January 26th, 2015 - Missionary Storm Troopers?!?

Hey Everyone!!

So, today we don't have a whole ton of email time, since this morning we went to a member's home and took some awesome pictures... which I'm going to put right here since they're sweet!

​This last week hasn't been super eventful, but it's been awesome nonetheless! I hope you guys had as sweet a week as we did, but if not there's always this week!

Of particular note this last week was our scripture study class on Tuesday, which was just a blast! We had a sweet discussion on things people do to get the most out of their studies, and it was super spiritual. After that we got to visit with Michelle, who is getting baptized on the 6th, and we had a few awesome discussions this week about the spirit and how it feels and why it's so vital! We also got to watch the devotional that I shared a link to with someone this week, so if you haven't taken the time to check it out, I'd highly encourage you to do so now at this link! It's still super awesome, and if you haven't watched it yet, by the time you do you'll regret you didn't take the time today to watch it! 

Also of note this week we got to help a lady haul some water and clean up after her horses on Friday and it was a pretty good time. It's always nice to get to do some manual labor sometimes and let the spiritual side rest a little while. Last thing I had on my list for this week - again sorry for the short email but we have to drive to stillwater still and it's a ways away - we got to visit with Brother Dinges on Saturday and had a pretty sweet time with him! We watched this sweetVIDEO! plus we had a solid discussion on commandments and how they help us to get the most out of our time here on Earth. 

Sorry it's short, but that's all I got for this week! Have a great week! Love y'all!

'Til Next Time,

Elder Jordan Nielson

January 20th, 2015 - Another week has flown by!

Hey Everyone!

Sorry I missed you yesterday, we were too busy celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day to email since the library was closed! We had a pretty solid week, with lots of things working out and just a fantastic time each day! Since we don't have a whole ton of time today to email (since we have things to do!), I'll just make a buzz list in bullet form and see how that works out!

• Delicious food each day (spiritual and physical)!
• Awesome video that we used for a dinner message! (Sharing your beliefs)
• Another awesome video! (Our True Identity)
• Alma 8:26: "And now, [Awesome people], because thou hast fed me and taken me in,thou art blessed..."
• One of my favorite videos! (You Know Enough)
• Service Opportunities!
• Sweet Discussions!
• Exchanges with Elder Toiava!
• Family History work is awesome!
• Awesome studies!
• Baseball Analogies in sacrament?!?
• Commandments are a blessing? Mosiah 2:22-24,41

Well... I don't know how much I like this format anymore, so I'm going to talk for a minute about a few things that I feel like talking about. I guess you really don't have to read all this if you don't want to, but I'm putting the effort in to write it, so I hope you get something out of taking a few minutes to read it! So anyway one visit we had that particularly sticks out in my mind was with a super nice lady named Susan. She has a giant family, like 22 or 23 grandkids or something like that, and we were out with a member who also has a very large family and so once we got there they instantly started talking about their families. It eventually led to the member sharing his conversion story and testifying and then we talked a bit about the plan of salvation and it was a super spiritual experience. It really showed me the impact that members of the church can have with people and the pull they have that us 20 year old punks just don't have. For example at one point she turned to him and talked for a minute about what we had just said regarding our life on earth, and they had a short discussion where the member bore testimony about some of the church doctrine and resolved her concern (it was something related to experiences and stuff I didn't know anything about). So, it was a super powerful experience for me and the entire lesson was just a sweet chance to bear testimony of the things that I know - like families being eternal, that the Book of Mormon is true, and that our life on Earth is a privilege that not all of Heavenly Father's children got to have. 

Another cool experience was on Thursday when we felt that we needed to go visit a member family, we were able to have a short chat with them and right as we were about to share a message some guys that they were expecting a little later in the afternoon showed up and it was super convenient since we got to help with that exchange and then had a good spiritual thought with them. Then right after that we went to visit a family and it turned out that while we were there one of her friends pulled up and we got to meet her! It's just been a week that's truly shown me how important timing is and that the Lord will work things out to bring as many of his children back to him as possible! It reminds me of a couple scriptures in the Book of Mormon: "20 Then shall the Lord God say unto him: The learned shall not read them, for they have rejected them, and I am able to do mine own work; wherefore thou shalt read the words which I shall give unto thee. 21 Touch not the things which are sealed, for I will bring them forth in mine own due time; for I will show unto the children of men that I am able to do mine own work" (2 Nephi 27:20-21). Those verses plus this sweet quote from President Kimball have really emphasized to me why it's important for me to be on a mission right now: "...Jesus trusts his followers enough to share his work with them so that they can grow. That is one of the greatest lessons of his leadership. If we brush other people aside in order to see a task done more quickly and effectively, the task may get done all right, but without the growth and development in followers that is so important. Because Jesus knows that this life is purposeful and that we have been placed on this planet in order to perform and grow, growth then becomes one of the great ends of life as well as a means."

So I hope you guys have a great week! I know that the Lord is able to do his work, but that he allows us to help so that each of us can grow and become more like him! Love y'all! Have a great week!

'Til Next Time,

Elder Jordan Nielson

January 12th, 2015 - Transfers and Other Good Stuff!

