Happy Birthday America!

Alright well this week, was by far one of the slowest weeks I've ever
had work wise, but it was by far one of the best weeks of my life. I
had so many awesome and beautiful experiences. I truly love being a
missionary and do not want to be anything else but a missionary.
We got to meet President and Sister Huntsman! I'm so excited for this
mission!! It seems to be run super well! I already feel so loved and
welcomed. They said they want to try their hardest to make this
mission feel like one big family, which is the exact opposite of the
other mission I was in haha it's going to be so great!! and it just
seems like such an awesome mission! I'm so pumped! We're going over to
the mission home today for a BBQ as a zone! It's going to be sooooo
great!

Elder Jacobson with President & sister Huntsman

I'm going to just write my experiences this week, because literally
there is nothing else to report on.

On Tuesday we taught this kid named Christian. He's the brother of all
the kids in that video I sent last week, and he's a stud. It's almost how exactly alike our high school experiences are, and how he
wants to learn more and come back into the faith, but is about to join
the military. So I got to just sit and talk with him and share with
him my exact experience with his exact situation. So we are going to
work on him getting his patriarchal blessing before he joins. He
opened up a lot and told me a lot of things. One thing is everyone has
a crazy life story, but God loves us no matter our circumstances. It
was one of the most spiritual conversations I've ever had, and I know
he felt it so strong as well.

I had 2 other lessons with another less active, who didn't want to go
to church because he was not paying tithing and the church wouldn't
help him out with money, because he was not paying tithing. We finally
got into his house! I've never had such awesome lessons as these two
this week. We talked to him about tithing and how we need to do our
part. We shared with him what is gods purpose (Moses 1:39) and what we
need to do that we may help God complete his purpose for us. Then he
just had some questions about a lot of things and it was honestly so
great.
The second lesson we had with him on Saturday was amazing. We went in
thinking to re-spark his testimony and faith with a restoration
lesson. But as usual with missionary work the plan changed and shifted
to his question about if we have a body after this life because no
ones ever explained it to him. Then he asked about dedicating his
home, and asked if we can do it. It was so cool! I've never dedicated
a home or anything, but that was a first, and by far one of the most
powerful moments I've had on my mission. Then ALL Luis, his wife, and
us shared our testimonies and we were all so moved by the spirit! He
was crying a little bit so was his wife, so we know it was so awesome.
He committed to come to church again, and be worthy of a temple
recommend, and we are going to the temple visitors center next
Saturday!

Honestly I've never done so much less active work in my mission as
this week. We had about 4 other less active lessons, maybe they
weren't as powerful as those lessons. But you can always see that the
spirit is working inside them, even if they decide not to act and tell
you they're not interested in the church anymore, I know the spirit is
talking to them and letting them feel the truthfulness of what we are
saying.

Well that was my week in a nutshell minus the crazy stuff we saw this
week hahaha, which was a lot. But it was honestly such a great week!
I just want to tell everyone that God loves us. That phrase gets
thrown around way too casually. It is truly a divine love that we can
not comprehend. I have felt it so much this week and I can tell that I
am more sure of the reality that God loves us and each and everyone
person on this earth than the reality of me typing this right now. I
KNOW he does.
I'm so grateful for this Holiday and this nation we live in. Because
of the desire to worship God, and willingness of so many soldiers
before us, we have a free country. This holiday ushered in the
Restoration of the kingdom of God to be on the earth once more. There
are many who still continue to protect this beautiful nation and our
freedoms everyday.
Well happy birthday America, everyone have a good 4th, and a great
week. Love you and miss you all.

3rd of July BBQ!

From left to right: Jessy, Elder Malmstrom, Vanessa, Elder Jacobson,

Hermana de León, Jennifer, Elder Prince and Elder Hall

Week 4 in Dumfries

Monday we were on our way home, and our bus took forever! I was kind
of angry, because a normal half hour car ride took 2 hours just to get
home, so we didn't get to visit anyone.

Tuesday I got to have lunch Ally Hunsaker Fowlke and her Husband
Jessy! it was so great to see them and they're freaking cute little baby!!

Jesse & Ally Fowlke. Elder Jacobson & Elder Maelstrom

After that we went to work! We saw Jireth, Sebastian, and

Julianna. The three hilarious little kids, and sadly they told us they
were moving to Texas for 2 months on Thursday! I'm so bummed!
Sebastian was on date for baptism for next week!! Then we found out
the family of 10 we are teaching that is also on date is moved to
Miami this last Friday except for one named Johan! Then after that
this guy Carlos, who wasn't on date but said he wanted to be baptized
went to Mexico for 2 months as well! Holy cow I've never been so
bummed/frustrated in my life! But we did find a less active, who said
her Husband is inactive and she doesn't want to make him mad by going
to church still. But she really wants to go to the temple again. We
had a really spiritual lesson with her. I then left my backpack and
had to go back for it and she thought it was the funniest thing ever
hahaha it was pretty funny how hard she was laughing.

Wednesday and Thursday we went on Exchanges, so I went with Elder
Prince to his area. We just taught some of his investigators and it
was great.
I got to teach Brian and Chewy!! It was awesome, I miss them.

Elder Prince napping on the bus

Friday was that day of the week of all day tracting and knocking doors
and no one answering. It has to happen at least once a week. It was
all worth it though! Because at 8 O'Clock we felt like we should just
knock on this house that we've walked past a million times. It was
this guy named Francisco from El Salvador, he and his wife have been
curious what church could possibly be the true one if there's only one
bible and so many churches. We had an awesome lesson about the
Restoration! I love it when they pretty much just teach themselves! He
was reading from the pamphlet, following along, it was great! I'm
really excited to see him tomorrow.

