November 26th, 2012

Dear familia!
This has been a fantastic week! We were able to go on exchanges with the Zone Leaders, Elder Felix and Weisenburger! I have really been looking forward to these exchanges so that I could have the opportunity to learn from one of them. They are both very great elders.
It ended up working out that I went with Elder Weisenburger into his area and Elder Felix went with Elder Borland into our area. It was a great exchange! I asked elder Weisenburger a lot of questions about the work and about the area book and other things that I am working on doing better at. He especially helped me with my planning and I learned some things that will help me to be a better planner.
The work here in Shiloh park is about to catch fire I hope! Our new ward mission leader has big plans and we are starting to put them into effect. During Elders quorum he rebuked the quorum a little for how little they have been helping and then we had a great discussion about what needs to be done to make it better! After the lesson it was cool to see the excitement in peoples faces about the plans and ideas that we have worked to come up with with our ward mission leader.
Elder Borland and I are continuing to get along well! We had a good comp. inventory this week and we set some goals to finish this week strong and to have a great start to the next transfer! This week in 12-week we went over planning and watched all the videos about it and it really enlightened me on how things should be going in weekly planning and in nightly planning! So we set some goals to make it better and more effective!
I love being a missionary and I am so thankful for the things that I am learning everyday about myself and about how to be a better missionary so that I can more effectively invite people to come unto Christ and help prepare them to be baptized!
I called sister Alba this week on Friday about my Facebook account and getting it started but she didn't answer or call me back so I am hoping to get that started this week. I got the packet awhile ago but I wanted to spend more time teaching and finding with Elder Borland so I held off on activating it but I feel good about starting it up now.

Thank you for all of your love and support and prayers during this time. I feel them everyday as I go about doing this great work! Thanksgiving was pretty sweet! I LOVED your yams mom. IT made the whole thanksgiving. Seriously. What is funny about that is that I actually requested Pecan pie and elder borland requested yams... so When SIS. snyder called and asked you about the recipe she asked the wrong things! Elder borland loves yams. that is basically all he ate! But he loved your recipe and so did the whole snyder family!! The pecan pie was store bought so it was just..you know..nothing special. SOOO Im writing quickly because I have to get to the church because it is elder Hansons last p day...he leaves in a week. He is one of the current APs and was an AP when I came in and we have gotten pretty close! I have relied a lot on him for answers to questions and his example has impacted me heavily. He truly sincerely loves everyone he talks to. I will miss him alot!

mom can you send me that red nike bag? I will need it to pack all my stuff that i have if i get transferred this next week..which is very likely so send that quick! I will be getting a facebook profile soon for my missionary work so i will let you know about that and about the rules and things later.
My letters stink i know but i always feel so rushed! I love you all have a great week.!!  I love you adios!

 

November 19th, 2012

Hello

These past two weeks have been very frustrating for me. After doing everything we could to help our investigators progress and to move forward, we have had to watch them take more and more steps backward. I'm not frustrated out of anger or pride, I am frustrated because I feel that I have done all that I can and that still these people are choosing not to ACT for themselves. If they don't do the fathers will than they will never know of the doctrine and gain a testimony. They know that the doctrine is good that the church is good that the Book of Mormon is good, they don't doubt that. They just don't know that it is true, that it is right, and that the blessings awaiting them are real, Because they wont consistantly act. That is the most frustrating thing that I have been dealing with. Is that people are refusing to act and do the simple things so that they can gain a testimony of the big things. .
I have seen some very great progression made in the lives of Charlie and Selia only to run into a wall. Selia and Charlie have chosen to postpone their wedding until they can afford something nice. which could be a while. It is sad to see the people that I love so much chose to continue in sin and prolong the blessings of heaven that could be theirs if they were obedient.
It is the same with many of our investigators. We have 5 that have a baptismal date and all of them have testimonies of much of the gospel but they have sins that are holding them back and binding them down. We are doing all we can for them but in the end the people have to chose to act on their own desires and be motivated by their testimony and faith. Even though I would gladly do anything for these people, in the end they have to chose and act for themselves.
Elder Borland is doing great and has made a lot of progress in his teaching. I have seen his confidence increase dramatically and he is going to be a great leader and teacher among other missionaries someday. I can see that great potential in him as I have served with him. I am proud to call him my son!
I look forward to another week and to the miracles and tender mercies that the lord will provide. I am so thankful for his guidance in my life.  I am very happy and having a blast. Like i said in the beginning though.. it is frustrating at times.
I cant wait to talk to you guys at Christmas.(if we are still alive that is..hehe) I dislike emails. I wish I could have like a camera attached to me and you could just see and hear everything. Maybe i will hire a camera man and do a live feed video to your t.v. OH even better would be like a video log at the end of each day and it would just be sent to you every night.
I love you guys and will be missing you this weekend over thanksgiving!  I hope you are enjoying the snow! I am loving the rain!!
Have a great week everyone my time is up! Love you!
Elder Nelson

