Redefining BDN.

Change. It's all part of God's plan. Our bodies change daily. Our surroundings change daily. Our circumstances change daily. It might not be seen and/or noticed because these changes are often small when looking at it as a day-by-day process.

Benjamin David Nelson is no exception to that rule. And neither is anyone for that matter. However, there are certain things about us that might not change--especially when it comes to a personality trait or a personal belief.

For example, I am BDN. And I follow my heart. I've done so for as long as I can remember. Because I've always felt that it's necessary for us to do so as human-beings. God trusts us to do so, as long as we do not do it in wickedness. Something like that.

But I don't follow my heart perfectly. In fact, I am pretty bad at it. When I feel that something is right, sometimes I am sloppy with the way I go about doing that thing. Sometimes I am quick to act or speak before I plan out what needs to be done or said. Sometimes I do plan how to go about following my heart, and--well--it doesn't go as planned, and I mess up by not sticking with the plan. Sometimes I am scared. Sometimes I am overbearing rather than persistent. Sometimes I give up on following my heart, and I regret it later.

But I am grateful for the gift of repentance. I am grateful for the opportunity to become a new BDN each week by partaking of the sacrament and starting anew. I am grateful for all the second chances I have and will have to follow my heart, despite a lot of the mistakes that I make in the process of attempting to do so.

Of course, I am using this as an example. It doesn't matter what it is; we will always have the opportunity to start fresh by repenting and partaking of the sacrament. And by doing so constantly, we might notice that we--as a whole--are changing into much better, spiritually-sound individuals.

The Nephites of The Book of Mormon are the perfect example of this. In Helaman 15:7, it states:

"And behold, ye do know of yourselves, for ye have witnessed it, that as many of them as are brought to the knowledge of the truth, and to know of the wicked and abominable traditions of their fathers, and are led to believe the holy scriptures, yea, the prophecies of the holy prophets, which are written, which leadeth them to faith on the Lord, and unto repentance, which faith and repentance bringeth a change of heart unto them."

Become As Little Children

I has  been quite some time, so I thought I would take a few minutes to unleash some thoughts on this fine Thursday evening. As it seems I always do, I have pondered for the last 10-20 minutes or so about this one topic, and I felt it was potentially something that could help not only me but perhaps you other random folk out there.

Jesus Christ has always taught the following principle:

"And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."-Matthew 18:3

Perhaps it is just me, but this is a verse of scripture that confused me again and again as I heard it growing up. Was Christ teaching us that we needed to act like children? Obviously not, and I eventually learned that Christ truly meant that He wanted us to develop traits such as being quick to forgive and full of love--both of which all innocent children possess.

Children truly are some of our greatest examples. The picture above is a picture of a brother and his little sister from the daycare that my step-mom owns. I immediately set it as one of my background pictures on my phone because it was what I thought was only a tender moment. But I am happy I was able to snap this picture because it truly was a learning moment for me now that I look back on it.

The little sister was screaming and crying for reasons that I did not quite understand. I tried to talk to her and comfort her, but I didn't have any luck. It went on for minutes, and everything I tried was a sudden failure. But I was surprised by what took place next. In between her cries, I heard her say her brother's name. "Oh, do you want your brother?" I  asked. "...Yeah..." she replied.

Her brother was running around with his friends and having the time of his life. I have been around these kids a lot, and I was almost positive that the big brother would be a little hesitant to spend time with his little sister. To my surprise, when the big brother realized that his little sister was sad, he put his scooter away, and he told the other kids, "Play without me. My sister needs me."

I sat there watching as the little sister sat on her big brother's lap, and he comforted her with ease. She almost immediately stopped crying, and they just sat there together for probably 5-10 minutes. (That is when I took this picture.) It was an extremely simple thing that took place in front of me, but I was so touched by the big brother's willingness to immediately stop what he was doing to comfort and spend time with  his little sister.

At the time, it was only a tender moment, and that is why I took the picture and set it as my phone background. But now I realize that this picture will forever symbolize much more to me--it will always symbolize the Christ-like attributes that children possess that we must all strive to develop in our lives. The picture will be a constant reminder that I am no exception to the rule, and I must work toward this goal daily.

That is all. :)

Utah Bound.

It's been a year since I arrived home from my mission. Wow. Time sure has flown quickly!! It's been a hard year, but I have grown and learned a lot. It's all been rewarding, of course! Like I said in a blog post a few months ago, my decision to ultimately stay in Vegas for a time was made with my brothers Timmy, Skyler, and Levi in mind. I felt like being here to support and help them with their mission preparation was the right thing to do. I will never regret that decision. It's been absolutely great.

However, Levi is the last of the bunch to leave, and he leaves very soon. And I am ready for my next journey. I am super confident about my chances of getting into BYU this time around. As I've said over and over again, it is my dream! And I will do everything I must to get there. And I am feeling good about my chances this time. :)

With that said, I have been praying these last three months about how to exactly go about this. And long story short: The course has been shown. I feel that it is greatly necessary for me to get out of Vegas ASAP so I can get out and be in the real world on my own for a while. And so I've decided to leave the comfort of my own home to head up to Provo in January. I fly to Indiana on January 10 to attend my nephew Landon's baptism, and then I will fly straight to Salt Lake from Indiana on January 16.

