December 29th, 2014 - Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Hey Everyone!

Merry late Christmas! I had a blast skyping my family last week, and I hope they enjoyed it as well! This week of course is New Year's, which will be a fantastic time to set some goals and review how the previous year has gone. This week was pretty fantastic, especially because of Christmas, but also in other aspects! We had a blast with some sweet visits, a ton of delicious food throughout the week, and some awesome presents given and received.

Sorry the email is going to be short today, but I wanted to start off with a couple thoughts and quotes from the talks in Sacrament meeting yesterday since they were particularly insightful. The first one was a quote from George Q. Cannon that says: "If any of us are imperfect, it is our duty to pray for the gift that will make us perfect. . . . No man ought to say, “Oh, I cannot help this; it is my nature.” He is not justified in it, for the reason that God has promised to give strength to correct these things, and to give gifts that will eradicate them. If a man lack wisdom, it is his duty to ask God for wisdom. The same with everything else. That is the design of God concerning His Church. He wants His Saints to be perfected in the truth. For this purpose He gives these gifts, and bestows them upon those who seek after them, in order that they may be a perfect people upon the face of the earth. " It was a dang good quote, and I particularly liked how he focused upon the fact that we are striving to be perfect - and that it's possible, but only through God and Jesus Christ! Another cool quote was from President Monson where he said, after telling the story of losing some sugar beets: "Paraphrasing the farmer’s commentsconcerning the sugar beets, I say of these souls, precious to our Father and ourMaster: “There’s just as much value in those who have slipped off. Let’s goback and get them!” It was a neat concept to consider the statement that the worth of each soul is great in the sight of God, one just as much as the others.

Alright, so a quick breeze through of some other things that have happened this week. For one, we've still been watching "He is the Gift" with lots of people... I really hope that you've watched it, maybe multiple times, since it's super awesome. If you haven't there is still time - just go check outChristmas.mormon.org and watch the video! Along with that video, we've shared the passage in Ether 12:8-11 with lots of people that says: "8 But because of the faith of men he has shown himself unto the world, and glorified the name of the Father, and prepared a way that thereby others might be partakers of the heavenly gift, that they might hope for those things which they have not seen.
 9 Wherefore, ye may also have hope, and be partakers of the gift, if ye will but have faith.
 10 Behold it was by faith that they of old were called‍ after the holy order of God.
 11 Wherefore, by faith was the law of Moses given. But in the gift‍ of his Son hath God prepared a more excellent‍ way; and it is by faith that it hath been fulfilled."Occasionally after that we would watch "Because of Him" (found oneaster.mormon.org) and focus on the things that are possible because of him.
Well, we've gotta get going, but I hope y'all have a fantastic week! Love y'all!
'Til Next Time,
Elder Jordan Nielson 

December 22nd, 2014 - Christmas is here!

Hey Everyone!

Merry Christmas! It's only a few days away now, so I hope you're ready! I know that here we have a rough plan of what we're going to be doing, part of which involves skyping our families, which will be a blast! We've also got some solid appointments this week, which should be a blast and help keep us busy! Plus, I hear the weather is supposed to be super nice for Christmas here - in the 50's or something like that, which I'm looking forward too :) No white Christmas for me though!

This week has absolutely flown by! It's just been a whirlwind with a mini-transfer for all the people going home, some fun lessons, lots of planning, and a fun exchange with Elder Hoopes here in Edmond. In my studies this week, I spent a good deal of the time studying from Preach my Gospel chapters 6-8, and it was a blast! One quote that stuck out to me was in Chapter 6 when it says: "Charity, like faith, leads to action. You will develop charity as you lookfor opportunities to serve others and give of yourself." It just emphasized to me that in order to develop any attribute, be it faith, charity, patience, etc. you have to work for it and act as though you already have it and eventually it will come. It was definitely something that we put into practice, because for a lot of this week, we've spent time helping out a family in the ward by handing out flyers for a "Cup for a Can cocoa stand" that they did this last Saturday, after being inspired by this fantastic article in the Friend this month: Article! We had a blast handing out the flyers, since there were quite a few people who opened the door, said they weren't interested, and then talked to us for a minute once we told them we were passing out flyers for a food drive. The family said that they had a lot of people come, and filled 3 boxes of food, so it sounded like a worthwhile experience for everyone! We also met a few people who were willing to let us come back, which is something that doesn't happen super often while tracting around here. But, it was definitely a fun experience to see the reactions various people had when we talked to them and gave them the flyers.

Another thing that stuck out to me was how much God works in his work. There were multiple experiences this week, particularly yesterday, where our timing couldn't have been any better - 2 times yesterday we planned to go see someone and our timing ended up that we were walking to/from their door and they pulled up and invited us to come in and visit with them. It was super neat, especially once we started considering all the little things that added up to end up with us being there when they pull up. It reminds me of a quote from Preach my Gospel that I read this morning in chapter 8: "Meaningful goals and careful planning will help you accomplish what the Lord requires of you." The Lord has required that we seek his guidance as we strive to help and serve others and a key part of that is making sure that we do things when He wants us to, not when we want to in order to help the greatest number of His children come closer and return to him. As we watched "He is the Gift" with people this week trying to prepare them for Christmas, we also would watch "Because of Him", the video the church put out around Easter to help emphasize the impact that the Gift of Christ has in our lives, so, here's a couple links, just do it! Gift!Because!

One other quick highlight from this week before I've gotta get a move on, we had a fun visit with Brother Dinges on Friday, and had a great chat about the Priesthood, why it was taken away from the Earth, why it had to be restored, and how we've come to know that it has been. A key part of it is of course covered in the "Restoration" lesson in preach my gospel, but it was fun to be able to bear testimony and take it out of a lesson setting and just make it super personal since he really wanted to know how we knew. It was a pretty fun week overall, and the principle in 1 Nephi 8 verses 11 and 12 which says: "11 And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the whiteness that I had ever seen. 12 And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was desirable above all other fruit."

I hope you have a great week and a very Merry Christmas! Love y'all!

'Til Next Time,

Elder Jordan Nielson

December 15th, 2014 - Christmas Celebrations for Days!

Hey Everyone!

This week has been pretty sweet! We got to have our Christmas conference with half the mission, and we also had our ward Christmas party, and people are starting to just really get into the season of Christmas! It's pretty dang sweet, with lots of fun stuff going on, pretty much all the time. Well, there is a mini transfer this week with all the people going home early for school, and with it the sisters area in this ward is being closed. Sister Phelps is going back home and they're sending Sister Curtis over to Sulphur! Elder Kenison and I will be responsible to cover the entire ward, which is a pretty large area with a ton of awesome members, so it should be good. This week has been pretty sweet! In my studies this week I focused a lot on Preach my Gospel, and spent some time in chapters 4 and 5 about the Spirit and the Book of Mormon. There were a few quotes that I'll throw throughout my letter, so just expect them ;) We've had some cool miracles, awesome dinners, a fantastic conference, a cold to get rid of, and just a fantastic time. Sadly, I forgot my notes from Christmas conference, so y'all will have to wait until next week to read about that! 

