Learning Patience

Hey Family and Friends,

This week has been a great week. We had Interviews with the Mission President.  It is always nice to talk to him.  My interviews with him are pretty good.  This meeting was more of just a chit chat because I went in not too long ago to talk to him.  I had a two hour meeting with him about a month ago when I was struggling with my former companion.  He is a great man and we have a special relationship.  He has helped me out a ton that is for sure.  But I got to talk to his wife and she asked me for advice on how I lost so much weight?  I replied to her,  I lost it.  I just told her with the all the walking and biking we do the weight has just fallen off.  It wasn't something I expected to be talking about with the Mission President's wife, but it was a fun chat.

We have been running around Cannock like a chicken with its head cut off.  With teaching Ingrid and Graham and Maxine we are busy which is fantastic!  We have also had return appointments with lots of new investigators.  We haven't gotten a new one in a while though.  Most of the people either forget or just say sorry lads I felt bad for you and said yes.  It is pretty frustrating but we are getting closer to finding the one. 

I have been thinking a lot about my Mission so far as I only have a little under a year left.  Thinking about all I have learned and done.  But I have been going back through my journal.  Yes, Elder Nielsen does keep a journal.  I have not missed a day in almost a year of writing in my journal.  So while I was reading past entries, I saw how much I have changed over the year.  My knowledge and testimony definitely have. I was reading a entry from the fifth of May 2014.  I was at the MTC in Provo, Utah.  I entered on May 1, 2014.  Due to VISA issues, I went to the Provo MTC instead of flying straight to the England MTC.  I realized how little patience I had a year ago.  My VISA wasn't coming and all I wanted to do was go out and work.  It was a hard lesson to learn and I am still learning patience on a daily basis.

The exciting news is that Ingrid and her family are on track to be baptized on the sixteenth of May.  It is getting close that is for sure.  One cool thing is how quick she and her children are learning the Gospel.  They have been asking some really deep questions. They asked a question in our last lesson that I didn't know how to answer so I looked at Elder Omokaro and he looked at me. We then looked at the member we brought with us and he gave us the "your on your own with that one".  It wasn't that we didn't know the answer, it was explaining it simply enough that they could understand.  They are doing really good though. Teaching someone who is so prepared has really helped me strengthen my testimony.  One way is that I am studying the lessons more and trying to help them get answers to their questions.  But the other thing that has strengthened my testimony is how receptive they are to the Spirit.  Almost all the kids had an answer within the first week of us teaching them.  I am so glad to be a part of this work. To help bring the children on God home.

Have a great week!

Love Elder Nielsen