Have Faith. Have Hope. Live Like His Son. Help Others On Their Way. Be Consistent. Please, No Empty Chairs.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

SCRIPTURE OF THE WEEK: I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. - Psalms 32:8

Dear Family and Friends,

We only have one week left in Africa. The time has flown by. What an adventure and experience this has been! I have been wanting to come to Africa my entire life, and actually being here is something that I will treasure forever. I am learning so many important lessons and something inside me is stirring. I feel strongly that my life has as purpose here. Part of that purpose is already starting.....

As I have been working closely with Your Sisters Orphanage, I have felt a strong connection to them and an urge to stay involved. Libby Bailey, the director, has asked me to be a board member of the organization! What a privilege it will be to still have my hands here in Africa even after returning home to Utah. There is so much I could tell you about how God has prepared me for this experience, but suffice it to say that I feel so grateful for the chance to continue to serve these beautiful young orphan girls for many years to come. They are my little sisters!


MIRACLE OF THE WEEK: As Matt and I were deciding what country to come to in Africa this summer, we kept being drawn to Tanzania. We never knew exactly why, but the reasons are now becoming clear.....and I have no doubt that God will continue to guide me.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Are you letting God guide you?

Have Faith. Have Hope. Live Like His Son. Help Others On Their Way.
Be Consistent. Please, No Empty Chairs.
Love,
Jaclyn

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

SCRIPTURE OF THE WEEK: 
But behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God. 
- Alma 26:11

Dear Family and Friends,

MIRACLE OF THE WEEK: It’s been two years since Matt made his first phone call to ask me out. I will never forget that phone call....And now here we are together in Tanzania, Africa having the time of our lives. The gratitude I feel right now is overwhelming. June 20, 2010 was the start of one grand adventure. I thank my Heavenly Father everyday for bringing me Matthew Scott Naegle!

Helping at Your Sisters Orphanage.

The 7 orphan girls at the foundation.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: When was your life forever changed?

Have Faith. Have Hope. Live Like His Son. Help Others On Their Way.
Be Consistent. Please, No Empty Chairs.
Love,
Jaclyn
P.S. See http://naeglefamilyforever.blogspot.com/ for more details. 


Thursday, January 19, 2012

January 4, 2012

SCRIPTURE OF THE YEAR:
Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things. 
-Doctrine and Covenants 59:7

Dear Family and Friends,

January 4, 2011

ONE YEAR! We can hardly believe that it has been one year since our wedding day. One year ago from today was the first day of our grand adventure together. We can honestly say that this past year has been one miracle after another. We are so thankful for this journey that God has placed us on. We couldn't have asked for a better first year. And this is only the beginning! We are so grateful for all of our many blessings!
 
MIRACLES OF THE YEAR:
  • We got sealed in the Salt Lake temple.
  • We spent our honeymoon on a cruise in the Caribbean.
  • We went to Disneyland together.
  • We spent time in Bear Lake with family.
  • We traveled to my mission in Spain visiting friends and converts with my parents. 
  • The Bustamante Torres family (convert family on my mission) was sealed in the Madrid temple. 
  • We went on several family trips to my grandparents' cabins in Idaho.
  • We went on a family trip to Lake Powell.
  • We traveled to Matt's mission in Ecuador visiting his friends and converts, and we also offered humanitarian service.
  • The Gonzales Paniagua family (Henry was a convert on my mission) came to Utah and got sealed in the Oquirrh Mountain temple.
  • I started graduate school and we both are having so much fun attending the same university together.
  • We went on a family cruise to Mexico.
  • Another friend from Spain, Rosemary, came to Utah to visit! 
  • Our siblings got married to each other in the Salt Lake temple. 
This is just a small list of our miracles and adventures. We want you to know that we love each and every one of you. We couldn't have done this without you. Thank your for all of your love and support. We hope that everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!




QUESTION OF THE YEAR: Have you given thanks to the Lord for the miracles that happened to you this year?
 
Have Faith. Have Hope. Live Like His Son. Help Others On Their Way.
Be Consistent. Please, No Empty Chairs.
Love,
Jaclyn and Matt

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Thursday - November 3, 2011


SCRIPTURE OF THE WEEK:  Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord: let thy loving kindness and thy truth continually preserve me.  - Psalms 40:11

Dear Family and Friends,

Okay, so I know it's Thursday and this totally misses the point of my Legacy WEDNESDAYS theme, but I Have To Blog Today!!!  Today has been so miraculous!
  • We found out that Jess gets home on Sunday instead of next Wednesday from her mission because of flooding in Bangkok. We are so excited to see her! 
  • My sweet friend from Spain, Mabel, called me.  
  • Congrats Liz and Willie for your new baby boy born today!  
The list goes on.  What a wonderful day!!!!  I can't stop smiling.  I am trying to stay calm and concentrate cuz I have a big presentation tomorrow, but I wanted to blog today to let you know how grateful I am for the many miracles that God is raining down upon our lives.

