March 28, 2016--Week 33

Hey everyone,

This week has been pretty uneventful, but it's the start of a new transfer. 

This week we learned how to use the bus system in our area because our area now has a random city about 7 miles from our house that we have to bus to, but that area is so much better than what we normally work in. It doesn't have any Koreans, but it has a lot of English speaking people who we can work with there. This week we found a really good potential there. Her name is Tanya and we are meeting with her again tomorrow. Other than that, not too much in order. I sent a lot of pictures, I'm doing well. 

I hope all of you have wonderful weeks!

-Elder Nickerl

Photos:

This is our branch mission leader/2nd counselor in the Branch Presidency and his family. 

They are awesome.

This is the Relief Society President in the branch. She is also awesome.

This is a family in our ward--the only ones in our area.

This was the night before transfers.

This is how we proselyting now... President gave us permission to proselyte in regular clothes... It is so much more effective and so we do it a couple times a week.

We heart attacked a members door.

March 21, 2016--Week 32

Hey everyone,

This has been a super crazy busy week with too much stuff to mention in one email, so I will just keep it to the most important things. First, tomorrow is transfers, I will be staying one more transfer here in the walking area with my new companion Elder Jeon. After that, I’ll probably go English for a little bit. There is a big story behind all that, but it took a super long explanation so if you want it, ask my mom for the email.

Second, we had the best contact of my mission this week. We knocked a random door and the old Korean lady who answered told us she was not interested, but we asked if we could just say a prayer with her to which she agreed and invited us in to kneel down. After we prayed, she gave us water, then fed us a huge meal with a ton of fruit and Korean noodles. Then she gave us kimchi to take home. A LOT of kimchi. Then she gave us about $100 dollars of Korean noodles to take home and another $50 of food. We aren't super sure why, but we were stoked and she was super nice. Here is the food. It doesn't look like much in the picture, but it is a TON.

Also this week, we got permission from President Taggart for the Korean missionaries to contact people in normal clothes, not church clothes. We believe this will truly change things for our area. In all honesty, it sounds like a super bad idea, but if you were here, you would understand. Anyway, with this transfer coming to a close, I am truly grateful for all the help I have had through this transfer via prayers, fasting, and all other things that have made things easier for me. I am grateful for what the Lord is molding me into. I know there is nothing better I could be doing. With general conference coming up, I encourage all of you to go into it with a question in mind that can be answered. If you don't have one, you have two weeks to think. 

With that, I hope you all have a great week!

-Elder Nickerl

P.S.  (From Angela: Here is part of Elder Nickerl’s email that he sent to me earlier explaining what he is referencing in the first paragraph of this email): 

So a few days ago I called President to ask a few questions and we got into talking about the Korean area and what would make it effective. President and I came to the conclusion that this area needed a reformatting and so he asked me to talk with all the Korean Elders to get their opinions and ideas. The thing is about the Korean walking area, is we have no way to work with members without a car and we have no members in the walking area (for English or Korean).  We came up with a few solutions and gave them to President. Our solutions will not take place until next transfer, but President is going to pray about what is the best solution for this area. With either solution, there will only be one Korean companionship in the area. So with that it mind, President told me that because there are currently 8 Korean speaking missionaries, two things could happen, he would either pick 4 of us, and have us be Korean missionaries, or we would all stay Korean speaking missionaries, but none of us would end up learning Korean very well (which would be ineffective). He thoughts were that myself, Elder Jeon, and Elder Trask, and the new incoming missionary will be the 4 Koreans here and he will cycle us out over the next two years and that the others will just become English missionaries. 

And so with all of that, this transfer, I am still in the walking area. I am with Elder Jeon. I like him. He is a great missionary. Elder Trask is training the brand new Korean, and we are making huge changes in our apartment to make it a better place for a new missionary to come in. It will be a lot more focused all around and we are going to get on each other about the little things that are holding us back from exact obedience. It's going to be clean, no more speaking low form to each other, everyone works out every day. Things like that. 

March 14, 2016--Week 31

Hey everyone,

I hope you all had a great week! It was alright here, except for all of our investigators dropped us, so now we aren't teaching anyone. And both the people who were getting baptized are not, but other than that it's been awesome. We have a clean apartment as of today and this Thursday we get to go to the temple as a zone and so that should be really awesome. I am really excited about the temple even though we don't have much going on the rest of the week, but I know that any week with the temple can be a good one. Also after a pretty hard week, for the first time, I am glad it is P-Day and I can relax and rest and just not worry about anything else. 