November 12th, 2012

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	YO!

The week has just flown by! It makes me realize just how precious our time is here on our missions because once it is over it is over and if we didn't make the most of our time, well, you have to live with it. it is humbling.
It has been a great week. we have made some good progress with many of our investigators and have spent a lot of time with them as they prepare for baptism. I am really hoping and praying to be able to have a baptism this transfer so that Elder Borland can experience what it is like. It is a totally different experience when you are in the font and see the fruits of your own labors.
I was very excited to be able to go to the Vazquez family baptism this week! I knew it would be extra special because it isn't often at least in my short experience, that you get to baptize a whole family on the same day! That was a very sweet experience. I have started to express in my prayers a desire to find and have asked for direction to be led to families to be able to teach. As we fulfill our purpose and contact 10 people each day I know that we will be led to those people that are ready and those families that are ready!
Elder Borland and I are doing great. We are starting to mesh together better and he is actively participating more in the lessons. He has a great love for the people we are teaching and wants to do whatever he can to help them out. He also has a very strong desire to be obedient! which is great! He helps me so much and keeps me on the straight and narrow path! We are very different, Borland and I but we have found a common purpose here among the people on the front lines sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is such a cool experience to put our old interests and desires aside and to unite together in pursuit of a much higher purpose and calling. I love being a missionary.
Our investigators are still progressing. It is very frustrating to see them be so close and to yet be so far!
Rachel Lopez is at this moment the closest one to being baptized. The only thing that is holding her back is still her smoking. I wish that we could do more for her but we have done all that we can. She knows and understands the doctrine of the word of wisdom, she knows and understands the health risk.We have given her multiple blessing and have fasted for her but she is still smoking. She will eventually make it and I know it is only a matter of time so we continue to go over to her home and read with her and study with her and teach her, but most importantly we will continue to love her and serve her.
Selia continues to progress but in recent days her husband Charlie has become very active in lessons and visits and has been to church two weeks in a row along with his brother Ben! The spirit that the gospel is bringing into their home is beginning to touch the hearts of all that are in the house! Charlie and Selia have yet to talk with the bishop about getting married due to the powers of hell combining against them (Rides falling through, getting sick) but they have another meeting scheduled for Thursday night. Selia is giving up coffee starting today! She didn't drink any yesterday so she is ahead of the game! We had a great lesson with them Saturday night where we reviewed the restoration and watched the Restoration DVD with them! It was very sweet! We have been saying family prayer with them every night and the spirit is so strong when we have them all together! I am so excited for them and their family! They are progressing well and we have a lesson scheduled for tonight with Ben!
We have a lot of finding to do this week to start to build up the teaching pool so I am excited for that. I love my mission and I love being a missionary. I am so happy and I look forward to the new opportunities and experiences that each day brings!
I am so happy to hear that everything continues to go well back home!

It has been really chilly here but that's alright. I DONT MISS THE SNOW ONE BIT!
mom expect calls from the bishop here in our ward and from Sister Snyder, we are eating with the Snyders on Thanksgiving.. they are sooooo awesome!
Well until next week... adios! forgot the camera cord so ill get ya some pics next week! I love you all!
Love Elder Nelson

 

November 5th, 2012

 

 

Andrew and Elder Walker. One of his roomates in the MTC

 

 

 

I'm really sorry but today was really busy! We went ice skating! So I am behind on time and we have an appointment in like twenty minutes so I have zero time to write! Camp Liahona is awesome! It was seriously so sweet! And we had Bomb lessons with Rachel and Selia on Sunday! They were pure power. I am very excited for this next week and I will have a ton to tell you about! You guys are the best! I love you and look forward to your letters!

                                         

                                        Andrew and ?