Remember. 3/18/13

Dear Friends and Family, Not much to write about this week, we are still working hard. Today we played capture the flag against another zone. We won. I am sunburnt. Story of my life. More important than this, I was asked to give a spiritual thought in our weekly zone meeting Thursday, and I feel that you all should hear or read it as well. At times we can be overwhelmed with the amount of struggles and trials that we have in this life. One of the most overwhelming is the devious strategy of the enemy to take sacred things and paint them in a way that is no longer sacred. Here in the mission I have seen a lot of this. People do not understand the importance and eternal nature of the family. They interpret the word of God in whichever way is most convenient. Pastors get up on rooftops during my personal scripture study and scream the sacred name of my Savior into a microphone with vicious repetition. Sometimes Satan´s attacks are more subtle. Sometimes we have so much to focus on that we simply forget other things, such as temple covenants, scripture study, etc. Sometimes, in the midst of all of our trials and forgetfulness, the thought comes to our mind that we ourselves are forgotten. Forgotten to family and friends, overlooked and unrecognized professionally, and whatever else. My beloved brothers and sisters, I testify that this is not true. The Lord Himself has said: "But, behold, Zion hath said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me—but he will show that he hath not." "For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel." "Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me." The Lord remembers us every time he looks at His hands. Likewise He invites us to do the same. "Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the nails in my hands and feet; be faithful, keep my commandments, and ye shall inherit the kingdom of heaven. Amen." One of the most important, inspiring words is simply ¨remember¨. We are commanded to remember Him by praying, reading, and attending church. We promise to remember Him when we partake of the sacred emblems of the Sacrament. So it is this invitation that submit to all of you whom I love so much. Remember Him. Remember that you have promised to follow Him and be like Him. Remember those sacred covenants made in the waters of baptism and holy temples. Remember that you are children of a Heavenly Father that loves you. Remember that the Savior comes quickly, and the enemy will be bound. Remember this divine hope and promise that He gives us. Elder Nichols

Transfer Update. 3/4/13

Dear Friends and Family, Sorry about the lack of news. I have been having some much needed family discussion via email with my step mother Andrea. She is such a blessing for me and I am so grateful that the mission has brought us so close. It reminds me of the following scripture, which is now one of my favorites. Doctrine and Covenants 31:5 "Therefore, thrust in your sickle with all your soul, and your sins are forgiven you, and you shall be laden with sheaves upon your back, for the laborer is worthy of his hire. Wherefore, your family shall live." So anyway, 3 weeks ago my companion and I got transferred together to a new area back in the capital. It was hard to leave the members, my recent converts, and progressing investigators, but I have trust that Heavenly Father loves that part of His vineyard even more than I do, and would do nothing to harm it. Now we live with the zone leaders in Sabana Perdida, which is a lot of fun, and we took over the northern half of their area. To our great surprise they told us that they have no investigators that live in our area. So we are basically opening the area, even though there are a few members that live here. We have been working hard, having shorter lessons, and being diligent and fearless. In the last three weeks we have done over 300 contacts and have about 70 investigators. It´s been a lot of fun, and I have been doing my best to keep learning from my companion, assuming that´s why the Lord brought us together from Higuey. I have been thinking a lot about the importance of my mission, as well as my responsibilities. I think a lot of the time I am just too hard on myself. Heavenly Father sent me here, knowing full well that I wouldn´t baptize every contact. He also knew I would make lots of mistakes and learn in the process. I don´t think he holds me responsible for their salvation. In fact, he didn´t send me here to save them. He sent His Son Jesus Christ for that. He sent me here to teach them, and to invite them to follow Christ. Furthermore, He sent me here to learn, grow, and embark on the Disciple´s Path. I recognize the changes in my priorities, desires, and attributes. How interesting it is that the more we serve and love others, the more we ourselves grow. I want you to know that the all knowing, all powerful creator of this universe, yea, even God, is also our loving Heavenly Father. We are precious to Him. He is kind and merciful, even when we ourselves don´t think we deserve it. He sees our potential, desires, and actions, rewarding us accordingly. He knows us by name. He loves us. He expected us to make mistakes in this life and thus provided a Savior to rescue us. We do not have to be perfect in this life, for that would negate our need for the Redeemer. We are expected to take advantage of the free atoning sacrifice laid before us. To have faith on the Lord Jesus Christ and repent, aligning our will with the Father´s. Doing so, we have claim to the mercy of the Father, and are snatched from the requirements of Justice. I can think of no greater blessing. I can imagine no greater source of hope. That hope is described by some as an anchor, and by others a foundation, that leads us to look forward to a better day. It is that which inclines our hearts to doing good works. There is no greater message that we can share with out friends and family. It is my testimony that Jesus Christ lives and loves us. That He still speaks today, just as He did in ancient times, through Prophets and Apostles. Draw near unto Him, and He will draw near unto you. Seek and ye shall find, Knock, and it shall be opened unto you. I leave this humble testimony of mine in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, Amen. Elder Nichols

Baptism Photos. 2/4/13

I also got to confirm Junior Andres a member and give him a blessing, so we wore our suits to church.

It Worked! 2/4/13

Baptism. 2/4/13

Well the baptism was a huge success. We had prelude music, a movie, and we even brought ice cream. I was going to send photos, but this computer hates me. Better luck next week I hope. Love you all, take care. Elder Nichols