Hey Everyone!

This week has just flown by! We had transfers on Wednesday so I'm with Elder Fuller now. He's from Monroe, Utah and has been out about 14 months. He started out in Duncan, then was in the Edmond 2nd ward, and most recently was in Ada. He's a good kid, so it should be a blast this transfer. We saw lots of people this week, had a ton of delicious meals, and had a fantastic time at church yesterday. I don't know how many of you watched the "Worldwide Young Adult Devotional" last night, but Brother Randall Ridd gives an incredible talk about finding purpose in life. It's about an hour long for the entire devotional, but I'd highly recommend it based on what I've listened to so far, but I'm listening to it while I type this.

Before Elder Kenison left, we spent a good deal of time on Monday and Tuesday saying goodbye to people, but for our p-day activity we went up to Guthrie and went to the Scottish Rite (Masons) building up there. I took a ton of pictures, and it was a beautiful building and was pretty neat with lots of different types of architecture throughout. I'll try and go through some of my pictures and throw a few on here. That night we got to go out to the Jefferys' and had some delicious Tamales there, along with a very spiritual time talking throughout the meal and during the message. Then we went around and took pictures for the rest of the night. Of particular note on Tuesday was getting to have lunch with Brother Kregger at Johnny's, a delicious burger joint in town. Then we also got to have a sweet chat with Connor before the Mckinleys took us to Qdoba for a tasty dinner. Then there was more pictures before calling it a night. 

On Wednesday we had transfers, and it was freezing cold. So, everyone went inside... and more than half the mission was there, so there was no shortage of socializing going on throughout the morning. Eventually everyone headed out to their areas and since Ashley had driven us down she took us and a couple of the Guthrie Elders to lunch at Freddy's and introduced us to her friend Joel, who is a pretty awesome kid. Then we had a blast that afternoon and evening visiting with people and introducing Elder Fuller to everyone we talked to, so it was a good time. Something we focused a lot on today was Alma 31:5 which says: "And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God." We've been emphasizing the fact that hearing the word of God, which is what people do when we preach, is a way to increase faith as Romans 10:17 says. As their faith increases people have an increased tendency to follow the implications of that faith and do good - or change their behavior. 

Of note on Thursday, aside from Weekly planning, we got to visit with a few of our investigators and had some awesome visits with them. We talked a while with a guy named Curtis who is super unique in his beliefs and views, but very open to talking with us and to reading from the Book of Mormon. We also got to see the Sharps and Sandy and Michelle with Brother Confer and had a blast getting to know them better and introducing Elder Fuller. We talked about 3 Nephi 14:7-12 which says: "7 Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find;knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 8 For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh,findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened. 9 Or what man is there of you, who, if his son ask bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? 12 Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them, for this is the law and the prophets." As we've shared this scripture with a few families we've really emphasized the importance of really praying to God and asking for things that you really need. On Friday, after walking around in the cold for a while and trying to see a number of people, a few of which were home, we got to have dinner with an incredible family who fed us Calzones. 

Brother Ridd just asked: "Are you going to do what you want to do or what the Lord wants you do?" Throughout this week I've been working on making what the Lord wants me to do what I want to do, because if we just do what the Lord wants, but still want to do what we want we'll end up like what Elder Corbridge says in the 4th missionary: "He is like a person described by the Christian author C.S. Lewis, who is honest and dutifully pays his taxes hoping that there will be enough money left over for him to live on and to use as he wants, afterward. "As long as we are thinking that way, one or other of two results is likely to follow. Either we give up trying to be good, or else we become very unhappy indeed. For, make no mistake: if you are really going to try to meet all the demands made on the natural self, it will not have enough left over to live on. The more you obey your conscience, the more your conscience will demand of you. And your natural self, which is thus being starved and hampered and worried at every turn, will get angrier and angrier. In the end you will either give up trying to be good, or else become one of those people who, as they say, 'live for others' but always in a discontented, grumbling way-always wondering why the others do not notice it more and always making a martyr of yourself."

Brother Ridd just quoted Socrates saying: "An unexamined life is not worth living." Then he admonished us to ponder how we spend our time and ask "why?" Of particular note from Saturday was the time we were able to spend out with Brother Sharp when we got to visit with the Manzers and talked about scripture study and making it effective. Of particular note on Sunday was our church meetings - we had a fantastic sacrament meeting with a great talk from Brother Kregger, our ward mission leader on missionary work. He talked about some different types of member missionaries, like "the perfect example", the "excited to the point of annoying person", and the "anxiously engaged in a good cause person". A couple cool quotes were: "Being Perfect is helping others grow to become better versions of themselves." He also said: "How can I share the gospel, as me?" We also got to have some sweet visits that night, with Brother Parry, and we had a good spiritual time. In one visit we shared the Mormon Message: "Moments that Matter Most", and it was pretty good. Brother Ridd just shared a parable about oranges... so you should definitley go listen to that talk.It's on LDS.org at this link! But... I've gotta get going, so I hope you have a great week! Love y'all! 

'Til Next Time,

Elder Jordan Nielson

January 5th, 2015 - Happy New Year!

