Happy New Years!

Hello family!

I know that it has been ages since we last talked, but I wanted to let you know what happened with exchanges. The family all guessed that I would be staying in Manchester South. It appears that dad's phone call to the president didn't work though, either that or he forgot to call, because I am now serving in Whitefield. Yes, I am on to my third area. It appears I may know and see a lot of the Manchester area by the end of my mission at the rate I am going.

I am serving with Sister Low. She is from Murray, Utah. Sister Low was studying exercise science at BYU before coming on a mission and has two siblings. I know a few others things, but not too much at the moment since we have only been together for a few hours. I will be sure to report more later, but if I forget do give me a reminder.

I hope everyone enjoys the new year. Happy 2012! I am excited to have another year of growth, learning and exposure to a new culture. I continue to learn each day and am having a fantastic time. There is such a special joy that comes from serving a mission. Not to mention the weather has been surprisingly good. I don't have a ton of time today, but I will be sure to write and give you some more updates next week. I am not 100% sure if I will email on Monday or not since the libraries are closed, so if you don't hear from me on Monday expect an email a bit later in the week.

Love always, Becca

Christmas Time

Can you believe that Christmas is already here? I feel like we just started December. We received our first snowfall of the year here in England (see the pictures attached). Plus we had some slippery sidewalks of rain/snow that froze. For better or for worse, I think winter is finally here. I am excited to talk to you all on Christmas day and see your smiling faces. It will be great to be part of your Christmas celebration, even if I am thousands of miles away. It won't be the first time one of us is gone in a distant land for Christmas now is it? We are definitely a blessed family to be able to travel and see so many wonderful sights, including the beauty of England and the people here who are searching for something more. I am continuing to love being a missionary and helping others to improve their lives and find greater happiness.

My thought last week was all about Christmas, and I know there is probably a lot more I could say concerning the matter. However, this week I have been focusing a lot on goals for the upcoming year (2012). As a missionary, we set lots of goals. We have daily, weekly, transfer (every 6 weeks), and yearly goals. However, as much as a mission is about finding, teaching, etc., it is also about becoming. We can become the person we want to be if we are willing to work hard, sacrifice and expect to achieve that potential we see in ourselves. I remember when people asked me what I expected from a mission, I would usually respond, "It is going to be a really good experience, and I am going to learn a lot." That answer is probably because I honestly didn't know what to expect and I am an optimistic person, so I almost always see the glass as half full. The more time I have spent here in England, I am finding that I was more right that I originally realized. In Preach My Gospel (a missionary's guide to the work), it states, "The first person you need to convert is yourself." When people think about missions, they often ask if we have been able to convert a lot of people. The reality of it is there are people who the Lord converts through our assistance, but a mission is really a time of conversion for ourselves. As much as we focus on others, we also focus on ourselves. For example, I cannot help someone else achieve happiness until I have found that joy in my own life. Furthermore, if I am not a good teacher, then I will never be able to convey the message I am trying to share and help others understand. There are aspects of my life that I need to focus on and improve in order to become a missionary that can help others find these things out for themselves.

Therefore, I have been praying, pondering and studying about goals for the upcoming year (2012). An idea that keeps coming to my mind is the importance of thoughts. We know that thoughts lead to actions and that God is the only one who knows our thoughts, but what is the significance of thoughts? As I have pondered thoughts, I have come to understand that we can master our thoughts. While no one else around us may know what we are thinking, they are still a significant part of who we are. In my mind, I came up with two potential problems with our thoughts—bad thoughts and good thoughts that are not acted upon. The first can be solved in different ways such as “delete keys” (a subtle action just like on a computer that will erase what you were thinking about), replacing it with a song, etc. However, the second is much more difficult to overcome. How often when we have a good thought and don’t act upon it or record it, do we forget it? For me, it happens probably more often than it should. We need to make sure the good thoughts are brought into action. Once we have achieved this transition from thoughts to actions, we are able to accomplish more good and better follow the promptings of the Spirit. We are even able to have more charity in our lives with an optimistic outlook on the world. I am continuing to ponder my goals for the upcoming year, but I think mastering my thoughts and doing good will be part of who I want to become this next year.

On another note, many of you asked about my companion, Sister Gallozo. She is from Spain, specifically the north by the border with Portugal. She didn't know English before coming to England really, so I am impressed by what 16 months of living here has done because it is pretty much flawless now. There are still a few times where I have to double check what she is talking about, but that is a rare case. It is amazing how many different languages there are and yet you have the ability to learn multiple of them. She was studying literature (Spanish literature) at university before coming on a mission, but now she is not exactly sure what she wants to do. She was kind of hoping that her mission would help her recognize what she wanted to do with her life, but unfortunately, that wish has not come quite true. It makes me grateful for my decision to be a math teacher because it gives me direction in my life and I know it is something that I will enjoy. One of the greatest things I have learned from Sister Gallozo is hard work. Even when she is tired, she desires to do good and wants to work hard. That persistence and ability to push through tough times is definitely something to look up to.

Well I hope everyone is staying warm. Merry Christmas and enjoy the time spent with loved ones! Speak to you soon :) Thanks for all your love and support.

Love, Becca


p.s. Here are some comments about the pictures:

1. This is my district at the moment. They are great and we are doing a fun skit/song at the mission Christmas party that I am excited for.

2. This is me out the day when it first snowed. You can't see incredibly well, but it is snowing. I was grateful that I bought a warm coat that day.

3. This is Sister Gallozo on the day with the first snow. I will admit the snow didn't stick, but it was still snowing for the record and cold to say the least!

A note from Annie: Sorry, this is last week's letter. We got to Skype with Becca on Christmas, and it was fun to see her face and hear firsthand how everything is going. Yesterday was Boxing Day and this week is transfers, so she'll be writing a bit later this week.

The Christmas Season Has Arrived!

I feel like it is finally time to be able to celebrate Christmas and enjoy the holiday season. I love seeing the decorations all around, not to mention all the good food! It is honestly a great time to be here in England, and I am excited to learn some English holiday traditions that I will hopefully be able to share with you. I am especially grateful to be sharing the message of the Savior and charity at this time of the year. How often do people get wrapped up in the presents, parties, and people and forget the true meaning of Christmas? I asked myself, what is the true meaning of Christmas? Yes, it is to celebrate the birth of the Savior. However, I feel that it is something more--charity. Some may say that charity is doing good for others. In The Book of Mormon, charity is defined (in Moroni 7) as the pure love of Christ. I have come to know that charity is more than an action, it is a way of thinking. As we think about others with love and kindness, we are motivated to action. The starting point is our thoughts though. Once we get the right mindset and see the world with rose-colored glasses (as Grandma Shelley always did), we have developed charity and the rest is history. That love that we see the world with will be demonstrated by the way we live our life, including the service and good we do for others.

