Benjamin David Nelson

Elder Nelson V And Other Thoughts

2012-02-05T12:46:00.001-08:00

Well, I have a few more minutes before I need to prepare myself for the Singles Ward, and so I decided that now would be a good time to update everyone on what has been going on.

First, I must congratulate my little brother Timmy! On Thursday he was called to serve in the Omaha, Nebraska Mission. He reports on April 4. I am excited for him. He is going to learn so much. And I know he'll be a great missionary because he's so humble, and he has a big heart. And so the missionary work goes forth again with and Elder Nelson in the ranks. Elder Nelson V to be exact. I am proud of you, brother, and I love ya!

Second, I am grateful for goals and challenges. The family ward has been working on a goal to finish The Book of Mormon by June 3, 2012. It's been such a great experience thus far. My Old Testament teacher also challenged us to give up music for a week and replace it with General Conference talks. And, well, a huge difference has been seen this last week! By doing these two things, I know the Lord has been blessing and helping me greatly.

Third, I'm not only on a search for a wife, but even more importantly: I'm on a search for someone I can trust to be the mother of my future kids. Pretty crazy to think about, eh?

Lastly, this whole iPhone thing has been fun, but simply ridiculous/hilarious at times. Observe how I found Matt sleeping a few days ago:

Lost Treasure #12: Two Years Apart

2012-02-02T15:34:00.000-08:00

We're two years apart. I went, and I came home. And now it's his turn. Love you, brother! I am proud of you. Looking forward to seeing where you go!

A Post From My iPhone

2012-02-01T16:19:00.001-08:00

Well, I just finished up some work for my job. I've really enjoyed it thus far. Now I am sitting on the couch listening to Conference talks. And I thought I would test this out and see if the blogger app works on this iPhone. The greatest!

Enjoy this picture of the invention that I came up with today. So delicious!

My Problem With The Ladies

2012-01-31T08:15:00.001-08:00

These last few weeks I've had the opportunity to think a lot about a question that has always been on my mind, "Why is it so hard for me to be myself around girls?" It makes me laugh to think about it, but...I always thought that my mission would help me come around.

My mission taught me a lot of things about girls, yes. I learned how to respect them better. I learned the importance of actually thinking before I speak to a girl. Most importantly of all: I was taught by my awesome mission president what I need to look for in a girl before I date her.

Now, just because I've been taught these things doesn't mean that I'm necessarily good at them. Being my awkward, RM-self, I've noticed that I'm actually VERY rusty. We won't throw out any names, but I've been very impressed by a few young ladies that I have met since coming home. No, I'm not one of those guys that will propose to a girl only days after meeting her; I don't think that'd be a good idea. But yes, I am the kind of guy who likes to take these impressive young ladies out on a few dates in order to get to know them, make them laugh, and perhaps give them a compliment or two on their personality or their appearance. Because that's what I've been taught to do my whole life.

However, you know you have problems when you say things like the following to a girl:
==========================================================
"Hey! I didn't even realize you were here until you said something!"-BDN

"So....How was your Monday....???"-BDN
"It was good."-Girl
"...That's good....."-BDN
"...."-Girl

[BDN walks up to the girl at church.]
"(Girl's first name) (girls's last name)! How's it going?"-BDN
==========================================================

And those are only a few examples. And so I sort of have noticed that I kind of freak girls out and scare them away. It's a shame, really. Because I really am a nice guy. But alas....

practice makes progress, right?

Lost Treasure #11: Eleven-Year-Old Me.

2012-01-31T08:04:00.000-08:00

Does this need an explanation? My Mom did an activity with the eleven-year-old girls. There were about three girls there that I really liked. And so I went, too. Yikes!

The Conversion Story of BDN

2012-01-28T00:08:00.001-08:00

Toward the end of my mission, I was faced with many trials and challenges. We won't go into specific details, but I will say that I found a lot of comfort writing things of my soul in my journal.

I remember one night we got back to our house after a day that was especially challenging. It was that night that I felt inspired to record a small sliver of my conversion story. I found what I wrote tonight while I was writing my talk for Sunday, and I felt like it was something I should post on my blog.

This is all very personal, but this is my story:

The Conversion Story of BDN (In A Few Words)

Written on August 26, 2011 (In Los Vilos, Chilé)

Despite growing up in the church, I am a convert. I--like my investigators--had to "investigate" the Gospel by striving to follow God's commandments. In other words...I, too, have a great conversion story, I think. My conversion story would be something like this:

I always felt like the Gospel was true. The only time I doubted was when I was about four-years-old. I remember my Mom was helping me get dressed for church, and I threw a fit and said, "I hate church! Who do we have to go, Mom?" "Hate" is a strong word, and I think that worried Mom a little. But her reply, I think, saved my four-year-old self's life, and I'll never forget it. My Mom told me, "We go to church because Jesus want us to." That was the first time that I some-what understood that Christ was my Savior.

My memories are all jumbled up, and I don't remember when it happened, but when I was young my Grandpa Nelson came and visited us in Las Vegas. He took us for a walk to the park, and I remember he sang "Pioneer Children Sang As They Walked" as we walked to the park. Papa always taught us a Gospel principle or two when we visited with him--whether it was through his words or actions. And every time he did, I felt like what he was teaching was true.

I don't remember too much about my baptism, but I do remember that it was on Halloween. I remember my brother Brent was excited to baptize me. (He told me he had been practicing the baptismal prayer in the shower all week long!) Seeing my older brother excited made me excited to be baptized. I felt clean and refreshed after being baptized and confirmed a member of the Church.

When we had only been in our new house in Mississippi for a month or two, I remember having a "heated" argument with my older brother Matthew on a Sunday. We fought a lot those days, but I remember this time we apologized to each other. But I still felt bad. I remember having the impression to go read my scriptures. I obeyed the prompting, and I started reading 1 Nephi. I felt much better after only reading a few pages.

Despite all those arguments, my older brother Matthew became one of my heroes at this time in my life. After September 11, 2001, I remember being scared about war and terrorism. One night, before going to bed, I shared my thoughts with Matt. I can't exactly remember what he said, but I do remember that he talked of faith and trusting in God. I listened, and I knew what he told me was true.

And I remember many other similar memories that helped me realize that the Gospel was true. But I think it took a tough trial for my complete conversion to unfold. The trial I speak of is my parents' divorce. This was it. I had two options: be angry with God or draw closer to Him.

To be honest--I was indecisive for a long time. I was confused, and I just decided to float through life for a while. But in 2007 I reached the point where I knew that I had to make my decision. Life was especially hard for me during this time, and I didn't know which road to take.

In the Summer of 2007 I spent most of my time with my sisters Cynthia and KT. It always made me feel better to be with them. But I was struggling with the fact that my sister KT would be moving to Indiana in those coming weeks. I was also struggling with the fact that Cynthia had graduated and would be leaving to college in those coming months. My bond with my sisters during this time was so strong that both these realizations crushed me.

That summer will be remembered as the summer that changed my life. A few nights before heading off to EFY in Provo, I finally made my decision: I was going to draw closer to God. I got on my knees and started praying to God; I prayed about what I was going through, how I felt about all the trials I had been going through those past few years, etc. And as soon as I ended that prayer, I was filled with peace as I literally felt two arms wrap around me. It was at that moment that I knew without a doubt that God loved me. And that the only logical decision was to draw closer to Him and follow Him.

I continued to feel that love as I attended EFY that week. It was that week that I learned and decided two things: I needed to serve a mission, and I needed to read The Book of Mormon. It took me a long time, but I did read it. And I did pray about it. And God answered my prayer once again. I know that The Book of Mormon is true. I know God loves us, and that Christ is our Savior.

I will be forever grateful for the decisions that I have made to follow Christ. I continue to see those decisions bless my life. And I will always follow Him.

Lost Treasure #10: The Chops

2012-01-22T21:30:00.000-08:00

Okay, this lost treasure stuff is getting ridiculous. This is a third in a row! But this one is worth it.

Lost Treasure #10 is a video from 2007. My good friends Walter Coe, Jeffrey Johnson, and I all thought it'd be a good idea to put these sweet "chops" on my face for a football game. There was a man who used these same chops (real ones) to cheer on the football team. And we thought it necessary to go and support him.

Enjoy.

Lost Treasure #9: Sweet 17.

2012-01-22T21:21:00.000-08:00

And then there was my 17th birthday party. This year will be the "5-years-since-then" mark. No wonder we all look so young.

Lost Treasure #8: Moving Back To Vegas In '05

2012-01-22T20:48:00.001-08:00

This gem was taken shortly after we had moved back to Las Vegas. I was hanging out at Ryan Whitehouse's house with TAB, Chelsea, and Shelby. At that very moment in time, I thought life was just grand!

And it shows in the photo.

It showed again at my Dad's wedding. Observe:

Always My Mission.

2012-01-21T01:24:00.000-08:00

In the MTC, we had a Sunday night fireside, and the speaker said something along the lines of, "Since the day I got home from my mission, not a day has passed by where I haven't thought about my mission." I remember a good MTC district buddy of mine turned to me and said, "I don't really believe that. There's no way that not ONE day has passed." At the time, I agreed and thought, "Yeah...I don't really see how that is possible."

Well, now that I have been home for two months, I strongly disagree with my young, missionary self. The mission is a life-changing experience, and so many things are seen and experienced in those two short years.

And so it shouldn't be a huge surprise to me that I have honestly thought and/or looked back on my mission every single day since arriving home. Not a day passes by where I don't see something that reminds me of one of the following: one of my companions, President Gillespie, one of my converts, one of the ward members/leaders, a feeling or impression that I had while in my mission, or just Chile in general. The list goes on and on.

Here are a few of those things that I am reminded of:

And so even though my mission has come to a close, I recognize that it will always my mission--the turning point of my young, not-yet-old life. And I recognize that I am responsible to continue doing my part as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Lost Treasure #7: The Beard

2012-01-21T01:17:00.001-08:00

A good six or seven weeks before my brother Matt returned from his mission, I decided to let my beard grow out. I don't have a picture from that exact moment in time (it was MUCH longer than the substitute photo below). I do, however, have this picture from the Spring of 2007 when my facial hair was longer, accompanied by a picture that was taken when Matt shaved my face off.

Did I mention that I looked a lot more attractive back then? My opinion, of course.

Spring 2007

May 1, 2008

Slurpees (Brought To You By Google Voice)

2012-01-15T21:37:00.000-08:00

Listen to my voice mail from Levi that I received via my Google voice:

And this is the transcription that Google voice transcribed for me:

Hey Ben, running good. Get some sleep. Lease Torrance. After we. Yeah, I can look. It's scary. When you're talking to you again okay the ring. He, Yeah, it's recording. So after ultimatum for both of flimsiest on you. So we use has some slipping is why 0. Dagget restating It's making this with these HI But anyway, I Yes, Jamie. So I D's For the emmies. This takes forever to load hear a limited 80% load, way know that was little, little big dent. But at least on both of them there bye. Hey, awesome. If you get some sleep because.

The Power That Comes From Reading The Book Of Mormon

2012-01-10T09:07:00.000-08:00

Since arriving home almost two months ago, I have been surprised by the truthfulness of some of the advice and warnings that I received from other RM's, from my mission president, and from the stake leaders that greeted me upon my arrival.

You see, almost all of them told me--one time or another--that Satan works especially hard on RM's. I, being silly, first thought to myself, "Well, they said the same thing to me when I was in high school, when I was preparing to be a missionary, and while I was a missionary. So I am used to this whole temptation business!"

Nope. It really is true. No, I haven't been tempted to go and commit a serious sin or anything like that. It's quite the opposite actually. Most of the temptations that have been thrown at me have been temptations to do nothing. So instead of tempting me to commit a serious sin, the Adversary has indeed taken a different approach by trying to tempt me to not keep the commandments by doing nothing.

Luckily enough for me, I made a decision a long time ago that I would always be a disciple of Christ. I am not perfect--I know that now more than I ever have before. I'm not the smartest person, either. I even feel a little immature for my 21-year-old self at times. But I do know one thing: God will bless us if we are obedient. That's because He loves us more than we can comprehend.

And I've really come to learn that. So although I've been tempted to stop praying, to stop reading, to stop going to church...I haven't given in. And I never will. But when I got home, I did make the mistake of stopping to read The Book of Mormon. I still prayed daily, I still read in church books such as The Miracle of Forgiveness, I still attended church.

But I put down The Book of Mormon, and I didn't open its pages for a few weeks. I noticed a huge difference in my life, and I often prayed, "Heavenly Father, what is going on? I am going to church, I am always praying to Thee, and I am reading in church books. But why do I feel empty?"

I am grateful for the Juarez Family from my family ward. They sent us a paper in their Christmas newsletter that challenged everyone to read The Book of Mormon December 12, 2012 (12/12/12). JoAnn put a copy of it on my desk. And one night I felt strongly that I needed to complete this challenge.

And so I went right to work with it. Along with praying daily and reading The Miracle of Forgiveness daily, I began to study The Book of Mormon. And the change that has taken place in my life is indescribable. Only a few weeks has past, but I have felt a peace enter into my life. I have had a few job opportunities come up when I was struggling to find work. I've gathered up the courage to attend the Singles Ward, and I am meeting a lot of new people. I no longer fear the future; God has blessed me with personal revelation as I have read that sacred, powerful Book.

I am a witness that The Book of Mormon changes lives. It's changed mine. I testify that it is true, and that it was written by Prophets of God. I know that by reading it, each and every one of us can draw even closer to God. I love The Book of Mormon, and I will always stand as a witness of the truthfulness that it contains.

Lost Treasure #6: "The Week Of Work"

2012-01-10T08:57:00.001-08:00

I found the following two photos in a folder entitled "The Week Of Work." If I recall correctly, Brent Nelson and I spent about a week figuring out how we were going to build this bad boy. Two memories from that week stick out:

1)Brent Nelson and I running in and out of Office Max with a new hard drive in the pouring rain.

2)Brent Nelson saying to me (while working on the PC; about to put the CPU in), "Hey, bring me some toilet paper, bring me some toilet paper!" I thought to myself, "Oh, dang. He's either really got to sneeze or he has a bloody nose. Either way...my PC is in danger." So I ran and got the toilet paper! But I was surprised when Brent Nelson took the toilet paper and proceeded to wipe the sweat off his forehead. Classic.

I was 13-years-old when Brent Nelson taught me how to build a computer.

Me. PRETENDING to do something.

Brent Nelson. ACTUALLY doing something.

Lost Treasure #5: Happy Birthday, Baby Brother!

2012-01-02T09:14:00.000-08:00

Today is my baby brother Luke's 13th Birthday. WOW!! I cannot believe how quick you are growing up. Love you, brother!!!

