Keeping Busy

Hello Friends,

This week has been a good week.  It started off pretty normal with all the craziness of trying to get everything sorted on Monday so that we could work the rest of the week.  Nothing too exciting really happens on Mondays but that's pretty normal.

Tuesday was a lesson on obedience.  We had a really full day on Tuesday with many plans on what we could do and who to see.  But as it happens so very often out here in the mission field, all the plans fall through.  We had from about 2 pm to 6 pm that had completely fallen through.  Nothing to do so we did what we do best which is to improvise.  At the end of the day we didn't really get to talk to really anyone in particular other than a less active that we talked to on her door step.  What I have learned from this day is that the Lord is the only one who can help this work progress.  He decided to teach us that lesson on Tuesday by seeing what we would do with our spare time.  The only thing we could do was to try our best.  Sometimes it feels like we waste a day doing all that walking but we are still trying to do the Lords work.

Wednesday we had a really good District Meeting.  The meeting focused on how to overcome apathy and discouragement and to focus more on the work at hand.  I really did learn a lot.  I have had my struggles with discouragement and also with disillusionment also.  But I have put all my trust in the Lord and worked through the worst of the problems.  After the meeting, we had a dinner appointment with a member.  Her name is Ann and she is a single lady.  Her sister, who is not a member, was also there.  We had a really nice dinner out in her garden and talked to Ann and her sister whom we have been working with.  Those two gals are really funny because they both seem to have to much time on their hands and love the to feed the Missionaries.  Now that I think about it we have been over to their home three times this week for a meal.

Thursday we had another lesson with Ann's sister and then with one of the part member families we have been working with.  The lesson with the part member family went great.  We challenged the husband to just read and pray, but to ask if he should be baptized.  So we will find out on Thursday of this week how everything has gone.  We then headed off to an Branch council.  It was an okay Branch Council meeting.  It just turned into a debate and nothing really got accomplished but it helped us realize what we can best do to help the leadership in the Branch.

Friday was a pretty short day with traveling to do exchanges so we didn't really have much time to work.

Saturday Elder Robertsen and I had a lesson with a potential investigator.  It went pretty well.  She has talked to the Missionaries before and really likes our dedication to the work.  One thing that she asked us was "did we have our word" on us".  I was confused thinking what in the world is "the word".   So we asked her what she meant by the "word" and she said our bibles and I thought of course we do, we always have our bible and book of Mormon with us.  But we will see her this week and hopefully she will want to be retaught.

Sunday we went to Church and I felt a little overused.  I played the piano in priesthood and in sacrament meeting.  Said almost every closing prayer and felt just a little picked on.  But I have been enjoying the blessings that have come from all that stuff.  After Church we went to a members house for dinner.  They had a BBQ and had lots of food.  There where only four of us Missionaries but the members cooked for ten.  I have not eaten that much food in a long time.  But it was really good food. Hopefully they will not cook like that too often for the Missionaries.

I am so grateful to be serving a mission and for the amount I have grown during this time. I can't believe that a couple of months ago where I was and where I am now.  I have been so blessed by the Lord.  My testimony of the Gospel keeps growing every day.

Have a great week!

Love, Elder Nielsen