Feb. 28, 2011

Gracias familia y todos los demas por los Happy Birthdays! But ya this week was awesome here in spokane. Who would have a thought a boy from Texas would just own the snow with his driving skills. Pretty sure I am professional. but now for the more important things. Take note, there is a promise in the back of the book of mormon, that says that all who read and ask God ,in the name of His son Jesus Christ, with a sincere heart and with real intent will know the book is true by the power of the holy ghost. Knowing that God's promises will come to pass, and having acted on the promise myself multiple times, it is always my favorite thing to testify of the book of mormon with a surety that everyone will get an answer if they apply this promise. So our investigator Isabel has been applying this promise; for the past two weeks she has read the Book of Mormon every day and has prayed everyday to know for herself. So yesterday we go over and finally we were able to teach her. And she starts telling us how she knows the Book of Mormon is true. And I ask her, well what does that mean to you, that the book of mormon is true. She responded by saying...well it is the evidence of everything, it signifies that Joseph Smith was a profeta de God, that this church is the true church of Jesus Christ. Talk about an answer only received through the Holy Ghost. And so then we invite her to be baptized, and she kinda stops and thinks for a little bit and says she doesn't know. And I am thinking, well what do you mean you don't know, you obviously know the church is true. So we talk to her a little bit and try to find out what her concern is. And then my companion just asks her, well why don't you want to be baptized? And she says well i do want to be baptized, but i just cant be baptized. And to make a long story short, she is not married but the guy she lives with is married, but his wife is down in Mexico and refuses to get a divorce. And well Isabel y Margarito have been together for 4 years and are raising their daughter, so they are not getting split. But holy cow! Ya so she might not be being baptized for a while, probably, but miracles still happen. But either way, the Book of Mormon is true, Joseph Smith was a profet of God and God fulfills every one of His promises. Alex is also doing so awesome, and he definately will need yalls prayers this week, because we will be teaching him the law of chasity...if yall didn't know he is living with his girlfriend, and she doesn't like us too much. But Miracles have been just flowing into this area, we found a family this week, and we will be teaching them tonight, and I know more miracles are just around to corner. I love this work so much. I love yall so much and have an awesome week!

Feb. 22, 2011

Flip! i think i wished the wrong nephew happy birthday last week. my bad. but ya so this week was just way to awesome for awesome. Let me just tell you about this guy named Alex. So it was after a dinner that we had with a member that we decided to go knock on one of the neighboring doors in the complex, becasue we knew they were hispanic, although they had never answered before. Well Alex answers this time, and lets us right in. Holy Casa cochina(nasty house)! It was a disaster; granted amazingly it is not the worst that i have seen. Only because this house didn't have the dead mice on the floor. But still absolutely filthy. And so we teach him a little bit about faith in Jesus Christ, and ask him if there is any service that we can do for him. And of course he says no. And so I am like Alex, we can do anything, we love doing service, what can we do for you? And he said nothing; and so I said, are you sure? But he said no again. And so my attempts of making a polite attempt to help him clean his house failed. And so my companion, just not holding anything back, says, alex your house is a disaster, and we are going to come tomorrow at 1:00 and help clean it up. Massiso mi companero. And so he was like ok you are right, i need some help. So the next day we go over, and for 2 and a half hours clean his living room and part of the kitchen. The whole time he is asking us stuff about our religion. Like good questions, como... Are you content with your religion and why? How can i find happiness that will last and not just be momentarily there, and do you think i have what it takes to be a member of your church? And so we answer all of him. and realize that he is really sincere and not just using us to clean his house, wich was good. But then we tell him that we have to be heading off here in about 20 minutes. And he is like, but lets talk first, and he sits down. And so then we have another 20 min lesson with him, about faith and baptism. Invite him to be baptized, and he accepts, with a couple more questions, about baptism and if he will be ready. We then taught him twice more this week and came to church on Sunday. So awesome! Granted he has a lot of things he needs to come over, doesn't have the best friends, and is living with his girlfriend, even though they dont love each other. She does not speak spanish either. But he is reading everyday, and is learning how to pray, and is keeping all of his commitments. He knows he needs this gospel, and even though he has problems, and fears of changing; he is doing what it takes right now. Holy cow i am so excited for him. God is a God of miracles, and I know that he has been prepared to accept this gospel. I know that more miracles are just right around the corner for him, and that his life will take a complete change for the better; namely the miracle of true conversion. I love this gospel so much, and I know without a doubt that this is the true church of Jesus Christ here on this earth, and what an unbelievable opportunity i have now to serve as His representitve. I love yall so much. Isabel has also been reading, although she wasn't able to make it to church; and I am still excited for her. I love this work so much, and I thank yall so much for yalls prayers. I love yall. have an awesome week.

