Hello,
I am going to tell you a tale of how Heavenly Father has been helping me in obtaining my visa. Let me start with a preface. If I do not turn in: 3 birth certificates with apostilles (obtained through leutenant governer's office), police letter of good conduct with apostille, passport, 2 copies of passport, and 3 passport style photos, by the 23rd of June then my MTC date will be postponed for 6 weeks or I may be reassigned. Not good options. Anyway, I have been praying really hard that the Lord would provide me a way to get my visa on time. I got everything but my police letter so last wednesday I went to the alpine police department and filled out a form. They told me it would be done by yesterday. I went down there, they told me that it would be done by THURSDAY! I was slightly/moderately infuriated. So I called my Dad, who always knows what to do, he called his friend Keith who is a sheriff, who then called the county records office and got me the hook-up. I then drove from alpine to spanish fork and got the letter. I then drove from spanish fork to the capitol building in Salt Lake to get the apostilles. After getting lost several times, eating a lot of mike and ikes, I made it. It was such a testimony to me that God truly does look out for his children.
Only 36 days until I enter the long awaited "Empty Sea" (MTC). It has been so great to see all of my friends go out into the mission field. Tuesday's and Wednesday's are always my favorite because that is when all of my friends e-mail home and I get to read all about their experiences. My roommate Jason just got his call last friday to Sao Paolo, Brazil. It's so great that my friends are all devoted to the gospel and they are willing to give up 2 years of their life to serve God and bring his children to find the joy that I experience every day.
In 3 days I will be living at home which will give me a bit more time to focus on studying as well as getting everything in order for my departure. I just have to push through finals..... Death.
Your brother in Christ,
Elder Kyle Braden Jacobson
Hurrah for Israel!
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2009-07-30
ReplyDeleteHello Everyone outside.
I have entered the compound we like to call the MTC. I am now going to tell you about my first week and the many things that came along with it. So after I said goodbyes, the host missionary took me to my apartment where I commenced to drop off my luggage. I then met one of my roommates, Elder Bowns. He is a band guy.... nothing else is necessary for description. Ho ho ho. Just joking, he's an awesome elder. (We are not allowed to say 'guys' or 'dude', hard stuff) anyway, we sat around in the apt/dorm/prison cell for about 15 to 20 min waiting for his companion Elder Phelps. Satan is working very hard on him. We are trying very hard to help him out in any way we can. Then my companion came around a half hour after that. Elder Tavoian (Tuh, voy an) he is extremely funny. He really likes the phrase "tengo gozo en mi alma" "i have sunshine (joy) in my soul" from our district's new favorite himno.
My district is awesome. The roll goes as follows:
Elder Tavoian: Hilarious, Awesome, Track star Elder Bowns: Nice, boastful, Band Geek/Teacher Elder Phelps: Nice, Outspoken, Future 3rd grade teacher Elder Nolet (No ley): Hilarious, french speaking canadian. (has to learn english and spanish at the same time) Elder Harrison: Very quiet, Hard working, strong elder.
Elder Tryon: Never laughs, sarcastic, quite funny.
Elder Anderson: Funny, philidelphia born and raised, terrible at spanish. haha, I love him.
Elder Jacobson: Hilarious, quick witted, strong willed, humble.
Elder Lamb: Alaskan
Elder Schmidt: District leader, nice guy, great guy.
That's my district for you. Very awesome.
The spirit in the MTC is stronger than anywhere besides selected church sites and the temple.
It took me a while but it hit me yesterday that I am a missionary. I am here serving the Lord and not just bringing people unto him, but changing their lives. Helping them to find purpose. I have had a lot of opportunities to teach these past few days. (days feel like weeks and weeks feel like days) I have felt the spirit very strongly in several of them, I know that when I teach with the Holy Ghost and prepare before hand, the lesson goes brilliantly. ONLY THROUGH THE HOLY GHOST. Nothing to do with me. "I will not boast of myself, but of my God", My companion is always deep in the scriptures and is an amazing example to me.
