Tuesday, January 24, 2012

The Spirit of Missionary Work


Dear Family,                                                                                                                                                                        
It was really weird to see snow. It looks so cold I don`t think I would like it. I am so used to the temperate weather here that anything below 50 is cold enough for a sweater and an extra blanket on my bed. Usually in the morning I study with a sweater and the peacoat type liner that came with my rain coat. Mom....I honestly don`t really care what is in my room when I come home. I have been living with borrowed beds and blankets and furniture for a year and a half so I don`t really think it matters what I sleep in.

I am feeling better. I just have a lingering cough now. I was pretty much better by Tuesday which was good because on Tuesday we went out to Tulancingo to do divisions and on Wednesday we did divisions with Pachuca. Tulancingo is funny because the zone leaders are Elder Chambers and Elder Falslev, they just happen to be cousins that grew up about 3 houses apart. They both got their call to the MME and they both ended up being zone leaders....together. Funny how small the world is. Doing divisions out in Pachuca is hard for me because we have to take these huge greyhound buses which make me really carsick. Remember that one time when I was little and I threw up all over the inside of the brand new van of one of your friends when we went down to Utah? Luckily I have a little bit more control now. But since there are 3 zones out there we go out there once or twice every 6 weeks.

Elder Perez was with us for about a day while we got the special changes and trainer ready. It doesn`t happen that much, maybe once every 6 weeks or so. But actually on Wednesday at 5 in the morning we will be in the airport again to pick up a brand new Peruvian elder.

On Sunday Ema (grandmother of Fatima who were baptized a week ago) bore her testimony in Gospel Principles. She talked about how she saw us talking to a man and thought "I don`t want anything to do with them...I hope they don`t talk to me." She tried to hide by going around a huge water tank truck. The truck was parked on the side of the road in the middle of a line of cars. The only gap for 100 meters was a 6 incher in between the trailer hitch of the truck and the car in front of it. When she saw me and Elder Jordan squeeze through the gap and appear in front of her she thought "Well, if God wants to talk to me that badly I suppose I should listen." She let us in and was baptized in three weeks. Those are the kind of miracles that follow you if you will simply be obedient and work hard. People`s eternities depend on the decisions we make...and through our righteous efforts God can bring to pass the gathering of Israel. I sometimes think about what eternity will be like, how it will feel, what we will do. When I hear testimonies of converts it answers those questions. I will be with them, the feeling I feel will be the same as I feel when I know that what I did helped them to really and truly come unto Christ. It is something I can`t describe, I guess you could call it the spirit of missionary work. I know the feelings we experience when we think of sharing the gospel. Imagine how I felt in my first weeks in Mexico...scared, homesick, struggling with the language. I often thought..."how can I touch someone`s heart when I don`t even know how to tell them what I feel or explain logically how I know these things are true?" We all have obstacles to overcome...but the purpose of obstacles is to overcome them. It is the responsibility of each and everyone of us to 1, convert ourselves to the gospel and 2, to share that conversion with our brother and sisters. Maybe we think...it`s cause everyone in the US is too proud or too busy or too whatever. Those are lies from Satan. God will always prepare the way for us to share the gospel, he is always preparing people...maybe we have to be patient, maybe we have to be brave maybe we have to study a little more. Isn`t it worth it? Imagine how it would be to be with these people in the presence of God, or imagine how it will be without them. We have what they need and they will never get it unless we share it with them. If we cannot imagine that the gospel could help them in their lives, we are not truly converted. Until we have the courage to share that gospel with them we do not truly love God. I love this Gospel with all my heart. I wish I would have been a better missionary back home...I guess I just didn`t understand. I love you all, thanks for the prayers and emails and letters. I feel like I forget things to write about so if you think of a question let me know. I love each and everyone of you.

Love,    
Elder Nelson

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