"Seguid El Modelo Que Dio El Señor"

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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