This week was so good!

Sooooo really quick because I don't have much time left. This week was super cool. We had a lot of success working with members and even though it didn't feel like things went the way we wanted, the results showed. We were able to bring 4 investigators to church on Sunday and this coming Sunday Maria's daughter, Yarielis, is going to get baptized.

With Maria we've had some really cool experiences. This week she found some bogus info on the internet about the church but with her strong testimony she was able to really just push all that garbage aside. So that was a huge win for us! The second thing was when one night Elder Munoz and I both really felt that while we work with Maria to get her married, that we should baptize her daughter. So we went and we talked with Maria and it turns out that she had felt the same thing! She felt like she wants her daughter to have the blessings of the gospel. And then she invited her other daughter to come to church on Sunday and she came! It was really cool. She has such a strong testimony.

Last week we found a less active lady and her non-member granddaughter. And it was really special this week because the Primary had an activity for the kids and she went and loved it and we got her super excited to be baptized and she accepted the date for the 13th and everything. So we passed her over to the sisters and soon she'll also be baptized. It was really cool just how much she changed when we began to talk about baptism and stuff. The gospel changes lives!!

Today we had a zone activity, and we got to go bowling as a zone and it was really fun. It's crazy that all these elders that I've known since the start of my mission are heading home soon! And then I'll be home in like 7 months almost!

On Sunday we ate like pigs, a lot of members invited us over and so we ate lunch, dinner, and more dinner with root beer floats! We had to search all over San Juan for Root Beer, apparently it really doesn't exist here on the island. What a shame!

Ummm that's about it. We're just really excited for the next few weeks because finally the district will be baptizing here in San Juan.

The church is true and I love it.

Love you all!

Zack

Me and my companion, Elder Munoz.  Bowling zone activity today.

Zone activity today -- Bowling!

me and Elder Ruiz

me and Elder Clavel

Baptism dates have all fallen through

This week went by super fast and felt like we weren't really able to get anything done. It was kinda depressing because all of our baptismal dates have fallen through and nobody came to church. But, we continue and this week we're just going to kick butt in a different area where we haven't worked before.

This transfer is literally flying by. It was really weird this week because the days went by really really fast. Yesterday we saw a little miracle. We were contacting the last street in the area where we've been working, like the only street we hadn't walked on yet. And we got about halfway down and we were pooped man, like drained and our legs hurt. Idk why but for some reason we were pooped. And we contacted a house and a lady came out and started talking to us and then told us that she's a member of the church! So we shared a little message with her and her granddaughter and it was really cool because she granddaughter isn't baptized and the grandma wants her to come to church with her as she works on being reactivated in the church! So, a little miracle, and hopefully the sister missionaries can be a big help to the little girl since we'll be passing them over to the sisters. It was really cool!

As far as the people we've been working with, things are a little slow. Maria has now told us that she's basically sure that she's going to split up from her husband/boyfriend. So we hope that soon we'll see more progress and a baptism or two as we work with both of them!

On Tuesday we had a Zone meeting and it was really interesting. As a mission we have standards or goals that we try to reach. For example, 2 investigators in church each week. But this week they upped the standards. So now the standards are a little bit more of a challenge to reach and encourage us missionaries to work harder and continue finding. IT really involves more finding and continually having people that actually progress. So it's 2 investigators in church each week, but they should be 2 new investigators in church each week. For example, I have a family of 3 coming to church one week, and should have 5 people coming the next week. Something like that. All the goals have kinda been changed like that to encourage us to work a little better. So that was cool and interesting. Makes the work a little more challenging.

I really don't know what else happened this week, it went by wayyyyy too fast.

Ummmmm but yeah that's about it!

Love you all!

Zack 

Lopezito!

Pics from the mission-wide conference that we had a couple weeks ago --

 Vega Baja throw back with the tigres!

 me and Elder Henriod

me with Hermana Galan and Elder Colon from Caguas!

Sending home los muertos on transfer day!

on an exchange with Elder Moss

when the Puerto Rican wants his music

San Juan

This week turned out really good. It's always kinda a rush to work on Saturdays when you understand that Saturdays in the mission are super important days to get people to come to church. So we had a list of like 10 people like normal that we wanted to commit to church. And we walked all over San Juan trying to get these people to come on Sunday. It was ridiculous because it always seems like when you have the most things to do, when you are in a huge hurry, people offer you food. But when it's the middle of the week and there's nothing going on, nobody offers us food. So we crammed ourselves full of food super fast and then continued walking to try and get everyone to church.

It was really cool because Maria and her daughter and her husband came to church. Her husband was a huge surprise to me. But he said he loved the church and that he's going to continue coming!! Now the problem is just that we have no idea what they want to do. Maria has said that she wants to move to Texas and that her husband (boyfriend) Franklin will stay here. But now they're coming to church as a family and I have no idea what they want to do. That's literally all we're waiting on to be able to baptize them!! They're super ready!

2nd surprise of the week was when we went to church and I gave a talk. I knew I had to give the talk, so I prepared it. But what I didn't know is that the young woman that was supposed to talk before me forgot to prepare a talk. So my talk that was supposed to be 10 minutes long, turned into 25 minutes because I had to cover all her time. So in the end it turned out good, but I literally said everything I knew about my topic. I was literally out of stuff to say. It was kinda nerve wracking.

