I have reached a point where I didn´t think would come!

Wow, what a great end to another transfer. This week was truely amazing, we had so many great things happen. So many highlights and so many new investigators. Allow me now to share these great moments.

So at the beginning of the week, we had a great activity with the ward. It was an amazing day and we had a lot of great moments. I have some pictures from the activity as well that I will post later in the email. The activity was also great because we had a lot of new visitors at the activity as well. As well as I, that young man that I talked about last week, came as well. He loved it a lot and he is starting to progress a lot. It all turned out really well in the end, there was food, games, messages, dancing. It was all super great.

So another great highlight is that I again, came to church yesterday. He is loving it a lot and we were able to give him a Book of Mormon as well, and we will talk to him this week about baptism and help him be prepared for that. He is liking everything so far so it will be super legit this next week to teach him.

So another thing that happened was transfers. The day has finally come that Elder Reynolds and I end our companionship. He was transferred to another area to train. He´s still in the Zone at least. So I´ll see him during the week. But he was awesome, I am going to miss him a lot. But my new companion is super legit! His name is Elder Poyfair, he´s from Arkansas. He only has 7 months in the mission but is super legit. He is super excited to get out and work this next transfer.

Well, that´s all for this week. Hope that all of you are doing super well and are having many great things happen in your lives. Love you all. Continue every day with Samba in your steps and keep a very very very very very very sunnyshine spirit everywhere you go! Until next week everyone! Falou!

Elder Jacklin

Photos from the activity!

Miracles are falling this Week!!!

What is up everyone, it has been another fantastic week! Full of epic experiences and fantastic moments.

So to start off the week, we had a family night with one of our less actives and her two kids who are not members. We did a message about the Attributes of Christ and she seemed to like it a lot. We were also able to get our Relief Society President to come and help out with it as well, so she was able to get to know this less active. We were able to leave a good spot of the spirit on that family that day. Her kids love us a lot and are really excited about the church. We will start to talk about Baptism in the Church this week and try to get a date set. We were also able to talk to her family who lives in the United States by phone and her brother in law is the missionary who baptized her and her sister, so everything looks like it is going well.

We also had a sweet miracle as well. We had an investigator fall from heaven this week. Literally! We passed him while he was on his roof working and he slipped and fell right in front of us. Cool right! I am completely joking! That didn´t happen. But it was still a big surprise. One of my companions recent converts in the area, was able to get a friend of his to come to church, and we were able to talk with his friend, his name is Igor. He´s super legit and likes the church a lot. We are really excited to teach him this week.

Well, that´s all that happened this week. We were able to do some other things with members and others as well, so that was cool. The work is going really well here. That´s all I have for the week. Today there will be another message posted on my Facebook page. So you can all go there and check that out there, and I´ve got a few photos from the week, so I´ll post those as well. I love you all. Have a fantastic week. Keep on going with a firm and bright Spirit in your souls! Remember if you have trials, always remember that the Lord loves you and that He will always know your pains and afflictions! Until next week! Tchau!!!

Elder Jacklin

Meus Amigos! Como vai!

Man, eu sento muito bem! Esta semana foi super bom, nos tivemos muitas coisas acontecer! Foi uma boa semana para encontrar muitos novos pesquisadores, e ajudar muitas pessoas!

Então para começar, espera... HRGRHFH... Okay so the first thing that happened this week. We were able to visit a less active this week that we are trying to reactivate. She has two children who haven´t been baptized yet so we are trying to work with them. The Advent Church is been getting on our backs a little, and that has been totally boggling us up. We´ve been having some struggles with her but we have planned a family night this week with her and our Relief Society President, we will also try and invite the Bishop as well so we can help the Leadership here get to know the church.

We were able to find a new person this week. His name is Teo and he really likes to hear messages that we have. We scheduled with him for Saturday, but he took his family to the beach so we had to reschedule for another day this week. But he is super legit and is a very open person so we have a lot of hope that we can help him progress.

So another thing that happened this week was, we had an irritating experience with a Grandma of one of our investigators. Our investigator is the mom of a recent convert who wants us to teach her. But the Grandma doesn´t like us very much, so when we were waiting outside of his house, his Grandma showed up and expulsed us from his house, so we had to reschedule that visit as well for this Tuesday.

Well that´s all for the week. Hope you all have a super TROPICAL week with a very very very very very very very SUNNY spirit in the air and have a party of SAMBA in every step that you all take. Love all of you! Falou Família!

Elder Jacklin

Work is in Full Function again!!!

What is happening guys the week was a super extatic week full of many great miracles and top lessons and a whole lot of super service! If that didn´t make a lot of sense, that´s too bad!

