Peru - Nov. 10th, 2010

FAMILIA!!!!!

How is everyone doing?? It sounds like you guys are staying busy and
having a lot of fun! I can´t believe it´s November already! How was
Kyle´s Birthday? I hope it was a good one! I was thinking about him
all day! Kori wrote me and told me she was pregnant! YAY!!! I´m going
to pray every day that that baby girl is born on my birthday and not a
day before or after! Yes it´s going to be a girl! :) Brandi´s wedding
sounds like it was perfect! Of course! And she is going to be pregnant
very soon also! I´ll pray for you too Brandi! haha It sounds like work
is picking up! That´s good! But don´t work too hard Dad! So my new
companion is so so sweet and I love her to death! Her name is Hna.
Matute from Iquitos Peru! She is 24 and she delivers babies! She is a
little mother hen and takes care of all of us! She is so loving and
happy and she is such a blessing to me! And she is an AMAZING teacher!
I love being able to teach with her! Yesterday we had a practice
lesson with Hno. Loli, a former 70 and his wife and the situation was
they were very religious and prayed to the Virgin Mary and anyway she
asked how he felt about Jesus Christ and he said if I was there when
Christ lived I wouldn´t have fallen asleep in the Garden. I would have
helped Him carry the cross. WOW. We both couldn´t say anything because
we were crying. It was so amazing. I feel the same way. I am so so
grateful for the Atonement and I wish I could have been there to help
carry the burden. But all I can do now is do everything I can to make
that suffering worth while. I can do my part to be obedient, to repent
and keep my covenants and I can do all I can to bring the Gospel to
others. I´m so excited to get to Quito and to see the changes the
Gospel will bring to people´s lives. I´m grateful for the opportunity
I have to live the life of the Savior for a while. To serve others and
to help them on the path to eternal life. But I also get to feel a
little fraction of the pains and sorrows he felt. We watched a talk by
Elder Holland and he talked about being a representative of Jesus
Christ and he said that meant also having to step onto the path
leading to Gethsemane. What we will feel is only a teeny tiny fraction
of what he felt but we still have to feel it. He said Salvation is not
a cheap experience and that´s why it has to be hard. It is hard but I
know it will be worth it. I know I will be a better person because of
it. I will be able to understand the Atonement better that I ever have
or ever would have if I didn´t come on a mission. And I know no matter
what happens, no matter how low I get, He will always be by my side.
And I will never be put through something I can´t handle. Thank you
for all of your thoughts and prayers! You guys mean the world to me.
Thank you for all that you do for me so that I can be here and be
learning and growing in ways I never thought possible! You guys are
amazing!
xoxoxXo
Love forever and always,
Hna. Nelson