Week #45 - Not Wondering

Well hello family! Did another week really already go by? Wowzers! Where`s time go? It`s starting to go so fast for me! This week, for the first time on my mission, when I told someone how much time I had on the mission they responded by saying `ooo, you don`t have very much time left.` Just over a year, it`s not very much! Gotta make use of the little time I have by losing myself and just going to work!

Derek (Darìo) got confirmed yesterday! Woo! We were a little scared when church started and he wasn`t there, but we went and looked for him and met him on the way. He had slept a little longer than he should have, but he was still coming! Derek is such a champ and I love him. Elder Hutchings was super nervous to do the confirmation, but he did it just fine. I`ve learned from Elder Hutchings just how important it is to have confidence in everything you do. Being with him has made me reflect quite often on the advice that Dad me awhile back (I`m not sure when or what the situation was) when he said that you just have to walk around like you know what you`re doing. Do that and you`ll be fine! Have confidence baby! Woo!

I`m trying to think of anything else exciting that happened this week... ...and nothing is really coming to me. Dang. Sorry. Oh! Yesterday the Merlo stake had a `compromiso misional` (mission commitment) activity for all the youth from 12-25 in the stake. It was the sweetest activity ever! I already told Dad a little bit about it so that there can be one of these meetings in Temecula`s stake! It was an activity to encourage and excite the youth to serve missions. A few return missionaries spoke and shared their thoughts, they showed a few inspiring videos, and they had some missionaries from the best mission in the world (Argentina Buenos Aires Oeste) perform a musical number. Yes, that`s right! Me, Elder Wilson, Elder Draper, and 2 Hermanas (Hnas. Waite and Adreason) sung in front of everyone! It was so great! We sung `Israel, Jesus os llama` (I forgot what it`s called in english) and it sounded so great! I sung bass and as we sang I was reminded of the Elders from the Riverside mission (the Messengers) that came and sang at a fireside a few years back. Simply put, we dropped a spiritual bomb. It was incredible! The meeting was directed to the youth, but as I listened I was reminded of just how priceless and wonderful the mission experience is. Man this is so great. SO great. I love this work. It`s just incredibly hard, but the hard is what makes is so great right? I love this.

I finished the Book of Mormon this past week and let me tell you: it`s true. It is so true. As I finished the Book of Mormon and read Moroni`s words about coming unto Christ and be perfected in Him I was overcome with such love and appreciation for Jesus Christ and what He did for me. As I closed the book, a few tears rolled down my cheeks and I just was overcome with the chills. I went and offered a very sincere prayer to Heavenly Father asking about the truthfulness of the book and thanking Him for Jesus Christ. Let me tell you, I got an answer. Immediately, too. As I was praying, the most comforting feeling of peace and love came over me and it was like pure knowledge was flowing into my head. It was so great! I just had a moment of realization where EVERYTHING just made perfect sense and I just felt without any doubt that everything in this church is true. I wasn`t wondering at all because I just knew it was all true. I don`t mean to say that I wonder about whether or not these things are true, because I know they`re true, it`s just that when things get difficult and tough it`s just natural to start doubting and being scared. Well, that prayer changed the course of my mission and course of my life because I`m not going to wonder anymore. I KNOW that Christ loves me. I KNOW that Joseph Smith was and is a prophet of God. I KNOW that the Book of Mormon is the most correct book of any book on earth like Joseph Smith said. I KNOW that this is all true. I`m not wondering anymore. NEVER.

Woo. I love this church. I love my Heavenly Father and I have confidence that He loves me too. I am His son, and He is blessing me because of what I`m doing. I`m getting so much more out of this mission experience than I could have ever imagined. Anyone reading this, ANYONE, if you`re thinking about serving a mission, DO IT. Do it and don`t look back. I love you all so much! Have a great Thanksgiving! Gobble gobble! :) Not wondering anymore, Elder Nilsen