Christmas In The MTC

Hello Everyone!

Six weeks. Wow. I can't believe it! We had a district leave this week, and now my distirct is the oldest one in our zone. What happened? Where has time gone? I'm not so sure. :) But it's good to be so close to leaving for Chile. ;) It'll be great! My Spanish...haha!...isn't that great. I am probably the slowest one in my district. But...you know what? I have no problem with that! When I got here, I knew nothing, so...I'm making progress. And I have faith. I'll struggle when I get to Chile, but I'll get the language eventually. Only if I rely on the Lord for help, though!

Christmas in the MTC was great. We had a Christmas Eve fireside, and it was a lot of fun! We sang the "Twelve Days Of Christmas (MTC Edition)", and THAT was a gem to behold. It was the coolest! Afterwards, they let us go back to our rooms early; it was good. :)

Christmas Day was amazing. We woke up and opened presents as a district (we had a little tree in my room), and that was awesome. We did a little Secret Santa, and I got a scripture case for my El Libro de Mormon and my Santa Biblia from my good friend Elder Hardisty. :) It was great.

After opening gifts, we had a Christmas Morning Devotional. L. Tom Perry came and spoke to us, and it was the best! Even better...He stayed at the MTC and ate lunch with us in the MTC cafeteria!! It was pretty crazy seeing him in the Cafeteria just sitting with a bunch of missionaries eating. I wasn't able to talk to him or anything, but...wow! Being THAT close to an Apostle of the Lord! It was truly an amazing thing. :)

The rest of Christmas day was pretty much free time. We were told to just reflect on what Christmas was all about; and we were encouraged to write our families. So I did that before going to the Christmas Talent Show, which was great! There were a lot of good performances by the missionaries who tried out; I loved it. Especially since the MTC Presidency's Wives made a bag of popcorn for EVERY missionary in the Mtc to eat during the show. it was great.

we ended out christmas day with a fireside. greg olsen came and spoke to us. he is an lds artist, and his work is beautiful. i reccomend everyone to check it out. :)

oh yeah. mom, thank you for the package. it's the best. :)

(this computer is really bugging me because the shift key isn't working for some reason...lo siento.)

just so luke, logan, and timmy know...we have blueberry muffin tops at the mtc. they would absolutely love the amount of cereal we have here. :) haha.

on sunday, we had a great district meeting. we all went around and told each other our stories and bore testimony. everyone in my district is so strong, and their stories blew my mind. i haven't been through anything compared to some of these elders. the spirit was so strong, and it was amazing. i, of course, shared mine and tara's story again, and then bore powerful testimony of our savior. it was great. :)

we had a funny moment in the rc. we were making calls in spanish for the first time, and i said, "puedo hablar con juan?" (can i speak with john?) and his daughter says, "he's not here right now." haha. and i continued talking in english. our district was laughing hard, because i was so ready to talk in spanish, but she changed languages on me. :)

well, i have less than two minutes left. i must go. :( i love you all, and i hope everyone had a great christmas. update me with everything going on at home, por favor.

with love,

elder nelson iv

helaman 5:12

P.S.

I forgot to say a little something! Luke and Brent...Happy Birthday!!!! :)

Haha. Sorry I forgot! My good friend Elder Erwin let me borrow his minutes to send this, though, so...thank him. ;) Haha.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Mi Familia y Amigos,

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

My heart isn't only full this week. My heart grew; and then my heart was filled again. Week by week, I am molded into the missionary my Heavenly Father wants me to be.

I've come along way. To be honest, I was so insecure when I got here that I actually questioned myself and my faith. I didn't think I could leave the world behind! However, I've transformed the last five weeks, and the difference is...amazing. When it is all said and done, I will never be the same person that I was before I came here. No doubt in my mind.

