Return With Honor

Six months ago I left on a mission, to the Illinois Chicago West Mission, were I learned and grew in the spirit of Christ and his teachings... my testimony of my mission grew as I walked out the door each day. It grew with everyone I came in contact with. It grew with every moment I got down on my knees and asked inspired questions and then went searching for the answers in a book, a book that answers questions of the soul a book filled with truth... a book called The Book of Mormon. I invite all to read, The Book of Mormon and find answers to your questions that you have, as I tell you about my new mission in life...

On Monday the 21 of January I received a phone call from my doctor who removed the growth on the side of my head. He informed me that what he removed was not what they thought it was .... I have sarcoma. Sarcoma is a cancer of the soft tissue and muscle.... Yes, I have cancer. When President Griffin found out about what it was, he had a plane ride home, for me the next day. On January 22, 2017 I boarded a plane to Salt Lake airport on my return home...

Yes I'm home, and yes my mission was short. But my mission blessed me and my family and all I came in contact with in just that short of time... 6th months to be exact. My new mission shall be a blessing. A blessing of learning and growth a blessing of sacrifice and a blessing of patience. God has prepared me for this time.... like he prepared me for the people of Chicago...

I am not fearful but I am anxious. I do ask one thing ... DO NOT BE SORRY FOR ME... EVER!!! At this time I need encouragement and strength... I need and army behind my back. The same army I had when I left for my mission... the Lord loves us and blesses us and he is blessing me at this time.

I want to bear you my testimony that I know that the church is TRUE and that it can bless all those who SEEK to know its truth. I know that Joseph Smith, a 14 year old boy had the faith enough to ask one simple question to bring us a wonderful knowledge of the gospel. I know that we have a living prophet today who holds that authority to lead and guide the church of Christ. I know that The Book of Mormon can answer inspired questions. I know that the Lord gives us no challenge to hard that we can not finish... I know the gospel is true and how great it is. Doubt not, Fear not, for the Lord is with us always...

Love,
Levi

January 23, 2017 Heavenly Father Loves Us All

Mathew 15

14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

Wow what truth is this, I came across this verse of scripture when I was doing my personal study and this one hit me hard.

There was times when I was walking blind and I tried to lead and all I did was fall in the ditch... But there always a way to receive your sight and that is by using he atonement...

That verse of scripture reminded me of a story that one of my teachers told me:

Two friends were walking down the street and they noticed signs all over the place saying warning , turn back, go no further, danger. We'll one friend thought it would be fine to continue on but the other said that he would do as the signs says and he turned back...

Well the one friend was angry so he hurried on past the signs and may I add he was going in "blind" to what ever lie a head well it soon got to be dark and he couldn't see and the next thing he knew he had fallen into a hole. Now this man tried and tried again to climb out and he couldn't and he soon started to give up. But a little light gave him the chance to look up and see what was above him. He saw a doctor walk by and asked if he could help him and the doctor wrote a prescription and threw it down to him and continued to walk on... Mad at the doctor he didn't even bother looking at the piece of paper... He decide to continue asking people for help and as a Reverend of a church walked by he called to him saying father help me and the Reverend looked down wrote a blessing and through it down to him and  walked on ... Now this man was mad real mad and didn't know what else to do and may I add he remembered what his mother always taught him was to pray and so this man prayed for help and then he decided to look up and call out for help one more time we'll the is time he saw his friend and said Joe please help me and Joe said he would and jumped down in the hole with him now the man was confused and a little upset he looked at his friend and said thanks for the help and Joe said no problem and the man said well now I guess both of us are stuck and Joe looked at him and said no... I have been here before and I know the way out then Joe picked up the blessing and prescription and showed him that both showed him the way out but he was to focused on getting out that he was to blind to see that they were trying to help him....

