Week 74: Hey! Merry Christmas

Elle and Sister Lindsay

It was so nice to be able to talk to everyone yesterday! I was reminded about how amazing my family is! It is so nice to be able to talk to everyone and to hear your voices, it takes me back to before my mission when we would all sit around and laugh and do many other things. Heavenly Father truly did bless me with the best. 

So let's see.... I feel as though I told you yesterday everything from this last week. 

This week we were blessed more than I could have ever imagined. At the beginning of the week we went on exchanges with Mount Vernon 1st Sisters, Sisters Leininger and Hoch. I may never get away from Sister Leininger... ha-ha! That is okay because I like her a lot. I actually got to go on the exchange with Sister Leininger! She came here to Oak Harbor with me and we had a blast. It was just like old times....last transfer. But we got a lot of things done which is so nice.

Elle, Sister Lindsay and some Elders.

While we were on exchanges we went and saw one of our members and shared a message with her. We then helped her with her dishes and while we were doing to dishes we were having fun and singing some songs. The member was walking around, next thing I know her granddaughter was saying, "Can I get some help...please?" I turned around the member had blacked out and her granddaughter had caught her. This happens often so don't worry, it was just the first time that I had seen it. So I went behind her in case she fell backwards when she came out of it, and she did and I was able to catch her. It was the craziest thing in the world. But everything worked out and now if I ever am in that situation again...I pray I'm not, I will know what to do. 

 Wednesday we went and helped a member move. It was a blessing because we got everything done in like three and a half hours. I was very grateful for that! I have noticed the members always ask for the Elders to come so that they can do all the "hard" things. I am always a little offended when this happens because I can do a lot of the things that the Elders are asked to do. We don't need them. But I don't do that because I am supposed to be a lady. So I stand back and don't do what they would like the Elders to do. One day I will be able to and I will be so happy!!! But at the end of the move they gave us some live crab that was caught fresh that morning from the sound. I was excited and nervous all at the same time, I mean I like seafood and I mean this is as fresh as it is going to get. So later that night Sister Lindsay and I started to boil some water to cook the crab. The hardest thing was picking them up and getting them in the water.

 After a few screams and panics we finally got one of the three in! Whew!! One down two to go... Well the same thing happened for the next two. Luckily we got it on camera! After they were cooked now we had to clean them.... this was my least favorite part. Ugh, I think that I will never become a cook. We cleaned them got all of the meat out and well had bit and I couldn't eat anymore. I think I have been traumatized. We didn't touch it at all but that does okay because that means there will be more for other people that want it. 

Watching the Movie 17 Miracles.

We had the half mission conference for Christmas this last week! It was amazing! I love my Savior Jesus Christ so much and am grateful for any opportunity I have to talk about him. President and Sister Wilding are amazing and have done everything they can to help make our mission the best learning experience. #grateful at the very end they let us watch a movie! We got to watch 17 Miracles and it was so good! It was a little weird to be watching something other the then Restoration or the Testaments but I liked it a lot. I did good not to cry until the end and then I couldn't do it any more... darn! 

Elle with Sister Herr her MTC companion.

Christmas Eve was amazing! One of our members invited Aaron and Jordan over for dinner, then we watched some movie produced by the Church about Christ and then afterward they gave them the movie and it was so cool! Brother Glade is the Stake Patriarch and so the spirit in the home is evident! 

Sunday was amazing being able to partake of the Sacrament and remember Christ on CHRISTmas! Also I got to talk to all of you! Happy day! Thank you for all the gifts and the love!

I love you all and hope that you have an amazing week! 

This is an email we received from our Bishop Monte Marshall in Spanish Fork who is now the Stake President. He had emailed Elle and she in turn replied back to him. We usually don’t add emails to the blog but we were very touched by Elle’s Testimony and wanted to share it with all of you.

Dear Sister Jackson,

I just wanted to quickly wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!  In October, Elder Dube visited our stake and showed me a picture of you on your mission. It made my day.  I have been meaning to write you ever since.  He said he got to interview you and that he was very impressed with how well you were able to articulate how the mission was doing.  What a blessing you are to your mission president and his wife!  I still have a hard time thinking you are old enough to be on a mission.  …getting to the end even!

Attached are some fun pictures I stumbled upon today.  We had some great times.  You are all grown up now!  In the group pictures are several returned missionaries.  I recently released Brody Barton, Chandler Johns, Corina Gunyan, and Josh Bennett. Several others have been home for over a year (Marcus Benhoff, Michael Walton, Scott Johnson, Annie Record, and Jordan Robb). And a few are serving right along with you: Lucas Walton (Washington, Kennewick), Taylor Crandall (Tahitti), Kaleb Robb (Japan).  Jordan Robb and Devan Baucom are happily married. Most of those in this picture are doing very well. What a blessing to have associated with such a remarkable group!

I just looked at your blog.  You are amazing!  Keep up the great work.  I am so happy for you. 

With love,

Your former bishop,

Monte Marshall

President Marshall!

I am so glad that I was able to hear from you. Elder Dube is amazing and it was crazy to find out that he was going to be going to my original home ward! I am so grateful for you and so many others that I was able to learn from and look up to. My desire to serve a mission definitely started from when I was young. 

There are a lot of things that I have learned but I think that the most important one is that I know that I have a Savior who loves me and that I am able to turn to in the time of need for anything. 

I know that He lives. I know that He loves me and that He truly is the Savior of the world. I am grateful for a Father in Heaven who sent His Only Begotten Son to die for me, so that I may be able to return and live with both of them some day. I am grateful for eternal families and for the Plan of Salvation in knowing that there is a purpose in all that we do. I am grateful for repentance and that we are able to continue to work and become better and better every day so that one day we will be able to become even as He is. Most importantly right now I am grateful for my mission. I am sad to think that I am going to have to go home on February 13th and for this chapter in my life to end but I am grateful for the time that I do have. Who I have become and who I will be is owed all to my Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and to the opportunity that I have had to serve a mission. I now know what I want for my future family and many other things.

Thank you so much for the email! I hope that you and your family continue to do well and I pray that you continue to have a good holiday!