I just heard from Brent that BYU won last night. That makes me happy! How did you like the game, Luke? I am glad you went in my place to cheer for the Cougars! :)

My time is short. My mission president wants my family to send me letters in Chile starting next week so that I will have letters to read when I get there. BUT...you should still send me letters to the MTC. :) Haha. Here is my Chile address:

{check facebook}

Oh yeah! Dad, I got the stocking and the goodies from DearElder.com. Thanks alot! It gives me something to look forward to on Christmas. :)

The Lord answers prayers! The last few days have been really tough because our teachers left, and one of the subs is pretty sticted! Haha. And it was a big change, and Monday was going to be hard for me. But Sunday night, I prayed that I might be strengthened and comforted on Monday to help me get through the day. I got EIGHT letters on Monday from family and friends; I can't think of any other way to be comforted. Monday was a piece of cake. :)

I was in the RC the other day, and we were doing our usual routine of making calls and trying to get referrals and what not. Well, it was the greatest! I called a lady in Hernando, MS, and she didn't sound too happy at first when she picked up the phone. Haha. I told her that I used to live in Southaven, and she got a whole lot more happy. I asked her if she would meet with the missionaries, and...she said she would! And then she told me that she would spread the word as well. Haha. It was sweet! So I hope she meets with the missionaries soon, and I hope something good comes from my phone call. :)

Christ is our Savior! Elder Applegate and I were teaching in the TRC (where we get to teach real people), and while I was teaching about the Atonement, I could feel the Spirit everywhere in my body! Not only the burning in the bosom; rather, a burning in the everywhere! It was such a powerful feeling. I've learned a whole lot about our Savior since coming here; He lives! And through Him, we can return to our Heavenly Father again. There is no other way; none of us are worthy to enter His pressence without our Savior's help. None of us are perfect without Him!

Elder Andersen came last night, and gave a very powerful talk about the condencension (can't spell it) of God. It was awesome!! And all his grandchildren sand us a Christmas medly. It reminded me of home. :)

Well, I am out of time! Lo siento!! I love you all. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Yours Truly,
Elder Nelson IV
D&C 103:36

One Month!

Dear All,

Just when I thought this place couldn't get any better...it does. Our Heavenly Father has blessed us with three gifts: His Son, The Holy Ghost, and Eternal Life. Three powerful gifts. My heart is full this Christmas season.

It's already been four weeks. Wow. It seems like it's been much, much longer than that, though. It's just crazy! Thank you everyone for the letters this last week. Scott sent me my SD card, and it was great to have my pictures back. ;) Haha.

I only have 17 more minutes so I will make this fast!

I am excited for Christmas. I got a Twelve Days package from Brent's family--from Baby Brighton and Baby Seth. I love it! Today I opened up the "Connect Four" game for the 4th day! It's great!! I love it. Thank you Brighton and Seth! Uncle Ben loves and misses you.

Last week I got a haircut. My hair looks better now. Haha.

Mom and Grandpa Brunner and Company! Thanks again for the cookies and cinnamon rolls. They were the best. :)

This last week was a week of growth. Elder Applegate and I really noticed that our companionship was really lacking--we weren't exactly doing things the way we should. And so we made some changes, and we went to the TRC to teach a lesson on Saturday, and the Spirit was so strong!! Words would just come out of my mouth; words that I wasn't planning on saying. The Spirit is SO important in this work; The Spirit does the converting! And the guy we taught felt the Spirit and loved our lesson. As we came out of the TRC, my heart was so full. I was so excited, and I just had this urge to go to Chile and convert thousands!!! Saturday night was one to remember!

But Monday was the complete opposite. Monday wasn't a good day. Our district got really frustrated because we were pretty much told that we haven't been doing things the right way the last four weeks! HAHA. And so...We took that as a "Hey, you Elders haven't learned anything since you got here." And so a lot of us were really frustrated, and the Spirit wasn't with us. However, Hermano Cragun came that night to teach us, and the Spirit came back--he told us we were doing great, and he told us what we can do to do better--and the day just ended on such a good note.

And then Tuesday (yesterday) was excellent! We were suppose to SYL (Speak Your Language) all day, but it just didn't work out. Especially when Elder Boyd and I were cleaning toliets. He and I don't know any Spanish bathroom words yet, and it was tough to communicate while cleaning toliets. HAHA. However, we will try again on Thursday!

Last night we heard from Elder Maynes from the Seventy, along with his wife Sister Maynes. Sister Maynes is a convert, and she was introduced to the Gospel via her husband, who also baptized her! It was a cool story. And then Elder Maynes gave us steps on how to make our missiona celestial mission. It was a great talk!

Again, I am excited for Christmas! Brent wrote me and said that he hopes I don't get too homesick during Christmas. And yeah--it's true--I'd like to be there at home for Christmas, but...I'd rather be here in the MTC right now. This experience is the greatest Christmas present I've ever received. This Christmas is going to be special--just like this Thanksgiving was.

