Dear
Family,
So much news from you
all this week! It feels a little like the day after fast Sunday after
last week’s letter. Also a warning, I’m on the computer with problems with the
letter t again, so please excuse that.
First a little bit of
an experience. We have been working with a family of Catholics recently, Juan
and Maritza. They have been investigating for 5 months, and waiting all 5 for a
copy of Maritza´s birth certificate to come through the system so they can get
married. Well this Saturday will be a massive marriage and this
Saturday will be a massive baptism. That means three different zones will
have all of their couples married in the morning and baptized in the evening.
It´s going to be really sweet to see all of the couples making this decision
for their families and starting their paths to the temple. The only problem is
that if you don´t have a couple to marry, you don´t attend. Maritzas
certificate still hasn’t come and so it’s getting kind of close. Please pray
that it arrives in time. They want to get married and are willing to live the commandments
of the church it’s just that the adversary works really really hard when we
start to do things right. Her older daughter (22) even made the decision on her
own to attend church even though it means quitting her job she has right now.
That is huge. She has really struggled with giving us time to visit because she
only rests one day a week and this decision means she won’t work for a while.
She also has a pretty Catholic boyfriend who she wants to move forward towards
marriage with, but she knows that the temple blessings wouldn´t apply if he
doesn´t join as well, and he doesn’t really have an interest. She’s showing a
lot of faith right now, and Satan has been attacking the health of their
extended family ever since they started to really progress.
We´ve decided to
change our room to the first floor of a house that is owned by an abuela of a
missionary bound for Spain. Every week in our current room, our neighbors above
have one or two parties, and it always seems to fall on a day when we have to get
up early to hacer tramites for Elder Arce´s visa or go collect investigators
for church. It will be a little smaller, but definitely quieter (he beds
are on the interior of the home) and so I’m glad for the move. It’s also like
kity corner from the church, so it’s really convenient for meetings and
baptisms and such. She and her husband aren’t members, so there’s also that
kind of built in investigator deal. It´s been approved by the zone leaders so
we will start moving in a week or two.
In answer to dad´s
questions about pensionistas:
They don´t clean or
cook for us, but we do give our clothes to the president of the relief society
for cleaning. She doesn´t iron, but usually if I have worn the shirt for an
hour of study it doesn´t need it because everything is handwashed and then hung
dried. A pensionista provides breakfast and dinner, nothing more, but sometimes
doubles as the sister who washes the clothes and in extreme cases (the
neighboring ward) also cuts your hair for free. I’m just a touch jealous haha.
Elder Arce is just 8 months older than me, more or less. He had his birthday
the 2nd of May. We get plenty from the mission to cover our needs and also a
churro now and then. I am using the skills you taught me about how to use money
responsibly, and it comes as a surprise to the other missionaries when I have
plata left at the end of the month. They all think I will be the next financial
secretary, but really it’s just common budgeting with envelopes.
I don´t have to use
the flea collars, but I use the bed cover. Bugs aren’t really a problem in the
city, just cockroaches and cleanliness. We get a bottle of hand sanitizer every
transfer and I use it constantly. The water isn’t safe to drink unless boiled,
but we have big water cooler jugs in our room so we have safe water. The only
time I used the bug spray was for the zoo just in case, but that wasn’t really
necessary. If in three weeks I go to the jungle, then I will need to use all of
it haha.
I carry my DNI
everywhere, which is my ID and it can’t be stolen electronically. I carry it in
my scripture bag, so no I don´t have to use the passport holder. In fact, my
passport is with the office right now, I think they keep it until after my
mission, which I actually prefer, it’s more secure there, and I don’t have to
worry about it.
The weather does
change here, like a swing of 15 or 20 degrees when it’s a cloudy day, but it’s
actually refreshing to me to be honest. For air conditioning most just open a
window or use a pedestal fan. For heating they buy a big can of propane and
hook it up to the house. I think the sore throat I’ve developed this week is
the result of air quality and the temperature change, but I really don’t know,
usually it’s just in the morning so I gargle well and I am cutting sugar as
best I can to get rid of it.
I would love to get
some photos of the house at spring time or even of the temple. People like to
know how we live and the concept of houses separated by space is a little
foreign to them...yeah that’s where the phrase comes from :)
I am loving my
mission, and every day is different. Sometimes it can be frustrating, but I am
learning and writing so many things that will help me to be the person that I
aim to become. Always have goals that you want to complete in the next month,
and year. Dad I love hearing how your business is progressing, things like that
didn’t interest me as much as they do now that I am further away. It’s cool to
hear what’s going on with each of you in that way. I am learning that as we turn
outwards, others turn to us. We had a great experience doing service for a
neighboring area his week, delivering clothes for the impending cold (I write
cold but really it’s still hot during the day sometimes, mostly it’s at night)
to the families who live on the hills. They are all so grateful for whatever
they can get to keep their kids clothed during the winter and more than willing
to give us their contact information in return. The missionaries of that area
will be visiting each family with a message this month and we return to parcel
out the rest of the clothes on Wednesday this week.
I love you all and
want to say how proud I am of your examples. The photos I have of you all have
been especially useful this week in showing families how my family is in all
different areas of service ion the church but that we all are happy in what we
do and the lives we lead. I am out of time, but I love you all!
Love,
Elder Nelson
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