Elder Nelson with Pres & Sis Darrington

Elder Nelson with Pres & Sis Darrington
Just after Mike got to Florida

Sunday, November 21, 2010

15 November 2010

This past week was good- it had its highs and lows. One of my gators, Josh, was baptized yesterday- that was exciting.

We found a few interesting people to teach, one guy named Rolando is pretty cool. He is very observant and pays attention to the little things we say and do. He was going to be a pro boxer but he was hit by a car and it destroyed his leg, so he lost his endorsement. We told him that that could have happened for a reason. He didn't want to believe that at first, but now he is thinking that we are right. His life may have turned for the worst if he went pro- he wouldn't be listing to us, that's likely.

This ward is good with missionary work from what I have seen so far. Elder Zuniga made it sound like this ward was awful at it but compaired to other ward I have been in this place is great. They even have a missionary class that members go to. Elder Z and I taught that one yesterday. We went over teaching the restoration in a minute, for those times when you just meet some one or when you don't have much time to talk to them- basically, keeping it simple.

We will be eating at the Dawson's for thankgiving. They are a cool family. I met them once before, so I'm excited for it.

Elder Z has been trying to catch a squirrel for a while now to put in the other missionaries' bathroom, because one of them, Elder Brown, hates squirrels. Elder Z has a squirl call to get them close so he can catch them. This one time he was using it and this cat came out of no where and attacked him before it realized that he wasn't a squirrel... I laughed and laughed... it was very funny, but no squirrel.

So instead we found dead fish to put in their toilet.

Love,

Elder Nelson

Thursday, March 4, 2010

3/1/10: A Little Blurb From Elder Nelson

My year mark is about here and it has just crawled theses past few weeks, because people keep reminding me about it. I got my "your over the hump" Camel the other day and that was weird. I remember seeing people get that a year ago and thinking to my self: it will take forever to get to that point, but now I'm here. I'm just tripping about what my last week will be like...

Thursday, January 21, 2010

18 January 2010

18 January 2010
Dear Family,
Well I was hoping that Kim would be able to come home this past week, but not yet I guess. She was so lucky she was out of it for the kidney stone. Elder Barney, my last companion, had one due to his large consumption of Mountain Dew and he told me it was the most pain he has ever been in his whole life. And he has experienced many different kinds of pain- he has broken many bones and also had a kidney removed. He would take the broken bones over the stone any time.
Have they said when she will be able to come home? When will they start her next Chemo round? This will be her last one -thank goodness. I'm so very thankful that she has been able to make through this, she is so incredibly strong and Iron willed.
So I'm in my new area, called New Smyrna Beach. My new address is:

958 Village Trail
Apt #304
Port Orange, FL 32127

This is an interesting area, it will take a while to get used to. Brother Holmquist took me to meet Elder Peterson, my companion, in Melbourn- then we drove back North to the area which is in the Deland Stake and Zone. The apt is actuality the biggest one I have had so far, but it is still a two man. This is my 3rd area and I still haven't had the chance to experience a 4 man.
This area was a mess when I got here. It seemed that the Elders in the past thought they were on a vacation. And the apt itself was trashed. One of the first things I did in this area was go on a cleaning rampage. It was disgusting- garbage everywhere, but now it’s nice and clean. The dish washer was busted, too, so I spent a while fixing that till it was up and running again.
To answer your question about our pool of ‘gaters… when I left my last area I left it in much better shape than I found, with lot of people for the Elders to work with. Looks like I will have to do the same here. There are two ‘gaters in this area. I met the first one a few days ago and the first thing done was giving her a baptismal date for the 30th of January- but it needs to be pushed back till the 6th of February because of stake conference. The other has a smoking addition that we need to help him get over.
Elder Peterson is from San Diego and loves video games. He has also read some of the books I have gone through so it makes for good conversation.
The Daytona 500 is coming up in a few weeks, and I am right next to the speedway so I might get to see some of that or at least hear it.
I hope Kim comes home soon so you can have Christmas, it will be one to remember that's for sure. I wish I could be there, too. And I could be: all you have to do is get a large cardboard cut-out of me, with added bulging muscles of course, then I won’t ever leave!
I love you all so much more and more every day, and am so thankful to my Heavenly Father for all the progress Kim has made.

Love,
Elder Nelson

11 January 2010

January 11, 2010

Wow it was great to hear from Kim. Wow.
She gets to go home, after all the trials all the support all the problems and all the love. She gets to come home again, YES!
Man It feels so weird not being there to experience all of this. I got the long end of the stick this time. I hope that my mission will benefit you all in the hard times. Man Kim, you are making me lose all my hair too!
Well I got a call from President on Saturday. I was right- I’m getting transferred to the Deland Zone. My new area is called New Smyrna Beach, and my comp will be Elder Peterson- he was in my zone in Hunters Creek.
Elder Barney is very sad that I am leaving- he is just as worried as I was when Miller left. He will do fine. He is getting a good companion who he is bigger than Barney is to so he will keep him in line. I’m leaving this area better than I found it. We have a pool of many ‘gaters and have a few baptisms coming up. I hope I will be able to go to them. I’m sad to leave this area- there are a few members here I’m really going to miss. And there will be Elders I won’t ever see again ether. But I guess that’s why we have Facebook, right Kim?
Well it snowed a bit on Saturday… wait, hold on a sec... yeah. It snowed a bit on Saturday. It was pretty cold and we were on bikes that week. No gloves, and it was hailing too- ouchy! But we were blessed for it: we found 3 new’ gaters, one of which is very positive. His name is Leo- he’s from India. Yeah… so I never thought I would see snow in Florida- at least not on my mission. But yeah, I did- crazy. I loved it! Soon it will be back up in the 90s. It hasn’t been this cold for this long in 10 years I think.
I went to the Temple again on Friday with the Bairs. It was great- I wish we could go more than every 3 months. But I’m glad that I can go at least that often. They took us out to eat afterward at a Mexican place with tasty burritos... which we ate on the way home in their car, so it got a little messy.
We set some new goals as a mission with the top result being 100 baptisms a month and 1200 a year, which is a new, new stake. That’s the goal… let’s see if we can do it.
How is your Book of Mormon reading? You should do what I’m doing and mark in red every time you see Christ talked about, or anything he says. I have found about 5000 so far, it makes reading more interesting and personal I think.
I love you all I am so glad that Kim can come home again I hope that she continues to improve.
I will let you know my new address next week, and tell you about my new area.
I hope you all have a wonderful new week.


Love,
Elder Nelson