I met Mauro and Patricia Mattos Silva Araujo, who's last ward was the Brambleton ward! Patricia looked really familiar but I couldn't figure out why. Turns out I saw them in church for several years when I was younger. Full circle.

Mauro and Patricia! Anyone recognize them?

Last, today was recent convert temple day, where all the recent converts come from across the mission to do temple work for their own ancestors. The last one was a bust, only 3 came, so this one we pushed a lot, and it payed off--- we had more than 60 recent converts come this morning! My favorite moment was when i was helping in the baptistry and in walks Salvador Goncalves, Orlando Barbosa, Raymond and Djara Hampton and Djeison! It was amazing to see them all come in white. The last time I had seen Raymond and Salvador was at their respective baptisms. And since I was there, they had me do the baptisms for all of them in portuguese. It brought back memories of those five months in brockton teaching Raymond, trying to help him progress and join the church... to see him there in the temple... Full circle.

I have a lot to be grateful for. 

Love,

Elder Jackson

The picture of the car grill?

We hit a deer going 50 on the highway....there were bits of intestine hangin' out. #dinner