Australian Perrets meet Idaho Nelsons at Conference- Oct, 2018

Respond in like fashion! :)- Oct 15, 2018

Thanks for the letter yesterday! I appreciated everyone's contributions, so I thought I could 

Pace- I've always enjoyed listening to Elder Holland speak as well. He, President Oaks, and President Nelson all called down the fire (jk they were all pretty bold in rebuking the church). There was a line from Elder Holland that went something like "repent while you still have the chance." It caught my attention pretty quick hahaha :) but it reminded me of when President Leota would say "repent--fast and furious." :) It's a great quote to live by. I also really loved Elder Oak's talk. He was really bold in declaring some eternal truths, which is probably raising quite a stir for some people, but being on the mission has cemented a knowledge of the importance of family for me. When you get to see into so many different lives, it becomes obvious the blessings that living the gospel brings. And regardless of what people profess to believe, there are always set consequences for breaking God's commandments and blessings for keeping them...........any news on mission papers? So far we've knocked out 2 of the 6 continents, so you've got your pick of Europe, Asia, and North or South America.

Tad- (CONGRATULATIONS TO MOM AND DAD! that's huge!) I've actually been to the Hickory before on a failed homecoming date. I'm glad you've had better experiences there haha! It's fun to hear about Drew's undiscovered talent of navigating through the straw maze! (combined with his long distance ability, he could be a Maze Runner) If it makes Pace feel any better, the only time that I went, I got about 90% of the way through, but got so frustrated that I just backtracked out the entrance and pretended like I had beat everybody through. ;)

Sadie- You and Tad both sound SO much older, even through the emailing. I'm glad you enjoyed growing up with Isaac and I. At our Zone Conference yesterday, President Runia asked us to think of a favorite childhood memory. The first memory that came to mind was when we dug a trap in the driveway and caught the missionaries. Now that I'm a missionary I appreciate the humor of the whole situation a lot more! I would laugh so hard if that happened to my companion! It's pretty cool that you've got to meet the Perrets. Tad should ask him for some pro rugby tips. I guess I've just got used to hearing the accent over here. I don't really think about it much now.

Davis- You can only get another orange and white cat if you name him Hobbes III. or Hobbes 3.0 because short hair would definitely be an upgrade. 

Drew- I laughed so hard at your chewbacca sound story. The sisters next to me kept asking what was so funny, but I was laughing so hard I couldn't tell them. 

Dad- I honestly can't think of anything that I need. Being on the mission has turned me into a minimalist. Everything I don't need I just give away to other missionaries.

The announcement about 2 hour church is pretty cool. I think it's a great opportunity to reevaluate our commitment to the sabbath. The wards over here do a lot of linger longer activities which I love. At least once a month, everybody will bring food for after church and everybody stays around to eat and socialize. You could try a similar idea, but just start with a few families and grow it over time. I would be really excited about combining it with a gospel study group. If one Sunday a month, you could invite a la/pm/rc family to join you after church for snacks/meal and a gospel study, I think it would be a great idea! Also, while I was listening to conference, the way I saw it playing out with our family back home would be to move the home evening part of FHE to Sunday and turn it into a longer lesson/family study. Then Monday night would be reserved for a family activity (hike, scenic drive, ultimate, temple trip). I can really see this changing how our family studies the scriptures. I'm super excited for all the changes coming down the line.

Spiritual Insights:

Numbers 18:26

Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the Lord, even a tenth part of the tithe.  

The historical definition of tithing was NOT 10% of our income. Rather, tithing is our offering to the Lord. I have taken it to mean that 100% of everything that we possess is tithing and we are commanded to give 10% of that tithing to Church. The other 90% of our tithing we are allowed to determine how best to build up the kingdom of God, and then use it accordingly. 

That was one that I have been pondering for a bit and I think it puts a lot of things in focus. Anyway, I'll probably rap up now!

Have a great week!

