Now I'm Senior Companion

Letter Received October 18, 2010:

Enrique Bautismo

 

Elder Nelson y Elder Findlay Mas Cerca

Hey Hey Everyone:

So yeah, here is the deal with this week and all the new stuff. My comp has left now so now I am on a mini transfer with Elder Aldana. I live with him and he is from Peru. But yeah, Elder Findlay has left and I sent you his homecoming stuff so I hope that you all got that worked out. I found out when my Trainer's homecoming is and it is on the 31st and it is in Logan, his name is Elder Murillo. I will give you some more info on that later in the email.

Elder Nelson y Elder Findlay

As for this week, it seems that we did a lot of saying goodbyes and baptisms with other missionaries and interveiws for baptisms and so we didn't really get to teach all that much, but we did do some really good lessons with people. Everyone is really sad because Elder Findlay is going home and so it seems that the work wasn't able to move forward all that quickly this week. Something that is awesome that you are all going to love is that last week we baptized Enrique and so that makes his family a complete family of new converts and he got confirmed yesterday and so a year from yesterday they are going to be able to go to the temple and seal themselves together forever and I have never seen any family so happy together and such a big of a change in someone. He is so happy and next week he is going to be ordained to the priesthood. 

Elders and Enrique, Blanca, and Estefinia

 This week we also ordained a new convert to the office of Teacher. Also, I was able to participate in Jesus, one of my converts, to receive the Aaronic Priesthood and now he is a Deacon! I am so pumped for those guys. I just know that they are going to be future missionaries.

Enrique Bautismo

But as for me, I have been doing really good and I am kinda excited for this new change that I have. I am now Senior Companion and I am going to be with another Chileano, so now I am going to be living with two Latinos. It should be all good, I have met my comp a couple times and he seems really cool and I think that we are going to get along well. I feel kinda sad though to see Elder Findlay go. I am, in a way, relieved, because we can really start to get some more work done. It has been really hard to focus for my comp, with him all goin' home and all. I think that I am really going to be able to progress some more with my Spanish. Something that I realized with Elder Rubilar, my first latino comp, is that my Spanish proggressed a lot. 

Enrique y su Familia y Chicas en sus Bautismos

I have been really trying to get my self refocused on what I am doing and really try and find some people. It is going to be weird that I am not going to be a companion of a District Leader or not be a District Leader because that is how it has always been, always a different schedule. I guess that is cool with me. I am really happy with the change because a lot of my friends in the mish are coming to my zone. It should be just dandy! For ideas in a package, I really need another jump drive because mine has become all infected with viruses and stuff so I need to fix that. Also, some Flaming Hot Cheetos, a book called A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, that is from the church library. Some t-shirts, somehow I have just been left with jerseys so just some of my t shirts. Some more garments, all Corbans. Other than that, not really much that I can think of except a belt like the one with the buckle. Thanks. I love you so much, all of you, and I miss you everyday.


Elder Nelson

Enrique Bautismo

Stranded in Talca

Letter Received October 11, 2010:

Hey My Family:
Well, this is an interesting experience, being stranded, ha, ha, ha. I am in Talca, where my first sector was sitting in the bus terminal waiting to get on a bus so that I can go back to my sector and that is why I am writing late. We came here so that my comp could say bye to his sector here and so we got up early so that we could go and I could say hi to some people that are in my old sector in Talca. But, then we went to his so that he could do his thing then we came back to try and get a bus to go back to our sector and we found out that there is nothing going south. So, now were screwed waiting for a bus and so here I am. But, what can I do? The only thing that I can do is wait. I can't change what I didn't do before. I think that I should have checked on the bus, but what can you do? It is a holiday here and it isn't really a big one, but yeah, so all the busses are full because everyone, if they are going anywhere, they go by bus. Nobody has cars, only the people that have money. But, we now have a bus so it is all good. I haven't told the president, but I did call my zone leaders like they tell us to. I hope that he doesn't get mad at me but what can you do? The only thing that you can do is try and do your best to get done what you have to.

As for this week, it went really awesome because finally Enrique got baptized and it was such an awesome baptismal service! He bore his tesitmony and I did two musical numbers with a sister missionary and it all turned out really awesome and not only that but the other two elders that live with us had two baptisms, too, and so we did them together. It was really awesome! That made his family complete now. They are a family of straight up new converts, so it made me so happy.
 
But as for this week, it seemed that we just made sure that we took care of him so that we could make sure that everything was good for baptism and then also we went out to San Carlos so that we could help out the Hermanas (sisters, so that you now know what that means). They have some really awesome investigators and they are all going to be getting baptized on either the 17th or the 24th. 
 
The thing is, that we are going to have cambios (transfers) next monday so we are hoping to get some more baptisms before then so that the missionaries can see there investigators get baptized before they leave. But as for me, I know that I am not going anywhere and I know for sure that I am going to become senior companion because the President told me so in my interview that I had with him. He is kinda putting me in the dark because he is like, I talked with Zone Leaders to work with you so that you can prepare yourself. He is like, they will help you become a better missionary not that you are a bad missionary but the fact is that we all can become better. And then he says to me, are you ready for some more responsibility? I was thinking to myself, no, but then my mouth without thinking about it was like, yes. So, we are going to have to see what comes.
 
Still, I don't know what is going to happen with cambios. We are going to work hard until Findlay leaves trying to find people, but we are also going to be doing some saying goodbye for him so it will be an interesting week.  This week went really well in preparing for the baptism. o and my comps home coming is going to be on the 24th at 9 am.  So yeah ,hope that you could go, that would be really awesome. Well, that is about it for this week. This compy sucks so I will have to send you pics next week. I love and miss you lots.
 
