Monday, March 12, 2012
PICTURES!!!! 3/12/12
Family and Friends,
The mission president called me personally to tell me that I´m being sent to Villa Esfuersos to be a District Leader. I thought he was calling for my companion, who has been in the field 18 months. Then he handed ME the phone.
If there is one thing I know, it´s that I know nothing. That´s a good sign of humility right?
Enjoy the pictures.
Love,
Elder Nichols
The mission president called me personally to tell me that I´m being sent to Villa Esfuersos to be a District Leader. I thought he was calling for my companion, who has been in the field 18 months. Then he handed ME the phone.
If there is one thing I know, it´s that I know nothing. That´s a good sign of humility right?
Enjoy the pictures.
Love,
Elder Nichols
Taco Bell! 3/5/12
Dear Family and Friends,
As you can guess by the title of the email, I found a Taco Bell today in the Capital. That´s proof to me that the Lord loves me. Ok that is a joke, but it was super great to have a small, expensive, reminder of home. We did a little shopping and now we are doing the whole internet thing. fun fun.
Last Saturday we had a baptism. We got some good photos but i forgot to bring my card reader. so next monday for sure. We also have 2 more this saturday. If i did my math right that´s about 10 baptisms in 6 months in the field. I´m very grateful that the Lord has allowed me to be a part of these peoples lives. Transfers are this week, and i know i´ll miss these people if i go.
As for a spiritual thought, I want you all to know that your Heavenly Father loves you. Jesus said "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise"... In everything that Christ did, he was trying to show us what our Heavenly Father is like. His love, his mercy, his power, his teachings, were all from the Father. He wants all of us to return to him. He gives us trials, sickness, weakness, and other things so that we learn to depend on Him instead of ourselves. Pray to Him with a sincere heart, for He is there, guiding us even when we know it not. Sometimes He hides, but He wants to be found. He promises that if we seek, we shall find.
love,
Elder Nichols
As you can guess by the title of the email, I found a Taco Bell today in the Capital. That´s proof to me that the Lord loves me. Ok that is a joke, but it was super great to have a small, expensive, reminder of home. We did a little shopping and now we are doing the whole internet thing. fun fun.
Last Saturday we had a baptism. We got some good photos but i forgot to bring my card reader. so next monday for sure. We also have 2 more this saturday. If i did my math right that´s about 10 baptisms in 6 months in the field. I´m very grateful that the Lord has allowed me to be a part of these peoples lives. Transfers are this week, and i know i´ll miss these people if i go.
As for a spiritual thought, I want you all to know that your Heavenly Father loves you. Jesus said "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise"... In everything that Christ did, he was trying to show us what our Heavenly Father is like. His love, his mercy, his power, his teachings, were all from the Father. He wants all of us to return to him. He gives us trials, sickness, weakness, and other things so that we learn to depend on Him instead of ourselves. Pray to Him with a sincere heart, for He is there, guiding us even when we know it not. Sometimes He hides, but He wants to be found. He promises that if we seek, we shall find.
love,
Elder Nichols
The Spirit 2/27/12
Dear friends and family,
I had an interesting experience in learning about how the spirit works with people. We had a lesson with an investigator at the church, and were testifying and inviting for a good hour almost. We have been working with her for 3 months or so, and this was like our final last push. At the end we asked her to pray specifically to know if Joseph Smith was a prophet, and listen for an answer. As we sat in silence for almost 5 minutes I was praying hard that Heavenly Father would help her feel something, and give her that personal witness that i know i have recieved in my life. We sat. We waited. And nothing happened. She said she didn´t feel anything.
Well we ended the lesson with that prayer and reminded her that upon her request, we were saving march 3rd specifically for her baptism and nobody else. So if anything changed, that was her day.
After the lesson I just went into another room solo and cried. I had tried so hard to listen and discern and testify. But she didn´t feel anything. I care a lot about this investigator and her whole family, and it just broke my heart that she wouldn´t accept the most important and special gift I was trying to offer.
As I sat there alone my companion came back into the room and said... Hey Jamie just said she wants to be baptized now!
Apparently she was reading the bulletin board and there was a small checklist of commandments or something. At the end it said... When will you serve me? as in serving God. She said that those words hit her hard, and it was like God was speaking directly to her, and it changed her mind.
It´s been a great learning experience for me to be reminded that this isn´t my work, it´s the Lord´s. It´s also helped us explain better to other investigators on how to recognize a personal response from God, and recieve personal revelation.
Let´s serve God, and except his will over our own. He is a lot smarter than us.
Elder Nichols
I had an interesting experience in learning about how the spirit works with people. We had a lesson with an investigator at the church, and were testifying and inviting for a good hour almost. We have been working with her for 3 months or so, and this was like our final last push. At the end we asked her to pray specifically to know if Joseph Smith was a prophet, and listen for an answer. As we sat in silence for almost 5 minutes I was praying hard that Heavenly Father would help her feel something, and give her that personal witness that i know i have recieved in my life. We sat. We waited. And nothing happened. She said she didn´t feel anything.
Well we ended the lesson with that prayer and reminded her that upon her request, we were saving march 3rd specifically for her baptism and nobody else. So if anything changed, that was her day.
After the lesson I just went into another room solo and cried. I had tried so hard to listen and discern and testify. But she didn´t feel anything. I care a lot about this investigator and her whole family, and it just broke my heart that she wouldn´t accept the most important and special gift I was trying to offer.
As I sat there alone my companion came back into the room and said... Hey Jamie just said she wants to be baptized now!
Apparently she was reading the bulletin board and there was a small checklist of commandments or something. At the end it said... When will you serve me? as in serving God. She said that those words hit her hard, and it was like God was speaking directly to her, and it changed her mind.
It´s been a great learning experience for me to be reminded that this isn´t my work, it´s the Lord´s. It´s also helped us explain better to other investigators on how to recognize a personal response from God, and recieve personal revelation.
Let´s serve God, and except his will over our own. He is a lot smarter than us.
Elder Nichols
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