February 23rd, 2015 - And... MORE SNOW!!!

Hey Everyone!

It seems to just really like snowing on Mondays here... because it's snowing again today, and this week was definitely pretty clear. Regardless we've had a pretty awesome week, even though it went super fast! I can't believe another week has gone by, but such is life! 

After we got everything done p-day wise last Monday we got to have dinner with an awesome family in the ward and some of their friends and it was a super good time. We had some delicious Mexican food and then headed over to their home for Family Home Evening and had a good lesson and a fun time :) Tuesday was pretty great, as we got to go out to the middle of nowhere and actually caught a family at home that we had never met before! We got to have a good visit with them and built a solid relationship, so that was pretty fun. We also had a delicious dinner with an incredible family here and then our scripture study class was a blast! We had a solid crew there, and a very good discussion about the Plan of Salvation focused on the Kingdoms of Glory ensued. We watched a sweet video that I've probably thrown on here before, but it's awesome. It's called "Our Eternal Life" and I'd highly recommend it, especially if you just want a basic overview of the plan of salvation. We focused on a couple verses in the Doctrine and Covenants which state: "21 And they who are not sanctified through the law which I have given unto you, even the law of Christ, must inherit another kingdom, even that of a terrestrial kingdom, or that of a telestial kingdom.
 22 For he who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory.
 23 And he who cannot abide the law of a terrestrial kingdom cannot abide a terrestrial glory.
 24 And he who cannot abide the law of a telestial kingdom cannot abide a telestial glory; therefore he is not meet for a kingdom of glory. Therefore he must abide a kingdom which is not a kingdom of glory." We also challenged them to read Alma 7 before class this week, since we're going to talk about the pivotal role of the atonement in the plan of salvation! 

Wednesday came and went pretty quick, just like the rest of this week, and our time is quickly leaving me so I'll have to make the rest of the week pretty quick. We had some sweet visits out with the Priests in the ward this week since they wanted to set up a "Priest Week" where each night we had dinner with a family that has a priest and then take the priest out with us. It went super well, so on Wednesday we had a blast with the Priest! Thursday was weekly planning for the new transfer, plus a solid night with the Priest of that night, so that day was also quite good! Something I learned in my studies this week was a quote from "Jesus The Christ", which I was reading in preparation for the talk I was supposed to give on Sunday. It's a bit long so I'll throw it in a P.S., but it's pretty sweet.  Friday came and went with a fervor - we were driving out in the middle of nowhere after district meeting in Guthrie and ended up finding another new family to work with! It's kinda fun sometimes to drive out to the middle of nowhere, as it helps us burn through conferences pretty fast (we typically listen to conference talks in the car), so it's always a good time! We also had a delicious dinner and a fantastic night out with a priest on Friday, so it was sweet.

On Saturday we got to help a recently moved in family in the ward put up their Sauna... it was pretty intense. It's a pretty neat set up though, and it was a good time and a solid chance to get to know them. We also got to see some awesome families that afternoon and had an incredible dinner that night with some of my favorite people here :) Then came the dreaded Sunday... we were asked to speak in Sacrament meeting, and it was very lightly snowing in the morning so we thought we might have gotten off the hook, but to no avail. The roads were totally fine, so we went to church and had an awesome sacrament meeting! One of the deacons in the ward gave a fantastic talk on an overview of the plan of salvation, then I spoke on the creation and fall, and Elder Fuller rounded out the three pillars or eternity concept with a talk on the Atonement. A quick quote I used in my talk real quick: The Prophet Joseph Smith said: “The great plan of salvation is a theme which ought to occupy our strict attention, and be regarded as one of heaven’s best gifts to mankind.” Then we had an awesome Gospel Principles lesson taught by Michelle :) Sunday night was pretty great, but we've gotta get headed so that's all you'll get today!

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

'Til Next Time,

Elder Jordan Nielson

P.S. Here's the Talmage quote:

"The principle of the Word of Wisdom was revealed unto Adam. All the essentials of the Word of Wisdom were made known unto him in his immortal state, before he had taken into his body those things that made of it a thing of earth. He was warned against that very practice. He was not told to treat his body as something to be tortured. He was not told to look upon it as the fakir of India has come to look upon his body, or professes to look upon it, as a thing to be utterly condemned; but he was told that he must not take into that body certain things which were there at hand. He was warned that, if he did, his body would lose the power which it then held of living for ever, and that he would become subject to death. It was pointed out to him, as it has been pointed out to you, that there are many good fruits to be plucked, to be eaten, to be enjoyed. We believe in enjoying good food. We think that these good things are given us of God. We believe in getting all the enjoyment out of eating that we can; and, therefore, we should avoid gluttony, and we should avoid extremes in all our habits of eating; and as was told unto Adam, so is it told unto us: Touch not these things, for in the day that thou doest it thy life shall be shortened and thou shalt die.

