The Marvelous Work in Merced

June 14, 2021

Salut!

And just like that the first week of the transfer is over! As per usual, a lot has happened, but I guess I'll just start off by explaining a little bit more what Merced is like. To my disappointment, Merced is not really in the mountains, but, hey, at least I can still see them! It turns out that Merced is super green! There are trees everywhere and, all in all, it seems like a really nice place to live. Just a quiet college town with a population of about 80,000. My companion, Elder Priestley, and I cover most of the city and we do so on bikes which has honestly been a ton of fun! Biking, like running, will always be a love hate relationship, but (just like running) I will begrudgingly admit that, deep down, I really do love it. Just maybe not when you're running late for an appointment that lives 20 minutes away haha I guess my only complaint about Merced so far is how hot it is, but honestly that’s just how summer is in the Central Valley. Apparently, it’s supposed to get up to 113 degrees this week, so wish me luck!

Another thing that makes Merced remind me of Visalia is that I live in an apartment with four Elders, and my roommates are, once again, the zone leaders. Their names are Elder Pullen and Elder Greene and they are great! So far, the four of us have had a pretty fun time. I already knew Elder Priestley from my time in Visalia and Elder Pullen was actually one of the assistants that picked me up from the airport, so it’s been really cool actually getting to live with them. I’ve really enjoyed my first week with Elder Priestley and I’m super excited to keep serving with him. They are all great missionaries and I’m super grateful to be living with all of them!

As you probably all know by now, I love service, and, thankfully, this week there were still quite a few fun service opportunities! On Thursday we woke up early and went over to the Salvation Army and we had the chance to help feed the homeless! We also had an impromptu service opportunity when our roommates got an emergency call from the local Habitat for Humanity asking for help moving a piano since pretty much all of their employees are too old to be doing that kind of stuff. With all of the craziness and animosity that seems so prevalent these days, it's great to see some of the things people still do out of the goodness of their hearts. Service really is a blessing for everyone involved, and I would definitely encourage all of you to look for more ways to serve this week in your families and also in the community. I know personally that trying to find service opportunities can seem daunting, but I’ve learned that if you look they will be there! Thankfully, there are lots of great tools like the Church’s website Just Serve or pretty much any social media platform. You’d be surprised how much a quick google or Facebook search can pull up! One last note on the topic of service, don’t be afraid to let others serve you. In every area I've served people have always been hesitant to accept service, but I want you to know that it really is a service to let others serve you! 

Elder Priestley and I have spent a lot of time this week just walking around the area trying to meet people, as missionaries do, and this week while we were walking around the park we had a pretty random, fun experience. We walked up to a pavilion and we just happened to stumble upon a small group of gentlemen playing chess who informed us that they are part of the Merced Chess club and actually invited us to play! They whipped out another mat and some pieces and next thing I knew Elder Priestley and I were having an epic chess showdown. I definitely felt rusty, but it was a blast! It was a good match, but I'm happy to say that in the end I was victorious. 

Something that I really love about the Central Valley that people might not realize is how diverse it is. There are lots of different ethnicities and cultures, but if you’re like me you’ve probably never heard anything about Hmong culture. They have an amazing history that is somewhat daunting to even try to summarize, but basically they are a people who migrated from China to Laos and the rest of Southeast Asia. They were recruited by the CIA during the Vietnam War to combat the viet cong in Laos which, as you might have guessed, didn't go over well after the war. The US evacuated many of the Hmong supporters before they pulled out of the war entirely, but many more were forced to flee to Thailand and Myanmar on foot. I am telling you all this because this Saturday I had dinner with the Thao family in our ward who are Hmong, and Brother Hmong told us his story of walking to Thailand when he was only 6 years old. He then told us about his conversion story, and he bore such a powerful testimony of an experience he had right before he was baptized. Brother Thao explained that the Hmong people are part of the 10 Lost Tribes of Israel and told us all sorts of crazy parallels between their culture and things in the Law of Moses that prove it. Hmong people are some of the kindest and most generous people I've ever met, and I want you guys to know about their story partly so that you can better appreciate their culture and also because their story shows that God truly is mindful of his people and that he never breaks his promises. The Restoration means even more when you realize that God has revealed his Gospel so that he can bless all of his children, and one of the greatest gifts he has given us is the Book of Mormon! I've seen throughout my life and on my mission just how important it is to use that amazing gift. It is so amazing to me that we can all be a part of the amazing work that God is performing in gathering his people and honoring his covenants. 

Love you all, 

Elder Jackson