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
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