Mission Memory #1: A Year Ago Tomorrow

2012-01-01T21:18:00.000-08:00

This will be my first entry of "Mission Memories." Today's journal entry comes from an entry I wrote on January 2, 2011. It gives you an idea of what it's like to be a missionary on New Years day.

Just so you have an idea...this was my second transfer as a senior companion, and I still didn't make the greatest decisions. And when I mention we played the Wii...It's not like we were sitting down and playing for two hours straight. There were a bunch of kids there, and the adults didn't know how the Wii worked, so we were helping the kids out. Looking back...It WAS with an investigator on New Years day, so it wasn't as bad as I make it sound in the entry.

Enjoy!

January 2, 2011 (7:58 AM)

Okay, before I tell you yesterday's story, I thought I'd say: Happy 13th Birthday, Luke Nelson! Wow. I can't believe how old he is now. Crazy! Happy Birthday, brother! I'm proud of you. I love you.

I'm not so sure that we are going to finish strong this weekend. Why? Well, yesterday was so weird. No one was out in the streets. All of our appointments fell through, too, and so we decided to pass by a few members to see if we could visit them and spend a little time with them. But nope! They weren't in their houses either. It was strange. We ended up spending a few hours with the Mardones family. We ate lunch with them a few days ago, and the daughter (Kabriel) informed us that she wanted to be baptized. So we're going to teach her on Tuesday, and she'll be baptized this change. FTW! But yeah...we stopped by their house to use the bathroom, but we were actually there for a good two hours. Yikes. I've never felt so "chueco" [Chilean word for disobedient or rebelious] in my life! Yes...it gets worse. What else did we do...??? We played Mario Party 8 with them for a little while! THE WORSTS!!! But we're never going to do it again. We can't be "chuecos!" ;-)

Well...today we have church, and it should be sweet. Valeska's family will be there, as will be Kabriel. Four investigators at church FTW! :) We're excited for that. Well, it should be an interesting day, then. I'll do my best to keep you updated tonight rather than tomorrow morning. ;-) Missionary work FTW, FTW, FTW. (P.S. I wonder how Scott Oehler (AKA Elder Oehler) is doing in the MTC? I imagine he's great! I love you, brother!) [I ask myself that because Scott and I used to always say "FTW, FTW, FTW"]

One more random thought before I close my journal...Elder Chris Berry has TWO months left in the mission. What the heck!? I don't believe that. Even crazier: Elder T.A.Brunner only has six months left in the mission. *confused* How can it be!? That means I'm running out of time...So let's go to work!! :) [Time DID pass very fast.]

The streets of Quillota (my area) on January 1, 2011 around 1 PM. Normally the streets were PACKED.

Lost Treasure #4: Christmas And Brent's Birthday.

2011-12-30T07:39:00.001-08:00

The following pictures shall be revealed to celebrate Christmas (it's a little late) and to wish my brother EBN a happy 30th birthday today. Merry late Christmas everyone!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BROTHER!!

Lost Treasure #3: My Little Brothers

2011-12-16T14:17:00.000-08:00

Does this need a description?

Lost Treasure #2: "Summer Games--The Line Up"

2011-12-15T07:43:00.000-08:00

I couldn't help it. Here's another classic. When I was in 7th grade, I would make lists of video games that I wanted to play instead of studying during study hall. And this happens to be one of those lists. Enjoy!

Lost Treasures #1: Benjamin David Nelson:A History

2011-12-14T21:58:00.000-08:00

The Lost Treasures is a series of old files found on my computer; these files are especially precious because I went two years without seeing them, which added to the level of hilariousness. Stay tuned for more of The Lost Treasures!

Today's Lost Treasure is the introduction to an "autobiography" that I began to write in the summer of 2006. An instant knee-slapper is found in the second paragraph when I talk about how "I lived in California for what seemed like hours" as if I actually remember that! And oh, just for the record: I lived in California until I was three WEEKS old; not three months.

Enjoy!

Benjamin David Nelson: A History

An Introduction

My name is Benjamin David Nelson. I was born in California. Mount Clair to be exact. That was on October 6, 1990, though. Almost been sixteen years ago, actually. I don’t know where all the time has gone, but I’ve never really kept a good journal. The best I’ve done is find a notebook, write a page or two in it about that day, and then lose the journal. So I thought I would write a little autobiography to cover all of the events that I missed because of not keeping a journal. Better to start now when I remember most of my childhood than to start later, right? But before I actually start the actual autobiography deal, I thought I would give this little intro.

I lived in California for what seemed like hours. Well, in other words, I was a baby, and I lived there for three months. But I cant really remember that. Actually, I don’t remember California at all. But I do remember this other place. That place being the small city of Las Vegas, Nevada.

I lived in Las Vegas for a good ten years of my life. Those ten years were definitely great moments now that I look back on them. But before I knew it, my Dad got a job transfer to Memphis, Tennessee. My family moved to Southaven, Mississippi (a close town or suburb to Memphis), and I ended up living there for five years.

The climax of my life (so far) definitely took place in Mississippi. I will not go into too many details because I need to save the rest for the actual autobiography. But lets just say that life was rough there. But before I knew it, due to certain circumstances, I was back in Las Vegas, Nevada. And that puts me where I am now. In my room, in Vegas, writing this little book. So I hope you read the rest, for this is just an intro. THE GREATEST!

Home

2011-11-24T21:54:00.000-08:00

I loved my mission, and I will never forget it. These last few days at home have been difficult\different, but great. We celebrated Thanksgiving today with Mom and Darin. We are now catching up a little bit with Matthew Nelson.

Yesterday I was picked up by my Dad, JoAnn, my little brothers, Levi, and Skyler. Although I was only at home for a little while and I was so overwhelmed by the things that I needed to do, we managed to enjoy it.

It's really late. I just got done talking to a Sister from Renaca Alto via Windows Live Messenger. Yesterday I took a few minutes to call others from Chile. It was great. I plan on continuing with such activities; I don't want to lose the Spanish.

We still have tomorrow and then Saturday we are back off to Vegas so that I can attend church at Mission Hills. I'm looking forward to the struggles, the changes, and the adventures that will come these next few months and years that are ahead of me. As always...I will be keeping you posted.

0: We Did It

2011-11-23T09:57:00.001-08:00

Dear All,

Yesterday was an adventure. I said farewell to Quillota and Achupallas. It was great to reunite with the people there; I love them all so much, and they will be missed.

My final interview went well. Really powerful. I'm not so worried anymore; the advice from President Gillespie helped me out a lot. I'll never forget the things that my mission president has taught me. He truly is a special witness of Christ. At the end of the interview, he gave me a blessing, and it was amazing how in tune he is with the Spirit! Everything he said was for me!

Just here with Elder Hawkes in Viña waiting for the "Last Supper" at 6 PM. We're off to the Temple tomorrow at 3 AM. And then I'll be there all day until they pick me up at 9 PM to head to the airport.

I love you all. These truly have been unforgettable days.

Con Amor,
Elder Nelson IV

1: I Have No Regrets; I Did My Best.

2011-11-23T09:55:00.001-08:00

Dear All,

I believe this'll be my last e-mail as a full-time missionary. I may or may
not write next Monday. I don't think I will because I'm going to be with
Elder Hunsaker (the Elder that lived with me in Quillota), and we are going
to be visiting converts and what not. But if I do write my chance, don't be
too surprised.

Wow. Two years has come and gone. I've thought a lot about my days as a
missionary. I'll never forget all of these people that have made such a
huge impact on my life. I have no regrets. I can't say that I was the
greatest missionary at all times; I made a lot of mistakes. But I have no
regrets, because I did my best.

We had a great mission conference last week. We heard from Elder Cook,
Bishop McMullin, AND Elder Zaballos. It was great to be in Viña again, and
it was great to hear from these special witnesses of Jesus Christ. During
the conference I was reminded again by the Spirit that these men truly are
the Lord's servants in these latter days. I got a good laugh because we
also attended a fireside the night before, and Elder Cook and Elder
Zaballos spoke there, too. So I heard them both speak twice!

And the fireside was interesting because they talked a lot to the young
single adults about how they shouldn't hold off being married. They talked
about how we need to be more faithful, and how we need to put our trust in
the Lord--despite not having a ton of money or a lot of Education. And then
in the conference the next day, they talked a little more about marriage.
(And when they did, my zone--knowing that I am going home next week--all
looked at me and smiled/laughed. It's a missionary thing, I guess.) And
then yesterday at church we were visited by a Brother Goodman and his wife
Jodi. They are from Arizona. Brother Goodman served here about five years
ago. We ate lunch with them and a family in the ward, and he was telling us
his whole story and how he got married about a year after getting home,
etc. So what I'm trying to say is: I heard a lot about marriage this week.
Haha.

Well...I'm going to try especially hard this week to stay focused and to
end strong. On Sunday morning at about 6 AM, I'm getting on a bus to
Quillota. I'm planning on attending church there, and then I'm planning on
eating lunch at Valeska's (my convert) house. From there, Elder Hunsaker
and I will make our way to the mission home for our final interviews. I
have mine at 6:30 PM.

* 6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at
hand.

7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the
faith:* (2 Timothy 4:6-7)

This is it. I loved my mission. I love all of you, and I am grateful for
everything you've done for me--especially these last two years. See you
next week.

Con Mucho Amor,
Elder Nelson IV

2: Twenty-Four Months--No More, No Less

2011-11-23T09:52:00.001-08:00

Dear All,

I got my travel plans and other information about my farewell last week. Wowzers. It looks like I will be flying home with an Elder named Elder Filoteo. I never knew he was from Las Vegas. But that'll be fun to have someone to talk to on the plane and what not. I also had interviews with President Gillespie. He gave me a small bell, and he explained to me that in track meets they ring the bell on the final lap to let the runners know that they are near the end, and they need to end strong to win the race. And so when the distractions come, I have to ring the small bell (see picture) to remind myself that I am expected to run my best. I am on the final lap.

The Temple was amazing. I had a powerful experience with Elder MacIver and with the second counselor of the Branch. We were doing confirmations in the Temple, and as I confirmed the Youth in behalf of the deceased people, I was overwhelmed by the Spirit. For the first time in my life, I truly felt the Spirit of Elijah. I felt it again when we took part in an Endowment session. I was overwhelmed by the Spirit that I felt. It felt SO good to be within the walls of the Temple. I felt so much more powerful and strengthened by being there. I look forward to going back in two weeks before getting on the plane. :)

We were looking forward to a Zone Conference this week in La Sarena. I had it all arranged to meet up with the Famila Araya (my first baptism) and everything! But...It was cancelled. :( And postponed to Friday; but it'll be a mission conference, and it'll take place in Viña del Mar. We'll be visited by a General Authority. We aren't sure yet, but it'll either be Elder Cook from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, one of the members of the Presiding Bishopric, or another Seventy. And whoever comes will be accompanied by either Elder Corbrige, Elder Zaballos, or Elder Richards. So I am excited about that! And it'll also be good to see all my companions and friends before leaving. It'll be my best mission conference that I've had; we've never met up as a mission before. I'm a little sad about not being about to see the Familia Araya, but...Maybe we can talk via Skype when I get home or something. :)

We had a powerful experience yesterday in our Gospel Principles class. It was my turn to teach the class, and I knew Cristian (Investigator) and his wife Andrea (less-active that is getting reactivated) would be there. It was perfect because the topic was Eternal Marriage. As I prepared for the class, I thought to myself, "How in the world am I going to be able to teach this class in a way that they feel the Spirit? I don't know what it's like to be married yet." After much pondering, the Spirit guided me, and I felt strongly that we had to listen to Elder Scott's talk from April earlier this year. We did so, and it was an experience that I'll never forget. They felt the Spirit SO strong, and Andrea shared with us her thoughts and feelings about the talk and about how her only desire was to be sealed to her husband and her kids. I was so touched by her words that I could barely even speak up and talk to finish the class.

I was thinking about that experience this morning, and I scripture from D&C came to mind. It teaches us about how a teacher who teaches by the Spirit can help not only the students, but also themselves. In is found in D&C 50:21-22:

21 Therefore, why is it that ye cannot understand and know, that he that receiveth the word by the Spirit of truth receiveth it as it is preached by the Spirit of truth?
22 Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together.

I have felt that a lot here in the mission. I've been so touched by the many people that I've taught, and I can honestly feel that the majority of the time I feel like I am learning more from the people than they are from me. But I have come to learn now that we are both learning from the Spirit Himself. We are both being edified, and we both have a reason to rejoice together. I know that each and everyone of us can experience this. As we fulfill our sacred callings as parents, as children, as brothers, as sisters, as teachers, as leaders, etc. If we truly teach by the Spirit, EVERYONE--including ourselves--will be benefited and powered by It.

I love you all. One more e-mail next week. Yikes.

Con Amor,
Elder Nelson IV

3: Halloween And November

2011-11-23T09:49:00.001-08:00

Dear All,

I'm writing these last few e-mails with a lot of mixed emotions. I have a
lot of life's dreams, and my full-time missionary service is one of them.
And now here it is drawing to a close. But I am grateful for everything
that I have experienced these two years, and I will never forget them. I
love my mission. But I am also excited to begin my new life and progress
even more.

It was a tough week, but we're confident that this week will be better. We
received permission to go to the Temple with the District this Saturday. I
am excited for that. :) It'll be my first Temple trip here in Chilé. I am
REALLY excited. I haven't been to the Temple since the MTC. That seems like
an eternity ago. It'll be great to go there and feel that special Spirit
again. We're looking forward to it.

Yesterday in Gospel Principles, Elder MacIver taught a lesson on Eternal
Families. As he taught and as the members and investigators participated, I
felt extremely happy to know that we will have the opportunity to live with
our families forever as long as if we do our part and follow the Savior's
example. I know that's true. The Spirit has born testimony of it to me, and
it brings a lot of peace and hope to my heart when I am reminded of this
great knowledge that I have.

But I also know that it's certain that Satan is out to destroy the family.
Every day he is doing everything he can do get to us and to destroy us.
Like Elder Holland said in this last General Conference: Satan knows that
he will lose in the end, but he will not go down without a fight. This
week, I found a great example of a Prophet who fought Satan and came out
victorious. Moses teaches us what we must do to come out victorious in
Moses 1:17-22

*17 And he also gave me commandments when he called unto me out of the
burning bush, saying: Call upon God in the name of mine Only Begotten, and
worship me.*
*
*
*18 And again Moses said: I will not cease to call upon God, I have other
things to inquire of him: for his glory has been upon me, wherefore I can
judge between him and thee. Depart hence, Satan.*
*
*
*19 And now, when Moses had said these words, Satan cried with a loud
voice, and ranted upon the earth, and commanded, saying: I am the Only
Begotten, worship me.*
*
*
*20 And it came to pass that Moses began to fear exceedingly; and as he
began to fear, he saw the bitterness of hell. Nevertheless, calling upon
God, he received strength, and he commanded, saying: Depart from me, Satan,
for this one God only will I worship, which is the God of glory.*
*
*
*21 And now Satan began to tremble, and the earth shook; and Moses received
strength, and called upon God, saying: In the name of the Only Begotten,
depart hence, Satan.*
*
*
*22 And it came to pass that Satan cried with a loud voice, with weeping,
and wailing, and gnashing of teeth; and he departed hence, even from the
presence of Moses, that he beheld him not.*

Let us call upon the Lord unceasingly! I know that if we do so--like
Moses---we will come out of the battle victorious. As we rely upon the Lord
unceasingly as families, he WILL NOT defeat us, and we will come out
victorious. I know these things are true, and I am grateful for examples
like Moses who teach us that it's not an impossible battle. We can come out
victorious.

