The Light of Christ

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Experiences like this that will last the rest of her life PRICELESS!!!!!!

Well Family, 

Oh my what Dad you are in the young men's presidency! that is amazing! you will love it and i know that you can do this! congrats. 

This week has brought about a ton of changes.... i found out that i will be finish training sister reese, so im technically a trainer this transfer... also, we are loosing our car and being put on bikes completely... im nervous because the hills here are killer... i am very nervous for the coming transfer, but i know that the lord will taker care of me. 

I want to share with ya'll an experience that has brought me so much happiness in my mission!

So when i was in my first area, we were working with a man that was by the worlds standards... rough around that edges... very rough. He is an ex marine and has seen some terrible things in his life and says that he has done some equally terrible things, he believed that he was irredeemable because the lord couldn't possibly love him after what he has done... Through that power of god and much prayer for charity i was able to see through his tough outer shell. I gave him a book of mormon and he agreed to read it. we would talk to him, but we hadn't met with him to teach him... so one day i just asked him when we could start to teach him.. and he said that we could come over any time... so we started to teach him and it was really difficult, there was contention between him and his roommate during the lessons and the spirit would leave.... but we persisted and continued to teach him and committing him to read the book of mormon... lessons were hard because my comp struggled to love him.... and i was getting discouraged.... but the lord let me watch a miracle.... the last lesson that i taught him befor i was transferred, was amazing! we walked in and he was sitting in his chair... super tired from work, but he still let us in to teach a lesson. when we shook his hand, i looked into his eyes and i was amazed... his eyes were clear and bright.... they were different from the eyes that i had been seeing that were dim and dark from living a life in sorrow and discouragement. I had only heared of this change in stories, when people said that they could see as peoples eyes changed as someone was returning to the truth. but this day, i was able to witness it.... his eyes were clear and even behind that tiredness he was happy.... he was reading the book of mormon... i knew he was because i could see that light of christ returning to his eyes in that moment i learned just how much that the Lord loves this man and i could feel that love that he has for him and i began to love this man even more than i had before! 

I knew that he could change! On my last Sunday in that area he came to church! i thanked him for coming and told him that i would be leaving, but i would be back when he was baptized... i said it with a joking tone, but i meant every word of it because i knew it was possible... he rolled his eyes at me and chuckled... before i left i made my comp promise me that she wouldn't give up on him... he might be difficult and he might require patience, but he will come along...

Now for the big miracle! last week i found out that he is being baptized on the 30th. yep! 

I knew that the lord would prepare him and that he could make the changes in his life... i have always had the feeling that the lord has great things in store for him... i was so happy when i found this out... i cried! yep i cried

This has made my entire mission... i believe that i was sent here to help this man find the gospel. i may not have taught him much but i was able to be some kind of influence in his life.

my mission keeps surprising me every day there are always things that amaze me... i know that heavenly father loves his children and he is so involved in our lives. 

i love you all so much and i will talk to you later. 

Sister Dannika Nielsen