A new start! I am excited for it.

Persistence vs. Overbearance

Overbearance

Overbearance steals one's agency; it is forceful. Overbearance is selfish. Overbearance is thoughtlessness. Overbearance is unwise. Overbearance is trying too hard with little results. Overbearance leads to disappointment. Overbearance is controlling. Overbearance leads to heartache. Overbearance isn't understood by others.

Persistence

Persistence is fueled by love. Persistence is open-mindedness  Persistence is aggressive, but not overpowering. Persistence is creative. Persistence is consistent and enduring. Persistence is bold. Persistence is inspired. Persistence is righteous. Persistence is evenly balanced; it requires self-control. Persistence is smart and tactful. Persistence earns respect and trust. 

Blogging Spree: No Tengo Nada En Mente

These last few weeks (months, even) I have been in this whacky artsy and/or creative mood. And that may or may not explain all these blog posts that I have thrown out there recently. I dunno. It actually might not be all that artsy or creative. But I'll blog anyways. Why? Because I can. And I want to.

This time around, though...I really have no idea what I want to write. But I  have gained a great love for something called improvisation. Rather, I like to improvise and make things beautiful along the way. Don't get me wrong...I prefer to plan things out in advance and execute those plans exactly. And that's usually what I do with blog posts; I have a nice little plan of what will be written.

But not this one. It's coming out just as quick as I can type all these words. No plan whatsoever. The above picture is giving me an idea of what to write about, though. You see, I ran into this Slender look-alike while I was cruising along the Las Vegas strip. Las Vegas Boulevard, to be exact.

You might be wondering why I was there. Well, the simple answer is I had no choice; I had to go to the Belagio Gallery of Fine Art for an art assignment. And while I was out there on the strip, a sudden realization stuck me. "This is great. I have never been on the strip alone."

The truth is: It was an adventure, yes. But it only was an adventure because I got lost a handful of times. I won't go into detail, but I will say this...I am grateful for a lot of skills I learned as a missionary (i.e. speed walking, asking for directions, etc.) I was walking around like a blind cheetah; I was walking with haste, but I had no idea where I was or where I was going.

That adventure took place...well, yesterday. And now that I think about it...As awesome and fun as it was to be out there on that journey, it also kind of stunk. I was alone in an unfamiliar environment. I didn't have a friend, a sibling, or a companion to turn to. And that's what I am used to! I am almost never alone. I like figuring out crap myself. But when I can't figure it out, there's always that comfort that comes from knowing that I have a sibling, a parent, or a friend that I can turn to for answers.

But I simply love figuring out the crap; I love the adventure. And I think getting out there and being in unfamiliar environments is the key to growing and progressing.

A Confession, A Cure

Meet BDN-PC. He's my new laptop that I recently got with my scholarship money. Although he's a new friend, he and I have shared a joyful memory or two already. I love this piece of machinery.

However, I must confess that I was a little heart-broken when I realized that a good 50 GB of its 120 GB hard drive space has already been used up with the operating system, the programs, DROPBOX, and mission pictures.

The question haunted me for days: "What the devil is going to happen to my thousands of files of music?" You see, I personally own a good 30-40 GB of music. But with only 70 GB of HD space left, what was I to do with this crap load of beautiful music?

I decided that I was never going to listen to ALL 30-40 GB of that music. So I decided to tone it down and only put my favorite albums on this small piece of machinery. I began to transfer the music over wirelessly. But it was taking forever. And something didn't seem right.

A voice suddenly spoke to my mind. "Screw it. Spotify is the key."

It hit me like a sack-full of potatoes. I immediately deleted all the music from BDN-PC, and I downloaded and installed Spotify within a matter of 2-3 minutes (thanks to BDN-PC's quickness).

Spotify had everything I wanted to listen to (PLUS MORE!) as long as I had an Internet connection. It was love at first listen.

But little did I know that my love for Spotify could run even deeper. It all happened so quickly. In fact, it was about ten minutes ago (11:17 PM). I am sitting here waiting for my little brothers to call for a ride home from the Foothill vs. Basic game. And I have a huge urge to put on some Ben Folds Five.

I turn on the first album that catches my eye. The Unauthorized Biography Of Reinhold Messner is its name. And I am thinking, "This looks good."

Oh, it was blissful. The album started off with a tune called Narcolepsy. And I am thinking, "Okay, okay. Pretty good, pretty good." Before I knew it, I am hearing Don't Change Your Plans. Then Mess. And then Magic. By this moment, the tears are beginning to roll down my face.

"Beautiful music." I say to myself.

Then Hospital Song- A Cappella begins to play. I start to bawl.

And now I am rocking out to the some-what explicit Army while wiping those tears from my face one by one.

My confession is simple: I love Spotify. It's an antidote to BDN-PC's inability to hold my personal collection of music.

The Only True Church, Personal Revelation

Another General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ has come to a quick close. As always, I am left thinking, "Darn. It's already over? How could it possibly be so?"

A lot of other things have been on my mind, too, of course. It may have something to do with all the wonderful talks and words that were heard all across the world. So many simple truths have been taught and learned these past two days. And I am simply overwhelmed by how much these past two days have helped me spiritually. I am beyond grateful to belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I know it is Christ's church. It's His, and there is no other.

