Elder Zachry Jacklin: Christmas Proselyting! 🎄🎄🎄🎄

Hello Family,

This week was great, Elder Sambat and I had a great time. So E is progressing and she will be getting baptized this upcoming Sunday and she will be confirmed on Christmas! What! That's a cool way to say when you became a member. Christmas Day! Haha

Christmas is coming and I am so excited for it. So here is the run down of our week! I made it long this time! 😊

Monday

Monday was real fun. We went and played board games and sports with Elder Olive and his companion, Elder Baldwin and his companion, and Elder Crowley and his companions which was fun because the names I listed were all my companions at one time and another. It was fun talking about our funny experiences together. Elder Sambat and I destroyed in basketball, Elder Sambat can dunk you know, he just jumps like 7' in the air and dunks it. Haha just kidding, but he kept trying to see if I can dunk the ball, unfortunately not yet, but I have been working on it, I'm getting closer. Elder Sambat also said he got converted to board games on Monday because he played with the other Elders and really loved it. We went up to a huge Church building up just by USC and the coliseum and the natural history museum. I can't remember if we went around there as a family, I know I went to the natural history museum when we went on choir tour which was fun. Also on our way back we looked as we were driving down a street, we were actually stopped at a stop light when we saw a lady and her baby stroller with a baby in it and she was just going down these stairs and that poor baby was just bouncing like none other, we all were just clinching every time the stroller dropped a step saying, "ew, ah, oh, ow," I made the comment that the kid wasn't going to graduate high school, but that was a little messed up, haha. We also almost ran someone over on our way back, L.A is crazy, we had a clear green light and this guy just comes running past and we were like, "WOOOOOW WATCH OUT!" You should have seen the guys face, his eyes were huge. But the rest of the day was great.

We went by the K's with E and she is doing just fine, we actually planned to go to the visitors center with them on Tuesday and so we planned that out and we taught The Gospel of Jesus Christ with her and her step dad was there who isn't a member, but he is so cool. So that was fun! They are such a funny family, I will have to tell you about the experience we had at the Visitor Center here in a sec, because I can't remember if I explained their whole family, so Sister S.K. is E's mom and she actually has been less-active for a long time, but she felt prompted to go to stake conference not too long ago and she had a crazy experience there and so she decided to come back and she actually introduced us to E who for the longest time wanted to be baptized, but her actual father didn't let her because he felt like it was just because E's mom wanted her to, but we helped them out with that. It was funny when we announced to the ward that E was working to be baptized and some of the members were said, "E's not a member!" It was kind of funny, but I don't blame them Sister S.K. said they kept it on a good down low. So that's E and Sister S.K., Sister S.K. has a young son who is really young, but looks way older than his age, but his name is S and he is super funny, he loves the missionaries, he always asks his mom where we are and stuff. So that's S. Then there is Sister K who is Sister S.K.'s mom and she also was less-active for a bit, but she is returning with her daughter and now daughters because T Sister S.K.'s sister is coming back as well, who is almost the same age as E so some of the missionaries and members get them mixed up as cousins or sisters. Then there is J.R. who for a long time was the only active member and he would just come to Church by himself. He is a trooper and he is super funny to, he reminds me of Jordon when he messes with his Sister, he is the brother of Sister S.K. and he is probably only two to three years older than E, again people mixed them up as cousins or brother and sister. Tongans they all are super confusing with their families. Then last there is T, that's his last name, but he goes by T and he is super cool. He is really quiet, but he is so nice to people it's pretty funny. He loves the missionaries, Sister K always tells us how he asks her if we were being fed enough or if they needed to feed us, so it's pretty funny. He is actually slowly progressing as well, I will explain why when I talk about our temple visitor center trip. That was Monday.

Tuesday

Tuesday we had a pretty good day, we didn't really have much happen until we went to the Visitor Center with the K's so I will just spew about that. So we went up there to meet them at 6:00 p.m and the temple at Christmas time is lit up with lights so it's really cool to see. We got there and the visitor center is filled with Christmas trees all decorated different ways. The trees around the temple are all decorated and they have a little manger near the temple. So we had a tour with the whole family which was fun, the sisters interacted with T a little bit, but he actually answered back, which Sister K was surprised at that which was cool! It was great he had a great time. We went to the Savior of the World room and then we watched the family video which is always the best. So that was fun, and we then since we were going to try and go to the concert, but it had already started so we decided to go around the temple and look at the lights which was cool. I was telling them about the Salt Lake Temple and how we go up there for Christmas time and look at the lights. We also passed by the corner of the temple when we took the family pictures together when we went to Disneyland for after Jordon's mission which I always point out because I think it's pretty funny to know at that time I had no idea I would be serving in Los Angeles. So that was a fun experience. After that we had to rush and grab our dinner which was insane, the freeway was completely open which hardly ever happens and I started driving fast and I just realized that I haven't driven fast in a long time. So it was kind of funny. That was our Tuesday though, the family has pictures and I will have to get them from them and I can send it next P-day.