Elder Nelson

The Work is Hastening!- Oct. 7, 2018

I was super excited to get pictures of you with the Perrets! It's so crazy to think that the two worlds that I live in are crossing if only for a few minutes! And I'm glad you got all the souvenirs! I had people in mind for each of the gifts, but it looks like you figured it out pretty well! The shorts were actually originally intended for Pace because I thought they matched his style. Plus, I got them in a thrift shop in Compton, which would be a pretty fun story for whenever you get compliments. But they probably fit dad a little bit better anyway :) I happened across a little nativity scene for mom that was small enough to send, but it's not the highest quality. It was mostly just to let you know I'm still looking hahaha. The neon shirts are part of the traditional Aussie tradie (tradesmen) outfit. So I got two of them for Tad and Brigham (hopefully the sizes fit--I just guessed). I honestly can't remember much else of what I sent, but it's all for you guys. I have a couple key chains for Drew (special request), but unfortunately they didn't make it into the package. I'll figure out a way to get them there, though.

Yesterday we had a member invite us over for Lunch and a session of conference which was really good! We just watched the first session, so I'll have to wait till next week for the rest of it. With the bamboo floral arrangements in front, I thought for sure they were opening China for missionary work, but maybe that's just a hint for the next conference. hahaha All the New Zealanders over here are super stoked about a second temple in Auckland. The Church is really growing fast! With all the changes and upgrades happening in the church, it's easy to see how the work is hastening and it feels like everything is building to a climax. It's an exciting time to be a missionary! 

We went on tradeoffs this week in "the most bush area" of the mission. I honestly love the country feel so much, even though most of the other missionaries can's stand it. I'll include some pictures, but the countryside here is so beautiful. One of my favorite responsibilities as a District Leader is going on long drives through the country for miscellaneous reasons. 

While we were on tradeoffs, Elder Agavale and I had a really cool teaching opportunity where we were guided by the spirit to share some scriptures about depression with this nonmember. Turns out it was exactly what he needed at the time. Hopefully they can continue to make progress with him. 

I had an interesting experience this week where a member chastised me for not pausing long enough before saying amen in a prayer. I had to stop myself from laughing because it was kind of silly, but I realized that she was probably right and since then I have been giving more thought to the way and the sincerity with which I pray. I would like to invite each of you to do the same. I know that "whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth." If you want to avoid being chastened, it's better if you seek out and learn the principles on your own without having to be "commanded in all things." 

That's about all from this week!

Elder Nelson

1. Mittagong NSW

2. the most beautiful garden I have ever seen. I ended up taking a video of the whole thing because it was so intricate, so the one picture I have doesn't do it justice.

3. long drives in the country

4. we haven't had a spider pic in a while...

Extremely Short (sorry!)- Oct 1, 2018

Everything back home sounds like lots of fun! I laughed pretty hard at dad's quantum cilia joke :) 

We didn't have much happen this week, so mostly this is just to let you know that I'm still alive. ;) Wahoo! 

I'm getting excited for General Conference, but we get it a week later here (except for the few members who pull 2 all-nighters), so be sure to include any of the sneak previews in the email next week!

Our district competitions are going really well--I'm just running out of money quick! Hahahaha Normally the South Coast areas are dead (they still are, but at least we're finding!) but hopefully we can get the work moving here.

That's about all! Here's some pictures from the week!

Elder Nelson

1. This cup is dangerous. Talk about an effective marketing campaign...

2. Here's a funny picture Elder Falaniko sent me. I didn't ask how it happened 

3. South Coast district

4. Elder Lemafa and a member's massive dog

Basically Paradise- Sept 23, 2018

So much has happened since last week, so I'll try and condense it down so this doesn't drag on forever hahaha!

Transfer madness:

So we had transfers on Tuesday which were a mess. Everybody was supposed to train to their new area by 12, but the incoming missionaries got off at the wrong stop, so we all waited for an hour 1 station apart wondering where the other group was. They didn't have sim cards (because they were transferring), so we couldn't call them either. When we finally figured it out, we realized that we were 1 sister short and nobody knew where she was. 4 hours later she turned up in a car (she's supposed to be on the train), acting like nothing had happened. Apparently, there was a sister who had 6 suitcases of luggage (6!!!) that needed to be dropped off. So sister #1 decided to drop them off for her (without telling anyone) in a car that wasn't hers (!!!!) So at this point (4pm) we were left with 4 extra suitcases and a car that needed to go to the opposite end of the city. So Elder Lemafa and I did some juggling with the ZL's to make everything work out, which meant that we had to train to our area. Long story short, we ended up getting back at 10pm instead of at noon, and the sister in question is still oblivious to all the havoc that she caused. Hahaha we're working on the Christlike attribute of patience.

