Well the changes came! I'm being shipped off to the Oriente! That's 8-12 hours in a bus and it's complete madness. The Oriente is where the jungles are, there are no mountains, there aren't many people, it's blazing hot, and I'm going to be a zone leader. Good grief. The Lord wants somebody to be tested up the wazoo!!!
But yeah I'm pretty excited! I just about crapped my pants when they told me where I was going and what I'm gonna be and I told them "no really, what are the changes." Bina! Pura bina. But it's gonna be awesome, I'm gonna have to grow up real fast. But just slap me in the bottom, send me to the edges of Ecuador, and call me George of the Jungle!
Um but yeah that's about it, I gotta go to the terminal in 20 minutes but I just thought I'd tell ya guys what's goin down here. From ghetto to jungle hippi yi yaaaay hippi yi yooooo Brett's gonna gotta grow because if he don't the zone won't float and Brett'll probably die too.
But thanks for sending a package and pictures and what not. You're awesome!!
I thought Jodi Messina died.....
Good luck dad in Young Mens!! Teach them the gospel to make them change!!!
Learn math Cambria and good luck getting ready to go to High school. he.hehe. MUHAHEHENHENEEEEEHEEEEE
Okay gotta go, love ya all, hope you're great, and I'll talk to ya if I survive. dun dun duuuun
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Sunday, May 20, 2012
What We We Have Here is... A Failure to Communicate
Ah the same happened to Kyle. Bummer. But yeah if it wasn't the best call at least it was somewhat entertaining. All the Haitians asked me for a dollar after it was done and they tried to talking to me in English. Esos locos.
Okay that's good that Dad and Darrell did a good job. I'm sure it was really great. I just didn't know what to say about the funeral. Think I'll just write a letter instead. haha and Papa is still great. I can just imagine the aunts talking about it in their loud voices. ah, Cambria is still doing alright then! Menos the D in science buuut hey she can pull it off! Or else.
Yeah about the birthday thing it's alright. I don't need anything really. I just put together my alarm clock with some super glue. Seems to be working fine again! But what I would like is pictures of the family and the Valley and stuff to show my companions. I gotta get this camera fixed or else all this mission will be a vague memory....
Oh and maybe they sell little cards of Christ there in the states? Those little cards are great to give investigators. But if not oh well. My colored stickers will have to do.
That's really cool that school is almost out. You guys have any plans for summer yet??
Well it was nice to talk to you all and see ya, but as we went to the cita we had planned right after it was like nothing had happened. The work keeps on goin! We found some guy from Guayaquil and his drugged friend who told us all about his baptism in Guayaquil. It was hilarious. He did the re-enactment and everything. Then as we were walking away from them we could hear him yelling to his friend that he didn't know anything about God.
Then we were walking by the offices today and some white guy put $20 in my shirt pocket and my first response was thinking about how they robbed me with that card. Heeeeey I said, and he looked at me innocently. "I'm not gonna take this money" I told him but then he smiled and I asked him if he was a member and he said yes. Of Bountiful Utah! Pelucones! But I gave the money to Elder Recalde to call his mom tomorrow. I've also talked to a man from San Antonio Texas who asked me if Mitt Romney is gonna win. Also a tall guy from Washington. The United States is everywhere!!
But more than that I got nothin to tell ya guys. So I guess I'll just write ya next week! Next week are changes so we'll see if I go anywhere new. But I love ya guys and I'll see ya next week.
What a Week
Hello!
Well I hope the funeral went well and I'm sure Dad and Darrell did a great job. It's really great that Blake and Channing did the DVD, sounds like it was beautiful. Hope you're all getting along fine and that the Spirit and your testimonies give you the comfort you need.
I think I'm the one who has it easy compared to everyone else at home. For me, it doesn't seem real yet. I know it'll hit me when I walk into Papa and Grandma's house and see the empty chair and when I go over to help with the lawn. As of right now, my life continues normally, like a ripple that didn't reach the surface. But the day after I could study a lot about the Plan of Salvation and read a few teachings of Jospeh Smith about death. Joseph Smith lost several brothers, 6 of his children, and saw the death of his father. Yet he understood the immortality of the human soul, and he used his personal experiences with death to give comfort and hope to others. He said that we have the greatest reason of all people to rejoice because we understand the true nature of death and we know of the saving ordinances that Grandma received in order to be accepted into the kingdom of God. Other people are destroyed by a death and can't find the hope or the strength to continue forward. But how sweet is it to quietly say to ourselves on the darkest night, "I know my family can be together forever." Because of the death and the resurrection of a man 2,000 years ago we'll live again. The sting of death is swallowed in the glory of the resurrection. And it's awesome!!
