Prayers Answered

Nativity at the Lima Temple

Nativity at the Lima Temple

Dear Family,                                                                                                                           

  

The first thing I wanted to do was apologize for last week’s letter. Things can get really stressed in the mission, and I guess it all just finally hit a boiling point. I left the internet cabin thinking "what a terrible letter, I felt really negative the whole time writing it", and I hope it didn’t affect you too much.

Elder Nelson and Papa Noel

Last Monday I participated in a miracle. We left internet and walked back to our area to save money, it’s about a 25 minute walk, but nothing too difficult other than that it is hot and sunny and I don´t like sweating haha. Well we got back to our room eventually and prepped our things to go eat lunch, but through a series of events we ended up in our room until dinner at 6. I didn´t like wasting the time, but that´s just how it went. Elder Viza sometimes has problems and so we ended up trying to help him out all day. (ps before I forget, he doesn´t speak English, like at all, and he will be calling Arequipa on Christmas)(Arequipa is the Texas of Peru, they tried to secede one time and it didn’t work out, and now about everyone makes fun of it. They use all white building materials and so the city is called the white city, they also live in the shadow of a volcano, kind of like Johnsons Ridge to Mt. Saint Helens, but more in the direct path if it ever wakes up fully for an eruption)

Bien, so we left the house an went to dinner, but that’s when I realized I didn’t have my USB card that is full of all the pictures of the mission and a few select letters that might help me through hard times when they come. It had to be back in the internet cabin, which we had left approx.7 hours before. Yep, so I asked the zone leaders if we could head back to the internet place to check for my drive. They basically said don´t hope for anything but sure if you’d like go back. I had been walking with a prayer in my heart hoping for a miracle the whole time. We took the bus back to the internet cafe and I asked the attendant if anyone had turned in a USB card. (The other two men at the counter looked at me pretty incredulously) she checked and said no, but then I asked if I could revisit the cabin, and she shrugged sure why not. I went to the cabin and lo and behold, my USB drive had been plugged in, visibly to this computer for 7 hours, and nobody had stolen it. I was audibly surprised and thanking my Father for listening  to my prayers all the way home.

Wednesday we will talk at 6 PM Lima time. I can´t wait to talk to you and see how much you´ve changed and the things that have happened to you all during this almost one year in Peru. 

A scripture for this time in the world that I read this morning: Jacob 5 61, 71-77 Its incredible to know that this time is prophesied and that we are literally known in a book older than anything else I´ve ever touched.

I´ve been writing what I thought were Christmas letters for  bunch of people, but now that I think about it, I will probably send them within a couple of weeks and they will arrive at February or March. It’s just that I have to save up letters to send so that I don´t pay too much to send them one by one. Just know that I am thinking of you all a lot and that I do have letters for you :)

Beatriz and Slander's wedding

Hna Beatriz got married this last weekend, which was a big step to her conversion and repentance. What she really lacks is that she has a few more spiritual experiences and that she really feel that the church is true. Her dad feels sad and demonstrates it to her that she is leaving the faith (Catholic) that he raised her in and choosing a different path. Her mom is a lot more accepting and only really wants to see her be happy.  We had a ward Christmas activity this last weekend as well, on the same day as the wedding and we went to see the play acting of each organization. Each organization was supposed to come up with  a short story to demonstrate the Christmas spirit and also prepare a hymn or musical number. That went really well, but we ended up having to leave early to make it to an appointment with Beatriz. 

Our Zone and Papa Noel

The stake did a Christmas activity and the elders and sisters served as ushers. We had a section of seats reserved for "amigos de ña iglesia” (church friends) and we gave out Books of Mormon and Liahonas at the end. The program consisted of the YSA choir singing an entire concert navideña (Christmas concert) and certain bishops and council members giving short testimonies of Christmas. It was really well done and as a zone of 7 wards we were able to bring more than 100 nonmembers to the activity. We know that probably about 20% will be baptized within the next few weeks due to the preparation of the activity.

Well that’s about all the time I have, it will be great to talk to you on Wednesday and really communicate well. Sometimes it’s hard to organize my thoughts in an email, especially now that I don´t have too much time in the nights to write in my journal and solidify things. That’s really turned into a source of de-stressifying for me, being able to write in my journal. 

I love you all, I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas, that you remember why it is that we celebrate this time of year and that you feel the love of He who came for each of us.

Love,

Elder Nelson