Sunday, December 18, 2016

Christmas is in the Air!!!!


Dear family and friends,

Is it possible for the time to fly so fast that two weeks fly by and you think it has only been a week?  Well, guess what….. that is what is happening in our missionary life!  I can’t believe how fast the time is zipping past!  We have had an incredible week (I mean 2 weeks!).

Christmas is in the air!  We feel it and we love it!  “The Light the World” iniative has been a great source of joy to us.  It is miraculous how little acts of service really do light the world!  The Spirit of love is shared and received in very tender and memorable ways!  As President and Sister Steven’s told us, Christmas in the mission field can be a life changing experience.  We can testify of that!

We have been involved the past 2 weeks with missionary flat inspections.  Although, these can be somewhat “temporal” assignments, we find them uplifting as we get to visit with the young missionaries, and see the lists of investigators on their hanging white boards, and the goals they have set!  Where else would you have your heart fill with love for 18 and 19 year old men and women who are focused on bringing the light of the gospel to the world!  The is truly a miraculous work to behold and to be a part of!  We are able to see the “goofy” side of these “teenagers”, but when they talk about the gospel, when they conduct meetings, when they teach the gospel, the Spirit takes over and we see how the Lord strengthens and provides with His compensatory power.  It is a miracle to behold!

We have started again the Cambridge homeless project in concert with 7 other local churches.  This year we were able to have our ward join in the project.  We are assigned one night a month to provide a meal for 15 homeless men in the Methodist Church across the street.  We had two families volunteer to help us.  It was truly a humbling experience to work side by side with good Christian people who want to serve God’s children.  Now, as we see these friends walking down the street, we greet them with hugs of true kinship!  Now, while on a mission, I have learned a lot of things.  Well, I learned something last week as taught to me by our friend, the Baptist minister, how to make coffee!!!!  Now that is something, I’m not sure every missionary will learn!!!

Also, last Saturday, we had our last opportunity to serve with the Anglican Church in working in the Ascension Cemetary.  We cleared out a large area and were able to plant Yew trees.  Now, when our grandchildren serve missions in Cambridge, we will send them to check on our trees!!!!  Following the work project, we were invited for mince pies and mulled wine!  One of the sweet ladies who has become a very dear friend, made a delicious non-alcoholic wassail for the Mormons.  We had a chance to visit with these friends we have come to know and love.  I met Marie, a sweet lady from Lusanne, Switzerland.  I told her of my Swiss heritage.  She asked me how my ancestors ended up in Utah.  It was a tender experience to share with her how my grandparents were converted to the Gospel, were ostracized by some and chose to join the body of the Saints in Utah at the call of the living prophet.  Our Anglican friends were quite amazed that members of the church would have been treated that way.  They are so impressed with the young missionaries and young single adults that come to serve.  We even had a write up in their monthly newsletter!!  They begged us to come back and visit them when we come back.  This has been a highlight of our mission, to become really good friends with these wonderful Christian people.

Another highlight of our week was the visit we had with our young married couple in our ward who want to join another church.  They came to the Ward Christmas party and we were able to visit them at their home.  They are very friendly and welcome us to come and visit.  We shared with them the Light the World video.  Brad asked them how they felt.  They shared some very deep feelings and then Brad bore a very powerful testimony of the Savior.  The feeling in the home was one of peace and great spiritual joy.  We have such a deep desire for this couple to come back and pray sincerely for them.  It is experiences like this that give us hope that something will touch their hearts!

We have a wonderful week ahead of us as we have plans of sharing Christmas joy with so many of our dear friends!  We miss you all and pray for you that you will feel the Spirit of Christ!  Please know how much we love you all!

Happy Birthday to our dear Carlee Nelson on December 17th!  We love you Carlee and can’t believe that you will now be going to Young Women’s!  You are one in a million, a beautiful girl, with a tender heart that touches so many, including your grandparents!  Happy Birthday to our sweet Samuel Spencer Bishop on December 21st!  He will be turning 1!  What a light he is to our family!

We have felt the Spirit of the Lord in our lives as we have served Him.  What a glorious experience we have had and continue to have!  The Lord’s Plan of Salvation is truly a plan of happiness!

With all our love,

Dad and Mom

Papa and Grandma

Elder and Sister Jackman

 

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