Wednesday

We had a pretty basic day on Wednesday. We did meet a new investigator named M and he is really cool. He let us in when we first got there and we talked to him about decisions and including God in those decisions because he is trying to decide if he wants to be an actor or be in welding because he says he can choose either one and it will work out for him. I told him about my decision to go to BYU instead of Weber State because I included God in it and made sure it wasn't all me. We told him that he still has the agency to choose like I did, but to have that influence and confirmation from God that, that is the right choice. He is really awesome though.

That was fun, we also on Wednesday came up with an idea to go Christmas Caroling with the wards in our district to help out those investigators and less-active members be more comfortable and stuff, we are figuring that stuff out with the ward right now because they are all down to do it. So that is going to be fun!

Thursday

So Thursday we didn't have much happen, but that's because everyone was watching a Raiders game. We literally went to all the people and they all were saying, "Aw man guys wrong time Raiders game is on," and I was just thinking in my head, "Aw man guys wrong time to be putting a Raiders game before God," haha it was just funny because the Raiders spoiled our day pretty much.

I would have understood if it were a Rams game, but Raiders not so much. Haha

Friday

So today we had Zone training meeting which was fun. Just before it we got as a district and planned some more for the Christmas Caroling. We are going to have three days were we go with a ward and Christmas carol with them at their investigators houses and also less-active members houses. So it should be fun.

Zone Training Meeting we found out that we have a senior couple in the zone now which is awesome. I haven't had a senior couple in a Zone with us before in my mission, its Elder and Sister Baldwin, haha and guess what they are from upstate New York! So we joke with Elder Baldwin. It was a good training meeting, we had some training's on safety and then we had training's on contacting referrals which we are good on, we have maybe 4 referrals right now, but there are areas in the zone that have like 40 referrals. So the zone needs it.

That was Friday. At the end of today we started exchanges and I went with Elder Olive.

Saturday

Saturday was fun, Elder Olive and I had to go to a service they had in El Segundo, then Elder Olive had singing practice and then we had another service we had to go to, so you would be so proud mom we didn't shower until 3:00 p.m... Haha 😂 😐It was fun, we then went and taught a less-active member they have been teaching. It was interesting the member named D has so many ideas. I think he just needs to quit over complicating things, he asked us what the significance of a Christmas Tree was, like the star represents the star when Jesus was born, but he was wondering about the tree. I was just thinking, "It's a tree, why does it matter?" Haha

We then later went to Candycane lane in El Segundo which is a block that is all decorated for people to walk through and they have Santa Claus at the end of the street, so we went there to check it out and to proselyte of course it was interesting there were a ton of people and so I might as well just threw the Christmas cards we had in the air it would wind up in someone's hand. Haha

We then had dinner with Brother G, who is a member of the Downey 2nd ward which was awesome, I hadn't seen him in so long it was super weird to see him. I miss the Downey 2nd ward I feel like I might go back there, if I do then that would be sick!

Well that was our day, I went back to Elder Sambat in our area.

Sunday

Sunday was a good day, we had a good time at Church, E and her family showed up. We had ward council and brought up the Christmas Carol idea and so that will be put into action on December 21st in our ward.

After Church we went searching for people, we met a lady named A she is straight baptist in fact she kept inviting us to her Church, but we couldn't go, but she was really nice, we are going to just try teaching The Restoration and seeing how far that will go. It was funny though because Elder Sambat pointed out to me while she was grabbing something was a hat that said Holy Ghost Power on it and we just busted up laughing when we left. That was our Sunday though.

Now it's Monday and we are at a library sending these off real quick you probably just got the pictures from our Hollywood sign trip. That was fun! Also I will send some pictures from this week in this email. Pictures pictures pictures. I will also send a email to Jordon saying Happy Birthday, but that's it. Haha jk

Well that was our week, so we haven't had a set time yet, but I should be skyping at 1:30 p.m or later since the morning isn't going to work out with Church and stuff, but we will try going 1:30 to 2:00 p.m I will tell you next week if that is the set set time! Can't wait to see you all!

So I am also going to send a Christmas package hopefully by next week, which it probably won't get to you by Christmas, but it's the thought that counts right. Plus it will give you all something to open after Christmas. I told my companion that I need to at least send something before I get back home. Haha

Well I love you all and I'm glad you all are having a great week!

Love,

🌴Elder Jacklin

P.S: Yes the iXpand works with my iPad, thanks MOM!!!!