4-19-2010

So monday went to the Bry and the ZL's were there and the AP's called the them to tell them transfer news, which i didnt think would affect me and my trainer cause your suppose to be with your trainer for two transfers, but the lord saw best that we should only be together for one. So ya me and Elder Machanzi are one and done. I now have a new comp. his name is Elder Mkhabela from South Africa. A really nice and awesome guy. He is also a very big guy. very big. But so far i can tell you that im loving serving with him. He is a powerful missionary. He has been out for 6 months. Its funny cause when we walk together people think that he is my body guard. pretty funny stuff. But in reality he is just a big teddy bear, he has a really gentle voice. And also im loving teaching with him, its really cool, just kinda feed off eachother. But its been up to me to show him the area. Its kinda scary but i havn't gotten us lost yet. But Elder Mkhabela was astonished at how big our area is. And im not gonna lie, but im proud of myself that we havn't gotten lost yet, or gotten in the wrong dollaz. But we will see about thursday, were going to a part of our area that im not to sure about but i will seek help from the lord cause i know its only him that can help me out. So ya thats been the week for me. I've been making all the appointments, leading our discussions. Kinda awesome. But luckly for me Elder Mkhabela is a quick learner and is already getting to know the area. Saturday night i took him to go eat chips Mayai, and he absoultly loves it. In fact after this we are going to get some. As for my trainer he was made a ZL in my area. So its him i have to call to tell him that we are home safe with no concerns. Yep it will take some getting used to, but it will be alright. And to answer you yes, i do iron my shirts, in fact the missionary couples just bought us a brand new one, im not gonna lie, we are spoiled here in Dar. Its really nice. But now Elder Machanzi is a ZL in our district. So i have to call in to him to tell him we are home safe and no concerns. kinda werid. But he told me that he is homesick for Changombe. And last night when i was telling about the people we saw and who came to church i think i really got him home sick for Changombe. But i will sure miss him, but its okay cause Elder Mkhabela is here and he is awesome. Im conviced he is good luck cause this last week we were able to see two people named (Raymond and Mwakalasya) that i've havet seen since i got here. And this guy Raymond i asked him why he wasnt coming to church and he told me he was to busy. But i kept digging and he told me that whenever its time for church, its time that he absoulty doesnt want to go. And i told him that, its that time you need to go to church the most! and he agreed and told me it was to hard, but i looked at with some serious intest look and made him promise me that he would come to church this week, i knew he couldnt say no. And as it turns out, he came to church yesterday. And we are meeting again with him and some of his freinds this saturday. Im pretty excited for it cause he also told me that he had an experince about when he was praying if the book of mormon was true and he told me that he felt something that he never felt before and he told me that that feeling assured him that it was true. And im not gonna lie i was way happy to hear that, i wanted to jump in the air and give him a hug, but i refrained myself. So ya pretty awesome week. And Mwakalasya we were able to visit him and we found out that his brother died last week. And he is going through a rough time. So we are trying to help him out in anyway we can. We are going over to his house tomorrow to make sure he is doing well. So ya thats pretty much it for this week. Also Elder Mkhabela loves to contact, but no one knows english, so he is learning swahili. And i can say that both our swahili skills are improving cause of alot of contacting. I really miss riding a bike, im sick of walking and riding in Dollaz. yes, i do iron my shirts, in fact the missionary couples just bought us a brand new one, im not gonna lie, we are spoiled here in Dar. Its really nice.

the animals i've seen are alot of cats, 1 or 2 dogs, and like a million chickens. CHICKENS are everywhere, its ridiculous. They wake me up at like 4 in the morning. Ah but other than that nothing really, although we have seen a few rats in our apartment, in fact one ran by my companions foot pretty intense.

Remember that you can do nothing without the Lord.

