YOU Can Change the World!

Merry Christmas, everyone. and a Happy New Year (meaning, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY AWESOME SISTER ASHLEY)!!

I had a fantastic Christmas. Our mission president lets us watch one PG movie on Thanksgiving, and one on Christmas. We saw Tomorrowland. It is about a girl who is basically recruited to save the world by changing the future. It had a nice Gospel ring at the end, well at least that I noticed. I want you all to remember that YOU can change the world. The power of one is more powerful than the world often lets us realize.

My family knew I'd be missing the new Star Wars, so everybody sent me a bunch of Star Wars stuff (see picture below to be amazed at my sister's awesome duck-taping skills). I also received much needed rations and socks. I never thought the day would come when I'd be excited to get socks for Christmas, but it happened.

We finally had an actual lesson with F, the mother of the recent convert A. She was at the Christmas dinner, and she had commented to several people that she needed more of this in her life. We had a chance to discuss some of her concerns thus far, and she agreed to come to church this week. Unfortunately, we never saw her or her son at church, so something must have happened. I did, however, meet a former missionary of this mission, who came with his fiancee to our branch this week, as she was speaking. He finished his mission probably about 3 to 6 months before I came in, but I knew his name. He was companions with my trainer, Elder S!

As we approach into a new year, I want to invite you to make one of your New Year's resolutions to be to grow closer to the Savior. I don't want this to be one of those half-committed goals you set. I want you to be fully on board. There are so many wonderful blessings that come as you come to know Jesus Christ. I can promise you that as you make more time for Christ, your life will have more purpose and meaning than it ever did before. I can promise that, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Until next week, don't let the world stop you from being you. PS, the mission's newspaper featured a picture of my poor, defenseless, beat-up truck.

-- 

The Lord's Soldier,

                      Elder Jacob C. Tibbitts

My awesome Christmas tree, courtesy of the folks back home.

My new awesome Star Wars wallet (thanks, Ashley).

Skyping on Christmas Day!

Hauling Hay & Jam-Packed Chapels

Well, my beautiful truck is gone, and it has been replaced by the sleek Toyota Corolla. It might be a little difficult to get to a few places in our area with such a car, but at least I can actually turn now.

We got to haul hay bales in the morning. I've said it before, but I've bucked hay bales from La Junta to Lone Tree. It have gained much experience in that field. It is a great work-out, and I like it a lot, mostly because I can exercise and get something else accomplished out of it. I found out after we left that one of the members took a head dive from off of the 11-or-so-foot stacks later (on accident, of course). Don't worry, he is fine.

We had our Branch Christmas Program on Sunday. The chapel was packed full. There were only about 7 or so seats that weren't filled. That's right, we had a whopping total of 48 people at Sacrament Meeting! I was so happy to see so many people there.

Afterwards, we had the Branch Christmas Dinner/Lunch. Even R, our quadriplegic investigator, showed up for that! There wasn't a single empty chair in the whole room, and we had to pull out a few extra chairs. It was great to see so many less-active members there feeling the love the branch had for them. Even our recent convert's non-member mother was there, and she felt so much love and help from the members of the branch. I am so grateful for this time of year, and the love and joy that I can feel emanating from people.

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir recently released a music video for Christmas, singing Infant Holy, Infant Lowly. The music video is set in a prison, and follows an inmate being released from prison on Christmas Day. The story portrayed in this music video is heart-warming, and it teaches that there is always hope.

We are all captives of sin. We have locked ourselves in prison. Many of us believe that we are stuck until the prison guard Satan lets us out. But in Revelation 1:18, we are told by Jesus Christ: "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." You see, Satan does not hold the keys to your prison, Jesus Christ does. And the funny thing is, He has already unlocked the cell. All we have to do is push open the door and walk out. Yet too many of us have bought into Satan's lie that the door is locked shut, and we cannot escape right now. Sometimes it takes a great deal of effort to get ourselves to push open that door, but the One who holds the keys of hell and death is with us every step of the way, and He will never let us down.

I proclaim to every nation, kindred, and tongue, that Jesus is the Christ, the Holy One of Israel. His birth changed the world forever. Death and hell have been overcome by that sleeping Baby. This Christmas, I rejoice in my Savior, who has ransomed my soul from the depths of hell, and I invite you to discover why a Savior was born. I know He lives, and I so testify in His Holy Name, amen.

Until next week, not only keep Christ in Christmas, but make Christmas about Christ.

--

The Lord's Soldier,

                      Elder Jacob C. Tibbitts

I made egg & sausage crescent rolls, except I substituted the cheddar cheese with American, and the sausage with Spam (because that's all I had). Don't worry, I received 12 more cans of Spam from the branch, as requested, so I won't run out.

Let Your Light So Shine, and Keep His Commandments

Well, another transfer has begun. I am staying here in Westcliffe with Elder M.