Love You,
Elder Nelson

Conference Was Inspiring

Letter Received October 4, 2010:

Hey My Family That I Love So Very Much and Missed a Lot This Weekend:

 

Well, this week went a lot better than last week. We still didn't have an amazing week but definitely better. This week we were able to find some really new awesome people that are really curious about the church and it also seems that we are going to recieve some references this week and that we are going to end up doing some really awesome family home evenings and that we should find some new investigators. I am actually really excited about this week. I don't know why but I am really excited to work this week. I feel like it is going to be so cool. 

 

I do have some really really amazing news, Enrique, a guy that we have been sharing with since I got here is going to be baptized on Sunday! Finally! He is the dad of a family of straight up new converts. He has been able to get baptized for the last three months and now he is finally going to take the step and do it, he said. I think that what really put him over the edge was that we did something in our zone, we are fasting for one another's investigators and the Sister missionaries were fasting for him one day and we told him that and he was like, "Wow!" Then it was time for Priesthood and I took one of the Zone Leaders with me and the Sister Missionaries with me and I went to look for him and I took him to the church and he got to meet the Sisters and he felt that he really was able to recieve his answer in Conference and he loved it. So, thank you Thomas S. Monson! Another life saved by a prophet of God! 

 

It was so awesome last weekend, the whole time it was like everything that Conference said seemed like it applied to me and it was all stuff that I really needed to hear, especially the Priesthood Session. I loved it! The prophet seemed like he took a caffeine pill right before he was supposed to talk or some thing. He had so much energy. Also, it was awesome to be able to watch something in English. Sometimes, to watch everything in Spanish gets old. It seemed like something that was completely set apart for missionaries. I really could pay attention and it helped me get refoucused on the stuff that I need to do. 

 

It seems like I have a lot on my mind. I think that in the last little while I have kinda felt a little disanimated because we really didn't have any people that were progressing and it has been kind of hard to find people to teach. Sometimes it is hard to want to go out to work when you know that all that you are going to do is knock doors. But, also that the people that you do have really aren't progressing. You are really worried about them and their problems, so that is weighing on your mind. It seems that this week that a lot of stuff seemed to work out and people are doing good now and that I feel like I have more ganas to do the work. Then, today we had a really cool zone activity where we had a bbq and got to play some Chilean games. They have one that is kinda like horseshoes and it was really fun and I started to get pretty good it really seemed to relax me and I was able to get my mind off some stuff. 

 

This week went well. I really loved Conference! I am really sad that it is over, I just felt that I really got so much out of it and I feel renewed. I am starting to get bummed that my comp is leaving. It seems like the time is going by so fast and when your comp is going home it seems that the time goes even faster. I am really just looking at it and I am like, where is the time going? I am working hard, so I think that makes the time go by a lot faster. Everyone keeps telling me that I am going to be training but I am really hoping that I don't, because I really don't think that I am ready for that. There is something that is going to go on this week, actually tomorrow. We are going to have interviews with the President tomorrow so we are going to have to see how it goes tomorrow and see what the President acts like. 

 

That is tight that you are probably going to be going Disneyland. Yeah, no problem Lexie, about the room thing. Its not like I am going to be sleeping there for a while, ha ha ha ha. Sounds like everyone is sure staying busy. I am thinking that the time is going as fast for you guys as it is for me. I really got homesick at Conference thinking about you guys watching Conference the same time as me. Not only that, but I really missed going with everyone to priesthood and going to dinner with everyone afterward, but its all good. You got to go with what you got where you are at. I love and miss you all so much! I forgot, did Lyndsay and Justin ever find a car to replace the Explorer? But anywho, well that is about it me this week. I love you all and I will talk to you all next week.

 

Love, 

Elder Nelson

A Slow Week

Letter Received September 27, 2010:

Hey My Family:

Well, I already talked to some of you guys earlier today, but I thought that I would write a family letter anyway.  So, this week was kind of a rough one because it just seemed like we were working hard but nothing was workin' out and when we got to the end of the week and looked at our numbers we were like, "What did we do this week?"  But, I know that this weeek is going to be a lot better because we are a little bit more motivated and not only that but we are really going to be working to have like 4 baptisms on the 10 because this weekend is General Conference and it seems like we could really have a good chance to have three but we will have to see.

It seems like Javier isn't really interested because we set appointments with him and then he isn't there for them, so I don't know if he is going to work out.  I am going to keep trying with him because I know that he can really progress if we have a really awesome lesson with him because he is a good kid and he seems interested when we do get to talk to him.

This last week I think that everything seemed like it all got kinda thrown off because we had our Zone Conference in Talca where I started my mission.  I think that the Zone Conference just really kinda messed everything up.  I think that it kinda screws up your focus because the President keeps changing all the time the way that he wants to do things, so as soon as you get the hang of what he wants you do, he changes it again and it seems that you can never really fulfill what President wants you to do because everything is always changing.  Also, his Assistants seem to be saying something different than President so you really don't know who you are supposed to follow.  So, this time it was a little stressful but that is okay.  I am going to keep working how I know how to and I know that the Lord will bless me in the work that I am doing because I can really only teach in the way that I know because that is me.  I think that if I keep changing my teaching I am going to become a robot and not be able put my personality into it.

Me and my comp got a little disanimated but we are all good now and just looking forward to this next week.  It is starting to warm up here except for yesterday and today.  We found a new lady that is really good and I am excited to teach her tonight.  It seems like the harder that I work the faster the time goes and  I don't want it to go so fast.  It seems like I just got put with Elder Findlay and before I know it he is going to be going home.  This week was just a lot of Conference stuff and trying to find people.  Really not much new to tell.  It seems I have been saying that lately, but it just seems to be the same old stuff for the last like three weeeks.  Well, I don't really have much to say but I love all a lot and miss you tons.  Well, talk to you next week.


Love,  
Elder Nelson