May 11th, 2015 - And so it begins...

Hey Everyone!

Well. Here it is. Already. My last time sending a giant email like this for a little while. I'll hopefully keep up with my blog when I get home, so I'll likely send out a link to y'all at some point, but this will be my last giant email as a full (part)-time missionary - at least for now. It's been a fantastic week! The ward here is absolutely fantastic, and I'm very sad to be leaving, but like it says in Ecclesiastes, "1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
 2 A time to be born, and a time to die;"

So, anyway, this week was pretty sweet! It started off great with a fantastic evening for Cinco de Mayo - the member that took us to dinner took us to a mexican place that was pretty tasty! Then on Wednesday we got to have more Mexican food for dinner and I ordered something different and it was quite delicious! We also had a good deal of thunderstorms and severe weather this week, starting on Wednesday so that was pretty exciting. They're mostly abated now, but it's been fun to deal with! Luckily, we didn't get hit with any of the tornadoes or really affected by the flooding that lots of other areas had to deal with, so that was nice. But, we've been focusing on serving the members and helping them branch out and get the things that they feel are keeping them from sharing the gospel out of the way - and for most of them they feel it's time. So, we've been striving to serve them and while we do so we've tried to talk with them about ways they can share the gospel in what they already do each day instead of trying to go out of their way to do it. Hopefully it catches on, but the real core of it is to be a good example, and answer questions as they come and invite people to act as often as possible. We've had a ton of meals this week, and those have definitely been the highlight - as that's also when we've gotten to visit with a bunch of awesome people! We've only eaten at our apartment for like 7 meals in the last 7 days, so that's not too bad. 

Another cool thing about this week, was that I got to listen to the Devotional from last sunday again - and it was even better the second time! Here's a link to it, since it's super awesome: #LDSDEVO! It goes along perfectly with the theme I've seen for this week - faith - since it seems like a lot of people have a difficult time determining if they lack faith or not, and tend to lean towards the end of lacking faith. I'm not sure why, but it seems like so many people want to just start off with a perfect knowledge, but like Elder Robbins says, it's important to take the small steps and continually enduring and act according to the knowledge that you do have.

But alas, one of the reasons that I still wanted to email today, was to go through a lesson or two that I've learned on my mission, so I'm going to get on my soapbox now and I hope you endure to the end of my last email to the group!

So, lesson one: The Atonement is the Most Important Thing!  The Mission tour we had last week focused on this principle for a solid hour or two, and it was fantastic. I've seen the atonement work so many times on my mission in myself and in others that it's been one of my favorite parts of the experience. One time in particular sticks out to me - when Connie was baptized almost a year ago, and she was strengthened so that she could endure that event. It was fantastic to see her health improve to the point where she could be baptized, and it was obviously not because the problems were going away, but because she knew how important that event was and the Lord helped her to do it. But, for the sake of time I'm not going to go into any of the countless other experiences, I'll leave this one with a scripture though: Alma 7:7 "For behold, I say unto you there be many things toc ome; and behold, there is one thing which is of more importance than they all—for behold, the time is not far distant that the Redeemer liveth and cometh among his people."

The other major lesson I've learned focuses on attitude and happiness - "Attitude is everything and happiness is the best attitude to choose!" Is a quote that I can't recall the source of but has been something that has proven so true throughout my mission. The times that I've chosen to be happy have been the greatest times - and they've also been totally irrelevant of the things that have been happening around me. Happiness is definitely a choice, and it's been interesting to see the wide ranging consequences of it.

But, I've gotta get a move on! I hope you have an excellent week and I'll be seeing some of you on Thursday!

Love y'all!

'Til Next Time (hopefully it's soon!),

Elder Jordan Nielson

May 5th, 2015 - May is here!

Hey Everyone!

I hope your week has been awesome! Mine's been pretty dang sweet, with a great meeting yesterday pushing our preparation day to today! Plus, it's been a pretty awesome week in general - with the best weather I could ask for! Also, for those of you who didn't get to watch the devotional on Sunday I'd highly recommend it! It's fantastic, and here's a link to it: #LDSDEVO!

So, we don't have a whole ton of time to email, but real quick overview of the awesomeness of the week! First off, last Monday - the 27th - we went and toured the Masonic Temple in Guthrie! It's huge, and it was a blast getting to go see the beautiful building again (I'd gone a few months ago, but the rest of the group hadn't been). We've had some awesome dinners this week, but I sadly don't have time to talk about much since we've gotta get going to a lunch appointment pretty quick here. But, we had a good class last Tuesday focused on taking responsibility for our spiritual well-being! The devotional goes along great with it - so seriously if you didn't watch it do it now! It's fantastic. But, we had a great talk about the importance of perspective and how you look at things and the vitalness of taking control of what you do and being yourself while you do it. We shared a couple quotes from President Uchtdorf that I might have shared before... But I can't remember so here's a good one: "Whether your testimony is thriving and healthy or your activity in the Church more closely resembles a Potemkin village, the good news is that you can build on whatever strength you have. Here in the Church of Jesus Christ you can mature spiritually and draw closer to the Savior by applying gospel principles day by day. With patience and persistence, even the smallest act of discipleship or the tiniest ember of belief can become a blazing bonfire of a consecrated life. In fact, that’s how most bonfires begin—as a simple spark.So if you feel small and weak, please simply come unto Christ, who makes weak things strong.8 The weakest among us, through God’s grace, can become spiritually strong, because God “is no respecter of persons.” He is our “faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments.”

It was a great day :) Wednesday we got to do service and had a couple good discussions about faith and how important it is in this life. Thursday came and went with a flash, as we helped a few members with some things and also had a few good visits throughout the day. Friday was pretty awesome, as we had a great district meeting and were privileged to get to go to the temple with Michelle to do baptisms for some of her relatives :) It was pretty awesome and the spirit was super strong as we did it and got to share in that memory! On Saturday we had a blast with various things before going up to Stillwater for a stake priesthood meeting that was pretty awesome! President Bowman is awesome and an inspired man - especially when speaking from the pulpit. Sadly, we've got to get heading out now, so I don't have time to go into much detail, but he encouraged us ot make sure that we as Priesthood holders and members of the Lord's church learn and do our Duty as D&C 107:99-100 exhorts us to do! So, that was sweet. 

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

'Til Next Time,

Elder Jordan Nielson

April 27th, 2015 - Flyin' By!

Hey Everyone!

This week just flew by! I can't believe that it's already Monday again, but alas it looks like society will tell me that it is. So, here I am emailing you guys once again. This week has been super good though, so that's probably why it seemed to fly by!

