Whose side are you on?

Dear Family and Friends,

This week was a fun one.  I remember about over a year ago when I was in Kidderminster I had a girl hitting on me in the Library.  I remember freaking out when it happened.  But I did not freak out as much as I did this week to what happened.  We were waiting for a bus and a lady in her 80's started to talk to me.  I thought I would be nice and talk to her.  So we started to talk and for about five minutes she thought I was from Birmingham.  Then I told her I was from America and then the conversation went to what are you doing over here, etc.  The conversation started to die.  So I started to talk to Elder P.  for a little bit then she started to talk to me again.  She asked these questions, "How old are you?"  I said I am twenty and she just kind of laughed and said I thought you would be older than that to be on your own in a different country.  Then the kicker, she asks me,  "Do you have a girlfriend"?  I was pretty taken back and told her no and she had this smile on here face that meant a follow up question was in the works.  Thank goodness the bus came just then.  That was my funny story for the week.

A few weeks ago I had told you about our investigator, Donald.  He had been investigating the Church for 18 years.  He came to Church as soon as he was invited and has kept coming.  Donald has a crazy story though. When he first prayed about the Book of Mormon he heard a voice, a clear voice, saying, "Donald if you get baptized with them I will send you to hell". Donald never did get baptized but he was a faithful member up until the end. Donald lost his fight with colon cancer that had spread to his liver.  He was one of the best Missionaries this Ward had.  But he is in a place where he can finally accept the Gospel and partake of everything it has to offer.  Donald's Funeral was a few weeks ago.  He didn't have any family that wanted to be in attendance so it was mostly some of the Ward and his friends.  He had Police Officers there and Preachers from another faith.  He had lots of friends that talked with him and took him around to his various appointments.  It was pretty funny though. They just told good stories about him that made everyone laugh.

The member have been in my good book these last few weeks.  We have finally gotten into some houses to visit and get to know them as well as have a good England meal.  It has been several months since we had been invited to different peoples houses.

Tender mercy for the week is just that I have been sleeping again.  I have been going about two weeks with not really sleeping at night.  So this week I have had a pretty good night sleep at least every other day.  My favorite activity would have to be Zone Meeting this past week and hanging out with all the other Elders and having a fun time.  And also seeing a member from Cannock at lunch after Zone Meeting.

But I have still been reading the Old Testament and have just finished the story of the brass serpent that Moses raises up on the pole.  But before that the Lord kills some of the children of Israel because they are rebelling against Moses and more importantly Him.  I thought about it in our day.  When we rebel against God now a days we don't get swallowed up by the earth of get struck by fire from heaven.  We die spiritually instead of physically.  We have just heard from our Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson and the Apostles that we need to strengthen our testimony's and get back to the basics.  I think that is one of my main priorities for the next couple of weeks so that I am on God's side and not against Him.

I hope that we are all on God's side and not against Him!

Love, Elder Nielsen