That simple truth and belief of ours is found in the Fifth and Sixth Article of Faith:

5 We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

6 We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.

A man must be called of God. He must be given the authority, the keys to preside over Christ's church. This is nothing new. We saw it again and again and again in the Old Testament in prophets such as Moses and in Abraham. They were entitled to know God's will for all of His children. They talked to God and received revelation straight from Him.

It is no different today. As Latter-Day Saints, we believe in a latter-day prophet who receives revelations straight from the Lord. We saw that this weekend when President Monson announced the new, younger age requirements for Elders (now 18) and Sisters (now 19). How awesome is it to recognize and know that such an announcement didn't come by chance? It is the Lord's will. We may not quite yet understand why the Lord needs these slightly-younger missionaries, but I can assure the world that there is a purpose behind it. It's not because "it makes more sense" or "it's more convenient"; otherwise, it would have been this way a long time ago. The Lord needs more missionaries, and He needs these younger Elders and Sisters.

Aside from the revelation that our prophet receives for us as God's children, I am grateful for the personal revelation that each of us can receive be listening to conference. As I listened to Elder Holland speak earlier today, he said something along the lines of (referring to being a true disciple of Jesus Christ), "The call is to come, to stay true, to love God, and lend a hand. I include in that call to fixed faithfulness every return missionary who ever stood in a baptismal font, and with arm to the square said, 'Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ...' That commission was to have changed your convert forever. But it was surely supposed to have changed you forever as well."

When I heard those words come out of Elder Holland's mouth, I couldn't help but start to tear up. It was a reminder to me that I need to do a better job of being a disciple of Christ. I wasn't only meant to be affected by my mission during the two years that I served. I am meant to let those baptisms and those mission experiences continue to change me.

I want to be a faithful Christian soldier. I cannot and will not stop--no matter the price.

The Dreams That Will Haunt You

I have absolutely sucked at this blogging thing as of late. Heck, I have struggled since returning home from my mission. I am just not as creative anymore. Well, I wasn't. I feel like a lot of good ideas for some blog entries have been popping into my mind as of late.

It's a miracle that I am even here writing this. My choices were as follows: cut my hair, sleep, watch the re-run of the BYU vs. Hawaii game (which I attended with my good friend Megan Marie Shill), or...blog. And I chose to blog. Why? Because I feel like the cyber world has been lacking the BDN love that is scattered about through the writings of this blog.

My simple, late-night thought is this: I dream a lot. And I dream a lot of crap. It's great! My dreams are always entertaining--even if they happen to be the most bizarre things to ever enter my brilliant mind. Some of my dreams come true. Some of my dreams come half true. Some of my dreams are incorrectly analyzed; others are over-analyzed. Each is unique, and I believe they all serve a purpose.

My favorite kind of dreams, though, are the ones that will haunt me. That sounds a little strange. But let me elaborate. I don't mean a nightmare or a bad dream. Perhaps haunt isn't even the right word. (Oh well. It sounds more dramatic.) When I say "haunt"...I really mean the unbelievably awesome/unreal dreams that will never leave you alone. They never vanish; they cannot be erased. And it's not a bad thing. It's like that because we cherish those dreams, and we never want to forget them.

For example, as a veteran missionary in Chile, I dreamed a dream that will never be forgotten. I won't go into detail because to me it was very personal and even sacred. But I will say that it opened my eyes and helped me gain a better understanding of a sliver of the Plan of Salvation. That dream will definitely "haunt" me for the rest of my days.

When I napped earlier today, I had a dream that will "haunt" me for a while, methinks. It was unbelievably random, but it was real. And while it was so real and unforgettable, I don't even think I could explain it in words if I had to. But in the dream I just remember being surrounded by some of the people I love most. There were smiles; there were laughs. And the dream was an instant reminder that I am who I am thanks to these beautiful people.

Yeah, it sounds silly, but my favorite dreams haunt me. And they always will.

Seventh Grade Memory #2: The Land of The Question Marks?

Okay, so this isn't from seventh grade. It was from sixth. But it's all the same thing, right? This is a short story that I wrote in sixth grade for no apparent reason. You can either read it or listen to the audio. Either one is pretty darn ridiculous.

"The Land of the Question Marks?"

      By:Benjamin Nelson?
           

            Once upon a time in a 1982. There was a land of Question Marks. In this Land there was a Question Mark Castle A.K.A Question Mark Castle. In this castle was a Queen and a King. The King A.K.A Kyle is a big fat question mark. He's such a big Question Mark he doesnt even know his wifes name. The Queen A.K.A Linzlu is not like the other question marks. She’s very smart. She tries to teach Kyle a few manners, but its hopeless.
            Well one day King Kyle called in his servant A.K.A Bangers A.K.A The King's servant. (Bangers is a very stupid question mark.)  The King then told him to say "Question Mark." (Heck. The King couldn't even say it.) Well Bangers ended up saying I think I messed my pants. They sent Bangers to jail.

            Bangers is now stuck in his jail room. He had no way to get out. He then grabbed a stick from the floor and hit him self upside the head. “Oh gosh that hurt!” Bangers thought to himself. I thought hitting myself would send me to heaven. He thought again. Well Bangers in now stuck in this jail so next paragraph.

