Week 40: The Spirit of God like a fire is burning

Buenos Dias!

This week was such a wonderful week! A week of Miracles, even more miracles, and good news!

This week we got some really good news! Our branch and the district (like a stake) have finally been approved to become a ward and a stake! This is big and I am going to be here for the conference with the general authority and everything! It is going to be super awesome and super exciting! :)

This week we were door tracting (knocking on doors and doing contacts). We knocked on the door of a house and no one answered, so we knocked again, no one answered, so we knocked a third time. No one answered so we started looking up the direction of an old investigator who lived close by. After a minute of looking some music turned on in the house the we had just knocked at. At first I was kind of frustrated, because that meant that someone was there but didn't want to answer us. But after hearing the song for like 30 seconds I decided I really liked the song and decided to knock on the door just to ask what the name of the song was... and do you know what happened!?! Yeah that's right, they didn't answer... so I didn't get to know what the name of the song was.

This week we encountered some little girls who have been going to church for a year but aren't baptized so we went to their house and talked to their mom (A less active) and asked her if we could baptize them. She said yes, but that we had to ask permission from her husband on the weekend (when he would be home from work). So all week we taught them lessons and started preparing them for the baptism. Finally the weekend came and we went to their house after church to talk with their dad. We got their and he was busy so we had a lesson with them and then asked again if they could get baptized. Them mom called in the dad and we asked him. And he said no, that they are too young to make a promise with god and that they think it is just a game. I was just thinking "Fetch, we just lost 2 baptisms right there, how dumb" but I kept talking hoping that we could talk some sense into him, and that is when the spirit decided to take control. We talked about baptism and repentance, and then the spirit just took full control. I started sharing a very passionate testimony about repentance and life experience and baptism and the holy ghost. I had no Idea what I was saying, the Spirit was just putting the words into my mouth. Everyone was looking at me stunned and amazed, and in that moment I recognized the power and authority I had. After sharing that we asked the girls about why they go to church and they answered "to learn about Jesus and God" and I was about to say to their dad "Look, they are going to church for the right reasons, what more do you want?" But I didn't and decided to ask one more question. "And why do you like to learn about Jesus and God?" The girls (9 and 11) answered " To be happy, to get closer to him and to..." Then everything got quiet and they started crying and she said "And to help my mommy and my daddy" When she said that a spiritual bomb exploded. The whole family started crying and we sat in silence for about a minute. Then the dad said "I didn't know they felt that way" and then more silence. After that we shared more and let the spirit teach. It was so intense and so powerful. I have never had a lesson like that in my whole mission! It was amazing. In the end we got permission to baptize the girls this weekend! And the spirit was so strong that the other kids (15 and 19) accepted the invitation to be baptized. I don't know if I have ever felt the spirit so strongly, but in that moment I received a strong testimony about the spirit and the power of the spirit.

That was our week in a nutshell. I know that this is the Church of God and that He loves us. I Know that Joseph Smith is a Prophet Called of god to restore the fullness for the gospel.

I love you all and hope you have a fantastic week!

Stay Golden!
Elder Nielson :)