Editors Note: Sorry this post is so late. I have been in China where I do not have access to Niels' blog.
Thanks for all the emails (family, especially Mom and Dad and Natalie.
Lars, Finn, Kai, WHERE ARE YOU?). You all are loved by me.
Fantastic week. We had 9 people at Conference yesterday! It was super
awesome. Our Mexican/Ecuadorian family was there as well as a few other
people that we've been teaching. I was just sitting somewhere in the middle
of the tiny congregation (about 30 people) and a felt a tap on my shoulder
and looked behind me to see the whole investigator family sitting behind
me, just lookin as happy as ever. The father's, Oswaldo, brother, (aptly
named Feliz, which in Spanish means "happy") was the one who tapped me and
he told me how "maravilloso" it was for them to be there. I love that
family SO much. When they're baptized, I think I'm going to weep for their
happiness and willingness to keep the commandments of the Lord.
We visited a super strong Guatemalan couple who live in Piscataway. Since
we've been walking everywhere, we have to leave like an hour early to every
appointment, so it's been hard to see all of our members, but we're
continuing to work super hard for the Lord and for these awesome people. So
anyway, they are the Flores family and we visited them because Hermano
Flores was getting ready to leave for Guatemala so they wanted to have us
over for dinner before he left for a month. We are delicious rice and
chicken and salad and fresh tortillas. And Hno Flores lifted up his shirt
and showed us these HUGE scars that he's got all over his belly due to an
ulcer exploding inside of him. Latin people have no fear about showing you
weird sores or other skin infirmities (remember the 88 year old Honduranian
lady showing us her boob).
Tuesday: More great appointments with the Medina family (Peruvians) and
Oswaldo and family. Hno Medina gave us HUGE plates of peruvian food (like
always) and when he left the room I definitely nonchalantly wrapped a huge
chunk of chicken in a napkin and drained it into the trash can. Elder Leon
was shocked and horrified, but I asked him if he would prefer me throwing
up on the table. He said no and continued to miserably eat (seriously you
wouldn't believe how much food these people give you). It's wonderful,
homemade food, just way too much of it.
After them, we stumbled to Oswaldo's house and taught them about the
Restoration, baptism, and several other doctrinal principles. We committed
ALL of them to be baptized and to prefer themselves for the 28th of April.
They felt good about it and we know they will be ready. I've recently been
learning that there are 2 ways to increase your ability to ability to
discern the needs of the people you teach (it's seriously the most amazing
feeling ever). All you need to do is: 1. Continue to get to know them so
you will be able to teach them according to the spirit. 2. Pray for
guidance and for the voice of the spirit.
I feel like I often reach out my spiritual consciousness, brush against
theirs, and I am able to discern exactly HOW they feel, not just understand
the words that they're speaking to me. It makes you feel like an angel,
like you're adequately performing the work of the Lord, Christ.
On Wednesday we taught Louis, an investigator who we teach in English, but
he's Puerto Rican and speaks perfect spanish, of course. He has TONS of
doubts about Book of Mormon, but he's brilliant and willing to read it and
find out if it's true. Nice. That's all it takes. Also, on Wednesday, we
visited Santos and Pamela, a recently married couple who live in an old
basement in Plainfield. They called us and told us about how there was a
bad spirit in their home, so they wanted us to come bless the home. We were
happy to do it, as we had done it the first Sunday we were here (another
experience that I'll tell you if I make it back home to Utah). Santos told
us of the creepy experiences and afterwards we played a hymn and knelt in
the room where stuff happened and they asked me to say the prayer. So I
did. I love the difference, simply in the feeling, when you bless a home.
You feel like the feelings of uneasiness and perhaps slight fear disaparate
and the home is left feeling clean and warm and bright. I found it helps to
use the word "light" when doing it. Demons do not like light - it's their
enemy.
Thursday we saw some Salvadorians. The mother's name is Leida and she's
already reading the Book of Mormon every day because she LOVES the way it
makes her feel. She told us that sometimes she would just get a feeling to
go to a certain page or chapter and it would be exactly what she needed to
get her through the day. She's progressing so well, it's amazing. The Lord
has been preparing her and her 17 year old daughter for quite some time
now. Such wonderful children of our Heavenly Father.
ALSO on Thursday, we went to COURT. Fun right? Elder Leon and I were saying
now we can check that one off the mission list... heh heh.. not that funny.
But anyway, the judge was nice, but she upped my ticket to $233 bones
because she found out I totally blew the stop sign without even seeing it.
Lame but alright, I payed the ticket. And Elder Mortensen (from the senior
couple) was with us, he being a Lawyer and gave me a Benjamin to help pay
for it. I was only expecting the 85 dollars. I felt bad but I was super
glad he was there to help us out. He kept making jokes for me to bring my
toothbrush saying, "They'll take one look at a criminal like you and send
you straight to jail." Thanks Elder Mortensen. They're amazing, him and his
wife. And THEN, that night, I think he felt bad for making so many jokes
about it, even when he knew I was a little stressed out, he called me and
tenderly, almost in tears he told me that he loved and respected me so much
and hoped that he could call me his friend. You meet the greatest people on
your mission.
Saturday and Sunday of course were conference AND the mission-wide fast.
This month we are focusing completely on being more consecrated
missionaries. It's going to be great to turn our obedience and desires to
serve into miracles and bringing more and more souls unto Christ. It's
interesting how those two things have such a close correlation.
Conference was incredible but I don't time to write about it. What did YOU
learn?
The church is still true. The Book of Mormon still stands today as Another
Testament of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Cling to Him.
EC
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