Elder Harrison's first Thanksgiving in the mission field

This is Elder Harrison's mom writing.....

Last Sunday I got a call from a woman in Iowa.  She said that her name was Annette Deakins and that my son, Elder Harrison was serving in her area.  She called to ask what one of his favorite Thanksgiving dishes was. Their family was planning on serving all four missionaries in their area Thanksgiving Dinner.  I was so grateful!  I had been concerned about whether 'or not Jacob would have a place to go for Thanksgiving.  We sent her Willy's sweet potato with marshmallow recipe because we know that Jacob loves it.

Taking a break from playing Scrabble...one of Jacob's favorite games!

Elder Harrison, Elder Watts, Elder Hadfield and Elder Terris (Elder Harrison's companion)

The elders enjoy a game of Risk

Jacob takes an "After" photo every Thanksgiving....the tradition continues!

Six weeks in the field!

Email dated November 19, 2012

Hello everybody back home, the mission is going great. I can't believe
i'm already at my first transfer. I probably won't be going anywhere
because i'm still being trained but transfers usually mean that
everybody gets new companions and new assignments and new areas and
stuff. six weeks from now i'll get a new companion and maybe move
areas. That's a ways off though.

Things in Denison are going well we've got investigators and less
active members we work with and the work is moving forward which is
really good. We had alot of meetings last week so we were out of the
area for a while but the meetings were really good and the work picked
right up when we got back. Yesterday we actually did companion
exchanges and I spent a little time in another area with a different
companion. We met up at a member's house for dinner and had hawaiian
haystacks that weren't quite as good as my mom's but they were still
pretty dang good.

 We split up and then headed out to our places.
I had a really good experience, we were driving around with the ward
member who just fed us and he got the idea to visit a family who
hadn't been at church that day. we went over and they were really glad
to see us. it was an old couple and their ten cats. The wife has
battled breast cancer for a long time and the various treatments have
messed up her lungs pretty well and she has bad arthritis. the husband
is usually in good health but while he was visitting his kids in
chicago he had a 7mm kidney stone removed and the doctors also sound
blasted a 8.5mm one as well. they got him drugged up and the wife
drove home. He was in bed and pretty drugged up when we got there but
he was happy and laughing. they missed church so we gave them the
sacrament and i gave a spiritual thought from James 1 about being a
doer and not just a hearer of the word

. He asked for a blessing and we

gave him one and he suggested we give his wife one as well. He said he
was feeling a lot better after the blessing so he got right up out of
bed and helped give his wife one as well. they gave us cookies and we
left. I felt so good for having been able to use my priesthood to
brighten their day. Some people out here need our help but really
don't want anything to do with us but it makes me so happy to find the
ones that know we can help and ask for it.

One of the less active families we teach with the two sons that want
to get baptized told us something pretty cool this week. The parents
and the older son and his girlfriend all smoke alot but the son would
have to quit before he got baptized. The parents want them to be
baptized at the same time but they know it would be hard for him to
quit with them smoking around him so they made the goal to all quit
together. I've never quit smoking so I don't know much of how to help
them but I know Christ can help them and make it more achievable.

That's about all the stories I have time for but it's really cool to
hear about all the stuff about the Boise temple re- dedication and
stuff. I'm sure thanksgiving will be tough without my family around
but I'll keep you guys in mind and make it through. I've got to go but
I send my love and prayers back home and look forward to next week's
news.

Elder Jacob Harrison

"I feel tired at the end of the day, it's a good tired!"

This email was sent on October 29, 2012

The missionaries who covered the area before us were in what's called a zebra, which is a companionship that has one English speaking Elder and one Spanish speaking elder. The English speaking Elder is still in the area with us so he told us where the apartment was. The directions weren't very good and we didn't know the area so we didn't even know where to look. Then one day we were walking around knocking doors and we walked past an apartment building we had knocked a part of a few days earlier. The address on the building looked really familiar so we looked where we had written the investigators address and it was the same building. 

We went up to the apartment and knocked on the door. The guy who answered was in his early twenties and when we started talking to him we asked his name and it is Austry, which is pretty close to the name the English Elder gave us. He invited us in and we talked about what he remembered from the other missionaries that came and taught him. He said he remembered something about apostles, which is really good because the organization from the time of Christ is one of the big things that sets us apart from everybody else. 

