This week was very busy with Zone Conferences across the mission. They were pretty enjoyable, but they seemed to get pretty long near the end of the week. We had a meeting from about 8:30-5 for each of Tuesday-Friday, and I thought I was starting to develop "Restless leg" syndrome! The Tuesday meeting was in Anderson, Wednesday in Yuba City, Thursday in Lincoln, and Friday in Antelope. One of the main topics of the meeting was conversion. President Marston had asked everyone to prepare a 5-minute talk on how they had become converted on their mission, and I had the chance to be one of the people to give talks. It was a neat experience to hear the experiences of all the different missionaries and to piece them all together.
I love talking to people on the street, and just wherever they are! This was the thing I disliked most at the beginning of my mission, and I know I enjoy it so much. Yesterday we were having a lesson with a recent convert on the college campus, and we started talking to this guy named Tanner as we were walking out. He said he has never gone to church much but he wanted to check out Mormon.org from the card we gave to him. It is so cool to just do a little bit here and there especially if we aren't able to start teaching someone right away. He said he hadn't heard much about the church other than the musical about the Book of Mormon, so now he gets to learn actual stuff!
We also talked to a guy last night as we went to visit a less-active. He was looking at his car a few parking spots down from us, so we walked up and started talking to him. He has a bunch of LDS friends, and he told us he is searching for truth on his own right now. We shared Moroni 10:4-5, and talked to him about how we can come to know truth through study and prayer. He said he would check it out and add us on Facebook so we can keep in contact with him! He told us he likes doing a bunch of stuff, like slack lining, so we are going to do it with him sometime!
At zone conference, we also had the chance to hear departing testimonies from the missionaries who going home in the next 2 transfers. I love hearing the testimonies of the missionaries who have been through a mission worth of successes and failures. I have even come to enjoy hearing the testimonies of those departing more and more as my mission has grown shorter on the tail end. One of the Elders that bore testimony really touched me a lot. This particular missionary is a very smart guy. He has also had his fair share of trials on his mission. He shared how he has battled with depression and insomnia, so he spends most of his time in the night by himself. He said he has felt very alone at times, and the only comfort he could receive was from the Atonement. His general message was this:
"Sometimes the Atonement only assists us by causing us to know we are not alone in comprehending our suffering since we know Christ knows exactly how we feel. When we pray to our Heavenly Father, if our plea for the removal of our trials is a "not now...not yet." then Christ, because of his Atonement, is still able to comfort us with companionship. As we are in the midst of sorrow or affliction he puts his arm around our shoulders and comfortingly says 'I know...I know.' Sometimes this companionship is the strongest thing we could receive, and it is, in the end, really all we do need." In the words of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, "...because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so." I know Christ is here to help is in times of trial and to help us become better through those times.
To finish the week off right I had the opportunity to go to the temple to witness the sealing of this couple, Bob and Lois. I had taught them while I was in my first area, Citrus Heights, and they are the nicest couple ever. The missionary I am with is Elder Zaugg, and he is the one that replaced me in Citrus Heights. It was such an awesome experience to be at the temple with Bob and Lois. I am so grateful I had the chance to work with them, and I am so happy they are now sealed together for eternity. They have so much love for each other, and they are so sweet.
I hope you all have a stupendous week!
Elder Nielsen
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