Week 5

So a little bit about myself. I can teach a 30 minute lesson about the Gospel to someone, only speaking a language I've been learning for 5 weeks now, I live in a dorm room for six guys with only one other Elder, and that Elder apparently has a son!!! Not really!(: But in one of our lessons, he was trying to say "God sent His Son to atone for our sins." and instead said, "I know that God sent my son to atone for our sins." Ya, that was awkward. Especially since I didn't catch what he said. So I had no idea what was going on when the other two people in the room we were teaching in busted out laughing. Thankfully, they know what we teach already so they understood what we meant to say. A little humor for you to begin.(: 

This week was great! Devotional on Sunday was BYU Men's Choir!! Beautiful singing. Just awesome. And I got to see and talk to Conner McCall!!!(:  That was SUCH a little miracle. And the fact that one of the Sisters in my District knew him too!!! They had a class together and hung out every once in a while. Crazy right?!?!

Well, for those of you who don't know, it's snowing here! About 3 inches, maybe more if it keeps going. I love spring. Flowers, and then snow! So fun!(: 

So I don't know what else to say... . It was a pretty average week. Next week I'll send a picture of my schedule so you can have a better idea of what an average week is. There's a lot of preparing lessons during our class times. We usually have about one of our 3 hour class periods to devote to preparing a lesson. I get an hour for gym time every day. Usually run a few miles or play volleyball. It's a lot of studying honestly. Not a lot of diversity. Teaching ourselves the language and learning it from our teachers. It's fun!

So commitment time. Because we should always extend those. Do your best to develop Characteristics of Christ. I watch the talk by David A. Bednar that 's only shown here entitled Characteristics of Christ and it was incredible! It's only shown here unfortunately. We need to care more about others than ourselves. When we would usually turn inwards, that is when Christ ALWAYS turned outwards. He never thought about himself. When he was disappointed by His disciples and betrayed by another after the Garden, He took time to heal the guard's ear! He had the sin's of all mankind, the suffering of everyone who ever had and would live, and He stopped the conflict of Peter with the guards to heal the guard. Would we have been able to do that. NO! The natural man would've said, give up. You've got problems of your own. But we can do our best to fight off the natural man. Look for opportunities to serve others. Even when you may have to give something up in return. You won't regret it. Being like Christ is the best thing you could possibly do for yourself.

I love you all! I hope you all have a great week and I'll talk to you later!

Love,

Elder Nelson

A Capella Time

Well this has been such a great week for me! Teaching our 3 investigators like crazy and learning Russian! It's all very fun. But let's focus on the weekend. Easter and Conference! If you didn't watch or listen to Conference, I highly suggest that you do! Or when the Ensign comes out next month to read the talks that were given. My absolute favorite talk was given by the Apostle Jeffery R. Holland. of course he's one of my favorite General Authorities but his talk was given with such power as to pierce the soul. He talked about the Atonement of Christ and gave an analogy through a story about 2 brothers. The power of Christ's Atonement made for us is the greatest act ever performed by a man. But this Man was the Son of Man, King of Kings, Lord of Lords. The Son of God and the great "I am," even Jehovah. Only He could break the bands of death so that we could live again. Only He could make the sacrifice necessary for us all to be forgiven for our sins. He loves us so much. More than we can even comprehend. "He lives" and "for sure He is risen," as the Russians great each other this season. And it is only through His grace that we are saved, as President Uchtdorf spoke about in Conference.

But what is the Atonement? Just stop and think, do you know what the Atonement is? Do you know what it covers? Do you truly know how to access it's power? It will always be there, but you need to take the actions to access it. 2 Nephi 31:17-21. Faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, Repentance, Baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end are the ways we inherit eternal life. What does the Atonement cover? - EVERYTHING. All of our pains, all of our afflictions, all of our weaknesses. And we have access to that whenever we need it! We repeatedly make mistakes but that is why the Atonement is infinite. So whenever we make a mistake, we can ask God (again) to forgive us. We fix what we have done and continue on, better than before. Christ knows us PERFECTLY and knows how to PERFECTLY succor His people. Which, we all are. He knows our suffering and wants to relieve that. He rejoices when we rejoice in righteousness. And we still have no idea the extent of it all. So just think about it and our Savior. Think about our Savior all of the time. I do. And I have never been happier than when I have forgotten myself and thought of others instead.

Well, devotional Sunday night was awesome! We had an incredible day with the 2 Conference Sessions that day and the great Spirit that was in attendance there. And then devotional! Let me tell you, that was Spiritual! ;) We only had Vocal Point come and "speak" to us. Ya, Vocal Point. From BYU. They came and sang. A nice little private concert for the Missionaries. So fun! And I got to go say hi to all of them! AND one of them went to Samara, Russia on his Mission! Ha! I talked to him and then he just started talking Russian! It was so cool! 

