Hola Familia! Well as you may know it is transfers this week. So my companion should be arriving back in Layton Utah sometime today. crazy! His full name is Elder Benjamin Jacobson. It was way wierd when he left but I found out who my next companion is going to be, and i will meet him tomorrow. His name is Elder Acosta. Apparently the Lord realized that i needed to learn spanish really bad so he sent me with a native. So i am excited for that. But i am not going to lie i was depressed for like a couple of minutes because i am going to be leaving East Wenatchee as well, and there are so many people that we are so so close with and are progressing so well. BUT LUCY WAS BAPTIZED THIS SATURDAY AND TO BE APART OF THAT WAS SO AMAZING! to see her so happy, and to feel the light in her and see it in her eyes was just so amazing! AND THE CONFIRMATION WAS SO POWERFUL! she was crying and i was like, now this is what the mission is all about! I love it. But i am excited for the other missionaries coming to my area here; Elder Collier and Elder Lively, they are the Zone Leaders and they are going to do work here, I know it. And i know also that the Lord is going to bless us in Chelan, which is where I am going now. I don't think i ever understood what Amanda meant by it being hard to leave an area, but now i realize what she meant. It is hard to leave the people that you have come to love. But on the other hand, I am glad to meet some new faces as far as missionaries go. I don't know why i get so irate about little things that some missionaries do, but i do. I mean they say that they don't understand why they are not having as much sucess as some and its because the little things are so important, and it is the little things that they are not doing. so i want yall always to remember the words of Alma, by small and simple things are great things come to pass. The greatest coaches will always take there teams back down to the fundamentals if they ever see they are struggling. Here is another analogy that i just thought of. In football a wise man once told me to hit them hard and hit them low. I was always a small guy and this was my only way of being able to knock down the bigger opponents. Without comparing myself to the works of satan haha satan tackles us in the same way. In the pre-existence we chose to follow the plan of our Heavenly Father, and with this came both the ability to chose and to receive mortal bodies. This is very important because with these gifts from God we were made stronger than satan can ever become or hope to become. Which is why the scriptures teach us that there is not temptation of affliction that we can not overcome through Christ. Christ is our Coach, and he has taught us all the fundamentals and the plays to defeat the foe that we have once already defeated. We have the advantage, we are a bigger and stronger team and if we execute what we have been taught by the coach we cannot lose. However the opposing team also has an advantage, they have the film from the last game and know what we like to run; they know are weaknesses and strengths; they also have all been perfectly instructed on hitting low. They have learned that when they hit low that the greater part of the man will fall with it. The Film that they own is simply the pre-existence in which we all knew each-other and were truly spirt brothers and sisters. It is here they learned our weaknesses. We as the bigger and stronger team do not have this memory, we have only been instructed by the greatest coach of all time, and can decide whether to do the things he teaches or to do it our own way, as many athletes do. He has taught us the fundamentals of Faith, Repentance, Baptism, and Enduring to the End. He has taught how to excercise these principles, by going to church (practice), Reading the Book of Mormon (Learning the plays and the situations of the game) and Praying (realzing that you can't do it on your own: humility) As we do these things are foundation is strong and we don't have to worry about getting knocked over. However if we do not our foundation is weak and endanger of us getting hit low and being knocked over. This is exactly why satan has coached to hit hard and low. Because if you knock on leg off of a three leged table it will fall. Satan attacks these small areas because he too knows that it is by small and simple things that great things come to pass. And so if he can break down your fundamentals eventually he will win the game as well.
That analogy hopefully made sense because i was just typing as i thought. But i kinda have to go now. But I love yall so much. It was the front two teeth that go knocked out. and my address will not be the same so if you wanna write me wait a while for the right address. Love yall bye!