Now this story has A lot of meaning to me a lot more now because of a lesson that Elder FIA and I gave to a bunch of kids at the Malley family's home.(Brother Malley is our ward mission leader). We had 10 people at this lesson and we had m and Ms and we went around and offered a piece of candy to all of them and if they excepted then I would have to do ten push-ups but if they rejected the candy I still would have to do 10 push-ups... Now as we aloud them to eat there candy and enjoy watching me doing 105 push-ups (Elder FIA made me do extra on one of them) they were all wondering why I was doing them then when I was done we mentioned to them that what I did represented the atonement. Christ did the atonement so that we can use it and he gave us the way to get back to our father in heaven but sometimes we do not partake of it but he still suffered for our sins and that it will always be there when we are ready to use it. The same with the story the man was given warning signs to turn back but he then fell and when he asked for help he didn't use it until he was ready and now he know that there will always be help to get back on top and join our love ones and our heavenly father. What a cool experience I was given!!!

God Is Our Loving Heavenly Father

"God is our Heavenly Father. We are His children. He has a body of flesh and bone that is glorified and perfected. He loves us. He weeps with us when we suffer and rejoices when we do what is right. He wants to communicate with us, and we can communicate with Him through sincere prayer." (preach my gospel   lesson 1)

God is our loving Heavenly Father and he does want to communicate with us every day. He does want to see the best in us and wants to know how we are doing. I have probably taken that one for granted when i was at home but I am now learning that my heavenly father enjoys communicating with me and he loves to help me when I need it. I have learned to always ask inspired questions during my prayer and as I go searching the scriptures I have found I always find an answer and it is amazing to see the love he has for me. I invite all of you to ask inspired questions when you say your prayers and do it with real intent meaning you will act on the message you will receive and if you do so I promise that the Lord will show his love for you and you will grow to him a whole lot more and I can testify of that...

Well this week has been very interesting we had a visit by our neighbors dog Bella she is a funny little puppy and we have grown to love each other... Her owner Josephine is a widower and she is 60+ and she is a wonderful lady. We take Bella for walks for her because she has a very bad case of bronchitis and will probably soon have to go to the hospital we keep her in our prayers and we always find ways to help her in any way.... She has been through a lot but she always knows when it is time to help others out, even me and Elder Fia and now it is our turn to help her... I've come to love her and Bella.

Well we also have been doing some teaching preaching and testifying of Jesus Christ as well and I'm loving it...  We do get fed a lot of food and if I haven't mention it a lot of it is foreign like we had some noodles that was like eating hair and it was so weird to put it in your mouth talk about #hairballoverload.  But it taste so good and Elder Fias cooking is so wonderful. Let's just say we work we teach we eat and we workout and it is wonderful... 

I am so grateful for this week it has been a blast. 

Pictures. 

1. And 2. Bella the pup needs a bath and a walk every day

3 my district they are all wonderful

4 sword of truth  rather better let us touch his precious 

5 and 6 tracking

6 Bella decided to join us for lunch

7went to a members home and he hand makes these train track city things haha

Elder Vickers -Jacklin

Elder Vickers-Jacklin, Sister Diaz, Sister, Elder Larsen, Sister Vescovi, Elder Lieo, 

Sister Green, and Elder Fia

Some Photos might Not be Suitable for Young Children and Queezy Stomaches

Well let's just say that this week was a little different from what people would expect to hear from a missionary.

Well did you know that you can still preach the gospel if you are higher than a kite. The answer is yes... For all that didn't hear I had a subatious cyst growing on the side of my head and I went and had surgery to get ride of it... It was a little weird doing all this by yourself and not having any of you family there with you. Just your district leader. We'll as I was out I apparently taught the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the doctors and the nurses and I'm pretty sure that they were all confused cause I got some pretty weird questions asked to me by the doctor like who's Joseph Smith and what is the priesthood. ... I really don't know how I answered at that time because I was a little loopy and don't really remember much ... Well did you know you tend to break a lot of mission rules when you are drugged up let's say I'm sorry Elder Larsen for that horrid time... Well there's nothing really special I have learned this week other than the gospel will still be taught even when you ARE  high  tell next time love ya all

Love ,

Elder Vickers -Jacklin

Pictures of surgery day...

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Define Charity.....Joliet Illinois

How would you define charity?