We went over the first lesson with him again which is the restoration. When we asked if the other missionaries had given him a Book of Mormon, he got it out from a pile of papers. He hadn't read any of it yet so we told him if he starts reading it and praying about it he'll know it's the truth. Overall the lesson went pretty well, but he works a lot so setting up a return visit was hard but we exchanged phone numbers. 

That all happened almost two weeks ago, we tried to visit a few times but he was never home. We got in and taught his older sister a little bit but she wasn't into it very much. Saturday he texted us and said "My sister said you came over looking for me?" We said yes and stuff then he texted "Si quisiera bautisarme, que necesitaria hacer?" 
which totally caught us off guard because it means, "If I wanted to get baptised, What would i need to do?" We told him he'd have to learn more about the gospel from us, come to church a few times, repent and forsake his sins and strive to live the commandments. He said, "I want to do it." Of course we wanted to meet with hime but he works a lot and has a schedule that is not set so we haven't met with him yet but we told him to read and pray every day in the meantime to which he replied "I'm already doing that." 

Elder Terris and I were tripping, this guy is the bomb. We only met with him once and he wants to get baptized and he is reading the little scripture assignments we text to him. We'll set him up with a baptismal date when we see him next. I kept trying to think of what we said that was good enough to give him that kind of faith but then I remembered that since I got my mission call I have been praying to find the people that are prepared for our help and that are ready to listen to us and have the faith it takes to want to change. I think I should keep praying for that, because it works.

The rest of the mission is going good, I'm fine with the schedule because even though it's hard and I feel tired at the end of the day, it's a good tired, a feeling of satisfaction about the work we did that day. All the sitting around studying alot is tough to stay focused but the things I am learning from the scriptures are amazing and I'm starting to really like reading. My Spanish is really improving, probably because all the prayers I say are in Spanish and it gives me a chance to say stuff that I'm not sure if it makes sense because the only person listening is god and he knows what I'm trying to say. Elder Terris and I are getting pretty close, he would sometimes hide around a corner in the house and ambush me with a rubber band but I got him back in the shower with some Ice-water. We're going to be together in Denison for the next nine weeks or so at least so we'll probably be pretty tight by the end.

The Halloween pictures are awesome. Daniel gets points added for hair authenticity but minus for repeating a costume. Sam gets points for having sweet glasses but minus for wearing my sunglasses. Caleb has to be the winner for this year, super cool, I thought he was Mumm-ra for a second. I approve of the wrappings, Couldn't think of a better use for the cloth I bought for my failed mummy costume last year. Well done to whoever did the face paint.

I got a bunch of letters from the primary kids and teachers which was super cool. Tell them that they really made my day. The letters from my family were cool too, I'll write some back today so You'll get them pretty soon.

The weather here has been descent and not super cold yet but with all that crazy storm stuff I keep hearing about on the east coast maybe we'll catch some of that here soon. I'm pretty tough and I'll have plenty of warm clothes by then but keep praying for me because I've never seen anything like what I'm sure is coming.

I've got to finish up the email now, I've got some other stuff to do today. I send my love again to all my family and friends back home. Thanks for all the love and support and prayers. Keep praying for me and the people I'm teaching that we can all get closer to Christ and become better disciples. So long for this week.

Sincerely,
Elder Jacob Harrison

"The schedule is pretty rigorous......"

       Hey everybody, life as a missionary in Iowa is pretty good. We are starting to get the hang of the town and stuff. Walking around it all day helps. The weather reminds me a little of Idaho, one day it'll be overcast and cold and the next it'll be pretty hot. I'm pretty sure it'll just be cold here in the next couple of weeks. Everybody says last winter was really mild last year so that probably means this one will be pretty crazy. The work is kinda hard on cold days because nobody wants to have their door open to the cold for very long but I've got a pretty hard working companion so it's easy to forget about ourselves and just go to work.

     The people are pretty cool here, there are small town white people who have lived here forever and have gone to the same church for forever and don't like talking to us but there are a few that will be nice and chat with us about church and stuff. The Hispanics are really nice here like they are everywhere, they'll always be nice to us and talk for a while most of them will even invite us in and listen to the whole first lesson. Sometimes they are too nice though, they'll listen to us and act interested and then flake on out follow up appointments which is kind of a bummer but it's a small town so we'll run into them again. We've been teaching lots of lessons and placing a few Book of Mormons here and there. There is a surprising amount of diversity here because there are two really big meat packing facilities around here, Tyson and Farmland, which both bring people from all over. There are Mexicans, Guatemalans, El Salvadorans, even Sudanese and Liberian people.  It's really easy for me to love the people here, even the ones that shut their doors on us.  

