Prayer

Buenas Tardes!!! Como están por allá!?! Well, time is just flying!!!! It seems like just a little bit ago it was New years and Christmas. This is crazy! Well, I'm going to keep this short! So were really needing to find some new people to teach. Please include in your prayers that we can find families and that they can have desires to keep commitments! And preferably with married parents! haha. So, were in the rainy seasons here but I think we might be getting a lot wetter here in the next month! Well, what else! haha. OH ya, we ate BOFE (If thats correct) this week. I understand that its the pulmones of the cow! Which are lungs right! haha. Let it keep on commin! So, I hope you're all praying sincerly! Honestly I think one of the most comforting things that we have in this life is the ability to just pray and truly express ourselves to our Father in Heaven!  I invite you to try imagining that your are REALLY talking to him! Do your best to really make a connection and imagine him there listening, smiling, or whatever... It's somthing special! Your Father in Heaven is there! Talk to him!  Well, I honestly believe with all my heart that this is the work of the Lord. I know I will never be the perfect missionary but I want to strive to finish the best I can!!! Well I love you all so much! 

Elder Jacobsen 

Pregunta. When they say its super super cold in the states does that include all the states? 

ATTITUDE

Hello Hello! 

Hola familia y amigos! Bueno, this week was a good week! I would like to talk about the importance of just having a good attitude! I truly hope you know the importance of just having a good attitude! ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING! How many times will you hear that from me or read it? I don't know! But I'm sure more than once! haha. But honestly our attitude is so important! When we learn, work, or going through harder times, passing through normal times, or whatever it may be we must have the best attitude and just strive our best to trust in the Lord and have a good attitude doing the best we can do. I hope you all have a great week and just great attitudes in all that you do! Be happy! 

Well, we still need to find MANY more people to teach! Lots of couples that need to get married! Pray for the familia Sarmiento, Napa, Cuji, Lema, and anyone else that needs to get married! haha. Well, love you all sooooo much!!! 

Elder Jacobsen 

Have a Prayer in Your Heart This New Year!

Hola familia y amigos!

Bueno, esta semana pasada has been a good week. I feel like I'm starting to progress and progress is great! But I do know that I have a LOTTTTTTTT to learn and to understand! But I'm pretty sure my whole life will be like that! But there's certain things that I really want to just get on top of this year! I know this year is going to be a big year! A year of many great changes and progress! So I hope your new year has been great! Its kinda crazy that were already in a new year!!!!! Wow!!!! Well, one of the things that I think I'm really starting to learn is the importance of carrying a prayer in your heart. Or better said, being able to pray in your heart at anytime! I've been doing it a LOT latley! I invite you all to try it. Whenever you just want to communicate with our Father in Heaven, or need help, or whatever it may be. PRAY! Obviously if you can kneel down and pray thats great, but don't think that if your not in private that you can't pray. Pray in your heart and mind! Trust me, it works! And you can recieve lots of comfort throughout the day and even be guided! Its helped me a ton, and I know I will do this throughout my life! Were doing good! It appears that the rainy season is starting up! Oh boy!!!! So we need to find MORE people to teach! and FAMILIES! Parents!!!! This branch has great people in it but I want to help build it up even more --obviously!!! .... There's a lot of work to do! But great people here!!!! Great people! Have a great week! 

Elder Jacobsen 

I HAVE TONS of Pics that if you want to see you'll have to see later but here is an example of some fo the things they do for the new year. THEY BURN THEM! Its pretty exciting! 

Merry Christmas from Triunfo, Ecuador!

HEY everyone! So Merry Christmas! Hope you all have a GREAT one and really just live up the holiday season! But lets not forget that this is to celebrate the birth of someone VERY VERY SPECIAL! The birth of our Lord Jesus Christ! What a wonderful person to think about! Please, in your families, with your friends, and whatever might be going on, lets all try to really remember the most important. Jesus Christ! Lets do our best to do what he would do, say what he would say, and really share Christmas love with others! So, I’ve been changed. Yes, today. Iré y Haré!!! So I’m no longer Zone Leader. And no I don’t think I should say I can rest now because the truth is, it doesn’t matter the assignment.  I just need to WORK HARD and Strive to be the Missionary I can! So ya, time to get at it and just enjoy being a MISSIONARY! I think its actually going to be great! Well, I’m in a place called Triunfo with an Elder named Elder Alfaro from El Salvador! Well, ya, talk to the family soon so wahoooo!!!!!! Feliz Navidad! Love you! Smile!!!!! 

