Learning from My Companion

Letter Received May 23, 2011:

Hey,

First off, I want to wish Lyndsay a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Well, this week didn't really go so hot but all you can do is go on with the next week. It just seems that nobody cares any more in the branch. I am just going to have to keep working with it because there is nothing else that you can do.

This week I have really learned a lot from my companion and I have really realized how strong of a person that he is. I really have realized that I can rely on him and that he is a great missionary and he is such a great teacher. I can imagine the kind of missionary that he is going to be when he gets to a sector that helps him. He is going to baptize a ton, I know it. This week, the girl that we found, Cynthia, wasn't able to come to church because her family had some problems and she couldn't come. She is really cool, she is making a lot of progress and she is just awesome!

I really don't have much to tell. It kinda seems like just another week in the mission, all the same buisness. I have been working hard trying to get some stuff going, but now I know why everyone thinks that Bulnes is so hard. That's because it is, ha, ha, ha, ha! But, for some reason, I am here and I am learning a lot.

Sorry for the kinda short letters but not much new. I love you all so much, that is a bummer about the garage that it has been delayed so much. Glad to hear that everthing went well for Lyndsay's b-day and that everything is good.

This is what I am thinking for the schedule for when you come:

20 Tuesday: Go see the people that I have in Concepecion in the morning till like two. Then go to Chillan and see some people there and come back to Concepecion to stay for the night.

21 Wednesday: See the rest of the people from Chillan in the morning, head to Parral and spend the day there and go and I think stay in Talca for the night.

22 Thursday: See the people from Talca in the morning then off too Santiago in the afternoon around 4-ish then spend the rest of the time in Santiago.

That is what I have been thinking but you will have to keep thinking about it but that is what I would like to do. The place that I want to spend the most time is in my sectors in the Parral/Retiro area. We could easily do Chillan and Bulnes quickly. Are we thinking that I am going to be able to be released when you come? That is something that we need to look into.

Sorry that this is so short, not much to say. Love you all.

Elder Nelson

Working with the Branch President

Letter Received May 16, 2011:

Hey Everyone:

So, I think that this letter is going to be rather short because I don't really have all that much time to write today and not only that but there really isn't that much to tell. This week was okay, better because we had some investigators in church, but if you were to look at my numbers you would say, "What the heck?!" I am thinking that here that things are going to be picking up.

I have been struggling and working hard to help my Branch President understand his role, but I feel that I have found the way to help him read the manuals. That way is by me sitting down with him in his house once a week and reading with him. I think that way, he will recognize that it is important to be where he is supposed to be when he says that he is going to be there.

This week we have found a girl that is 17 and she is really interested. She is really smart and I really feel that she is going to progress really fast but I need to have patience.

That would be really cool for Dad if he could just stay the time after the trip, if he comes. Don't worry about the message, Lexie, he is a convert that misses me is all and I think that he thinks that we can look at our Facebook. If you do rent a car, we would definitely get around a lot faster but that is something that you will have to look at. Glad to hear about Wyatt and that he is doing well. It was really good to hear from you all last week. I miss you and love you all. That is a bummer about the garage, that it got delayed. But, that is how it goes. Well, I will talk to you all later. I love you.

P.S.- Do we know if Mom is going to be able to change her time of vacation at work?

Oh yeah, well this month I didn't do so well with my money, so I may need to take some out this week for the month, sorry. I will try and do better.

Love you so much.
 
Love,
Your son and brother Austin

Adjusting to Life in Bulnes

Letter Received April 25, 2011:

Good to hear from you all. Sorry that my letter was so short last week. For some reason I just was kinda drawing blanks and I didn't really know what to write. This week isn't really going to be a whole lot different because this week not a whole lot of things have happened.

Me and my companion are getting along really well. We don't really want to do mini cambios because our Zone is kinda not all that great and our Zone Leaders aren't cool at all. All they care about is numbers. I am kinda stressed out with the President of the Branch a little but I know that I just have to have patience with him because he needs to mature spiritually and I am going to be the person that helps him along with that.  I have been talking to President and he has been giving me some advice so that I can help him but know that I have to have patience.

We have to find some people. This week I made like a million phone calls. I organized so that we could go to Chillan and play soccer so that we all could relax and get out of our sector for a little bit of time.

We do have some good news. We went with some of our investigators so that they could get a date for them to get married and they are going to get married on the 19 of May. So, it is going to be tight. We have been having some opposition with them but we are going to beat it.

I don't have any info about the phone call but I am going to see what I can do. It is going be kinda hard because like no one here has internet in Bulnes because it is in the country but I am working on it. What I might end up doing is getting the keys to the Secretary's office and have to buy a camera for the computer so that we can see each other. I will work with that a little and see what I can do.