Yesterday at church I think the funniest thing that has happened to me on my mission happened. Well at first it was funny and then it turned cool. So the other Korean elders had a baptism this week in the English ward, and so they couldn't go to the Korean Sacrament meeting and my companion Elder Kim was giving a talk. There was a lady from the stake who needed translation. President Song asked me to translate for her into English during the talks. That's when I laughed. I'm not sure why he thought I knew enough Korean to translate even a little bit for anyone, but I had to anyway. So after having a panic attack and assuring him that I was not able to do it, he ignored my comment and said, “Thanks I knew you would do it.” So I had to anyway... and the most amazing thing happened. To start you have to understand that I do not understand more than 25% of what is said in typical Sacrament meetings and even that is when I am trying really hard. But when I translated for her, I did not understand everything, but I think I probably understood about 70% and enough to tell her the point of each talk. I thought that it was an amazing miracle and blessing that God made that possible. I know miracles are real, because that was one. And it was super cool.

I am also thankful for the Savior Jesus Christ because without him, none of anything we do would be possible. Everything Jesus Christ did, was a miracle for those people that he affected (which happens to be every one of us). I am thankful for his never-ending love which allows us through trial and error, to learn, grow, and become better people, but still allows us the opportunity to live forever with our families in Heaven. I love this Gospel and the sweet peace and joy that it brings. I love sharing it with others and I know that this is the best choice I made in my life to come and serve the people here in New Jersey.

I hope you all have a great week!

-Elder Nickerl

We helped some awesome senior missionaries move.

This is what happens when you can't communicate with your hair cutting lady. I asked for an "American style" haircut with it short on the sides and long on top...

March 7, 2016--Week 30

Hey everyone,

This has been a fantastic week mostly, but slightly discouraging. The beginning of this week I was having a really hard time. We have been working incredibly hard all transfer (the last 4ish weeks) to find and teach someone who is ready to be baptized. But we have not had any success and we have been getting hundreds of doors slammed in our face day after day. After a while it really does wear on you. Not to mention, my last district meeting went so bad that I felt like a total failure in pretty much all areas of missionary work I have been assigned to. My Korean has been suffering under increased stress and lack of time or energy to put into adequate studies. And I am in a position I can not immerse myself in the language as my companion needs to learn English too. So needless to say, this week in the beginning was very hard for me. I actually called the zone leaders and ranted about how nothing I do ever brings about any good and how I was unable to see any good from what I have been doing. Then they gave me their two cents and gave me the idea to just stop thinking about, talking about, or believing anything that wasn't all positive and to change my perspective and look only for the good. I figured I would try it and just see what happens. So Tuesday, I didn't say or think much. And Wednesday too. Then Thursday, I was about to give up, but I learned a lesson I needed. The Lord does not test us above that which we are able. As I was about to turn around and give up, I was lifted up and the Lord took my burdens away. That day, on Thursday, Elder Kim and I met with a man named Christopher and a different time we met a man named Richard and were able to have really great lessons in which they both expressed that they wanted to be baptized. 

I truly believe that this is a miracle. If anyone knew them, they would understand that this is truly no coincidence. I am convinced that the Lord gives us trials to the very extent at which we can no longer bear them in order for us to learn to trust in his will better. As my faith was tested, and as I was about to turn back, I was delivered from my trials. After that, this week we have continued to find success after success and I am truly thankful for the tender mercies of the Lord. I love this Gospel! I'm thankful for the opportunity to share it because I know that it is true and through it we can be so much happier than any other way. 

If you could pray for me and my ability to manage my time, energy, and stress better in order to be able to study Korean harder, I would be truly grateful. I am really struggling to be able to deal with my inadequacy to communicate with a people that I love, and want to share the Gospel with, but am currently not able to do so well. On Sunday, in fast and testimony meeting, I got up to bear my testimony in Korean and I can honestly say it was the most humbling experience I have had thus far with the language. I knew I needed to communicate something to the members, but I was incapable of doing so. This is very, very frustrating to me and I really need to be able to do so. I believe in the power of prayer and I would appreciate any prayers in that area. 

I love you all, I hope you have a great week!
--Elder Nickerl

Some random Russian guy who we knocked into his house let us in and gave us roses. Then kicked us out. Not to sure what inspired him to give us flowers, but it was a blessing and it made our night.

Mom, I am so glad that I learned how to cook from you before the mission... I can eat real food and that is a blessing.