Here's an update................


First of all, it has been FOREVER since we have written.  SORRY!  The last time you heard from us was when we were in Ecuador! 

So......the end of our trip was awesome. After Manta, we visited his other areas: Quevedo, Babahoyo, Duran, and Guayaquil.  It was a full week!  I loved the adventure!  It was so much fun to see more of Matt's eternal mission friends and converts.  I could go into great detail, but suffice it to say that it was so special for both of us to be in Ecuador together.  I know that Matt's mission changed his life.  I feel honored that I was able to visit his mission with him and see how his efforts still play an eternal role in the lives of those people he touched.  And I know he felt the same way when we were in Spain!  What a blessing it has been to have shared these experiences with each other in Ecuador and Spain together this year.

September: School, School, School. That's all this month was. It was pretty hard for me to get back into the swing of school.  I'm so glad my program is only one year.  Matt and I are BOTH in school full-time, and we are also both trying to juggle work, callings, and med school requirements on top of that.  Life does not slow down!

ALSO, a huge miracle happened in September!  Henry, one of my converts from Spain, flew to Utah and was sealed to his beautiful wife and daughter in the Oquirrh Mountain Temple.  (Mabel, mentioned above, is his wife!)  My tears flowed freely and my heart sang with joy as I saw them kneel around the altar together and be sealed as a family for time and all eternity.  Having the Bustamante family sealed in April and now them..............I cannot adequately express how grateful I feel toward my Father in Heaven for allowing me the opportunity to be a part of these great miracles.  My mission continues to bless me daily!


October: This is usually my favorite month!  But this year I was so sick during October.  NO FUN!  I was miserable for several days, and I had a million papers and projects to complete despite the sickness.  Thank goodness I have such a sweet husband!  During October, Matt also went to the Moab area to do service over our "fall break."  We also celebrated our one year anniversary of becoming engaged.  So it turned out to be a great month.  Still busy with school and loving the fall season.

It's now November!  And it is starting off great.  I love the feeling in the air as we near the holidays.  Thanks for being patient as I juggle my new responsibilities with graduate school, and I'll try really hard to be better at blogging from now on.

Overall, life is wonderful.  I know that God is in our lives.  He loves each of us.  I can see miracles all around me!  MIRACLE OF THE WEEK: Simply put, God puts angels here on earth to help us through our challenges and trials. We are NEVER alone.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: When was the last time you felt God's hand in your life?

Have Faith. Have Hope. Live Like His Son. Help Others On Their Way.
Be Consistent. Please, No Empty Chairs.
Love,
Jaclyn and Matt

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Wednesday August 17, 2011

SCRIPTURE OF THE WEEK: Doctrine and Covenants 18:10

Dear Family and Friends,

What a trip this has been! Last Thursday and Friday we volunteered in the emergency room of Hospital Carlos Andrade Marin. Holy cow. We were there for 11 hours straight on Thursday and 16 on Friday. We were EXHAUSTED by the end of it. I didn't think some of the injuries I saw were even possible! At first I was honestly really dizzy to see it all, but just like when I was in the hospitals in Guatemala and taking anatomy at BYU, I got used to it. We got to help out a lot and learned so much. Matt stuck his first couple needles and did several EKG's. We saw a couple plastic surgeries of finger amputations, helped with lots of broken bones and stitches, cared for patients' needs, sewed someone's scalp back on, etc. The list goes on and on. We even helped rush people to other hospitals in the ambulance! So crazy! The first elderly lady we rushed to Mercedes Hospital. She was near dying, and let's just say I was so scared while we were going there: A. Because the driving was crazy and I was in the back trying to hold onto her and B. I was extremely hot and thought I was going to throw up or pass out. And C. I didn't want her to stop breathing! Needless to say, there were some intense moments during those two days, but Matt and I learned so much.

At the end of our hours there, I felt like we should go up to the maternity section of the hospital. We arrived just in time to see a cute little black baby girl be born by C-section. The baby was so precious! I got tears in my eyes and loved her from the very moment I saw her. She was a chub and immediately opened her eyes and was looking around. She looks just like Brynn as a baby! It was so cool to be there. I can't wait till Matt and I adopt!

