Jaxon's Journey - California Ventura Mission: June 26, 2017 - San Luis Obispo 1st Ward

#TOTHEFINISH

Well! Here it is! I have finally finished with the MTC, and I am so excited to finally get into the field!

Well, FREAK.

Seriously, just as soon as you figure this whole missionary thing out, they take you home and release you to the world.

It's been a QUICK week. I thought it was going to be slow, but it's been quite speedy. I guess that happens when you don't have to find every second of every day.

First things first. Thanks for all of the emails! It's also crazy to think that I am 21. We went to Denny's this morning! It was fun. Richard is taking us out to lunch tonight, and we have dinner with the Francis' tonight, with some FHE thrown in there :)

Haha. The Hursts came and gave us whacky whistles! Wasn't that awesome? Oh, and congrats on the new house! I can't wait to help you guys!

Well, I will go over the final week here.

Monday. We had Zone Activity! Nothing too noteworthy. We played pool at the institute, and I won 6 straight games. Yup, #poolshark. Had dinner with the Slade's, and then had a lesson with Parker and Hayley again with them. We did the "BoMRR," something Elder Parkinson taught me. It stands for Book of Mormon Revelation Read. We had everyone pick a question, and then read Ether 12 to find an answer to their question! It's amazing, everytime we do this, everyone finds an answer to their questions, no matter where we read. More on that activity later... Parker and Hayley are amazing though. They got home after last week, after talking with us about coffee and the WoW, and said they just had a peaceful feeling come over them, and they haven't drank coffee since. Talk about commitment and the Spirit working in someone!

Tuesday. We did service with the DeGroots, and then had fish and chips with them after. Went and tried to see some people, and then had a lesson with Shannon. Taught the Restoration. She's going to take some time, but that's okay. Had dinner with the Spanish Elders at Buffalo Wild Wings. Tuesdays are half off wings, and it was Elder Hiltscher's birthday. It was good to be with them!

Wednesday. Barb, a member from Santa Maria, texted us and wanted us to go for lunch with her. So we did. It was great. Had a lesson with Brandon, and we taught about Eternal Marriage and watched the new First Vision video with him. He is such an amazing kid, and will definitely be getting baptized next month. Then we had a lesson with Gayne, a recent convert. We had plans to read the Book of Mormon with her, wherever she was in her personal reading. We read Mosiah 9, but then she got REALLY upset. Words can't explain how mad she was. She really doesn't like death and bondage. We both thought she was going to rip the page out of the book! So, we quickly changed to Mosiah 18. Had a Stake Report Meeting that night, and then a great visit again with James and Jessica Francis.

Thursday. THE LAST ZONE CONFERENCE. Gosh darnit, I can't even believe it. It was one of the highlight Conferences of my mission. Not only was it my final one, but it was the Felix's as well. We learned all about the Book of Mormon and Jesus Christ. It was incredible. We had a breakout session with our Zone in the morning, and we were asked to hold a 30 minute discussion on Revelation through the Book of Mormon. So, you know the activity we did on Monday? We did it with 22 missionaries in the Zone. And, to add to the confidence we had that the Book of Mormon would answer all of their questions, we had EVERYONE write down a favorite chapter in the Book of Mormon, and put it into a bag, and we chose a RANDOM chapter to all get our answers from. Well, Enos was chosen, and questions were answered. Just a glimpse into how amazing this was, my question was "How can I remain sure and steadfast in the faith as I return home?" and my answer was found in verses 11-12

"11 And after I, Enos, had heard these words, my faith began to be unshaken in the Lord; and I prayed unto him with many long strugglings ...
12 And it came to pass that after I had prayed and labored with all diligence, the Lord said unto me: I will grant unto thee according to thy desires, because of thy faith."

Amazing. As I pray and plead with the Lord, He will grant unto me my desires. The rest of the conference was amazing.

Friday. I honestly can't remember. I think we did Weekly Planning, and then had a lesson with Richard and dinner with the Lamson's.

Saturday. Had a lesson with Colleen, and then lunch with the Hursts. I love them. Had dinner with the Cooks, and another lesson with Gayne, and then did transfer calls. in between all of that, I was trying to pack.

And Sunday, we had church, and I tried to pack as well. I think I've got a good system down. I'm gonna check my carry-on bag so I don't have to worry about it all day. Anyways, had dinner with the Ruiz's. Love them, they are great.

Well, here it is. My last email. Let me share something with you that I read this week that really struck a cord. I was reading "Walk With Me" by President Eyring.

"Brethren, our ordination to the priesthood is an invitation from the Lord to walk with Him. And what does it mean to walk with the Lord? It means to do what He does, to serve the way He serves. He sacrificed His own comforts to bless those in need, so that’s what we try to do. He seemed to take particular notice of people who were overlooked and even shunned by society, so we should try to do that too. He testified boldly yet lovingly of the true doctrine He received from His Father, even if it was unpopular, and so must we. He said to all, 'Come unto me' (Matthew 11:28), and we say to all, 'Come unto Him.' As priesthood holders, we are His representatives. We act not for ourselves but for Him. We speak not our words but His. The people we serve come to know Him better because of our service."

This is not the end. I have learned this week that I am a representative of Christ everywhere I go, even without the shirt, tie, and tag. This mission has not been mine, but it has been His. Nothing means more to me than to please Him, to be worthy in His eyes to enter the Celestial Kingdom of God one day. Mom, you quoted one of my favorite lines that I will always aspire to hear when I enter within the gate."21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." (Matthew 25:21)

This is only the beginning. It's time to make this count. Kingston doesn't know what's coming to them.

I love you all. This is Christ's Church. This is His message. Joseph Smith was His prophet, and Thomas Monson is His prophet today. Families are forever. This is His work and glory, to bring to pass all of our immortality and eternal life.