Cold Shower

How is everyone doing! I am pretty sure this last week was thanksgiving! So happy thanksgiving! I took a moment a couple nights ago to think about thanksgiving and what I am thankful for and holy cow im lucky. We are lucky. On part of us who live in the States, we have it good. God has truly blessed us. I wont go on saying what we do and don’t have or what we have and Ecuador doesn’t but I will say that we have more than enough in so many ways and should be very gratefull. For part of thanksgiving I invite all of you to take one shower, but on COLD, and then think that the people here and in many parts of the world are considered high class to have just running water. Haha, let me know if you try it out. Well, it was a good week! Were having quite a bit of success! We found a family. Familia Zambrano who are just great! They are like a dream come true because they´re married. Please keep them in your prayers that they can progress going to church and feeling the truth of this great evangelio. Well, MICHAEL GOT BAPTIZED! Wahoo! Haha! I love the familia Jara and Michael was finally baptized and I think It gave the parents a boost to get everything worked out with getting married! Keep them in your prayers also please! Well, Not much time. I hope your all doing great and just living up life. Love and miss you! Oh, and i want to shout out HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my best friend Briar who is cumpliendo anos esta semana! Love ya! Have a great one! 

Elder Jacobsen 

Att. Here are a few pics of our little family here, us with hermano fuentes (patriarca) and the sweet hammocks he made us!, and the family Jara at the baptism! 

Instrument in the Lords hands

Como están a todos! How are you all doing! I hope your all doing great. Well what to say here in Monte Sinai… Things are going well… The work is good. Its tough, joyful, and all worth it! But wow the time is honestly going by fast. I dont know what it is but time is going a lot faster now. I fell like it was only a few days ago I was writing. So im way excited because weve been working with the familia Jara who I have been working with for months and we decided thats it is best that Michael the son gets baptized. The parents are still having troubles getting married but im just so happy that they´re trying and that Michael will take the first step. I hope and pray that some day i will get word that the family are all preparing to go to the temple. That would make the whole misión worth it! Haha. So theres a family that I would like you to put in your prayers if you wouldnt mind. A sister named Fanny and her kids arnt members but are interested. The dad was a member but left and is now a drunk and Fanny doesnt want to join the church if it didnt change her husband. We just need to explain to her that the members arnt perfect but the church of Jesus Christ IS. But I feel like we can get to her and it will change her life and her husbands. So yesterday i had a neat experience. I was asked to give a talk with like no notice and of course i said yes but i was a little nervous because the people here love hearing a gringo talk and love laughing when he messes up or just the wierd accent we have, but i really wanted the people to get somthing out of my talk. I knew my spanish isnt even close to where i want it to be but the coolest thing happened when i said a prayer before i went up to talk, i just felt peace. Then i went up there and at first i was thinking about every word before talking and really trying to say each word right but then the next thing i know i was just talking and saying what i wanted to say. I know that God was using me as a instrument in his hands because it wasnt me talking. I dont even remember all that i said but what i do remember is having a momento to just look into the congregation and see that there wasnt one person laughing or not paying attention. Everyone was really listening. And then when i sat back down with my companion he said in spanish when did you prepare that? Good job. And i thought to myself that i really didnt prepare any of it. I have been thinking about what happened and it has really strengthened my testimony that we can do God's will and if we permit the spirit of the Lord to guide us we can literally be instuments of the Lord to spread and share this great Gospel. I know that Joseph Smith with a 14 yr old education is probably close to my spanish or even better but through the Lord i am permitted to bear testimony in another language and he is able to translate a book that no man can write or translate. I know Christ lives and that he and our father and heaven our with is. I love this Gospel! I love and miss you  all! Cuidense! 
Elder Jacobsen

Oh and I attached a couple pics. If anyone was wondering how I am doing with drinking because the waters not safe here, well here is your answer. Ecuador knows whats up and has my favorite drink ever! Gatorade! Wahoo! 

