Week 1: WE ARE AT WAR

June 27, 2015


HOLA A TODOS!! :D Excuse my writing skills and my English. I have been speaking all week in Spanish, and I'm to the point that my head thinks in Spanish but my words come out in everything but that. If you know me well, you understand what I'm talking about! I always confuse my words, so my district gets a kick out of that. ;)

Well, two things have been on my mind today! FIRST, I can't seem to grasp the fact that I'm writing my first email home while being on my mission!! It is sooooo insane! Second, four years ago from today, my family and I set out on our adventure to Mexico. That move was what started in me my love for Spanish! And who would've thought that 4 years from then I would be sitting here in the MTC speaking Spanish?! Que increible ha estado para mi!

Now to the good stuff. I have had the most chaotic and busy and hectic and stressful and wonderful week of my life while being here at the MTC. My companion is Hermana Nambo (Yes, she is the one who I knew before from Facebook, so when we saw each other, we were pretty excited. ;)) We work absolutely fantastic together!! Not once have we had any problems. I already love her so much. I have begged her to correct me on any Spanish since it's her first language, and she has agreed to do so. She is such an inspiration to me! 

So, Hermana Nambo and I, the second night here, were assigned to be Sister Training Leaders. STL's are like Zone leaders, but for the Sisters. I was very overwhelmed because everyone here speaks Spanish much better than I do because most of them have grown up speaking it. But, I know that the Lord has blessed me so much with the Language. I find myself speaking to myself in Spanish! It's fantastic. :) So, Hermana Nambo and I have been in more meetings than I can count, we have conducted personal interviews with the sisters, we have organized relief society with the help of the previous STL's, and this Wednesday, it is our privilege to welcome the new sisters and elders coming in, along with the zone leaders. We give the orientation spill and then give them a tour of campus. It sure has helped the past 6 days here flyyyyy by! ;) 

I wish I could write in detail all that has happened while being here! But, sadly, my time does not permit. I have had many spiritual experiences while being here already! One, after Hermana Nambo and I had officially been called as STL's, I've had the opportunity to love, serve, and get to know all of the hermanas within our zone. But, my favorite part has been praying with and for them. Prayer is such a powerful thing. Not only do I have a testimony of the power of prayer, but I am fully converted because of the power of prayer. It has been such a big influence in my life. Anyways, last night, one of the hermanas in my room was having a really rough time. Homesickness. So Hermana Nambo and I sat down and began talking to her. I felt prompted to share a scripture from D&C where the Lord is talking to his servants, telling them to go and serve because He will protect their families. Then, we said a prayer. I offered to say the prayer, but since my Spanish is still iffy, I offered one in English. I can honestly say that I have no idea what I said. I truly took to heart the scripture that promises that the Holy Ghost will put into our mouths the words we should say. I sit and I waited for the Spirit to tell me what to say. As I did, the words that came out of my mouth were personal words that they needed to hear about their family. I could feel God's love and their families' love for them through that prayer. It was such a powerful experience!

Also, we had the opportunity of going to the temple today! Such a beautiful temple! After the session, while sitting reading the scriptures, I had questions in my mind, and I was searching for the answers. I opened to D&C 8, and as I read that section, I felt like it helped me a lot. THEN, as I was sitting reading, the corner of my page lifted. All of a sudden, the page turned. Only one single page. It flipped over to D&C 9, where I read from verse 8 or 9 to the end. Such powerful scriptures for a missionary! I'm "not sure how" the page turned, but I know that Heavenly Father wanted me to read those scriptures.

Now to the subject line! WE ARE AT WAR. Brother Stephen Allen came and talked to us last night, and one thing he said was, "By coming on your mission, you automatically made yourself Satan's greatest enemy. WE ARE AT WAR. You are at war with Satan! But, you are apart of the Lord's army--a soldier in the Lord's army! What better army to be apart of than our Lord Jesus Christ's?" We really are at war! Satan does not love us; he does not want us to succeed! And he will fight until he has nothing else to give. AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT WE HAVE TO DO. We must fight until we have nothing to give! But, unlike Satan and his army, we have our Savior Jesus Christ and His atonement on our side! There is no way that Satan can win! So as soldiers in Christ's army, we must fight with all of our heart might mind and strength! :)

This MTC stay really has been kind of a blur.. But it's going so well! :) I challenge all of you to follow the counsel of Elder Bednar when he said that Christ never looked inward. He always looked outward in love, service, and compassion. The natural man in each of us looks inward and is selfish, self-centered, and self-absorbed. I challenge all to study the true character of Christ and to try to be more like Him! Learn OF His atonement, not just about it. He is our Savior and is waiting for us with open arms!!

I love you all so much. Thank you for the support! I know that Jesus is the Christ. He loves us. He performed a perfect atonement for each of us. If we act in faith, He will lead us and answer any questions that we may have. Pray. Serve. Look outward and forget yourself. Because the only way to find yourself is to lose yourself in His service so that HE might show you who you should really be. Then, and ONLY THEN, will you ever reach your full potential and become the person HE wants YOU to be. :)

I love you all! Y que todos tengan una buena semana! I apologize if my letters get harder to understand as my mission continues. I have a hard time speaking in english now..;) You should all see my journals.. it goes from English to Spanish, and back to English... ;)

Pues, nos vemos en un rato. :) Love you all!

