FELIZ NAVIDAD!

Aw, it was so good to see you guys too(: it just made me super happy!! Everyone is just so grown up it just blows me away(: I’m glad that I was able to see both of my grandma’s though, thanks for inviting them. I really just love them (:

Today we were going to see the Amazon River with Marbella but now apparently we are doing an activity with the 2 zones here in Pucallpa in the stake center. Not sure what we are doing yet though!

This week we saw so many tender mercies from the Lord(: We stopped visiting all the people who just weren’t progressing and started to focus on finding new people who were ready to follow the Lord. I learned a ton about diligence this week. If we really are focused on our goals and pray to have help in achieving them and then go out and WORK for them, we will find that the Lord has already prepared the way to achieve them. God is the best and only desires to help us be better and do greater things. But I just have come to love that phrase(: THE LORD PROVIDES A WAY!

Tuesday we taught a new lady named Karina. At first she only wanted us to come in the morning because she is the only one home then, it was like a little test she was giving us because after we passed her test she told us that we could come and teach her family in the night haha. She’s super cool though. We taught her the first lesson about the Restoration and she was shocked when we testified that there was a living prophet today! We invited her to pray to know if it’s true and I’m excited to go back and visit her! 

This week for Christmas we had a bunch of fun activities. Thursday the ZL called us in the morning saying that we had a meeting with the Pres of the stake and that everyone needed to be there at 12 noon. Well we got there at 12 and ended up waiting a whole hour, and everyone was just like what in the world? What is the pres even doing. So finally they told us that everyone needed to go upstairs, and when we went into the sacrament room they opened the doors to the rec part and the pres had made a Christmas dinner for all of the missionaries in Pucallpa with him and his family and his counselors(: it was the cutest thing ever. The whole gym was all decorated and there was Christmas music and everything and they even had mashed potatoes! Made me happy cause it’s been awhile haha

Thursday and Saturday night we spent the night singing our hearts out in the main park here in Pucallpa. After singing on Saturday we came back and ate dinner with the family Panduro. Then we got to stay up to watch the fireworks at 12 midnight. Probably the coolest thing I’ve seen here. Literally the whole sky in every direction you looked was filled with fireworks.

Thanks for all the holiday wishes!! Hope you have a happy new year as well!! 2017.. can’t even believe that’s real haha

Love you!

Hermana Jackson

Singing in the park.

At the Christmas party

Hey guys(: this week was good! We realized that all the people that we have are super chill but they just aren’t ready to accept the gospel because none of them have come to church this whole change. Its super heart breaking because they listen to us intently but they just don’t put into practice what they HEAR and FEEL. This morning I was studying a lot about prophets and their special calling that they have as a guide for Gods children. How, in the same way that our investigators sometimes don’t put into practice what we invite and share, we as members don’t put into practice what revelation the prophet has revealed to us. It’s for our happiness and it’s the simplest and humblest way to follow God, feel His love, and be a happy family.

On Monday we had a pretty cool FHE with a less active family and the family Panduro. We taught the plan of salvation and gave scriptures to everyone so that they could help us explain each stage and participate as well. In the end they had some pretty deep questions so it was good to help them understand more about this perfect plan that gives us direction about our purpose.

Something super cool is that last night we were contacting a bunch of people on the street, and after following and talking to a couple who weren’t very interested, we stopped to look at our agendas to figure out who to go to and teach. Well someone called us from behind, we turned around and there was a lady sitting on her porch with a guy we thought was her hubby. We went up and talked to them and found out that she is a member that hasn’t been attending in a long time because she is from Moyo! She recently moved here to be with her boyfriend. She wanted to ask us where the church was so she could start to attend again! She seems super cool cause she was baptized 3 years ago and always went with the missionaries to visit people. But now we are going to start visiting her boyfriend because he’s not a member but he’s super interested in learning(: love tender mercies!

Changes are the day after Christmas... IDK I feel like I’m gonna get changed. When pres was here he was like “wooow you’ve been here for a while we should change ya” and I was like “noooo pres noooo” haha so IDK we will see(:

So glad Dad had a good birthday, I was thinking about him all day yesterday. Well I can’t wait to see you guys!!!

Love you,

Hermana Jackson

Heading out to email today.  Hna Vera might not look happy but she's ok :)

It was Chileno's bday(: he’s a cute little guy but he's pulling a funny face here. We visited him for a little bit to eat some cake(; and of course to wish him a happy bday. We gave him a little remote control car that we bought at the tienda for 10 soles haha.

Hey everyone! So training is going good(: I like it because it is making me a lot better at teaching and understanding the gospel! My daughter is super sweet and it’s a really humbling experience training.. It shows you all of your weaknesses and I’m really learning a lot.  It’s also kind of hard because I need to be a good example to her, but sometimes I feel like I’m still just learning myself, so I’m just trying to be really repentant of the things that I don’t do so good and trying harder to do them better, IDK it can just be hard sometimes haha. but hey THREE MORE MONTHS(: I got this!!

So here in Pucallpa it’s a pretty big city. All of the men either work in construction or drive motokars. And all the ladies sell food or clothes or makeup. Except my pensionista! She sells these super fancy pots that cost like 3000 soles hahaha IDK its nuts. But Pucallpa is basically all dirt. They aren’t very modern at all even though they have 2 malls. But hardly anyone buys their stuff there because they are just used to going to the Mercado and buying all their food, all day every day. Also it seems like all the women do here is cook their rice and pollo and beans I swear haha.

Things are going pretty good here though. I really like my area but the ward is struggling big time. There’s hardly any assistencia (attendance) so it doesn’t even count as a ward, and none of our investigators are coming... ugh , we’ve just got to find new people I guess! Transfers will be coming soon so we will see if I actually stay in this area.

Guess what, Snyder finishes her mish and goes home this week!!  I just love her, she was there during probably the hardest months of my mish when I was just starting out and trying to understand everything.  I don’t know what I would have done if she wasn’t in my first area.  She was always right by my side, encouraging me to keep going and reminding me how lucky we were to be in the middle of the Peruvian jungle. Haha

Well I can’t wait to see and talk to you in 2 weeks!! And I hope you have the best bday ever Dad (:(: imagine me giving you a really big hug for your 30th bday... (;(: love you!

Enjoy the pictures (:

Love,

Hermana Jackson

Started pouring rain while we were doing a service project.

Everyone at the FHE

Zone practicing "Rocking around the Christmas Tree"

Hna Velazquez came to stay with Hna Vera and I while Fink is in Iquitos

My snowman lights - part of my Christmas decorations (:

Got my tree and decorations up !

The gator head they gave me for my birthday in November. 

It was so big that I had to just take a picture of it and have them keep it. (: