8: Don't Count The Cost

Dear All,

My last General Conference in Chilé comes this weekend. I am really looking forward to hearing from our living Prophet Thomas S. Monson, his counselors, and the Twelve Apostles. How blessed we are to belong to the Church of Jesus Christ! This is His church, and the General Authorites are His mouthpiece. Let's all prepare ourselves well for this weekend so that we can all receive the personal revelation that every one of us needs in today's troubled world. A great suggestion that I have would be to read The First Presidency's message from the September Liahona/Ensign. President Uchtdorf talks about the importance of General Conference, and how we can benefit greatly from it.

It was another great week full of traveling. On Tuesday, we made our way up north again to Ovalle for a training meeting. It was a great one. We learned a lot about the importance of extending commitments. Without commitments, the people cannot repent. It's that simple. So we practiced teaching and commiting with power. It was the best.

After the training meeting, we went to a place called Salamanca. It was more convienent that way. We stayed there on Tuesday night so that we could travel quicker to Illapel the next day (Wednesday) for our zone class. I then returned to Salamanca with Elder Fowler, and my companion came here to Los Vilos with one of our zone leaders. I finally returned to Los Vilos on Thursday morning. It was nice to get to know Salamanca, though. It's a small little branch. I like it. It's really beautiful as well. It was good to get to know another place here in the zone. :)

But it was a great week! You wouldn't believe it, but on Saturday we still had zero new investigators for the week. I was a little worried because I felt like we weren't really doing anything to find. So I finally decided that we were going to pick it up and do some finding. We talked to a few people in the street and knocked some doors. We were able to hand out a Book of Mormon to a really nice man named José, and we met another nice man named Patricio who had a lot of great questions about The Plan of Salvation. We left him with a Plan of Salvation "folleto" (I don't know the English word for "folleto"; sorry), and we got his information so that we can teach him in the church this week. Last but not least: We found a family of TEN people above the age of eight! It was a miracle. They were a great family, and we sang them "I Am A Child Of God" while they were eating dinner. They loved it, and all the kids are excited for us to return this Saturday. :)

Our investigators are doing well. Alejandro came to church again; we had a really powerful lesson with him. Fernanda is going to talk to her husband this week, and she might get baptized this weekend!

The key to being a successful, happy missionary is "The Fourth Missionary." I read it again a few days ago, and wow. I was blown away again, and it helped me remember what I have to do to become a true Disciple of Jesus Christ. I have attached it to this e-mail for all those who would like to read it and study it. Yes, it is for missionaries, but it can apply to all of us. Perhaps we can change the name to "The Fouth Member." :) Haha.

There is a part of "The Fouth Missionary" that really stuck out to me this time that I read it. I call it DON'T COUNT THE COST. In "The Fourth Missionary", Elder Corbrige explains a little more when he says:

The Fourth Missionary is the only one who can lose himself in the work, because he forgets his own concerns, he lets go of what he wants. When he lets go he then is free to think of others. He is the only one who does not count the cost. He doesn’t itemize and total all that he has left behind to serve a mission. He does not count the cost. He forgets about it. He forgets himself. He loses himself.

On one occasion after I received the call to be a mission president, I was thinking about the consequences of the call. I started to think about the financial consequences, leaving my sons behind, my mother and father in poor health, the impact on my law practice, the consequences regarding our family and our home, and the prospect of leaving behind rock climbing and skiing and other passions, and the impression came to me, actually the words came to me, “don’t count the cost.” The Fourth Missionary doesn’t count the cost. However great the cost, it is never very much in comparison to the return.

I like that. When we receive a calling or an assignment in the church, we cannot count the cost. Because the cost is NOTHING compared to what the Lord gives us in return. As I approach the end of my mission here in the middle of football season, perhaps it would be a whole lot easier to count the cost and think, "Dang. I am here in Chilé, and I am missing all the BYU football games." But I've made my decision, and I will not count the cost.

I love you all. Until next week.

Con Amor,

Elder Nelson IV

9: Single Digits--Hay Que Aprovecharlo.

Dear All,

For those wondering: The countdown is a reminder that I only have nine more weeks to be a full-time missionary. It's not because I am unfocused or because I am desperate to end my mission. I must take advantage of these weeks and love and enjoy every second of it.