            Kyle and Linzlu were recently trying to win a war. This war was Question Mark Castle versus Exclamatory Hills. Well they couldnt to anything at the moment so they needed to get help from Commas. They then sent out there finest soilder A.K.A Chetter the Fierce Warrior. Chetter is about to enbark on a journey to save Question Mark castle!
            Before Chetter could embark on his journey he had to find a servant. Well he thought to himself. “A servant should be in the Jail.” So Chetter walked down to the jail rooms.  Chetter then heard a helpless voice. Which was saying “Help me.” Chetter then went down to the Jail room 5. He then busted the door down and saved Bangers. They then left the castle side by side.
            When Chetter and  Bangers were resting in a valley they wre attacked by percent signs. The percent signs were well trained. They then killed Chetter. Bangers then ran for his life. He came across Chetter's axe he picked up the axe and killed all the percent signs. The barely made it out alive.
            When he got to the City of Comma's he fell to the ground. When he awoke he found the king by his side. What happened he thought to himself.  The king then ask him why he was there. Bangers told him everything. He also told him about Chetter's death. The king then sent Bangers and some comma's back to Question Mark Castle.
            When they got back they took out a lot of the Exclamation Points. Then the entered the castle. When they got to the castle they found out that Queen Linzlu was queennapped. (Of Course Kyle couldn’t do anything about it. He was clueless.) So then Bangers became a knight and went to save his queen, Linzlu. He took question marks and commas with him by the way.
            When they found the Exclamatory Hideout they took out every exclamation point that got in there way. When they finally found the King of Exclamation Points they found the Queen. The King of exclamation points was about to finish Queen Linzlu. But Bangers jumped in front of the bullet and with his last strength finished the King of Exclamation Points off.
            When Linzlu and the men got back to the castle they were having a funeral for Bangers. They gave him a medal and Linzlu gave him a kiss. (Woah!)  

The End?

Seventh Grade Memory #1: GENIUS (8-14-03)

The following is something I wrote nine years ago in seventh grade. It's proof that I was living in my own world. And still do sometimes! ;) The below link is a hilarious audio. The transcription is below that.

GENIUS (8-14-03)

It is now my third day of seventh grade. It is going really well. My study hall is very nice. But P.E. is the worst. But I will live. 

I wonder how Brent is doing at work. Good, I hope! Because he has to help me build my computer. 

Kelli is lucky because she gets another few days of summer. Of course, I am luckier, though, because I get out earlier. I wonder if Mom was able to get a hold of a stamp? I need one of the junts for Kelli's letter. I really enjoyed/loved her letters. They were the victory-ness-er-est. 

Speaking of Toots...That stink nuggets needs to get online. He must be having a good time. And that's all. That traitor! We aren't cousins anymore. Now my best cousin is Jonny Brunner. He married my other cousin Theresa, and he took the title of Brunner. What a sight that was! 

Well, Mom gave me a dollar when I was young. Too young so I ate it in one bite. It was good. I wonder how Dad is doing? *fluffs* Well, my computer comes today. That will be great. But I will need some more supplies. I shall need:

1. Five stink nuggets.

2. Fifty honey buns.

3. One chicken bone.
*fluff*

4. Six fresh-baked undies.

And that's about it. But mostly those undies. I keep fluffing. Haha. "For the kids! The greatest!"-Skittles and Seth in my head.
 

Well, THE END.

Randomize Me

Who reads this thing anymore?

I have a lot on my mind, and I actually have no idea what I want to write. But I feel like writing. So I am going to do it. Because I want to, and I can.

The Four Freaks (a club of which I personally belong) are living the dream. Like I talked about in my last blog post, I made it a goal to help prepare my little brother Timmy and our friends Skyler and Levi prepare to serve missions. I think it's been something that very few people understand, but as stated in my last blog post...I know without a doubt that it has been the right thing to do. Timmy and Skyler are still in the early days of their missions, but they continue to press forward with a lot of faith and humility. The day after Skyler left us for the MTC, our good friend Levi received his call to Spain. I am so proud of all three.

Many of you (if you're still reading this) might remember my obsession that came along with my many viewings of The Dark Knight four years ago. And as I am sure you're all aware, the Batman trilogy is now complete with The Dark Knight Rises. Like I did with The Dark Knight four years ago, I'd like to label this gran finale as another masterpiece. Although, I must admit that I have been troubled and disgusted the last couple of days by the massacre that took place during the midnight showing of that very masterpiece in Auora, Colorado. It's hard for me to understand how someone could do such a terrible thing. It saddens me. My hearts and prayers continue to go out to the seventy people and their family members who were affected, and my only desire is that justice is served on behalf of the twelve innocent lives that were taken.

Today while I was working at the Las Vegas Convention Center, I experienced something that I haven't experienced since I was a missionary. I won't go into specific details on what was said, but to make a long story short...I was helping a co-worker haul a shelf across the gigantic building that is the Convention Center, and as we are carrying this big old thing, I learn that he is a Seventh Day Adventist, and he learns that I am LDS. And out of no where (as I experienced many times in my mission), this co-worker of mine tries to convince me that I am living a lie. Again, I won't go into detail about what was exactly said, but I will say this: I said a silent prayer as soon as he started bashing my religion, and I am grateful that I did because my prayer was answered. I wasn't afraid, I didn't panic. I held my ground. In the end, he wasn't very pleased with what I had said. He didn't believe me that I received an answer from God Himself that The Book of Mormon is indeed true. And although he didn't like or appreciate what I had to say, I was just grateful for that opportunity that I had to open my mouth and testify of the truthfulness of the Gospel.

