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

A Month of Pictures

Since I skyped half this group yesterday, I figured I'd give you all what you really want. Pitchas!

Sidenote: Shoutout to Elder Han, Elder Allred and Elder Lewis! Everybody is coming home this next month. 

-SOX

-Woods and hikes

-A famous overlook where some village burned

Best version of those family stickers I've seen yet...

Sweet bug

Sprriiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggg finally!

Alma? 

The famous clover boys.

Not sure if I sent this one already. If so, look again. That is Big Pimpin.

Boston Portuguese throwbacks

Love you all!

Elder Jackson

Gotta make money for my celestial hunny‏

That and other solid one liners tell the story of our road trip through hartford and connecticut this week! We spent some solid days in Cambridge, Hartford, Cromwell, Groton,  and New London. Lessons were taught, skype lessons to Brazil were taught, dinners were eaten, and a peanut butter cup.... was shaaaaaared.

Just kidding on the peanut butter cup, I don't share those. But the rest really truly happened. One of the best appointments was when we went out with Bro. Slack and his friend to get pizza and teach a lesson. Bro Slack is the living equivalent of Hulk Hogan. Except he joined the church 3 years ago. Then went to prison for a while.... Then got out, called the missionaries, and came back to church. He's honestly one of the funniest dudes I've ever met. While we were driving home, Elder Pulsipher had a little bit of a lead foot and Bro Slack yells out " HE'S GONNA KILL ME, AND I'M NOT GOING TO HEAVEN BECAUSE I DIDN'T TAKE MY SACRAMENT THIS WEEK! YOU BETTER TAKE TWO PIECES OF BREAD ON SUNDAY FOR THIS!" I couldn't stop laughing, which is probably bad, but oh well. You take what you can get on the mission. It was sweet. And his old italian lady friend agreed to meet with the missionaries after dinner. So, #success. #liveswillchange #minesurewas

We had alll the new missionaries and their trainers come back to the Belmont Chapel this week (Mom and Dad, you went to conference there a month ago!) and trained and counseled with them. It was great. I still remember when I was sitting in their chairs, and to be on the other side 17 months later was surreal. The Spirit was straight powerful. I loved it.

The work continues; the mission has soooo much success coming in May and we have a unique privilege to watch it unfold and try to make sure all the missionaries are fulfilling their potential. By the end of this week I'll have clocked 3000 miles in the car in 3.5 weeks. Its feels so different but I'm getting to know all of New England really well. The best part of all is that we're so busy that I have basically no time to think about myself or my worries. Living outward is truly the best life of all.

Last fun fact: one of the office missionaries, Elder Denney, is dad's cousin! His mom is Barbara Lou McCormick, who is Marian McCormick (grandma Jackson)'s sister. Elder Denneys wife looked at my name, looked at my face, and literally said "You must be related to my husband." Thats some keen perception powers, but we looked it up, and sure enough, Dad and him are cousins. Sister Denney knew the McCormick family growing up. Any cool connections anyone? I'd be interested to know. I gave him Dad's family history story book, since half those people are related to him too.

Love you all! I forgot my camera cord again.... Someday I'll send you some pictures!

-Elder Jackson

Mini missions on mini missions and conferences galore‏

(Note from Mom: Someone texted me this photo and all the message said was
"Elder Jackson with Addison" Pretty cute, right?)

Hey everybody, just popping in to let you know I'm alive, Boston is well, and the mission is great! I've got some shoutouts so listen up:

SHOUTOUT to Matthew Crowder who is officially hitched! Hope you loved it man, and that you're ready to be a sick husband and father. 

SHOUTOUT to the Belmont Ridge Ward! (someone forward this to Bishop Lewis) I got a sweeeeet box a couple weeks ago and have been slowly consuming the chocolate on the road and late at night. I loved it. 

 

SHOUTOUT to everybody that worked to build up the church and spread the gospel in the East Coast over that last century. I was looking up Dad's old area in Stamford, CT, where he was the first spanish elder; now they have two Spanish wards there! He laid the foundation. So great.

This week we shipped off Elder Calvert home to Utah, ready to restart his basketball career at BYU. Were on our own with 2 weeks of experience! Fortunately we were well trained. We also had our masterpiece known as the Springfield Youth Conference mini mission extravaganza, where we assigned and organized mini missions for 21 youth in the Springfield Stake. Kicked it off with an MTC experience which we created and ran, finished it up with a testimony meeting on Saturday with the Packards. All in all it was an experience that built my testimony; many youth spoke about how they had a special connection with their missionaries and the areas they went to, which was something we chose,  not knowing them very well; just seeing their names and units. The Lord works through us.

Regional conference was great. I loved getting to see the tailored message for the East Coast, and loved seeing the photos of the recent converts. One of those pictures and stories we submitted ourselves to Salt Lake; the story of the mailman in Hingham who joined the church. Its a great story. Also, the shoutout to Ashburn stake made me proud. I was telling everyone in Lynnfield ward "THATS MY HOOD". You may remember Jacksons, the lynnfield chapel was where we went to church when we were on vacation here in Rockport two years ago. I had my first reunion there this past sunday on exchanges with the Lynnfield Elders. It felt like a very full circle to me.

We keep going here in Boston, busy as always. People are flocking to the missionaries right now after a fairly significant drought the last few months, and that has us all excited. I wish I could send photos but theres no card reader here and I forgot mine! So until I get a chance, I'm signing out.

Love you all! 

Elder Jackson

Just Road Trippin'

Hey all! Happy Patriots Dayyyyyyyyyyyyyy! Here in Boston it's a big deal because it means everyone gets to be even more patriotic than usual, and there's a Red Sox game, AND the Boston Marathon. Everything's gonna shut down in a few hours here, and the roads have already started shutting down, so we'll be taking the T in to watch the Red Sox game :) Jenna, eat your heart out. I'M FINALLY GOING IN FENWAY.