On Monday, after emailing y'all, we got to go and play starcraft risk with a super awesome couple here in the ward, and it was a blast. I lost, but that wasn't too much of a surprise since it seems that I typically lose in such games. But, it was still a blast, and then we got to have a great evening out and about seeing people! Tuesday absolutely flew by, with some baking being done for class, giving a blessing to an older brother in the ward, seeing a couple people before having dinner, and then having a great scripture study class! We focused on being obedient as a method to increase our spiritual confidence before God, and had a few good discussions. The paragraphs from Elder Klebingat's talk that we read this week were: "3. Embrace voluntary, wholehearted obedience as part of your life. Acknowledge that you cannot love God without also loving His commandments. The Savior’s standard is clear and simple: “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Selective obedience brings selective blessings, and choosing something bad over something worse is still choosing wrong. You can’t watch a bad movie and expect to feel virtuous because you did not watch a very bad one. Faithful observance of some commandments doesn’t justify neglecting others. Abraham Lincoln rightly said, “When I do good I feel good, when I do bad I feel bad” (in William H. Herndon and Jesse William Weik, Herndon’s Lincoln: The True Story of a Great Life, 3 vols. [1889], 3:439).
Also, do the right things for the right reasons. The Lord, who “requireth the heart and a willing mind” (D&C 64:34) and who “is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (D&C 33:1), knows why you go to church—whether you are present in body only or truly worshipping. You can’t sing on Sunday, “O Babylon, O Babylon, [I] bid thee farewell” and then seek or tolerate its company again moments later (“Ye Elders of Israel,” Hymns, no. 319). Remember that casualness in spiritual matters never was happiness. Make the Church and the restored gospel your whole life, not just a part of your outward or social life. Choosing this day whom you will serve is lip service only—until you actually live accordingly (see Joshua 24:15). Spiritual confidence increases when you are truly striving, for the right reasons, to live a consecrated life in spite of your imperfections!"

They're pretty bold statements, but something that has definitely been taught to me over and over again through trials, lessons, and others has been the importance of obedience in our daily lives. A large part of our lesson was focused on being able to discern between right and wrong, and making sure that we don't choose incorrectly. But, I know that following the commandments of God is one of the surest ways to receive and find Joy in this life and peace as we go throughout each day. 

On Wednesday we got to help out at the hope center, and we also had an awesome dinner! After dinner we got to go out with a super cool member, and we were able to visit with a few people. With them, we focused on the Title Page and Introduction of the Book of Mormon, two of the more overlooked resources in the book. A good chunk of the title page of the book emphasizes it's purpose which says:"Which is to show unto the remnant of the house of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever—And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations—And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment-seat of Christ." A huge part of what we do each day in being obedient to the commandments and striving to follow Christ is so that when Judgement day comes we're able to be found spotless through the Atoning blood of Christ, which cleanses us through repentance and continually keeps us clean as we strive to obey and become better. 

Thursday turned out to be a very interesting day, since it started off with interviews with President after studies - and then we tried to get weekly planning done since we turned into the taxi service in the afternoon for the other missionaries - the other car in Edmond was in the shop, so we had to ferry the other missionaries to and from the church building for their interviews. On the way to the church for the last one, the elders (who are on bikes) got a phone call to go down to the Children's hospital - downtown - to give a baby a blessing... So that they didn't have to bike down there, after their interviews we took them the 10 or so miles down to the hospital, and found it pretty easily. But, the parents weren't there, so we weren't able to give the blessing. Then, on the way back we got a little lost/sidetracked and eventually made it back to Edmond safely. That night we got to visit with a couple people and it was still a very productive evening even tough we spent most of the day driving around... 

Then came Friday, where we had district meeting and then I got to go on exchanges in Guthrie! We started off the afternoon with service for a recent convert family chopping down trees again, and it was a blast! We felled another one, and are slowly working on cutting them into manageable pieces, its a good time for all, especially since it's a pretty solid workout. We had a nice visit with a family that's moving out this week, but it was fun to get to know them before they headed out! Then we had dinner with a senior couple that lives way out in the middle of nowhere, so that was a blast! We had a tasty dinner, and then for the lesson Elder Rasmusson did a sweet object lesson with a Rubik's cube. It was pretty neat! Eventually Saturday came around and we had lunch with Sandy and Michelle as our way to exchange back, and then headed to prepare for Taylor's baptism! 

For the baptism, I was asked to make a treat... so I made cobber and then the Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookie thing, so that was a blast. Then the baptismal service was super awesome, with a couple awesome talks, and a great musical number. The ordinance itself was super spiritual, but that was increased by how awesome the service around it was. Taylor's family that came was super nice, and they seemed like great people! Brother Mckinley took pictures... but we haven't gotten them yet, so you'll hopefully be seeing those next week :)  For dinner the Eckmans took us to a sweet hamburger joint and I got to have a Bison/Buffalo Burger... it was pretty tasty! On Sunday we had a super awesome church service, with Taylor's confirmation, a baby blessing, and the sacrament filling sacrament meeting with an outpouring of the spirit, which was felt by all who were there. Plus, we had some awesome talks and lessons throughout church, the one in Priesthood being from President Uchtdorf's talk, "Lord, is it I?" which had a super awesome quote in it that I wanted to share: "We must approach our Eternal Father with broken hearts and teachable minds. We must be willing to learn and to change. And, oh, how much we gain by committing to live the life our Heavenly Father intends for us. Those who do not wish to learn and change probably will not and most likely will begin to wonder whether the Church has anything to offer them. But those who want to improve and progress, those who learn of the Savior and desire to be like Him, those who humble themselves as a little child and seek to bring their thoughts and actions into harmony with our Father in Heaven—they will experience the miracle of the Savior’s Atonement. They will surely feel God’s resplendent Spirit. They will taste the indescribable joy that is the fruit of a meek and humble heart. They will be blessed with the desire and discipline to become true disciples of Jesus Christ." Sorry it's a bit long, but it's super awesome, and has some intense blessings promised so I wanted to share :) Anyway, Sunday night we had a blast at dinner, and then got to go out with a member and gave a blessing and then took the sacrament to a brother who was in the hospital, so we got to participate in many priesthood ordinances on Sunday and the verse in D&C 84 which says: "Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest." rang very true today as I felt the spirit very powerfully during each ordinance. So, it was a pretty sweet week! I hope y'all have a great week! Love y'all!

'Til Next Time,

Elder Jordan Nielson

April 20th, 2015

Hey Everyone!

