Sent: Monday, August 25, 2014 9:02 AM

This week went pretty well but there really wasn't anything super interesting that happened. It was just a lot of hard work. We are teaching a guy here is is super ready for baptism. We just need to help him to realize that he is ready. We see him about every 2-3 days and we have super great lessons with him. So it's just a matter of time.

 

We've been meeting a lot of awesome members of our ward lately. Our first week in Sacrament meeting in this ward was a pretty cold welcome but we've been visiting lots of members and sharing spiritual thoughts with them and helping them to do missionary work. Now we finally have members actually coming to us to say "Hi" and ask us how we are doing. And now that we have members who are actually happy to have us here, missionary work is finally progressing in the area a little bit. It's amazing how much your relationship with the members of the ward helps the work to progress in an area. I'd go as far as to say that it's the most important factor in missionary work because without the support of the members it is really almost impossible to find people to teach (especially in this area).

 

I've started to find that heat and humidity don't really bother me nearly as much as I thought they would. We went tracting the other day for about 3 hours. I knew it was pretty hot and I was sweating real good but I didn't feel run down or anything. I guessed it was about 80 degrees with a bit of humidity but then I finally asked someone and it was about 94 degrees + humidity which made it feel about 105 degrees. I agree that it's not to comfortable here but it's really not as horrible as everybody says. I guess the trick is just stay focused and forget about the heat and then you don't even really notice it.

 

A really cool scripture that a investigator showed to us this week. 2 Timothy 2:19 "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity." There are a few points that I really like from this scripture. 

 

1) The "foundation of God standeth sure." I think about all the times that we hear that we are to build our testimonies based upon the foundation of Jesus Christ. And it's true, if we build our testimonies upon the rock of Christ, who standeth sure, then the Devil will never have power to overcome us with temptations... "Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail." -D&C 6:34

2) "The Lord knoweth them that are his." God knows and loves each one of us dearly. I can't imagine an all-powerful God who does not know each and every one of his children, and their trials, and their joys, etc... Not only that, but I can't imagine an all-powerful all-loving God who would not help and support his children in their times of trial and comfort them and bless them. But he does, and he does love us, and he promises that we may find peace in Him... "And he gathereth his children from the four quarters of the earth; and he numbereth his sheep, and they know him; and there shall be one fold and one shepherd; and he shall feed his sheep, and in him they shall find pasture." -1 Nephi 22:25

3) "Let every man the nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity." Each member of the church has literally taken upon them the name of Jesus Christ when they were baptized. We promised that we would be examples of him in all that we do, that we would remember him at all times and in all places, and that we would obey his commandments. If we are truly disciples of Christ and truly want to follow him then we need to make sure that we are making an effort to become better and better every day and to "depart from iniquity". The Lord is very clear when he tells us that if we continue in iniquity throughout our lives that, "And then will I profess unto them: I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity." -Matthew 7:23

 

I've noticed while I've been on my mission that it is so important to really "study" the scriptures rather than just "read" them. There is so much more to be gleaned than what we just take at face value. The scriptures are just loaded with things that can help us in every phase of life. All we have to do is truly search them and apply them to our lives. Without real life application they don't really do much for us. It's like learning 100 recipes and never cooking a single one of them. Then how do they help us at all? They don't. So why do we read the scriptures and never use them in our lives? We don't.

 

Well that's about it for the week. I hope all is going well at home. Have a fantastic week. I Love You All!

 

    Love

         -Elder Nyholm

Sent: Monday, August 18, 2014 9:02 AM
Subject: Subject

 

Well time just keeps flying on by on my end. I feel like a just wrote an e-mail home yesterday. But it's been a whole week I guess. Time flies when you're on a mission. It's starting to get hot and humid here but its all good because we have the car for the next two weeks starting today. So we will be pretty safe from the weather. I really like our bike weeks during weeks when it rains (like this week). For some odd reason I really enjoy riding my bike when it's pouring rain or snowing (Elder Drinkall doesn't like it so much though).

