I've made a decision. It's hot.

Hello everyone! How are you? This week was a really good week there were a lot of really experiences this week. Right now, I'm waiting in line for Elder Clark to get a haircut, so I have a bit more time to write. Maybe I'll actually do a good letter, but I'll just be honest with myself, I'm really bad at this letter writing thing. Sorry!

It got really hot this week! Like, you walk out the front door and it's a wall of hot stuff. It's way fun!

We got to meet President Warnick this week! He came and visited the whole stake in Fujisawa, so there were about 45 missionaries here having a conference with the new President. President Warnick is a great guy, he seems way nice, and I'm so excited to be working with him! He's from Utah, and was a Japanese professor at BYU for a long time, from what I've heard. I took a picture with him, but I still haven't gotten that picture from whoever took it, so for now, we'll just have to imagine Elder Nelson took a picture. 😁

There are big bugs and spiders everywhere. I think it's because of the humidity, but the bugs here are huge. I've made some new friends the past couple days.

We had Fast Sunday this week, which means fast and testimony meeting. I love sacrament meeting in Japan, but I really love fast and testimony meeting here because many of the members here are converts, and everyone has such powerful testimonies. I had the privilege to bear my testimony this week, and I felt the power of what I said in my own heart. I have no idea what anyone else felt, but I felt what I said, and that's enough. The beauty of a testimony is that is grows as you share it. I know people, and have been a person, that really wished they had a strong testimony. Something I've learned is the only way to grow it is to study, pray, and then share what you have. Just bearing witness of something you hope for, like you hope God is your Father, or that Jesus is the Christ, or that Joseph Smith was a prophet, is good enough. The Spirit will take that and magnify it, in the hearts of the people around you, but more importantly, in your own heart. Just give it a try, and watch how much your testimony grows. I can promise that it will!

I love you all! I hope you have a wonderful week!

Elder Nelson

Also, Happy Fourth of July!!

Elder Konno doesn't like cutting onions

Someone said I couldn't fit a whole piece of cake in my mouth at once with just chopsticks. They were wrong.

Email. Yup. Email.

Hello everyone! I don't have a ton of time is week to write, but I'll try and get down some stuff that happened!

This week was really good! We had interviews with President Wada, because he ends his service as a mission president tomorrow, and he wanted to have one last interview with everyone in the mission. It was really great, we had a great talk, and then we ate pie afterwards that Elder Clark made. It was a good experience, but really sad that I won't see President Wada for a long time. However, I am excited for the new President, President Warnick, to come in this week!

We had seminary this morning, and we were talking about faith. In Alma (32:21), it says that faith is hoping for that which is not seen, which is true. However, the Japanese gives a really cool insight into for me. The literal translate is "in unseen truth, waiting and desiring." A big part of faith is that sometimes we just have to desire, and then wait. We won't have everything given to us all at once, so we need be patient and wait on the Lord. I know that He gives liberally to all those who ask, so please just ask! He wants to give to you!

Love you! Have a fun week on summer break!
Elder Nelson

PS I had a guy tell me he was a demon, and he tried to send me to Thailand on a mission. So get was fun.

Sister Wada, a silly bumpkin, and President Wada

A friend we met while proselyting, a sneaky dolphin, and Elder Gonzalez (on splits)

I've decided, I want to buy hammer pants

The hardest part of missionary life. Thinking of email titles

Good day, everyone! Happy Father's Day!! Shout out to all the amazing dads out there, but especially to my dad, for being such a great example to me! Love you Dad!

This has been a great week, full of some really cool experiences. Elder Clark has been awesome and we've just had a great time going at it!

There was a really cool broadcast shown in Japan that had Elder Bednar. It was really great, and we had a lot of miracles around it. We were able to meet a potential investigator on a train, and swapped
some contact info. We got in contact, and then we were able to help him attend the broadcast in another area of the mission. He is now their investigator, and he is doing really great! Great miracles!

His week we are continuing to teach our friend, Tomo. He is doing way good, he just loves the gospel and everything it can do for him. We had a great lesson with him this week about the Restoration. I love Joseph Smith's experience for a lot of reasons, but one of the best reasons is it gives such a clear view of who Heavenly Father is. He is a Father who loves each and every one of of His children, and He gave us this Gospel to help and guide us through this life. I know He lives, and that He loves you all.

I love you all! Have a great week!

Elder Nelson

Zone Meeting

Elder Clark made cherry pie

I bought a samurai sword today, so now I move at lightning speed, too fast for the camera

I'm Trying to be Like Jesus

Hello everyone! I hope you are having a great week, and that you are loving the weather wherever you are! It's been raining here all day, so that's been pretty fun. Rainy season is starting over here, so that has been really fun so far! I love the rain!

