Settling In To Mission Life

Eating a Chilean Favorite:  Complatos (not sure how to spell)

Letter Received December 14, 2009:

Dear Everyone:

Sorry again, I am still running late and I will be writing today as much as I can but it was good to hear from everyone and I will be writing just this one big letter this week because time is short and I will write everyone individually next week. Sound good to everyone? Well that’s how it has to be, ha-ha, cause I don’t have time this week because we went to the campo which means country and did a hike to a river for one of my zone leader's birthday today.  But yeah, that was fun, but my bad knee is swollen from the hike and my bad ankle is swollen also but they will be fine later tonight. Lexie, I am sending pics of the closest things to mountains that I have seen so far.

But yeah, everything has been going well but I haven’t had a lot of luck with our investigators because they are all like flaking out but some are doing really well but we are working hard and hopefully we should have some baps in January.  We were supposed to have eleven people in church this last week and we only had eleven but we won't give up. it was kind of a funky Sunday down here this week because they had elections on Sunday and they were all voting and church was only an hour long because of voting, so yeah, kinda weird.  We should have some more people show up this week because there are no excuses this week and everyone should show and we are trying really hard to get the members to get involved more and so we are working hard that way. We have been contacting like crazy and we haven’t been having much luck but it will get better in time.

In this last two weeks I have fully read My Heritage and A Search for Happiness. It's crazy because I hate to read but here I love it for some reason because I can't put the books down. But here we have had good investigators and they are really bomb and they love us.  Our main cool investigator is  leaving this week to go stay with her boyfriend that she has been with for fifteen years but just never got married and that isn’t a good relationship that we have to figure out.  But they are bomb and they love me because I am a gringo and they love the way that I talk Spanish.  I love that family!  They want to be baptized, but we can't with the relationship that she is in with this guy and Anna's boyfriend doesn’t know that she has been sharing with us and he doesn’t like people so yeah she still has to tell him about us.  So, she is going to stay with him for three months so I don’t know what is going to happen with her sharing wise but we will figure it out.  But that’s one of the people that I am teaching, so you know a little about somebody here.

The food isn’t getting much easier to eat but I am still trying hard to do it. I am losing weight, I am guessing about ten pounds. And I have still been having my headaches.  I am making sure that I eat as much as I can so that I don’t get a migraine.

But it's good to hear about Christmas.  I will let you know more next week.  I will try to figure that out but if we have to at worst case I can make like a five minute phone call next week to tell you what the deal is my comp said.  So yeah, we will figure that out and he told me it will definitely be before six o' clock our time and I am guessing that it is about 2 o' clock your time so before then. But I know that I only get a hour to talk to everyone on Christmas. So it would be best for everyone to be in the same place so that I can talk to everyone.

It sounds like everything is going good for you guys there.  Sounds cold and a lot of snow which I wish it was here because Christmas isn’t going to be the same without snow here.  It is so hot!  I am sweating constantly.  But yeah, that is Chile for ya, ha ha.  I haven’t received my package because they go to the mission home and I don’t get it till they bring it so I could get it by Christmas and I could not, but we will see. But I miss you guys so much. Tell Taylor and the hijos that I miss them very much and that I love them so much as I do the rest of all of you. That’s too bad to hear about Lyndsay and Justin's misfortunes, no bueno. But times get harder before they get easier, but yeah, no good.  Got to go, I love you all.  Hope that I answered some questions for you but didn’t have much time, I will try better next week . The next package for me would be awesome if you could send me my fox hat or big black hat for p-day.  Just saying for the next one, ha ha.  Love you all so much, will try to do better next week.

Love Elder Nelson

In the car with an investigator, Anna and her family.  This is Anna's daughter.

 Here are some pictures from the trip to the country:

 

 

 

 

  

 

2nd Letter from the Mission Field

Letters Received November 30, 2009: 

Hey mom,                                                        

How is it going there?   It sounds like you guys had a good Thanksgiving, wish that I could have been there.  I am  glad that Lexie and you guys had fun on her b- day, sounds like everyone has been super busy and loving it, ha ha.   I bet it was awesome not to have to shop on black Friday.  How has Grandpa Wayne been doing?   Everything seems to be going good here.  We are contacting a ton. We have 9 people that we are teaching the lessons to and 4 of them have baptism dates and seem to be taking the right steps to get there, so we will see in about a month if I have some baptisms.   Spanish is still coming; I am trying to work hard on that. 

I really miss American food for sure, that is one thing that I could ask for Christmas is treats and what not, like jerky and stuff.  Everything is really expensive here. I am glad that everything seems to be going well with you let me know if there is anything new with you.   It’s crazy almost two and a half months down already.  I still have been having back problems and I have been getting some pretty bad headaches I think it is the lack of food and walking a ton so I am trying to pace myself.  My comp is starting to get on my nerves because everything has to be done his way and sometimes it’s not the way that I want to do stuff cause the way that he wants to do it isn’t logical that is all part of the experience and so that is how it is with my comp.   It’s good to hear how everyone is doing.
                                                                                                              
Love and miss you,

Elder Nelson

Dear dad,


So yeah, everything is starting to set in with the schedule and everything.   We have 9 people that we are teaching the lessons and 4 with bap dates so we will see in the next month or so if I have baptisms and they seem to be progressing well and I have been working hard and my back is still killing me so I have to buy a bag here so I took some money from the account it sounds like everyone is doing well at home.   I miss you guys tons just think why you guys were eating dinner on Thanksgiving I was yelling doors. well that’s the mish, ha ha. we had a member that we asked to make us lunch on thanksgiving she made us turkey and the whole bit, so that was nice. it was good.  It sounds good about riding I definitely miss that. That is good to hear that Brach is doing better and isn’t delayed and it is good to hear that everyone had a good Thanksgiving.  I know how Brit feels cause that is how I felt right before I left to.  How are you liking the new TV? I bet it was good not to have to go shopping on black Friday.   I can’t believe it is already Christmas prep time, here it doesn’t feel like it cause its like 90 degrees here, I am sweating so bad. Well I got to go but I love you and miss you tons.

Elder Nelson