It was an interesting week. I don't really feel like we even worked this week. Because last Monday we had P-Day. Tuesday was our only full day of work. On Wednesday, we had to travel to Illapel for our zone class. On Thursday we had weekly planning and then lunch. After lunch, we had to get on a bus to travel up to Coquimbo for a special zone conference that we had with President Corbraige (the President of the Area of Chilé.) We were there in Coquimbo all day on Friday. Friday night, our bus left at 11 PM, and we got back to Los Vilos at 3 AM. We had our all-day ward activity on Saturday for the 18th of September. And then yesterday we had church, and it was the 18th of September.

The conference was awesome. Elder Corbraige gave a really good talk on the "Most Important Thing." We went through all the missionary lessons, and talked about what was the most important thing about each lesson. It was interesting because with all the lessons, the purpose was the same: to help people receive the Holy Ghost (the most important thing that God can give us in this life) and to help them prepare to receive Eternal Life (the greatest gift of God.) It was great. Elder Corbraige is a great man; he truly is a special witness of Jesus Christ. His wife is really nice. She is from Boulder City, NV, and she is in our stake. :)

The 18th of September was fun--especially the activity that we had on Saturday. We ate a lot of good food, and we played a lot of fun games. I love the 18th of September; it's awesome being able to see the people of Chilé celebrate their independence. It's a little sad to think that it was my last time to see it. We were sad, though, that our investigators didn't show up, but we were really happy to see our recent converts there. We're working really hard to help our converts stay strong. I've learned that retention is one of the most important things.

Despite all the actvities and the lack of time to work this last week, I--like always--learned a lot and thought a lot about the Gospel and about life. I thought a lot about my Mom and my Dad. I look back on a lot of decisions that they made as parents when they raised me, and I am truly grateful for each and every one of those decisions.

I remember one time when I was in Primary, and I had lost the tennis shoes that I always wore to church. I remember thinking, "Well, great! Because I don't have shoes, maybe I'll get to stay home." I was surprised when my Dad told me that I had to go to church anyways. I can't remember if I went barefoot or with socks; but I do remember I went without shoes. I look back on that small act that my Dad did, and I am grateful for it because I learned as a young boy just how important it was to attend church--with shoes or not. Another time--when we had just moved to Mississippi--I remember "throwing a fit", and I threw a knife at the floor. My sister Cynthia was near, and the knife bounced off the floor and cut Cynthia's shin. My Dad taught me one of my life's greatest lessons when he kicked me out of the house and into the backyard and said, "You NEVER treat your sister that way." He had me clean a little bit in the yard. I can't remember if I did much cleaning, but I do remember telling myself that I would never do anything to hurt my sister ever again. I'm grateful for that small act that my Dad did because I've always strived to respect women ever since--especially my big sisters.

Out of all the decisions that both my parents made, I think my Mom made the greatest decision when she bought me a small "Future Missionary" tag. As I wore that tag to church every Sunday, I felt so powerful. I could feel that serving a mission was important, and I always wanted to wear the real, full-time missionary name tag. I did every thing I could to prepare myself to serve. And now that I am here in Chié doing the Lord's work, I am more grateful now than I ever have been before for my Mom and her decision to buy me that small "Future Missionary" tag. Thank you, Mom, for your love and for always teaching me to serve a full-time mission. Thanks to you and Dad, I have been blessed beyond belief as I've served among God's children here in Chilé.

I love you all. Until next week!

Con Mucho Amor,

Elder Nelson IV

10: Hace Diez Años

Dear All,

I apologize in advance for any typos. This keyboard likes to stick. But I want to start off by saying: Thanks for all the letters! I got a ton of hand-written letters last week from the Smith family reunion. It was great to hear from everyone. Especially Matt, Luke, Logan, and Timmy. I also wanted to start off by saying: Ten years ago yesterday was a day that I'll never forget. I've thought a lot about September 11, 2001 the last few days. As always, my thoughts and prayers go out to the people that were affected by that tragedy.

It was a great week. I'm staying focused. I've done a lot of thinking and pondering these last few weeks, and I've already decided what I want to do in the coming months and years. But the rest of my mission comes before all of that, and so--like I said last week--I just want to finish strong. I feel really good when I go out and give the Lord all I have. A few days ago (Saturday), we had a miraculous day. I don't know how it happened, but we taught eight lessons despite having 2-3 lessons fall through. It was amazing. It was proof to me that the Lord's hand is in His work! And remember Alejandro from last week? Well, he attended church yesterday, and he loved it! 

