Week 5, Stayin Alive

Hey, how's everyone doing?

Another week is gone and done. And what a crazy week it was. The language and the spiritual knowledge are growing at such a fast pace, it's really amazing what 5 weeks can do.

So, I've been teaching an "investigator" for the past few weeks. He's been having a hard time understanding his role in life and how he can be successful. We asked him to be baptized a couple weeks ago, but he said he wanted to learn more about the commandments and his role first. On Saturday, we had a really powerful lesson, and asked him again if he would be baptized, and he said yes. So now we have to teach him the rest of the docrtine to prep him for baptism. It was so amazing to be teaching like that, I felt God's love and know of God's love for our investigator, and in that moment, I loved him so much as well. It's astounding what the Spirit can do.

The devotionals were on point this week. The speakers were good, but my favorite talk was actually during choir practice. The choir director is so funny, but he also give the best spiritual thoughts I've ever seen. If you are entering the MTC soon, I would highly recommend singing in the choir. But anyways, he wanted to show all of us how much love we should feel for the Savior, so he told us this story/parable:

Imagine that you are doing a study abroad in a foreign country. Your roommates tell you about this tradition that foreigners do, that they spray paint their names on this wall. The government always repaints it, and then you can just do it again. You feel like you shouldn't do it, but you eventually cave and head over to the wall. All over the wall are signs saying "Do not paint on this wall". You really don't want to, but you do it anyways because everyone else is. As you finish, bright lights turn on and the police take you into custody. The are so sick of people painting this wall, that they decide to make an example out of you. You are now supposed to stand at the wall forever, to stand as a warning for others. In fact, not just stand by the wall, they are going to nail your hand to the wall. You freak out, but you know that you broke their law and they have every right to do this. They do, however, give you a way out. If a blood relative comes and takes your place, gets nailed to the wall and then rips his hand off the wall, both of you may return home. You're family hears this, and someone volunteers to take your place. Your older brother flies out to the country, and you meet him as he's coming off the airplane. How do you feel when you see him? Ashamed? Love? Like you want to fall down at his feet and thank him? As he walks down the stairs towards you, officials jump on him and start kicking and beating and spiting on him. You run up, but they tell you that this is just party of the process. As they take him to the wall to be nailed, they humiliate and degrade him. He, without a murmur of anger or contempt, goes forward and is nailed to the wall. He is nailed there for your mistake. He takes his hand and rips it from the wall, and he takes you in his arms and take you home. How do you feel about your brother now? How could you ever repay him? How could ever doing anything that would betray his trust and love in you? When you return to your country, you want to tell everyone about how amazing your brother is, how loving and tender his sacrifice for you was. However, people in your country don't really like your brother. They don't like his teachings, and don't appreciate what he did. In fact, they take his name and turn it into a common swear word. How would you bear this? Wouldn't you stand up and defend him with your life? let the world know that he is the best person you have ever met and would never, ever take his name in vain?

This is how we should feel about our Elder Brother, Jesus Christ. I know that He is the Savior of the World, and the Savior of you, personally. He loves you so much and want you to return to him so he can live with you forever. I love our Savior, Jesus Christ, and exhort anyone and all of you to grow closer to him, to partake of His love and find peace in this life, and joy in the life to come.

I love all of you!
Elder Nelson

PS I said the sacrament prayer in Japanese, and the opening prayer in Japanese for sacrament meeting. Pretty fun!
PPS I saw Elder Noah Brown when he came into the MTC. made my day!
PPPS My room is now home to the triple ladder

That is one February length month down

Hey everybody!

How's everyone doing? School has started up for a lot of you, so that's awesome! I'm praying for you, both the Timpview kids and whatever colleges you all are heading out to! I bet that you'll have an amazing year of school. Just rely on the Lord and He can turn any trial you have into the greatest blessing of your life!

This week has had a lot of amazing things happen. Firstly, our Sunday Evening Devotional was different than normal, we had the Nashville Tribute Band come and play for us. I've been told that they have some less spiritual songs, but the ones that they played for us really brought the Spirit. We (the choir) got to sings along with two of the songs, John's Song and I Was Born. It was honestly so amazing and so much fun.

On Tuesday we had a speaker named Elder Echo Hawk and his wife come speak. They both gave awesome talks; Sister Echo Hawk spoke on how being good enough is now, and never was, good enough. We really have to strive to be perfect in our discipleship towards Christ. It's not just enough to have a testimony that the gospel is true, we have to become converted. Elder Echo Hawk spoke and said we must make good and correct choices from the beginning, so that when difficult or dangerous choices roll along, we will be ready and know what we should do. He also shared that we have no idea the eternal impact each and every one of us has. Probably the best Tuesday devotional I've had all week.

Ok, so I probably had the most spiritual experience of the my MTC stay so far yesterday evening. Our teacher, Brother Panganiban, told us about his life story, about his challenges and fears, and then told us to use our divine gift as missionaries to teach him and help him feel the Spirit. The Spirit in the room was incredibly strong as 11 missionaries tried with all of their might to help and teach someone they loved. We all felt such charity for him and earnestly wanted to help him. Brother Panganiban told us, when we finished, that this is how teaching investigators should feel. So this is my challenge. Love everyone. Try to sincerely feel that charity that God has promised to his children, and let that make the biggest change in your life. You will not regret it.