Of particular note throughout the week were a couple of the things we got to talk about with people. For one, we watched this sweet video! Check it out: Video! It's called "the Reason behind Christmas", and it was super sweet. We also watched "He is the Gift" multiple times this week... so if you've somehow still not seen it do it now! Christmas.mormon.org <- Check it! We got to see Gene this week, a pretty awesome friend that we met a few weeks back and have recently started teaching, we read 1 Nephi 11, which actually has a pretty awesome Christmas story in it about Nephi prophesying about the birth of Christ! I've seen this quote from PMG applied throughout this week: "God loves you and all His children. He is anxious to support you in yourpractical and specific challenges. You have been promised inspiration toknow what to do and have been given the power to do it." Particularly on Wednesday after we were visiting with Gene we weren't entirely sure what to do and ended up feeling like we were supposed to go back to our apartment and finish our studies (since we had cut them short earlier to go to the hope center for service), and it just happened that our ride to the ward Christmas party ended up having to pick us up an hour early to help set up so were were back at our apartment right in time. 

On Thursday was Christmas conference, which I don't have my notes from, but which was super good! This quote from President Hinckley in PMG is super awesome: “If it invites to do good, it is of God. If it inviteth to do evil, it is of the devil. … And if you are doing the right thing and if you are living the right way, you will know in your heart what the Spirit is saying to you. You recognize the promptings of the Spirit by the fruits of the Spirit—that which enlighteneth, that which buildeth up, that which is positive and affirmative and uplifting and leads us to better thoughts and better words and better deeds is of the Spirit of God”

On Friday we did exchanges with the zone leaders after district meeting, so I got to work with Elder Bender again (it's been a long while since the last time!), and we had a blast, seeing a few member families and sharing the gift with them as well as having a blast with a family for dinner. We invited them to watch this fantastic Mormon Message found here: Video! It's called "The Hope of God's Light", it's not super new, but it's super awesome! Then we had a good night out with a Brother Eckman, one of the fantastic members of this incredible ward. 

This week our mission president sent us this cool inspirational scripture chain thing, so I thought I'd share it with y'all! Proverbs 3:27 states, " Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it." I Cor 10:24 states, "Let no man seek his own wealth, but every man another's wealth." As I ponder these two scriptures I see that God expects us to do all that we can to help others (seek for their wealth) and that if we have the power to help someone (anyone), we have the obligation to do so. In Mosiah 8:18 Ammon wrote, " Thus God has provided a means that man, through faith, might work mighty miracles; therefore he becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings." somehow it always seems that God requires more from us than we have the ability to give. I will refer to the scripture from last week in D&C 43:16, "...Sanctify yourselves and ye shall be endowed with power, that ye may GIVE..." What a blessing it is to be able to give beyond our own abilities. 

Anyway, that's all I have time for today! Have a great week everyone! Love y'all!

'Til Next Time,

Elder Jordan Nielson

December 8th, 2014 - "I'm a Sugar Cube, I'll melt!"

Hey Everyone!

This week, including and especially today, has just been a whirlwind! It's totally flown by, and there's been a ton of things that just pop up and make sure that I stay flexible. It's definitely been an exciting week though, even though I've definitely slacked in the picture taking department so there won't be any of those with this email. 

Anyway, on Tuesday we got to help a part-member family put up their christmas lights, so it was a very good thing that Elder Kenison isn't afraid of heights like me. That took a bit of time, but it was a blast, especially since it was freezing cold and we felt kind of bad since Brother Dinges had hurt his knee in the Turkey Bowl, so we had some good motivation to move fast but be careful. Then we got to go around and share "He is the Gift" with a bunch of people, which was just a blast and a good time. I've probably watched that video at least 20 times since it came out… so if you haven't watched that incredible video yet then I'd highly recommend it! christmas.mormon.org just do it now, since you obviously didn't read my email last week if you didn't watch it… Anyway, so last week from Monday night to Thursday afternoon the sisters didn't have their car - which was part of the reason it was an exciting week, so we ended up getting rides all of the place for those few days. So, a quick quote from my studies this week in Preach my Gospel: "Members who share the gospel experience joy and have the Spirit of the Lord more abundantly. As we share the gospel, we appreciate how precious and meaningful it is to us, and we feel a greater love for God and others. " I loved this quote when I read it this week, as it promised some fantastic blessings for those who do missionary work and share the gospel, and those blessings are definitely given to those who share the gift of Christ and his restored gospel this Christmas seasons! 

On Wednesday, after we helped out at the Hope Center, we got to share "He is the Gift" with more people, and ended up getting fed randomly by a friend of ours who lives down the street from a member family, so that was delicious. Aside from that Wednesday just included a lot of biking and walking trying to find people to share the gift with and invite to learn more. On Thursday we got to go out with a fantastic brother in the ward and caught a couple people that we hadn't seen in weeks, and one that we had never met! It was awesome because we got to share the gift with them even easier since he was able to download it onto his tablet and just whip it out and show them without having to mess with their technology and such. Quick scripture from my studies this week in Alma 36, verses 24-26: "24 Yea, and from that time even until now, I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also be born of God, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. 25 Yea, and now behold, O my son, the Lord doth give me exceedingly great joy in the fruit of my labors; 26 For because of the word which he has imparted unto me, behold, many have been born of God, and have tasted as I have tasted, and have seen eye to eye as I have seen; therefore they do know of these things of which I have spoken, as I do know; and the knowledge which I have is of God." I have definitely seen the things Alma talks about in these verses in my mission, because I know that because of the word of the Lord, there have been changes in my life, and in the lives of people I've met on my mission that have just been absolutely astounding! 