This week I have spent some time calling people that missionaries have met in previous months. From this experience, a few people commented on my accent. The phone calls went about like this.

Me: Hello ____, my name is Sister Jack and I am a missionary from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and you met some of my friends a few months ago. We are sharing about The Book of Mormon.

Other: Oh yeah. I remember them. Where are you calling from?

Me: From England, but I am originally from America.

Other: Yes, I could tell...

Okay that is not the exact conversation, but it is close enough. Bottom line, people kept asking me where I was calling from. It's funny because I thought I would be all set to understand and speak English, but clearly our idea of English is a little different than here. For whatever reason, I have a thick American accent so while I may be able to pronounce aunt correctly (rather than ant), people still recognize I am not from around here. I hope you are able to feel like you are part of the work happening here now and appreciate our unique heritage.

Well life is great. I look forward to speaking to all the family on Christmas! Keep up the good work and I hope each of you are able to develop a little greater charity in your own lives this Christmas season.

Love always, Becca

p.s. We even got to decorate some cookies this week. So I attached pictures of Sister Gallozo and me with our decorated cookies! Tis the season :)

Four months already

Can you believe that I have been gone for 4 months already? But who is counting anyways? Time has surely flown by, and I am continuing to learn and grow each day. First, I need to tell you about an experience that I had last week. I was sitting on the bus next to a girl who I talked to for a few moments, but she quickly went back to reading her book (which happened to be Harry Potter). About 5-10 minutes later, she asked, "What church do you belong to anyways?" We were able to get into a further discussion about religion, family, and life. We came to find out that we are both Math Education majors! It was fantastic. We were able to talk about mathematics together and education as well. It was interesting to learn more about how England's university works for studying Math Ed. Furthermore, I was just really excited to talk about math, probably because I haven't really been able to do so in the last 4 months. It is not everyday that you meet someone who also likes math. As I reflected back on how I light up and got excited while talking about math, I realized that Heavenly Father has blessed us each with individual personalities and interests. While we may have similarities with other people, there are no two people who are exactly the same. Furthermore, our passions about life are what keep us going. Whatever it is that we are passionate about, we need to pursue. It is as we pursue the things that bring us great happiness that we truly are able to find peace and joy in this life. We do need to explore different paths and keep our lives in balance, but I know that we have particular interests because of our talents and the true happiness it brings into our lives.

Next, I finished reading The Book of Mormon this morning! It was absolutely wonderful. I grew up reading it but never really enjoyed all the pages. I will admit, the book started off a little slow. However, by the end I was excited to finish it. I realized that it is like other books in that sense, it may be slow at first and then once you get into it, you just don't want to put it down. The excitement that comes from reading is simply fantastic. There are so many lessons to learn from the pages of The Book of Mormon. As I read, I know that my mind was able to relate experiences and other knowledge I have to these words of ancient prophets. It has been a blessing to be able to learn from others' experiences in the book and then see how I can better serve the people around me as a result. I know that there is always more to learn from those pages, and I am excited to read it yet another time. The fact of the matter is that you can't ever read a good book too many times :)

Hope everyone is enjoying the Christmas season! Know that I love each of you and am thinking about you.

Love, Becca

The first and last pictures are of my companion, Sister Gallozo, and me. The middle picture is from yesterday. It hailed on us, and I was a little bit confused by the weather. Well actually I just want the warmer weather to stay a bit longer, but I guess that winter has finally hit. Oh well, right? It was bound to happen eventually.

Quick One

We have been teaching one man, who is an eternal investigator as they say (meaning he has been learning about the church for months on end now). There comes a time when you have to say, we have taught the person all we could and now it is time to let them just decide on their own. As a result, we dropped our only investigator this week, which means we are going to do a lot of finding. However, that evening our zone leaders called us, congratulating us on the hard decision. They then expressed a desire to come help us find. The way their schedule worked out, they were in our area the next day for an hour and half finding. We identified the area of Altrincham for them to work in. As a result, they passed along a referral and shared with us some miracles that happened while they were finding. Furthermore, our district leader gave us some of their potential sheets, former investigators and lost sheep. There honestly wasn’t even a moment for me to be sad about the fact that we didn’t have any investigators because I felt the love of my leaders. I know that they want me to have success as much I as want to. It is nice to know that I am not alone in this work; I have truly felt the unity of the mission this last week.

Recently, I have been studying Mormon 9 in more detail. I recognize that Heavenly Father is a God of miracles and I have been diligently praying to help others come unto Christ. However, this morning in my personal study verse 21 stood out to me. It mentions how we need to ask, “doubting nothing.” Just knowing that God is a God of miracles isn’t enough, I need to put my full faith in Him. This means that while I may not have a clue how this miracle will come forth, I need to have that perfect faith it will happen. I know that as we exercise perfect faith that God will grant us our righteous desires, we will see miracles happen this Christmas season.

I am excited to be a missionary right now and there are lots of great things happening. Sorry I don't have a ton of time today (I got everything done in an hour, so I am not going to pay for an extra one). I will be sure to extend my time next week though and let you know more about the miracles that are happening and the people I am meeting. You can look forward to that next week.

Know that I love you and pray for you daily. Keep up the good work and smile :)

Love, Becca (aka Sister Jack)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! I realize that it is that time of year and while I may not be enjoying turkey myself, I hope you all eat a little extra in my memory. Enjoy the time spent together with loved ones at this time and know that I am thinking about you! I send my love as always.

The weather has taken a turn for the worse. Luckily, I went ahead and bought a winter coat or two last week to keep myself warm. They are wool and should last me for the cold winter months. Plus layers is the key. I haven't had to put on too may layers yet, but I will admit that I pulled out my wool tights. The cold weather is rapidly approaching us. The nice thing is that it hasn't rained much, so I feel lucky about that.

Yesterday we had stake conference. Elder Kerr, one of the area authorities, spoke about a meeting he had with Elder David A. Bednar. He quoted Elder Bednar when he said, “I did not choose to be an apostle; I was called of God.” In that moment, I felt that quote applied to me. “I [Sister Jack] did not choose to be a missionary; I was called of God.” A mission is really like a roller coaster, in the sense that it is filled with ups and downs. It can be exhilarating. And it can be difficult. I will admit that I never thought I would understand why everyone said a mission was such hard work, but I am starting to understand. However, at the end of the day, I know that this is Heavenly Father’s will for me. I was called of God and there is no way I can deny that. As a result, I push through the hard times and rely on my Savior for strength. I increase my faith and pray that I will see miracles happen, even if it is just something small. I feel like Nephi in Helaman 10:4-5 when I go forth declaring the word with unwearyingness knowing that I am doing the will of the Father.