**You can still write Elder Nelson at the address on this blog. It is the mission office and they will get his letters to him.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
June 21, 2010
Alright well this was an awesome week. As apparently yall already know I had somewhat of an accident haha but it's all good. It was this last past p day and originally we had started of playing dodgeball (companion style) which was way fun and which my companion and i had won 3 out of the last 4 games. But then Elder Lively decides that we should switch to basketball for some reason. probably cause he is a baller. But anyways i am guarding an Elder named Elder Andersen ( Ironic) and as you could guess is not all that good at basketball. haha just kidding nick. But anyways he has the ball and tries to some spin around move, not quite sure what he was thinking but he spins right in to me with his elbow swinging right at my open mouth, and bam! One tooth is on the ground and the other one got caught by my giant lip. And i am standing there thinking well that is not good. haha and apparently the first thing i said was, " Do these things grow back?" i think i was in a state of shock though lol but to make a long story short we ran over to the dentist and they gave me two root canals, some vicodin and some antibotics and glued my teeth back on or something. And my lip had swolen frome a black man lip to a giant balloon on my face and so i didn't look so appealing to say the least. But this work is not about how good i look or even about me at all. This is God's work and His glory so we went got me an arby's shake to eat and went and preached the Gospel. And we had an awesome week! Oh and we had a quorumn of the 70 named Elder Pearson come this saturday and speak. And wow there was some power there. He talked about knowing our identity and who we are. And about how there is no such thing as a bad area, only bad missionaries with a bad attitude. And I was like so true, just let me out of here and i am going to go to baptize someone. And there was a lot more too but i do not have my notes, but it was amazing. And was a pivotal point for me as a missionary. As well as the miracles i have seen this week. The miracle family who had found our pass along card. Araceli, Urtiza, y Lorena and her mom and hermana all came to church again this week. And we set up another appointment with them, and found out that Lorena's brother is coming down for friday, Saturday and Sunday. And this is the brother who got baptized in January and has been bearing his testimony over the phone to her ever since. So i can honestly say that there are no coincidences in the gospel. It is not a coincidence that before they moved here that they had been to church and it is not a coincidence that they could not find the church but went to one of the two stores in all of east Wenatchee where we had placed our cards with our number. It is not a coincidence that we were able to teach them and committ them to baptism on the 26th and i repeat it is not coincidence that her brother who is a member is coming down at the end of this week and could possibly have the opportunity of baptizing her. When you are living righteously there are no coincidences. This is God's work, and we our simply His tools that our bringing the message of Him and His church throughout the world. To everyone that reads this e-mail, I want you to know, that I know that The Church of Jesus Christ has been restored here on this earth, by a man named Joseph Smith. Who was called by God to be a prophet to this people. I have never seen Joseph Smith, I have never seen Mormon, Moroni, or God the Father and His Son, but yet I know that they live! And i know this through the power of the Holy Ghost which speaks to all men women and children, and soley testifies of truth. This is HIS church, this is HIS work and I am so thankful to be a part of it. I love yall all so much, and I know that I am in your prayers, and that God does answer those prayers, for i have seen the miracles tender mercies of God for me. Keep praying for me and For Lorena Araceli, Urtiza, and also Lucy. I don't have time to share everything so i am going to have to leave yall with that. LOVE YALL
OH AND POPS AND MAMMA HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 50 blasted years old that is so crazy! 49 is not so bad though. Oh and happy father's day too. YOU ARE THE BEST DAD I COULD EVER ASK FOR AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR EXAMPLE.
OH AND POPS AND MAMMA HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 50 blasted years old that is so crazy! 49 is not so bad though. Oh and happy father's day too. YOU ARE THE BEST DAD I COULD EVER ASK FOR AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR EXAMPLE.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
June 14, 2010
First off i am sorry Hermana Nelson that my e'mails are not longer but it is simply because I am the slowest typer in the world. And i am so glad that Alena got her patriarchal blessing because it inspired me to read mine and make some goals here for my mission and it is such a help and comfort to know that through God all things are possible if we but have faith, do our best and ask for his assistance. But yall's trip to Logan sounded fun, i am kinda envying the whole coldness though because where we live there is no air conditioning so we have been coming home to an 87 degree house at night and it is just terrrible. And no i didn't mean i had two ties left, I just meant that i am two less than what i used to be sorry. But i don't care the color as long as it is not red or black because almost all my ties fit in those categories. But ya if you could send me some short sleeve shirts that would be heavenly. Walking around all day in long sleeve is not so much fun.
