It's beginning to look a lot like...

November 29, 2021

Joyeux Noël! 

Well as of today, it is officially starting to look a lot like Christmas! I will readily admit that Christmas is my favorite holiday - it really is the most wonderful time of the year! And this year, I am really excited for Light the World (which is basically a Christmas initiative our church creates each year). I haven't always been the best at participating in it in the past, but I know that the Spirit of Christmas (aka the Holy Ghost) is so real during this time of year and I am very excited to help share it with others! As part of Light the World, we are going to be focusing on teaching our friends and members about the true meaning of Christmas, and I have a feeling it will bring some powerful experiences. 

Overall, this week was pretty fun! To talk about some of the highlights I'll have to rewind all the way to last Monday night - back when we had a rain storm rather than a snow storm. We were able to drive out to a place about 45 minutes away, called Port Elgin, that is just south of Prince Edward Island. We got to have dinner with the Lee Wen family, and it was honestly one of my favorite member meals I've had on the mission! They have six kids, just like my family, and they were all super fun to get to know. We sat around the table and talked together and there was a lot of energy but also some really good conversations, they are an awesome family! 

They are actually a part of the Amherst branch which we cover mostly virtually and it seems like they have been less active in the church the last few years. The branch president (leader of the local congregation) told us he felt like we should reach out to them so we did and it has definitely been inspired! We have had some good discussions with Brother Lee Wen over the phone the past few weeks and it was awesome to finally get to meet him and his family in person! They told us that their house is pretty much haunted and that they have some spooky stuff going on, so at the end we got to dedicate their home. The only other time I've dedicated a home was our apartment here in Moncton, but I said the prayer and it was another cool experience. The power of the priesthood is so real! 

The next highlight would probably have to be having dinner Tuesday night with Melissa, Nick, and their cute twins! Some of you might remember that they came to church a few weeks back and we were also able to help them move to their new apartment, and it was so great to see them again! Of course, being a twin myself I have a soft-spot for twins and their sons are great. They watched Backyardigans (I honestly can't remember if that's how you spell it) for all of dinner which was one of my favorite shows growing up so that was a really fun nostalgic moment. I also got to bond with Melissa and Nick over some shared nerdy interests, and Nick even gave me and Elder Eich some Magic the Gathering cards (a trading card game) named "Tireless Missionaries" haha. It seems like we're a pretty decent card! 

The last fun highlight I want to share was getting to have exchanges with the Elders in Saint John on Thursday! We had district council in person here in Moncton and any time we get to meet with other missionaries in person is always a treat. We didn't end up having a proper Thanksgiving meal, but we did get to tease the Canadian Elders in our district and share some apple/pumpkin pies. We were with Elder Harris and Elder Greep, who are both awesome missionaries that are still relatively young in the mission. Elder Harris being in training and Elder Greep only being out for about six months. I was with Elder Greep and we had a great heart to heart and I feel like I really learned a lot from him about loving this work and the people we serve! It's crazy to see so many missionaries who I admired and learned from finishing their missions, and it's so cool to see the next generation of missionaries already coming to take their place. This truly is a marvelous work and a wonder! 

There were in all honesty some ups and downs with our friends that we're teaching this week, but we also received a number of very promising referrals, and it has once again been a reminder of the reality that this is the Lord's work. As long as we are diligent and striving to do everything in our power to fulfill our purpose, the Lord's grace will do the rest and we will truly witness miracles. 

Love you all, 

Elder Jackson