I couldn't think of a title for this week... so I decided I'd just get into it instead of spending time trying to figure out one... so if it there's a title it came while I was typing the rest of this ;) But, this week was pretty good! It wasn't super extraordinary, though there were a few odd things that happened and some cool things as well! Last Monday started off the week pretty strange since we played sand volleyball... in the rain... for zone p-day. It was pretty fun, but my feet hurt a bit by the end, as well as my arms... and it was chilly. But, we had a delicious dinner provided by an awesome member and then a solid meeting in the evening, so it all worked out.

Tuesday was when the interesting things began, as if Monday wasn't interesting, since I broke my hand mixer a few weeks ago we had to make treats for class at a member's home, and using someone else's kitchen is always an interesting endeavor. You never quite know how their oven acts, or where things are, so that was exciting. But, we had a solid day, and then a good class focused on "increasing our spiritual confidence before God" - through repentance this week. We read some sweet scriptures like Moses 6:57, but I really liked Ezra 10:4 which says: "Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee: we also will be with thee: be of good courage, and do it." Then on Wednesday we headed off in the morning to do service at the hope center... and when we returned to shower we didn't have any water! It was kind of annoying, since we called the apartment people and they didn't have any ideas as to when it'd be fixed, but we eventually got to go and do the things we needed to and ended up having a pretty solid evening with a great night with a member coming out with us. We had a solid visit with one group of people, and got to watch the Church at a glance video, which if you haven't seen I'd highly recommend! It's found here: VIDEO! It's a solid overview of what the church does and the impact that it has and it's only about 10 minutes long. Then on Thursday after weekly planning we did more service... since the water was still out. After that we called and asked a member if we could shower at their place, since it still wasn't working when we returned from service, and we needed to shower since raking leaves works up a pretty good sweat. So, we eventually got it figured out and taken care of an ended up having another good evening! We had a good visit with Sandy about scripture study, reviewing the article in this month's ensign about it. Find it here: ARTICLE!

We had some pretty sweet other visits thoughout the week, but for the sake of time since we have to get going pretty soon I'll skip to talking about Kaelynn's baptism! She turned 8 on Saturday and we had been working with her for the last little while to help her feel ready to be baptized, and she was! The spirit was so sweet and strong at the service, and the talks were fantastic - and short. So, we were able to focus on the ordinance itself which is super neat. It was fun to be apart of it, and it's always nice to be able to see people change :) One last quote that we came across yesterday as we were going over teaching from the scriptures in Teaching, no Greater Call with Michelle yesterday: "President Howard W. Hunter said: “We ought to have a Church full of womenand men who know the scriptures thoroughly, who cross-reference and markthem, who develop lessons and talks from the Topical Guide, and who havemastered the maps, the Bible Dictionary, and the other helps that arecontained in this wonderful set of standard works. There is obviously morethere than we can master quickly. Certainly the scriptural field is ‘white alreadyto harvest’” As we strive to immerse ourselves in the scriptures, great blessings come - as our 3rd hour lesson on "the Power of the Word" focused on, but a large part of that immersion has to come from a personal love from the scriptures, which is only obtained through understanding and applying what we learn. And so, I'll close with this quote from President Benson: "Success inrighteousness, the power to avoid deception and resist temptation, guidance inour daily lives, healing of the soul—these are but a few of the promises theLord has given to those who will come to His word. Does the Lord promise andnot fulfill? Surely if He tells us that these things will come to us if we lay holdupon His word, then the blessings can be ours. And if we do not, then theblessings may be lost. However diligent we may be in other areas, certainblessings are to be found only in the scriptures, only in coming to the word ofthe Lord and holding fast to it as we make our way through the mists ofdarkness to the tree of life.^4"

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

'Til Next Time,

Elder Jordan Nielson

April 13th, 2015 - Copperhead?!?

Hey Everyone!

This week was a blast! We got to do all sorts of fun things throughout the week - particularly visiting people and feeling the spirit while doing so - but also some sweet service and a great fast and testimony meeting. 

So, I'm just going to get right into it, since ya know... you're probably curious about the subject of the email and that's not until the end :P So, Monday was pretty sweet after emails last week, since I got to play a little tennis Australian style with a couple sisters in the ward, and then we just had an awesome evening visiting with people and trying to do all we can to help them read the Book of Mormon. It turned out to be a pretty sweet day on Tuesday, after my handmixer broke... we had to go to a nice families' home to make cookies for class, so that was a blast. Plus, we had an awesome member out with us in the afternoon and had a few spiritual visits, which was quite enjoyable. It's always nice to be out with members, especially when they aren't super uptight and worried about if we get in with people, but just enjoy being out trying to help people. Eventually it was time for dinner, which was super delicious and a blast since we got to have it with another awesome family... yeah... we're just super blessed here with tons of awesome families! I can't be grateful enough for all they do to help us, but it's pretty sweet. Finally it was time for the scripture study class - and we had like 16 people there! It was pretty sweet, and the treats were well worth the effort to make (they were chocolate chip cookies with an oreo inside them), especially since they were almost as delicious as the spiritual feast we got to have talking about conference :) We talked a lot about what President Monson counseled us to do - focusing on temples and doing our duty and following Christ, but we also had lots of good input as to parts that particularly hit people. A question President Uchtdorf asked in Priesthood session has been on my mind a lot: "I wonder if our organizational and personal goals are sometimes the modern equivalent of a Potemkin village. Do they look impressive from a distance but fail to address the real needs of our beloved fellowmen?" As I've been pondering that I've been reminded of a verse in Matthew 16 which says: "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." Ponder that for a little while and let me know what you find! I'm still working on applying that to my personal goals, but you'll probably hear more about it at a later date. 

Wednesday came and went with a blur, as did Thursday, we had some sweet dinners, some good service opportunities, and a few good visits, but nothing super worth going into detail about as of right now... that's what a journal is for ;) So Friday came and we got to have district meeting and then I was on an exchange in Guthrie South for the rest of the day - it started off pretty typical... not really, but it's the same way last Friday started - cutting down trees for a recent convert family and having a blast doing it. We're using axes... don't worry... they're not as dangerous as chainsaws, right? They're definitely slower, and we've not been told we can't like we have with chainsaws, and we haven't had any injuries - except blisters - so it's worked out pretty well so far! It's quite a good time though, and then the family we were going to have dinner with called and asked if we could help them clear a part of their yard that was overgrown and so we headed over! We spent a good hour helping them, and then decided to stay another 15 minutes before going back to change... and ended up finding and killing a Copperhead! It was pretty exciting, and very entertaining since we didn't know it was a copperhead at first... until after we'd killed it at least. We chopped the head off, and then Elder Wilcox picked up the body and Elder Rasmusson picked up the head (... he didn't know what it was...) and they somehow got the head to bite the body... it was pretty gruesome. But, it was fun and a nice picture opp! So, there's a couple pictures attached of us being crazy! We also did get to have a nice visit later that evening, and had a good chat about patriarchal blessings and temple and family history, so that was sweet. 