2009-07-30 Continued
ReplyDeleteMy companion and I set goals very optimistically and strive with all of our might to reach those goals. We know that if we stretch ourselves the Lord will fill the extra space inside us with the spirit. I am so grateful to be here.
In Argentina right now, the swine flu is prominent, our zone leaders have been here for 10 weeks, their visas are delayed. I hope and pray that doesn't happen to me.
Spanish is proving to be more difficult than I had anticipated, I figured it was only Spanish. When we did our "task" (we had to speak to volunteers from the community and get to know them in spanish) we were definately humbled.
Family, if you would be so kind as to send me a cd player (no headphones) and my ihome speakers I got for christmas and some triple A batteries, I will be as happy as a squirrell on national acorn day. I can feel all of your prayers with me and they have strengthened me this past week. It was a hard hard hard week and I don't anticipate it to be any easier, I am just hoping that I become stronger. I was able to go the temple today, I needed it. I love the temple. Everyone go the the temple.
I know that if we pray God does answer, it may not seem apparent at first but we need to work for an answer. God doesn't intend to give us handouts, we must learn through our trials. We are on this earth to learn and to grow, that is our purpose on this earth. I know that without God in my life I would not be here, I would not have truth in my life and I would not have the Joy that I do. I do want to hear about everyone's life and a letter here and there wouldn't be miserable. hehe. I am really grateful to be here. I wish I had three hours to tell everyone what it's like here and recount every step of my experience. Just know that without a doubt God is watching over me and all of you. Stay strong, especially through the hard times and you will be blessed without measure. I am praying for all of you all the time.
ELDER Kyle Braden Jacobson
2009-08-13
ReplyDeleteI was so greatful this week to be greeted with a package, it really lifted my spirits. Mom, you know me far too well, Toffifay, Mike and Ike's, Devil's Food Cakes!!! This week I have come back to my dorm filled with joy to sink my teeth into ________ (insert one of the above options.
To start off, I shall tell you of an interesting tid bit. My zone calls me "Archuleta" because they think I look like David, but all around I think I could beat David Archuleta in just about everything, maybe not singing. It would be close... and maybe humility.
So our zone has something called "hug lines", what are these you may be asking yourself, When a district is leaving the MTC into the field we line up along both sides of the hall and hug each person in the Zone one by one. Very touching. Then each missionary in the departing district hands down one possesion of theirs to a younger missionary. This week the "Eternal Trio" (The Delayed Zone Leaders) finally left, I was chosen by Elder Wetzel to recieve, THE BUBBLE SWORD! It was a touching moment, I took a knee and was knighted and bubbled into possesion of said bubble sword.
I also got a letter from Sister Roo! That brightened my day/week, and also a letter from Holly Vallejo, I was so excited to read those letters! Any letters from anyone brighten a missionaries day so greatly.
We got a new district today, whenever that occurs the zone crowds into the new districts classroom, we all introduce ourselves, for example I said: "Hola! Mi Nombre es Elder Hijo de Jacob, Soy de Alpine, Utah, Voy a Argentina, Resistencia!" And so on. Then We sing "Tengo gozo en mi alma" (There is sunshine in my soul) as loud as we can. You should see the looks on those elders faces...priceless. I remember when I was in their seats, I thought my zone was a bunch of immature missionaries, now I have joined them. Haha, I love my zone.
I am learning so much everyday, we teach about 3-4 lessons a day here at the MTC, or at least that's Elder Tavoian and I's goal. We get up at 6 so we can get a shower, it's been sometimes difficult but it works out. We are always trying to follow the rules with exactness.
I am very grateful for my teachers, HNO. Jimenez y HNO. Chandler. y nuestros presidencia de branch. haha. The language is dificult but at least I'm not going georgian speaking. I met a kid the other day going to Georgia (the country). A lot of flem speak. or Chinese.
