Earthquake

Dear All,

Emergency e-mail here. Elder Birchall and I have been trying to call home for the last three hours, but we couldnt find a international call center. Darn. :/

We are okay! I woke up to the earthquake around 3:30, and it was pretty bad. It lasted at least a minute. At first, I thought Elder Birchall was having a seizure! (He sleeps on the top bunk.) And wow...the sound of all the barking dogs afterward. Crazy!

My prayers go out to the people of Concepciòn and Santiago. And thank you all for the prayers.

The Lord continues to bless me here. I am very fortunate to be safe and sound. I love you all, and I will e-mail Monday!

Con Amor,
Elder Nelson IV

El Bautismo De La Familia Araya: El Mejor Sentimiento

Dear All,

First, I want to thank everyone who e-mailed me this week. I opened up my inbox and found a ton of e-mails, and it was good to get updates from everyone. Thanks a ton! :)

Yesterday...wow. It was a special day for me. It´s up there with May 9, 2009. Just like with Tara's baptism, the Spirit was very strong. You could just feel how proud Heavenly Father was for the Araya family. It was amazing! I am so happy to be here to work with people like them. It was just a great first baptism here in Chilè, and I feel very blessed to be here.

Our activity on Saturday was also a powerful, spiritual activity. The Mission President was in town for our conference earlier that day, and he surprised us by attending! It was definitely a surprise, too, because he told us he probably wouldn't be able to make it. Haha. But yeah--it was really good! Elder Birchall played some beautiful music, and I shared a scripture and bore testimony of our Savior and His Atonement. President Gillespie even shared a few thoughts! It was awesome. However, we we bummed by the lack of investigators. :/ But the work goes on!

I am amazed by how fast time goes here in the mission. It feels like one week here is one day back home. It feels just like yesterday that I was here writing last week´s e-mail. Wow. I was talking to my good friend Elder Briones, and I was telling him how much I liked Chilè, and how I wished time could even slow down a little bit. I can`t believe this is the last week of our change/transfer. I hope Birchall and I stay together, but he thinks one of the APs hinted that he was heading down south. :/ If anything, I hope to stay here. I love La Sarena. It´s way sweet!

Well, I have some good news: We have another baptism this week with Duban, and we are looking forward to that. Also, I was fed five completos on Thursday and three on Friday. :) I love those things...

Bad news: Elder Boyd's backpack got stolen, along with his camera and scriptures and what not. So...I will probably give him his scriptures back. Leaving me with...no scriptures! Haha. I'll have to figure that one out soon. It's hard to be a missionary without scriptures. :)

We had a scary/funny moment on Thursday. Haha. Elder Birchall and I were walking up this pretty steep road, and when we got to the top. This drunk guy (riding a bike) slams on his breaks, and tries to shake Elder Birchall's hand; Elder Birchall just kept walking. HAHA. I decided to give him a handshake, and it was probably the worst mistake I've made since arriving in Chilè. The guy wouldn`t let go! And he was trying to pull me toward him, while I was trying to pull away. HAHA. He said something to me, but I was to scared to even realize what he had said. And by this time, Elder Birchall was already like...ten feet away, thinking I was just right behind him. But when he noticed that I wasn`t behind him, he turned around, and you should have seen the look on his face! I was able to get away, but Elder Birchall looked so worried, and later told me that he was ready to go over and drop kick the guy. Haha. He also explained to me that the guy wanted me to talk to him about God and Jesus. But yeah--the lesson: Don`t shake drunk guys hands.

Well, I believe this is all I have to say for now. Again, I miss you all, but it´s been great here in Chilè. I still have a lot to work on, but I know that the Lord will help me as long as if I am diligent, obedient, and faithful. I'm not too worried. :) I`ve already changed so much in only three months. I know Heavenly Father is molding me into the missionary he needs me to be. The mission benefits me, but it`s not why I am here. I am here to benefit others by sharing with them something that has changed my life.

I love you all, and I look forward to hearing from y'all soon.

Yours Truly,

Elder Nelson IV

P.S.

