The Finale

Bonjour!

I’m somewhat at a loss for words realizing that this is my last email as a missionary. It feels like just yesterday I was biking around Visalia, California with my trainer and contemplating how long two years really is. It seemed like such a long time then, but now looking back I’m not entirely sure where the time has gone. It felt like my mission would never end, and even now I still have that same feeling. It’s all way too surreal, but I find comfort in knowing that my mission never will truly end. I may have to take off my tag, but I know that my purpose after my mission will stay the same and that I will keep the things that matter most to me: the relationships I’ve developed and the testimony I’ve grown. 

I have loved my mission, and I’m excited for what comes next. 

I have quite a bit of stuff to do today to be ready to head home, so here is a quick summary of the highlights of this week and then I’ll share some of the thoughts and feelings I’ve had recently.

We had another good, busy week. We had two more exchanges; the first was with the Saint-Luc Elders where I was with Elder Madsen and the second was with the Mont-Saint-Hilaire Elders and I was with Elder Pruett. The exchange with Elder Madsen was pretty memorable since we pretty much only spoke in French, and during both exchanges there were spiritual experiences and instances where we could see the Lord’s hand in this work. 

We weren’t able to get a full house at church as I had hoped, but our friend Stanislas who is on date for baptism came and it was wonderful to see him participate in our Elders Quorum class and begin to develop new friendships. He also got to watch as we gave a blessing to a single sister with a member of the Elder’s Quorum presidency. My mission has given me many opportunities to give blessings and that is something that I will always be grateful for. After that we had a lesson with Stanislas and Frere Plouffe about the word of wisdom and it all went really well! I look forward to watching Stanislas’s baptism on September 3rd!

The craziest thing that happened this week though was actually learned about something that happened a few months ago. Back in May, I went on an exchange with my incredible MTC companion Elder Fairchild. It was a dream come true, and during our morning street contacting we were able to meet a number of people who were interested in learning more about the restored Gospel. One of those people was a young woman named Rebecca who we talked to in front of a café. I honestly don’t really remember what we said, but she was interested so we got her contact info and sent it to the Drummondville Sisters and that was that. Or so I thought. The Drummondville Sisters messaged me and Elder Fairchild earlier this week to let us know that Rebecca was actually baptized at the end of July, that she has already been to the temple, that she wants to go on a mission, and that they have now started teaching her dad! I honestly still find it kind of hard to believe. 

During my mission I have never had the opportunity to perform a baptism or to even watch someone that I taught be baptized, but I have known for a long time now that success on a mission is not necessarily how many baptisms you have or even how many people you teach. The truth is that one will never be able to accurately measure how much good one accomplishes on a mission. You just simply can’t. A quote that really helped me when at times I felt discouraged was the old saying that you can count how many seeds are in an apple, but you can’t count how many apples are in a single seed. Our purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ and to live His Gospel, but really all we can do is plant as many seeds as possible by loving and serving others as Christ would. I look forward to that moment in the day of judgement when I will be able to look back and see what fruit came of the seeds I planted and to rejoice with Him in the fruit of our labors.

The thing that matters most in a mission is the personal conversion to the Savior that comes from consecrating your life and your will to him for two years. It is this conversion that will form the foundation of continuous discipleship for the rest of my life so that I can someday reach the ultimate goal of eternal life. 

I think it’s fair to say that every missionary wants to be able to leave the mission field with no regrets, and I think this quote from a general conference talk sums up this feeling pretty well. 

“Someday when we get to the other side of the veil, we want more than for someone just to tell us, ‘Well, you’re done.’ Instead, we want the Lord to say, ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant.’”

I want my mission to mean everything to me. I want to be able to say that it changed my life forever and that the Lord was proud of my service. With that being said, Elder Quinn and I had the opportunity to talk with a less active member this week who truly loved his mission but who was clearly longing for the past and that’s something I want to avoid. My mission has been unlike anything I could have ever imagined, but I know it has been exactly what I have needed to prepare me for the next chapter of my life and I’m excited to see where the Lord’s path will take me. 

I’ll close by borrowing some words from the prophet Jacob in the Book of Mormon.

“Wherefore, I conclude this record, declaring that I have written according to the best of my knowledge, by saying that the time passed away with us, and also our missions passed away like as it were unto us a dream.” And what a dream it has been! I love you all, and I can’t wait to see you soon!

À tantôt!

Elder Jackson

P.S. Feel free to send me an email or to message me on Messenger if you would like to have the address/Zoom link for my homecoming. It will be August 21st