Meeting Elder Nelson

HELLO FAMILY!!

I miss you all so much but this week was by far the coolest one on the mission so far! We had ANOTHER mission conference this week. But this time Elder Russell M. Nelson and his wife came and spoke to us. We all got to shake his hand and when he looked into my eyes it felt like he could see my whole soul. I hope he mostly saw the good parts! lol It’s amazing that in that conference questions that I have had for years were answered and questions that I have had just since I have been out on my mission were answered to. I learned and grew so much! I don't know if many of you know how involved I started to get in my genealogy before I left but both him and his wife talked about the importance of doing work for our ancestors. I love doing it and you feel so close to them as you search for their names and find out more about the lives they lived here. Sister Nelson said "They are not dead and they don't like being called dead. They are very much alive!" and Elder Nelson said "Angels are watching over you every day, you will recognize them in your life and realize that most of them are your ancestors." They are waiting for us to do their work and find them. They love us and watch over us and in return we should love them and help them receive the blessings of this gospel on the other side. All kinds of missionary work to be done.

Also this week was the first time I had someone get so angry with me for knocking on their door. We were tracting up on a road that is a little bit of a nicer area, which usually means people are less receptive to our message. But this one lady as we walked up was standing in her kitchen and walked out to talk to us with a grin so we had high hopes that it would go well. As we got talking to her we could tell it was way off base. She was yelling at us that we were false preachers and that Christ is the only God and she was red from the top of her head clear down her chest. She had fists and was just so angry. She was yelling at us not to knock on any more doors until we read the bible and learned Hebrew for ourselves. I have never felt so calm and just tried to tell her that I knew for myself because I had read the Book of Mormon and asked God. We slowly backed away and left but she just kept screaming. As we walked down the long driveway poor Sister Holmes was a little upset she is a tender soul and doesn't handle being yelled at very well, but I couldn't help thinking to myself that we would need to come back one day. At the conference on Saturday it was funny because Elder Nelson was answering questions and this one Sister asked "How do you explain that God and Jesus are two separate beings?" This is the very frustration that this poor lady had been having. Elder Nelson answered in the most beautiful and perfect words but I will try to sum it up for you. He said that is a hard one because the bible can be very unclear because most the time it doesn't matter who is being referred to because they are as one. And then he shared that when the world was created the word for God used was Eloheim- which in Hebrew means a plural mass. Or in other words God and Jesus Christ created it together along with Michael (Or Adam). He then went on to say, share this scripture with them of Christ’s Intercessory prayer found in:
                                    John 17:1-11 "These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy work. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, Keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are one."

    

He then told us to bear our testimony of God the Father and Jesus Christ whom he sent to atone for the world. As he was saying this in the conference I knew that I was going back to talk to her this week. I was worried when though because Sister Holmes had been so upset the first time. But then I remembered we are doing companion exchanges with the sister training leader on Wednesday so I plan on going back then. I know that it might not go so well, but when an Apostle of the Lord speaks and you feel strongly influenced I figure I better go with it.

In other news this week Teno sat us down and told us she wants to get baptized!! I started crying right there as she bore her testimony to Sister Holmes and I and said she wanted to try to do it before we leave. As we left that lesson we knew that it was time to teach the law of Chastity....dun dun dun.... It is so hard to teach to someone that is living with their partner and baby. They have the sweetest little family and it is hard to bring up. We taught her that and the law of tithing this week both hard ones. In the lesson she voiced her many concerns with both of these but then she faithfully said "I will pray about it to know if that is really what God wants." So she did! We went over to see her on Saturday and she wasn't there. We were really concerned that she was super upset about it and that she would start going backwards. And on Sunday when we popped our head into the First Ward to see if she was there and didn't see her we got really discouraged. I prayed for her so much that she would keep going forward. So yesterday afternoon we walked over there with the Bible she had asked for and she came right out to greet us! She said oh I just got home from church and was going to text you guys. Apparently she went to church all by herself and that is why we couldn't find her. She got her answers about tithing and she went and asked the Bishop if she could pay tithing before she was baptized because she has to get married first and that she would still like to pay it now. He told her no one had ever asked him that before. lol She is an angel I hope through my emails you can feel the amazing faith that she has. It blows me away every day! And she often says she knows that we were supposed to meet and that it just had to be the right timing for her to find the gospel. I have never met anyone that has so much faith in Prayer especially.

Well that is all for now! I hope you are all safe and happy at home! I miss you and love you so much!

Love, Sister Miggin

The tiniest little puppy our friend Selena let us hold! Don,t worry this one had no fleas!

We played another prank on the elders but this time we set up Elder Hester’s first district meeting as District leader like relief society haha we even put apples on his desk! He thought it was super funny! Then Elder Otto needed more study space so he pulled over the tiny desk and Elder Hester was upset because he said he look like a dictator especially with his fancy table cloth.

Late night before mission conference at the sisters house in Papakura where we stayed cause we had to be up for the bus at 4:30 in the morning. I was so tired and did not want my picture taken. Sister Holmes took it anyway can you tell I was happy

A crazy plant we found

BEFORE

 

AFTER

This picture was included to promote our jealousy.