2 Minute Warning

June 1, 2015


This is Elder Nelson's second to last email!  We will hear from him one more time and then he will be home the next day!  He returns to us on June 9th!

 
Dear Family and Friends:

We are really asking for miracles, we have been trying to show the Lord that we want to use his time as WISE as possible...and he is blessing us. 

Now I will start with the let downs so we we can end on a positive note!

Bebina did not come to church...and neither did alexis, or aaron and we dropped him, and Nhi didnt come... BUT i will report on their progress!

Alexis

- We have been teaching her for about 5 weeks now. She had some crazy ideas, and didn't believe the Book  of Mormon, it didn't "agree with her spirit" she didn't like Sacrament meeting, it wasn't preachy enough... so we thought it was pretty much over. Well she told us she was still open to learning. We had a lesson last week and asked her what she has enjoyed most about learning. She said the plan of salvation, mostly the spirit world. She believes that, and yet no other doctrine supports that. We then took her to the Book of Mormon... and began to testify! She started to ask questions, and based on her commitment level so far, it was go big or go home. So we went big. We told her that the Book of Mormon in Alma ch. 40 is where the knowledge of the spirit world came. So the Book of Mormon is true... and waited for her response... and she said okay i guess its true. But the question of being confirmed by the laying on of hands and not just receiving the Holy Ghost, and that she was already baptized and feels it was good enough, and that the holy ghost was not part of it? Well we opened up the scriptures to Acts 8 and talked about how the Apostles and testified that God has restored the proper way to baptize and confirm. As well as John 3:5 that says a man must be born of water and the spirit. She told us that she was already baptized by propper authority, we then testified that she just told us that the Book of Mormon was true, and if it is true, then the Priesthood was restored through Joseph Smith. and this is the only true church. We would teach, testify and then STOP. and wait for her response. She finally said, okay. and I asked her, do you believe that the things we have told you today are true? she responded... yes. and we set the baptism date for June 21st.She asked if we can do in 2 weeks. "why wait any longer?" was her reply.

Now i am not sure how Alexis is going to progress, there are some other factors in all of this, but we will do our best. One thing I do know, this church is true.

Nhi Hoang

- she was referral from the other Elders in the family ward since she is a YSA. She is from Vietnam! And I wish i could just video her lessons. I have never been so humbled in my life. This girl wants to know so badly. She has been researching Christianity and feels that it is true. She has had Christian friends and loves the way they act and things they believe. We told her we can help her KNOW if God and Jesus are real and if they are real. So we have met with her 3 times. The first time she came back after reading the restoration pamphlet and recited almost word for word the experience Joseph Smith had, she said " I feel like Joseph Smith, I want to know which church to go to. I think that Joseph Smith is real!" and the second time we really got into the gospel. I know that if she will read the Book of Mormon she will come to know Christ. She prayed for the first time in her life and said she felt something! but you could hear the concern in her voice when she said "I don't think God is hearing my prayers, I think he doesnt understand Vietnamese!" we assured her that he is just testing her faith! We explained how the spirit comes to us and she got so excited! " I think I can feel it right now! here sitting here with you i feel calm and peace and joy!, I can feel his love! I think he is real" ( you have to read that with an Asian accent to really understand. It is the sweetest thing ever. She wants so badly to feel her answer. She accepted the baptismal date of June 27th and cannot wait. 

Please pray that this sweet girl will get her answer.

Bebina was sick on Sunday and couldn't come but we have grown pretty close with her and her family! she has a house of cousins and neices and nephews and they...love us! they are adorable. But Bebina is on fire. She accepts everything we teach her! She is trying her best to keep the word of wisdom even though it is hard. ( tea is a hard thing to give up here in the south ). She asks so many questions, and has so much faith. She is preparing for a baptism later in the month. Pray she comes to church!

President and Sister Cusick got their missionary back from Ireland! that was pretty exciting for them. 

Sunday Elder Hawkes, Elder Newbold and Myself were all asked to speak! I chose to speak about repentance. I used the steps of repentance listed in the gospel of Jesus Christ pamphlet and related the story ofwhen I threw the Crochet hammer through Anut Theresas window! I will send you the talk and you can read it. I felt the spirit so many times, I felt so confident and I knew that the Lord was speaking through me. I had so much love for these members in the Tampa YSA. So many have such strong desires to be good but struggle. I really wanted to help them realized how to find true joy. 

We also sang ( including elder LLoyd ) I will not be still, the EFY song. I messed up the words, ha, but the spirit was so strong! It was powerful. The words are perfect for what I have been doing the last two years.

I love these people so much. I love teaching the Gospel. I love having and sharing the truth with those ready to receive it. I know this is the true church. I am so scared to come home...

Elder Nelson

Be not afraid; Only Believe