 

Words of Wisdom for new seminary students. Don't sleep the whole time. And don't give my Mom a hard time ;) Treats are only good if you give them to the students AFTER seminary or else they don't pay attention the whole time.

 

Training is going well. Yes mom I am still training Elder Drinkall, they haven't fired me quite yet. Elder Drinkall is really proactive and willing to learn and work so training him isn't really a problem at all. 

 

I think it's kinda nuts that Spencer is coming home already. I feel like we were all eating at Tucano's together right before I came out here. Shouldn't he have another year or so left? The other day I watched a little segment of a church video in Portuguese because I had heard that it is suuuuper similar. Well it is because I could understand almost everything that was said in the video.

 

So Erika's friend Shannah got Baptized on Saturday so Elder Drinkall and I got to go over to Independence for the baptism. It was a pretty great experience and Shannah's parents (who I had never met before) came to the baptism and I think they had a really good experience also. Hopefully that will make a new teaching opportunity for the Sisters in the ward down there. I don't know if I ever told you but the only reason we ever started to teach Erika and Lily and Shannah is because Erika's mom came into the Independence Visitors Center to get a blessing because she got poison ivy real bad. Believe it or not, even poison ivy can bring blessings ;)

 

I've been studying the Doctrine and Covenants a lot for my personal study. I came across D&C 58 which I found out is revelation specifically for missionaries serving in Jackson County Missouri. It kinda hits home to you when you are serving your mission in the exact place that the Lord is talking about. There are a lot of cool promises made and a lot of cool blessings promised. And some additional commandments for those serving in the area. Maybe something good to read during your scripture study. It was for me.

 

A scripture that I've been thinking about a lot lately is Ether 12:11 "Wherefore, by faith was the law of Moses given. But in the gift of his Son hath God prepared a more excellent way; and it is by faith that it hath been fulfilled." I feel like I have gained a much stronger testimony and appreciation for the Atonement while I have been out on my mission. The thing that always sticks out to me thought is that without Christ and his sacrifice we really wouldn't have a life after this one. There would be no point to the creation and "God would cease to be God". But Christ did live, Christ did die for us and Christ did overcome death for us. Now each and every single one of us will live again. Now each and every one of us has the opportunity to live with our families for eternity and to live with God again. All that "was" and "is" and "will be" possible is made possible in and through Jesus Christ. So again "In the gift of his Son hath God prepared a more excellent way" and I love Him and His Son for it.

 

There's not really much more news for the week. We are just chuggin' along. Have a excellent week everyone. I Love You!

 

     Love

        -Elder Nyholm

 

 

Sent: Monday, August 11, 2014 10:18 AM
Subject: The Ball Is Rolling

 

So this week ended really really well. We had not one, but two speakers in Sacrament meeting that were talking us up over the pulpit, which is much needed in this area. I feel like we are finally starting to get some real good member support and we are starting to develop good relationships with the members in our ward, hence the "the ball in rolling". I guess the hard work and diligence really pays off. If we aren't in a member's home for a quick visit and spiritual thought then we are out tracting anywhere and everywhere. This is the most tracting I've ever done and we are getting the worst results I've ever seen haha. But the seeds are planted. Give it a few years and they will grow.

 

I've been doing really well lately. At the beginning of this transfer I felt really overwhelmed with opening a new area and training at the same time but now it's just starting to feel normal. I've definitely noticed that you learn a ton more while training than you do while being trained. The training part is almost starting to become something that I actually enjoy just because I can see the growth in myself and the knowledge that I'm gaining. Also, new missionaries just come out with so much enthusiasm and energy that they just give you the push you need every day to be excited to go out and work. And they have tons of new ideas for finding people to teach and working effectively in the area, ideas that you start to forget after you have been out for a while.

 

We had an awesome visit with Brother Bryant (who is working super hard to overcome smoking and enter the temple) this last week. We were able to go with him to the Independence Visitor's Center with a ward member Brother Hales (who just moved into the ward). We saw most of what the Visitor's Center has to offer and we had some really good spiritual discussions also. I love being in the VC because the spirit is just so strong there and it is a wonderful teaching environment. Brother Bryant are Brother Hales both really enjoyed the visit also and were really glad that we asked them to go there with us. Neither one of them had seen the VC in about 30 years and it has changed a lot since then. They were really impressed with the tours there and the spirit that was felt during our visit.

