This week was again a busy busy week. We saw our mission president for the last time and we were running from appointment to appointment. The missionary work is so much better when you are busy like this. We could spend all day knocking doors but we would have little success. Like President Hinkley said there is a better way. I don’t know if any of you got the chance to watch the broadcast last night but if not you need to go online and watch it. It is really good and will help you be a better missionary. This work will only move forward if you step up and fulfill your calling. So that is my little plug for the day.

               Last Sunday there was a guy that came to church out of the blue. His family was visiting form Florida and they brought him with. We had 5 lessons with him this week and he is 4 days smoke free. He wanted to be baptized this weekend but he needs to show that he can stay smoke free. So he will be baptized next weekend.

               We have found a lot of new people this week and we are working hard with them. The work is really picking up and we are trying to stay on top of all of it. The work of the lord is truly hastening and I am glad that i have this chance to be a part of it. Again please do all you can to keep your local missionaries busy. It is the only way this church will grow. We cannot do it alone. I love you all. I am grateful for your letters and emails and for your support. I hope you have a great week.

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Elder Jacob Gibson of the Iowa Des Moines mission

Busy, busy week. Our phone seems to be ringing constantly now. We spent a lot of time not working in our area and yet somehow the lord blessed us to be able to talk to more people and teach more lessons then we normally do. I will say missionary work is hard but it is also defiantly worth it. The summer heat seems to be bringing people out of their houses and into the streets where they are more willing to talk to us.

               It has been a very up and down week. We have been teaching a lot of new people but we have also been losing some people. It is always sad when someone decides that they don’t want to listen any more. They reject this message which could bring so much happiness into their life. But that is often how it goes.

               I am enjoying serving with Elder Austin again. He is a good guy and we work well together. I will admit I did not expect to be serving with him again and now he will be my last companion.

               There really are not any crazy stories from this week. The work is pressing forward and we are doing our best to help and talk to as many people as the lord places in our path. I love all of you. Thank you for supporting me and for helping me throughout the years. I hope all of you have a great week

This week was a crazy week. But we got a lot done and did a lot of really good work. So I did not expect this but I am back serving with Elder Austin from Georgia. I knew there was a chance of this but I did not expect it to actually happen. We are getting along great and things are going really well for us. We are supper busy and I have been spending way too much time on the phone each night but I am really enjoying staying in this town it is a really good place to serve.

                We still have a couple people who have baptismal dates and we set another one this week though they did not make it to church. But we are pressing forward and working hard. We have met a lot of new people this week and will have an extremely busy week. We have a few appointments and a few meetings so I am excited for what is up ahead.

                We have had to hit the ground running. I did not get trained for what I am doing right now so I just have to learn a lot really quickly as I go along but the lord is helping me and I know that this is his will. I have had to turn to prayer a lot and it has really helped. I love being a missionary so much. There really is nothing better than this. I love you all and I thank you so much for your faith and for your prayers and for all that you do. I am excited for this week up ahead. I hope all of you have a great week. Love ya.

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Elder Jacob Gibson of the Iowa Des Moines mission

This week in iowa

This week was a really good week with a lot of surprises. We set a baptismal date with the daughter of a recent convert she is 18 and really likes her party life but she is willing to try something new for her son. We also were finally able to teach this lady who is really going through a hard time. Her circumstances have really humbled her and she is now willing to change and to be different. She is a great lady and we had an awesome lesson with her yesterday. She has been looking for a way to change her life and it just so happens that we have that. We are still spending a lot of our time working with less active members and recent converts. There are a lot of them here is this town.

            We also had a baptism this week for a young kid who has been going to church off and on for a long time. He is a really good kid and he will receive the Aaronic priesthood next week. I am so excited for him to be able to do this. He is 13 but really smart and willing to do whatever he needs to, to come closer to our father in heaven,

            Another cool thing that happened is that we had a funnel cloud rip through town. It did minimal damage just knocked over some trees and some branches. We were in the church for district meeting and where about to leave when the sirens went off and we decided to stay for a bit, lucky we did. The nice thing about Burlington though is that because it is so hilly and so close to the Mississippi it is extremely hard for a tornado to touchdown and even if they do it is hard for them to stay down so I am relatively safe. Plus we have a huge metal container that we can hide in in our basement if we had to.

            And finally we got transfer calls this week. So I am sad to admit it but I am nearing the end of my mission. It has gone by way too quickly. But because I was so close to the end I thought that I would be exempt from more responsibility, instead I have received more. The mission age change has really changed the whole dynamic of everything in the mission field. So even though I only have 2 transfers left I am becoming a zone leader and instead of transferring me they are keeping me here. Also normally if you become a zone leader you are put with another zone leader who will teach you how things work. Instead they are expecting me to train a new zone leader as well and I will be in charge of the missionary force working at the Nauvoo pageant in July. Aka my work load just doubled. I must have not been learning what I needed to so the lord wants to see if this will get things through my thick head. I don’t know we will see what happens. I did not expect this but we will see what happens. I am so grateful for the chance that I have to serve and to be a missionary. I love you all and I wish you the best have a great week.

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Elder Jacob Gibson of the Iowa Des Moines mission