it just makes you love the mission!

Man I can't keep track of the time anymore! I swear I try to do something and all of a sudden the time is gone or gets used in something else. I have no idea how President Boucher can manage the whole mission. This week was full of surprises and some let downs, but we did see a really cool miracle.

Things have been rough as a zone. Only the sister missionaries in the zone have been baptizing. The elders in the zone haven't had a baptism in over 3 months. Which is rough, really rough. So we've been trying to figure out what's going on... but things just continue the same!

The baptism we were supposed to have on Saturday fell through. We had a 9 year old boy lined up to be baptized but apparently his family wasn't ready to support him or something... we passed by like 3 times in 2 days and nobody would answer us or tell us what was going on. Basically they kinda shut us out. But hopefully now we understand the situation a little better and now we can work a little slower to prepare him to be baptized.

On Sunday we out to another city that I had never worked in and we felt that we had to talk with a dad and his 16 year old son who were playing a pretty serious 1v1 game of basketball. So we kinda stopped the game and talked with them and they were super cool! The dad was like in love with the Book of Mormon and wants to come to church and looks like they both have some serious potential! So in the midst of so many distractions and the craziness of the week and the stress we have encima, I think we found a little miracle and we'll see what comes of it!

On Saturday we got to go to a conference with Elder Andersen of the Quorum of the 12, and it was awesome! The spirit was so strong there. I also got to shake his hand so no big deal... But he talked a lot about helping the Young Single Adults to bring their friends to church and it's so true! They know everybody and are way better at talking to their friends than we are! So that's our goal, is work more with the YSA. Literally you could just feel how inspired his talk was... Goodness gracious it just makes you love the mission. After the conference I felt like I never want the mission to end!

I know that this is His church. We are the only ones that can do His work because we have the truth! The Restored Gospel is what every person needs, even if they don't recognize it right now.

Love you all!

Elder Nelson

T-minus 86 days hahahha wooooooooo

With Elder Corales and Sergio Eynar (a recent convert) in the San German plaza

With my companion, Elder Corales

Working hard in the Zone!

This week was so hectic. It's been really mentally straining lately to try and get everything done plus work in our own area. With Zone meetings and meetings with President Boucher and exchanges and all kinds of stuff just make it really stressful. But we manage, good life practice I guess, hahaha.

So last week we had a huge miracle with Yaniel (the 9 year old boy) coming to church. We went and visited him again this week and we were able to set a baptismal date with him for the 18th! The only problem is that like 80% of his family are less active members so they don't really give him the support he deserves. He really only gets support from an aunt and an uncle who were the ones that brought him to church. But then yesterday they didn't even come to church! So Yaniel didn't get to come and we have to see how we're going to finish the prep to get him baptized.

On Tuesday we were in Mayaguez for a Zone meeting and President showed up and helped us a lot with the teaching in the meeting. He always brings a spirit that we can never nail. Then we talked with him about the zone and went back to San German for like an hour, had an appointment with Herbert (who's our 83 year old investigator) and then we went back up to Mayaguez and met with President again to talk about the zone over dinner at Denny’s. Which was really good. Then we went up to San Sebastian to a meeting with the Stake President to talk about the work. Then we went out to Cabo Rojo for an exchange and I stayed there working with Elder Bradford. It was a pretty solid exchange, there's just lots of problems in the zone right now. Not a lot of success.

Saturday we were both in Aguadilla all day working with the elders there. It was super hot and sunny. Which killed my face. I didn't have any sun block- not that I usually use it anyway... but my face got destroyed in the sun! It was really cool though working in Aguadilla. We found one guy that was super cool. We walked past his house once, then walked past it again and I felt like we should talk to him but we didn't stop. Then his son kicked a ball into the street and I went and got it and we had the opportunity to talk with him and he was super cool! Just the small miracles make the day worth it, especially when you listen to the spirit!

Love,

Elder Nelson

Aguadilla exchange with Elder Higgins and Elder Martinez

March MLC meeting (Mission Leader Council)

Just small little miracles! Prayers are answered.

Honestly this week was like the week of prayers being answered. We've worked so hard lately to try and find a baptism and finally our prayers were answered but it took a ton of work!

We spent a whole week from 9 to 10:20pm searching through old area books and records that the missionaries have made in the past, looking for people that would have interest in the gospel and could be baptized in March. Friday night at like 10pm we finally found what we thought we were looking for, but it was a long shot. So we went out on Saturday and found the family and it turns out the family had been living outside our area for like 6 years and just the other day moved back to San German! So we found them and found the little boy and asked his aunt and uncle to bring him to church on Sunday. AND THEY BROUGHT HIM TO CHURCH AND HE LOVED IT. It was super cool. Just small little miracles!

We also found two really cool couples in places that I had no idea we would find them. We were out in the middle of nowhere and found these 2 couples that were super cool.