I love you all. Until next week!

Con Amor,
Elder Nelson IV

4: The Slow Hand Quickens

2011-10-27T22:55:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

Here I am again. That number gets lower and lower, and it seems like the time is passing quicker and quicker. I must take advantage of these last four weeks.

All is well here. We're progressing here in Los Vilos. We had a great week. We taught a lot of people, and we continue to do our part to fortify and strengthen the members and the converts here. We are still on a hunt for God's elect, though. We have a good pool of investigators, but a lot of them have to take care of a few things before they can be baptized. We have lost contact with other investigators, and like I said last week...That makes me a little sad. But I know we just have to keep working hard, and we just have to seek the Lord's help. And we have to accept His will. So we'll continue to do our part here, and I am confident that it'll all work out.

Like I said a few months ago: Los Vilos has been my toughest challenge yet. It continues to be so. But this week my testimony of the power of prayer was strengthened. With all the trials and difficulties that we face here in this area, I was about to "explode"--for lack of a better term--last week. But I found great comfort through my prayers to my Heavenly Father. And the tough times have become bearable! And at church yesterday, I pondered about that. I asked myself--like Enos of the Book of Mormon--"How is it done?" The answer is found in Enos and many other parts of the scriptures. But I found a scripture in James that I really liked. In James 5:15-16, we are taught:

15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent eprayer of a righteous man availeth much.

I am a witness that these verses teach us the truth. We CAN be healed through our prayers of faith. Each and every one of us has dificulties and problems in this life, but God loves us, and He desires to hear us. So it's obvious that if we talk to Him through prayer, He will heal and comfort us.

Yesterday I was also taught again the importance and the sacredness of the Sacrament. I blessed the Sacrament with our ex-branch president, and when he was blessing the water, he said the prayer with so much reverence and humility that the Spirit hit me harder than it ever has before during that Sacred Ordinance. It made me want to be even better, and I remembered the words of Christ to the Nephites when he introduced the sacrament to them in 3 Nephi 18:10-11:

10 And when the disciples had [partaken of the sacrament], Jesus said unto them: Blessed are ye for this thing which ye have done, for this is fulfilling my commandments, and this doth witness unto the Father that ye are willing to do that which I have commanded you.

11 And this shall ye always do to those who repent and are baptized in my name; and ye shall do it in remembrance of my blood, which I have shed for you, that ye may witness unto the Father that ye do always remember me. And if ye do always remember me ye shall have my Spirit to be with you.

I felt that my imperfections and my mistakes that were weighing heavily on my mind during the week were washed away. How grateful we are to have the authority to administer the Sacrament! It is the only way that we can renew our covenants with God and to maintain the Spirit completely in our lives.

I love you all. Enjoy the pictures. You can also visit the following link to see pictures that were taken at last week's celebration. :)

Until next week!

Con Amor,

Elder Nelson IV

6: TOTAL SURRENDER: Moriré En Los Vilos

2011-10-18T21:20:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

No time today. The negocio closes at 2PM. It's 1:54 PM. :)

I'm ending my mission in Los Vilos! This is it. My companion is out of here. He's training in El Belloto. My heart is full because the Lord has called me to serve with a great friend of mine. :) Elder MacIver! I was there when he started the mission, and we always told each other, "One day, we will be companions." I love him, and I've always felt that we would be working together. I cannot think of a better companion to end my mission with. :) He's SO humble, and he's always happy. He's from Arizona, and he will complete a year in Chilé with me.

All is well here.

I want to end my mission with the attitude of "TOTAL SURRENDER." The Fourth Missionary explains it better than I can. It says:

Unlike the Third Missionary, the way of the Fourth Missionary is what I call “unconditional surrender”. In addition to giving his time, talents and energy to the Lord, the Fourth Missionary gives himself. He gives his will to the Lord. He surrenders all of his desires, his dreams, his ambitions, his wishes to the Lord. In his heart and in his head he lets go of what he wants to do. His wants to do the Lords will.

Paraphrasing C.S. Lewis, the Lord says to us: “Give me all. I don’t want so much of your time, so much of your talents and money, and so much of your work: I want You. All of you. I have not come to torment or frustrate the natural man, but to kill it. No half-measures will do. I don’t want to only prune a branch here and another there; rather, I want the whole tree out. Hand it all over to me, the whole outfit, all of your desires, all of your wants and wishes and dreams. Turn them all over to me, give yourself to me and I will make of you a new self in my image. Give me yourself and in exchange I will give you Myself. My will, shall become your will. My heart, shall become your heart.” (Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis, p.167)

Let me be clear that I am not talking just about giving up evil desires, but rather all of your desires, all of your wants and wishes and dreams, whether good or evil. All of it together. For example, I desire to provide for my family; I want to be with my sons when they get married; I would like to be with my parents in their last years; I like snow skiing and water skiing. I enjoy rock climbing, ice climbing and mountaineering; I enjoy being with my family; I like being the teacher’s quorum advisor; but I am called to serve a mission. These are all good desires. You have other desires equally good or better. The Third Missionary gives up doing those things. The Fourth Missionary gives them up in his head and in his heart as well. It isn’t that he stops caring about those things; he just doesn’t dwell on them. His mind and heart are focused on other things. His wants, his wishes, his dreams are overcome and swallowed up by his predominant desire to fulfill the wants, the wishes and dreams of the Lord for him.

I'm going to give it my all these last six weeks so that I can say: "Lord, I gave Thee my all. I have no regrets."

I love you all. Until next week!

Con Amor,

Elder Nelson IV

5: ¡Fuimos A Pichidangui! Y A Santiago, Tambien.

2011-10-18T21:17:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

It was a fun week. It's been great with Elder MacIver. I love it. We love being together. It's been fun catching up with him and what not. We didn't have the greatest first week, though, as far as the work goes. All of our investigators that I thought were gold have suddenly gone cold, and they seem to have lost a lot of interest. It makes me sad because I love them a lot. But I have to follow Preach My Gospel's counsel and not get discouraged; because discouragement weakens our faith.

But alas. It was a fun week. A few days ago we went out to a small town called Pichidangui with our investigator Johanna and her family. They have a house there. It's part of our area, and it's a good 30-45 minutes away in bus. We got there, and they showed us around and fed us lunch. It's really beautiful! We tried going to work there, though, but we didn't have any luck because it turns out it's mostly a summer vacation place. :/ So we had a lot of fun, but we were there for way too long because the bus schedule is complicated and buses don't pass by very often. But the good news is that we know our way around the town just in case we ever need to go there for something. :)

On Saturday we had the great oportunity to go to Santiago for the Cultural Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Misión Chilena. It was my first time in Santiago, and it was great! It was a long trip; we were the only Elders that got permission to go from the North, and we took my two converts with us. I'll be honest, though, that I didn't pay much attention to the celebration because I was too busy catching up with old friends from the mission. And I paid even less attention when I saw my childhood friend Brian Walker walk into the stadium! I called for him, and he came up and sat next to me for the whole celebration, and we just talked and caught up with each other. It was great being able to see him. We talked about some childhood memories, and we also talked about the differences between his mission in Santiago and our mission here in Viña. It's interesting how different the missions are! But it's a sign that each mission president receives revelation according to the needs of the mission. :)

So all is well here. I'd like to share two scriptures that spoke to my soul this week. One comes from the great example of the Prophet Samuel the Lamanite; the other comes from a Latter-Day Apostle ELder Dallin H. Oaks. Samuel the Lamanite taught me how to be a good returned missionary. In Helaman 16:7, it says:

[A]nd [he] did flee out of their lands, yea, even unto his own country, and began to preach and to prophesy aamong his own people.

Samuel The Lamanite's mission to the Nephites was over. He did what he was called to do. And what does he do? He returns to his country and he continues to work and preach the Gospel in his own land. A simple example, but a powerful one.

Dallin H. Oaks taught me this week that sometimes the Lord just wants us to make our own decisions based on our own judgment. It's not necessary that we receive revelation in all things. He teaches:

[A person may have] a strong desire to be led by the Spirit of the Lord but who unwisely extends that desire to the point of wanting to be led in all things. A desire to be led by the Lord is a strength, but it needs to be accompanied by an understanding that our Heavenly Father leaves many decisions for our personal choices. Personal decision making is one of the sources of the growth we are meant to experience in mortality. Persons who try to shift all decision making to the Lord and plead for revelation in every choice will soon find circumstances in which they pray for guidance and don’t receive it. For example, this is likely to occur in those numerous circumstances in which the choices are trivial or either choice is acceptable.

We should study things out in our minds, using the reasoning powers our Creator has placed within us. Then we should pray for guidance and act upon it if we receive it. If we do not receive guidance, we should act upon our best judgment. Persons who persist in seeking revelatory guidance on subjects on which the Lord has not chosen to direct us may concoct an answer out of their own fantasy or bias, or they may even receive an answer through the medium of false revelation.

I know we can receive personal revelation by studying the scriptures--both from the ancient records such as the Bible and the Book of Mormon as well as we can from the Latter-Day prophets that we have today. I testify--with all of my heart--that these men were called of God. The Bible and Book of Mormon were written for our day. We have Prophets that lead and guide us in these latter-days. And I know that if we feast upon their words, we will be blessed with a broader understanding of God's plan for each and every one of us. The words of the prophets can calm any troubled soul; I know that is true because I have been calmed and comforted by reading their words.

I love you all. Until next week.

Con Amor,

Elder Nelson IV

7: A Lot Happens In Seven Weeks

2011-10-03T20:40:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

I am sorry about the ending of last week's e-mail. I hope you all understood what I was trying to say; I was in a rush. But all is well here! Last Tuesday I was on an intercambio with Elder Naylor (also from Las Vegas), and that was really great because he was in my branch, and we were celebrating his birthday together. I surprised him at a lot of the members' houses with little celebrations, and it was a great time. Except I was really worried because I got a small stomach flu, and I didn't feel well at all. My biggest worry was that I would be sick for General Conference. But I made a quick recovery, and I feel great. :) But geez. I think I've been sick more here in my mission than I ever was before.

What a Conference!! We are extremely blessed to live in today's world. We live in a time when the Church of Jesus Christ is on the earth! Thomas S. Monson IS a prophet of God, and the Apostles have also been called of Him. I loved this conference. When the conference started I had a lot of questions about my life and my future, and I can say with a certainty that I received personal revelation regarding each and every one of these questions. I absolutely loved the Priesthood session as always. Elder Holland and Elder Waddell's talks were inspiring, and I hope that every young man in the world hears those two messages. :) I loved seeing Elder Hales again after his absence in April; he gave an amazing talk. And as always, I loved hearing from the First Presidency--especially President Eyring. President Eyring always touches me because he is so sincere and humble. I am already really excited for the next conference in April. :)

We have a lot to look forward to these next few weeks. We have my birthday this week (thank you all for the birthday wishes, by the way), and then we are going to have a Special Conference (via satellite) this Saturday to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of having a mission in Chile. Wow. For fifty years the Lord has been calling missionaries to this magnificent country and people! Next Saturday, October 15, we will then have the opportunity to watch a special cultural celebration (also via satellite). I am excited. It's going to be great. I will keep you posted as always.

All is well here. We were sad to learn that Fernanda moved to Illapel! I was saddened by that news, but I know it's the Lord's will. We sent the reference to the missionaries over there, and I just pray that she is baptized there. :) Alejandro is doing great; he is progressing, but still hasn't accepted a baptismal date. We found a new investigator named Artemio and his wife Maria Eugenia. They are great! Artemio attended the Priesthood session and the Snday morning session. I am happy because we have seen a lot of progression here in Los Vilos! It is good to have good, strong investigators that are actually completing with their commitments.

I cried myself to sleep last night as I pondered these last few months that I have spent as a full-time missionary. You might laugh about that, but the way I feel now is an interesting feeling. The way I feel now is the same way that I felt a few weeks before leaving my home and entering the MTC. Yes, you may not believe it, but the feelings are identical. I didn't want to leave the world behind, but I knew I had to because the Lord was calling me. Now, as I approach the end of my mission, I don't want to take off this nametag, but I know I have to because the Lord's call was a call of only 24 months. As I prepared to enter the MTC, yes, it was hard, but I KNEW that I was going to one day return to my home. And now here I am drawing nearer and nearer to the end of my missionary service, and I am struggling to accept the fact that it is very probable that I may never return again to this great place. That is the only difference. It's going to be harder to leave my mission than it was to start because I have no idea if I will ever return to these people who I love so much. They have become part of my life.

*Sigh* But a lot happens in seven weeks, and I am grateful for that. I'm going to continue to give the Lord everything I've got. I didn't come on my mission to only serve 22 or 23 months; I came to serve all 24. And the only smart way to serve is to do it with all our heart, might, mind, and strength. So that's what I am going to do.

We have changes this week. Anything could happen. I hope to finish my mission here in Los Vilos, but I am used to accepting the Lord's will already, and I will do whatever is asked of me. I will keep you all posted. I love you all. Thank you for everything you've done for me. Until next week!

Con Amor,

Elder Nelson IV

8: Don't Count The Cost

2011-09-30T20:58:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-09-19T21:58:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-17T21:43:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-11T21:26:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-11T21:21:00.000-07:00

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

13: ¡El Perseverar Hasta El Fin!

2011-08-22T21:11:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

I'm grateful for my mission. I've seen and experienced a lot of things that I will never forget. I've met a lot of people that have made a great impact on my life. But more than anything, I've learned to forgive, I've learned to love, I've learned to understand, etc. For example, I look back on my three changes/transfers with Elder Gasik. And despite never having a baptism with him, I learned so much about diligence, obedience, charity, and unity. I miss those days of my mission! But I know the Lord wants me to learn from my experiences here in Los Vilos, too.

We were happy to see Fernanda get married last week! It was interesting attending the ceremonies and what not. There was a lot of good food, and it was fun. However, when we were eating lunch, Fernanda asked us if we could post-pone her baptism. Her husband had his interview with the branch president (so he could baptize her), but he doesn't feel ready to do so yet. And naturally, she really wants her husband to baptize her. :) So we have to be patient and give her a few more weeks so that her husband can baptize her. The good news: They're married now, and they are progressing!