Then we got to Saturday and we got to have lunch with Sandy and Michelle - plus we watched a sweet video about the conversion of Wilford Woodruff, so check it out! VIDEO! We also had the privilege of going out with Dallin Cutler, since he was in town for his wedding reception and called us up to see if he could. So, that was a fantastic time, and it was great to see him again! We had a pretty solid visit with a couple and also were able to try a few other folks. So, that was sweet! That evening we got to go out to dinner with a fantastic family, and they took us out to the boundary - a super delicious barbecue place in our area. Then we came back and got to visit with a couple other folks before calling it a day! Sunday came, and we had a pretty fantastic day! We got to have a very good fast and testimony meeting, and then we headed out and tried a few people and ended up tracting a little bit before dinner. Dinner was with a super neat family, and then the husband came out with us to see people and we caught a couple single sisters! It was neat to be able to visit with them, and we ended up giving both of them a blessing - for different reasons, but the spirit was super strong. So, that was a pretty awesome way to end the week! I hope y'all have a great week! Love y'all! 

'Til Next Time,

Elder Jordan Nielson

April 6th, 2015 - 185 Years of the Restored Church!

Hey Everyone!

This week has been pretty intense, with Easter, conference, and missionary work all making it to be a pretty wild week! We had a pretty fun time this week with the He Lives video that the church put out for Easter, plus we had some awesome weather! So, I'm going to get right into it, because this might be a pretty long email by the end of it!

So, last Monday we had a pretty sweet p-day and evening, with a bit of time spent playing tennis in the afternoon and then an awesome dinner and a sweet lesson! We also had the help of a member to make a DVD with some videos we like to share on it so that the people we see that don't have the technological capabilities to pull it from the internet and watch it can still be uplifted by the awesomeness. One of the videos on there is pretty sweet, so y'all should check it out here: VIDEO! It's a pretty sweet one that talks about full-time missions and how awesome they are, and I agree that they're awesome, so I like it. Anyway, on Tuesday we had a pretty sweet day with a bit of tracting, and an awesome scripture study class that focused on the organization of the church in preparation for conference. We read some good scriptures, but also read part of a pretty good talk from last conference found here: TALK! One passage we spent quite a bit of time discussing was Ephesians 4:11-14, and the emphasis we made was focused on realizing that we will need prophets, apostles, pastors, teachers, and the like for quite some time! On Wednesday we got to do some service at the hope center and with an awesome family in the ward, but aside from that not a whole lot noteworthy happened, so I'm going to move on for the sake of time. Thursday wasn't super noteworthy either, we helped out a different member family (we're working to serve the members however we can), and also did weekly planning and had a solid dinner appointment with a great family. We ended up having to go back and remake the DVD as well since we learned that it cut off the videos that were longer than 5 minutes, so we got that fixed as well. 

Finally we arrived to the weekend! It was a great weekend, starting with a fantastic day on Friday! I got to go on an exchange to Guthrie where we got to help a recent convert family chop down some trees old school style - with axes and rope (to make sure it didn't hit their trailer) so that was a blast! There were some pictures taken somewhere, but they weren't on my camera so I can't show you guys yet. Eventually Saturday came, and it was time for conference!!!! Conference was fantastic, and I loved all the talks - well most of them. I took detailed enough notes to make my conference summary, so here it is! 

April 2015 Conference Summary Elder Nielson style!

President Monson

-Priesthood: Do all you can to the very best of your ability to follow the Savior and do your duty

- Sunday Morning: Peace comes as we enter the temple and leave behind the cares of the world!

President Eyring

- Saturday Morning: The law of the Fast gives us rich blessings and helps us care for the poor and needy.

- Priesthood: With the Prayer of Faith God will grant you guidance, and when you receive it, DO IT!

President Uchtdorf

- Priesthood: We must be Genuine in our quest to serve Christ, reach our goals, and do our duty!

-Sunday Morning: Grace unlocks the gate of Heaven and opens the windows, but we have to walk through the gate and receive the blessings promised

President Packer –Families that began in mortality, through the power of the atonement, can be Eternal

Elder Perry – Our focus on eternity and forever families through the restored gospel allows us to stand out even among the people who similarly recognize the importance and sanctity of marriage

Elder Nelson – What sign do I want to give God on the Sabbath day as I strive to keep it holy?

Elder Oaks – The parable of the Sower is one of few parables the Savior gave an interpretation for, so we must strive to be the Good ground for the word of God to fall on and not let it be choked by cares of the world or the deceitfulness of riches as we work to have root in ourselves through His word.

Elder Ballard – We must raise the bar and keep our focus on living the gospel and serving others! RM doesn’t stand for “Retired Mormon”!

Elder Hales – Freedom of religion is key to being able to use our agency to make correct choices.

Elder Holland – There is no way to fully celebrate Christmas or Easter without knowing the Adam and Eve did exist, and did fall, making the atonement a required event and the most important in history

Elder Bednar – Fear is overcome with faith as we Look to Christ, Build upon Christ, and Press Forward with Faith and Godly Fear and constantly remember Christ’s atonement

Elder Cook – So much of life is extraneous, but family is the core and most important thing and must be strengthened through Family Prayer, Scripture study, Family Home evening, and family councils.

Elder Christofferson – Matrimony is not a human invention, and as we strive to recognize “marriage is more than your love for each other” we can, by our choices, demonstrate our willingness to live a celestial law

Elder Andersen – Seeing the Lord’s hand in our daily life is essential to being ready for His kingdom to come!

Sister Linda Burton – “Thee lift me, and I lift thee and we’ll ascent together” as we strive to help one another and show love through sincere praise, respect, and choosing to be happy!

Elder Clayton- The decision to believe is the most important decision we will ever make and we must align our actions with that decision!

Elder Wilford Andersen – I can teach you to dance, but you have to hear the music and then perform it

Elder Renlund – A Saint is a sinner who keeps on trying and we need to keep trying persevere and help others

Elder Ringwood – Be as Shiblon – Truly good and without Guile!

Elder Soares – The war against Satan is a war we can and will win through the spirit and power of a testimony

Larry Gibson – Focus on others and develop a clear vision of your Eternal Destiny and make choices accordingly

Sister Wixom – “Is your ward a place to put on a perfect face or a place to nurture?” and the Lord can only teach an inquiring mind, so Humility, Faith and the influence of the Holy Ghost are essential in a search for truth!

