This Should Make Y'all Smile

¿Mbae cha pa? Wow it sounds like yall had quite the week!!! So much for our quiet lil cul-de-sac! That is insane! Haha I was laughing so hard when I was reading that whole story, because I was just picturing how scared yall must have been and remembering how scared we were that one time when Lucky was barking like crazy. Pobrecitas! Haha but I'm glad everything's ok and that no one was actually in our house! Ok and Ty is a stupbrain (man I haven't used that word in forever but it just came to me lol) like he didn't write! And I didn't get anybody's blogs post this week (Angela, Alisa or Ty..so I don't know if that's because they didn't have any or what). And ah man Nick is on his way to Russia!!! Sis. Andersen are you freaking out?! Haha. Ok and mom I want to see a picture of the scrapbooking room with the wood table! Oh man and gracias gracias gracias a mis abuelos por el paquete. Estoy muy muy muy animada! Es perfecto y estoy animada a recibirlo...y mi compañera tambien! Ha ok I have a funny story! So there's this lady that has a son who's 18 years old and bueno she just loves me for some reason. And we went to her house the other day and she was there with her sister and her mom, and we walked in and she was just so excited. And she was like “look at my beautiful nuera (daughter in law), she's rubia (blonde) and she's Americana...and she just loves Romu (her son).” I was like wow, what in the world and my companion was laughing hysterically. And then she explains to her mom who I am in guarani (and her mom is like 80ish years old) and she just looks at me and gets so excited. And then she asked me if I know how to cook and wash clothes. Ha I was like...yes... and she was like perfect because you'll be cooking for me and washing my clothes. Haha cri cri (awkward) no it was so funny, and I was like ha no thank you. Lol and then later that week we're in a cita (lesson) and then we here her (se llama Baldomera) and she starts talking to the people we were with and telling them that I was going to marry her handsome son and how perfect I am and blah blah blah. And then we went to talk to her and she was like, look there he is! So churro, go talk to him! Lol the lady is crazy, but SO FUNNY! We just laugh everytime we're with her. Y otra historia...we were doing contacts the other night and we were talking to these girls and then this man pulled up on his bike, and started telling me how beautiful I am and asked me if I would marry him. Lol oh Paraguay! It is so fun. I'm going to miss all that when I go back to the states lol. It's not everyday that people tell you how beautiful you are and ask you to marry them. Love it. Ok and Emilio just a lil stud. The last two Sundays he's broughten (ha I don't know if that's a word) friends with him to church. He's such a lil missionary! Ok and one more story; I don't know if I've ever even told you about Alcides, but we have been teaching Alcides por casi dos meses and he is just a stud. He loves reading the Book of Mormon and going to church and he's such a missionary. He's always telling his friends about the church and reading to them parts of the Book of Mormon. It's awesome because there have been a couple of different times when we're contacting or finding around where he lives and people will be like oh yeah, "Alcides goes to your church and he's invited me a couple times" or "yeah I've heard of the Book of Mormon, Alcides was telling me about it". Que misionero, ¿verdad? Everything about him is just golden but for some reason he does not want to get baptized. He would just say over and over how he didn't want to, he didn't have the deseos (desires). He knows that the Book of Mormon is true and that the church is true and that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God and everything, but for some reason he just does not want to get baptized. We decided to go ahead and do the baptismal interview anyway and had the elders come for a surprise one day. Turns out he had a problem with question 4 and so he had to have an interview withPresident Wade, and after his interview Pres. Wade said he's worthy to be baptized. But even after that he still said he didn't want to! My companion and I didn't know what more we could do and then we decided we should fast. We went to his house the next day and he was the same as always; happy, wanting to share what he had read from the Book of Mormon, but still lacking the deseos to be baptized and even said, "How will yall understand, that I just don't want to be baptized?". Ah we were just at a loss for what to say, near tears, and just decided to testify one more time. After we testified he grabbed his Book of Mormon, read a scripture, and excused himself. About 5 minutes later he came back and invited us to his baptism for this Friday! What?!! Ahh it was such a miracle and tender mercy from the Lord. I'm so excited for him. He told us the next day, I'm going to get baptized because it's a commandment of the Lord. Wow. What faith. Sometimes there are times in our lives when we just don't understand why we have to do certain things, but we do it anyways because it's a commandment of the Lord. Ah I love this gospel. The church is so true. And there is so much power in the Book of Mormon! Alcides is 20 years old and he wants to go on a mission too! If he goes through the temple in a year, I might just have to extend my mission so I can go through with him! Puede ser! Love yall so much! Please drop the cane on Ty for not writing...there are no excuses for that! I hope your week isn't too crazy this week! Be safe. I'm praying for yall!!