Anyways for this week. This week we had a little bit more success than last week, and i know for a fact that it can still keep improving if we keep working hard and just have faith. The one big trial of the week is just with lucy and her family. Seeing how her husband Omar is most likely going to be heading back to Mexico this week, she has to completely support her family now. Which is extremely hard for her because of the lack of education. So she is working in the fields and selling Mary Kay for her living and for her three kids, and so her time is limited. So basically she was not able to go to church this week becasue she had to work, and so that was not good. And on top of that her husband told her that he doesn't really want her to get baptized until he gets back and then they can get baptized, but he would not be able to get back to the US for probably another 2 years at the earliest. And so we kinda talked to her about that and she said that she was still going to prepare to get baptized for the 26th regardless, so hopefully it will all work out. But now for the miracle of the week. So every two or three weeks or so we go and drop off these pass along cards with our numbers on them down at these latino markets in hope that someone might call. So my trainer has been doing this whole mission and noone has ever called, in fact he has only heard one miracle story where someone did call back, and they actually got baptized. And so basically it is a miracle if someone calls. So on Sunday morning we get a call and Elder Jacobson answers and says Hello this is Elder Jacobson. And then the lady on the other end is like espanol por favor. And anyways to make a long story short they wanted to know what the address to the church was, and so we gave it to them. So they come to church , and tell us that they use to go to church but since they had moved here they could not find where to go so they stopped going. And then one day they found one of those cards at the carnerita or something and they decided to give us a call. And so we had five people show up to church that are not members and we have an appointment with them this tuesday. So awesome! and such a miracle!
I am sorry i am such a slow typer but that is all i got time for this week. But i love yall so much and am so proud to be a Nelson. And i think that spiritual thought with the Nelson cheer and Amandas e'mail were all inspired cause they are something i needed and strengthened my faith. I am always prayin for yall and in know yall are too. Keep doing what is right and having faith. Missionaries aren't the only ones that have miracles. bye!
Anyways for this week. This week we had a little bit more success than last week, and i know for a fact that it can still keep improving if we keep working hard and just have faith. The one big trial of the week is just with lucy and her family. Seeing how her husband Omar is most likely going to be heading back to Mexico this week, she has to completely support her family now. Which is extremely hard for her because of the lack of education. So she is working in the fields and selling Mary Kay for her living and for her three kids, and so her time is limited. So basically she was not able to go to church this week becasue she had to work, and so that was not good. And on top of that her husband told her that he doesn't really want her to get baptized until he gets back and then they can get baptized, but he would not be able to get back to the US for probably another 2 years at the earliest. And so we kinda talked to her about that and she said that she was still going to prepare to get baptized for the 26th regardless, so hopefully it will all work out. But now for the miracle of the week. So every two or three weeks or so we go and drop off these pass along cards with our numbers on them down at these latino markets in hope that someone might call. So my trainer has been doing this whole mission and noone has ever called, in fact he has only heard one miracle story where someone did call back, and they actually got baptized. And so basically it is a miracle if someone calls. So on Sunday morning we get a call and Elder Jacobson answers and says Hello this is Elder Jacobson. And then the lady on the other end is like espanol por favor. And anyways to make a long story short they wanted to know what the address to the church was, and so we gave it to them. So they come to church , and tell us that they use to go to church but since they had moved here they could not find where to go so they stopped going. And then one day they found one of those cards at the carnerita or something and they decided to give us a call. And so we had five people show up to church that are not members and we have an appointment with them this tuesday. So awesome! and such a miracle!
I am sorry i am such a slow typer but that is all i got time for this week. But i love yall so much and am so proud to be a Nelson. And i think that spiritual thought with the Nelson cheer and Amandas e'mail were all inspired cause they are something i needed and strengthened my faith. I am always prayin for yall and in know yall are too. Keep doing what is right and having faith. Missionaries aren't the only ones that have miracles. bye!
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