This week was great I was able to finally get on my feet and walking. The pain has past and the work has started, it´s started slow, but it is only going to get better! To start off the week we had a great time talking with new people. Lot´s of; oh I already go to the true church or no I don´t want anything, I am busy doing nothing to I would love to hear more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! We had a great time and the best part of finding new people is we were going to visit an old investigator that Elder Reynolds had found a couple of transfers back. But the guy moved, bummer right! But what was awesome is we found an old member of the church that lived there and she was wanting to come back to the church. I also remember sharing one of my favorite messages from Conference with her and her kids who haven´t been baptized yet, at the time I had forgotten who it was that said this saying, but thanks to a great friend. I had found out that it was Sister Eubanks. She said something about how to explain Christ. How Christ heals wounds, Christ is rest, Christ is light to see, Christ is wool made white. She really liked what I said. She asked me if I made that up myself, but I said it was from General Conference, just that I had forgotten who said it, so I said it was one of the apostles. My bad on Sister Eubank´s part. But this woman and her 2 children loved it.

We weren´t able to make many new investigators this week, but we did a lot of service for the members this week. We helped a really great member move this week. We also helped with her Sister´s rebaptism into the church, so that was awesome. I had a really good feeling this week, and I invite that all of you can take some time to do a little bit of service in your day to day schedule. The feeling of doing good to your neighbor is amazing and your spirit really grows from it. We also were able to give many blessings to many of the members in the ward. It was also a great spiritual experience as well.

Another highlight of the week! Shoutout to my uncle Bryce and new aunt Christy on their wedding! It was great to see you guys this week and talk with you! I hope that your lives are full of happiness, love, and never ending spirit!

I thought I would leave my message off with something that my cousin does but with a Brazilian twist.

Love you all, continue on your days with a bit of samba in your steps. Keep up with your tropical and never never never never never never x1000 ending sunshine spirits! Have a fantastic and very top week! Tchau tchau tudo mundo! Até o próximo! Valeu!

Elder Jacklin

P.S.- Camera is still a little wonky but I should be getting those photos up by next week!

I´m Back in the Action!

Hello everyone it has been a relaxed week for me, because of the foot and all, but as you can see from the title, I am ready to get back up and get working. I would like to share the highlights for the week, but I don´t have any, because I was at home all week. But it was a great time to ´´relax`` and study. But as all know, conference was yesterday and that was a wonderful time, so I thought I would share 3 experiences that I had in General Conference that stood out to me the most. So here they are!

#1- The first one I liked was from Brother David Homer. I loved how he talked about how we can dissern the words of the Holy Ghost in our lives and the quote that I loved the most was; The Spirit talks to different people, in different ways. And it can speak to the same person in many different ways. After hearing that it helped me to pay more attention to the way I feel at different times and to try and understand what ways the Spirit speaks to me. It helped me really find how the Spirit talks to me through my feelings.

#2- This one goes to Elder Uchtdorf. I loved it on how it talked about Missionary Work as Missionaries and as Members. I loved especially those 5 Guilt Free things to preach the Gospel.

1. Draw Close to God

2. Fill your heart with love for others.

3. Strive to walk the path of Discipleship

4. Share what is in your heart.

5. Trust the Lord to Work His Miracles.

That last one I love especially because it helped me to be more pacient in my work and in times of difficulty. These 5 things have really given me a determination to work a lot harder, especially because I only have 6 months left. I will try to make the best of it in everything.

#3- This one was from President Nelson. I loved about how he talked about our Eternal Covenants and of our Families. The spirit hit me a lot when he talked about his experience with his daughter just before she passed away. But his talk really helped me strengthen my thoughts of my family and my gratitude for them. It helped me learn more about what I need to do and teach especially when I have a family of my own. That I need to sacrifice as much time as I can to study the Gospel in my life and use it in my families. Because the phrase that really hit me in his talk was Exaltation is a Family Experience.

I hope that conference was an edifying experience for you all as much as it was for me. I hope you all have a great week and I will have loads of stuff to tell for the next week. I´m sorry about no photos because my cameras card is being a little wonky on the computer.

Love you all!

Elder Jacklin

Transfers have come, and Prosind is where I stay.

What is happening everyone, it has been one fantastic transfer here in Prosind and it looks like I have been blessed to stay 5 more weeks with my awesome companion Elder Reynolds. Not much really happened this transfer. Not very many people moved this transfer. The Elders that live with us Elder Reis and Grajeda are still here as well. So we are still going great together.

This week was a little low. I had to go to the Hospital this week to do checks on my foot. I have to take it easy for a couple of weeks because of a surgery I will do on my foot this Thursday so it made our work this week a little low.

We were able to talk a little more with S and his dad this week. They didn´t come to church again, so that is starting to worry us.

The good news is, is that today or tomorrow we should know about what we need for the wedding and the baptism of the Venezuelans so that is a good note.

But that is about all for this week. Love you all and have a great week. Mine is going to be super boring.

