January 9, 2017

We are almost officially through the first half of the first month of January. Already!!

The snow and rain weather here is insane. The kids have another snow day today. They are a little premature in calling a snow day I think. They should delay it a couple hours and in the morning if it's as bad as they think then call it off. But seriously. They could have gone to school both days with no problems. It's ridiculous. People are such whiny babies. They just have to make the days up now. And they're all going to be whining super bad when they take away their spring break or make them go to school after Memorial Day this year.

I guess it is what it is. No one is back on any kind of schedule yet. They all still think they're on Christmas vacation. It sucks. All of it. Bring on summer!!
That's pretty much what we dealt with all week here. Crappy weather. Trucks behind because of closed roads. No one is back on their normal schedule yet. I'm exhausted😩.
Carson did normal wrestling practice schedule and wrestled at Bear River on Sat. He wrestled pretty good but he needs to work on his arm strength or he is. Not going to be ready for next year.
We helped with the Richardson on Fri and Sat. Not as much as normal but we spent most of the day Sat. With Carson and came during the last of the consolation rounds just after the JV got finished. I helped finish up the championship posters and watched the finals. It was nice to not be completely stressed out about what needed cleaned up and whatever to be able to go home. Then when it was over. We took the signs down and went home. We got home around 7 instead of 10 or 11. It was nice. But next year we will be back to helping the whole time. It's all good.
That was pretty much the week. I haven't even got the Christmas stuff out away yet but I guess as long as it's done by Valentine's Day I'm good right? 😂.
It was fast Sunday yesterday and I picked the songs to go along with that and it was a pretty good meeting. We sang 'I know that my redeemer lives' 'I stand all amazed' and ' I believe in Christ'. All of them explain my testimony and also what I want my testimony to be all the time.
So how was your week?  How's the new companion?  Are things settled back down after the holidays?  Are you working hard again?  Is this new area easier to find people to teach? More people, bigger city?
Hopefully things are going well. It sounds like your Spanish is taking over your English so that's a good thing. Keep it up.
Love you
Mom

So this week was excellent. We found a bunch of new people and we taught them and they are getting ready to be baptized. Wow! 6 people in like 3 weeks. We are killing it. This area is defiantly better than my other. There are members who like to help and the people here are so much nicer. Like in the other area they would say that they are Catholics and slam the door in our face, if they had one... But here they let us teach a lesson and then they are like hey we aren't here very often so I don't think that you can come by but come by and if we are here you can teach us. I can teach with the spirit so now  I am happy like all the time and we are just killing it in the week. We have fun all the time. Oh this week we had comp exchanges and I was with the brand new gringo. He cant speak a lick of Spanish and he didn't understand anything of what we were teaching when he was with me. So if they ever call me to train I sure hope it is a Latino. You are teaching alone with the gringo. But hey if that is what I need to do that's what I'll do. So I was studying this week and I kept reading and they walked uprightly before God and kept his commandments and prospered. So really when we keep the commandments we are blessed spiritually and physically because they prospered in the land right? They received wealth and all sorts of cool stuff. Anyways I know if we follow the commandments with exactness we will be blessed. Well that's it for this week!! I love you mommy!!!

Mom:  I am so glad you are doing well.  It's great to see and hear the change in you in the last few weeks.  I told you that testimony meeting was good yesterday.  I bore my testimony of the power of prayer and that Heavenly Father does answer our prayers.  That he answered my prayers for you.  I knew that you were struggling with your companion, but didn't know what to do for you other than pray.  I always prayed for Taylor too, but I didn't worry about him the same as I worry about you.

Jackson:  What makes you say that?

Mom:  Just different.  I just prayed that you would be able to be happy and doing the work you were sent out and that you would be able to get along with your companion and have the spirit with you always.

Jackson:  Hey I have the address of Alejandro. To send the glasses and then give send him the tracking code to go pick it up.

Mom:  If he has an email address- I can send him the tracking # when I send them.  I don't have them yet. 

Jackson:  Alejandro and I don't know how to spell his last name. But I don't have his email. Just send it in a message of Facebook and also he wants a poster of the Brigham Temple to put in his house. Can you send it with the glasses. One more thing, When you talk to him on Facebook can you try your best to talk in Spanish. Like copy and paste google translate...

Mom: I will have Taylor help me.  So yes we can do that.  Dad said instead of Spanish he'll try out his Norwegian on him.  He probably won't be able to tell the difference between the 2 languages if he doesn't speak English right? ;)

Jackson:  Ha hah funny. This guy is my best friend...

Mom;  I just checked on the glasses.  They haven't shipped yet, but I anticipate this week sometime. 

Jackson:  Man I need them suckers

Mom: I'm guessing you are about out of time.  So I was reading an email that I got from LDS.org  and thought it was a great goal for the year. 

As you think about personal goals this new year, set your sights on the two great commandments—to love God and to love one another. When you focus first on love, all other good things will fall into place. 

It's true that when we do the things that we have been asked and obey the commandments everything else falls into place.  It doesn't mean we won't have any problems or trials, but the important things will be taken care of, like our family, our happiness in the place we are in and just experiencing joy before, during and after our trials, whatever they may be. 

Love you.  Have another AWESOME week.  Remember we love you and think about you all the time.

Love

Mom

My Twin 

Mom:  is that a real crab?

Jackson:  Hahah no but in Spanish lobster is langosta so people make fun of me and say it is my twin.

Me and Elder DeLosSantos from The Dominican Republic

 Amazing Selfies with a regular camera

 Me and Alejandro (best friend in the mission)

Cheesy

Voice Recording:

Hello- here we are with week #3 with the "worthless Domincan Companion"  (both of them laughing as he's talking)  Elder De Los Santos.  He's laughing at me right now!!

This week we did a few different things.  Started to run in the mornings.  We had interchanges 2 times. 1st time with elder Balls brand new in the mission.  Spanish can't speak it at all,but you know, now I know how people felt about me when I was in the lessons, just looking good.  The next time was with Elder Rutia, we worked pretty hard and put another baptismal date on the board don't know if he'll be any good, but he looked pretty good in the first lesson.  Elder Balls was pretty fun to have with, he didn't understand what I was talking about with Alejandro- not my fault.  Me and Chafo are really bad--something happened and it was  Sabrina drank coffee again.  She goes like 5 days and doesn't drink it and then on the 6th day, then goes 7 days drinks it on the 8th day -- it sucks really bad because we really want to baptize her but  she is going to stop drinking coffee for the rest of her life now so its alright.    We got it.  Wow, I'm tired-- (Huge yawn) I'm tired of this Dominican  (laughing again) -- in the back ground his comp yells in broken English-- You Love Me dude!!!-- Yeah it's true.  I Love Him.  This week- Alejandro got mad at us because we were sad.  Don't know why he said that, but it's a lie.  We have some people ready to be baptized.  We just have to teach them a few more things. That's it for today