I
hope you are all having a beautiful week wherever you may be. Thanks for all
your thoughts and prayers on my behalf, I can really feel them out here.
Christmas
Package Arrived!
I
got your Christmas package! Everyone thought it was a miracle, Mom. This is a
true example of answered prayers! Customs opened it—and let’s just say they
weren’t too careful. There was chocolate everywhere, so I hate to say it, but I
guess no more chocolate in the mail. Boo hoo! The Costco bag of chocolate chips
will be all right and most of it is still intact. Thanks so much for the
package, family! It’s getting us excited for Christmas (or at least as excited
as we can be without our families, or for me, snow, but it’s all right!).
Answering Questions/Comments
Thanks for sending letters to my companion and our zone leaders. Their families aren’t quite as cool as mine, and they haven’t gotten anything yet, so thanks for sharing the love.
Our ward is great. They are helpful (most of the time) with missionary work, but we are thinking of new ways to get them more involved. Our investigators are doing well. We've kinda hit a wall this week because a lot of them aren’t progressing, but we are figuring things out and hopefully they will start wanting to keep the commitments they’ve made.
We ask for references from the ward, but most of the time the ward members don’t want to share them with us or just don’t have any. We spend a lot of time knocking on doors. We sometimes find people this way, but it is difficult. We found a sister yesterday that has some promise, I think. She used to go to church with her family and remembers a little, but when we talked with her, she remembered the great feelings she had at church and wants to go back. So this Sunday we are going to bring her with us. She is 23 and is a single mom (like most women here), but I think she may be a really good potential investigator.
My
Spanish is coming along. Everyone comments on how fast I am learning and every
day I’m learning more and more. Hermana Soto is really great at teaching me,
and in turn, I’m teaching her English. It’s actually really fun and gives us
something to do while we’re walking in all parts of Bolivia.
I
am supposed to play the piano, but sometimes they don’t pull it out of the
closet and sometimes others play it. But when we don’t have someone, and we
aren’t with investigators, yes, I play the piano.
Congrats
Jeff on being Mayor again! So proud of you Jefe!! ;)
Congrats
Aersta! Yay! More babies! (Logan and Nolls: I expect one or at least an
announcement of one soon or before I get home;)
I’m
so glad everyone else is doing well. I miss you all tons, but time is going
fast here and I need to work my hardest for the people. I’m still praying for
you all every day.
Talents
Honestly,
my entire life I never thought I had talents. It says in my patriarchal
blessing that if I take the blessings I’ve been given and exercise them, I will
be able to receive more. I’ve just never felt like I had a single one. But
these past weeks I’ve been recognizing them more and more. Although I can’t
play the piano like John Schmidt, and I don’t sing like Hannah Montana (ew
gross... ;) I have recognized that I have a talent for helping and caring for
people. I also have a talent for baking. And mom, I think I need to thank you
for helping me develop these talents. You always taught me that service is the
most important thing. And you taught and reinforced my love for baking. It’s
amazing what a little service or baking cookies for people can do out here. It
opens so many doors that we otherwise may not have been able to open. I am so
thankful for the examples of so many who truly share their talents. I know that
by sharing mine, I am able to receive more and more.
 |
| Cookies for the Baptism |
We
had a great FHE with Eduardo and his family this past Wednesday. We made pizza
and watched the last half of The Testaments. We had a short testimony meeting
afterwards and they all expressed their love and gratitude for us coming to
their home and bringing the Spirit. Brother J. (Eduardo’s dad) said he wants us
present at every FHE with their family. We had to explain that we can’t be
present forever because there are transfers often, but that we told them we
would try our best. Sister J. bore her testimony of the Book of Mormon and
expressed how grateful she is for our patience and love. She still has
questions of course, but she truly wants to know that the Church is true. She
gave the closing prayer, and asked our Father in Heaven to permit the missionaries
to always be present in their family. Afterwards she told us that with other
missionaries in the past she only wanted two or three visits and then no more.
But she said she wants us to come every day because she feels the Spirit when
we come. Oh, how I love this family! They have taught me so much and I have
felt the Spirit so strongly with them. My testimony has truly grown every time
I leave their home. What a wonderful family!
Well,
after a few weeks of waiting, we were finally able to hold the baptism for Alej
and Fernd. Not many members came, so we had to call the Elders at the last
minute to be the witnesses, but their family was able to come and it was really
beautiful! The boys got up and bore their testimonies. They didn’t really know
how to bear a testimony, so I just told them to tell us what they felt like.
They said, “cold” and that it “felt like a lifetime.” Alejandro said he is
really grateful for us for teaching them and helping them get to this point. What
a great day! I felt even more for these boys because, with our other baptisms,
they hadn’t felt like they had any sins, but with Ferns, afterwards he said he
felt so free and clean and that he’s going to try his very hardest to stay that
way. What a testimony builder of baptism and the cleansing effect it has. I
just want to baptize all of Bolivia!
 |
| Baptism for Alejandro and Fernando |
Christmas
is Coming!
As
you can see in the picture, we are really excited for Christmas—or at least a
little excited to open our gifts. We made a tree and hung our stockings and are
listening to Christmas music every day. Yes, I know, Dad, “it isn’t even
Thanksgiving yet,” but they don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here, so on to
Christmas! (Randy tries hard to enforce
his policy that we enjoy Thanksgiving before we start celebrating Christmas—a
hot debate between him and the girls every year. I actually think they just
enjoy bugging him! Preparing for Christmas piano recitals usually gives them a
pretty good excuse to start in October.)
 |
| Christmas Gifts Under Our "Tree" |
Quotes
I’ve
been reading the Liahona from General Conference (Nov. 2012). It’s the one
where President Monson made the new age announcement and there are many great
quotes in it that I wanted to share.
"I’m
a Mormon. I know it. I live it. I love it." Ann M. Dibb
"The
decision to serve a mission will shape the spiritual destiny of the missionary,
his or her spouse, and their posterity for generations to come." Elder
Russell M. Nelson
"It’s
not a race, it’s a journey, enjoy the moment." President Dieter F.
Uchtdorf
"Follow
the Savior and work with diligence to become the person you were designed to
become." President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
"Act
and Live consistently in what you believe." M. Russell Ballard
Thanks
again for all!
XOXO
Hermana
Nelson
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