The life of the Savior reflects His pure love for all people. He even gave His life for us. Charity is that pure love which our Savior Jesus Christ has. He has commanded us to love one another as He loves us. The scriptures tell us that charity comes from a pure heart (see 1 Timothy 1:5). We have pure love when, from the heart, we show genuine concern and compassion for all our brothers and sisters.

President Thomas S. Monson reminded us that there are those who need more than material goods:

“Let us ask ourselves the questions: ‘Have I done any good in the world today? Have I helped anyone in need?’ [Hymns, no. 223]. What a formula for happiness! What a prescription for contentment, for inner peace—to have inspired gratitude in another human being.

“Our opportunities to give of ourselves are indeed limitless, but they are also perishable. There are hearts to gladden. There are kind words to say. There are gifts to be given. There are deeds to be done. There are souls to be saved” (in Conference Report, Oct. 2001, 72; or Ensign, Nov. 2001, 60).

For this past week I have been blessed to be able to move to a new ward the Joliet first ward. The people here know the word (charity). The first day in my new area brother Ranchero was there for me and elder Fia. He took us around and showed us the boundaries to our area and then took us to lunch. Brother Ranchero has a son serving on a mission, so being around the missionary's and serving with them is a way of his gratitude for what us as missionary's do. I love brother Ranchero. There isn't a day that goes by that he is not keeping us on his mind. Every other week he takes us to out to eat. 

So the apartment we live in is pretty cold there is no working heater and brother Ranchero found out about that and has now offered us to go live in his house. We contacted president but have not heard back yet. We are praying for it.

Now there is another person who has taken the role of being the mission mom. Her name is sister Abeene. She feeds us every Thursday and she makes sure that we have everything we need. She too found out that we have no heat and sent her son out to Walmart to get us a space heater not only did she get us one but she got us two of them. She always has a inspirational quote or saying each time we are there. A lot of the time it's what I needed to hear. 

Now a lot of you might ask well what about mama Tammi? mama Tammi is still my missionary mom. She will always be, but sister Abeene wants the chance to share with the missionaries what mama Tammi got to skate with me.  And that is charity. 

Charity Is the Greatest of All Virtues

The prophet Mormon tells us, “Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—but charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever” (Moroni 7:46–47; see also 1 Corinthians 13; 2 Nephi 26:30; Moroni 7:44–45, 48).

What mama Tammi and so many others are doing for me will always be in my heart for there love of Christ is shining forth and is blessing be and many after me. They are lighting the world in my eyes [#LighttheWorld] 

My week has been full of many blessings and I feel as if I got to cared away with thinking of myself and not of others.  If I would of taken the time to think of what others are doing and what they have done for me I would of seen the blessings a lot earlier then now.  I think I'm still learning how to be humble ️. 

What a great day and a great start to a new year to already be learning something I like that I like that a lot. 

Elder Fia taught me a great lesson this Week. We are at a members home and we were talking to the boys about what sports they played and after we talked about that for a bit one of the boys asked me what sports I played. I briefly said football, baseball and I ran track. Then I was like but you wouldn't be interested in that my companion on the other hand you will enjoy, he plays rugby. Elder Fia went on to tell them about rugby and after we left elder Fia told me to take pride in what I did when I was at home and share my experience don't boast but take pride and that was it.

That experience reminded me about a story in the book of Mormon about Captain Moroni he took pride in his duty as captain but as well as in his religion. If you all remember captors Moroni food not like going to war he did not like shedding peoples blood but only wanted peace, but due to the Laminite leader Moroni had to go into battle but he went with the Lord for his religion and his freedom for his family and for his God, if you remember that's what he put on his coat that he fastened to a pole and took it and cared it to battles with him so that they always remember that the Lord was with them thanks to elder Fia I learned a great lesson for the week. 

There has been a couple pains this week my uncle Jay and a great friend/boss Will Wolfley passed away. What a blessing it is to know that death is not the end and the grave is not the resting place.  What blessing it is to know the plan of salvation and know where we came from, know our purpose, and know where we will go in the next life.  And what a blessing to be able to share that message with other people here in Illinois.  We only have a short while to prepare before God calls us home but we have eternity to be with our love ones and what a great message to share. 

