Celebrating in Chile

Letter Received September 20, 2010:

Us With Some of Our Investigators

First off, I want to tell Mom and Taylor happy birthdays!  I hope that they all went well.  This week it sure sounds like you all have been really busy doing stuff.  Sounds like everything is moving along really fast.  The same thing seems to be doing the same here and the time seems to be going by really fast.  My comp goes home in a month!  That is so nuts for me to think about because its like I just feel like we just got put together and work so well together and now he is going to be leaving.  Poopy!  But it is just life, tough, that is how it goes sometimes. 

This week it didn't really seem like we got a whole lot done because of the 18th of September.  It isn't as big as the 4th of July, pretty much the difference is that everyone has the day off, there is a parade, and everyone eats empanadas and they have BBQ.   Pretty much we had a day off because we couldn't really work.  We just got to play soccer for like threee hours and go eat BBQ.  It was awesome, it was fun.  Also, we didn't really get to do any work this week because my comp is District Leader.  We had to do a bunch of mini transfers for the days and so we were like out of our sector the whole week.  I am pretty sure they are going to look at our numbers and be what the heck!  But then we will explain what happened and everything will be all good. 

Some Chilean Cowboys with Nicole

It is all good, we found 2 really good people that I know were gifts from the heavens that the Lord blessed us.  We found this kid named Javier and he is awesome he is reading and he also accepted a baptism date but the thing is that we have to wait till all the holidays are over because he is super busy with all the 18th of September stuff.  When it ends it is going to be super tight.  I really do think that he could get baptised in like three weeks and I am hoping so because I want him to get baptised befor Elder Findlay goes home.  I know that he really deserves it because he really isn't trunky at all.  He is working so hard. 

Everything is going good, we still need to find peoeple but whatever we are doing is working and the Lord is blessing us.  We are really loving the results that we are starting to recieve.  The time has been flying by, I feel like we just leave the house and like we go to work and before I know it the week is over and here I am sitting telling you about the week and feel like I really don't have much to tell you.

Two Gringo Wannabes and a Real Chilean Cowboy

Well, it is good to hear about the house and that the painting is coming along and that Lyndsay is doing really well with her business and that the kids are doing really well.  That is cool that Lexie's baby is doing well and is going to come early.  Seems like everyone is doing really well and that things are moving right along.  The 18th of September was cool but I am ready to get back to work.  I miss you all and love you tons.

Love,

Elder Nelson

Over 300 Contacts in a Week

Letter Received September 13, 2010:

The Labor of 300 Contacts in a Week for 35 Possibilities

Hey My Family:

How is everyone doing?  I am doing well.  We have really been trying hard this week to find people because it seems that we are out of people to teach.  We did over 300 contacts this week, it was insane!  We were talking to everyone.  No one could walk past us without getting contacted.  So, now we have bunch of addressses and names that we can look up to try and find some people to teach.  It seemed like this week went by pretty fast for me and that time is cruising right along.  I can't believe it!

Me, Fin, and Benja

I want to wish Miley a happy late birthday and to wish Taylor and Mom a happy birthday for next week.  I love you guys.  Well, this week went really fast and I am going to complete a year in the mission this week.   That is so nuts man! I can't believe it!  The time is going by so fast and i don't know what I am going to do because I have so much to do and so little time to do it.  I really feel like I am just starting my mission and now it is half over. 

Me and Denis

This week we didn't really have all that much happpen, it just seemed to me that we were doing an awful lot of contacts.  But, that is okay, they were fun.  I really like doing them actually because me and my comp were really pumped and we made them like a game, it was cool.  It didn't seem like we were teaching a whole lot of lessons, but it's okay.  It is what you need to do to find people.

Me and my comp are getting along really well and I got to play soccer for three hours today and it was so fun, I miss playing sports so bad.  It is getting so hot here again and it is starting to make me miss the rain. Its all good you got to go with what you got where you're at. 

Last Pic with Wilde

We have been making some progress with like two people. We got a new cool zone leader that I knew when I was down in Collao and it seems that he has really seemed to change some stuff around.  It seems that the whole zone is doing better since he got here.  It is crazy how much one missionary can change a whole zone.  It is all going good and it seems that we just need to work some stuff out in my sector and we will be back on track.  I am really enjoying my time here.  I still miss Collao a lot but everything is going on here and am really starting to figure out how this sector works. 

