Well, you wouldn't think it, but a lot has happened since last Wednesday. A lot of changes. A lot of cool experiences. Meaning this could be a long email. Thank the insanely long bus rides we have every week. I'm bored.
Monkey Business in La Esperanza
While waiting for my comp to get out here, I got to have an exchange with my ZL in La Esperanza. This area is literally 2 streets surrounded by banana farms. It has been worked so hard. And they're still seeing success. They have some really special relationships with the members and the people they're teaching. It was so fun to be a part of it. And I also got to hug a monkey. Life is good.
New Comp
My new comp arrived on Friday and he's super cool. His name is Elder León. He's from Venezuela and is the first member of the church in his family. I'm going to miss speaking English, but I'll survive. We're working hard and seeing success. We have high hopes for this area and for the people we're teaching right now.
Chiriquí Grande
First, I need to highlight how beautiful this area is. It's insane. The rivers, trees, waterfalls, etc. It's so cool. It's been an awesome experience so far. We have to take a 2-hour bus ride to get out there, but hopefully it'll be worth it. We found a family that is super positive and wants to learn more about our message. We held our first Sunday school yesterday and it was amazing. The people who came had really good questions and were able to recognize the Spirit. We taught about the Book of Mormon, and you could feel a difference in the room, aside from the fact that it felt like 200 degrees. It was super special. It's been fun working to open it up and to teach people who've never heard of our church before. It'll be cool to see the growth and change throughout the transfer
Starfish and Canoes
We continue to find more people on the other side of the river, but the problem is they always appear and disappear. None of them have phones, so there's not much we can do to stay in contact with them. We're considering taking more time to go around in the canoe to go to different houses, instead of just going to the one area. This last time we went, Elder León found a starfish and caught it. That was the first time I've seen something like that here. Super cool.
Only in Georgia
Just got news from the peach state that Hunter gave his farewell talk and Palmer gave his homecoming talk on the same day. Crazy things. Hunter is killin it preparing for his mission and working in the temple. There isn't anything more rewarding than serving the Lord in His house. So proud of that kid. I'm not happy that he's taller than me and maybe *checks notes* IS benching more weight than me. He's gonna do great things in Chile. And Palmer is such an amazing example of work ethic and grit. Argentina is missing him all ready. I don't think the world is ready for him. And vice versa. And of course, I have to shout out my boy McKay for grabbing all the awards at the awards ceremony. We all saw it coming McKay, you're awesome. Go kill it in high school.
Friends
Mario has been prepping for a bunch of tests, so he hasn't been able to meet with us. We aren't in contact with him, so we'll have to wait until next weekend to see how he's doing. We have faith. Dalisbeth is doing her best to get time for lessons, but life has been crazy for her. Her grandma got sick and she's really busy with college. This week we have 2 lessons planned and are hoping to help her get to church. We found Estevan, Adilian, and Steven in Chiriquí Grande. They're super interested, came to the Sunday school class, and want to learn more. The only problem is that they're not married... that's a huge problem here. No one's married. But with faith, God can come in clutch for us. They understand a ton, and Estevan has told us that he feels the Spirit so strong when we're in the lessons. I love when that happens.
Spiritual Thought
As we taught the Book of Mormon for the Sunday school class in Chriquí Grande, the Spirit was so strong. Like, palpable. As missionaries, we share the scripture Moroni 10:3-5 a lot. It's the invitation the last prophet of the Book of Mormon makes to all those who read it:
"3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things and ponder it in your hearts.
"4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
"5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."
I love that he says that we need to ask if these things are not true. He's implying that we've already read it (or a portion of it,) that we've already felt the Spirit, and that we have felt it tell us the Book of Mormon could be true. So when we kneel down to pray, we ask God to confirm what we've already felt. I know from my own experience that this book could only have come from God. It's amazing. It's changed my life and now I've seen it change the lives of others. It's key in the process to know that this is God's church. And I know it is. PLEASE READ IT. Thank you.
That's pretty much it. It's been super fun out here in the swamp/ocean area. It's been crazy, but with the Lord it's all good. I'm lovin it out here on the mission. It's definitely hard, but so so worth it. The things I've learned here are irreplaceable (That's a word right?) Love God. Love people. I love y'all
Elder Nelson
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