Elder Jackson

4-12-2010

Shikamo,

Why hello, how are things? And no we didnt have our baptism. Because Jackson hasnt come to church for two weeks. But yesterday we ran into him and found out he was in a accident, and he is okay just a little beat up but is planning on coming to church this sunday. so we will have to push his baptism to a little later date. Were thinking 2 May, beacause thats when another investigator of ours is getting baptized. Her name is Anna David. She lives on a island with her Uncle and Aunt. There last name is Baptist. I thought it was funny, that the Baptists are Morman. And we are going to try to give a guy name Komilius a baptimal date soon. I love that guy, he is really awesome and i also feel bad for him. Beacause yesterday when we visited him we started to ask him how he came to Dar Es Salaam. And he gave us basically his life story. It was really sad, his parents are divorced, He lives here alone, no family. He is 20 years old and is struggling to make it. He never finished school because there was no money. And then when i found out how much school here costs it really suprised me. 50 american dollars a year. He only has two years left! When i found out how much it cost, it was really hard for me because i have 100 dollars that i wanted to give him. He told us that he want to finish school so badly but he just doesn't have the money, he doesn't even have money to have a place to stay. He is staying at a friends house for free but not the friend is threating to kick him out. So as he was telling me this i was thinking that i have the 100 dollars and i could put him back in school. But as a missionary we are not allowed to give money out. And its really sad because komilius is not the only one like this, there are so many i see them everyday and its really sad.

So ya enough with that depressing stuff. We had me and 7 other missionary's. We had it at Kinondoni's chapel. It is very nice, just like Ubungo's chapel. And ha our chapel is no where near as nice as the chapels you've seen. I'll have to send you pictures next week of our church, its pretty ghetto, but still sweet. . It was really awesome, President Taylor and his wife are some pretty cool people. They only have one more transfer until they go home and we get the new mission president. I still am not sure how that will go, but i do know it will be the AP's who will be running the show for the first few months when the new mission president arrives. Kinda crazy So Zone Conference they really stressed to us the importance of the Branch mission leader and the branch mission president. And how we need to use them, and how we need to help them magnify there calling. So we are going to meet with them later this week. After Zone confererence we went to a t-shirt shop cause we made t-shirts for our zone. But they guy who was gonna make them didnt show and so they were not made. So today after this we have to go to Kinondoni to pick them up and also we are having a zone brye or however you spell it there. It should be fun. Also it took us 4 hours to get home from zone conference because of traffic, its a half hour drive with no traffic. And our Dollaz was packed. Like we were two feet away from the door and we wern't sure if we could get out in time. But here is something that may suprise you, that im eating tomatos. yep kinda weird i cook them alot here. Although there is one thing you need to try, not very healthy but i love it, its called chips Mayai, or fries and eggs. See if you can look it up how to make it cause its really good. im still trying to perfect it, but it will take a while.

And i do think ill be with my comp another transfer, i think, we'll find out later tonight. And my and my comp get around by alot of Dollaz and alot of walking. And sorry i have a hard time getting picutures of a Dollaz cause people dont like to have their picture taken, unless you have there permission. And if you take a picture of a dollaz with 50 plus people in it and they see you. You will be running for your life cause they will chase you and prob break your camera.

But ya thats pretty much it for this week, So ya we gotta go so Kwaheri

Love, Elder Jackson

4/5/2010

Hi!

How are you doing? How is life? Ha and i know i look skinny but i do eat, ALOT. Ha my comp tells me im a real missionary now because im always eating while im cooking something. Ha but ya me and my comp have started a new goal to work out everyday and become ripped. Prob wont happen but its always good to aim high. So this week was alot better than last week. I wasn't sick at all and im starting to know the dollaz but still a little confusing. So this week it has been raining alot, i have some pics to show you of the rain and the big puddles of water. So ya East africa is good, and i did my laundry again in a bucket today, im starting to get good at it, but i still cant wait for when i get to use a washing machine again. But its just a little sacrfice im doing for the lord.