On Friday we had a good district meeting before doing exchanges with the Guthrie South elders, so I was with Elder Hirschi here in Edmond 3rd. The first thing on our agenda was the Hope Center Volunteer christmas party, which had some delicious food and quite a few people there. After that it was raining so we went and grabbed our rain coats before heading out to share the gift and message of the restoration with people and got to have a couple sweet visits with people before an awesome dinner appointment! After dinner we ended up trying to see a bunch of people who weren't home, but ended up feeling like we should knock on a member family's door while we were in a neighborhood and ended up catching them right as they were about to cut the cake for their 3 year old daughter's birthday, so they invited us in and we got to share that memory with them, which was super tasty and pretty awesome - especially since it included watching "He is the Gift" with them! Then we stopped by a less active family that's super awesome… and she ended up being in the middle of making some sort of cookie that was super tasty… so it was a good night ;) 

On Saturday we got to spend some time helping Paul pack up some of his stuff, and then had a great discussion with him after doing the rat trap object lesson! Then he took us to lunch at this place called "Johnny's" that was super tasty, before we went to our appointment that happened to be at the same time as the Bedlam game (OU vs. OSU), which is typically a super hard time to find anything to do here… so we were glad Brother Dinges was willing to record the game and visit with us instead of watching it live :) Then we walked around and shared the gift with a couple other people, including the Miller family where the quote from the title came from, before going to dinner out at Sandy's (she's a recent convert that we eat with regularly), which was super delicious. After dinner the Sisters were planning on watching the Testaments with them, and since they were our ride we started watching as well. Luckily, the member we had asked to come out with us ended up being able to (when earlier he had said it wasn't likely), and so he picked us up and we went out and had a great time. Even though nobody was really home or able to visit with us, he was able to share his conversion story with us, which was super awesome. So, it was a pretty sweet day! 

Sunday was fantastic, with an absolutely awesome fast and testimony meeting with some super awesome quotes/principles/ideas that I wanted to throw down here:

• It's vital to regain your testimony often (see Elder Andersen's talk from Oct 2014)
• We need to give the Savior of our time this weekend more than anything else
• We don't always know, but God is always there for us and we just have to realize it
• When we make a conscious effort to be obedient, God is able to open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings upon us
• The Lord's tender mercies might seem meaningless to others, but they often have great personal impact
• Answers to prayer come in the Lord's timing, and often uses other people to fulfill his purposes
• Our spirits can do great things!
• The Lord wants, most of all, for us to sacrifice our sins

In addition to that awesomely spiritual sacrament and fast and testimony meeting, we had a great gospel principles class where we talked about the second coming and ended up just having a good time with some memorable quotes. Then in Elder's Quorum this awesome quote from elder Maxwell was shared:

"The highest challenge we have in mortality is to use our free agency well, making right choices in the interplay of time and talents. Time is one of the blessings we are given. Generally speaking, it is we who let ourselves get fragmented too much. It is the result of not establishing (and then persisting in) certain priorities in our life. I am not denying the reality of the challenge you put, but neither do I think it is unmanageable” (Deposition of a Disciple, 68).
“Does all this mean that in letting go of the world, it will be easy to set priorities? No! It is often harder, for now we choose, not between task A, which is a tainted task, and B, which is good; but now we must allot time and talent between C, which is important and good, and D, which is good and important” (Wherefore, Ye Must Press Forward, 19).
“Just as the Lord was able to summarize His priorities so succinctly that it is his ‘work and … glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man’ (Moses 1:39), so we, too, will need to be able to manage our time and talents in such a way that we, too, know our real priorities and focus on them. When we are settled in our hearts on that which really matters, then our talent and time as well as our treasure will be thus deployed!”(We Will Prove Them Herewith, 66–67).

I loved it, so I thought I'd throw it in here for y'all. After church, we got to go to ward choir, since our ride to church is in the choir, so that was awesome :) Then we got to study before heading to dinner with the Evans, which was a blast. After dinner we headed down to where we were going to watch the First Presidency Christmas Devotional, which was just fantastic! If you missed it, check it out here: https://www.lds.org/broadcasts/archive/first-presidencys-christmas-devotional/2014/12?cid=HPSU120714557&lang=eng

I hope you guys have a great week! Love y'all! 

'Til Next Time,

Elder Jordan Nielson

December 1st, 2014 - Christmas Season in Full Swing!

Hey Everyone!

I hope that you've had a fantastic start to your Christmas season, because we definitely have! Of most particular note this week is the "He is the Gift" initiative the Church is putting on that's got this video as a major part of it:

"He Is The Gift"

It's a dang awesome video, so you should click on that link and watch it now. It's only 3 minutes long. So, just do it. Now. Then you can keep reading. 

So, I hope you actually watched the video. Seriously. It's only 3 minutes. If you haven't, go watch it! Either way, I can't really make you watch it... but I'd highly encourage it...

Moving on, Last week for p-day we went to the Cowboy Museum! It was pretty sweet, with a ton of awesome (and super expensive) artwork and historical stuff that was pretty neat to see. I took a ton of pictures (again), and haven't gone through them yet, so you'll just have to sit quietly and wait for when I actually get around to it. Considering I still haven't gotten around to going through the zoo photos it might be awhile yet. Then on Tuesday we got to have dinner with an awesome couple in the ward and had a fantastic visit with them focused on revelation and the Book of Mormon, where we watched the Patterns of light videos from Elder Bednar located here: Video 1 Video 2 Video 3

You don't have to watch those right now unless you really want to... I'd rather that you go watch "He is the Gift" first, but it's up to you. On Wednesday I got to fix another flat tire that I had gotten, and since it was the day before Thanksgiving we got to go to a "Greedy Pilgrim Feast" that a family in the ward was hosting. Pretty much it's just where a ton of people get together and eat pie the day before Thanksgiving, since we all know that on Thanksgiving you're always too full to actually enjoy the pie that you are eating. So, that was a delicious blast, along with getting to see a few people throughout the day and share a Thanksgiving themed message with them, which was pretty fun. I also happened to read Alma 26 today, which was pretty sweet. There was a passage that stood out to me that said, after talking about all the work that they had been doing and how blessed they were to serve the Lord: "Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever.Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel."

On Thursday for Thanksgiving we got to go to the Turkey Bowl that the ward was having, and it was a blast, aside from the injury or two that occurred (and almost always come with Turkey Bowls), we had a pretty good time. Then we got to help a family rake up some leaves that covered their lawn, which was pretty fun. For our Thanksgiving meal, yes we only had one (thankfully), we got to spend some time with a couple of the families in the ward and eat some incredible food, play a few games while it digested, and then partake in some awesome pie! It was a pretty sweet day, with lots of things to be grateful for throughout the day. 

Friday was awesome. We got to have a zone meeting where we talked about the "He is the Gift" Initiative, and watched the video, that you all should have watched by now, and if you haven't, here is the link again... seriously just watch it. "He Is The Gift" There really isn't any point in not watching it... so you should just do it. But, the meeting was fantastic, and we were highly encouraged to include that as a major part of our missionary work for this month and help others remember the true meaning of Christmas and learn more about Christ's restored Gospel. So, the rest of the day was spent sharing the gift with people while I was on an exchange with Elder Balch here in Edmond. So, you all should totally share the gift - just go share it on your facebook page or twitter or something. On Saturday we had to do our weekly planning, which took a while, plus we had to exchange back, and we had a fantastic dinner appointment, so it was a pretty good day. 

