May 20th, 2013

Dear family,

     Well that was a crazy week! I am sure you are all just dying to hear from me and about what has been going on! Well okay, Ill tell you! So Here I am in Clearlake, in the Highlands Ward! It has actually been pretty sweet so far. My new companion is elder Farnsworth, and we are living in a four man pad!! I LOVE FOUR MAN PADS. it has only been a week but it is way more fun than being alone with your companion all the time. Especially if you your companion isn't the most social or fun person in the world. so it is really sweet to be able to come home and talk to two other missionaries all the time. The other two missionaries are Elder Skidmore and Elder Kunz. So yes I am living with Elder Kunz again! It is pretty funny  because I get to see his companion go through all the same crap I did with him..I am very thankful to have the comaonion that I do now. Finally, I have a companion that I am not training or having to drag them along in thew work! He has been out a year and 5 months and was just recently a Zone Leader so he is a great missionary. We are total opposites in personality but that wont matter because we wont have any quarrels about the work or the people or about being obedient. So i am Really excited and it has been a great week!! I love it!

    So i guess i shold tell you a little bit about Clearlake! It is so far so good. From what I know and have seen most of the people here are doing some kind of drug, meth is really big and of course so is Weed. Almost everyone has weed farms in their back yard. So as a result many people have no teeth and are homeless or very poor and essentially it is a giant trailer park!! that is the best description i can give you! It is very beautiful here though!! the city surrounds a lake and there are trees everywhere and big hills and mountains and there is an Inactive Volcano nearby that i believe we are hiking today... at least that was the plan, and yeah So its crazy, but of course there are good people as well! We have some good people to teach.

     Oh and this sunday it was ward conference so Sister irwin from ukiah (stake young womens) came down and guess what she brought with her?? My groceries!!! YAY!! So she saved me a whole bunch of money!! I was very thankful for that!! I love that women!! If I had to choose another mother (which i would never choose another mother because why would you need another mother when you have the best mother already?) I would choose her! I love her so much!!

     Another sweet thing about transfers was that I got to Stop by after transfers to say hello to Charlie And Selia From when i was in shiloh park in my first area!!! It was so good to see them!! They have been doing great and guess what!!! So I found out that the missionaries havent been doing a very good job with them, and they havent progressed to much BUT Selia did tell me that They are still saying family prayer Every night and she prays individually every night! And their two little boys are getting to be really good prayers!!! And she said it was because i taught them how to pray and taught them how it could bless their family and help them come closer together and have more peace and love!!! I wanted to cry!!! That made the whole transfer ordeal worth it. They are still praying together!! I was so happy! I remember when I was teaching them that they didnt have a lot of love or peace in their home and there was a lot of contention and I just felt so strongly that they needed prayer. Especially as a family! So since they lived across the street from us, i made sure that we went over as often as we could (usually right before we went in for the night) so that we could Have family prayer with them. And I am telling you that those prayers I had with that family were some of the most spiritual experiences I have had on my mission!!  And when I got transfered They gave me a card saying thanks and such but one thing they said was "Thank you for teaching us the healing and bonding power of prayer." And here they are, six months later, still praying together!! Amazing. I cant really describe the feeling that I have as i recall those experiences, but it is very special. If i dont do anything else on my mission, it would have been worth it to come teach that family how to pray together. It has helped them SO much.

     The address that you can send the mail to is

 

P.O. Box 1241

Clearlake, CA 95422

 

   Oh and i almost forgot to tell you that we live basically right next to the church! It is less than a two minute walk from our apartment!! So that is very convenient!! I should also tell you that we are on bike and in a truck. We dont get a lot of miles so we have to bike some of the time!

    Also Just so you know, we got a letter from the first presidency about a conference thing about missionary work that is going to be a "historic event" So I recommend that you tune in for that in june. I dont remember the date but they will probably announce all of the big changes in missionary work that i told you about a few months ago. Anyways, that is about it for me I am doing good I love my companions and my area and The ward is decent, we wont get fed very much, (not that i am complaining, I have lost 13 lbs hehe :) ) it is a small ward, but the members are good as far as i can tell. But alright I love you all and i look forward to hearing how graduation was and all that jazz! Love you!

  Love, Elder nelson

 

 

 

 

 

 

So The big Pres decided last minute to switch things up. I am  getting transfered to lake county with elder farnsworth. Pretty stupid that he did it last minute. I wont get to say goodbye to anyone. But whatever. Life goes on. I loved ukiah though. It sucks to leave. Anyways! It was great to talk to you all on sunday. I miss you alot. If you send letters send them to the mission office and post on the blog that i am getting transfered so that anyone who cares knows. Well, I have to go pack and try to say goodbye to people so i am going to cut you short again but i promise ill send you a good long letter next week. As far as i know the place that i am going to is going to stink on p days.  maybe im wrong though.

  well, love you all!

love elder nelson

May 6th, 2013

Dear Family, I am excited to speak to all of you on mothers day! after five will work great for us and we will have sister irwin text you when we are getting ready to call and stuff! 