That was the week really. Just lots of work and searching and finally it paid off and we saw a miracle!

I know that prayers really do get answered, just not in our time!

Love you all!

Elder Nelson

Sick all week, but pressing on!

I was sick all week. That basically sums up the week! Hahaha. BUT WE ALL PRESS ON IN THE WORK OF THE LORD

Tuesday morning I woke up with a sore throat and thought it was just a little bug so I kept going, and we had a really rough day. Really nothing happened. Tuesday night I went to Aguadilla for an exchange and that was the absolute worst night of my life. With a headache that I thought was going to kill me! I didn't sleep at all.

Wednesday we worked super hard, me and Elder Higgins, and we had a pretty good day but man I felt like I was going to collapse on the concrete. We did so much contacting and the sun was extremely hot and torturous. I think that really describes the weather lately!

Thursday we contacted TODO EL MUNDO and set up lots of appointments and found a cool old guy that said that like 3 years ago he almost got baptized in the Mormon church. But he's old and almost fell asleep in the lesson. We'll see what happens, he could be our miracle this transfer!

Friday we had a day full of lessons and I was still sick! This was the best and funniest part of the week for us. We had a lessons with a couple named Edwin and Yamilet and we went with a member named Rafa. He shared a super solid testimony and it was super good. But they didn't commit to come to church. The funny part was that the ward had an activity at the same time we were in the lesson and somehow the missionaries got put in charge of everything! We were about to teach and we get calls from like 7 members "hey where are you guys and why haven't you opened the chapel???" We were like "well... we're teaching and didn't know we were in charge!"

Saturday we had a good day, it's just been rough with lots of plans falling through and people not wanting to make commitments!

Anyway, life is good even when you're sick and contacting all day every day and it's super hot and nobody wants to make commitments! It's the Lord's work, why can't we be happy??

Remember to say your prayers, read the scriptures, and go out and work with the missionaries. It's part of your salvation and theirs!

Love you all!

Elder Nelson

with Elder Higgins!

Elder Corales crowding the dessert table! hahaha

Zone Conference last week

Time is flying! The mission is the best!

MAN TIME IS FLYING

It's nuts how fast time is flying on the mission right now. The weeks just go by in an instant!

This week, not a lot happened but it's always interesting. I think the best part was when we went to visit Luis Montalvo, who's an investigator that we've had for a while but he has problems with drugs and stuff. The elders found him here like 10 months ago but they really just pushed him to stop using drugs and he didn't understand the need to be baptized or any of that. So now we're really focusing on his testimony and it was amazing to see the change in him. He's been reading and completing all of his assignments and it's truly made a difference in his life. He told us on Saturday that just simply reading the Book of Mormon has made him happier and has given him the desire to change and be better. I really felt the spirit as he explained that he feels happier and less stressed as he reads. And I know it's true! Reading the Book of Mormon truly will bring us the happiness and answers that we need in our life!

On Friday we had a Zone Conference in Mayaguez and it went really well. I was kinda feeling iffy about how I taught but everyone said it went really well. The cool part was when Hna Boucher announced that we're going to do a special Book of Mormon read up until Easter about the Atonement and life of Christ. As I've started to read, I can already feel again again that it's true and that Christ is our Savior!

Just work work work out here on the mission and it's awesome! The mission is the best!

Love you all!

Zack

P.S. T-minus 4 months hahahahaha

 APs, ZLs, and the Hermanas de Cabo Rojo

APs, ZLs, and the Hermanas de San German

Me and Lopezitoooooo

It's been rough but we love the work

WEPA!!

This week was BRUTAL... but with a Spanish accent ya know, hahahaha

No but really this week was kinda a struggle for us.

Monday, all our plans fell through. So we went and found an old contact we had made like a month ago. They let us in and we taught them but it was one of the most unfocused lessons I've ever been in. The grandma was completely deaf and didn't understand a thing, the kids were nuts and the couple we were teaching just wasn't fully there. But, they said that if they received an answer, they would be baptized. So like sweet! We thought...

We had transfers on Tuesday and so we were out of the house from 8am until 9:30pm driving all over the island taking missionaries to their new areas. It was cool. But not an excuse for not having success in the week!

So Wednesday we went to an area that we had never been to before and began to contact. We taught a less active who apparently has a problem with someone in the ward and because of that, he now goes to a Protestant church or something. Although he said he knows the church is true. Long story short, it was a really long day of contacting and we didn't end up finding any new investigators. We were kinda tired walking the long trek back to the main part of town when we saw a couple walking on the side of the road like by the exit from the freeway. I'll just tell you that this is a really weird place to see people walking. So we talked with them and they were suuper cool! It was just one of those contacts where you just say "wow they seem really prepared".