On Sunday we got to go to church, which was a blast. During the 3rd hour they introduced a site that is supposed to help link volunteers with organizations who need volunteer help, called justserve.org it might not be available in your area yet, but it looked like a super awesome deal, so if it is you should totally check it out. Even if it isn't, I think you'd enjoy checking it out periodically in case it does start getting some use in your area. Later that day we got to share the gift with a few people, which was awesome, and also had the chance to give one of our friends who is learning more about the church a blessing since he hurt his knee in the turkey bowl. Then the awesome member we were out with took us to deliver some food that he had collected at his office as part of a drive before Thanksgiving, to a family in need, so that was pretty awesome.

And then we have today... where my notes include things that I've studied over the last week. I've definitely spent a lot of time in Preach my Gospel this last week, and there were a few quotes that stood out to me:

• "The Savior satisfied the demands of justice for those who repent of their sins and endeavor to keep all of His commandments when He stood in our place and suffered the penalty for our sins. This act is called the Atonement. Because of this selfless act, Christ can plead with the Father on our behalf. Heavenly Father can apply mercy, withhold punishment from us, and welcome us into His presence. Our Heavenly Father shows mercy when He forgives us of our sins and helps us return to dwell in His presence. However, Jesus did not eliminate our personal responsibility. He forgives our sins when we accept Him, repent, and obey His commandments." (PMG p. 61)
• "Before baptism we show our willingness to enter a covenant to keep all the commandments for the rest of our lives. After baptism we show our faith by keeping our covenants. We also regularly renew the covenants we make when baptized by partaking of the sacrament. Partaking of the sacrament weekly is a commandment. It helps us remain worthy to have the Spirit with us always. It is a weekly reminder of our covenants." (PMG p.64)
• "Faith in Christ; repentance; making, renewing, and keeping covenants; and being cleansed by the Spirit become a pattern of living. Our actions in daily life are shaped and governed by these principles. Peace and joy come by following this way, and we gradually grow in Christlike attributes." (PMG p. 66)

Well, I've gotta get other things done today, but I hope you guys have a fantastic week and enjoy the video! "He Is The Gift" Love y'all!

'Til Next Time,

Elder Jordan Nielson

P.S. If you have read this entire email and didn't watch the video, you must be pretty stubborn... so I applaud you... but please just watch the video! "He Is The Gift"

November 24th, 2014 - Woah!

Hey Everyone!

So, last week was absolutely insane, and I didn't actually have time to email anyone, which was super sad :( We ended up having to go to a funeral for a member of the Guthrie Ward, which was alright and happened to take up most of our p-day time. So, I'm going to try and give y'all an update on the last two weeks... we'll see how well I do!

So, transfers were this last week, and I get to stay here with Elder Kenison! But, due to the holidays they're going to be pretty insane for the next little while. There is one again on December 17th, and again on January 7th, so that people can go home when they would like, and there are quite a few going home each of those days.  

On Monday the 10th we had zone p-day in Stillwater and had a blast there with an awesome specialized training meeting afterward focused on Finding. After that I got to go on an exchange up in Stillwater with Elder Burdett until Wednesday morning, so we got to have a blast working in Stilly for a little bit. We had a pretty intense day on Tuesday, with lots of random things coming up and lots of things falling through, but we got to have a couple sweet chats with people, even though we didn't get to teach any of the regular lessons that day, we still had some good things that we learned and that others learned. For one, I learned that you can only buy floor mats from the Toyota dealership in a set of 4, random, but it happened that we needed to go get a floor mat for one of the mission vehicles. I also learned that a Mexican joint called "Fuzzy's" sells deep fried ice cream, which was pretty delicious. There was also a media referral we got to go see a fellow named Allie, who told us about a god named Jamar, who also had a son named Jesus... it was a heck of an interesting visit.... To brighten our day though we had a good discussion with a family about persecution and the reasons why so many people have negative connotations to the name "Mormon". It was a pretty good day overall :)

Wednesday was also pretty exciting, aside from al the driving and bike fixing that had to be done, we got to see a couple people and had a pretty good chat with Stanlee and Brother Dickerson after having dinner with them about the doctrine of Christ and the importance of apply each principle at the correct time in our lives. The awesome thing about that Thursday (the 13th) was that we got to go to the temple! There is a sister in the ward who was taking out her Endowments, and she asked us to come and be there for support as well as a whole bunch of other awesome people from the ward and it was just a blast to be able to go to the temple again! :)

On Friday the 14th, after a sweet district meeting I got to go on an exchange up in Guthrie North with Elder Hoopes and had a pretty swell time there. For the sake of time I'm going to fast forward and just mention a couple noteworthy events. We got to have dinner at Ken's Pizza with Paul and Sister Ramsey, and it was a blast with their awesome kids and some tasty pizza. On Sunday the 16th after Sacrament meeting they cancelled church due to snow and there were already a few accidents along the interstate that we saw on the Drive back. The rest of that day became very interesting since we weren't able to bike in the snow we had to walk everywhere and ended up walking a few miles that day and visiting with a few potential investigators and active members, along with a good bit of tracting.

Last Monday the 17th, as mentioned before we had the funeral which took up a good chunk of the day with setting up, the actual service, socializing and lunch afterward and then taking stuff down, plus all the driving, it was definitely a long day. The notable thing about Tuesday we the scripture study class we got to have at the Jensens' home where the sisters taught about Gratitude. It was pretty sweet, and we watched this awesome Mormon Message: In The Spirit of Thanksgiving Elder Oaks talks in part of it, and that was probably my favorite part of the whole thing.

Also, while I was getting the link for that one, there was a new Mormon message about the refiner's fire, which was absolutely awesome. You should all check it out:

New One!

The notable things about Wednesday the 19th, was the fun time we got to have doing service at the Hope Center and then for an awesome member family as well as the sweet and super spiritual lesson we got to have that night with Brother Brasher and a girl named Carson. She's super cool and we'll have to pass her on to the UCO sisters in the YSA ward. Thursday we got to go out to lunch with a pretty cool sister in the ward, but we had a pretty good day aside from Elder Kenison's tire slowly going flat and having to call it a day a little early. It was pretty neat because he didn't have to replace to tube (as of yet), so that was a pretty cool miracle.

On Friday the 21st we had a pretty good district meeting, along with finishing weekly planning and biking around with not many people being home the main notable thing was the chat we got to have with a potential investigator and her husband who we hadn't met until that day who was super awesome as well. Then we got to have a blast at dinner with our ward mission leader and his family, so it was a pretty sweet day even though not much worked out. Saturday it rained... and rained... and rained... but we got to visit with an awesome family and had a good lesson with them, as well as helped a new family move in... in the rain... but they were super awesome so it was totally worth it.

