Hello Everyone!!

It was a great week in the mission field and I am so thankful for all the birthday wishes! It was a great week and I loved every second. Its awesome too because I am the first Sister ever in the MJM to have a 21st birthday!! Age change is history in the making. But the Bday was great.

On Tuesday we were able to do some service for a Memember in the ward and when we arrived at her house her neighbor was out talking to her and we gave a BOM to him. Well he was very interested he has never ever met Mormons before and he wanted to know what we were all about. We taught him the restoration and it went great! He kept saying, "Man what are ya'll doing to me? Now I'm going to go home and throw away all my beer cause ya'll picked me." We kept telling him it's the spirit he is feeling and we didn't pick him Heavenly Father did. He was determined to read the BOM and I pray he does we meet him again this week for lesson 2! We were able to see Sister Barlow again:) I love that woman we sang to her mother and had lunch with her. She is the cutest lady and has such a sweet spirit about her.

Wednesday--our district went to Margaritjas to eat for lunch....no one told me but apparently they smack a pie in your face for your birthday!! All of a sudden people were singing to me and then someone wips pie stuff on my face...I looke over like, "what the heck?" Then Mapu decided that wasn't a good enough of a pie in the face so she grabbed the pie and smashed it in my face!! Yep lunch was great Wednesday haha I love the Missionaries I am serving with.

Thursday we were able to give a lesson to L. .and discover by the end of the lesson that she had baby chicken in her house! Mapu freaked out haha she has never held a chicken before so she had to get a picture! They were so cute--We love going to visit with L. . . you can see her faith growing and I pray that we meet with her again this week. Not only did we get to see Lorie Thursday but we also got to see and teach C. . . as well!! I love C. . .  I know that even after the Mission she is going to be a dear friend to me. She has such a kind heart and she loves God with everything she has. She goes to college and lives in this "mini house" alone. It's the cutest thing!! We got to her house and she had cooked us up some apple crisp. We sat at her little counter and had fun talking before the lesson. Well during the lesson she was taking notes! It was amazing she had really great questions too. She calls us her Sista Sista's haha it's hillarious--we love going to visit and teach C. . .!

Then Saturday the big 21 was amazing! I really like Poly food haha so Mapu made spam, rice, and eggs for the morning!! Just so you know...I will know how to cook rice and make all these things for my children they are soo good!! I promise--don't judge till you've tried. Then she decorated our study room it was adorable! Made my day--Then not only that but I get a great phone call from Sister O. . . and she said that my bday package came!! I was so excited we got ready as fast as we could and went to pick it up! The package was perfect and I couldn't be more blessed. I loved my Quilt, Dress, and Scriptures!! it was all perfect!! The quilt was amazing!! Made the other missionaries jealous haha but Sister Mapu was so happy to get the Katherine Nelson CD! We didn't even see it until I was cleaning up down stairs and going through the box and lo behold there is one more adorable present wrapped. I loved how the presents were wrapped! It made my bday that more special:) THANK YOU for all you do!! I was reading in Alma 24: 7-10 the Anti-Nephi-Lehi's thanks their great god over and over again. That's how I felt all day--I kept thanking Heavenly Father for blessing me with everybody in my life. I love you all so much and I am so thankful--I called my birthday my thank day because I was so overwhemled with gratitude it was ridiculous!

We went to go visit D. . .C. . . .--she lives in this beautiful huge house!! It reminds me of a movie. Her husband is the stake patriarch and she doesn't come to church a lot because she can't make it out of the house sometimes. But anyways while we were visiting her I had to go to the bathroom....yep so I did..then the moment I get in there (in this huge house..i'm already amazed and slightly spooked out) the power in the house goes out!! Then I hear her yell it's not your fault--Mapu came rushing down the hall and I darted out of the bathroom as fast as I could haha I was so spooked out!! It was really funny. But it was fun just to sit down and talk with her. She needs visits. She told us about how her and Doc met apparently he knew he loved her when he was a sophmore in high school.. and they were high school sweethearts!! To this day he looks at her like she is the world and it made me just about cry and I couldn't stop smiling. They say that she is his ears and he is her eyes. I loved it--its a precious relationship they have and it's something I hope to have someday. After the C. . . . house we went to the O. . . .house to have the party!! It was fun--she made this rice casserole that Mom always makes, mom's rolls, and mom's chocolate cake! It was perfect haha everyone was looking at the casserol weird at first and wondered why I liked it. Then when they tasted it everyone was going back for seconds and everyone had like four rolls it was great! The cake was the best...Even Elder Green (who apparently doesn't like chocolate) admitted he liked the cake. They sang to me all three vs of our family Birthday song and I was so happy! Elder Milligan had to write down the vs. on a napkin so no one would forget. The three little girls in this family make me smile and brighten my day. They have a baby brother too--but just watching this family brought home to me and it was a huge blessing. I can't thank my Heavenly Father enough for sending me here. I am so thankful for the chance I have to be here and I know without a doubt that Mississippi was the perfect place for me to get called to. It was a perfect birthday and I was able to celebrate it with amazing people that I know I will always be friends with.

It's starting to warm up a bit and I can tell! I'm really nervous for summer and all the bugs....people talk about Cockroach's all the time...and I was actually going to see one for the first time the other day while we were visiting someone but Mapu killed it before I had the chance! I'm already really creeped out by the little buggers...and I know I will scream the day I see one crawl over my shoe or something. They are creepy! I'll get used to it I'm hoping. I'm also trying to get used to spicy foods haha on my taco the other day I thought I was amazing when I put a package of hot sauce all over it....then Mapu had me taste hers....yep my mouth was on fire! I just am not a big fan of really spicy foods--but I am getting used to it.

I love my new scriptures!! It's amazing I can open the Bible and BOM at the same time and compare, find, cross reference, all at once! I love it! I spent a long time just marking my favorite scriptures in them last night and I just want you to know at how much I love the Book of Mormon!! Its amazing---it's true and there is no doubt in my mind about it. I love the prophets in the BOM and I know they wrote everything by their own hand and that it is all truth!! God's plan is perfect and the doctorine of Jesus Christ is plain and precious. I love this gospel with all my heart---If you are truley converted you will never fall away!! Alma 23:6 "As many of the Lamanites as believed in their preachings, and were converted unto the Lord, never did fall away." I love it--I am so thankful for my Savior Jesus Christ and I know through him we can do all things. Thank you all so much for your love and support. Thank you for making this so special to me! Have a great week and good luck!

Sincerely Sister Jenkins