Elder Jacklin

What is happening everyone!!!

This week was a good week. Allow me to shed a few of the highlights of it.

So first highlight we were able to witness another great miracle. The Venezuelans will be able to stay for longer! So we have started immediately with a member that we trust to start on their papers for their wedding and we will get the baptism going in probably the next few weeks.

So this week I was able to do divisions with one of my old companions Elder Saldanha, he was my companion back in Manaíra that was forever ago. But anyways we did a lot of work together. We were able to find a lot of people. Some who we just happened to catch who didn´t really want anything. Others like a youth named Samuel who are really interested in the Gospel, as well as his family. They are looking for a new religion because the one they were going to didn´t make much sense to them. So we have been teaching them and it´s been great.

One other quick highlight is that my camera finally came so I will be sending lots of pictures this email.

Another thing that happened this week is, is that I got sick. Which sucks when you are in the mission field. Especially when the air is humid, but I am feeling better now so that´s good.

But that about wraps everything up. Hope all of you are doing great and have a fantastic week!

Elder Jacklin

What a week! A week of Grand Miracles.

Hey you guys what is up, it has been another fantastic week with many ups and downs. Many moments of depression that have been replaced with moments of indescribable joy and happiness. Many witnesses that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ lives and loves each and everyone of us! So if you can´t tell by all of that, something happened this week that was very special. It has been one of and probably the biggest spiritual moment I have ever felt in my life here in the mission. Allow me to share of what happened.

So the first of the week not much happened. We were up in the house a lot because my companion and I both had problems with health this week. Me with my foot and him with his...uh... I actually don´t know what his problem was. Something with his stomach or something like that. But anyways that was the first couple of days.

Then what happened next was one of the hardest moments of my mission, but I will have to say it is the moment that strengthened my testimony to a level that I have never before felt in my life.

So you all remember the Venezuelans that I have been talking about for the past few weeks. Nothing bad has happened with them first of all. But, my goodness. So we have been preparing them to be married and complications happened. We received a notice this past week that a marriage takes 30 days to 3 months to plan. But we have been having a member that has been telling us that we can do it within a week. So he was all talk but he didn´t actually know what he was talking about and it wasn´t until our Bishop told us the real news of what was going to happen. You might ask why is that such a bad thing. It´s because the Venezuelans will be leaving next week and we don´t know where they will go. That day when we heard that was a moment of Spiritual Crushing. I have never felt so let down about anything in my entire life. Like the life in me just fell away. You don´t know the depression that I felt at that moment. Only one person in this world will ever know what I felt. It was a horrible day.

But you probably are wondering why I am telling you all of this stuff. Normally missionaries should focus on the happiness of things in their mission. Well now we will move onto the next part.

I remember that night just feeling horrible about what had happened. I remember I sat in the same spot for almost 3 hours just feeling terrible. But in that moment something happened. When I was just about to say that the day had been a complete waste, that all of our effort was for nothing these past few weeks. Just before I was about to say that the whole thing was a waste of time. Before waste left my mouth, our cellphone rang. Just out of random a member had called us.

When I answered, I could hear a happy, startled voice on the phone. A member came screaming in my ear through the phone, that a girl in the ward. Who´s name is T. After 3 years of frequently attending church, going to all activities, doing everything a member would do. A true follower of Christ is what the members call her. But she had never been baptized. She had been trying and begging her mom for 3 years. 3 years of trying to convince a mom who had a hard heart to the church, who didn´t want anything to do with the church, or have her family affiliated with the church. Finally after 3 years in that same moment her mom finally gave her permission, that same day. Near that same moment.

The change of my heart. I was filled with a joy that I have never before felt in my life. It was a grand moment. A moment where I gained for myself a witness in that moment of the Power and Love of Christ, he never had left me. He came to me and my companion in our sorrows. For a few moments I couldn´t move I sat completely dazed. What in the world just happened is what passed through my mind.

At the day of the baptism, it was the most spiritual baptism I have ever attended. This wasn´t just a moment that me and my companion needed, but it was a moment that the whole Ward has been waiting for, and especially for this young girl who has been waiting for such a long time, and has finally gotten the chance that she has been hoping for from the time she entered into the church. It was a grand moment for all of us. I also know that even though the Venezuelans won´t be able to be married and baptized here, they will still be in the future. Their Testimonies are strong, and I know that they will be able to receive these things. We will help them this next week to be prepared for that moment, and who knows maybe they will be able to stay longer, and we can help them.

So that´s the week for you all. I thought as well that I would leave my Testimony just to end this email. I know that my Savior and Lord Jesus Christ lives. I have no doubt. No doubt at all of that. I know as well that this Gospel that I teach and live is His Gospel and that it can be found in His Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This is His Church. I know that for a fact. I know that Christ loves all of us and that He will never forsake any of us. I have a witness of that Love that he has for everyone of us. These things I know. I know that Miracles do exist. I have lived a grand Miracle this week. I know that all of these things are true, and I close this Testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

I love all of you guys, and I hope that you all have a fantastic week. Até o próximo! Tchau tchau!

