Sister Elle Jackson's Adventures in the Washington Everett Mission: Week 13: It's Not All Beer and Skittles!

Elle at the Ward Halloween Party.

So you may be wondering why my heading is the way that it is. Well when you are talking to people and they tell you their whole life story and all of that fun stuff instead of saying, "All that and a bag of chips." They prefer to say, "It's not all beer and skittles."

On a better note this week has been really amazing! We ended up running out of miles, because we had to go on several emergencies. So we had to walk everywhere. You can't be a real missionary unless you walk everywhere for a couple of days. So our AMAZING members would pick us up in the morning and drop us off in the area and we would walk from appointment to appointment. So that meant we were going to get to talk to everyone we passed instead of driving by them! And that is what we did! We did as the Pioneer Children did and we talked and we walked and walked and walked! Name that tune!? That is beside the point, we were able to find a new investigator, Sandra!! It is so amazing how Heavenly Father places you where people are ready. You just have to be willing to open your mouth and share what you know! Sandra is so amazing and she truly has been prepared. We were able to teach her the Restoration on the street and she loved it! When we had talked about the Great Apostasy she said, "Oh that is what happened." Then about Joseph Smith and he didn't know what church to join she said that she doesn't blame them and that she would have done the same thing! Anyways we went back the next day and we were able to put her on date for baptism and she is super excited for everything!

Then we had another MIRACLE!!! Heavenly Father seriously loves us!!! We were walking the next day and we went to visit a potential, Nicole. Nicole is so ready to be baptized! She is also a new investigator and she is all about her family, them being together, being happy, and she wants them to be a part of a church! We can help her will all of that! So we went into her house and we started to teach her, she got super excited and said she hasn't felt this good in a while! She told us about her friend who is a Jehovah Witness and that she doesn't really like everything that they talk about. But when we come over she has such a better feeling and she knows that by that feeling joining "our" church is the better thing for her family! She wants to come to church and wants her boys to join scouts. She wants to join Relief Society! We have seen so many miracles this week and it was all because we had to walk because we ran out of miles...and a lot of them were even before that!

Sister Mahoni and Elle

My trainer went home yesterday and I will be getting my new companion tomorrow. I am going to be staying in Lake Stevens and will be training. Heavenly Fathers has to have something up his sleeve to be letting this happen but I have full faith that he be by my side the entire time as I turn to him for help and seek the spirit in all that I do. We will be able to have success this ward needs. The field really is white and ready to harvest! I love you all and hope everything goes amazing this week! Thank you so much for the letters and packages!

Favorite Quote: "There is enough going on in this life that anyone can work themselves into a puddle of pessimism and a mess of melancholy. But I know people who, even when things don't work out, focus on the wonders and miracles of life. These folks are the happiest people I know."

- Deter F. Uchtdorf