We had a zone conference this week, and I SAW SANTA! He had a Nordic accent.

My companion has made a renewed effort to be exactly obedient, and that has been a huge help to me. We made a commitment to not get up late ever. We have been doing awesome, and I have already seen a lot of blessings come from it, just in this week. I am very excited to work with Elder M this transfer, as we both work toward exact obedience. Elders/brothers and sisters, obedience is FUNDAMENTAL to success in the Gospel, and I am glad we are doing everything we can.

G, one of our investigators, told us that he decided to stop drinking coffee because of us. We haven't even had a lesson on the Word of Wisdom yet! When you act a certain way, and let your light so shine, it affects people in positive ways.

I want to testify to you that Jesus IS the Christ, the very Son of God. I know it with all my heart. I love Him, and I want to follow Him. I know that His Gospel brings happiness, and I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Until next week, keep Christ in your hearts.

-- 

The Lord's Soldier,

                      Elder Jacob C. Tibbitts

Me with SANTA!

Being an office missionary is SO stressful. (JK, we just had to drop by the office.)

Return to the Homeland

Well, quite a bit happened this week. First, I was able to finally meet R. He is a quadriplegic investigator, and only has limited use of one hand. We helped him get started on FamilySearch.org. He has a really cool special computer. He uses his mouth to move a joystick-mouse, and he blows into it to click the mouse. Obviously, there are text-to-speech capabilities as well. He has tons of family records, and he absolutely loved it!

My companion gave me a haircut. I asked specifically to not have it really short on the sides, but I guess I'll just have to deal with it. Good thing my hair grows incredibly fast, right, Mom? He almost had the front hair be intentionally very lopsided, but I had it cut back. I was able to stop him from giving me a hard point (basically a line in the hair that goes all the way to the skin).

Now, the exciting part: I got permission from the mission president to go on a special exchange back to La Junta, my first area! They lost some records, around the time that I got ET'd out of there, so I went back to restore some records and old investigators. We had a very limited amount of time, but I stopped by one of the old investigators, E, and she remembered me! It was a lot of fun to return to the place of my birth.We got to listen to Handel's Messiah at the stake center at the end of exchanges, and I saw an active member in La Junta, who remembered me, too! Handel's Messiah was incredible! 

At the end of exchanges, we switched back, and I discovered that my beloved truck had gained a few battle scars. Apparently the missionary who was driving lost control on an ice patch and crashed the truck. No hurt missionaries, but there is a possibility that Westcliffe will no longer have a truck. And I have to help the missionary fill out an incident report. Paper work es no muy divertido.

During the First Presidency Christmas Devotional, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sang one of the most famous parts of Handel's Messiah. In song, they quote Isaiah 9:6, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."

This Christmas season, and throughout the rest of my life, I give praise to the Prince of Peace! It is liberating to feel the power of forgiveness, to feel grace unmerited. Singing along at Handel's Messiah was incredible, but I have realized this week that sometimes, my gratitude and joy really CAN'T be expressed in words. I try to form a beautiful prayer, a moving speech, but ultimately, all that comes out with any meaning is, "I love God. I love my Savior, Jesus Christ." I love Jesus Christ. I love Him. I want to serve Him. I love all of you, and I want the best for you. Please, don't let Christ become second in your life. Give Him everything, your all. "We love him, because he first loved us." (1 John 4:19) I testify that Jesus IS the Christ, the Savior of mankind. I do so in His Holy Name, amen.

Until next week, I love you all. Don't forget the Reason for the season.

-- 

The Lord's Soldier,

                      Elder Jacob C. Tibbitts

My beautiful vehicle, scarred by battle in the war on ices.

Too Many Reasons to Be Thankful

This week was a little hectic. There were quite a bit of incidents/obstacles this week.

Like I said last week, our truck got stuck in the snow, and we stayed at a member's home over the night as a consequence. What I may have left out is that they got their car stuck trying to get ours out, and so we walked those 10 miles to their house.

Well, this week, I woke the morning before Thanksgiving with stomach pains. I didn't eat all day until dinner, but luckily, the sickness passed completely by the end of the day. Funny enough, I got sick to my stomach LAST year the day AFTER Thanksgiving. I guess if anyone has to get sick so close to the day of Thanksgiving, it might as well be me.

Thanksgiving was great! We ate lunch with a huge family reunion of many less-active, one excommunicated, and one active member. Then we had dinner with one of our active members. It was good fun, and my belly was very happy.

Then the day after, the power went out in almost our entire area (we have a large area), and with it, cell signal and the ability to call and schedule more appointments for the rest of the week. Our apartment went from slightly comfortable in temperature to freezing. Then, the next day (Saturday), a thick fog settled on the area. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if our appointments that day were doomed to sudden destruction. But exerting all my power to turn on the car lights, I saw a road. It no sooner appeared that I found myself able to go to our appointments for the night. The fog was incredibly thick, though.

