13th June 2012

Hello every one! So it's been raining here in Udine, and I'm grateful we had the Zone Leaders down with their car! I was with one of the Zone Leaders when after haven taken shelter, we saw hail the size of my thumb slamming into cars and so forth, made quite a bit of noise! We was watching one car slowly get pummeled, losing rather a lot of paint. Hope they have insurance! One of our investigators is convinced that the Bible has predicted this (and the earthquakes we've been experiencing) and that Italy is about to be destroyed. We're pretty sure that the reason why we can't reach him is that he's fled the country. Let's hope he's wrong! That incident has made me think a little. How wonderful it is that we have a living prophet, who can tell us about these things? That we don't have to rely upon man's interpretation of a 2,000 plus year old document that's been altered, but instead have a living and active link with God, who can warn us if these things are going to happen? I'm grateful I don't have to rely on man to know if I'm in danger or I need to do something! I love you all! Anziano Nelson

Hey!   So we had another Baptism! And a miracle! None of her friends or family turned up, so I was praying throughout Priesthood meeting that someone would come. Well, I got a tap on the shoulder from one of the members, who pointed me out into the passage. There was an African standing there, in African smart dress! I went out, and after a little bit of confusion in regards to who he was, I brought him in, and translated for him. He'd been told by his friends in Nigeria to come visit our Church, and had decided to come along that day. I went off to sort a few things out for our investigator who was getting Baptised, and came back with her, and she recognised the random African, they were friends from Nigeria! What a miracle! I was so grateful that she could have a non member friend there to support her while she made this great step in her life! There is nothing the Lord won't do to help His children!   I love you all!   Anziano Nelson

Hello! So yesterday, we were pretty down. One of our New Converts was being....less than bravo, and our day was largely wasted due to various reasons. So I decided to go get a kebab to cheer myself up and get the stress off. We met another new convert on the way, which meant we didn't go to the kebaberia (kebab shop :) ) that we'd planned, but a different one, because we talked for a while.. Anyway, as we were leaving, the owner and his fiancè ask us to come and have a Sprite with them (on the house), after a quick look at my companion, I agreed. We sat down, and started chatting, and they turned the topic over to the Gospel. We ended up teaching them the Restoration, gave them a Book of Mormon in Romanian (my companion was carrying it around for some random reason), and set a return appointment for tomorrow! It's so interesting how the Lord guides you to those who have interest in the Gospel! My invite for this week is to...when you're down, get a kebab and share the Gospel with the owner of the kebab shop! :D

Hello! This week has been good for my language skills...my twe (an african language spoken Ghana) has been very useful in getting us into peoples homes! I learnt a little in Reggio and have been putting it to good use! Just speaking a little of it puts the Ghanans at ease and forms a friendship and bond that they appreciate, and opens them up. It makes me realise what the real bringer of the spirit is: love. As they realise that you care enough about them to want to learn their language and take the time to appreciate their culture they feel the love, and then they feel the spirit. Some of the Missionaries often think that you have to speak the language perfectly to be a good Missionary, but you don't. I've found that even when you don't speak more than a couple of words in a language that they understand (our Chinese investigator for example, Yuang shen), they still feel the Spirit and somehow get taught. The Missionaries don't really do anything, it's always the Spirit, and we're just there to help them let the Spirit in. With Yuang, for example, he doesn't speak much English, and even less Italian. So I've been learning Chinese, and I probably don't make much sense to him when I speak it, but he has the biggest grin on his face when I do, and the Spirit instantly comes! Remember when working with your friends trying to bring them the Gospel light, it's not the words you say, but the love in which you say it that really matters! I love you all! Anziano Nelson.