Yesterday was also an emotional one for me because Francisco and Cristofer (my converts) passed the sacrament. It was a special moment. At first, we were planning on just having Cristofer pass with Elder Larsen so that he could learn. And then I was going to teach Francisco next week. But when Francisco showed up to church and when I told him the news, he kind of looked at me and said, "No way! I'm passing the sacrament today! I already know how to do it." At first I was a little hesitant, but then something told me to trust in both of them. They both passed together for the first time, and they did it almost flawlessly! It was great. The members LOVED seeing two young men passing. It's been years since they last saw two young men passing. :)

In regards to finishing strong: I remember one of the Sisters in the MTC (Sister Nelson; the wife of one of our councellors) once told us something along the lines of, "I want ALL of you to work so hard so that when you get on that plane to go home, you'll be SO exhausted that you'll sleep the whole way home." I like that. That's how I want to end. I'm exhausted. But not quite THAT exhuasted. But I promise I'll get even more exhausted in the coming weeks. :)

I have had so many days in my mission (heck, in my life) where I don't feel good enough to do what is asked of me. I've learned that a lot of us feel that way and that it's a normal feeling. But I am grateful for a tool that we have as members of the church. That tool is The Book of Mormon. When I was with Elder Gasik, I learned something very important about The Book of Mormon; and this week I was reminded of what I learned a few months ago. What I've learned about The Book of Mormon is this: The Book of Mormon helps us become better persons!

For example, I will always love Nephi and be grateful for him because as a kid and as a teenager, Nephi taught me to obey. He taught me to obey my parents. He taught me to obey the Lord and His commandments. I will always love Ammon, Alma, Amulek, and many other great missionaries from The Book of Mormon because each and every one of them have taught me how to be a better missionary. I am not a parent nor a husband (yet), but I imagine that I'll be very grateful for prophets such as Lehi, Mormon, and Alma and for their great examples of parenthood. I testify that The Book of Mormon contains the fullness of the Gospel! And it can help each and every one of us become better--no matter our age or our responsabilities. So, if you feel like you aren't good enough like I have many times before, I invite you to read The Book of Mormon. I promise you all that as you read that powerful scripture, you will be guided in regard to the worries and the inadequecy that you perhaps may feel in your journey here on Earth.

I love you all. Until next week!

Con Amor,

Elder Nelson IV

11: A Great First Week

Dear All,

That was a great first week of a new change. It was exactly what I needed. We had a lot of success, and it's a great time to be a missionary. I love going out every day to give it all I have. As I work diligently, I am always rewarded with a rich amount of joy and happiness. We'll have another great week.

I'm looking forward to working with Elder Larsen. He's from Provo, Utah, and it's been great thus far. We have a lot in common; he's a big BYU fan. (Go BYU! They won on Saturday.) And we both love the work. So we have a lot of unity. :) And having unity in a companionship is the key to success. 

We had a miracle happen a few days ago. Los Vilos isn't the easiest area to find new people to teach, but Elder Larsen and I went out one day, and we were talking to the people in the streets, at the park, etc. No one wanted to listen to our message, and so we kept walking down the street. And as we were walking, a young man on a bike stops and approaches us. He greeted us and introduced himself as Alejandro. He told us that he had lived in Utah for a few years, and that he had the oportunity to learn about the church and about the Book of Mormon. I asked him if he had been baptized. He told us that he hand't, but that he wanted to meet with us and to attend church! We met with him the next day, and we had a great first lesson with him in the church, and I gave him an English copy of the Book of Mormon. He's awesome! He wasn't able to attend. But he has all the desires to learn and to receive an answer from God about the truthfulness of our message. I know the Lord put him in our path!

Speaking of church: Fernanda continues to progress. She's great. She should be baptized at the end of this month. :) We're just waiting to see when her husband has work off so that he can baptize her. We're excited about that. More great news: Francisco and Cristofer received the Priesthood yesterday!! It was the greatest! The branch is absolutely thrilled about it. We now have two young men in the branch to prepare and pass the sacrament. Francisco was so excited afterwards. He came up to me and asked, "So, Elder Nelson, what are my duties now?" Francisco and Cristofer, I think, have helped me so much these last few weeks. They are great converts, and they are like little brothers to me. Francisco really does remind me of Logan at times. It makes me laugh.