 

As the subject line says, this week was basically one big road trip. We put more than 1000 miles on the Black Pearl (our 12 passenger van) and did exchanges in places like Dorchester, Brockton, Franklin, Nashua, Billerica, Lowell, Providence, Central Falls, Waterbury, and Woodbridge. The nice thing about having three assistants who speak 3 different languages is that we can exchange into 3 different areas simultaneously and actually teach in the language! Good ol Elder McCann dominates the Spanish, Elder Calvert throwns down in English, and I unleash a little Portuguese. It's been great to learn from and help out the other missionaries.

One of the most tender moments of this week was in Brockton. I got to sit down with a man named Orlando who I helped, but didn't teach, when I was serving there. The elders were teaching him, but he reached a wall and wouldn't progress to his baptism. During a counsel session I was impressed to suggest that the elders talk to him about family history and temple work, and focus on how his ancestors were waiting for him to take that step. They did, and it clicked miraculously for him, and he was baptized. He then played a key role in Raymond's conversion, who also was baptized and just recently baptized his son into the church. Orlando is now the executive secretary/clerk of the Brockton Ward. When I left, he had little scriptural knowledge. This past week he was quoting D&C to me and explaining the Lord's promises to missionaries. And he learned English...in 8 months. I was amazed by his testimony and his expanded handle on the workings of the spirit; it felt a little Alma 26 to me. 

--Shoutout to Matthew Crowder who's getting hitched this Friday. It was nice knowing ya buddy. Remember the little people!

--Shoutout to all the younguns in Belmont Ridge ward getting their mission calls. Best thing you could ever do!

--Shoutout to Brother Han, who's running the Boston Marathon today.

--Shoutout to Sister Han, who I met miraculously at the Lexington reenactment at 6 am this morning!

What do you want to know about Boston? About the mission? Ask me questions. I'd love to find answers for ya. Love you all. Fica dretu! Te amo, cada um!

-Elder Jackson

No Sleep Til...‏

Heyyyyyyy everyone! Greetings from Weston! Well, technically Needham. Let me start off by giving you my new mailing address. 

757 Highland Ave #216N, Needham, MA 02494

This week was crazy. Transfers, receiving the new missionaries, making meals, departing missionaries, runs to the airport, missed flights, no sleep, and a whole bunch of training. I feel like I just had things figured out and now I'm thrust into a whole world of mission planning and organization that I never knew existed! Our time to proselyte and teach basically only comes on exchanges; we do so much work around the mission that we rarely go to church or teach in our actual area.

Church on Sunday was great and strange. Its weird to go from a tiny portuguese group to a fully functioning english ward.... at least I got to bless the sacrament and say the closing prayer! Then after church, we went (oh the irony) back to Boston to do an exchange where I went with (wait for it) the portuguese elders! It was good to be back. I joked that I couldn't stay away for even one week.

The boxes of donated clothes and shoes are already taking effect! I'll attach a picture here of Djeison in his new duds looking very missionary-like :) does my heart good to see that. He finally took his jacket off for the sacrament because he had a white shirt that was big enough. 

Djeison (on left) in his "new" Sunday clothes.  He wears a "Future Missionary" tag.

 

Mom reminded today of a mormon message that is really significant and personal to me. Elder Holland (my companions grandpa, I'll have you know... :) ) teaches about how sometimes the Lord sends us down a difficult path or dead end so that He can get us on the real path that we need, with the total surety that we are where He wants us to be. I've experienced that before and I know many of you have as well. His ways are mysterious but we need to learn to trust. Thats one of my greatest flaws, and I'm working on it every day here. Take a look. 

https://www.lds.org/pages/mormon-messages?lang=eng#wrong-roads

I love you all. Be safe and enjoy SPRRRIIIIINGG

-Elder Jackson

The Last Hurrah in Dorchester‏

 

What a week it has been.

P-day is reaching its end, and I'll be moving to my new area in about 20 minutes. All packed up to leave Boston, and its very bittersweet.

About three weeks ago President Packard approached me at a district leader training and let me know that I should pay attention to the training, because I would be giving it in a few weeks. He told me that the Lord wanted me to be his new assistant. So there you have it! The family already knows, but I'll be moving to Weston to work as one of the new APs in the MBM. 

Its been quite the journey. Starting wayyy back two summers ago when I got sick; the diagnosis, the mission delay, the waiting and the treatment for Lyme disease. Never feeling sure about going to Brazil. Getting to finally come on the mission, only to have the symptoms return a year ago. Coming to the portuguese program in Brockton, training, getting the pride humbled out of me by not speaking the darn language, learning, getting sent to Dorchester to open up the brand new area with Elder Rodrigues. Getting humbled again. Watching it grow. Working with everything I had, and seeing new medical solutions open up. New York, the lyme clinic, answers, and treatment. Medicine that finally worked. Clarity and joy, working in the city with a clear mind and great companions; the call to be a zone leader and all the things it taught me; surviving the Wicked Big Stawm of 2015; and now leaving the group I love for Weston, to serve the Lord with a mission president (or two) that's taught me so much already. I don't know for sure, but based on past experience, I would say the best is yet to come. 

Isn't that the real message of Easter? 

I'll tell you straight my friends, like we do here in Boston. The best is yet to come. The tomb is empty, because Jesus lives. Everyone will live again; salvation is free; eternal life is our goal. Push for it. Believe in it. Our Savior's with us, in the thick and in the thin. The journey to where I am now has proven that to me. 

Love,

Elder Jackson