During the chaos of transfers, we went and got lunch at a kebab shop, only to get hounded by the local gang of cockatoos. After eating their fill of our food, one cokatoo left a parting gift on Elder Dunshee's head which was pretty funny/disgusting. 

New Area!

So I'm in Dapto now! Dapto is pretty much the middle of nowhere! Haha not really, it's just in the South coast area, but we're a few hours away from the rest of the mission, so it feels really isolated. I've been wanting to serve in a really bush area since the beginning of my mission, so this is a dream come true :) We have a lot of beautiful beaches, a large two man flat, and extra k's for the car. It's pretty much paradise hahaha. The ward is nice! We cover pretty much all of the suburbs around lake Illawarra (like I said, lots of beaches). My new companion (Elder Lemafa) is a little bit more relaxed, so we'll see how this transfer goes. 

Saturday Finding:

Since the South Coast district is known for being really slow moving, I was hoping to get everybody motivated with a district finding competition last Saturday. We assigned point values to lessons, book of mormons handed out, contacts, etc. Needless to say, Elder Lemafa and I totally smashed the work! Saturday was probably the most intense day of my mission I've had! Elder Lemafa brought his guitar and he played, sang, and I taught. We did some pretty crazy stuff to get points Hahaha! Nobody in the district believes me, but I got a video of Elder Lemafa running in between doors trying to find somebody to teach, which is pretty huge. On Sunday Elder Lemafa was pretty beat from how hard we went, so he just crashed right after church and didn't wake up till about 9pm. Hahaha. I just got in a lot of cleaning, plus I've started the Book of Mormon again. I'm taking a new approach this time. I've got a 4 colored pen and I've assigned different meanings to each color, so I can read through looking for particular ideas. The intent is that when I finish this copy, I'll be able to give it away to somebody. I really like this way of marking because I don't like accumulating copies of the Book of Mormon every time I try a new marking system hahaha. Plus it's really interesting to think about somebody reading each of my notes/markings at some future date. 

Spiritual Experiences from Saturday:

As we were leaving the flat Saturday morning, we decided to say a prayer that we could have some miracles throughout the day. Not less than 1 minute later, this lady pulled over on the side of the road and introduced herself to us. She asked if she could get our number so she could invite us over for dinner sometime. Out of curiosity, I asked if she was a member. She replied that she and her husband were Methodist, but she just wanted to have us over anyway. When does that ever happen??? hahahaha 

We were at the train station and I had just started talking to somebody when this man came over and asked if he could play Elder Lemafa's guitar. Elder Lemafa handed it over and the guy started playing. The playing attracted more people (extra bonus) and then we started a discussion on religion. It turns out he was on his way to a christian rehab retreat in Melbourne as a youth counselor. We got to teach a lesson and give away a copy of the Book of Mormon (extra points!) 

We were walking along through a rundown area of town and we saw a little Samoan girl playing outside. We said hi and made a couple of jokes and then asked if her parents were home. Anyway, we ended up with a return appointment and some new friends, which was pretty cool.

Stuff for Back Home:

Homecoming looked super fun! Pace's sense of style is getting better and better hahaha.

Congratulations to Drew on his baptism!

The magnetic marbles game looks suspiciously like a game Isaac and I came up with a few years ago....I think our idea was pirated hahahaha. 

If Tad and Brigham end up playing rugby, I'll definitely come back and play some footy with them! 

Here's a List of my companions and flatmates so far:

MTC - Elders Rowles and Clark (comps) & Elder Barnes (went home in MTC)

Orizaba (LA) - Elders Hiatt and Patrick (comps)

Camden (AUS) - Elder Simanungkalit (comp) & Elders Petchon and Rowles (flatmates)

Camden - Elder Falaniko (comp) & Elders Aiono and Olson (flatmates)

Sutherland - Elder Smith (comp) & Elders Bohne and Zimmerman (flatmates)

Camden - Elder Raab (comp)

Camden (different flat) - Elder Raab (comp) & Elders Mauigoa and Kama (flatmates)

Camden - Elder Chinsoi (comp) & Elders Raab and Bramford (flatmates)

Dapto - Elder Lemafa (comp) 

Elders here usually do something crazy for their year mark, but I don't really know what I'm doing. We'll see if anything memorable happens. 

