Agradecida.

Dear Family,

This is going to be short, but I want to let you know that I have extended my mission for another transfer. I know it´s all so sudden and shocking, but I´ve talked to president and we´ve decided that´s what´s best for me... maybe I´ll even extend for another transfer more... or another year or two or fifty... Okay just kidding. Yes, it´s true, this is my last letter home and my last week as a full time missionary for the Lord. 

As a mission, this week we made a huge focus in families... contacting EVERY single family in the street! Well, although we were in Valle Sagrado for almost 4 days visiting sisters, we came back with the excitement and determination to contact EVERY family we saw in the street! Well, with great faith and lots of prayers, in the first day being back in Cusco, we contacted 10 families... and by the end of the week we far exceeded our goal by contacting 13 more. I know that as a mission, this week of really focusing on families will bless us so much. I truly saw blessings and felt that Heavenly Father literally PUT people in our paths. One of the many blessings we saw this week.

I just want to express to you, my favortie family, the overwhelming feeling of gratitude I have for my Heavenly Father at this time. It has been absolutely the best year and a half of my life, and I am extremely grateful that the my Heavenly Father has allowed me to come to this specific mission to serve in His work. As you well know, I have learned so much. I have come to love the people I have served... The Ore family, the Monzon family, Evangelina and Fabian, Paddy and Emerson, Vicky, Violeta, Eulalia, Ribaldo, and so many more... every one of my companions, who have taught me so much... I have come to love the FOOD (what will be my life without rice and choclo con queso????)... I have come to love the dogs that try to kill me in the streets, the spiders and cocroaches in the apartment, and even the rain that just seems to drench us at the perfect moment. I have come to love herbal tea and plan on drinking that everyday for the rest of my life because it´s the cure for every illness. However, most of all, more than the food, beautiful mountains and jungle, more than the people, what I have come to love more than anything, is my Heavenly Father and my Savior, Jesus Christ. I absolutely know that they love me and love each of us. Heavenly Father has answered countless prayers of mine and blessed me in ways I could never fully express gratitude. I know that the gospel I have been preaching for the last year and a half is the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that families can be forever and families are central to the plan of God. I have come to know my Savior and feel His sincere and personal love for me. I have changed in so many ways and probably am going to be super awkward here in a couple weeks. But I don´t really care, I just feel grateful and happy to have served in the Lord´s work and have at least a small impact in bringing others to the truth of the gospel...and ultimately the fullness of joy that the gospel brings.

Thank you to each one of you for your support, countless prayers, and love you have sent me in this time. You mean the world to me! I love you so much! I´m excited to see you all soon! 

Con Amor,

Hermana Nelson

Tarde, pero cumple.

The other week we had a very unexpected lesson with a less active that chased us down on the street to talk to us. We went to his house to sit down with him and his grandma, who is also a member. It ended up being a very powerful lesson. Michael, the young man who chased us down, expressed to us how sad and alone he felt. He said he wanted to change... he wanted to learn more about the gospel and start over. He expressed many feelings of lack of hope and happiness in his life. During the lesson, after explaining to him that he is a child of God, he look up, with his fist in the air and said repeatedly, "Tarde, pero cumple. Tarde. pero cumple." (late, but fulfills. Late, but fulfills) Michael taught me an important lesson that night that I will never forget. Heavenly Father loves us immensely and answers our prayers and fulfills His promises according to his time frame and will. I have come to see the reality of that principle of faith and patience this past week. 

While I was on splits with Hermana Essig, we stopped by the Tullumayo sisters to drop something off for Hermana Sanchez. While we were there, they gave me an update on all the people that are progressing in that sector. They talked about people that I had worked with starting over a year ago... people that I sincerely came to love. I remember praying and fasting for these people. Sometimes the results of our visits left us in tears. Do you remember me talking about the Ore family? Hermana Thompson and I suffered to get the dad to understand the Atonement and the importance of family... to get him to church! He was hard as a rock back then... his progress was slow. The sisters informed me this week that he has a calling in the church and counselor of the Sunday school presidency and as a family have a goal to be sealed in the temple this summer. I now see that my many prayers and fasts are now being answered. It brings me such great joy to see how the Lord is changing the hearts of many people I worked with in Tullumayo. I am also seeing many answers to my prayers here in San Jeronimo. Hermana Chipunavi and I contacted a family last transfer, and basically every week we have been trying to find them by calling and knocking on their door, etc. The mom seemed receptive, yet it was very hard to coordinate an appointment when they were committed to be there. Well, this week we finally found them! The father expressed to us that he had gone to the church in Sicuani years ago, so he is somewhat familiar with our message. He also said that he had been praying to know how to improve his family situation for a while now, and that day that we met them and contacted his family, he was deeply impacted and took that as an answer to his prayers.

Heavenly Father works in misterious ways. He may take time to answer our prayers or may answer them differently than we hope for, but we need to trust in Him. He knows far better than us what is good for us.