Elder Jacklin

Photos from the baptism of T.

Meus Amados o que esta acontecendo!!!

What is up everyone! Another week and another month have gone by! My goodness where did February go? It was a wonderful week. Allow me to shed a few of the highlights this week.

So to start off. We had a wonderful time with our Venezuelan group this week. It has also grown by two families, which is awesome. They are such great people and seeing the Gospel touch their lives is so amazing to see, it just makes me so grateful that I got the chance to meet these wonderful people and teach them. The only problem is, is that the member that is helping us marry them isn´t being very helpful right now, so that is starting to worry us a little bit. But we will get it done before they have to leave.

Just another thing that happened this week. I was finally able to find a place that has a camera. Finally after almost a year I can start taking my own pictures again. It will be great to finally have something that works! But yeah that means next week there should be lots of pictures coming in, so be excited for that!

Well that´s about it for this week. We couldn´t leave very much because I will be having surgery on my foot this next week. So I can´t do much with my foot. But it was still a good week. But that´s all for this week. Love you all and hope all of you have a fantastic week. Keep it Scrill everyone!!! Falou!

Elder Jacklin

What is up my family!

Well this week was a fantastic week! Allow me to share some of the highlights!

So this week we were finally able to get all the documents for these Venezuelans here for their marriage. They are all really excited not just to be married but to be able to have the opportunity to be baptized. They are such great people and have such great hearts and testimonies.

This week we had a lot of referrals come in by the members. We unfortunately don´t have a phone to call them because our phone is broken. But we are going to have a working phone this week, so it should be good.

Well I am sorry that these are getting shorter. It´s that old Missionary almost going home syndrome working on me. Because I only have 7 more months! But my message today is on LDS.org you can go there it is a special video called Lessons I learned as a young boy by Gordon B Hinkley. It has a special message that talks a little about charity. But that´s all for the week! I hope you all are doing well. I love you all. And have a good week!

Elder Jacklin

This is the picture he sent me today when he was trying to call home on Facebook and his technology challenged parents were unaware.  Thankfully we figured it out and got to connect for a bit:).

Elder Jacklin and Elder Reynolds

What is up my people!

This week was fantastic allow me to tell you all what happened!

So the first thing that happened was is that we received a TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNN of referrals from members this week. We didn´t get to visit many of them but they are all great!

So we have been teaching some Venezuelans this week. That has been an interesting experience. I am amazed at how well I can understand Spanish now. Portuguese is the best Latin language ever. But these Venezuelans are progressing a lot and we are getting ready to baptize 8 of them! After we get them all married! So this transfer is going to be super lit!

This week we were able to find a less active that found us actually in the road. He was baptized 10 years ago, and he was wanting to come back to the church. He is a super legit guy and also a model! He is going to invite us this next P-Day to do some stuff with him so it will be awesome.

But that pretty much wraps everything up here. That´s all everyone, have a fantastic week. Eu amo todos de vocês! Valeu!

My new companion.

Mais uma transferência! Só tenho mais 5!

What is going on family! Things are going absolutely fantastic here in Prosind!!! Yep if you guys 
can´t tell, I got transferred, and I won´t be training anymore. But my new companion is the man! His name is Elder Reynolds he is super legit. It´s been only a couple of hours but we are already really good friends and I think that we are going to have an awesome transfer together!

So we didn´t have much happen last week in Altiplano. It was a hard week last week, we had a lot of problems that shouldn´t have happened. I have never had such a hard time in my mission. It was very hard to train my last companion. He was a little cocky in what he did, and last week we had some consequences because of this. It was a very difficult but very humbiling experience to train him. I was able to gain a lot from that experience, even if it didn´t end in the best way.

I really don´t have very much to talk about besides this. I know that this next transfer will be 100 times better than the last. It was a very hard experience for me the last one, but because of it I know that the rest of the mission will be blessed.

There will be times in our lives when we suffer many great afflictions of stress, of anger, of doubt, and of sorrow. But in those times we can always remember that when we endure through them with patience and humility trusting in the Lord that things will get better. THEY WILL GET BETTER. We should know and remember that the Lord will always love us, and will never forsake us. My little testimony that I leave with you at this moment, is that the Lord loves all of us, we may not at times think it, but it is always there. No matter what happens the Lord will overshadow us with blessings of love and protection when we endure our trials peacefully and with faith in him. That´s all for this week. I love you all. Have a fantastic week and Happy Valentine´s Day in America and Wherever, not here though because it´s in July!

Elder Jacklin

This email might look a little different.