Conference Weekend - 7 April 2014

Hello family!!!! 

What a wonderful week it has been.

 

Starting with Tuesday, we had our district meeting. the topic of the week was making commitments. We talked about how people cant repent until we invite them to do so. We the talked about how all of the commitments in preach my gospel were designed to help people gain their faith and repeat and follow the example of Jesus Christ. I t was a great experience for me and my companion as we realized that maybe we would have more success in the work if we would do better at inviting people to change instead of just teaching. 

We set a goal to invite people to be baptized on the first visit. Our district leader told us that by doing this we show our faith in the plan of God. As we have been more bold in inviting people to live the gospel, we have been blessed and have marked 3 dates for next week!!!! I know that as we boldly do our part the lord will fill in the holes and provide the way. 

This week I had the opportunity to give a blessing in a car for the first time. It was for our bishop. The spirit was strong as for the first time I could say the words without help. As i opened my mouth it was filled. Every day my mouth is being filled with the words I need  and I am understanding the needs of the people here. It is a miracle!!! 

On Friday we had our weekly meeting with our ward mission leader. We talked a little more about the problems of the ward and what we could do to help. We are making plans to have a family home evening with every family in the ward and planning ward activities to help bring unity to the members here.  Our hope is that as we help to strengthen the ward the ward will be more capable of helping the ward grow. 

After we talked and made some plans our mission leader put in a movie he had, made by the church, that has the prophet and the apostles bare their testimonies. My companion asked

 ' How does the prophet receive the authority to lead the church?"

I felt the spirit so strong as he answered his own question:

             

                                   From Jesus Christ! 

Never before had it hit me so strong before that Jesus Christ gave our prophet today the authority to lead the church by the laying on of hands in the upper room of the temple. 

As I listened to the prophet bare his testimony, once again my testimony was re affirmed that this is the only true church of Jesus Christ on the earth. It is the only church that is being led by a prophet of God and our prophet is literally working with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ for our salvation. 

Tomas S. Monson is the prophet of God. The only person on the earth with the authority to speak for God. and as we follow him, we will make it back to our Father in heaven again safely. 

I love you all!!! have a great week!!! 

                                  Love Elder Bryan Jacobson

I ate liver this week!!!!! yum yum

this is the biggest dog I have ever seen!!!

Another Week in Pillar Do Sul!!!! - 31 March 2014

HELLO EVERYONE. 

What a week. I know why they say missionary work is the hardest and the best thing you can ever do in you life. HARD because everyday you will work so hard to try and find teach and get people to keep commitments. You will study and practice for hours trying to get down how you are going to teach a lesson to best help the person understand, you will go in and teach as best you can with the spirit doing all you can to help them feel the spirt. And just when you think they understand and are going to do keep a commitment, read the book of Mormon AND be the perfect investigator you have been looking for..... THEY DROP. We had 7 people marked to go to church this week sadly no one showed up. It is always hard. And then you are always left wondering if you did your part or if you should have done something differently. You always feel sad and very discouraged and sometimes you wonder if anyone will ever accept and truly follow the example of Christ. IT is always in this moment that a choice needs to be mad. A choice that will truly determine if you will succeed or fail on your mission. KEEP GOING or TAKE A BREAK.  This week I have noticed that with me and my companion as people have been dropping and appointments fall through we have been sitting and taking little breaks to stop and eat a snack. I noticed that me and my companion had kind of lost the joy of doing missionary work as he started talking about being excited to go home and telling our ward mission leader the same thing after only being in the field 9 months. 

That night we had a good conversation about what we could do to be more excited about the work And we both decided that the key to missionary work is work. We set a goal to just always keep going  and have a smile on our faces. It was a little hard at first but after 5 minutes we just forgot about the troubles and had a good time talking to everyone we saw and knocking on every gate. And had the BEST experiences. We found a lady that said that she had always talked to the missionaries at the gate but never let them in to share a message. We entered her house and shared a message of the Restoration and about the book of Mormon. She said that she would try to come to conference this week with her husband. 

