September 28, 2009

Hey familia,Hey I don`t have much time but i just wanted to say thanks for your prayers, they worked. President had a good conversation with the bishop and everything is going great, know lets just hope nothing more happens because President told me the next thing that happens call me and I am going to take you both out to a sector that will appreciate your work. I love Iquique so hopefully not. Sounds like Dad and Lennie are kickin some serious hynie, it will be fun coming back and working with them a bit, it they accept me. Tell Alex hi for me, it`s crazy how all my friends are coming home now, time goes by way to quick. The baptism was just great, her uncle from Peru baptized her, I tower everyone in the foto, it was real funny. Being District leader is a great experience, I am learning a ton. Just another opportunity to serve, so I am happy. Tell Sonia and Allan congratulations, they are going to love it in Lima, I know a ton of people from there. They have a temple and everything, they will be close to Maichupichu, a lady from Cuzco(close to Lima) is going to hook me up so that when i want to travel to Maichupichu I can much much cheaper. The blessings of the mission right. Thanks for everything.oh for the Christmas package, I just want suprises, I can`t believe you are sending another Christmas package, it seems like yesterday. Oh Michell, my convert asked for a big picture of the Salt Lake Temple. So if you can, he would love it. Have a great conference weekend, prepare yourselves because revelation isn`t free. I love you all, thanks for everything. Tell everyone happy birthday. Elder McKay B. Jackson

August 31, 2009

Hey ya family, we did have two baptisms on Saturday, the other two for another week, but it was beautiful. I talked one of them(Alberto) to let Elder Cruz baptize him because it would be his first time baptizing someone, and so Elder Cruz was so happy. Alberto was Evangelico, and is married to an hermana named Janka who was inactive but now no, so we got two in one with that family, activated someone and baptized someone, talk about blessings no. The other, Jorge was baptized by the second counselor who is preparing to go on a mission in January, so we were all happy. Now we just have to help Jorge`s wife and child so they can be baptized and then after go to the temple. My health is good and we had a fun preparation day today, we(Iquique) played soccer against the other zone(Alto Hospicio) and we won, also we got new jerseys from Iquique, they are sweet, so I will send ya a picture. Anywho, I have to run but i love you all and I will talk to ya later. Have a great week, tell Dad and Tiff I love them I pray for them everynight as well as the whole family. Have a great week at work and have fun. Talk to ya later fam.Oh by the way, this week I will complete 1 year in Chile, the 2nd of Septiembre, how cool huh, I am pretty much Chileno now. Love, Elder McKay B. Jackson

August 23, 2009

I am almost jealous that you are in school, but then I think...... no, not jealous. Je je, but really I hope your school year goes fantastic. I am telling everyone here that you are all starting school just now and they are saying, oh that would be sad to just be starting. Anywho, the work is rolling right along. I will let you know how the baptisms went next week. They have all decided yes that they for sure want to be baptized so i am going to keep my faith and see how it goes. I can`t believe that Jared is coming home soon, I remember when he left and I was all alone because Sam left me for his girlfriend, je je what a stud he is huh. But when he comes home, give him a big hug for me and tell him to start looking for a girl with a twin sister to put on hold for me, je je. ;) That is cool that they dedicated the temple in Utah, the work surely is progressing a lot. Elder, well now Brother Verwer told me he was going to be an ussure at the dedication, that would have been sweet. I can`t wait for that moment to go to the temple, if I arrive in Utah I would love more than anything before we do anything to go to the Salt Lake Temple and do a session or at least baptisms. Anywho, I hope all is going well in Utah, oh I have a question, Is Dad still the Secretary of the ward? Keep talking with the people in Mia Meadows, Iam sure they want to talk to you. Oh and I cannot believe the picture of Kimberlee, she has grown so much. Give all the kids a big hug for me and tell them that Uncle McKay loves them. I love you all so much, thanks for everything. Have a great week and I will talk to ya next week. Oh and if you could send me the adress of Elder Chase Jensen and Elder Carston Taylor, I would greatly appreciate it. I am going to connect the letter that we are teaching to all the inactives in Chile, it is in English so I hope you enjoy it and actually use it, it is AMAZING. Anywho, talk you all later. Elder McKay B. Jackson

