Fasting

Dear Family and Friends, 

This was a roller coaster of a week. Probably as up and down as it gets and suprisingly im okay :) so many great things have happened and I'm just very satisfied with how the work is going, and how much I personally am learning.

 

Monday. The marcucci's (awesome family) invited us to help some of their friends with moving some boxes around in their home and prepare it for moving so we did. Just a little work but we got in. Thats all we need people to do. Give us tiny things or BIG things to do, so we can meet more people. And bro. marcucci did that! we did and then we said a prayer with this cute little mom and her two daughters. it was such a powerful prayer. Going into it i said a little prayer in my heart and said heavenly father, you run this show, lets touch her heart!!! ha and i prayed hard. and asked him to bless her sooo much. and she felt it! afterward I asked her straight up! if we could teach her. and i testified that we really can help her! and she said yes. but here is the crazy part, bro marcucci asked her right after "so when is a good time we can come share the message?" ha i was blown away. its so awesome! they are really a great family and he is such a good missionary, and priesthood man!

 then we went to a family home evening in the park and holy cow it was awesome. we had like 4 people we are teaching or recently baptized or are now teaching there and they got to meet a ton of people. we scheduled a dinner with the sister of a recent convert in the ward who i really admire. Bro. Svartzcopf. he and his wife recently got sealed and they have the cutest baby in the ward! haha. they are on fire right now too. so there are new investigators.

 

We're really hastening the work... and im determined to get this ward going. There are way too many good families who can do easy missionary work! so we are doing that! and this week holy cow. they have stepped it up! almost every night we are teaching a lesson in another members home! which is how it should be. Yesterday we joined the ward council and as they talked something I had been thinking about came to me and I suggested it, and I felt really good because they liked the idea. And when you are a 19 year old missionary in a room full of moms and dads and accountants and businessmen and priesthood keys it can get overwhleming. But what if these home and visiting teachers, who are teaching less active and part member families brought the missionaries when they taught!? and what if (like the prophet has asked) we have them over for dinner. And get to know them! and become friends. Then members and missionaries are coming together! hello? so Family will you please do this! mom invite your visiting teaching families over for dinner and teach a lesson!? watch a mormon message? Dad always tried to do that and I am so sad I didnt support him more. im so excited for you. you have set amazing goals and have a fresh start.

 

which leads me to my next topic. Last week the letter was titled fresh start...

 I hit a rough patch friday... i woke up sick... i had a bloody nose... my entire body hurt and i was so tired.. and even sad? it was crazy. i think i may have been dehydrated because the day before i spent outside on an exchange in gulfport which is at the bottom of the St. Petersburg peninsula.and it was hot and we walked a lot. but anyway i went back to bed after the bleeding stopped.. but the rest of the day i just felt awful. and it was weird cuz there was no forewarning...  and i felt as if the spirit was lacking. idk what it was but i was miserable... so i got to think a lot. and I got to really look at where I was in life and the mission and that night I prayed to know what to do. Well I woke up the next morning.. and got another bloody nose but was feeling a bit better physically but mentally and emotially was a little painful. so i prayed for a long time. and I decided I was going to fast. Im not sinning, its not guilt I feel. Its not an illness, I'm going to call upon the powers of heaven and ask him to help. Well i made a big breakfast and started. the entire day... I prayed. throughout the day I read the book of mormon and would pray again. I was so depressed and my body was still a little sore and it was so hard ha. we taught a lesson and I felt like I was at the beginning of my mission again. a greenie. I couldnt feel the spirit. but I kept praying and reading. Well we had about 2 hours left in the day and we were deciding what to do, and I'm so grateful for Elder Booth. Such a faithful companion he was so patient, and was like lets just go visit some families. so we did. We knocked on like three doors... nothing. Well we went back to visit this part member family, linda and andrew and they were like HEYYY!! and teased us and invited us in. not expected. so we went in and (just btw the wording of what I fasted for was to recieve a renewal, physically, emotionally, spritually) holy cow. we sat in that home and BAM.... it came. I was me again. it was as if i got to the top of the mountain and looked down and I was ready to run. And we did. We were bold! Elder Booth told them we are not just missionaries. we have a purpose. and we told them our purpose. the father is not a member and we told him we want to give him a fresh start. the things he wanted. well we showed a video and testified of what we do. And asked if he would give us a chance. and if he wanted to know the truth. not saying we have it, but saying he could find the truth. he kept bringing up questions and EVERYTIME! we had an answer! thats never happened to me! i never bash, or argue but we were bold. and he accepted. it hit me that I KNEW fasting would work. I know that prayer will always work. I know the church is true! why should we be afraid???

 

well the Lord tested that and I misplaced my Ipad... its now broken... and Im pretty worried...  it sucks... Im grateful actually cuz I need to be better with important things. I need to keep track of things like that. So he is showing me. Im grateful he wants me to be better so he pushes me. Im grateful he demands more. Cuz I KNOW it will help.

 

Well, the week went on and we got to help plan a mini mission with the youth where they will come contacting with us in DownTown St. Pete. We got to teach a lesson to the High Priest Group. We got to teach Breah Who is excited for her baptism date! and we feel GREAT! the fire is burning!

 

It's true! and we can partake!

 

I am grateful for challenges. I am grateful for miracles. I am gratetful for missionary work. I am grateful for dedicated friends and members. I am grateful for a dedicated companion. and Invite everyone to invite someone over for dinner :) and share the gospel! :)

 

Be not Afraid;Only Believe

 

Elder Nelson