After that we went to a mark appointment ( the family of 10 that we found the week before) When we entered their house one of the filhas said "ow good your here, can you give our mom a blessing, she is not feeling well." We gave here a blessing of health and then she was able to sit up and drink some water. Right after the other daughter that had a baby asked if we could bless her baby that had fallen and hit his head. We gave him a blessing. The spirit was so strong. And I could tell that the family felt it.

 We left right after to get to another appointment. The appointment fell through but all was well. I had to go to the bathroom so we knocked on the door of Member that we have been working a lot with to help Antonio ( He is going to be baptized next week!!!!!!! ) We entered sister Delva's house to find Antonio sitting on the sofa. It was perfect. After I used the bathroom, we talked for a good while and then had a lesson about the Sabbath day. 

What a great lesson I learned that if you just keep going, the hard times will pass and you will find joy. I pray that I will never forget this lesson and always SMILE and KEEP GOING.  

Always remember when times get rough, that you have only failed when you give up.  

                                    SMILE AND KEEP GOING

          I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!!!!!! 

                                       LOVE ELDER B. JACOBSON

PS PLEASE THANK THE CLASS FOR ALL OF THE LETTERS FROM THE YOUTH. I GOT THEM THIS WEEK :) HAHAH THANK YOU SO MUCH.

Week One of Transfer 5!!!!! - 17 March 2014

Gosh can you believe it!!! another week has gone by. In just one more week I will have 6 months under my belt!!!! its so crazy. This week I have learned so much about myself and what I am able to do when I put my trust in the lord with a humble heart. 

      You all know me, I am horrible at remembering street names, where people live, directions and all that stuff. Hahah well being that my new companion does not know the area I have to be the one that leads the way to our appointments. This has always been the thing I am most afraid of. haha "just get me to the house and ill be fine" haha. 

       The first day was the worst I was panicking and could not find anyone. but that night I had a nice long conversation with my father and heaven. What a wonderful opportunity it has been to turn to my father in heaven in my times of difficulty and see how he will lift me and make me stronger to be able to do the work that I need to do for him. I feel like I am literally being led by angels from one house to the next finding the people that have been prepared to here the gospel. We are going to baptize Antonio this week. We just ran into him in the bank this morning. I know with all my heart God is placing him in our path for a reason. 

        This morning I had the opportunity to study in the book of Moses. I love learning about the creation and the plan of salvation. One this that I leaned this morning was how every part of the gospel was so carefully planned out by our father in heaven from the very beginning and the teachings of Jesus Christ have always been the path back to our fathers home in heaven. 

        I learn so much here. Everyday is such a miracle, the more I learn the more I want to share the message of the gospel to the world. And the more I open my mouth the more joy I feel from living the Gospel. I feel that I am learning to see the world how God sees it. I am learning exactly how he feels when his children fall short of their potential. 

Here as a missionary you learn to see the people as God sees them. You see what the gospel can bring to their lives and you want that for them just as God wants the salvation of all men. I have learned how God must feel when I don't do all that he knows I can do. 

         I know that we are on this earth to prepare for something great and I know that every trial will help us become what our father in heaven needs us to become. Everything is part of his plan. Have faith. pray. And god will always provide a way through every difficulty. I know that this is the work of the lord and that if I turn to the lord, I will be able to accomplish my part in his great plan. 

         I love you all so much!!! have a great week. 

                                           love, 

                         Elder Bryan Jacobson





my ward mission leader and family



our barber

Week 2 of transfer 5 - 24 March 2014

Me and my companion have been working so hard this week. The first week of the transfer I was a little stressed and not being as productive as I can be when I calm down and just breath. I just need to remember that if I put my trust in the savior he will provide a way. I have made an effort to not worry about the things that don't really matter in missionary work and just open my mouth at all times and in all places. And I know that the lord truly had prepared and will continue to prepare a way for us. 

sorry I just sent that..... 

