Saturday, August 29, 2009

3 weeks can you believe it...almost 4 I've been gone

Hola family and others,

Hey everyone so this week was pretty good for the most part. The food is pretty good except the fact that it seems like were always eating. So everyone in my district has gotten sick and felt like crap except for me... well I had a sore throat for like 2 days, but it was nothing like everybody else felt. Everyday we play fuitbol and I love it, it's so much fun we saw some deer running across the field and it made me think of home haha. So yesterday I got 3 shots and now my arms are dead, but later that night some guys in my zone did this thing called the dirty dozen which is we start at 12 push ups and then do 12 sit ups and go back down until we get to one. But last night we started at 15 and this was the first night I had ever done this and my arms felt like thy were gonna fall off but yeah it's a good workout!!!! Anyways packages are always nice.

The language has it's hard days and it's good days with learning it, but I know the Lord will provide a way because he called me to this mission and I will have the gift of tongues. So there is this place called the RC it stands for referral center where people go on Mormon .org and can chat with missionaries. So this guy got on and asked me why his baby died of brain cancer and why did that happen and this was a non member but it was so cool to tell him about eternal families and the atonement and that he will be able to see his son again and about the Book of Mormon and how I know theses things were true. This was all over chatting but it's amazing how you an feel the spirit. I felt so much joy and I sent him a link to get a free B.O.M and the "families are forever" DVD. Also on Tuesday night we had Richard G. Scott come and speak with us and the spirit was so strong, he talked about prayer and how it's a privilege to talk with our Father in heaven. And how important it is to listen to the spirit and follow the promptings and how sometimes we might not understand why but we should always listen. The spirit bore witness to me that he is truly an apostle of the lord and that he still walks and talks with the Savior as he did in the days of old and receives direct revelation. I KNOW this is true. I love you all so much and hope everything is going well. I love you all and miss you and I pray for all of you every night in Spanish. May God be with you.

LOVE ELDER NICHOLS

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Second Email....HOLA

Hey everyone thanks for all the letters they are great to get you have no idea!! I never really knew how important they are and how much better they make my day.

So this week has been alright but the spanish has been frustrating. It's crazy how you have no time for yourself and it's just go go go all the time. Everything is all planned here and it's good but just different. My companion is so freaking funny he makes me laugh so hard. It's great he is so sarcastic I love it because I can be myself also with him, I have taken this as a blessing.

I really don't know what to say. I'm just gonna respond to some of Jons questions because it's something to talk about haha. Jon the life on the inside is really different it's hard getting used to having a companion everywhere I go and if I have to go to the bathroom then I have to wait outside the door and wait for him. But the daily schedule is wake up at 630am then we shower, then usually go to an hour of personal study, or on other days go to gym for an hour which means go play soccer which is WAY FUN, then go eat breakfast, then we go to class for like 4 hours, then go eat lunch, then go back to class, or have comp study for an hour. Then dinner, then language study time, or missionary directed learning time, then at the end of the night we plan out the next day, it's pretty intense but my comp and I make it fun.

But anyways back to everyone else lol um we had some good speakers this past week and one of them talked about how how important it is to teach with the spirit and to invite others to come unto Christ because that is my purpose and it's amazing how strong the spirit is, it's great feeling it so often. We teach in this thing called the TRC every week where we teach the lessons in preach my gospel and as you teach and act like the people your teaching aren't members you can still feel the spirit and when you teach these truths the spirit teaches you of it's truth and it has really helped my testimony grow. Today we went to the temple and it's amazing how close I can feel my parents every time I go. That's when I feel most close to them and I just love it. But I know this gospel is true and that the Savior did sacrifice Himself for us and that he loves us no matter what happens. Take care and i love you all so much:).

LOVE Elder Nichols

Saturday, August 15, 2009

First Letter















HOLA!!
So wow this is crazy I'm a missionary it's been a week and two days!!! It's pretty great here my companion's name is Elder Robinson he is from Oregon and is a pretty good guy. He seemed pretty serious at first but he has lightened up a lot so it's been good. It's really been hard getting used to always having to bring your companion with you everywhere like how they have to stand outside the bathroom and all haha.... so the first three days here were really long because they were full of meetings and not that the meetings were boring but they were just LONG hahaha. The food is better than I expected so that's been a plus but it's nuts cuz you can have as much as you want but don't worry i have self control for the most part:) There are 2 other elders that live with my comp and I and one of them i really get along with really well his name is Elder Hardman he is from cali and the other is from draper utah. Ok so im sure everybody is wondering how the spanish is coming and it's ok i can pray and bear my testimony for the most part. But it's pretty hard but i know that if i study and do my part that the lord will do his part in just like in a fireside we had on Tuesday and Elder Snow from the seventy said "He will help me help him" The spirit is so strong here it truly is amazing, the spirit touches me it's just great and very powerful. There is this thing called dearelder.com you can submit a letter and all you need is my mission and when I came into the MTC (Aug. 5th) and I think thats it. I just want to ask for your prayers and letters cuz I need all the help I can get, hope everything is going well for everyone and hope to hear from all of you. Love you all very much. LOVE Elder Nichols