Monday, August 12, 2013
July 29, 2013
President Smartt,
I was hoping to meet you this weekend! I was excited to hear that you were coming and disappointed that you weren’t able to come. I do hope that everything is okay and that the cause of you not coming wasn’t due to any problems or complications. I know we’ll meet when the Lord says it’s time.
This week was pretty good. We were hoping to have Kelly at church this Sunday but she wasn’t able to make it. She is going to have to move soon. She has been having problems with her “neighbors” and she has a little baby that she wants to protect. Her relationship with her boyfriend, Ed, has been improving though. She told us yesterday that they will get married. That is ultimately the best thing for her. A family will be best for not only her but for her child too. Ed has been warming up to us also. Yesterday we passed by his house to see if they needed help with moving or anything and he said “you know what? I stopped going to church because ‘christians’ don’t show love towards one another. They don’t care about anyone but themselves. You guys are nice and I appreciate the help and concern for us. I know you guys are doing the right thing.” We really hope to continue helping them progress.
We found out that we got the okay for our new apartment so hopefully we can move soon. Our apartment now isn’t totally safe but this new one will be.
We have also been able to see the hand of the Lord in our endeavors this week. Since this month has 5 weeks, our money is running thin. Especially since everything here on the island is astronomically expensive. We have to use a lot of our money on transportation too. One day last week, we didn’t have any money to buy or any food to eat at our apartment. I had to save the few dollars I had left to be able to go to Roseau. We were able to find a box of noodles and a can of tomato soup, however, so we were able to make “spaghetti.” We headed down to Roseau and when we arrived, the Martinez’s told us that a member here needed a blessing because he was really sick. We were able to give him a blessing and now he is feeling back to normal. I am grateful for the way that the Lord always takes care of us. When we’re obedient, the Lord blesses us.
I hope you have a great week, President. I look forward to meeting you!
Elder Nielson
haha classic german guy speaking yesterday. There is a lady here named sister Walther who is from switzerland. I havent met her yet, but I hear she's a character.
So how is everyone? Hope all is well. Crazy that school is starting already. It seems like Greg was just skipping school to see if Michael and Link could destroy Scylla and take down the company. Classic.'
Well, as you can see, president Smartt didnt visit this week. he was supposed to be here on saturday at 1:40. we found out he wasnt coming at like noon on saturday. guhl. i even put gel in my hair. i HATE gel.
Tell the grandmas thanks for their contributions! I appreciate it. and yeah, sorry for having to spend my money from home, but we were dying. once we get a car it will be a lot better. transportation takes all of our money. taking the bus here is almost as expensive as taking the bus to the middle school there! haha.. we're hangin in there though. i have a couple pictures for you to illustrate how expensive it is to live here. i'll attach them at the end.
what else. i dont know, nothing totally exciting happened this week. It was Breck's birthday on thursday, so that's exciting. Kassi entered the Spain MTC on Wednesday. OH! so on friday, Antonia and Conroy got married. they are both recent converts in the branch. They met at Antonia's baptism in february. anyways, I was one of their witnesses. I got to sign their wedding certificate and all of the legal documents and all that jazz. they'll remember me forever.
uhhh well i've been trying to be humble and develop my talent on the piano. I studied about talents a while back and realized that i should try to get better at it. My list of Hymns i can play has grown from a few to like 10 or 12 now i think. plus i learned some primary songs. i just have to practice the songs for like a week straight and then i can figure them out. i dont feel like im getting "better" at the piano, but i'm learning more songs.. idk, my sight reading is getting better though. i've got the notes down for sure (see it say it play it. classic.). Hopefully i'll keep getting better. the branch pianist is leaving in november, and they know i can "play" the piano since i play prelude every week (i just play the same songs i know every week hah). i dont want them to ask me to play, but i will if i have to. so speaking of that, mom could you send me the music to the Erl King? that song you used to play in your recitals. I really want to learn that song, it's sick. that would be cool if you could scan it in and email it...
well i just drove for the first time. i drove a ford ranger, stick shift. i had to shift with my left hand. drove on the left hand side of the road. it was sweet. i miss driving. and my truck. im still mad you sold it.
That's all i've got this week. Keep up the good work everybody. I miss you all and hope that your week will be great.
