Kingdom Hearts

Hola Familia,

Well I knew it was going to be a good day today when I got in the taxi to go play soccer and the radio was playing the Beatles. Then the internet cafe was playing Taylor Swift and it made me think of Jackson and Casey. I love the mission and it has been a crazy couple days here since Elder Hunt left.

Aragon is the colonia where the temple is, in other words, DF is split up into a ton of neighborhoods, but they are all connected, Aragon is where the temple and centro para visitantes is. We still email from internet café’s because the manual misonal says that we shouldn’t use members’ computers. I also found ten pesos today when I sat down to type this email, which made me excited so I thought I would tell you. I still don’t have my new companion until tomorrow, I have been staying with elders from the zone trying to help them in their areas. I was really sad to send Elder Hunt off, I have learned so many things from him and he left sad because he didn’t want to go home. His family was so excited, but he loved the mission so much that he didn’t want to leave. As for my birthday...I really don’t know. I have been thinking about it, but I don’t think you could give me more new investigators...ooo Cameron, could you type up the weight lifting sheet from cross-country and send it to me please? I don’t really need anything that I can think of. I wear size small short of the bottoms for garments, and I like dri lux. Also, round neck small talls for the tops also dri lux. I guess for my birthday I would one or two new short sleeve shirts, the ends of the sleeves of all of mine are starting to get stained yellowish, and a corbata or two. But I’m really fine.

As for what I am eating, we eat really well in Pachuca. The other day we had salmon and garlic bread with salad. We finished with ice cream. Pachuca is a blessing really big in the mission because in other parts the food is really chafa. We are eating well, and I am trying to not gain more weight. I haven´t really gained that much, but I weigh about 68 kilos, or 150 pounds now. I still don’t have any news on the mission split or anything...sorry.

The story with Rigo. He is a ¨friend¨ of a young woman in one of our wards. He started to investigate because of her. We went to go teach him and invite him to be baptized. We started teaching about baptism. I was teaching about how baptism is the door to the kingdom of God. When we told him that he could be clean again from all the sins he had committed his face began to change. We were teaching in the chapel and so we used to door of the chapel to explain baptism, and when he understood he just got it. It was exactly like in Alma 22 I think when Aaron is teaching the king, and he asks, qué haré para obtener la vida eterna de que has hablado!! The spirit just entered the room so strongly. We told him that after baptism we have to perseverar hasta el fin. That his testimony was like a camp fire in a forest in the middle of the night. The world needs his fire, and the fire continually needs to be fed, or it will extinguish. He just got so excited and accepted his baptismal date with so much animo. I felt the spirit so strongly. I know that the world needs our fire. The world is so dark, but darkness flees when light arrives. I love the concept of light and darkness in relation to the gospel. The gospel is so simple, and when people really really understand it, there is a fire and excitement that cannot be extinguished. They need it so badly, and we have it. How blessed are we that God gave us this knowledge basically from birth? Where would we be without the campfire? Tripping and tumbling through life in a cold world, we would be miserable.

Also, the last thing that Elder Hunt and I did together was baptize, how cool is that? We baptized a joven named Omar, I talked about him about 5 weeks ago. We finally got him baptized. The spirit is so strong in baptisms, I love them so much. I am so glad that I am here in the Este where we can baptize every week.

Darci, thank you so much for your letter and quotes. I am bien emocionado por ustedes, ¡que padre que van a vivir mas cerca de nosotros!, per que triste que no van a estar en Lago Salado conmigo cuando regreso. Les amo un buen, y oro por ustedes cada día. Yo sé que el Señor esta bendiciendoles por su rectitud. Lo siento para mi spanglish, pero no puedo pensar muy bien en inglés. La verdad voy a sufrir cuando regreso a los estados unidos por que nadie va a entenderme. Me anima un buen que van a entrar la escuela otra vez. Gracias por su ejemplo y su consejo, siempr saco un buen de cosas de sus cartas, y no se sienta mal por no escribirme.

Thank you everyone for your letters, we didn’t go to print them off this morning so I am going to have to read them and respond next week. I don’t know if we will be able to use skype, I will find out this week and tell you next week. I really haven’t gotten your packages yet, but I think I will get them tomorrow in cambios.

This cycle I have been trying to figure out what type of missionary I am, and what type of missionary I can become. With Elder Hunt leaving me the zone for 5 days to look after before I get my new companion I have realized several things. I have realized that the Lord needs me to be a powerful and obedient and efficient missionary. I cannot lead the zone when I myself am not baptizing every week and meeting all the norms and goals of the mission. I need to be a powerful and excited leader that will inspire and animate the elders, the truth is that we have not had much success in Pachuca this cycle. I am ready for change in Pachuca, I am ready to do whatever it takes to become the powerful and obedient missionary that I know I can be and that the Lord wants and needs me to be. There is not enough time in the mission to not give 100 percent, to not consecrate myself to the work. We are saving souls and changing destinies. When I was a little kid I always wanted to be a knight of Arthur’s round table, or the hero that the whole world depended on to save them. I wanted to world to notice me- But I have now been called to serve a mission, to fulfill a quest the same as the heroes of old. I have been called to pass through dangerous places and called to do impossible things. I have been called to save the very souls of men and to fight against the most dangerous enemy ever known ever. I have been given special talents and abilities in order to fulfill my quest and I must learn to master them and myself if I am to be successful. I have been asked to do many difficult things in the name of glory, but not my glory, His glory. I know that one day I will find my prize, and it will not be here on this earth, it will not be what I expected, but something far greater. For Cameron and Kolby, I am Sora. That was a really nerdy video game reference but that’s ok.

Well, I love you all so much, it is still hard for me to realize that I am in Mexico, that 9 months has gone by and that I really am a missionary. I love you all and pray for you every day,

Love,

Elder Nelson