Week #35 -Far Away, But So Close

Hello my  family :)

Man oh man, can I just say that I love you all so much and that I miss you more than I ever have before? Keep it on the downlow, but I`m feeling a little homesick today....shhh :) Please know that I love you all more than you can possibly imagine. If there`s one thing that I constantly realize that I`ve learned here on my mission is just how much I love you all. You, my family, and you, all my friends that read these letters too. I love all the people that are a part of my life, and I feel extremely blessed because of all the wonderful relationships I have with my family and friends. I got a letter from good ol` Deano this week and last week I had gotten a letter from Mike and Conor too and they made me realize just how incredibly blessed I`ve been. I love you all (family and friends) so very much!

I'm starting to get the reputation in the mission for the elder
with the hair that looks like Elder Bednar!  i take pride in my part! :)

It was quite the eventful week here in Parque San Martin (well actually most of the action took place in Ramos Mejia) and I feel like I learned quite a bit. I was able to go on divisions this week with our Zone Leader here in Merlo, Elder Wilson (from St. George) for a few days and it was so fun to work with him! He`s such a good missionary, and I love the energy that he brought to missionary work. I felt like I smiled the whole time I was with him because we were just laughing and having a good time while doing the Lord`s work. That`s the way it should be right? We were able to find a few new investigators and I finally was able to teach for the first time in more than a week! I hated not being able to teach! When I was in Laferrere we taught all the time, but here it`s a little bit harder to find people and be accepted by them. I love teaching! I get nervous sometimes when a lesson is about to start, but I always end up saying a little prayer and then leave it all up to the Spirit. That`s definitely the way to do it! Me and Elder Wilson taught a girl named Verena that had come to our ward the week before with her return missionary BF. Sweet! We met with them (Verena and her RM BF) in the church and had a sweet restoration lesson. Her BF cried when he talked about what the Restoration meant to him and the Spirit was definitely there. We challenged her to baptism for the 29th of September and she said that if she comes to know that these things are true then she`ll do it! Woo hoo! I love inviting people to be baptized!

Friday night was a very special night that I won`t ever forget. We were able to go to the mission offices and we heard from the 3 Apostles (President Eyring, Elder Ballard, and Elder Christofferson) that came to dedicate the temple.Wow. What a Spirit that those 3 men carry. They walked into the room and it was just like a wall. WHAM! Drilled by the Spirit! When they spoke to us, WHAM! There it was again! Elder Christofferson speaks SUPER good Castellano and he didn`t even have to have a translator when he spoke. President Eyring and Elder Ballard both had translators, and what they said was awesome as well. I can`t fully express to you in the short time I have what they said, but just know that I felt the Spirit. They shared thoughts that seemed to be written specifically that I could hear. It was awesome. My testimony of modern day prophets and apostles definitely was strengthened this weekend.

Saturday night we got to be part of the cultural event! It was so much fun and also really spiritual! I loved when all the missionaries got to march out onto the field while singing `Somos hoy llamados al servicio` (Called to Serve). I felt like I was in the army of Helaman as I marched out onto the field with my chin held high. I felt so proud and happy to be part of the Lord`s army doing his work down here in Argentina! During the cultural event was when it really hit me that this church really is a worldwide church. It`s so cool to me that the church can be so far away from home, but it`s (mas o menos) the same here in Argentina. It was a testimony builder to me that this church really is the true church of God.

I think that my favorite day this week was Sunday. We were able to go (not at the temple, at the stake center) to see the rededication, and I think that my view of eternal families has been changed forever. Every speaker that spoke touched on families and just how important they are. I couldn`t help but think about all of you as I watched the dedication, and I couldn`t help but think about the family that I`ll have one day. I just want to be married and have kids so bad! Ah! Everything I do, everyday makes me think of the family that I have and of the family that I will have one day. What a blessing that we can all be together forever! Wow. Temples are a blessing too that I don`t think I`d ever fully comprehended, but wow. I understand their importance now. Temples are places of refuge from the world where we can go to feel TRUE peace. The peace of God, and it`s in temples where we can make our families eternal. Wow. I love you all so much.

I feel like I`ve talked about families so much lately in my past few emails. I just hope you all know that I KNOW that families are forever. I hope you all know that I feel so extremely blessed to have you guys, my ETERNAL family. I feel so extremely blessed by the Lord that He gave me all of you.


HERE IS A VIDEO FROM THE CULTURAL CELEBRATION HELD AT A SOCCER STADIUM.  THERE IS A 20 SECOND DELAY AT THE BEGINNING.  

I feel grateful that I`m homesick. Being homesick means that I have an incredible family right? Darn it! Why do you all have to be so good to me? :) I feel so far away from all of you, and I guess I am physically, but at the same time I`ve never felt so close to all of you. So far away, but oh so very close. SO very close. Forever.

I love you all. I love you all so much.

Far away yet oh so close,

Elder Nilsen