¡Buenas Lluvias! Mon 12/7/2009

Hello all!

           So I want to start out this card this week to say how much I miss all of you! Those pictures made me a little teary eyed dad. :). I love you all a ton!

           I also want to describe the culture a little better, The people here are rarely married, mostly just living together. There are also a ton of single mothers for just that reason. The families that do have a father figure work in the morning return for the ciesta and leave again for the night. Lots of people also work in the Campo(or the farms) where they travel for the week and return in the weekend. In their free time, they like to sit and drink mate (a cup full of herbs and water) Everyone drinks mate, eccept for us. Most families have a kiosko, or a little store where they sell basic neccessities out of their houses. (very convenient I might add). You find a lot of soda here, coca cola products and also things native to argentina, especially Guaraná, or apple soda. Mmmmmm.... Very tasty. Drinking and smoking is a big problem that we find here, we need to be very careful weekends at night and holidays especially. Everyone travels either by bus or motorcycles/scooters, if you see a car, its usually a taxi. lots of those also. That is how I would describe formosa in a nutshell...

         So, we are comming really close to transfers again. This time, It may be my time to leave formosa, I hope not. I have grown a bond with the people here, and I know that I may not see them again for a very long time. I have promised myself that I am going to return with my wife and kids.

         One of my favorite parts of every transfer is the interview with president Del Castillo, Throuought the transfer, I think of questions that I have for president. When interviews come, he talks with us for a few minutes then opens up the rest of the time for questions that we have for him. How awesome. One of my questions was how could I become more humble. He then told me not to worry too much about that, to do everything that I can do personally (serve others, compliment them, accredit others, etc) but that God is doing his work on my as we speak, to continue praying for humility and one day, I will look back and realize that God was helping me the whole time to become more humble.

            We have been working with some awesome investigators here, one named Victor Aguero, All he needs is to ask God if these things are true, and to get married.... 

               The other is our friend Alex, we werent able to teach him at all this week because he had mouth surgery.

        This week we were so excited for how many people promised to come to church with us, we worked so hard with the people that they could attend church. ...... Then it rained all morning sunday..... Oh man! the roads here are all made of dirt, so rain+dirt= mud. We left our house a little disheartened, as we walked we knew what that meant, nobody would make it to church. As we entered the chaple, to our surprise, Who to find, but our very good friend Victor Aguero! He stuck to his promise! We were thrilled! Awesome.

         This week was really good, Elder saenz and I are working a ful! At times in the morning he tells me that his back hurts, so he rarely gets up on time. I do all that I can to help him, and Dad, thanks a ton for all of those times in the morning when I was little and didnt want to go to school and you "helped" me get up. I am now putting into practice much of those tactics, for example: singing really loud, turning on the light, having a conversation, etc. :). I am learning a ton everyday and am loving the mission more and more everyday. My spanish is really good, I owe it all to the gift of tongues. I can understand almost everyone and am able to communicate without struggle. God is trying my patience and faith in ways other than the language out here.

         Thank you so much for all of your love and support.

                        Your son, brother, and friend,

                                             Elder Jacobson

                                                      Hurrah for Israel! (i know know what that means).

                           P.s. Serena, I have many talents but you´ll have to put me on the list for 2011, count me in!

                           P.p.s. Tanner, Thanks a ton for your letter! I miss you a ton man! and I am so excited for you to have the oportunity to serve a mission. You are going to love it! I love you a ton man! Hope you are loving BYU, I sure did!

Elder Sal Me Llamo

So turns out, it was a bit hot this week. haha. We changed the schedule today, we now wake up at 7, work in the morning, study during the ciesta and return to work at 330 until 10 at night, we go to sleep at 11. Its just too hot during the day. President Miranda told us that during summer here, it gets hot enough to cook eggs on rocks... I used to always joke that I wanted to try that. Ill send pictures when I do. We have been working really hard this week, my companion´s back has been bugging him but not enough to prevent us from working which is a big blessing. We Are really excited for our investigators! We had 3 inv. in the church this past week, missing the norm of excellence by 3, however we have plans to work harder this week. We have been working with some really great people here, like Alex, hes evangelical (one of the 4 religions in this area:1. catholics, 2. evangelical, 3. Testigos de Jehovà, 4. Mormon) He is a great example of someone who has been prepared for us. He told us the other day that 3 years ago he would have told us to get lost, but now he is willing to listen. He is progressing really well, he has attended 2 times at church and also the baptism of dalma which was awesome! I have no Idea why but she wanted that I did the baptism, so I did. Wow, I was nervous, one, because baptism is what allows people to enter into the kingdom of God. Wow. and I hold that authority of God to do so. It was amazing, I felt the spirit very strong there. The only problem was that the water was to our knees no more. So she had to basically lay on the floor. It was awesome.