    I have learned a lot this week. One of our members, Bro. Richardson, has a son that moved here to ukiah to work for a couple of months. As it turns out, this son and his wife are gospel geniuses. I was very fortunate to be able to have dinner with them. When I realized exactly the kind of people I was talking to I started shooting off questions about the church left and right! I learned some very cool things . I will forbear explaining them in detail but just know, I love being a missionary and I am so thankful for the many GREAT members I have been able to serve around and talk to. They have taught me so much!   

   Well I am really busy and I am calling in a couple of days so I feel justified in not writing very much! I know you will disagree..soooo sorry :) 

    Talk to you soon mommy :) 

Love Elder Nelson

April 15th 2013

Dear Family,

    I can't believe that it was spring break for all of you!! I totally missed it! I don't think I have even realized that it is April yet...

It was pretty funny that you brought up Monsons Fire story in your letter dad! I was thinking the same thing while he told it! I think mine is way more exciting though! I am really looking forward to getting that conference ensign so thank you for ordering me one! 

    Ashley Dale is getting married? That is sweet! Life just rolls right along doesnt it. I feel like I am going to get home and find out a ton of people are married and on missions. 

    So this week we had dinner with our Bishop! It was great. I love our bishop and his wife! I could spend all day talking to them! Bishop is very smart  and knows a lot about the Gospel and history and how it goes together. I had some questions for him about the temple and he helped me understand some things, but those questions led to us talking about questions that investigators have and questions that people against the church have and it was just cool. I have learned a lot about church doctrine and events in the history of the church and I have had companions that have known a lot to and it is very apparent as I have learned that most members don't even fully understand the gospel or the doctrine or even know about what has happened in church history. But anyways essentially what i am trying to say is that we had a really good conversation about the church. And as we talked and as he helped me understand some things, the spirit testified to me as I learned that the Church is just simply true. I guess you could say it "distilled upon my soul." (I knew you'd like that one dad) I have felt the spirit many times on my mission, but I always get an extra special feeling when Questions of my soul are answered and my conversion is deepened. I think that in our own way we are all always investigating the church in a sense. we are always looking to strengthen our testimony, find answers to our questions, and deepen our personal conversion. I am so thankful to be here on my mission. In a very selfish sense you could make an argument that the greatest miracle on my mission is myself. It is a miracle that the Lord could take me, a natural man, and through the healing and enabling power of the atonement, make me into something better. i hope that doesn't sound proud, but I truly can say like Ammon that I boast of my God because without him I would not be able to accomplish anything. I have felt in my heart as I have served that a "mighty change" is taking place. The very Desires of my heart are being changed and my disposition is to do good. Not that I wasn't good before, but I did indeed have some carnal desires. Luckily, for me and for everyone a way was provided to "put off the natural man" AND "become a saint" I feel as though my mission is helping me put off the natural man that i was so that I can come home and work towards being a saint the rest of my life. I am so thankful to have this wonderful gospel in my life! It IS true. This is not just A church it is THE Church. It is Gods kingdom on the earth. maybe instead of asking people if they want to hear a message I should start to ask people if they want to become a part of the Kingdom of God! 

     So this week we had a great lesson with a lady named Kathleen and her Daughter Hannah. This is the fourth time we have seen them but only the second that we were able to teach. It was a good lesson but the highlight was Kathleen praying for the first time in awhile at the end.. it was SWEET. There is serious POWER behind an honest faithful and simple prayer. If you remember, I think a ways back I talked about hannah praying for the first time, that was a powerful experience as well. sometimes i dont get how investigators arent convinced the church is true after they pray.. They are powerful sincere prayers!! It is just so obvious!! People Do not realize at all what is sitting right in front of them if they will just grab it and hold on!! 

     I know this is the true church of Jesus Christ. I know that the Gospel is the way and the Only way to return to Our heavenly fathers Presence. there is no greater work than that of  Assisting our father in heaven accomplish his great and glorious purpose!! "For behold, this is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and Eternal life of man! How do we receive Eternal life? By obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. What gate do we need to pass through to get on the path to eternal life? the gate of baptism. Who invites people to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and his atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the holy ghost and enduring to the end? The Missionaries! By fulfilling our purpose as missionaries we essentially help god accomplish his purpose! No wonder "the greatest and most important duty is to preach the Gospel" How lucky am i?