Elder Jacobsen 

November 25, 2013 News

Well hello hello! So times flying here in Ecuador. WAY to fast which is a good and bad thing. Haha, I'm not going to lie. Pero bueno, This week was a good week and yes I have a couple things to tell. But as usual the time flies so I'm going to be keeping my emails nice, short and sweet. Hope thats ok. So this week we had a conference en Babaoyo with Presidente Amaya la hermana Amaya y el ELder Mestre (From the seventy, I'm pretty sure from Venezuela) which was an absolutely excellent meeting. I loved it! He taught in just a very exciting, spiritual, motivating, understanding manner. I was touched in many ways and am even more boosted to just keep getting better and improving and trying to be the missionary I want to be. The missionary God wants me to be. He said something like this. The missionary you are now is the kind of person you will be in 10 years. I loved that and  it helped me realize even more that there's no time for slacking or saying tal vez or maybe later or that's not that important. Its just not even worth it! So yes, as I was excited and motivated a while ago to really be the best missionary I can be, I'm even more now. I want to give my all. Its hard at times. I won't lie. Being obedient at times is really hard. Sometimes it really hurts. That sounds funny. But true obedience with all your heart is WORTH IT! I can literally see God trusting me more as his son and using me way more as an instrument in his hands. Its amazing and I want to keep trying to make it better. I love my Father in Heaven. I know he has given me SOOOOOO much. WAY more than I could have posibly deserved and will ever deserve. I am in debt. I'm pretty sure we all are to some degree. But I feel like im the luckiest in my own special way. haha. Just so much patience, love, miracles, forgivness, etc... It's incomprehensible. I honestly don't understand it and sometimes its hard to believe. But the great thing is, I DO BELIEVE! And it brings so much HOPE and HAPPINESS. And all said and done, it all comes from the ATONEMENT of Jesus Christ! I can say that when I truly have faith in the atonement I am a much happier person. When I don't, its not very fun! I have a lot to learn about the atonement and to understand and to apply. But I do know that its something very special and I am so grateful for that! Well, this is a lot longer than it was going to be. Oh, I dont know if I mentioned, Elder Suarez was changed. That was not a fun change. He was honestly a great companion! Teaching and helping me a ton! But now I have the privilege to be with Elder Rubio. He's from Quito. And its his first time as ZL which is really helping me because I'm able to strive even more to be a better example and push to keep the wave of the work of salvacion rolling! It's time for this baby to getta rollin to the point where its the most popular wave known and everyones surfin and boogie boarding along with it enjoying the joy of this work! Love you all so much! Cuidanse! 

Elder Jacobsen 

October 21, 2013 News from Milagro

Hello Hello!

So I have no time because I've been traveling all day!! Yes los cambios were today and Yes I have been transfered from Quevedo. Wow, I loved Quevedo and my months there. I will definitely miss it a ton! The lugar, the people, the members, the pres de estaca, el obispo, los jovenes misionaries de barrio, my converts and just ya... It was a great zone! Anyway, we received the call last night at 1 AM with the changes and I was included. We travelded all morning to Guayaquil and there I was presented to my new Comp. Elder Suarez! De Colombia! Wahooo! Los Colombianos me caen super bien! so ya, and had already heard good things about him. It's funny because we have had a couple of the same companions. Elder Barragan who I trained and Elder Da Silva. But ya we got to know each other a bit in our bus ride to MILAGRO which is my new zone. Milagro 1. From what I heard we are 14. So I'll let you know who's here and where there from next time. Oh I might mention that this Zone was part of the old Guayaquil SOUTH mission. But its now newly ares. I'm excited to learn more and really try to progress in this new zone. Well, thats whats going on here. Oh, i dont know if i told you, I was waiting to tell you but I got bit for the first time in my mission a week ago. Thats a story I'll have to tell when there's time. Which might be after the misison. haha. I love and miss you all so much! I love this misison. It truely is a blessing to be able to start to really understand and develop a true perspective of life! 

