"Why are you so persistent?" 7/2/12

Dear Family and Friends, Well this week was super tough. We found some pretty hard hearted people that just wanted to argue. I tried so hard to be patient with them but I just get so frustrated when people invent scriptures, or misinterpret them and hold firm to their distorted version. People often tell me that everyone worships in their own way and that we are all searching for the same God. It´s so hard to open peoples eyes and show them that the truth is not something that changes upon perception or convenience. The truth is eternal. The truth is a foundation that cannot be broken nor swayed. One lady asked me this week why we are so persistent on trying to convince her of our religious beliefs. The answer that came out of my mouth surprised me. Normally I say that we know its true, and that it can bless your life. Or I say that its true, and that I know that God knows its true, and I cannot deny it. But this time something new and profound came to me. I hope the spirit can help you understand the gravity of the statement that follows. I taught and testified of the apostasy. Jesus gave his 12 apostles authority to act in His name (lucas 9:1-2) When they died that authority was taken from the Earth. It didn´t exist. Without authority how can we recieve revelations? Without revelations how can we understand the true meaning of the scriptures? We cannot. It is evident today from the plethora of religious viewpoints that men in this world are confused and have different interpretations of the same bible. The authority to act in the name of Christ, to baptize and confer the Holy Ghost was lost. A man cannot choose to be a pastor. He cannot get authority by simply reading the Bible. The apostles were chosen directly by Jesus, as was every other major figure in the scriptures. Here is my point. We are persistent because if the Message of the Restoration is not true, then there is no salvation for the children of men. The authority to administer the saving ordenances of the gospel was lost with the apostles, and any glimmer of hope was shattered in the following apostasy, or rejection of the truth, and distortion of Gospel truths through generations of iniquity. Baptism is a requirement for salvation, and I´m sorry, but we cannot be baptized by the Bible. Jesus Christ was baptized by a man who had due authority, and the same is necessary today. Jesus Christ has personally restored the same church that He established in ancient times during His personal reign and ministry. He has personally chosen a prophet and apostles and speaks to them just as He did throughout the New testament, even after His death. If He has not done this, then we are like ¨ achildren, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of bdoctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive¨ efe 4:14 We as missionaries of this church stand as messengers of Jesus Christ, witnesses of eternal truths which have been lost to the world, and beacons for all who wish to follow Christ more than their pride. We have been called of God, set apart, and duely ordained to combat error and open the gates of Salvation to all who are willing to take the steps. That is why we are persistent. Elder Nichols

Shenanigans 6/25/12

Dear Family and Friends, Well... it´s been a crazy week. An Elder in my district decided to go home, so his companion, Elder Smith, has returned to my house and we are in a trio. But then the zone leaders have now decided and confirmed with president that he should be with a less than obedient companionship in my district. So it was more like a 4 day intercambio hahaha. With 3 beds in one room complete with mosquito nets it looks like a giant fort. We started an english class again. Although I´m the only teacher hahaha. It was a lot of fun though and we had about 15 people. The area is progressing, and more people are coming to church. This week the schedule shifts 2 hours, and will be earlier. This will help us have more success since most people here like to be eating and sleeping in the afternoon. I got a shotgun speaking assignment when I arrived at church on sunday. I think it went pretty well even though I had about an hour to prepare. I talked about sharing the gospel through our example, recognizing that we can show our love by sharing the priceless message of the restored gospel, and a few other things I can´t remember. I´ve started marking something new in my Book of Mormon. Every time I see a tactic of Satan I mark it in black, representing mists of darkness, like in Lehi´s Dream. I figure one of the most important parts of fighting a battle is recognizing the enemy, and this life is no different. This is war. Do you recognize the enemy? Another intereesting thought that I had is that judgement is more than just a sum total of all the good and bad deeds we´ve done and hoping that we´re not in the red. Judgement is an assessment of the type of person we have become. The desires of our hearts, the thoughts we think, our attributes, etc. I found myself asking if I, right now, am a worthy candidate for the celestial kingdom. Would Heavenly Father let me in right now? This has given me a lot of motivation this week. So why the emphasis on good deeds in the scriptures? A quote from Richard G Scott has stuck with me since he said it in conference about 3 years ago. ¨We become what we want to be, by consistantly being what we want to become¨ This life is a time to prepare to meet God. We must use this probationary state to become the type of person that God would allow to into the celestial kingdom. We do that by consistantly following the Savior through righteous decisions, and being sanctified by the fire of the Holy spirit. I hope these thoughts help some of you, my beloved friends. I love you and share my solemn testimony of the reality of Jesus Christ, and that none of us kind find our own way back home without Him. He lives. He loves us and is ever so merciful. He invites us to follow, but we must make the choice. It is the wisest decision, with the greatest consequences, that a soul could ever make. Elder Nichols