Hello! So...new area, new challenges, some not so new...and lots of fun! It's a large Branch here in Udine, not quite as dependant on the Missionaries as Forlì was (I'm grateful). The Missionary area is in a bit of a bad way, and my goal for this transfer is to transform it into a functioning area. We've got two really good investigators though, and one of them brought their sister to Church on Sunday (I ended up translating again) and we're having to hold back from the Baptismal font! We didn't even say anything in the first lesson when she said she wanted be baptised....today! We managed to persuade her to wait a little while, and we're excited for her! The Branch is great! I love the city, finally a city which looks Italian...the only downside is my companion is from Utah! Darn...but he's cool, so I don't mind losing my record for lacking in Utahn companions! He's from Farmington, Utah, and is called Anziano Taggart. He's actually a little older than me, 25, so for once I'm not the oldest missionary in the Zone :) Apparently it is a twin city with Port Talbot, the city next to Swansea where I was Baptised! And there is a senior couple in my district, Anziano and Sorella Jacobs from Layton Utah, who lived in Cambridge and also East Anglia, so if you know them let me know and I'll pass on to them your greetings! :) Plenty of connections with home it seems! :) Something that has hit me this week was from my personal study this morning. I was reading Mosiah 3 (I'm reading with my new convert in Reggio, although I'm just guessing how much she is reading, and I need to catch up), and an old favourite took on a new meaning. Verse 19 mentions how through the Atonement we become a Saint. The thought was the role of the Atonement. Many Christians claim that the Atonement does everything first, then we do works. Many people say that 2 Nephi 25:23 says we have to do everything before the Atonement comes into effect and saves us. But this gave me a different line of thought. It is through the Atonement that we become perfected and ultimately saved, the Atonement helps us do everything we have to do to be saved! The Atonement really is infinite, and is designed to bring us from our natural carnal state to the Saints we have the destiny to become. The trick is learning to rely upon it! I love you all! Anziano Nelson

Hello everyone!   So, I've packed my bags again, I'm leaving for Udine, which is near Venezia! Reggio has been so fun, working with the members, learning Twe (mg peh pah!) and Spanish (como estas hermanos?), and generally working hard! A less active we've worked with just became the second counsellor in Young Mens, and taught his first lesson sunday! I'm so proud! Rita our new convert is going through a hard time, but is coping well! Krishna and Anamaria the other new converts are doing well as well!   I've changed alot, according to the Ward. The Mission changes you so much. Each city you go to changes you, forms you, and leaves an everlasting impression upon your life. Reggio will always be the place where I took responsibility, and saw that I really can do Missionary work. I wish I could have stayed another six weeks, but I know that something new in Udine is awaiting me and that I have things to learn from them too. I don't think I'll be recognisable when I get home! If you haven't served a Mission, and thinking about it, do it! It is a lot of stress, especially when you have to race around the city looking for your "kidnapped" Sister Missionaries, and when Baptisms come, but that is all part of the fun. When you leave a city, and you see how you were at the beginning compared to how you are when you leave, you just have a great feeling of satisfaction, and growth. The impact people have on you, and that you have on others is tremendous. There is nothing like it! So, go serve Missions, and see how many Blessings there are instore for you!   I love you all!   Anziano Nelson

Hello! So we had a Baptism this week! Rita got Baptised! It was a great journey, getting her from that first moment we knocked on her door, all the way through to the waters of Baptism! The ceremony was great. There was a slight hiccup in the plans though, the person who filled the font didn't think to put cold water in, it was boiling! There wasn't any time to fix the situation, so we just put some cold water in (which escaped immediately due to the font being too full) and hoped it would cool a little! It did a little, but not as much as I'd have liked. When Rita entered she kept saying that it was burning her. Knowing it was then or never, we encouraged her, and told her we'd be really quick. She came in, and was Baptised. She felt so great that she didn't want to leave the water! Didn't even feel the heat! That feeling of being Baptised is so powerful, it overrides pretty much everything else! Rita hasn't stopped talking about it ever since! She's now busy working on her family to get them to make the same step. All I can say is that she's an older Missionary than I am! I hope that you all remember that feeling you had of Baptism, and if you don't, dig out your old journals and remind yourselves! It is so powerful! There is nothing like it. It is a powerful experience, and I wish that everyone would have that experience in their lives. I love you! Anziano Nelson