Feb. 14, 2011

So thank yall for the valentines package. I am pretty sure i did not need that much money. I was thinking more on the lines of 10$ for laundry, but i will put it to good use either way. But this week here was really good. We had an awesome lesson with our investigator named Isabel this week, although she was not able to make it church which was pretty lame. But she prayed for the first time last week, and when we went over there this week she told us how ever since the prayer last week, she has had these continual thoughts of whether she should change religions, or would that make her a traitor, and how she has been thinking about it all week and she is just confused. So we told her how wrestling before God is not a bad thing at all, in fact usually it is right after the wrestle that we have with God, that we receive our answers. We then read with her her the Story of Enos and how he went through the same thing as she was going through. We then promised her if she would she just keep persevering, and if she would read and pray about the Book of Mormon, then by next weeks time, the confusion would be gone and that she would have the desire to be baptized. it was so awesome and really powerful. The rest of the week was really good as well, but I don't have much time so I will just leave it at that. But ya make sure to tell payden I love him, and that is so awesome. I love yall so much as well and have a happy valentines day

Feb. 7, 2011

*SPANISH SPEAKING STATE SIDE! YES SIR! That pretty much proves that chachi and I are brothers. Leaving at the exact same time and everything, crazy! We will just be able to make fun of Nick all the time and he will have no idea what we are saying. And flipping Payden, holy cow tell him to quit his job, go to church, love his family and serve a mission and also read the Book of Mormon. Here is a little math equation for him. Read the book of mormon (every day) + Going to church (every Sunday) + Prayer (every day) = Never falling away from the church = Overcoming all tempations = Having true happiness. I would say the minutes out of your day to do those few things are most definitely worth the blessings. 1111 make a wish! ok anyways this week was really good. We had some bomb lessons, and one of them is just sticking out to me wirte now... so I'll share that one. So there is this lady named Isabel (technically she has a really soft committment to be baptized on the 19th of February... but we will go over there later this week and try to make it a strong one) that we taught this week. Now she has been taught for I don't even know how long; down in Yakima. Just moved up here not to long ago, and came to church with a friend here once. But she could almost recite to you the Joseph Smith story as well as I could. But my companion and I were really just trying to envision what it was that she was missing, how can we help her progress basically. And we both decided that it was probably prayer. And so we planned out this awesome lesson, all about the first vision and the significance of prayer. And the Holy Ghost definitely testified that was exactly what she needed during the lesson. And so by the end of the lesson, she tells us that she doesn't know how to pray. And I am like how in the world can this lady have been taught for years by missionaries and know so much stuff about our church and not know how to pray. But it was a testimony builder for me that God really does prepare his children, because I am guessing that for those many years of being taught she had probably refused to pray...but after this lesson she gave an unbelievable prayer, and you can tell that slowly by slowly she was prepared by God to do it. Another testimony builder in this same lesson, is that in reality, the knowledge that we know about the church, although important is not what tells us the church is true. But all the convictions that we receive through our prayers and testimonys. Without prayer it is impossible to know anything. So my personal oppinon about that one scripture in DyC about don't seek to declare my word, until ye have obtained my word.. and then ye shall be given the holy ghost (or somewhere along those lines) is so true but it hit me in a different way this week. But we obtain the world not through our own knowledge, but by everytime we receive a conviction through the Holy Ghost. We have to many peolpe preaching the word of God with there own knowledge, when reality they should not be teaching, because in reality they have not obtained the truth through the convictions of the holy ghost. I know this church is true with all my heart and this knowledge does not come from anybody else, but only from god. I love yall so much and have a good week.

*Ty's great friend Quinten Hardman aka ChaChi just received his mission call last week to the Indianapolis, Indiana mission (Spanish speaking). He reports to the MTC on March 16th. Ty reported to the MTC last year on March 17th. Don't let the bantering between Nick and Ty fool you...those two LOVE each other so much and love to banter back and forth like the brothers they are.

Letter from Elder Nelson received Feb. 5, 2011

Family,
This week has been pretty good. We have been working really hard on how to get this work here moving and finding more people and everything. So, it is probably a blessing that I'm here without knowing the area at all because now we are forced to talk to everyone and ask for referrals from everyone and the Lord is continuing to bless us as we do. We had a pretty cool experience with one of the people we're teaching whose on date for baptism this week. His name is Margarito Vasques Torres and well, he did not have a job and he's been looking, I guess, for quite a while. We were in the lesson with a member and she told us he needed a blessing. So we gave him one. The Lord promised him that he would find a job before the end of that week...and boom! Another witness of the power of the priesthood! Granted he was not able to come to church because of it, so we will have to talk about that next time we meet with him. Then I had another funny experience this week with, I guess, some type of pastor of some "It's all good and gravy...everybody come on in...Jesus is on our side" church. Super long hair...smokes and taytoos and all...preaching the word, quoting scriptures and saying Jesus like 10 billion times. Then we had one of those huddle prayers where everybody holds hands and takes turns, I guess, because he gave the funniest like 10 minute long prayer ever (reference-see prayers of the Zoramites) and then he started shaking my hand and nodding at me and encouraging me to go; so I said my little bit and ended the prayer chain by saying amen. My comp was a little agitated that he didn't get his turn...haha, but it was way funny. I think I am going to have to do that with our investigators to get them to pray. haha. This week was really good and I love yall so much.
Love,
Elder Nelson

Jan. 31, 2011

Ok so this week has been so awesome! So I don't know if yall knew this, but the area I am serving in is the 2nd biggest area in all the mission. The first being the marshaleese area, because their area is the whole mission. And our area is like a third of the mission. But ya so when Elder Schulthies left so did the GPS. Talk about not knowing the area, and using an atlas for like every street, and always being worried about where you are at and how many miles you are using, and running red lights because your brain is in every other direction. Not that it matters. Haha ya, Alena is still a worse driver, and I will just say hopefully Hannah does not get Nicks dirving skills, because we might be having a funeral in the next couple weeks. But ya despite all of this we had an awesome week and my companion is awesome. BUt I will have to write all this stuff down and send it to yall in a letter porque otra vez not tengo tiempo. Pero I love yall so much and have an awesome week!