That's about all from this week! Thanks for all the prayers and to Grandma Nikki for the spiritual thought!

Elder Nelson

1. Elder Lemafa after our miracle day

2. The gang of cockatoos that harassed us (and Elder Dunshee)

3. Elder Lemafa next the ocean (if you zoom in you can see America on the horizon jk)

4. More of my area

Picts- Sept 23, 2018

1. Kiama (part of my new area)

2,3. This crazy guy named Bernie diagramed a vision he had. He wanted us to interpret it. The only hint is that the girl at the bottom of the stairs in the center picture in #3 is Marie Osman. He wrote her a letter, but she hasn't responded yet.

To Dapto!- Sept 16, 2018

Hello family!

Life is good here in Australia! We got transfer details and it sounds like I'm headed to Dapto! I'm super excited because I've always wanted to serve in the south coast and Dapto is definitely the bush area! Plus we'll cover a lot of beaches (probably off-limits during the summer, but still cool).

I was excited to hear that you got tickets for everyone to go to conference in a couple weeks! When I tell people I'm from Idaho, they all ask how many times I've been to General Conference. I didn't even think about it before the mission, but I have to tell them that I've never been to a session. 

It's also exciting because both the Crofts and the Perrets are flying over, so hopefully you'll be able to meet them! I gave them Mom's number, so they'll probably call to set something up! Bishop Croft and his wife are just coming for the weekend, but the Perrets said that they are headed up to Yellowstone for the week after. I told them they could stop by Big Jud's for a real American hamburger. Sister Perret was really excited when I mentioned that Pace might be able to hook them up with free horse rides. (hopefully you can pull through hahaha)

I'll try and answer some questions from this week:

What is the mix of your ward (young, old, convert, Pacific Islander, active, less active, etc.)?

Camden is a pretty young ward. There's about 70 kids who come to Primary on a regular basis. Getting there parents to be as involved is a little harder hahaha. There's a lot of Maori and Samoan families in the ward, with a few Tongans in the mix. Compared to the wards around us though, we're pretty white.

What are your duties with Missionary Leadership on a Daily, Weekly, Monthly basis?

Right now I'm in a district with 12 missionaries. Mostly my responsibilities include ministering to them (fixing problems/random checkup visits to boost morale), but I also do bi-weekly call-ins, district training meetings every Friday, and regular meetings with the ZL's. I've also started calling 1 companionship per night to pray with them over their investigators. It helps keep me involved in the work. 

What is the best book you’ve read to prepare you doctrinally as a teacher (outside of preach my gospel)?

I don't know if there's just one book that I could point to (other than Jesus the Christ), but most of my new-found doctrinal knowledge has come from ensign articles from the 70s and 80s. Those are an undiscovered goldmine. Also, there are some pretty deep chapters in the Book of Mormon, and D. Todd Christofferson is one of my favourite speakers. When learning and teaching doctrine, I've found that I just need time to think and ponder about things. In a really defining conversation Elder Smith and I had, we reached the conclusion that most kids these days don't have any time to be alone with themselves. Some of the most pivotal introspective times in my life have come while mowing lawns or when somebody forgot to pick me up at the school for 3 hours and I just had long uninterrupted hours to ponder. (it also helps information to stick)

Anyway, thanks for the emails and support from home!

Elder Nelson

1. I developed a superior design for a card house. I'll have to patent it soon

2. The Book of Mormon is the "keystone" hahaha

3. Bishop Croft (so you can recognise him)

4. Yes, dad, Scishow was correct about the magpies

5. The Perrets

Are Protestants a Cult? - Sept 29, 2018

Happy Birthday to Drew! He already looks so much taller in all of the pictures I see!

Thanks for the fun videos and pictures from the week! It looks like we're about ready to start a family band when I come home! (Mom's got the 4 chords down and dad looks more confident on the kit than I am ;). I showed some of the pictures to Elder Raab and he said "you're family is so cool! mine just does nothing." hahahaha

Last Pday we went to a hike down near Mittagong (bush area) It was by far one of my favorite district activities. It had just rained and there was still some fog in the air, so it made for perfect hiking conditions and really cool views. It was good for the missionaries too because the mission is struggling right now (President Runia is THE MAN. He's handling everything so well) and a long, peaceful walk through the woods really helped to calm some nerves.