We're really excited for this Saturday because Francisco and Cristofer will be baptized! I'm really excited because they have been waiting for SO long to be baptized. They're funny because yesterday they gave us a list of people to invite to their baptism. I laughed when I saw names such as "branch president and wife" and "lady who directs music." The one that made me laugh the most, though, was "Elders." :) It gave me a good laugh that they wanted us to invite ourselves to their baptism. They're great kids. They'll go down in history as two of the greatest people that I have met and taught here in my mission. I love them both.

I've always liked the hymn "Master The Tempest Is Raging." As a young lad, I enjoyed it for it's cool music more than anything. Like a lot of hymns, I never really paid attention to the words of the hymn before my mission. And a few days ago, I was reading in Jesus The Christ, and I learned--after all this time--what the words from "Master The Tempest Is Raging" mean and where they come from. In Mark 4:36-41, it says:

36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.
37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

Why are we so fearful? How is it that we have no faith? We live in a time full of fierce storms and tempests; we are faced with them every day! But Christ teaches us that we must not fear; rather, we must have faith in Him. And if we do so, He will calm the storms. I know He will because I've seen and experienced many calms of such storms and tempests. So let's put our trust in Him by keeping His commandments, and He will save us! We'll never be perfect in this life; we can't control that. But we can be happy; and we can control that. And the path to happiness is His path and His example.

I love you all. Until next week!

Con Mucho Amor,
Elder Nelson IV

14: "The Kingdom of God Or Nothing"

2011-08-17T22:26:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

President John Taylor said it best: "The Kingdom of God Or Nothing!" It really is the only real, worthwhile choice, isn't it?

I want to explain something that I should have probably explained a long time ago. I want to explain to everyone the purpose of my e-mails home. My purpose in writing these e-mails isn't only to update everyone on how I'm doing and what I'm doing. But rather, my purpose in writing these e-mails is to also do missionary work through my e-mails. My hope is that by reading my e-mails you will feel the Spirit and learn a Gospel principle or two. And so that's why I sometimes go off on random topics.

Last week I received an e-mail from my brother Brent Nelson. He updated me on what is going on in his life by forwarding me blog entries. And one entry that really touched me was an entry when Brent was helping his son Seth pray, and they prayed for "Uncle Ben." It was in that moment that it hit me that I have a big handful of family and friends on the other side of the world that I have been praying for me by name every single day, various times a day since I began my mission 21 months ago. And I'll be honest; I think--over time--I actually forgot that! And it was a great reminder for me that I have a family that loves me. And so to each and every one of you, I say: "Wow. THANK YOU for your prayers."

We had a conference up north in Coquimbo last week. It was a great conference, and it was awesome to learn from President Gillespie and our leaders as always. The exciting news is that the church is giving portable DVD players and Preach My Gospel DVD's to EVERY companionship in the world. We received ours at the conference, and I'm pretty excited because the training videos are really going to help the missionaries all over the world teach better. :)

The highlight for me at the conference was the "dying testimony" of an Elder that will be going home here in a few weeks. He's an Elder that was in my zone when I got to the mission. He was in his 3rd transfer; I was in my first. And now he's going home. And he said something in his testimony that really touched me. He talked about how when he first got to the mission, he honestly didn't like the mission all that much. But he said, "However, every thing changed for me when I taught my first lesson and--in my weak Spanish--testified that I knew Joseph Smith saw God and Christ and was called be a Prophet in these latter days."

As I heard this Elder's testimony, it helped me realize that it was the the same for me. As a new missionary in a foreign country, there's not much you can do except testify. And I remember my first lesson with Elder Birchall when my only words were "Amo el Libro de Mormon. Yo sé que es verdadero." (Translation: I love The Book of Mormon. I know it's true.) And I remember walking out of that lesson feeling SO good for having shared that short testimony. As I shared it, I felt God's love supporting me. And I have felt His love every time that I've opened my mouth to testify of His Gospel. So like that Elder who bore his testimony...I, too, have loved my mission ever since the first day I opened my mouth to share my testimony in my weak, broken Spanish.

We're well here. We're really excited for our baptism this week! And for two more baptisms the week after! I'll keep you posted!

To end, I want to share the inspiring lyrics of the last verse of "The Time Is Far Spent":

Be fixed in your purpose, for Satan will try you;
The weight of your calling he perfectly knows.
Your path may be thorny, but Jesus is nigh you;
His arm is sufficient, tho demons oppose.
His arm is sufficient, tho demons oppose.

I love you all!

Con Mucho Amor,
Elder Nelson IV

15: And The Toughest Challenge Yet

2011-08-17T22:22:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

Another week has flown by, and here I am again writing an e-mail home. I'll be honest...It's been a tough three weeks. I might even go as far as to say that these last three weeks have been the hardest times of my mission by far. I'll save all the details for a future date; perhaps when we can talk to each other face to face, and I can explain it all more thoroughly. However, I will say this: the Lord has me here in Los Vilos for a reason. I felt that very strongly this week. And so tough times or not...I'm here to do the Lord's will, and I must obey. I won't accept any other choice.

With that said...I was talking to my companion Elder Monzón a few days ago, and he told me something interesting. He said he heard a few rumors that the zone leaders might be moving to Los Vilos soon. If that's the case...Maybe I WON'T end my mission here like I thought. But I guess the only choice is to wait and see what happens, right? :) But it's interesting. I remember opening my call in July of 2009, and thinking, "WHY do I have to wait until November to leave? I want to go NOW." I remember my Dad explained to me that it was that way because that's the way the Lord needed it to be. And so it's interesting because I'll learn in the next few months WHY the Lord called me in November instead of September or October.

I am excited for the next few weeks. We have an investigator named Fernanda that will be baptized on August 20. It's super weird because a few days ago, I figured out that she's younger than me; she's 19. But she is awesome! She's like a mix between KT and Cynthia. Haha. It makes me laugh every time that we teach her because she's really smart (she basically has the pamphlet's memorized), and she has the same kind of personality that KT and Cynthia have. She has such a powerful testimony, and every time I hear it mine grows, too. She's getting married to a man named Eric (a less active that is reactivating) on August 19, and then he's going to baptize her the next day. :)

And then there's Cristofer and Francisco. Cristofer is 14 and Francisco is 12. They'll be baptized on August 27. I love being around them because they REALLY remind me of my little brothers. They are so funny. They both want to be baptized NOW. Their desires to follow Christ's example is amazing. I mean...They showed up to church yesterday before us! Without their parents! They'lll be a great addition to the branch because we don't have any youth. The branch is SUPER excited to have two youth to pass the sacrament. I'm really looking forward to their baptisms.

A few days ago, we had a branch activity and we watched a seminary video clip from the Doctrine and Covenants called "The Man Without Eloquence." It was about a man who didn't have public speaking skills nor could he speak with powerful words. He was humble, and he bore his testimony sincerely. And thanks to this man (I can't remember his name), Brigham Young felt the Spirit SO strong and was eventually baptized by this man. As we watched this short video clip, I felt the Spirit really strong because I have been in that man's shoes before, and I've seen miracles come out of what I thought were weak, unconvincing words.

I have pondered and studied much this past week. I was pondering on how evil and corrupt the world in today; and it worried me! But as I was studying my scriptures during my personal study, I felt God's love sweep those worries away. And then I received personal revelation from the Spirit; I was taught that "we live in a world today where we cannot afford to not read the scriptures and pray daily." I felt that prompting strongly, and I know it's true. Because if we aren't reading and praying daily, the Holy Ghost cannot and will not be with us. And the companionship of the Holy Ghost is an absolute must in today's world filled with so much immoral decay and temptations. I promise each and every one of you that we are filled with peace and comfort as we study our scriptures daily, as we pray daily, and as we attend church weekly. If you're going through a hard time in your life right now...I know that if you do these things, the Lord will save you. I know these things are true because He saved me. The words of Alma The Younger to his son Helaman will be my second witness of this promise:

16And now, for three days and for three nights was I racked, even with the apains of a damned soul.

17And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.

18Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.

19And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.

20And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!

21Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.

22Yea, methought I saw, even as our father Lehi saw, God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels, in the attitude of singing and bpraising their God; yea, and my soul did long to be there.

23But behold, my limbs did receive their strength again, and I stood upon my feet, and did manifest unto the people that I had been born of God.

24Yea, and from that time even until now, I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also be born of God, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.

25Yea, and now behold, O my son, the Lord doth give me exceedingly great joy in the fruit of my labors;
I love you all. Until next week!

Con Mucho Amor,
Elder Nelson IV

¡Bienvenidos A Agosto!

2011-08-01T21:46:00.001-07:00

Dear All,

All is well here. I literally have no time to write today. And I don't know what to say either. I have way too much on my mind, and I don't know what to tell you and what not to tell you.

But I will say this: Nothing has made me more happy than my mission. It's been the hardest thing that I have done in my life by far. But every tough task and every dificult time has included a reward and a blessing. And I want it absolutely clear that my decision to serve my mission will be a decision that I will never regret taking. If each and every one of you could only feel the way that I feel right now.

Again: All is well here, and we're looking forward to having a few baptisms in the coming weeks. (More on that next week.)

I love you all.

Con Mucho Amor,
Elder Nelson IV

Best For Last: Estoy En Una Tumba De Oro

2011-07-28T21:25:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

Greetings from Los Vilos! This place is a beautiful one. Look it up on Google Maps or Google Earth. I'm in the middle of no where. ;) But Los Vilos is RIGHT by the ocean. In fact, it's the only ward in the mission that we have permission to proselyte on the beach. When we went to go eat lunch at a members' house a few days ago, it was SO awesome because their house is right in front of the ocean. It's a great environment. :)

I'm a little lost here. I thought that with all the landmarks and with the small area I'd learn the area easily--in a day or two. But it has been difficult because there are so many different routes that we can take and what not. I'll get it down soon, though. But I'm loving it here! I learned this week that Los Vilos is a "tomb" (or would "grave" be a better word?; I don't know. In Spanish it's "tumba"). Why is it a grave? Because I guess A LOT of missionaries end their missions here. I didn't know that. It's weird to think that Elder Monzon (my companion) will be one of them, and I'll probably be another. Crazy.

But it's a golden grave. You wouldn't believe it! Elder Monzon and I have SO many potential investigators here. In August, we have set a goal to have FOUR baptisms. We will have at least three. :) And that's only in August! We have others that will be baptized in few more months. We're excited to show the mission that this zone DOES baptize.

But all has gone well thus far. It's a little different being with another missionary as a "co-comp" and it's been difficult for me to switch back to speaking Spanish 24/7. But with time I'll adjust completely and everything will work out.

I've gained a powerful testimony of the family here in my mission. I know the family is the central part of God's plan. I know that we can live with our families forever as long as we accept the Gospel and endure to the end. I want to become a better person, a better son, a better brother, etc. so that my prosperity can look to me as an example--just as I have done with my parents, with my siblings, with my grandparents, etc. I know that as we do our individual part by living the Gospel, our families will notice our examples, and they will want to follow that example. And most importantly: We can be an eternal, happy family. There really isn't anything greater, is there?

I love you all. Until next week!

Con Mucho Amor,

Elder Nelson IV

Elder Monzón y Los Vilos: Es Lo Que Dios Quiere

2011-07-28T21:18:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

I guess I take a lot of pictures and send a lot home. I've heard a lot of comments from other missionaries like "You send A LOT of pictures home" or "You've taken 700 pictures these last four months?" I've always been a photo-taker, I guess. This week is no exception either. I'm attaching a lot of pictures of the people that have influenced my life here in Reñaca Alto. I'm going to miss this place.

Elder Gasik is staying with a great Elder named Elder Rigby. I'm excited for them! Nicolás and Natalia passed their interviews, and so Elder Gasik and Elder Rigby will have two baptisms this Saturday to start off the change/transfer. :) And they will continue baptizing here. I'm sad that I won't be here for the baptisms, but I know that it's what the Lord wants.

I'm being transferred to the North! I'm really excited to go back up there after not having been there since my first ward. :) I'm going to a zone called Illapel; it's a zone of six elders! And so I won't be a district leader because it's not really necessary in a zone of six. :) I'm going to a small little town called Los Vilos. I'm REALLY excited because Illapel is a zone where nobody wants to go because the Elders have it in their heads that no one is baptized there. But I have complete confidence that there are people there; we just have to find them. So it's going to be an adventure!

President Gillespie is trying a few new things. The mission is really struggling, and so President Gillespie has basically changed the mission COMPLETELY. A good 90-95% of the mission is going to consist of co-companions. In other words...No senior companion, no junior companion. I'm with an Elder named Elder Monzón; he's actually older than me in the mission. :) He's great. He's from Paraguay (my second companion from Paraguay!), and he'll be in his last change. I'm excited for that because I've never "killed" anyone in my mission (rather: been with someone in their last transfer).

I know it's what the Lord wants, though. I've always known that Elder Monzón and I were going to be companions. Remember Elder Dupré? He was my second companion. But do you want to know a secret? He wasn't going to be my second companion. Elder Monzón was! But there was an emergency change before the changes. And my whole mission I ALWAYS felt that I was going to be companions with Elder Monzón--mainly for the fact that we WERE going to be companions in my second transfer. But a few months ago I met him here in Achupallas, and I thought, "Dang. We'll never be companions because we are both too old in the mission."

But now look! We're going to be companions. And as soon as I received my transfer, I KNEW it was where the Lord wanted me to be. And I KNEW it was with whom the Lord wanted it to be with. And I am really happy to work with someone with so much success. We're going to work really well together. It's going to be a fun six weeks. And an even funner four months. :) I'm just really excited.

I know the Gospel is true. I've never doubted. I know that if we put ALL our trust in God, He will bless us. And such blessings aren't only blessings. But they are evidences that the Gospel is TRUE and that God DOES love us.

I love you all. Until next week!

Con Mucho Amor,

Elder Nelson IV

"Seguid El Modelo Que Dio El Señor"

2011-07-17T22:18:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

It was an interesting batch of e-mails. I read Todd's last e-mail; he goes home next week. I can't believe that. That means that I received my mission call almost two whole years ago. (I received my call the day after he entered the MTC.) Also I heard from Levi Kiffe that William Lovell put in mission papers and that Timmy has been working on his. I cannot believe it.

It wasn't the greatest week. We didn't have anyone in church yesterday. And we basically spent most of the week working with a list of less-actives. We elimated a lot of names of people that have moved or who have passed away. We found a few families, though, and that was good. Also we were happy yesterday because we had a ton of members in church. A good 80 or so. That was great for our ward. I've definitely seen Reñaca Alto's good days and its bad days. I love this place! But I'm ready for a new ward, I think, because I've been here for a long time; it'll do me a lot of good. I'm going to do my best to leave the ward better than I found it, though. We'll see who stays and who goes a week from today.