Of note yesterday, for sake of time, we had a blast visiting a few less-active families in the ward and having dinner with one of the many awesome active families here, along with getting to talk to Elder Balch since he wasn't able to go to church since he'd been sick the last couple days. Phew. That was a long time to review and go over... I've had a ton of studies during these last couple weeks that were pretty awesome, but since my email is already super long, I'll just throw a couple quick things here for y'all to check out:

• Phoenix Arizona Temple Dedication Prayer is super awesome, and deserves a read!
• Awesome article about applying conference - Check it out!
• #SharetheGift <- check it out! It's super awesome, and I want you all to click on that link!
• This quote from Preach my Gospel hit me this week, so I wanted to share it with y'all: "God is the Father of our spirits. We are literally Hischildren, and He loves us. We lived as spirit children of our Father inHeaven before we were born on this earth. We were not, however,like our Heavenly Father, nor could we ever become like Him andenjoy all the blessings that He enjoys without the experience of livingin mortality with a physical body.
  God’s whole purpose—His work and His glory—is to enable each ofus to enjoy all His blessings. He has provided a perfect plan toaccomplish His purpose. We understood and accepted this planbefore we came to the earth." We knew God, and he knew us before this life and each one of us accepted His plan that would bring about our happiness and salvation and progression. The key here is to remember that and live according to the knowledge that we have and continually seek more from God!

Okay... I've gotta get moving, but I love y'all! I hope you have a fantastic week!

'Til Next Time,

Elder Jordan Nielson

November 10th, 2014

Hey Everyone!

It's been a pretty swell week out here in Edmond, Oklahoma, although there wasn't a whole ton of remarkable things there were a lot of cool little things that happened throughout the week. It's been super nice weather all this week, which was awesome for those days where we got to do a lot of tracting or biking, which is pretty much everyday. Since I'm currently not entirely sure what I want to put in this email today, I guess I'll just start with some of the thoughts that have recurred over the last week. Recently I read a book titled "Believing Christ" by Stephen Robinson which focused upon actually believing what Christ says and what he can do and not just believing in Him. There was also a large emphasis on the doctrines of Grace, Faith, and salvation, along with a pretty neat explanation of the atonement throughout the entire book. One cool quote that kind of emphasizes his point is: "We often think that having faith in Christ means believing in his identity as the Son of God and the Savior of the world. But believing in Jesus' identity as the Christ is only the first half of it. The other half is believing in his ability, in his power to cleanse and to save - to make unworthy sons and daughters worthy. Not only must we believe that he is who he says he is, we must also believe that he can do what he says he can do." It's been a pretty good book to read this last week, and I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to have a pretty plain talk about some oft times confusing topics.

In my studies this week I focused a lot on Preach my Gospel and studying from that, and so I wanted to share a few quotes that struck me in my studies:

• "Preach My Gospel‍ focuses on the fundamentals of missionary work.It does not answer every question or situation you will encounter. Youwill be most effective as you follow the Spirit, search the scriptures,keep the commandments, and apply what you learn" - Introduction
• "Frequent study of this manual will enable them to fulfill theirresponsibilities as member missionaries and will foster unity with thefull-time missionaries." - Introduction
• "President Ezra Taft Benson taught: “We are commanded by God totake this gospel to all the world. That is the cause that must unite ustoday. Only the gospel will save the world from the calamity of itsown self-destruction. Only the gospel will unite men of all races andnationalities in peace. Only the gospel will bring joy, happiness, andsalvation to the human family” - Chapter 1
•  “Preach the first principles of the Gospel—preach them over again:you will find that day after day new ideas and additional lightconcerning them will be revealed to you." - Hyrum Smith, Chapter 1
• "The purpose of the gospel is to cleanse people of their sins so theycan receive the Savior’s mercy at the day of judgment. Therefore, thefocus of this book and, more important, the work you do each day isto invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive therestored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement,repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to theend." - Chapter 1
• "Repentance involves a change of heart and a desire to forsake sinand serve God. ... It requires that people increase their commitmentto live in agreement with God’s will. ... It is a positive experience thatbrings joy and peace." - Chapter 1

Anyway, this week we got to see a few people and with one family we got to watch a video the church recently put out about temple garments and such, and since I can't remember if I've given y'all a link to it before I'm going to put on here: LINK! Another topic we talked about a lot this week was daily scripture study and prayer and the importance that has in our lives. We watched the Daily Bread Mormon messages (Links: 1 2 3) and had some fantastic discussions about those topics. On Wednesday it seemed to be a family history kind of day as that was discussed, at least in some form, with most of the people we got to see that day. On Friday I got to go on exchanges up in Guthrie again, and it was a pretty swell day. We talked with a few people and got to have some good discussions about baptism and the Holy Ghost with a couple people where we got to emphasize the importance they have in our daily lives as we strive to come closer to Christ. The only really exciting thing that happened was on Saturday when I got a flat tire and some nice couple gave us a ride back to our apartment. Apparently the wife grew up with Sherri Dew, which was pretty neat especially since I found out today that she'll be doing some sort of lecture thing (check it out here) this week that I'll hopefully remember and get to listen to next week. That night we got to talk about obedience with Sandy - who got baptized a little while back and her daughter Michelle - who is getting baptized on the 21st of the month, and watched President Monson's talk "Obedience Brings Blessings", which is super awesome. Of note for Sunday was the awesome day at church, and then also a quote that I wrote down during dinner. It's a joke, so you have to read it aloud in a Jersey accent: "Why should you never play cards in the Jungle? Cause there might be a Cheetah!" Considering it was a little kid who told it to us, it was pretty funny.

Though there wasn't much that happened exciting wise this week, it was still an awesome week to be a missionary, since every week is an awesome week to be a missionary! We had some fun times, and some not so fun times (like the flat tire that I later found out was actually 2 flat tires... evil burrs), but the work moves forward. I hope y'all have a fantastic week! Love y'all!

'Til Next Time,

Elder Jordan Nielson

November 3rd, 2014 - Winter is coming?!?

Hey Everyone!