There is a thing called patience that the Lord is having me work on. It's funny how God chooses your weakest points and makes you work at improving it. I am so grateful that he does. I have definately seen improvement in myself these past few weeks and I anticipate many more.
Every week we do a "task" in the TRC, this last tuesday we had a 15 minute bus ride with an "investigator", where we had to follow up on commitments, talk about family, restoration, and church, set up a return appointment in spanish. I was nervous for it, so I prayed a whole lot and practiced a lot as well. Elder Tavoian and I surprised ourselves.
I am really grateful for all of your prayers back home, I really do feel them. Today I got to go to the temple and In the celestial Room, I felt the spirit so strongly, even talking about the celestial room brings the spirit into my heart. I love being able to wipe away worries and stress while in the hallowed room. There is definately a reason why missionaries are allowed to go to the temple.
This past week the consulate of Argentina came to provo so we could pass off some requirement thing for our visas. He came and answered any questions we had about Argentina. I found out, I may even learn a bit of Guarane (sp?) the indian language, if I am assigned to misiones or fermosa. That would be interesting... I may want to learn how to speak spanish first.
2009-08-20 1 of 2
ReplyDeleteBuenos Dias Todas las personas que lee mis cartas,
I am so grateful to be here. The MTC is just awesome. The opportunity to go to the temple once a week is a blessing that I can never be grateful enough for. Also the Scriptures, I have been studying very intensely. These 4 weeks have been extremely hard. EXTREMELY. I have come to love prayer and the scriptures on a level that I never knew existed. I've been studying a lot about faith and trials, while I don't have enough time to explain quite why, just know that I have never been tried harder in my life. Some amazing scriptures= DC 121:1,7-9 and Hebrews 12:11, Mosiah 24:13-14. My companion and I teach about 3-4 lessons per day, the past three lessons we have taught have been completely in spanish. I know that when I work really hard to learn the language and pray for the gift of tongues I know that God blesses me.
We started a "progressing investigator" which is in the TEC(teaching evaluation center) What happens is we go and teach an instructor beginning to end, from door approach to baptism. Our first lesson with Eli (his name) was the best lesson I have ever had the privelage of being a part of. I have never felt so much charity for someone in my whole life, I don't even know him but I desired with every part of me to help him in his life. I felt the spirit prompting me to say things that I would have NEVER thought to teach him. Instead of teaching him the 1st lesson, I spent 15 min teaching him about prayer. He is going to pray because he is looking for an answer to his prayers, he is looking for direction with his current situation in life. When we knocked on his door he told us of why he invited us in, it was because he said he was looking for an answer and direction. When we were invited in I felt very prompted to ask him straight up and boldly according to the spirit what it was that he needed an answer for. What he was struggling with. His heart softened and he opened up, he told us his predicament and we were able to teach from there. After the lesson, I asked him about how he felt when we asked him like that, he said, "If you had worded it any different way I would have just been iritated, but the way it was worded helped me to open up," I know it was the spirit, I felt very in tune that day and I am grateful that I was doing what I was supposed to be doing in order to receive that witness.
My companion Elder Tavoian was called to be district leader this week, it has been awesome, He is a great guy and trying as hard as he can to be an example for us. Plus, I get to be one of the first people to get mail! haha.
We have been really working hard together (I have prayed a lot for charity for my companion), we are complete opposites, There are times when I get really frustrated with him, then I pray. within 10 min, I am completely fine with him and we get along great. I know that the only thing that changed was the prayer. It was nothing that I did that changed my mindset.
This past sunday I gave a talk on patience in trials in sacrament meeting, like I've stated before my branch president is very inspired, for all of those who know me well enough, patience is my weekest point in my repertoire (sp?) of Christ-like attributes. That is the exact attribute that God is refining with me. Sometimes I wonder, "why can't you test my stronger points like obedience?" then after a few seconds of thought I remind myself, "what would that accomplish?" God tests and strengthens our weakest points, I know that.