Elder Teixeira – A Deeper understanding of Jesus Christ is necessary and increases as we make choices to keep our time online in check and productive through visiting the Church’s official website frequently, subscribing to church social networks and making time to routinely set aside your electronics!

Bishop Caussé – We must constantly realize how “wonder”ful the gospel is and make sure we: (1) Never tire of discovering or rediscovering the truths of the gospel (2) Anchor your faith in the plain and simple truths of the gospel and (3) seek for and cherish the companionship of the Holy Ghost!

Elder Brent H. Nielson – We must Love, watch, and wait for the prodigal to return and strive to help how we can

Elder Pearson – Nobody is immune to Satan’s influence and Distraction and deception are two of his favorite tools, study 1 Nephi 8 and then make sure that you do these 6 things: (1) Don’t forget to pray (2) Come unto Christ and be perfected in him (3) Press forward with Faith (4) Study the Book of Mormon – The key to spiritual survival (5) Don’t’ be distracted or deceived (6) Stay by the tree and stay awake!

Elder Pino – Perspective is key in life and Eternal Perspective allows us to understand the commandments and realize the dealings of the Lord

Elder Zeballos – We must Learn our duty, make the decision to do, act accordingly, and willingly accept the Father’s will as we strive to fulfill our responsibilities to seek our salvation and fulfill our duty to others

Elder Sitati – Developing Charity is a joy as we strive to be fruitful, multiply, and subdue the Earth

So, that was conference! I think that's all I'm going to throw in here for today, though we did have some excellent meals and time with awesome families throughout the weekend as well as I had some great studies throughout the week! But, conference was the most spiritually uplifting part of the week and obviously the most important! Easter was pretty low-key for us, particularly since we didn't meet as a ward, but it was still very good. I hope y'all have an excellent week! Love y'all!

'Til Next Time,

Elder Jordan Nielson

March 30th, 2015 - Another week has gone

Hey Everyone!

It looks like another week has gone! I was reminded of a video recently that's pretty neat. The link for it is here: VIDEO It's been a pretty interesting week around here, with some crazy weather and all sorts of other good stuff going on! I got to play tennis for p-day last Monday for a little while, so that was nice, and I also got to have some sweet studies this week. So, a few highlights from this week with some hopefully sweet quotes throughout!

First, on Tuesday we got to have a pretty sweet evening! We had a good class focused on questions and their importance. A sweet quote that we talked a little bit about was: "Some seem to believe that faith and questions are antithetical. Such could not be further from the truth. The Restoration itself was unfolded by the proper and necessary melding of both. The Prophet Joseph Smith had both faith and questions. Indeed, the passage of scripture that led Joseph to the Sacred Grove experience includes both a question and the promise of an answer based on the asker’s faith." It's interesting to think about what makes a question worth asking, or how questions impact that things that we learn or the way that we see things. It ended up being a pretty good discussion with the people that came, and I'd highly encourage those of you who can to watch conference with a question in mind (written down preferably), and see if the Lord doesn't give you an answer to it! We read some sweet scriptures as well, like Mark 1:27, 1 Kings 10:1, and a good chunk from Joseph Smith History (1:8,9,10,13,14,17,19,23,25). On Wednesday we did some service, which was a blast! We got to help a family move some dirt from a huge pile into their garden beds so that the storms that were supposedly coming that evening wouldn't wash it away. It was a pretty fun time, and a very good workout. We did end up getting most of the dirt moved that needed to be, and then the storms did come! During dinner we were at a member's home and we got a call from the assistants saying something about a tornado being possible, and later got an official tornado warning from the weather services people, so that was exciting! Luckily, Edmond didn't get much of anything except some windy rain, but it was still an exciting time. We heard that Moore got hit by a tornado - only an F1 from what we heard, but it was still another tornado ;)

Then came Thursday, which was pretty exciting! We got to do some tracting throughout the day, and had a good dinner that evening and a lesson with a 7 year old who's family recently returned to activity and would like us to go through the lessons before her baptism next month. So, it doesn't count towards any key indicators, but it's still a pretty worthy use of time if you ask me! Friday flew by, with a good district meeting, a fantastic dinner, and some random stuff thrown inbetween. A sweet quote from Elder Cook was particularly noteworthy today. He said: "My intent is not to discourage participation in sports or the use of the Internet or other worthwhile activities young people enjoy. They are the kind of activities that require moderation, balance, and wisdom. When used wisely, they enrich our lives.However, I encourage everyone, young and old, to review goals and objectives and strive to exercise greater discipline. Our daily conduct and choices should be consistent with our goals. We need to rise above rationalizations and distractions. It is especially important to make choices consistent with our covenants to serve Jesus Christ in righteousness. We must not take our eyes off or drop that ball for any reason."

Finally we came to Saturday, when the church released a sweet Easter Video! Check it out here: VIDEO!  If you want to look it up and not use my link, go tohelives.mormon.org where you can watch the super short video and then skip this stuff in parenthesis: (You should really check it out, it's only 2 minutes 27 seconds! You'll probably spend longer reading the rest of this paragraph then if you watched the video and skipped the rest of this paragraph, and you'd probably get more from the video!) Seriously though. watch the video. it's super good! It's all about the sacrifice that Christ made, but also the vital fact that he lives today and what that means for each of us! It's super great... I don't think I can say that enough! I've watched it probably 10 or 15 times already - with many more to come, and it's still good every time!

So, on Saturday we watched the video with as many people as we could find home and willing to watch it with us, so that was a blast. Plus, I got to apply this quote from President Uchtdorf throughout the day: "In these simple words, “Lord, is it I?” lies the beginning of wisdom and the pathway to personal conversion and lasting change." As we were going throughout the day I had plenty of opportunity to reflect and ask myself that question and strive to find the things that I need to work on over the next few months, so that was nice. Sunday came and went with a fervor, as we watched the video with more people, and the other wards in Edmond had a huge boundary change meeting with their stake (oddly enough we're in a different stake than most of the city of Edmond), so that was cool to hear about. It was an example to me of the principle of continuing revelation and how important that is when we want to follow our leaders. President Eyring said: "When Lehi heard Nephi speak those words [I will go and do], the scripture says that “he was exceedingly glad.” He was glad because he knew that Nephi had been blessed with confirming revelation that his father’s dream was a true communication from God. Nephi did not say, “I will go and do what my father told me to do.” Rather he said, “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded.” As we strive to follow our leaders it is important, or vital, that we receive revelation from God confirming that it truly is his will that you do what the leader has counseled, but if you go on to read President Eyring's talk he also mentions how it's important to give it a shot if the Lord doesn't give a clear direction to you. Anyway, it was an interesting day since we also received our transfer calls last night that I'm going to be staying here in Edmond 3rd with Elder Fuller for my last transfer :) It was a pretty sweet week! 

