It's (not really) Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas 🎄

December 7, 2020

Bonjour tout le monde! 

It's been another wonderful (and incredibly short) week in Visalia! I can't believe I've been in the field for almost a month. It's nice to feel like I'm finally getting settled into the day to day of missionary life. 

No matter how many times I say, it still surprises me how fast time flies. All of the sudden Christmas is right around the corner! Thankfully, it hasn't gotten too cold here, but it's still pretty chilly in the mornings and at night. I can't let myself get soft, though, because I know it's gonna be a lot colder next year when I'm in Montreal! Speaking of which, I still have no news about Canada opening up, but I have faith that things will work out the way they're supposed to. I honestly forget sometimes that this isn't my original assignment; it's gonna be hard to leave when it's finally time to head north.

I had some really cool experiences this week finding new people to teach and going on exchanges (I even got to use my Spanish a little), but I'm afraid I don't have a ton of time to write, so I'll focus on just a few of the highlights.

This week I had my first zone conference/interview with my mission president, and it was an awesome experience. I really like President Gillespie. He's such an understated and mild mannered person, but his palpable wisdom and experience still command respect. Plus, he has a great sense of humor! I'm grateful to be serving under him. I feel super blessed that I've continued to be surrounded by amazing people on my mission that are both spiritually uplifting and fun to be around. 

The other highlight for me this week was the Christmas Devotional. In fact, I loved it so much that I watched it twice (once during a dinner appointment and at another appointment with a member). You'd think that it'd be difficult to stay awake the second time you watch a 75 minute devotional, but I honestly thought it was just as good, if not better, the second time around. I loved the music, the decorations, and, most importantly, the talks. While they were all very different, every talk was focused on the most important part of Christmas: our savior Jesus Christ. If I had to choose, I'd say my favorite part was the poem Elder Holland shared at the end of his talk.

It makes me sad to think that I won't be able to spend Christmas with my family this year, but I'm also excited to spend this season focused entirely on Jesus Christ and helping others come unto him. I hope you all will make an effort this year to find ways to focus more on Christ this Christmas season, whether that's through light the world or some other means. I would also invite you to watch the Christmas devotional if you haven't already (or even rewatch it) and write down the things that stood out most to you personally.

Love you all,

Elder Jackson

Exchange Power Nap

(Sorry I'll take more pictures next week)