A Miracle for Roxana and Pablo

Missionary Work makes Elder Nelson feel on top of the world!

Magdelena District

Dear Familia,

We are definitely all excited to get to work on all of the people that Brother Bagley sent us. His area is now two or possibly three wards and 6 missionaries, who will all have their hands full looking for addresses and phone numbers for these people in the old church records. The bishop told me yesterday that there was a bishop about 10 years ago that wen through MLS and purged a bunch of names from the list. Sabe porque? There were about 1300 names on the records from the ward but there were only 180 attending on a regular basis. What happened is that the names and data all went into a giant binder of old registers of baptisms and converts. Then over the years, someone lost the binder. Right now they are looking for the binder so we can look for these people (what was the nickname for the area?) Transfers are today and I will know after writing home whether I go or stay. I love these people and this ward and I honestly can´t imagine myself serving my mission among any other people, so this change will definitely be hard if I have to go.

As for my birthday, we´re only September right now...do I have to think about that so soon? Every once in a while I think of something I might like to have but then I forget because it’s really not necessary and might even be a pain to have to carry it around for the whole mission. My present for now will be that our stake-slash-regional conference will be presided over by the first presidency...or so they say. It’s a satellite broadcast so we´ll see if it’s true. I sincerely hope so, every time we have a special speaker or conference I leave it so edified so excited and happy, but more than anything refreshed. 

The wedding won´t be until September 28th, and Roxana and Pablo are getting married. The story for their miracle (every investigator is entitled to a miracle whether they recognize it or not) is really good. Like a typical Peruvian couple, they aren’t married but have lived together for years, but they aren’t each other’s first partner...that’s actually incredibly sad to me, marriage is so important and don´t a one of you forget it. Part of the marriage papers for the Comas area or county is a medical certificate, we were preparing them for a masivo there, so they went to the posta to get their medical checkup. He found out he has syphilis, but here’s the catch, she and her unborn baby don´t even though they have been living together, 100% faithful for 3 years. That’s a miracle, miracle number two is that it’s still treatable because they caught it super early. They thanked us for helping them start to prepare for their marriage, and recognized it as a miracle from a loving God. We went with them to the municipality to do all the paperwork for this county San Juan de Lurigancho this week, so it’s a sure thing they’ll get married.

  

We work with a group of about 4 or 5 families that we are teaching, as well as recent converts and less actives. We make 100 street contacts every week, 50 of which need to be hombres mayores, or capable of having a family (18+) at home. As far as the people I have contact with, the bishop in this ward is only home off the mission for 9 years, and the pensionistas family is great too, with half the high council (one is only 24, but he’s a high council member  They are a great help as well as the young men’s leader and the young men in the ward. I never did my own laundry here, we hire a lady in the ward to do that, and she does it all by hand...my shirts have never been this white haha. I make my own breakfast, all with the water kettle that I bought, it’s an electric, so we have oatmeal and hot chocolate or yogurt and cereal and yogurt. It’s all pretty healthy stuff. 

Thanks for all the support that you send my way, it all makes a great difference. I received a letter from Jessica Bagley, the wedding announcement and a dear elder from Sister Grimmett this past week. 
Braden and Ashley look great and happy :)

I love you all, and hope this letter finds you well and studying the gospel, it’s the ONLY way!

Love,

Elder Nelson

*also ask Braden about a family Gandara y family segovia from Pachuca...i think he served there right? There’s two elders here from there.