“Here let me say that therein consisted the fall—the eating of things unfit, the taking into the body of the things that made of that body a thing of earth"

February 16th, 2015 - Freezing Rain!

Hey Everyone!

So... last night we got a spell of freezing rain! Yay! Not. It meant that our car is grounded and so we had to walk a mile and a half to the library in the freezing cold... which I really enjoyed. Took me back to my BYU days. Seriously though... I didn't mind it back then, but on a mission it really slows you down when there isn't a whole lot to do within a mile or two of your apartment and you don't have a car. But, before today this week was pretty swell! Before the freezing rain started last night we had transfer calls - and I'll be staying here with Elder Fuller! We had stake conference, which was fantastic, and just had a blast throughout the week!

Last Monday, since the weather was much nicer, we got to play tennis with a couple of the sisters in the ward and Elder Fuller has slowly been coming to like it more :) That evening we got to have dinner with an awesome family in the ward, and we talked a lot about inviting people to do things and why that's so important to become a part of how we function. I've noticed a lot on my mission that personally I want to improve, but I have a difficult time recognizing the little things I need to change to accomplish that improvement. It reminds me of President Uchtdorf's talk this last conference found: here! It's a pretty good reminder that we often need to turn to the Lord and seek his acceptance in order to know what things we need to change. Other people often help too :)

On Tuesday we had a pretty solid day! We got to talk about the pre-earth life with one of our investigators and watched this sweet video! It's pretty neat to talk with people about things that they had never really considered before, because they're typically pretty open, especially when it doesn't contradict the views that they already have. We also got to talk about the Priesthood in our scripture study class, and it was pretty sweet. It gave me an excuse to make cinnamon rolls - which I still love :) Wednesday came and went pretty quick, we did service at the hope center, did paperwork, had an awesome dinner, and got to visit with a few less active members, so it was fun! Thursday was weekly planning, which flew by, along with the rest of the day! There's a lot of awesome things coming this week - but you'll have to wait until next Monday to hear about them! We got to have a couple good visits on Thursday with a few recent converts and investigators, so that was nice. There was one family that we talked about the concept contained in this talk by Elder Bednar: TALK! It's a very well done talk, and very instructive. I'd highly recommend clicking that link back there and just listening to it while you read the rest of this email - it might be rather boring if you don't!

This weekend flew by, for many reasons, not just because it was stake conference! On Friday we had a sweet district meeting, with lots of good council happening and lots of action to go and do afterward. After the meeting, we went with a less active brother to help a less active member clean out her garage since she's not supposed to lift very much. It was pretty fun, since there was lots of old things - one of which was a Super Nintendo with a box of games that she was pretty sure still works! So, she gave it to the brother who was with us and it was like it was Christmas again :) It was pretty dang fun, with lots of other random things but that was probably the most notable for my nerdself. Also on Friday we got to have dinner with a less active couple in the ward and had a pretty delicious meal and also we helped them hook up their chromecast and we watched the new Mormon Message about family history with them - check it! So, Saturday was stake conference - and we were drafted to sing in the choir, so we ended up being in Stillwater from 2:30-7:30, with an hour drive there and another hour drive back, so it was most of the day. But, the session was fantastic! Plus, before we headed up we got to have lunch with an awesome family in the ward and it was just a solid day! At stake conference I got to see a lot of the members from Ponca City... boy it's been awhile for some of them! But, most of them said they remembered me and that the work was going well up there, so that was fun. Quite a few asked when I was coming back... so I'm going to have to figure something out with that! Sunday was a sweet day - with an excellent stake conference session and just a solid day with lots of visits with people. It was good stuff :) But, that's about it for this week! I slacked off and didn't take any pictures to send out, but that's how most weeks have been so I guess y'all are used to that one...

I hope you have an excellent week! I know we will :) Love y'all!

'Til Next Time,

Elder Jordan Nielson

February 9th, 2015 - Michelle's baptism!!

Hey Everyone!

