Holy Hanukah Thanksgiving is already gone! Pretty soon it'll be Christmas! It's almost uncomfortable how fast time is going by! I feel like I've only been out for a week still! Ok not really, but you catch my drift.
This week like I was saying flew by and I got some pretty awesome revelation that I need to go to Utah State for school. It was unexpected, because I have been leaning towards going to BYU ever since I've been out here on my mission. So many of my companions and friends I've made out here and back home are going there and I have just always wanted to go there, but I prayed about it and it didn't feel right to make the decision to go there, so I waited and kept praying about it and weighing my options about whether to go there or Utah State. It didn't take away from the missionary work at all. I just waited and thoughts kept popping into my mind about how great Utah State would be just randomly throughout the week, and then one morning during my personal study, my thoughts were just infused with Utah State! It was crazy, and I got the super strong impression that I was to go there for school. It was as clear as day to me. It reminded me of the Mormon message the Elder Bednar does called Patterns of Light. The answer to my prayer was like the sunrise that came gradually and then finally the sun broke the horizon and everything was just so clear! It was true revelation and I know that's where the Lord wants me to go. Needless to say, I'm excited to go, but more excited to be out here serving a mission, which brings me to my crazy week.
This week was crazy. Good as always, but crazy. I've never had to minister more to missionaries than I have over the past two weeks. It's been amazing and we've seen a ton of miracles in different companionships and in the work in our area. Unfortunately we haven't been able to get in contact with the 40 year old lady we met last week. Story of my mission. I've never had a super spiritual first lesson with someone that went anywhere. . . well ya I have. The thing is, when the people we teach have super spiritual experiences, Satan works on them like crazy, or its just not the Lord's will that they progress usually. It doesn't matter though, because I know that we work as his instruments and his will will be done. We did find a new person to teach this week named Kaylin. He's in his 20's and is one of the nicest people I've met in Burbank. We taught him the first lesson on his doorstep and it was awesome! He's going to school right now, so he doesn't have a lot of time to meet with us, but he told us he's really been wanting to go to church now for a long time. He hasn't been to any sort of church since he was little. He felt the spirit in the lesson we had with him and it was just great. Hopefully we can stay in contact with him and continue to teach him.
For Thanksgiving, we had dinner with the Sanchez family. They had some of their friends over too and their family and it was really great. We got to know them all really well and talk to their non member friends and have thanksgiving with them! It was so good! I didn't eat too much either. I feel like my stomach has shrunk on the mission. I can't eat as much as I used too, probably because I'm not working out as hard or as often as I used too. It's all good though. We actually went knocking on Thanksgiving and that was how we found Kaylin! Our ward invited us to play football with them in the morning, but we can only play sports on preparation day, and our mission President doesn't want us to get hurt. I'm so glad that I have such a consecrated mission president that helps us be consecrated missionaries. I love feeling like and being a missionary all the time, and holidays are not excluded. Its awesome!
We had to help out a struggling companionship this week with some hardcore spiritual intervention. We went on exchanges with them and they were really good. Both are good missionaries, but they won't communicate with each other, and if they do, they just get super contentious. We called President Hall after exchanges to get some advice as to what to do and he asked us what do you think? He told us to call him back in 30 minutes when we came up with a plan and then he'll give us suggestions. It reminded me of how the brother of Jared made the stones for the ship and then brought them to the Lord. President was trying to teach us something. We brainstormed for 30 minutes and then called him and had an awesome revelatory discussion as to what to do for them. We planned on going over with them that night to talk to them both and set goals and make plans for them to do better. I won't get into specifics, but it was so led by the spirit the conversation we had with those two elders and they are doing a lot better now. It was a great learning experience as to how revelation works and how to be Christlike. We actually had an MLC yesterday from 9:00 to 5:00 and it was awesome. We talked about how to be Christlike leaders and how to help struggling missionaries. It was exactly what I needed. President actually roleplayed with me and Elder Smith in front of the whole MLC. It was awesome! I'm so grateful for him and for Sister Hall. They have both taught me so much while I've been out here. I'm learning each day and I love it! I love being a missionary and I love the miracles that I get to see each day! Thanks for all the support you all give me while I'm out here! I'm so grateful and that is probably one of the reasons why I'm so happy! I'm glad to hear Thanksgiving was good for all of you! I hope during Christmas you'll share He is The Gift with people on Mormon.org. It's awesome! I love you all!
Elder Nelson
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