Let me explain these pics. The baptism ones are obvious. :) The others are from this morning. I needed a last minute haircut before leaving our apartment, so Elder Birchall gave me one. HAHA. And it looks pretty good. He's a pro.

There is one of me in the back of a truck, too. That was our ride home from church yesterday. HAHA. It was fun.

The other pictures are from lunch a few hours ago. Elder Birchall tricked Elder Boyd into getting pig stomach. HAHA!! And he hated it. Hahaha. Enjoy!

Casí Terminado Con El Primer Cambio

Mi Querido Familia y Amigos,

¡Vamos a vivir en un castillo! Well, we were. :/ We ALMOST got the castle, and we were going to move in this week. But we got a call from Elder Owen this morning saying that the lady called and said she is in debt, and that she can´t rent the house right now. The worst!! So...Elder Birchall and I continue our search for a new house. :)

It´s going to be an exciting week here for us and for the Brillador ward. On Saturday, we have an area conference, and then on Saturday night, we are having a ward activity. It´s going to be a concert (entitled Venid A Cristo)--starring my companion Elder Birchall! He is way good at playing Piano, and he is going to play four songs. We are going to have a slideshow of Christ during one of the songs, and then we are going to have scriptures read in between songs, along with testimonies. It´s going to be sweet! Especially when Juan Carlos bears his testimony because he is getting baptized the next day. :)

Speaking of which...we are super excited for the baptism! I am so pumped. Carlos (the 15 year old son) wants me to baptize him! THE GREATEST! I am way excited. :) I have been working on memorizing his name (they have some long names here in Chilé). I am not too worried about the baptism prayer, though. It´s just like English, but...it´s in Spanish (duh).

This last week was awesome. Elder Briones had his 19 birthday, and we had a little party (see pictures). It was great. We had completos again, and I enjoyed it. :)

Elder Lopez (one of the Elders who lived with me) went home yesterday, and it was sad. I wish I could have gotten to know him a little more. He is from Bolivia, and he was a way good missionary. His English was pretty good, too. (We taught him a lot the last four weeks. Haha.)

I went out interchanges with Elder Wallentine (Elder Boyd´s trainer; my district leader) on Saturday, and we had a blast together. He would be a sweet companion! He said I speak Spanish really well (HAHA), and I later read in his journal (on accident!!), and he said he was really surprised by how much I knew for only being here for four weeks. Haha. He is also pretty convinced that I will be in the mission office before long. (He was there for 7 months before coming here to La Sarena.) Haha. But yeah--we had a good time, and we taught a lot of people. It was sweet.

Yesterday we had another funny moment at lunch after dinner. This little girl was saying that she couldn´t understand my Spanish the first time we had ate there (my third or fourth day), and I thought it was pretty funny. But when we shared a little spiritual thought before leaving, I bore testimony of our Savior, and when I was done, she said, "Ohhhh, ahora le entendo!" HAHA. (In English: "Oh, now I understand you!¨) So that was a pretty good confidence booster that my Spanish is actually getting better. Haha.

Well, again, here are a few pictures for your entertainment. I love you all, and I hope to hear from yáll soon. Because I don´t hear from some of all quite enough as I should. ;)

Con Amor,

Elder Nelson IV

2 Nephi 4

P.S.

Wow. It´s almost been a month since I got here. And the change is almost over. Weird. I can´t believe how fast time flies here!

Fijando Una Fecha

Dear All,

I was thinking about Tara´s Story this morning, and wow! It´s already been a whole year since she started getting taught by Elder Doubleday. Wow. Time flies!

I also want to wish every one who had and who will have a birthday this month a happy birthday! JoAnn, Shayla, Cynthia, etc. :) Happy B-Day!

This last week was good. Every week gets better and better. I am faced with new challenges every day, but these challenges are necessary to be molded into the missionary that Heavenly Father needs me to be. I´ve been very diligent. And I am doing my best to turn all my fear into more faith. :)

Yesterday, I had the oppurtunity to set a baptismal date with one of our investigators, Duban. He is like a Chilean version of Dalton! Haha. He is twelve, and is excited to be baptized on February 27. :) But yeah--it was great to set that date. We now have five investigators with baptismal dates!

