Returned with Honor

Homecoming!

June 15, 2017
A stranger texted Mom this picture of me and other Elders waiting for our next flight at JFK airport in New York.  On our way home!

HOME!
Thursday, June 15, 2017 at PDX

The day Elder Nelson left and the day he returned!  Tanner is about 4 or 5 inches taller!

Mission Accomplished!

Last MLC (Mission Leadership Council) on June 7.  Elder Nelson's last MLC and President Boucher's last MLC too.

Last Zone Conference - June 2017

June 13

Mission Accomplished! (letter/sign from Mom)



June 14, 2017 Last day in the mission!  Visited Old San Juan and cut ties

Elder Nelson, Elder Fessler, Elder Hunt, Elder McClure, Elder Morris

with Elder Ourth

with Elder Corales

Simple promise fulfilled

Welp this is it. 4 days left!

This week was really cool for us, mostly because of a super special experience that we had on Sunday. We've had a lot of investigators just fall through and not want anything after lots of time dedicated to teaching and planning in order to help them progress, but this week we visited a guy named Rafael that we've been teaching for a while. He always had commitments in the past with his other church and wasn't super excited to even try to come to church with us. But we visited him on Saturday and he told us that he wasn't planning to go to his church, and that he was going to stay home and clean the house. So right then we jumped in and committed him to come to church with us. He said yes and we were just pumped. It's really cool to see how the Lord works in different ways, because at the end of the lesson I remember promising him that if he went to church, he would feel in his heart that the things we're teaching are true and that this is the true and restored church of Jesus Christ. He committed and it was all cool and neither of us thought about the promise we made to him.

So he made it to church on Sunday and right away he found some members that he's known for a looong time. So it was perfect. Already got friends here. It wasn't like the talks were super good or anything special happened during church, but afterwards he told us pointing to his heart "I don't know what it is, but there's something in here that's telling me that Rafael needs a baptism here quickly." We were really happy but didn't really pay much attention to everything he said. But last night I was thinking and literally what he felt in his heart is exactly what we had promised him the night before! It was so special to recognize that a simple promise from two of our Savior's representatives was fulfilled and he realized it.

Without a doubt I know that this is His true church. I know that it has been restored and is the only true church on the face of the earth that has the power to do all the ordinances necessary to make it back to God's presence. He answers prayers. I feel and can see that the authority that was conferred upon me as I was set apart as a missionary and representative of Jesus Christ is real and works miracles in the lives of His children. He loves us and is constantly watching over us.

The greatest joy in this life is being able to help others come unto Christ and find the joy and happiness in this life that will one day transform into an eternity of joy and blessings. I love this work. I know that it is real. Our Savior lives and because of him we can be clean of our sins and one day resurrected to a perfect state, to receive the fullness of the blessings that the Father has waiting for us.

I forgot my cable to send pics soooo those will probs come when I get home haha

Puerto Rico ya tiene mi corazon gana'o... espero verles pronto, jamas podre olvidarme de las personas tan buenas que se encuentran en esta isla! Ya soy Boricua de pura sepa, la isla del encanto siempre sera mi favorita...

WE PUMPED. TALK TO YOU FROM OREGON ;)

Elder Zack Nelson

Puerto Rico San Juan Mission

2015-2017

Final email from President Boucher - "GO HOME"

Soccer with the YSA y amigos!

June 9

 with Elder Cook

 with Elder 'Anitoni

with Elder Bradford

June 11

with Mariela

 with Nestor

 with Herbert

 with Isabel Flores

Carmen, me, Rafael, and Ashley

with Bro. & Sis. Olmo (June 12, 2017)

Nearing the end...10 more days

I don't really feel like writing a big email today... Just know that I love you all and I'll be home in 10 days hahaha

It was a good week though. We didn't actually get to work in our area until Thursday so that kinda threw us off a bit. Rafael apparently believes that his church is the true church. He's wrong, but won't accept it. So he fell through...

But that's not the end of the world because the zone is looking a lot better and there's some young elders that are going to be baptizing. So we're happy for that!

Love you all!

Elder Nelson

 10 dias papa jajajaa

me and Elder Beauregard 

Elder Cook with a lizard on his ear 

Pictures from last week's district activity --

Singing at a hospital with the hermanas