First (Practice) Teaching Session and Finally Getting my Reassignment!

October 10, 2020

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I'm finally finished with my first full week in the MTC, and it was every bit as awesome as the first one! I can't wait to look back and see how much I've grown by the end of these six weeks. I can already tell that the hours I've spent in class and studying have brought me closer to Christ - I've never felt the spirit this often in my entire life! 

Speaking of coming unto Christ, how are you all doing with my invitation to develop a specific Christ-like attribute? You see, one of the things we focused on this week was following up on invitations, so this is my attempt to put those teachings into action! But in all seriousness, I know that I've really felt the Lord helping me as I've striven to be more humble and that he will help you to improve yourself too if you ask him!

We had lots of awesome lessons, discussions, and teaching opportunities this week, but the ones that stood out most to me were all about one thing - Jesus Christ and his atonement. I can firmly say that the atonement is my favorite subject in the entire gospel. Nothing else demonstrates the Savior's love for each of us quite as clearly or invites the spirit quite as strongly as talking about what He went through to ensure we could live with him again. I'd like to invite all of you to watch or even re-watch an amazing talk about the atonement called, "His Grace is Sufficient" by Brad Wilcox. Elder Fairchild suggested that we watch it for companionship study and I honestly can't thank him enough for doing so, just another reason why I'm so grateful to have him as my companion!

We had our first teaching appointment through the TRC this week (which is basically just a way for missionaries to practice teaching), and we taught a woman named Melanie who wanted to know more about God and her relationship with him. Things got off to a bit of a rough start when Melanie told us that she had trouble seeing God as our loving Heavenly Father because she felt like he had never answered her prayers when she was younger, and our entire lesson plan had revolved around that same idea. We tried asking more questions to try and see where we should steer the lesson until, as we were nearing the end of our teaching time, I decided to use the oldest tool in the missionary handbook: testimony. I shared John 3:16 and Alma 7:11-12 before testifying that I personally know God loves each of us because he sent his only begotten Son to the earth to suffer and die so that we can one day live with him again, and that our Savior, Jesus Christ, knows what she's going through and he will ease her burdens if she asks him for help. I invited her to pray to God and ask to feel his love for her, and, with that, the lesson was over. We were both pretty nervous since Melanie showed pretty much no emotion the entire lesson, but when we got our feedback it was actually very positive! The moral of the story is that the atonement is real, and that the spirit it invites is palpable. 

I want to bear my testimony once again that God and Jesus Christ really do know and love each of us. I know that if you use the greatest gift the Savior has given us, his atonement, it will change your life. Not only can he lift the burden of sin that weighs us down, he can help us overcome the various challenges in our lives, and enable us to be better people than we ever could be on our own. All that he asks of us is that we come unto him!

The last thing I'll share is a very exciting piece of news: I finally got my reassignment! I will be serving in the (pause for dramatic effect) California Fresno mission!!! This call has blown my mind for a number of reasons. I'll start by saying that Elder Allred from my district has also been reassigned there, and I am so grateful for that! Elder Allred is an amazing missionary, and I'm so grateful we can travel and hopefully serve together in Fresno! My good friend Elder Dallin Hall is already serving there, and I can't wait to see him again! To top everything off, our family friends the Madsens live right next to Fresno in Clovis California, and the craziest thing is that Elder Allred actually grew up in Fresno - and he even knows the Madsens too! The Lord works in mysterious ways, but I know that I'm going exactly where I'm supposed to serve!

Love you all,

Elder Jackson

Photos: My Amazing District and Pickleball with the Fam