Well, I'm done. Watch and re-watch Conference. The peace and warmth you will feel from the Spirit (Galatians 5: 22-23) will bless you for weeks and months to come. Love you all!

Love,

Elder Nelson

The Ocarina of Time

April 1, 2015

Well to begin, some new elders that leave next week moved in today! And one of them has an Ocarina from Zelda. He can play the lullaby as well as Hobbiton (The song that always plays when they show the Shire) from Lord of the Rings on it. It's super awesome! Anyway, I'm done nerding out now.(:

Something you may all think is cool, one of my teachers is President Eyring's granddaughters. She went to St. Petersburg on her Mission 2 years ago today. Fun facts for you all.(: She's really awesome.

Well, good week! I've had a couple of conversations (and always lessons) with investigators completely in Russian... with only 3 weeks of being here. The gift of Tongues is real. Just thought I'd let you know. The Lord blesses His servants because we're are preparing to take His Gospel to all the world, to all people, of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.

There isn't really anything else to update so... I want to issue you all a challenge. Now, keep in mind that when I write this, it isn't just to a group. I know you each individually and think about each and every one of you, regardless of how close we were. So this challenge is serious, not just a "challenge" to those that read my emails. I want YOU to think about Christ as much as you can between now and next Wednesday. Don't think about how stressed you are about that project, how frustrated you are about the results of March Madness, or how injured you feel from that person's comment. Think of Christ instead. It's Easter time! Remember He Who broke the bands of death and has made it possible for us to rise again. The sting of death is lost in the grace of Christ and His Resurrection. And what better thing can we do than remember the most unselfish example we have. Let us not be selfish in our feelings, our thoughts, and especially not our actions. Let us serve one another and lift one another up. Let us share our testimonies, our knowledge of our living Savior! Treat one another kindly. 

And right now, I also want all of you to commit THIS MOMENT to watch Conference. Whether you are of the Mormon faith or not, this weekend is going to be incredible if you watch Conference. I know that if you listen to the words of those men and women that you will not only feel peace, but gain a greater understanding of Christ and of who He is. The words of these great leaders bless us, because they have thought and studied, listening for the guiding voice of the Spirit to enlighten their minds on how to best guide us in these latter days. God is not silent. He LIVES! And He leads His Church through His mouthpiece, the Prophet Thomas S. Monson, His Apostles, and all of the other General Authorities. Watch Conference. How could you spend your time better than listening to the Word of God? Listen and apply what they say, and I promise that you will be blessed. And I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, Amen.

-- 

Elder Nelson

Week 2

March 25, 2015

Well, some continuation from last week first. I'm District Leader! So that's an exciting responsibility that I enjoy.(: It's great to care for my companion and 4 sisters in my district because I love them all so much already! Which, I meet one at a Youth Activity once back home! She's from Shelley, so if you know an Indigo Young, she's in the District!(: And another sister, Sister Rubio, is from Ecuador! Born and raised there so she knows Spanish and quite a bit of English. It's just crazy the strength that she has to do this work. And all of the sisters are going to Ukraine, so not only are they learning Russian, but in the field they'll need to learn Ukrainian too. The Russian and Ukrainians are apparently comparable to the Portuguese and Spanish though. So they understand each other for the most part still, even though they're different languages. And I saw Elder Richard Ryan a few times before he left last week! Watch out Cape Verde, here he comes!... or went last Monday I guess! ;)

This week was a lot of class. Just trying to learn the language. And a lot of teaching. We're going to be teaching everyday now from the looks of things. We finished teaching Andrei, our first investigator, and then got 3 new investigators! Along with a new teacher! Sister Eyring, Brother Gill, and Brother Froelich are our teachers. And our investigators are Babushka Valentina, Sasha, and ADHD Alexcie. They'[re all wonderful and are helping me to teach so much better! All in Russian of course, because pft! who needs English!? Just kidding. The Russian is definitely progressing and DEFINITELY still needs work, so English is both a friends and enemy. So, we have a Devotional every Sunday and Tuesday nights, which are my favorite times! They always invite the Spirit and teach so MUCH in just an hour. Last nights was great, from Elder James J. Hamula of the Seventy. He spoke on faith and gave 5 steps that I loved for faith. You may have seen steps 1-3 from Brother Horner in Seminary last year in his DNA helix.

1. Evidence- Hebrews 11:1. Evidence comes from one who has seen.--->The prophets and apostles

2. Hope-Hebrews 11:1 & Alma 32:21

-It is hope inspired by the evidence that fires faith. Not the evidence itself. (So don't try to rely on physical evidence only ;)  )

3. Action- James 1:5-6 & James 2:14,17 (These don't need any expounding. They speak perfectly on their own)

4. Spiritual Witness

-Ether 12:6 - It isn't until after we exercise or act in faith, that we receive a witness.

