Hey Yall!

"We aren't here to earn heaven, we are here to learn heaven"

I hope yall had a wonderful Easter Sunday! We had a HUGE miracle on Easter! We have this young couple in the ward here for OU medical school and he has been talking to his friend who is also going to school there! A couple weeks ago he invited his friend to come to church and he came! Well yesterday he came again and afterwards the member asked him if he wanted to meet with the missionaries and learn more and he said, "I would love too!" It was such a wonderful day yesterday! The Sacrament meeting talks were great and a sister in the ward sang "I know that my Redeemer lives" and it was beautiful!

And this past Saturday was the General Womens Meeting! I loved all the talks! Especially what Sister Neil L. Marriott said, "Love is making space in your heart for someone else." What a great weekend we had! We are all SO blessed! I can't wait for the rest of General Conference this weekend!

So many miracles this past week! I was able to go on exchanges with Sister Holley this past week. She serves in the University ward and it was SO much fun! ​We saw SO many miracles! We went on campus for about an hour and talked to so many people! It was so fun! and reminded me of the time I spent going to school! But while we were on exchanges we tried this referral they had received for a girl from Nigeria that is going to school at UCO. She was home and let us in and we were able to teach her about the Restoration. Her questions were so sincere and she was just really searching for the truth. It was such a wonderful experience! Sister Caudill and I were also able to meet with Pennellen, one of our investigators. She requested a Bible a couple weeks ago and we started teaching her. Well we haven't been able to teach her lately but we were able to see her this past week and it was such a spiritual lesson! She recognizes the spirit and knows what we are teaching her is true! She told us "When you come it feels like Gods with me." We start talking about baptism and she says, "when you asked me last time I said yes, right?" The cool thing about that is we hadn't even invited her yet! Last time we just invited her to pray about it. She is SO prepared! She is preparing to be baptized on April 23rd so please keep her in your prayers!

Thanks for all the love, prayers, and support! Have a blessed week!

All my love,

Sister Jackson

I was able to go on exchanges with Sister Holley! We were both trained by Sister Jensen!

This cool Indian statue on University of Central Oklahoma campus

Is the car in park?

Well this past week was a crazy week! But such a great week! We had a lot of funny experiences :)

To start off, last p-day a member took us to Lake Standley Draper to find Rose Rocks! Rose Rocks are the state rock for Oklahoma and they are the coolest thing ever! It was so fun! We found SO many! We just couldn't stop picking them up! They were everywhere!

Second, we were able to meet with SO many people this past week! It was wonderful! Met some new part member families and also some referrals! It was great! This weekend we saw a member that has been in the hospital but right before we had dinner with another member at this Greek Restaurant. This member is so funny! The server was talking about desserts and all of a sudden she says, "Cheerios?" and he is like, "No, churros." haha! The whole dinner we were just laughing! Afterwards she drives us to where the member who was in the hospital at. At that time it is almost time for us to go in for the night and the senior living place we are at is pretty dark. But she pulls into the main entrance and gets out of the car and then says, "Is the car in park?" haha after she already got out! She is crazy! and then tells us to wait there while she finds out if we can go in or not! She is the best!

Lastly, our ward had a game night and the Stake President and his wife are in the ward that I am serving in and they came to the game night! He seriously the BEST! He is just so genuine and sincere. And EVERYONE wants to be around him! He is always happy and smiling! Just a great guy! At the game night they had the biggest Apples to Apples game going on and President Gray and another member were just laughing so hard! It was such a fun night :) 

Overall things in the Village are going well! We had another great week! I can't believe Easter is this sunday! Happy Easter! And for al the women enjoy the General Womens Session this Saturday! I love you all! Have a blessed week!

All my love,

Sister Jackson

This is a member in the ward who leaves next week for Panama!
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Addington family feed us dinner. 

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Follow Him and Find New Life

I hope yall have seen the new wonderful Easter video that came out yesterday: Hallelujah, Celebrate New Life through Jesus Christ. If you haven't go watch it! https://www.mormon.org/easter

The video talks about how we can be made alive through Jesus Christ. We ALL can find new life in Jesus Christ. Not only physically will we live again but spiritually as well. And our families too! The Easter message can bring so much peace and hope to us all. That's one thing that we can have here that I think we sometimes forget. We can be happy! and we have great reason to rejoice! I am so grateful for our Savior Jesus Christ and how I have found new life through Him.

This Easter season is a great time to be sharing the gospel! This past week was a wonderful week! We have been working with a lot of part member families!! And have been seeing a lot of miracles! Also, remember Alyssa, the little 9 year old girl who just came out of nowhere and showed us all around? Well she is back! We saw her again on Saturday and she even remembered our names! She told us wanted to read the Book of Mormon with us! She is so cute! Overall things are going really well here in Oklahoma! Nothing but the best :)

Thanks for all the support and prayers! I love you all! Have a blessed week!!

All my love,

Sister Jackson

So one of the Elders bike was broken and so we let them borrow ours haha 

"we look like the Mormon backstreet boys"

"I'm a Total Believer"

Well I learned this past week that I shouldn't have said Spring is here because it isn't Spring time its Tornado time! With the weather being so warm and stuff they say they will start coming earlier this year! I think they were even forecasting some for this week. CRAZY!! It will be good though :) Also its hard to believe that I have been out for 9 months! 

This past week was absolutely WONDERFUL!!! I don't even know where to begin. It was just so great! 

