Good and Bad News

We just got a phone call from President Ward in Panama.  Channing has a fracture in her foot and has to be non-weight bearing for at least a month.  Because of the lengthy recovery time, she will have to come home until she is healed.

We will be picking her up Monday night.  Please keep her in your prayers.

Holy Jumping Lizards Batman!

Holy Cow!

 

First of all PEYTON IS A BRONCO!!!!! HOLY CRAP! I KNEW all my crap talking would bite me in the butt. Now I am a bronco fan! KINDA OF FREAKING OUT BUT HOLY MOLY!!! HEHEHEHE Get me the new jersey please and a ticket to a game when I come back! GOOOD HEAVENS! MY HOME STATE! BEAUTIFUL! But I am sad about Tebow. Should be an interesting year eh!

 

Brett, good grief man. Hope you are doing better. You need to take care of your head. You gots big brains in there. Those dreams are beyond crazy cool. I´ve had some weird ones myself. It is the heat I tell you. 

 

Whoa Ashley only has two weeks of the real world until she enters into Thailand. I will be looking for her on the screen and try not to cry! How cool.

 

I hope Grandma Jackson starts feeling better poor women. She needs to take care of herself.

 

I am excited for Conference this week as well. Favorite time of the year but I have to wait till the magazine comes out to read the priesthood session. Best ones! It should be a good one! Go with questions in your heart!

 

Well this week has been a difficult one but at the same time interesting.

 

First Hna. Wilkinson who was my first companion with Hna Hurst left home today due to foot problems and not being able to walk. I was pretty sad. We are really close. But we are going to be writing to each other so that is good. Foot problems are not fun at all.

 

There is a new mission rule in Central America and maybe the rest of the mission. If there are not less actives or investigadors at church we have to leave right after the sacrament and go look for the people and bring them to church. It is pretty difficult. We have been working hard by inviting people to come to church and asking to pass by for them and everything. Some people just don´t care. This is one of the weakest branches in Panama. President Ward has given the task of fixing and stregthening the branch.  A lot of people don´t have callings.  We don´t have a quorum president. So it has been rough. Ward Council was yesterday, it was the first time in my mission we´ve had a ward council, and I felt like I was in a political debate. But all of the people had really good points and I am hoping with the help of the district we can get this place going again. We just all have to work together.

 

We have one baptism coming up. Josue Sanchez. He is 12 years old and lives with his less active grandma.Who is less active because her husband left her for a another younger woman and they both go to church. Even though he is still married to the grandma. Adultery. Trashy.  I feel really bad for her. I told her to go to another Ward because she knows it is true but doesn´t want to be around her husband and his woman in the same ward. She doesn´t know how to get a temple divorce or a legal divorce. I don´t know how any of that works. But good heavens. Trashy and really really sad. It has been so hard trying to find new people to teach and who want to hear the gospel and change their lives. People like Traditions. But out off all the people I know there are some who are ready. Just have to keep the faith and hope.

 

We had A Central American Area Conference on broadcast on Sunday and it was soo good. I got to watch it in English. Two people from the 70 spoke and Elder Boyd K. Packer.    Sister Dibbs.....bless her heart. I was giggling through the whole thing.  I can´t get that rolls thing out of my head.  Mmmmhh fresh rolls.  hehe. She gave a talk on virtue. We seem to be getting a lot of those.  Elder Boyd K. Packer . He is getting older and older by the day. But his talk was amazing. He talked about when he went to the first stake in Central America and remembers seeing a little boy trying to steal the sacrament bread. He picked up the little boy and sat him on his lap and gave him some bread. A man told Elder Packer. ¨You are holding a Nation¨ He didn´t understand what that meant until now. The church is growing in Central and South America. He says he still looks for the boy/ man. It was a really good talk.

 

The rain is starting up here. I am so excited because it is beyond hot here and I need some cooling down. O kinda like being near Panama City.  More rain and a little cooler.  Also there are all kinds of fun things to do on P-Day.  I went to a sailboat dock the other day and looked across and saw all the city of Panama.  It is sooo cool.  I want to sail on a boat or at least ride in one!

 

My companion and I started a 40 day challenge thing. We read a talk about being purified or something like that and it talks about a missionary who struggled feeling the spirit. He talked to a speaker after a meeting and the man told him about this 40 day challenge. You write everything down that pokes at your spirit. That makes you think of other things besides the work. You pray about it and fast from it for 40 days. It gets you to be focused and into the work. I am enjoying it. It is really hard but it is helping out a lot and I am seeming to improve spiritually.