Ya i did not watch conference or even listen to conference cause no one could get it. So ill have to wait till the Ensigns come out and Ill read the talks. Im sure they were awesome and im excited to read them. Ha so i dont know if you knew that the offical car of Dar is the Toyota Rav4. They are litterally everywhere, in fact i just looked out the window and saw one drive by. Also i didnt know exactly how many Muslums (not sure how to spell it) are here. But there is so many. They are all over the place. Ha so ya last week we were introduced to a guy name Nyamusi by his cousin Okanda. We taught him the first lesson and it went really well. And we were going to leave but he stoped us and said his mama was preparing food for us. Cause whenever there is a mizungu in the house they always have to give them food. While waiting for the food one of Nyamusi's friends came over and she didnt agree with our church and wanted to bible bash. Not good for business. So we tried to stay away from that and we ate our food and its part of the culture here for the people you visit to escort you for a ways. And Nyamusi and his friend escorted us and Nyamusi's friend wanted to bible bash again and so she and my comp. started to really get into it. Until finally i stepped in, bore testimony and made my compainion leave. He was really bugged by her and was afraid that she would tell Nyamusi to never see us again. But i just told him not to worry about it, and it turned out that we are going to see him again this week. So ya there is a little story of last week for you. Also today we went to a place where there is a bunch of small shops like everywhere. Its just a huge maze, we would have been lost if we didnt bring Partrick with us. So while we were there me and Elder Machanzi bought some smaller bags to carry since my back pack is to big for when we get in packed dollaz. And we also bought some Tanzania jerseys, they are awesome ill send you a pic of them. And again just so you know i do eat, ha my comp. makes sure of that! So ya things here have been really good, except for the rain, we only had two investigators come to church because of the rain. It can really be a downer sometimes, but you got to look at the positives, that we that two is better than none. So ya now me and Elder Machanzi are trying to work on progressing our investigators but it can be tough when they dont come to church. But we wont give up on them. Ya so tonight we get to go to a young single adult dance. We dont get to dance but the older couple told us to come and be social. And i think it will be intersting to see how they party over here. My buddy Roma is going to wear some pick pants and pick tie and i dont want to miss that. So today bought groceries again, me and machanzi bought together and we dropped about 30,000 on them. Also something i've noticed is that im starting to lose my american accent or however you spell it. By the time i come home ill sound like an east african. But ya im still working on my swahili skills, they are improving. Also my English class wants to teach me swahili, so after we have english i usually stick around for 10 or 15 minutes and they teach me new words and how to prounounce them. Ha still kinda crazy i teach english twice a week. I think its funny cause i never thought i would be doing that. Its even advanced english, my comp teaches the beginners english. So ya things here are going well, and this is the last week till the end of the transfer. The pres is coming here on Friday for zone conference. Should be interesting. So i hope you have a good and happy week.

So i hope you have a good week So Kwaheri, Siku Jima

- Elder Jackson

Hi from a internet cafe 3-29-2010

Shikamo, habari leo?

Things here are rainy. Its rained almost every single day last week and its looking like its going to rain today. So the language is still going slow but its nice cause everyone want to help me out with it. And I do have an awesome comp. In the field he is known as my father because he is my trainer. I thought that was kinda funny. And he has been out 4 months! Crazy i go home 4 months after he does! So ya last week i got to go on exchanges with Ubongo's Elders. I went with a guy named Elder Tyler he is from South Africa. Ya that was fun two Muzugu's walking around. We got twice as many stares. But it was fun we went and saw a lady who was just baptised and she has to teach a gospel principles class. She was nervous so we went and helped her get ready for it. I thought it was funny cause before we could start teaching her she made us sing two hymes with her and like 6 primary songs with her niece. I guess she just likes to sing and its always good cause it helps invite the spirit. So ya after that Elder Tyler got us lost for like an hour and a half. We were walking through people's yards or at what you would call a yard, i would call it dirt in front of a house. So ya he finally found his way to the church and we had two appointments that were there. But both didnt show which kinda sucks. So ya went back to the Ubongo's apartment and slept. When i woke up i was extremly sick, worse headache i've ever had and sore throught and stuffy nose. But i didnt want to stay home sick so i toughed it out. Bad idea the next day was worse and there was no way i could go out and work. So ya i just stayed in and slept but my comp was extremly nice he would make me food and make me drink water. So ya that wasn't fun but im getting better now. So Saturday i got a call from the branch mission president and he wanted me to speak in church the next day. So i said yes and he gave me the topic of missionary work. I was glad he gave me something that i know alot about. So ya i gave my first talk on mission yesterday. I thought i did okay i talked for like 10 to 15 minutes. So ya that was my week. Oh i tried something on friday that i've never had before, it was cooked bananas. It tasted exactly like a potato. Not exaclty sure how they cook it but its pretty good. Oh another thing i like is fries and eggs. You mix the two and its actually pretty good, its only a Tansania thing though. So ya im gonna go and try to upload some more pics for ya so goodbye and talk to you next week. i dont have any pics of dollaz dollaz on my camera today sorry but next week ill make sure to get them. I love you.