I hope you guys have a great week! Watch He Lives! It's a fantastic video, and I'll put the link here again: HE LIVES! Love y'all! 

'Til Next Time,

Elder Jordan Nielson

March 23rd, 2015 - Spring Break?!

Hey Everyone! 

Another week has come and gone and this last week was pretty significant in that it was spring break for all the children here! A vast majority of them went out of town this week - so we didn't get to see very many of the people we typically work with, but it was still a pretty sweet week! Plus, the weather was pretty nice all week so that was a huge benefit. 

So far as other things go, this week was pretty normal. We started out last Monday with a sweet dinner - I had curry for the first time (that I can recall) and it was pretty delicious! Then we got to visit with a pretty cool family. We had a good discussion with them and they showed us this stray cat that had adopted their home and that had thumbs. Yes thumbs. You read that correctly. It literally has like an extra finger that's shorter than the rest on the side of it's paw. It's really odd looking... But anyway, Tuesday flew by with a service opportunity in the morning and then I made some delicious peanut butter chocolate bar things for class and we got to see a couple people throughout the day. With one family we watched this sweet mormon message, check it out:HERE! It's a pretty good reminder of how important it is to be kind to others, especially if you want or expect them to be kind to you. Then we had a pretty good scripture study class that night focused on preparing for conference and in order to that learning more about recognizing the spirit. 

Then came Wednesday - which came and went like a flash - since we started out the day with service at the hope center and it seemed to just disappear after that. We had a pretty good day though, with a good bit of tracting and a fantastic dinner. During my studies this week I started reviewing the October 2014 conference in preparation for conference in a couple weeks and so on Wednesday I read a couple awesome talks one of which had this sweet quote from Elder Robbins:"Trying to please others before pleasing God is inverting the first and second great commandments (see Matthew 22:37–39). It is forgetting which way we face. And yet,we have all made that mistake because of the fear of men." It's important to recognize the order of the two great commandments, but it's also vital to remember to follow and apply both of them - I've heard people say that they love God, but haven't shown love to His children - so how can they possibly love God? It's something I've been thinking about a lot as both of these commandments build on and support each other to helping us become more like Christ. So anyway, on Thursday we had a pretty odd day - though it was pretty typical through the morning since we had weekly planning and studies and all that. But, in the afternoon it started raining - luckily we weren't planning on doing too much tracting today since we had the privilege to go to the temple to do baptisms with Michelle. She was supposed to meet the youth and us down there, since they work down in the city, but they ended up not being able to make it for various reasons and so we got to help out with the baptisms and it was a pretty neat experience! It was good to be able to go to the temple, for it truly is "The House of the Lord"! 

So on Friday we got to spend time with a few awesome folks, but before I get to talking about Friday, I wanted to share this quote from President Uchtdorf that is soooooo true. It's pretty ridiculous how true it is - and it was quite evident to me on Friday. He said: "The Savior has told us in our day, “That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.”The more we incline our hearts and minds toward God, the more heavenly light distills upon our souls. And each time we willingly and earnestly seek that light, we indicate to God our readiness to receive more light. Gradually, things that before seemed hazy, dark, and remote become clear, bright, and familiar to us.By the same token, if we remove ourselves from the light of the gospel, our own light begins to dim—not in a day or a week but gradually over time—until we look back and can’t quite understand why we had ever believed the gospel was true. Our previous knowledge might even seem foolish to us because what once was so clear has again become blurred, hazy, and distant." So, on Friday we helped a sister who was baptized a little over a year ago organize her storage unit and it was interesting to see how even though her life has not been easy by any means over the last while, she still clings to the truth that she's found in the gospel and strives to live it as well as she can. Then that evening we got to have dinner with a couple that's not been to church in many years, and it was interesting to see how content they were with their current circumstances. They say they still believe in the church, but through a variety of events decided they wouldn't come back to church. So, it was a pretty interesting day. We watched the new Mormon message with them found: HERE! It's a quote from Elder Perry about the 10 commandments and is super good. 

Finally came Saturday, where people started coming back home from Spring Break so it was pretty good. We talked with a few people about the marked Book of Mormon deal that I mentioned last week and they said they would read through it so that's pretty exciting :) A quick quote from my reading of Elder Andersen's talk: "Why does the Lord allow the evil speaking to chase after the good? One reason is that opposition against the things of God sends seekers of truth to their knees for answers." Then came Sunday and we had a pretty sweet day! We had a very good sacrament meeting, with the speakers assigned to focus on the atonement, so that was nice. One speaker was the chorister, and she included 78 hymn titles in her talk... it was pretty clever and quite enjoyable, while still being very uplifting! Then we got to have dinner with an awesome family in the ward before heading out to try and visit with some people before school starts back up again. For our main deal in the evening with visited with a family that has a daughter turning 8 next month, to review the principles in the missionary lessons with her before she gets baptized and it was super fun. It's always interesting to see just how much these 7 or so year old kids know! I can't imagine that I knew that much when I was 7... but I guess I probably did... oh well! Just goes to show me that by the time you're 8 you're typically pretty ready to get baptized. 

Before I go, I wanted to share with y'all a sweet quote from a talk I read this morning by Elder Klebingat: "Whenever the adversary cannot persuade imperfect yet striving Saints such as you to abandon your belief in a personal and loving God, he employs a vicious campaign to put as much distance as possible between you and God. The adversary knows that faith in Christ—the kind of faith that produces a steady stream of tender mercies and even mighty miracles—goes hand in hand with a personal confidence that you are striving to choose the right. For that reason he will seek access to your heart to tell you lies—lies that Heavenly Father is disappointed in you, that the Atonement is beyond your reach, that there is no point in even trying, that everyone else is better than you, that you are unworthy, and a thousand variations of that same evil theme.
As long as you allow these voices to chisel away at your soul, you can’t approach the throne of God with real confidence. Whatever you do, whatever you pray for, whatever hopes for a miracle you may have, there will always be just enough self-doubt chipping away at your faith—not only your faith in God but also your confidence in yourself. Living the gospel in this manner is no fun, nor is it very healthy. Above all, it is completely unnecessary! The decision to change is yours—and yours alone." I hope y'all have a great week! I've gotta get moving on to other things, but I hope you know that I love y'all!