The power went out in the area again on Sunday in the late afternoon. I was afraid that we weren't going to be able to do call-ins, just like last week, and then the rumors of the Westcliffe Elders' open rebellion would really start. Luckily, power came on in time for call-ins.

Despite all of those set-backs, it was a fantastic week, and I would contest that those "set-backs" were actually blessings in disguise, and I thank the Lord for them.

For those of you that don't know yet, the Church has launched this year's Christmas Initiative on christmas.mormon.org, and I am so excited to share it with everybody I meet. The main video features children reading the prophecy in Isaiah of the Christ Child. There is an adjoining video that explains why we need a Savior. I would like to reiterate what it says: Imagine a world where no wound was healed, no harm could be fixed, no mistakes could be changed. That's what a world without a Savior would be like. But that's not our world.

So, you may ask, why do we need a Savior? I'd invite you to speak with anyone who has felt His atoning power. I'd ask you to look at saved relationships, at peace in troubled times, and at love in unexpected places. Then I'd ask you to talk to me. I can tell you why we need a Savior, because I've felt that need in my own life. I can tell you, I NEED Jesus Christ. I need Him every hour, most Holy One. He has ransomed my soul from the bitter depths of hell. Blessed is the name of the Most High God! This Christmas season, I invite you to find out the meaning of  "the night of our dear Savior's birth". You will find a joy you never thought you could feel, and I so testify in the name of the Great Immanuel, Jesus Christ.

Until next week, stay frosty, but not too cold.

-- 

The Lord's Soldier,

                       Elder Jacob C. Tibbitts

Guess what I found in our branch building! The last version of the Hymnbook!

E.T. 2: Trekking through the Snow with Manu Samoa

We got a call from President Rehm on Monday night, telling us that we were going to be part of an ET (emergency transfer). Elder H went to Alamosa, and I got Elder M. Elder M was in my district back when I was in Lone Tree, and now we get to be companions. He is from Samoa, and he was on one of their national rugby teams, Manu Samoa.

We had a Mission Tour this week, with Elder Marcus B. Nash of the First Quorum of the Seventy. I talked with Sister Nash, and I told her I'm from Centerville, Utah. And guess what? So are they! Elder and Sister Nash are in my home stake! I actually graduated with their son, who is almost done with his mission. That is pretty funny, considering that last year Elder Baxter of the Seventy visited the mission, and he is from Centerville, too! I got a picture with Elder and Sister Nash, and they emailed to my mom! I know what you are thinking; I live in the same city as two General Authorities, both of whom I've met, but I don't want you to feel jealous. :)

Well, the reason this email is a day late is because our truck got stuck in the snow on Sunday night in the southern part of our area, 40-50 miles away from home, so we had to sleep at a member's home 10 miles away. Since we had call-ins that night, we ended up getting a call from the zone leaders, and then from the assistants to the president! I'm pretty sure we are now infamous in the mission.

GPS is useless in this area, and so I am learning quite a bit about how to use a map...

One thing that Elder Nash said that I really liked was the fact that one person can change everything. One missionary can change an area, or the mission. One member can change their branch, ward, or stake. One person can change the world. Think of Abraham, of Moses, of Esther, of Joseph Smith. Think of Gandhi, of Christopher Columbus, of the Founding Fathers of the USA.  And of course, the One who changed the universe and the eternities, Adonai Elohei Yisrael (The Lord God of Israel), Jesus Christ. (I hope I got that Hebrew right...)

"This is a paradox of man: compared to God, man is nothing; yet we are everything to God. While against the backdrop of infinite creation we may appear to be nothing, we have a spark of eternal fire burning within our breast." (President Uchtdorf, October 2011 General Conference)

Until next week, remember, "You matter to Him."

-- 

The Lord's Soldier,

                      Elder Jacob C. Tibbitts

Elder Migi

Notice how the lock is supposed to be IN the door, even when it's connected to the key.
(Mom's note: OK??? Thanks for the picture. . . .)

2 Zones - Mission Tour with Elder Nash of the Seventy

Elder and Sister Nash
(Mom's note: they are in our stake and Sis. Nash sent this to me during the week)

When He Falls He Shall Rise Again

I finally got to meet R, the golden investigator of our area. We talked to her about the Plan of Salvation, and she cried. She bore her testimony of the power of the Atonement, and she was so excited to hear about the Spirit World giving everybody a chance to accept the Gospel. It is always so awesome to see the effect that the Gospel has on people! If we rediscover the restored Gospel everyday, then our joy can be the same.

