Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Learning from past General Conferences


Hey family and friends,

This week has been a pretty normal week.  As I mentioned last week and the photos that were attached, we have been flooded most of the week.  So we have had to find alternate paths to get places.  The only thing that was different and exciting is that this week we had to take our shoes and socks off and roll up our pants to wade through the flooded paths to get to Church on time.

We have pretty much just been doing finding and trying to restart the new year.  The people here in England have the post holiday blues.  They are hitting the reality that they have to go back to work. So people have been pretty negative about everything including talking to us on the street or letting us in.  We have hit the rainy season though and it has rained every day this week.  I feel like a drowned rat, but other than that nothing really happened.  Hopefully things will look up as life starts to get back into a routine.  On Monday we hiked the Malvern Hills with another set of Missionaries in our Area and their investigators.  Pictures to follow.

I am still well physically, mentally still a little bit shook up from my bicycle accident.  I have lost my aggressive bike riding which you need here in Worcester.  We were at the round about a few nights ago coming back from a meeting and I froze at the entrance that I got hit at when a car was there.  No bike yet, I am using another Missionaries until I get another one.  The first ride wasn't bad just a little slower than usual.  The lady who hit me is complicating everything so I have no idea when a new bike will come.  I was told that if she wants me to sign a paper or anything I had to send it the Mission President.  Then he will send it to the Church Lawyers to have them look at it.   So I am letting President deal with it.

New Years eve we were required to be in the flat at 6 pm.  So it was pretty boring.  We cleaned, threw the ball against the wall, listened to music, and ate.  That's about all we could do. 

I recently read a talk by Carlos Amado from the October 1993 General Conference  An Eternal Vision.  His talk is about being a servant and doing service.  "Servant and service are common words in the restored church. Someone said, “The one who doesn’t live to serve doesn’t serve to live”—wise words which are applied to each priesthood holder.  Another word to describe the priesthood is service; literally, every man who receives the priesthood is “called to serve.”  He also talks about a mission being very hard.  He is right, it is hard.  It is not just contacting people that you don't know but the adjustment of living with others in another country.  I think that the best way for us to learn about serving a Mission is to serve.  I don't think anyone could have told me how hard a Mission was going to be.  I have had to find that out for myself and I have found that each Mission is specifically for the person who is on it.  The trials that I go through may not be the same as someone else.  I think we truly don't understand what our duties are and how we will respond until the time comes to fly the nest and use the priesthood that we have been given.  That's when I started to understand.   I have enjoyed reading and studying talks from past General Conferences.  I am currently reading from the October 1971 General Conference.  I had no idea that it was a three day Conference.  It has been good.  Take a look and see what topic catches your eye.

Well, that is about it for this week.  I hope that all is well with you and yours.  I have a testimony of this Gospel and of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Love,  Elder Nielsen


Malvern Hills, one of the Elders

Investigators and Elder

View from Malvern Hills, England


No comments:

Post a Comment