- Elder Jackson

3-22-2010

3-22-2010

Your day is just starting, its 6:57 am there and 4:57 here. Things here are busy and hot. Although its rained alot last week, and even today. It sucks when it rains cause after the ground releases heat and then the sun, it just makes it alot hotter. And ya I have not burned yet, thank goodness, i only get darker. Im like really tan its awesome. So ya its P-day. Started out with personal study,comp study, then washed my clothes in a bucket. Brother mwingera came by to fix our stove and priased me for doing my laundry in a bucket since he knows that i have a washing machine at home. But brother Mwingera is an awesome guy, he is the young mens president and he is the one who takes care of the missionary's. He feeds us dinner every friday night. His family are also awesome and his wife is way nice.
We cleaned the flat and headed to shoprite to go get groceries for the week. But my highlight was on the way there when my comp was getting money out, i had my first conversation in swahili with a women at a gas station. I wasn't the best but i was able to understand her and i think she was able to understand me. But ya i told her i was a missionary and that im from america and i have family in a america. I told her about the church and invted her to come. I dont think she will come but it still makes me feel good that i was able to communicate with her. To answer your question about food, the food is good. I buy my food at shoprite and little shops behind out flat. I eat alot of rice, beans, instant noodles, some beef and chicken. Also we have chapulte's kinda like a tortilla but i usually cook it in the morning for breakfast. I eat at members and non mebers houses alot. We almost always have ugali and fish or some kind of meat. And you don’t you use silverware to eat it, you use your hands. And you have to finish all of it or else the people will get offended. But i have something to tell you, this was really rough for me but i did so i would not offend a mama we are working with. She gave me and Elder Machanzi some rolls and a Pepsi. And i just looked at the pepsi and was like i cant drink this. But elder Machanzi said you have to finish everything they put in front of you. And so i drank the pepsi, i felt way bad after but that is the only time i've drank caffine of the mission. And i dont plan on drinking it unless i have to. And once i go home i will contiune the no caffine. So ya that sucked but you know i had to do it. So pop is called soda down here and they are in glass bottles and you dont see very many cans. I think its awesome i like glass bottles there sweet. I have seen the beach it looks nice, Its pretty lame that i cant go to it. And to be more specific about where i am, im in Changombe in Dar es salaam. But the members here are awesome they always feed us. And they are really really nice, they are helping me with my swahili. So brother Morris asked me two questions and i want you to tell him my answers.
1st: was what did you do that best prepared you for a mission? A: I would say that praying everynight helped me and reading but i really didnt do Study like i should have. I just kinda read and not really thinking about it.
2nd: What would you recommend the young men do to prepare.
A: I would first say to learn how to cook, cause odds are that there will not be a mom there to cook for you. Next pray everyday and everynight. you can literally do nothing without the help of the lord. And also study the scriptures, not just read them but look for things that will benifit you and others. And i finally i really wished i could have gone out with the missionarys to an appointment to see what it was like. That would have really helped me, it would have not been such a shock the first time you teach someone.
So ya anyways mom Im enjoying life right now. Its so great of a feeling to constantly have the the feeling of the spirit with you especially when you teach. I love it, and My companion Elder Machanzi here is some backround information. He is from Zimbabwe, he moved out of his moms house when he was 16 to finish high school. He didnt have any money then and he didn't have any food. he couldn't afford to stay somewhere but luckly a family let him stay in their backyard for free. But he is a really awesome guy. He is very powerful as the elders say, he knows the gospel and has such an amazing testimony. He is teaching me so much stuff everyday its just unbeliveable. But ya thats it for this week but i gotta go.

-Elder Jackson

March 15, 2010

So ya im getting used to the heat. I still sweat alot but the heat doesn't really bother me. So i have no gotten burned yet i just got really really tan. Its awesome, so i didnt really know how great of a companion i have. He has been so nice and patient with me. He is teaching me so much stuff and im learning so much stuff with him. So ya so far we have alot of good investigators who speak English! But they just dont want to come to church. It can be frustrating but i will have to contiue to work with them. Luckly though there is Jackson, i think i talked about him last email but ya he is still coming to church and his baptism is on April 11, and it just totally makes my day that he comes to church. But ya im so glad that im able to be a missionary especially when were teaching and a person face just lights up when they start to understand. No matter how bad of day your having once you see that that day just becomes the best day ever. So today was P-day and we helped some other elders move to a new house. It is so nice compared to ours, one of the elders told me that me and Elder Machanzi have the worst apartment in the mission. So after we went to shopright and got our groceries and then that brings us to now. oh i still dont like riding in Dollaz Dollaz its to hecktic for me. And also i have not written an email to Elissa, but tell her that i stand by what i said in my farewell talk that there will be no boys while im gone. So ya last week was good, we had alot of lessons with people who speak English! but sadly none of them came to church but i still have hope for them. So ya my comp. is awesome, just thought i should share that. He is teaching me so much stuff and im so glad that he was my trainer. Ya im loving the mission and i absolutly love teaching people. Especially when we teach what they need to hear and there face just lights up its just so amazing to see that, it can turn the worst day into the best day. There is also something i learned out here that you can do nothing without the help of the lord and he has blessed me in so many ways i can not even count them. Im so happy that im able to share the gospel with these people and it really makes me so happy when they get and accept it. So ya kwaheri until next week. I hope leo (today) will be good for you. So Jioni from Dar es salaam

3/8/2010 So Dar Es Salemm... what the?