Well it looks like winter is coming since this week we've had many days of suit-coat-weather. This week has been pretty interesting, and since I chose to listen to the CES devotional during email time today you guys are going to have a shortened email... so to make up for it you should watch the devotional - it's pretty neat! Check it out here: https://www.lds.org/broadcasts/watch/ces-devotionals/2014/11?cid=HPSU110214549&lang=eng

Anyway, this week had a couple notable things - first off that we got to go to the Oklahoma City zoo last week for Sister Curtis' birthday where I took tons of pictures and we had a blast! They had the Halloween decorations up, so it was particularly exciting and full of things to take pictures of. But, I don't have time today to go through the pictures, so you'll have to wait in suspense until I get around to it. That night we had a blast with the visits that we had with people and the wonderful dinner appointment we were able to have. On Tuesday we got to help a couple in the ward in the morning and had lunch with them, before heading out to try and see people and didn't have much luck. We had a sweet dinner appointment before our scripture study class that night where we got to talk about building a sure foundation - the same thing Elder Hallstrom talks of in the CES devotional and it was pretty sweet. We watched this video:Video! In addition we discussed some of the following scriptures:

• Helaman 5:9-12
• Psalm 71:3
• Jacob 4:14-16
• Matthew 7:24-27
• Mosiah 4:9-10
• Alma 48:7-10
• Jacob 4:6
• Alma 33:22-23

On Wednesday we got to help a couple in the ward move down the street, which was pretty fun and then saw a few people before the ward Halloween party, which was super intense! There was a ton of people there, and we had a fantastic chili cook-off (of which we were the judges along with the sisters), with a ton of other activities and such. There were games/challenges in the rooms along the hallway and in the foyer and there was a photo booth and then at the end there was an awesome trunk-or-treat! There were quite a few less active members and friends from other faiths there, and it was an awesome chance to meet more of the members of this giant ward.

On Thursday there was much less of note that happened, though we did have to say goodbye to Sister Champlin, a recent convert who is moving back down to Pensacola and is probably there by now. I was pretty out of it most the day with an intense headache, but we did get to have dinner with an awesome family in the ward. Friday was Halloween, which was exciting in and of itself since we had to be inside by 6pm instead of the typical 9. There were a couple other exciting things that happened, but I don't have time to talk about those, or really much of anything else since I still have other emails to write today :( I hope you have a fantastic week! Love ya!

'Til Next Time,

Elder Jordan Nielson 

October 27th, 2014 - Notable Experience Week!

Hey Everyone!

This week was full of notable and memorable experiences that I'll address later on in my email today, but it also was full of cool miracles! I had a blast this week with Elder Kenison, who I forgot to mention last week is from West Valley, Utah - a suburb of salt lake. He's a pretty awesome dude so this should be a pretty exciting transfer, especially since it's only 5 weeks long and we're already over a week into it. I took more pictures this week than probably any one week since my mission started, so that was pretty neat - hopefully I make a habit out of it and I actually come home with pictures for you all to see! Well, I don't have a whole lot of time today since the computers at the first library we went to were full so we had to spend time going to another library and get on computers there, plus we're going down to the zoo today for Sister Curtis' birthday, so that should be a blast!

Anyways, this week was marked by some sweet lessons and delicious dinners along with the other memorable occasions that we had. Along with all that I had some pretty sweet studies that I wanted to share a couple thoughts from before I forget. First off, this week in my readings I came across some cool quotes in Preach my Gospel that I wanted to share and throw in some thoughts about. First, in chapter 1 it says: Along with your authority comes aresponsibility to live worthy of your calling. As the Lord’s representative, you areto be “an example of the believers” (1 Timothy 4:12)... Honor Christ’s nameby your actions." I found it interesting how as missionaries we're given the authority to teach people the gospel and baptize them as they strengthen faith in Christ and repent, but that also means that we have to ensure that we're always living in such a way that those we come in contact with will recognize us as representatives of Jesus Christ and bearers of his name - which all members of the church bear. So, the part I bolded "Honor Christ's name by your actions" really struck me because that's something all members must do, especially if they want to live up to the other portions of their baptismal covenant. Then in chapter 11 it states: "Boldness shows your faith that obedience to the Lord’s commandments brings blessings." I know that the Lord blesses those who keep His commandments, and in order to help others come to that knowledge it's super important for us to be bold in inviting others to learn more about the Lord and His gospel! It also reminded me of a saying I've heard that the difference between boldness and overbearance is love. The last thought I wanted to share in this part is from a talk by Elder Christensen of the seventy in the October 2012 conference he said: "We all have experiences with the Holy Ghost, eventhough we may not always recognize them. As inspired thoughts come into ourminds, we know them to be true by the spiritual feelings that enter into ourhearts. President Boyd K. Packer has taught: “The Holy Ghost speaks with avoice that you feel‍ more than you hear.‍ … While we speak of ‘listening’ to thewhisperings of the Spirit, most often one describes a spiritual prompting bysaying, ‘I had a feeling …’”¹⁸‍ It is through these sacred feelings from the HolyGhost that we come to know what God would have us do, for this, as stated inscripture, “is the spirit of revelation.”^19"

So for time's sake I'm going to have to move on to other less spiritual but still exciting things, like on Wednesday when we got to go to Pops! An awesome member couple took us out there for dinner and it was delicious. They're famous for the incredible selection of soda they have, with tons of flavors and brands. There's also a pretty sweet looking thing out front that is in the background of this picture we took that I attached on here. I also decided to throw on a picture of their rootbeer fridge, even though I didn't end up getting rootbeer since I instead got "stalinade" - some sort of red soda.

The next majorly notable event was on Friday when I got to go on exchanges with Elder Balch in Guthrie North. It was a blast, for the short time we got to spend in Guthrie, and then we headed to Stillwater for what proved to be an eventful night! The zone leaders had asked us to come help with the OSU walk-around that they do for homecoming weekend, and there was a ton of people there! It was an absolute blast, especially getting to go around and see all the different "Decks" that the frats and sororities built. It was just a blast, so I'm going to throw a couple pictures from that on as well. Sorry that's all I have time for today! Have a fantastic week! Love y'all!

'Til Next Time,

Elder Jordan Nielson

October 20th, 2014 - Longest. Week. Ever. And the Greatest!

Hey Everyone!

I think this literally might have been the longest week on my mission yet... It's hard to believe that the last time I sent out an email I was still in Ardmore, since there's been a ton of things that have happened this week that make each day seem super eventful. So... I guess I'll just have to do a day by day type of thing and we'll see where that takes me. 

So... last Monday was my last time going to Confetti's, which was kind of sad... but I got to take some pictures there since I actually remembered my camera and it was a blast! That night ended up being a night to pack after an awesome dinner with the Griffith family. Then came the sad day of Tuesday, where I had to say goodbye to as many people as I wanted to on my last day in Ardmore. I was pretty successful in seeing all the people I absolutely had to... there were a few I didn't get to see, which was probably the saddest part of leaving, but it's all good. I got tons of pictures with people... but I don't really feel like sorting through those right now. while getting pictures though most families wanted me to share a scripture with them so I ended up sharing 2 Nephi 33:10-13 and also Jacob 6:11-13 a couple times along with my favorite of Alma 37:34-37. Suffice it to say that I got some pictures with people and it was good. 