This week had dinner with some members named Taguchi. They were way great, and we were able to share a message about humility. We talked about the General Conference talk, "Be Thou Humble" and from Ether 12:27. We had a really good conversation about humility and the blessings that it brings into our lives. I would highly encourage all to read that talk and that scripture,money are some of my favorites!

We had a conference with President Wada this week, and we had such a spiritually uplifting experience. I learned a lot, and am so glad that I was able to go. The most spiritually powerful moment was when President just decided, part way through what he was talking about, to
sing "I'm trying to be like Jesus". We sung and the Spirit just filled the room so strongly. I know that that is our goal, to return to God by becoming like our Elder Brother, and relying on His atonement.

I love you all! I hope that you all have a wonderful week and can be the instrument in God's hand to help lift someone this week. Love you!

Elder Nelson

Left to right: Elder Johnson, Brother Taguchi, Elder Konno, Sister Taguchi, Elder Clark, a wild mongoose

I forgot I took a video from the balcony!

Emailing is fun!

Hello everyone! This email is rolling out on a Tuesday, so you know what that means! We were blessed with the opportunity to attend the temple today! And because of that, I don't have a lot of time to write. Sorry!

Elder Clark and I are doing really well. We both are putting in a lot of work, and are working with so very cool people. One man is named Tomo, and he is great! Hopefully we'll get to see him again this week, and help him come to church! We also ran into a cool kid on the street who knew missionaries from a year ago, so that is way awesome.

I love going to the temple, it is such a huge blessing. I love going, and am so grateful for the opportunity to be able to attend. The feeling of peace in the temple is unlike any other, the peace and
quiet makes it very easy to commune with our Father in Heaven. He love you, and He is listening! Pray to Him with eyes to see and ears to hear what He is telling you, and you will see His Hand!

I love you all! Have a great week!
Elder Nelson

Day before transfers, finding a friend from a year ago

 

Temple!

This week! In text form!

Hello everyone! I don't have a lot of time today, but I'll try my best!

This week we got transfer calls, and it looks like I'll be staying in Fujisawa, but my new companion will be Elder Clark. I've seen a Elder Clark around for a bit, so I'm excited to be working with him from here on out!

This week had one of the most spiritual experiences on my mission so far. We were teaching out English class on Thursday, a man walks into the building. We think he's just a student coming for English, but we got talking to him and he had some major interest in the gospel. So, we walked with him and sat down in the chapel, and began to talk. It wasn't even a couple minutes before he broke down and start telling us about all of the problems he was facing, and how his life was in shambles. He was facing emotional issues and a family who needed his support, and he felt like he couldn't give them. Crying, he asked us if there was any way for him to be helped. We are so lucky in this church to have the truth we have. We never need feel alone or unloved in our lives, because we know who our Father is, and we know how to be strengthened by Christ's atonement. Elder Dana and I were blessed with the opportunity to bear our testimony of the reality of a loving Father, and show our new friend how to access the wonders of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Spirit was so strong as it filled the whole chapel, and we could feel God's love so strongly.

I love this work, and I love you all. Have a great week!

Elder Nelson

The Zone!

My lunch. Rice. Baby banana. Ramen with a raw egg on top.

＼(^o^)／

Hello everyone! I hope everyone is doing wonderful, because that's what it's all about! Also, shout out to all of the people graduating this week! Good luck!

We had two birthdays in our district! We celebrated by eating cake and eating Mexican food, because two of the missionaries here are from Mexico. It was great, and way yummy! Shout out to Elder Johnson and Sister Hart for leveling up this week!

This week I was able to go on exchanged with missionaries from the Odawara are and the Shonan area. It was great being able to go out with some other missionaries and see how others work. I definitely learned a lot, and we saw a lot of miracles. The biggest one was on Monday evening, while on one exchange, we found an investigator who seems way cool. His name is Yudai, and he is way cool. Then, while on the other exchange, I got to teach him again, but with a different missionary. It was way good, Yudai is such a great person! He's way cool, he just started college and is living away from home. I'm so glad we can meet with him and help him the best we can, by giving him
the Gospel of Jesus Christ, because nothing else will help him more in this part of his life than this gospel. I know that this church is Christ church, and that all who follow Him can be guided and aided in everything they do!

I hope you all have a great week! Love you all! Enjoy summer vacation!

Elder Nelson

Birthdays!

 

Our man Yudai off to the right