Joshua Jackson's Mission Profile

Elder Joshua Jackson

Texas Houston Mission

Dates: Oct 13^th, 1999 – April 2^nd, 2001

Areas Served: Spring, Katy, Bryan, Tomball, Houston

Howdy Y’all!

I was called to serve in the great Texas Houston Mission. I went through some great lifetime and challenging experiences when I served in Houston, Texas. I was first called to Spring, what a great area and ward we had up there. I was close to a lot of people and we had some great investigators that we were able to baptize. Spring is located about 45 minutes northwest of downtown Houston. I was in Spring for the first 6 months, and then was transferred to Katy (The home of the Jehovah Witnesses). Why I mentioned that, we had Jehovah Witnesses who loves to come and bash with us every morning before we ever left our apartments. We would ignore their knocks, and then when we left for a day of missionary work, they would be hiding in the bushes to run and smother us. Thank goodness the Mission President took care of that by calling the police to keep them away from us. They had a big huge temple-like Jehovah Witness church in our area. It was quite an adventure there!

Unfortunately, after serving 2 months in Katy, I was sent home to have a major knee surgery. I already had my first surgery, 3 months after entering the mission field. I was home for 4 months and then went back to Houston. I was sent to the very top part of my mission to Bryan. Bryan is about 2 and half hour from Houston, Bryan is neighbors with College Station where Texas A&M is located. I was in Bryan for 6 weeks; it was hard again, because the whole area of Bryan was African-Americans. They were genuine people, but I had a very hard time understanding them. It was a very poor and challenging area. I was sent to Tomball which is close to Spring, but more of a ranch. That was the area I really felt the heart of Texas. Big time cowboys and longhorns! My knee issues kept nagging and then I was sent to Houston to the mission office. It was great to work closely to President Mayfield, and the office staff. My knee wasn’t doing any better; I finally gave in and admitted that it was my time for me to go home to take care of myself. I felt like I had done everything there and did the very best I could, I was glad to have this experience and make some great friends in Houston.

I would like to share one of my great memories of my mission. This time was at the MTC, on Halloween night, I was sick that night with a nasty cold. My teachers finally excused me and my companion to go back to our rooms so I could go to bed early. The MTC rule was to be in bed by 10:30pm. I went to bed at about 9 and remembered last, seeing my companion at his desk doing something and the other elders had returned from class. Then I was sound asleep several minutes later. Then all of a sudden, I just feel my whole chest booming, boom-boom-boom!!! I thought, oh no, something is really wrong with my chest or heart. Then I noticed my companion’s alarm clock, it said 11:35pm. I looked around and saw that the 2 other elders and my companions beds still made and nobody was there. Then I heard the boom-boom-boom again and just couldn’t help it, I started laughing so hard. They just had locked themselves outside their rooms with a deaf boy sound asleep in there!!! I couldn’t believe they had been banging on the door for over an hour, apparently one of the elders told me they went outside and tried shining my face with their flashlights, still nothing. I finally opened the door and just yelled at them to get in and go to bed to tease them, they were acting like their prayers were answered that I had finally heard them and opened the door. It was a great laugh for a while and is a memory I would never forget!!

Me with President and Sister Mayfield

Now that is a real Texas Missionary!

A bunch of us missionaries with Alma (only woman) and her sons (Chris, top with white hat, Michael, far right w reddish hair, and Steven, in front of Alma) . We baptized Alma and her sons and Chris, top with white hat went on a mission right here in my area in Utah! Luckily we got to spend some time before he went home last month. Small world, isn't it?!

A very small house in Bryan, I am almost the size of this whole house! It also looks like it's sinking!

Houston Texas Temple, was built and dedicated while I was there.