Another part of this is that I'm always busy. Hardly have time to think about my own life when I'm looking out for the progress of others. That's what I'`ve learned from the mission. When one thinks on his own problems, his own failures and difficulties, he's miserable. When one can dissolve himself in the good of others you have a way of forgetting other things. I don't want to say that I'm forgetting Grandma or anything, just that I can move forward without self pity or overwhelming sorrow. I do feel sorry for you guys, Papa, my cousins and aunts and uncles, but I know that it's possible to feel the love of God through the event of death. And more than anything, death is a flash of our own hourglass that's constantly moving. Shows us how we should live and how should we die. But more than anything I'm just grateful for my family and the Gospel.
Well this week was alright. We had a talent show, and we did two sketches. I was Nephi and we did the part of getting the brass plates. But in Spanish they're called planchas. But a plancha is also a clothes iron. So the planchas de bronce were two irons that we finally got. We tried to make everything funny. And it was good. It's always great to make people laugh. And just teaching some people!
Well that's all, thanks for everything, we'll talk sometime next week (i still don't know) and I love you all, hope you're doing great, Adios!!
Well I hope the funeral went well and I'm sure Dad and Darrell did a great job. It's really great that Blake and Channing did the DVD, sounds like it was beautiful. Hope you're all getting along fine and that the Spirit and your testimonies give you the comfort you need.
I think I'm the one who has it easy compared to everyone else at home. For me, it doesn't seem real yet. I know it'll hit me when I walk into Papa and Grandma's house and see the empty chair and when I go over to help with the lawn. As of right now, my life continues normally, like a ripple that didn't reach the surface. But the day after I could study a lot about the Plan of Salvation and read a few teachings of Jospeh Smith about death. Joseph Smith lost several brothers, 6 of his children, and saw the death of his father. Yet he understood the immortality of the human soul, and he used his personal experiences with death to give comfort and hope to others. He said that we have the greatest reason of all people to rejoice because we understand the true nature of death and we know of the saving ordinances that Grandma received in order to be accepted into the kingdom of God. Other people are destroyed by a death and can't find the hope or the strength to continue forward. But how sweet is it to quietly say to ourselves on the darkest night, "I know my family can be together forever." Because of the death and the resurrection of a man 2,000 years ago we'll live again. The sting of death is swallowed in the glory of the resurrection. And it's awesome!!
Another part of this is that I'm always busy. Hardly have time to think about my own life when I'm looking out for the progress of others. That's what I'`ve learned from the mission. When one thinks on his own problems, his own failures and difficulties, he's miserable. When one can dissolve himself in the good of others you have a way of forgetting other things. I don't want to say that I'm forgetting Grandma or anything, just that I can move forward without self pity or overwhelming sorrow. I do feel sorry for you guys, Papa, my cousins and aunts and uncles, but I know that it's possible to feel the love of God through the event of death. And more than anything, death is a flash of our own hourglass that's constantly moving. Shows us how we should live and how should we die. But more than anything I'm just grateful for my family and the Gospel.
Well this week was alright. We had a talent show, and we did two sketches. I was Nephi and we did the part of getting the brass plates. But in Spanish they're called planchas. But a plancha is also a clothes iron. So the planchas de bronce were two irons that we finally got. We tried to make everything funny. And it was good. It's always great to make people laugh. And just teaching some people!
Well that's all, thanks for everything, we'll talk sometime next week (i still don't know) and I love you all, hope you're doing great, Adios!!
The Devil Controls The Media
And why do I say that as my title? Because only Satan would tempt poor Elder Jackson with the last Harry Potter, Captain America, 3D Star Wars, the new Spider Man, The Avengers, Ghost Rider, and the third Batman. That has got to be pure evil torture. I've seen only hints that the movie is coming out and I cry like a sad sad girl who got left without a date on prom night.
Speaking of prom, BLEEEEEHHHHH!! I tell Elder Recalde horror stories about prom. Pink tuxes, immodest dresses, awkward dinners. He thinks we're all crazy for spending so much money on the stinkin thing. I agree. NEVER AGAIN!! But I hope they have fun. Cheers. Matt Jarvies is a funny guy. Russel's invitacion was so stinkin cute I puked.
