May 25th,2014

Dear family,

      Well here we are. Starting down the home stretch. I can hardly believe that I'll be flying home in 6 weeks! It seems unreal! It feels like I have been in Vacaville with elder wride for like my whole life and that it will never change! But unfortunately, things always change and nothing good lasts forever, (except for our families). So we got transfer information Friday night and for the last transfer of my mission I will be returning to Shiloh park!! My very first area!! Isn't that crazy? I still can't believe that. But it should be exciting. It will be cool to see old friends again that I made when I was there the first time! Except last time I was there I ate like crazy....so I'm scared that I'm going to gain instead of lose. I have thought about just starving myself all day and eating all my calories at dinner but that's probably not the best idea...haha but I'm not too worried about it...as you know. 

        I will be very sad to leave Vacaville. I have gotten very close with the members and my companion and so for that reason it will be hard to leave. If I could have come home this transfer it would have been the perfect ending! But that's from my perspective right now. I'm sure that will change...for the most part. I already know the ward is awesome and the area is awesome so hopefully my companion is awesome. It just won't be like my companionship now. Haha these last three transfers have been the ultimate companionship. We are legends (in our own minds)! But seriously it has been so fun!! It's been hitting us that are time Is finally over and it's been lame. I'm really gonna miss elder wride. We are like brothers. I don't know who I'll be able to talk to for the next six weeks!! Really, though it can't really express how fun it has been. It just won't ever be the same. 

       Bro beauchamp told us that in 4 and a half years of working with zone leaders we are his favorite! He also told me that him and pres. Pedderson(member of the stake presidency) both talked to president alba in an effort to keep us together for one more month. But it obviously didn't work haha. That would have been awesome. I will miss bro beauchamp a lot. He has been one of the most influential people on my mission. I have had a lot of questions come up over the past six months and he has really helped me understand and find answers. So I'm thankful for that. We had a BBQ at his house on Saturday so that was really fun. 

      We are going over to the hancocks for lunch today!! Sis Hancock is awesome. She is one of the members that I have gotten the closest to since I have been on my mission. On Saturday we went to a baptism in woodland for a guy named jimmy that elder wride helped to teach a lot. Jimmy asked him to speak. So we asked the hancocks to drive us over and they said they would! It was just such a fun night driving with them and seeing the baptism! On the way home we stopped at Krispy Kreme....I never knew how good those doughnuts were until this month....they are like crack!! So it was just a really fun night and I am really gonna miss them a lot! 

       Right now we are at the stake presidents house emailing haha press Bennett is awesome. I will miss him too. I have had the amazing opportunity to sit in many meetings with him and with his counselors and with other great great men and watch and listen to them plan and coordinate the work here in Vacaville. It has been priceless experience to be among such great men and powerful spiritual leaders. I will miss them. They have taught me a lot. 

       Well today is crazy and we have a lot to do so I will keep this one short. I love you and miss you! Today marks the beginning of the end! I can hardly believe it. I look forward to your letters! Have a great week! 

       It is so weird that it's a holiday! It doesn't even register in my brain. Everyone has work off and stuff today. It's weird. It's a normal day for me...well kinda...transfer pdays are the worst. anyways love you! 

Love e. Nelson

Sierra's Baptism May 3, 2014, Vacaville, CA

Vacaville Zone with President and Sister Alba May 3, 2014

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

May 5th, 2014

Dear family,
 We had a pretty awesome week. The highlight of course being
 Sierras baptism on Saturday! It was a great moment and a very
 spiritual experience for all who were involved. There were quite a few
 people who showed up and a few of them were less active and non member
 friends of Sierra. It was a great program. Due to stake conference I
 will be confirming her a member of the church and giving her the gift
 of the Holy Ghost this next Sunday.
 This weekend we also had stake conference! Sis alba had all the
 missionaries sing In the Saturday night session so that was
 interesting. When we were practicing it felt like a military choir or
 something. Sis alba was intense! She muted some of the elders
 including elder wride because they couldn't sing very well haha so
 they just stood with us and moved their lips but didn't sing it was
 pretty funny. But the session was really good and Sunday was also
 amazing! We had elder hayni from so cal come up to preside at the
 conference. Man that guy can speak! He gave some amazing talks and
 told some awesome stories! I was really impressed and enjoyed this
 stake conference a lot. Our ward mission leader got some really good
 training but he is moving in a week or two so he won't be in our ward
 anymore. It will be interesting to see who the new one will be. Elder
 hayni said ward mission leaders should give as much time a week to
 their callings as do bishops. I thought that was cool.
 Speaking of this next Sunday, it is also Mother's Day so that
 means we get to talk for a little bit! That will be exciting. I hope
 things with skype and whatnot will all be figured out.
 It will be my last call home! Haha it's time for all the lasts. My
 last zone conference was this week, and I gave my departing testimony,
 my last call home, my last temple trip, last companion last area, all
 that jazz. It is going by really fast. I have 9 weeks left but it
 feels like I should be coming home after this transfer. I wish I was.
 It would be a perfect ending. Great companion great area and just had
 a sweet baptism. But pres. alba told me that I'd probably be getting
 transferred. So that's lame. I'm hoping I don't get a scrub companion
 for my last transfer haha. It's weird but like with how fast time goes
 by, my mission is over. The past 15 weeks have been a blur so the next
 9 will go even faster. It doesn't feel like I will ever leave this
 place or get a new companion though. It feels like I have been with
 elder wride like my whole mission and it's hard to remember when it
 was different. I'm not looking forward to transferring though. This
 place feels like home!
 I am really excited to go home, but I don't ever want to leave,
 it is a really weird mixture of emotion. I have have been having a lot
 of emotional feeling lately as I look back over the past years, I
 can't even begin to describe how thankful and blessed I am for all the
 opportunities I have had and the experiences and the amazing people I
 have met and friendships that I have made! It is a little
 overwhelming. It is sad to think that it's all coming to an end. But
 that's the way it goes I guess.
 I'm back to eating healthy! I'm never eating out again. It's
 stupid. I will say I am so very excited to be in full control of what
 I eat and when I eat. That will be nice.
 Okay well I have lost focus and need to go play some basketball
 so talk to you on Sunday :) let me know of a time via facebook or
 email either way. Elder wride is talking 2:30 our time but that
 doesn't matter we can talk whenever it is most convenient. We have
 dinner at 5:00pm and our church is from 11:00am to 2:00 PM so let me
 know what works for all of you. Have a great week love you!
 Elder Nelson