What an amazing week!

Dear Family and Friends,

Well this week was probably one of the best of my mission! We worked really hard and found a lot of success! Well actually these past three weeks or so have all been awesome, and I have learned a lot! I am really excited about the work here in Loma Rica, and it is really picking up. I think that it is funny though because the harder I work the more blessed I feel. Even though I am really tired a lot, it is really rewarding and I feel really accomplished. I love that feeling of ending a week on a good note because of the hard work and effort that I have put forth. This week was a great one. I was talking to another missionary who told me a story about one of his companions. They served together for his last six weeks before he went home, and this Elder was freaking out because he felt that he had wasted most of his mission not working hard and not giving the Lord a full effort. So he tried really hard his last transfer to make his mission worth it, and in the end was just a big jerk to his comapanion over the whole thing. How sad is that, I want to live my life out here in such a way that when I come home I will hold my head high and know I have worked hard for two years! I am grateful for this time I have been given to serve the Lord.

This week has been one of hustle, it started off pretty terribly on Tuesday, with three cancelled lessons, and we ended up with none for the day, but it really went up from there. At the end of this week we were able to teach 16 lessons, that is two more than last week which is by far the most we have taught since I have been in this area. It has been really good, we simply went out everyday and did our best to serve the Lord. The best part about it was Elder Lee and I were not even together on Wednesday and Thursday because of exchanges, but both of us when we were in our area worked hard and taught a handful of lessons. Also I think that we are gaining member trust as well. They see and know that we are really working hard to further the work here in Loma Rica. It is really a sweet experience for me! I guess the best part of my week was just yesterday. We were teaching a lesson to Jason, he is getting baptized next Saturday. We finished up all of our lessons so he can be interviewed this week, and after the lesson we asked him who he would like to baptize him, and he asked me if I would. I told him I would be honored. Every time I get this opportunity it is so awesome! I feel the Spirit of the ordinance more abundantly!!

Also things with Elder Lee are going really good. We have been getting along really well, and we are both working hard. He still sleeps in, but I am not going to let that ruin or whole companionship. I also think that going on exchanges often has helped to smooth things over. We really do get along and like to talk as long as we avoid the topic of obedience. I really am learning to love him, and honestly I hope that we stay together for one more transfer.

Well I am just about out of things to say other than I love all y'all. Keep praying for me and being the best you can!

With Love

Elder Ellsworth

Time never seems to slow down!

Holy Cow these weeks are just simply flying away from me! I can't even believe how fast these past 8 weeks with Elder Lee have gone. They have really been good, I have learned a lot about myself, and my personal commitment has really been strengthened! I have really tried recently to simply focus on the things that I can control, and everything that I can't I won't worry about. So I focus on myself, my obedience, my commitment, my study. Then I just rely on the Lord with the faith that his is going to bless me as I strive to be the best I can. At times it has been rough, and I will admit that I have struggled with Elder Lee at times, but I really feel like I am learning to love him. I don't always agree with what he does, and I am not always happy or impressed by him, but I am grateful that Heavenly Father has blessed me with this learning experience! Also I love serving in Loma Rica!! I really have enjoyed my time here, hopefully I have a few more months but who knows!

Not only are things going better with me and Elder Lee, the Lord is pouring out blessings upon us. This week we had a couple miracles that I wanted to tell you guys about. First we had a lesson with William Hill, he has been taught the Restoration and the Plan of Salvation by other missionaries, and this week they handed him off to us! We met with Him, Cindy his Mom, the Marysville Missionaries, and the Greens, at the Green's home, they are fellowshippers. So Cindy has been to every lesson with Will, and she listened intently as Elder Lee, and I taught about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. At the end of the lesson we Elder Thompson invited her to be baptized on February 4th with Will. With tears in her eyes, she said she wanted too, but she was going to pray about it!! It was an awesome experience for me!

Second Miracle. This week we also met with Jason Jorgensen at his home. We went with a member Bro. Pietz, and JJ's mom sat in on the lesson. We found out first of all that she and JJ's two sisters are all members of the Church, and so we ended up at the end of the lesson inviting JJ to be baptized, and he said that he would. So on January 28, Jason will be baptized!

We have also had an amazing week, and it has truly been a testimony to me that as we strive to be obedient the Lord will bless us! He is always just waiting us to do what he has asked, and when we do we will receive the blessing attached to that commandment! I am so grateful to the Lord for the many tender mercies that we have experienced this week. It makes me want to be even better this week!

