A Cozy Covid Quarantine

January 10, 2022

 Bonjour!

It’s been a pretty good week! Our quarantine officially ended yesterday, and while I am certainly grateful to once again be a free man, our time in lockdown was overall a good experience. Of course, there was a lot of Facebook finding and phone calls, but it was good practice and we managed to meet a few people who are interested in meeting with us in the near future! I have truly gained a testimony on my mission that the Lord recognizes every effort we make to serve Him and those around us, and even if things don’t go exactly as we would hope He always gives us the assurance that we need in order to keep pressing forward with faith, hope, and charity.

Here is just a small list of tenders mercies from quarantine:

-The miracle of the (somehow not) expired milk: 

So last Monday we obviously couldn't leave our apartment due to the whole having Covid thing, and due to a lack of communication with the other Elders we ended up just not getting groceries last week. But don’t worry! Elder Felix and I were well stocked, and everything important seemed to last just long enough to last until pday. For example, both my toothpaste and our eggs ran out this morning. The most amazing miracle though was our milk. We started the week with the carton less than full, aaand the expiration date may or may not have been December 24… but somehow every morning when I would go to fill my cereal the milk tasted fine and it ran dry Saturday morning, a grand total of 15 days past the expiration date. We honestly felt like the widow whose oil lasted miraculously long during a famine after feeding the prophet Elijah.

- Executive A&W delivery:

One of our goals during quarantine was to call more of the members and set up video calls so we can get to know them better. I saw a family that I didn’t recognize in our records so I called them and the woman who answered passed the phone to her husband and he asked us what he can do for us. I started to explain that we were trying to get to know the members better and then he responded in perfect English “oh, you don’t know who I am?” It was at that point that my companion quietly explained that he was actually a counselor in the mission presidency… but President Ferland was actually super nice and said that he wanted to feed us! So he had us choose a fast food place (we chose A&W) and then he stopped by Wednesday during lunch and dropped food off at our apartment! We got to talk to him for a second and when I asked how he learned to speak such good English he explained that he learned while serving his mission in Louisiana. I thought learning to understand Quebecois French was wild, but I can't even imagine trying to learn English in New Orleans haha

-Not freezing to death:

I have often been amazed watching the native Quebecois here walking around in a hoodie and jeans when it’s -5 degrees outside, and every time I have asked them if they are cold they have all just shrugged and said that it wasn’t really cold; January and February are when it gets cold. Well, right on que the temperature seems to have plummeted now that we are in January haha. I was grateful we got to stay in our nice, warm apartment when I checked the weather some mornings. One day it was like -20 celsius (for reference -17 celsius is equal to 0 fahrenheit) and it said that it felt like -30 so we decided to crack open a window just to see how cold it was. As soon as Elder Felix slid open the window it felt like we had opened a freezer haha. I couldn’t help but laugh when we could suddenly see our own breath in our living room. For those of you who may be concerned after hearing that, don’t worry! As many of you know, I have a wonderful mom, and she has sent me a very warm coat so I promise I will not be freezing to death!  

The real highlight of this week, though, was easily getting to have some zoom calls with lots of members and some of our friends. One of the most remarkable things that I have noticed on my mission is just how obvious it is that the Gospel truly does bless individuals and families. When we meet with active members and get to talk with them about their experiences and their testimonies, there is such a distinct and powerful Spirit. These faithful men and women are choosing to go against societal norms as they live their religion and strive to follow their Savior Jesus Christ, and they are blessing countless lives through their love and example. As we met with these members and I reread 1 Nephi as part of our mission’s challenge to read the Book of Mormon in 90 days, I have been reminded of what Elder Bednar talked about in his most recent conference talk that as it says in 1 Nephi 14:14 that in the latter days those who choose to make and keep covenants with God will be “armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.” I am so grateful to be a member of this church, and I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have to share this light with others as I help them make and keep covenants with their Heavenly Father!

Love you all,

Elder Jackson