Sergio Nicolás and Natalia are doing great. They couldn't attend because they are on winter vacation, and they were visiting their grandma. But they are really excited to be baptized! And we're excited to finish up the lessons this week so that they are prepared for their baptismal interview this weekend. I'm a little worried about setting up the baptism because we just lost our ward misson leader, and we won't have a new one until Sunday. But it'll all work out.

I just want to stay focused and work really hard these last few months. I've done terribly these last few weeks. I need to be a better missionary and a better person. I haven't been all that pleased with myself these last few weeks. But I'm really grateful for the Repentance process. I'm grateful for the Atonement and for the chance that we have every day to repent of our sins and to better ourselves. :)

I know the Gospel is true. I can't deny it because I've experienced and seen too many witnesses that it is true. I like the quote that the mission put in the mission announcements today. It's a quote from the Prophet Joseph Smith. It says, "Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God." If we strive to keep the commandments of God, we'll be happy. I've experienced that happiness! And that is why I will never deny the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Because I want to be happy. It's that simple. And nothing will ever convince me otherwise.

I love you all.

Con Mucho Amor,
Elder Nelson IV

¡Feliz Cuatro De Julio!

2011-07-17T21:52:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

Happy 4th of July! Elder Gasik and I put on the Mormon Tabernacle's version of "The Star-Spangled Banner", and we sang along this morning. It was great. I love my country.

We had another great week. I mean a GREAT week full of a lot of miracles. It all started on Wednesday when we were working in the rain. We had to climb to the top of a mountain (or a big hill, I guess) to teach a reference that we had received from a family that lives on the top. The roads aren't paved; they are all dirt roads. And so basically the only way to get up is in a car. Because without a car, it's just one big mudslide.

But of course we were determined to make it to the top, and so we started to walk up, sliding all over the place. And then the miracle happened! To our left, there was a truck. The man inside rolled down his window and called us over. He said, "There's a Mormon at the top that told me to give you two a lift." I was confused. I got a little closer, and he repeated what he said again, but this time he mentioned something about money; I didn't fully understand because of all the rain and comotion. My first thought, "Oh. He's only trying to get us to pay him." But to understand him better, I asked him to repeat himself. He said, "There's a Mormon that told me to give you two a lift. He's going to pay me up there. Hop in!" We hopped in. We made it to the lesson on time, and we taught a great lesson to this reference. And the man even gave us a ride home after the lesson. It was a miracle! I know the Lord put that man in our path so that we could teach that lesson.

And that reference (Johan is his name) was at church! And not only was he at church, but he stayed for all three hours. And so did four more investigators. Yes! For the first time in my whole mission, we had five investigators in church. A miracle.

And did I mention that we set two baptismal dates this week? Another miracle. Nicolás and his sister Natalia accepted dates to be baptized, and they will be baptized on July 23. :) We're really excited to have investigators with baptismal dates again. It's an exciting time to be a missionary.

We helped rebuild a fence a few days ago for the Parada family. It fell over after a big storm we had a few weeks ago. It was a fun service project. At first, it was a little overwhelming, and I thought, "How in the world are we going to do this? I don't even know where to start." But we went to work, and we rebuilt it one piece at a time. And after taking that first step, the steps that followed were much easier. But that's how life works, doesn't it? For example: The hardest part about the mission is getting started with the unfamiliar language and surrondings. You don't even know where to start! But you get to work and everything comes with time. And by the end you feel REALLY good. That's what happened with the fence project. And that's how I've felt here in my mission. :)

I've had the song "My Heavenly Father Loves Me" stuck in my head these last few weeks. I love that song. A few weeks ago, I thought back on my childhood (I do that a lot), and I remembered my Dad and how he often got up to bear his testimony in sacrament meeting. He almost always spoke of how he knew that God loved him and all His children. As I grew up, I often wondered, "How is my Dad so sure of that?" But I gained my own personal testimony of that as I prepared to serve my mission and as I've served my mission. As I've studied the scriptures, as I've prayed, and as I've attended church, I've felt His love, and I KNOW He loves me and all His children. There is no doubt in my mind. I know that each and every one of us can feel of His love as we keep His commandments.

I love you all. ¡Que tengan una buena semana! :)

Con Mucho Amor,
Elder Nelson IV

Villa Dulce

2011-07-02T10:42:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

Here we are at the end of June. Again. We can't believe how quick time goes by.

It was another great week. I'll never forget these months that I've spent with Elder Gasik. A lot has happened since he arrived back in March! The greatest part about being with a missionary that you trained for so long is seeing him progress. Elder Gasik has always had a lot of guts. I remember when he first got here, we would stand outside of the church to try and do "tours" with the people that passed by. Elder Gasik showed no fear as he talked with the people that passed by--despite his limited Spanish skills. I really admired that because I definitely could NOT do that during my first six weeks in Chilé. But the other day Elder Gasik and I were trying to do "tours" again, and it really hit me how far he's come! The man said, "No. I don't have time." And Elder Gasik said (now speaking MUCH better), "That's okay." And he pulled out a Book of Mormon and he left the man with something to read in the Book of Mormon instead! I was loving that because it really showed me how far he's come.

I did an intercambio with an Elder named Elder García from Utah; but he was born in Mexico. At the beginning of the intercambio, I was talking to him in Spanish because I figured that he was more comfortable speaking in Spanish. But he made a phone call to ask his companion a question, and he asked his companion in perfect English! And when he was done, he started to talk to me in perfect English. And it really surprised me! But then he explained to me that he lived in Utah for 15 years, and everything clicked. :)

But we had a great intercambio! I went to their ward (Villa Dulce) to do an interview for a 23 year-old-man named Eduardo. It went well! It was a great interview. He has such a powerful testimony, and I looked into his eyes, and I could just tell that the Gospel has changed his life so much. I've loved being a District Leader for that reason. It's fun to interview people before their baptisms. I've had some really powerful experiences so far with baptismal interviews. This weekend I get to do another interview for the zone leaders' investigador named Alejandra. :) It'll be great.

I love the Book of Mormon. I have been reading it a lot. I read the Book of Mormon in Spanish during my personal study. I read it out loud in Spanish during language study. And I read it in English when I have any spare time. I've learned a lot! I've thought a lot about the missionary Amulek. I have a lot of Book of Mormon heroes such as Nephi. But I think Amulek might be one of my new favorites after this week. He's a great example to all of us. I was blown away as I read about his story in the Book of Mormon. He is first visited by an Angel and is told that he will attend to Alma. He obeys, and he and Alma preach the Gospel to many parts. They see a bunch of success, and they baptize a ton of people.

But the thing that I love most about Amulek is explained in Alma 15:16. It mentions that Amulek abandoned all his gold, silver, and precious things in his city (Ammonihah) so that he could serve the Lord. Not only that, but it mentions that he is rejected by all his friends and family. And I imagine that was tough for Amulek. But he served anyways! And what was even more surprising to me was in the next chapter--in Alma 16:3--where it mentions that the entire city of Ammonihah was destroyed by the Lamanites. That included the family, the friends, the gold, the silver, and the precious things of Amulek. And although I imagine Amulek suffered much after hearing this news, not once does it mention that Amulek complained or got discouraged. But rather it talks about how he KEPT preaching the Gospel!

What a powerful example. In my mission, I've met a lot of Amuleks. A lot of missionaries that have been rejected by family and friends for being here. A lot of missionaries who have lost family members and friends while they've been here in the mission. And it really has helped me realize how much the Lord blesses us for serving Him. I'm grateful for Amulek and for the Amuleks that I've met here in my mission. How inspiring!

I love you all. Hope everyone has a great week. And I hope to hear from you next week. ;)

Con Amor,

Elder Nelson IV

Estamos Mojados

2011-07-02T10:36:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

Happy Fathers Day!!

It was a great week as always. Elder Gasik and I are working hard. We talked a lot this week of how hard it's going to be for us to switch companions when that day comes. We're basically brothers by now. And it'll be tough to go our seperate ways here in a few weeks. But that's just how the mission works, right? :)

It's raining a lot these days. On Saturday we did an intercambio, and I was with Elder Mace (one of the zone leaders) in his area. And it was POURING when we went out to work in the morning. And the wind was POWERFUL. I almost got knocked over by the wind! I love working in the rain, though, because it's always an adventure. And the people LOVE it because they see how dedicated we are. In fact, we taught a family that told us, "You know what, Elders? You're so dedicated to come here and visit us--even when it's raining. And so we've made the decision that we're going to church tomorrow whether it's raining or not." And the zone leaders told me that they attended yesterday despite all the rain! :) Elder Mace and I also found another family (a part-member family; the Mom was baptized a long time ago), and we taught them the Restoration, and we committed them to attend church the next day. And they, too, were there! Great stuff.

Elder Gasik and I also had a family attend church! On Monday, we passed by a guy named Sergio. He's a less-active member and so is his wife. They have three kids that aren't baptized. And they also committed to going to church. And they were there yesterday despite the low attendance. In fact, the three kids were the only ones in Primary/Young Mens. Nicolás (age 12), Natalia (age 10), and Diego (age 8) are their names, and they loved it! They came up to me after church and told me that they all want to be baptized! Now, Elder Gasik and I just have to do a plan with the ward and with the family before they can have an official baptismal date. We're excited about that.

Another than that I don't know what else to say. But I will say this: The Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored, and we have a prophet to lead and guide us in these latter days! How blessed we are for the knowledge we have of these Gospel truths! How grateful we are for the knowledge we have of the Book of Mormon and its testimony of the Savior and its evidence that Joseph Smith truly was a prophet of God who brought about the Restoration. My heart is full to know these things, and my only hope is to become a better missionary so that I can give it my all these last few months to share these things with others.

I love you all. Thank you for your love and for your support.

Con Mucho Amor,

Elder Nelson IV

My 14th Week With Elder Gasik

2011-07-02T10:24:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

It was a tough week. I loved it. When all is said and done, I will have a TON of weird, ironic stories to share. I liked to share them in my e-mails at the beginning of my mission. But after having so many, I kind of gave up on sharing them in my e-mails. Although the other day Elder Gasik and I had a funny moment when a drunk named Juan Carlos came up and started talking to us in the street. He went off on the WEIRDEST things, and he kissed my companion's hand and he kept saying that he loved us. It was strange, and we eventually decided to just keep walking. We did so, and he followed us. We explained to him that we had to continue and that he couldn't keep following us. But he did anyways. Elder Gasik turns to me and whispers, "What do we do?" I said, "We should run!" So we did, and we got away from him. Or so I thought. Our appointment was busy and couldn't receive us. And as soon as he goes back into his house, we turned around and there he was again!

He asked us, "Why did you guys run from me!? You're making me sad!" We explained again that he couldn't be following us around everywhere because we had people to go and visit. He insisted. We were close to a hill, and I turned to Elder Gasik and said, "We've got to run up this hill. There's no way that he'll be able to keep up with us." And so we ran again. But to my surprise he ran with us!! And not only did he run with us, but he passed me up! It was SO weird. To make a long story short: He chased us for a good hour or so before we could finally get rid of him. It was probably one of the strangest experiences of my mission.

We're on a search for God's elect. We dropped all of our investigatores that weren't progressing, and now we're starting fresh. It's been tough, but we've enjoyed it thus far. We just have to maintain a good, positive attitude, and everything will work out. :)

Our good companionship studies have given us a lot of hope. It definitely makes a difference in the day when we have good, inspired studies. I love studying with Elder Gasik! We learn a lot from one another, and we've had a blast with our studies. A few days ago, we acted out Alma 18 during companionship study. I was King Lamoni and Elder Gasik was Aaron/Ammon. It was a blast. We've developed a lot of unity by having good studies like that together.

Despite all the hard times, the last few weeks gave been some of the greatest weeks of my mission. We're missionaries and we're out to Preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There is nothing greater!

After hearing Elder Holland's talk a few weeks ago, I decided that I needed to study a little bit about God so that I could love Him more. I took about a week to study about God. His creations, His Attributes, His role, etc. And by doing so, my love for Him truly has grown a lot. By doing so I have realized that there really is only one reason why He is who He is and one reason why He created all that He created. And it's because He loves us more than we can even comprehend. I know that He lives and that He loves each and every one of us. I know that His creations are His and they we created by His Son under His direction. I know that He is merciful, He is just, and He is omnipotent. I know we can live in His presence again as long as we strive to keep His commandments as we go about our lives here on Earth.

My Dad told me in a blessing that he gave me before I left on my mission: "You cannot serve the people unless you love them." Elder Holland said that we couldn't serve unless we loved God. And it's so true. We can only serve God's children only if we love both Him and His children! And I've learned that here in my mission the last few weeks. I am grateful for my mission and for the experiences that I have had here. The mission will forever be known as the turning-point of my life.

I love you all. Thank you for your love and for your support.

Con Mucho Amor,

Elder Nelson IV

Ganamos y Nos Quedamos: THE LEGEND CONTINUES

2011-07-02T10:18:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

Well, the legend continues. Elder Gasik and I are staying together for a third transfer! The zone couldn't believe it. :) Had someone told me back in March that we'd be together until July, I wouldn't have believed it. Heck, had someone told me in February that I would be in Reñaca Alto until July I wouldn't believe it. But we're loving every moment, and we're really excited to still be here together. Our companionship will go down in history as one of the greatest. We're excited for the new change and the new adventures. We'll have a lot of success here. :)

It's a little strange to realize that Elder Birchall and Elder Richardsen are going home tomorrow. Weird. And Elder McManamom, too! The mission will be different without them. But...the mission is awesome because it's ALWAYS changing. I like it.

It was a great week. The numbers don't show it, but it was a great one because we went out there and did our best. I love being a missionary I decided. Especially for days like yesterday. Elder Gasik and I had some good plans, but EVERYTHING was destroyed when we were struck by a sudden downpour of rain. It was bad! Usually we're ready with umbrellas and what not. But this rain came out of no where, and we got SOAKED. We still went by the people we had planned for, and either they weren't there or they didn't let us in. So we got REALLY wet. We were enjoying every minute because even though we were soaked, it was great to show the people that our message is THAT important. I turned to Elder Gasik and said, "Our church is probably the ONLY church that still has missionaries working through weather like this." There's no such thing as bad weather in the mission!

We met a new member of our ward who just moved here not all that long ago. We visted him, and it was a great visit. His name is Brother Huanca (pronounced like "Wanka"), and he's a great guy. He basically told us his whole life's story, including his conversion story and it was a great one. I won't mention everything he said, but I was touched by something he told us when he was talking about his children. He mentioned how two of his sons went inactive and how two of his daughters chose not to be baptized. He mentioned that he had one son who was active in the church. He talked of how tough it is for him as a father. But the thing that really made an impact on me was when he said: "But not all of Adam's children were righteous. And neither were all the children of the Lehi. And they were prophets. The children just used their agency and chose the opposite way." I really liked that because it's the same for us as missionaries. Yeah, we might teach the "perfect" lesson where the investigators feels the Spirit, but there will always be people that will accept and act on that Spirit and then there will be those that don't.

