Transfers, No Sleep, and Answers

 Ouch!!!

 Boston Temple

Boston Skyline

This ones gonna be REAAAAL short. We spent the morning driving some missionaries in Boston to get groceries since they don't have a car. The glories of service in leadership

This week was President and Sister Millers first round of transfers!!!! It was crazy! We had 28 new missionaries fly in on Tuesday, the largest group I've ever had. Yet the Millers and new missionaries handled it all with finesse. We tried to have all the details planned to a T for them. Inevitably I forgot to do some things, butnobody got abandoned in Boston Common and nobody missed their flight. That's my qualifications for a successful transfer. After all was done, I was commanded by Sister Miller to take a nap. It was the best 3 hours of my week :)

Speaking of flight: word on the street is that I was approximately 100 feet from Darren Jackson and had no flippin idea. He met a few of the 16 departing missionaries we dropped off at the airport in their gate. Surreal!

Some quick news:

-I tore up my leg something fierce sliding on turf (my fault), but Elder Perkes turned my pain into a gospel metaphor in his talk on sunday (see picture)

-we had a wicked rainstorm and a tree in the church parking lot broke at the trunk and fell, but didn't detach. We chopped it off with two small hammers on Sunday. In the process, I hammered myself in the shin.

-I have been trying to figure out if I will come home in November or December. I took it to the Lord in fasting on Sunday, and I had my answer before the first hour of church was over. Looks like its December :)

Love you all! Stay sweet! Helaman 3:35! 2 Cor. 7:10! Lets go!!!

-Elder Jackson

Gazer Glasses, Moving Hutches, Making Names‏

Bom dia bom dia! Hope everybodys doing well and killing it in whatever endeavors you're on. Life goes on here in Boston, the promised land.

This update might be a little shorter. But crucial events of the week:

-Did a webex to the whole mission broadcast from the massive Cambridge Stake center. The internet was cruddy and nobody could hear, except for the end when President spoke. Just goes to show who the Lord really wants the missionaries to hear :) we are chopped liver

-Stayed up....late preparing our portion of the mission leadership council for Wednesday. Much like last time, Elder Perkes and I got most of the way there on our planning but hit a wall, feeling we just didn't get it all right. But given it was....late and we still had to load up the truck with the mission's supply orders, we gave up and called it. The next day we had MLC, and our training turned out to be perfect and the whole mission used it in zone meetings. It was the Spirit that made the difference in that meeting; we didn't account for the Spirit's influence when we planned. I learned to ALWAYS rely on the power of the Holy Ghost doing the teaching when I plan a lesson or training.... it won't feel right if you forget...

-I've had an eye twitch for about 23 months now, since before the mission. They said it would go away in 6 months, but sadly it hasn't, so I went to the ophthalmologist on Friday morning. She was brilliant and all but basically said... Ami ka sabe (Cape Verdean for I have no idea) and suggested I try some dry eye treatment. Apparently my eyes are totes healthy. So no solution, but at least I don't have cataracts. Plus I got those sweet GazerBeam roll-out sunglasses for my dilated pupils. I know you know what I'm talking about.

 -Saturday was Transfer Text day! The whoooole mission has been bugging us since we were late getting them out. Planning transfers with the brand new mission president is a different experience for sure, but he received the revelation he needed and transfers were made. Not to mention, we have 28 new missionaries coming in... so 1/4 of the mission will be training! GREENIE FIRE!

The best experience of the week came last Monday night. We helped an investigator, Tim, move his stuff from the second floor apartment to the first floor. That included bear hugging an entire washing machine and taking off doors and dismantling couches. One piece, a hutch from a cabinet set, was taken outside to be left on the curb for anyone who wanted it. A lady came right as we were finishing and asked if she could have it, so we helped get it in her car. She started saying how much she loved Mormons but we believed some weird stuff about planets and spaceships... It was all off, so we explained that it was misinformation. Then Elder Perkes offered to come over to teach her what we really believe... and she accepted! Kim wrote down her whole life story in my planner (home #, cell #, husbands cell # and name, address) which was a first and very trusting of her. She's in Florida for a few weeks, but when she returns, we'll teach her and her family.

