The Twin Sons of Tatooine

August 9, 2021

Salut mes amis! 

It's been another busy week here in Merced! There was honestly a little bit of everything, and looking back it's still a blur. Lots of finding, teaching, and service - what more could you ask for! This week was also the week of interviews and it was truly a spiritually refreshing event! We met some really cool people that we are excited to start teaching, and I even had some fun opportunities to speak Spanish! 

I find it ironic that as I've redoubled my efforts to study French I've seemed to stumble into even more Spanish contacts, but being able to speak and understand Spanish is a skill that I have truly come to cherish while on my mission! There is an entirely different culture here in the Central Valley and throughout much of the US that is typically blocked by the language barrier between English and Spanish, and I love each and every little opportunity I have to cross that border and connect with more of God's children! It's so important that we learn to appreciate and respect the culture and traditions of others - diversity truly is a gift that God has given us to make this earth a more interesting and beautiful place! 

My favorite experiences from this week were the times when I felt and acted on the promptings of the Spirit. There was one instance in particular this week that I want to quickly share. As Elder Price and I were wrapping up our finding efforts for the night and preparing to bike to our next lesson for the evening, we decided to visit one last part-member family on our way to our appointment. Due to the smoke from all of the fires, the sun had taken on a red appearance - the best comparison I can make is to the sun in Tatooine from Star Wars haha As I looked over at the sun, I saw a lady outside of her car listening to music and filming the sun. Even though we didn't have a ton of time, I felt like we should talk to her so we biked up on the sidewalk next to her and started talking about the sun and the smoke and everything else. She told us she was actually from LA so we asked her what brought her to Merced and she got emotional and started to cry, it turns out that her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer and she was up here to try and spend time with her and her father. We were able to say a prayer with her and explain what we do as missionaries and she said she would like us to reach out to the missionaries where she is living! It was a really unique experience that once again reminded me that this is the Lord's work and that he truly does prepare people and put them in our path. 

Regardless of whether or not you feel confident in your ability to receive and recognize spiritual promptings, if you pray for opportunities and commit to always doing what you feel is right you will find yourself being used as an instrument in the Lord's hands to bless the lives of others! Success on a mission and in life in general really has very little to do with our own talents and abilities and everything to do with our willingness to rely on the Lord and simply give our best effort. 

My other favorite part of this week was getting to visit some older members who I can tell don't get visitors very often. It always warms my heart to see the joy that they feel in being able to share their experiences with others, and I know that even a little bit of time with them can go a long way! Ministering, especially to those who are alone is so important, please look for ways to minister to all those who stand in need - especially those who you are assigned to minister to or who you know might be struggling with loneliness. 

I love you all so much! 

Elder Jackson

(I got the sweatshirt from a service project)