Who's training who? 6/19/12

Dear Family and Friends, Well its been an incredible week down here in the Dominican Republic. I´ve had some really sacred experiences with my companion and I truly love him. He is so much more Christlike than I am. He´s full of love, always worried or thinking about me, shares everything, and has a rock solid testimony and conviction of the gospel. I´m really the one being taught. He is a great example and the spirit is super strong with him. He is a huge blessing for me and i´m honored that the lord sent him to me We had a baptism last saturday, and we´ll be having a family home evening with them tonight. Her name is Marisol, and she has 2 kids. The younger one is only 5 and was super jealous that he couldn´t be baptized too. I´m not sure why, but it seemed to me that Marisol showed a lot more interest and desire to be baptized when I took an interest in her kids. It wasn´t hard for me because I think little kids are awesome. Especially hers, cuz they are nuts. Jenserd is super smart and Jois, the younger one, talks at the speed of light and you wouldnn´t be able to calm down if you hit him with horse tranquilizers. Antonio has been attending the pentecostal church for 10 years. His wife is a member of our church. We´ve taught him about the restoration and HOW Joseph Smith in our day, as well as every other major figure in the Bible, recieved authority personally from the Savior or one of His servants to act in His name and baptize. According to him, none of the other missionaries from our church that have tried to teach him ever bothered to give him the in depth explanation that I did. Anyone that thinks that personal study doesn´t matter can now eat it. He made the connection himself and started asking how his Pastors recieved authority. He was pretty upset when he realized that for 10 years he has decieved, and even more upset that they are decieving many others with their claims. I felt his anguish myself, but then testified that the good news is we are true messengers from Christ with due authority and power. I´ve got lots more good stories, but no time. So they are going in the journal and you can ask me in 13 months. We are working hard and the Lord is on our side. We gain knowledge by asking questions, and learn wisdom when we know which questions to ask. Elder Nichols

Training 6/11/12

Family and Friends, Well, first week of the new transfer has been great. My companion has a strong testimony and a heart of pure gold. He is from Peru and only has been a member for 2 years. I´m grateful for the sacred trust from the Lord to train, and I am learning a ton. We get an extra hour of study in the morning, so that is a huge blessing. I feel like i´m being retrained too, learning some of the things i´ve forgotten over time, and doing all of this in the Lord´s way. He is a lot smarter than us. Last week we baptized a Haitian named Billy that we were teaching in English. This week we will baptize Marisol and her son Yenson. We have found a lot of good people that i hope will progress, but if not we are at least planting gospel seeds. Love, Elder Nichols

Trainer 6/6/12

Attached is a photo of Elder Nichols with his newly arrived companion from Peru. Elder Nichols will be training Elder Cconsaya in missionary service in addition to helping with the English language under the companionship language study program. With joy in the service,Elder Eickbush

The Call 6/4/12

Dear Family and Friends, Well, we got transfer calls this week. I´m staying in my tiny little area as a district leader, but I´m also going to train! My dad (trainer) and step dad (first companion after the trainer) are also training again this transfer. So we will have a huge family reunion tomorrow at the mission office. I will have a younger brother and a step brother. Also means that my trainer is a grandpa, and that my son will have an uncle. Try and wrap your head around that one. Well I was going to send a bunch of pictures but this computer is being difficult. We had an awesome district meeting last thursday. We all shared a few thoughts as well as our testimonies and the spirit was incredible. I spoke about the importance of working with diligence and being obedient so that the Lord trusts us enough to give us success. I don´t believe He will lead us to His precious children that are ready for us if we are not ready for them. We all said a lot more but I´m out of time. I just want to leave these last two spiritual thoughts. First, every choice we make is a different choice in disguise. If we open our eyes and listen to the spirit, every decision is really a choice to follow Christ, or follow satan. Lehi, a prophet in the Book of Mormon, tells us that all men are free to choose, but he does not say that we are free to choose whether to lie, cheat, steal, give service, love one another, or whatever else. No, he tells us that all men are free to choose liberty and eternal life according to the Savior, or captivity and spiritual death according to satan. Every choice has a consequence, if we can but open our eyes and see far enough ahead on the road we are traveling. My second thought is the following. The Savior was chosen from the foundation of the world. In the old testament he was Jehovah, spoke to His prophets, and led the children of Israel out of bondage. Then He was born, established His gospel and his Church, and completed the atonement and resurrection. After He ascended to the Father he continued to reveal His will to the apostles until they were persecuted and killed. So, my dearest friends, there remains a powerful question. Would He who led His covenant people for 4000 years in ancient times, the Man who loves so much that He was willing to suffer extreme agony and death to save our souls, suddenly leave us without direction and sit back as we destroy ourselves and fall into darkness? I don´t think so. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He leads us today. He has chosen a prophet and apostles again. He has restored his authority and given it to man. He teaches us how to execise it upon principles of love, sacrifice, faith, and personal worthiness. He lives. Not just because He rose again on the third day, but because He loves us, walks among us, and is directing His people personally. No other foundation or establishment can or does make such a claim. But the beauty of this bold declaration is that I am just the messenger, here to assure you that you can ask Him yourself. If you truly have the desire to follow Christ, to do His will and not your own, then He will answer you through the power of the Holy Ghost, and confirm that He indeed has personally established The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I seal this solemn testimony with my honor and heart, in the Holy name of Jesus Christ, Amen. Elder Nichols