Dope.

#serviceworks

Love,

Elder Jackson

Reunions, opposition and sick cabins‏

 A random lady's daylily farm (mom would love it) call "daybydeb"

 Cabin in Peterborough

 Recent convert temple day.

My favorite view in Boston.

My sweet ride, "The Black Pearl"

This weeks email may be slightly less engrossing than last week, but cool stuff happened nonetheless. Summer has arrived here in Boston, its hot as the blazes, I still like humidity but given the lack of east coaster-missionaries here, the general consensus is this is ridiculous. I bet its worse in Virginia!

We're pushing strong through interviews this week with President Miller; he's got remarkable stamina and has been going 8am-8pm every day for a week! The missionaries love him and find it easy to open up to him. Something I was worried about.

Here's some cool stuff from the week:

On Tuesday we got a call from the missionaries in Brockton asking if we could come help teach Jane, a girl me and Elder Lopes taught there last summer. When on exchanges a month ago in the city, she walked past us on the street and I talked to her and set up a visit for the sisters to start teaching again. Found out on Tuesday that she has been progressing rapidly, and hit with incredible opposition. (getting beat up in the park by other 14 year old girls, getting beat up at home, fake FB accounts making fun of her, etc....) We had an incredibly powerful lesson where she told us she received her answer that the church was true, and wanted to be baptized, but is afraid of the reaction of abusive family members. The spirit witnessed to both me and Elder Perkes that she is extremely important to the Lord and that he has big plans for her; that's why there has been such overwhelming opposition. So grateful the Lord let us cross paths a month ago.

We also spent some time on exchanges this week, and I got to go up to Peterborough, NH. It was SO DOPE. THe elders are great, and the lay of the land reminded me so much of Virginia. Our meeting with one family out in the woods was super productive, then after dinner he threw us on his strange ATV like vehicle and drove through the woods.... to a siiiiick cabin he's built in a forest clearing. See pictures.

Besides that, this week we had our recent convert temple day at the Boston Temple, with over 40 recent converts coming to perform ordinances for their own family names. I was left the assignment by President Packard to make sure the day was successful (he said, half joking, that if it fell apart it was on my shoulders), and it was. President Miller loved it and said, "We should be doing this in every mission that has a temple." They highlighted our R.C.T.D. it in the past Mission Presidents Seminar, so I think the idea will be spreading soon.... I'm sure that doesn't interest you, but its cool to me.

We planned transfers, which is thrilling and difficult and inspiring when the mission president has only met each missionary .5-1 times. Lots of bold moves and revelation.

and this week, a senior couple was miraculously reassigned from Russia to here in the MBM. We have been hoping and praying for something like this to happen, so we can build up our Hartford City group. #answered

That's it! Enjoy pictures! Until next week!

love,

Elder Jackson

New Haitianaries, PVC Tours and Long-Awaited Miracles‏

 Suzy, Joylton and Joylson with Veiga who were all baptized in Boston PO.

 Some amazing landscaping at the temple.

 The outside of the chapel.

 Elder Perkes and our faithful Hartford City Elder Maughan.

...and by PVC, I don't mean pipe.

Greetings!!!!! Writing you all from Marlborough, MA today. We just finished a round of interviews, which has pretty much been the story of the week and will continue next week. But I have some cool, and some miraculous, stories to tell.

First off, I'm pretty sure today is my trainers birthday, Elder Benedict. Now technically Brother Benedict. Who also happens to be married. #livingthedream

Second, does anyone in Ashburn remember a Machado family that lived in the ward from 2000-2002? They are brazilian and he worked for the highway administration there off Route 9. His family runs the Portuguese group here in Central Falls, RI, and I was there over the weekend with them. He looks awfully familiar, and taught the 8 year old Primary class in 2001 when I would have been 7 or 8.... so he may have been my primary teacher??

This week?