 

I found a really cool scripture this week that I wanted to share with you all. Its in Ephesians 2:19-21 and says "ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:". This scripture really stuck out to me this week because some of the work that we have been doing in this ward. I feel like when we got here we didn't really have any ward support, members weren't excited to have "the Elders" because of the issues that came up with the last set that were here. Well, I was relating this scripture to us as missionaries and to the members of the ward. When I we first got here the "building" was not "fitly framed" whatsoever. Things were leaning, walls were cracking, ceilings were falling... missionary work was not progressing. But now that we are starting to work with the members, now that the members are beginning to trust us, and now that the building is becoming better and better framed, Missionary work is beginning to progress in the ward. One thing that I learned while I was at the VC this week is that the church or a "Holy Temple" or Zion for that matter aren't places. WE are the church, WE are temples, WE are Zion. As members we have the sacred duty of sharing the Gospel with those around us. The duty of sharing the happiness and blessings that we have received with anyone and everyone. The problem is that without the members and missionaries being "fitly framed together" in the ward we cannot become a "holy temple in the Lord" and missionary work cannot and will not progress. But even further than that, are our lives fitly framed together? are our families fitly framed together? If not then I think that what we always need to return back to is the "foundation... Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone". I know that if we do that then we will see the blessings of the Gospel in our lives and we will be strengthened in our testimonies and our faith.

 

There's really not much more for me to talk about this week. Things are just rolling. Slowly for now, but a slow roll turns into a faster one eventually. Hopefully I'll have some good exciting news next week. I'll let you know :) Anyways, have a great week everyone. Love you all!

 

   Love

        -Elder Nyholm

Sent: Monday, August 04, 2014 12:02 PM
Subject: Going Strong

 

Well this week went by super extra fast and went pretty swell also. The big blessing this week was that Erika Beccera (who I baptized last week, I think I wrote her last name as Pujols), sister Lily Becerra, got baptized on Saturday! So I got to take a short field trip down to my old area so that I could attend her baptism. It was a pretty awesome experience and it's really a testimony to me that just because we left an area doesn't mean that we didn't leave a lasting impression or effect on the people there. So far I feel like in my mission I've been more a "Planter" but you know, that's perfectly OK with me as long as I still get to see people progress in the Gospel. And so far I've been able to do that so I'm happy :)

 

We met a pretty awesome guy this week. His name is Brother Floden, a less-active member who was baptized about 30 years ago in Germany, lost contact with the Church shortly after his move back here to the United States, and has been learning about the church again for about a year now. Anyways, we met him in the Liberty Jail with another member of our ward and had a nice sit down spiritual lesson with him. Before we really started teaching at all though he was telling us about his life and how he has people at work ask him "How do you stay so happy all the time with all this junk going on around you?". Brother Floden's answer is always "I just say my prayers and drive on". It's really a wonderful testimony to me that such a small thing as saying our prayers every day can make such a huge difference in our life. That is what sets Brother Floden apart from everyone around him at work, the fact that he says his prayers each and every day, acting with faith that God will support him in the trials and challenges that surround him. Just a thought that has kept me going over the past few days.

 

Well the weather has been great but I hear that it is about to start heating up real good, up into the 90's. Its really a bummer because this week we won't have a car so we are going to be frying outside all day. But we are going to be doing a 2 car to 3 companionship rotation so we will have the car during the (hottest) last 2 weeks of August which is good. I know there are missionaries all over the world who have it a heck of a lot worse than I do but I'm not going to lie, I'm glad I'm not in their shoes right now. I'm really grateful to be able to have a car hahaha.

 

So I don't know if anyone has heard the (not so) latest church news. I guess every missionary in the USA should have an iPad as a teaching aid and to help better organize ourselves by the end of the year. Something cool that we get to look forward to. Man we really are some spoiled missionaries...