'Til Next Time,

Elder Jordan Nielson

March 16th, 2015 - Another week gone!

Hey Everyone!

I can't believe another week has already gone by! It seems like just yesterday that it was my birthday... but that's been 10 days ago already and there isn't much to be done about it now! It seems like time keeps going by faster and faster, but that's probably just an illusion... Luckily we still got some good stuff done this week and had a blast doing it!

Last Monday, we had zone p-day and then we ended up coming back early since Kyle - a young man in the ward got his mission call! They were planning on it coming on Tuesday, which wouldn't have been a huge deal, but it came Monday so we got permission to come back early and be there when he opened it! It was a good time, and there were quite a few people there! He's going to be heading to Roseville, California and he's got until the beginning of July before he leaves! Of particular note on Tuesday we got to have a blast visiting with a few of our investigators throughout the day and ended up having a pretty great day! We had a good time at scripture study class, and focused on the pre-earth life and the fall and had some good discussions with those who were able to make it out. We also reviewed "For the Strength of Youth" with one of our investigators and it was a very good reminder - I'd suggest those of you who haven't checked it out in the recent past go and give it a once-over since it's super good. A few things that stuck out to me were in the work section where it says: "Set high goals for yourself, and be willing to work hard to achieve them. Develop self-discipline, and be dependable. Do your best in your Church callings, schoolwork, employment, and other worthwhile pursuits. Young men should be willing to do what is needed to be prepared to serve a full-time mission. Heavenly Father has given you gifts and talents and knows what you are capable of achieving. Seek His help and guidance as you work to achieve your goals."

After that, it seemed like the week just flew by filled with opportunities to serve and share the gospel with those around us! On Wednesday we did service at the hope center, which was a blast! We had a good time there and then were able to catch a few people in the afternoon before a delicious dinner with the Hoods! They do this cool thing where they have an electric skillet on the table and they put vegetables, meats, and sometimes fish, on it and it's all been marinated in Soy sauce and tastes delicious after being cooked on the skillet for a little while. The catch - you have to help cook it and are only allowed to use chopsticks! It was a good time, and I quite enjoyed it. We also stared using something called a "marked Book of Mormon" where essentially we mark a copy of the Book of Mormon with some key verses circled as shown in the attached dealio. It's pretty neat, but I'm definitely glad that I wasn't the one who took it upon themselves to go through the Book of Mormon and select a set of verses that can be read within a couple hours so that you can get the main ideas in the Book and see how valuable it is as a book of Scripture. So, we shared a couple copies of that with people and it was pretty neat. One of my favorite verses is marked in Alma 37:6-7 where it says: "6 Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. 7 And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls." On Thursday we did quite a bit of tracting in the afternoon, which was good. Tracting is a very humbling experience for those of you who haven't experienced the joys of being a full-time missionary. It involves lots of doors that people don't answer, lots of people who don't even let you say why you're there and just wave you away, a few people who will talk for a minute and be very kind and courteous, and then the select few who are actually interested in hearing your message. But, you'll always be blessed in some way for the effort that you put in according to the attitude you have. I've heard of missions where they require you to tract for a certain number of hours each week and I'm quite glad that ours does not, because it's rather ineffective, but it is quite character building. Then that evening we were graced to be able to attend the pinewood derby and have a blast watching that and socializing with those people who participated and brought friends! It was a good time with some solid refreshments afterward.

On Friday, after district meeting, I had the privilege of doing an exchange with Elder Wilcox who is typically up in Guthrie. He's pretty fresh on the mission - like he's been out less days than I have left - but we had a good time. We visited with one of our investigators who is an older gentleman and marked his copy of the Book of Mormon for him, so that he could read through that synopsis and we ended up having a pretty good discussion while doing so. Then we were called to help Paul, an awesome guy who's been coming to church for a while now but isn't quite ready to be baptized, move a mattress, so that was a blast. Especially since while we were visiting right before that it had started raining... yay for rain! It was fun though, and we got it done without any one getting seriously hurt and with little visible damage to the mattress. After all that we headed to dinner and it was with a family in the ward who makes the most delicious food I've had - and on Friday they had steak with us to celebrate my birthday and also had a cake :) So, it was a good time! After dinner we got to see Michelle and Sandy and talked about Baptisms for the dead with them, since they'll be going with the youth this Thursday. So, Friday was a pretty sweet day! On Saturday we got to help a recently moved in member of the ward hang their kayak to the roof of their garage - which was a pretty intense endeavor. They fed us some delicious breakfast food for lunch, and we got it knocked out - he hung it up himself when they were in Montana, but he hurt his knee a couple weeks ago and asked us to help him get it done so they could get stuff organized. Then we ended up doing some more tracting before a delicious dinner and then we caught a fantastic family and visited with them for a little while in the evening. Then Sunday was good :) It was a pretty solid week, with some interesting things learned throughout it that I'll go ahead and throw in a bullet list here:

• Some forks have a notch taken out of one of the prongs for stabbing olives
• There's 3 different types of air traffic controllers
• 2 Nephi 14-27 is a very good passage of scripture - particularly when you want to talk about the fall of Adam and Eve
• Chopsticks use muscles that I typically don't use in my hands as of late

Those are just a few fun facts that I learned this week! I hope y'all have a great week! Love ya!

'Til Next Time,

Elder Jordan Nielson

March 9th, 2015 - BIRTHDAY!!!

Hey Everyone! 

Thanks so much for all those who sent me various forms of birthday wishes! :) I really appreciated the thoughts! It was a pretty fantastic week, crazy weather aside, and this week is looking like it'll be pretty awesome as well! I had a request that I throw my address in my weekly email, so I'll put that here this week and in the future throw it after my name at the bottom:

1700 Kickingbird Rd Apt 1753

Edmond, Ok 73034

So anyway! This week was good, like I mentioned already - mostly because we got some things done! I've been trying to live by an article that I read last week that was super awesome located here: ARTICLE! It focuses on using your time effectively and managing yourself, and it's helped me to realize that as a missionary I've spent a lot of my time simply doing things - or staying busy - rather than trying to just stay busy for the purpose of being busy. It's a pretty good article, I'd highly recommend it. So anyway, on Monday we had an awesome evening with a delicious dinner and a couple good visits making it well worth being out on a mission :) Tuesday flew by as well - with some fun visits, baking cookies for class during lunch, having a delicious dinner and good conversation there, then we had a fun time at scripture study class. We focused some more on the plan of salvation - a topic I greatly enjoy discussing, but we focused on what happens between this life and judgement day and read a bit from Alma 40, a very good chapter. A quick verse that I particularly liked: "3 Behold, he bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead.But behold, my son, the resurrection is not yet. Now, I unfold unto you a mystery; nevertheless, there are many mysteries which are kept, that no one knoweth them save God himself. But I show unto you one thing which I have inquired diligently of God that I might know—that is concerning the resurrection." I love this verse because he emphasizes the point that when we inquire diligently we can come to know some of the mysteries of God - the Lord loves us enough to keep us in the loop if we're worthy :) It's just a thought that I like. Then on Wednesday we went out to do service at the Hope Center... and learned that it was closed because the schools were all closed for the bad weather that was supposedly coming... so we went home and changed and went out to do stuff. We had lunch with an awesome family in the ward... and then the snow started and we were told that our car was grounded and we weren't supposed to drive anywhere except home if we weren't already there. So... we decided to just spend the day with the family we were with instead of bored at the apartment and they were nice enough to let us :) It turned out to be a good day :) On Thursday we still had some nice snow on the ground in the morning, and luckily we had weekly planning to do so by the time that was all done we were able to get out and do stuff! It was a good day, and we got to watch this quick video that was super awesome - you've possibly seen it before but it's still great:VIDEO! 

Then came Friday - the beloved birthday! It was a pretty great birthday :) We had district meeting, so I got to see a bunch of awesome missionaries and they all proceeded to sing to me - it was pretty terrible but enjoyable in a weird way. Then we had lunch at a delicious mexican place where I got to wear a huge sombrero :) It was fun - there's a picture of it somewhere! Of other particularly noteworthy things on my birthday was the dinner we had! We got to have dinner with an awesome family in the ward and the sister happened to also have her birthday on Friday! It was a great day :) On Saturday we had a pretty fantastic time - except Elder Fuller hurt his leg playing basketball in the morning so we were pretty limited on what we could do. So, for a decent chunk of time I helped a brother in the ward build some bookshelves while he laid on the couch and rested and iced his ankle. The weather was super nice on Saturday so for dinner we had a picnic in the park with Michelle and Sandy and the food was delicious, plus they made a super delicious cake :) So, the birthday celebrations continued! From what people have told me they'll still be continuing all this week... since I didn't tell very many people it was my birthday until after the fact and most of them have now said they're going to make me a cake when we eat dinner with them this week... so we'll see how fat I get! It was pretty great though on Saturday since we got to go to a baptism for a family in the Guthrie ward and it was a super spiritual service :) Then on Sunday it was just a great day! We were going to follow up with one of the families in the ward... and showed up literally at exactly the same time as their home teachers - so we gave them double duty and the home teachers home taught and then we shared a quick message and followed up on the challenge we gave them, so that was pretty funny since we had both set up an appointment and they had us both come at the same time. So, it was a good week! Sorry it's a shorter email than I typically like, but we've gotta get headed!

Hope you have a great week! Love y'all!

'Til Next Time,

Elder Jordan Nielson

March 2nd, 2015 - MARCH Is HERE?!?!

Hey Everyone!

It looks like March has sneaked up on me again! I can't believe it's already March, especially since there is still white stuff outside. But, the shower of Happy Birthday emails made it pretty clear that y'all were on top of things and weren't caught off guard by the change in month like I was... This week was pretty good though :) We had a great day at church yesterday, with a delicious "break the fast" ward potluck after, plus the snow didn't hinder us working too much! 

On Monday we didn't get a whole lot done missionary work wise, since nobody wanted to drive anywhere once the roads started freezing again, but it was still a nice day! On Tuesday we had to drive up to Stillwater pretty early in the morning for zone conference, which was a blast! We had "Tiwi" boxes installed in our cars as part of a driver accountability program - they're not super restrictive... I think I sped more the day after we got them than I had in many months just seeing how much grace period the box gave us before telling us to "check your speed". But, the actual conference was quite inspiring, with a focus on planning and using the Book of Mormon. A quick quote from President Benson related to the Book of Mormon that was pretty sweet was: "Missionaries need to know how to use the Book of Mormon to arouse mankind’s interest in studying it, and they need to show how it answers the great questions of the soul." It was neat to have President Walkenhorst explain to us how important it is to arouse people's interest in reading the Book of Mormon - not just explain it to them and ask them to read it. Also on Tuesday we had our scripture study class and focused on the Atonement, which was pretty sweet. We spent a bit of time talking about Matthew 11:28-30: " 28 ¶Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." It's a very powerful passage of scripture, especially considered in the context of this sweet Mormon Message: VIDEO! 

On Wednesday we had a pretty sweet day, with the weather being super nice and getting to do service. Plus, we got to visit with a few people, and it was just a super nice day. Thursday flew by, with going out to the middle of nowhere and catching a few people out there and then having some delicious meals it was a great day :) On Friday we had district meeting here in Edmond and then we went out to lunch - during which it started lightly snowing and some super nice guy paid for all 13 of our meals! It was super intense, especially since none of us knew who he was. So, that was an incredible blessing. That evening we got to have dinner with another awesome family, and a lesson with one of our investigators who's been reading faithfully from the Book of Mormon and it was pretty sweet - plus the apple pie was delicious! Saturday came and went pretty quick, mostly because our car was grounded all day so we walked around a little but didn't get a whole ton done. 

Then came Sunday! Sunday was a blast, with a fantastic fast and testimony meeting, that kicked it off just right. The spirit was super strong for most of the meeting and it focused a lot on prayer, which was sweet. There's a sweet video on prayer that I think you'd enjoy, so check it out here: VIDEO! After fast and testimony meeting Michelle taught gospel principles again and did a fantastic job with the lesson on Prayer! There was a sweet quote that said: "A heart without words is more important than words without heart." or something to that effect. It was a good class, and then we had a fun time in Priesthood with the deacons talking about repentance. After all that we had the ward "break the fast" potluck that was filled with delicious food! It was a great time, and was a solid way to end church. After we got home we headed out to the middle of nowhere and finally caught a less active member and got to have a great visit with them! We focused on agency - since he had asked why there were so many different religions in the world if there was only one true one, and the verse in Joshua 24 stuck out to me: "15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood,or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." So that was sweet. After that we visited with a few other people and started using the nails object lesson that we recently got the materials for and it's been fun! The scripture we've decided to share with it is 3 Nephi 13:33 which says: "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Essentially in the object lesson you have a nail that's been hammered into a block of wood and your objective is to balance 10 other nails on the top of that one without them touching the block of wood or the floor/table. It's pretty fun :) So, it was a good week! 

I hope y'all have a fantastic week this week! I certainly will :) Love y'all!

'Til Next Time,

Elder Jordan Nielson

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"