A Discouraging Week

Letter Received July 19, 2010:

Hey:


Well, this week was okay.  It didn't really go all that hot for us.  Don't worry, I am fine.  I am just a little disanimated.  Everyone has fallen this week and I haven't been able to find one person this week and this sector is super hard for contacts because everyone here is pretty well off and very prideful.  They don't want to listen to what we have to say to them because they feel like they are doing just fine on their own.  We tell them that they can be more happy, but they look at me like how can you possibly give me more than I already have?  You are just this 20 year old kid that is from a different country that doesn't know anything.  It gets kinda frustrating and I am just ready to start this new week because I am hoping that it is going to go a lot better this week than last.

I am just kinda tired so after internet I am going to take a nap because I feel like I need to rejuvenate my batteries.  One thing that I do know is that the mission is a lot of ups and downs and all I know is that my time is going to come back up when I am going to have success and I have to do all I can and the Lord will bless me with what I need.  This week it just seemed that everything has been falling, because our investigators haven't been keeping their commitments and we can't find anyone and I feel like I am wasting my time knocking doors.  I am hoping that we can kinda change the way that we are working a little bit, but we'll see.

It sounds like everyone is doing well.  I do have something that Dad can help me with and that is I would like to have my line of authority.  That would help me a ton!  So, if you could send me that through email that would be great.  I got my package last week.  Its awesome!  Thank you so much for that!  Iis that tie from Jace's wedding?  I really like that tie! 

I miss you all a ton! How is Kyle doing?  Well, I am pretty much done and I've got to go.  I love you all and miss you a ton

Love,
Elder Nelson

Lois' Baptism and More to Come

 Elder Clark, Lois, and Me

Received July 12, 2010:

Hey My Family:

 Elder Clark, _________, Lois, Renne and Me!

Tthis letter is going to be kinda short but I think that should be okay because you are all on vacation, ha, ha.  This week went really well.  My comp and I had our first baptism together, so it was all good.  We are so happy that he got baptized because he was ready to get baptized from the day that we met him.  He was something that you would call a golden investigator.  We are really getting on a roll here, hopefully we should have another one that should be getting baptized this week.  His name is Matias, but he is thirteen so he has to get permission and his mom is not all quick to let him get baptized.  We are going to work with him this week and we will see.

Lois and Renne

The kid that got baptized this week is named Lois and he is awesome!  We also helped teach this kid for a ward baptism so we technically should have two baptisms this week but he is only 8, so he is a ward baptism. Oh well, it is all good!  Mom the shoes that I need are the lace up ones.  I am going to go to the office right now to see if they will have my package so we will see.

 Elder Clark, Lois, Renne, and Me!

The kid that you are asking about, Lexie, I think, is named Gonzalo and he hasn't been baptised yet.  We had kind of a do or die lesson with him and I told him that I can't come back unless I see him making some proggress and it was really spiritual!  He is really animated and he came to church this week and so we are going to see if he can get baptized on the 25th.  He is awesome but we'll have to see.

Huge Completo that I Ate Today!

You all sound like you are having fun in Lava, I wish I was in Lava, ha, ha.  It's cold here! But, it's all good, that is the mission!  I am doing super good and I miss you all a ton and I will talk to you all next week.  Hope all is well. Love you all!

 First Conference with President Humphrey

Love,
Austin

Happy Fourth of July!

Go America!

Letter Received July 5, 2010:

Feliz Dia de Indepèndencia o 4th of July!


Hey:

Well first off, I would like to tell you all a Happy 4th of July.  It was not really a deal here, like nothing, ha ha.  But Oh well, the things of a mission right!

Last Photo with Old Mission President Chavez

And I want to wish Craig a happy late Birthday.  I was looking at my calendar and saw that.  So yeah, happy birthday Craig!  Remember holale from Gabriel Iglesias!  Ha, ha!  But, as for me, I am getting along really well and working super hard now that me and my comp have come together.  We have been just contacting machines.  This week we found nine new investigators and it has been awesome!  We were really needing to find people, so that is exactly what we have been doing.  It has been awesome to start out fresh here, and the members are all telling me that they have seen a change in me in the last few weeks, that I seem a lot more happy and animated and seem to be more myself.  I wouldn't disagree with them because I really do feel a lot more animated and feel a lot more like myself and I feel happier.  Me and Elder Clark are getting along so well and working hard and I really think that this trasfer is going really fast because we have been super busy and just loving the mission life and finding out what mission life is all about.  I have been really been feeling like I have the Spirit with me a lot more.  Clark and I are finding all the people that God has put in our way and it really seems like something that I was lacking we my other comp in this sector because we didn't do a whole lot of contacts.  It seems like we were really lazy but I have really gotten out of that faze and am super happy! 

