#BEaststatus‏

A caixa do aniversario! (the birthday box)

 Bolo de ginger ale! (ginger ale birthday cake)

A minha posteridade! (my posterity)



Bom dia meus amados irmaos e irmas! I'm emailing this early because the libraries are closed and were trying to distribute the schedule out through the day since all the missionaries will be using the church computers. If I miss your emails later that's why!

This week was exciting and full of changes. On Wednesday I turned 21 and almost forgot it was my birthday except for the magnificent birthday box sent from the virginia jacksons.... I'll send pictures later! Lets just say there were a lot of cookies, and they were doomed to a 2 day demise in an apartment of 4 hungry Elders. Plus a cake mix that only required ginger ale and mix.... which, by the way, worked. 

We had transfers, I did the musical number for the meeting on piano (Come, Come Ye Saints that I arranged a few summers ago) and it was really fun to play. The testimonies were sick. One elder spoke of how his father died from cancer in the first few months of his mission; he returned home for the funeral and found himself the only priesthood holder in his home, faced with the decision to stay or come back to Boston. He was set to stay, until his father appeared to him in a dream and told him to go back to his mission here. He finished his 2 years and his testimony of the experience was powerful. Then the meeting ended, and people starting asking me and Elder Santiago how they were getting back to Boston, and I realized I was supposed to know stuff like that and then I realized I was a zone leader, aka zone ride coordinator! It was sweet.

Elder Santiago and I are doing really well; we basically just converse in Portuguese now and I'm really enjoying it. I've learned that I learn by listening much more than studying from a book, so having native speaker companions has been a fantastic tender mercy. Santiago speaks Haitian creole, french, spanish, portuguese and english, so he can communicate with everyone in our building. Things are going really well.

Healthwise-- the new medicine really seems to be helping. Its a ray of light after a long struggle. 

My scripture of the week is on the cover of my planner. Its been a personal anthem as of late; a reminder that strength comes from humility, firmness comes from faith in Christ, and joy and consolation come from yielding instead of defiance. 

"They did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God." Helaman 3:35

Love you all!

-Elder Jackson