Love,

Hermanita Nelson

April 19, 2010

HOla!!! First off, I got Keri’s wedding invitation in the mail…SO CUTE! And I also got a letter from Sister Tenney which I was not expecting and was such a nice surprise! And haha she told me something very interesting…she said they saw a couple the other night…one on a bike and the other one jogging and turns out that it was mom and dad. WHAT?!!!! Haha I was shocked. Bien hecho!!! Lol that’s so awesome. Also I got a letter from the Batchelor’s which was also an awesome surprise and their new lil baby is so so cute and I really appreciate their love and testimonies! And also another one from Flora! And I think that Annika should be getting her mission call soon, so I want to hear where she goes! And also, mom I am getting Ty’s blog posts, so thank you! Speaking of Ty… ha I love his shpills of inspiration because it reminds me of being in the MTC; which is really one of the most spiritual places next to the temple! But I love lil inspirational thoughts because it gives me the animo to seguir adelante cada semana! But tambien, Ty we need MORE DETAILS PLEASE! And ahh I’m really excited about the oatmeal and hot chocolate! (even though it has been really really hot again this past week…but by the time I get the package it will be perfect!!!) And ok gracias a Sis. Brann…chulina!!! Lol that’s soo cute! Ah and so did yall end up having your game night? Haha games are the best! And Alisa I’m impressed with your skills…the pillows turned out super cute!! And that’s way tyte that you’re going to start the bow website..I want to see pictures of your cute bows! And thanks for sharing the homecoming talk with me; that was really good! Ok woooh! Now this week, lol I don’t know what the deal is but the people do now want to be baptized! Pedrito’s mom said no because they don’t want him to make a decision now that he will regret later. But he’s such a lil stud and always wants to go to church and his lil sister has gone with us 3 times now too and ha I love going and sharing with them… just picture this: every time we pass by their house they always scream out to us “hermanas hermanas” and we go in and they bring out all their lil chairs (that are all half broken or like the size of those lil tiny chairs we have in our back yard that are like for 2 year olds) and they have this lil swing set that’s like falling apart but that has two lil chairs and we all sit down and they all want to talk to us and get our attention (there’s usually about 6 or more) and they love the song, “I Am A Child of God” and Pedrito memorized it like the 2nd time we were there and all the kids are trying to memorize it. Ah that song has taken on a whole new meaning for me as a missionary! Because we sing it I don’t know how many times in one day because it’s usually our investigators favorite, it doesn’t matter how old they are. Soy un hijo de Dios. And we usually sing that when we contact people…because bueno about 85% of the time people are just sitting outside in front of their houses drinking terrere and just chillin, so we enter in y cantar (and sing) that song and then just testify that we are really children of God and that we have a purpose here in the earth and that God has given us the gospel to help us learn and prepare to live in his presence otra vez and then invite them to church. It’s really fun and the people just love the songs and about everyone let’s us in…ha and then there are those few who are like “otro dia” or no thanks we already have our religion, we’re catholics…and we’re like ha all we want to do is sing a song. Lol the mission is great! Last night we had dinner at Justino’s with the other hermanas (Hna Case y Garcia) and a couple of our friends from the ward (Jose y Gladys and Manu). It’s so funny because you know when you’re out camping and you camp over a bonfire…yeah that’s how a lot of Paraguayos cook everyday. It’s so crazy, how different things are. But these people are just so awesome and I just love them so much! It makes me really appreciate living in the states and I just wish I could bring them all back with me and help them and show them a better way of life pero asi es. And like then you have Manu and Emilio who are just studs! Their testimonies of the gospel are so strong and they would give anything to go on a mission and share with others the restored gospel but they don’t have the means sufficient enough to do it. Really they are just like the 2000 strippling warriors. It was so cute because Emilio started a new job a couple weeks ago and so last Sunday he didn’t go to church because he had to work and then we went by this week and he told us he quit his job because he knew that he shouldn’t be working on Sundays but he didn’t know how they would get by and his mom wanted him to be working and she doesn’t understand why he doesn’t want to work on Sundays because bueno she doesn’t like the church or us… but that he prayed for help and that he knows the Lord will help him and that they’ll be able to get by. So cute. And it’s always so awesome to go to his house and talk to him because he always shares scriptures with us that he’s found and then just bears such a powerful testimony! And he’s about half way done with the Book of Mormon. How cool is that!! Ahh and it was so cute yesterday because somebody was like ahh who are the missionaries that baptized Emilio because he is such a guapo and already knows so much and has such a strong testimony. Wow, I just feel so blessed to be a part of his conversion. Ha I know it wasn’t anything I did, but I was able to be there and watch the changes in his life! The gospel changes lives! It’s the most amazing thing. I just want to find more Emilio’s! Bueno, I’m out of time! But I just want to close with my testimony. I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is TRUE. I know the Book of Mormon is true and that it is the word of God written for us. I know that we have a prophet on the earth today; Thomas S. Monson and that he was called of God to lead the people of this dispensation. I know that God is our Heavenly Father who knows us and loves us individually. I know that Christ lives and that he gave his life for us, so that we can be made clean through baptism and the laying on of hands through the gift of the Holy Ghost. I know that families can be together forever. I want our whole family to receive the blessings of this restored gospel. I love yall all so much and I am so so thankful every week for your emails and words of love and advice!



