Changes

Well today completes my 2nd change in the field or better said my first 12 weeks of training what they call 12 semanas. I finished my training and your not going to believe it and I still don’t believe it but we got a call late last night that Elder Wittee se va (goes) and I’m going to train! Say what! Well I will say that it was actually tough to say goodbye to Elder Witte this morning. I have had a great training with him, learned at ton, and really developed a strong friendship with him. I’m gonna miss him and know he will do great things! We found out that his parents are going to send him and his brother after the mission to study english in the states and after go to BYU so I’ll get to see him! That made me so happy! But right now I’m still out of my mind that they are calling me to train. I still barley know the language haha. This is crazy! But who the lord calls he qualifies right? When you train someone here in the mission they are nicknamed your hijo. Your son. So grandma and grandpa this Wednesday your going to have your first grandchild. haha. just kiddin. But ya they arrive this Wednesday and we pick them up so I don’t know who my next companion is yet. Right now they have me and Elder Maddock (the only other gringo in the zone and has the same time as me) together in Monte Sinai for a couple days. I honestly don’t know what they’re thinking having two gringos. Its gonna be an adventure. hahaha. But I’m excited to train and nervous. I really want to as they would say raise a good son! haha. But I have promised myself that I will never be a trainer that the new missionary comes and has to correct and tell him not to be lazy or to wake up and what not! Well we had a fun baptism last night with Brian and today I think familia Jara is going to get married which means they can get babtized! I’m so so excited and just praying that it all works out because they’ve gone 2 times now and each time had a problem. Well, I love this work and know its true! People have asked to send some pics of some of my living conditions. So I tried to attach a few pictures. They don’t give justice. And the humbling part is my living conditions are a 100x better than the majority in my sector. This is a humbling experience. Oh and one last thing! Jake, Miles, and Nate! I know you guys are all about to leave in the next weeks-months or so! I love and am so proud of you guys! I hope we can some how keep updated but if not! DO WORK and remember ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING! Something that I am finally beginning to understand is attitude truly is everything. Well I’ll see you guys in a couple! And everyone else back home! I love you all so so so much! Just live every second of life up! 

Elder Jacobsen 

Kevin

Well this week was an all around good week! Buenísimo! Well first off last P-Day was like the first actual P-Day. We got to go into the city with permission because Elder Wittee had to get some things and we stopped by for a little bit at the Parque de iguanas! It was sweet! I definitely want to return and tour parts of the city throughout the mission. It’s really sweet there. So two crazy things this week. First isn’t too crazy it’s just the fact that we don’t have a bathroom now. Well really just the toilet. It’s completely broke so we get to use the patriarcas outhouse down below which is just the nicest cleanest bathroom I’ve used. (that is sarcasm) haha... I’ll have to send pics of it next week or so. But lets just say goin the bathroom is now an adventure. haha. The craziest thing happened when we were running late to get back to the casa. We have to be back at 9 and 9:30 for the time limit. But we had a really great lesson and we didn’t end up leaving until like 9:25.  But the casa was like a 10 min walk and another 5 in the bus. So we decided to run the walking part. Don’t think it was a good idea. Apparently you don’t run here is what I learned. Next think I know every dog in Ecuador is going nuts barking like crazy and even started chasing us. At first it was crazy and kinda fun until this huge black nasty messed up lookin dog came at us and literally was taking bites at us. I wont lie, I was straight up scared and then I realized Elder Wittee started to run faster and I knew he was fast because he always tells me how he was the fastest in his region in Brazil and stories asi. So it hit me that this would be a race to see who doesn’t get bit. hahaha. And I was not going to get bit!!! haha.. Well I wont lie I felt a little bad passin Wittee because it was like me saying "you get bit" haha. But through the goodness of God, a big hill came and we both booked it up and the dogs stopped. We both just started laughing and trying to catch our breaths. I wont lie, it was fun and nice to feel some adreniline that I havn’t felt for a while. haha. Well, that was the story of the week. I can tell you that what I just said doesn’t give it justice but oh well. haha. It was a experience that I wont forget. But the best part of the whole week is we had a baptism for KEVIN! The son of familia Moran who was my first lesson in Ecuador Monte Sinai! The parents can’t get baptized because they aren’t married and have to take care of divorces from the past but they are all going to church and its just great! So happy! And thank you so much for your prayers! I know and promise each and everyone of you that they are helping so so much! Thank you so much and please don’t stop! Well, I hope everything is going great great great back in the good old states! I love and miss you all so much! 