Haha. So Elder Fanene and I have gained a few pounds since getting here, so we are both now on a soup/salad/other healthy stuff diet. My district doesn't believe I can do it, but I will prove them wrong. I've already done it two whole days! I've resisted all chicken as well. ;)

Oh yeah! I memorized the first vision in Spanish. It's weird. I am not sure how it happened. One day I woke up, looked at it, and realized that I could say it without looking at it. My district was really surprised. As was I!

Remember: Every member a missionary!

We heard from the BYU's Men choir on Sunday. It was the best!! Great. Christmas. Concert.

I love you all. I know that this Gospel is true. Trust in the Lord, and remember that if you do so...He will direct your paths! We are all blessed to have this Gospel knowledge in our lives. Thank you again, everyone, and Merry Christmas!!

With Love,
Elder Nelson IV
Proverbs 3:5-6

A Full Heart

Dear All,

My heart is full. Hermano Shulca told us a story of when one of the general authorities came here (can't remember which one) and mentioned that this place was guarded by angels, and that he saw them as he was driving in. I would be lying if I said I saw any angels; however, I have felt their presence, and I can testify that it is true. This last week was unbelieveable; I am not the same.

I want to share a quick story from the weekend. It starts on Friday when I wasn't feeling really good. Because I wasn't feeling good, my good friend Elder Hawkes and I were permitted to leave MTC campus to go to the Urgent Care down the street. I had a really bad cold, and they just gave me a perscription for musinex. I thought I would recover easily, and it would all be good.

This was the worst cold of my life! On Saturday, I was pretty much in bed all day. :) It got worse and worse, and I will admit that I really, really just wanted to go home so that Luke, Timmy, and Logan could nurse me back to health! :) However, I took the proper medications and what not, and I got better before Sunday.

Sunday was awesome!! It was our first fast Sunday here in the MTC. (It's crazy to think that it's already been three weeks! At the same time, it's felt like a year or two already. Wow.) Anyways...It was great. The Spirit was very powerful. We had a two hour mission conference in the morning, and it really reminded me of the Stake Conferences back at home. :) And then we got to watch the Christmas Devotional. Wow. I hope everyone had a chance to watch it! I LOVED the Tabernacles Music.

For the first time (beginning on Sunday), I was REALLY happy and really excited to be here. After getting through that sickness and relying on the Lord more fully, I literally went through a change over night. I realized that it's true...."Not MY will, but THINE be done." Again, this work isn't about me! It's about opening the doors of the Celestial Kingdom to the people of Chile! (Wow. I got a little teary-eyed right there.)

I want to thank every one for all the DearElders and the letters. I will be writing everyone back soon! Grandpa Brunner, thanks for the cookies! They were great. :) Aunt Lori and Uncle Tim...I will write you back, but...to answer your question...I like all cookies! ;) Haha.

Dad, thanks for sending me Elder Brunner's e-mails and Sister Loyd's e-mails. I love it. It's great to hear from everyone! I also heard from Elder Berry! It is especially great to hear from him and Elder Brunner because I am right behind them in the work, and they are great examples. :)

Logan told me the Scotts were moving? I can't believe it!

I was wondering if I could get Brother Larsen's address? Brother Larsen went to Vina del Mar, and I think it'd be cool if I could go find some of the people he taught and what not. See how they are doing and what not. :)

Oh yeah! Last week...I forgot to say this: A)I'm glad BYU beat Utah and B)Scott actually had my SD card. We uploaded some pictures before he dropped me off, and I left it there. Oops! Haha. It made me laugh. But speaking of which....Dad! I got the SD cards on Monday. Thank you so much!

Great fact: The Spanish LDS Bible didn't come out until THIS year. I am very lucky and grateful to be here and to have the brand new LDS Spanish Bible. I think it's crazy that it's brand new! Wow.

Last night, we heard from Elder Costa, the president of the Seventy. He is from Brazil, and he was HILARIOUS. He shared his conversion story, and it was AWESOME. He didn't speak English, yet the Spirit was SO strong. And I know it'll be the same for me in Chile; my Spanish won't be perfect! In fact, it'll be far from it. :) But...I am preparing to teach by the Spirit; I am not on my mission to learn Spanish! I am on my mission to teach by the Spirit. And last night proved to us that we don't need to be perfect in the language for the people to feel the Spirit. :)

I challenge everyone to read the Psalm of Nephi. 2 Nephi 4:15-36, I think it is. It is a beautiful thing!