This week was pretty fantastic, with the highlight being Michelle was baptized and confirmed! It was a pretty sweet experience, plus there was some other awesome deals throughout the week. So, I'm going to get right into it since I don't have as much time as I would have liked due to signing up for college housing and all that jazz today... It has to be done eventually though! 

So, first things first, last Monday we had Family Home Evening with a family in the ward and the lesson was on Family History, and it was a good reminder to me that I have a lot of work to do! There are some incredible blessings promised to those who do family history, but I don't have time to go look them up, so you should study that in your free time. On Tuesday we had a pretty solid day, with a good scripture study class (with some delicious brownies for treat!) and a couple other lessons that were just a blast. Our class focused on becoming and using the habits of scripture study, prayer, and keeping the sabbath day holy to move forward to becoming what God wants us to be. There's a great quote from Elder Oaks that we shared that I wanted to include here, it's a little long but fantastic:

"From such teachings we conclude that the Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts—what we have done. It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts—what we have become. It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become.

A parable illustrates this understanding. A wealthy father knew that if he were to bestow his wealth upon a child who had not yet developed the needed wisdom and stature, the inheritance would probably be wasted. The father said to his child:

“All that I have I desire to give you—not only my wealth, but also my position and standing among men. That which I have I can easily give you, but that which I am you must obtain for yourself. You will qualify for your inheritance by learning what I have learned and by living as I have lived. I will give you the laws and principles by which I have acquired my wisdom and stature. Follow my example, mastering as I have mastered, and you will become as I am, and all that I have will be yours.”

This parable parallels the pattern of heaven. The gospel of Jesus Christ promises the incomparable inheritance of eternal life, the fulness of the Father, and reveals the laws and principles by which it can be obtained."

It's a fantastic talk titled "The Challenge to Become", and I'd encourage you to read it enough that I put a link to it ;) On Wednesday we had to do our weekly planning, and we did service at the hope center, along with trying to see people it wasn't a very noteworthy day. But, that's because Thursday was a pretty noteworthy day! We got to go to the temple! It was fantastic, and a great day :) A couple scriptures from my studies on Thursday that I wanted to share were: D&C 6:33-34; Moroni 7:31-32; Moses 7:62-63 and D&C 107:99-100

Friday was just a fantastic day :) We got to have district meeting, and then we did service for a lady that the sisters were working with and it was a blast. Then we headed up to prepare and set up for Michelle's Baptism! It was a fantastic service, with some great comments/insights in the talks and the spirit was super strong :) Plus, it made me take a few pictures that I can attach on here! So, that was a super special and awesome deal. A quick verse from my studies is Alma 29:5 which says: "Yea, and I know that good and evil have come before all men;he that knoweth not good from evil is blameless; but he that knoweth good and evil, to him it is given according to his desires, whether he desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of conscience." 

Then came Saturday, which was a blast! We got to visit with Brother Dinges and had a good time with him, talking about repentance and why we call each other brother/sister. A neat quote from Preach my Gospel says: "Sincere repentance brings several results. We feel God’s forgiveness and His peace in our lives. Our guilt and sorrow are swept away. We feel the influence of the Spirit in greater abundance. And when we pass from this life, we will be more prepared to live with our Heavenly Father and His Son.
 Even after we have accepted Christ and repented of our sins, we may fall short and sin again. We should continually try to correct these transgressions. In addition, we should continually improve—to develop Christlike qualities, to grow in knowledge, and to serve more effectively. As we learn more about what the Savior expects of us, we will want to show our love by obeying Him. Thus, as we repent daily, we will find that our lives will change and improve. Our hearts and our behavior will become more Christlike. We will come to feel great joy in repenting daily." It was super spiritual, and just a good time. Plus, we went with a member who has a really nice car, so that was enjoyable to ride in. Then we got to go out to Pops with a fantastic family in the ward and it was a good time! The rest of the day was fantastic as well, with going to dinner with Sandy, Michelle, Mary (Sandy's 2nd cousin that she had met Friday), and Justin at Ted's (a delicious mexican joint). Plus we got to see some other folks and it was just a very good day! 

Sunday just flew by, as most days seem to, and it was fantastic! Michelle was confirmed, which was super spiritual, and then the rest of church was absolutely fantastic, with Sister Merkley giving her farewell talk, and some solid classes. Then we got to have dinner with a wonderful family in the ward and then got to go visit some less active members with another great brother in the ward. That's about it for this week! I hope you have a fantastic week! Love y'all!