      So, I woke up one day this week and I was thinking in spanish.... Thats what happens when every single thing around you is in spanish, including your companion. However, not the songs here, 2/3 are in english. haha.

       I had a pretty cool experience the other day, we were clapping houses and I felt the need to clap a certain one, so I did. The words crossed my mind, "We´re here to help you?" so instead of the usually contact, I said that. She responded, "If you were to help me, I have a list of 100 things! How can you help me?" "we help people physically and spiritually, through the teachings of Christ". She responded, "come back next week and we´ll see what you can do for me." It was definately the spirit that was guiding me as to what to say.

      I get to talk to you on the phone on christmas! I am going to call around 11am your time on the 25th. You all better be ready!

            I love you all a TON! Have an amazing week!

                      Your son and brother,

                                    Elder Jacobson.

Que Calor que Hace!

Hello all!

         Im so glad to hear from you, those pictures are so gorgeous, made me feel like I was there for a bit. Dad, thanks a ton for all of your help! This week was just awesome, We have been working hard and the heat has been following us. I am not going to lie, Im missing the snow a little bit. That tends to happen when it gets to be 113 degrees. Yeesh. We could cook some eggs on the road down here.

         We had the baptism of Gabriel this week! It was awesome, he is going to be an awesome member of the church, and hopefully an awesome missionary also.

         Dalma is really excited for her baptism also, we just gotta teach a little bit more, and make sure that she has had a sincer repentence before her baptism.

         We got a new investigator this week named Alex, he is a reference from a member, his sister. He is Evangelical and has good interest in what we are teaching, we taught him the first lesson and he came to church with us yesterday, we are really excited to see where it takes us.

         Elder Villaroel (district leader) has been helping me a TON to become the missionary that the Lord wants me to be. He is my hero and I learn something new everyday from him.

        The Flia of Vanina, the Montenegros, are very stubborn. We have been trying to help them gain a testimony but they are firm in their beleifs, with time we hope they can come to know for themselves the truth. However, they still love us and have invited us over for an Asada, its like a barbeque but x 10, it will be my first one, Im way excited.

        I remembered something that my Branch president of the MTC taught me, a story he shared of a sister missionary. One day she was teaching a family and the neighbors had the music turned up really loud, she went to the neighbors and asked them to turn off the music for 30 min, so they could have the spirit in the lesson. I had that same opportunity twice this week. The first time, I went up to the man and asked him if he could turn of the music, he was about 25 and in the middle of getting skulls tatood on his leg, listening to really loud rock music. I asked him if he could do me a huge favor and turn off the music for just 30 min. He told me no, I asked him again. He told me no once again. I tried and I felt good about it. I was a little disappointed in his response, but I did my part. The second time, was yesterday, we got to the lesson, and the neighbors were once again listening to really loud music. So, I asked if we could leave the lesson for 2 min. I got up, went to the neighbors and asked if they could please turn off the music for 30 min. They were nicer, they turned it down, and we had a really spiritual lesson with a lady named maria. Its not easy to do it, my heart overworks itself everytime but I know Heavenly Father gave me the strength to do what was right.

      Yesterday, after church my companion wasnt feeling very well, he felt really weak and with a head ache, we think its for the heat. I think its because he doesnt start his personal study on time. haha. So I got an extra 4 hours of study time, which was awesome. Id rather be working but I used my time thebest that I could have.

     Saturday we had an awesome zone conference, I felt the spirit the whole day, It helped me a TON! I know this church is true and that Jesus is our savior that through him and only through him can we return to our heavenly fathers presence.

                     I love you all and love to hear from you all!

                                  Elder Jacobson

                                       ¡Hurrah por Israel!

Mi casa es su casa.

Service cooking Pastellitos, Mmmmm...

Betcha cant eat just one

We finally have a mission vehicle! No more walking!

Baptism of Gabriel

The flowers are blooming.

What fun at zone conference!

Our truck broke down...Back to Walking... Again

Hno. Duarte Our mission leader of the Rama, Hes a jokester.

2. Flia Miranda, President Miranda. They are awesome. Like his Goatee?

3. The Church.

4. The basic scenery of formosa, like a humid desert.

2 The Flia Gomez, we eat with them every tuesday. Mmmmm. Usually rice and some form of meat with potatoes.

1 They had me design a tshirt for the zone.

5. Flia Chavez, We are currently teaching gabrie

4. Romero 3. Our district before transfers, I love that man.

5 The bird of flia. Jaime. He speaks spanish!

4 Frosted Flakes

3 Painting the house of the Flia Jaime!

2 Teaching the members how to spread the gospel!

1_The Collectivo