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
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