An Answer to Someone's Prayer

Letter Received January 10, 2011:

Well, this week went well. I do think that there are some things that we can do better but at least we are baptizing. So, that is good.  But, this week was a typical one. We didn't really have a whole lot of things new but at least we worked hard and I got my package. Me and my companion are staying together so that makes me happy, but something that makes me kinda bummed is that one of the Zone Leaders that  I live with is leaving.

We did find a really awesome family named Roberto and Ivon. Something weird is that he is twenty-one and she is forty! And they have been married for 3 years! But, they are good and happy and are really awesome. I know that the Spirit was guiding me as we passed them at their house. For some reason, I was like, we have to turn around talk to them. When we got in their house, Ivon says to us that she is glad that we are there because two days before she had been praying and asking God to send someone to come and change there lives for the better and she sees us as a answer to her prayers and I am thinking so, too! They didn't come to church but we are going to work hard with them this week.

We have found some more people. Every day we are getting closer and closer to opening Retiro. That is only thing that me and my comp are thinking about and that is what we are working towards. I got my package and wanted to tell everyone thank you for everything. We baptized Paulina, Darlin's sister. She is so happy and her mom is content with her and her sister. Her mom is having some family problems but we are still working with her. We are going to be baptizing a lady named Rosa this Sunday and it is going to be legit! 

Even though this is kinda short that is kinda the news for this week. That is tight that you guys got to go the temple in Cali. That trip sounds like fun. I am jealous. Well, that is about it for me. I will talk to you all next week. I love you all and miss you all a ton!

Love,

Elder Nelson

Worried About Transfers



Letter Received January 3, 2011:

Hey Everyone:



Elders with Fernanda

Fernanda with Everyone



Todos

 

Fernanda with Family Extended

So this one is going to be really short because I still only have a little time and not only that but we pretty much talked about everything on Christmas so I really don't have much to tell you. But anywho, I have been busy this week but I can honestly say that it didn't go quite as planned but it was okay because we did get a baptism. I do think that I could have done better this week and I feel that this week is going to be better. I am kinda worried that the President is goin to change my companion again because you never know and not only that but he is going to be looking at my numbers from this week when he does transfers. I hope that he doesn't change my companion because we are getting better as a companionship and I know that we can do better but we will have to see. But, I did express my concern to the Zone Leaders and told them to tell this to the President today because they have their leadership meeting today with the President. So, we will have to see what happens this next week.  

Legit Bike Photo




Parral Bike Photo



Both Bikes



My New Bike in Front

We did okay this week. Our people that are good this week for baptism should be good for Sunday but I need to talk to them because they went out of town this last weekend and they weren't able to go church so that is a bummer and now the mom can't get baptised together with her daughter because she lacks attendance at church. But, we are going to get them dunked, don't worry about that.



Me and Elder Haws with Darlin

Yeah, I got the bike and it is legit, I love it! It is so comfy and we get everywhere so much faster and with a lot less effort. I bought a lock and everything is well taken care of so you don't need to worry about that.  

Us and Her Family




Todos



Her Family with Uribe



Pila Photo Darlin



Me and my comp cut our hair by ourselves and we didn't really realize how short that we cut it so now we are both bald, ha, ha, ha. But oh well, it should grow back. But yeah, it kinda sucks about the packages because they are just sitting there in the office and they told us that we probably aren't going to get them for probably another two weeks. So, that sucks, but oh well, what can you do? That is about it for this week it was really good to talk to you all and I'm glad to hear that everyone is doing good. I love you all and miss you tons.

Love,  

Elder Nelson 

My New Bike in Back

A Few Pictures and Phone Call Prep

Letter Received December 20, 2010:

Ray Bans

I just got news that we can Skype and now we can use the camera! So now we can chat for free so that kinda sucks for the Magic Jack. I am out of time. I love you and hope that everything works on Saturday. If not, I will have to call and at the minimum you can call me through the Magic Jack if we have problems, but it should work. I love you.


Elder Nelson

Me and Palta Haws

Golden Investigators!

Letter Received December 13, 2010:

Hey:


Yeah, so I got my package. Thank you so much for sending me all that stuff! I really don't know what you are going to send me in that package that was sent for Christmas. It seemed like everything that I asked for was in this package. I was really excited to see all that stuff. I am guessing that you guys bought a hot dog rolling machine. Ha, ha, ha! (His package was sent in a box for a hot dog rolling machine.) Everyone was like, "What the heck?" Ha, ha, ha. I was like, yeah, my parents sent me a hot dog machine ha, ha, ha.