English Fun

How is everyone doing! So theyre having power problems here so i hope i can write up a little message before it goes out. It is going in and out! Ha. Well i hope everyone is doing great! This week was a pretty good week. Nothing crazy happened but we had a great baptism for Daniel! He is doing great and were going to try to have him go on some visitas with us to get him excited about the church and everything. His dad went to the baptism which was great! He didnt say anything but I feel like some day he will have a change of heart! Well, I wont say much today but I guess I will give you a little update on the spanish. Its improving. Regarding the Gospel, im starting to understand the magority and im getting a little more outside. Im getting to the point were I can pretty much say what I want to which is fun. Its definitly not pretty and all smooth but it gets through. I love joking with the kids or even adults here. When they ask me where I am from I say Choni, which is a pueblo up north that I guess has white people. Some of them believe me and just say I talk funny. Then I ask them if they can teach me English and they try teaching me what they know but half the time its not correct and so I say are you sure its not this or that and they say no! You have to study English and I just laugh because they think im crazy! Then I just bolt out a sentence in English and they are shocked and are like what was that. And I say another language so they dont feel bad that they don't understand English. Its way fun messing with the two langauges and just playing with them and they get a kick out of it. There are some real fun peope here. Well, no time but I am learning a lot from these people and love them more and more. I have so so so much to learn that I know i will never be able to learn. It is a never ending game of aprendiendo y mejorando en esta vida! Got to love it! I love you all so much! Cuídense!

Elder Jacobsen 

Dont Want to Go

Bueno! Como están mi queridos amigos y familia! How are you all! 

So everyone is asking me about New York and the east coast and I am like i have know idea you guys watch the news i dont. But they have told me whats going on and i pray and hope that everyone is ok! This is gonna sound horrible but thank goodness its the east and not the west! But everyone wherever you are please take care and be safe. Oh and hows Mitt doing. I know the elections are sometime this week i think. Let me know what happens! All the members here want Mitt! Its pretty funny! Speaking of presidents, I dont know much about the president here but from what I hear he is doing a good job. He is actually trying to help this country. And he has started with schools. He is building tons! And its all free for the students! And he is trying to build pavement roads! Hes really helping progression. It will be really cool to see the changes over the next couple years. 

Well this week has been great! Yo y mi compañero estamos llevándonos muy bien! It means were doing good together. Hes really progressed a ton and is starting to get into it! Its great! He is working hard and accepting the changes and the rules a lot lot more than in the beginning! I am so happy! Today finished the change but looks like we good another change together!(6weeks). They call Sunday nights to tell you if your gonna change and they didnt call! I couldnt sleep well because i was way scared they were gonna call. I really really dont want to leave.  Things are going well between me and elder Barragan but honestly more than anything i love this place. I love the people here! I honesty will miss them all so much and i only have probably 6 weeks left with them. Ill be leaving them right before xmas which is gonna kill me! Im so tempted to ask president to stay! Haha. 

Well things are going well here! We are really working with this family that the wife is a member but the husband is not and the husband is as hard as a rock! He scares the heck out of me. I dont know why but he always says the same thing that nothing has touched him and he wont change until he is touched. They have a son Daniel who is just awesome! Were asked the dad if Daniel believes and wants to follow the example of Jesucristo if he would give permission. He said yes but only if Daniel wants to.Well, Daniel is crazy excited for his baptism and is already asking us about the misión and when he can go! Haha. Were gonna take him to appointments after his baptism. But please pray for him that everything goes well this week. 

Well we put together this activity with our mission leaders of the wards and at first i was a little worried that no one would show up but it was awesome. Tons of people showed up and the Bishop said it was the most successful activity the wards had in a long time! It was great and had a principle behind it that the people love. No time to explain it but it went well and ill try to attach a picture. 

Well, i love this gospel and i love the happiness it brings everyone! I love the people here and their faith that they have! They truly are examples to me. I hope everyone is great! I love and miss you so much! Les Quiero mucho!!! 

Elder Jacobsen

P.s. The other two photos are of one of my favorite person that I've gotten to know. Patriaca. He and his wife live below us and are like are grandparents. They always try to give us snacks and just take care of us. He made personally a Ecuador colored hammock for me and also typed me up on this little type write a nice long note that i still have to translate. haha, i dont understand much of him but i feel his love! He says since ive been here longer than other elder he feels like im a son to him! I was like wo but im honored. So nice! Anyway the pics are in his little hideout were he always writes and studies.!