We picked up the new Haitian elders from the airport and got them to their new areas. We helped run Return and Report with the missionaries who came in 3 weeks ago. We helped plan how to interview 220 missionaries in 2 weeks! We spent Thursday morning back in Amherst, MA, then Thursday evening in Hartford at the portable visitors center chapel tour. More on that later. Saturday was in Pawtucket, RI's Portuguese group, where I saw my first chapel marriage ever (in portuguese, for a couple from Guinea-Bissau). On Sunday we took the Millers to church in Boston so they could have the experience-- its the united nations of the mission. While there, a mother and her twin sons who I found and taught in Boston were baptized, and that was awesome for me to witness. Suzy, Joylson and Joylton. A little bit on them in "Some Greasy Saxophone, Passalong Cards and Suzy's Foot", March 30, 2015. haha

ATTENTION: THIS STORY IS LONG, BUT SUPER DOPE.

The coolest event of the week was at the Portable Visitors Center (PVC) tour in inner-city Hartford. I sent a longer version of the story to the Boston Stake President, but it was... long so I'll give the skinny here.

The PVC consists of physical canvas displays with mounted TVs and ipads that can be set up in almost any location that has power. Its an extremely powerful tool the mission invented. So they came to Hartford's city chapel and the whole zone (plus me and Perkes) went out on the streets to invite everyone to come see. We didn't have much success for the first three hours; we gave out many cards and books, but nobody would come with us to see the videos and walk the tour. We returned to get water and rest and watched the other missionaries walking many people through the building, some listening intently, others crying as they watched the videos, and felt pricked in our hearts. Surely there was a reason we came down to help that day... So Elder Perkes decided we should pray, which we do all the time, but this one was special. We went to an empty classroom, knelt, and I told the Lord we knew there was someone ready for us, and that we needed to be guided to them. A little bolder than my prayers usually go.

We walked out and took the streets to the west, the only place we hadn't already gone. One couple took our card but couldn't come. Farther down the street two children called after us, so we turned around. Their mom said her sister had come to the last tour and she had a Book of Mormon. They couldn't come, but this 2-minute delay was crucial and deliberate on the Lord's part. Three blocks down we drew near to the end of the road when we saw Jose Pabon get out of his truck and cross the street right behind us. A moment passed, then we turned and asked "Do you have a few minutes to see a display about Jesus Christ?" He turned, paused, then said "Sure- let me put my stuff inside, then we can talk." We waited for him, then walked the 3 blocks to the chapel.

During that walk we learned that Jose Pabon had attended an LDS church in Albany, New York when he lived there more than 30 years prior. He told us that a member had met him on the street, invited him, and driven him to church three Sundays before Jose's work kept him from returning. He lost contact and never saw the church again, until we passed by his house that day. At the front doors of the chapel we watched a few videos from the Savior display; as we watched, a powerful Spirit emerged on that mildly ghetto Hartford street.

Inside, Jose watched silently the videos about Joseph Smith and the Restoration, and nodded as we explained how God loves all his children equally, and enough to bring back His church. In the Plan of Salvation room we taught about suffering, commandments and baptism. When another woman questioned why she needed to be baptized again, Jose surprised us by saying "What they're trying to tell you is that the truth was distorted. Now its back."

We finished at the Book of Mormon round table, where we handed Jose a copy in English and showed him the pictures in the front. Elder Perkes read Moroni's promise with him, and we testified that God had led us to him. He agreed. We explained church on Sunday; he said he would be there. We had only known him for 10 minutes, but felt inspired to invite him to baptism the next month-- and he accepted.

Jose texted his number to the Hartford City elders and then they walked him back home. He was a living answer to a faith-filled prayer. The elders called us on Sunday to say he had showed up to church in shirt and tie, Book of Mormon under his arm, and that he already read to Mosiah 16. and now I have a much stronger testimony of prayer backed up by action. Two part formula for miracles.

Love,

Elder Jackson

Lots of Miles

 New Haven, Connecticut chapel from the back.

The skyline of Yale

 The portuguese elders on the coastline near Boston.

 Our truck mascots, Walter and Melvin.

Driving past Hartford, Connecticut



Lots of miles were logged this week in our best friend the Black Pearl (otherwise known as the mission's 12-passenger Ford TransVan), crossing the mission on exchanges from corner to corner! We estimate we went about 400 miles in 4 days. No biggie. Good thing the states here are small haha

On Tuesday I went to Boston 1 PO! Like coming home... It was great because we got to see Luisa and the family. When I left Luisandro wasn't old enough for baptism, but he's since had his birthday. We set a date for his baptism August 23rd. 

