It's May Again?

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!

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"

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

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

El Poder Del Sacerdocio: Un Poder Real

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.