Hola! Buenos Dias Todos!
This
week was a week of work, of meetings, of taking heat, of teaching, of
protecting, and of being taken out of denial. So in short, it was good
normal week in the mission :)
This week we
worked hard! We were determined to find people to teach and got to the
point where we had to teach in doorsteps (Because we cant enter
houses with women who are alone). This week we taught a really good
lady in the doorstep and it was actually a good lesson. L is a
grandma who is raising 3 grand kids because the government took them from
their mom and gave them to the grandma. While we were talking she
talked about how her sister (Who is evangelic) told her not to talk to
us because we don't believe in God and we worship a Joseph Smith. It was a
perfect moment to teach lesson 1! We taught her and she understood very
well (Which is difficult to achieve here because the people are more
attached to the catholic church than they are to Jesus). She said she is
going to pray and ask if what we taught was true and if she gets an
answer that she will get baptized with her grand kids as well. So please
pray that she can get her answer :)
It was a
week of taking heat and a big can of Humble Juice. This week we got all
of our district leaders and the sister training leaders. We started and
were teaching but the spirit wasnt there. We could just feel tension and
then the sister training leaders said something that let me know what
was up. We had to throw away all of our plans for the meeting and sit
down and talk to everyone. We had to ask why they were angry or
frustrated with us. They were angry at us that we had been correcting
them for the things that they weren't doing instead of just being happy
with the good that they had done. In the end they basically complained
that when they did something wrong that we corrected them instead of
letting them continue messing up. They didn't like that we weren't verifying
there work and if they were contacting people and that we were
expecting results from them. They said all of this in a very mean
attacking way. It hurt to hear, not because of what they were saying I
was doing wrong because I was glad to hear what they thought I was doing
wrong (In order to fix it) but they also said lots of mean things about
the things that I am 100 percent sure that I was doing right and
complaining about that. After just accepting everything that they said
we asked for their help to fix some problems that anyone can fix and to
help us focus on the problems that only we can fix.
I
left that meeting very angry, not because I was told that I wasn't
perfect, but because they all told me the things that I had to fix in
the zone and they took no responsibility for anything. They explained
that their faults were the same as mine but they didn't say that they
were wrong for having them. Afterwards everyone else was happy because
they got to rant and attack me and I wasn't willing to attack them back.
But I talked to the assistants explaining what I had been doing and what
the other leaders had said and asked which was right so that i could do
the right thing for the zone and he said what I had been doing was
right. It was just hard to hear the mean things that they said as well.
But now the zone is happier with us, but I am frustrated with them ha ha.
It
was a week of protecting. In our sector there are lots and lots of Jehovah Witnesses. They all as a congregation go out and knock doors and
give out magazines and stuff. One day we were doing a contact at a
house and the family was pretty good. We were about to leave but then we
noticed to Jehovah witnesses close by that were about to talk to the
family that we had just contacted. So that the Jehovah witnesses wouldn't
talk with them I stalled the conversation so that we stayed in the door
talking to the family. We did that for about 10 minutes until all of
the Jehovah witnesses had walked by ha ha :)
This
week I have been reading a lot about the wars in the Book of Mormon and
about the 2000 stripling warriors. It was a perfect week because I was
looking for a lot of guide on how to lead the zone. Moroni, Lehi, and Teancum were amazing leaders and I learned so much from them on what to
do. I also learned how to be a fantastic person by reading about the
example of the 2000 stripling warriors. I want to invite you all to read
about them looking for their character (I dont remember how to say the
word in English) Su naturaleza o forma de ser (The way they are? The
form of being?) Basically the character traits of the 2000 stripling
warriors and what they were like. Then look at yourself and ask if you
are like that. Then fix what isnt like them. I have started doing it and
it has helped a lot :)
A
part of what they said is they talk about the teachings of their
mothers and that they didn't doubt that their mothers were sure about the
teachings that they had given them. So I started to ponder on the
teachings of my mother and what she wanted me to know. I was reminded of
every time that she passed for a hard moment or needed a miracle. We
would all make fun of her saying how crazy her desire was. But then she
would say "I have faith" and everyone would immediately stop making fun
of her because "When mom has faith, it happens." After pondering that I
decided that I needed to have the faith that my mother had, not doubting
at all, because I knew that she believed 100%.
This
week I was taken out of denial. Lots of missionaries make fun of me for
being an old missionary. I always tell them no and that I have a ton of
time left to get stuff done. Well I was taken out of denial because all
of the sisters who arrived to the mission with me are all having
interviews and the last dinner with president today and will be in their
house on Wednesday. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not becoming trunky and
wanting to be home, actually the opposite. I am realizing that the
mission will end, and that end is coming soon, and that I have to achieve everything I want to achieve in a very short amount of time. The
end of a mission doesn't seem real and doesn't seem like it will ever
happen, but now I am realizing that it is real, and that some day
decently soon I am going to have to give up these plaques and the power
and authority that God has given me. It hurts thinking about that. But
It gives me encouragement that I have been trained and prepared and am
ready to take out the trash to get what God wants done, done.
Just
want to share my testimony of prayer. This week I can testify
completely without a doubt that prayer works. Not always in our own
time, but it does work. God wants to hear us and talk to us. He wants to
comfort us and help us. I know that he lives, and that this is the
church that he has given us to prepare to live with him again. I know
that it was restored by Joseph Smith, and because of that the greatest
work and blessings are available to everyone in the world if they want
to participate.
I Love you all! Stay Golden!
Love,
Elder Nielson
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