Thursday our plans also all fell through! It was just turning into a rough week!

Friday I was on an exchange with Elder Bradford here in San German. And we had super sweet lessons planned but then in the end, nobody was home, the members couldn't help us, etc. Rough day.

But then we got to Saturday and that's when we really saw the hand of the Lord in the work! We had to leave for stake conference at like 4:15 to help present something in the 5pm session, but we felt that before we left we should visit a guy we had taught a week ago, but the second appointment had fallen through. And he lives far away. So before we left we made it out to his house and the dude was sad. Super sad. Turns out a friend of his had just died and it hit them all really hard. He let us share a message with him and in the end we had him smiling and laughing about a chicken! He accepted a baptismal date for the 28th of February and is actually married already. So we're hoping that when we get the chance to talk with his wife this week, that she'll be on board and they can be a little 2-3 week miracle!! I know we were told to pass by his house for a reason. I know he felt the spirit.

Sunday was also a really cool day for us! It was about 7 at night and we had had a pretty decent day, but we were in an area that was just kinda dead. So we continued contacting and then we remember a house we had contacted a while ago. It always smelled like cigarettes and honestly I didn't really wanna go inside... I judged pretty hard for the smell. BUT MAN WHEN WE GOT IN THERE TEACHING IT WAS LIKE THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL CAME ALIVE FOR THEM. They understood the Restoration and the need for it so well. Jose, who's about 55 I think, was super interested and accepted the baptismal date for the 28th as well! Super cool lesson and I know now that God does not discriminate on any level! He want's all to hear the gospel!!

I know that the Lord guides the path of His missionaries and that He is preparing them to receive us. This is His true church and it is guided by a living prophet!

Quote from President Boucher about the struggling Mayaguez Zone this week "the island of Tortola, that has one companionship of elderly missionaries, baptized more this last weekend than the Mayaguez Stake."

IT'S BEEN ROUGH BUT WE LOVE THE WORK. We know that if we give it our all, the Lord will bless us!

Love you all!

Zack

 Transfers car pic

Elder Thronton at transfers!

Pictures from about 7 weeks ago, at the beginning of the transfer when I became ZL

 Saying goodbye to Maria! 

 Transfers! Hermana Keith (from my MTC group) went home 

The lineage! (Zack with his son, Elder Colon (middle) and Zack's grandson on the left) 

His work

Hey everyone!

This was a crazy week but it was actually pretty cool.

On Wednesday it was my birthday and it was awesome because we had MLC (Mission Leader Council) and got to be in air conditioning for most of the day and got to eat good food and stuff. But it was cool for me because we got home at 6pm after driving a crazy long drive and we had about an hour before we had to go to a meeting in the chapel. So we prayed and really thought about our options, about how to make this one hour as well-used as possible. We felt that we needed to go visit a 22 year old guy named Michael who says he's atheist. He's really cool and friendly but thinks that God won't respond to him because he didn't respond to him years ago when he asked if He was real. I'm not really sure how he felt in the lesson but it just really strengthened my testimony that I have a loving Heavenly Father that wants the best for us and wants us to reach our divine potential! He really truly loves us and gave us everything so that we can have a good life, and as we taught the lesson I just really realized that He lives, and sent His son to earth to pave the path for us to make it back to him!

Other cool experiences...

On an exchange in Isabela on Thursday I was out with Elder Thornton and we taught a lady and her son in their garage and we both thought "wow this is going to be a rough lesson here in the garage" but man! It was super cool! We basically taught the whole restoration of the gospel and talked about how they can be an eternal family and then out of nowhere the mom says "I like that... I was told a few months ago that in about a year I'll be completely blind... I already can't legally drive". And I was like wow that just changed my whole perspective. It's amazing what the Lord will do in our lives to help us get through the trials!

In sacrament meeting on Sunday it was really cool. Being fast and testimony meeting, sometimes it gets a little awkward at some points. But then the bishop asked some of the recent converts to share their testimonies and wow it just changed the atmosphere of the meeting. They all have such different testimonies but each one helped me to understand the power of prayer and how it really does help and change our lives. It's amazing what the gospel can do if we really put it into practice!!

So transfers snuck up on us really fast! Elder Corales is going to stay here in San German with me another transfer. This is going to be his 6th transfer in the area! But we're pumped and we know we have a lot of people we can baptize!

I know that this is His work and that this is His church. He guides it and if we allow him to, He will guide us! I know that He wants us to be happy, that families can be together forever through the authority that is in His restored church.

Love you all!

Elder Nelson

MLC (Mission Leader Council) on my birthday, 2-1-17

exchange last week with Elder Cook and Elder Valdez

the breakfast that Elder Corales made me on my birthday 

with the Sister Training Leaders from Mayaguez after MLC

With Pedro Juan!

with Elder Gil and Elder Corales