Another Transfer - 1 June 2015

Hello Everyone!!

This week we have transfers and to my surprise I am going to be transfer again!! I am going to zone JAÇANA. this was my first zone on my mission!!! I am so excited. I am going to be Zone Leader for the last two AND AM SO EXCITTED TO BE ABLE TO GO ON DIVISIONS WITH Vila Maria, my very first area in the field. I have a lot of planning to do before tomorrow comes so this is going to be short. but I did want to tell you about something really cool that happened this week!!

I was on divisions with the zone leaders getting some interviews done when we got to the last interview of the day. ELIANE. Elder Farias went into a room with her and they started the interview. And the interview just went on..... and on.....and on.....and on..... and on.... It was the longest interview I have ever witnessed. I was horribly worried about what was going on. Thinking of all the things that could have gone wrong. hahah. and it just went on......

After about an hour and a half the door to the room finally opened!! Elaine was crying and went into the bathroom!! Elder Farias waited to come out of the room until Elaine came out of the bathroom. When they both came into the room. Eliana Smiled and said she was going to be baptized!!! She just seemed to glow.

After we left the house I asked what had happened.

Elder Fariss said that nothing bad had happened, they were just talking and talking. Elaine in the interview had said that she wanted to be alleviated from her spiritual but also physical pain! So Elder Faries gave her a blessing and he told me after that he knew that she would be healed after her baptism. He did not explain anything more but he just knew.

That night After her Baptism she was just glowing!! so happy and her family is now united in the church.

This week has been such a blessing!! This is the best part of the mission!! three generations of this family are members now!!

I am so grateful for this gospel and for every opportunity I have to help others have the same opportunity that I have: To just start over.

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

LOVE ELDER B JACOBSON

Conference Weekent - 25 May 2015

Hello Everybody! 

This was an absolutely crazy week!!! hahha Started out by having a great district meeting on Tuesday. We started planning at the beginning of the week with everyone how we would get all of our investigators to church for the conference. This transfer we have been struggling because of all the meetings at the stake center. It had been a struggle getting investigators to come to church. After the training everyone was excited to work and see miracles. 

I have been thinking a lot about Lehi's dream and all the things that we can apply to our lives with this story in the scriptures. One thing that has really helped me keep an Eternal perspective is something that our mission president taught us about this dream. He told us that off all the people that were in the dream, Almost all went straight to the building. and then of the very few that made it to the iron rod many got lost before even getting to the tree. and then of the few that ate the fruit their were still half that left the tree and went to the building. 

President Farns told us that our job as missionaries is to open the doors of opportunity to all that are willing to accept it through faith, repentance, and baptism. Baptism in Lehi's dream is the moment that the people first grab onto the rod of iron. This is out job as missionaries, is to help everyone that is willing have this opportunity to come closer to Christ. I had always had the opinion that it would be of no good to baptize someone that would quickly become less active. but this story helped me to remember the eternal purposes of Gods plan. 

After baptism Gods children are blessed with the Holy Ghost. A gift that will have the power to bring people to the tree of life even if they have wandered far off and even made it to the building. it is a perfection that is needed for the orientation of all Gods children. even the ones that are choosing poorly at the moment. 

I think of all the things that I have passed through in my life and wonder where i would have been if I had not had the protection of the gospel in my life. Everybody needs this because we are all sick and needing of a cure. 

I hope you know that I love this gospel! I love the hope and the power that we find in the atonement of the lord Jesus Christ. 

People are being prepared to receive these great blessings. This week me and my district was struggling with really being motivated. not that we are not working. but I could feel that my work was not with full heart might mind and strength. but this helps me to remember the great need to help people have all that I have. 

The gospel has saved my life. I know that I have been so blessed. I pray that I may show my gratitude to the lord for all that he has blessed my with. 

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

Fast Week!!! - 18 May 2015

Monday;

Last Monday I had tons of time to sleep on pday which was exactly what I was needing to be able to work hard this week and get everything done that I needed to do. then that night we had a really cool family home evening night with a family that had a lot of RC and NON MEMBERS. I shared the message of the kite and keeping the commandments .

 

Tuesday:

district meeting I was surprised when I got to district meeting and the zone leaders told me that I would give the training to the zone. I gave a training on how to recognize quickly the people that are ready and the people that are not. I used a comparison with food and the way we present the gospel. It was cool.

 

Thursday:

We had a conference with president Farns. The trainings were awesome. Sister Farns talked about faith, and how faith normally means sacrifice. We were invited to sacrifice everything we had to the lord so that our faith could work miracles in our areas and in our work.

 

Sunday

We had a great Sunday. tons of miracles with helping people getting to church. We had prayed that everyone could be awake when we went to go get them.

We got to the house of SABASTIAO. and when we clapped at his gate he came out all ready and dressed!!! AWESOME.

