Hey!!
How
was everybody’s week?? My week was pretty slow.
I
got a new companion. His name is Elder Machado from Rio Grande Do Sol. He has
been out 10 months. He speaks English a little so we help each other with
learning the language. We had to stay 2 days in our house cause he hurt his foot.
And I am going to check in with the
doctor this week to make sure I am not having an allergic reaction to something.
This
week has been very hot!! I don’t think the weather ever changes here, it is
just hot. We taught some cool lessons this week though where the spirit was
really strong. On Sunday none of our investigators came to church, so that was
discouraging.
But
that is about it for this week! Hope you all have a good week.
This
shirt I’m wearing is a present from one of our investigators. It is a kind of sport
they do here in the Bahia. Thanks for everything.
Talk
to you guys next week.
Love
Elder Nickerson
Here
is one of my favorite stories.
There
was a man who was asleep one night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled
with light and the Savior appeared. The Lord told the man He had a work for him
to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained
that the man was to push against the rock with all his might. This the man did,
day after day. For many years he toiled from sun up to sun down, his shoulders
set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock pushing
with all his might.
Each
night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling that his whole
day had been spent in vain. Seeing that the man was showing signs of
discouragement, Satan decided to enter the picture placing thoughts into the
man’s mind such as: “You have been pushing against that rock for a long time
and it hasn’t budged.” “Why kill yourself over this? You are never going to
move it?” etc. Thus, giving the man the impression that the task was impossible
and that he was a failure.
These
thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man even more. “Why kill myself over
this?” he thought. “I’ll just put in my time, giving just the minimum of effort
and that will be good enough.” And that he planned to do until one day he
decided to make it a matter of prayer and take his troubled thoughts to the
Lord. “Lord,” he said, “I have labored long and hard in your service, putting
all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I
have not even budged that rock a half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I
failing?”
To
this the Lord responded compassionately, “My friend, when long ago I asked you
to serve me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the
rock with all your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to
you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push.
“And
now you come to me, your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is
that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back
brown, your hands are callused from constant pressure, and your legs have
become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much and your
abilities now surpass that which you used to have. Yet you haven’t moved the
rock.
“But
your calling was to be obedient, to push and to exercise your faith and trust
in my wisdom. This you have done. I, my friend, will now move the rock.”
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