We had a meeting with the zone leaders and sisters leaders with the President this week as we do the beginning of every month. I felt the spirit so strongly in that meeting. We talked about becoming consecrated missionaries. I have not been a perfect missionary my whole mission, but I have strived to do my best and I have learned A TON. I am a huge work in progress. However, despite my many weaknesses and mistakes, I truly feel that the Lord has made me an instrument in His hands to bring people to feel of His love for them and ultimately a fulness joy for coming to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is what brings me true joy. I absolutely LOVE being a missionary. I am so grateful that the Lord has trusted me to come here, to the Cusco, Peru Mission to serve His children here.

I love you so much and pray for you daily. Congrats to Ally and Brian on the new baby! And congrats to the grandparents, aunts, and uncles... but let´s just remember who the favorite aunt really is. ... Can´t wait to meet him! 

Con mucho amor (y abrazos para todos!),

Hermana Nelson

Bambi

Hola Familia!

The time is going by really really way too fast. But I am trying to take advatage of every moment I have here. It has been a little hard this transfer because we haven´t had a lot of time to work in our own sector. We visit different Sisters now which means we have to travel a little more. We have high hopes and goals for what´s to come this transfer, but it´s a little hard when we people keep missing appointments, or people tell us they aren´t interested... mainly it´s hard because I feel like the progress is really slow lately. However, I realized something really important this week while I was in Puerto. I was on splits with Hermana Hunter (my sista from Laguna Beach), and we were talking about how the progress is so slow, although we feel like we are working hard and really giving it our all to be obedient. In our multi zone conference this week, the President mentioned how he has seen more challenges (mental, physical, spiritual, etc.) in the work and in the personal lives of the missionaries recently. He counseled us about trials and how they make us stronger... like the "refiner´s fire" (if you haven´t seen that mormon message yet, go watch it now. I promise you´ll cry). I believe that we are being tested as a mission. We, as a mission, have improved so much and become better instruments in the hands of the Lord, yet we are being faced with many challenges. I think that is because we have a greater determination to work harder and be more obedient. We are working harder to find families to teach... which ultimately is exactly what Satan is trying to destroy. So I think we are being tested. I may not be here to see many of the families get baptized that I have found, but I know that I need to keep working hard to find families, be obedient, and overall be diligent in the work. Whatever I do, however great or small it may seem now, will have a great impact in the lives of these people. 

Two funny things from the week:

1. We went to visit a family we had contacted the other day. They usually say they are busy and tell us to come back another day... but this day it just happened to start POURING down rain when we knocked on their door. So naturally, they had to let us in. They invited us to sit down and as I sat down on the couch... I looked to my left and saw a BABY DEER sitting next to me. A REAL LIVING baby deer. I thought that was a strange pet to have... and then the other sisters later told me that baby deer meat is really delicious. I guess it´s not a pet. 

2. We were teaching a family about the plan of salvation. Their youngest daughter is 4 years old and really alert. Well, starting off the lesson we explained that the plan of salvation helps us to know where we go after we die... she shockingly asked, "we´re going to die?!"... we simply explained that whole concept to her and I think her thoughts stayed there because later as we were talking about Adam and Eve, she all of a sudden asked, "But when are we going to die?". I´m not proud that I crushed this little girl´s dreams of living forever. 

I love you all so much and praying for your always! Excited to eat Cafe Rio and Ben and Jerry´s ice cream with you all soon. (hint hint)

Love,

Hermana Nelson

Being a Missionary is Really Fun

It´s a new transfer, and new fun things are happening! New challenges too, but mainly new great things. My companion is amazing! Her name is Hermana Ugarte and she is from Salta, Argentina. I love people from Argentina. They are super chill and down to earth.

This week we saw a few blessings... the bishop invited us for breakfast at his house... MIRACLE. We found tons of new families in the street and were also rejected by a good amount... but hey welcome to the life of a missionary! It was sunny more days than it did rain this week so I would say that´s a blessing. I feel more great blessings to come this week... I KNOW that miracles are going to happen in this sector. I just don´t know how or when or who... but I know that miracles are coming. I´ll keep you updated. 

Love you all so much! Keep reading the Book of Mormon! It´ll change your life if it already hasn´t.

Love,

Hermana Nelson

Hey fam

Here´s some pics from the baptism. It was really wonderful and Ruth was literally beaming! They are excited to be sealed in the temple one year from now.

Love you all tons!

Hermana

Hola y Fotos

So fun being an Hermana Leader! Here´s some pics of the visits we went on this week. I got to visit Puerto and my old compi, Hermana McMahon! I love her so much! p.s. don´t mind my gut... that´s what happens when you eat a plateful of rice everyday. 

Love you all!

Hermana Nelson

Happy New Year!

It was so fun to talk you all on Christmas! Thanks for working with me to make that happen! I am so lucky to have such an amazing family! 

THis week was awesome. Ruth and Gustavo got married! on the 10th of January Ruth will get baptized. She is an amazing mom and has sincere desires to repent and be baptized. SHe is so excited to go to the temple and wants her two boys to go on missions. I love her so much! I am excited to see her progress. Her husband was less active but now is coming back to church. We are seeing their family be healed and more united through the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love being a missionary!

The last picture is us acting like their teenage son Guen, on the right, who has such a sassy attitude and hates pictures. After so many pictures that night, we decided to take this one in honor of him. haha. 

Love you all and hope you have a happy and safe New Year!

Love,

Hermana Nelson