Promised Land‏

 Me n Eldah Perkes

the "Special" District  (portable visitor center sisters, moving elders, digital elders, assistants, Weston sisters and Waltham Spanish elders)

 Disc @ Revere Beach

 

---shoutout to Scott, who turns 28 tomorrow. Tomorrow is your 10,226th day alive.

This week in the life of Elder Jackson:

-planning

-webexs

-driving

-logistical Haitian planning

-training at Zone Conference in Hartford

-training at Zone Conference in Worcester

-assigning mini-missionaries

-monthly goals

-supply orders

-office time

-musical performances

-first time singing and playing piano simultaneously in a performance... and in Spanish :)

-more planning!

LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

So maybe my week wasn't like wicked thrilling per say. But I learned things while I taught. I learned that laughter can bring the Spirit. I learned that spiritual submissiveness is easy to see and to feel from the outside. I learned that people really do want to change. I re-learned that sacred music has true power. I learned that its much better to make a fool of yourself and immediately admit a mistake, than to be defensive to cover your pride.

I'm happy, healthy and I'm working as hard as I have strength for. I had a moment this week while driving where I was just smacked in the face with how much I love New England, and specifically Boston. As cliché as it sounds, its my promised land. This is my Waters of Mormon (Mosiah 18). This is where I "came to the knowledge of my Redeemer".

Aint never gonna leave!

 

Hope Ireland was dope for all who went, I expect pictures POST HASTE.

Hope everyone is joyful ! Never stop moving forward!

 

Love,
Elder Jackson

Jesus: The Perfect Leader‏

 

 

 

Good afternoon everybody!

Boston's great as usual. Still in the dog days of summer, but September quickly approaches.

The family's going to Ireland this week for some much needed R&R. I'm not jealous though. I've got all the Irish catholics in the world to hang out with here so it can't be that different. Right?

This week we got to hit the road again, which is always glorious. Wednesday we were in New Haven, Yale campus, for a portable visitor center tour of the chapel there. The buildings right on campus and has a sweet rec room on the fourth floor for seminary/institute. Wish I went to seminary there...

 

Friday we were in Brockton and Hingham. I was with the English elders but we still walked some of my old streets in Brockton and it was a great day. We taught a guy named Tsunami, who was cape verdean. So that's always gonna be good.

 

Saturday we headed down to Waterford/Groton, Connecticut, right on the southern coast of CT. Groton has a heavy naval presence and is a beautiful place. I spent the day in Waterford helping the elders there and we had some great opportunities.

 

Sunday was spent back in Lynnfield, MA (north of Cambridge) (the same chapel we went to on vacation in Rockport). It was a FABULOUS church experience. One of the speakers answered a question I've been pondering for 4 or 5 years now. Then they had a wonderful lady get baptized who was introduced to the church by her friend at law school here.

 

The title of the email is my thought for the week. Its a talk by President Kimball from 1977 about how the Savior epitomized all the attributes of perfect leadership. One quote specifically got my attention, when talking about how leaders must understand others the way Jesus did:

 

"Jesus saw sin as wrong but also was able to see sin as springing from deep and unmet needs on the part of the sinner. This permitted him to condemn the sin without condemning the individual."

 

The world teaches us that bad people do bad things because they are bad. But Jesus reverses it in his mind: he knows and sees us for our potential and value, and is able to do this because he knows the source of our sins is not innate desire to do wickedly but deep and unmet spiritual needs. When we focus on those needs, we can finally have the ability to hate the sin and love the sinner-- including the sinner in ourselves. When we minister to that deeper level rather than trying to cure surface symptoms, we witness real growth and true repentance. Jesus' goal was enduring spiritual strength, not superficial solutions. His goal should also be ours.

Love,

Elder Jackson

 

Here's the talk: https://www.lds.org/ensign/1979/08/jesus-the-perfect-leader?lang=eng

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