Right now I haven't met too many people here in Manchester because I have only been here a few days. I will be sure to report more about the people I getting to know better in the future. After all, I will be spending Christmas with these people so I am sure that I will get to know them fairly well. Know that I love each of you and am grateful for all that you do. Keep up the good work!

Love, Becca (aka Sister Jack)

Transfers...Any guesses?

Well I am sure you are all in suspense to know what happened to me. Surprisingly enough, I got moved to Manchester South ward. I am now serving with Sister Gallozo from Spain, so watch out maybe I will start sending emails in Spanish. Okay I won't, but I do hope to speak some Spanish and brush up on things. Sister Davis also left Wigan and moved to the Isle of Man. Yes you heard me, both Sister Davis and I left Wigan. The elders who have been in the ward are moving into our flat and taking over the area. I was sad to leave, but I know that the elders will do good work there. Honestly, the Wigan ward was sad to let the sisters go, but I think I will go back some day (whether or not it will be while I am serving a mission is just what I am unsure about).

To give you some insight to the miracles we have recently seen, let me tell you about an experience. We know that the ward and stake leaders hold the keys to missionary work in our areas (in other words they are in charge of the work that is done). The mission president is really just in charge of the missionaries, myself included. As a result, our mission president advised us to go to the bishop and ask him to prayerfully choose areas for the missionaries to focus on. We told him on Saturday night, and by Sunday after church we were in Bishop Gifford’s office talking about it. He said that he was awakened at 4 a.m. with locations of where we should be. Bishop assigned the elders to Hindley (a location we had recently been drawn to and been having success), while we were assigned to Bryn. I know that these locations were inspired and that the Wigan elders have a lot of good work ahead of them. (Side note: This is the same day that the 40 day fast started as well.)

Ever since that meeting, the work in Wigan just took off. We met with a family, the Needhams, (who we hadn’t seen in a few weeks) who happened to live in Bryn to tell them we were leaving. They agreed to continue to meet with the elders, and I think they will gain a testimony for themselves and be baptized. I am not sure if that is the reason the bishop assigned us to Bryn, but I definitely think it is part of the reason. I know that for whatever reason the Needhams needed a little break, and it appears they have a true desire to know if The Book of Mormon is true and then follow through with the implications of that knowledge. Honestly, I saw a huge change from the dad, Simon, who was rather quiet and eager to listen opposed to the slightly contentious and talkative man we had taught about a month earlier. Not to mention his wife, Aldona, made sure that the member who was with us would return with the elders. She took quite a liking to the member, and it is clear they have formed a bond. I see a bright future ahead for them, especially because they already are searching for the truth and have a close family unit.

Additionally, we saw some wonderful miracles in Hindley. We found two new investigators there! We met Kirsty last Saturday and set up an appointment. Unfortunately, we had lost her number, so we stopped by a bit earlier than expected. When she came to the door, she told us to come back at our scheduled time because a friend wanted to sit in on the lesson too—what a blessing. Furthermore, on our bus ride out to Hindley, I met a nice young lady named Amy on the bus. She was atheist and didn’t really accept the message I was sharing, so our conversation eventually died off. About five minutes later, she tapped me on the shoulder and asked how long I would be in Hindley for? She told me that her brother, Lewis, believes in God and suggested that we stopped by to visit him. Through a series of events, we were unable to stop by. However, the elders did go by later that evening and they were able to teach four people! (For the record, that is a lot...) The work is truly picking up in Wigan and I know that they will see miracles happen this next transfer. I am excited to know what results we see happen, even if I may not be a part of them and not know the exact specifics of everything that occurs.

While I am sad to leave Wigan, I know that the Lord has need of me elsewhere (Manchester South to be specific). I know that the Lord has a hand in this work and that it is His will for me to be in Manchester. I am not sure what that means at the moment, but I know that I will work hard and do my best to accomplish whatever His will may be. I have recently been grateful to have such a rich heritage to look up to and legacy to follow. I really do feel honored to have such a good family, which includes more than just those I love at home. I know that I am continually making my family bigger as I meet new people and form bonds with them.

Thanks for all your love and support! I am excited to see what I have to report next week because it is a whole new area, so there is a lot to look forward to :)

Love always, Becca (aka Sister Jack)

I know that you love seeing my smiling face, so here are some photos of myself. :)

First, Christmas comes quite early here with no Thanksgiving to delay things. This is a picture of Sister Davis and I at a member's home. Christmas season is definitely already here!

Second, this is a picture of myself and a member, Sister Higham. She is great and always willing to come out with us. She takes good care of us and makes sure we always have plenty of fruit to eat :)

Third, a member gave us snuggies, so here is Sister Davis and I wearing them. If only you could have a full body shot to see what they look like. They are fun! And should keep us warm while we study.

Fourth, this is the view out my window each morning from where I study. Notice the plant. I planted that at the beginning of my mission and look how much it has grown over the last 3 months! Isn't that crazy? Go ahead and read Alma 32 because faith is like a seed and that chapter in The Book of Mormon describes it perfectly.

3 months...already?

Well hello! Can you believe that I have already been gone for 3 months? Part of me seems like I have been serving a mission for a whole lot longer than that and another part of me says, 3 months already? It is simply crazy how time flies by.

I went ahead and attached a picture from Brother Andrew's baptism. It went beautifully well and he is excited for this change in his life. Baptism is a covenant or a promise with God and is really just an outward expression of a change that is happening on the inside. I have honestly noticed this change in Daniel's life, and I know that he will forever be blessed for the decision he made.


One area that I decided to improve in this week was travel contacting. Travel contacting basically refers to talking to people while you are traveling places such as on the bus, train, etc. The idea is that there are people everywhere that need to hear our message and what is the difference if you meet them on the bus or on the street? To be honest, I wasn't comfortable with travel contacting at first. Talking to people in confined places just didn't seem fair, mostly to them. However, this week, our zone leaders (Elder Dantas and Elder Feith) came to district meeting and talked about travel contacting. They mentioned how we should be having quality conversations with people as we traveled. As a result, I focused on having one quality conversation about the gospel each time I traveled somewhere. I did not succeed every time I traveled, but everyone has his or her agency (or choice) so you can only do so much. Although, I did have some nice conversation that lasted between five and twenty minutes.