I know this Gospel is true. JesuCrist es mi Salvador! I love you all; again, be sure to take advantage of DearElder.com while I am in the MTC. :) I love you guys, and hope to hear from everyone more this week!!

With Love,
Elder Nelson
Helaman 5:12

Thanksgiving And All Sorts Of Stuff! :)

Dear All,

"Tough times don't last; tough people do." This is a quote that Elder Fanene shared with our district a few days ago. It is so true!!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving here in the MTC was unbelieveable!! Jeffrey R. Holland came and spoke to us, and it was awesome!! I've never seen anything so powerful. As for the food...It was very delicious, and it was just such a good day!

The Spanish is coming along pretty good. My favorite thing to do is sing Spanish Hymns! :) Haha. It's awesome! I love it.

We watched the Joseph Smith movie the other day. Wow. I've seen it a bunch of times, but I've never been so moved by that movie. I know that Joseph Smith had EVERYONE (including our generation) in mind when he fought through all that persecution. In a sense, Joseph Smith was doing a TON a missionary work by living through that. And so why should I complain about the MTC (THE MTC!) being hard? My heart is full.

My new motto: work hard, BE OBEDIENT, and have fun. Obedience with willingness and exactness! I decided that I will only write letters on P-days like I am supposed to. I used to write at night before I went to bed, rather than write in my journal. But I am working on being more obedient. It's the most important thing.

I now understand why missionaries act/feel the way they do when they get home. I don't mean it to sound rude or anything--I am sure everyone understands--but...I am already forgetting what Henderson was like! And it's only been two weeks. ;) I can't imagine what it'll be like in two years. I now understand the "getting lost in the work." It'll only hit me harder as I get to Chile, too.

I decided to start a "Quote Book" for my district. For all our funny moments and what not. They love it! Every time someone says something funny, an Elder will say, "Elder Nelson! Quote Book, Quote Book!" Haha. I love it.

Elder Hardisty got the swine flu and has to stay locked up in quarentine for SIX days. Wow. However, we were able to talk to him on the computer via "Virtual Classroom" for a few minutes yesterday. It was awesome! Haha. JoAnn and Mom, no worries! I have been protecting myself from the flu. :)

Last night, we heard from the President of the Primary, Sister Lant. She was awesome! She compared us missionaries to the 2,000 stripling warriors! It was a great talk. We also got to sing "Called to Serve" AND "We'll Bring The World His Truth." THAT was awesome. The best part about "We'll Bring The World His Truth" is that they change "will be the Lord's missionaries" to "are now the Lord's missionaries." It's so powerful!

Also at the devotional last night, we sat next to some ASL missionaries. WOW. They are awesome! Going out to preach the Gospel in sign language....Man! THEY are the elite of all of us missionaries. I've never seen any missionaries so happy and excited in my life. They are going to serve the Lord very well; I know it, I could feel it.

I ran into Elder Neil Espinoza from Orchard Valley Ward the other day! The greatest! Please add him to the list, Dad: elder.espinoza@myldsmail.net :)

Dad, could you also find out what President Walker's e-mail address is and send him my e-mails? He wants to hear from me. Also, I was wondering if I could get Sister Lamb's address. Along with Sister Mann's (our neighbor) and the Black's? Whoever is willing to mail those to me...It'd be greatly appreciated. :)

Every Tuesday we do a service project here. We get to clean our residence halls!! The greatest! Elder Boyd and I do toliets every week. It's AWESOME. Haha! I've never been so excited to clean toliets in my life. ;)

The Gift of Tongues is real. It blows my mind to realize how much Spanish I have learned since two weeks ago. Wow. And I can even pray in Spanish now. Unbelieveable!

HAHA. Timmy, share this scripture with Levi and Skyler. Proverbs 28:25. THIS is why I am so fat; no because we went to Taco Bell all the time. :) HAHA.

Keep praying for me. I know you guys do, along with the 133 temples out there who pray for us NONSTOP. It's amazing how many people pray for the missionaries. It's awesome. :)

I love you all, and I miss you all. But this is my home for now--like I've said before--and I am so happy to be here. It's crazy to think that I am technically already in my third week. :) I hope everyone enjoys the holidays! Update me on how everything is going. :)

Yours Truly,
Elder Nelson
D&C 103:36

P.S.
dearelder.com is a GREAT site to use to write me in the MTC. Use it. :)