Pedro

(Zack's email from yesterday's P-day finally arrived)

July 16

Well week two was a success, and was much better than last week. Time is flying now and it feels like just yesterday I was writing home for the first time. Last weekend, Saturday the 11th I believe, we went across the street to the park for like the 4th time to do contacting and practice our sharing the gospel in Spanish. Elder Morris and I had a really rough night talking to people, most of whom were not receptive to the gospel at all. But our teacher Hermano Eve told us that we should go outside the park and talk to a policman. He was super interested in the message and started talking a lot in Spanish. We couldn't really understand anything he was saying, so we called Hermano Eve over to translate and it turned out that he really wanted to know more about the gospel and how it can help people. He told Hermano Eve that he sees all these people every day with all their problems and wants to know how the gospel can help him and the other people with their problems. We set up a time to come back to teach him while he worked for Monday, but when we went back to teach him we couldn't find him because apparently his work schedule got changed. His name is Pedro, and I'm still confident that he will find the gospel sometime soon. It was so cool to have an actual investigator and have to prepare an actual lesson while in the MTC. Not many missionaries get to teach a real investigator while in the MTC.

My Spanish is advancing quickly and is gettting pretty good, I think. We were able to teach a 30 minute lesson to one of our fake investigators in complete Spanish with no notes and it was so good. We could really feel the spirit and even when the conversation got off course, we could figure out what to say and how to answer all of his questions in a way that made sense to him. To be able to teach a full lesson in spanish with no notes and feel the Spirit is a huge accomplishment. Normally, it's just reading the spanish phrases out of a book and hoping that we can fill in the missing words or answer the questions. The spirit en español is amazing and I can't wait to feel that same spirit every day in the mission field.

On the 14th we got to go to the local store, like a Walmart. There were 26 of us misioneros because the ones that were here when we arrived have left to go out and serve their real missions. It's crazy how cheap the DR is! I was able to buy 4 quality ties in this store for 5 American dollars a piece. Seriously a steal. Hopefully I don't go bankrupt on the cheap ties because they're really nice. I also bought some nice spanish scriptures from the LDS bookstore that's on the first floor of the MTC.

Hermano Eve is probably my favorite teacher. He's taught me so much about how to be a successful missionary and how to really love the investigators. You can tell that he truly cares about us and the gospel and the people we will be teaching soon. He's so fun to be around and makes you know that you can do anything with the help of the Lord. He makes Spanish so simple for us and is definitely part of the reason I'm advancing so quickly.

It's truly amazing how the worst things can happen to the best people. To find out through an email that my dad has broken both his ankles was really hard and kinda devastated me today. I've always heard and been told that the families of missionaries are blessed in ways that you couldn't imagine. And I have just been waiting for the day that I get the email that says something great has happened and my family is being blessed. This was not really what I wanted to hear. I've prayed a lot today about why this might have happened to my dad and my family and why did it happen at this time. I just wonder why my family had this happen and is not receiving the blessings that I thought they would. I was able to spend time in the temple today and was able to pray more about this trial and ask for the Lord's help in blessing my family with comfort and peace. I didn't receive an answer about why this happened and I'm sure it''ll be a long time before anyone understands why this trial was put in our lives and mostly in my dad's life. But I do know that through this trial and this trial of our faith, He is blessing us with comfort. I was able to feel that comfort in the temple today and all I know is that everything will work out and that things happen for a reason. This makes me ask questions, but I am greatful that I have faith in Christ who makes it possible for us to endure all our trials. I know he took on himself the pain and agony that my dad is and will be going through, and all of the stress and emotions of the rest of my family. I know that Christ suffered for us so that things like this are easier to handle. It is faith in Christ that brings peace and comfort to my life.

Anyways, that's really all I've got for now. The MTC is basically the same things every day and is beginning to fly by and before we know it, I'll be out in the field serving the people of Puerto Rico. And I am so excited for that. I know that this church is true and that if we truly want answers to our prayers, that Heavenly Father will give us those answers. I'm so thankful for my fmamily and their strength as they stare down trials and take them head on. I love my mission and my district and I've made so many friends here and can't wait to see what else the Lord has in store for me over the next 2 years.

Until next week, hasta luego- Elder Nelson