 

Time is going by too fast- This week is my year mark since I received my mission call to Panama.  I was like whoa..that went by way too fast. Got to make it count until the end!

 

Well I hope you guys are all doing great. Keep up the good work. love you and miss you alot..but not enough to come home!

 

--
Hermana Channing Jackson

!Que VA!‏

Greetings from Panama City. I am currently in the Albrook Mall in Panama City with actually legit and nice computers. I am in worldly heaven. 

Sorry about the crappy email last week. The first one was awesome. Sighhhhh

Sounds like everyone is doing good. Spring Break sounded kinda fun lol. Don´t miss that. Spring Break was never fun and went by too fast. 

It is weird to think that Brett and I are doing the same things.Awkward lessons, lessons, getting fat lol, and all that GOOD STUFF.  The mission is the same everywhere I believe. Brett send some pictures! How is Blake doing by the way. I had a dream of him in an office twiddling his thumbs. What is his job exactly?

Yes everybody be wanting Peyton...because he is legit! Broncos...I can see it happening...but what about TeBow? I guess we will see what happens there..

So I am in Alcalde Diaz. Aka.The land of the Hills. These hills are pure evil. I am not kidding. I am so sore and my asthma is getting to me. huffing and puffing like a fatty who walked from his car to McDonalds in the parking lot. It is awful.  I have a name for this area and it isn`t really nice. Holy SANTO MONO DE Inferino. hehe. So they ripped me out of paradise and sent me to spirit prison basically. I was incredibly sad to leave David.  I did not want to go. And the members were sad to see me leave.  As well as my converts. I had to say good bye to them and I was sooo sad.  Because you never know if you will ever see these people again.  Maybe Maybe on Facebook but in person.... doubt it. I was heartbroken. If leaving an area kills me I don´t know how I am going to leave the mission.  It is hard. Too much love for people, areas, and the work  .Mission literally kills yah. 

Another random part about this area is that there are stairs.  Not normal stairs.  Like stairs that were in Darrell's Denver House stairs.  Steep horrible things. They remind me of the stairs on Lord of the Rings that Frodo and Sam went up with Goulum.  I have a horrible fear of them.  I have almost died. Horrible. I don´t know how the people go down to their houses.  Brave souls. But I might just might lose weight. Ha yeah right! With Rice and the mountains of food that these people give me. I doubt it. I am always rockin the rice gut! It is also hotter than hades.  I guess March is the worst of the heat here. The rain and floods should be coming soon.  I hope. 

So since I am still so new to the area I don´t know everyone and the areas. It is hard to go to certain places here because it is really dangerous. We can´t go down certain roads and we always have to go super far away for investigators and such. We have a few positives the only problem is, is getting them married. You wouldn't  believe the things you have to do here to get married.  Exams tests, a ton of money these people don´t have...no wonder they are just living together. It is way easier!  So we are working with a couple and trying to get them married.  In the states all you do is sign a paper right?  I can´t remember . I´ve never been married. lol  But I have had a lot of spiritual experiences here.

 My comp is Hna Adair and she is awesome.  I lived with her in Santiago my first change. She is an amazing teacher and brings the spirit into the lessons like that. I was like whoa... She really teaches to the needs of the people and is an awesome example. I am learning lots from her and we are ready to bring some miracles into a branch that is falling apart. 

We have the weakest branch in all of panama. It is really hard to bring new people into a branch that is falling apart. Lots and lots of less actives. We´ve been looking for them and visiting families who have non members in their homes .So kids are members but their parents no. Crazy stuff.  It should be an interesting change. We are also teaching Kuna families. Kunas are the Indians here. They speak a little bit of Spanish but not too much.  I love their language and I am learning it right now in order to communicate with them. They have a Book of Mormon and everything for them. The kunas accept the gospel instantly because of a legend in their culture. They talk about how a white god came to them and taught them many things and said he would come back someday. They have been waiting for him. So when the Spanish arrived they thought they were gods. When the missionaries show them 3 Nephi 11 the people believe it to be Jesus Christ and bam Baptism! Crazy cool stuff.   Nadi is goodbye. 

Oh!  So I have the weirdest connections with people. My mission leader is James Mitchell's old companion.  My friend from Utah or Oregon I guess now that went on a mission to Honduras. I was like what the flip!  My mission leader was talking to James on facebook the other day and told me some stuff that James said. Hahaha.Tell him to write me a letter Mary!  Crazy connections all over the world. 

