2 Nephi 29:3

So transfers are this week... and Hermana Eardley and I get to stay here together! That hasn't happened to me since my first transfer! I am so thankful that I get to stay in beautiful Tahoe for another transfer, although it will probably be my last. 

This week we got to go to the temple! I got to go through for someone from San Luis Potosi, Mexico. I bet she is thankful that I was actually able to pronounce her name! 

We also had the opportunity to attend Jose Silva's baptism in Reno! It wasn't "our" baptism, but we had some investigators go, so we were able to attend. It was a huge blessing for me to be able to be there, because when I was in Reno, Hermana Martinez and I were the ones who started teaching Jose! It was so special to be able to go, and I was able to see a bunch of members that I LOVE, including the Familia Coto! I probably enjoyed it more than any of "my" baptisms, haha. 

We knocked on one door (we actually don't knock many random doors, but we were looking for someone) and we met a man named Carlos. He proceeded to tell us all the reasons why we shouldn't worship Joseph Smith, and why the Book of Mormon isn't scripture, and there is only one God, and we are just little girls and we don't know what we are talking about... the interesting thing is that, other than the fact that he doesn't believe the Book of Mormon is true, I don't think we disagreed on any other doctrines. He just kept rambling on and on... we tried to end the conversation many times, but he just kept going. I tried to share my testimony with him but he just kept talking over me the entire time and he was clearly not interested in listening, or learning. He heard the words we said just enough to be able to respond and make his own opinion quite clear. I was getting quite frustrated with the whole thing... but then at one point I told him "Se que tenemos debilidades para que seamos humildes, y basta la gracia de Cristo a todos los hombres que se humillan ante el, porque si se humillan ante el, y tienen fe en el, entonces hara que las cosas debiles sean fuertes para nosotros. (Basically Ether 12:27) and he just responded "Amen!" so from that point on, I just quoted as many scriptures from the Book of Mormon as I could think of, without telling Carlos what I was doing. And he agreed with everything that I said! So from that point on, I wasn't even upset anymore, I was just having a great time laughing inside. It was so funny to me that he could be so sure that the Book of Mormon wasn't scripture... but when he heard it, he could feel the spirit and recognize it as scripture.

That incident isn't an isolated one... for some reason, this week we have had SO many people trying to convince us that the Book of Mormon isn't scripture... some of them haven't even tried to read it before, and some of them have (which scares me even more) but for some reason they just think they have everything figured out. It is sad to see, but it just makes me appreciate the Book of Mormon more and more every day. The more I read it, the more I feel sorry for people who believe that they can only study the Bible. Interestingly, this Sunday a member gave us a cool outline of the chiasmus in Alma chapter 36, which provides even more intellectual evidence that the Book of Mormon is true! I wish everyone could see the Book of Mormon like we do! It's not just another novel, it's not something made up, and it's definitely not from the devil! (which someone actually tried to tell us) I'm thankful for the Book of Mormon! If you aren't reading it every day... DO IT!

-- Hermana Nielsen

-District pic!

-Jose Silva got baptized!