Amazing week, I love this work!!!

Dear Family and Friends,

After a few weeks with not a ton to say, I have a whole bunch to talk about today.  It feels really good!  Well I will do this in a non-chronological order, so I can tell different stories that transcend multiple days—possibly even the entire week.  I think that it will go a lot smoother this way.  If you don't really like it let me know, so that in the future I don't do it anymore.  So with the beforehand explanation here we go!  I will also divide stories out into different paragraphs if that is okay with y'all.

First things first (and also probably the most important): Melody Jacobs.  We had an awesome and amazing week with her.  We had a lesson on Monday evening where we reviewed the baptism interview questions and answered any questions that she had about the ordinance itself or anything else.  It went well, and so did the baptism interview.  She is so ready to change, and accept this gospel that it is such a good example for me.  I think that changes are very hard for her because she is a single mother of two kids, one of whom has autism.  His name is Christopher.  Neither of them has really participated with the lesson up to this point however.  So anyways on Saturday I had the great privilege of baptizing Melody.  She is such a choice daughter of God.

We had me and Elder Larburg another Elder in the zone in the font because Melody has a bad back, and we wanted to make sure it all went smooth.  After the ordinance we invited Melody to stand and bear here testimony to us.  Holy cow did that invite the Spirit.  She is truly converted unto the Lord and his Gospel!  On Sunday she was confirmed by our Ward Mission Leader Brother Wright.  It was awesome.  Later on her son Christian who is 11 turned to his mother and said he wanted to be in Heaven with her, and he expressed a desire to be baptized.  So we will look into that.  It was an awesome experience.

The second story I wanted to talk about was awesome as well.  It is about Elder Craig Cardon from the Seventy coming to the California Roseville Mission.  A few days before the conference, President Weston gives me a call, and says that he had been doing some "research" and had discovered that my father served in the Rome Italy Mission.  He asked if Elder Cardon was my father’s mission President.  I told him that as a matter of fact he was.  He asked if I would be okay with him pointing me out, and of course I was fine with that.  For this conference, each of us missionaries were asked to prepare a talk for this meeting, to be three minutes long about what we have come to know about the workings of the Spirit on our mission.  As I took the time to prepare mine, I had an impression that I was going to be able to share my talk, because of a particular experience that I had.  The following day at the conference we started off by each having the chance to shake Elder and Sister Cardon’s hands.  We each had the chance to introduce ourselves, tell them where we were from, and how long we have been on our missions.

As I did I told them that Anziano Luke Ellsworth was my father.  Both of their faces lit up as I did so.  He had to think for a second but he remembered you from all of those years ago.  It was awesome!  Later on Elder Cardon was speaking when he announced that he was going to choose four speakers to come up and share their talks.  He pointed out in the crowd two Elder and two Sisters.  I was not chosen.  I was a little bit sad, but as we listened I said a prayer in my heart that I would be given the chance to share my talk, and experience.  As Elder Cardon stood back up, he asked if there was anyone in the audience that would like to share their talk that didn't get the chance to.  I raised my hand and was then invited to the pulpit to share my talk.

Tears were in my eyes, and I was so grateful that God had indeed answered my prayer immediately.  Later on while he spoke he mentioned that he had once received counsel from an apostle to always listen to the Spirit while presiding in meetings, even when it does not make any sense.  He didn't point it out, but I will.  I believe that when Elder Cardon invited me to speak, he heard the Spirit prompt him to do so.  He is an amazing man.  As he spoke it was incredible to think that this same man had once presided over my dad's mission, and that just as I sat and listened to his counsel, so had my Father at an earlier time.  Both of us were uplifted and edified by the same servant of God.  I know that he is called of God to do what he does.  I loved the chance I had to meet him.  After the conference I was the only missionary permitted to get a picture with him.  I am grateful for that wonderful day.