During zone training this week, one of the sisters was asked to talk about how the mission has blessed her. She told the story of a caterpillar that came across another caterpillar that was really fuzzy. The first caterpillar offered to pull the fuzz off the other one, but the second refused, telling the first that it was all a part of the process of becoming a beautiful butterfly. The first caterpillar didn't seem to believe that was possible, but he asked how he can become a butterfly, too. The second butterfly responded, "You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar." That's what a mission is: giving up being a caterpillar to be able to fly. We still are the same person, but we are so much more. It is incredibly uncomfortable and scary, but when we give up ourselves to Christ, then He will make us so much more than we could imagine.

In D&C 117:12-13, the Lord speaks of a man by the name of Oliver Granger, and says, "I say unto you, I remember my servant Oliver Granger; behold, verily I say unto him that his name shall be had in sacred remembrance from generation to generation, forever and ever, saith the Lord."

Who was Oliver Granger, that his name should be held in sacred remembrance forever? When the Saints were driven from Kirtland, Ohio, Oliver was left behind to sell their properties for what little he could. He wasn't expected to succeed, and really, he didn't. The Lord continued, however: "Therefore, let him contend earnestly for the redemption of the First Presidency of my Church, saith the Lord; and when he falls he shall rise again, for his sacrifice shall be more sacred unto me than his increase, saith the Lord."

President Boyd K. Packer said: "What did Oliver Granger do that his name should be held in sacred remembrance? Nothing much, really. It was not so much what he did as what he was." President Packer gave this important advice: "We cannot always expect to succeed. But we should try the best we can."

Many of you feel like all the work you do for the Lord amounts to nothing, that you are wasting His time, and you are a failure in His eyes. But the Lord doesn't care about the results you produce, but rather who you are becoming, "for [your] sacrifice shall be more sacred unto me than [your] increase, saith the Lord."

The Lord loves you and so do I. Until next week, remember, "when [you] falls [you] shall rise again."

-- 

The Lord's Soldier,

                      Elder Jacob C. Tibbitts

My "one-day" Daily Planner, just in case I run out of 

Daily Planners.

We found this WWII Munitions Box while
cleaning out a member's shed!

Branching Out!

I have never worked in a branch before, so this was a new experience. This area suffered some loss in trust about 4 or 5 years ago, but everything is going great here now. The members are incredible. Maybe it's the fact that it's a branch, or maybe it's just the members, but everybody here is looking out for each other 24/7, and they are all extremely welcoming and inviting of non-members and people they've never met before.

I thought I'd have to greenie-break Elder H, but this elder came pre-trained. He needs no breaking. I anticipate a very good transfer with him. I can already tell that we both achieve unity very easily. The second I walked into our apartment, I could feel that this was a sanctuary, a refuge from the storm. Then we put on The Mormon Tabernacle Choir's "This Is the Christ", and it was a spirit overload.

We are working with a few people that are progressing wonderfully, so I've been told (we weren't able to meet with most of them this week). One such person is G. G is a very devout Christian, and he is interested in a lot of what we say. He truly has the Light of Christ. R is another. The missionaries started teaching her, and she felt the Spirit strongly. She believes everything we've been teaching her (because the Spirit told her, not because we did), and she has a strong desire to baptized. R is a quadriplegic, and the missionaries have seen his trust and faith in God grow steadily but surely. There are many others, and I shall speak on them in later emails.

Sacrament Meeting in a branch is different, just because of the size of the congregation. We have about 40 or so active members. I got to give the invocation AND bless the Sacrament, which is always a treat. Our stake president (who was called about 3 months ago) came to our church meetings, and afterwards went out with me and my companion to go visit some less-active members. All in all, it was a very great week, and I got to make chicken! I think my tummy has been more full than in past areas. Every once in a while, I skipped a meal just because I didn't have time or money, but NOT HERE! 

Let me conclude with a thought from Philippians 1:21: "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." There is a popular Christian song by Sidewalk Prophets that is based on this scripture. When everything we do is centered in Christ, then even death becomes gain. For me to live is Christ, because my life is His. My great design is to be with Him. There is no nobler or greater cause than to live in Christ. Then when we rest, we rest in the Lord, and even in our rest we are protected from the Adversary. I pray that each one of us will give our lives to Him who knows us even better than we know ourselves, in the name of Christ Jesus, amen.

Until next week, be the best you can be, and you will be better than you could ever imagine.

-- 

The Lord's Soldier,

                      Elder Jacob C. Tibbitts

Me and Elder S with A in Monument.

Me with B, one of the most awesome members of this dispensation.

The grand bestowal of the Posterity Tie to my firstborn son.

Here is a picture of Bishop's Castle, which my trainer told me about in my first area. The man who built it himself (his last name is Bishop) believes that Christ will dwell here when He comes again. Another picture below.