I want to thank my friend Zach for being a great example to all of us he had the opportunity to go home for the holidays to spend time with his dad Before his passing but he left a promise to us all I will be back to continue to fulfill my mission. He has done so and now he has a greater knowledge of the Saviors love.  Way to go Zach, the mission field is glad to have you back. 

Other then that there is nothing really to say. I'm getting used to the city of Joliet now common in slow but it's coming.  I get fed a lot and work out a ton.  I got the wonderful experience to go to dinner with the Streeter family they took four of us elders to Lunesta steak house made our night a special one.  We have done a lot of finding this week and even though it's been cold we have been enjoying it.

HOW GREAT IS MY CALLING!!!

I LOVE YOU ALL 

Elder Vickers -Jacklin

Transfer Time has Come, January 2, 2017

Hey everyone well things have changed a lot sense I got t call home. I a now in a new area ....Joliet 1st north ward it's a lot different from being in the corn. My new companion is Elder Fia he's is from Tonga. So our planner is in tongin.... it's so confusing but I'm figuring it out. So we white washed the Joliet area which means that the elders who served in the area before us will leave the area and two new elders come in and have no clue of what the area is like.... so we are lost. Well we are in a car share with the district leaders and I am now the designated driver. The car we we have is a Ford Escape and that car has too many buttons and is very touchy I do not like it but it's better then walking everywhere. We get fed alot in this area and my companion can down food like a king. We went to lunch with brother Ranchero and Elder Fia downed twelve plans of food at Golden corral. Let's just say it amazing because he does that at every meal and he still looks like Elder Zachary Jacklin.  He loves chicken we have that with every meal it feels like. I a back into a ward now and it's a little bit different having three hours of church again and not having church in the dentist office and only have twelve members who come regularly.

I d miss mamma Tammi but I plan on seeing that family again so I am not to worried. I a ready to serve in the Joliet area even if it means starting over on getting settled in.

Thank you all for the letters and such that you sent it means a lot to me and I hope your Christmas season and new year was swell.

I hope you saw the light of Christ in this Christmas because I sure did. Let's try and keep the light of Christ throughout this year now.

New poem 

Mission

We take a break from everyday life to invite others to come unto Christ

Not knowing what in pack we will have on someone's else's life.

We leave home showing courage that we can stand as witnesses of the truth

Not knowing that someone has been waiting for this time sense they were a youth

We leave behind all personal affairs so that we can share a message that is full of light

Not knowing that someone has been in darkness and is now receiving their sight

We leave behind loved ones so that we can bring others into the fold

Not knowing that we are full filling promises of old

We travel afar in distance lands to say

Not knowing that struggles will come our way

We plan our days we plan our weeks

Not knowing that blessings will come so dry that tears on your cheek

We have prepared all of our life to be able to stand 

As witnesses of Christ and to be his right hand man

So put on a smile and raise your voice 

Because we all know one thing he is the great I am 

Put on the full armour of God and show our might 

Because tomorrow many blessings will come so always keep him in sight 

Put on the full armour of God and show our might 

Because tomorrow many blessings will come so always keep him in sight 

Ofa  atu which means I love you in Tonga 

Elder Vickers -Jacklin

1. Me and Elder Fia

2. New area

3 and 4 new car

5 me and my wonderful self

6 amber and I  (mama Tammi's daughter)

7 mamma Tammi and I

8 sister Morris and I

9 Whatcott family and I 

December 19, 2016

Well it's almost time Christmas time,
 well it's going to be a little different but I can't wait to see some familiar faces when I call.

So this week has been really slow we haven't really been able to go out much because we have been receiving cold article winds. And we have been I  the negatives... but also it's because we have the Christmas season and no one is home. What's with that....

But the days we did go out it was umber cold like way cold like suicide cold but still very interesting. I d go on exchanges this week and have a cool story but I will save that for Sunday love ya all and have a Merry Christmas!!!!

First picture me at the food pantry

the second one is at the food pantry on exchanges

the other picture I don't know who those people are but they are cool and they both play piano really well.

last one is Brother Mercer

Elder Vickers -Jacklin