The Spirit Touches Hearts at Baptism

Letter Received August 1, 2011:

Hey Hey Everyone:

I had a pretty interesting week but I am going to try and put this all in words ha, ha, ha. First off, we had Conference with the President. I don't know if they did this with other missions but they always have all the old dying missionaries and the newbie’s share their testimonies. It was time for me to share my last testimony with the mission and it made me really trunky and it was really hard to share because to tell you the truth it still seems like I have an eternity before I come home. But I also, at other times, am like, I only have like a month and a half left! That is so weird to me. 

For the last couple of weeks we have been teaching this girl named Maria. She is really good but she had some problems and she didn't want to get baptized. She also told us from the beginning that she didn't want to get baptized, but we kept teaching her anyway and this week she accepted a date for baptism. It is for this Saturday.

Last week, my best friend in the mission had 4 baptisms on Saturday and I thought that it would be a good idea to take Maria to the baptism. So, we traveled the forty minutes to get to the baptism and she said that she had something that she would like to talk to us about. We were really worried about what she was going to want to say. But we went to the baptism anyway and she saw the baptisms. I looked over at her during the first baptism and she was fine, then I looked over during the second baptism and she was just bawling and crying her eyes out. You could tell that it was the spirit testifying to her that it is what she needs to do. After that we did a special musical number where I and 4 other elders sang "I Know That My Redeemer Lives". It was awesome because you just looked at Maria and I could tell that she had made her decision that she is going to be baptized this week. 

The problem that she has been having is that she wants to share this with her parents but they don't want anything to do with it. It bothers her a lot.  After the baptism, we were on the bus and we talked out all of her doubts and she is going to have her interview tomorrow and it is going to be bomb. 

It has been a lot better with this new Branch President. This week I had a good idea that I gave to President to think about my transfer. I asked him if I could finish my mission with one of my old comps, Elder Haws. I think that he would be a bomb counselor and I would love to finish my mission with him. I think that it would be awesome because we wouldn't have to do all the getting to know you stuff and we could just work and I know that he could make sure to make me work hard. But we are going to have to see. 

I know that my companion is now officially ready to leave. Not that anything is going bad just like you can tell that he is kinda zoning out of the area and is really wanting to go to another place. At the conference, President told him that he is going to be changed and someone else is going to kill me off. 

I am super pumped for this week because we are going to baptize and confirm. Man I have missed baptizing, ha, ha, ha. I hope that everything goes good with the trip and miss you all. Time is going quick so got to go. Love you all and miss you a bunch. 

Elder Nelson