I got it at Conference last week which went really well. It seemed that the President's talk was like directed right at me and I was like that is exactly what I need to hear. I was like wondering where all my time goes. It seems like the day goes by so fast. Then, I look back at the numbers that I have for the day of like lessons that I did and all and then I am like what did I do? But I feel that we do have a lot of people progressing and that they are all pretty well progressing, but I am going to have to have some miracles this week because every one of these people have kinda weird doubts and they are really hard to plan for but I know that if I pray and stay close to the Spirit that I will know what I need to say.

We found a guy that told me that he would read the Book of Mormon in a week and we had an amazing lesson with him. We talked to a girl that has been attending church for a while and from the begining she has been reading the Book of Mormon and now she is in Alma! She is amazing! I was able to verify everything with her in one appointment and she is going to be getting baptized on the 26th so be praying for a girl named, Darlin and that she can get permissison from her parents. She is 16 and she is awesome!

But as for Tiare, she seems that she is having some opposition so I wasn't able to go back to baptise her yet but we are going to have to see. It really bums me out that she is having such a hard time with everything. I know that she knows that it is true but Satan doesn't take vacations and he knows all of our weaknesses and plays on them and she is fighting hard but we will have to see with her.

I will take care of all of my phone call stuff this week so I will be able to let you know. I think that we are going to be able to talk for like two hours or more because we are as a mission changing our P-day to Christmas so yeah, make sure that you have a lot of time on the magic jack so that we don't lose contact.

Me and my comp are getting along really well. I really love Elder Haws. We are getting along really well. He said in the little time that we have been together that he has learned more from me than he did from his trainer. I like that. Me and companion are thinkin that we are going to need to get bikes because our sector is massive, so I don't know how that is going to work but we want to get bikes that don't have gears so that we don't have problems but the ones that don't have gears are the beach cruisers. That would be sick! I dont know if you were planning on money for Christmas but that would be what I would use it for but I don't know or think that you were planning on doing that again? Let me know. Thanks. I will send some pics next week of me and my companion so that you can see him. I've got to go. I will have all of the info for the phone call next week so that everything will be ready.

Love,
Elder Nelson

Goal of 26 Baptisms!

Letter Received December 6, 2010:

Well, I have already told the most of you about my new sector and companion so I am guessing that this one is going to be another short little week of writting this week because it is starting to get late and I would like to catch a nap before I need to go to work. That is something that I thought that I would never say! I want to nap. But, here it does a lot for you. This whole week, I don't know why, but for some reason I have been so tired.

Now, I am with Elder Palta or "Guacamole Haws"! He is from Arizona and he loves boating.  Me and my comp are getting along really well. He is really good but just wants to learn Spanish. He was with a comp from Peru but didn't learn a lot from him and so he really wants my help. It is really different but he is really awesome. We just need to work out how we want to teach together. Really, my comp said to me that he feels that I am like his second trainer. I think that he in a way is relieved because I know how stressful it can be to be with a Latin compaion without knowing any of the language. He is awesome! He just wants to work hard. His name is Elder Haws but we call him Palta becaus that means guacamole but the reason is because they have a type of palta here named haws and no one can say his name right so he just says like the palta. Ha, ha, ha!

My sector is kinda like our house, it isn't really country, but it is ha, ha, ha. If you know what I mean. But there are parts of my sector that are really country. Something that is amazing about this sector is that the food is the best in my mission. The food is so good here! All the people actually ask us what we want and they give us so much! But it does seem that there are a lot of rich people here and that they have cars so that is nice. But, the people that are here seem to be a lot nicer and a lot more accepting of the gospel.

Something that is kind of out of the normal is us as a zone have made a goal of 26 baptisms and that is like unheard of. All the other Zone Leaders were looking at us like, "What!" and President about jumped out of his seat and he was looking at them because they were talking about possibilities for baptism this month and goals and they said 26 and they are like possibilities that are good. The Zone Leaders were like, no its the goal and President at first said if we get it he will take all of us golfing and then he said, "I will take you on a trip to somewhere cool as a zone." And we were like, "We want to go to the temple." So, we are working really hard to get the goal because there are 41 people that could get baptized in our zone and so yeah we're going to rock it! It would be so legit if we could do it! I want to go to the temple so bad! That would be so tight to go to Santiago, but we will have to see. Not much else new that i haven't told you already in other emails but we will talk more next week.


Love,
Elder Nelson