I'll send some pictures of Elder Hagman and me next week. Westcliffe is absolutely beautiful. Here, I'll send some pictures to make Greg jealous. The aspens and the pine trees grow together in the forests here. :)

My Halloween Was Better Than Yours (and Transfers)

Not too many things happened this week, or at least there weren't a lot of people that we were able to have appointments with, except for awesome A, who I'll get to in a second.

We had specialized training this week, and we talked about how to call to repentance, specifically when you are dealing with a disobedient missionary. We focused on D&C 121, so I decided that from now on, whenever I have to chastise, I'm going to call it a "1-2-1". "Yeah, I had to respond to a 1-2-1. Afterwards we did a 5-14 (James 5:14, giving a blessing)."

We also literally drove up a mountain to have dinner with a family on the peak of the mountain, surrounded by a national forest.

We got a call from A, telling us that he was in the ER because of a head injury, and needed somebody to pick him up. No permanent damage, but we were able to get a member of the ward to pick him up. His home-teaching companion called and said he was available for anything he needed. A said that he hadn't felt that love and friendship for a while. During our conversation with him, he said that he wants to get the Aaronic Priesthood! We'd talked about it before with him, but now we are kicking it into overdrive.

We had the adult session of stake conference on Halloween. There were several comments made by the speakers that we made the best choice in being here. And guess who drove us there: A! He basically skipped Halloween for the first time so he could come to stake conference! Then he showed up to the 10 AM session next morning! Elder Brent J. Hillier, our Area Seventy, spoke, and showed us some clips from the newest Sabbath Day training videos, with several of the Twelve in it. At the end, he told us that we could tell the members who didn't come that several members of the Quorum of the Twelve were there. Our mission president and his wife also spoke.

We also had a Work of Salvation Fireside on Sunday night, where recent converts and members who've returned to activity share their testimonies. And guess who missed the biggest Broncos game of the season so he could be there? That's right, A! This guy is on a roll! It is going to be hard to leave this area and him.

Speaking of which, I'm going to be transferring out of Monument tomorrow. I am going to Westcliffe in Pueblo, and I'm going to be greenie-breaking Elder H. I don't have an address for the area yet, but I'll let you know as soon as I get it.

Something President Rehm (our mission president) said during stake conference was that we can't be what he calls "Mechanical Mormons". They are Mormons who perform outwardly in spectacular ways, but for some reason, their doing doesn't transform into becoming. They don't notice the ones struggling around them, and they don't understand what people are talking about when they say they feel the Spirit. They are just robots. Brothers and sisters, I submit to you that the solution for this is charity. The Apostle Paul said, "And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:2)

Our stake president, President Woodward, turned our attention to a Primary song: "What does the Father ask of us? What do the scriptures say? Have faith, have hope, live like his Son, help others on their way." ("He Sent His Son") In the same chapter in Corinthians, Paul says, "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." (1 Corinthians 13:13) This is the way to eternal life.

I can testify that the greatest act of love was a Father sending His Son to die for us, and that we can have that pure love too, and I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Until next week, remember who you are and what you stand for!

-- 

The Lord's Soldier,

                      Elder Jacob C. Tibbitts

My final Monument district photo.

We decided to get a car wash after somebody wrote this on our car, despite the free advertising it gave.

      Here's some pictures of our perilous drive up the mountain.

A view of the drop right next to the road.

The house on top of the mountain.

Thy Will, O Lord, Be Done

There was some miscommunication about the amount of miles we could drive our mission vehicle this month and what miles were reimbursed, so we are down to about 20 miles a day, instead of our usual 40 miles, and only that much because the zone leaders gave up  100 miles for us. So it looks like we'll be doing a lot more walking and getting rides. We ended up getting a ride to church yesterday and walking for about 45 minutes to a less-active part-member home.

Now in consequence of our limited number of miles, it took a longer amount of time to visit fewer people. However, I learned a very important lesson this week. I came as we were having dinner with the Second Counselor in the bishopric and his family. He is a convert of about 4 years. As we were talking about missionary work, I asked him if anybody at work knew he was a member of the ward's bishopric. He said they didn't know that part, and it inspired him to get a picture of the temple to put at his office, and he is also going to accept calls that have to do with his calling at work, and maybe the people right next to him might hear something. When he said that, I realized that all of my plans for missionary work that day had been MY plans, and the Lord's plans were for me to touch this person's life to be more open about being a member.

I also watched the Mormon Message "You Never Know" this week. It is incredible to realize that sometime even your plans for missionary work are different than what the Lord's plans for you are.

And that is my message to you this week. Sometime our plans don't seem to work out, and we wonder why everything isn't working, but if we just remember that the Lord's ways are higher than our ways, we can go to bed every night feeling accomplished, if we've given all we can. Sometimes we'll be able to see what it was that the Lord had us do, and it may seem incredibly small, but for the Lord, it was the biggest thing you could do that day, and it may mean a world of change in the life of that person who you touched.