The Saints book that the church put out this week was really good. It really helped to strengthen my testimony when I started to realize just how much Joseph Smith had to deal with. A common argument that I hear in Australia is that "the Mormon church is a typical American cult." I find this offensive on two different accounts, but I just wanted to share my thoughts on the incorrect assumption that the church is merely a "cult". This false ideology springs from a lack of clarity on the definition of "a cult". My dictionary defines a cult as having a few important aspects, which are;

1. a)Unorthodox, b)extreme, or c)false religion or sect

2. Live or practice outside conventional society
3. Usually under the direction of a charismatic leader

(1) a) just look at the way we baptize, administer the sacrament, and do missionary work and you can see that it is all scripturally founded. Especially compared to early christian practices, we are very orthodox. b) just attend a sunday service and you will find a very conservative meeting built on very conservative beliefs. c) the test is open for anyone, just read the Book of Mormon and pray about it.

(2) "but don't you mormons have your own city in Utah?" Yes, because of mob violence and misguided governmental authorities, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints fled the states of New York, Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois to settle in an unclaimed "land of inheritance", but this does not mean we are reclusive and closed off from society

(3) This one was put to the test in the months following the assassination of the Prophet Joseph Smith. If the church fell apart and broke into different factions (generally disbanded), then it would have been classified as a cult. But this wasn't Joseph Smith's church. The organization that had been established by Jesus Christ was able to successfully appoint a new Prophet, Seer, and Revelator to guide the church. Because the Church outlived Joseph Smith, it cannot be classified as a cult

The second argument that I hear repeated a lot is that we are a polytheistic religion. If Heavenly Father is God, and Jesus Christ is the God of the Old Testament, then how can we defend the thesis that we are monotheistic? 

For those associated with the Church, I like to use the analogy of the First Presidency. In the First Presidency, we (currently) have President Nelson, President Oaks, and President Eyring. One might ask "is President Nelson a president?" Yes. "Is President Oaks a president?" Yes. "Is President Eyring a president?" Yes. "Then how can you say that there is only ever one person called to lead the church at a time?"

The fault is not in the doctrines of the church, but rather our understanding of the way the priesthood and the priesthood keys operate. I would encourage everyone to go and study how authority is delegated in the Kingdom of God on earth, and I can promise that you will have insights on how the priesthood authority is delegated in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Thanks for the weekly update from home! Have a good week!

Elder Nelson

Elder Chinsoi- Aug 12, 2018

Good Morning America!

It's fun to hear about everyone's week from all around the globe! Life in Australia has been pretty busy! I got a new companion last Tuesday named Elder Chinsoi. He's from Thailand and is learning English. Being with a language learning companion is honestly so fun and challenging. Elder Chinsoi is very inquisitive and likes to delve right into the subtle nuances of the English language. Earlier this week, I had to explain the difference between active and passive voice using a white board and an extremely limited vocabulary. That's definitely a skill that I never thought I would use on the mission! Hahaha

Last Thursday we had another Mission Conference (we've had so many I lose track). It was super spiritual. It was good to get to hear from President and Sister Runia. Sister Runia really brings the fire...she's really smart and President Runia really rounds out the relationship. It's so great to get to know and serve around them. One thing that they have encouraged us to do is called the "Big Three" (I'm still trying to work out why it's called that). What it consists of:

1. right when you wake up in the morning, write down 3 things you're grateful for

2. pray until you are happy

3. during the day, study everything you can about the Savior (President Nelson has a challenge to go through all the Topical Guide references to Jesus Christ)

4. before you go to bed, write down 1 experience where you saw God's hand/love in your life.

5. report to God on your day through prayer.

It's pretty simple, but it's a powerful habit if you can do it consistently. For those of you looking for a spiritual boost in your lives, I challenge you to commit to live the "Big Three"

Thanks for all the prayers and support!

Elder Nelson

1. on the train to the mission conference

2. somebody painted this tree blue and then set up a fence around it with a "danger: keep out" sign.

3. we had a barbeque last pday for all the elders leaving the zone.

4. me and Elder Chinsoi 

The Sydney Surfer- Aug 19, 2018

Hello family and friends!

It's fun to hear about all of the news from back home! Pace's cliff-jumping looks pretty awesome! The wildfires are unfortunate.... we've had quite a few here in Sydney as well. In fact, the whole state of NSW is officially in a drought right now.