I will end with this:  I look forward to Matt and Jessi's wedding next weekend. I am in great need of a break/vacation, and it will be great to spend some time with my family as we celebrate this new life that Matt and Jessi are beginning. After the wedding, I will be spending a few days with my brother Brent and his family in Seattle. It'll be an exciting way to end the summer! :)

God Is In Charge

I've had the opportunity the last few weeks--perhaps months--to kind of just sit back and look back on my mission. Almost every single time I've done so, a similar question has popped up. Again and again and again. "What now?...Okay, now: How? When? Where?" The valuable lesson that I have learned by pondering these things is this small, but powerful truth that an excellent seminary teacher once taught me: God is in charge. He does indeed have a unique plan for each and every one of His children.

Tonight I feel impressed to share a few of my thoughts/feelings about what God's plan has been for me personally since arriving home from my mission. As many of you know, one of my life's goals is to attend and graduate from BYU. It's been a dream of mine since I was kid; it started small, but my desire to reach that dream/goal has only grown throughout the years. And so naturally I was a little upset when BYU didn't accept me before my mission. And then at the end of my mission--when I was working on my personal five-year plan--I decided I would apply again for BYU. I was confident that they would accept me this time around. Well, to my surprise I was declined again. And then I was rejected a third time once I applied when I had arrived home

However, I have remained fairly confident that I will eventually achieve my goal of graduating BYU. I know it will happen, and I won't accept defeat. At the same time, I've always known that the Lord has a special assignment (for lack of a better word) for me to accomplish before arriving to my dream destination of BYU. Since being declined by BYU, I've felt strongly that I was to stay here in Vegas--despite other opportunities to leave and go study at other locations. But for months I was clueless as to why.

A few weeks ago it finally hit me. I don't say it to boast or brag, but I share the following experience with everyone to add another witness that God is in charge, He loves us, and He knows what is best for each and every one of us. The simple answer that I finally received was this: The Lord has had me stick around here in Vegas to help my little brother Timmy and our two best friends Skyler and Levi prepare for their missions. If you're reading this, you might not understand how powerful this answer was for me when I received it.

I know without a doubt that my purpose since arriving home from my mission has been to love, support, and get these guys excited for their own missions. And words cannot describe the joy that I have felt as I've seen each of them progress toward that goal of serving a mission. Timmy is out there in Nebraska giving it his all. Our good friend Skyler departs to England next week and Levi will receiving his mission call either this week or next.

I am so grateful for God's love and for His unique plan that He has had for me. I can now honestly say that I understand why a dream such as graduating from BYU has been put on hold. And I am so grateful that I was rejected those three times.

Recorded Call: Lies

Simply hilarious. I never did get those slurpees!! ;)

Voicemail: From Father To Son

Three months ago we were dropping my little brother Timmy off at the MTC. My good friend Kyle Birchall (my trainer) found out I was there somewhere in Provo and left me the following message. It gave me a pretty good laugh, so I thought I'd share it after all these months.

BDN Update: The Power of The Book of Mormon

Well, wow. It's been a while, and so I decided to write a little "BDN Update." I don't know if it'll be much of an update, but I do have some thoughts and feelings that I would like to share with all those who stumble upon this small blog of mine.

I finished The Book of Mormon again a few weeks ago, and I KNOW that Book is true. I have no doubt in my mind. I love it, and I am cherishing it now more than I have ever cherished it before. If you are reading this, and you have not read The Book of Mormon, I encourage/invite you to do so. I promise you that it will change your life. And I am not saying that just to be cliche or just to say it. This Book will change you if you will let it. I've seen it change my own life and the life of many others. I also testify that God will confirm the truthfulness of this powerful Book through the power of the Holy Ghost. If you pray to God with faith and real intent--asking if this Book is true--you may feel something different. It might feel peaceful, warm, or comforting. But no matter how He makes you feel, the Holy Ghost will testify of the truthfulness of this Book.

One reason I truly love The Book of Mormon is because of the way it helps us during each phase of our lives. It may be different for each and every one of us, but tonight I would like to share some examples from my own life. These examples are personal, but very simple, special, and powerful to me.
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#1: When my family first moved to Mississippi a few years back (I was about nine-years-old), I remember my older brother Matt and I got in a huge argument/fight on a Sunday. I remember feeling really bad about it, and so I went up to my room and pulled out my personal copy of The Book of Mormon and I began reading in 1 Nephi 1. I read maybe two or three chapters that day, and I remember thinking, "Nephi was a good brother. I need to be more like him." I obviously wasn't the perfect brother after reading those chapters, but--yes--those chapters did point me in the right direction.

#2: As I struggled with my parents' divorce as a young teenager, I was strengthened and comforted greatly from the words of King Benjamin in Mosiah 2:41, which states:  

"And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it." 

Every time I read this scripture I knew that I just needed to trust in God and keep His commandments and all would work out for me--no matter what trial or challenge came my way.