New Compy Playing in the Woods 

I am really focusing on my Spanish and I really want to speak better because my comp has recognized some of the errors that I do often in my Spanish and so I am going to really try and focus in my Spanish study.  This week not a whole lot has happened, kinda boring but i have just been up to the normal missionary work.  I am really excited to get my package and I miss you all a ton!  Poor Hailey, she is always having accidents, but I am glad that she is okay.  What are they doing having chairs with wheels?  That is a horrible idea!

Elder Clark, "Freeze, Sucka!"

That is about it for this week but sorry this letter isn't too informative but yeah that's pretty much it for this week.  It sounds like you all have been really busy enjoying summer.  It is pouring rain here, the streets are like rivers and it is so nuts.  I have never seen anything like it.  That is about it, I miss you all a ton and love you and think about you everyday.

Elder Nelson

Really, Really, Really Great Week!

Letter Received June 28, 2010:

Hey My Family:

Well I have been super busy this week really trying to focus on finding new people with my new companion and it has seemed to be workin' out really well.  We have found about six new people that should be good, but we will see.  This week seemed to go by really quickly and we have had a good week because we have been preparing some people to get baptized in a couple of weeks and it seems to all be going really well for me and my companion.  I am very happy with this companion because it really seems that we are getting a lot done and make steps forward and it is really nice to work with someone that really has the same vision as you do and really just wants to find people and teach the word.  That is the whole reason why we are here, right?

Today, I got to play soccer for about three hours this week and it was awesome!  It was so fun!  It felt good to do something physical. But, I have been really a lot more focused this week and it seems that everything is going a lot better with our investigators. 

This week we had our last conference with President Chavez it was a really aweseome conference and I really got a lot out of it.  It also was really sad because President is leaving, but I am excited for the new president to come.  We will see the changes that he has for us, hopefully, for the better.

It is good to  hear that everyone is doing really well and that everything is moving forward and that you are all doing well I love you all and this letter is kinda short but that is really what has been going on.  Before my time is up, I will try and send some pictures.  So yeah, that is why its kinda short.

I forgot to tell you, but my new comp loves movies and we quote movies all day long.  I love it, ha, ha.  Jace you know when you say, "oi" that is actually a word in Spanish but it is spelled h-o-y, ha, ha.  It means today, ha, ha.  I just thought that I would tell you and that you would get a kick out of that ha, ha.  Well, I am going to get some pictures off, okay?  I miss you all and love you tons.

Love,
Elder Nelson

Hey, I am going to have to send the pictures next week because I had other things I had to take care of with the changing of the president. I will send them off to you next week.

I love you all!
Elder Nelson 

Tearing It Up with My New Comp!

Letter Received June 21, 2010:

Hey:

First off, I would really like to wish Dad a really Happy Father's Day and that I love you very much and I couldn't ask for a better dad because one doesnt exist! Dad, I hope that your Father's Day was really special and I love and miss you a lot and I wish you a very Happy Father's Day.

This week was a little interesting for me because I said last week that we had transfers and I got a new companion, his name is Elder Clark and he is really cool.  I really like him. It is really good and we already found more people in this one week than me and Rubilar did in a whole cambio. This week has been nuts with Chile playing in the World Cup and all, actually really nuts! But should be having a good solid two or three baptisms within the next three weeks.  I am really excited to really work hard and teach the crap out of this Sector. 

This week it has been raining so much! It just hasn't stopped, so I am going to be really excited to receive those rain pants.  I had to go to the doctor and I had to use my card so it was really expensive, like forty bucks or more, so sorry about that.  I had a problem with my feet because I had some sort of fungus type deal on my feet so I got that taken care of.  Other than that, it was a really good week and we have been teaching some really good people that really seem to be progressing. 

I am not senior comp but I am really feeling like I am showing my comp everthing and taking charge on all our lessons and what not. But its all good, because I don't really care if I am senor comp or district leader or any of that.  That is so cool that Brach is getting going this week, I am so excited for him. I wish him the best of luck and I hope that he works hard because I know that he will.  That sucks for Jace, how did he wreck?

For the package, if you could find something that I could put on the outside of my bag to keep the water from coming through, that would be awesome! So yeah, there is one idea but I can't really think of anything else. But I am glad to hear that everyone is doing well.  I am really worried for Kyle, give him a really big hug for me and tell him that I love him and the Lord does everything for a purpose, also the same with Chandler, please please do this for me.  But that is really all that I cant think of for now.  I love and miss you all and hope all is well with you all.

Love,
Your Elder