My favorite conversation (that came as a result of travel contacting) was with a young lad named Andrew. He was sitting across from me on the train ride to Liverpool. I figured when he looked up at some stage, I could get his attention and say hello. However, we sat there for at least 10 minutes while he just stared down at his iPhone. I kept thinking to myself, how sad is it that this young lad will not take his eyes off his phone? Between texting, listening to music and doing who knows what, he seemed completely unaware of his surroundings. Finally, I was to wave and catch his attention. He took his earphones out and we had a quality gospel conversation. While we talked about the gospel, we also discussed our interests and how the gospel applies into many aspects of our lives. He grew up in Liverpool and is going to University (studying history) there. He likes to cook and his family is very important to him. He is not in my area, so I gave his contact information to some other missionaries. I am not sure what will happen, but I do know one thing—he took a moment that day to appreciate the people around him rather than his phone. How often do we go around and forget to notice the things around us? I notice it more and more in the world today that we get caught up with technology and forget the simplicity of life and its beauty. I challenge each of you to take a look around you the next time you are outside for a walk and say hello to a neighbor, smile at the person passing you on the sidewalk and enjoy nature. I know that as we do these things, we find greater happiness and joy in the simplicity of life.

That is all for now, but I will be sure to write more next week. Next week is transfers, so you won't hear from me until Wednesday. I will most likely be staying in Wigan and getting a new companion, but you never know for sure. That is at least what Sister Davis is fairly confident of.

Love you all and I am grateful for all your support! It is wonderful to hear from you.

Becca

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone! Can you believe that October is almost over? I sure can't. The weather has fortunately been very nice. It has only rained a couple of times this last two weeks, so I feel very lucky. Besides the weather, the work is going well. There is so much to report, but with limited time I have to decide where to start.

First, I will comment on the Zone Leader Council. One of the most important things I learned from that is that you have no clue what your influence is. To relate a story told by President Kopischke at Zone Leader Council, he told of a time that Elder Holland mentioned a time when they were meeting to discuss church business. At this time, the brethren (men of the church) were about to excuse the women from the meeting. However, next on the agenda was a discussion of missionaries. The General Relief Society president at that time told the brethren that they may want to keep them around because, after all, they are the missionaries' mothers. Between President Preston and Sister Davis, they attributed that story to Grandma Jack. Now grandma will have to verify that story is true and I would like to hear her first-hand version, but none the less I think you get the idea. President Kopischke mentioned that this story is why he invited a companionship of sisters to the meeting. I couldn't help but think when grandma (or whoever it was) made that comment all those years ago, no one would have ever imagined it would have resulted in her granddaughter attending a zone leader council as a missionary. The influence of one individual has a large impact on many generations to come and it is important to remember that. You never know who you might be influencing, so make sure whatever you are doing, make sure it is for good. Additionally, it was a testimony to me how miraculous the Lord is. He has a plan for us and He provides a way for us to accomplish it. I wonder if grandma hadn't made that comment all the years ago, if I would have ever got that chance to sit in on the council and discuss the needs of the mission with the other leaders.

Second, I had a chance to bear my testimony at church yesterday. I was able to stand up in front of the Wigan ward and thank them for their wonderful example and influence. I am not going to lie, I wasn’t in the cheeriest of moods before sacrament meeting. Not for any particular reason, but I just wasn't over-filled with joy as usual, cheery Sister Jack. However, as soon as sacrament meeting started, I had a change of heart. It happened to be fast and testimony meeting, so I went ahead and bore my testimony. I talked about charity and it being the pure love of Christ. I told the ward, “Charity is the Wigan Ward. You can make someone feel at home, even though home may be thousands of miles away.” Then I also told them how much God loves and knows them individually. After the sacrament, I had a few ward members come up to me and thank you for my testimony. One came and commented just how wonderful it was that I could feel at home, even though I wasn't anywhere close to it. A different two mentioned how much they enjoyed and were grateful for what I said. While another I saw tear up as I spoke and looked out at the congregation. Not only that, but another member reminded me how influential missionaries are. She said, "While you may think you are forgotten, there are people who will never forget you." In that moment, I just felt that not only had I lifted the ward members, but they were also lifting me. I can’t accurately describe how much my heart was softened by the experience. I know that there is a greater feeling of unity as a result of that simple testimony.

Third, back to Brother Andrew. He is all set to be baptized on Friday! More exciting than that is that we were able to go and serve him this week by cleaning his house. He moved in 3 years ago. Since then, he just hasn't had time to fix things as he desired and sort through the piles of things he has accumulated. We were able to go ahead and get some things sorted out. As a result, he should have a fully functioning kitchen by the end of the week! I really should have taken some pictures from start to end, but bottom line there was a huge change. I really feel this change and desire to clean things up is an outward indication of how he is feeling on the inside. He is ready for baptism and is excited to become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is truly a happier person now and has greater joy in his life. During the week when we were helping him, we helped Brother Andrew recognize this change is similar to repentance. Repentance as defined in the Bible Dictionary is a fresh view about God, oneself, and the world. Just as cleaning his house and fixing things felt great, repentance is joyful and rewarding. Whether it be a big or little change, this change can help us feel relieved of guilt and leads to a happier life.

Well those are my thoughts for now. I hope you enjoyed hearing some of my insights from the week. There is always so much to say and I only can write so much, so let me know if there is ever anything in specific you would like to know more about. Keep up the good work. I love and miss you all!

Love, Becca

The first picture is just of me today. This was my Halloween outfit with orange and black. As per Eric Brewer's suggestion, I dressed up as a missionary :) Sister Davis and I did dress up as each other for a bit as well by switching name tags, but I don't have any of those pictures on my camera.

Here is a picture from the Zone Leader Council I was telling you about. Can you find me? I think it should be fairly easy to play this game of where is Sister Jack?

p.s. from Annie: So sorry about the delay on posting this letter...I promise I'll be better!

Another Week

Hello!

Another week has gone by. It is crazy how fast a week can come and go. It is sometimes hard to believe I am sitting down to email you again. Well to start off, the weather has been wonderful. Surprisingly enough, it hasn't rained much this last week. Although it rained enough on Monday night (as you can tell from the pictures) to last us the rest of the week. England is a beautiful place and I love seeing the sky here. I always feel like it is bluer for some reason, but maybe it is just because I am paying more attention to it.

