Jackson VerSteeg Receives Mission Call

   The times they are a-changin'.  For years young men and women who were waiting for their mission call to come kept an eye on the mail box.  They waited for what they knew would be a very large white envelope from church offices.  Most declined to open it until they could gather family and friends around to enjoy the experience with them.
   For the past year technology has been deemed a better way to issue mission calls. They now arrive on the computer and the potential missionary reads it from a screen.  Nevertheless, family and friends are usually there to hear the news first.  Below is a sample of how it went when Jackson read his letter.

1. Jackson begins to read the letter.  He is a little nervous because this letter will lay out where he will be living and serving for the next two years.

2.  A big smile!  Jackson reads that he will be serving for two years in the Brazil Belem Mission. He will report to the Sao Paulo MTC on August 28. He is excited.

3.  Jackson finishes the letter and reads that it came directly from the prophet, President Russell M. Nelson.  Now he is so excited he can hardly stand it. There is a lot of laughing and and joy at the VerSteeg home.

Jackson (soon to be Elder VerSteeg) said, "I am so excited to be able to serve a mission in Brazil.  I can't wait to begin preaching the gospel in the Portuguese language.  As soon as I opened my call, I knew that Brazil was the place where I am meant to serve.  I know that God knows who I am and that He knows what is best for me.  I am ready to go and serve."

What do you know about the Brazil Belem Mission?  Jackson provided some facts.
The mission covers approximately 520,000 square miles of the Amazon River Delta region in northern Brazil.  It extends from deep in the Amazon out to the Atlantic Ocean.  The largest city in the mission will be Belem which is Portuguese for Bethlehem.  It is a city of over two million people.  Several years ago, a temple was announced for Belem, but construction has not started yet.  One interesting fact about the mission is that the equator runs through it.