Until next week, remember, from small things, great things come to pass.

-- 

The Lord's Soldier,

                      Elder Jacob C. Tibbitts

In case you were wondering, I built that Bald Eagle Habitat,
so you are welcome.

If it wasn't apparent from last email,
my companion IS a master chef.

Go Green: Be Genealogical

So the stake I'm serving in did their annual Family History Days event this weekend. We have a Family History DISCOVERY Center at our stake center, so it was fun. Except for the fact that we were signed up to man the registration booth the whole time. That's alright, we had good fun anyway. During lunch time, I got to sit next to the stake president and talk with him. He's an incredible man, and I've heard that throughout my ward and the stake.

B is possibly the the most incredible member of this whole ward. She's only been a member since January, but she is an incredible member-missionary. She gave her first talk this week, and she was sustained in her new calling. "The Spirit of God like a fire is burning [in her]," and the whole ward is catching on fire (figuratively speaking, of course).

We are entering into the second-to-last week of training my new missionary. I've learned so much, and grown so much from this assignment. I am excited to do whatever the Lord requires of me next. It is incredible how He helps us grow. It is in the most unlikely of ways, and those are the most effective ways.

Besides chopping and hauling wood, that's all for this week, folks.

I would like to bear my testimony of the Plan of Salvation, and it's incredible power. Out of all the messages we share as representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ, this is the possibly the most powerful and most important: That families sealed in the temple WILL LAST FOREVER. If the members of that family keep their covenants, then no power in existence can break those eternal bonds, no, not even death itself. It is the most glorious message to be revealed to humankind, that the things that are of eternal value are also of eternal endurance. This is the crowning doctrine of existence. Everything leads to this one eternal truth: "There is no end to glory; There is no end to love; There is no end to being; There is no death above."  (If You Could Hie to Kolob, verse 5)

To all within my power to reach, I declare: Families CAN be together forever! God has made it so. I know it with every fiber of my being. There is nothing impossible with God. I stand as a witness of God, that His Eternal Plan is true, and I do so in the sacred and eternal name of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer and Savior, amen.

Until next week, remember that you are loved.

-- 

The Lord's Soldier,

              Elder Jacob C. Tibbitts

Elder Tibbitts to the RESCUE!

This wooden clock was 3-D Printed.
That's right, be amazed by technology.

My companion is a master chef.

Tracting: Sometimes It Works

Our mission has been setting goals to talk to as many people as we can. Due to this, me and my companion decided to do some tracting this week. Tracting is not a very common finding activity in this mission, and we tend to focus on most of the other ways of finding. However, we decided we would tract a street, using the upcoming Family History Event to our advantage. The success we met was incredible! We only had about an hour or less to tract, but we were able to talk to 5 different sets of people, and one of them accepted our invitation to learn more about our Church and how to strengthen your relationship with Jesus Christ.

We also decided to just walk around a major retail store, to just see if anybody would start a conversation with us. We can't really start them ourselves there, because of legal stuff, and our plan was to just have a random conversation, not even necessarily about the Gospel, unless it leads to that. Unfortunately, we were approached by an employee, then the Asset Protection Manager, telling us we weren't allowed to solicit there. Now I know we aren't solicitors, and I already said that we hadn't talked to anybody except for people we knew, but we didn't want to start an argument, so we ended up just leaving. In essence, we almost got kicked out of a retail store. That's alright, because a less-active couple that was there invited us to their place once we got the boot!

Now back to the positive: B came with a non-member friend to church, and she invited another friend to take the lessons, who was curious. This lady has been a member for 10 months, and she is on fire! She fasted every Sunday while she was working at a job that disallowed her to go to church on Sundays, and she has been hounding the bishop for a calling, which she finally got! She is getting her Patriarchal Blessing on November 1st, and she goes to the temple regularly! "Verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be like unto [B], behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever, yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men."

I have learned a very important lesson on my mission. It is found in D&C 82:10: "I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise." Another important scripture for this lesson is D&C 130:20-21: "There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—

And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated."

When we are obedient, we can ask the Lord for help. I'm not saying that you cannot ask for forgiveness while trapped in sin that you are trying to break out of, but rather that there is extra power and blessings to those who keep that law. They are blessing unavailable to a sinful person, because that person is not in a position to receive them. If you are struggling with the trials of life, I invite you to examine your obedience to the Lord. If you choose to obey, and become more obedient, the Lord will bless you in ways that weren't possible before. You can go to your Father in Heaven in confidence and faith, knowing that you've done all you can do. He will help you overcome your trials. The same is true with sin and addiction: start by being obedient to the commandments that you can be obedient to, and as you exercise that small particle of faith, ask the Lord for help, knowing that you've done the most you can right now. He'll help you do even more, then even more. I know that the Atonement is real, and that we can be clean and live with our Father in Heaven, if we just listen and obey Him, and I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Until next week, just keep soldiering on.