1. The temple! We were able to go do baptisms with Connie this past Saturday! It was an amazing experience. She was SO happy and just glowing! She is a trooper. We were almost to the temple when she called us and told us she forgot her recommend! So she said she had to drive home and get it and come back. Luckily we don't live too far away but it was still a little of a drive. I know it was worth it for her! She LOVED it!

2. Still the temple! A tender mercy happened that same day! As we were waiting for Connie to make it back we were walking around and I saw someone that looked familiar! So we follow them into the temple and it was Sister Brisolara!!! (from the Lawton ward) All the Lawton youth drove up for baptisms! And what a tender mercy it was to see everyone! I just couldn't stop smiling :) Ahh! I love them all so much! The Knudsens were there too! :) 

3. AND THE TEMPLE! It was just such a GOOD DAY! God is so NICE! and LOVING! The Boltons (another family from Lawton) got sealed that same day and we were able to go! And the Saufois, Watts, and Torres were there! :D What a wonderful, happy day! I don't think I have smiled so much! Plus the Saufois and Watts 2 little girls were outside the temple waiting and we saw them afterwards! My heart is just so full! What a wonderful tender mercy!

Lastly, yesterday was fast and testimony meeting and a youth bore his testimony about testimonies and how they are simple, just the basics of the gospel. He said it doesn't matter if you have been a member for a couple years or 50 years, we can all have a testimony. Right after an older man bore his testimony and said he had been a member for 80 years and this is what he said, "I'm a total believer." I loved that. I am too! We are all believers! We all recognize God in our life and the impact he has! He loves us so much! And we are so BLESSED! Have a blessed week! Look for the tender mercies, they are there!

All my love,

Sister Jackson

With the warm weather all the trees here blossomed and they look really pretty but they don't smell too pretty haha It looks like snow though!

My wonderful sister wrote this poem and I just have to share!

On Thursday March, 19^th it all began,

Where would you serve in the Lord’s Great Plan?

You drove home to Logandale to surprise mom and dad, 

You stood by the fireplace, the white envelope in hand.

We gathered around, and you read aloud,

“I am Oklahoma City, Oklahoma bound!”

You smiled and we cheered and many hugs were given,

Together we celebrated where, for 18 months you'd be livin’.

You planned and prepared and got everything ready.

You went to the temple, all white and pretty.

Your heart was prepared, you continued to grow

You graduated college, and we're ready to go.

June 10th arrived and emotions were high

Mom dropped you off at the MTC, and it was hard to say goodbye.

She hugged you and sent you on your way.

On the Lords errand to listen and obey. 

"Lift up your heart and rejoice, for the hour of your mission is come;

Were some of the first words you wrote to us at home. 

Sister Runyon was one of your teachers, 

and Sister Wedemeyer was your first companion. 

Together you learned and strived to become a champion. 

You departed the MTC and made it to Oklahoma Yall

where you were greeted by a giant, I mean He’s almost 7 feet tall.

A banner hung, "It's a girl!" 

and Lawton became your whole world. 

They say that Oklahoma is flat

but riding a bike will change that. 

You hiked Wichita Mountain and drove to the top of Mount Scot 

Those Oklahomians are teaching you alot 

20 bug bites on one leg oh my,

why couldn't it have been a fly?

Driving to close to a trash can, 

now that's not a very good plan

The Christmas Activity was great, it couldn’t be beat.

You spent it in Bethlehem, what a treat!

We got to Skype at Christmas, in Idaho nonetheless

I'm so proud of you and I love your new dress.

Off to the Village we saw you go,

Sister Caudill was so excited to see what you know,

From eating a frog leg, to a pie in the face

you really seem to love this place.

So Hump Day approaches, 9 months has gone by.

So many people to teach;  Oh yes, you will try!

To make the last 9 months as great as the start

Happy Hump Day, Dear Megan, with all of my heart!

 

All my LOVE,

Alicia 

Spring is here!

Its been another wonderful week! The weather has been so nice! Very warm! Every one keeps telling us this isn't normal so we aren't really sure what's normal for Oklahoma! haha! Its hard to believe that it is Monday again! and transfers again! Well I am staying in the Village for another transfer with Sister Caudill! :) Which was great news! Not a whole lot happened this past week but it was still great! 

Sister Caudill and I have been in need of people to teach!!  So we have done a lot of finding this past week! and have seen MIRACLES! We have decided to try some people that have investigated the church before just a couple years back and we met this awesome lady, Barbara! She opened the door before we even knocked! and was SO excited to see us! She told us Sisters haven't stopped by for awhile. We were able to visit with her then and her niece too, who is a sweetheart! We also met another lady who has been investigating the church off and on for 20 years! Crazy!!

Connie and Christine are doing SO good! We are going Saturday to the temple with Connie to do baptisms! :) and Christine is just soo funny! We saw her this past week and she said she had some candy for us. She starts pulling out all this candy and we told her "Christine you have a lot of candy!" and she told us, "Well I play a lot of bingo" haha she is WONDERFUL!

I hope all yall are doing well! Thanks for all the support and prayers! Sorry its a short email! I don't have too much time today but know that I love you all! Have a blessed week!

All my love,

Sister Jackson

A member took us out to eat a couple days ago to a Cajun Buffet and Sister Caudill decided that we needed to try a frog leg so we decided to! It wasn't too good haha