July 20, 2009

Hola familia, How are all ya´ll doing, hopefully all is super super good alla. Everything is going just great here in Iquique. The family that we are teaching is very active with all of the activities and with everything. For example, our Stake just had the olympics with Soccer, Ping Pong and Chess. It was for the young men and young women but everyone was invited, of course we couldn`t go because we had a lot of work to do, but the family went and had a great time it sounds like. Yesterday I taught them how to make pancakes from scratch, and they loved it(that pancake recipe is really coming in handy Dad, I appreciate it). They have been waiting for me to cook them something, so we had a good time, and talked about everything. Janett asked me if my mother is mad at me because I am forgetting my english, and I said I hope not. Jorge had to go to Peru for his business and had a great time, he took his bible that he just baught and his Book of Mormon to read on the trip. Well he gave his Book of Mormon to a lady that was sad, and he said this book has given me peace. So the family is progressing a lot and we have a great relationship with them but they don`t want pressure, so we can`t give them a baptismal date, but it is all about patience right? The less active members are coming to church, we had about 20 more in the sacrament meeting than normal, so the work is really good right now. Elder Cruz is teaching me a lot and we are having a great time, he is a great son and listens, so now I understand how happy you and Dad are when we listen to you. That story was funny about Jonah, I will have to use that one. I am loving the bible right now, I never understood how much information you could take out of the old and new testament. There is no way I could understand it without the spirit though, some of that stuff is DEEP!!!!!!! Oh and I am going to buy the luggage today, they are really nice, 16 thousand pesos(about$30.00) and yeah we do use CHILENO PESOS, when I take the money out of my card, it turns into Chileno Peso. Everyone loves to see the American money here though. They love American anything, especially missionaries with blonde hair, je je. Tell Jordan and Heidi to keep the pesos, it is from a different country, so it is cool to have. I will bring some money home when I am done. I am keeping healthy, I just got done with a cold, everyone in Chile has the cold so it wasn`t anything new. The weather just so ya`ll now is freezing now, I am so glad I bought a jacket before the mission. It gets really cold at night and the waves from the ocean now are huge, it is sweet. I listen to them all night while I sleep. Tell dad ´take luck with the buisness, take it , care for it, je je.´ I am praying for you all everynight, so I hope everything goes great. I don`t know what else to write, I am trying to think about things that are going on. This last week was the week of the Virgen of the Tirana, and so there are people from all over Chile in my sector that are all dressed up in costumes and do a dance, it is really cool, but extremely Babilonish, too bad they don`t have the truth, yet....Oh yeah, this week my ward is going to have an actividad where every family is going to present their country, food, and the culture or whatever we want to say. My ward has people from all over, Brazil, Argentina, Costa Rica, Peru, Colombia, Japan, Paraguay, Uraguay and the best of all THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!!!! HECK YES!!! So I am going to make a bunch of Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwhiches, because I couldn`t think of a type of food that we have, we kinda steal the food from other countries. So hopefully it goes well. Anywho, this email has been a book, but whatever other questions you all have about where I am at the the culture go ahead and ask. I love Chile so there is a lot to talk about. I love you all and will talk to ya next week. Check ya later, and con mucho questo. Elder McKAY Bryan Jackson

New Area! IQUIQUE

can`t believe how crazy everything is changing. Is our ward still the same? President Watson will be AMAZING, I have always looked up to him. He is the one that got me into the mission with his mission classes and now he will be the one that releases me too. I am sure that it was a sweet conference, Elder Holland has always been a favorite of mine, even more since the mission. He cleaned out Chile completely a couple years ago, so now Chile is a growing area because of him. We are also going to be having a big conference this week. We are going to be listening to Elder Dixon of the first quourmn of the 70, the funny thing is we are going back to Arica to listen to him, so looks like I will be able to see my home town once more and Elder Verwer. So are we still in the same ward as Travis Price? I sure hope so. So if there are 3 stakes, who is the other Stake President, we have President Watson, President Shumers and who else? Soon we are going to be having a temple right in Farr West with this growth. Oh and don`t worry that your letter was long, I always do like them longer from ya, after all you are my mother, the most important letter that I could read. I am doing great here. I will be having another baptism this week with hermano Michel, so I will tell you how it went.I love you all and know that this is the church of Jesus Christ and am honored to be a representative of him and the Jackson Family. Have a great week and we will talk to ya all later. Cho Cho Elder Jackson P.s. If I do need anything, it would just be the bathroom supplies, like shavers, shaving cream, soap, face wash, just that kinda stuff. It costs a lot. But only if you can.