 

D&C 18:11-13;15

"Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God; For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him. And he hath risen again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of repentance. And how great is his joy in the soul that repenteth. And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!"  I read this the other day and it's just been on my mind ever since, especially the parts that I put in Bold. I think every day we have a lot more opportunities to "cry repentance" unto the the people than we realize. We really do "cry repentance" through our actions and the example that we put forth to others. And how great will be our joy when we pass through this life and see all those people on whom we have made a positive impression, who we have helped to return to live with their Heavenly Father. Just something that I think each one of us can do, to look at our life and see how we can set a better example for those around us so that they can find happiness in the Gospel just as we have.

 

That's about it for the week. There was more that I wanted to write but I don't remember what any of it was. That's what happens to me every week. I think my brain doesn't work with that stuff to well because all my memory is being used to remember the names of all the families in our Ward. Well... check back again next week.

 

Love you all! Good luck with the move Becerra Family. Should be fun ;) Have a great week everyone!

 

    Love

       -Elder Nyholm

Sent: Monday, August 04, 2014 12:02 PM
Subject: Going Strong

 

Well this week went by super extra fast and went pretty swell also. The big blessing this week was that Erika Beccera (who I baptized last week, I think I wrote her last name as Pujols), sister Lily Becerra, got baptized on Saturday! So I got to take a short field trip down to my old area so that I could attend her baptism. It was a pretty awesome experience and it's really a testimony to me that just because we left an area doesn't mean that we didn't leave a lasting impression or effect on the people there. So far I feel like in my mission I've been more a "Planter" but you know, that's perfectly OK with me as long as I still get to see people progress in the Gospel. And so far I've been able to do that so I'm happy :)

 

We met a pretty awesome guy this week. His name is Brother Floden, a less-active member who was baptized about 30 years ago in Germany, lost contact with the Church shortly after his move back here to the United States, and has been learning about the church again for about a year now. Anyways, we met him in the Liberty Jail with another member of our ward and had a nice sit down spiritual lesson with him. Before we really started teaching at all though he was telling us about his life and how he has people at work ask him "How do you stay so happy all the time with all this junk going on around you?". Brother Floden's answer is always "I just say my prayers and drive on". It's really a wonderful testimony to me that such a small thing as saying our prayers every day can make such a huge difference in our life. That is what sets Brother Floden apart from everyone around him at work, the fact that he says his prayers each and every day, acting with faith that God will support him in the trials and challenges that surround him. Just a thought that has kept me going over the past few days.

 

Well the weather has been great but I hear that it is about to start heating up real good, up into the 90's. Its really a bummer because this week we won't have a car so we are going to be frying outside all day. But we are going to be doing a 2 car to 3 companionship rotation so we will have the car during the (hottest) last 2 weeks of August which is good. I know there are missionaries all over the world who have it a heck of a lot worse than I do but I'm not going to lie, I'm glad I'm not in their shoes right now. I'm really grateful to be able to have a car hahaha.

 

So I don't know if anyone has heard the (not so) latest church news. I guess every missionary in the USA should have an iPad as a teaching aid and to help better organize ourselves by the end of the year. Something cool that we get to look forward to. Man we really are some spoiled missionaries...

 

D&C 18:11-13;15

"Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God; For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him. And he hath risen again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of repentance. And how great is his joy in the soul that repenteth. And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!"  I read this the other day and it's just been on my mind ever since, especially the parts that I put in Bold. I think every day we have a lot more opportunities to "cry repentance" unto the the people than we realize. We really do "cry repentance" through our actions and the example that we put forth to others. And how great will be our joy when we pass through this life and see all those people on whom we have made a positive impression, who we have helped to return to live with their Heavenly Father. Just something that I think each one of us can do, to look at our life and see how we can set a better example for those around us so that they can find happiness in the Gospel just as we have.

 

That's about it for the week. There was more that I wanted to write but I don't remember what any of it was. That's what happens to me every week. I think my brain doesn't work with that stuff to well because all my memory is being used to remember the names of all the families in our Ward. Well... check back again next week.

 

Love you all! Good luck with the move Becerra Family. Should be fun ;) Have a great week everyone!

 

    Love

       -Elder Nyholm