In Heb: 12: 11 it states "now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby," and in the footnot for "exercised", it says "trained, disciplined."
2009-08-20 2 of 2
ReplyDeleteThat is why we have trials so that when we are done with them, we are trained and disciplined in that attribute. I am grateful for trials because I know that after "the trial of my faith" I will be stronger than I was and as it says in Alma 17:11, we have trials so that we can be "instruments in God's hands,". That is my goal, that is all of our goals in life.
I love it here and I love all of you. I thank you all for your letters! (lisa, aaron, the fam, the ext. fam, etc). I truly feel your support.
Adios
Elder jacobson
Vive Israel!
(with 10 sec. to spare!)
2009-08-27 1 of 2
ReplyDeleteElder Richard. G. Scott.
It changed my life. I don't have 300 days to write down all of the feelings and thoughts and words that he said and shared. I will summarize and say some of my favorite parts.
He started with a prepared talk but then he stopped. He told us he felt inspired to share some experiences he has had in his life about listening to the spirit, he said "I have learned in my life to never disregaurd one of "those" feelings". The experiences he shared were amazing, I wish you all could have been there.
Usually he shakes the hands of all of the elders, as he was nearing the end of what he prepared he said "I usally shake hands with all of the elders but tonight I feel prompted to say some things on my mind." The room went silent. He said some of the most profound things I have ever heard in a ten minute span in my life. One of the most powerful sentences was "I know Jesus Christ lives because I KNOW him." BOOM! Mind Exploded! Spirit Exploded! That basically created my testimony, now if I ever get in a slump of doubt, I remember the spirit that was there and I know this church is true.
After that meeting I set my life goal. To Know Christ as best I can before I die. I was really searching hard this week to find out how I can do that. Today I went to the temple with that question in mind. While I was in the celestial room I prayed to know how. The first impression I had was that what I was lacking was Faith. Then another thought came to me, it was a little abstract, the word "Humility" came to mind. So I turned to the Index in the Book of Mormon under "Humility". I turned to Helaman 3:35, I know that scripture was written for me. The people waxed more and more humble and gained more and more faith. I am stubborn. Period. These past few weeks (I guess 5 now) have been the most humbling experience in my life and I am greatful for that. I still have a long way to go. God knows that. He is not 100% content with who I am now so he is gracious enough to give me trials so that I will turn to him. Elder Scott is my Hero and I will always remember him as the Apostle that helped me to gain a real testimony. He will always hold a special place in my heart.
Another amazing experience I have been having over the past week and a half or so is with a progressing investigator, Eli.
Every time we teach him, the spirit is there and I feel charity for him. I testify and I feel it. We were able to teach him about prayer, faith and the restoration of the gospel. He is progressing really well, I am studying really hard for ways I can help him and I'm striving to heed promptings of the spirit.
ReplyDeleteAnother investigator we have is "Jorge" (a teacher) he is getting baptized this saturday!!! I'm so excited. We still need to plan for it though, anyone know any good baptismal hymns?
How is everyone doing? How is life? How is school?(is that started yet?)
I wrote my dear John to speaking english yesterday. It's in my Journal, it states (en espanol), "Dear English, We have had some fun times, but I have found a new language, a more beautiful language, we need to go our seperate ways, don't worry, it's not me it's you. I really do wish the best for you. Goodbye English."
I have only spoken 17 english words in the past 2 days. It is difficult don't get me wrong but I have found that speaking it is how I learn it, so for 2 years, no mas. (also, another thing elder Scott did was bless all of us with the keys that he holds an apostle with the Gift of Tongues and Safety on our missions. It was an intense talk. I didn't even know they could do that.) So cool.