Wednesday we helped the Millers unpack a little (the less-than-competent moving company stuck it in storage, so they haven't had any of their stuff for two weeks)

Thursday we drove from Needham, MA to Hartford, CT, and I went with the elders in Ellington, CT for the day. Their shotgun-training (whitewash training is how they call it in some missions i think?) but doing an awesome job. We spent the night in the Towers in Hartford and I worked out in a real gym and benched for the first time in.... 6 years? Basically handicapped my arms for the next 3 days.

Friday we headed south to Woodbridge and Southbury, CT, in the New Haven Zone, and I went out with the Woodbridge elders, Elder Monteiro and Elder Chang. Fun fact: Elder Monteiro is from Belo Horizonte, and knew one of my good friends who was in my MTC district and is now the assistant down there. Elder Chang's from Taiwan and is sooooo funny and super humble. He found out his calling in Woodbridge, as a Chinese family just showed up ready to be taught.

Spent Saturday in the heart of Yale campus with the New Haven spanish elders. It was so good to be out walking in a city again, and New Haven is a boss place to serve, with an awesome converted chapel in the heart of the city. While there I saw a big family sitting on their porch across the road and we ran over, ended up teaching them all right there, and the mother felt it was exactly the message her brother needed. And an incoming Yale football player from California called us asking to be taught. PRETTY DOPE.

Sunday was in Ludlow and Springfield, MA, in another new england style converted chapel, and then back to Weston.

My best moment of the week was driving Sunday morning from New Haven to Ludlow at 8am. We were fasting for the mission, the sun was shining, a little bit of Motab going, and I just had an entire talk distill straight on to my mind while we crossed Connecticut. God is good. His plan is perfect. Choose to believe!

Love,
Elder Jackson

The Millers First MLC and First Full Week

 July 4th celebration

 Mormon Tabernacle Choir concert

 At the MoTab concert with Elder Perkes

Changing of the guard -- the Packards to the Millers

Hey all,

A quick update from up here in Boston, where the sweat is starting to fall as real East Coast summertime begins. This week doesn't have quite the stories as last week, but I'll give you the skinny.

The main event of the week was Mission Leadership council, President and Sister Millers first! I can't really imagine their feelings going in (well they told me they were nervous and excited and etc but who really knows what that's like) but they were pro from the get-go. On Tuesday we sat down to plan the meeting and it was awesome to see the vision come together. The goal was a true council discussion where the Lord's will could be made manifest. So we planned things that way. 

Our job was a training on how to begin teaching, but really on how to envision our purpose and our relationship with those we teach, and how to help them understand that relationship and the true purpose of commitments. When we started our planning we just could not get it to work, and we could feel it, so we stopped until we could really figure out what the Spirit was trying to tell us to prep. And after a while (fairly late at night haha) it finally clicked, and from there, the planning was easy. Not giving up until you get it right is something I definitely have learned in these past few months.

The meeting on wednesday was great. The leaders were early and has prepared beforehand, so our discussions were powerful. We talked about how obedience and accountability help us to build Zion. What it truly takes to retain our people. How to prepare the minds and hearts of investigators to receive truth through our first few minutes together. The greatest takeaway for me was a fusing of the vision the Packards had with the new vision of the Millers. They were not replacing each other, but rather standing on the shoulders of each other. This is weird, but my mental image was like a totem pole, where the vertical progression tells the history of the mission. Each section depicts the vision of a mission president, and the next does not destroy but builds from it. The Packards section on the totem pole was pretty unique and very visible, and the Millers will be too. 

The other funny but true comparison that came to mind during a welcome conference was comparing the style of each to an apostle. The Packards were kind of like the Hollands, in approach and manner and vision. Plus they referenced the Hollands often, and he visited here twice.  And.... the Millers are a lot like the Bednars! Well, really, Elder Bednar, since I've never met his wife. But their approach, vision, mannerisms are so much like how Elder Bednar teaches: bold, simple, straightforward, organized, commitment driven, yet filled with love. President Miller doesn't beat around the bush, but he's the real deal. And strangely enough, the Millers quote Elder Bednar way more than anyone else! I think its meant to be. My prediction: Elder Bednar visits the MBM next year. Muahaha.