-- 

The Lord's Soldier,

                      Elder Jacob C. Tibbitts

The Week of Miracles

First off, General Conference was INCREDIBLE! I had so many questions answered, both for myself and for those we are working with. I really felt the General Authorities and Officers were speaking directly to me! I was so excited to hear the announcement of the 3 new Apostles, Elder Donald A. Rasband, Elder Gary E. Stevenson (who I already loved), and Elder Dale G. Renlund. I was wonderful to hear their testimonies of the Risen Lord.

So let me tell you a wonderful story, one of those stories that a missionary will probably never forget for the rest of their lives. We were looking for a less-active member, but nobody answered, so we tried the old "2 to the left, 2 to the right" approach, and knocked on the doors nearby to see if we could get any more information. Nobody had any clue who we were talking about, but at least they talked to us. One lady gave us some sodas, but wasn't interested. One guy said he was busy, but that we could drop by next Friday. I figured we had knocked on enough doors to find this lady, so I was ready to go and do something else, but my companion insisted that we keep knocking on doors there, so we knocked on two more doors. At the second door, a lady opened up. She was visibly shaken, but invited us inside. She told us that she never opens the door for anyone. She was praying to God that he would send somebody to help her, so she knew we were here for a reason. She has been struggling with an addiction to alcohol for a long time, and she was starting to lose hope. We were able to testify of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and that she can be free. We invited here to watch General Conference with us, and she agreed, but later decided she wasn't ready for that. During the Saturday Afternoon Session of General Conference, we got a call from here, asking us to come over IMMEDIATELY, because she is craving really bad. We were with the bishop, and he came with us (unfortunately missing the 2nd half of that session). We were able to tell her about the Church's Addiction Recovery Program. We have a lesson tomorrow with her and her husband, and an LDS Family Services stake missionary is coming with us!

I would like to share part of one of my favorite talks from this past General Conference, by President Uchtdorf in the Priesthood Session. He talked of Daniel, who stood up for his strange religion despite persecution all around him. President Uchtdorf said, "Just think about it, how much easier would it have been for Daniel to go along with the ways of Babylon? he could have set aside the restrictive code of conduct God had given the children of Israel. He could have feasted on the rich foods provided by the king, and indulged in the worldly pleasures of the natural man. He would have avoided ridicule. He would have been popular. He would have fit in. His path might have been much less complicated. That is, of course, until the day when the king demanded an interpretation of his dream. Then Daniel would have found that he, like the rest of Babylon's "wise men", had lost connection to the true Source of light and wisdom."

My brothers and sisters, "the ancient city of Babylon is in ruins. Its splendor is long gone, but Babylon's worldliness and wickedness live on," as President Uchtdorf said. We cannot allow ourselves to fall under the peer pressure and "flow" of the world. I promise you, that if you will keep the faith, despite the opposition, or perhaps the lack of (because "Skepticism is easy. Anyone can do it."), then God will endow you with power from on high. True happiness is available only to the one who has the discipline to seek it.

Until next week, we thank thee, Oh God, for a prophet.

-- 

The Lord's Soldier,

                      Elder Jacob C. Tibbitts

When Life Gets Rough, You Push on Through

This is my second time writing this: somebody bumped the cord at the library and shut off my computer on accident.

Not to worry, not too much happened this week. Most of our appointments cancelled, so we spent most of our week going out and finding.

We were able to get back into the home of a former investigator, J, whose wife is a less-active member. He said he'd love to do scripture study with us again, and possibly the lessons!

We had a Primary Program at Sacrament Meeting yesterday. It is always incredible to see the little children singing and sharing their testimonies of the Savior. There was even a part for the Primary kid with a severe disability. She was able to speak her part through her talker. The Primary President received a specific prompting to give her a part. The whole Program was incredible! And our less-active member D, AND his wife, were there!

If you haven't heard, Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve passed away this week, making it 3 vacancies in the Twelve right now. The last time 3 Apostles were sustained was April of 1906. We'll see if 3 are sustained this week, seeing how Elder Scott passed away so close to the next General Conference.

In Matthew 4: 45, the Savior says, "... for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."

Being a disciple of Jesus Christ and being righteous does not ensure you freedom from trials. Nobody is exempt from that. Jesus Christ, the Sinless One, endured more persecution than is possible for us to even come close to imagining. The difference between the just and unjust is that the just can have peace ALWAYS, and the unjust only when times are easy. In True to the Faith, it tells us that peace is NOT the absence of war. Nothing can take peace away from you if you have "your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;"(Ephesians 6:15) Your peace is up to you. The Savior was always full of peace, even when He lost his dearest friends, was betrayed by them, and suffered anguish beyond imagination. Pray for peace. The Prince of Peace can grant this priceless gift to you.