Love,



Hermanita Nelson

hello!!!

Hello hello!!! Ok so I don't have very much time because I just spent all my time looking at pictures and blogs and I LOVED IT!!! Chulina! Ah I just love the pictures! And Alisa your hair looks amazing and Angela your hair looked so cute curled!!! And Alena you're just a lil hottie and I loved all the pictures with Ty at the MTC. So fun!!! Bueno, so it sounds like everyone had a really fun week! I loved getting all your emails; it always makes me so so happy! And it sounds like yall had fun with gma and gpa and Eric and his fam! Oh Mexican Train..love it! And gma asked me a fabulous question :) She said and what are you craving now?! And bueno it actually started getting pretty cold in the mornings and in the nights at the beginning of last week and we don't have a heater or anything ha or hot water...yeah taking showers in cold water when you're already freezing is awesome..lol camping?! Honestly I love this mission. And so I started craving hot chocolate!!! Like straight up hot chocolate with the mini marshmallows! And those oatmeal packets...brown sugar and cinnamon roll!!! That is what I am craving...and yes kit kats and trail mix is good at any time during the year! So I'm just throwing that out there if anyone is feeling a lil extra love for me this week. Ok and in Emily's letter she told me that Hilary got called to the Portland, Oregon mission and Mandy to the Rochester, NY at the Hill Cumorah VC and I don't know what it is but everytime I read about somebody going on their mission or getting thier calls the Spirit seriously just whooshes over me! Like really, I read that part like 3 times and every time the Spirit was just SO STRONG! Ah I just know that the Lord knows what He's doing. The church is so true and missions are the best! Seriously, I've never felt so complete and happy in all of my life! Bueno and this week I found a new favorite scripture that I absolutely fell in love with. It was perfect for me! I think it's in Doctrine and Covenants 64:33 but I'm not really sure, but it says something like... “don't be weary in well doing, because you are laying the foundation of a great work and small things bring to pass great works” o algo asi. But it was perfect because there have been nights that I just came home feeling weary and un poco stressed out because I felt like we have been working so hard and doing all the little things and we aren't seeing any immediate success. And I read that scriptures and just felt a relief wash over me, and I knew that Heavenly Father was proud of me, proud of our companionship and our efforts and that all the effort we have put into every day really is making a difference, because we really are laying the foundation of a great work. Ah and I just felt so at peace and I realized bueno, I just might be a planter (planting the seeds for others to come along and harvest) but I feel ok with that. Yes, I would love to see immediate success, but truly I know that the Lord's hand in is in the work and that the great things that are promised to those who give their hearts and a willing mind (vs. 34) will be brought to pass according to the Lord's will and time. I know that doing the small things makes a difference. I'm excited to continue working hard and giving my heart and mind to laying the foundation for this great work! I feel so blessed to have this opportunity to share the gospel with these people in Paraguay; ah I just love being a missionary :) And that's so cool that Alena is going to be getting her patriarchal blessing! So so awesome...and Alena you are a lil jerk!!! I totally believed you that Alisa was pregnant and I was so excited and telling everyone around me that my sister was pregnant! Ha and the whole time I was thinking, man that's so weird because mom didn't say anything about that and neither did dad or Alisa. Haha rude! But that's a good idea. So Angela or Alisa better start working on that because I want another neice or nephew about the time I get home! Oh and Nate's bday party looked like it was a lot of fun! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO NATOR GATOR! What a lil cutie. Oh and Hna Case says she's gonna come visit yall so be looking forward for that. And mom I want to see pictures of the finished scrapbook-craft room...that's gonna be cute, I'm excited. And congrats to Aubrey, Stefanie, steve, and Bro and Sis Graff...that's all really exciting! And yeah I still want a detailed letter from Skylar! And Alena that's tyte that you found the camera charger! Ahh and thanks for the pictures Chels...CHULINA!!! You looked so hot and I love your dress!!! And I got the dearelder from Keri and she's getting married this month! Ahh and so is Nikki! So crazy. And I got a letter from Flora :) She's doing really good and will be coming home pretty soon. And mom I want the forwards from Ty's blog tambien :) And pobrecita Kylee...she will be in my prayers! Ahh I love yall all so much and I love hearing from yall. Paraguay is awesome as always. The time just keeps flying by! Ha I just need to learn Spanish already! We have zone conference tomorrow so I'm really excited about that and today we went to the lake at Arregua again, so pretty and I'll have to send some pictures one of these days! The mission is the best thing that ever happened to me, I can't believe all the different emotions I have! I know without a doubt that this gospel is so true. And I'm really coming to understand the importance of doing the lil things and enduring to the end. It is so essential. Life is just so much better when you're living the gospel. Love it. Love yall! Have a great week!!

Love,

Hermanita Nelson

hey, hey, hey!