Wednesday was definitely the longest day of the week, perhaps even the longest day of my mission. We got up earlier to drive to transfers since we had to be in Paul's Valley by 8 to meet up with the zone leaders before they had to be down there... so we ended up getting to transfers relatively early, which was alright. But then we had plenty of time to talk to people so I was able to catch up with a ton of mission friends who were also getting transferred. Of particular note was Elder Beus, my companion in Choctaw, who was going down to Ardmore South (the other area in Ardmore), so that should be fun for him. Eventually it was time to head out, but it turned out that one of the Guthrie Elders' investigators is moving down to Moore soon so we had a service project lined up to help her tear out some carpet in the new place - which was super gross. Eventually we did make it up to Edmond, and got some Chick-fil-A! Woooohoo! Sadly while there we talked to this fellow named Barry, who told us he was open to and searching for truth and then just spent the entire time we ate telling us things he thought were wrong about our church... most of which weren't true anyway. After that we went back to the apartment and Ashley - a girl going on a mission soon (she's waiting for her call) - dropped my stuff off at the apartment and then took all of us missionaries shopping at target! After we were done with all of that we went and got to talk to this fellow named Russell and then a sister in the ward who lives down the street from him. Finally it was time for dinner, which was at our apartment - supposedly something that never happens here, or so I'm told. After dinner we headed off on our bikes to try and see the Thompsons. On the way there my back tire went flat due to some evil spikey burr things, but we were already almost there so we just walked the rest of the way. We did get to talk to Sister Thompson, which was pretty sweet and we talked about practicing the lessons with her and her family, and they liked that idea so it should be fun! One of my favorite lessons to practice with people is the plan of salvation, particularly because of this one scripture in Alma 34:

" 8 And now, behold, I will testify unto you of myself that these things are true. Behold, I say unto you, that I do know that Christ shall come among the children of men, to take upon him the transgressions of his people, and that he shall atone for the sins of the world; for the Lord God hath spoken it.
 9 For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish;yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made." Then while we were walking back toward the apartment my front tire went flat - again from the evil spikey burr things. So... that was kind of depressing and we called a couple members and eventually found one willing and able to come pick us up - Brother Orgill. He picked us up, and we dropped off the bikes at the apartment and then he was nice enough to take us down to wal-mart to get some new tubes, and then his son Josh convinced him to go to Braum's, so we snagged some shakes, and then finally made it back to the apartment. So... I was pretty tired, but it was quite the eventful first day! 

Thursday wasn't quite as eventful, since we had weekly planning in the morning where I was told a ton of information about the area, and then after lunch and fixing my bike we got to help Sister Champlin move some stuff around, and get stuff out of her attic with the help of her awesome home teachers in preparation for her move down to Pensacola. After that we had to change and stuff and by that time it was about time for dinner, so we had dinner and then headed out. That night we had a lesson at Connor's house with his friend Hudson, which was fantastic. It was a blast for one, and for two it was super spiritual, so that was neat. We talked about a ton of stuff, reviewing mostly since they hadn't gotten to see Hudson in a while, and we also watched this sweet video: VIDEO! We talked a lot about the Joseph Smith story and the restoration, and it was sweet. 

Since I'm of course running out of time, I'll breeze through the next couple of days... On Friday we had an awesome district meeting and district lunch, and then I got to go on an exchange with Elder Tracy in Guthrie South. It was a blast as we got to go out with a young man named Alex for the afternoon and then had dinner with his family before going out with President Larson the EQP for their ward. It was a pretty awesome day, and we got to see a few of their people they get to work with and it was just a blast. On saturday we got to do a service project with the Moon family, some members in the Guthrie ward, and they fed us a delicious lunch. After that we showered and go to work through the day until dinner with Sandy, a recent convert who is super awesome. Yesterday we had ward conference, which was a blast and there was a ton of people I had never met before, but we got to hear from President Bowman, which was awesome. After church we had studies and then dinner with the Larsen family, who had some of their family that lives down in the Village there as well. That was awesome, and then we got to go out and about and I met a few other fantastic families throughout the night. At one family we had an interesting discussion about second chances and why we get those even if we grew up with the gospel and just chose not to do the things we know we should, so that was good. I would share more about my studies... but I forgot my study journal and I also have a really long email already... so hopefully the things I've already included are good enough of a spiritual boost. But I also wanted to close with a quote from President Uchtdorf's talk:

"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a place for people with all kinds of testimonies. There are some members of the Church whose testimony is sure and burns brightly within them. Others are still striving to know for themselves. The Church is a home for all to come together, regardless of the depth or the height of our testimony. I know of no sign on the doors of our meetinghouses that says, “Your testimony must be this tall to enter.”

The Church is not just for perfect people, but it is for all to “come unto Christ, and be perfected in him.” The Church is for people like you and me. The Church is a place of welcoming and nurturing, not of separating or criticizing. It is a place where we reach out to encourage, uplift, and sustain one another as we pursue our individual search for divine truth.

In the end, we are all pilgrims seeking God’s light as we journey on the path of discipleship. We do not condemn others for the amount of light they may or may not have; rather, we nourish and encourage all light until it grows clear, bright, and true."

I hope y'all have a fantastic week! Love y'all!

'Til Next Time,

Elder Jordan Nielson

October 13th, 2014 - Transfers?!?

Hey Everyone!!

Well it looks like my time in glorious Ardmore is coming to a close and I'm going to Edmond 3rd in another bike area! It's been a pretty crazy week here, with transfer calls and stake conference and lots of random other things happening, so I can't wait to tell you about some of it!

My new address is:

1700 Kickingbird rd. Apt 1753

Edmond, OK 73034

First off, a couple times this week we had the privilege of watching Elder Bednar's talk from conference again with people, so y'all should check it out here: Bednar!

So yeah, we got to watch that with the Isers and Ricky and Jessica, and it was pretty neat. It's a super good talk, especially addressed to those who aren't members of the church, but very applicable to members as well. Also of note this week is that the Isers moved over to the other side of town, so it was fun to be able to help with that one afternoon.

On Friday we got to have a good chat with Chris Nash, and he had watched part of President Eyring's talk in Priesthood Session ( Eyring! ) and it was neat because when I had listened to that talk I didn't think it really applied to our friends who aren't members of the church, but as Chris told us of some things he learned he really liked the principle President Eyring talked about when you have to reprove someone - how you afterward show and increase of love. Here's the quote: "You will remember the Lord’s counsel: “Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy.”

The word increase has special meaning in preparing priesthood holders when they need correction. The word suggests an increase of a love that was already there. The “showing forth” is about the increase. Those of you who are preparing priesthood holders will certainly see them make mistakes. Before they receive your correction, they must have felt of your love early and steadily. They must have felt your genuine praise before they will accept your correction."

Then on Saturday and Sunday we had a glorious stake conference! Elder Villareal, an area authority presided at the conference and had some incredibly instructive and inspiring things to share. Sadly I was silly and forgot my notes (I might have already packed them away...), so you all don't get to hear about that yet today. In my studies this week I've focused a lot on conference and the Book of Mormon, which has been pretty nice.  Sorry the email is a bit short and scattered today... transfers make my brain focus on other things... like how the heck I'm going to get everything packed and see everyone I want to in time :P

Have a fantastic week! Love y'all!