So i left the MTC last week and me and 5 elders and two sisters landed in Kenya. We were meet by other missionary's going home and the AP's. They were all really nice and funny. So they took us from the airport to Presidents Taylors Flat. Yes Flat thats what they like to use for the place you live. And we got there had dinner and introduced ourselves to the president and his wife. After dinner he told me and the black Elder Jackson would be staying the night at his house. So after the other missionary's left he interviewed us. And he let me know that i would be going to Dar Es Saleem Tansania for my first area. That kinda took me by suprise. So the next day we had a orinataion meeting and immiditaly following i was put on another plane to Tansania. And when i landed and got off the plane i figured out how hot it was. I was sweating so bad just walking from the plane to the terminal. So they make everyone that is coming in from Tansania show them there yellowfever card. And i only had a copy of mine and the guy said that they dont accept copys only the real thing. But he was in a good mood and decided to let me go through. Lucky me i would have been stuck there. So my new comp and a senior couple was there to greet me. My comps name is Elder Machanzi. He is a really awesome and nice guy. So the couples took us to our flat. And its not the greatest but it will do. We dont have any carpet but alot of concrete. I have to sleep with a misqito net. And our shower is very scary looking. We have alot of cockroaches and ants so thats nice. And the filtered water kinda tastes funny but im getting used to it. So we have taught alot of lessons this week. The first time i didnt do very good cause i was nervous. But after that i really started to get into it. Like last week we commited a guy named Jackson to baptism for april 11 and he was so excited and happy. And when he lit up like that it made me feel awesome. We also have been teaching a guy named Komiius. He is by far one of the coolest guys i've meet. He is working right now for a job that isn't paying him. And he is looking for another one. He doesnt have a house or an apartment he just stays with friends. And the places he stays are bad, like they are a wanna be, wanna be version on an old crappy beat up shed. Its really sad. I've come to care and love for him cause he is just a unique guy. Im not gonna lie if you would have asked me for all the money i have right now i would have given it to him without hesitation. But ya he is an awsome guy and we just taught him about the Atonment and he seemed very interested in it. Oh by the way i have to tell you that i have ridden in a dolla dolla. Absoultly crazy they just cram that thing full of people. Its so crazy and scary. And also by the way all the Elders here speak swahili very well. And i have to learn it quick cause almost no one speaks english its almost all Swahili. So im trying my hardest to do so but its hard to do that while in the missionfield. So its really hot here did i already say that? Ya i've been told that its the hottest spot in our mission. Ya sweat alot, everyone does. So you know when basketball players are interviewed after a game and they have sweat just pouring off there face, ya its exatly like that everyday for me. By the way its 3:25pm here and 5:25am there. By the way i've seen 4 white people here and they were passing in a car. And thats about it im usually the only white walking around. and little kids always run up to me and say miazungu or white guy. they dont mean disrespect its just that they dont see a white guy very often. And so i just smile and say mambo and wave. Its actually kinda funny. Oh also i have to teach an advanced English class tomorrow. Yep just found out today by my comp so i hope i dont totally suck. But ya im in the hottest place in the mission. We just have sweat pouring off our faces all day. Its really nasty. Also i did my laundry today for the first time in a bucket. Which that wasn't too fun. But ya no washer or dryer. Its all about me and a bucket of water. So ya my flat or apartment is kinda ghetto but im getting used to it. Its full of cockroaches and ants. There is no carpet but alot of nice cement. I get to sleep with misqito net which is cool. So ya i have ridden in a dolla dolla, absolulty insane. Its way scary they somehow fit like 30 to 40 people in that small van. Oh by the way i bought groceries today yep i droped 15,000 on them. Sounds like alot but it really isn't. And also i had a Fanta today in a glass bottle. So anyway things here are going pretty good, i hope things are going good back home. But i gotta go.
Elder Jackson