June 29th, From Sister Jackson

What a great, busy past week and a half! So much has happened. First off, the MTC was great! I loved the time I spent there. I learned so much! On the 23rd my district all left for Oklahoma City. There was 16 of us all headed to Oklahoma City. We arrived that evening and were greeted by President Walkenhorst (who is almost 7 feet tall!) and his wife at the airport. The next day we got assigned to our first area and companion. I am in Lawton, Oklahoma and my trainer is Sister Jensen! There are 4 Sisters and 4 Elders in Lawton and 2 wards. I am in Lawton 2nd ward. Part of the area includes Fort Sill so there is a lot of members that are here for the army! I am also in a biking area so Sister Jensen and I bike everywhere. I have seen so many miracles in just the short couple days I have been here!

On Wednesday when I first got to Lawton we started right away. We biked down the street to a house that Sister Jensen had saw earlier and felt impressed to visit. So we walked up to the house and there was a lady outside gardening. Sister Jensen starts talking and asks if we can share a message about Jesus Christ with us. The lady tells us its her moms house and says she will have to ask her. Her mom lets us in and offers us some water and crackers. While she is getting us a drink I look around the house and notice some ensigns on the table and a picture of the temple. I ask my companion if she is a member and she is like I don't know why don't you ask her about it. She when she comes in we ask her about the magazines and she said her friend, who is a member, gave them to her. Well we teach the Restoration and invite her to read the intro to the Book of Mormon and to pray. It was such a neat experience! Afterwards we had dinner with the Malcoms, who is a family in the ward here for the army. The family is so sweet! After that we went and visited one of the investigators in our area, who the missionaries had given him a Book of Mormon to read. Before we went to visit him we started talking to two ladies outside his house and they are letting us come to their house next week to teach a lesson! The investigator had read the Book of Mormon and gave his copy to one of his friends who was interested! How cool is that! After that we were riding our bikes and the lock comes off while we are riding in front of a ladies house. She is outside and we start talking to her and set up a time to visit her again next week! So later that night when we were reviewing our day Sister Jensen starts laughing and tells me that the first lady we visited was a member haha. When she found out she was training she had planned with this member, Sister Poston, to do a real play (or a role play). So she pretended to be an investigator haha. How funny is that?! I knew something was weird when I saw all the church stuff. Her daughter joined us in the lesson though and she really isn't a member so it was really cool for her to be there and here the lesson! I will never forget my first lesson in Oklahoma, that's for sure!

On Thursday evening we had a member come out with us to go follow up on a referral we got from the 1st ward Elders. They had met this guy who wasn't interested but said his son, Noah might be interested. His son lives in our area so we went to visit him. When we got there we asked for Noah. He came out along with three of his friends. We told him that some missionaries met his dad and said he might be interested in hearing about the gospel. He told us that he doesn't even talk to his dad and that he wasn't interested. Well Sister Jensen asked if we could show him a video. We had them watch 'Because He Lives.' Afterwards he said he had been looking for a church to go! (How cool is that. The spirit really is amazing). We end up sharing the Restoration with him and invite him to come to church! AND all four of them agreed to come! I know they felt the spirit, it was so strong! I had seen their appearances change over the time we were with them. One of his friends was almost in tears. I could see that Heavenly Father was preparing them to hear the gospel!

Friday we were able to get 3 members out with us! What a miracle! We were able to visit 2 families in the ward that are less active and visit a referral we received from a ward member. She wasn't home but her son was and we invited him to watch a video and let his mom now we stopped by. It was a great day!

Saturday we did some more service with the other sisters. We helped a family in the first ward paint her house. That evening the Elders had a baptism! Later that evening, we ran into a lady, Pat, who lives down the street from us again. We met her for the first time a couple days ago. This time she told us more about herself and she is a CASA volunteer and works at a shelter. It was neat to be able to talk with her and connect with her. We gave her a Book of Mormon and invited her to read it. We also set up a time to come meet with her. She is so nice! and is so prepared to hear the gospel!

Sunday is a little bit different. The senior companions of each companionship go to Fort Sill on Sunday mornings for church and to teach some of the investigators that are soldiers. So the other four of us go to church. I go to the 1st ward Sacrament with Sister Chandler and then go to my ward Sacrament meeting. About halfway through my companion gets back. So it is a little weird being without my companion for the morning. 

My time in Lawton so far has been great! The people here are so nice and I am so excited to get to know more people and invite them to come unto Christ. Thanks for all the prayers! 

All my love, 

Sister Jackson

P.S. For any of you wondering Sister Jackson P-Day is on Monday

Updates to Mom

Megan sent an email to my mom with a lot of updates form the day she arrived in Oklahoma and we thought we would share

From Sister Jackson:

I LOVE you! I just stayed in Moore overnight. We flew in tuesday afternoon and met the mission president and his wife. He is SO TALL! 6 feet and 11 3/4 inches so basically 7 feet tall! We stayed the night with some sisters in Oklahoma City (OKC) which is basically right next to Moore. The next day we went to the Stake Center in Moore were I found out where I should be for the next 12 weeks! (12 weeks of training) Lawton, Oklahoma! My trainer is Sister Jensen from Orem, UT. She has been out 9 months. She went to UVU too before her mission. It is humid and hot here! AND I am in a biking area! So all that money you spent on my bike is being used everyday, all day! We look pretty silly but its cool. The clouds are crazy pretty here! I am in the only area that has mountains! They are baby mountains though. Really small, but still mountains! Whoever said Oklahoma was flat, has never rode bikes here. It is not flat! I am sweating all the time! and my legs are sore too from biking. It is okay though! It makes me feel better about all the food the members are feeding us (which is a lot). They feed us dinner every day! The people here are really so nice and friendly! OH and I got the package! It arrived the day after I left OKC but they forwarded it to me in Lawton. I got it saturday! thank you, thank you! It was so sweet! I loved it!