'Til Next Time,

Elder Jordan Nielson

October 6th, 2014 - CONFERENCE!!!! WHOOOO!!!

Hey Everyone!!

This week was absolutely fantastic - with a ton of awesome things that we got to do! Foremost is of course General Conference!! I don't know if y'all liked what I did last conference or not, but I did the same thing again since I liked it... so here is the summary for this conference! As you go through the list, write down talks that stick out to you and research them further - Check it out online at gc.lds.org!

President Monson

-Saturday Morning: The work moves forward unhindered – 88,000+ missionaries, 143 operating temples and 27 more in the process

-Priesthood: A Man without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder, so we must chart and sail a course straight to the Celestial Kingdom of God

- Sunday Morning: Physically walking where Jesus walked is far less important than walking AS he walked, which path will lead us safely home through his teachings and example.

- Sunday Afternoon: May you return home with a resolve to do a little better than before!

President Eyring

- Priesthood: All of us have an obligation to help other prepare through trust and caring to come unto Christ

- Sunday Morning: Revelation continues in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “the Prophet receiving it for the church … the father for his family, the individual for himself.”

President Uchtdorf

-Saturday Morning: The Process of Gathering spiritual light is the quest of a lifetime, and the more we incline our heart and mind to God the more we receive. By the same token if we remove ourselves from the Gospel our light will dim, for the Savior promised that if you seek you will find.

- Priesthood: “Lord, Is it I?” is something each of us must regularly ask ourselves as we assess our progress on the gospel path, which progress we need to see clearly through God’s eyes.

President Packer – We need everyone to apply the Atonement of Jesus Christ and apply all of their wisdom, insight, and spiritual strength to moving this work forward.

Elder Perry – To be a Christian is to admire Jesus so fervently to aspire in our lives to be like Him, and the home is the best place to begin as we fulfill the different roles described in the scriptures and the Family: A Proclamation to the world.

Elder Nelson – Do you and I really understand what it means to sustain the prophet?

Elder Oaks – As we strive to obey Christ’s command to “Love one another, as I have loved you” we must avoid contention through patience and kindness and pressing forward having a love of God and all men.

Elder Ballard – Stay in the boat (the church), always wear a life jacket (the scriptures) and hold on with both hands (through the atonement) until the old ship Zion arrives safely at the Celestial Kingdom

Elder Scott – The tools to find peace in this life are sincere prayer, studying the scriptures and words of prophets daily, weekly family home evening and going to the temple!

Elder Hales – To receive eternal life we must come to know God the Father and his literal son Jesus Christ, which is done through personal revelation and building upon his Gospel

Elder Holland – We obtain a remission of our sins by pleading before God, we retain it by caring for and serving others – Christianity is obviously not a statistical matter

Elder Bednar – “Why are latter-day Saints so eager to share what they believe?” Absolute truth exists still, so we urge you to come and see if the restored Gospel enlarges and enriches what you know!

Elder Cook –Our daily conduct and choices should reflect moderation, balance, and wisdom and be consistent with our goals, for our “Decisions determine destiny”.

Elder Christofferson – Personal accountability is the only way to achieve our full potential as children of God as we apply the Gospel of Christ and avoid relativism.

Elder Andersen – Spiritual questions deserve spiritual answers from God and every person must obtain for themselves from God a spiritual knowledge of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Elder Robbins – Remember which way you should face as decisions of character must be made by remembering the order of the two great commandments. Ensure you do not fear man more than God.

Sister Esplin – The sacrament needs to be a spiritual highlight and experience each week!

Elder Wong – To assist the savior in saving souls we should always be anxiously engaged and work together in harmony, each fulfilling our roles

Brother Callister – Parents are to take the responsibility as the prime gospel teachers

Elder Klebingat – We must increase our confidence before God by taking responsibility for our spiritual and physical well-being, whole heartedly obeying God, becoming really really good at repenting and forgiving quickly and thoroughly, and accepting the trials that will certainly come

Elder Gavarret – We all must feed the desire in our hearts to answer “Yes Lord, I’ll follow thee”

Sister McConkie – Following the Prophet and standing with the prophets is always desirable

Elder Hamula – The Sacrament needs to become more sacred and Holy to each of us as it helps us not only to Remember, but also receive the benefits of Christ’s Atonement.

Elder Godoy – Are you living in a way that the blessings promised to you by God (specifically in your patriarchal blessing) will be fulfilled? To do so, consider your options with the end in mind, be prepared for the challenges that will come, and share the vision with the people you love

Elder Allen Packer – Frequent small course corrections are easier and less painful than large ones, strive to fulfill ALL the requirements of exaltation. It’s time to take the cover off our hatchets and go to work!

Elder Martinez – “He who serves in some thing is good for something, he who serves in no thing is good for nothing”, so discover needs of individuals and families then tend to them as you strive to minister

Elder Kacher – “There are many currents in this earthly life, some safe and others not” - Where do you turn to find out which “currents” are safe or what is true? You must turn to God for absolute truth!

Alright... that pretty much covers general conference! That was two awesome days this week, but there were many other highlights this week! First off, aside from conference, the coolest thing that happened was that we got to watch "Meet the Mormons"! It was fantastic - I'd highly recommend it! We were told to write down some quotes we liked... so I did... and I thought about sharing them with y'all, but I think that'd spoil the movie... so here's just one: "Just as bad choices can spiral to despair good choices can turn into miracles." Since I don't want to spoil it I'll leave it at that... There's an awesome song from it with a few cool clips located at this link: Meet the Mormons! It was a dang good video, so you all should check it out! Since this email is already pretty long I just wanted to share two other experiences real quick. First, on Monday we were out and about and thought we should try one of our investigators we hadn't seen in ages, so we did and he was home! He also had a friend there, so we got to have a pretty cool discussion with both of them about opposition and trials and such, and it was pretty spiritual. The other highlight I wanted to share was from the funeral for sister Gooden we went to on Thursday. Bishop Newell spoke a little and shared a story about a man who opened a new business and his friend ordered a wreathe of flowers for him. When it was delivered the florist made a mixup and the new business owner received one that said "Rest in Peace". When he called his friend to ask why he sent that, the friend replied: "Just think of a dead man with the wreathe "Good luck in your new place!". I thought it was a pretty neat story, but I learned that day that sometimes funerals end up being pretty light-hearted.

That's about it for this week! Have an absolutely fantastic week! Love y'all!

'Til Next Time,

Elder Jordan Nielson

P.S. I would have written a longer email... but I have a couple others to write today :)