On Saturday we went to La Mitad del Mundo where the Ecuator is!!! It was so awesome! It was one of the coolest things I have EVER done. We had this amazing tour where we saw how the centrifugal forces are different in the northern and southern hemispheres, as compared to right on the Ecuator. It was fascinating! Matt and his scientific nerdy mind couldn't stop thinking about it. We kept talking all about it on our bus ride back. We are excited to show you the video and tell you more.

Later that day, we flew to Guayaquil, rented a car, and drove around town and saw the temple, then found a hostal for only 9 dollars! Score! Beat that good deal, Dad! :)

The next day we woke up and drove to Salinas (about 1.5 hours away) where we went to church. That was Matt's second to last area on the mission. It is right on the cost. We visited so many of the people he taught.

Monday we also visited another family in Salinas that Matt contacted and they were later baptized. They are strong in the church and the oldest girl has her heart set on a mission in a couple years. They made us a "ceviche mixto" which is with shrimp, fish, squid, and octopus. We didn't get sick Mary! (We also ate just shrimp ceviche today from Matt's mamita, and it was AMAZING!) We also went with this family on Monday to the Chocalatera, which is the furthest tip of land on the Ecuador coast. It was so beautiful. We even saw a whale jump!

Monday late afternoon we began the pretty drive on the "Ruta del Sol." We stopped in Montanita to get a hostal right on the beach. So much fun! And Tuesday we spent the day just the two of us driving the rest of the way on the Ruta del Sol and walking on the beach.

Today we spent the day visiting Matt's friends here in Manta. Manta was Matt's last area, and it is also on the coast. Pablo was especially fun to see. He is doing really well. He will soon be 18 and is preparing for a mission, despite no support from family. His sister is a less-active member and his mom is not even a member. He actually reminded me a lot of Guya because he plays the guitar and is a really friendly and fun kid. He has even helped one of his buddies be baptized and isn't afraid to talk to others about the church.

MIRACLE OF THE WEEK: It is so neat for me to meet all these people that Matt loves. Just seeing where he served and coming to know all of these people, makes me understand my sweet husband even better and makes me love him even more. I feel so blessed that we have had the opportunity this summer to go to Spain and Ecuador. These are experiences that Matt and I will treasure forever. They are adventures that will always bind us closer.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Who in your life could you help bring closer to God?
Have Faith. Have Hope. Live Like His Son. Help Others On Their Way.
Be Consistent. Please, No Empty Chairs.
Love,
Jac

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Wednesday August 10, 2011

SCRIPTURE OF THE WEEK: Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct they paths. - Proverbs 3:5-6

Dear Family and Friends,

How are you all?! Things here in Ecuador are great. I just wanted to update you on our grand adventure. 

We arrived last Friday. Wow, that was a long trip to Dallas, Miami, and then Quito. But it was worth the cheap tickets! We found our hostal and quickly fell asleep and slept like rocks!

Now we didn't quite expect what was coming to us next.....

Before even buying tickets and coming here, we talked to a guy in Bountiful who owns an organization called Charity Anywhere Foundation. We talked to him several times by phone or email and even had contact with him shortly before coming. He told us that we could go and work in their clinic in Quito no problem. We got here thinking we would do just that. NOT THE CASE. We emailed the doctor at this clinic as soon as we arrived to let him know we were finally here and ready to start on Monday. He promptly emailed back saying basically that there was no longer a clinic in Quito (they had been closed there since May) and he thought that the guy would have told us. In Dad's famous words: WHAT YOU TALKIN ABOUT WILLIS! So as you can imagine steam started coming out my ears and I started loading my gun, but thanks to my incredible companion who has a lot more patience with people than I do, we emailed some other organizations here and pressed forward with faith that something else would work out to start on Monday.

And that´s just exactly what happened.  Miracle after miracle began to be poured out upon us. All of the following is our MIRACLE OF THE WEEK.....

On Saturday, we made our way to a small pueblo called Otavalo. What beautiful country! We went to their market and got to know the town a little bit. Matt served with an Otavalanio, so we wanted to try to find him too. We asked someone where the Mormon church was. Come to find out they have THREE church buildings there. Isn´t that wonderful! They have two stakes and hoping to get a third one soon! Amazing!  So anyway, we followed her directions and found one of the church buildings. It was open and there were people inside. We asked the women there if they knew Juan Tituana. They didn't but one of the ladies said her husband was in one of the stake presidencies and knows everybody. So we wrote down his number and called him that night. Long story short, he came to our hostal and explained how to get to the other building where Juan's ward met at nine the next day, a ward that is in Quichua not Spanish (so fun!). And this great brother wasn't even part of Juan's stake but found out for us! I love the Ecuadorian people! They go out of their way to help people. They were that way in Spain too. He didn't need to come to our hostel, he could have told us over the phone. Wow!