'Til Next Time,

Elder Jordan Nielson

 

February 2nd, 2015 - Groundhog's day!

Hey Everyone!

Happy Groundhog's Day! I have no idea what the groundhog said... but I'm going to assume that he said spring is coming soon since that's what I wanted him to say! This last week has been pretty sweet, though nothing was super noteworthy, it was just a good week.

First off on my list of fun things was Tuesday! The whole day was pretty sweet, with a couple particularly awesome things happening. For one, we got to talk to a cool older guy in the afternoon and ended up reading "A Brief Explanation about the Book of Mormon" with him. I don't know how many of you have read that, but it explains what the title page talks about - with all the different plates and stuff - in a one page dealio. Then that night we had our scripture study class and had an awesome discussion about prayer and the importance of applying Moroni 10:4 which says:"And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost." We really emphasized the importance of sincerity, real intent, and faith in our prayers and had a good talk about different things that people have done to increase those three key aspects. One thing that was mentioned was the devotional from Brother Ridd that talked about real intent (by me), that if you still haven't taken the chance to watch it I'd still highly encourage it ;)

Wednesday was a relatively sad day, especially when compared to Tuesday... I had to take the time to sign up for college stuff today, since we didn't have time on Monday or Tuesday... and it was just sad... It's great to move on and stuff, but to know that I'm already registered for classes that start in the middle of June was kind of depressing since it means my mission will definitely be over by then... But after that was taken care of it was a pretty sweet day! We had a fantastic dinner, and then after that got to go up to the church for Michelle's baptismal interview - which she passed with flying colors! She's going to be baptized this Friday, so that's going to be awesome!!

Thursday was good, but nothing super noteworthy happened... Same with Friday... We did a lot of driving those two days since we had a few extra miles, and we still had plenty for Saturday! Saturday was a pretty awesome day, since we got to go out to lunch to the "Cow Calf-hay" with an awesome couple, and it was delicious. I'd highly recommend it. Especially if you like greasy food. Also on Saturday we got to have a sweet lesson with Michelle and Sandy where we discussed many an awesome quote. A couple ones I particularly liked were: "For each of us to ‘come unto Christ,’ to keep His commandments and followHis example back to the Father, is surely the highest and holiest purpose ofhuman existence. To help others do that as well—to teach, persuade, andprayerfully lead them to walk that path of redemption also—surely that must bethe second most significant task in our lives." - Elder Holland
"The responsibility to teach the gospel is not limited to those who have formal callings as teachers. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you have the responsibility to teach the gospel. As a parent, son, daughter, husband, wife, brother, sister, Church leader, classroom teacher, home teacher, visiting teacher, coworker, neighbor, or friend, you have opportunities to teach. Sometimes you can teach openly and directly by the things you say and the testimony you bear. And you always teach by example.The Lord said, “This is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39). As you think of the role of gospel teaching in the salvation and exaltation of God’s children, can you imagine a duty more noble or sacred? It calls for your diligent efforts to increase your understanding and improve your skills, knowing that the Lord will magnify you as you teach in the way He has commanded. It is a labor of love—an opportunity to help others exercise their agency righteously, come unto Christ, and receive the blessings of eternal life." - Teaching, No Greater Call P. 3

We had an awesome discussion on the basic principles of teaching in the gospel, and it was super spiritual. We were able to testify of the importance of relying upon the Lord and His Spirit, since as missionaries whenever we try to teach from our knowledge I've come to see that it really doesn't help anyone. When it all comes down to it our whole role is to help invite the spirit to allow it to testify unto the person, for there really isn't any other way. On Sunday we had a fantastic time at church, with a pretty solid testimony meeting, and good classes. We shared this quote from President Packer that says: "Individual doctrines of the gospel are not fully explained in one place in the scriptures, nor presented in order or sequence. They must be assembled from pieces here and there. They are sometimes found in large segments, but mostly they are in small bits scattered through the chapters and verses. You might think that if all the references on baptism, for instance, were assembled in one chapter of each standard work, and all references on revelation in another, it would make the learning of the gospel much simpler. I have come to be very, very grateful that scriptures are arranged as they are. Because the scriptures are arranged the way they are, there are endless combinations of truths that will fit the need of every individual in every circumstance."

That's all I got for this week! I hope you guys have a fantastic week! Love y'all!

'Til Next Time,
Elder Jordan Nielson