Dear All,
It was a fun week. It's been great with Elder MacIver. I love it. We love being together. It's been fun catching up with him and what not. We didn't have the greatest first week, though, as far as the work goes. All of our investigators that I thought were gold have suddenly gone cold, and they seem to have lost a lot of interest. It makes me sad because I love them a lot. But I have to follow Preach My Gospel's counsel and not get discouraged; because discouragement weakens our faith.
But alas. It was a fun week. A few days ago we went out to a small town called Pichidangui with our investigator Johanna and her family. They have a house there. It's part of our area, and it's a good 30-45 minutes away in bus. We got there, and they showed us around and fed us lunch. It's really beautiful! We tried going to work there, though, but we didn't have any luck because it turns out it's mostly a summer vacation place. :/ So we had a lot of fun, but we were there for way too long because the bus schedule is complicated and buses don't pass by very often. But the good news is that we know our way around the town just in case we ever need to go there for something. :)
On Saturday we had the great oportunity to go to Santiago for the Cultural Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Misión Chilena. It was my first time in Santiago, and it was great! It was a long trip; we were the only Elders that got permission to go from the North, and we took my two converts with us. I'll be honest, though, that I didn't pay much attention to the celebration because I was too busy catching up with old friends from the mission. And I paid even less attention when I saw my childhood friend Brian Walker walk into the stadium! I called for him, and he came up and sat next to me for the whole celebration, and we just talked and caught up with each other. It was great being able to see him. We talked about some childhood memories, and we also talked about the differences between his mission in Santiago and our mission here in Viña. It's interesting how different the missions are! But it's a sign that each mission president receives revelation according to the needs of the mission. :)
So all is well here. I'd like to share two scriptures that spoke to my soul this week. One comes from the great example of the Prophet Samuel the Lamanite; the other comes from a Latter-Day Apostle ELder Dallin H. Oaks. Samuel the Lamanite taught me how to be a good returned missionary. In Helaman 16:7, it says:
[A]nd [he] did flee out of their lands, yea, even unto his own country, and began to preach and to prophesy aamong his own people.
Samuel The Lamanite's mission to the Nephites was over. He did what he was called to do. And what does he do? He returns to his country and he continues to work and preach the Gospel in his own land. A simple example, but a powerful one.
Dallin H. Oaks taught me this week that sometimes the Lord just wants us to make our own decisions based on our own judgment. It's not necessary that we receive revelation in all things. He teaches:
[A person may have] a strong desire to be led by the Spirit of the Lord but who unwisely extends that desire to the point of wanting to be led in all things. A desire to be led by the Lord is a strength, but it needs to be accompanied by an understanding that our Heavenly Father leaves many decisions for our personal choices. Personal decision making is one of the sources of the growth we are meant to experience in mortality. Persons who try to shift all decision making to the Lord and plead for revelation in every choice will soon find circumstances in which they pray for guidance and don’t receive it. For example, this is likely to occur in those numerous circumstances in which the choices are trivial or either choice is acceptable.
We should study things out in our minds, using the reasoning powers our Creator has placed within us. Then we should pray for guidance and act upon it if we receive it. If we do not receive guidance, we should act upon our best judgment. Persons who persist in seeking revelatory guidance on subjects on which the Lord has not chosen to direct us may concoct an answer out of their own fantasy or bias, or they may even receive an answer through the medium of false revelation.
I know we can receive personal revelation by studying the scriptures--both from the ancient records such as the Bible and the Book of Mormon as well as we can from the Latter-Day prophets that we have today. I testify--with all of my heart--that these men were called of God. The Bible and Book of Mormon were written for our day. We have Prophets that lead and guide us in these latter-days. And I know that if we feast upon their words, we will be blessed with a broader understanding of God's plan for each and every one of us. The words of the prophets can calm any troubled soul; I know that is true because I have been calmed and comforted by reading their words.
I love you all. Until next week.
Con Amor,
Elder Nelson IV
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