Until next week, peace be unto you.

-- 

The Lord's Soldier,

                      Elder Jacob C. Tibbitts

Service, Service, and More Service

Well, we did a lot of service this week. I got to weed-whack a forest, volunteer at the Bishop's Storehouse, haul wood from the first floor to the second floor of a house, and shovel rocks. Let me tell you, service really does lift the soul. I had a fantastic week just because of all that service I did. I actually filled up a ditch with all the weeds I killed, including my mortal enemy, mullen. It reminded me of a scripture: "Now when they found that they could not obtain power over the Nephites by the pass, they began to dig down their banks of earth that they might obtain a pass to their armies, that they might have an equal chance to fight; but behold, in these attempts they were swept off by the stones and arrows which were thrown at them; and instead of filling up their ditches by pulling down the banks of earth, they were filled up in a measure with their dead and wounded bodies." (Alma 49:22)

I also experienced not only the lifting power of service, but the rejuvenating power of the Sacrament. I have always noticed that on the Sabbath Days where I have devoted all my energy during the Sacrament to thinking about the Sacrament and the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, I have felt my body and soul being renewed and refreshed. I definitely felt it this week, and it is an incredible feeling. The whole sacrament meeting was incredible. The topic was on finding peace, and the youth speaker actually started crying when she talked about prayer as a source of peace. I could tell she had a spiritual experience preparing her talk.

The youth speaker said, "I know that we need to talk with our Heavenly Father, because when we don't talk with our family, it really messes things up." It is SO important to talk to Heavenly Father. He is literally our Father, and one of the best ways we can grow in our relationship with Him is by talking to Him through prayer. It can heal our souls, and give us peace beyond our imagination. He wants so badly to talk to us, but only if we choose to listen. President Hugh B. Brown, then a member of the First Presidency, once had a conversation with one of his friends. After discussing the idea that God speaks to man today, his friend asked him why he thinks God doesn't speak to man. President Brown said, "God DOES speak today, but men need faith to hear Him." I promise you that if you will seek to develop your relationship with your Father in Heaven, He will bless you with peace and joy.

Until next week, don't you ever give up.

-- 

The Lord's Soldier,

                      Elder Jacob C. Tibbitts

Me and Elder Ss at O'Malleys.

Our district hiking.

Final district picture before transfers (no, I'm staying).

Alpacas and Emergency Preparedness

Well, I can say that I've bucked hay bales all the way from La Junta to Lone Tree (the bottom and top of the mission), and I've done it in the middle as well. Every time I finish hay bales, my arms are all scratched up, and I tell myself, "You should buy a long-sleeve shirt for working on the farm." Maybe one day I'll listen to that voice in my head. I got to move hay again, at another alpaca farm. For those of you who don't know, there is money in the alpaca business, in case you were thinking of alternative career paths.

We also had an Emergency Preparedness Fair this week, and the members set up a booth for us that was showing Meet the Mormons. It wasn't exactly the biggest hit in the fair for the community, and by that I mean about three non-members came into the room. Two of them was a father and son. After watching it for a while, he got up, grabbed a copy of the Book of Mormon off the table, and turned to me, saying, "You are probably an expert on this book." In my mind, I thought, "Oh no. This could go two ways." He explained that he had a copy of the Book of Mormon for about 10 years now, but every time he tried to read it chronologically, he couldn't absorb all the history and understand exactly what was going on. I suggested some other methods of study, including using the Index for topical study, and also the footnotes on the bottom. He understood the story of Moroni appearing to Joseph Smith pretty well (because he'd actually read Joseph's testimony in the front of the book), though he had just a few gaps of information. I related the story of Joseph's search for the truth leading to the First Vision, and he listened the whole time earnestly. He thanked me and said it would be a lot easier to read the Book of Mormon now. We were able to exchange our numbers, ours AND his (very important), and he said he'd invite us to his house after trying to read the Book of Mormon again.

If you have not read the 4th Missionary yet, I highly recommend it. One of the things that is mentioned in there is the idea of faith. Faith requires two things. First, you need to have faith in God the Father and in His Son Jesus Christ. Second, you need to have a knowledge that the things you are doing are in accordance with God's will and therefore make you worthy to receive God's help in all things. In other words, faith in God, and faith in yourself. Both are necessary to grow and exercise faith. God wants to help all His children, but we must be willing to put forth the effort to do what He would have us do. Faith is the power by which miracles are wrought, and it can not only change the world, but more importantly it can change you. I challenge you to do everything you can to grow strong in your faith. As you do, God will bless you with miracles and divine help.

Until next week, be strong, and of good courage. Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee, withersoever thou goest.

-- 

The Lord's Soldier,

                      Elder Jacob C. Tibbitts

Dem "alpacas"

"Eat Mor Chikin"