Speaking of which, The Familia Araya is doing great. Man, I wish all of you could meet this awesome family. They make me feel at home! Hermana Yazmin makes me home-made bananna milk every time I go there now. HAHA. The first time she made it, I drank it and said, "Mmmm. ¡Me Gusta!" And she thought it was pretty funny. So yeah, la familia Araya loves to tease me about the bananna milk, but hey--they make it for me, and it´s delicious! :) I am super excited for their baptism on February 21.

I also had my first completo a few days ago. (See the pictures.) Wow. They are 20 times better than the hot dogs we have in America. They are just like a hot dog, but the bun is a little bigger. First, you put tomatos on top, and then you put on the guacomole. And then you put on mayo, mustard, and some hot sauce to top it off. And WOW. They are so good! Brent would love them, I bet!

We had some funny moments this weekend. On Saturday, we did intercambios (exchanges), and I was with Elder Bales, one of our zone leaders. After lunch we went back to the pension (our apartment) and started our fast. However, at our next appointment, the people gave us some soda. I was a little intimidated by my zone leader, and I didn´t want to say anything to him. I thought maybe we could drink because it is so hot here or something. So yeah--he drank, but I didn´t. Haha. After the lesson, they offered us a snack. Elder Bales accepted, and then I finally said, "Fasting?" HAHA. He said, "Why didn´t you say anything!?" And yeah--he forgot, and every one else in my apartment forgot, too. So I was the only one who fasted, and everyone else started their fast after lunch yesterday.

The best part was...yesterday, I got offered the following, while my companion couldn´t have any of it: a whole BAG of grapes, chocolate ice cream, half a watermelon, some soda, some more ice cream, and some more soda. HAHA. I was about to explode, because--wow--it was so much junk. But it was fun to eat it and watch Elder Birchall suffer. ;)

When Elder Birchall and I reunited Saturday night after intercambios, he told me: "I found a house!" (Like I said before, he and I are looking for a place to stay that is actually in our ward and what not.) I said, "Really? Let me see it!" (We always take pictures of them to send them to the office to get them approved.) And, well, he showed me the picture (it is attached to this e-mail; check it out), and I was laughing so hard! I am pretty convinced we will get the house and be legends in the mission because of it. :)

The other pictures are: me and Elder Briones, me with the sunset, and I think that´s it. But yeah--enjoy the pictures! :)

All is well here. :) I am honored to be here to preach the Gospel to these people. It´s hard, but it´s possible. I know it is, and I am going to do my best. Christ is our Savior, and His Gospel will make us happier than anything else. There is no replacement.

I love you all, and I hope everyone is doing well. :)

Con Amor,

Elder Nelson IV

Mosiah 2:41

Greetings From Chilé! (For Real This Time)

Dear All,

Sorry again for last week. :)

Wow. A lot has happened! The Lord has tested me with the following:

-I had to take a bus from Viña to La Sarena my first night here (11 PM to 5 AM drive; if you do the math, I didn´t sleep in a bed for two whole days!)...And, well, I left my Spanish Scriptures on the bus! However, Elder Boyd and I are in the same apartment, and he had two pairs of scriptures. So he gave me one of his pairs. It says "Elder Boyd" on them, but that´s ago. It was a huge blessing to get those from him. And maybe I´ll get mine back one day. If not, I´ll just have to endure. It´s sad that I lost those, along with all the stuff that was in my brand new case, but...the Lord gives us challenges. And besides--this work isn´t about me. :)

-Blisters. I have a ton on my feet. My ankle has also been bothering me. However, to me, the pain is simply a reminder of the work I have been putting into this missionary work! My companion and I don´t live in our ward; we are looking for a new apartment and what not, though. But yeah--we have to walk a LONG ways to get over here. But it´s good for me. I´ve already lost a ton of weight, I think. ;)

-The language, obviously. The Chileans speak SO fast. But I love it. I understand more every day, and I can speak a little better every day, too. Diligence and patience. That´s all it takes. Right now, I just have to make due with what I know, and--most importantly--I need to have charity for these people. And I really do. :) (I will tell you more about the Chileans next.)

