Obedience

HOLY COW! I know i was thinking about all the people going out now.. especially Sophia and Elsie! take lots of pictures and send em after! I got a package on TUESDAY! I LOVED IT SO MUCH! THANK YOU FOR THE LETTERS AND PICTURES! i loved it. it meant so much to me for real...

So this week... was crazy.... Tuesday night... after I emailed you, I went with Elder Hawkes and Elder Lloyd and we went out and started to teach and proselyte. It was so fun, just being with them. We found some ppl and played them in basketball and schooled em hahaha then tried to teach em and mid lesson they went in and came out with a joint. (oh ya it was in the straight GHETTO!) one guy was rolling it while we were teaching. Good stuff. We met a crazy black chick who said she was going to church's chicken for two piece tuesday and we asked why she was so funny and she said cuz it was her birthday and she had a couple drinks before she drove over.....and then she drove off... so stay off the roads for a while just in case. (tampa is out of control)

but that night...  our appts fell through and we decided to go visit some guy, but elder hawkes was like wait lets go visit a family ( they spoke english tho) so we did and they had said this family never opens the door... well after two knocks... THEY OPENED! first miracle... well we get in and one of the girls gets the whole family together and and we start teaching.. well we find out there is a non-member there... Well Elder Hawkes starts asking him all the questions to see if he was interested... he was... it progressed more and more and then Elder Lloyd(who is training, he was the QB for timpview btw,) goes... " uhhhh.... Elder Hawkes should I go get some pamphlets??" Hawkes is like ummm ya!!! 

so we get up, walk to the door, and then SPRINT TO THE CAR I JUMPED LIKE 6 stairs grabbed all our stuff. WE WERE SO FLIPPING STOKED! well we taught this kid lesson one... and he just kept saying... well when is the restoration?? When does it happen??? well when we got to it. I got to tell the first vision... and the spirit came.... I could feel it and I could barely keep back the tears. I was able to tell this young man... 17 years old... that I know... of an absolute surety, that Joseph Smith, saw, Jesus Christ and God the Father. And I do know it. It was so powerful... we all bore testimony and Elder Hawkes invites him to be baptized... he accepts... sets a date for feb...22nd. He accepts. It...was... insane. on the way home we were SO FLIPPING EXCITED AND WE WERE LIKE YELLING IN THE CAR AND AHHH! it was so fun and such a miracle. we got to a red light and were just losing our minds... 

Well as we were doing this a man driving a bus next to us was staring at us and laughing and I looked at him rolled down my window and told him we were missionaries and we just had a great evening and Elder Hawkes was like... GIVE HIM A CARD! so I grabbed it wrote the number, reached out the window... he reaches for it... the light turns green...  so we start going and im like CRAP!! NOOO!!! so I just lean out the window and yelll .... "GO TO MORMON.COM!!!.... WAIT... NO! NO! MORMON.ORG, MORMON.ORG!!! . ORG!!! O-R-G!!! hahahahahhah we were dying for the rest of the night... Failure by the mormon missionary haha.

Well, Wednesday morning I met my new companion at Zone Conference and it was so fun. He is a stud. Elder Dustin Callister from Cedar City. We flew out together! we will go home together! Well, we did all the practicing that you saw (the mission president posted pictures on fb) and it was great! well at the end of the Conference President tells us about some missionaries going home and talks about obedience and he is holding back tears. You could just tell how much he loves us missionaries and this work. Well, all the sudden all the thoughts and love I have for these missionaries came and hit me so hard... like so hard.... I have been praying to be able to feel other ppls feelings, knowing how to succor them and it came... I felt it. and wow... I felt those mothers who wanted so badly for their boys to serve missions... to serve their Lord and help their boys become men... then have to drive to the airport..... and pick them up early.. It hurt so bad. Well, as president kept talking and trying to get everyone to see that we must be obedient. the thought came to me, you need to say something. If the whole mission is to be obedient, every missionary must be obedient. It cant just be the Ap's and the Zl's... Its got to be the single missionary who decides and wants to do it. Plainly for the Lord... and If i said something.. it might inspire others. So, I raised my hand and President looked at me and said yes?? and I stood up... and I Testified of what he was saying. I bore my testimony about the Second coming of the Messiah. and how I now have brothers... who I love, serve with me, and then go home. How I feel that the savior is coming... so soon. That the Lord Requires so much of us, and in return we can feel so strong! and I got to witness of my feelings of obedience and the gospel... after that president said... "well I was going to ask my Ap's to speak but, how about I call on some of you?"... well he then calls on another Elder and he stands up and in tears he testifies of Obedience, and that we must stand up for truth and then he calls on one my good friend who is going home soon, and he says.. " I have 5 weeks left on my mission... and I don't wanna go home..." and it was just so strong, he testified of obedience and the gospel... well a couple more go up and then president stands up at the pulpit... and says "Elder ....."

Well he walks up there.... and he is just looking down the whole time... for like 5 minutes... nothing... then he finally opens his mouth and starts singing the song  Love at home... Ofa I Api... the spirit was undeniable... and He says... that was the first Tongan my mom ever taught me... at first I wanted to serve for her. but now... I want to do it for him. I want to be obedient for the Lord. And when I see him, when I truly go home, I want to be able to look him in the eye and say "I love you..." I don't want to say..." love ya", or "thanks" or anything... I want to say.." I love you"... and then he says.. " Exact Obedience is hard... but it's possible... Jesus Christ did it... we can do it through him..." 

It was the most powerful spirit I have felt in such a long time... and nothing else really mattered after that because Everyone had decided... I am going to be obedient!! and Man... It was so powerful. The Savior is coming!! :) I know its true! 

There are so many miracles! 

Elder Callister and I are doing great! I already wrote way too much! but that's basically what has happened! today we met a woman from Africa, a muslim who needs help and wants to learn. I testified of the peace of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and she just started crying... I know miracles are coming. I know this is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I love being a missionary!

We are moving this friday so hold the mail! after... well today! I will give my new address! but march 1st I most likely will be moving again... so we will see!! :) 

This Wednesday Elder Callister  and I got invited to attend a Mission Leadership Conference (only ZL's and STL's get to go so its pretty sick!) A couple members of the mission department are coming... and we are introducing?? I pads :)

ha! 

Elder Stephen Nelson

Be not afraid; Only Believe