Monday, November 24, 2014

Gratitude

Dear Family and Friends,

Solihull is a nice Area but nothing really goes on here in terms of Missionary Work.  Over the past two years nothing has happened really.  And the members have not really been helping at all.  They are good members on Sunday but the rest of the week we don't see them.  Please pray for hearts to be softened and that the Ward members will have a desire to Hasten the Work.

This week has been cold yet again. But that is okay since there are not too many weeks left on the Mission. The time will go quickly.  This week we had a Ward Reach Out Night.  It turned out pretty good.  We had about 8 people there and saw a good number of people that we have been dropping by to visit with. 

The work is slowly picking up.  My companion Elder M and I went and saw a man named Alan.  He has not been active for two years.  A very nice man and we talked about what was keeping him from Church.  And he flat out told us (but I will not share because of privacy).  But the cool thing is he is going to let the Missionaries (me and Elder M) come back and teach him again!  Yeah, it should be good.  We hope to have him back to Church by Christmas.  So we will see how this week goes with him as we continue to visit and teach him.  Finding over here has been really slow so we have started to just work with less actives.  And there are some good people that are close to coming back.  But also have experienced a little detour in their reactivation. 

I saw the man that I talked to about the Gospel in the bathroom at the Gym.  He is not really interested in being taught by the Missionaries about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but he likes to talk to us about our lives and what we are doing.  So hopefully his heart will soften and he will want to learn more about Jesus Christ.

The Tender Mercy for this week is Health Insurance.  I had a little accident at the Gym and strained my neck so after a visit to the Doc. no lifting anything for six weeks.  I can't even pull my suit cases down to get something.  Elder M has to get them down for me. 

I hope that as we all celebrate Thanksgiving this week we all think of the many things that we are grateful for.  I am grateful for my family and the support and encouragement they give to me, friends for the joy of having friends to listen to my venting, my health so I can run and not be weary and walk and not be faint, safety that I can walk freely, food so I can stay healthy, house for the warmth and comfort it provides, and the scriptures that I can study and learn more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Have a great week and Happy Thanksgiving.

Love Elder Nielsen

Monday, November 17, 2014

A little bit of Toilette Humor

It has been cold this week. The weather has diffidently turned this week. It went from a very nice Autumn to freezing in a day. The rain has been a pain but that is what I get to deal with.

As you can tell from the post title, I had a funny conversation on Monday last week.  Elder M. and I go to a gym on Mondays to get a good work out and I was in the restroom and there was a man that I have talked to a couple of times on the toilet.  While he was in the stall, he began a conversation and asked where I was from and I told him. Then he asked why are you here in England and a couple other questions about my Mission.  But definitely one of the craziest places I have had a conversation about the Gospel... as he was wiping ha ha. We will just have to see if it goes anywhere hopefully it will.  But there a little bit of toilette humor to start us off with.

But tender mercy for this week was Zone Meeting.  The training was presented in a way that I have never thought of and I learned a lot.  Best thing that happened this week is that I now have Elder M. as a companion.  He has just let me rant for the past couple of days about the things that have been going on with my last companion and with the Ward.  It was good to get all my frustrations out so I can move on.  The hardest thing for the week probably has just been trying to get around to all the members we wanted to see this week.  We are trying to build up the Area around where the members live.  So we have been going by their homes asking them to pray that we will have success in their Area.

I have just finished reading the Book of Joshua.  And one thing I did as I read the book was marked every time he was told to be strong and of a good courage.  It is repeated plenty of times.  I learned that no matter what situation we are in we need to be strong and of good courage and it will work out. That principle is illustrated through the whole book.   The people rebel and Joshua just has to put up with it until they change.  And also with driving the other people out of the promised land.  He had to be strong.  Lots of things going on and nothing really went his way.  But he stayed strong.