And I´ve been faced with many other challenges, too. But so far, It´s just been a blast! It´s definitely been an adventure, and I´ve been blessed with a good trainer, Elder Birchall. Allow me to tell you a little bit about him. :) He´s from California, and he is #10 of 11 in his family. He has THIRTY-ONE sobrinos (nieces and nephews), and his brother served here in the Viña mission. (We´ve met a lot of his brother´s converts, and that´s been fun!) He and I also have the same birthday...Entonces, we are exactly a year apart. :)

Wow. The Chilean food is the best. First of all, they don´t really eat dinner here. They have a huge lunch instead. And so we have Almuerzo (Lunch) appointments with the members instead. And so far, every meal has been super good. They put mayo on EVERYTHING, but...their mayo is different here--it´s better. ;) And their mustard is a lot different, too--it´s very good. They also love to drink soda. They LOVE tomatoes and avacados/guacamole. Overall, I think everyone in our family would love the food here except for Timmy and Logan. I know Timmy doesn´t like mayo or cilantro, and they have a ton of both. ;)

The Chileans greet eachother with kisses on the cheek. I knew that beforehand, but it was a surprise to me in my first sacrament meeting when everyone--the YW and YM included--was going around kissing each other and saying hello to each other. It´s just their culture. :) And yesterday...my companion almost got kissed by this lady after we taught her.

The Chileans turn their houses into stores, and their cars into colectivos (taxis), and I absolutely love it. It´s so cool! We ride the collectivos all the time. They are crazy drivers! Basically...they have stop signs and speed limits (very few actually obey), but...other than that, there are no limits. It´s crazy!

There are a TON of stay dogs here. Thousands! One day, my companion and I had ten or so dogs following us around. I´ve seen five or so dog fights, and those are pretty crazy. I´ve seen three dead cats on the sidewalk and one dead dog. :/ It´s pretty gross! And sad.

It´s super hot here, and every one is on their summer break. It´s weird to me because it´s February.

The members here are so cool. They understand that I am still learning, and so they usually don´t say TOO much to me. And some families even talk about me when I am right there, thinking I can´t understand them when I really can. It makes me laugh. But yeah--we have four Elders in our ward, and it´s been fun serving with the other two. They are both Latinos. One (Elder Briones) is getting trained by the other (Elder Trabares). They are both cool; Elder Trabares loves to tease me, and it´s hilarious. He´s from Columbia. Elder Briones is from Santiago, Chile, and we have become the best of friends. He always says: "Mi futuro compañero!" He and I are both pretty convinced that we will be comps in the near future. He´s fun because we teach each other our language. He´s English is already way good! ;)

Our main investigators right now are the Araya familia. They are SO sweet. They are getting baptized this moth! It´s Yasmine, Juan-Carlos, and their son Carlos. The Dad is so cool. He is a Chilean version of Dad. He´s hilarious, and he just reminds me of Dad for some reason! He quit smoking within days after we taught the Word of Wisdom. They are so focused and pumped for their baptism; I love it. :)

I am in the phase right now where I am beginning to forget a lot of English words, and at the same time, I don´t know a TON of Spanish. It´s a weird feeling.

Well, I think that is all for now. There is a TON more I could say, but words cannot suffice. I will share more one day. :) I love you all, and I hope all is well. Keep me in your prayers. Remember: Nothing will make you more happy than living the Gospel. And we have a Heavenly Father and a Savior who live and love us--no matter what.

Yours Truly, Elder Nelson IV

P.S. Enjoy the photos! :)

Basically...I included a picture of the ocean from La Sarena (where I am at)...some pictures from when we went to the Parque Japoneis (went there for you, Dad.) last week for p-day...and then a picture of Elder Briones and I...And a picture of Elder Trabares at the zoo. (Yes, the zoo animals were things such as deer, chickens, etc.)