Sinceramente y con amor, 

Hermana Jackson:)

July 17, 2015: Thoughts Before the Mission

¡Hola a todos! My name is Hermana Allison Jackson, and I've been called to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Nicaragua Managua South Mission. :) I opened my call on March 7, 2015, and I will report to the Provo MTC on July 22, 2015. I am so excited to serve my brothers and sisters in Nicaragua. :) I had the opportunity of living in Querétaro, México with my family when I was a sophomore and a junior in high school, so when I read that I was going some place that was Spanish-speaking, I honestly cried. I love the Spanish language, and I know that God has allowed me to have so much exposure to it. My mom, Angie Jackson, will be managing this blog as I am in Nicaragua. But, if anyone wants to talk to me, you can reach me and allison.jackson@myldsmail.net! I would love to hear from all of you! :)

 

So, as most soon-to-be missionaries do, I want to bare my testimony to all those who happen to read this post. And, it won't be anything fancy because I know that my words cannot even begin to explain the love I have for this Gospel, for my Savior Jesus Christ, and for my loving Heavenly Father; but, I will try my best to express myself adequately. I KNOW that God lives. Let me repeat myself. I know, without any doubt, that our Father in Heaven lives, and He loves us. Unconditionally. He loves us so much that He sent down His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to perform a perfect, eternal, atoning sacrifice. Jesus Christ, our Lord, Savior, and Elder Brother, paid the penalty for all of our sins. He loved us that much that He willing sacrificed His entire life for us. He saw each of our faces as He knelt in the Garden of Gethsemane; but, not only did He see each of our faces, He personally felt each and every one of our afflictions, infirmities, pains, weaknesses, and guilt. And, because He felt each of our own personal sufferings, He understands. He knows how to succor us, to comfort us, and to love us when we can't seem to muster enough of our own love to love ourselves. Both Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ want nothing more than for us--all of us--to return to their presence to live with them and partake of the wonderful blessing of eternal life. I know that God is merciful. I know that God knows that we each make mistakes, yet He loves us enough to forgive us if we accept, and have faith in, Christ and His Atonement, sincerely repent, are baptized, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and do all that we can to endure to the end. God will not leave us. We are His children, and He is our loving Heavenly Father. 

 

I know that Joseph Smith is the Prophet of the Restoration. I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Him as two separate beings, later calling Joseph to be a prophet. I know that God answers prayers, and not only because Joseph Smith prayed and receive a personal answer, but because I, too, have sincerely prayed and received answers to my prayers. I know that Heavenly Father takes the time to listen to every single prayer uttered by His children. He knows each and every one of us, and He has a plan for each individual here on earth. A year and a half before I could even serve a mission, all the way up to this very second, I have had multiple medical issues that have made me doubt my ability to serve a mission. BUT, I knew that without God, I am nothing. I had to trust in His plan for me. So, after many nights on my knees, pleading to know if I was on the path that He wanted me to walk, I received my answer. Heavenly Father wanted me to serve a mission. I know that He knew my desires to serve, and "if ye have desires to serve God, ye are called to the work". I am not serving a mission because my parents or priesthood leaders wanted me to. I am not serving a mission because all of my friends were, or because I wanted to experience something new, or because it was the "cool thing" to do. I, Allie Jackson, personally decided to serve a mission because I love my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, I love this Gospel, and I want nothing more than for others to experience the same joy that the Gospel brings me. I know that it will be one of the most difficult, most trying, and most demanding experiences of my life. And, I also know that without Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, I could not do it. I could not leave my family for 18 months if I didn't know that this church was Christ's true church. I simply could not do it. But I am, because in my weaknesses is Christ's glory able to rest upon me. I know that I alone am not capable of completing the tasks that the Lord has prepared for me unless I lean on my Savior Jesus Christ. I have weaknesses; the Lord gave them to me so I may be humble and have faith in Him, allowing Him to make my weaknesses strong. I am not serving a mission for myself, but for Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and my brothers and sisters whom God will put in my path to teach the everlasting Gospel. I know this Gospel is true. I know that it has the power to change lives if we humble ourselves before the Lord and willingly submit to His will. He loves us and wants nothing more than for each of us to reach our divine potential.

 

I know that Thomas S. Monson is the Lord’s living prophet on the earth today. He receives revelations from God, and with that revelation, He guides this church. I know that the priesthood has been restored to this earth once again. It is the power of God given to man to act in His name. It is powerful. It is real. I know that the blessings of the temple are far more precious than anything this earth can offer. I know that “God helps those who help themselves”. If we do all that we can to strive to live up to the standards of the Gospel, Heavenly Father will bless us. Again, He loves us. We are His children. He cares about us. He has a plan for me, for you. Don’t give up. Don’t lose faith. Don’t lose hope. Don’t lose sight of what’s really important. Christ is our support. If we lean on Him and apply His perfect Atonement in our lives, we can do all things the Lord sees fit for us to do. As I said before, my words are incapable of explaining my true feelings, but if there is anything I would want anybody to take away from my testimony, it is this. I plead with you, always remember, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love you and know you. I say these things, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

 

 

“The Lord shapes the back to bear the burden placed upon it”. –Thomas S. Monson