Calling Home for Christmas.

LUNES - We did some Christmas shopping today, emailed and played ball. I had a scare during ball as I went up for a rebound and had another Elder (Huchinson) and Elder Chantry sandwich me and smash my goodies, did not feel good at all. We played some more board games and card games as we all began our week of sickness.

    MARTES - District meeting in Hemphill, enjoyed a chopped beef hot topper sandwich at the best BBQ in the world, we came back and were just so sick, so we didn't go out. We went to dinner with Juan and Rosa and then he came out with us. He hogged the entire lesson with Ismael Guerrero and with Jose and Mariela, it was not cool, sometimes members don't get that we bring them to fellowship, not to teach the entire lesson.

 

    MIERCOLES - We got up and went to Juans tire shop to do service, his only co-worker quit so now he is by himself and needs a lot of help, we were there for only a few hours, we came back got ready and headed out to Groveton to teach Zuleika Perez and had an awesome lesson with her, she is so awesome! We headed back grabbed a bite to eat with the other elders and then we headed to Alfonsos, we were very disappointed to hear what we heard. We found out that Juan said we could no longer work with him because he didn't get baptized... how messed up is that. We are both very displeased with Juan right now for doing something like that, now he thinks everyone dislikes him because of not being baptized. He is leaving to Mexico in January as well. We went to the Torreses after and taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ and used the Egg lesson, another awesome lesson. We gave Isaiah a blessing because he had just had his tonsils removed.

 

    JUEVES - We are all now just sicker than dogs, i couldn't move so we all were inside all day, trying to get better, pretty much drinking bottles of NyQuil, the most we could do was go to the church at 7 and plan with the branch for next year. Other than that, I was so sick and my companion as well. Not a fun day.

 

    VIERNES - HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUSTIN!!!! the big 21, congrats! feels like just yesterday we were showing off our Casper toys to dad as he videotaped us in our undies and with our mullets. I love you bro, hope your day was good. Still sicker than a dead dog on a hot day, we had a few lessons at night with Ismael and with Alfonso, we took Juan to Ismael, or should I say he just signed himself up to come with us, and he wasn't there, he asked us who else we had for the night and we told him Alfonso and he made up an excuse and went home and said not to teach him anymore because he has no potential... We went over there read with him 1 Nephi 3 and then headed home and crashed.

 

    SABADO - I'm feeling a little better by now but not the best, I got my package from Grandma! Thank you so much Grandma and Grandpa!!! I ate those cookies so fast! I love you guys and miss you a ton. We were still pretty sick so we helped the English elders with their baptismal services they had that day because they were sick as well and didn't have time during the week to really plan it out.

 

    DOMINGO - Back to stage one, no investigators at church, all that we call come up with an excuse as to not come but we keep our heads up. Church was really good, our health still shaky though, we went to dinner after and finally set up an exact time to call home, I will be calling around 4 o clock, so in Utah around 3, We headed back to the church as Miguel Ruiz graduated from the primary and received the priesthood. It was a really fun and spiritual uplifting event. We headed home and crashed. I apologize for the short blog, being inside all day because of being sick really restricted us from witnessing miracles, teaching families and living the mission life to its fullest. Hope all you can make it to my house at 3, I would love to talk to anyone who would like to come, love you all.

Elder Aaron Jackson

A Great Christmas Party.

LUNES - Today elder Drake got a Christmas package with musical ties and light up Santa hats for both of us so I should be sending some good christmas cards out. Way good emailing, so happy to hear that shawn got his mission call so proud of him and know he will do so well on his mission and will change the lives of many. We went Christmas shopping a little and played yaka puk the rest of our wonderful Preperation day.

    MARTES - I felt really good this morning, awake and ready to work. It is finally getting a little cold outside but only every once and a while. We went to combined district meeting and got a list of the announcements for the month and we are allowed to watch the bowl game and whats even worse?.. if I was in the city and not clear out east I WOULD BE GOING TO THE BOWL GAME!!! All the missionaries in the city will be going to it. Also president asked us to come to the specialized training talent show on the 21st in basketball clothes which means I will probably be showcasing the dunk that

day! Really excited for that, I hope President dusts off his sneakers and plays as well. I got 4 letters including my patriarchal blessing! I read it several times, the part about my future wife makes me smile every time! Thank you Maisha, Brendon and Jackie as well for your letters. We went to Ocean buffet afterwards and it was so good, but I decided to try something crazy, ate octapus... weird tasting but not to bad. We had Dinner at Juans and Rosas that night and then headed to a few appointments that we had, With Alfonso and with the Torres family as well.