Some exciting news I have is that Daniel Andrew, one of our investigators, is getting baptized next week. He is 36 years and works as a jointer. (If I knew what that was I would tell you but basically I understand it to be some type of construction. Maybe I will do a bit of research and let you know next week.) He is divorced, but has exact joint-custody with his wife for his daughter, Ellie. Ellie is 6 years old and is lovely! She honestly is one of the most well-behaved 6 year olds I know. We had a fun lesson about prayer the other day with her and we drew what we were grateful for. I know that the gospel will bless their family's life, especially Ellie because she will be able to be part of the loving and nurturing environment of the church. Back to Daniel Andrew, who we call Brother Andrew, he has been investigating the church for a few months now (since before I arrived in Wigan). He fully accepts the doctrine of the church, but he was struggling with the law of tithing. I will admit it was a challenge for him and, despite our best efforts to explain the blessings of tithing and how it was a commandment, nothing appeared to be working. However, time can solve all problems. Since he had this struggle, he started reading his scriptures and praying on a daily basis. Brother Andrew decided he needed to learn for himself if this was true and whether baptism was correct for him. We all reach a stage in our lives when we need to make that decision. We need to decide, do I really believe and know this to be true? Or am I just leaning on the faith of others? We all have different struggles in our lives, but I know that as we learn to rely on the Lord, He answers our prayers. It doesn't matter what others say because we can really know these things for ourselves. I have seen this exact thing happen with Brother Andrew. He really came to know and recognize for himself that the gospel is true. He knows that Heavenly Father answers prayers because he has received answers. It is such a blessing to be able to witness the changes that he has made in his life and how much happier he is now. He will be baptized on the 4th of November and it will be an exciting day! I will be sure to report more later, but I wanted to mention it so that you weren't all surprised when I just dropped in a quick sentence in a few weeks.

To provide you all with some insight into the scriptures, I was studying the godhead (God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost) this week. Here is the insight I had and sent in my weekly letter to the mission president (we send weekly letters to let our leader/president know how we are doing and how the work is going in our area):

Lastly, during personal study, I learned more about the godhead. I completely believe the godhead to be three separate beings; however, I will admit the scriptures can be confusing. As I was reading Mosiah 16, I happened upon some scriptures that did not seem correct according to the doctrine I know. As I studied verse 15 in more detail, I gained greater knowledge. This verse talks about how redemption comes through Christ, who is our Eternal Father. I realized there are two parts to understanding this scripture, eternal and father. First, Christ is eternal because it is through him that we can live forever. As a result of his atonement, we can have eternal life. Second, Christ can be thought of as father because through baptism we become sons and daughters of Christ. We know baptism is necessary for salvation. As we understand what the words eternal father mean in context, it is clear to see that Eternal Father refers to Christ and doesn’t imply that Christ and Heavenly Father are one.

I know that our Savior, Jesus Christ, died for us. He suffered for both our physical/emotional and our spiritual infirmities. I know that as we rely on Him, we can receive strength and happiness. I am grateful for all He has done for us and I try and help others come nearer to the Savior each and every day.

Well know that I am doing well. There is an exciting week that lies ahead of us, so I will report more next week. Thank you for all your support! Keep up the good work. I love you and miss you!

Love, Becca

p.s. These pictures are from Monday night when we went out and it poured on us. The first one is of Sister Davis and we thought was ironic because of what the poster at the bus station said. The second one just shows how despite the weather, we are still happy and have fun!

Another week has flown by...

First and foremost, sorry I haven't been able to send pictures recently. Unfortunately the memory card for my camera is having some problems, and I have been unable to recover the pictures I have taken thus far. I will try and get a new one, so I can send pictures home in the future.

Second, it has been a wonderful week as usual. There is definitely something special about missionary work. I am grateful to be sharing the gospel with those who really don't know about it and the happiness it can bring to their lives. We really meet a variety of people and yet the message we are sharing can help everyone, no matter what life situation they are in! I know that there really are people who are prepared to receive the gospel, it is just a matter of finding them. For example, we met this wonderful young lady named Natasha. She had just moved to Wigan from Liverpool and surprisingly enough lived close to the church there as well. As a result, she was happy to receive our message. We got her address, but clearly I am not good with English accents yet because I thought she said L Street. When it came time to go visit Natasha, we could not find the street or anything that sounded like it. We knew the house had a blue door, but it was a mystery as to what exact street she lived on. As we looked in that area this week, we realized she probably said Earl Street. Sure enough when we went to the house it had a blue door! Not only that, but as we had met another lady on the street, she had actually given us the same address. It is so clear to me that there is someone there who needs the message we are sharing. When we stopped by before, no one was home, so we are going back again soon. However, the moral of the story is that people are ready to receive the gospel, we just need to be willing to find them.

Third, we have an area president, President Kopeschke, coming to our mission next week to give us a training. Trainings are a wonderful time to re-evaluate yourself as a missionary and see areas where we can improve our work. At the end of the meetings, there is a final meeting for the zone leaders. President Kopeschke requested that a set of sisters be present for the final meeting and guess who was asked after much thought and prayer? Yes, Sister Davis and me. It is definitely a great responsibility to represent the sisters and be part of the zone leaders council. I recognize that the Lord expects a lot out of me as a missionary and, while I am not exactly sure what it is that he expects, I hope that I live up to my potential. One of my goals is to be able to say by the end of my mission that I put in my 100% and tried my hardest. I strive each and every day to be the best missionary I can be.

Well that is about all I have time for now. I am grateful for all the love and prayers I have coming my way. You are all an example to me and I love you dearly. Keep up the good work!

Love, Becca (aka Sister Jack)

The weather has changed...

Well family the weather has changed. After some bright and sunny days (skirts and short sleeves weather), the cold appears to have arrived. Sister Davis and I were out tracting a few days ago. First, I will admit that I am grateful I brought my winter coat out with me that evening. As I was leaving the apartment, I thought to myself should I just wear a suit jacket or am I going to want my peacoat? By the end, I realized it would be best to bring my winter peacoat and I am glad that I did. It was about an hour before we needed to be home at the apartment and we were about to knock on the first door. Just before we could knock, it literally started to hail on us and we just laughed. We continued to go ahead and knock on doors. It is amazing how rewarding missionary work is because I can't think of any other reason I would be outside in hail knocking on doors besides in order to share the gospel with other people. At one door we knocked on, the person asked us If we were mad for being out in the weather. We responded, "No. We just know our message is true and has brought us happiness, so we want to share it with other people." It is definitely a test of our dedication and determination when it gets cold, but I know that this work is rewarding as we find people who are accepting of the message we share.