Now for my final story.  There is a less active man in our ward that has a desire to come back to church.  At the age of 17 he left the church and has now been away for 18 years.  As we went over on Saturday evening to start the lessons with him, his 9 year old daughter sat in with us.

We taught them the doctrines of the Restoration, mostly to the daughter, Grace.  She was so open and receptive, and honestly smart for such a young girl.  As we spoke about the Book of Mormon, we gave her a copy and challenged her to read it for just 5 minutes a day.  She said she was going to do 10!  When we invited her to follow Jesus Christ and be baptized she readily accepted.  We asked her to set a day for that to be her goal, and she spouted off that October 20th was her birthday and she wanted to be baptized on that day.  Turns out that is a Saturday!  I am so excited to teach this sweet girl and help her towards baptism!

Life is good. I am so grateful for the blessings that I have been given this week!  I know this Gospel is true, and I love my mission!

With Love,

Elder Ellsworth

Holy Cow is August simply flying by!

Dear Friends and Family

Well, things are going very well.  Well not as good as they could be but things are settling down hopefully for good.  Since I moved into my new apartment I can't seem to get well.  It has been pretty rough on me, I have had diarrhea on and off since I got here.  It is driving me mad not to mention it is not very good to help with missionary work when I kept having it hit the toilet.  But now I am feeling a whole lot better.  Still not all the way, but for the most part very good.  It has been pretty interesting few weeks since I got here to Tempo Park.  We still don't have a ton going on, but this past week we set up to start teaching a couple of new returning less active people, and families.  And of them there are three or so unbaptized children, that we are hoping to start teaching and bringing towards baptism.  This ward that I serve in is one of the best that I have yet to be in.  Our Ward Mission Leader and the Bishop are both super supportive, and always willing to offer help and ideas on how to better this work, and to help our investigators.  This ward is ready to explode with missionary work we just have to push things over the edge, so that they start to pick up and go well. 

We are still meeting with Melody Jacobs regularly.  And as a matter of fact tonight in our lesson we are going to finish getting everything set up for her baptism on Saturday at 10.  So I will let you know how that goes.  Melody also has a pair of kids.  But one has no interest who is 15, and the other is a little bit disabled.  He has some learning disabilities.  But Melody hopes that he being able to see her be baptized will inspire him and down the road that he can get baptized as well.  Either way it will be awesome to see. 

Things are about the same with Elder Allred.  We still get along great, but he is still not too motivated.  And because I don't even feel that well, I don't have the motivation to push him like I should be.  I am going to be better about that this week however.  I can also hardly believe that transfers are coming up in like three weeks.  This one is already half way over.  It is crazy how fast this time seems to fly.  I am grateful to be here to see and experience this work!

I don't have much to say this week but I want y'all to know how much I love you!

Elder Ellsworth

What's up in August? Too flippin' hot!

Holy cow, I hate the heat.  And this past week has been the hottest of the summer, with a forecast of upwards of 107 for the upcoming week, being on a bike is not too fun, when it gets tough to breathe because it is so hot!  But other than that things are going really good.  This is really turning out to be a odd transfer, I am not too thrilled about the situation that is going on right now.  I went from an area that is doing very good, to a dead area once again.  My companion is a very good guy, but is lacking in the motivation category.  It is a chore to get him out the door into the heat.  I can hardly blame him though.  It has been a couple of miserable days last week.  Even standing in the shade I sweat something fierce.  Also another reason for his lack of motivation is that we really don't have a whole lot going on, so throughout the day we leave the house to go and knock doors, or to visit less active members.  A third and final reason is that because of some things that happened last transfer Elder Allred might be emergency transferred, which is another reason I am not thrilled with this area yet.  There was some laziness and apostasy going on in this area.  And because of that I get to clean it up.  I am not happy about that.  On Wednesday this week President Weston came to our apartment and asked me some questions, and looked through some papers.  While there he told me that the reason I was dropped from leadership and sent here was so that next transfer I can train.  I am excited about that, but even that is a tossup.  I could get someone really awesome or some greenies can be a pain!  I don't know I am just kind of down this week, and not much hope for the rest of the transfer.  I am simply going to do my best even though I am not in control of everything else.  Also I have been having bike trouble this week.  When I loaned out my bike in Antelope I get it back with a ruined inner tube.  So I went and bought a new one this week.  While trying to put that stupid incredibly hard to put back together tire back together I put a hole in my new inner tube.  I took that out and patched it, then took the tire to a bike shop and had them put it together, then while riding it today my patch gave out and leaked again, so I took it back and bought a brand new inner tube and had them put it in so I didn't wreck it or blow up and destroy something.  It was a very wise 16 dollar purchase.