That is cool for Craig that he is done with school for good. Man, I wish I could go to the Supercross. I am craving riding so much. I feel so lazy for not being able to do practically any sports. I feel fat! Glad to hear that everyone had a good Easter. I completely forgot that it was Easter. Here everyone is Catholic and they have a whole week called the Semana Santa which is the Passover. Such apostacy! But, what can you do. They don't know any better. Here we have been working really hard to find new people because we really don't have that many people to teach. We just have to be patient and the Lord will bless us. I am doing fine, don't worry about me. Love you guys. Glad to hear that everything  is good. Love you guys. Talk to you next week.

Love,
Elder Nelson

A Baptism and a New Family Investigating the Church

Letter Received April 18, 2011:

Me, Boris, and Elder Flores

This week went okay. I wish that it would have gone a little better, but what can you do? You have good weeks and bad ones. We had a decent week. We saw some good things happen but we also saw some things that we can do better with. We had  the baptism of Boris. He was kinda tough to start with when we shared with him before. But, he started to go to Seminary and it made all the difference and he finally made the decision that he was going to be baptized.  

Before the Cake

This week we are going to be going with a new family that we found to take out a date that they are going to be married so that they can be baptized. How exciting, huh! They might even think about doing the wedding in the church. They are really excited about the gospel. 

After I Pushed Him In

I never really knew how stressful it is to be in a bishopric. I know that Dad knows how that feels. There is so much to do and I don't really know where to start. But, I am working hard and trying to get this branch moving better. I feel that I have started on a good foot though. Me and my companion are getting along really well. It is good because he is helping my Spanish really well. 

 

We are in the process of finding a lot more people to teach. A lot of people have said that this is kind of a dead sector but I think that is a lie because I can see a lot of potential here. 

Me and Boris

I did get my package. Thank you, Mom and Dad. This week, I am looking forward to the work. It seems that every Monday I am able to start new and work harder the next week.  This week we also had a Conference with the President and it seemed that I got a lot out of it and truly enjoyed it. The Spirit was so strong there.  Sorry this letter is kinda short. I am doing good. I love you all. For some reason I am trying  to think about what to write but I am kinda drawing a blank.

 

Sincerely,

 

Elder Nelson

Elder Nelson

More on the Move to Bulnes ... A Great New Challenge

Letter Received April 11, 2011:

Sorry that I wasn't able to talk a ton last week. I was saying goodbye to people and we were running really late, so I wasn't able to tell you all about what is going on. I really liked Conference. It seemed that I felt like a lot of things were aimed towards me. I really liked Priesthood. The First Presidency was like just laying it down. It was awesome! Conference is like the vacation for missionaries here because you really can't work all that much. You can invite people to come to Conference and it is really easy to invite people because there are four different sessions that you can invite people to. Not only that but we baptized that day so it made it even better. 

I was really sad to come to find that it was my turn to leave Parral, but I was kinda expecting it. What can you do? The thing is that President invited me to the Zone Leader Conference because he had decided that he was going to make me the Second Counslor of the branch here in Bulnes. Bulnes is known in the mission for being a hard sector and not functioning very well. It is about forty minutes away from everything. I am excited but nervous all at the same time because there is a lot of work to do and not only that but I also have the Zone Leaders breathing down my neck. 

Me, Elder Wilhelm, Franchesca, and Pati

There is a lot of work to do. I am going to be here till the end of my mission because I have 4 transfers left including the one that I am in right now. and he said being a counslor makes sure that I am going to be here for at least three and he isn't going to send me somewhere for one cambio especially because afterward I would be leaving and that wouldn't let me get used to the sector and what not. So yeah, I am going to die in Bulnes. 

Once again I am finishing training, but this time I don't have to teach Spanish but English to my companion and he is teaching me Spanish. Ha, ha, ha, win-win situation. We get along really well. I'm not going to lie, I don't really get along with my Zone Leaders all that much because they are 100% focused on numbers and not the people. That isn't the way that it should be. 

I am going to do my best and my goal is to baptize ten people here in my new sector. I already have baptized two and I know that this sector has some potential. It just needs a lot of work and that I know I can do. Me and Elder Flores get along really well. He is from Santiago. I am the counslor of the branch and I have a lot of things to teach him so that this branch can progress. It is weird because we had forty-seven people in church and that is really high for this ward. My goal coming into the branch was to have more than fifty so that means that we are close to getting that. The baptism goal for the branch for the year is to baptize six and now the branch has baptized five, so we're going really really good there. I really think that if you took the missionaries out of the branch that they would have to close it. So, there is Bulnes. I am excited. It means that we are going to be very busy and that I like. 

Me, Elder Flores, Digna, Barbara at the Baptism

I do know that my package is here and I am going to be getting it on Wednesday, so yeah. Did you end up sending one box or two? Well, I guess I will kinda find out on Wednesday, huh? Oh well, ha, ha. Glad to hear that everything is good at home. Kinda sad that it is still snowing at all. It is still really nice here. Some days are warmer than others but it is starting to get cold. 

Well, I love you all. I especially wanted to wish Dad a very Happy Birthday! I love you so much Dad! I pray and think about you everyday. Now you're over the hill but still young at heart and that is what's important! I love you so much Papi. Hope that you have a very good b-day. I am doing good. I miss you all a lot. 

Elder Nelson