My address is (FOR THE NEXT 12 WEEKS): 

Sister Jackson

6112 NW Euclid Ave

Lawton, OK 73505

First Assignment, Lawton OK

From Megan: 

Here are pictures from Wednesday after I found out where I was going. Sister Jensen is the blonde in the middle and the girl in the red was her trainer Sister Young. The picture on the right is our garage. The Elders decorated it! You can tell they were excited! It says its a girl! haha


Lawton Oklahoma, Trainer Sister Jensen

Pics from the Missionary Training Center

"Called to know the richness of his blessings, 
Sons and daughters, children of a King

Glad of heart, his holy name confessing, 

Praises unto him we bring."

"Onward, ever onward, as we glory in his name; 

Onward, ever onward, as we glory in his name;

Forward, pressing forward, as a triumph song we sing.

God our strength will be; press forward ever, Called to serve our King."

 

Megan wrote: My MTC teachers! they were the best!

This picture of Jesus is my favorite! It is by Simon Dewey! 3 Nephi 11 the best! 

Hey Oklahoma, She's arrived!

After a layover in Minnesota, and a phone call, our dear Sister Jackson arrived in Moore Oklahoma! She traveled with 17 missionaries, below she is pictured with all of them. Megan is about half the height of her Mission President! We were so excited to see a couple pictures of our missionary, name tag and all! We love Sister Jackson to pieces!

Week 1, from Sister Jackson

Family! 

How to even start! I can't believe it has been a week. At the MTC they say every day feels like a week and every week feels like a day, and that is so true! I am learning so so so much! The spirit is so strong here. "Lift up your heart and rejoice, for the hour of your mission is come; and your tongue shall be loosed, and you shall declare glad tidings of great joy unto this generation" D&C 31:3 my mission has begun and I am so excited. I know the Lord will help me be what He called me to be. 

They really have us dive right in. Me and Sister Wedemeyer taught our first investigator (Lita) the second day here! I didn't even feel prepared enough but just like it says in D&C 84:85 "Neither take ye thought beforehand what ye shall say but treasure up in your minds continually the words of life, and it shall be given you in the very hour that portion that shall be meted unto every man." This scripture is SO true! When me and Sister Wedemeyer taught Lita for the second time a scripture just came to my mind, Mosiah 4:9 and I know it was the spirit telling me to share it with her. It was just what she needed to hear! It was such a neat experience. I just love it here so much! At the MTC we pray ALL the time! My friends have told me that you pray all the time but I didn't think it would be this much. We pray before everything! And it is so great. Prayer is so important and helps us feel the spirit more! It is though the spirit that we learn ALL things! (John 14:26). On Friday I learned about the invitation to pray. The spirit taught me so much during that class time. The invitation to pray is so powerful! How blessed we are with the knowledge and faith that we can pray to Heavenly Father. Prayer changes people.

On Saturday one of my teachers Sister Runyon talked to us about personal study. My district was having a hard time staying focused the whole time. We sit in our classroom pretty much from after Breakfast 7:45 to lunch 11:35 and then go back to the classroom again at 12:20. We study a lot but it is great! Anyways she shared with us these scriptures Matt. 26:38-42 when Christ is in Gethsemane and asks His apostles to stay awake. "Are you so powerless that you couldn't stay awake for one hour?" My personal study is a reflection of my faith and love for Christ. Can I not watch with God for one hour? Christ was alone during the hardest time of His life so we wouldn't have to be alone. How comforting that thought is.

I have learned so much about obedience since being at the MTC. It is stressed so much! It is so important. "When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes a QUEST God will endow us with power." -President Benson. We ened strict laws because we are quick to do iniquity and slow to remember God (Mosiah 13:29-30) Obedience brings marvelous blessings. "Obedience is a powerful spiritual medicine. It comes close to being a cure-all" -Elder Packer

I don't have any more time to write but know that I love you all! I am doing so great here! I think of you all often and pray for you all! I am learning so much and hope that we all can help bring others unto Christ.

Obedience is how we become true followers of Christ. Remember to work hard! "Stroke when you don't want to, kick when you don't want to. That's how you become a champion"

All my love,

Sister Jackson

The Lords Errand

Megan's drop off time to enter the Missionary Training Center, Provo Utah, was June 10th at 1:15 PM

See you soon Sister Jackson!

On Megan's way to the MTC she said quite a few see you later's! She got to see Aunt Melinda! Osiris and her beautiful family! and she got to go to the Payson Temple, the morning of her drop off day, with close friends  before heading to the MTC!

Nanny Life

Megan was able to stop and see the family she was a Nanny for over the past two years the night before she went to the MTC. This family loves and cherishes her! 

From Megan's instagram, "i LOVE these girls so much! They are just the sweetest. See you girls in a short 18" 

Salt Lake City, Utah Temple

Megan was able to go to the Salt Lake City Temple with my mom in Utah the day before she went to the MTC. They had a wonderful time together in The House of the Lord. 

"Gotta Hold on Easy as I Let You go..."

I think Tim McGraw says it perfectly,

"Gotta hold on easy as I let you go. Gonna tell you how much I love you, though you think you already know. I remember I thought you looked like an angel wrapped in pink so soft and warm. You've had me wrapped around your finger since the day you were born. You're BEAUTIFUL BABY from the outside in. Chase your dreams but always know the road that'll lead you home again. Go on, take on this whole world. But to me you ,now you'll always be, MY LITTLE GIRL"

The emotion in these photos are worth more than a thousand words, I know Megan would say "daddy I love you more!"