April 13

Week Of Wonders!

This last week was one of the most incredible weeks of my mission! For several different reasons...

Probably number 1: BAPTISM! Alemat got baptized before church on Sunday, confirmed during sacrament, and received the Aaronic priesthood after church! It was a great baptismal service!

Number 2: Despite having to take a ton of time this week to plan for the baptism and for our training meeting which was on Saturday, the Lord blessed us EVERY SINGLE DAY to find someone to teach as we were on our way to different places. It was unbelievable! 

The people we met this last week were so cool. It was so amazing. It doesn't always happen like this, but it seemed like the Lord was directly answering our prayers immediately! Several times this week, we set plans to go out and find someone to teach and we would pray specifically for that, and not even kidding, we always found someone within the first 5 minutes. 

One of those is a stud 16 year kid named Casper. Probably one of the coolest kids I've ever met. We met with him twice this week and it was awesome. Sometimes in the scriptures they say something like "and not even an hundredth part of these things can be written" since there were just so many things that happened, and that's how I feel trying to sum up this last week. It wasn't even just in our area, but with all of the missionaries in Stavanger and in the whole zone! It's been quite a huge blessing, and pretty fun to be a part of. :)

Probably the biggest change in how we have been contacting and teaching people, is our focus on the Restoration and our focus on bearing testimony. We have made it more of a focus to tie in the restoration near the beginning of every conversation we have, and we have felt a significant difference in the amount of people we find, the amount of POSITIVE people we find, and the overall spirit of our conversations. I'm so grateful for the restoration of the Gospel. That really is our special message to the world. 

This is a shout-out to most of my siblings: I miss you guys! Seriously! Don't be surprised when I don't know very much about you and your lives when I get home because I don't really, unless you tell me about it! I love you.

The days are getting longer, but my time on the mission is getting shorter. But I've never been more excited to be a missionary. This really is the Lord's work, and it really is hastening. And if we choose to be a part of it, then we are choosing to receive so many amazing blessings and so much happiness. I know it's true!

One last thought, I read a scripture that I really liked this morning in Heleman 4:13.

And because of this their great wickedness, and their boastings in their own strength, they were left in their own strength; therefore they did not prosper, but were afflicted and smitten, and driven before the Lamanites, until they had lost possession of almost all their lands.

Make sure we always give thanks and credit to God. :) Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Nilsson