Not much else exciting occured, but I know many are interested in how the change has been. Change is change! Its good, and hard, and good because it is hard. But I've seen that the Millers know what the next line up the totem pole is, and were going to seize it and run with it. Miracles will follow.

I love the Lord. I've changed so much. I filled up my journal this week, read my first entries in the MTC, and just laughed. I didn't even know I'd be in the MBM back then. Its been such an amazing journey. And I'm not dead yet!

Love,

Elder Jackson

New President, Little Sleep, Prayers for Family‏

Dear friends and family,

My hearts a little heavy now, and my prayers are with my family. Its a heavy burden to bear and hurts me to be so far away, that I can't help you carry it. The only gift I have to give is evidence of God's love in my life and the lives of those around me here in Boston, so here goes.

Dad spent years putting together a book of family history stories from the McCormick line. When I became an assistant and started working in the office, I learned that the office couple, the Denneys, are actually Dad's cousins and have many of the same ancestors. So I gave them the copy of the stories Dad gave to me for them to study and enjoy. This past week they took that spiral bound book to the copy store to try and make copies of the common ancestors' stories for their own records. One of the managers at the store who was helping in the copy center noticed what they were doing and asked what the book was. They explained that it was the history of their ancestors. She responded that she herself was interested, and wanted so badly to discover more of her roots. They began to talk and she ended up taking their card with links to the church's family history resources to begin her own research. Full circle!

Elder Perkes and I were finishing up a day at the office, and were tired of typing reports, so we decided to log into the digital mission and do some work. One of his contacts in Brazil started messaging him, since he hadn't been on in a while, so we struck up a conversation. He spoke about 2% english so E. Perkes threw me on to go for it in Portuguese, and it was awesome. He agreed to video chat with us, but his camera and mic didn't work (but he could see and hear us) so I spoke to him through the webcam, and he responded with comments on the side. Turns out he grew up in Bahia, the missionaries used to come over all the time when he was little, and he had left his Livro de Mormon back home when he moved to Sorocaba. So we offered to get him another copy, to which he agreed, and then sent us his address and phone number. Next step is always to call the local missionaries, so we grabbed the number of the missionaries assigned to his local chapel, and called. An american elder answered, I gave him the referral, then he asked where I was from. "Virginia." "Really? Where in Virginia?" "Ashburn." "....seriously" "...yeah?" Phone got passed to companion. "Where are you from?" "..Ashburn?" "...ME TOO!"

Turns out of all the companionships, in all the wards, in all the stakes in all 34 missions in Brazil, I had called Elder Andrew Allen from Leesburg! I grew up around him, we went to youth conferences together and studied music at BYU together. We talked, caught up real quick, confirmed the referral, and were both REALLY surprised... I promised to follow up about our Brazilian friend... Coincidence? I'll let you decide. 

Finally, I was reading a copy of the father's blessing dad gave me the day before I left for the MTC. I used to read it in Brockton, when I was sick, and be so frustrated that none of the promised blessings had happened. So I put it away, and didn't read it again until this past month. What I discovered was that every single blessing had come to pass. I learned the language fluently enough to speak all my thoughts and teach. I developed a deep love for the people. I was able to find joy in the small moments and daily, tender mercies. And my body was finally, finally brought back to normal, with the help of miracles and modern medicine. Everything promised was fulfilled. 

The Lord knows us just as much in our darkest hour as in our brightest day, and if we have covenanted to choose and follow him, he has covenanted to never leave us alone. The sunlight does not cease to exist when we pass into the dark valley; it isn't visible; and we want to curse the valley, and curse the sun with it for not being there. I have done that. But I found that the Lord was turning the whole world beneath my feet to bring me back to that light, and make me so much stronger through faith-filled footsteps on the way. 

Love,

Elder Jackson

p.s. the Millers (new president) are incredible, dedicated, and so new. I haven't really slept this past week but I don't really mind. We toured the mission so they could meet all the new missionaries, and I learned that change is a celestial principle.