Other than that we are still working with less actives and trying to find new people.  Hopefully with Christmas coming up it will bring lots of softened hearts that are ready to hear about the good news of our Savior Jesus Christ.  Please join with me in prayer for soften hearts during this upcoming season for those who are ready to hear that good news.

Have a great week!

Love, Elder Nielsen


Monday, November 10, 2014

LOVE ONE ANOTHER

Dear family and friends, 

I did not get transfers. I am still in Solihull.  I have a new companion this week but still in the same Area. I now have Elder M. from Snow Flake, Arizona.

But my time in the Mission Office while I waited for Elder M. was about two days.  One of the days I did service for the MP.  He likes the car park clean before transfers. So Wednesday morning I was out there at 8 am with a broom and a leaf vacuum with a couple of other Elders cleaning up leaves. I honestly loved my time as the office Elder.  I answered the phone and typed up papers for them. Easy work that was different. I had the opportunity to have a good chat with one of the Senior couples that are in the Mission Home.  He gave me some good advice and I have been thinking about how I want the rest of the mission to go.  In my patriarchal blessing it talks about disillusionment I have always wondered what it meant and how it would play out in my life, but after my time with Elder P. I now know it is to have false ideas going against the knowledge that you already have, or a reversal of right and wrong.  I am a witness that satan has a hand in disillusionment and will try to guide you down the wrong path so hold strong to the truths you know.

So this week has mostly been getting Elder M. caught up with the Area and what not. But we are in the same group of Missionaries. So we both have been out 18 months. This past Sunday was Remembrance Sunday. So basically our Memorial Day. Everyone has a poppy on their chest and there is a two minute silence at 11 am. It always has been a cool experience to do that 


After picking up Elder M. we then headed out to meet the Ward Mission Leader.  He wanted to go on splits with us so that he could get to now Elder M.  We had a good split. I went and saw the less active members while Elder M. went and saw a referral that we got from the Ward Mission Leader. It is pretty cool because they got in to teach this man. So hopefully we will be teaching him this week and he can start on the road of change.

I had a pretty crazy experience this week though. I was having a bad attitude about staying in Solihull for another transfers. I was praying and the thought came to read some Conference talks from 1970. But the first talk that I opened up to was called  "Love One Another".  As I read this talk it basically told me that if I was unhappy it was because I didn't have love for any of the people around me. That has been my goal for the coming week. To love the people around me and try to not jump to the attitudes I have had about them. It has been really good so far. I am looking forward to what happens in the next six weeks.

Monday, November 3, 2014

Seek the Lord for Divine Aid and Counsel



This week has been a trying one for sure.  Lots of ups and downs.  My companion went home on Monday.  I am sad that he is going home but also I know that it is probably the best thing for him.  I will admit that it has been hard to keep motivated to do things when he wasn't.  He always commented on how I would study every day even though he wasn't as regular at it and was impressed with my dedication.  So I am an Office Elder for the next couple of days until Wednesday maybe.

Transfers are coming up and it has just been a crazy week.  I don't think I have had a week like this in a long time. We were running all over the place to get things for the Elders in the District and then having the Zone Leaders over in Solihull for the day.  So a very long and crazy week that is for sure. But I am back to what I do best on the Mission and that is moving people. We helped a family move this week to another house in Solihull. It was a fun day moving them. It seems like I get to know the members better when I am serving them. We are helping another family move sometime this week, if I am back in Solihull, so it should be a fun week.

The tender mercy for the week is being in the Mission Office for a little bit.  It is nice to get into a new environment with Missionaries that I have not had the opportunity to meet and have a renewed spirit being around them and of course the Mission President and his Wife.  And I think that the hardest thing for the week has been packing up Elder P. and just trying to get him off.  I have enjoyed most of my time with him.  It has been hard but worth it.

Remember that the Lord loves us all and wants what is best for us.  Tad Callister said in the October General Conference "God will never leave us alone. God never gives us a responsibility without offering divine aid.."  We just need to seek that divine aid and counsel.

Have a great week!

Love Elder Nielsen