Dear All,
As I type this e-mail this fine fall afternoon in Chilè, my heart is full. This last week was a great one.
We spent the last two days listening to the words of the Lord´s living prophet and His apostles. (And before anyways starts wondering...They actually set up a TV in a room for the missionaries so that we could watch it in English! Thank goodness.) What a powerful experience it was for me! As I sat in that room with my fellow missionaries, my heart was full and the Spirit was stronger than it has ever been for me during a General Conference. Whenever they mentioned missionaries or missionary work (mostly in the powerful Priesthood session), the Spirit would whisper to me, "That is you, Elder Nelson!" And the Spirit would fill my whole body. It was the greatest weekend of my mission thus far. :)
It truly amazes me now--the fact that the General Conference that I watched in Chile was watched by thousands of other members around the world. As I watched the Priesthood session at 9 PM, my first thought was, "My Dad and my beloved brothers are watching this same session with me, despite being thousands of miles away." It truly is a remarkable thing.
I learned a lot. We all did. Last week, I challenged every one to learn something from this conference. However, I forgot part of the challenge. The other part: Act upon those things that you learned! My whole life, after watching conference, I would say,"Excellent session" and then I would just move on with my life. I realized yesterday though that learning something is only half of it. We need to use what we learn. We need to apply it to our every day lives. And that is why as missionaries, we are always committing people to DO things. We don´t simply teach them; we teach them Gospel principles and then we invite them to act and to apply those things to their lives. It is only through this that we can progress--through our actions.
I would pick out my favorite talk if I could, but I really enjoyed every one of them. I hope everyone takes the time to relisten/reread the talks; perhaps as a family every week during FHE or something. No sé.
Again, my heart is full. I am grateful to be here in Chilè as a missionary of the Lord. I know now--without a doubt--that my call here to Chilè is from the Lord Himself. I am grateful for my knowledge of the Savior and of His Atonement. With all of my heart, I testify that it is only through Him that we can obtain Eternal Life. I testify that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God. We all witnessed the truthfulness of this during the sessions. I testify that the Book of Mormon is the word of God; if we always read it and abide by its precepts, we will be blessed. Heavenly Father loves ALL of His children and will never put us in a situation that we cannot handle. As President Uchtdorf taught us during the Priesthood Session (I believe), we need to have patience. As Elder Oaks taught us in the Priesthood Session, "our faith needs to be centered on Christ. Not on outcomes!"
I was looking back on my last night at home when I was set apart by President Peterson. One thing he said he felt was that a mission was going to be easier for me than it is for other Elders--that I won´t think of it as the hardest thing I´ve ever done. I won´t say the mission isn´t hard or that it is easy. I will basically state that I have been blessed. I never realized how many blessings I have until coming out here on my mission. I have been blessed with a faithful family, good leaders, and a powerful testimony of the Gospel. My testimony has been my strength and my support during times of trouble here on the mission.
I love each and every one of you. I am grateful for your love, your support, and your prayers. Thank you for your e-mails and your letters. Thank you for remaining faithful even when it is hard. God will bless you all as you continue to endure until the end.
¡Hasta la proxima semana, entonces!
Con Amor,
Elder Nelson IV
--
D&C 122:7
P.S.
Oops! I forgot to mention: I got a call from my zone leader a few days ago saying that some missionaries up north found my scriptures on a bus. :) They are sending them down here right away! I about cried when I heard the news. God answers prayers. I testify that this is true!
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