-Ether 12:12

​5. Truth - comes after acting and fulfilling all other parts this faith cycle. As long as what you have faith in really IS true. 1 Kings 18. Be Elijah, not like the Priests of Baal that had false faith.

Remember, this is a cycle. So you must continue these steps in the cycle of faith to grow. And eventually, you hope will evolve into confidence, which confidence may mature into certainty, if you continue the cycle.​

I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Gospel of Jesus Christ restored in its fulness upon the Earth. i know God loves everyone, which is why He gave us the Gospel. i hope you will all live the blessed Gospel throughout your lives until the end. I am confident that we can all grow forever in our lives. Because I am certain God has a Plan to make us the best we can be as we act in faith. I love you all!

​Love,​

Elder Nelson

The first day... wait... week!?!?‏

March 18, 2015

Well hello everyone!!! My first week at the MTC but it only feels like I got here this morning. I heard a saying when I first got here. "Each day a week, each week a day." It doesn't make a lot of sense but each day has been the longest day of my life. No exceptions. I can't think of longer days. But I can't think of any better feeling that I could have than lengthening out my service to our Lord, preparing for or acting in the Mission Field. Time is a precious blessing and I'm glad that I can spend 2 years of it to serve God, day and night. Well, this week has been interesting. You've heard out of the frying pan and into the fire right? Try, out of the tanning bed and into the SUN!!!! After dropping off my luggage in my room, I went to class and all our teacher did was speak Russian. That's right, if there was English, it was either from the rest of us in the class or written on the board. So if you future Missionaries go speaking a different language, learn what you can before. Every little bit counts.(: 

The Spirit is so strong here. I can not explain the peace and joy that accompany this sacred place. Because the MTC campus is a dedicated campus, it is like an in-between of a Temple or Church Building. Prayers are said by thousands every day, and continuously throughout, out loud or in our hearts. And people pray for us every day and we feel those prayers. And need them. Thank you to those that pray for us because God is our strength and arm and we are preparing to accomplish one of the greatest works that we possibly can in bringing the joyful Plan God has for us to the miserable world. So thank you all.(:

The language is hard, but I can sound out accurately probably every word in Russian! I can say simple but powerful prayers and testimonies in Russian already. In a week! And I can understand a lot of what our teachers are saying. Half of what they do is charades though, so I don't exactly know if that's a testament to my language skills or charades skills. ;)

Well, my companion is Elder Gerritsen from West Valley, Utah. Not far from home now is he? At 6'6", this ginger towers over me and he is awesome! He technically finished High School quite a while ago and wanted to graduate early. So he graduated in December to come on his mission earlier! He's a great guy and we get along just fine. We're the only ones in our dorm room so that's a relief! Of our Zone (group of missionaries going to relatively the same place, like a Russian speaking Mission) we're the only ones going to the Rostov Mission except for one of our Zone Leaders, Elder Smith. Who is from Idaho Falls!!!! Heck yes! Best home on earth! He actually lived just off of Lincoln so if any of you know him, Tell me! He went to a private school... I'm not sure where yet. But I'll ask. He knew Bradin High so if you guys know who I'm talking about, ya.(:

Well, I love you all!!! The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Church of God restored on the earth through his prophet Joseph Smith. The Book of Mormon is the word of God given to us in order to understand God's purpose for each and every one of us. And I know that if you read it's pages, you can become closer to God that by any other way. Read it because it is true. Read it to feel God's love. I love you all!

--

Elder Nelson

Quentin's First Letter

March 16, 2015


We heard from Quentin today! It was wonderful to hear when we hadn't heard anything for almost a week! I was surprised to get a letter in the mail prior to an email on his P-day which will be Wednesdays while he is in the MTC. I started crying at the mailbox and cried until I read it and reread it about 5 times. Can't wait to get may more.


Dear Family,

Well, I'm alive!! At first I still couldn't believe that I was finally here in the MTC, but then I was introduced to my class. There's only 6 of us (which really confused me), there's me, my companion (which I'll talk about in my email Wednesday. Don't worry he's great!) and two sister companionships. If you've ever heard about how they totally immerse the missionaries into the language, they're right! The teacher didn't speak a single word of English the whole time! I love it! We got to "teach" investigators, a group of 50 new missionaries and the spirit was just incredible! I can't believe I'm finally here and experiencing this! Don't worry about my zone, they're incredible too! There are two of our zone leaders that I just love! They are in tune with the spirit and rule followers. I love them so much and they're so cool. One of them is even from Idaho Falls!!! Lives just off Lincoln Road. He's way cool! Anyway, just letting you know I'm alive. P-days are Wednesdays so that's when you'll be getting my emails while I'm here.  I love you all so much and may the spirit of the Lord reside within each of your hearts.

                                                                          Love,
                                                                              Quentin Nelson

His official address at the MTC is
Elder Quentin Douglas Nelson
May 10 RUS-ROS
2007 N 900 E unit 95
Provo, UT 84602