OOoooooh Cambria is running hurdles. YEAH BOY!! I miss hurdles. I talk like an old has been to Elder Recalde about those too. It was the life. It's more like I just miss it being warm. And being in shape. When I'm climbing up these hills in the pouring rain feelin the burn in my legs.... it just makes ya feel like an old piece of wood sittin in a puddle.
Well this week was stake conference and we had Marcus B. Nash, Elders D. Todd Christofferson and Richard G. Scott talk by satellite to all of Ecuador. It was inspired. Just what Ecuador needs. Talked about how they're part of the covenant people of Israel, how they should remember mission work, marriage, service, and the sacredness of women. I didn't know they spoke Spanish! Pretty cool to hear them talking another language. Sounded pretty good. Better than me says Elder Recalde. That's made me be more dedicated to learning Spanish again.
We taught some of those haitianos again and not all of them understood us. Speak French! So we used the movie of the Restoration and put the language in French. That got their attention. But after they were done they put in some movie about assassins and there went the spirit. But hey it's a work in progress.
We also showed another investigator the movie of the Restauration and we asked him what he thought about the restauration of the church of Jesus Christ. He told us that he was impressed how the Smith family planted corn with faith. He also has a patch of land and he plants with faith, and he always reaps the harvest. (Slap to forehead)
Um we had emergency changes today so we haven't been able to do anything. Somethin went down in the coast. But I gotta go!
Hope everything is goin great and you're all living like a bunch of rabbits in a corn patch. I love you all, and tell some people to be patient with my letters I'm trying to get them sent. I'm broke!! (oooh yeah there's only 3 bucks in the account.... sorry!)
BYE!
Speaking of prom, BLEEEEEHHHHH!! I tell Elder Recalde horror stories about prom. Pink tuxes, immodest dresses, awkward dinners. He thinks we're all crazy for spending so much money on the stinkin thing. I agree. NEVER AGAIN!! But I hope they have fun. Cheers. Matt Jarvies is a funny guy. Russel's invitacion was so stinkin cute I puked.
OOoooooh Cambria is running hurdles. YEAH BOY!! I miss hurdles. I talk like an old has been to Elder Recalde about those too. It was the life. It's more like I just miss it being warm. And being in shape. When I'm climbing up these hills in the pouring rain feelin the burn in my legs.... it just makes ya feel like an old piece of wood sittin in a puddle.
Well this week was stake conference and we had Marcus B. Nash, Elders D. Todd Christofferson and Richard G. Scott talk by satellite to all of Ecuador. It was inspired. Just what Ecuador needs. Talked about how they're part of the covenant people of Israel, how they should remember mission work, marriage, service, and the sacredness of women. I didn't know they spoke Spanish! Pretty cool to hear them talking another language. Sounded pretty good. Better than me says Elder Recalde. That's made me be more dedicated to learning Spanish again.
We taught some of those haitianos again and not all of them understood us. Speak French! So we used the movie of the Restoration and put the language in French. That got their attention. But after they were done they put in some movie about assassins and there went the spirit. But hey it's a work in progress.
We also showed another investigator the movie of the Restauration and we asked him what he thought about the restauration of the church of Jesus Christ. He told us that he was impressed how the Smith family planted corn with faith. He also has a patch of land and he plants with faith, and he always reaps the harvest. (Slap to forehead)
Um we had emergency changes today so we haven't been able to do anything. Somethin went down in the coast. But I gotta go!
Hope everything is goin great and you're all living like a bunch of rabbits in a corn patch. I love you all, and tell some people to be patient with my letters I'm trying to get them sent. I'm broke!! (oooh yeah there's only 3 bucks in the account.... sorry!)
BYE!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
I Swear I'm Going To Kill This Baby Unicorn If You Don't Take Me Seriously
Hello! My fingers are frozen so I can't type very fast. This might be a short letter.
Okay so Kyle is living the life! He's funny over there in jolly ol England. It looks like he's already starting to write like them. Loco.
Oh Cambria has braces now?? For how long will she have them on? And it's awesome that she's doing everything. Live it up while ya can!
Happy Anniversary!! You should send me a list of all the important events, like the thing the Bagwell family does. That'd help me remember a lot more. I can't even remember where I put my plaque sometimes let alone all these family events.
Wow waffles and chicken (well okay not chicken...) sound so great right now. Someday!
Well it's raining like a mad badger on ground hog's day. There's lightning crashing like mad, the rivers flooded, I'm dripping wet and I hope this computer doesn't short circuit. Ojala! I remember I was so shocked that there were waterfalls on the stairs in Guaranda. Buh!!