The Book of Mormon is true! We've been using it as our resource for talking to people in the street. And why not? It is truly the keystone to our religion, and it's an evidence to the world that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored. I am so grateful for The Book of Mormon and its teachings. A few days ago, I opened up to 3 Nephi 17, and I started to read. It's one of my favorite chapters. I put myself in the shoes of the Nephites, and I was touched by the Savior's ministry here in the Americas--especially when He heals the sick and blesses the children. How powerful!

Well, the Gospel is true, and It's blessed my life imensely. I've never experienced the joy that I've felt here in the mission as I've shared It with others.

I love you all. Until next week!

Con Mucho Amor,

Elder Nelson IV

Saturnino: The Attack Of The Dogs

2011-07-02T10:06:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

First: Happy late birthday, Logan! And happy birthday this next week, Baby Levi and Ellalyn! And happy birthday to everyone that I've missed. I've realized that I've been TERRIBLE with birthdays here in the mission. But I love you all. :)

Well, it was a great week! Elder Gasik and I have loved our time here in Reñaca Alto together. We're both begging the zone leaders, the Asistants, and the President himself to let us stay here together. That would be awesome if we stayed here together for a third transfer! :) So we're hoping for that. But if the Lord wants it some other way, we'll accept that, too.

I had a great experience yesterday. I did my first interview! I interviewed the Zone Leaders' investigator (Karina) and her two kids (Rafael and Rosita), and it was really awesome being able to interview someone for baptism. The coolest part was with Karina because I really felt the Spirit when I interviewed her. With the interview, there are set questions, but we are encouraged to ask follow-up questions to verify the sincerity of their repentance. The day before (Saturday), I did an "intercambio" with Elder Anderson, and I was really worried about the follow-up questions because I was worried that I would have no idea what to say. But it was awesome because the questions just came to me and they came out of my mouth. I know those follow-up questions were inspired questions from Heaven. And I'm really excited for the Zone Leaders' baptism this Saturday. We're going to do our best to invite all our investigators to the baptism so that they can feel the Spirit there.

Speaking of investigators: We've really stuggled with getting our investigators into the church. And our teaching pool kind of died down a little bit. So we're just searching for God's elect now. Finding people can be hard sometimes, but I've really learned to just go out there and enjoy it.

Speaking of finding: If there's one thing that I wish I would have known at the beginning of my mission, it would be talking with EVERYONE. The Zone Leaders have really stressed that we should talk with EVERYONE in the street, give them Book of Mormons, and set up an appointment with them. On Thursday, they asked for our numbers as always (to see how our week was coming along), and when they saw that we had only handed out one Book of Mormon, Elder Anderson told me, "Elder. That shows that you aren't talking to everyone in the street."

Instead of arguing, I said, "You know. He's right." And Elder Gasik took that as a challenge, and we talked with EVERYONE in the street, and we ended the week with 17 Book of Mormons and a TON of appointments. Seven of those Books were from yesterday afternoon/night. It felt good.

Well, not much else new has happened. Elder Applegate (my companion from the MTC that went home) is back!!! He got back here a few days ago. I'm REALLY happy about that. :) I'm looking forward to seeing him again.

Also: We've been attacked by a lot of dogs these days. Almost every day, Elder Gasik and I have been attacked by a GANG of dogs. It's been fun. No worries. I haven't been bitten again

I love you all!! Until next week.

Con Mucho Amor,

Elder Nelson IV

17 de Mayo: El Día Que Cambió Mi Mision (In Memory of Hermana Olfa Cortez)

2011-05-24T10:51:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

I always imagined all my converts being here in Chilé when I decide to come back one day to visit them all. I never imagined it any other way. However, I was saddened yesterday when I received a call from Brother Vergara during lunch. He informed me that Hermana Olfa Cortez (my convert that was baptized in March) passed away on Saturday at 4:30 PM. She died from her stomach cancer. And of course, we were shocked, and after lunch I took a few minutes to just sit down and talk about it all with my companion. I'm just really grateful that I had the opportunity to teach her and help her make the greatest decision that she could have ever made by being baptized. The doors to the Celestial Kingdom have been opened for her, and I know she's in a better place. Elder Gasik and I will be attending her funeral today at 2:30 PM.

My mission--and perhaps my whole life--was changed on May 17 in a mission conference. There, Elder Birchall (my trainer) gave his final testimony (he leaves in two weeks), and I really enjoyed seeing him one last time. It was great seeing old faces as always as well. But the moment that REALLY hit me hard and really changed me was a talk that we listened to at the end of the conference. It was a talk by Elder Holland that he gave in the MTC in January. You all know how he speaks. You've all heard some of his powerful sermons in General Conference. (They can be scary sometimes, I will admit.) But all I can say is: Wow.

I want to share a few quotes that Elder Holland said. He talked of how the missionary program must not be working. His reason: Because TOO many returned missionaries are going inactive. That hit me hard. He then added: "Missionaries don't know how to do three things: Study, nor plan, nor teach according to the needs of the people." It was great because he gave us some good advice, and I received personal revelation on what I need to do better.

But the thing that hit me hard. And it hit me HARD was at the end when Elder Holland shared the story of Peter (in John 21) when he swims to the Savior, and then the Savior asks, "Do you love me?" three times. And each time Peter says that he does. And the Savior replies three times, "Feed my sheep." With emotion, Elder Holland said, "YOU CAN'T DO IT UNLESS YOU LOVE HIM." That hit me hard as well. And I'm happy to admit that I've strived MUCH harder to study, to plan, and to teach better now. :)

But there's more. Elder Holland said: "It's not over. IT'S NOT ONLY TWO YEARS. It's a new life, a new time, a new day. This mission is the beginning of a new life. You CANNOT go back! You're going to feed sheep. And you're going to be a Diciple of Christ for time and all eternity."

That hit me harder than anything. And it helped me realize that if I don't learn how to be a diciple of Christ in my mission, I'm obviously not doing something right. And we're not only expected to do it for a year or two. We're expected to let the mission change our lives. Just like Elder Holland let it change his. I want my mission to make the same impact on me. Because if it doesn't, it wouldn't be as worth it.

(I hope I explained that as well as I wanted to. The truth: It's one of those talks that you just can't put into your own words. Especially when most of the learning doesn't come from the words of the speaker but from the Spirit itself.)

We did our shopping earlier today, and I'm excited because I bought some chips and nacho cheese. I'm going to make nachos for lunch. I haven't had nachos since my farewell. I'm looking forward to it.

That's all for this week. Our hearts and prayers are going out to Olfa's sons and to the rest of her family. I'll never forget that sweet, kind woman. I sure do love and miss her a whole lot already.

I love you all.

Con Amor,
Elder Nelson IV

Ya Ha Pasado 18 Meses :/

2011-05-17T17:01:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

We had a zone activity this morning. It was my turn to be in charge of it. The plan was to eat pancakes and play ping-pong. The pancakes went well because we have an Elder who's a profesional chef in our zone. However, the ping-pong table was locked up! And so we made our own ping-pong table with what we had--a table, a whiteboard, two forks, and a net. :) (See the pictures.)

It was a good week. Although we were really sad that none of our investigators attended yesterday. :( And we weren't able to find very many new people. But alas! We must keep working hard with an attitude of faith. And it'll all work out. We're confident about that.

We had interviews with President Gillespie last week. It was pretty awesome. President Gillespie gave me a letter that I wrote in the mission office my first day here in Chilé, and it included my vision for my mission and the goals that I set for my mission. He showed it to me, and said, "Elder, these are some goals that you set your first day here. Have you accomplished these?" And it was cool because a lot of my goals were things like "speak Spanish better every day" or "never give up!" And it felt good to tell President that I've done well with those goals that I had set. :)

I did my first intercambio (exchange) in another ward as a District Leader. It went alright. :) I have a long way to go. I have to get better at encouraging and what not. But it was good. I was with an Elder named Elder Diaz. He's from Columbia. It was a good time with him. I had an interesting experience with him whenever we taught a lady the Plan of Salvation. Whenever she figured out that we were going to be judged, she asked, "Does that mean I need to forgive the people that have done wrong to me?" Elder Diaz explained the principle of forgiveness to her, and then she started crying. She told us that she couldn't forgive some person because he did something to ruin her life. She then explained that her mom passed away a while ago, and she was the only person that cared about her. Both her husband and her son had abandoned her, etc. She told us that she tried to commit suicide twice, and it was just a really sad story. I just sat there in unbelief. I had NO idea what to say to her. And after we left, I was really discouraged because I felt like I should have said something to the poor lady to help her out. It really bothered me for the rest of the week.

But then I was studying a few days ago, and I read something in Preach My Gospel that really helped me out. In Chapter 2, it talks about how we should study WITH the Spirit. There's a part that says: "This kind of study prepares you for service, offers solace, resolves problems, and gives you the strength to endure to the end" (page 18). Then there's the famous scripture that says: "Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men. (D&C 11:21)." Those two scriptures helped me realize that I need to study the scriptures MUCH more so that I can teach more effectively. :) The Spirit truly testified to me that if I study with His companionship, I will have Him on my side when I do teach such people like this poor woman. And since then, I've decided that my studies will be accompanied more-fully by the Spirit so that I can help those in great need.

Well, all is well here. We're doing our best to keep our heads high, and we're excited for another week. I love you all, and I am grateful for all the support that I have received from you these last few months as I've served the Lord.

Until next week, then.

Con Mucho Amor,

Elder Nelson IV

It's May Again?

2011-05-17T16:58:00.000-07:00

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

2 De Mayo: My Time In The Mission Is Limited!

2011-05-02T10:25:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

I received a nice batch of e-mails today. I was happy to hear that Brent Nelson received work, and I was happy to hear about Justin Brunner's call to Ecuador. That's awesome! It hit me really hard today that a lot DOES happen in two years. I saw a picture of Luke last week (a picture that Mom sent to me), and he's a giant!! I think I'm going to be the shortest one in the family when all is said and done. :) But alas! It brings me great joy to see that all is well back in my homeland.

I've learned a lot about myself these last 18 months. I can be dramatic sometimes, I've learned--especially in my e-mails home. I just like to write, really. When I was young, I was always a big fan of writing stories. I like drama. But I don't like to act. It's hard. I've also learned that I'm a little kid trapped in a twenty-year-old's body sometimes. On the micro (bus) ride down here, I was acting as if I was on some kind of roller-coaster. (The micro rides can be like that sometimes.) Another thing I've learned: I can do hard things! I'm reminded of that one every day.

Anyways. It was a good week! We were ESPECIALLY happy yesterday when Elder Gasik and I left the house at 8:00 AM to make our way up Villa La Cruz (it's a HUGE hill in our area) to pick up Eugenio and his family for Stake Conference. The whole family wasn't able to make it, but Eugenio and his son José did. And it was awesome! They were really loving it! And Elder Gasik was REALLY happy to finally have some investigators in church. It was a great. We even celebrated this morning by making french toast and "mini torta" milkshakes. (See pictures.) It was perhaps the greatest companionship bonding moment I have ever had. Elder Gasik and I have a great companionship.

Last week, I wrote my mission President about how I want to be more consistent. I really enjoyed his short reply, and I want to share it with you all:

Elder Nelson IV, life is about constancy. Do it here, do it now and you will be blessed with the grace to be constant throughout your life.

You must be squeeky clean and make sure your companion gets started on his mission correctly.

Powerful advice right there. I enjoyed how he mentioned Elder Gasik. It really hit me that I need to STRIVE to be perfect so that Elder Gasik can get started on his mission correctly. And I think I've done fine thus far. I just have to keep working hard and being consistent. :) I also thought it was funny that he referred to me as "Elder Nelson IV." That gave me a good laugh.

Being a District Leader has been fun thus far! My first class went well. The Zone Leaders really enjoyed it. They said I did a good job of getting the district excited and what not. I also did my first exchange with Elder Fowler from Salt Lake, and that was a lot of fun!

We're having a lot of success, and we have a good chance of having six baptisms on May 28 if we work REALLY hard! We're excited. :)

I love you all! My time has run out. I want to say a lot more, but it'll have to wait for next week.

Con Mucho Amor,

Elder Nelson IV

"Yo Quiero Ser Soldado Fiel A Lado Del Señor"

2011-04-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

It was a great week. The mission is awesome because every week is different even though we do the same thing every single day. :) This week was an adventure. A few days ago, we were supposed to have our Open House of our chapel. However, we were saddened when we woke up to pouring rain. :/ The Open House was cancelled, and we ended up working almost the whole day in the rain! But we enjoyed it. It was Elder Gasik's first rainy day, and he was loving it. And it wasn't too bad because we still had an activity with the members at night. Instead of an Open House, we had a movie night. We watched the Testaments, and then we ate some good food. The members were loving it! Reñaca Alto truly has come a long way since I arrived here back in February. I love the people here. I love this place!

With that said: We had "cambios" today. Good news! Elder Gasik and I are staying together for another transfer. :) We're really happy about that. I was surprised last night when Elder Jaquier (one of the Asistants from France) called me! He told me that he was calling on behalf of President Gillespie and that President had a new assignment for me. Yikes. I've been called to serve as a District Leader! I'm a little nervous, but I'm excited. I'm ready for the next challenge. I've never been a great, motivative leader. But I've always strived to be a good example to everyone around me. And I know everything will work out.

Well, I didn't really think all that much about what I was going to say after that. So I'm going to go off into "random mode." :) I've thought a lot lately about how fast the mission truly does fly. When I first got here back in January 2010, Sister Gillespie told me, "Elder, our time here is limited! So you just enjoy every moment." Well, when she told me that I didn't even have 24 hours in Chilé yet, and I remember thinking, "I dunno about our time being limited. Two years is a LONG time." Well, I'm just now beginning to understand what Sister Gillespie meant. Yes, at the time two years SEEMED like an eternity. But once you get to work and fly, YOU FLY. And so does the time. It's crazy. It goes especially fast whenever we get LOST in the work.

I've also thought a lot about progression and preparation. I've thought about what I learned in Primary and how it prepared me to be a worthy Priesthood holder. I've thought a lot about what I learned in Priest Quorum and how it all prepared me to serve an honorable, full-time mission. I've thought a lot about my mission and how it's preparing me for life. And I've thought about life and how it's preparing us to live with our Father in Heaven again. Eternal Life truly IS the greatest gift of God. And he desires that we all receive it. And we can! As long as if we are obedient and live His commandments faithfully. Our life here on earth truly is a time to prepare ourselves to meet God. It really is amazing, isn't it?

I love you all. I'm grateful for you all. For your love, your examples, and for your prayers. I've been blessed because of each and every one of you, and for that reason, I'm eternally grateful for you.