Weird story, so I have been having a really hard time getting along w/ my companion because we are both "leaders" and both not very humble. Anyway, I was praying for help on this matter and during MDT(missionary directed time) I was working on conjugating verbs when I had this sick feeling in my stomach, I was going to stop after I was done but then I remembered the words of Elder Scott, "I have never ignored one of those feelings". So I stopped. I went and sat down at my desk and wondered what the spirit wanted me to do. I looked down and saw an ensign on my desk, I looked at the index, my eyes stopped on an article about marriage. I said, "no way", then I felt like I should read it, so I did. I then had a thought pass through my mind to apply this to a companionship. Holy Cow. It wan an answer to my prayers, I was doing everything it told me not to. It also told me what to do to fix it. I was so grateful my prayer was answered and in the weirdest way.... I am 100% positive my wife will be a lot more enjoyable to look at than my companion.
I LOVE YOU ALL!!! Elder
Kyle Braden Jacobson Vive Israel!!!
2009-09-17 1 of 2
ReplyDeleteSo let me start by telling of a story, about 5 weeks ago, all of the Argentina elders in my district (me, my companion Elder Tavoian, Elderes Anderson, Tryon, and Phelps) went to a meeting with the consul of Argentina. We were to do two things at this meeting, First, put our fingerprints on a piece of paper, the second was to sign a piece of paper. Turns out I was the only one that received that piece of paper that day. The lady in charge said that they would call all of the other elderes down to sign there papers when they came in.
Well, week after week passed by, the elderes growing more and more nervous about the paper. Eventually, we were led to go to talk with the travel office before the other elderes started to destroy things. They told them that they still haven't received the papers for them. (wrong answer) haha, a little discouraged, we returned to the classroom. Speculation started to circle around the district, "what if Elder Jacobson is the only one who gets his visa?" Elder Anderson was once caught saying, "If he has his visa...I'm going to kill him.."
Turns out I got my visa. I am leaving this monday. I am going to e-mail my flight plans a little later. I leave monday at 7am from the SL airport. and arrive in Argentina around 7am the next day. Plenty of time to talk to people about the church.
The other elders are delayed for another couple of weeks here in the MTC, Elder anderson is going stateside for a time. He is not too keen on that idea. Porque no? it's like two missions in one, the best of both worlds!
It's so surreal that I will be in a foreign country in just 5 days. Excited? Yes. Nervous? Yes. I have NO IDEA what the future holds, but that is what is so exciting. I'm going to have the best experiences of my life over the next twenty two months. On a scale of one to seven, I'm about a three or a four in spanish right now. I have a lot to learn and I plan on working harder than I ever had in my life these next two years. I'm so excited to see who my new companion is! I love my comp I have now of course, it will be sad to say goodbye. However, I have the brightest hope for what lies ahead.
Also, Elder Holland spoke last night! So cool. He mostly talked about not coming home with regrets, I plan on accomplishing that. I am so ready to be in the field. My branch president, pres. Dickerson said that when your in the MTC it's as though the volume is turned up extra loud. I have felt that. It's like little things that are really not that big of a problem are magnified here. Even through all of this, I have come to love the MTC and my Companion and I have learned a TON! I love the MTC so much!
Yo quiero compartir mi testimonio, yo se que Dios vive, yo se que Jesucristo es mi salvador. yo se la importancia del libro de mormon. Eso libro es el mejor libro en el mundo. yo lo amo con todo mi corazon. Estoy muy animado para Argentina, yo se que yo tengo un obra a hacer alli. Esta experiencia he ayudado mi ser el hombre y missionero soy ahora. Yo se que mediante pruebas y afflicciones nosotros legamos a ser los personas que Dios nos quiere ser. Les Quiero! Continue ser los personas que Dios les quiere. Yo se que la iglesia de Jesucristo es restorado en la tierra hoy. Les quiero mucho! En el nombre de Jesucristo. Amen.
ReplyDeleteNos Vemos,
Elder Jacobson.
Vive Israel!