     Well I need to get going So have a great week I love you!

Love Elder nelson

April 8th, 2013

Dear Family,

     Hello! This past week has been great!! Don't you just love conference?? I hope you were all able to watch all the sessions! Conference weekend is the best missionary holiday there is!! We always get members feeding us great food in between sessions and bringing us snacks before sessions and of course we get to watch the sessions and they are wonderful! It is the best! 

     In between sessions on sunday we had Cafe rio style salads with some members! (They were good but nowhere near as good as the real thing) So it is just so much fun! Good friends, good food, and great messages! It is sweet! 

    My New companion is Elder----- from Provo! I don't know if I told you this or not but I was in the same district as him during my third transfer in santa rosa when I trained Elder Borland. So I knew him a little bit! I probably mentioned this but he is going to play baseball at Dixie State when he gets back. He says he wants to try out for byu but he has a spot for sure at dixie. He has 6 months left on his mission so he has been trying to work out a lot which is great news for me because I have been hoping I would get a companion that likes to exercise and wants to eat healthy so that I would have some assistance in losing weight! Prayer answered! He brought a ton of weights with him and he has two gloves so we have been throwing in the mornings... I don't think i will ever escape  baseball!! He is so much fun though. We have been getting along great already like we were old time friends! I love him so much and it has only been a week! We have had some great conversations and we have a lot of fun. It is probably because we have the same type of background which immediatly gave us something in common and to talk about. But yeah it has been very fun so far!! The best part about him though, (and worst) is that he would very easily be disobedient and waste time, but he is also very willing to work. So as long as I stay on the ball he will be right there with me, which doesn't bother me because I like leading out anyway.

    So I am excited to serve with him it should be really fun. We had some crazy things happen this past week with one of our converts.  (Andrew goes on to share a story that is very personal to the convert.  We will not share it on the blog because of its personal nature.) 

     So anyways, I think that last paragraph is not going to make sense at all but you will get the gist which is that If you keep the commandments your life will just be SO  MUCH BETTER. and you will avoid SO MANY CONSEQUENCES that come from making dumb decisions. I thought it was awesome how Monson talked about obedience. Our happiness level truly = our obedience level. 

I only wish some of my investigators could see and understand that. They see the commandments as restrictions that hold them back when in reality they SET US FREE! We are so blessed to grow up and have from the beginning this great understanding. I love this gospel and this church and i am so thankful to be here on my mission sharing this great understanding with people who are in great need of it! I only wish that more people would be willing to listen and "try the virtue of the word of god" 

    Keaton dropped me a line today in response to the line i dropped on him! It was sweet to hear from him! 

Welp Love ya family, have a great week! Thank you for your prayers in my behalf! I love you! 

  Love elder nelson

April 2nd, 2013

 

Dear Family!

As you probably already know, I did not get transferred but my companion did! So my new companion will arrive tonight and for the day I am with Elder Thompson one of our Zone Leaders.

Mom in answer to your question, the 5 week transfer was only a one time event. Transfers are now six weeks long again.

This transfer seriously went by so fast for me.. It is APRIL! can you believe that?? Stewart is almost going to be graduated! I dont think time has ever gone by faster in my entire life! It is a blur!

Thank you so much for the easter package!! It was great!! And mom, I just want you to know, that for weeks now i have been fighting the urge to buy Reeses eggs because I knew that sooner or later I was going to get a package from you that would have some... so I want you to know that that package was perfect timing!

Elder Stainback called me yesterday! He was on the way to the airport! It was sad to say goodbye to him...but he will probably be in utah when i get home so that will be sweet to hang with him.

So we had a pretty sweet experience the other day! Actually, it was yesterday. But anyways, A few weeks back we talked to a lady named Katie on the street as she was walking her dog! She was very nice and said that we could come by another time. We set up a time a few days later and then we went our seperate ways.

Well, we went back( this was still a few weeks back from now) and we contacted some people right in front of her house right at the same time as Katie and her daughter pulled into their driveway and went inside. After we had finished talking to the people we knocked on her door but she didn't answer... we knew that she had seen us and she knew that we had seen her and so it was obvious it seemed to us that she didn't want to talk to us.

