Change of Plans... ⚜️⚜️⚜️

December 13, 2021

It's been another eventful week! A lot has been happening in Moncton lately, and it is so awesome to see the Lord hastening his work! 

On Monday, we had dinner with the Maillet family, some of the French members in the ward, and one of my all-time favorite people, Deji! We got to try Donair pizza and it was actually pretty good - definitely worth a try if you ever get the chance. 

Tuesday was also made memorable by a very interesting move. Our ward has gathered some furniture for a Chilean family arriving in Moncton tonight, and we helped move said furniture into their apartment. The apartment was on the fourth and final floor of the building, and there was no elevator so, needless to say, it was some good exercise! The real reason why the move took so long though is that there was a couch that we physically couldn't t through the door. In all my times helping move as a missionary, I've honestly never had that happen. Thankfully, after unscrewing the couch's legs and removing the door, the couch finally fit. Afterwards, the Seppers, who are the best, took us to dinner at a restaurant called Swiss Chalet that was really good, so in the end I'd say it was all worth it! 

Wednesday was filled with a bunch of service (yay!) helping out with the soup kitchen in the morning, and in the afternoon we were able to help out a lady named Niki and her family! Niki was one of the referrals that we got last week, and she and her son are awesome! We helped them clean up their house, and they were super interested in learning more about our church and the Gospel. It was so awesome getting to share the story of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them; they were super engaged the whole time. They are excited to meet again soon, and they want to join us at church as soon as we can find a ride for them! 

The last thing to talk about is our friend Harold. Harold has been really enthusiastic about his baptism this past week, and there have been some really amazing experiences that have brought him to this point, but now he is struggling with some of his old doubts. We had especially amazing experiences this week helping him start researching his own family history, and it is very apparent to us that Harold has family on the other side of the veil that are eagerly awaiting the day that someone will be baptized as proxy for them in the temple. I still have faith that he is going to accept the restored Gospel, but we're going to have to slow things down. I'd really appreciate if you could all keep him in your prayers! 

While on my mission I've gained a strong testimony that there truly is opposition in all things. At first that may sound like a bad thing, but in reality it is an essential truth and I'm grateful for it. A lot of our progressing friends have been facing some serious opposition lately from poor health, family, loneliness, or doubts, and while it makes me really sad to see them struggle I have faith that they will find the peace, comfort, and reassurance they need if they continue to study the Book of Mormon and increase their faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement. Because of His matchless sacrifice, we will never have to go through our trials alone. Each of our challenges can become a blessing as they raise us up and draw us closer to our Savior. 

We also had zone conference this Saturday and it was great as always! The Fredericton Elders slept over the night before and after due to the distance traveling to Halifx and it's always so much fun to see them. During the conference, President and Sister Harkness talked about the power of faith in Jesus Christ for us and our friends and it was really powerful. To overcome the obstacles of life and make it back home to our Heavenly Father, we all must board the "family van of faith," buckle up (by making sacred promises/covenants with God), and follow the GPS (aka the Holy Ghost). No matter what obstacle we face or how lost we may feel, the solution to our problems is always faith in Jesus Christ. As we learn of Him and follow His teachings, our love for Him will grow exponentially, and we will feel our burdens become lighter as we focus more on loving Him and those around us. 

I also really enjoyed my interview with President Harkness. He gave me some great advice and also shared some unexpected news: because of Christmas the transfer is actually ending two weeks early. So this morning at 10:30 we got our transfer news and it turns out I'm going to Québec city on Wednesday! It still really hasn't sunk in yet… While I am somewhat nervous I am so excited to finally start using French and to see the beauty of Quebec City during Christmas! 

Love you all, 

Elder Jackson