Well this week.... I dunno it was kinda a rough one. I messed up on a lot of things. The zone ain't too happy. My district leader ain't too happy. And tomorrow we'll see if President is a smiling ray of sunshine. But I guess I'll explain because this sentence could be interpreted wrongly.
So this week we received a reference from the offices, said that this investigator is golden. Wants to be baptized 5th of May. Awesome! My district leader tells me that we have an appointment at 7 that night. Right! So we go a hunting for this investigator of gold. Then we find out it's not in our zone. Uh oh. But we have an appointment in 5 minutes! So we go running over there and we find them. We tell them sorry but you don't live in our ward. But the son (a member) told us that we have to at least teach them (his mom and sister and her husband) so that they don't have a bad impression of the church. Dang it. Okay. So we taught them a bit of the gospel, eternal families, and the Book of Mormon. We left the Book of Mormon with our testimonies in it and that night told the zone leaders that they're not our zone and should pass the reference. But now that zone isn't too happy that we went over there and taught one of their investigators. We just wanted to help the work people!!
And then we've been up in the boonies working over there. And we've been bringing members. And they talk. Alot. And we're far from our house. And any phone. So we've been calling our district leader 5-10 minutes late alot this last couple of weeks. So he thinks we're a bunch of happy sinners here and told me how angry he is with us and how we'll be having a talk Thursday and telling us who we should drop as investigators.
So we passed by for the last time these investigators and we met one of their daughters in the road. She was crying because she lost $5.00 and her parents were going to beat her. So we went up with her and told the parents the story and they were furious. So we said we'd go look for the money with the daughter! We couldn't find anything so we gave her $5.00 so that her parents wouldn't beat her. The mom was scared too. Then the dad came, the daughter showed him the money, then slapped her right in the face. That ticked me off and I grabbed him and put him up against the wall and talked...firmly with him. Nothin profane (I don't know those words anyway!) just that he'd be responsible before God for every strike he gave his family and that he should be grateful he even has a family and isn't out in the streets alone. Oi.
But oh well! Todo bien! Lay the axe on me! I'm kinda bummed but we'll see what happens. But it's true that I should be more obedient. Need to be to have the Lord's help. And I got the words of Rocky playin in my head. Look up that speech will ya? Gets me pumped to do my best every time I hear it.
Man that's all the time I have! Sorry! Those are my woes and sorrows but I'll be better tomorrow! See ya later!
Friday, April 20, 2012
I'm Happy, I'm Feelin Glad
Well howdy do! So let me just state a few things I didn't get a chance to say last time.
- Mom I was drugged!! Give me a break! But you're right, God did help me out and I did learn a good lesson. Never trust Peruanos. NEVER!!! But the Ghandi quote I read on the bus before getting robbed did help
- I didn't get the Brandon and Michelle thing at first. "Waaaaiiit a second why doesn't Brandon have a number. Only the kids have numbers! And Michelle. Michelle isn't a kid! What's the deal. Let's see... Cody is number one.... Allysa number two... Conner.... Lincoln..... Michelle? Wait it's on her stomach. UUuuuuhhhhhuuuuhhhh."
- I'm kinda jealous of Kyle over there in England. An Irish companion and everyone fighting to have you over for tea. And here I am over here gnawing on a chicken foot, drinking my Quacker oats drink.... Man.
- Hey so I just print the letters I get so I can read it all. So don't worry about time.
- How is Channing doing anyway? Drinking milk now?! Strengthen them bones!!!
But anyway this week was alright. We had another baptism. Ol Marco Vilcazama. He had some kinda infection in his face when we found him and we gave him a blessing and now he's normal and he read the whole Book of Mormon in 2 weeks and he's now a grandpa and got baptized on his birthday in freezing cold water that was only to his thighs. HEAP YEAH MAN!! He's awesome. An hour lesson with 50 minutes of him talking and 10 minutes of us teaching.
We were contacting yesterday (since all of our appointments fell) and we found a house of 15 Haitians! I knocked on the door and they opened it to find a large group of large men looking at me. It was the first time I refused to go into a house that invited me in! But we taught 5 of them outside and they're pretty cool. They speak French, Spanish (not all of them), and Creol. And it's in a pretty shady part of town where they're always robbin people and stuff so the army was there too a couple of blocks down. We were teaching outside and some sargent came and asked them if they were robbers and then had them all bring out their passports. It was a rough lesson. But we're goin back with Books of Mormon in Creol!!