So 8 months this week. Wicked crazy how fast time goes by. I really love the mission and am enjoying the changes with in.  I am still the same in many ways but I have strengthened weakness and add a whole ton of spiritualness.  Well I love you guys and miss you a ton,but not enough to come home. Peace out! 
-- 
Hermana Channing Jackson

Computer Troubles

Well my computer shut off as soon as I typed this long detailed letter
and about to hit send and it didn´t save and now I don´t have any
time. I am sooo incredible ticked. Worst week ever. Life seriously hates
me. I am trying not to have a meltdown. grrrr

I am in Alcalde Diaz. By the City of Panama. There are a ton of hills
that are supper evil and stairs. It is super steep. It is crazy. I
will have to tell you more about it next week when I have time.

Just know that I am alive and well. Love you guys and miss you like
crazy but not enough to come home. have a good week.



-- 

*Hermana Channing Jackson*

Pretty Baby

We didn't hear from Channing this week.  Hopefully all is well.   Here are two pictures she recently sent.  

It's Raining, It's Pouring

It is Monday and it is finally raining. Gosh I have been dying in this heat. It sucks the life out of yah. Forget my dreams of living in Arizona. Loving it. I am heading to the beach today tooo wooooo! ENTONCES....

Ohhhhh my people of Colorado, Friends, Family. It is sooo goood to hear from you every week. It really keeps us going and your letters make me laugh out loud. 

Cambria you are crazy and how was the Lorax? Taylor Swift was the voice of someone right? I hate that book by the way. Can´t stand it. But it is up in my room I believe. It should be burned. It is the creeper that makes clothes. Geeewwwww.. 

Wow the Book of Mormon in a hundred days. Not bad. You guys can do it if you put your time into it! That's cool that the trek is there.

Kyle is going to love England. I am so jealous.

Crazy stuff in church news. What can you do? Gospel is perfect people are not. 

I need to write to everyone and thank people for the money. I finally got mail by the way! UNDERWEAR!!! WOOOOO I was sooo happy. 

This week was awesome. We worked our butts of and I was truly satisfied with the results of our hard labor. It may or may not be my last week in Doleguita David. I am really sad, but I have been here for 5 months soo I guess it is time to leave. My guess is that they will put me in the City. Boooo.. I really like the non city areas. But I will have great opportunities for photos and learning to speak faster Spanish and meeting different people. Oh my Spanish btw is way better. I understand 85 percent of the conversation. I decided to ask for the gift of understanding first and then after that ask for the gift of tongues. I also took a chill pill and that has seem to help alot. Everyone says my spanish is way better. Woooo

We went contacting in different areas this week. One was in a little town that I absolutely love. It is 45 minutes away from our house and we have to take a bus to get there. Its called Dolega. It is this cute little town with shops, a ton of houses, schools, and this old old old catholic church. It is a beautiful place. We met a lot of interesting people. We sang hymns and taught a ton of lessons. One man named Juan wanted us to join is choir and sing this Sunday. hahaha He was so excited and loved our song. He ran into his house and got is guitar and sang us a song about Jesus. Awkward for me. hahah but funny at the same time. Alot of old people this week too. They are sooo nice and always invite us in. They are lonely. We have a lot of new people to teach which I am excited for. We are getting the area prepared for the next change. I was laying there in my bed last night thinking well if anything I am leaving this area better than it was. We also have 6 baptisms at the end of this month. 

One of our investigators who is getting baptized is 62.  She is a different ole gal. She is a slow learner but has been attending church for months but in a different ward. So the elders referred us to her and we´ve been teaching her. She is really different. She writes random things in a notebook. Mumbles and then speaks. We say something and have to wait a couple of seconds for her to reply. But she is super smart. The other day we were teaching the word of wisdom in section 89 and my comp asked her if Satan has power over us? She got super quiet. Had this creepy look on her face and looked up at us and said yes. My heart jumped and then there was this loud BOOM SCRATCHY NOISE!!! Around the walls and on the roof. I was freaking out. She whispered. What is that with her eyes moving back and forth. I thought Satan was coming for me for sure. Turns out is was an iguana on the roof that fell from the tree. I about crapped my pants. hahah. Then she said she can overcome Satan or something like that. I was a little freaked out. But it was funny. My comp and I were laughing about it all week. 

O how I love missionary work. It is really an awesome experience and I love these people so much. I am going to miss them like crazy but I know I will see them all again someday. It is really hard to go into an area and get to know people, baptise people, and have all these friends and leave them like that! But I have email and facebook and I am planning on writing to my converts. They are pretty sad I am leaving. My heart is breaking. But I refuse to cry. Because crying won´t let me stay here. I´ll go where you want me to go dear Lord. Yo Te seguire! 