Also random fact! So one of the Hmong speaking Elders, Elder Talbot, that is in my district went on exchanges this week. We were talking and we found out that he went up to New Fork as a scout. We also discovered that Isaac (my brother) was his troop buddy!! Haha Small world!

I love y'all

Elder Ellsworth

Hello again,

Dearest Family and Friends,

Well I want to apologize for my dismal email last week. I was typing it on a little kindle because the library was closed, and I just got tired of typing on it, so I sent the email! My last few weeks has been nice. We have been working hard for the most part, and I have been trying my best to be Obedient. Actually I have had some amazing experiences, and I am getting into it simply being a habit for me to wake up at 6:30. I have woken up on time for 14 days in a row now. And I have worked out for a majority of them! It has been hard, especially because my companion has gotten up 2 of those days, but I really do feel blessed as I am obedient to the rules. The work has also been picking up lately. We have found some success, so I will tell you about a few of the people we are working with.

Jason is a 14 year old boy, he is a direct descendant of Joseph Smith! Since I am Joseph's first cousin 5 times removed, that makes me and Jason 5th cousins 5 times removed (maybe). He is sweet, two of his best friends are members, and that is where we have been having our lessons, at the Pietz home. They are awesome young family in our ward. With Jason being a descendant of Joseph Smith he knows about the Church a bit. He has been before with his Grandma, and even has his own Quad! He is very receptive, and we are trying to get into his home and meet and teach a lesson to his mother and two sisters.

William is another 14 year old. I have actually never met him, but I have a lesson with him this week! He has been taught by the Marysville Missionaries, and he lives in our ward boundaries, he has a baptism date for February 4th, and I am excited to teach him. We told the Ward Council what we know about him, and actually a bunch of the members, knew who he was! It will be exciting to invite him out to our ward.

Ryan is about 25. He is pretty knowledgeable about the Church, and has studied a couple of Church books. I am not sure how interested he is, but we have a lesson at the church this week as well, so hopefully I will have more to report next week.

Eric is 22. He is married and has a child with an active member in our ward. He is open to what we say, but he doesn't really care to do much about it. He has been taught for almost a year now, but we are still working with him towards baptism. He is an awesome man!

As you can see we are having a lot of success working with young men! I don't know why, but that seems to be most of who I have taught on my mission! I am excited about the work, and I just love to work hard!! I love being beat when I get home for the day! I love hitting the sack, and night always goes way too fast!! I blink and my alarm is calling me out of bed for yet another day.

Well I had better wrap things up! I got places to go, and people to bowl with and play basket ball. Before I leave, I will tell you about my District a little bit. The Wheatland Elders are Elder Newcomb, and Elder Dryer, both awesome hard working Missionaries. The Marysville Elder are Elder Thompson (not my papa), and Elder Simons. We also have the Olivehurst Elders, Elder Moyle, Elder Paramore, and Elder Talbot. They are busy, they have the Hmong people to teach as well as the people in Olivehurst, and also have to do all the Zone Leader stuff! They are busy!

Well I am going to let you guys go now! I love y'all's gutz, and will talk to you next week!

With Love

Elder Ellsworth

P.S. Would you send me a Calendar with pictures of Christ on it? I am stuck with one from the Sikh Temple at the moment!

Wow! 2012!

This year has flown by. Time flies when you are having fun. Well today will be a little short, sorry, next week I will get you a nice long email. I am actually sending this via the Tharps new kindle. So typing stuff is hard for me!!

Well as you can guess transfers have arrived, drum roll please, I will stay in Loma Rica with Elder Lee for six more weeks. Also I will serve as the Marysville District Leader. I am pretty nervous, especially since I am hardly staying sane in my current situation! But I will be going on a bunch of exchanges, so I will get a break.

Well, I am tired of typing on this. Things are good, Elder Lee told me this past week he hoped that one of us would leave. I retaliated and told him the feeling was mutual. Shouldn't have done that! I hope that all is going good at home. Pray for me!!
With love,
Elder Ellsworth

Christmas Eve!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow....

To my Family and Friends:

Well if you were wondering it did not snow this Christmas. It may not have been white, but it was Merry and Bright! It was great to have the Christmas spirit, and the Christmas season for these past few weeks! It is really a blessing that we have to be able to remember our Savior Jesus Christ! It is a little bit of a bummer to be away from all of my family and friends, but I have been taken good care of these past few weeks! I really do feel loved, by my family, by my Father in Heaven, and also by these great members here in California! Thanks for all of the gifts, Christmas Cards, and letters I have received, it helps me to feel loved during this season!