Hey hey hey!!! Ok wow what a week! First...grandma-I love you!!! I got your package and it was absolutely perfect! Just keep that up every 3 months and you'll be my favorite grandma :) haha and I have been getting your emails and I love them!! Keep them coming, I love hearing the little details of your life! Bueno, segundo, CAMBIOS! Changes...I am staying in the same area (QUE BENDICION!) with my same comp! Ahh we were so excited!!! So this will be my 4th change in this area! I love it and we're having a lot of fun together! AND Hna Case is back!!! She is now comps with Hna Garcia who lives with us, so now we all live together! So fun! And this is her last change of the mission, que triste, but we're going to live it up and it's awesome because we're in the same ward and zone and everything...it's almost like we're roommates. Love it. Ok haha and I didn't even remember that it was Easter until they announced it in conference! Ha Easter in Paraguay is la semana santa (holy week) and what do they do? Uhhh from what I could tell, they eat a lot of chipa!!! haha it's hilarious, and I ate so much chipa paraguaya...it's kinda like bread..but not. Ha yeah I don't know how to explain it, but it's not too bad and we helped make it, fun fun. Ah and on Friday nobody was outside...it was almost like a ghost town and there were NO COLLECTIVOS during the day, so after waiting for an hour and realizing that they weren't coming we decided to walk to our area..which took a lil over an hour...yikes! Oh the mission, but it was fun because we were all walking together and being goofs. And yeah so I didn't get any kind of easter dinner, BUT I did eat all my christmas candy from the Wariner's and trail mix and kit kats from grandma, so I have absolutely nothing to complain about! Ok and conference...WOW. I just love conference! Man, the church is so true, I can't get over it. And we were so blessed, because 7 of our investigators came with us to conference and I'm really excited to work with all of them and see them progress! Bueno, so all week long it was a lot of fun because we were contacting everyone and their dog...in this case...their cows and chickens...and it was such a great opportunity to teach and testify of prophets and the restored gospel on the earth today! And on Friday, we were walking passed this house and there was this guy outside on his chair and we just walked right passed him, and I was thinking, oh shoot we should've contacted him...but we just kept walking around the corner and there was a family all sitting there and we almost just walked right passed them too because we've already contacted them a lot, but we both kind turned and stopped right at the same time, and just started talking to them and they invited us in..and turns out the guy was one of their sons who we have never met before, and he came over about half way during our invitation and started asking questions (but like out of curiosity, not like he wanted to argue with us and see if we had the right answers to his questions like a lot of people do) and we invited him to the conference and he was like yeah I'll go, and he came to the session yesterday. Ha and he liked it and he seems like he's one of those escogidos (chosen) so I'm excited! Ha also Pedrito came (his mom didn't come) but his lil sister came with us...and it was so cute because he took notes! All on his own, and they were so cute. He's such a lil stud and we told him to make sure to share what he learned with his mom. So now we're just praying that his dad will give him permission to be baptized, because the mom said earlier this week that the dad didn't like the idea of it because he's too young to make sure a big decision. Ah pray for him. Ok and conference went by way to fast! At the end of each session, I couldn't believe it..I was like that's it?! I need more! And yeah so thankfully we were able to watch it in English...so all the Americans are in this room with a tiny lil tv, and my guapa comp was with all our investigators in the other room. Ha it's really sad because nobody comes to conference here...bueno, everyone comes for the sunday morning session, but there were maybe like 20 people there for all the other sessions. Que triste. They just must not understand exactly, because conference is AMAZING!

And what's this about Ty being a zone leader?! What in the world! Que rapido! What a stud. And yeah I want pictures already! I haven't even seen the ones from when he left or anything. Please, send me some! Gracias! And yeah Alena I want to see your yearbook stuff, that class seems like a lot of fun, and you'd be so good at that! And mom....wow! That RS road trip sounds like it was SO FUN! I'm serious...I'm glad you had so much fun! Ahh and I want to go to the SL temple too! And I'm excited to read the priesthood session in the ensign. Ha I just love conference, I love the gospel, the church is so true. I love my Savior, Jesus Christ and for his sacrifice for me. I loved the emphasis on Jesus Christ and on families this conference, it was so perfect. And I loved that our beloved Prophet, Thomas S. Monson closed with my scripture!!! Did you think of me? “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding, in all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct they paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 And it was so perfect for me...because I had just read that in my personal study that morning because the night before I was kinda having a hard time, because I felt like these last two changes we have worked SO HARD and done everything we were suppossed to be doing, but we weren't seeing any success and I couldn't understand why. And then when I heard the scripture read from the mouth of the prophet, i just knew that the Lord loves me and wants me to put my trust in Him because he sees the big picture, and it's ok if I don't understand everything because He knows. I was having a problem with leaning unto my own understanding, but that's not the way it works. It might not show in our numbers of baptisms that we are working hard, but we know that we are doing everything we can and the Lord knows and that's all that matters. He'll take care of the rest according to his voluntad (will). He knows what He's doing, He knows the people we're working with and their personal needs and He will help us as we turn to Him in faith and as we trust in Him, He will direct us for good and lead us by His Spirit. It was a good lesson to learn. Ah I love the Lord. I am learning SO MUCH! I feel so blessed for this opportunity! I love yall so much and am so thankful for your love and support! Have a great week!

Oh and it was so fun to read all about Nate! What a little stud. And so fun everything that happened this weekend, with easter, and conference and everything. I'm so proud of him for him getting over his fear of the water...now you better watch out bc he's always going to want to be in the water and he's going to try to jump in without his floats!

Hey, Hey!

