This is a picture of elder Austin my former comp.

 Elder Deering and Elder Gibson 

Picture of me during Christmas.

 

The beginning of this week went by really fast but then the weekend slowed down a lot. There were some really high points and some really low points. The work seems to have slowed down but I know part of that is because we need to work harder. We will have a baptism this week. It will be the first one the branch has had in a couple years. I am excited for it. We are going to have an area conference broadcast at the church on Sunday then the baptism will be after that. Many missionaries have worked really hard to help her reach this point and I am grateful that we have this chance to help her reach it. Other than that we are doing all we can to work hard and press the work forward. We have a few people that we are teaching but we are always looking to expand our teaching pool. We are spending a lot of time door knocking and talking to people. I will let you all know that the more effective way is threw the members so talk to all of your friends about the gospel and help them to learn and to grow. I have also decided that I could never live full time in Idaho or Utah. I love sharing the gospel. The Midwest needs as many strong members as it can get. I am not saying I will move back here I am unsure of what the lord has planned for me but I just hope to be somewhere where I can strengthen the church and help the missionaries. Anyway things are going well. We kept hearing all week about this massive snow storm that we where to get and then it ended up only being 6-7 inches. But we may get something again this week so we will see. Either way I am excited for this week we have a lot of really cool things planed and I feel like we will have the chance to find many new people to teach. Both my companions are doing well. They are hard workers and I am learning a lot from them. I love you all. I am so grateful for the gospel and for the chance that I have to be a part of all of this. Thank you all for all that you do for me. -- Elder Jacob Gibson

This week was a really slow week. We had a lot of meetings that took us away form our area. But the work is going well. We have a really busy week this week and I am excited for it. The lord truly is hastening his work. I just received word that my companion might be leaving soon. His visa is ready and now the church just needs to go pick it up and he can leave and go to Brazil. He will be missed but we will press forward with faith. Not this Sunday but next Sunday we will have a baptism in this area. The first one they have had in a few years. She is an amazing lady and has taken a lot of steps in her life to come closer to Christ. We are also hopping for a few more soon. The work is growing. We will be getting many more missionaries here soon and there are many areas that are opening up. Missionaries are going places that they have not been in a long time. There is a true excitement flowing in the work. Unfortunately the evil one always sets his kingdom up in opposition to the truth and there is much that we are struggling with but the scriptures say that threw faith all things are possible and I know that to be true. This week will be a week that will make or break this area for the next few weeks. We have a lot of really good potential investigators that we are working with and who wope to soon be meeting with regularly. Other then that things are going well. They are predicting a really big storm coming threw here in Thursday so that might hinder our work a little bit but we will press forward regardless. My companions are both doing well. Elder wood is a great missionary and so is elder cox. They are both hard workers and I am happy to be working with them. I love you all and I am grateful for all that you do for me. Have a great week. -- Elder Jacob Gibson of the Iowa Des Moines mission

So I am now serving in a tripanionship with Elder Wood and Elder Cox. Being with 2 companions really changes the dynamics of missionary work. Elder Wood has been out for about 6 months. He spent most of his time so far just south of Peoria Illinois. He is from Spanish Fork Utah. Elder Cox just got out of the MTC. He is form Idaho Falls Idaho. Both are really good missionaries. Elder Cox will be with me until he gets his Visa to go to Brazil. He put in for it in September and is still waiting for it. It might come soon or it may take a while so we will just work hard until it comes. Not much has changes in the last week. We have 3 investigators who are working towards specific baptismal dates. One of them is guaranteed to be baptized the beginning of next month. She believes it is all true and is excited to be making thins step in her life. The other is a couple from Africa. They are struggling financially. Our last lesson was just about finances. I am so grateful that my dad taught me a little about that I actually knew what I was talking about most of the time and I was able to help them greatly. Not much else has changed. A lot of our time is knocking doors again. We are working diligently to find those who our father in heaven is preparing. This letter is going to be short because I have a couple siblings who I need to write back so I will end it here by thanking all of you for your faith and for your prayers. I love you all and I thank you for all that you do for me. -- Elder Jacob Gibson of the Iowa Des Moines mission

It is amazing how something as simple as the weather can slow you down so much. Our car was grounded a couple times in the past week which meant that we did a lot more walking which means we have less time to do regular work. During the summer it is ok to be walking a lot but it is hard during the winter because it is cold and people are not outside to talk to. But that is ok. The lord truly is hastening his work. We are going to be getting the first group of the missionaries that qualified for the age change this week. We are getting 17 new missionaries plus 9 people who will head to Brazil when they get their visas. That means that 26 missionaries will be training in our mission. I have been asked to be one of those again. I will be training a visa waiter. But because we do not know when the visa waiter will be leaving I am also getting a missionary who has been out for about 6 month. So I will spend the next little while in a tripanionship. It is going to be an interesting dynamic. Elder Austin is going to miss this town he has been here for a while but he is excited to be moving on as well. The work is going well. We had a lady push her baptismal date back a few weeks but I have no doubt that she will not reach the new date. She is an amazing lady and I am excited for this in her life. It is still going to take some work but I do not for see many problems at all. We are also working with a few other people but we are still unsure where many of them stand. We are working hard to bring people unto our savior. We have been spending a lot of time knocking doors and talking with as many people as we can. God truly is hastening his work. There have been many miracles in my life and I am so grateful for that. I will admit I am a little nervous about having to be with 2 other missionaries I have done it before for short periods of time and it adds a different dynamic to the work. It changes the way you do things and how you have to think and teach. But I am excited for all that this will help me to learn. I am excited to be a missionary and to be serving our savior. I know that theses things are true and I know that the atonement can and will change us. It will help us in miraculous ways. I am so grateful for that. I hope all of you have a great week and that you feel of your saviors love for you. -- Elder Jacob Gibson of the Iowa Des Miones mission.