     The meat packing places sometimes make the air smell bad which kinda reminds me of home and sometimes the air smells like bacon which is pretty cool but makes us hungry walking around. There are hardly any members in Denison so we don't get fed very often but the members of the ward we go to in Logan were worried about us up here all alone so they bought us some groceries and frozen dinners and stuff which was so awesome and thoughtful. That'll make shopping today a little easier. 

     The schedule is pretty rigorous but I'm pretty spry so I'm handling it alright. Studying the scriptures for a few hours every morning is pretty cool when I can stay awake. I am really starting to understand the words when I read in Spanish. I've been reading a lot of Jesus the Christ which is difficult even in English but if I don't challenge myself I'll speak like  a gringo forever. I'm glad I had a little background in Spanish before and then got tons of practice in the MTC because I can communicate pretty well already. My companion didn't know Spanish well when he got to the field so it was real hard for him in the beginning .

     I'd really like to get some updates about everybody back home. How my are siblings doing in school and work and stuff. Who else is getting mission calls and to where. Who's getting back from missions and getting married, stuff like that. As you can imagine i'm pretty isolated out here, even from other missionTharies. We are on the outskirts of the mission out in the boonies. News of the outside world would be much appreciated.

I send my love to my family and friends back home, you guys are awesome and I wouldn't be out here without your help. Thanks so much for all the letters and emails I got in the MTC, don't be afraid to send some letters to me out here. Love you guys tons but my time is up, talk to you later.

Sincerely, 

Elder Jacob Harrison

       

We received the "Safe Arrival" letter from the Mission Home!

As a mom, I was happy to open the mailbox and find the "Safe Arrival" letter that the Nebraska Omaha Mission home sent to us telling us that Jacob had arrived safely in Nebraska.

Here are some quotes from the President Michael D. Weston, the mission president regarding Elder Jacob Harrison:  (moms love this kind of stuff!)

"We are impressed with his goodness and desire to serve the Lord.  His presence will lift the overall strength of the mission.............It is our focus to help your son fulfill his purpose as a missionary......Elder Harrison has been assigned to serve in the Denison area of the Council Bluffs Zone.  His trainer will be Elder Cade J. Terris; their current address is 1812 2nd Ave. South, Denison, IA 51442."

In the letter were two photos of Jacob; one with all the missionaries that entered the Omaha Nebraska mission on the same day and another with just Jacob and the mission president and his wife.

Elder Jacob Harrison's First Area: Denison, Iowa

We finally received an email from Elder Harrison, so we know that he arrived safely to Nebraska!

It is so exciting to hear about his first days in the mission field!

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Email sent October 15, 2012

Wow, a lot has happened since my last email. We shipped off from the MTC early in the morning and headed to the airport. On the leg from SLC to Denver I sat by two missionaries so i didn't get to talk to anybody but after a pretty long layover in Denver we headed to Omaha and on the plane ride I sat by this woman and we talked all about her life and my life and her church and my church and Christianity in general. I didn't give her a book of Mormon or anything but it was a really cool conversation. We got to Omaha and met our Mission president, he's really cool and his wife is really cool too. 

We spent the night at a hotel then the next morning got a tour of the Mormon trail visitors center and other local landmarks in Mormon history.

After that we went to President Weston's house and ate then met a bunch of other missionaries. They wanted to get us right to work so they gave us all temporary companions and sent us knocking doors around Omaha. I went with an Elder Terris who has been out for a year, he must have learned how to find the right people because the very first door we knocked we started talking to this woman with a few kids and she invited us in. My companion took the lead of the lesson but at the end I bore testimony of the Book of Mormon and invited her to pray for an answer and I asked her to be baptized when she got one, that part was a little rough because I hadn't spoken Spanish for a few days but she said she would. I'm pretty pumped about that. Later after some get to know you stuff with the presidency and the office staff and everything we had a testimony meeting and then got our assignments. 

