It's May Again?

Dear All,

Happy Birthday, Torilynn! Uncle Ben loves you. :) Happy Birthday Tara! I hope this e-mail finds you doing well.

Happy Mothers' Day to all you Moms out there.

I never know what to write the day after talking to the family on the phone.

I've seen a lot of miracles in my life. I witnessed one that got me here on the mission. About two years ago this month I was starting my mission paperwork and when I got the results of my physical, the doctor informed me that there were a few problems with my kidneys. I was worried about that. I wondered if I'd even be able to serve my mission with such an unexpected discovery. But I knew that if the Lord wanted me to serve a mission, He would provide the way. Dad gave me a blessing the day before I went to get another physical, and when I got the results back, the doctor told me, "Wow. You're 100& healthy!" Before leaving the hospital that day, I offered a silent prayer and thanked God for that miracle that was performed by the Lord Himself through my Dad--a worthy Priesthood holder.

All is well here. We won't have six baptisms on May 28 because no investigators attended yesterday. :( But it's okay! We're going to do our part, and if all goes well, we'll have a lot of baptisms here in June. :) Eugenio and his family are great, though. We've enjoyed working with them--especially the kids. They never wanted to pray when we first started teaching them. But with a lot of patience, they eventually learned how to do it, and they LOVE praying now. It's awesome. Our challenge now, though, is finding new investigators! We found a ton last transfer, but Eugenio and his family are the only ones that are willing to progress. So we're going to work really hard and find more people to teach! :)

I've learned to share my feelings more openingly here in the misson. As a missionary, I've been asked about my parents' divorce a lot. The truth is: I love both my parents and both my step-parents a whole lot. I'm grateful that my entire family is active in the Gospel. And I got through that tough time by drawing myself closer to the Lord and not further from Him. As a young 15-year-old, I wasn't the brightest kid, and I was confused about a lot of things. But there was one thing that I knew and recognized. And that one thing was that I NEEDED to develop a strong relationship with my Heavenly Father. I also recognized that He expected me to do so! And I have done my best to always strive to draw closer to Him, and I know the blessings are real!

Well, I want to close by sharing something that I've learned these last few weeks. I've learned that when I strive to do my best, our companionship will be better. And if our companionship is doing its best, our district will be better. And if the district is doing its best, the zone will be better. And if the zone does the same, the mission will be better. And if the mission accomplishes the same thing, the church will grow stronger. But where does it all start? With ourselves. And it's the same for all of us. If we love our families and work with unity, our wards/branches will be strengthened. And if the ward does the same, the stake will get better--which will help the church grow stonger. Again--it all starts with us! I know that by following Christ and His Gospel personally it will help the church in the long run. It's an interesting concept, isn't it? It's simple. I like it.

Well, I love you all. Until next week!

Con Mucho Amor,

Elder Nelson