Still Alive 5/28/12

Dear Family and Friends, So we had a little hiccup down here. Tuesday night the loser of the elections was saying that the other guy cheated and it was all over the news. President made us go home early just to be safe. Other than that the whole quarantine was pretty boring. Nothing happened. Wednesday we had zone conference and Elder Cornish was the guest speaker. He focused on taking an interest in peoples lives and helping them apply the doctrines and feel the spirit, as well as helping understand that the Lord wants them to obey the commandment and not us. Most missionaries just teach the principle and then invite them to obey it, and then we wonder why it doesn´t work. Thursday through Saturday was the usual, and Sunday one investigator came to church, but forgot her 9 year old at home who we are also teaching. I´m just trying my best to keep positive, and we are all excited for transfer calls. Love, Elder Nichols

Update 5/21/12

Hey guys, The streets are tranquilo for now. President said we could use internet to update him and our families. Love you all Elder Nichols.

Elections 5/19/12

Dear Family and Friends, This week I’m writing on a Saturday because after church tomorrow we have to go straight home and not leave until Tuesday morning. This country is having it´s presidential elections, and if you learned anything from Elder Glenn´s letters, you would know that elections in 3rd world countries aren´t the safest thing hahaha. This week was pretty boring. Many of our appointments fell through, so we spent a lot of time searching for new people and setting up appointments with them. Finally, yesterday we taught an investigator named Carlos. Not only did he read the folle to we gave him, but he proceeded to teach us about the restauration and how Joseph Smith received the Aaronic priesthood from John the Baptist, and later the higher priesthood from Peter James and John. I had to pick my jaw up off the floor. So of course we invited him to be baptized and he said yes. Nobody will be at church this week because everyone has to travel to other cities to vote. But hopefully he comes next week. He has a lot of animo, a wife, and 3 kids. Three other investigators we have are kind of at a standstill. They just won´t accept a fecha. They come to church and keep meeting with us and learning, but won´t commit to anything. It´s tough. I had a positive experience with an Elder in my district. President is making us bring our area book to district meeting so that the District Leaders can review them. We´re going on 3 weeks now and one Elder has still not written a single Teaching Record. According to his records, he has done nothing for 2 transfers. I´ve done intercambios with him, conducted baptismal interviews, and much more, so I know that he is working. He is a great Elder with a strong testimony, he just doesn´t like the paperwork. So I ended up having to pull him into another room to have a private interview with him. I could have been upset with him for ignoring his duties and my previous requests that he start writing in his records, but I never felt that was the right thing to do, or even necessary. We started with a prayer and then I thanked him for his love for the work and for the other missionaries. I asked if he understood what I had asked him to do, and what happened to obstruct that. I testified of the purpose of record keeping and being organized, and showing to the Lord how we take care of our part of His vineyard. I never once felt angry at him, and he admitted that he felt ashamed and apologized of his own free will. I learned a few things from this experience. First of all, it is very important that we are accountable to somebody. Thomas S Monson has said, and I’m indirectly quoting from Preach My Gospel, that when we track our progress, it improves. When we report progress, the rate of progress improves. We are all accountable for our actions and must give report to somebody, at least the Lord. I also learned the importance of our agency. Micromanaging is not an effective approach in this life. We leave invitations to do what is right, and people are 100 percent free to choose what they want to do. Third, the importance of love while exercising the priesthood, serving others, and correcting if necessary. I always had a good example of that from Bishop Oliver and Dirk Epperson. Hope everything is going well in the states, and the world at large. Love, Elder Nichols

Moms 5/14/12

Queridos Amigos y Familia, Happy late Mothers Day! Turns out that they celebrate it here at the end of the month. I almost didnt call home yesterday hahaha. But it was all ok in the end. The family is doing great. Thanks to Sandy Bredeson and my Cousin Jeanine for the dear elders that I recieved. I will write back soon through snail mail. Thanks also to my other "moms" Sandy Bredeson, Suzie Trepanier, Lydia Morgan, Kay Read, and Kasey Lupton for helping me out along the way, looking out for me,listening to me, and keeping my standards high. I miss you all very much. Andrea already recieved my thanks privately over the phone yesterday, but all the world should know that she is a very special lady with a heart bursting full of charity and service. I don't just say that because she sends me packages, emails, and letters with stalwart diligence, but because she did so much over the years out of love, without obligation. That would be my ideal missionary companion right there. Someone who serves out of love for the Lord, and not obligation to family or peers. Love, Elder Nichols