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 :)