Email #43….Monday December 13, 2010

so this is my absolutely lovely "trim". she freaking buzzed my head!!!
i specifically said "just cut a little bit"..

alright... we can figure out the Christmas talking time, i think we are
going to spend Christmas with Alejandra and her family because the
other families here honestly don't really care about us... kinda sad!
actually...there are a few that would love to have us. but Alejandra said
i could skype at her house on Christmas eve or i could go to a call center.
i just don't know if anything will be open that night.. but for sure i will figure
something out to be able to talk to everyone on Christmas eve.

i can’t believe that all those stores are going out of business.. that's
such a bummer. i'll miss Traning Table, but i love JCW´s :) i figured
that the economy was getting a little better. but it doesn't sound like it?
i don't really see it here.. i hope it gets better though! things really
are changing there though huh... it's going to be so different when i
get back...with the family and all too. my sisters haven't written me
for i think three weeks, so i don't really know what’s going on with
them..(I think he's trying to make his sisters feel guilty)
but i'm glad that Allie and Troy are moving to Utah! what part?
do they know? and are the Fullers moving or what’s going on with them?

it still boggles my mind that it is snowing there and it is really hot
here... well... sometimes. this week has been soooo weird! it started off
really hot and then Tuesday it completely changed.. it rained, and
when i say rain i mean RAIN. it was so windy and wet it was hard to be
outside.. and not to mention COLD! i felt like we were going back into
winter again! it kind of sucks though because it does not feel like Christmas
at all. i'm so used to snow and all the decorations. i'm not complaining... here
there's a little decoration, but no snow obviously. we even watched the
Christmas fireside yesterday but i still didn't feel like Christmas.
anyway... many times the sun was out, but it was freezing and raining! i
don't get it really... but luckily it didn't rain on Sunday!

speaking of Sunday... we brought 2 new investigators to church! that morning
we were planning on five(a dream goal because these last 4 and a half
weeks we haven't had a phone to be able to call people to see if they
could come to church). anyway, we have an hermano who came and got us in
his van to pick up all the investigators. that is one great thing here...
we have someone with a car who can help us out! anyway we called
all the investigators and none answered.... so we went to all their houses. no one
answered.. i was soo frustrated! the fact that no one answered and
that my comp didn't help me out at all... well, we get to church, i sat
down and just start pondering. i started to pray and asked for just one
person to remember. sacrament came and i just tried to focus on
Christ and the atonement. my comp looked out the window right after
we received the bread and told me that Andres was waiting outside! he
was a contact that we had the first week. i can't remember if i told
you about him... he had an issue with my comp because Roman didn't say
hi to him. anyway... he came! and then another contact that we had two
weeks ago came! out of the blue. oh man, that is the second time that the
investigators have come during the sacrament. i'm pretty sure it ties in
together somehow. needless-to -say, it made my day. the other missionaries spoke.
elder Clemence spoke about the word of wisdom, and i could smell cigarette
smoke on Andres. i thought to myself "this is either going to "kill"
Andres or make him really interested". well thank heavens... he really
loved it! i gave him a pamphlet on the word of wisdom and he said he wanted us to
come by this week. the Lord works in mysterious ways! and i am so
grateful for His help in this work. we obviously could not do it with
out Him...

thanks for the package mom! it was great! i also got a package from
Elder Gibbs; he sent me a tie. we had been wanting to get comp ties
but never did. he really is a great friend! i am meeting so many
awesome people here. and thanks for reminding me of all the times i
have almost died.. ha ha. (I just reminded him he had guardian angels)
it's kind of crazy. i know there are people from the other side that
are watching over me and i'm very grateful for that! my lives are
running out though. i think i'm on my eighth... ugh. one left! well i
love you all! have a great week!

elder jackson