Jul09
I Love You All
Hey there everyone. Before you go on and read the rest of my email...Do me a favor. Copy-and-Paste the link above. Open a new tab, and watch the video by Elder Holland. This really helped me throughout this past week and so I thought I should share it with you.
I love you! Thank You! That is one of my all time favorites. Elder Holland is the man.
What a week....What a week it was.
Me and My Comp are finally starting to click. I have been really working on having more patients and seeing the good in others. I have been praying really hard to find common ground with him, and to get him to understand that I really do love him. So this past week me and him really started to click. What a blessing this was. The thing that I tried to do more of was just saying "Thank You" for the smallest things that he does....such as turning off the lights or washing his dishes. Something so small has truly made the biggest difference. The Lord wanted me to learn something here and I am glad that I finally did. He wanted me to learn that it isn't so much the big things that we do that define us....It is the little things that we do over and over again that truly make us who we are! I just needed to see and realize that. So all is well with me and my companion! Thank you all for all of the prayers that you have sent our way. They have been answered.
This past week we were lucky enough to fly to Rome, instead of taking the 12 hour train ride. The Flight is just over 1 hour. The plane ride is also 20 Dollars cheaper. The Italians are weird with how they price things....but I still love them!
We flew to Rome because we had a Mission Conference up there with President Teixeira from the 70. It was a great conference and he gave a very powerful training on how to be an effective missionary. The Spirit that he has about him is truly incredible...It is powerful. He will actually be speaking in this upcoming general conference sometime. So be sure to look for him, because he just met me this past week.
After the Conference a group of about 40 of us went to the dead center of Rome and Sang Hymns in Italian in front of Thousands and Thousands of people. While 30 or so of us were singing the other 10 would be out talking to the people that had stopped to listen. This was one of the funnest things that I have done so far. Many people stopped to listen, many people took pictures, and many people watched for hours upon hours. Some people would make fun, and some people would laugh and point....but it was a successful night finding those that are in search of a purpose in this life. Music is powerful. It truly is.
During the singing there was a little old man that stood in front of us, smoked a cigarette and would clap after every song that we sang. After about 3 or 4 I walked out and grabbed him by the hand and had him sing with us. He stood right by me and shook my hand when he wanted to leave. I loved that old man....He was one of the nicest people that I have ever met....and I know that it made his night to come in and sing with us. I will never forget that little old man....Even though I didn't get his name, and I will most likely never see him again...He is special to me. That is one of the main things that I love most about being a missionary. You meet the most amazing people, and you truly see them in a way, similar to, how Our Heavenly Father and Savior see them.
At Mission Conf. I was also allowed to get all of the mail that was mine. Goodness Sakes thank you all so much for all of the letters and love. I was blown away. There was package after package, and letter after letter. It meant so much to see all of them! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! The amount of love and support that I receive is truly unreal. Thank you all so much! I am so lucky!
The next day we were supposed to fly home....but there was a Airplane Strike going on in Rome....so our flight was cancelled. So the only other option was an all night train heading back to Crotone. The Train left Rome at 11:30 that night and we got to Crotone the next morning bright and early. There was little to no sleep on the ride home and honestly it sucked....but it just made us grateful that we only had to take that terrible ride once instead of twice. We got home at around 11 and went right to work. It is safe to say that Friday Night when I finally got to bed.....I was in a Coma.
Saturday was a great day! We got to go to a Crotone Game. Crotone is a professional soccer team but they just below the "Big League". It is kind of like the Minor League for Professional Baseball.. The Crowd at the game was so crazy! I loved it. It was like a "Dog Pound" for a High School basketball team...but with a few thousand people and a ton louder! It was so crazy! Crotone won 2 to 1.
After the game a little elderly lady in our ward...Sorella Ulga...( Sister Ulga ) fell down her stairs and was in the hospital. We got a call to go and give her a blessing. When we got there she was in a medium sized room with 5 other older ladies in there with her. All of the other ladies had people around them and people visiting them.....but Sorella Ulga didn't have anyone. This broke my heart. We went in and talked to her for awhile and it was pretty loud in the room. When we were getting ready to leave we stood up to give her a blessing. During the blessing is got really quiet and the other people just watched. The Spirit was so strong... When we finished everyone was staring at us and smiling so big. Sorella Ulga is the oldest member in our branch, and she is the funniest. She is so strong and will be okay...she just needs some time to get back to being the good ole Sorella Ulga that we love. When me and my comp were leaving I looked at him and said..."She needs some flowers doesn't she?" and he just looked and me and said..."I was going to say the same thing." So we went for a little hike and came back with a nice big ole plot of flowers. The other ladies still had their visitors but Sorella Ulga still had no one. We gave her the flowers and she shed a tear and was so happy. A lady from the other side of the room then said..."It looks like you have two pretty guardian angels watching over you." I love Sorella Ulga. If you could please keep her in your prayers.
Today I want to talk about Others. Each and every day we cross paths with hundreds of people. Some we see everyday, some we see at work or at school, and some we only see every once in awhile...but we are always coming across other people. Out here I have noticed that it is all about how you make other people feel and that making someone else feel loved is the most important thing we do. Nothing feels better then when we are having a hard day, and another person does something or says something that completely changes or day for the better. The Lord answers so many of our prayers through others. He puts people in our path that we need, or if another person just might be needing us. My challenge this week is to do something small.....nothing big.....for someone else. Whether that be saying a simple Thank You, Holding a Door open for someone, or even giving someone a phone call.....You never know how much good you truly do. When we are thinking of the needs of others, before we think about our needs, we are truly more happy. We love more. We see others how our Father in Heaven see's them. We are more careful in what we do and what we say. We are all going through different things, and we really never know how another person is feeling...it is our responsibility to make others feel as Loved and as important as possible. When we do this I promise that the Windows of Heaven will be opened and blessings will rain down. I love you all so much!
So that is the goods that happened this last week. This last week was a good one. One of the best weeks that I think that I have had. I thank you all for everything....for the prayers and the love. You all are truly incredible. I love you.
Change someone's day this week for the better. I am going to try and do the same.
God is our Father, and He loves us. His love is unfailing. His son, Jesus Christ, gave his life for us. He Lives. The Love that our Father in Heaven and Savior have for us is Infinite and Eternal. Families are Forever.
I love you all. Have the Best Week.
Elder JarDee Martin Nessen
"it is worth the pain"
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