Anyways we hadn't gone back to see her at all since that day. Which brings me to yesterday! Yesterday we had the neighbor of a member call us and ask us if we could do some service! Her name was Debbie. Apparently the Richardson's gave them our number and told them we would be able to help. So we agreed and went over to assist them in stacking a bunch of wood into their backyard! It was good to do some work and they really appreciated our help but were not interested in learning more about the church unfortunately. BUT the cool thing is that Debbie the lady we did service for is the mother of Katie the lady that we talked to on the street! And katie just happened to come over to her mothers house while we were there doing service! Which as i am sure you figured out lead to us talking to her again and finding out that the reason she didn't answer was that they had just gotten back from walking their dogs and one of their dogs stepped on glass and was bleeding really bad so they came in and were bandaging the dog and couldnt answer the door! She had been expecting us and was willing to listen to our message! She said we could come back to see her this week!

Isnt that crazy? how does that happen? Ill tell you how! It is because the Lord is directing this work and the people that need to hear the gospel will be lead to us or we will be lead to them! (PMG pg, 167) I am excited for the opportunity to teach her!

Well, Sorry this is short, and no it isn't because i was emailing other people! I am still a district leader just fyi but my district did increase in size so that will be fun!!

I love you all so much!

Love Elder nelson

                                       Andrew and his ZL with a scary statue. Try to guess which one is the statue!

                                           Andrew with his District and Zone Leaders

                                              With Bro. Jones in front of Lake Mendocino

                                     Elder Monhondo who came out last transfer and is in Andrew's District

March 25th, 2013

What a great opportunity we had to meet an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ! They were powerful spirits and just sitting in the chapel with them brought the spirit right in!! I only wish that we would have had more time with them! I could have listened to them speak for days. In the MTC I heard a talk on the great apostasy by Elder Callister and ever since then I have been in love with his talks! I am excited for general conference to hear him speak again!

One cool thing that I have to tell you about is something that Elder Cook said in the course of a Question and answer session. A sister asked the question about Godhead and he went on to explain the answer but he got off onto the Nicene Creed. He had Elder Callister say a few words on that. Some of the things he said were that the creed is total garbage and that we know from Joseph Smith that Jesus Christ is a separate being. Now pause!! So At this moment, Elder callister was speaking and Elder Cook was just listening and kinda staring off to the side of the chapel. After Elder Callister said the Joseph Smith line there was a pause and Elder Cook was just shaking his head...a few moments went by... and then quietly, Elder Cook said, "Yes, that is true...and I can Personally testify to you that Jesus Christ is a separate being..." BOOM. You bet he just flat out said that he has seen Jesus Christ! The confirmation of that fact was the looks on all of our faces when he said that and the very heavy Spirit that settled in the chapel immediately after... One of the coolest moments of my life. The Church is TRUE!

So yes I did shake Elder Cooks hand and also Elder Callisters. It was pretty quick though so I didn't get to ask him if he remembered me from when he came out to Grantsville.. HA!

Speaking of Grantsville, did you know that Wyatt Blackhurst is in my mission? I forgot to tell you that I saw and talked to him at the beginning of this transfer! I saw him again at the all mission conference. Pretty cool! maybe we will serve together! Hometown heroes!

We have been taught very well these past few weeks. There is so much to implement and to work on! It has been hard to pick and choose what to emphasize. I am very thankful to have so much time left unlike my former trainer Elder Stainback!! It is so sad to see him go. He is a great missionary and I have grown to love and appreciate him more than he will ever know! Those were the best two transfers of my mission so far, and they have all been great! But if I had to choose a companion and an area it would be Santa Rosa with Elder Stainback! I will really miss him and I look forward to seeing him again after the mission! He is coming to Utah for school so, depending on how things go, maybe I will be able to room with him!!

Elder Kunz and I are doing well. I have really learned the virtue of patience this transfer. I have let my frustration come out a little bit more frequently lately but from where I was even just a few transfers ago with Elder Welch, I have matured in that aspect quite a bit. Being companions with Elder Kunz has been a great opportunity and blessing. Although he has tried my patience in many ways he has also helped me become a better teacher and I have learned quite a bit about the gospel from him. He is very smart when it comes to doctrine. This week I have set the goal to just Love the heck out of him. With transfers coming up anything could happen and if either of us get transferred I don't want him to have any doubt that I didn't love him or love serving with him, nor do I want any regrets! He will most likely be leaving. He has been here for three transfers now!

One of the biggest challenges we have had this transfer is working together as Co-district leaders to plan district meeting. I am not anything like him when it comes to preparing for district meeting. Nothing he wants to do is what I want to do and so our preparation for district meeting has been not as good as I would like or have previously done. But that is something that has been good for me as well. I am more of a lone wolf when it comes to things like teaching and talking and I need to learn to work with people, not just now but for my future.

Hey Mom, You gonna get me those emails or what? Love ya!! Happy Easter!!

 

Welp, I need to write my atonement thing so I have to end this!! Love you all!

Elder Nelson