February 29, 2016--Week 29

Hey everyone, hope everything is going well for all of you! 

Things are going pretty well here, we found a couple people last week, but only one of them is looking even remotely interested, so the finding continues. Elder Kim and I are both working on improving our contacting skill. If we are doing it for several hours a day, and most people are going to slam the door no matter what we say, then we might as well get better at practicing new things and at getting bold. We have made a decision that we will never walk away from a door, until they have closed it on us. By doing this, we guarantee to ourselves that we were bold enough. Yeah it's obnoxious to all those people, but to me if it means finding someone and watching them change their life, then I don't care how many people I annoyed. 

Elder Kim and I just starting working with a couple who are super nice. Sister Vanderlinden is a recent Jewish convert, and Luke is some religion from India, but I don't know the name. They are super awesome people and we have loved working with them. We are meeting with the today and we will see how it goes.

Yesterday I gave my third talk in the English ward here in 5 months and I gave my talk on the Book of Mormon and how it relates to the bible. I testify that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that through it's reading and study, we can grow so much closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ. I love the Book of Mormon. It truly is a miracle that we have it today to hold in our hands, to read and study the message in it. I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Elder Jacob Nickerl

P.S. Here is a photo of a few of the Korean kids in the branch. They all wanted to download Minecraft on my iPad... But yeah I love Korean kids. They are the best.

February 22, 2016--Week 28

Hey everyone,

Sorry about the lack of weekly emails recently. I have been really busy on P-Days and haven't been able to send one. I'm hope you are all doing well.

Here in New Jersey things are pretty slow. Elder Kim and I have been focusing almost all of our effort on Korean and as such we have had a lot more contacting time. But we are confident there are people here who are ready. Also the members have begun to bring their friends to activities and we are really excited about that because through the members we will find a lot more success. We aren't really teaching anyone who is super progressing right now, but we are looking to be able to find them soon. I feel that my Korean language ability is not moving anywhere quickly. I can't really see rapid improvement or anything, but to be honest I haven't really had the time or mental energy to put a ton of effort into language study. The stresses from added responsibilities this transfer are beginning to set in and hopefully I can put more energy into Korean.

The only really exciting thing that happened this week was on Tuesday at district meeting President and Sister Taggart came randomly to my district meeting (not for my birthday) and so that put a lot of extra stress on the meeting (I would not have chosen to have that happen).

In studies this week I came across this quote from President Taylor, “Come, follow me, as I follow Christ.” This simple statement embodies so much of what we are striving to do here on this Earth. If we are not ourselves striving to follow Christ, we can in no way, invite others to do the same. The best way to teach or lead anyone is to show by example and invite them to do ghe same themselves. This church is true, because Jesus Christ is at the head. He is our example, and he is who we strive to follow. As we do so, we invite others to do the same. I'm so thankful for the example of our perfect older brother, Jesus Christ and for all that he taught, teaches, and will continue to teach.

I hope you all have a great week and that things are going well for you all!

-Elder Nickerl

February 1, 2016--Week 25

Hey everyone,

We have some big changes after this week. Transfers are going on today/tomorrow. Elder Koo is leaving and my new companion will be Elder Kim. Elder Kim came out at the same time as me, and he is in the English program learning English. His English is similar to my Korean, maybe a little better, so there may be some communication barriers at first, but it will be good for both of our language practice. He has been in my zone for the whole time I have been out, is an awesome guy, and I'm excited to be with him. I'm a little bummed to have Elder Koo leave, because we are just starting to really work together well. President did tell me this was just going to be a short temporary companionship with Elder Kim, because he needs to go back to the English program and because next transfer another native Korean is coming to NJ and President made it sound like I would be training him. Looks like I’ll be in the walking area for the rest of the winter. :/ I'm super excited though. 

Outside transfers, not much is happening, we found a few new solid investigators and are looking at some good progress for the area. To all of you who have been praying for me, I truly can feel it and I testify that I can not do it all on my own and I feel and am thankful for the prayers. I know that many times the Lord works in his own way to help build us as people, right as we begin to become comfortable, we are faced with a new challenge that helps build us as people. I'm thankful for change even though it can be hard, I know it builds us as people and helps us grow closer to God. I know this church is true! 

I love you all, if I can do anything for you, let me know. If not, have a great week! 

-Elder Nickerl

P.S.  Here is Elder Kim, my new companion, this is from exchanges a little bit ago.