I love this place... New Companion Elder Verwer from Utah and my 2nd baptism Brother Alejandro..

Hola Familia, ¿como estan? Esta semana pasada era spectacular. A lot has happened. Alejandro Fabio Ordenes Ordoñez is now a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, yep, he was baptized finally, and how amazing it was. He invited all of his family and extended family and so there was about 15 non members at this amazing powerfully, spiritually baptism. After the baptism we took all of their names and they want us to pass by and teach them also, they all felt something that they have never felt before. It is amazing how things work out. Also the direct family aren`t members(yet) and they love us, so I guess we will see what happens there. I also bought a Bible for them because they don`t have one and I wrote my testimony in it and address. He just kept saying thank you thank you, I have been missing this part of my life for a long time, and now I feel so much love and happiness that I have never felt. Then yesterday he was confirmed a member. Yeah he is amazing. Oscar went to the baptism, he gives me a smile everytime I see him. He is growing so much, the other day he was so excited because he found all of the Hymns on the internet and downloaded them all. Then bishop just told me that he will be given the Melckezidek Priesthood on the 15th, Stake Conference. How amazing is that, then he will be able to go to the temple and be sealed for time and all eternity with his family. AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE THE MISSION!!!!!!!!!! Anywho, I need to settle down, so..........Oh yeah, my companion is from Heriman, Utah. Heriman is close to Riverton. So that will be sweet that I am close to him after the mission. He is the man, I have never been this tired in the mission, but I have never had so much success and excitement for the mission either. We are having a ton of fun, and at the same time I am tired spiritually every night because all the amazing experiences that happen every day. The days pass by as if they were 3 hours long. Tell Alex and Mackenzie congatulations on being baptized, I will try to send them a card if I can save up some money. Yesterday being fast and testimony meeting, Alejandro asked me if he could share his testimony and thank everyone and it suprised me, they are usually to shy, so I went up with him and he shared his testimony and it was amazing and he was crying like a baby thanking everyone and the two angels that taught him. Then I went up and shared my testimony and talked about baptism and how a man name William Watkins was baptized about 175 years ago in England and because of him, I am here in Chile sharing the gospel. After everyone was thanking me for my testimony and saying you spoke with so much confidence and spoke fluent. I am definately being blessed with my spanish. I haven`t spoken english with Elder Verwer at all, so I am learning a lot and recieving the gift of tongues more and more. I can`t believe Larry H. Miller died, I heard last week and was shoked, also when I heard about Wirthlin when he died, extremely shoked. They were both amazing Men, it will be cool to see who is the next apostle in conference NEXT MONTH!!!! WOO HOO!!!!! Tell Carston congratulations for me, I will try to send a letter to him before he leaves, he will be a great missionary in Kentucky. Yeah the weather is still the exact same as when I got here 6 months ago(today). Arica is called La Eterna Primavera. It is awesome, I love the weather. It is really humid but hey it is all good. Anywho, so that is what is going on. I don`t have much time and I have written a novell, but I want to send some pictures so I will end now. I love you all so much, have a great week and tell everyone hi for me, especially Travis and Katie Price. Have fun. check ya later. Elder McKay Bryan Jackson The First p.s. Elders just told me that a investigator of their sector wants ME to baptize him on the 14th. I taught him here twice but he lives in another sector so we gave him to the other missionaries. I didn`t think I had that great of an impact, I was wrong. I`m definately not going to complain.

My 2nd baptism! Alejandro! He is amazing..