Two days ago we were working on a road that I have always liked because of the road name. R Jôao Batista. I was always telling my other companion that we were going to find a family that lived on this road and baptize them. Well with him we did not find anyone but, me and Elder M. Sousa visited this road again the other night and saw this kid ridding on a skate board.(I THINK HE SAID HE WAS 12) We stopped and talked to him asked his name.... And then he asked me where I was from. I told him the united states and then we introduced ourselves as the missionaries and asked if we could visit his family. 

He said ´ya, my house is right here"

We entered his house and found that it was full of people. We learned that they were all family for the most part and gathered every Saturday night to have a little party. we introduced ourselves to them and talked a little bit about their family. Then we told them why we were here. I told them I was from Texas and stuff. Then we shared the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ . They marked for a return appointment and we gained 10 new investigator in 1 hour. We just continue to pray that we will know what to do and what to say to help them. 

This week we have made a goal to work more closely with the ward. We talked with our mission leader about what we could do to help the ward. We organized a movie night to bring the ward together with our investigators to watch The Book of Mormon Movie. I made little invitations to hand out to members and investigators. We have been visiting less actives and trying o get them to come as well. I hope that it will help make the ward stronger. 

This next week we are working with a member to arrange for a time to meet with a referral from the ward. She lived in Boston and speaks a little English. We are going to teach here with a sister from the ward. It should be a great experience. I have to admit I am really excited to be able to speak a little English with her!!!! :)

And the best news for last!! we are finally going to have a baptism in pillar do sul!!!!! Next week for Antonio!!!! He is so excited and when we were in doctrine principles class he bore his testimony and started to cry. We are going to teach him at a members house just to make sure he understands everything. But I know that the lord has prepared him.  

Well I love you all so much!!! Have a great week!!!!!! 

                                      love 

                           Elder B, Jacobson

Last P-Day of Transfer 4 - 10 March 2014

Hi Family that I love so much !!!!!! 

Every week here has been a great learning experience for me. I have never had to rely on the lord so much in my life but I know that he has been leading and preparing me as I pray to him with humility. 

I found a great scripture in 1ne. that I have been thinking about all week about how when Lehi's family turned to the lord, they were led through their trials and the lord always had a way for them. As I have been reading the book of Mormon this week I have gained a stronger testimony of this part in The Book of Mormon and that really when the Lord has a commandment for his children to do He always has a way for them to do it if they turn to Him with humility and ask for guidance. 

          This week, at the end of the transfer, a lot of our investigators have dropped and even our best one Antonio. Antonio has gone to church 3 times and loves it, I know that he feels the spirit every time and knows that it is true. But yesterday we went to go visit him after church because he did not come. 

He said that he went to his church with his "wife" (they aren't married) and said that he liked his own church and didn't want to change. 

             It was the worst feeling I have ever felt. Its hard because I know that he wants to be part of our church but his wife wants nothing to do with it. I have a feeling that it is because of her that he wont be baptized. All we could do was bare our testimonies that this gospel is true and it is the only way to live with your family forever. I can only hope that one day he will be prepared maybe when I'm here or with some other Elders. I know that he will never forget and I know that one day he will be baptized in the church. I just have to always remember that the lord has a plan for all the people here. We are here to find the people and to plant seeds in peoples hearts. And if my role in the lords work is to plant the seed then I will plant all that I can. And just like Nephi, I know that the lord will provide a way. 

           I love you all so much 

Have a great week!!!!!!! 

                                             Love, 

                                    Elder B. Jacobson

25. Been a little frustrated this week - 3 March 2014

Hello family!!! 

What a fast week. I cant believe I only have one more p-day before this transfer is over!!! nuts. Have to admit I have been a little frustrated this week because people are just not keeping commitments or just don't want to hear the message of the restored gospel. 

I remember early in the week we talked to this girl that was next to one of our potential investigators. We clapped at here gate and talked to here about the gospel of Jesus Christ and that God has a plan for us. 