Just so everybody knows, this is actually my Second Christmas on my mission. It is pretty incredible for me to take time, and reflect on this past year of my life. I know that I have never worked so hard, learned so much, and had so much fun in any year before. I am grateful to be able to serve during this time, and to learn so much in the service of God! It has been a journey worth remembering, and I am also grateful to have a whole year to still work hard and serve out here in the California Mission! Not only is it crazy to look back to this past year, but thinking back to two years ago... I was a pretty hard hearted and a stiff necked dude! If you would have told me then that I would be on my mission today, I would have laughed at you! I am grateful that my Heavenly Father has reached out to me, and softened my heart and given me this opportunity to serve. I will praise his name forever! I will never regret this decision to serve!

Well, I guess I will tell you what I have been up to during this Christmas season! Christmas Eve we were still working during the day, we were able to meet a few people, and it was very good. Then that evening ate dinner with the McMartins, they are an awesome and fun family. We did a bunch of activities, sang hymns, and had a family tradition... homemade pizza for dinner! It was a lot of fun, especially since I gambled a little, and brought Elder Lee's and my pajamas to dinner with me, and the off chance that they open up PJ's Christmas Eve as well! It payed off, because it just so happens that they do! We had a lot of fun.

Christmas morning, we opened our presents, ate cinnamon roles for breakfast, and went to church. After Church we went to the Littlefields house next door, to the Littlefields, whom we live in their apartment upstairs, and made the dreaded Christmas call home! It was so nice to talk to my family, and I am grateful for their love and support! We ate dinner with the Bischoff family. They are great, and made us a nice dinner. It was really a great time to serve in Loma Rica!

Well I love y'all, and am so grateful for all you do! Keep working hard and being awesome!

With Love,

Elder Nick Ellsworth

Santa Claus is coming town.....

Dear Family and Friends,

It never ceases to amaze me how fast time flies, especially when you are working hard! It is crazy how much I have loved my time in this service. I am trying my hardest to be the very best that I can. I feel more and more blessed every time I give something up as submit my will to my Father in Heavens. One thing that our mission has been focusing on is having "Perfect Mornings". I have really struggled with this on my mission. A perfect morning consists of waking up at 6:30, working out, starting our studies by 8, and having companionship study by 9. Now it might sound easy but it is very hard. This week that has been my focus and I have felt so blessed for it. Even this simple little sacrifice is enriching my mission experience.

It has been an incredible week as I have strived to work hard. We have found many successes this week, and even found some new people that we are hoping to start teaching on a regular basis soon. The Lord has blessed us so much. I am so grateful for all of the blessings that we receive. I think that this is one of the beauties of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This Gospel is hard, it is not easy to be a member of this Church. Our Heavenly Father asks a lot of us. But for everything that we have to give up he blesses us ten fold. I love the quote from Elder Eyring's talk "We can't give so much as a crust to the Lord, without receiving a loaf in return." Now the blessings we receive should not be our motivation, but it is so nice to be blessed for our obedience. It is funny because as missionaries we have a lot of rules that we are asked to obey. We are very blessed when we obey, and we don't receive the blessings we could have when we choose not to be obedient. Now by obedience we are not promised to have a care free two years. Or Even to have many baptisms, but the Lord blesses us in our work, even when it doesn't seem like we are doing very much or making a difference.

I am so grateful for my strengthened testimony of obedience. It blesses me in every aspect of my life. Even though I am going through a rough time right now on my mission, I can take pride as I know that I am doing my very best to obey the laws of God. But even just in this week, as I have dedicated myself just a little bit more, I have found more happiness, and even a lot more success, and most of all a good feeling that I have done the will of my Father in Heaven. I know that the Lord is always mindful of each of us, and will support us and make our burden seem light, when we give him our effort. When we give him our heart. I am grateful for all the many blessing I have received in my life, and grateful for the Atonement of my Savior Jesus Christ. Because of his sacrifice, I can overcome any trial, and temptation, and any transgression as I rely on his mercy. I love you all, and wish you the best in this Christmas Season! Take time to remember our Savior Jesus Christ!

With Love

Elder Ellsworth