Saturday we knocked doors again all day. It was great! We taught the
most in one day since I've been to this area. We talked to Johan one
of the family of ten that moved to Miami, so he's the only one who
stayed. (His mom won't let him get baptized, but he wants to sooo bad,
PRAY FOR HIM!)
Then we brought out a member with us to gather the flock of less
actives. Hermano Claros, he looks like a Mobster! He's awesome! We
went and this guy who went inactive for no reason, and his wife the
one we taught on Tuesday. He said he was busy and our member got like
kind of ticked ha, and just said "Ok, Hasta Luego!" And just stormed
out. Haha then we went to that guy that had a church in his basement,
and they just went at it, it was awkward. They argued about the
Trinity for like half an hour, the whole time they're having church in
the Basement screaming through the speakers, But he got him to commit
to actually listen next time we come back haha at the end of the
lesson he turned to us and said "El Proximo ves, Va Escuchar, Va
Escuchar." He then was like I'm proud of you, you guys deal with a lot
of stubborn people, let's get subway hahaha. It was great.

Well that's about it for this week in Dumfries VA. Trying to find new
people to teach now since all of our investigators just took off. I've
decided, and it was an easy decision, I hate the Humidity. It's too
hot here. I sweat just checking the mail in the Mornings.

Also Brian and Chewy's dad won't let them get baptized, PLEASE PRAY FOR THEM!

I read a talk on LDS.org called chucking the checklist. The main quote
that stood out to me is "....It is very easy to be active in the
church, but less active in the Gospel."
Are we living the Gospel? Are we aligned with the will of the lord?
There are plenty of people who we teach, let alone some among our own
church, that love and almost worship the Bible or Scriptures. Yet they
have about as much spirituality as a stick. Are we active in the
gospel, in living the way the lord wants us to live. Actively trying
to be better everyday, attending the temple often if possible,
fulfilling our callings with all we have, or in all not being contempt
and idle.
I promise if we are active in the Gospel, it's the best way to feel
truly happy. We are entitled to so much revelation and inspiration, if
we just tune ourselves in properly to the will of the lord.

D&C 25:13 Wherefore, lift up thy heart and rejoice, and cleave unto
the covenants which thou hast made.

Dios les bendiga, y con amor
Elder Ryan Jacobson
1 Timothy 1:12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me,
for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;

Crazy News!

Well a lot happened this week as well as not happened. It was a fairly
slow week until the weekend. We had meetings on meetings on meetings.
Also we received some absolutely MIND BLOWING news.

Tuesday we tracted all the day long, we finally got to talk to a less
active at about 8:30. Less active work is tough! In some cases they're
way more stubborn than any investigators. We went over there and
apparently he's now just watching a preacher on TV. Then he was
telling us that the preacher was saying there's a verse in the bible
(I don't know where these verses are, but apparently there is a verse
for every specific thing in the world) that those who use technology
are false prophets and also it's a sign of the times. Then he pointed
us out for using our iPads... Hahah.

Wednesday we tracted again all day. We got a lesson with a recent
converts cousin! It was not too bad. She said she didn't know anything
about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith, but then she just asked a
ton of weird questions about how he wrote it and where is he in the
bible. So later that day we were knocking doors and this guy walked in
so I shared with him a quick message, and then after that my companion
said he was a less active. I was like "What!? Why didn't you say so!?"
Anyways ha that was pretty much our day.

Thursday we had Zone Conferences. I actually felt pumped to go and
work after that! It was hard to sit through the whole 2nd half because
I wanted to go out. After the meeting, we went out to work and got in
an apartment building just in time! It started down pouring! It was
blowing side ways and flooded the complex we were in! It was nuts.

 Woodbridge Zone

Friday we worked all day and taught a lot of door step lessons, and
got a lot of come back another day. We did that until we had to catch
the bus to the Father's Day party at the church.

Saturday we found it! We found our little Mexico! We taught 5 lessons
in an hour and a half! We then had to catch a bus to other end of our
area, or else we wouldn't be able to get back home for Stake
Conference. It was a great Stake Conference! President and Sister
Wilson talked and gave great talks, as well as the Stake President. It
was so good!

Sunday we finished stake conference and had lunch with a member and an
Hermana that I served around in Harrisonburg! So that was cool! After
that we took a member with us Tracting, which was cool, and it makes
it so much easier because they can just ramble with each other haha.

Well my crazy news..... On Thursday at zone conference we were told
that the Woodbridge stake will be going to be a part of the D.C. South
Mission again. So anyone serving in Woodbridge will be transferred and
re-assigned to the D.C. South mission. I'm honestly so excited!!! It
will be a great new opportunity to meet some great new people! I also
now have the temple!!!!!!! I'm so pumped!! I know that I was
re-assigned to this Mission, the same way I was to the Virginia
Richmond mission. By a modern day prophet.

I was studying in Alma 5, my favorite chapter in the Book of Mormon.
Something new stands out to me every time I read it, that's why I love
it so much. What stood out to me today is repentance, fruits, and
harkening. The invitation to take part in repentance is extended to
all! Come take part in it, it's often taken as something bad or
sometimes scary. But it's so great! As well as bringing forth good
fruits. Are we bringing forth fruits? Are we able to see what we have
done for good, let alone can others distinguish you as a disciple of
Christ by your fruits? And third, with fruits. Are you harkening unto
what Christ is calling you to? Are taking on yourself the
discipleship, the love for your savior, and the willingness to be like
him.
If not I challenge you to these things. I know without a doubt, this
is how we feel the most joy. This is how we prepare ourselves for
exaltation, godliness, and eternal life. It's the only way.

-Elder Jacobson

Elder Jacobson & President Wilson

 Missing the bus two days in a row after a long day

 An investigators basement haha

Marine Museum