Ok I just love the mission. Really, how cool is it that I'm in Paraguay serving a mission! Love it! And guess what?! Emilio went to the temple for his first time on Saturday!!! How amazing is that! Ah he is just the coolest. And ok Gustavo did not get baptized..toda via...I have faith that he will, but he's just got to make that decision on his own. But the day we saw him we had a nice long chat with him and he told us everything that happened, and how he was all prepared and ready to go and that one collectivo passed by but that he didn't get on and that he hadn't told any of his family about it and he just got really nervous and all these different fears and doubts. Bueno, y despues I told him that I wanted to share a story with him about these 3 friends. ( And if somebody could look up this story...it won't be exactly like this but something along these lines and then let me know how it really is that would be awesome) So there are these 3 friends and they were the best of friends in heaven and they always talked about how great earth life would be and how it would be so awesome to meet back up and talk about what happened with their lives while on the earth. And then God came to them and told one of them (se llama Hna Remache) that she would be sent to Columbia and that her family wouldn't be very rich but that they would always have the things that they needed, and that gracias a su papa who would be converted when he was 18, she would have the gospel in her life. And that her grandparents would also later convert to the gospel and be sealed in the temple. And then God turned to the other friend (se llama Hnita Nelson) and said and you will be sent to the United States and your family will be very blessed y gracias a su mama who will be baptized when she is 17 and will later meet your dad and they will be sealed in the temple so that yall can live together forever as a familly, you will have the gospel in your life. And then he turned to the other friend and said and you Gustavo will be sent to Paraguay and your life will be hard, every day your family will struggle to have food to eat and you won't have the gospel in your life. But gracias to your best friends right here who will be sent to Paraguay on their missions and will be companions and will serve in the very spot where you live, you will have the opportunity to accept the gospel in your life, so that your family also will have the opporutity to live together forever. And then he counseled Gustavo to remember to be faithful and have trust in Him, his father in heaven because there would be many other things in his path that would seem good, but that were not the full truth. And then Gustavo turned to his friends and pleaded with them to be patient with him and to just love him because he was going to be difficult and stubborn and it would take him time to recognize the truth. And then I just talked to him and said, Gustavo we're still here because we promised you that we would find you and do all we could to help you recognize and remember the things you already know to be true. Realmente, I know that you need to be baptized so that you can return to live in the presence of your Heavenly Father and so that you can live with your family forever too. Ahhh the church is so true! And yes tears were shed lol. But he'll get it! I have faith. I can't imagine what my life would be like without the gospel. I feel so blessed to have a testimony, have a firm testimony of this gospel and it just makes me excited to share it! Ha oh and a couple weeks ago we met this lady and we went in and sang with all her kids and all the neighboring kids and everything and the kids just loved it! And bueno, so everytime we went to go back she was "never there" so the kids would always want us to come in and sing with them y cosas asi.. but it had been awhile since we had been there and on Thursday one of the kids told us he had been to church before and he wanted us to talk to his mom. So we went to talk to him and his mom and ha apparently it wasn't our church (it was