Those Things are Called A--, I Don't Know Why

I am really enjoying living in four.  It makes the house a lot more of a fun place to be.  I am really going to be bummed when my comp and one of the other elders leaves, because we have a cool group of elders that live with me.  Well, something that is going to be cool also is that the 18th of September is like the 4th of July here and we get to hang out with the memebers a lot that day and we get to do some bbq.  It is going to be so cool.  I am really excited.  Well, for this week not much else is new.  I love you and miss you all so much.  Glad to hear that everything is going well, hope you all have a good week.


Love,
Elder Nelson

A Good Companion

Letter Received September 6, 2010:

Hey:

So everything is going a little better this week than the week before and this week went by really fast with the training that we had and all that jazz. We also had Stake Conference here and I am not going to lie, it was really sucky and boring.  Sorry, but true.  We have just been working really hard and trying to find some more people and it seems that we have found some good possibilities.  So, we will see. 

Me and my comp are getting along really well.  He is such an amazing missionary and he always is positive and he has been such an awesome companion.  I am sad that he is going home in six weeks but he has done his time and he is still working hard.  That is something that I really admire about him.  He doesn't want to become trunky and he just wants to do his job.  I have been really trying to follow his example and it has been awesome because he knows how to have success.  So, we are going to do better this week.

The truth is that I don't really have a lot of news for you all this week because not a whole lot of stuff has happened this week.  It was just kind of a normal week here.  It is starting to become really hot here and I am now sunburned and it hurts, ha, ha, ha.  Oh well, that is just the way that it is, ha, ha, ha.  All of the investigators that I have seem to be really grasping the gospel and we are really trying to find people this week because we lack a lot of people.  I know that I just need to be patient and work hard and the Lord will pick up the rest.

Sounds like everyone is doing really well there.  Sounds like everyone is staying really busy.  I'm sorry that this letter is really boring and that there is not much but there is not really much new and not much to say.  I love and miss you all and am glad to hear that everyone is staying busy.

Love You,
Elder Nelson

Ready to Find a Lot of People

Letter Received August 30, 2010:

Hey Everyone:

Elder Findlay, Eva, Jesus, and Me

So this week was a little bitter sweet.  It seemed all week that we were really struggling and we were really trying to find people this week and all of my investigators that we had are really having a lot of opposition and we are having a hard time keeping up with it, but we are doing ok with it.  We have to help them and work it all out for them so that they can get baptized.  It seems like we knocked door after door and not anybody wanted to listen us. We did over a hundred contacts this weeek and the last contact that we did that night finally let us in the house.  We weren't even able to tell her who we were and she told us to come in.  Her name is Yolanda.  We started to share with her and she is awesome and she accepted a baptismal date for the 19th of September.  She is really cool.  She and her mom that is like over her seventies and she also accepted the date for baptism also.  It was really cool! So, I have really learned that you just need to be paitent in waiting for the Lord to bless you and do your part so that the Lord can bless you.

Hermano Silva, Eva, Jesus, Hermano Nelson

It seems that we need to find a different way to find because I am really getting sick of knocking doors for 5 hours on end.  When you don't have people to teach that is what you have to do to find people because your members only have so many references to give.  Only some families will take you seriously that you really need their help and that you are going to come back and verify if you have a reference for us, ha, ha, ha.  We are doing well I was just getting really sick of having a ton of contacts but not having any lessons and all the opposition that our investigators have been recieving.  I am doing well and we are going to have a training with our President tomorrow and the next day.  I have already done it but I am looking forward to being able to do it again.

We do have some good news, our baptisms went through this week and I really do think that these people are the most converted people that I have baptized because they have been waiting to be baptized for a long time but always lived in a situation that hasn't let them do it.  Especially Eva, the mom, has been waiting for almost twenty years.

Us and Eva and Her Family

Me and my comp are getting along really well.  I felt like this week went by really fast but also slow at the same time because the days seemed long but the week seems like it went by fast.  I don't know if that makes sense but that is how I feel, ha, ha.  Mom, now we can get the packages every two weeks when they get here now so its all good.  Yeah, the last shoes you sent me are really good they are kinda like boots so they have been goood for the cold. I am glad to hear that everyone is doing well and I miss and love you all very much. Sorry this letter is kinda short but I am kinda short on time but will write more next week.

Love,
Elder Nelson