To Pace: I'm not sure I understand the question about the 'whys and wherefores' of family life. If you're asking "why is family life important?" I may have a few insights.
(long story leading up to this point)...Bishop Croft and his family had befriended a 22 year old guy named Jack. Jack had always lived life on the wild side and was doing pretty well living the "bachelor life". For reasons we won't go into, he and bishop got into an argument and stopped talking for a while. With the recent events still running through his head, Jack went out one day to go surfing. As he got to the beach, he saw lots of other surfers riding large waves just a little way out. He jumped into the surf and paddled out a fair bit. When he got out to where everybody was, he stopped and looked around, only to find himself alone with no waves coming in. Confused, he just sat there for a while thinking about life. All of a sudden, he was hit with this overwhelming feeling like he needed to go back and apologize to Bishop and his family. He paddled back and went and did just that. But even after he'd made things right, the overwhelming feeling didn't go away. So he started coming to church, then the feeling pushed him to start taking the lessons, then to read and pray, and finally to be baptized and confirmed a member of the church. (this all happened in the 5 months I was gone from the ward) The point that I'm trying to make here is that there are so many people just like Jack, except they never figure it out. They have fun for a while, but eventually end up in Claymore hahaha (think socialism mixed with drug cartels). We're teaching a few people right now who are like that, and you can definitely see the deterioration that happens in their lives. God is the Supreme Creator, and as his children, we are meant to build things. The joy comes from building a family, a skill set, or opportunities for future generations. In this story, Bishop Croft is building a family situation that attracts others and is focused on lifting others up. I hope it helps, but that's my two cents anyway.

As far as other news goes, not much has changed since last week. All the Elders who came in a transfer before me hit their year mark (crazy I know). When I first came to Australia, this certain kind of tree was in full bloom, and I've just started to see a few blossoms coming out again. It doesn't feel like it's been that long, but I'm still not even halfway, so we'll see hahaha.

Thanks for all the emails! Keep the faith!

Elder Nelson

Australian Q&A- Aug 26, 2018

I wanted to do another "Australian Q&A" today. Here are some questions from back home:


Can you share with us any of your "Big Three" insights?

I've started to keep a daily journal, which (I hope) will be a blessing one day. It has also in a roundabout kind of way inspired me to rework my spiritual journal and organize my impressions and doctrinal insights. It feels good to be creating something that I feel will be useful for answering questions.

What is Elder Chinsoi's backstory? Are you learning any Thai? Eating any Thai food?

Elder Chinsoi is from the Bankok region of Thailand. He's been out for 9 months. He converted from Buddism a few years ago and hopes to share the gospel with his family when he goes back. He cooks food pretty regularly, but as he puts it, he "cooks by the spirit". so whatever we eat, it's generally not Thai food (well, it has rice and noodles, but the similarities stop there)

Tell us about the other missionaries in your apartment.

So I'm currently in a 4 man flat with Elder Bramford and Elder Raab. I was companions with Elder Raab last transfer, but we got split up to introduce the two new guys into the ward. Elder Bramford is from Adelaide. From what I hear, Adelaide is smaller than Sydney, not quite as busy, and the people there have more of a British accent. 

How are the new members doing in your ward?

They're doing fine. We continue to meet with them every week and they've been coming to church fairly consistently. Getting them to the temple has been a challenge, but hopefully that will happen soon.

What are some of the biggest adjustments that you have had to make in the mission field?

Probably the lack of regular exercise. We can do a little bit in the mornings, and we do walk a lot, but I miss having sports where I can really get a good workout in. 

How do Australian's view Americans? What funny quarks do Americans have?

(Oh, the jokes I could make about this one...) Some quirks about Americans; we usually don't back up into parking spaces, most Americans will pull in forwards. Real Australians will always back in. In America, cars usually have the right of way. In Australia, if you want to cross the street, all the cars will stop for you. In America, most people (probably all people) rinse the soap off of their dishes after they finish washing them. Australians just let it dry with the bubbles on the dishes. Americans have sales tax, so you never know what you might pay for an item. In Australia, you pay the price on the tag. Americans also have pennies, but the smallest change Australians have is a 5c piece. So prices over here aren't something.99, it's usually in dollar increments. 