Well I love you guys alot. Miss yah but not enough to come home! 
-- 
Hermana Channing Jackson

The Joker....

hola! bienvenidos Día Santo! 

Entonces.... 

Good grief. Wind. Lent. Carnivals. Treks. Etc.... Madness I tell you Madness. 

Brett I can´t believe you are already Training. Good grief. I would rather die. 

Grandma Jackson is going to kill herself. Has she not learned that with out a cane slash walker she always falls and hurts herself.  Hope she gets better. Rhonda too! 

Well this week was really interesting. It started out really bad...got worse...and then it ended with a BANG! 

i´ll start with the bad lol. So Satan is evil. We all know it. He tried to bring us all down this week. Because it was the week of our baptisms. First my investigator Krish got in an accident and hurt his foot. He couldn´t go to the Ward camping trip and almost couldn´t go to his baptism. My other investigator, Patricia had something happen to her neck and had to go to the hospital to get a shot. And then Isabel lost her front teeth. And that just the people getting baptised. 

My companion and I on the other hand had quite a week of health problems as well. My comp hurt her foot and had a bloody nose all week with headaches and much more. Poor thing. 

So I tried dyeing my hair to the color of the roots. Turned grey. Not kidding straight up greyish green.The first words that came out of my mouth wasn´t hosanna. This was on Monday.Then  I had an inflamed nerve in my back which cause my smaller part of my back and my leg and foot to hurt and cause me to limp. So grey hair with a limp. Then i got a fever in the mouth. Really weird. It caused my lips to swell and burn the corners of my mouth. I looked in the mirror and I thought I look like the Bloody joker. Limp. Grey Hair and an extra smile. SICK!!! So I scrubbed the crap out of my hair with a bar of soap and other products. And I called upon the man upstairs and said, " I know this is really random but can you help me fix my hair and get it to a normal color?" God has a sense of humor so I am sure he laughed. Now my hair is blond. A really pretty color too. Miracles people. Gotta love them. 

Then my cook gave me a cow foot soup for lunch. It took everything in my power not to hurl. It's just the hair on the hoof that got to me and the fat. I usually like fat but I almost lost it. Geeewwww gotta love the food. Then the next day we had clams, lobster, shrimp, and more octopus. I really liked it. I happen to like Fish food. Didn´t know it.

So that was the majority of the  bad week. 

Then the baptisms! O my heavens these were by far my favorite baptisms thus far. The interviews for the baptisms went well and my district leader almost cried with Patricia. She is a very spiritual woman and is a true convert. She will do anything for people. It is really hard for her because her husband doesn´t believe in god and she can´t feel the spirit in her home when he is there. Sad business. 

O funny story before I tell you about the baptism. O blasphemy the caps button is broken. somebody fix this later. 

The other day we were visiting Patricia and she said she was ready to buy new clothes. We were like for what. So i can buy dresses to wear everyday. She thought that was a part of our religion to wear dresses everyday. She said well I never see you guys in pants. Good heavens no. We said it was just because we are missionaries We have to wear dresses. Poor thing. True faith right there. Almost got rid of all of her jeans for the gospel. somebody write to the church and tell them that we are setting a weird example for people because of the skirt thing. 

So the baptisms. It was a huge spiritual experience for me. I cried. Patricia and her daughter Isabel were so happy and smiling and their testimonies after their baptism was amazing. they are going to be awesome in the church. Then Krish´s testimony really got to me. Only his uncle and grandma are members. He has been going to church for months but had to get permission from the parents. He is 13 and he was so happy at his baptism. His parents and sister were there. At first they were really mean and not smiling or anything and really standoffish and out of place. After his baptism he got up. His awkward 13 year old self and shared his testimony for the first time. He said I am really really happy. This feeling is indescribable. I hope that my family, my supporters, will one day be baptized as well. He started to cry like everybody else in the room and said amen. The spirit was soo sooo sooo strong. iIlost it. Good grief it was beautiful. After the meeting the parents were so nice and giving out cake, smiling and shaking the hands of people. they had a change of heart. I know without a doubt in my mind that they will join someday. It was amazing. Gospel is true.

Well I love you guys so much. I love the mission and this time in my life and I encourage you all to make the best of your time right now. We only have this short amount of time here on the earth. So enjoy it and do all that you can to be better. Miss yah! But not enough to come home!

p.s. I am making WWBS? bands. It stands for What Would Blake Say? It makes my day with every situation. Genius. I see a fat person at McDonalds. "you know what burns me up' Fat people at the MACDonalds"  hahahaha cracks me up. think about it Blake. You´d make money! 

-- 
Hermana Channing Jackson