Um so I that's pretty much it. Yep! Elder Recalde and I are pretty much a laughing stock of the mission for what happened but it's fun! We're not the first! We've been studying about how to overcome fear (talking, contacting, lurking ladrones..) and faith is the answer! Always has been always will be! So that's cool.
But hope the wind dies down, the manure stays down, and that we're always lookin up! Love ya guys and hope all is well. Adios!
El Campesino, El Profesor, y La Droga
Ladies and Gentlemen good evening! I have something interesting to tell this week so we might as well listen to this constant babbling and hope we learn something and don't waste our lives reading. But let us begin!
It all started on a rainy morning, the 6th of April. We studied like usual in the morning and headed off to lunch by the Ferroviaria. As we were thus traveling in the bus my companion asked me if we should stop by and visit one of our investigators, I said yes, and we got off the bus. As we walked up to the investigator's house there was a man in yellow walking next to us looking quite lost and looking for something in his pockets. I was going to ask him if he lost something when he then stopped and asked us for help reading this little card he had.
He told us that he was from a small indigenous colony by Loja and couldn't read, but his boss sent him here to Quito to meet some doctor. So we looked at the card and we didn't know the direction but we read the back part and this boss wrote that he was sending his worker to collect a check but that this doctor shouldn't give this worker the full pay but instead only give him a third and keep the rest for the two of them. I thought to myself "well that's pretty jacked up!"
The little man in yellow continued looking at us pitifully and fretfully and appeared scared out of his mind. We told him what the card said and he didn't fully understand so he asked a well dressed man who was passing by to help us. This well dressed man said he was a professor in a university and that he could help. We continued talking and we came to find out that this little indigenous man in yellow had won 2nd place in the lottery, a sum of $50,000.
"Wow, good thing we found this guy! We can help him save his family from the poverty they're stuck in AND teach the gospel. WOO!!" The man then promised us $2,000 if we would help him take out this money and then get on a bus to Loja, I told him we didn't want his money but yes we could help him. But the campesino was still scared out of his mind and he wanted to know that he could trust us. Wanted to know that we had money to live and that we weren't going to go steal his money and dump him off in some place. So the professor said, "look, I have a thousand dollars in my house, I'll go get it and show you I have money."
So we sat and waited and talked with the man and his sad story of his dying grandparents and family and how he was Evangelical. Awesome. Then the professor showed him the money then they put it in a pink little bag and had me tie it. Then they sent the money back to the house of the professor. Then the campesino said he needed to trust us. I said we are representatives of Jesus Christ and we are not here to rob or trick anybody. Trust me!! But he wasn't satisfied. So we decided to go get the small $45 that we DID have in the house. He kept asking me about my credit cards and everything. I said yeah I have about $80 in the bank. "Show him the money so that he can trust you and we can give the money to the poor children that need help. " Yeah okay.
So we went to get a taxi and just then a blue car drove by saying it was a taxi. So we hopped in (MISTAKE). I then taught this man the Restoration while we were in the back of the car. He seemed thrilled that we believed his ancestors left a book here in the Americas. We showed up to our house, my companion got the $45 and we showed it to them. Look! We can live! I showed him my card for the mission (because I couldn't find my personal card) and said yes we have money. They asked me if I could go take out money right now. I told them no because I didn't want to get robbed (FORESHADOW). So they said okay.
My companion then put the money in the pink little bag and the professor tied it up. They told us, okay go put the money back in your house. But leave your backpacks and watches so that we know you'll come back. I didn't want to leave my backpack but my companion had already left his watch so I left mine as well, "Cost 5 bucks in Guaranda so there ya go!" We went up the house again I told my companion, this is just ridiculous, how long are we gonna go along with this? He said "he's scared elder we have to help him!" Okay...I won't be a heartless gringo then.
THEN! "Elder Jackson, the money is gone!"
#$%$#%!!
They weren't there and had all left. All gone. That's when the connections were made. DANG IT!! I KNEW ELDER I KNEW IT!! I FELT SOMETHING!! DANG IT!! (punched a door or two...) But Elder Recalde looked sad so I just went and put my hand on his shoulder and said, "well at least we have something interesting to write in our journals!"
But yeah my time is up. But the story is that the little card they had was covered in some kinda drug that makes you just go along with things. It's crazy! We were all dizzy and tired afterwards. But I learned to listen to the spirit and NEVER TALK WITH PEOPLE WHO CAN'T READ!!!
But now I found my card and we're not gonna die!!! WOOO!!!! And we're gonna be here for another change! But thanks everybody, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD, KEEP ON TRUCKIN CHANNING, ROCK ON and I love you all. BYE!
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