Cuidense,
Elder Nielson
July 22, 2013
President Smartt,
A verse from the Book of Mormon really hit me hard this week. I was doing my personal study in the book of Helaman, and I read Helaman 7:16. “Yea, how could you have given way to the enticing of him who is seeking to hurl away your souls down to everlasting misery and endless wo?” Wow, I thought, that is so profound. I have grown up as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints my entire life. I went to primary, learning to CTR and singing songs about Book of Mormon stories. My parents taught me good values in a home founded upon the teachings of Jesus Christ. I have been taught from an early age what is right and what is wrong. I know how to make my own decisions and that there will always be a consequence for those decisions, whether they be good or bad. Yet, as everyone else has in their lives, I have made mistakes and committed sin. It seems as if it can be extremely easy to justify our actions and to justify sin in the world that we are living in. “Everyone else does it anyways, what does it matter if you do it?” “It wont hurt to do it just one time.” “Ah, come on, no one will ever find out.” These are all phrases that we have heard from our “friends” before. These are dangerous sayings that can lead to justification of sin and ultimately the destruction of our souls. We think sometimes that we can be happier when we sin. We learn from the Book of Mormon, however, that “wickedness never was happiness.” Alma 41:10. Sometimes we feel that it is easier to go along with the crowd instead of standing up for what we know is right. Persecution, mockery, and a fear of looking cowardly in front of our peers can pressure us into choosing “forbidden paths” 1 Ne 8:28. The adversary desperately wants us to feel as miserable as he does and does not want us to progress and ultimately receive eternal happiness. Sin does not bring happiness. However, Satan can craftily make sin appear appealing and delightful. His tactics are subtle and suave and if we aren’t “anxiously engaged in a good cause” we can be led away down those forbidden path. He makes sin seem enticing, and makes it seem like it will bring happiness, but for what purpose? He doesn’t desire our happiness, he is seeking to hurl away your souls down to everlasting misery and endless wo! There is someone that we can always rely on, however. That person is the redeemer of the world. He is the Messiah, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Jesus Christ came to this earth and willingly suffered for you and me. He was “despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” He paid the price of sin for all of humanity and died for them as well. Because of this selfless act, we will all have the opportunity to have a resurrected body for time and all eternity. He truly desires our happiness. He desires that we obey Him and His father. His “work and his glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” Moses 1:39. When we choose to follow Jesus Christ, we know that we never stand alone. One of my favorite General conference talks was given by President Monson a few years back entitled “Dare to stand alone.” He quoted the words of a primary song, saying “Dare to be a Mormon, dare to stand alone, dare to have a purpose firm, dare to make it known.” In our lives we fear that standing up for Christ will leave us alone. I know, however, that when we stand up for Christ, we are never alone. John 14:18 says that he will never leave us comfortless. When we stand up for Christ, we can be assured that we are never standing alone. When we chose to follow the adversary, we can be sure that he won’t be there to back us up in time of need, because “the devil will not support his children at the last day, but doth speedily drag them down to hell.” Alma 30:60. I know that it can sometimes be hard to face trials and temptations in life, but when we have a firm faith is Jesus Christ, and don’t give in to the enticing of him who seeks our destruction, we will always have the Savior’s love to comfort us and give us strength. I know that my Redeemer lives, just as I know that I live. I am so grateful for His gospel and the opportunity I have to share it with others. “I know it, I live it, I love it.” – Ann M. Dibb.
Yeah well i dont have a ton of time today. i'll meet president smartt this saturday. hes bringing us an ipad too! whoo hoo! be jealous. also, he said that we'll be getting a car soon. I went and got my dominica visitors driving permit today. I only had a copy of my drivers license (the one that they took when i first got to the mission) so i took that with me. i got called into 4 different dudes' offfices before finally going to the chief inspector of dominicas office. he had to call someone else because he thought the copy was a fake that i had made. i finally sweet talked him into letting it work. so long story short, i can drive here in dominica now. on the left side of teh road. ahh yeah son.
uhh not a totally exciting week. some locals in the branch are getting married this friday. thats exciting i guess. we should hopefully be getting new apt soon too. im just excited for the car. im sick of spending all my money on buses. and wasting time waiting for them to come by.
im glad everyones doing okay, give that kid more goldfish than he can handle.
Cuidense mucho!
Elder Nielson
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