So... this week was pretty interesting! I got a cold, the weather got really cold, we did a ton of service, and one of our investigators was interviewed for baptism! It was super exciting, so I'm going to tell you all about it :)
First off, the thing that's been on my mind quite a bit this week was the weather... for the most part it's been nice fall weather - in the high 60's and low 70's - but there was two days this week it was miserably cold. One of them, it was raining as well, and the temperature got no higher than 48 degrees. Needless to say, this Florida boy wasn't very happy. The grass was also frozen a couple mornings this week, so that was exciting.
Along with this awesome weather, we've been dealing a lot with fun medical issues! My companion had a wonderful looking rash on Tuesday from an allergic reaction to something, and then Wednesday I got a swell sounding cold with a nice cough to go with it. So, this week has been fun in that aspect :) we've still gotten a little bit of work done, but not nearly as much as if we were both 100% well :/
A lot of the work we've been doing though has been service! One day, we spent a good 4 hours helping one of the members pack the moving truck to go to New Mexico - Sad day :( Another day we spent the vast majority of it helping one of the members work on building a bathroom in our house! It's been pretty exciting - I'll attach a picture or two of it :)
But, the highlight of the week - by far - was Nakesha was interviewed for baptism! She passed, which was awesome :) She's super ready, but we're still waiting a couple weeks for the ward to get to know her a little better since none of her family is in town. So, pray for her if you please :)
Aside from that, last monday we had zone p-day and a super awesome specialized training meeting. They based the training on the talk "Beware of Pride" and we discussed some things we can do to become better, stronger missionaries. Some quick highlights from it:
- Pride is competitive, so to become a better missionary don't let comparisons define you
- disobedience is a way we show pride, so obedience is a key to becoming a better missionary as it requires humility to obey someone else
- We must Know the Doctrine - as we study the doctrines of Christ, we are better able to teach, expound, and testify. Knowing the doctrine also humbles us as it increases our perspective and knowledge of God.
- We must learn to pray. Prayer is one of the ultimate forms of humility, because a prideful person cannot pray. They cannot understand that prayers are two way communication, because they do not obey Heavenly Father and will not receive answers that do not follow their way of thinking. So, take control of your prayers! Seek to remember what you pray for, and learn to recognize those answers. Sincerely account to the Lord for what you do, and seek his counsel to help you!
Alright, those are the quick highlights from that. Now I get to talk about things I actually studied... until I think of some other random thing to throw in here :P
So, a scripture that stuck out to me this week was in Alma 37:44, when Alma tells his son Helaman to "For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass, which would point unto them a straight course to the promised land." He teaches us that it truly is simple to follow Christ because of how simple his doctrine is. In 3 Nephi 27:19 he tells us his doctrine in the simplest form I've found: "And no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end." It truly is that simple, faith, repentance, and "faithfulness unto the end" is all we need to do. But that is everything, isn't it? Think about that this week ;)
Another thing I've been studying this week is the steps that take someone from a simple desire to believe, all the way to true conversion. The Sons of Mosiah's account talks about this pretty detailed, so here are some scriptures I really liked:
Focus of my study: Alma 22:18 & Alma 23:6
Desire: Alma 32:27 & Mark 9:14-24
Testimony: Alma 5:45-47 & John 7:17
Conversion: Luke 22:32 & Mosiah 5:2
You could spend days learning about this stuff, so that's all I'll talk about for now ;)
I think that's all for this week!
'Til Next Time!
Love,
Elder Nielson
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