CUY

Dear Family,                                                                                                                         

Well this is it, last Monday after we wrote home, the zone leaders read us the transfer sheet. Drum Roll Please.....the whole zone stayed less one from a triple that was a temporary in the mission. Nobody will ever again get the fateful call to the jungle because the mission divides on July 1, and transfers next are July 30. I´ll never know the jungle, but the cool news is, in the jungle they don´t eat cuy (guinea pig) they eat monkey and bugs and turtle instead, but this week I had cuy. It´s a lot like pork but with kind of a natural seasoning to it that makes it a little more savory.  It was so good and the sister even showed me the head in a bowl, cue the ewww from Melissa ;) I had a foot still attached to mine, but it was fried pretty good, so the meat around the achilles was tender. Haha alright that’s all the gross I’ll give you, but really its super good.

I received the package last Thursday, about 2 and a half weeks right? Thanks soooo much for everything, I am cherishing each part and writing a bit for those in the ward who wrote me notes.

Elder Gaibor and Elder Nelson help cook
cow heart kabobs and entrails

I´m so glad to hear trek was a variety of experiences once again. My memories of the trek are all inspirational and teach me that I can do hard things no matter what might come my way. Those experiences prepare the young men for missions and the young women for missions or college or being a mom. That can be tough too, and we don´t give moms enough credit.  Mother’s day here is like New Year’s, its huge and theres festivals everywhere, that’s how it should be worldwide really.

This week is the second to last week of preparation for a triple baptism of primary and youth aged converts. Daniel is still having a few troubles with scary issues, but he is finally going to get baptized after wanting to for 3 years. He´s taught me a lot about the power of perseverance.  If we make an effort constantly, if we are anxiously engaged in a good work, it doesn´t matter how long we have to try, the Lord will reward us according to our faith. Narda is a dry Mormon, she turns 10 in a couple of months, and she has been coming to church with her grandparents for a year or two. She shows me the positive power of good grandparents, like the ones that I have. Thank you so much Grandma Nelson and Grandma and Grandpa Anderson, you´ve all been the best a grandson could ask for. Keep on being good members an honoring your covenants. Briseyra turns 10 today, and she has had a tough go of it already. When her grandparents moved out of the city, her aunts and uncles and her mom (single mother) all pretty much went inactive and her uncles started to drink once in a while. She shows the maturity of someone more like 13 or 14 years old, but she’s only 10. She is personally helping her mom to reactivate in the church and that’s incredible to me. They all get baptized on the 29th by relatives or friends in the church after having received their missionary lessons. 

Other than that, we have had really great experiences the past few weeks with references. For example we had mission correlation meeting with the bishop in our ward and as part of it we explained how we are trying to work with less active members in order to complete their families and also gain references from them. The bishop right there gave us 5 names of people who have been baptized, gone inactive and now have spouses or children that aren´t baptized. He had two or three more names even as we were closing the meeting. Pray for names to come to you for the missionaries, It´s so important I can´t even express how much for us to share the gospel with everyone. This week we visited one of the families and this week the kids went to church. The husband isn´t a member, but wants to change his life. He has a baptismal date for next month. I have been writing a lot more detailed in my journal, so really my journal and these letters will end up being companion volumes that show in parts my testimony of the mission work. First, that Jesus is the Christ, the living son of God, and that he has paid for our sins whether we accept Him or not. Second that the Atonement is more profound, more extensive than we will ever ever know. Third, that the family is the most important thing you can ever develop, and more valuable than all of the work or friends or "fun" anyone could ever have. This gospel is the only way that we can return to live with our Father again and remain happily forever with our families.

I love you all, I pray for you daily, I hope that my experiences her in the mission benefit you spiritually and that the blessings are forthcoming for each of you.

Love Elder Nelson

PS Read the Book of Mormon this week, I don´t know why but that´s really really important for me to write.