the testigos...Jehovah's witness) but she wanted to know if he could come with us to church because everyday he would come home and ask her if he could go with us. His name is Pedro..Pedrito and he's 12 years old and he's just a lil stud. So he came to church with us yesterday and we went to his house last night and his mom was like, oh he just loved it and he says he wants to be a missionary like yall...and then she started asking questions about how he could be a missionary and what they needed to do to get him ready. haha it was so cute!! But yeah during church he like turned to me and pointed to my plaque and was like I want to be like you, I want to have one of those and be a missionary like you. I was like ahhh precious! lol so we're hoping that his mom will come to conference with us this week and have the desires to keep coming! ha because the first time we talked with him we left him a pamphlet and told him to read the first page and highlight all the parts he liked, ha and he actually did it with his mom's help! And underlined God, Jesus Christ, felicidad (happiness), it was just cute. So we left him a Book of Mormon and told his mom it will be really awesome if she could read it with him. Ha and there is power in the Book of Mormon! I'm excited! Ah and we have cambios this week! And I don't want to leave this area! Ha I'm praying that I don't..which probably means I will...but I hope not! I love everything here...the people are amazing! Ah I just love the mish! Oh and I got a letter from Elder Moore who is coming to this mission and leaves for the MTC April 21! Ahhh I'm so excited for you! This is the best mission! And yeah Pres Wade leaves in July, but I didn't get my letter from him until like a week before I entered the MTC...but I'm sure you'll get it sometime! A really good way to prepare would be studying preach my gospel and the scriptures and just becoming familiar with both! And yeah most of the people here know both Spanish and Guarani...ha and actually I found out this week that a lot of the words I say are not spanish, it's guarani! Crazy...the languange is really tight and I know I'm going to come home and speak a mixture of guarani and spanish and people won't be able to understand me, but it's all good. Also, mom I didn't get Ty's first forwarded email...I got the one he hand wrote but not the other one..if there was another one. Also I need you to tell me how to make guacomole because avocados are starting to fall from the trees! Ha I love Paraguay! So we've been eating them and they are sooo good! And I still haven't gotten a letter from Dave, but I got Emily's letter this week!!! (And I don't think I'll have time to write her back today, but I've gotten it all written down to send next week!) And question...when is Easter?!!! I have no idea, and neither does anybody else...yall made it sound like it was really soon! And Alena's patriarchal blessing, that is SOOO EXCITING! Alena that's awesome, I'm super excited for you! Look at you all grown up! Yikes! But yeah I get to call home on mothers day..I'm not sure what time or anything yet, but if you could do her blessing like a week before or something that'd be good. And the RS party sounded like it went really well, and that RS open house sounds really fun and you're going with really fun sisters! Guapas. And congrats on the design team and getting all that scrapbooking stuff! That sounds like it will be really awesome! ok yeah my times up, so I'll email Emily next week! And wow Ty is such a stud...I'll send him an email next week too! He's just got to remember to be patient with himself...ha and I'm so glad he has hermanas in his district! So fun! Does the kid have a camera because I want pictures!!! And he's just going to start loving the MTC...it was hard for me at first too! And how are his teachers! ANd tell him good job on the details. Very good email, I want them all like that! Love yall so much! Have a great week! ANd I think it's SIs. Wariner's bday this weekend...if so happy birthday!!! Love yall!Love,Hermanita Nelson

