Reckless Pursuit

Before I say anything else....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO Jenna Jackson!!!! The ancient of days has now arrived at 23 years, and for the next 4 months she'll be three years older than me. 

This week was probably the best week of my mission so far. We had a ton of fun, experienced a ton of miracles and had some serious blessings and answers to prayers. I'll just give you a few tender morsels and you can imagine the rest of the cookie from there!

Djeison was one of the first people we ever taught in Dorchester. The sisters were going to stop teaching him because he wasn't showing interest at all, and then we came over and something changed. Maybe its because we're so funny, or handsome. The world may never know. But he was completely and totally prepared. And this Sunday we watched him enter the waters of baptism! When I asked him afterwards what he felt, he said "when I came out of the water I felt something very powerful, like I was pumped! Ready to go!" Plus the guy who baptized him was baptized himself just a few months ago. See pictures attached.

Another miraculous event: we were running around on Saturday setting up all the details for Djeison's baptism, and my head was getting really bad. I didn't know if I was going to need to go home, or if we could go to the next lesson. We decided to go for it, and prayed for strength to teach a lesson we didn't have time to plan for. We arrived at the Carvalho family's house, went up, and sat down with them to teach about the Plan of Salvation. And it was like a curtain went up. My mind was clear, the ideas flowed, my tongue was loosed and we had one of the most intensely spiritual lessons of my whole mission. At the end they explained to us how what we said made more sense than anything they'd ever heard. They agreed to come to church and read and pray about the Book of Mormon. 

Whats the takeaway?

We have burdens. The Lord doesn't take them away, but he also doesn't let them keep us from doing His work. He never forsakes us, even when we have nothing left to give. It feels so good to just be all in. 

Miraculously the doors have opened to have a two day appt at the Columbia lyme disease clinic in NY. Its all set as long as I can get permission to go. 

Every week I feel like I don't remember half of the million that I intend to write, but just take this words to mean that I love you all and I'm thinking of you! Now were off to the MUSEUM OF SCIENCE. 

Love,

Elder Jackson

PICS

Zone soccer errr day

Djeison, Ildo, us and Djeison's sister!