*Last Weeks Missing Email*

HEY FAMILY! AND FRIENDS! I guess ill just send the mass email to mama.

What a crazy bunch of days it has been. Right when I got here there was like 5 people in my district so we got dissolved and me and my companion Elder tanner got put into our new and current district 11c. So thats why I wasnt able to email yesterday lo siento (sorry) I wasnt happy about it either. So its beautiful here at the ccm or mtc. I love it here, ive never been so busy in my life but I was expecting that. Everyday consists of mainly instruction or coaching personal study or companion study or language study. The food here is great every tuesday is costco pizza night so you that basically inspires me every week to make it to next tuesday haha. I miss everybody a lot but im not allowed to think about you guys very much haha 3 minutes a day is what the ccm recommends haha but thats pretty tough. Honesty I could not have gotten a better district everybody is awesome and it helps me to keep my focus here. My companion like i mentioned is Elder Tanner who is a great companion from Utah. He is very obedient and stressed to obey the rules to the point of annoyance sometimes but Id much rather have that than a lazy companion and he´s got the best spanish in the district which is good and bad because sometimes he carries the lessons with our "investigator" but ive learned a bunch of spanish mostly religious or greetings but more spanish is coming back to me from school. Honestly I didnt know you could be so mad and annoyed with someone but at the same time love them and think their great haha future marriage skills I guess but I get to pick that companion haha

   So some highlights of the week were definitely some seminars from Elder Bednar which was about being converted to Christ. He said a testimony is not enough. He also said we now ordained missionaries but he said "so what" which was like whoah haha but I liked it, it got me fired up. Other address was from Elder Holland who talked about casting our nets and aside and becoming fishers of men. Which could be interpreted today as leaving our families friends, and hobbies behind and focusing on the work at hand. Everyone kept saying the first week is the hardest and blah blah blah but ive been having a great time. Only a few moments of homesickness but I just pray those away real quick haha, gotta stay positive and stay busy. Today has been my first pday but I didnt get much of a break because our district went to the mexico city temple which was awesome I had a great experience there.

   So some gnarly experiences that have happened. I gave my first blessing to an Elder in my room who was feeling homesick. It was a good experience but I was super nervous it was short but I think it was effective. Two elders in my house have decided they need to go home, I felt prompted to give one of them some counsel and it was a really great spiritual experience and he will be back to finish his training here in no time and get out to field. Now some not so great but equally gnarly experiences. I was playing soccer with our branch and by the way were at 7000ft altitude up here and it kills me when I run haha. Also when I sweat (i call it my mexican sweat) because it burns my eyes like hot sauce for some reason haha. but anyway we were playing soccer and i scored a sweet goal by the way. while we were playing an elder was swinging on the goal post and the goal post fell and he fell under it and the crossbar hit him right in the face or I should say crushed his face it was horrible! I literally have never seen so much blood in my life! He broke his nose in two places and gashed his eyebrows and the left side of his face like where his cheekbone should be was indented in his face! The most brutal thing I have ever seen. Miraculously he had no eye or brain damage so it was literally the best case scenario and I heard his surgery was successful. Also this morning I was eating a piece of toast and a piece got stuck in my throat and I was choking! I have never choked on anything before so I didnt really know what was going on but I didnt panic. The people next to me were completely oblivious and no help. So I summoned a gust of wind from my belly and coughed as hard as I could, and I coughed it out lol, but that was the extent of my afflictions lol.

My spanish teacher loves me she thinks im super funny. I just love learning spanish but its tough! I love it here at the ccm and I miss everybody 3 minutes a day.

                         some people from my district guy on the right is my companion

my district at the temple

Soccer, Spanish, and Dr Pepper

Last week, our email form our missionary got lost in the internet, so we FINALLY got another one this week!!

HELLO EVERYBODY

 

This week has been pretty good so far. It has flown by that is for sure. Everyday is pretty much the same here so it makes it go by way fast. The language is coming along slowly it just takes a lot of work and effort with some help from the Lord. I love speaking spanish, I dont really get frustrated too much because I dont really care about making mistakes I just try my best. I spoke to some hermanas from mexico today and they told me my spanish was muy bien haha. That always feels good to get compliments from the native speakers. My district every lunch sits with latinos so we only can speak spanish to them. Usually they are super friendly and correct us on our pronunication. I met a guy who was from bolivia yesterday he was friendly, but he had tatoos all over his hands hahaha thug elder what a beast.

There was an elder in our district who was feeling really homesick so I gave him some counsel and suggested to the district that we all go around the room and something we like about him. I think it really made a difference in his life and he kept thanking me but I just told him it was the Lord working through me.

It has been funny with the food and the other district members cause the the food is making their stomachs upset if you know what I mean haha, but the funny thing is that my stomach was upset all the time before i got here if you know what I mean but Ive been great this whole time ive never eaten more fruit and salad in my life lol. Except for when we all ate like a bunch of jalapeños as a district lol that killed everybody. 

Me and my companion are getting along great its all about give and take in a relationship ive got to adjust a little but so does he to be fair so things are well, but its important to have unity because if you and your companion are not getting along you cannot teach with the spirit at all, and if you dont have the spirit you are just wasting your time trying to teach people.

People talk about the gift of toungues a lot here. Its a big part of learning the language but the main thing is just to work hard and you just notice little things. You just remember more than you usually would or feel prompted in a lesson to go in another direction and you just know what you need to say. I was having a hard time feeling the spirit in my lessons cause our investitgator was just our teacher so I felt like it was just practice. But I realized I needed to practice teaching with the spirit so I really act like my teacher really needs the gospel and try to help them and its been great.

Ive been doing great here my district plays cage soccer everyday for gym time when it doesnt rain which is nice to have some rain for once, but ive been scoring some sick goals lately but the best one was a cross from my companion right over the goalies head and I headed it in the corner it was the dopest thing in my life, after I scored that I was just like the church is true! hahaha chiste which means I joke lol. MOST IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT TODAY. IF YOU GO TO MISSIONARYPACKAGESMX.COM YOU CAN SEND ME STUFF AND THEY PICK IT UP FROM COSTCO AND GIVE IT TO ME. DR.PEPPER AND CHEEZEITS OR CHIPS OF SOME KIND WOULD BE VERY APPRECIATED. THANK YOU. Thats the website a guy told me but if it doesnt work find a way to send me something! hahaha 

Much Love 

Elder Nelson

On His Way!

                          Early, early this morning Elder Nelson was dropped off at the airport!

His first stop is the Mexico MTC where he'll spend a few weeks preparing to teach the people of Bolivia in Spanish! Be sure to email him at pknelson@myldsmail.net

September 13th is Approaching!

3 More Days til Take Off!

Parker is getting ready to head off on his mission. First stop is the MTC (missionary training center) in Mexico for a few weeks, then off to the Santa Cruz North mission in Bolivia!

On this blog, we'll feature his emails home and share his stories and pictures!