 

    MIERCOLES - We left the mission again today and went to Groveton and taught Hna Perez the plan of salvation, very good lesson and we also gave her a blessing, I love this girl a ton and really care for her, she is such a nice lady. We went on our dinner hour after Elder Chantry got back to a place called "Goodwill" basically a D.I. and looked around, I ran into some Spanish ladies and they didnt expect me to just start talking to them, gotta love it when some random white kid starts speaking spanish

to you, so grateful for my ability to speak the language. We just went to visit Hna Ruiz and ended up eating there, their little dog was jumping all over me and I was hiding her in my sweatshirt, made me really miss Zoey. We played some yakapuk with the English Elders and I got a cramp in my foot that made me just run around and they were all on the floor dying laughing, me and cramps I swear.

 

    JUEVES - Not a very busy day, we had studies and went out to eat again, of course I stuck with the Ramen noodles, We had planning session and I worked a little on Adam's and Amber's Christmas presents and then we headed to the church to start to help setting up for the Christmas party and practice.

 

    VIERNES - We did studies together because we were going on exchanges, I went with Elder Chantry and we went and visited Alfonso and looks like the baptism is off, I was so heart broken to hear that, he was so close. Gotta take the good with the bad I guess. We will have to continue to work hard and try and help him best we can. He is having problems with his wife, the gospel blesses families is all I can think of, second principle of the first lessons, that it really helps families, my family is as close as any family can get and I know its because of the gospel my parents don't EVER fight. We visited a less active of the English ward, old guy named Don, coolest guy ever, but he was butt naked when we showed up!!!!! Nothing like seeing an 80 year old naked man on your mission. We played some yakapuk and changed back and did some visits before heading to church to get dinner and finish setting up for Saturday, we headed out early to go to our lesson with Ismael Guerrero and we were really bold with him, really good lesson. We visited the Torres family after as well, the English elders asked us to sleep at their apartment for Frisbee in the morning and we said no they should come to ours but they refused, so we went over there and stole all their bedding and took off to our apartment! So awesome!

 

    SABADO - Frisbee was good, I got hit in the face with the Frisbee and my lip was swollen and bleeding but it was good exercise and a lot of fun. We visited a ton of people to invite them to the party tonight and then tracted a little bit and found a new investigator, then we headed to the party, it was an amazing party! I did a great job on Narrating and there were a ton of people there and the best tamales and tortillas you could ever eat in your life! We also did 2 pinatas and everyone participated, me and elder Chantry made elder Tolman get out there and swing at it and I got it all on video, hilarious! I got some awesome pictures of us and of the branch, a lot of people showed up and it was so much fun! 

 

    DOMINGO - I blessed the sacrament today again and we both gave talks today as well, we both took well over the amount of time we were asked but it was really good, I feel that my language has come a long way since day one. We had dinner at presidentes afterwards and then tried to visit a few people but my companion has been really really sick lately and we headed home early and I worked more on Amber and Adam's presents and planned. The English elders came and gave him a blessing and we hit the sack. Wonderful week, 2 weeks from calling home, I'm guessing it will be after dinner we will be calling so probably 7 or maybe 6 but I will for sure know by next week. Thanks followers!

Love

Elder Aaron Jackson

Elder Kerr gets his call. Elder Jackson receives revelation.

LUNES - We went up to Nac again and played basketball with elder Porters new companion who is 6 foot 5 and 210, played college ball, he was being talked up left and right by everyone and I came in and hit my first 9 shots in a row and showed him how to really dunk it. But he is a cool kid though, I did laundry a little bit late tonight and that was our pday.

