Warning: This blog post is very long!

Hey everyone!

I don't even know where to begin because SO much has happened this past week! First off, Sister Ritter and I are soul companions. She is so much fun! She doesn't have nerves in her feet from a surgery before her mission, and she had her toe amputated a few months ago! It's really funny to see her slip all the time during the ice storm we had this past week! Fun fact: it was 6 degrees last Sunday when we went chalking on MSU campus! We didn't know that until Tuesday... I don't think I've ever experienced anything that cold before. 

We have met with a lot of less active members and have been trying to find more investigators. On Monday, we visited Regan (LA) and she came to volleyball that night! She has been warming up to the idea of church and has come to a few activities since we have met! She is one of the coolest people I have met. She ran a marathon last Sunday like it was no big deal. She also has a dog that reminds me of my puppy at home :) 

On Tuesday, there was an ice storm and cars were sliding and crashing everywhere! It was hard to even walk anywhere! So we cancelled all of our appointments and Bishop decided to pick us and the elders up to help his son move. On the way there, he started driving on a one-way street and no one noticed until I said, "Uh.... Why does that sign say 'Do Not Enter'?" And then a bunch of cars started coming at us and he quickly turned into the parking lot! I have never laughed so hard in my life! We are going to try and find a 'Do not Enter' sign for his office door :) It probably wasn't the best idea to drive that night, especially a moving truck on huge hills! Thankfully, we were in Bishops huge pickup truck and not in the moving truck. He then drove us to the airport for a missionary homecoming, and we were still in our service clothes! One of the leaders from this mission was there and it was super awkward. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father was watching out for us that night on the roads! 

On Wednesday, Bishop made us go to crossfit because the instructor was a less active member. Sister Ritter and I died after that. We think Bishop is trying to make our lives miserable! I could hardly move the next day and the day after that! I am finally getting back to normal. We teach an English class on Wednesday nights for anyone who wants to improve their english conversation skills. It was really fun! A lot of Chinese students were there, including two of our investigators and a recent convert! After the class, two of the students came up and asked if we could teach them more about Jesus! YES! So we met with them later that week and it went really well! We also gave a Chinese Book of Mormon to another student that was there who seemed interested in learning more. We hope to start meeting with him regularly! 

On Thursday, Bishop came by at 9:45 during our companion study and texted us to come out of our apartment. Right when I opened the door he threw a snowball! Thankfully, I closed the door to block it from hitting me :) Then I opened it again and he got me right in the face. Then he drove away. We don't understand why he does the things that he does hahaha! After he drove away, we talked with one of our neighbors, Andrew! He was really nice and wants to go caving this next weekend with us! 

On Friday we were in Arkansas all day for a leadership meeting and I got to see a lot of amazing missionaries! On Saturday, our temple trip was cancelled, so we had nothing scheduled the whole day! We were able to meet a lot of cool people and have lessons with a few of our Chinese investigators. Hannah's lesson was so great! That was the most spiritual lesson I have ever had! We had a really good discussion about faith, repentance, baptism, the gift of the holy ghost, and enduring to the end. She had a lot of great questions and was finally able to recognize the holy ghost! I could almost see Heavenly Fathers finger touch her heart during that lesson. Hopefully we can set a date for her to be baptized soon! We also got a lot of people together to play dodgeball on Saturday. Everyone knows how uncoordinated I am now. It was worse than dodge ball at the mission conference! People like to bring up how great of a dodge ball player I am ;) 

Sunday was great and a lot of less actives were at church! We also went to dinner with Bishop and his family. He invited a lot of the YSA members and we got to hold his puppies!
Bishop is gone next week, so the email shouldn't be as long next time! I have never had such a fun week before! I am so grateful to be serving here! I hope and pray that you all will have a great week! 

Love, Sister Jacobsen

On to Springfield!

Hey, Everyone!

This week has been crazy! I had to say goodbye to all of the people in Centerton :( I cried a lot. It was especially hard to say goodbye to Hannah two days before she was baptized :( But I heard it went great! I am so happy for her!

We met a lot of amazing people here in Springfield! I am companions with Sister Ritter, and Elder Dye and Elder Belnap are also serving in this ward. We live right next to Missouri State University, so we do a lot of things on campus. It's weird to go from a family ward to a college campus! Everyone in this ward is so nice! Our Bishop is so great, too! He cares so much about missionary work and will do anything for us. He's the best :)

MSU Campus

The Donut Delivery Ambulance :)

The theme for this ward this year is, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13). I love this scripture! It reminds me of Moroni 7:33 "And Christ hath said; If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me." I've been thinking about this scripture a lot lately with this past transfer. This is actually the scripture that gave me the comfort and courage to be able to decide to go on a mission! I know that Christ has been by my side throughout my mission so far and will continue to do so. I have seen His hand working in the lives of other people and in my own. There is no way that any missionary could do this on their own--especially not me! I am so grateful to have the knowledge that He is my Savior and Redeemer and will give me the strength and courage I need to do His work. I will forever be grateful for this opportunity to serve and dedicate my life to Him.

I love all of you so much! I am so grateful for all or your prayers and support!

Love, Sister Jacobsen

Transfer Calls!

Hi everyone!

This week has been CRAZY! My sister had her baby, and I'm an aunt now! Her name is Hazel :) She is the cutest thing on this planet! 

Also, we got transfer calls on Saturday night. They told us they would call us on Sunday, but I got a call from the assistants and they told me I was going to Springfield YSA and asked if I would be okay with being a sister training leader. I had a short panic attack because I was not prepared for that! Neither of us have ever served there or know anything about it. Ahh! Sister Gee and I thought that we would both stay in Centerton for sure, but we are both being transferred out! She is going to Huntsville, so we will be really far away from each other.

Hannah is really excited for her baptism, but she is pretty bummed that neither Sister Gee nor I can't be there :( I am so sad because I was there since her first lesson with missionaries. I can probably go to the temple with her if she goes sometime soon! I will for sure be going to the temple with Julie when she goes in a year, so that makes me feel better.

Nathan (someone we taught in our other ward last transfer) was baptized! We were able to go and support him in his decision to be baptized. It was great!

I am so grateful to have been able to serve in Centerton, and to meet the people here. I trust that Heavenly Father knows why I need to go to Springfield and that He is preparing the hearts of the people there to hear the message we have to share. I'm so grateful for this opportunity to learn and to help more people.

Thank you for all of your love and support!

Love, Sister Jacobsen

Happy New Year!

Hello All,

I had a great Christmas! We got to spend a lot of time with members on Christmas Eve and we spent most of the day with Julie and her family! At the end of the day, we all bore out testimonies of the Savior and what He has done for all of us. It was such a spiritual experience! New years wasn't exciting. It was just another normal day!

Hannah (Julie's daughter) has decided to be baptized! We are so excited that she has made the decision to follow our Savior and enter into the waters of baptism. She has such great faith and such a strong testimony of her Savior. We have also started teaching the son of one of our recent converts! His name is Spencer and he is in primary. He is so sweet! 

When I skyped with my parents on Christmas, they asked me how my testimony has grown since I've been on a mission. I've been thinking about that a lot lately and I think my testimony of prayer has grown the most. Whenever I was having a rough day or if I didn't know how to handle a situation before my mission, prayer wouldn't normally be my first thing to do. I've learned that Heavenly Father really wants to help us--all we have to do is pray and ask for His help! I have received so many answers to my prayers and have received so much strength from relying on the Lord. I know that He really does hear and answer our prayers. He may not answer our prayers in the way we want, but He will answer them in His timing because He knows what's best for us!

I love you all so much!

Sister Jacobsen