Then we went to JULIANAS  house. She was all ready with her mom and she also brought a friend with her that was crying at church after watching the baptism of Juliana. We went to her house after that night and had a really good lesson with Juliana, her mom and friend!!!

In all we had 9 people at church. which was a complete miracle.

 

We have been praying and just pleading with the lord to lead us to the people that are ready and as we talk to everyone, we are just finding more and more. It has been awesome to see.

Morado Do Sol!!! - 4 May 2015

Hello Everybody!! 

This week I am finally going to have time to sit down and write a nice long letter of all the things that have happened. Sorry I have not been good at getting nice emails out, these last few weeks were nuts!! haha

So this week I made it safety to MORADO DO SOL. I think that means sunshine but I'm not sure yet. But I love this area already. We have found some great people here and everyone says hi to us!! hahha. the people are much more receptive and it makes it so much easier to love and serve the people!! however this week we did not have very much time to work in our area. 

I got to my zone leaders house really early on Tuesday but we did not have anyone to pick us up and bring us to our area until 7 o'clock at night!! so we spent the day planning and getting to know each other!! Elder Patterson is awesome!!!! We are both really excited to work and help as many people as we can!! This is going to be the best transfer I have ever had on my mission. I am so excited to just go all out in this area!!! Tuesday night we went to go talk to a family of three that is working on getting to church! they are a great family and have a desire to be baptized. We are just having problems getting them to church. 

Wednesday

We had our first district meeting. Everyone in my district is soo excited!!! AWESOME!!! I feel really blessed to have all missionaries that have a strong desire to serve the lord!!! I have done some things that I never thought would have happened on my mission!! that same night we were walking hone at 9 when we got a call from one of the sisters saying she needed an interview and was going to have a baptism that night!!! I got permission from my leaders and went to do an interview! NUTS! but he was great and is really excited to be baptized. 

Thursday; 

We had the full day to find prepared children of god! we found a really cool family that wanted to be baptized but then found us in the road the next day and told us not to come back. We also tried to contact investigators but it didn't go very well  but we did find 6 people with a lot of potential on the same street. Our president gave us the challenge to knock on 100 doors everyday. we have been doing this and really the Lord has started to bless us with people ready to hear the gospel. 

Friday 

We left our area again to have a conference with a member of the 70! it was a great meeting!! we had two entire missions together!! the spirit was awesome and everyone left completely inspired!! however by the time we got back we didn't have any time to work. 

Saturday

Today I had to leave my area to get some interviews done. I spent the day in SALTO which is a really cool city. It has a tone of old building and court yards!! it was really cool I wanted to take pictures but we had so much to do that there wasn't any time. All of the interview fell through which was sad and i had to go back that night because I couldn't travel on Sunday.

Sunday

Sunday was stake conference so we spent another day out of our area. haha We had another great meeting with the member of the 70 Elder Clayton! I was great. His wife is really funny. The stake center was completely loaded!! 

When we got back we got a call from the sisters to do more interviews for a baptism that night. So i did two more interviews!! such a cool family! 

On the way back we did a contact with a woman on the bus. We talked to her the entire way and got off the bus near here house. We walked with here to her house to say a prayer. After the prayer my companion invited her to be baptized that same night!!!!! to my surprise she said yes!!!! i could not believe what was happening!! So we took a bus to the chapel of the sisters were they were having their baptism but when we got their the bishop of the ward wouldn't let her be baptized and said she needed to go to church one more week. 

Her grand mother is a member and lives right next to the chapel. In the end she was not baptized but she will be next week! But what impressed me was the faith that she had!!! It was like when Alma invited the people to be baptized!! I have never seen anything like that on my mission. But after last night  my eyes have been completely opened to the miracles that Heavenly Father is able to do!! 

I love you all so much!! Thank you so much for all of your support!! I love this gospel, and for the opportunity I have to be apart of this great work!!! 

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

                                           Love

Elder Bryan Jacobson

This is Elder Patterson!  He´s been out almost 6 months and is awesome!! He's from California and just moved to Utah before his mission!!!

Closing the Area - 27 April 2015

Hello! 

This is going to be short again but we got transfer calls and we are closing the area:( so we got a lot to do before tomorrow!! 

But I love you all so much! 

I am getting transferred to MORADO DO SOL!!!! 

AI!! I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!! 

Ill write you all back tonight!!!! 

ate mais!!!! 

Wedding and Work - 6 April 2015

HELLO EVERYONE!!!

I am so excited for the chance to talk to you guys this week!! last week the church website would not open for me and my companion so we did not get to send email but ill get you all caught up!!

1. We had a wedding for Sandra and Otavia last Friday!!!! we had everything planned out with all the documents and everything.but when we got there,  a part of Sandra's document was ripped and they could not get married. so we went back this Friday and everything went well!! we took some great pictures of them!! hahah they are so excited.