Working hard,

Elder Jacobsen  

The Power of Prayer

Hola! Coma Estas? I hope everyone is doing well! I don’t really know what’s going on over there other than the fact that everyone is starting school. Hope its all goin well! Well I can’t really say what but something happened this week that has made everything a lot better. I am very excited to serve this mission and give it everything I got! Only 2 years to serve the lord 100%! So, a lot happened this week but nothing really to share. I wont lie it was a long week. haha. But wasn’t bad at all, just a long week. I don’t know why. I was talking to an elder that has been out a decent amount of time and he said every week is different. Sometimes there are weeks that feel like eternity and others that are like wow! It’s been awesome because the majority of the weeks in the mish so far have been like wow. This really is fast! So I’m hoping things return back to that. Well, something that has really been big for me this week is prayer. I have never prayed so much in my life than on the mission but this week it has really started to hit me how important prayer is and how much I love the opportunity and gift of being able to talk to our father in heaven. I honestly could not do this without God my and our loving father in heaven. I love my personal prayers and am learning how to really just talk to my father in heaven. It is not just something I do like it used to be. Now its actually something. I don’t know how to explain it. But I have a developed a large testimony on prayer and I can testify that god answers every single one if we have faith. I love the book of Enos in the Book of Mormon and how it says if we ask in faith we will receive. It is so so so true! Speaking of prayer, I was in the house of the zone leaders with a bunch of missionaries from the zone and we had a prayer together before bed and it hit me that I’m praying with elders from Ecuador, Peru, Guatemala, Honduras, and Brazil. How cool is that! No matter what country, who you are, what language, or whatever. We all have the same loving father in heaven that we can pray to. Well, you are all in my prayers every day and night! Thank you so much for all your love and support! I love and miss you so much! 

Elder Jacobsen 

First Dedication

Hello, hello!! What is going on in the states? Everyone is coming up to me and saying what’s going on in your country? And I’m like what?   They tell me there are really bad storms going on. I hope everyone is safe and sound! You all better stay safe and be smart! Well this week was a little slower all the way up to the weekend and the weekend made it an awesome week. Why?  Because we had a conference with both north and south mission with Elder Pino of the sesenta and Elder D Todd Christofferson!!!! It was great! First off, we got to see everyone in the misison and a few minutes to say hi. It was so good to see my buds from the MTC and the group I arrived with and see that they’re doing good and just talk with them about things and how-what we need to do to survive. hahajk. But it was good. Well, the conference was absolutely amazing. First off we all got to shake Elder Christofferson’s hand and talk to him which was one of the coolest most comforting-scary moments of my life. Don’t know how to explain it but it was amazing. I can promise you he is called by God.  The spirit I felt I can’t deny. The conference was awesome. It was so weird being all in spanish. But I was so happy for all the latinos because it was all their first time hearing an apostle and it not being translated. It was a very special moment! Man, if only we had this like every month or every change the mission would be a breeze. haha. So things are pretty good here. We’re without electricity again so that’s a little bummer but I hope it doesn’t last to long. Oh well, more fun camping. And I can’t complain I heard Brother Morgan did bowl baths for months and I’m sure lots of other great men in the church that I know. Thank you so much for your examples. Well, the mission is always filled with surprises and I was definitely surprised yesterday. Lets just say I never thought I would ever have to dedicate a house until I have my first house. I was wrong. A nice hermana in the ward came up to me and asked if I would come dedicate her house. Again I was shocked and had no idea how to do it or thought I could do it. But as always the Lord helped me and we had a beautiful little experience in a beautiful house of caña and dirt. The spirit is real. And I want to do everything I can to have to spirit with me more. Nothing is possible without it and our father in heaven. I love this gospel and know it is true. I love all of you. I love and miss you so much! Take care! 

Elder Jacobsen

Oh, the pictures are pretty simple. As usual no time. But I got some through. I think one is of our sweet little home made baptismal font and the other of a great little family in the ward that feeds us lunch on Mondays.