#3. As I struggled as a full-time missionary, I found great teachings and insights on how to be a powerful missionary by reading the words of Mormon as he recounted many stories of remarkable missionaries such as Abinadi, Alma The Younger, the sons of Mosiah, Captain Moroni, and Samuel The Lamanite in the Books of Mosiah, Alma, and Helaman.
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Those are only a few examples, of course. But I hope you all understand/see where I am going with this. I just love how each time we read that powerful Book, it can help us with whichever phase we are facing in our lives. I saw that again as I finished The Book of Mormon a few weeks ago. I was so moved by every single thing I learned, and I know that by reading that inspired Book once again, I have been blessed. And I am an even better person than I was six months ago.

I look forward to the day when I have my own family, and I will be able to pick up The Book of Mormon and learn how to be a better husband and father from people such as Lehi, Mormon, and Christ Himself. I have no doubt in my mind that The Book of Mormon will continue to help me as I continue to progress and go about the rest of my life.

Late Night Study

Last week I attended two institute classes--Preparing For An Eternal Marriage and The Book of Revelation. While they were both VERY good classes, I believe The Book of Revelation class may have already benefited me greatly. There was something about sitting in that class and learning from the teacher and from the scriptures that sparked something that hasn't been sparked since my mission--a desire to have a good, in-depth study of the scriptures. Of course, I am reading the Book of Mormon daily, and I have been blessed with knowledge and peace from doing so, but this desire to sit down and study the scriptures and write down thoughts and impressions in a journal has been rekindled, and I am extremely excited about that.

I was so excited that I whipped out my study journal, and I started looking through it. My last entry was November 30, 2011 (a week after I got home from my mission). So yes, I continued the good habit of writing in a study journal after my mission, but...only for a week. That gave me a good laugh.

Now, the point of this post: I flipped through my study journal, and on page 2 there was a section called "Late Night Study Session (11:01 PM)." It was written while sitting on my top-bunk bed on May 19, 2011 (a year ago!) while I was, of course, on my mission. You see, I used to do that! There was a point in my mission where I was so obsessed (for lack of a better word) with studying the scriptures that I would take 10-15 minutes to do a "late night study session."

And the study I had that day was a good one so I wanted to share it with you all. That night I decided to begin my study of God The Father. My hope was to study every scripture that the Topical Guide had about God--His attributes, His foreknowledge, His eternal nature, His Gifts, etc. But before doing so, I decided to read what the Bible Dictionary said about Him. And there was a line that caught my attention. In the fourth paragraph in the Bible Dictionary, it says, "God can be known only be revelation."

Now this can be read and interpreted in a few ways, but when I read that sentence that late night, I looked at it in a personal-revelation kind of way. Each and every one of us can know God better through revelation. But how do we receive revelation? Well, as missionaries, we taught investigators three basic principles to seek and receive revelation: praying daily, reading The Book of Mormon daily, and going to church weekly. (Yes, the sunday school/seminary answers.)

So how do we know God better? How do we draw closer to Him? Through revelation. And we are allowed such revelation only when we are constantly striving to read, pray, and go to church. And I know that by doing so, we truly can know God.

It might sound simple to you, but I am grateful for those extra 10-15 minutes that I took that late night to make that small discovery about God while on my mission.

Best. Yearbook. Message. Ever. (Brought To You By Logan Nelson)

The following message was found in my senior high school yearbook, and so it was probably written in June of 2009. This was by far the funniest thing I have read in a very long time. This is from my little brother Logan M. Nelson. Enjoy!

Benji,

My good brother this year you have been a great example to me this year. The beigning of this year wasn't as fun, but we had good times. I went to key hole cayon one weekend, and I came back to see you so happy, because you had a excellent time at youth conference. After that I had the weirdest, and the funniest days of my life. You have changed a lot over this year, and I'm happy your my brother.

p.s. Good looks on mission!

-Logan Nelson

The Kindest Lady I've Ever Known.

This month marks the one year anniversary of the passing of my convert Olfa Elius Cortez Castillo. I think about her often, and I will never forget her. She was truly one of the greatest people I have ever been able to become acquainted with. And I'd like to take a few minutes to talk about her story.

On February 1 2011, I was transferred to a new area called Reñaca Alto. I was in my previous area for only one transfer (six weeks), and I remember being filled with mixed emotions that day. I was a bit confused as to why I had been transferred despite doing extremely well in my last area. However, that confusion and disappointment soon left me during the first week of that transfer. As I got to know Reñaca Alto and my new companion Elder Judd, I immediately knew that it was where the Lord wanted me to be.

I had a lot of trust in Elder Judd right from the start of our transfer together. Despite being a new missionary, my first impression was, "Dang. This kid is a stud." He had a lot of patience with me as he quickly showed me the new area and introduced me to the unfamiliar members and investigators. I remember one of my first days in the area I pointed up at the list of investigators, and I said, "Wait, so who's Olfa again?" (He had already explained to me who she was once or twice before.) He very patiently explained to me that she was an investigator with a baptismal date for March 19th, 2011. But before I could get way too excited, he explained to me that we weren't able to teach her for a few weeks because she was in the hospital being treated for her cancer. It sounds harsh and sad, but a lot of missionaries over-react when they first hear of investigators like Olfa, and a common question some would ask was, "Should we really be spending time with this person? Will they progress?" I paused for a moment, however, and--despite never meeting this lady quite yet--I just knew that we needed to give her a chance.

