Choose the Right

Well hello hello!!! So this week was a great week! I guess I´ll just get right to it. Mirna got married last Friday! Baptized Saturday! And confirmed Sunday! Wahooooooooo! La familia Castro Chila! A great family! Please keep Hermana Mirna in your prayers so that she can just progress and be a STRONG Member! And thanks to all those who remembered my Birthday! You all are so awesome! So how's everyone doing?

       I hope everyone has, is, and will hearken unto the voice of the Lord. If we do that, we must choose to prepare and have joy right? But you might have read or heard about someone who does not want that! So if we have made or are making, or are wanting to make the choice to follow the Good Shepherd rather than the devil I think it can really help to understand what comes from what. Or better said, what we need, and what we need to completley avoid, get rid of, and stay away from. Alma simply says ¨For I say unto you that whatsoever is good cometh from God, and whatsoever is evil cometh from the devil.¨(Alma 5:40). GOOD and Evil. BUENO y Malo. Can it get more clear than that!?!? haha. So why have me messed up? Why do we make mistakes? Why do we make bad decisions? Why have we sometimes chosen the wrong rather than the right? 

     We can all ponder and share different thoughts and reasons but I'm going to share some words that you can find in 2 Nephi 15 or Isaiah 5, (take your pick) that I believe explains at least one big reason. Because it talks about ¨them that call evil good, and good evil, that put darkness for light, and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter.¨ Now is that real or what?  Whose seen something on TV or whatever it may be that makes beer seem like somthing good, or smoking and drugs cool, or unmodestly dressing or hardly dressing attractive. Or people that think they're cool because they can say bad words! Or think its cool to not care about anything. These things are WRONG! They are not good, they are not light, and they are not sweet! Drinking, drugs, immodesty, pornographic material, cussing, etc... None of it is from God! Now if I have any friend reading or listening that might be caught up in or experimenting with any of these things. Throw it away, set goals, make plans, and tell Satan to go to hell! And no, Elder Jacobsen is not cussing. What I said is literal. I'm saying this because because I love you. So please take it seriously and with love. I expect the same from all my friends. To tell me straight up when I'm wrong and help me make things right.

   Now please, I do not want to hear, but hey, you only live once (YOLO). WRONG! Thats garbage! If you think that your being decieved! After this life there is more. And if we don't repent and don't do our best we will regret it. And if you want to think you only live once and you can do whatever you want and do wicked things, and deny the truth... Then I think that when you find yourself in the final judgement, you might just wish you only lived once. 

    So lets be careful to determine what is really the good and what is the bad. Satan offers lies and confusion.  God offers Prophets and Apostles. What do you Choose? 

     I love you all so much! Lets help each other and all those around us choose the right! Always! Whether that person is a child, a youngster, an adult, an older adult, and even the elderly. I hope to be able to help you. Many of you have helped me in many ways, and I know I will continue to recieve and need your help and guidance and support and love. And I am SO GRATEFUL FOR THAT! Thank you! I love you all so much! TAKE CARE AND PUT A SMILE ON YOUR FACE! 

Elder Jacobsen 

Whose Side are we on?

Well hello everyone! Im doing good here in ECUADOR! I am so grateful to have this opportunity to be here! I know that this is an experience of a life time and a blessing. I'm serving a mission but its funny because I think this misison will serve me throughout my life! And its important that we make the best out of this life right? 

