Subject: You're not in Kansas anymore Elder!

Date: March 24, 2014 8:21:20 AM PDT

I got booted out of Kaw River :( Which is sad because there aren't very many Hispanics here. But where is here? Where am I now? I'll tell you. Independence MO in the brand new Hill Park Ward that was created last week. And where do I live? Directly across the street from the Mission Office... and the Stake Center... and the Visitor's Center. It's really a pretty awesome place to live because we get to see lots of the Senior Missionaries and help them out with anything they need. Elder Javeloza is my companion and he's a pretty awesome guy and I'm glad to be working with him. The only problem is that he isn't a Spanish speaking missionary so it's going to be hard to keep up the Spanish. But I'll try my best.

 

Quick funny story from Tuesday right before I transferred. We brought a Hispanic family to the Visitor's Center from Kaw River. It was a super awesome experience and it really helped me to see how awesome the VC is for investigators. But the funny part. We were watching "Finding Faith in Christ" as the last thing before we left. Well, Hermano Mendez and his 41 year-old son totally passed out during the movie and starting snoring super loud. The 13,11,9 year old kids were super into the movie... until they realized that their Dad and Brother were out cold and then they just couldn't stop laughing because they were snoring so loud. It really kinda reminded me of Dad whenever we watched videos at national parks. Good times ;)

 

Thursday we were walking around here in Independence at met a few members from the ward. Well, we met a lady named Evett Bell and her son Patrick. We were talking to them and she said that a Sister Jacobs had been teaching her a while back. I said "Hey, there is a Sister Jacobs from my ward that served here a few years ago." So Sister Bell went into her house and grabbed a picture of herself with the Sister Missionaries and, of course, Sister Jacobs from right over there in Livermore, California. So Sister Jacobs, Evett and Patrick Bell say "Hi!".

 

So here's a scripture I don't think I've shared before but that I really love. It's in Helaman 5:12 and says : And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall. This scripture is really just super powerful for me. It really is Christ that can save us from any trial or pain that we have in our lives. He took upon him the pains and sins of the world so that we could have the opportunity to return to live with God one day. Christ is the one in whom we should place our trust, our values, our hopes, and build our foundations. And like the last 3 words say, if we do those things "We Cannot Fall". How great of a promise is that for us? That no matter how much pain we have had, no matter how many trials we have faced, no matter how many temptations we have, that if we build our foundations in Christ "We Cannot Fall". For me it's a promise that has and will continue to give me hope and happiness throughout my whole life.

 

So there's kind of a tradition here in Independence. Every Thursday all of the missionaries in the area go to Sister Faitau's house for dinner for "Faitau Thursday". She is a Less-Active member that is starting to come back into activity and that's why she loves having us there. Anyways, after dinner every missionary shares a quick spiritual thought for her and after we leave she takes all the spiritual thoughts that we shared and puts them on Facebook to share with all her friends. As far as I'm concerned that is a pretty stinking good missionary effort that I'm sure is benefiting hundreds of the people that she knows. Also, its a pretty good example of what we as members of the church should be doing for others, sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ in any way we know how. I'll attach a picture of Faitau Thursday too :)

 

Service project this week. We had a weird one. We went to Brother Waite's house and helped him do what? Kill and Pluck his chickens. Yeah, it was a pretty interesting project but we have a promised dinner so that's good :D Actually, we were delivered Church's Chicken that night for dinner so I'm kinda starting to wonder.......

 

Anyways... Thats pretty much it for here. I love you all and hope all is going well. Have an awesome week!

 

    Love

      -Elder Nyholm