I first met Olfa on February 11, 2011. She was finally back from the hospital, and so we knocked on her door. She stuck her head out and said something along the lines of, "I can't meet with you two today. I am not feeling well. But come back tomorrow." When I heard those words, I doubted a little bit because people told us that every single day, and they were never there the next day. But--again--I felt like we needed to give this lady a chance.

We returned the next day, and she did indeed receive us into her home. She was feeling a lot better, and I could not believe how nice this lady was. When she asked us questions about ourselves, it was so obvious that she truly cared about our well-being. She told us stories of how missionaries visited her sixteen years earlier when she lived in Villa Alemana, Chile, and how she never forgot those missionaries. She almost always gave us food to take along with us. In El Cambio Espiritual: Volume III (my journal), I wrote: "We also taught Olfa last night. It was awesome! She'll probably go down in history as one of my greatest investigators. She's great!" The next day was a Sunday, and Olfa attended church with us. It was our second day teaching her together, and she was already progressing.

And she progressed quickly. She approached us one day and asked, "Wait, when am I getting baptized again?" Elder Judd pulled out his calender and told her, "March 19." She replied, "Oh. Could we change it to March 5? I'll be in the hospital on March 19." We explained to her that she could as long as she continued to progress. Her progression was a quick process, and on February 26 she had her baptismal interview. I will never forget that day because instead of having the interview at the church, we did it in her house. Well, the interview is between the district leader and the baptismal candidate only. So what happened to me? Our district leader had me go upstairs and wait in Olfa's cluttered bedroom. I waited on the floor, sitting on a pile of dirty clothes. It was perhaps the strangest environment for an interview that I was ever in, but I was just happy that Olfa was taking one step closer to being baptized.

March 5 finally arrived, and we were excited for Olfa's baptism. But, unfortunately, we were shattered by the news that the chapel's water was cut for the day, which meant we couldn't fill up the baptismal font. In the end, the baptism was rescheduled for the next day after church at the stake center. There were no worries until sacrament meeting started and Olfa hadn't shown up. Big sighs of relief came out of both me and Elder Judd as Olfa walked into the chapel a few minutes into sacrament meeting. Long story short, she was baptized on March 6, 2011, but she couldn't be confirmed until the next Sunday.

She didn't show up the next Sunday, which worried us until we found out that she was sick and had to go to the hospital. Elder Judd was transferred that next week, and so Olfa was confirmed on March 20, which also happened to be Elder Gasik's (the missionary I trained) first day of church in Chile. That would be the last time that Olfa ever attended church with us. Sometime during that next week the Vergara family (the family that fellowshipped Olfa) informed us that Olfa was in the hospital, and she wasn't doing that great.

The weeks passed, and the family Vergara kept us posted on Olfa's condition. They often told us things like, "Olfa is worried about you two, and she always asks about you" or "Olfa really wants to get better so that she can feed you Elders." (They were able to go see her in the hospital; we could not without permission.) April began, and the Vergara family informed us that Olfa wasn't doing very well at all. So we finally asked for permission, and we paid her a surprise visit on April 11. I will never forget the smile that she had on her face when she saw us! We had a great conversation with her, but we were saddened to see her in such poor conditions.

I had faith that Olfa would make a full recovery and rejoin us in Reñaca Alto--especially after hearing from the Vergara family that Olfa was doing a little bit better. But on May 22, more than a month after our surprise visit, we received a phone call from Brother Vergara during our Sunday lunch appointment. He said that he had some bad news. His son was married the day before, and so I first thought, "Dang. They won't be there tonight for us to stop by to pick up his son's extra wedding cake." I asked him what the bad news was, and when he told me that Olfa had passed away, I froze. I lost my appetite. Elder Gasik and I left the lunch appointment. Fighting back tears, Elder Gasik told me, "Sorry, man." I told him it was okay, and that I just needed some time accept it all. We sat for a while, and we shared our feelings with each other about what had happened.

Since her family was all Catholic, her funeral was at a Catholic church. We attended, and I must say it was one of the saddest gatherings I have ever been a part of. But despite all the sadness expressed by those around us, the family Vergara, Elder Gasik, and I all knew that she was going to be rewarded for those decisions that she made during those weeks that we shared with her.

A year has passed since her passing, and I carry the below picture in my Book of Mormon with me at all times to remind me of the kindest lady that I've ever known. We love you, Olfa, and we look forward to the day when we will all reunite.

The Freakest Voice Mail Ever: Brought To You By Levi Kiffe

La Caridad Y Amor

Charity and love.

How important are these attributes of Christ? Well, we always hear our leaders and teachers tell us that obedience is the first and great commandment. And I've always believed that, of course. But I will admit that I was a little confused a few months back when I read in Matthew 22:37-38, which says:

 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

 38 This is the first and great commandment.

Now--I wasn't confused to the point where I threw up my hands and said, "The Gospel isn't true!!" No, not that kind of confusion. But I was confused as in I absolutely did NOT understand this simple concept. Being the prideful missionary that I often was, I thought, "Oh. So obedience really isn't the first and great commandment. It's charity and love for God."