Email from March 22

Hello hello hello!!!Ok really this week I have NO TIME to write!!! We went to the lake today for a zone activity and it was SO MUCH FUN!!! I'll have to send a couple pictures next week. Ok and yeah we went to the temple this past week!!!! Ahhh it was actually a really amazing, spiritual experience! I love the temple. And the feeling that I had the whole time inside the walls of the temple was that I felt at home. I felt right at home. It doesn't matter that I am in a completely different country and everything was in a completely different language, the temple is the same everywhere. Beautiful, amazing, clean, the house of the Lord. And what a TENDER MERCY it was to be in the celestial room and to first, meet a sweet old lady, who just so happened to be the FIRST sister missionary in Paraguay (about 50 years ago) who just so happened to be visiting with a group of people who were only going to be in Paraguay for that day and then leave...and just so happened to be in the same exact session as us. Tender mercy? And despues I just so happened to meet another lady, whose husband had also served in Paraguay, and she just so happened to live in St. George!!! Wow!! Tender mercies! And like Sister Curtis said, "Coincidences are God's way of staying anonymous" (P.S. thank you so much for that!!! I'll write to you when I have more time!). Wow the blessings are incredible!!! Bueno and my packages!!! Ahhhh yall are so AMAZING! I'm not even kidding! Those were the best in the world!! I'll write more about that later too, but let's just say about half the chocolate is gone and the trail mix! And I loved the IN-N-OUT tshirt and Emily thanks for the letter! Loved it loved it loved it! Yall are FABULOUS! Ahh and Ty's in the MTC!!! How awesome that yall saw Steve Anderson and that Johnny Esplin is his zone leader! Haa that's so cool. Yeah, I know him, he was in my temple prep class in the singles ward! He's a stud. Wow the tender mercies of the Lord. I can't wait to get Ty's first letter! Ok I got to go...but I need a favor!!! Please please please keep Gustavo Sanabria Cañete in your prayers! He was supposed to get baptized on Friday and we had seen him earlier that day and it was all good and we were just about to leave for the baptism later that night and he called and said he couldn't do it. Honestly, for the first time I experienced the heart ache of a missionary!!! We've been teaching him for 3 months and he knows it's true!!! But his friends and pastor from his other iglesia are confusing him really bad. We're praying for a miracle. He needs strength! I don't know what to do except to pray for him. I know he is so special to the Lord. My comp and I were really just heart broken and cried and cried. And Hna Case had come to the baptism to surprise him and a bunch of people from the ward had come AND Emilio (my converso) was going to baptize him!!! Needless to say, it didn't happen. He is just so so close.I feel like he is one of the people that I was supposed to find..no I know that he is one of the people I was supposed to find and bring the gospel too. And I just feel like if he doesn't get baptized I will have failed. He knows it's true and he know's that baptism is so important but yet he is yeilding to the enticings of men! Ahhh mi corazon! But we haven't talked to him about everything yet...hopefully we will be able to tomorrow. But honestly he needs your prayers. And pray for us so that we might be guided by the Spirit to say the right things that he needs to hear. I love yall so much and thanks so much for all the emails! Hopefully there will be more time next week! Ahh and can you believe we have cambios again next week?!!! And oh my goodness, TOMORROW IS MY 6 MONTH MARK!!! Can somebody please slow down the time?!! Yikes que rapido!!! Have a great week! Love,Hermanita Nelson