I love you all!
Elder Nelson

PS Divine Swagger: Knowing that God is on your side, so you walk around that you can do anything
PPS I have discovered that Japanese Rap is super legit.
PPPS The water in the MTC comes from two places, the sub-arctic tundra and Mordor. It's either ice water or it will melt your skin off, no in between room.

Blue Tie Tuesday

Elder Means and Elder Nelson

(great friends from high school, both going to Japan but in different missions)

Week Three: Done-zo

Hey everyone!

This week has been so much better than last week. The language is actually coming along really well. My sensei got me all set up with a better studying method, so now I'm learning a lot faster. All our lessons are much better now more than ever. We've found that focusing on the Spirit and the investigators needs makes the lesson flow much easier than just focusing on what I can and can't understand in Japanese. When I don't focus on the language, things roll along much smoother and the Japanese comes much easier. Funny, huh? The Gift of Tongues is legit a thing, and it really helps with teaching and learning.

The best part about being in the MTC is how the Spirit is always here. Literally everywhere you look there are people praying in groups, companionships, or solo. And for the most part, people are being reverent and doing things that invite the Spirit. Being in this atmosphere is wonderful, and it really makes you want to be a better person. Which reminds me of something my sensei taught the class. It was all about going back through Preach my Gospel and really learning everything. Learn it to the point where you are passionate about it and want to share it with everyone. I'm tryign to go through and learn all about Christ-like attributes and working to gain them. So this is my thought for the week. Pray for and learn to gain charity, the pure love of Christ. Pray to gain Christ's love for other people, so you don't even focus on yourself and instead love and help everyone else around you. I can testify that that will make all the difference in the world.

I love you all!
Elder Nelson

PS I got to host new missionaries on Wednesday. It was way fun, and it reminds me of my first day. It feels both super recent and also like a lifetime ago. Strange feeling

PPS Apparently eating vegetables and stuff like you healthy, and it makes working out more effective. I wish someone would have told me that before I came in here.

PPPS Looking back, last weeks letter sounds kinda whiney. Don't listen to last week Joseph, he's a stinker. We won't talk about him. This weeks version is totes better

Elder Nelson's mom here: Elder Nelson had his haircut by my friend at the MTC barbershop this week.  She sent this picture.

Week Numero 2

Man, it's so weird for me to think that another week has gone by. I think that the MTC has a faulty time drive, the days seem to last for eternity but the weeks just fly by. A lot has happened over the past 7 days, but I'll try my best to sum up what's been going on.

So, I forgot to mention last week, but I began teaching an investigator on Friday of last week, and picked up another investigator on Tuesday. We do all the teaching in Japanese, which has been so much more difficult than I ever thought it would be, but it still ends up working out. My companion and I committed our first investigator, Anao San, to baptism, and now we're working on teaching Watanabe San. Teaching is so different for me in Japanese. It can be really aggrivating for me, because I know that I can teach to whole lesson and everything if I could only talk in English, but I can't, so I have to work around that. The whole language barrier has actually been a really thought provoking and learning experience. I believe that I got called to the mission i did for a number of reasons. One of them would be that I probably needed some humbling. Learning to speak in Japanese has really taught me that I know almost nothing, and that it won't be me who converts the investigator, it's the Spirit. It's pushed me to try to back off from what I want to and teach, and instead let the Holy Ghost testify and work the miracles. It's amazing how well the Spirit teachs, and it's been so humbling for me to have to learn how bring that influence into a lesson.

Besides the language and stuff, the devotionals here are straight fire. We Have them every Sunday and Tuesday. On Sunday, Sheri Dew came and spoke to all of us. The Spirit that was present was so strong, and it has pushed me to become an even better missionary, and an even better person. On Tuesday, we had the privilege to hear from President Nelson from the Quorum of the Twelve. In preperation for his coming, the choir (of which I am a part) prepare "Be Still, My Soul". The Spirit that that song brings is amazing, and was so moving for me to sing. The choir is one of my favorite parts of Sunday and Tuesday devotionals.

My district is a really fun group of people. There are 12 of us, 10 Elders and 2 Sisters. We're all going to Japan, some going to Kobe while others are going to Fukuoka. Only my companion and I are going to Tokyo South, so obviously we are the master's of our district. We all have such a fun time with each other. Sometimes we get too distracted having fun, and that detracts from our learning, but most of the time we stay focused on preparing to serve the Lord.

I think that's all I can think of for this week, I hope you all have an amazing time this next week, especially those of you who summers are coming to an end!

Love,
Elder Nelson

PS I discovered I'm secretly a cry baby, there have been several times this week where the Spirit has moved me to tears, like when my Sensei drops Spiritual atom bombs on the class

PPS I ran into Elder Means several times this week, for those of you who know him. So. s/o to him

PPPS To the eternal surprise and astonishment off all who were present, I ate a salad wrap thing. Actual vegetables.I know, what has the MTC done to this child

PPPPS Joseph thought of the Week: Bigfoot is actually a big, hairy, misunderstood clown

So, here are the people in ma district. Left to right: Sister Walker, Sister Olsen, Elder Burnham, Elder Dahl, Elder Sherman, Elder Clarkson, Elder Chadwick, Elder Olsen, Elder Maxwell, Elder Tshriki, and Elder Olsen

Elder Nelson's Mom here: A friend of mine works at the MTC and saw Elders Nelson and BUrnham this morning.  She was kind enough to text a couple of pictures to me.  Bless her! Saving them here for all to enjoy (and so I don't lose them!).