What can we include in our prayer for you or your investigators?

Patience. hahaha we had one investigator reschedule a visit 7 times in the space of 2 days. While we were on the bus ride to her house, she changed what time she wanted to meet 4 times, and eventually just pushed it off to the next day. That, and other experiences make the work frustrating at times.

That's about all for now! The church is true!

Elder Nelson

Sept 2, 2018

The time here is flying by! It feels like the weeks have turned into days! Things right now are kind of crazy in the Australia Sydney Mission, but at least it keeps things interesting. hahaha As far as the work goes, it seems like its always two steps forward, one step back. A lot of the people we're working with took a step back this week, which was hard, but I'm just counting on the two steps forward that's coming in the future ;)
I'm at that point right now where it feels like I've been on my mission for my whole life, so the really cool spiritual experiences we have kind of blur together. We did have a baptismal interview this week for the other ward in our district! She's super prepared to join the church, but nervous about what her family will think because they're all really strong Catholics. One thing she said in our interview was that she feels like having a living prophet is so modern and trendy (maybe not in those words hahaha). She felt like the idea of having modern day prophets of god really attracts the younger generation because it's such a bold/real/applicable stance. It just made me stop and realize how cool and trendy this gospel really is! hahaha (really though)

To Mom and Dad: I joined in fasting with you yesterday, and I can't say that I have any insights. I'll support you whatever you decide.

Also Happy Father's Day to Dad! In Australia it's celebrated on the first Sunday in September (why? I'm not sure, but it happens to line up with rugby finals--not sure if that's a coincidence or if it's intentional)

We've got a fun P-day activity planned to go on a hike about an hour away by train, so I should have some better pictures next week! The church is true! Read Alma 40-42 this week. Those are some solid chapters.

Elder Nelson

1. Ward Luau night. It was a blast

2. byui pathways graduation. Shout out to good old Rexburg

3. Food from the Luau night. The guy next to me just filled up a foil pan with islander food then smashed the whole thing

Ensign Articles and the Book of Mormon- Aug 6, 2018

Spiritual stuff:

So about two weeks ago we finally got into the home of a less active member that I've been trying to meet with since I got to Australia. He opened up and shared how he has read into a fair number of Anti-mormon articles and all this "research" has led him to have reservations about coming to church. He says he would love to come if he believed it, and his wife (a recent convert) really wants to come, but his influence has been holding her back. It sounded like a golden opportunity, so I told him I could help him find the answers to all of his questions, but it would require us coming over on a consistent basis. He agreed to weekly lessons and I've been studying like crazy in all of my spare time hahaha. All this study has really helped me develop an increased appreciation for the Christlike outlook the Church has maintained in spite of the constant attacks and slander from various individuals and organizations. From everything I have read, I have come to a few important conclusions; (1) the church is possibly THE MOST transparent organization of which I know. (2) there are virtually no arguments against the church that have not been answered competently by Mormon scholars. (3) most anti-mormon arguments can be traced back to either a) misinterpreted research done by Mormon scholars or b) falsified evidence. 

For anyone not alive in the 80's, I would highly recommend President Hinkley's talks with reference to the Mark Hoffman case. I was particularly impressed by his continued faith and honesty in dealing with the public during some very trying years.

Funny stuff:

A couple weeks ago, the APs called and asked us to go clean out a flat that was getting closed down. The missionaries before had left a bit of a mess and the landlord had complained about it. We were told that the flat would 100% for sure be unlocked. So we showed up with cleaning supplies in hand, ready to do some major deep cleaning. You probably guessed it already, but when we showed up, the flat was locked. Luckily for us, the laundry window had been left open, so I hopped through and opened the door. After cleaning for a bit, we started to notice the beeping noise coming from the other room. Who installs a security system in a missionary flat anyways? Hahaha

Elder Raab and I weren't sure what to do so we just locked the door and left.... haha nobody's said anything yet....

Happy Birthday to Tad today!

OFA ATU!

Elder Nelson

P.S. chat has been discontinued in our mission, so I'm only allowed 1 email per week. 

Pictures- July 30, 2018

Elder Zimmerman- July 30, 2018

So many of you probably already heard, but last Pday, Elder Zimmerman was at a zone activity taking pictures at some cliffs and lost his balance and fell to his death. I served around Elder Zimmerman for the past 5 months or so, which makes it really hard. For my email today, I thought I'd record some fun memories I had from our time together.