Luckily enough, Los Vilos--my last area--didn't have a Gospel Principles teacher, and so I had the chance to teach a lot of classes. Which also meant that I learned a lot as I prepared those classes. And on one Sunday I was asked to teach a class on obedience. And while preparing for that lesson, I came across another scripture that we have all read over and over again. That scripture is John 14:15, which says:

15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

It finally hit me. The first and great commandment is to love God and Christ, but Christ taught that if we did indeed love him, we would keep (or obey) His commandments. And so I finally realized that this first and great commandment of loving God could also be read as, "Thou shalt be obedient and keep My commandments with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment."

Now, what is the second great commandment? After explaining that obedience is the first and great commandment in Matthew 22, Christ goes on to teach us:

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

The second great commandment is to love the rest of God's children. Simple enough, right? Well...not exactly. It's definitely a lengthy process. And perhaps even a process that reminds me of the pride cycle a little bit. I'll do my best to explain:

As a young missionary, I remember having this great excitement for the work. I loved every single person that I crossed paths with. This was especially easy as a young, new missionary because I had no idea what people were telling us because my Spanish was FAR from great. And so I would just look and people, and I would think, "Man...I don't know this person, but I love them so much."

I was a bit surprised, though, as time went on. I could finally understand Spanish. I felt like I was a better missionary now because the language was no longer an issue. But I felt so weird and empty. I noticed it many times during my mission, but I would just kind of ignore it. And it wasn't until I was in the last few weeks of my mission when it finally hit me: I just didn't have that love and charity for the people like I did at the beginning of my mission. Mostly because I had been rejected so many times that--over time--I just stopped looking at people and thinking, "I love this person." I am grateful, though, that I repented and prayed to have that charity and love for those people. And I am happy it lasted the rest of my mission.

Now, being home, it's been the same story. I remember coming home and just loving everyone--my family, my friends, complete strangers, etc. But I stopped praying and developing that charity and love over time, and once again--like the pride cycle--I lost it. I felt weird and empty again. And then a few weeks ago...It hit me again! I was being prideful and selfish. I wasn't developing charity and love. But once again...I have been trying my best to improve that in my life, and it has worked wonders. :)

Elder Nelson V's Departure

My little vacation to Utah this last week worked wonders for me. It gave me a chance to catch up with some old friends. It gave me a chance to rethink and ponder a few things. It gave me a better idea of what I now need to do to progress in life.

However, I must admit--despite the good that the trip did do for me--that I do miss my little brother Timmy. He hasn't even been gone a week, yet I already feel a little lonely because he is not here. And as sad as it was, dropping him off at the MTC was definitely a highlight from our trip.

We miss you, brother, but we are praying for you and your success. And we know that you are a great missionary!!

Out With The Old, In With The New: The Rise And Then The Fall

I was surprised when I returned home about five months ago, and I found my room looking like this:
After about four months of living in that, I decided to rearrange a few things and clean things up a bit:

The first week or so was great. But then we were bombarded with visitors, and so I relocated myself to another room. And my leave meant complete destruction:


Yikes. Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only remaining person at home who knows how to keep things neat....

Lost Treasure #14: Thirteen-Year-Old Nerd

Yes, this picture is real. And yes, I indeed had THREE video game systems hooked up to my one TV when I was thirteen-years-old. Yikes.

Levi's Hilarious Voicemail: Brought To You By Google Voice

This was a funny voice mail message that I received from my good friend Levi. Hilarious background noises as he sadly tells me he cannot come over. Haha.

The BDN: Tables Turned Again.

Well, it's been a while since I blogged, so I thought I would take some time to do so. I feel like I am getting less and less creative. Kinda. The funny part is I feel like I used to write blog entries that were much more interesting and creative, but then I go back and read them, and I realize that they were far from interesting or creative.

I don't think anyone reads this thing much anyways these days. But that's okay. I mostly keep my blog to keep myself entertained. I love going off on random stuff. And even though looking back on the old stuff embarrasses me a little bit, I must admit it does give me a good laugh. I mean...Imagine reading all this stuff I write 20 years from now. It'll be simply hilarious. It's literally another journal. I love it.

I've learned a lot about myself the last few weeks. I was planning on going into details and what not, but I just now realized that it wouldn't be a good idea. But it does satisfy me to say that I often find that I am disappointed in myself. I feel like I returned home from my mission with a good vision in mind of what I needed to do and what I needed to be. I started off alright, but then quickly corrected my small mistakes. And I was on a roll.

But I feel like I've lost a lot of that vision. I've simply lost my priorities. In the middle of school, work, and other worries, I often find myself doubting and fearing what lies ahead. I do, however, have a strong desire to keep on doing what's right and reevaluating myself so I can get back on the right track. But the truth is I am just a lonely person, and I am desperate for a friend or two. I know it's not true, but I am starting to feel--little by little--that people are forgetting about me.

But why am I complaining? Haha. I need to just get over it, go on some dates, and get married or something. Yes. That's it. That's the solution. I need to find the One. At least then I will have someone to love and support me during life's greatest challenges. :) Now...if only it were as easy as it looks. :/ Haha.

But until then: I am looking forward to going on a run with my little brother Logan in about an hour. The kid really loves basketball, and he wants to start getting in shape and begin training so that he can play varsity next year. I am also looking forward to my two day road trip up to Utah with Timmy. It'll be good for both of us. I'll keep you posted.