Until next week, then.

Con Mucho Amor,

Elder Nelson IV

Los Niños De Oro

2011-04-19T12:36:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

How blessed we are to live in such a wonderful time! The Gospel has been restored, and we are all partakers of the truth and of the blessings that come from living the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. It really is amazing, isn't it?

It was a week that I'll never forget. After a two week drought, Elder Gasik and I were able to set THREE baptismal dates. We put one with a man named Eugenio and his two kids José and Yesenía. It was awesome! We set the baptismal date with Eugenio first (the kids weren't there),and as we walked out of their house, Elder Gasik and I were so excited and pumped! It was awesome. Eugenio is a great guy. He's really humble, and he really wants to follow Christ's example by being baptized. He actually even admitted to us that he declined work that was offered to him Friday night because he remembered that we were coming! That made us happy. :)

José and Yesenía are golden! We went back the next day and taught them and set a baptismal date with them as well. They are excited,and they want to be baptized with their Dad. But wow! Yesterday we went by again, and we were amazed when they both brought out their Book of Mormons. They read 3 Nephi 11! But not only that, but they marked the "important" verses! We're talking about a nine-year-old and an eleven-year-old! Wow! They actually understood it, and they love it when we come by. They like to call us "tio" (uncle). Haha. They are an awesome family. :)

I went on an intercambio with Elder Anderson (a zone leader) a few days ago. It was one of those intercambios that changes a missionary and his mission. We were really struggling finding new people, but my time with Elder Anderson taught me a TON: He's a great missionary. When we were out walking/working, he talked to EVERYONE in his path. And he worked with such urgency and determination. And it was impresive! And afterwards, we applied all that I learned from him. And now look! We have three investigators with baptismal dates. And we are going to get two more this week with two investigators that attended yesterday! :) We're really excited.

We had a conference last Thursday, and it was one of the funnest conferences that I've ever been to. Haha. At the end, we had a "scripture mastery" game. We played scripture chase: And the best FOUR missionaries went up against each other at the end .We were surprised when President Gillespie came out of nowhere, and I said, "Hold up!" as he took off his tie. HAHA. I thought he was going to get up there and compete as well. But he actually removed the tie and said, "The tie is for whoever wins!" Haha. It was really cool. Elder Birchall (my trainer) won. It was great. :)

We're excited for Easter weekend. We're going to have an Open House in our building this Friday, and I am so excited. The ward is really excited, too, and we really think that it's going to help our ward built a lot of unity and what not.

It's interesting. In the mission, I've learned the difference between "saved" and "redeemed." We've all been saved because Jesus Christ Atoned for ALL of our sins, and we will ALL be resurrected and saved from the physical death. But whether or not we are REDEEMED and saved from the SPIRITUAL death all depends on us and our willingness to follow Christ and His commandments and His ordinances. I know that if we do so, we will be redeemed, and we WILL live with God and our families forever. It's not a fairytale or a myth. It's real! I know it is. Because the Spirit has testified of the truthfulness of these things in my heart.

I love you all. I hope everyone has a good week!! :)

Con Mucho Amor,

Elder Nelson IV

0238: This is the ocean!

0240: Me and Cow in front of our apartment. Wild cows are ALWAYS roaming around.

0246: Me and my empanadas in our empanada party. Haha.

0250: Me and Elder Machado

0253: Brushing teeth!

0256: Sometimes we finish lunch really early and we have a few extra minutes to relax. When we relax in the church, I ALWAYS lay down in this spot. Haha.

0260: José with his marked-up BOM!

0261: Yesenía with her marked-up BOM!

Lunch Video

2011-04-14T11:38:00.000-07:00

El Poder Del Sacerdocio: Un Poder Real

2011-04-14T11:01:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

Elder Gasik and I are hanging in there. Our week was alright! There's a lot of room for improvement, but we're giving it our all. We've really struggled with finding good, solid investigators. We're finding a lot of people, but we've struggled with inviting the people to be baptized! Even our district leader "cut" us once or twice this week. :) That was a first for me. But we've got a good companionship, and we're excited for a new week with new opportunities. An atitude of faith is the key to missionary work!

Today will go down in history as one of my greatest P-Days. This morning, we had the opportunity to visit Brother Parada in the hospital. He just had his heart surgery. We met up with his wife in front of the hospital, and she was REALLY happy that we came to visit. She told us that Brother Parada talks about us almost every day, and how he really wanted to see his "angels." (He always says that we are angels to him.) So we just got back from that visit. :) The hospital only let one person visit at the time, and only two people could visit. I visited with him for a good 10 minutes or so while Elder Gasik stayed behind with his wife.

The first few minutes he was sleeping, and I didn't really know what to do. I tried to wake him up, but it didn't work. I knew it was a visit that he had been waiting for, and I didn't want to waste the visit by just watching him sleep. So I tried again, but he didn't awake. After a few minutes, he finally opened his eyes, and he saw me and smiled. We talked for a while, and I was happy that he recognized me! (His wife told me earlier that he was so nervous before his operation that it caused some brain/nerve problems, and he was forgetting people and things very easily.) It was a great visit. In tears, he said, "I'm so grateful for you. I knew you would come. You continue to be angels for me." It was a powerful experience for me. The visit came to an end, and I made my way back to Elder Gasik and his wife, and I told them that he was doing great. :) Elder Gasik was really happy to hear that! His wife than took my place to eat up the last five minutes of his visiting hours.

In a few hours, we'll make our way to another hospital to visit Olfa (my convert that has cancer.) We're excited for that. It's been a few weeks since we've seen her! And it'll be great to see how she's doing. :) I love P-Days!

We had a few funny moments these last two weeks. We were outside of the church doing tours. That's when we talk to the people outside of the church, and we invite them to enter the church so that they can get to know it from the inside. We were having very little luck! But we noticed that a few kids had snuck into the church grounds through a hole in the fence in the backyard (to play soccer). We could hear them. And so we had the great idea to go and contact them all. We took a few pamphlets and Book of Mormons with us, and wow! Were there a ton of kids back there! It was fun as we began to talk to a bunch of them about the church and what not. Some were interested and wanted to know more. Other declined our offer some-what politely. And others evacuated through the hole in the fence! :) By the time we were done, there were only a few kids there. (Most of them were scared of us and thought they were going to get in trouble for sneaking into the church grounds. Haha.)

Other funny moment that we had occured this last Wednesday. We got to lunch, and Hermana Garcia said, "Elders! I have to leave. You two just eat nice and slow. And when you're done, be sure to lock the door and put the key through the open window. And if you want more, don't be afraid to take more out of the oven!" Haha. (See pictures.) It was a little awkward eating lunch by ourselves in a members' home. But hey! It shows that they have their confidence, right? :) (And just so you know...We did open the oven and take "seconds.")

I've reflected much on the power of the Priesthood--especially with the talks that we heard during General Conference. On Saturday night, we were in the middle of a lesson when Fredy (an investigator; he's the only non-member in his family) called us and said, "Elders. It's urgent. My wife needs a blessing." I told him we would be right there. Elder Gasik and I finished up at the home we were at, and we sped-walked a good 15-20 minutes to get down to Fredy's house on the other side of our area. There, we learned that Sister Marisol had a tooth taken out. And at first she was okay! But there was a complication the next day, and she was unconcious when we showed up. Elder Gasik anointed, and I sealed the annointing. Fredy thanked us, and we left. And on our way home, we felt good! I just thought, "Wow. We hold the power to act in God's name. How blessed we are!" And it really is true. I've seen the Priesthood bless many lives--including my own. I know it's a real power, and I'm grateful for all the worthy priesthood holders that I have known in my own life. The Priesthood is real!!

All is well here. We're loving the mission together, and I'm grateful for the opportunity that I've had to serve in the Lord's vineyard. Nothing has ever brought me greater joy!

I love you all. I'm praying for you all. Thank you for your examples!

Con Mucho Amor,

Elder Nelson IV

Picture explanations:

206:Sunset!!

211:Me and my broken dictionary! :( It just broke out of nowhere. Not sure what happened.

212:This is a great invention! It WAS a washer. But a lady turned it into a fire oven, and now she uses it to make and sell home-made french flies. They are pretty good. ;)

214:A video of me and my companion at lunch. All alone!

216:Me and my lasagna!

217:Me and my soup.

218:Washing the dishes!

230:Elder Gasik on a "Micro" (bus.)

231:The Hospital where Brother Parada is at.

"I Am A Man Of Memories"

2011-04-05T09:47:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

President Thomas S. Monson has said numerous times that he is a "man of memories." And he truly is! The Prophet and the Apostles are great because they teach us so much by sharing personal stories/memories with us. For example, I learned a lot from Elder Scott yesterday as he talked about his wife and the memories that he has from her. How sincere! How powerful!

I, too, am a man of memories. As Elder Gasik and I continue to work together, I am reminded of old memories of the MTC as we talk about his MTC experience. I am reminded of old memories of my first few transfers of the mission as I see him struggle in his first six weeks in the mission field. We learn a lot during that phase of the mission. I'll never forget such memories. I remember being interviewed by Brother Jensen in the MTC a few weeks before making my way here to Chilé. Brother Jensen and I had many spiritual, powerful interviews together, and my interview before coming to Chilé was no exception. We talked of many things--many things of which I have forgotten. But I'll NEVER forget the part of the conversation when Brother Jensen asked, "Elder, how is your family? Have they been writing you?" I told him that my family was great and that I had heard from them often since arriving to the MTC. I then proceeded to tell him about my Dad's mission journal entries that my Dad had been sending me and how they always comforted me in times of struggle. I remember TRYING to fight back the tears, but again--like many interviews with Brother Jensen--I started to shed a few tears. Brother Jensen cried with me. And through his tears, he told me, "Elder. I can tell that you've been blessed with a great father. Follow his example." Such interviews with Brother Jensen NEVER failed to calm my fears. Leaving my family behind was perhaps the hardest struggle of all for me. As well as it must be for almost all of us missionaries! But I NOW know that we're protected as missionaries. I NOW know that our families are blessed for our work and diligence in the field. We truly are blessed! I know that because of mortal angels such as Brother Jensen. And I am constantly reminded of it as I think of other mortal angels such as our mission president President Gillespie and ALL the companions that I have had in the mission and who have blessed me and helped me during my mission.

It was a great week. We have a new hero named Hermano (Brother) Salazar. Hermano Salazar is an 87-year-old member who acompanies us EVERY week. Sometimes once, sometimes twice. He was a released as the Bishop in 2009 at the age of 85. When we walk in the streets with him, I often catch him walking even faster than us! He's great. We had a powerful experience the other day after going out with him. I asked him if there was anything that we could do for him. He said, "Can you pray for me?" I told him that of course we could! He then told us something that we will never forget. He shared with us his main goal in life right now. He explained to us that he's on a search for a wife (his wife passed away many years ago). And after he gets married he wants to serve a mission with his wife! I couldn't believe it. At the age of 87 he has THAT goal! What a great example to us all. We love him.

All is well. We're excited for a new week with new challenges and new successes. :)

I love you all. Forgive me if my e-mail is all over the place this week. But just know that we are working hard, and we're giving it our all.

Until next week, then!

Con Mucho Amor,

Elder Nelson IV

There's No Such Thing As A Bad Day In The Mission. :)

2011-03-28T12:09:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

A few days ago, I was writing in my journal, and I thought, "Wow. We're already in March again." Another thought came to mind, "Wow. Two years has passed since Chris Berry started his mission!" It then hit me that one of my best friends Chris Berry was finishing his mission this week. The time has flown. I just read his last e-mail, and it was great. Thank you, brother, for your example!

It was a great week. Elder Gasik and I have loved our two weeks together. We're working hard, and we had a great week! We found seven new investigators, and we taught 25 lessons--10 of those lessons were with a member present! It was the greatest. We're finding a ton of people, and a lot of them have potential. We just need to do better at inviting people to do be baptized! Yesterday we invited Fredy (an investigator who is the only non-member in his family) to be baptized, but he declined and said he needs more time to prepare himself. Although he declined...it was still a powerful lesson, and it helped us out a lot because now he understands more fully as to why we are there and what we are called to do. :) We found another man named José and his wife Pabla, and they are awesome, and they said they would be baptized...But then later on we figured out that they aren't married. Dangit! But alas! The good news is that we are finding more people and we are inviting people to follow the example of Jesus Christ by being baptized.

The highlight lesson of the week for me was last Tuesday when we taught a lady named Gloria. She's a 7th Day Adventist. She let us in her house, and we were really excited to teach her. However, she let us in to try and teach US. She whipped out a bunch of scriptures from the Bible to try and convince us that the Sabbath is on Saturday and not on Sunday. (Elder Gasik was LOVING it! It was his first lesson with someone like her!) She went on a big scripture change! And out of no where, Elder Gasik tries to share a scripture with her from the Book of Mormon. Nope. She wouldn't let him share anything that wasn't from the Bible. And so we just kept listening, and when she was done, she said, "See. So why do you guys have the Sabbath on Sunday and not on Saturday?" I tried to explain to her that the Sabbath was changed after the Resurrection of Christ, and I even showed her scriptures such as Acts 20:7 to back it up. But she kept saying stuff like, "But God is the same yesterday, today, and forever! So it's still on Saturday." And so I asked her, "Do you really believe that? That God is the same yesterday, today, and forvever?" She told me she did. And then we shared Amos 3:7, and asked, "So God is always going to call a prophet, right?" To make a long story short...We stunned her a few times, but then she tried to tell us that Ellen White (I think that's her name) was a prophet and all this stuff, and we ended up leaving. :)

It was a good experience for Elder Gasik. There's a lot of people like her here. I make it sound like we Bible-bashed and what not. But we really didn't. She wanted to, but we mainly shared a few scriptures from the Bible and bore testimony. It was good.

I've thought a lot about the Sabbath Day since then. After much pondering, I've come to the conclusion that it's not the DAY that's important, but it's what we DO on that day that makes it Holy. Sunday is the Sabbath Day because that's the day that we go and renew our covenants that we made when we were baptized. It's the day we learn and grow spiritually. It's the only day of the week that we really have to rest and do these important, sacred activities. And I know that if we do everything we can to sanctify the Sabbath Day, we will be blessed, and we will be acompanied by the Spirit throughout the rest of the week. I love the Sabbath, and I am grateful for the blessings that we've received as we've kept the Sabbath Day Holy.

General Conference is already here again! I hope everyone takes the time to sit down and watch a few of the sessions. Perhaps a session or two at the church would be a good idea because it's harder to be distracted there. ;) But the most important thing is that we pray and prepare ourselves for the sessions so that we can receive personal revelation during the sessions. Enjoy this weekend! This time only comes twice a year. :)

I love you all! Until next week!

Con Mucho Amor,

Elder Nelson IV

2011-03-28T10:46:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

Another week has sped by. It was a good one! We were able to teach 18 lessons, even though we didn't have much time to work on Monday or Tuesday with transfers and what not. It was a great week!