The entire time she seemed to be soaking it all in and seemed very excited. We bore our testimonies that she could pray to God and know that these things are true. she said she would and told us that she thought that what we were doing was very special. 

She even said that my accent was very pretty. 

Man did she have us both fooled. We clapped at the next house and tried to get in but after about 5 minutes of answering questions and bearing testimony they denied our invitation. We turned to leave and saw the gospel of Jesus Christ pamphlet on the ground crumpled up. 

I know that these times o difficulty will be but a small while and this week has been a great opportunity to take a step back and look at what we are doing and what we need to do better. I have been reading Preach my gospel and the White hand book to see what I can do to improve. I have found somethings that I know I need to do better. 

Thetas the thing about missionary work is that you can never settle. you have to always be looking for things that you can do better. how you can invite the spirit into the lessons better. I have been studding about how I can better recognize and live worthy to have the spirit always in my work. I know that as I do my very best to obey all the mission rules the lord will bless us and we will be able to have a stronger spirit with us. For if you have not the spirit you can not teach. Oh how true it is. 

I am excited for this week to improve and learn more about how I can be better.

I love you all so much. One thing that people don't seemed to understand is how our church different, why it is important to do everything with authority. IT is because the priesthood power that the church has is the sealing power that binds every earthly thing to heaven. It is the only way to make everything eternal. My mindset has finally changed. I am not here to baptize people I am here to help them do the things that are going to last throughout eternity. The things that everyone must do to receive eternal joy. The same joy that I have because I know I have you all forever. Being away from you is hard and I miss you so much but I know that we will be forever. that is a blessing that not everyone has. And that is why I am here, to give these people all that I have. 

I love you all so much. Thank you for every prayer. 

                                                       até o próximo 

                                                 Love Elder B. Jacobson

24. I have one other story for you all

Hello Everyone, 

This has been a very interesting week. 

First i want to tell you about a very cool investigator we have. His name in Antoinio. we found him 5 days ago and taught him the first lesson and gave him a Book of Mormon. He was very excited about it and said that he would read and pray to know that it was true. We felt a prompting to come to church when he knew that our message was true. He said 'When i know its true ill come to your church" 

We talked with a member,  to see if he knew Antonio. they live two houses away from each other. He said he did. so we asked O. if he could help us fellowship him. He was happy to do so. Yesterday Antonio came to church with the help of Orlando. And tonight we are going to teach a lessons at O. house with Antonio and watch the Restoration video.

It is great to see what can happen when the members and missionaries work together. 

I have one other story for you all,

We got a call from our Ward mission leader at 3 in the morning from Edson, our ward mission leader. my companion was telling me to get up we had to go but he did not tell me why. we met our ward mission leader outside of our apartment and he asked if i had oil. I did only because i leave it on our house key chain. at that point i knew we were going to give a blessing but i did not know what for. we drove four blocks or so from our house and edson parked the car on the side of the road next to the only house that had lights on. 

when i got out i heard a woman yelling something over and over again but i did not understand what. To be honest i thought she was having a baby. 

When we walked into the house i saw the woman laying on the bed kicking and screaming. two men we trying to hold her down. she was spitting and shaking.    So you know how in the scriptures how you always read about how Jesus was always casting out devils. A few days before this i was thinking about how i had never seen a person  that had a ``devil`` in them. i guess there's a first time for everything. Edsom had to hold her head down so we could bless her. Elder Costa did the oil and I did the blessing. ALL i could say was feel the love the savior has for you and to be at peace. We left the room, she struggled a little more but 3 min. after the blessing she stopped screaming. I could hear nothing from inside the room and as far as I know she was fine after that moment. 

Never did I think I would witness something like that in my life. The power that Jesus Christ has is real and it continues to work through his priesthood. I know that through Christ we can perform miracles  on this earth through our faith. The power of God is real. I know that we truly can do all things through it. Always have the faith that everything is possible to those that believe. 

I love you all so much!! have a great week.

                                              LOVE,

                                      Elder B. Jacobson