My first assignment is to Denison Iowa being trained by the same Elder Terris that I tore it up with in Omaha. The area had missionaries in it a year or so ago but they closed that area. Elder Terris and I will pretty much be starting from scratch in a town forty five minutes away from a chapel with like one member family. It'll be hard but it'll be awesome because like eighty percent of the people in Denison are Hispanic so we'll have plenty of opportunity to practice the language. Since the area is new when we got assigned they didn't have an apartment ready for us yet so we stayed in a teeny tiny little town in Iowa called Persia with some other elders in our district. 
Downtown Denison, Iowa
One of the days we were waiting for our area to be ready we had the opportunity to go to a Gladys Knight performance in a stake center in Omaha. The Persia Elders brought a few investigators and so did pretty much every other missionary around. The music was pretty unorthodox, really peppy gospel stuff and keyboard and base guitar and stuff. The members didn't really know how to react but some of the black ones were waving their hands in the air and saying amen and stuff. On the way home from that I hit my first animal, a raccoon ran across the freeway when i was going seventy, got my heart going but I've seen the end of Simon Birch so i didn't swerve or anything.

After they got our apartment and furniture ready on Saturday we went to Dennison and started moving in we got everything settled and it's a pretty big apartment for missionary standards. The windows are all pretty drafty and there was a weird centipede in the sink one morning but other than that no wildlife yet. The gas wasn't on yet and still isn't so we have been without heat or hot water for two mornings, that's pretty fun.

We visited the Pacas family last night, they are an old husband and wife that have some grown up kids that aren't active. Brother and sister Pacas are really cool and will be the anchor for all the people we'll be converting in Dennison. It'll be hard to get anyone to church since it's so far away but we're going to work hard anyway.

I'm pretty pumped to be here even though I'm kind of in the middle of nowhere, Dennison has like 10,000 people and it's by far the biggest town for miles and miles. Me and Elder Terris get along well so far and he'll be a good trainer.
It is pretty cold in Denison!

Sorry I couldn't call more people at the Airport that card worked great and had tons of minutes but I could only call so many times and I used them all up. Christmas is coming sooner or later and I can call home then. Keep sending my mail to the address I gave for the Omaha office and they'll get it out to me.

My time is about up for this computer I'm using in the library so I'll have to sign off here. Keep us in your prayers so we can find lots of people and teach well. Till next Monday which is my new P-day, I love you all and I miss you. 

Sincerely,
Elder Jacob Harrison

"I'm going to stay at the top till I'm done with my work"

This is the last email I will send in the MTC! It's crazy to think that I'll be in Nebraska on Tuesday. Yesterday was what is called In-field Orientation which was just an entire day of learning more missionary stuff, how to find people to teach, how to work with members when we teach, what to expect in our first weeks in the field. It's all really exciting, which is an emotion I never thought I'd feel about Nebraska. Yesterday was our P-day but infield took that up so it got moved to today. Of course general conference is today General Conference so I get to do all my laundry and letter writing and all the other stuff I have to do before I leave between sessions. It'll be cool to watch general conference now that I'm more separated from the distracting things of the world than I have ever been. I'll get a lot more from hearing the words of the prophets this time around, plus I won't be watching from a couch with a blanket so it'll be easier to stay awake. 

I'm going to miss all the other Elders I got to know while I'm here, I met so many cool ones. Forgive me if I say the same things a lot when I email, my memory isn't so good. One that I think I forgot to mention was this elder I saw while walking the temple grounds I thought I recognized from somewhere. I started talking to him and it turns out he is the star of that Youtube video with the Mormon kid who just got his wisdom teeth out and was rambling about the church while on the surgery drugs. Also a little while before I got here my teachers taught someone you might know, an Elder David Archuleta heading to Chile, the teacher told us he was really humble and really kind and spoke really highly of him.

 During the infield one of the speakers told a story of how he was playing in the park with his family and he tried to throw a football over a tall pine tree but it got stuck in the top. He tried sending his seven year old son up the tree but he got up a ways and got scared so the father went up the tree after him and got him to go back down. The father climbed up to the top of the tree but couldn't find the ball. The tree was swaying a lot and he was a little worried and he thought of going back down. He was scratched and covered in sap but he realized he was already up at the top of the tree so he might as well stay up there till he found the ball. He compared the story to us being on missions. We are already out on our missions, way out of our comfort zones. What we are trying to find is more important than a ball, it's people to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is hard and it does take a little courage to stay in the tree or to just go up to people in the street or to knock on doors but I'm already at the top of the tree, I'm going to stay at the top till I'm done with my work.

 Thank you everybody for your support and for sending me letters and email, those are pretty awesome, keep them coming. I loved the big batch of letters from my family that I got the other day, I'll see if i can find the time to write back individually. I've got to go finish up some laundry and things before conference starts but I'll send another email during my first P-day in the field. Till next time, Elder Harrison.