Mission Blessing

August 25, 2020

Joshua Nance Jackson, in the name of Jesus Christ and by the authority of Holy Melchizedek Priesthood which we hold we lay our hands upon your head and set you apart as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints called to labor first in the New Mexico Albuquerque mission and then hopefully on and sooner on to the Argentina Cordoba mission.  We bless you and bestow upon you all the rights, privileges, gifts and powers that you will need to worthily magnify this calling unto the Lord. 

There are few that that I am aware of, Elder Jackson, that have prepared themselves better than you, that have such a strong support group and system and so the bar is high for you, but you will not only achieve but excel above that bar in all that you are called to do as you seek the Spirit of the Lord on a daily basis, as you strive to hear the promptings of the Spirit as you are counseled by your Father., tp respond quickly to those promptings. He will bless you, He will direct you, He will guide you in all that you desire to do in his service and sometimes you will know about those directions and other times he will simply move you into place and you will realized he was an instrument in leading you to where you needed to be to be a blessing to those around you.  

Now Elder Jackson we bless you with good health and strength throughout the course of your mission.   We bless you you will be free from physical harm or injury that would in any way interfere with your missionary service.  We bless you that you will understand that your worthiness and obedience will qualify you for those great blessings and strict obedience will bring and yield the miracles the Lord has in store to show you in your own life and in lives those that you teach and come in contact with.  You will draw people to you naturally because of the way you love and because it is in your nature of giving and serving as an ambassador of the Savior Jesus Christ. In the wards and branches in which you will serve people will be drawn to you and they will trust you to teach their family members, their friends and associates the gospel of Jesus Christ and as you do so the lives of so many will be blessed.  Your ability to work well with companions will be key attribute you will be known for.  Be loving , be gentle, be always lifting and always encouraging to be obedient and have a unity in your companionships that will invite the spirit of the Lord and that make you unstoppable in the Lords service as you strive to carry out your duty as a missionary.  Your ability to bring souls to Christ will be enhanced by your scripture study and we bless you that your scripture study will be meaningful that principles of the gospel will mesh together in ways that are new or are maybe new to you, you will understand a depth that you have not realized before and the great and deeper understand you will have will help you teach the simple truths  of the Gospel with great power and authority.  The ability to carry and transmit through the Spirit of the Lord the message of salvation will be a great blessing to you and will give you the very power of God  unto the convincing of men as you strive to follow through and teach and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  

Elder Jackson the testimony of the Savior is so critical and Heavenly Father and powerful in his testimony we bless you that you will gain that testimony that you will see the operation of the atoning sacrifice of the Savior in your own life and you will see it even more pronounced and evident in the lives of those that you teach, lives that you will enter into and situations that will seem chaotic, disruptive and in discord and you will see the Spirit of the Lord work as they strive to turn to the Savior Jesus Christ.  His atoning sacrifice will heal hearts, bring marriages together, will bring families in unity together.  You will see addictions overcome.  You will see the miracle of the atonement work in your life and in the lives of others in ways that will lead you to just great joy and expressing your thanks and gratitude to a loving Heavenly Father for the matchless gift of his Son.  Now we bless you that as you experience all of these things you will make a habit of extending your gratitude back to your Father in Heaven for all he has blessed you with.   He has richly blessed you.  He has given you skills, talents, abilities, gifts and powers you have yet to realize, some you are beginning to understand, others you will become evident to you through your mission and will be blessed with the opportunity to hone these skills, to develop them and to continue to utilize them on behalf of the Lord in blessing his sons and daughters throughout the world. 

Elder Jackson this family will be a strength to you as you report to them on a weekly basis whether via teleconference or writing or telephone.  Draw strength from them, share with them any challenges you feel, be open, be candid, take their advice and also express to them the experiences you are having that are developing your own faith and testimony.  That experience will bless you and will bless your family.   We bless you that that will be a great strength and something you will look forward to greatly on a weekly basis. 

We bless you that you will be wise in following the council of the mission presidents and their wives under whom you will serve.  They hold the keys for the work of the Lord in these areas and as you follow the council that they give as you implement the programs that are in place and put there by them under the inspiration of the spirit you will realize how they will bless you in being successful and in blessing your fellowmen.   Now we bless you that as you serve in leadership capacities that you will come to have close relationships with your mission president.  You will be able to see in him attributes that you will be able develop in your life, principles of the gospel will become more evident and you will have a great association that will bless your life for all eternity.  Know that Father in Heaven is mindful of you.  He honors his promises to send angels before you, to be there, His son to go before your face and to prepare the way for you.  There will be those who will recognize in you a familiar spirit, that familiarity that will draw them to you because they have been prepared and as you face these circumstances you will be expressing gratitude for the preparation that has gone before you that has enabled you to reap the harvest of great joy and satisfaction of proclaiming the gospel and watching people come unto Him.

Elder Jackson the Lord is mindful of you every moment.  As you turn to Him he will magnify you, He will bless you and please always keep in mind the greatness that you have is not in you, but through you.  It eminates through the Savior Jesus Christ and comes through worthy vessels, those who have prepared themselves as you have, to honor their covenants, to be obedient receptacles into which he can pour his Spirit into the blessing to all those around you.  As you recognize this you will be powerful and be able in all you desire to do to be a successful missionary.  Now these blessings we declare them upon you and send you forth to serve in a spirit of love and appreciation for you and for all of your family.  And do so in the sacred name of the Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.