Speaking of the message I am sharing, I want to include an insert from my letter to my president (my mission leader) this week:

I have been reading t he Book of Mormon from cover to cover; I am not the quickest reader so I am only in Jacob, but I love every moment of it. One aspect that has particularly stood out to me this week was the plainness or simplicity of the gospel. When it talks about the doctrine of Christ in 2 Nephi 31, Nephi starts by mentioning how this doctrine is plain. Furthermore, Jacob mentions the plainness of the word of God. When it comes down to it, the message we are sharing of the restored gospel is plain and simple. The actual doctrine is easy to understand; however, the application into our daily lives is not as easy. The desire to change and apply the doctrine requires willingness on our part to live a better life and become more Christ-like.

There is another story that I would like to share and this one is about service. One evening we were on our way to teach a man. Sister Davis and I hadn't visited his apartment yet, so we were looking for his house. We got to the house we thought was his and found out he didn't live there. At first, we were a bit disappointed because we thought the man had just lied, which to be honest happens sometimes as a missionary. However, we came to find out that we were just on the wrong street. Nonetheless we continued to have a conversation with the nice lady who answered the door; her name is Carol. She is in her seventies and very sweet. We almost instantly connected about a variety of things such as science, horses, and the Unitarian church. We had a lot of things in common. While she was not interested in our message, we offered to help her with her gardening and she accepted. We went over to her house (when the weather was still nice) and spent an hour gardening with her. While we were gardening, we chatted and would occasionally mention gospel-related ideas. By the end of our service, she brought out some lemonade and asked us to tell her about Mormon. We had a wonderful discussion about the Book of Mormon and how we have a prophet on the earth today. We have seen her once since and taught a short lesson. The biggest thing I noticed from this experience is how service softens the hearts of the people. Whether or not she actually accepts the gospel, we have made a great friend as a result of the service we preformed. Now for my challenge to you--go out and serve someone. It doesn't have to be gardening, but think of something nice you can do for someone you may not know as well such as your neighbor.

Thanks for all the love and support I receive. I truly am grateful for all you do. Keep working hard and doing good. I pray for you often.

Love, Sister (Becca) Jack

Time flies...second transfer here we come.

I am sure many of you are wondering why I am emailing on a Wednesday; well let me tell you. It is transfers week. Every 6 weeks, we change things up in the mission. Some new missionaries come, some go home, and some change areas. Basically, it means I have the chance of a) staying in the area with my companion, b) getting a new companion in the area I am in or c) moving to a new area with a new companion. In this case, I was lucky letter a. I am in Wigan still with Sister Davis, although we all already knew that would be happening, right? It is always a surprise though and it is great to be where the Lord needs me. But know that if you ever don't get an email from me on Monday see if it is 6 weeks from this date and it is probably because we have transfers again.

So much has happened since 10 days ago when I wrote, and I don't even know where to start. How about last Friday when my companion and I attended a wedding. One of the ward members, Ben, got married at the Wigan chapel. Since Sister Davis is musically talented, she was asked to play the piano/organ for the wedding. Then since I am her companion, I attended as well. We took that picture of us after the wedding because it was a special day. For the record, missionaries usually don't attend weddings, and we only were able to with special permission from the mission president. It was a fun experience, and it was nice to be able to serve the ward.

Next, general conference was absolutely brilliant (substitute word for amazing in England). General Conference, which happens semi-annually, is a chance for us to be able to hear from the prophet and apostles on the earth today. It was great to hear from them. As other missionaries kept telling me, "It's better than Christmas!" When you are used to being spiritually fed each day, General Conference truly is a time where a lot of great things happen. One of my favorite talks was from Dieter F. Uchtdorf. He talked about how God knows us each individually. We are very important to him, "we are everything." At times we may seem insignificant, but I know that Heavenly Father knows us each individually and cares about us individually. You can find the talk at this website: http://lds.org/general-conference/watch/2011/10?lang=eng&vid=1194756909001&cid=12 to listen to it. President Uchtdorf can put things better than me, so I encourage everyone to listen to it. There are a lot of other things I enjoyed, but since I don't have much time I will have to give more updates later. Although, I am wicked excited the Provo Tabernacle is going to be in a temple! I remember when the tabernacle burned down, so to know that it is going to be a temple is very special. I am excited to return to BYU and enjoy the blessings of having another temple so nearby. The temple is truly a special place, and I know that you can feel peace there. It is the only place we can be sealed to our families for time and all eternity, and I am grateful for my knowledge of that sealing power.

Know that I am doing well and loving the work I am doing. Keep doing good in the world today, we need good people :)

Love, Sister (Becca) Jack

Hiya family!

To start off, British people always say hiya. It is their informal way of saying hello, so I thought it may be fun to introduce you all to some of the English vocabulary I am learning. There are probably a lot more; such as an apartment is called a flat and mom is pronounced mum. I can't think of many now that I am actually sitting at the computer, but I will introduce you to the terminology as I become more familiar with it.

We had exchanges again this week, except this time I stayed in Wigan and served with Sister Gong. I am not going to lie, at first I kind of felt like it was a punishment. Honestly, whose idea was it to leave our area to me, the newbie, who has only been around for 4 weeks? I was definitely more scared than I was willing to admit, yet I went forth with a positive attitude. By the end, I realized the experience was not a punishment at all. It was a wonderful growing experience. I recognize that I am a lot more capable of missionary work than I realized. I was able to find my way around and we never even got lost! Furthermore, we met and taught some wonderful people. Everything went more or less according to plan. I am grateful for the exchange and my opportunity to grow.

On another note, I have come to a deeper understanding of why I am on a mission. Sister Davis and I went out last night on a "stroll." It is our nice way of saying we walked and then talked to people on the way. Oftentimes we refer to this as street contacting (SC for short) but calling it a stroll just seems so much more enjoyable and we got just as much work done! None the less, while we were out, we ran into Tina. She was out walking her dog, CJ, along with her daughter, Nadine. [The dog was actually quite similar to Blackjack (Rob and Michelle's dog), so that is kind of a fun side note.] In our conversation, we found out that Tina was actually a member of the church; she was baptized 13 years earlier. Then we also found out Nadine was 10 years old. I couldn't help but realize I was Nadine's age when I was baptized! Tina said we were welcome to come by, and we arranged to see her and her family on Saturday. My heart was filled with joy! I know that the whole 18 months of my mission would be worth it if I could baptize just some little 10 or 11 year old girl like myself. As I look at the influence I have had, I doubt the sisters who taught me realize the impact that one baptism would have on the world. I can’t accurately describe how I felt, but I know that it is a wonderful work that I am doing!

Furthermore, as Sister Davis and I spoke, she told me how people are called to a specific mission for one of three reasons—to learn the language, to meet the mission president, or to influence particular individuals. As soon as the words came out of her mouth, I knew that I was here for the last. I was even told in my blessing when I was set apart that I would reach people that only I could reach. It was great to have that realization and be more aware of the people around me that maybe only I could reach. It is wonderful to have this perspective of missionary work and why I am here. I know it will bless me as I continue to see the good I am doing.

