Choose to Be...

Hello Family!

Well, just to let you know I will be calling home Sunday, Mother´s Day the 8th of May. I think that I am going to call you guys, give you the number from where I am calling and have you guys call me. To do skype, well I don´t know how...the only option would be to have someone make an account for MSN messenger and add me as a contact, then we can use the video conference function. I still don’t know if it will work so I will try and if it doesn’t work I will use regular phone like I said. I am soo excited to call you guys.

I got your package for Easter!!! Thank you soo much. I love robins eggs so much. I got the contacts and everything. Yes I got mail from Grandma Andy and am in the process of writing a snail mail letter back. I also got mail from the Mills, Sis. Grimmet, Elise McNaughton, Saydi Ostler....and I am writing letters to all of them but it might take a while to get there through regular mail. I got the Mormonads also, thank you so much I loved it all. I love getting mail. Also a comment on the "Dear Abby".....well I wasn’t embarrassed but it made me remember a lot of things. That was from Spanish 1 in Carmichael way back in 8th grade. It made me laugh a lot about the things that used to be important to me like passing notes and hiding them from mom. It’s a good thing we mature in this life. This letter might be a little bit shorter because I was trying to figure out how to use MSN.

This week I just want to share an experience I had. This week we worked really really hard. We were running basically in between appointments and talking with every one on the street. We taught 27 lessons and had 17 new investigators...which is a lot. But when Sunday came we ended up with 3 investigators in the capilla, 2 of which don’t even live in our wards so we can’t baptize them, and not one of the 17 news came to church even though we passed by the houses of 10 of them. I was pretty disanimated, and was almost crying because we had worked so hard, and I felt certain that we were going to have more. I felt like we were failing the Lord, not helping anyone, because no one is progressing and we haven’t baptized for 3 weeks. I felt just so helpless, because I know that God wants his children baptized and coming back to Him as badly or worse than I do.

So today I was writing in my journal when I had the impression to pray. I knelt down by my desk (my companion was taking a nap because it is p-day so I was alone) and I began to pray. Everything seemed to get quieter and I started to feel the Spirit so strongly as I asked forgiveness for anything that I may have done wrong and direction as to what to change to have more success. I felt such a feeling of love wash over me as I felt the impression that God loves me, that everything was going to be ok. We just have to keep being faithful and never let our thoughts become negative. The Spirit whispered, choose to be happy, choose to be excited, choose to be who you want to be. And then I had the impression to read my patriarchal blessing, looking over the things I need to develop to be the Christ like and powerful missionary that I know I can be. I ended up with 7 things I am going to work on this week.

Later I was reading through my journals of when I was at BYU and when Grandpa died. So many times I wrote of spiritual experiences that helped me to know that God existed and that He loved me. He, the creator of worlds without end and author of the universe knows and loves me, Elder Nelson, individually and immensely. I can’t get over that thought. What does my own life even matter when we are not engaged cheerfully and excitedly in the service of our God and our Master? He is aware of every thought, every impression and every wish and desire. He knows who He wants me to be, and He knows how to let my desires become His desires. His is a message of such joy and such goodness. It fills me with such excitement that I can barely contain my self. He lives and exists, His Son died for me and forgave my sins. He has filled my life with light and I love Him so much. I believe in the power of prayer, and in the value of a patriarchal blessing. Kolby, I don’t know if you have one yet, but go and get it. It will help you so much.

Cameron I am so happy for you...congrats on everything. 33 (from Peggy: ACT score) is outstanding and congrats in AP Chem. God is giving you a lot of blessings right now, so make sure to pray and be grateful. You have always been outstanding, don’t stop. We will have to echar la pachanga when I get back. You can pay for my food because you are saving so much money...I will be a poor man for a while when I get back.

Melissa I love you and am way excited to talk to you on Sunday thanks for your letter.

I love you all soooo much, talk to you Sunday.

Elder Nelson