We had their baptism at 9 in the morning yesterday because of their work schedule!!! the spirit was very strong!!! they are going to be a very powerful couple in the church!!

I got to baptize Otavio!! hahah. it was such a blessing! They have two children as well in their young family.

2. This week we have completely changed the way we are working. We planned between the conference sessions to visit all of our RC and to start working more with referrals!! We have already received 2 referrals that went to general conference!

One is GABRIELA! she watched two sessions of conference and then a baptism and felt the spirit really strong. after the Saturday night session she drove home with our bishop. Bishop spoke with here and invited her to be baptized next week!! she excitedly accepted the invitation!!!

3. On Tuesday I got to give another training to my district!! I based it on a book that I read 2 months before called ENVOKING THE POWERS OF HEAVEN.  This book talks about how our righteous desires can be accomplished through the power of faith. This book explains how members and missionaries can increase faith to act so that the powers of heaven can perform miracles and help us achieve our goals. This book has put a whole new perspective on missionary work!  if you can find this book I would get it for Daniel to read before his mission.

4. This week I also got to learn a little more about being a leader: so many times you think that as a leader you need to know everything and always be in control. As I have tried to do my best to lead I come to realize that the most important thing is to be as humble as possible! As I look back, I see were many problems could have been avoided if I have just been humble enough to take the blame and keep going. during conference I paid close attention to all the things that i could apply to be a more humble leader! As I have applied these principles, i have seen in just two days a difference in the relationship with me and my zone leaders. We are working more as a team and not as enemies, and i am now able to have the spirit with me in my work as I do my best!

I am so grateful for my pai calestial que loves me and is willing to let me be tested so that I can learn and grow. for is that not why we are here! I  love being here on the mission and for all the opportunities that I have to become better. I am so grateful for the chance I has this week to remember who I am and why I am here! I am grateful for my Father in heaven that helps me to be strong in what I believe and not to fall into the pressures of the world.

I love you all so much!!! Thank you so much for all of your support, words of comfort, and love!!!

I have been so blessed to have all the family and friends to lift me up. not everyone has what I have for you all I am so grateful!!

love you sooo much!!!

until next week!!!!!!

                                                    Elder Bryan Jacobson

I've Been Thinking - 23 March 2015

Hello Everyone!! 

This week I had the opportunity to think about something that our ward mission said to KATIELE and DANILO when we were teaching them before their baptism. He told them that after ever difficult trial comes a great blessing from the Lord!! 

I have to admit that this week was a struggle for me. I was not feeling the fire of missionary work and the fact that we had a lot of disappointments didn't help. And with all the pressures of leaders and trying to reach goals it is easy to loose sight of the real reason I am here on the mission. And this week I had the opportunity to remember just how much I need to rely on the lord and be humble. haha. I don't know why I seem to forget so quickly but I am grateful for a Father in Heaven that is so patient and willing to help me remember in who has given me all the strength I have received

. 

The week of work was great!! we were finding great people, teaching a ton, everyone was a GOLDEN INVESTIGATOR!! AHHA. And when everything was going so good I must have lost sight of my need for the savior and the need to always REMEMBER HIM! 

To make a long story short on Sunday everything dropped. We could not get investigators to church. Something crazy got in the way and no one could go! When we got to church with no one I had the opportunity to remember just how helpless I am in the Lords work alone! I got to remember that I am just an instrument and if I am not working in union with the Lord, I will be of little use to him. 

But thinking about the week Sunday night I got to change my attitudes and to be more grateful for the opportunity I had to grow spiritually because looking back, this week helped me grow more spiritually then the success would have helped. 

I am so grateful for a loving father in heaven that knows our needs and does everything he can to help us remember what is really important. 

I love you all so much!! I am so grateful for the gospel! I am so grateful for my mission and for all the things that i have to learn here!! The mission is so perfect!! I am so grateful for this privilege I have to be here!! I have been so blessed! thank you all for your support!! 

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

Elder B. Jacobson 

So Agua!!! - 16 March 2015

hello everyone!!

We got the transfer call and I am going to be staying yet again in Jd. California!!! I am so happy and excited to stay here with Elder Oliveira!!! we are both excited to work and are having lots of success here!! we have thought of some great ideas to find new people to teach, starting with the recent converts to singing songs to the people we meet to invite the spirit!!! 

However my district areas did get changed up this week again. I am going to be picking up two more duplas!! should be great!! I am very excited to have one more area of elders to work with!!  

This week we had the baptism of Roiline and carina!! 

Rosiline is a sister of a member here in jd. California that never was very interested in the church or in the missionaries. I started teaching her with elder Flores and she felt the spirit very strong and started to cry and tell us about here son that was struggling. She opened up for the first time and her progress was rapid!! Saturday she was baptized with her daughter!! They are soo happy!! it was such a miracle!! 