Hope all is well! Keep up the good work and hear from you soon.

Love, Becca

Another Week

This has been a good week. I had an exchange to Liverpool. An exchange is when we switch companions for a few days and spend time serving with another sister in the mission. I served with Sister Chuo, who is from Taiwan in her area of Liverpool. It was crazy to see missionary work in a city. It was a bit harder to stop people from the hustle and bustle of the city to talk to them; however, it is clear there is some great work being done there. Sister Chuo and her companion, Sister Gong, are actually Chinese speaking missionaries. They are teaching people in Chinese, which is great! It was a totally different experience for me because there was part of the conversation I didn't understand. Everyone was nice though and tried to talk in English as much as possible. It was great to experience some new faces and help others learn more about our beliefs. Our focus during the exchange was to help the investigators recognize answers to their prayers. As missionaries, we always invite people to pray and receive a witness for themselves about what we are teaching. However, if they don't know what these answers are like, then how are they ever suppose to receive an answer? Therefore, I focused on identifying the change they are noticing and the feelings they have while learning more about the gospel. In other words, I tried to help them recognize the Holy Ghost in their life and how they can know for themselves that the message we share is true.

A couple people asked about cooking and what I eat. I basically have the same food habits as at home. The ward members are good at feeding us. On average I would say we have 2-4 dinner appointments per week. On the other nights, we come back to our flat (English term for apartment) and cook our own meals. I will admit the sweets here are delicious and I haven't had any food that I disliked. Things are pretty much the same as at home, except I don't have 5 roommates to share the cooking burden with. It is a little harder to cook for 2 than it is for 6. Therefore, we don't always have the best variety of food, but it's okay. We exercise every morning so I am staying fairly healthy! Plus I do a ton of walking. We take buses and walk everywhere we go. None of the sisters have bikes. I think there are a few elders who ride bikes in the mission, but I haven't talked with any of them extensively about it. The buses are pretty reliable and come frequently, so we do just fine. Our flat is a less than 5 minute walk from the large bus station, so everything is really quite convenient for us.

Let me know if you have any other questions; otherwise, I will just have to think about the amazing stories I have to tell from the week. Hope you are all doing fabulous! Thanks for the support.

Love, Becca

A Week of Miracles

Well to best summarize this week, it has been a week of miracles. I made sure to recognize miracles on a daily basis this week, and as a result, Heavenly Father blessed us with an abundance of miracles. We were able to talk to people wherever we went and most of them even had conversations with us! Furthermore, we found some new investigators. (For those of you who are unaware, investigators are people that we meet that are willing to sit down and chat with us about what we believe. They have not been baptized as members of our church, so in other words they are investigating the church.) I could go on for hours about all the miracles I have seen, but instead I am going to answer some of the questions that Eric (my brother-in-law) asked.

My mission president is named President Preston and is the most loving man I have ever met. He is constantly smiling and has a giant heart. It's funny because as I have talked with Sister Davis about the last mission president, President Preston seems a lot more laid back. However, since he has only been in the field 10 weeks it is unclear how much with continue to change or what is set in stone. Some of what I am learning is left from the last mission president, but it may change with some time. As I was thinking about it, the way he runs the mission is a lot like the way I was raised. My parents never really believed in punishments, but rather they loved me. From that love, I didn't want to disappoint them or do something that would make them sad because I knew the happiness my love and obedience brought. President Preston seems exactly the same way. He will love you no matter what, but if you ever saw him not smiling, I know it would be absolutely devastating.

As for the rules, we are not allowed to listen to EFY music. We are only allowed to listen to music produced by the church. However, to be honest it doesn't really bother me. I don't even pick the music because I just don't care that much. Surprisingly enough, it is kind of nice to live by mission rules and not have to worry about the latest movie or how I am missing out on the latest fashion trends. In some sense, mission life is fairly straightforward and easy to live.

My daily schedule mostly consists of teaching lessons and street contacting. We also spend a fair amount of time traveling on buses, so we will talk to people there as well. As for tracting, we don't do a whole lot of it. We maybe will tract a few streets a week just depending on how much time we have. I forget if I explained tracting yet or not, but it is when we knock on people's doors and see if they are interested in the message we are sharing. When you write it out, it sounds kind of crazy, yet it is pretty fun. It is easier to gauge how interested or friendly someone is by the way the hold the door open or start closing it on you. I enjoy tracting just like the rest of missionary work.

Now for the people we are teaching, we will go in order we met them:

Danny. He is in his early 20s and his girlfriend, Emma, is a member of the church. As a result, she suggested that he started meeting with the missionaries. He comes from a rough background, but he has given it all up to live a better life. He recognizes the happiness and joy that comes from the gospel. You can tell that he is grateful for the changes he has made and feels better about his life. He is getting baptized on Friday night, so that is exciting!

Daniel (aka Brother Andrew). He is in his early 30s and has the cutest daughter named Ellie. The sisters met him outside his house I believe sometime before I got to the area. He works some type of construction, but is going to night school to become a teacher. Daniel fits right into the ward and many people don't realize that he hasn't been baptized yet. He will hopefully get baptized soon, but he currently is struggling with the Word of Wisdom. He doesn't quite understand what is bad about having a cup of coffee or drink of alcohol every now and then. Besides that he is strong. He reads from the scriptures on a daily basis and is very inquisitive. He is always wanting to learn more, which is great. Although there is a balance between teaching and answering questions. I think these teaching situations are preparing me to be a math teacher in more than one way.

Brian. We met him just walking in town one day. He told us how he recently had a near death experience. He accidentally cut his ear off and a neighbor found him. He was rushed to the hospital and ended up being alright. However, if his neighbor hadn't found him, Brian wouldn't be here today. Brian knows that someone (God) was watching over him. As a result of this experience, he gave up drinking alcohol. He is ready for some change in his life, so now is a perfect time for him to receive the gospel.

That is about all I have time for now, but I will be sure to write more about the people I know next week. Let me know if anyone else has any questions.

Thanks again for the love and support! Much love.



And now for some photos:

Have fun finding me in this one. It's kind of like where's Waldo.


This photo is from the church history tour. It is of me just being kind of silly and fake knocking at a door. Mostly I just liked this photo, so I passed it along.


The baptism photo is from last week. Walter is Hayley's boyfriend, who was baptized earlier this year, and he baptized her. Hayley is the one who got baptized, and I think I told you about her briefly another time. Then Dylan is her little boy. He is adorable! And he has a ton of energy at the same time. He is well behaved, and Hayley is a great mother to him. Then you have Sister Davis and myself.