Last Monday, as a mission we went out to Aguas Buenas for a mission wide testimony meeting. It was really cool, made me realize that really there's not a ton of missionaries in Puerto Rico. But the spirit was really, really strong there and it was super special to be able to see all of the mission friends. I have bunch of pics but I can't send them from the computers we're using. Sooooo sometime I'll get the pics out to everybody.

In working with my district this week, I've seen just how important each part of the work is. It's important to find people, but we have to have a balance in our work. It's like the gospel. We might be really strong in one part of the gospel but we have to be continually working to get better in the other parts to be able to help others in turn find their way back to the path. So share the gospel! Because that too is one of the parts of the gospel that everyone needs to get better at!

Love you all!!

Elder Zack Nelson

Puerto Rico San Juan Mission testimony meeting 

the Lord's hands

This week was really really cool. We had a solid week numbers wise and I feel super excited for this transfer because I know we're going to baptize un monton!!

We were called by a less active on Wednesday to go and visit her, somebody we had never heard of. So we went to the beauty shop where she works and she hooked us up with a super cool family! It's really cool because even though she's inactive and just now wants to come back to the church, she talks with everybody about the church. So we got there and she just started like preaching to everyone in the beauty shop about how great the Mormons are and talking about all the blessings. And then a lady she works with told us that she's interested and wanted to come to church. And that she wants us to visit her and her husband and son! So I guess the biggest miracle of all that is that she came to church on Sunday with her 6 year old son! And she cried during church and just loved it. So I mean it's just amazing that the Lord will work through so many different people to help God's children hear the gospel.

Lately I've really recognized that when we say "we are tools in the Lord's hands", we truly are those tools. If we try our hardest and open our mouths and are obedient to the spirit, we can truly be the tools in His hands to bring to pass so much good in the world. They need the gospel. There's no doubt in my mind that this is the most important work in the world.

I've talked about Maria a lot lately. She was supposed to be baptized on the 9th, but she's not married. So we have to get her married. But wait, problem. The guy she's living with (Franklin) is still married to his previous wife. So the process got a ton longer. And Maria almost gave up but we must have been guided by the spirit because in that lesson we brought with us the member that was prefect for that situation. He basically went through the same thing and knows the whole process to get married here in PR. It was like an answer to her prayer. Because she is dead set on being baptized! Which is awesome. Makes us know that we've done our work. Now we just have to close the deal, but it'll take a little longer. I just hope they can get baptized this transfer!

Yassiry and her daughter are good, but Satan is really working with them. Not like tempting them or anything. But lately almost all of their family members have been in the hospital. So it's been ridiculously hard to see her, and she wasn't able to come to church so we have to change that date too. But it's all good, we're confident that all these people will hit the water soon!

I love this gospel and I know it's true with all my heart. It's the greatest thing we have.

Love you all!

Zack

Conference and amazing miracles!

This week we saw some really amazing miracles! And Conference was amazing as always.

On Wednesday I had an exchange with Elder Moss from Pontezuela. We were here in San Juan working in my area and it was basically just a normal day, we hadn't had a ton of success. But the cool part came when we got to 3pm. Because the night before we planned to contact a specific street at 3pm in order to find someone to baptize quickly. And that's exactly what we did! We were contacting the street and got to a house that I thought I had contacted before but we yelled at the door anyway. Then a lady came out and we gave her a card and she started talking to us in English and we felt it from that very moment that she was super special. So her and her brother-in- law invited us in and we talked and talked and talked. She had read a book about Mormon missionaries and what they do, but couldn't remember. So we explained and then she asked if we have a book she could read. Well, of course! So we explained the Book of Mormon and she loved the explanation. She said she wants to read it all and find out all the details about the book. Awesome. Still feeling the spirit super strong. Then we kept talking and she told us that 3 years ago she began to pray to find the right path and that this was the first time she has ever let anyone come in to talk to her and her family about anything religious. She felt it and we explained the Holy Ghost and she felt it and understood and then accepted the baptismal date for the 16th of October. She's ready. Her daughter is ready. We were put in her path moments before she was going to leave to pick up her daughter because our Heavenly Father knows His children. He knows what they need. We were inspired to contact this street at 3 because He knew who would be there. Her name is Yassiry, her daughter is Jaelynn, and her brother-in-law is David. As of right now the mom and daughter are preparing to be baptized on the 16th. Miracle.

Second miracle came on Friday. I was on an exchange with Elder Orr and we went to teach Maria who has a date for the 9th. We taught a lesson completely guided by the spirit and the member we brought with us was inspired and just nailed it. It was such a solid lesson, addressing all of her doubts about baptism. Then she committed to come to General Conference. And she came with her daughter. She loved it. So we'll see where this family goes.

Conference was awesome! The talks were great as always, but really I found that the speakers focused on reading the Book of Mormon, praying, living the Plan of Salvation, and repentance. I love how simple the gospel continues to be as the world gets worse and worse. We just need to live it simply. And nothing else. He just wants us to try, to do our best. And then He will bless us.

I know without a doubt that this church is true and that it is the only true church. The only church of Jesus Christ, where we can be baptized and therefore given the opportunity to reach the Celestial Kingdom. Only in His church. Only through the restoration of His gospel. It's true and we receive testimony of it every day.

I love you all!

Elder Zack Nelson  

 Sock ties at conference

 Us 4 elders with Bishop Morales and his wife, and Maria at Conference   

 We ate real Mexican food and it was really good