Wednesday, February 20, 2013

JOY


Elder Nelson and former Elder Nelson
at the Provo Temple just prior to entering the MTC
Dear Familia                                                                                February 20, 2013

Thanks so much for all the support I know you are giving throuh prayers and through letters and packages. Yes Mom I received the package without any issues. I was thinking about how I really only have 7 months of razor blades, so maybe I will just send those back to you when I leave and they will be there when I get home. Also the snacks are perfect as my district is in the temple on P-day morning at 6:50 and so we don't get breakfast, so that was what my companion and I had. My companion’s name is Elder Cazier, he is from Logan Utah. There’s a lot more details in my first letter home, but I will tell you that he is super strong in the spirit, he was called as district leader and he is about 8 inches taller than me. (Pictures to come when I remember to bring my cord to the computer lab.) Our district bonded really fast and really well. About 8 are from Utah and 2 or 4 from other places. I am the only one going to Peru, the rest go to Argentina, California, and Chile. I’ve seen lots of Tri-City people and my teacher knows roomie Brent from his classes at school.  Everything seems pretty settled in our room and schedule, but that could all get tossed up in the air if I get my visa. My little card when I came in said I was expected to leave on the 19th, which was yesterday, so I guess it's just wait and see. I don't know any other Peruanos in my zone or elsewhere in the MTC, so I'll take that as a good sign that they usually don’t stay long.

I got Melissa’s dearelder last night, and loved the update on the world of sports that she’s immersed herself in. Melissa I love you and I'm proud of how you choose to keep your standards high.

I promise I won't skinny dip in the Amazon, really! I'm doing really well with my Spanish and I know that I wouldn’t be as successful as I am right now if it weren’t for the blessings of the spirit that I was given by Dad and President Powell. Thank you so much Dad for being a righteous priesthood holder, I guess I’m finally realizing how much that means to a family, especially in the eternities. I'm grateful for the way our family is set up to be eternal and I loved when Braden and I talked about being a team and not letting anyone of us get left behind because of a lack of effort in fellowshipping.

Kolby, I know that you are determined to be righteous on your own. I love you and the quiet example you show to everyone. Keep being that example and it will serve you, even when you get to the mission field. Even in the MTC, there are elders who don't quite understand the dignity of a quiet example.

Mom, thank you so much for being there for me as I prepared on the final approach to my mission. I love you! My valentines package made me teary eyed and I probably will keep the foam backed ones and a few of the other special ones to remind me that Valentines can be about how we love the Lord and he loves us in a way that we can't even fully comprehend yet.

I hope everything is going really well there, the one dearelder from Pamela Nelson I think is one I will be taking back to the mail office because I really don't think that Mom sent it. (I wrote about that in my paper letter home).

I love this Gospel and the blessings that it gives to us. As I was being set apart and blessed by dad and everything leading up to my mission I felt like the one word other than Spanish that stood out to me was JOY. Then when I got here, I learned that word near to the first one I learned. To have true joy is to be with your family in the celestial kingdom. When I walked into the celestial room of the temple today I could picture what it was like on my first time, seeing all of the family and friends who had come to be there on my first. That’s what real joy is. It's living righteously enough to live with your family forever. It's being obedient to every command that the Father has for us. I hope that that’s a goal for all of us.

I hope I didn’t miss anything to write about as I wind down. I love you all and pray for you often. Tell grandma I’ve been safe so far and that the blessings that families receive when missionaries are out extend to her too!
 
With Love and Joy,

Elder Nelson

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