Another miracle: We showed up at that church building at nine the next day. Yep, Juan was there! It was a great reunion and such a surprise for him! But much to OUR surpise, we also ran into another one of Matt's mission buddies, Edwin Donoso, who is in the ward at eleven in that same building! We thought he lived in Quito, and we've been trying to get a hold of him. He was so happy to see us too! And he was so excited that we could be there that day because he was being called and set apart as the 1st counselor in the bishopric. We stayed for his ward's meetings too and went to his place afterwards to eat and spend our Sunday afternoon. It was such a miracle. Who would have thought!

From talking with Juan Tituana and Edwin Donoso, we decided to stay in Otavalo instead of heading back to Quito to search for service opportunities. These two men are amazing! They said they could help us and they did!

Juan works for MIES INFA, an organization that helps children 0-5 years old. So on Monday we spent the day with him. We taught over a hundred kids songs and dances, and we also taught the people who care for them about nutrition. It was so much fun! However, it was also heart breaking. These cute kids have hardly anything. Their toys consist of empty water bottles filled with rocks or beans. Matt and I made an inventory of their necessities and are committed in sending this organization materials when we get back. We will need all of your help!! These children need us!

After our day visiting the five different kid centers, we went to Juan's house. They were having a big party for the baby who was blessed the day before. They fed us a ton of food, which was absolutely terrible, and we did their authentic dances. To give you a good description, they just turn on a fast song and you dance around just like Kallie, which is basically just stomping your feet. And it goes on and on!!! The song never ends and they don't do anything but take fast steps! It was so outrageous and so funny! We loved experiencing the Otavalanian culture.

On Tuesday, we headed to the Red Cross (the miracle being that we saw their sign on Saturday when were just wandering around the streets; otherwise, we wouldn't have known they were in Otavalo!) We spent the afternoon there with their sister organization called Hogar de Ancianios, helping them care for the elderly and serve food at their soup kitchen. Later, we went to Peguche to hike and see their beautiful waterfalls. Ecuador is breath-taking!

Wednesday morning, we went back to the Hogar de Ancianos and also helped at the Red Cross children's program. So fun! Then we had lunch with Donoso and his family, and caught a bus to Quito.  And tomorrow we are scheduled to give service at the Hospital Carlos Andrade Marin.

For more fun facts: We are utterly enjoying the 8 big bug bites on my legs, the terrible showers that turn freezing cold and scalding hot within two seconds, the crazy taxi and bus drivers, putting our toilet paper in the garbage can and not the toilet, the million dogs everywhere without an owner, the weird food, etc.

Long email short......This week is working out just wonderfully. Instead of just giving service in one place like Charity Anywhere, we are getting experiences with Mies Infa, Hogar de Ancianos, the Red Cross, and hospitals. Our love for the Ecuadorian people keeps growing and growing. The Lord truly does know better than we do. If we think we have plans and they fall through.....not to worry because the Lord will take care of the rest as long as we put our faith into action.  We just have to trust Him. 

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: How firm is your belief that the Lord directs your paths?

Have Faith. Have Hope. Live Like His Son. Help Others On Their Way.
Be Consistent. Please, No Empty Chairs.
Love,
Jaclyn and Matt

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Wednesday July 27, 2011

SCRIPTURE OF THE WEEK:
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. - 1 John 4:7

Dear Family and Friends,

This summer has been so super busy..........from Matt's school, to teaching dance and performing, to family trips to Lake Powell and the cabin, to birthdays, to family reunions, to tending cute twins, to our callings, to me starting my graduate program, etc.  Wow, it's been hard to find time to update this blog!  But I knew I had to do it today even though it's short!

Life is just wonderful, isn't it?!  Despite how busy we can become, God still allows us to have time to grow in so many ways.  Matt and I are learning a lot of lessons this summer.  God is creating opportunities right and left for us to reach out and help others.  Love is so powerful and showing it to others should be at the center of our lives, for that is what Christ did and does.  Despite how many weaknesses I know that I have, I am still given the chance to overcome them with LOVE.  And that love is shown through the actions with myself and those around me.  Now, more than ever, I am coming to realize how much God needs me to polish myself and fine-tune my heart to love AS HE LOVES.  And it's my commitment to you today, that I will be better!  That's my MIRACLE OF THE WEEK! :)

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:  How do you show love? 

Have Faith. Have Hope. Live Like His Son. Help Others On Their Way.
Be Consistent. Please, No Empty Chairs.
Love,
Hermana Naegle