hola, hola, hola!

Hola hola hola!!! Ok first of all, I have really BAD NEWS!!!So I had about a good 400 pictures from my mission so far, and ALL of them got DELETED!!! so so so so so sad!!! I don't know what I did, but they were there and the next thing I knew, they were all gone!! Yeah super triste. The good news is that I got the package from the Wariners-por fin!!! But I actually haven't gotten it yet, but they called me and told me it's here! And I haven't gotten the one from yall either..ha I'm waiting very paciently! I should get them on Thursday! And no, I haven't gotten the one from grandma yet- yeah the mail is really slow. And tomorrow we're going to the temple! I'm so excited! It'll be AMAZING! Oh man and Ty had his farewell yesterday! Sounds like he did an amazing job! I knew he would..what a stud!And thanks for the pictures! I'm excited to get the ones on Sis Andersen's camera! And that's fun that all the peeps were there for the weekend! And Alisa..your hair is so cute! And tell Emily and her mom, I'll write them back next week! Ha funny story...this is totally Paraguay for you...so first of all busy roads are shared by cars, collectivos, moto's, horse and buggys, 4 wheelers...and apparently by cows too! lol it was so funny the other day we were waiting for a collectivo and all of a sudden we see this poor lost cow roaming down the street holding up all kinds of traffic. Ha I'm sure it was just terrified for it's life because everyone was honking and starting at it, but man it was so funny! Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me. Also we had entrevistas (interviews) this week with Pres Wade and Elder Curtis was with him and he came into my distict meeting and it was so funny, just remembering the good old days in sunday school in the church building and then being here in Paraguay in the chapel talking about the gospel. haha it's cool. Oh man and who knew that Jehovah's witnesses were all over the world? ha well they are all over our area! They are crazy lol, we were teaching a family the other day and they are testigos and their beliefs are so different! It's kinda sad, it makes me so greatful to have the gospel in my life and to have a testimony and know with a surety that the gospel of Jesus Christ of LDS is true! Ahd we've also had some Marzo Milagros..baptisms no, but we've found some really cool people! We found a cute lil family that came to church with us yesterday and also this other guy named Alcides, who also came to church and he accepted a baptismal date yesterday when we saw him. I'm really excited for all of them and am excited to see them progress! And ahhh Gustavo, I hope yall are praying for him! He came to church yesterday too, and we are praying for a miracle and for him to be baptized this month! He has all the lessons and everything, and the kid loves the Book of Mormon but he's scared of making the commitment to be baptized. Ah but I have faith! He'll get it! And ah we have cambios in 2 weeks..man the time just flies by!!! But my times up! I love yall! And I can't wait to get Ty's email from the MTC!!! Don't cry too much on the way home! ANd take pictures before yall cry so you can send them to me! I hope our service will bless the family! I love yall so much! Have an amazing week! Love, Hermanita Nelson