We're working hard. I won't allow myself to slack off too much. In my interview a few weeks ago with President Gillespie, he told me that I shouldn't WORRY about my life after the mission; but he did tell me that I could THINK about it. And so I have thought a lot about what I'm going to do, and I'm not too worried anymore. I'm working on my 5-year plan for after the mission, and it feels good to think about it and plan it all out. Because now I can work even harder and stay focused because I'm not all that worried anymore. :)

I want to be a missionary like Alma. After serving for all those years, he just could not stop preaching the Gospel. In Alma 43:1-2, it says:

1 And now it came to pass that the sons of Alma did go forth among the people, to declare the word unto them. And Alma, also, himself, could not rest, and he also went forth.

2 Now we shall say no more concerning their preaching, except that they preached the word, and the truth, according to the spirit of prophecy and revelation; and they preached after the holy order of God by which they were called.I love you all. Until next week! :)

Con Mucho Amor,

Elder Nelson IV

12: The Fifteenth Change

Dear All,

And another change/transfer ends. My fifteenth change begins today, and it's a little strange to realize that I am now part of the second-oldest group of the mission.

Elder Monzón left for Viña del Mar yesterday, and will be flying home in the next few days. Since he left, I have been spending time with an Elder named Elder Naylor; he's my temporary replacement until my new companion (Elder Larsen) gets here tomorrow. Elder Naylor's also from Las Vegas, and we've been enjoying our time together these last 24 hours or so. We had a funny moment in the morning on the way to Illapel for the Zone meeting. We bought our tickets at the terminal for the 9:30 bus. At 9:30, a bus arrived and it said, "Los Vilos-Illapel-Coquimbo." And so we thought, "This is it!" And we hopped on. We were on our way when I noticed that the bus didn't take the normal turn. I thought perhaps he was just taking a different route. But we got a good laugh when the bus attendant came up to check our ticket, and he told us, "Um, sorry, but this bus isn't going to Illapel!" Long story short: We got kicked off the bus, and another bus took us all the way back to Los Vilos where we had to buy another ticket to come here to Illapel. We lost $6, but we just laughed and enjoyed the mistake that we had made. :)

It was a great week. It was tough because my companion was in his last week, and he wasn't all that focused; he was really nervous to go home. But the good news is that we had our two baptisms!

It was a miracle. The day before the baptism, Francisco and Cristofer's mom and step-dad had a big arguement, and we were really worried that it was going to affect their baptism. But we visited them and read Mosiah 24 with them; it is a great chapter that talks about how the people of Alma were comforted by the Lord in their afflictions. We promised them blessings, and in the end, all was well, and they were baptized! :)

What made the baptism more special was that the church ran out of gas, and so we had to baptize in ice-cold water. And I'll never forget it. Because as soon as we ended the ordinance, the coldness went away, and the Spirit warmed each and every one of us. I lie not; I don't think I've ever been in water so cold! But I will never forget the warmth that felt as I got out of the font with Francisco.

Being admist Francisco and Cristofer has really helped me out; they're great. A few days ago, I was thinking about the trials they were going through as a family, and it made me think of my own life. I thought about my own conversion story, and by thinking about it, I realized just how grateful I am for trials and challenges.

I am grateful for them because I can honestly say that I have been converted to the Gospel thanks to every single trial and challenge that I have had in my life. I look back on my life's challenges, and I--like everyone--have had moments where I have two choices: be angry with God or draw myself closer to Him.

Today I can say that I am grateful that I chose to draw myself closer to Him. By doing so, I have felt His love, and I have seen His blessings. I know He loves us, His children. I know these things are true because I chose to follow Jesus Christ every single time that I was faced with a new challenge or trial.

My heart is full, and I am grateful for the examples in my life that taught me to do so--my parents, my siblings, my friends, my leaders. To each and every one of you: Thank you for teaching me to trust in God and to follow Christ. I promise each of you that I am going to keep on preaching His Gospel, and I am going to keep on teaching the people here to trust in God, too, so that they can experience the joy that I have felt as a converted diciple of Christ.

I love you all.

Con Amor,

Elder Nelson IV