Halloween? Dead Day? Neither? Ok.

November 4, 2019

General Información

Hello to you all on this first week of November, or as referred to here in Mexico, the first month of Christmas. Yes that's right, to all of you sane Christmas lovers who start to celebrate AFTER Thanksgiving I hear your gasps and groans and want to let you know that we are in the same mariachi band. But, I guess that's what happens when Thanksgiving doesn't exist in the country as a holiday haha. While speaking on the subject of holidays that don't exist in countries...

...Day of the Dead!

This past week was the famous Day of the Dead, and I can say one thing for sure; that the only thing dead was the streets. If the movie Coco was based on the Day of the Dead for missionaries, it would go something like this: knock house, no one leaves, pet stray dog because it's the only thing in the street, knock the next door, worry about getting sick from said stray dog because you just saw it eat the neighbors garbage, knock the next door...good thing Disney decided to take a different approach. Through all the door knocking and the stray dog petting and I am happy to report that first, I am not sick (yet), and second, that Heavenly Father's hand was hard at work. 

Miracle

After a weekend of almost nothing, Saturday night left us standing in the street with a lot of dark houses and very few plans. It was 7, and it seemed like an impossible task to find someone in the sea of nothing. The odds were against us, but if I've learned anything in my time as a missionary, it's that at these times is when God works His miracles the most. Knowing we could only find someone with the divine help of our Heavenly Father, Elder Wimsatt and I stood in front of a parked bus, and prayed for this guidance. We finished the prayer with a new flame of faith in our hearts, and started knocking the nearest street. An hour later and we had found a few possible visits for next week, but we kept knocking until we got to a house with a Day of the Dead altar faintly visible through the window. We knocked, and a short little lady came to the door. We explained who we were, what we did, and asked if we could come by another day to share with her our message. She accepted, and then told us to come in to write down the address because it was a little cold. As we stepped inside, I made the comment that I liked her Day of the Dead altar that she had in the living room. She told us it was of her husband, sat and thought for a second and then told us to pass from the garage, where we were, to the living room, where the altar was. As we got closer to the altar, I noticed that on it she had a card form the Church of Jesus set up as one of the decorations, and said how cool it was that she had put it on the altar. To our surprise, she nodded, and then told us that she was actually a less active member of the Church. Her and her husband had been baptized, but had fallen away from the church, and that only 2 years ago her husband had passed away. We sat down and the couch, and then this dear Sister began to tell us about how she had been in a depression ever since her husband had died; a depression that she didn't know how to get out of. The spirit stirred in my heart, as we talked to her about how when we build our foundation on Christ, nothing, not even the devil with his mighty winds, can bring us down (Helman 5:12). The discussion continued about the joy and comfort we receive from Christ, and the spirit was there in every word. As we wound up, we offered to give her a blessing of comfort, and she quickly respond that she'd love one. With a prayerful heart, I put my hands on her head, and felt the spirit guide me through the blessings. One blessing that I felt especially prompted to give was the blessing of the presence this sister's husband, and his continued love for her on the other side of the veil. The spirit spoke for me in this moment, and I knew that God had guided us to that house, because a husband wanted very much to express himself to his suffering wife, and to motivate her to keep going so that they could see each other again someday. On this Day of the Dead, the veil was very thin, and I couldn't be more grateful to our Heavenly Father for having given us the opportunity to be instruments in His hands. 

El Fin

A very special week indeed, and it is these weeks that have formed and changed me from the person who I was, to the person I am now. I am so grateful for this change, and these experiences that I know come from the love of our Heavenly Father. I love Him, and I know He loves every single one of you. Pray to Him, put your worries and troubles in His hands, and you will see how He loving molds us into the best versions of ourselves. I always love every single one of you, and I wish you the best week possible, until next week, cuidense!

Elder Jackson 

1. ice cream before receiving changes last week 

2. preach

3. new family of 5 in teaching

4. visit by my dear family friends the Halls! They made the 2 hour trip from Michoacan to come visit me! I know I said it a million times but I'll still say it, THANK YOU AND I LOVE YOU!