Dear Family,
This week was very bittersweet. So I have been really super excited about
teaching a ton of people! And helping them all Learn and progress and
baptize! But on Monday?? After our lesson with 15 yr old P he
dropped us... And said he needed to do his searching alone... And then
this other new investigator who was so good. He had us in tears during
his prayer,,, dropped us because of his wife. And the family who had a
baptism date... Is probably breaking up so haven't been able to teach
them... And this other 10 year old kid.... Who we were teaching... Is
a little PUNK!! So all our progressing gators and baptism dates...
Fell through :( all of em... And elder peters got sick Thursday night
so fri and sat were just me in the apartment studying... So. I had a
ton of time to think and contemplate... And make a choice to be mad,
and bitter and find out what I need to learn... Well, I tried very hard
to do that. And I've been making a ton of mistakes and not working as
hard as I should but I realized something... Well, a ton of things that
I will cherish forever....
So this week I watched a ton of conference videos and the bible videos
and read a lot of the New Testament and words of the savior Jesus
Christ. I prayed and prayed and studied wanting to feel a closer
relationship to him. And wow... I did. The bible videos really helped
me too.
After watching the video about the sacrament... And seeing how he
interacted with the apostles and when he would preach to the people,
and reading it in the New Testament.... Wow! he loved those men. He
loved them and wanted them to succeed. To know he loved them. He saw
their potential and he saw what it could do for them. He didn't want
to lose them! So when he established the sacrament he told em... Do
this to remember me. Please! Don't forget about me! Just saying "I
follow Jesus" isn't enough, we have to promise over and over every
week. Jesus had to be alone that one night... And if you ask him he'd
say no the father is with me, that's what he told em, but he was
alone, and in return through the sacrament we don't have to be alone,
he sends his spirit. And we promise the savior... No! You dont ever
have to be alone again!! I love you too and I won't leave!!! It's so
intimate so real, he lives! And he doesn't want to lose us. And
especially as a missionary, I feel it's closer, I feel like one of the
12. When I mess up, I feel like peter... Going back to fishing after
the savior dies... When Christ asked him... John 6:67 " will ye also
go away?" And in 68 peter answers "to whom shall we go? Thou hast the
words of eternal life?" And yet we still go away, so how important it
is to promise the savior our love and allegiance. I love the savior so
much, and I know he lives.
Another thing I learned this week is that even though we lost sooo
much this week, pretty much all of our top investigators... After
calling the other missionaries in the zone last night... I see what
happens when others are obedient, and when they see the vision... They
are teaching 17 lessons a week...3 dates set last week 5 new
investigators just last week??? For more than one companionship. And
they are excited about the plan that we just kinda threw at em. And
they testified to us that it works and helping their elders and
sisters to see it? Crying as they testify in district meeting because
they know it's true?? That is way more satisfying to me than 100
baptisms... We will continue to work hard. But I know The Lord is
hastening, and things are readly changing... And I just want to learn
it all. I love this work. I love my Lord and savior Jesus Christ,
there are miracles to see and to create!
Onward up and upward! There is much to do!
Be not afraid: only believe
Elder Stephen Nelson
This week was very bittersweet. So I have been really super excited about
teaching a ton of people! And helping them all Learn and progress and
baptize! But on Monday?? After our lesson with 15 yr old P he
dropped us... And said he needed to do his searching alone... And then
this other new investigator who was so good. He had us in tears during
his prayer,,, dropped us because of his wife. And the family who had a
baptism date... Is probably breaking up so haven't been able to teach
them... And this other 10 year old kid.... Who we were teaching... Is
a little PUNK!! So all our progressing gators and baptism dates...
Fell through :( all of em... And elder peters got sick Thursday night
so fri and sat were just me in the apartment studying... So. I had a
ton of time to think and contemplate... And make a choice to be mad,
and bitter and find out what I need to learn... Well, I tried very hard
to do that. And I've been making a ton of mistakes and not working as
hard as I should but I realized something... Well, a ton of things that
I will cherish forever....
So this week I watched a ton of conference videos and the bible videos
and read a lot of the New Testament and words of the savior Jesus
Christ. I prayed and prayed and studied wanting to feel a closer
relationship to him. And wow... I did. The bible videos really helped
me too.
After watching the video about the sacrament... And seeing how he
interacted with the apostles and when he would preach to the people,
and reading it in the New Testament.... Wow! he loved those men. He
loved them and wanted them to succeed. To know he loved them. He saw
their potential and he saw what it could do for them. He didn't want
to lose them! So when he established the sacrament he told em... Do
this to remember me. Please! Don't forget about me! Just saying "I
follow Jesus" isn't enough, we have to promise over and over every
week. Jesus had to be alone that one night... And if you ask him he'd
say no the father is with me, that's what he told em, but he was
alone, and in return through the sacrament we don't have to be alone,
he sends his spirit. And we promise the savior... No! You dont ever
have to be alone again!! I love you too and I won't leave!!! It's so
intimate so real, he lives! And he doesn't want to lose us. And
especially as a missionary, I feel it's closer, I feel like one of the
12. When I mess up, I feel like peter... Going back to fishing after
the savior dies... When Christ asked him... John 6:67 " will ye also
go away?" And in 68 peter answers "to whom shall we go? Thou hast the
words of eternal life?" And yet we still go away, so how important it
is to promise the savior our love and allegiance. I love the savior so
much, and I know he lives.
Another thing I learned this week is that even though we lost sooo
much this week, pretty much all of our top investigators... After
calling the other missionaries in the zone last night... I see what
happens when others are obedient, and when they see the vision... They
are teaching 17 lessons a week...3 dates set last week 5 new
investigators just last week??? For more than one companionship. And
they are excited about the plan that we just kinda threw at em. And
they testified to us that it works and helping their elders and
sisters to see it? Crying as they testify in district meeting because
they know it's true?? That is way more satisfying to me than 100
baptisms... We will continue to work hard. But I know The Lord is
hastening, and things are readly changing... And I just want to learn
it all. I love this work. I love my Lord and savior Jesus Christ,
there are miracles to see and to create!
Onward up and upward! There is much to do!
Be not afraid: only believe
Elder Stephen Nelson
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