Hello Family!
This is my last email from the MTC! Holy cow! Where have these last 2 months gone? They have honestly been the fastest 2 months of my life. Now I'm leaving from Argentina on Monday morning!!! Oh my goodness! I'll be honest and say that I am scared out of my mind, BUT I'm also more excited than I've ever been in my whole life! The excitement is by far outweighing the fear I have, but please please please keep me in your prayers (like always), but especially these next few days as I will be experiencing quite the change.
To start off I would just like to proudly (and humbly) announce that I have lost the 10 lbs I wanted to lose! Yes! On another happy note, I was able to run a mile in 5 min 59s! Yes! I was so happy. I've grown so much here at the MTC, and it's not just spiritual growth either. I've grown up in all aspects of my life. This is an amazing place here at the MTC, and the atmosphere is one-of-a-kind. So yes, I was able to run a mile under 6 mins (which was a goal of mine) and I was also able to lose 10 lbs (also a goal of mine). I'm so happy!
On Sunday at the Fireside we got to hear from Alex Boye. He's this awesome black guy from England that I guess has sung in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. He's black, like I said, but he talks with a British accent so it was awesome! He was one of the funniest people I've ever heard speak before. When he was introducing himself and his other black friend that was there with him he was busting out some pretty funny jokes. He was telling us that his black friend served his mission in Arizona. He asked people in the audience to raise their hands if they were going to Arizona and then he said look at him (his friend) he served in Arizona and that's the kind of tan that you'll come back with! :)
Another funny thing he said was when he was telling the story about how he was converted to the church and he was talking about the guy who made initial contact with him. He said this guy was making small talk with him and asked him if he liked fried chicken. Now, not that that's not funny enough (racial profiling jokes at the MTC, crazy I know!), but then Alex said: "Now, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that a brotha' likes him some fried chicken!" :)
I hope both those jokes are as funny through email as they were in person. Just imagine some hilarious black guy, from the pulpit at the MTC, saying those things. Funny yet? If not...well, I tried!
Anyway, I thought the whole Fireside was going to be him cracking jokes the whole time, but he actually made it into a VERY spiritual meeting. He told us his conversion story and about how he came to know that this church is true. One thing that he said that I really liked was when he was talking about this one time he was staying at a hotel and he was upset that the maid didn't come clean his room. He then realized that he had left the "do not disturb" sign up on the door. He then asked us all if we had a spiritual "do not disturb" sign up in our hearts. He told us that Christ is trying to get into our hearts and clean them, but sometimes we have a "do not disturb" sign up in our hearts. It was a really good self reflecting statement and made me want to try extra hard to make sure that I don't have that sign hanging in my heart.
One quote from Alex that I really liked was this:
"Let's live in faith, knowing we can accomplish all things."
As I'm sure you've seen in all my emails, I've been striving so hard to have a stronger faith and to get rid of any doubts that I have. This quote was just what I needed to help bolster my faith even more. I can do all things because I have Christ on my side. I cannot fail! So why would I not live in faith? I have no idea. Alex's whole talk just got me so pumped for the field. He talked with such emotion up at the pulpit (like Southern Baptist status), and it was just a really inspiring meeting.
After that devotional I went and watched a talk that Elder Bednar had given at the MTC a few years ago entitled "Recognizing the Spirit." Just a quick side note before I get into this, everyone in my district here thinks I look like Elder Bednar. I'm not seeing it, but even one of my teachers (Hermano Litzenberger) told me that the first thing he thought when he saw me was that I looked like Elder Bednar. Anyway, Elder Bednar's talk was awesome. I think it answered everyone's question about how we can recognize when we're feeling the Spirit. You know what he told us? He said to "quit worrying about it!" He said throughout his talk that if we're being good boys or good girls and choosing the right, then all our actions will be guided by the Spirit. Every step we take will be guided by the Spirit if we are being "good boys and good girls."
I like to make things personal and make them fit for my situation, so I took his talk and determined this:
If I'm a "good boy" (which I like to think I am!) then everyone of my steps will be guided by the Spirit when I am in Argentina. I will have success in Argentina as I'm a good boy.
To wrap it up here, I've decided that I will not let ANYONE determine how well I serve my mission. I am determined to serve an honorable, faithful, hardworking, obedient mission, and NO ONE will stop me from doing that. Not a bad companion, not a lack of investigators, not me missing home, etc. NOTHING will stop me from being the best servant of the Lord that I can be. I am trusted by the Lord do do HIS work, and that is a huge responsibility!
But I'm up for the task :)
"Onward, ever onward, as we glory in His name. Onward, ever onward, as we glory in His name. Forward, pressing forward, as a triumph song we sing. God our strength will be press forward ever called to serve our King!"
I'm scared and nervous, but God is my strength, and with God on my side, how could I ever fail?
I love you family. So much.
Working hard,
Elder Nilsen
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