Hey Everyone!!

Happy New Year! We had a pretty sweet start to the year, but you'll hear more about that later. This week is transfers (again), and Elder Kenison is heading off to Elk City and I'll be getting Elder Fuller here in Edmond 3rd! It should be a pretty sweet time, and there's definitely plenty of awesome people to work with here so I'm pretty stoked. This week has just flown by, along with most of the last few weeks. I'm not entirely sure where the time has been going... but hopefully it's somewhere that it enjoys being since it definitely hasn't been sticking around here for very long! For my studies this week I've been focused on reading in Preach my Gospel, the Book of Mormon, and a talk by Elder Corbridge called "The Fourth Missionary" I'll throw some quotes from my studies in throughout, since they're typically connected with things that happened throughout the week. 

Last Monday was a pretty crazy day, the library was super busy and we only had a little while to email due to other things as well, so I'm sorry the update was pretty short last week. We also had a pretty interesting night last week, when as we were leaving a member family's house there was a dog sitting there right when we opened the door to leave. Luckily, we were able to keep their dogs from doing anything to the lost one and luckily the lost one had a collar with some tags that allowed us to contact the owner and he was able to get back home :) It was super neat that it all worked out, but it was pretty startling to find a dog where you were about to step. Something that struck me from my studies that I saw in our visits on Monday particularly was this quote: "Each person or family you teach is unique. Even though you will not understand all of their interests, achievements, needs, and concerns, you should seek to be sensitive to their circumstances. Regardless of needs or problems, all people are best helped as they accept and live the gospel."

On Tuesday we had a pretty sweet day - a few fun visits, lots of people not home, and a couple delicious meals. Paul and Sister Ramsey took us to Ted's Cafe Escondido for lunch, and it was delicious. Elder Kenison hadn't ever gotten to go before, and it was on his Edmond bucket list so he got to check that off. As we visited with them during lunch, the principle of regular scripture study was really emphasized, and it showed the truth of this quote from PMG: "Your ability to teach with power from the scriptures comes in large measure from the time you personally spend studying them. As you daily feast upon the word, your ability to teach from the scriptures will improve. In addition, your invitations to study and ponder the scriptures will be more powerful because you are doing the same thing in your life." We also had dinner with a fantastic family that night, and tried a bunch of other people who weren't home after that, but it was still a pretty good day. On Wednesday for New Year's eve we were told that we could be out until 10:30pm, but that we weren't supposed to do much in the way of contacting people that we didn't know very well. So, we did some service at the Hope Center and did some cleaning before seeing a couple families and then having dinner with an awesome couple that has a 1 year old son and then we played some games with them to relax and celebrate the new year. For dinner, Brother Jensen had gotten a box of meat through a series of events and so they fed us a steak that was literally as big as my plate... and it was dang good. 

Of particular note for Thursday, we woke up and there was ice on the roads... so our cars were grounded most of the day. Something I was pondering throughout the day from my studies was this quote from the 4th missionary: "We plan many things in life. But, have you planned your greatest work? Have you envisioned who you will become? Do you plan for what kind of person you want to become? Can you see in your mind who you want to be? Do you know?" Even though our cars were grounded, we got to go out to dinner with a family at Sumo, a japanese Hibachi grill place that was super tasty. It was pretty neat, since if you go there on your birthday they take a polaroid of your group (or at least they used to), and the family had gone for their son's birthday in 2005 so it was cool to see the picture from back then! While we were visiting with Brother Hicks that night we talked about Luke 17:32 which says: "Remember Lot's Wife." Throughout the week we shared this video with quite a few people: Video! 

On Friday after district meeting in Guthrie, I got to go on an exchange here in Edmond 3rd with Elder Schwartz, and it was a pretty sweet day. Something that was really emphasized to me throughout the day was this quote from the 4th Missionary: "To believe that weaknesses and deficiencies in your character are unchangeable is to reject the central truth of the plan of salvation (the atonement). You are not cast in stone. You not only can change but you do change all of the time. You are a dynamic, changing, evolving being. You are always changing. You never stay the same. You cannot stand still." We got to have dinner at Ted's with an awesome family in the ward and it was delicious yet again! I got something different this time, just so you know! We also got to visit with a few member families throughout the day and had a fantastic visit with Sandy and Michelle after dinner. Brother Rudd, their home teacher, came with us and it was a super spiritual visit! We found out last Monday that approval for Michelle to be baptized came in and so she's working towards being baptized on February 6th! It'll be a blast! 

Of particular note this weekend was church on Sunday being at 12:30... it was really weird and felt super late. But, we had a fantastic fast and testimony meeting, so that was sweet. We also had another fantastic dinner and then got to go out and see the Dinges family and Paul and Sister Ramsey, so it was a pretty fun night! We had some good discussions, and this quote from PMG was particularly relevant: "You can help people gain a correct understanding of God as our Heavenly Father and develop faith in Jesus Christ by helping them have personal spiritual experiences rather than simply telling them about the nature of God."

Anyway, I've gotta get moving onto other emails and such, but I hope you guys have a great week! Love y'all! 

'Til Next Time,

Elder Jordan Nielson