MARTES - We had district meeting today and headed down to Hemphill of course, this time my companion did the training and we went to Hemphill BBQ of course after, they didn't have pie though so they all wanted to go to DQ and get ice cream so we did. We had a few appointments but only one came through which was Ismael Guerrero and went in and were really bold with him. We had service in the moving tires so we stayed at the English elders apartment.

 

MIERCOLES - Went and moved tires for a good 4 hours, best work out ever, i hurt my back doing so. We started our exchanges today and so I was with Elder Tolman. We visited some people like Jose Ana and Mayra but not a very successful day. We went and invited less actives to come play basketball at 8 but not many showed, it was still very fun. Before that we went and tried to visit Isabel and her family and the way down there were blasting Disney music and singing at the top of our lungs, it was a lot of fun, we had a dinner and lesson after with a less active family and we did the fold and tear a cross trick, so awesome, I will have to show yall when I get back. Elder Tolman did a great job of it.

 

JUEVES - We switched back in the morning and of course they wanted to go out and eat, im not gaining anything but im so sick of going out to eat!!! So we went to BK and I didnt get anything, today was a good day though because its Elder Chantrys 1 year mark, I love this elder, he wants to hang out after the mission, such a cool kid. We went and visted a former investigator who, they had a lot of questions and we were just really bold with them, about the book of mormon and everything. Synthia and Dwyane, both with many doubts, but should be good to work with them. With the night winding down we went and burned Elder Chantrys shirt and bought poletas for him at la michoacana. Good night, makes me realize how fast time goes as I approach my 7 month mark here soon.

 

VIERNES - We went and did tires again this morning and I was so dead afterwards, about another 5 hours of lifting and throwing tires. I looked as if I rolled in the mud and was dead. Today was interesting though, we left our mission. We went into the Houston mission today to teach a referral that we got from a senior couple, it was a really good lesson and she is really nice, Susie Perez and her son Luis, both awesome, they live on the street called Kickapoo hahaha, what a name for a street huh? On the way back to Lufkin, I had to go to the bathroom so bad, to the point where seconds later we were pulled over and I was out in the middle of the woods peeing, thats how bad. We went to the church to pick up dinner and it was... churches chicken! first time having it! and probably the last time, I felt sick immediately after. We visited Ismael Guerrero again and watched the restoration video. We then realized we left our phone at the English elders apartment, so we went there and waited for them to get back, little did we know that they had our phone and were waiting for us to get back, at our apartment, we both waited about 40 minutes and were thinking the same thing... that the other was at the others apartment and we didn't want to leave cause then we would cross paths, we needed our phone too. Finally they gave in and came back and gave us our phone. Not happy!!! I laid in bed tonight thinking about Shawn and his call, I had a dream that my mission president invited Josh, Shawn and my brother to one of our meetings/trainings and I asked Shawn where he was going and he said "Jackson, Mississippi" and that Austin, my brother got his to Germany. Weird!

 

SABADO - Elder Porter and Elder Walker came down to do the interview for Alfonso, he passed!!! we have a baptism for the 11th! We visited some less actives today before meeting Meme at Walgreens where he gave us 20 bucks each for dinner... totally dont need that much!! Members are ridicoulously nice to missionaries. So we went to a new place we wanted to try, very small called "Rays" it was really good, I wish blue bell ice cream was in utah, best in the world!!!!!!!!!!!! 

 

DOMINGO - Fast sunday and I was actually not tired as can be today, Alfonso had an emergency today and our other date didnt even show! no investigators today, I blessed the sacrament today and said the opening prayer. I was asked after the meeting to be the narrator for the christmas program because of my accent. I was very happy to hear that and accepted. Elder Drake got asked to be Santa Claus. We went to dinner after church and had spagetti, ate a lot, Meme shared a song with us that we loved we wrote it down and I might just sing it come time to call home so be ready for that! ;) Its in spanish so you probably wont understand anything but its hilarious if you speak spanish!!! We visited alfonsos and he wasnt there... not good! We then went to the Bueses to watch the christmas devotional, what a great devotional, I hope we all remember the real meaning of christmas this year. We had Blue Bell ice cream after, so amazing and headed out. Another amazing week in the field, shout out to Shawn for getting his call, so proud of you man, I love you all and have a good week!

Love

Elder Aaron Jackson