On the bright side, our sole awesome investigator Melody is doing amazing.  She is such a star she came to church on Sunday again, and had many questions.  We did our best to answer, as we taught the Word of Wisdom she was so accepting and willing to change her coffee drinking habits.  She knows that these things are true, and she won't let anything stand in her way of being baptized on the 25th of August.

 She is doing great.  Well that is all for the bright side.

I am being a little sarcastic, I really am not that annoyed, but things really are kind of tough right now.  I am grateful to be here serving God, but I wish it was not so hard right now.  Don't worry I will figure things out.  Finally this week I had my third mini missionary of the summer.  His name was Micah Gandola from the Lincoln Spanish Branch.  He is a good kid, and the hardest worker I have gotten yet.  He had the worst three days of the whole summer of heat with us.  But what a trooper.  Well that is all that I have to say at this time.

I love you all

Elder Nick Ellsworth

Sorry about last week

Dear Family and Friends

I want to start off by apologizing for not emailing you at all last week.  Things were pretty crazy with transfers.  I had intentions of Tuesday morning going to the library to send something off to you, but when we got there the wait for the computers was around an hour long, and we didn't have that much time to spend waiting.  So I had already told my companion that I had emailed, so then I just didn't bother going email at all.  So I am sorry, and that's why I wrote you that letter this week instead.  Like I said last week was pretty great, especially being able to go to two baptisms, and participate in those wonderful ordinances.  I love my time serving in Antelope, and I am sad to see it go, but I am excited to serve here in Tempo Park now.  My last area was probably the most frustrating I have yet served in, so I hope that I can finish off very strong here in this ward.  It should be an adventure. 

My new companions name is Elder Allred.  He is from Saratoga Springs Utah, and he is a very young missionary.  And matter of fact he was trained in the same area that I was.  Cottonwood, as well as one of the Zone Leaders that I live with was trained in the Cottonwood ward, so it is pretty cool to see that.  It has been kind of a rough week for me though.  As I have gotten familiar with this area and people that are in it, I don't think that Elder Allred and his previous companion worked all that hard.  I think that for the most part they just hung out with members, recent converts, and less-actives.  There has not been a whole lot of finding going on recently, so it was awesome that we were able to pick up 3 new ‘gators this week.  We also are teaching a very awesome lady named Melody.  She is scheduled to be baptized on the 25th of August, she comes to church every week, and she even got up on Sunday and bore her testimony of this Church!  It was awesome; I look forward to being able to teach her more.  She is a great lady.

It is a little weird no longer being in mission leadership.  Like on Sunday night I no longer have to take numbers, or do any of that extra garbage or deal with any of the crap that I used to.  It is such a relief to just have to focus on being obedient, and on working hard.  But at the same time, it is a little disappointing.  I for sure was not expecting it.  Another reason it has been tough here is because Elder Allred and I have both been sick.  Elder Allred was throwing up earlier this week, and we both have some nasty diarrhea right now, it kind sucks but oh well.  Things are good though.  I am excited to finish out my mission strong; I look forward to being the best that I can while enduring to the end.  This Gospel is true, and I am grateful for how much it has blessed my life. 

With Love,
Elder Nick Ellsworth