I Believe that many of us know that ¨this life is the time for men to prepare to meet god...¨(Alma 34:32). And we can learn in 2 Nephi 2:25 that ¨men are, that they might have joy¨. Awesome! So we are here to prepare and to be happy! I like that! Learning and happiness sounds pretty good to me! Who wouldn't love to learn and have joy doing so. I am convinced that we all learn one way or another whether we like it or not. Now applying what we learn is another thing. To be frank, I invite all of us to not be dumb and to apply what we learn. Ok, so we know that we are here to prepare. We must learn and apply. But the Joy part? I'm pretty sure I've said things like smile, be happy, Attitude is Everything and what not. Now I hope that we are all smiling, being happy, and having great attitudes! Thats what we want right. But as we know there is someone, a fallen angel of God, yes the devil himself who seeks ¨the misery of all mankind¨(2 Nephi 2:17-18). Now just think about that! All mankind!!! Whether your name is BillyBob, SallyLoo, elder Jacobsen, Bryce, Angelina, Chase, Jacquelyn, Whitney, Miles, Gardner, Brent, Elizabeth, Corey, Thom, Kate, Austin, Lilian, Shelby, Josh, Rindi, Maddy, Collin, Ben, Lauren, Julia, Kari, Sam, Cindi, Rob, Paul, Cathy, Scott, Jake, Macee, Mackenzie, Jill, Dylan, ryan, Samantha, Heather, Greg, Luke, DJ, Dan, Briar, Jacob, Haylee, Steven, Chloe, Emma, Jessie, Autumn, Alexandra, Suzette, Blake, Shannon, Nate, Chad, Anne, Marshall, Amelia, Nadine, John, Kyle, Dru, Brock, Cole, JB, Or whoever! He wants you!!! Satan wants you and me to be miserable! Just like him! We're not just talking about being a little sad or bummed. We´re talking Misery! From the most Recent Newborn child to the oldest. With saying that, Lets never ever forget who that most recent newborn and the oldest person on earth are. Lets never ever forget who WE are! Children of an Almighty and loving God! We are his children and he literally loves each one of us. He wants us to have joy and prepare to be able to return to his glorious presence. So if we know what God wants and we know what the devil wants, lets ask ourselves. What do we want? God or the devil? Angels or demons? Light or darnkness? Peace or contention? Love or hate? Rightousness or wickedness? Repentence or guilt? Forgivness or Condemnation? Truth or lies? Hope or Fear? Joy or misery? A good Shepherd or a bad shepherd? Whose side do you want to be on? Ask yourselves right now! Whose side do you want to be on? I testify that true happiness comes from chossing the Lord's side. And not just choosing with your lips but also your thoughts and actions. Choosing rightousness! Choosing to repent! Choosing to love others! Choosing hope over fear! Choosing patience and kind words over contention. Choosing the right is what brings joy! Leraning, and might I add learning from mistakes and then applying brings joy.

Now I ask a question. Does having joy and being happy mean that Satan ceases to exists? NO! he is part of this. I really appreciate something that my Dad wrote me once. He told me that ¨Everything about the gospel is good and true and from a loving Heavenly Father that wants nothing more than for us to return to him refined and ready for the next stage. In fact, he loves us so much that he allows Satan to test us and confuse us so that we become stronger because of it. I have always thought it ironic that satan is actually making us stronger by him doing his job. One day he will hate the fact of how critical a role he played in creating this strong army of our Heavenly Father.¨  I love that! We can be happy! We can be so grateful for the opportunity to learn, grow, improve! We can be grateful for repentance and happy for the opportunity to refine ourselves. I have made many mistakes in my life. Some bigger some smaller! But I am learning! And I am so grateful for the Atonement and the hope we can have as we strive, repent, learn how to make better decisions, and become better! I have a long ways to go. A ton to improve on, a ton to learn, a ton to apply, and a ton to be so grateful and happy for. So while we have a TON (because this life is full of just so MUCH) may we all choose to be joyful! Always! Let us be humble, accept and learn from consequences with positive attitudes even when its hard, embarrasing, not the funnest, and just do our best! Don't ever follow satan or his ways down to misery! If we get knocked down or lost physically, mentally, or spiritually, lets GET UP, and if we get knocked down again, and again, and again, and again, and how ever many times... Lets get up, put ourselves in the right direction and with and through the Atonement stay as close as we can to the Good Shepherd! 

¨Behold, I say unto you, that the good ^ashepherd doth call you; yea, and in his own name he doth call you, which is the name of Christ; and if ye will not ^bhearken unto the voice of the ^cgood shepherd, to the ^dname by which ye are called, behold, ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd.

 And now if ye are not the ^asheep of the good shepherd, of what fold are ye? Behold, I say unto you, that the ^bdevil is your shepherd, and ye are of his fold; and now, who can deny this? Behold, I say unto you, whosoever denieth this is a ^cliar and a^dchild of the devil.

And now I say unto you that the good shepherd doth call after you; and if you will hearken unto his voice he will bring you into his fold, and ye are his sheep; and he commandeth you that ye suffer no ravenous wolf to enter among you, that ye may not be destroyed."

May we hearken unto his voice my dear Family and Friends! We can do this! I'm so grateful to have all of you in my life! I have recieved much help and I know I will recieve more help. Lets support one another! Lets help one another! Lets help others! And lets prepare and have joy doing so! This is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

I love you all so much! Take care! 

Elder Jacobsen