Another photo is of Sister Davis and myself during the church history tour. I just thought I would show the world who my companion is and the person I have been spending the last 3 weeks with. She is a bundle of fun! And has a ton of energy. She loves the gospel and shows it daily as she talks to people.

Hope you enjoy seeing my smiling face again!

I Am Getting the Hang of Things

Dear Everyone!

Well I have been out for a month now and I think I am getting the hang of things. Sister Davis tells me I have a fast learning curve, but I think the Lord somehow just prepared me before my mission. It honestly feels like I have been out for a long while; I have to keep reminding myself that it hasn't been very long. I am grateful that missionary work is like second nature to me because it means that I haven't faced too many challenges or hard trials. It is truly a blessing to be enjoying the work I am doing and loving each moment of it.

I will admit it is tiring work. We get 8 hours of sleep each night, but somehow it seems like less sleep than college (where I usually got 6-7 hours each night). Isn't it funny how those things work out? As a result, I have had to rely on the Lord for strength. I have noticed that I can't maintain my positive attitude or energy throughout the day if I forget the Lord. Remembering the Lord and how this is His work helps give me strength to make it through each day. It is amazing how much He helps me as well. I truly have felt lifted up by Him, given a helping hand along the way. It is good to also remember that this next year and a half of my life is a simple sacrifice of my time for everything Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have done for me. I am honestly happy to serve because I know it is the Lord's work.

We had a baptism on Friday. I forgot my camera though, so unfortunately I will not be able to send pictures. I will be sure to remember it for next week though.

I want to speak about one of the ladies in the Wigan ward. Her name is Sister Lynn Higham and she is probably one of the best examples of service I have seen. She is always willing to drive us places, come teaching with us, feed us, or anything else we may need. I have felt blessed for her service and willingness to help us out. I have noticed how her example of service is something to learn from. Throughout my life, service is the way I found true happiness and joy. When you serve someone, you cannot just help but love them. I know that as we serve we can truly bless others' lives as well as improve the quality of our own. I am grateful for all my opportunities to serve, whether they were in small or large capacities, and I encourage each one of you to serve as well. Look for someone around you who may need that extra smile, friend or gift and find a way to make it happen.

The mission is great! I am learning a lot and having fun while I do it. Fall appears to already be here (we even had some hail this morning), but that's alright I think there will be some beautiful fall colors. Hope all is well at home!

Love always,

Sister (Becca) Jack

My First Week in the Field

Well family, it is that time. For the record, my p-day (preparation day) is usually on Mondays. However, yesterday was a bank holiday so the library wasn't open for emails. In the future, you can expect to hear from me on Mondays.

To start things off, I need to make a correction to one of my first emails. Thanks to my mom I realized I made an incorrect mathematical calculation. Apparently there are 52 weeks in a year not 56, so my bad. As a result, I will be gone a total of 78 weeks not 84 weeks. Hopefully this error is not representative of how my math will be when I get home because then I may be in trouble.

I have been out in the actual mission field for under a week now, but it honestly feels like forever. It is simply crazy how fast the time flies by. I am learning a lot and loving the people I am meeting. One thing I especially enjoyed was meeting the Wigan ward (the church congregation where I am serving). It reminded me so much of Georgetown, my home ward. Everyone was really friendly and welcoming probably because there are under 100 members so you know everyone! I already feel at home, and I have only been here a few days. I know that they will be great people to work with and get to know. There is a lot of energy and enthusiasm about missionary work, which makes our job all the easier. I will tell you a bit about the church members once I get to know them a little better.

Next, I have met a ton of people. We are basically encouraged to talk to anyone/everyone, which is sometimes an easier task than other times. It definitely takes a lot of courage to be able to say hi and strike up a conversation with random strangers. As a result, I had to rely on the Lord a lot this week. I prayed for strength and courage to be able to talk to people. Through the process I have noticed a change within myself. I can talk to just about anyone now. Some people are a little nicer than others when you talk to them; however, it is still a wonderful experience. I find it really interesting to discuss with others about their religious beliefs and differences/similarities between our religions. I am learning a lot about how to have direct conversations and ask good questions. From these experiences, I have come to meet some wonderful people. I haven't had much contact with anyone after our initial conversations, but I hope in the future I will be able to tell you more about some random person I met in the street and then got to know better. I am sure it will happen sometime in the next year and a half.

One person I have got to know well is named Hayley. She is 23 years old and has the cutest baby, Dylan. Dylan is 18 months old and the most adorable baby. Hayley takes really good care of him and is a wonderful mother. She is very humble and teachable as well. Hayley is not afraid to ask questions, but is also very accepting of everything we teach her. The amazing thing is you will ask her to do something and then she goes and does it. It is clear that she desires to know for herself the truthfulness of the message we share rather than just taking our word for it. I feel the same way as a missionary. I remember from a talk I heard at the MTC that the first person missionaries need to convert is themselves. It is only after I have a testimony about the doctrine that I can teach others about what I know. In a lot of ways, I am learning myself. As I study the scriptures and doctrine, I am learning things that I didn't know before. I am coming to a better understanding of what I already knew as well. It truly is a wonderful experience.

Now in response to some questions I had:

I explained a bit about my companion. Sister Davis and I are still getting to know each other, but I will tell you more as I learn more. Sister Davis is very musically talented and has a ton of energy. She told me that she has had a new companion every transfer, except for her trainer. I am hoping that I don't run of out of energy. Although I will say that I am making sure to let her know how I am feeling; that way I don't get run into the ground. Who would have thought? I always expected that I would be the super active companion. I guess this is a nice way of humbling myself.

The MTC life was amazing. I truly enjoyed learning from my teachers and the people around me. One of the best things was that I learned to truly love all the missionaries. Since there were only 50 of us, I got to know all their faces and most of their names. (It's okay if you forget their names because then you can just look at their tags.) As a result, it was truly a wonderful experience to be able to look to everyone as an example. Everyone had a different talent and strength that I was able to learn from and desire to be more like.

Finally, I have not heard of the new exercise classes for the Sisters. I am thinking that maybe they were implemented in the Provo MTC. Although, I did play a lot of football (otherwise known as soccer) in the MTC. Our teachers even came out and played with us, so that was some fun competition. Who knows maybe I will be a football pro by the time I get home. Although probably not because I haven't played much football since.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Thanks for all the love, support and prayers! I am truly grateful for it all. Hope all is well in your lives.

Love always,

Sister (Becca) Jack