¡Hola a todos! My name is Hermana
Allison Jackson, and I've been called to serve as a missionary for the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Nicaragua Managua South Mission. :)
I opened my call on March 7, 2015, and I will report to the Provo MTC on July
22, 2015. I am so excited to serve my brothers and sisters in Nicaragua. :) I
had the opportunity of living in Querétaro, México with my family when I was a
sophomore and a junior in high school, so when I read that I was going some
place that was Spanish-speaking, I honestly cried. I love the Spanish language,
and I know that God has allowed me to have so much exposure to it. My mom, Angie Jackson, will be managing this blog as I am in Nicaragua. But, if anyone wants to talk to me, you can reach me and allison.jackson@myldsmail.net! I would love to hear from all of you! :)
So, as most soon-to-be missionaries do,
I want to bare my testimony to all those who happen to read this post. And, it won't be anything fancy because I
know that my words cannot even begin to explain the love I have for this
Gospel, for my Savior Jesus Christ, and for my loving Heavenly Father; but, I
will try my best to express myself adequately. I KNOW that God lives. Let me
repeat myself. I know, without any doubt, that our Father in Heaven lives, and
He loves us. Unconditionally. He loves us so much that He sent down His Only
Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to perform a perfect, eternal, atoning sacrifice.
Jesus Christ, our Lord, Savior, and Elder Brother, paid the penalty for all of
our sins. He loved us that
much that He willing
sacrificed His entire life for us. He saw each of our faces as He knelt in the
Garden of Gethsemane; but, not only did He see each of our faces, He personally
felt each and every one of our afflictions, infirmities, pains, weaknesses, and
guilt. And, because He felt each of our own personal sufferings, He understands. He
knows how to succor us, to comfort us, and to love us when we can't seem to
muster enough of our own love to love ourselves. Both Heavenly Father and Jesus
Christ want nothing more than for us--all of us--to return to their presence to
live with them and partake of the wonderful blessing of eternal life. I know
that God is merciful. I know that God knows that we each make mistakes, yet He loves us enough to forgive us if
we accept, and have faith in, Christ and His Atonement, sincerely repent, are
baptized, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and do all that we can to endure
to the end. God will not leave us. We are His children, and He is our loving
Heavenly Father.
I know that Joseph Smith is the
Prophet of the Restoration. I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ
appeared to Him as two separate beings, later calling Joseph to be a prophet. I
know that God answers prayers, and not only because Joseph Smith prayed and
receive a personal answer, but because I, too, have sincerely prayed and
received answers to my prayers. I know that Heavenly Father takes the time to
listen to every single prayer uttered by His children. He knows each and every
one of us, and He has a plan for each individual here on earth. A year and a
half before I could even serve a mission, all the way up to this very second, I
have had multiple medical issues that have made me doubt my ability to serve a
mission. BUT, I knew that without God, I am nothing. I had to trust in His plan
for me. So, after many nights on my knees, pleading to know if I was on the
path that He wanted me to walk, I received my answer. Heavenly Father wanted me
to serve a mission. I know that He knew my desires to serve, and "if ye
have desires to serve God, ye are called to the work". I am not serving a
mission because my parents or priesthood leaders wanted me to. I am not serving
a mission because all of my friends were, or because I wanted to experience
something new, or because it was the "cool thing" to do. I, Allie Jackson, personally
decided to serve a mission because I love my Heavenly Father and Jesus
Christ, I love this Gospel, and I want nothing more than for others to experience
the same joy that the Gospel brings me. I
know that it will be one of the most difficult, most trying, and most demanding
experiences of my life. And,
I also know that without Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, I could not do it. I
could not leave my family for 18 months if I didn't know that this church was
Christ's true church. I simply could not do it. But I am, because in my
weaknesses is Christ's glory able to rest upon me. I know that I alone am
not capable of completing the tasks that the Lord has prepared for me
unless I lean on my Savior Jesus Christ. I have weaknesses; the Lord gave them
to me so I may be humble and have faith in Him, allowing Him to make my
weaknesses strong. I am not serving a mission for myself, but for Heavenly
Father, Jesus Christ, and my brothers and sisters whom God will put in my path
to teach the everlasting Gospel. I know this Gospel is true. I know that it has
the power to change lives if we humble ourselves before the Lord and willingly
submit to His will. He loves us and wants nothing more than for each of us to
reach our divine potential.
I know that Thomas S. Monson is the
Lord’s living prophet on the earth today. He receives revelations from God, and
with that revelation, He guides this church. I know that the priesthood has
been restored to this earth once again. It is the power of God given to man to
act in His name. It is powerful. It is real. I know that the blessings of the
temple are far more precious than anything this earth can offer. I know that “God
helps those who help themselves”. If we do all that we can to strive to live up
to the standards of the Gospel, Heavenly Father will bless us. Again, He loves
us. We are His children. He cares about us. He has a plan for me, for you. Don’t
give up. Don’t lose faith. Don’t lose hope. Don’t lose sight of what’s really
important. Christ is our support. If we lean on Him and apply His perfect
Atonement in our lives, we can do all things the Lord sees fit for us to do. As
I said before, my words are incapable of explaining my true feelings, but if
there is anything I would want anybody to take away from my testimony, it is
this. I plead with you, always remember, Heavenly
Father and Jesus Christ love you and know you. I say these things, in the
name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
“The Lord shapes the back to bear
the burden placed upon it”. –Thomas S. Monson
No comments:
Post a Comment