I am training an Elder named Elder Gasik. He's from Sandy, Utah, and he's a great chap. Training him has been great thus far. He's really easy to teach because he's really humble and teachable. By working with him this last week, I've been reminded once again by the power of our calling as missionaries. I've been reminded once again by the importance of teaching by the Spirit. Heck, I've been reminded of a lot of things, and I've learned a lot of things. Elder Gasik is training me as well.

A few days ago, we were teaching a less-active family (La Familia Parada), and we had an experience that I will never forget. Before the lesson, I told my companion, "Elder, I know we must teach according to the Spirit. And so if you feel like you should say something, do not be afraid to say it. Because you're going to feel the Spirit telling you what to say and when you should say it." My companion replied, "Okay, sounds good. I'm lookin' forward to it." We went in, and Brother Parada and his family started talking to us about how Brother Parada is going to the hospital soon for heart surgury. Brother Parada was worried and a bit down, and so I asked if we could say a prayer and share something with him. It was the best thing that we can do for him, as we've already given him a blessing.

We prayed, and I shared a quick scripture with the family, but I felt like there was more that we could say to help comfort Brother Parada during this trial. I said a quick prayer in my heart. And out of nowhere--despite not knowing much of what was going on--my companion asked, "Can I share a personal experience with you?" My companion then shared a powerful testimony and story about how his Dad was fighting against brain cancer, but was COMPLETELY cured after much prayer and fasting. The Spirit was really strong during the rest of that lesson, and it really touched Brother Parada's heart. And he's not worried anymore. It was a powerful experience for both me and Elder Gasik. It was a powerful reminder to me that I'm no better than my companion because I have more time in the mission than him or because I can speak the language. We've both been called of God, and we've both been set apart to preach the Gospel.

So I've been blessed with a good companion. We've had a blast together thus far. He really reminds me of my little brother Timmy--so humble and postive. And always giving it his all! People ask Elder Gasik, "Do you understand what I am saying to you?" He just laughs and then replies, "No. But with time and with the Lord's help, I will learn." What a great, postive Elder. I love him, and I have a feeling he'll train me just as much--if not more--as I'll train him.

It was a humbling week for me. I learned and grew a lot. To end my e-mail, I want to share something that I read from a talk called "The Fouth Missionary" by Elder Corbridge. It was this one paragraph that hit me the most as I began reading this powerful talk:

Every challenge you face, every hard thing you confront, every bad thing that happens to you, every unfairness, every conflict, every sadness, tragedy, every disappointment and heartache, every temptation and every opposition happens for one purpose only: to give you opportunity to respond by applying in your life the teachings of Jesus. As you do so you are changed to become more like Him.

That really is true, isn't it? I've seen that in my own life as I've been faced with challenges and heartache. I've realized that the only way to get through such trials is to LIVE the Gospel of Christ, and as we do so, we are changed for the better. And we are blessed. I'm a testimony of that. I am a better person today because I turned to the Lord during the hardest of times. I've felt His love, and I've seen the blessings come.

I love you all! Until next week!

Con Mucho Amor,

Elder Nelson IV

Me He Perdido En La Obra: Y Voy A Perderme Aun Más. :)

2011-03-16T13:11:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

I'm sure you all heard about the earthquake and the tsunami in Japan. And then a day later, there was a bunch of tsunami alerts in a bunch of countries, including Chilé. It was another interesting experience, but I'm happy it wasn't too bad here in Chilé--especially down south where the earthquake hit last year. It's just another reminder to us all that we need to always be ready for such natural disasters!

That reminds me of a cool story that President Gillespie told us last year shortly after the earthquake and tsunami down in Concepcion. It was a story about two missionaries who lived in a house on the coast where the tsunami was about to hit last year. Before hitting, however, these two Elders received a call from their mission president, and he told them, "No matter what happens, STAY in the house and DO NOT leave." The missionaries obeyed the mission president's order and stayed in the house. The tsunami came and caused much destruction. But miraculously...the missionaries' house was protected and the tsunami hit EVERYWHERE on the coast except for where there house was. Wow. When President Gillespie told us that, it was a great witness/testimony to me that the Lord truly DOES protect us when we are obedient--no matter the circumstance! I love that story.

We had a great last week of the change. I'm going to miss Elder Judd. He has been a great help. He's a great friend and a great elder. As we guessed, he will be transfered! He's heading to a place called "Con Con." It's actually right there on the coast! I've heard a lot of good things about the ward, and he's really excited to go to a new ward and start fresh. :) I was also very happy when I figured out today that Elder Boyd AND Elder Hawkes are coming to this zone! The greatest! We always talked in the MTC about how we would one day all be together, and now it's finally going to happen. :) We're excited.

I was surprised when I got a call from Elder Birchall last night. The conversation went a little like this:

Elder Birchall: Elder Nelson! How's it going?

Elder Nelson: Elder Birchall! Great. How are you?

Elder Birchall: I'm great. Hey, I'm calling you on behalf of the President. We have an assignment for you.

Elder Nelson: ¿En serio? (Seriously?)

Elder Birchall: Yes, Elder Nelson. We need you to train. How do you feel about that assignment?

Elder Nelson: Oh, Elder Birchall, I have a better question. How do YOU feel about being a grandpa?

[Elder Birchall and other Elders cheer and laugh.]

Haha. I accepted the assignment, of couse, and I am excited to train! But to explain a little more: Elder Birchall had me on speaker phone the whole time, and he was there with a few other Elders (Elder Hawkes, included), and they all got a big laugh out of the conversation. Elder Birchall trained me, and so he is what they call my "dad" and I am his "son." And now I'm going to train, and I will be a "dad" and I will have a "son" and my "son" will be Elder Birchall's "grandson." And that's the reason why I asked him that question and why they all laughed. :)

So I am really excited, and I am ready for the next challenge. A little nervous and anxious, but I know I'll do fine if I rely on the Spirit to guide me in the new assignment. My only hope and goal for this next transfer is to help this new missionary so that he LOVES the mission from the start! And to do that, we have to work really hard and develop a lot of unity. :)

The last few transfers I really have "lost" myself in the work. There is no greater feeling than forgetting myself and just giving the Lord all I've got. There's no greater feeling than forgetting myself by serving others. I love it! I love the mission! There is no greater place to be right now in my life. But I realize that my time here in the mission is limited, so I am going to work even harder so that I can fully enjoy these cherished moments. :)

The work is moving forth. We're going to find a lot of elect people this week, and we are going to have a lot of success.

I have a testimony of missionary work--not only as full-time missionaries but as members and diciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. This week, we worked more with the members and we even had a few moments where the members took US to THEIR friends and neighbors. And THEY talked to their friends and extended the invitation. It really warmed my heart to see the members opening their mouths and sharing the Gospel. It truly is our responsability as members of this church--whether we are full-time missionaries or not. :)

I love you all. Thank you for your prayers and for your support. Until next week! :)

Con Mucho Amor,

Elder Nelson IV

One Of The Best Weeks of My Mission Thus Far. :)

2011-03-09T13:30:00.000-08:00

Dear All,

I'm writing a little bit later than usual this week because we just got back from a zone activity. It was awesome! We played volleyball and then afterwards we ate something called "choripan." It was great. It was great to spend some time with the other elders, and it was especially great playing volleyball for the first time in a long time. :)

This last week will go down in history as one of the greatest weeks of my mission! It was awesome! When I first got here, the missionaries were really struggling with teaching "lessons with a member present." Elder Judd and I have really worked hard on getting the members excited for the work and what not, and the ward already has come a long way. After doing splits twice this last week, as well as leaving to teach with a member DAILY, we were able to end the week with TEN lessons with member. Before that point, our highest amount was four. It was a great accomplishment! We also had an activity in the ward last Friday, and the members loved it. So we really have come a long way! But there is a TON of room for improvement. Now...I only hope President Gillespie keeps me here so that I can continue working hard here in Reñaca Alto. :)

We had our baptism yesterday! (See picture.) It was awesome. We were actually going to have it on Saturday, but we were surprised when we got to the church Saturday night and were informed that the water at the church was cut off and so they weren't able to fill the font! After a long discussion, we all came to the agreement that we would wait until the next day (Sunday) to have the baptism in the stake center after church. So alas! After church yesterday...We all made our way down to the stake center, and Olfa was baptized without anymore problems! :) It was awesome!

So all is well here. It's crazy to think that Elder Judd and I will most likely be spending our last week together this week. I CANNOT believe how fast the transfers fly by! It feels like I've only been with Elder Judd for a week or two. Chances are: He will be transferred, and I will stay because Elder Judd already has three transfers here. But...I've learned one thing about transfers: We NEVER know! Haha. So...No worries. Next week I will be sure to let you all know what happens.

Perhaps I am just weird, but...Sometimes I forget that I am here in Chilé on the other side of the world. Especially after being here for so long as a missionary. I really have "lost myself" in the work the last few transfers as I've strived to give the Lord my all. But I was thinking about it a few days ago...And I thought back to some of my goals and dreams that I've always since I was young. And one of my goals was obviously to serve a full-time mission. Ever since I was a kid, I've always wanted to be here. But sometimes I forget that this has always been one of my dreams. Haha. But a few days ago, as we were working and preaching the Gospel, it finally hit me. "Wow, Elder Nelson! You're living one of your dreams! So enjoy EVERY moment." It hit me just like that. I am here fulfilling one of my life's dreams, and so I have to enjoy it while I can! So I'm going to do just that.

All is well here. I hope all is well back home. I love you all. I am grateful for you all and your support.

I want to let you all know that I have a testimony of the blessings and promises that we receive by living the Gospel of Christ. I am a witness that they are real! And that we are SO blessed as we live the Gospel of Christ. Perhaps one of the best things that we can do as God's children is strive to develop attributes of His Son Jesus Christ. As we strive to develop patience, charity, humilty, diligence, etc. we will be blessed! I promise you all that that is true.

Until next week! I love you all!

Con Mucho Amor,

Elder Nelson IV

Hace Un Año Desde El Terromoto

2011-03-01T09:36:00.000-08:00

Dear All,

It's crazy to think that a year ago (yesterday), I was woken up to one of the strongest earthquakes in world history. It truly was a mess! I remember being so new and clueless during those next few days after the earthquake. And now as people are talking about it again--one year later--I am able to understand a little more and I am a little less clueless. :) It truly is a sad thing that happened. :/ But my thoughts and prayers go out to those people who were affected on that day one year ago.

I was taking a walk down "Memory Lane" a few days ago, and I thought back to my first week in the MTC. It was then that I met one of my greatest friends Elder Hawkes. We were both going for a walk/jog on the top floor of the MTC gym. He looked familiar, and I realized he was from my district. I've always been an awkward person when it comes to talking to random people, but I gathered up the guts to say something to Elder Hawkes. We came to the conclusion that we were from the same district, haha, and then we started talking and getting to know each other a little bit.

It was that day that I realized how blessed I really am. Elder Hawkes told me his story--how he was inactive most of his life until the age of 17. He reactivated himself in the church and then he left on the mission! Despite the fact that neither of his parents were super active. And despite the fact that his dad had been jobless for over a year. I remember he told me such things, and I just thought to myself, "Wow. What can I say to help this guy out a little bit?" I thought a little bit and then I put my arm on Elder Hawkes's shoulder and said, "Elder, your family will be blessed while you're on your mission. No worries." Elder Hawkes replied, "I know." And we've been the best of friends ever since.

And a few days ago, Elder Hawkes informed me that his Dad is completely active with a calling in the church! And he finally found a good job after not having one for over TWO years. I thought back to that first conversation that we had together, and all I can say is this: The Lord's promises ARE REAL. The Lord's blessings ARE REAL. But we just need to strive to be obediente and put our personal matters in the Lord's hands. My good friend Elder Hawkes has helped me realize that. Thank you, brother.

I had many experiences this week, too, that helped me recomfirm this truth. Elder Judd and I were working a few days ago, and we had an appointment at 6:30. It was 5:30 or so, and I just kept telling myself and my companion, "We need to find at least one new investigator and hand out at least one Book of Mormon before our appointment at 6:30." At the time, it almost seemed impossible! But I decided to be positive, and I just kept telling myself that it was possible. To my amazement, we found an 87-year-old lady who let us in her house to sing her a song and share a quick message! :) We did so, but her eye sight wasn't that great so she didn't want to take a Book of Mormon.

As we made our way up a hill to make our 6:30 appointment (around 6:00 PM), I thought, "We found the new investigator, but what about this Book of Mormon?" I said a quick prayer in my heart, and just as we reached the top of that little hill, my prayer was answered. We passed by a guy who was on his way home from work. He stopped us in the street and greeted us with a hand shake. He pointed at the Book of Mormon that my companion had in his hand, and he said, "I sure would like to have that Book!" We happily gave him the Book of Mormon and set up an appointment to teach him about the Restoration. :) As we made our way to our 6:30 appointment, my heart was full of gratitude for the success that the Lord had put in our way. We were confident that the Lord would provide as long as if we stayed postive and worked hard! And He did! :)

On Saturday, we knocked on a door and a lady came out. At first, she wasn't going to let us in. I asked her for only five minutes, and I testified that our message truly would bring happiness. She let us in! We sang her "I Am A Child Of God" and she was in tears by the end of the song. She opened up and told us that she was almost baptized years ago, but she was offended by something that one of the sister missionaries had done to her. I'll never forget what happened next. She pointed at me! And through her tears she said, "I wasn't going to open my door. But there was something about you and your sincerity that told me to open my door and let you two in." The Spirit was really strong, and she told us that she wanted to attend church! We couldn't set up a set appointment, but it was still an experience that I'll never forget because it was the first time in my mission where someone has said to my face that they noticed something different/special about me specifically.

Olfa passed her interview! :) She will be baptized this Saturday, and we are really excited for her. She's awesome. She's really excited, and she wants her kids to get baptized one day. (They're all old and grown-up.)

Last week, we went out with a member every single day! And it seems like the unity between the members and the missionaries is beginning to grow. We're happy for that. :) The Lord is truly blessing us here in Reñaca Alto. :)

I love you all! Thank you for your prayers and for your examples. Until next week!

Con Amor,

Elder Nelson IV

To Dad in Germany

2011-02-24T09:30:00.000-08:00

Haha! Looks like fun! How does it feel to be in a country where the people don't speak your language? Last week while we were shopping, we ran into a few people from Canada. The guy who worked there at the store explained to me, "Hey, these people are from Canada, and they need help finding pancake mix." I talked to them in English and then I asked some Latin Elders (in Spanish, obviously) where the pancake mix was at. And the man from Canada told me later on, "Wow! You speak really good English!"

It was funny because after I talked to the Latins, he thought I was from Chile and that Spanish was my first language. HAHA.