I completely forgot about Thanksgiving!

Familia Mia!
I love you! How is life? You'll be pleased to know that i have almost caught up in my letter-writing, including a number of letters that i misplaced. I'm very pleased with myself. Liesl, I want to hear from you. If you have a boyfriend, I am entitled to know about it. It's been three or four weeks since you've written. :(
I completely forgot about Thanksgiving! Wow. I feel a little sad about it now. I want pie; they don't have it here. Hna. Lamas makes fun of me for how often i say that i want chocolate or ice cream...whih is about every time we pass a tienda....which is pretty often. ''¡Hermana Jackson! ¿Cuantos años tiene?''
I'm a little behind in my reading of el Libro de Mormón. I wanted to finish Alma 10 yesterday, but I'm in the middle of it right now. Yikes. i have to read about 100 pages this week.
I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that he loves each of us with a perfect love, althoiugh he has a perfect understanding of all of our sins and faults. I know he lives and that it is throiugh him that we can have peace and happiness, and that his gospel has been restored through a prophet in our days. I love you all.

Love,
hna. Jackson

Nov. 21 letter

Familia Mia!

I got a postcard from my friend Rita from BYU! That was exciting. Also, a dearelder from Rachael Bakaitis and a couple of cards from Hermana Marybeth Tew in Nicaragua! Yay! I'm going to write my letters later today, so they won't be sent until next week.

Wow. Yesterday we were teaching Carlos, who is that father of Rodrigo and Maite, members of Barrio Primavera. Carlos has listened to the missionaries before, and we've been teaching his wife, Percila, but right now they aren't actually married and there are other complications. It was our first lesson with him and he talked a lot about how proud he is of his family and how his children are doing good things and going to church and such. Rodrigo was there during our lesson (he's starting his mission papers!) but he didn't say much. Toward the end of the lesson, I asked Rodrigo how he had received a testimony of the Book of Mormon and of the Restoration, and he shared a very brief testimony which was basically that he prayed, and he felt that it was true. It was really neat, because I'm certain Carlos had never heard this from his son and the conviction surprised him. Personal testimony is a really powerful thing. I would like your personal testimonies--and how you received them--as my Christmas present, yeah? I just decided. :) Please and thank you!

I love you all very very much. I want you to know that I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ do as well. That is why we're here and why we have the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Study it and live it, and you will be happy. I can promise that.

Love,
Hna. Jackson

cambio=transfers

Familia!

Primeramente, instructions for mailing packages. I must have been receiving inspiration, because I brought them with me. They're in spanish, so bear with me. The cost of the contents of the package can't be more than $100, all electronics received from out of the country are taxed (?), only food that is packaged commercially (i think that's the jist of it..), and I can't receive used clothing or shoes. Other than that, it's preferable that you send it through the national postal service of Peru so as not to incur taxes. If you send it privetely, the mission isn't responsible for any additional taxes, etc. I don't have any other information that that. Let me know before you send anything, okay? I'll make a list of things I can't get here.

Thanks Regan, Dad, and Gaetana for your letters. I've responded to your other letters, Regan, and I'm sending that letter today to my sister to send to you. I still have to write Gaetana, Brandon, and Regan (again--you are so on top of this letter thing!) next week. Almost caught up! Letters to everyone else are being sent today.

Wow. I can't believe it's already been 6 weeks. Mi primer cambio en la misión! completa! Weeks that we have cambios we'll have P-day on tuesday, just so you know.

One of the things that I've realized, which is really obvious, but sometimes isn't consciously acknowledged and therefore we don't apply the knowledge that we have, is that I'm happiest when I'm consistently working and seeking to improve. It requires a lot of concentration and energy, but that is when I'm most successful and feel the best about myself. When I'm consciously evaluating what I'm doing every day. I know that the message of the Restoration is our pivotal message to the world. Now we have the authority to perform the ordinances that bring happiness and salvation.

love,

Hna jackson

My first baptism!

¡Familia mia! This Saturday was really lovely. Paula, a lass of 13 (don't ask me where 'lass' came from. my english is getting rustier by the second. Except on mondays, when I speak way too much of it), had her baptism. It was a little bit stressful, because we weren't entirely organized. we had a somewhat last-minute change in the schedule so that her mother, Clara, could attend, and it was right on top of a stake leadership meeting, so all the people who were supposed to help us were in the meeting. And then, their family dog, Toti, died that afternoon, so when we went to pick them up, Paula, Clara, and Carmen (paula's abuelita who is a recent convert) were all in tears and not at all ready to leave. But everything went alright. :) We had a talk on faith and repentance by una jovencita in our barrio, Ashly, who has helped us a lot, and another by Hermana Irma, who is Ashly's aunt and whose family is very missionary-work centered. They're great. And then I gave a musical number 'Cuando me bautice,' (when I am baptized) which is, like, one of my favorite primary songs and I had been memorizing. It was actually quite lovely. I sang acapella, so I could pick what key it was in. That's one thing that I do like here. But I always have to sing melody--almost never alto or tenor or bass--because very few people here can carry a tune. :)

I can't believe that I've already been here for a month! It's crazy. I should be applying myself more. Pdte. Turk has challenged us to read el Libro de Mormón before Christmas. I'm in second nefi! I read so slowly in Spanish! I find that I do understand quite a bit, except in Isaiah they use a lot of unusual words. I'm just really glad that I'm familiar with the Book of Mormon in English. Yikes. I'm afraid that I'll never finish, but I read for at least 30 minutes a day, and I'm trusting that my reading will speed up and I'll be able to complete it. It's amazing how you can recieve personal revelation while reading the scriptures in a different language. I think that it's a blessing so that I can use my personal study time to read in spanish and achieve the goal. :) I'm so glad that as a family we've always practiced the principles of reading the scriptures (especially the book of Mormon), praying, and attending church. Those really are the essentials to build a testimony. Thanks, Mom and Dad! I love you all! Have a wonderfully fantastic week!

hna. Jackson

31 October 2011

Wow. I don't have very much time to write, but I want you to know that I love you. I'm super glad, Donny, that you're reading the Book of Mormon lots. And Kirsti, for your choir stuff, and Jon and Heather and Danielle for being awesome high-schoolers and juggling everything. And Liesl, foralways having something crazy and random going on. Thanks, Mom and Dad for everything you do to support me.

We have our first baptism scheduled for this week! Paula is 13 and really awesome. I'll let you know how it goes. It's amazing to be a representative of Jesus Christ and try to do what he would do and say what he would say.