Con amor,

ELder Jacobsen 

October 14, 2013 News

A los tiempos! Well, you'll have to forgive me! I think its been a couple weeks. Just lots of work to be doing here in the Lord's work! Well, with the short time I have I first off want to share a small part of the testimony of my heart. My dear family and friends, I believe with ALL my heart, with all there is within me that Christ is our Lord and Savior and that God the creator is our loving father in heaven! I believe that they with the spirit are a perfect Godhead of all things. And a Godhead of love! I believe with all my heart that we have a divine purpose here on earth! Yes, TO BE HAPPY and truely make the best of life BUT in the PATH OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST! That is TRUE HAPPINESS! That is true peace and hope! I know with all my heart that the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is what brings and offers more happiness and help and comfort than anything else in this entire earth! Why is that? Becasue it is divine! Dad helped me understand that and I am forever grateful. Just think about it. Yes there are MANY (millions even billions) that can be happy and experience much joy and happiness throughout there lives. Why is that? At first that really made it hard for me to understand. Why are there so many people that don't have the gospel but yet can be happy, can overcome challenges, etc....? How can that be if there's supposivly only one true way. But the answer is simple. God the Father and his Son love ALL of his children. Even the lost, the unbelievers, the believers to a certian point, even the wicked and those natural men that are enemies. Though he knows not all will be able to come completely back due to agency and many circumstances do to the perfect plan, he wants all to be able to feel his love! The light of Christ is for everyone! Even those that don't believe! Where does their light and happiness come from? From the atonement and love of Christ! Why can other religions also be convinced that they are in the truth? Because they DO have parts of truth! Prayer, faith, obedience, righteousness, etc... are many  principles throughout the world and God isn't going to take away their opportunity to feel the divinity of those principles of the Gospel just because they haven't found ALL of it. He wants them to have as much happiness as they can. The difference is, we have the FULLNESS of the Gospel! The service, the unity, the truths, and happiness is literally like NOTHING ELSE in this entire world! And as my father simply and beautifully explained it. IT IS DIVINE! And, I am now starting to understand the HUGE importance and responsibility that we have to SHARE it! God is depending on us! He gave us so much whether through pre-existence affairs or agency here on earth it has come to us and yes part of the PLAN and the DEAL is to share it! There are billions still that don't have it! They need it! Their ancestors need it and their future generations need it. Our brothers and sisters! I have much to learn and much more faith and knowledge to acquire. But from the depth of my heart, I am certain that this is The fullness of the Gospel. The work of our God. The work of the only God. The plan of all plans. The immortality and eternal life of man! I pray that we may all study, learn, apply, and increase our testimonies and faith of this GREAT CAUSE! I love you all so much! Work hard, and know that Elder Jacobsen loves and misses you! Hasta entonces!

Elder Jacobsen! 

P.S. Ive been asked for stories. Real quick I'll tell a story of this week. So coming home from a Leadership Meeting in Guayaquil I wasnt feeling too well on the bus. (3-4 hour bus ride) and I realized I was going to throw up (had only thrown up 1 time in the misison) and I told an elder next to me and as I was opening the window he tapped me and said no use this (a bag) and toss it out after. I asked if it had holes because I couldn't see because it was completely dark in the bus and outside. He innocently replied no, its all good. Well, long story short. It definatly had holes in the bag! hhaha! Aww man, my poor pants and shoes. And the poor people in the bus that had to wonder what that horrible smell was for the last hour and a half in the bus! But the funniest part is that the police pulled over the bus to do an inspeccion. And they had flashlights looking under the seats and what not. We had moved more to the back. The vomit was more towards the middle. And we all watched as one of the men looked under the seat were I had thrown up and when he looked up his face was struck and he looked to the others and said to the others and said no hay nada aqui (theres nothing here) and they left. We all laughed! 

Well that's it! Love you!