Sister Carlee Jacklin: Love From Minnesota

Hi Family!!!

So I about fell out of my chair when I saw that picture!!!! :) Congratulations Zac!!!! I am so excited for you! And thank you Tay for representing me! I hope you gave him a good hard squeeze from me! :) And good luck this week Connor! I am also so excited that you get to spend Thanksgiving with Grandma and Grandpa!! Wave to me from the plane window!!

Well, I am so happy too for Cassidey Draper! Congrats on finishing the Mish! I am so glad that she was able to see so many miracles! And Sister Tingey and I were talking about Sister Beeson. Sister Tingey has a former companion that goes home the same time that Sister Beeson does. It was kind of hard thinking about the fact that Sister Beeson has a few weeks and I just started... But then I just kept telling myself that I have already come this far! The Lord going to help me go even farther!!!

Well... this week has been quite a toss up! We have been really working hard on strengthening our ward and also working with A and R on getting them ready for baptism. We have really been working hard and seeing our efforts pay off!!! I had a really weird experience too. We are working with a lady in our ward that has issues with being self reliant. She says that she wants to get out of her situation but is too scared to fail. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I thought about how you and Dad had been pushing me in the past to go for something like scholarships or a mission and how I was too scared to fail. But now that I am out, there is no room for fear. And I looked at this woman and thought, "Would I have been like her if I hadn't come out?" It was a really scary thought and I determined right then and there that whatever I did, I would finish. Fear or no fear.

We also got to teach seminary which was really fun! I actually got sick this week so I had to prop myself up with the piano when I taught them because I was pretty darn close to passing out! And I was not about to have that embarrassing experience! :) But yeah.. I got sick and then lost my voice. It is still pretty much gone. It was funny because we were teaching a woman the Restoration on her doorstep and halfway through the lesson, my voice went from partially strained to no more than a grumble. By Sunday, I was down to pretty much a whisper. I am still at a whisper... :) It was funny because when the bishop asked me to get up and bare my testimony at a youth discussion and I said okay in my tiny voice, he threw his hands up to his face and said, "Oh my goodness! That's why you've been so quiet today!!! I'm so sorry!" It was funny! But I did my best and I think the youth liked it. They remind me so much of the young women back home. :)

So, another funny story! I was totally telling Sister Tingey about Georgia Christensen! I love her!! Tell her thank you and that she has been an amazing example to me!!! :) Give her a big hug for me too! :)

But anyways! Thanks for all of your support and I am so happy that you are doing well! By the way, did you say you were sending a package? If you did, it probably got lost in the mail. If not.. my bad :) Anyways, I love you so much and even when the time gets hard and I want to go home, I won't because I know that this is where the Lord needs me! He has prepared souls for me to find and I need to be there to help them draw closer to Him!!!

I LOVE YOU!!!

Love,

Sister Carlee Jacklin