So because there were 4 white boys in a flat together (in sutherland: super white ward) and we were there for so long, the sisters in our district started calling us the "the sutherbrothers." Elder Smith and I had an investigator that always struggled to remember that we were "elders," so he would usually get it wrong and call us "bretherens." So the 4 of us (Elders Bohne, Zimmerman, Nelson, and Smith) were referred to as the sutherbrothers or the sutherbretherens. 

Story 1: Energy Drinks and Flashing Lights

One day a member (less active) stopped Elder Bohne and Zimmerman on the street and offered them lunch. They accepted, but then opened the bag to find that next to the meal were two energy drinks. "Energy drinks aren't that bad. What could happen?" Hahaha 

So that night after coming out of a dinner appointment, Elder Smith and I noticed that we had 19 missed calls from Sutherland B. Slightly worried, we gove them a call back. 

"Hey, what do you guys need?"   

"Is Elder Nelson there?"  

"Yes...."    

"Does he know Morse code?"   

"....um no"

"Oh....well there's these flashing lights out in the ocean and we think someone needs help!"

"...It's probably just a bouy"

"No, it's been going for about an hour now!"

"..."

"We called the police, but they haven't showed up yet! What do you think we should do???" 

"Well, it's probably nothing..." 

"Elder Bohne has a funny feeling about it!"

"...whatever you say..."

"Okay we'll stay here until someone shows up."

They finally started to come down off their "high" about 10pm (disobedient, I know haha). 

They gave us a call and we drove out to pick them up. They were so embarrassed about it that they wouldn't tell us what had really happened till a few weeks later. Haha that's why you don't do drugs, kids!

Story 2: Spider Hunt in the Flat

So as I've previously mentioned, I have successfully conquered my fear of spiders. Because I don't mind grabbing them, Elder Smith would be on the lookout for big ones and then he would make me catch them for him (he would never touch them). One day we found a massive one and so I put it in my bag till we got back to the flat. Once back, I transferred it to a jar. Elder Bohne thought it was cool (as long as it was in the jar), but Elder Zimmerman totally freaked out when he saw it (he went into the other room and closed the door). As soon as he closed the door, Elder Bohne leaned over and whispered "I have an idea..." hahaha

So we switched the spider to a different jar and left the original jar open on the floor. We then hid the spider in the cupboard. I went into the other room to try and talk Elder Zimmerman down and we start up a friendly game of chess.

*from the other room*

"ELDER NELSON! Where is your spider??!?"

*Elder Zimmerman goes pale in the face*

"Why?? what happened to it???" 

"Elder Nelson was playing with it right here and just let it out and now it's gone!!"

Me: "it was only for like 10 seconds! I was coming back!" 

At this point, Elder Zimmerman started flipping mattresses, looking under blankets, moving furniture, etc. He then proceeded to clean the entire flat with a zeal I have not seen since. While this was happening, Elder Bohne and I were just relaxing in bed, watching everything. Anyway, he eventually found the spider (the next morning) and all was right in the Sutherland flat.

Story 3: The Perfect Day 

So shortly following the visit from President Ballard and Elder Stevenson, our flat was inspired to renew our missionary efforts. Someone (Elder Smith) wondered aloud if being perfect for a day was even possible. In kind of a wild frenzy loss of sanity, we all got on board with the idea of creating the perfect day. Needless to say, this was a poor decision. We received (what I consider to be) a Devine rebuking. In this life, PERFECTION IS STILL PENDING. I can't remember all of the details from that day of infamy, but pretty much everything we tried to do ended in epic crash and burn fashion. Some of the more notable achievements of the day: the dishwasher broke and flooded our flat while we were gone; it poured rain the entire day while we were on foot (we forgot umbrellas and the bikes had flat tires); none of us had time for personal study (enough things went wrong that we couldn't fit it in); every appointment canceled (kind of a blessing because we probably would have missed them anyway). All in all, it was a fairly miserable day. I don't know if there is any doctrinal significance to be learned from this, but take from it what you will. 

There were heaps more stories that may come out later, but these were three of my favorites. Although the passing of Zimskies is sad, I'm grateful for the memories we had together. To all my friends serving missions--be safe out there. I love you all

Elder Nelson