This week on Sunday church was canceled so we had no one at church :( sad but we are going to work even harder this week to get all these people to church!! My companion is great and full of energy!! He was transferred by emergency because he got in a fight, but I think this event humbled him and prepared him to come here because he is great!!! he loves the people so much and I am so grateful to have him working with me!! We get along great and are just pumped to keep working!! 

just a few pictures below of the week!! 

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

            love : Elder B. Jacobson!!! 

My New Companion - 9 March 2015

Wow what a week!!!

Monday; sadly I didn't have p day because of the emergency transfer but I did get to have a fun time traveling back to the center of Sao Paulo  with my companion!! first we got a ride from a member to the bus station ´SAN ANTONIO` cool right its named after our city in Texas!! hahah from the bus station we took a charter bus to Sao Paulo to the train station: Barra Fundos` from there we took a train to station SÊ. and from their we took another train to TUCURUVI! from the bus station in Tucuruvi we took a bus to the mission office were I got my new companion!! ELDER A. OLIVERA!!! from their we made the trip all the way back to Jargim Califonia!! we got home at about 11 o'clock at night!!!! such a crazy day

Tuesday: to day we did not have district meeting so I got to show Elder Olivera the area! and we got to contact our investigators! we had a great day and have become good friends fast. we have just gotten along great and are both really excited to be working here!! Elder Oliveira has a very special way of connecting with the people that I have never seen before! I am really excited to be working with him!!

on Wednesday the assistance to the president came to our area to spend the week with us!! It was great because I got to spend the week with Elder Brogan!!! It was a lot of fun working with him again. We had the opportunity to really see how much we had grown since our time in the MTC!! We talked about how we felt like we had just done everything the wrong way. but then as we talked more about it that night we realized that we were here to learn nonstop! we were always going to have something more to learn and something that can be improved! I think that as a missionary I always had the goal to reach the top but this week I got to see that here on the mission we aren't going to get to the top! because the top goes way higher then the limits of the mission field!!

Well my time is out and I still have to send stuff to president!!! I love you all so much!! have a great week!!

                           Elder Bryan Jacobson

Temple Trip - 23 February 2015

OI TODU MUNDO!!!!!!

 

1. This week I had the opportunity to go to the temple of CAPINAS!! WOW it was so cool!!! I feel refreshed and ready to work harder then ever before!! I was needing to go to the temple!! With all the stress and everything that happens on the mission, the temple is the best place to recharge the batteries!! The spirit was so strong! I had prayed the night before about some of the struggles that I was having and the struggles of my district!! and at the end I had received the divine help I was looking for!! I know that my Heavenly Father is looking over me and guiding me!! This week I have had some great opportunities to learn more. As a missionary many times I want to feel like I know what I doing. I want to feel confident and that I am a good missionary. but these past few weeks the lord has just been trying to teach me more about humility. As I have had the opportunity to see some of my weaknesses.

You all know that I love the verse in Ether about weaknesses. and the Lord said that when we come to him, he will show us our weaknesses! This is the hard part! the part when we have to recognize that we have a weakness and that we need to improve!! But  I know that the moment  we turn to the lord with humility, the lord is then able to turn our weaknesses into strengths!!

I have some great pictures of the temple!!!

 

2. We had the privilege to baptize Katiele and Gil this week!

KATIELE , after going to church on Sunday made up her mind that she was going to be baptized. the only problem was that her husband Danilo didn't want to. however, Katiele prayed and decided to be baptized alone!! She is so strong and I have seen her weaknesses become strong in such a short time!! It has been amazing to see how the gospel has so rapidly changed her life!!

 

3. we also had a surprise this week! One year ago the elders found a family here and baptized everyone but the father(GIL)!! When I got here GILS wife Adriana came up to us and told us that she needed us to keep working with him. so we went to his house every week the entire transfer. After the baptism of Gils daughter me and Elder Flores felt that the way had been prepared and that we should start pushing toward baptism! Monday night we went  to Gils house to have a family night!! We shared a short message! the spirit was strong!! and invited him to be baptized!! At first he just started to laugh but then looked at his wife and said YES! THE next day he was baptized!! We called bishop and he announced it to the entire ward on Facebook!! It was awesome! Their entire family are members now and are waiting to be sealed in the temple for time and all eternity!!

 

The gospel  is perfect and so wonderful! I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to help people have such great joy!!

I love this church and I love my mission!! I am so grateful for all the trials and opportunities the Lord is giving me to become better and to be tested!!

 

I love you all sooo much!!!

KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK (BREALYNN) SISTER JACOBSON!!

 

LOVE YOU ALL 

 

                       ELDER BRYAN JACOBSON