September 30, 2011 Temple Square

Hi family!

So I made it alive to Temple Square!!!! Life is fantastic! I didn't realize how much I missed Temple Square till we were up and talking to everyone in our path. I think I bore my testimony in an hour more than I did in a day back in New York. Just a different pace; work is the same. Funny Story: The night I flew in all these members were coming up to me at the airport wondering where my companion was and how terrible it was that I was alone. Uh... are you kidding? This is awesome! But after all of their concern for my well being while I insisted that Sisters would be waiting for me at the baggage claim.... no Sisters were there. There was a family who was bringing their daughter home from her mission in Spain and they were talking to me trying to figure out whom I could call to have someone pick me up. One problem - none of us had cell phones and it was 11 p.m. Yeah.... but don't worry! I started walking the sidewalks and out pops Sister Despain! We threw my stuff in the car and headed home. I was so glad they were there as I was on the verge of a heart attack. Yeah, being alone. Awesome.

I am in the Extended Zone at Welfare Square!! My companion is Sister Matau'tuia from Australia (Samoan= awesome) but our assignment is unique. They have put us in charge of bus tours. It is a new thing. Basically we are church hosting but missionaries. There are large bus groups that come in and pay extra money to get V.I.P treatment. We are in charge of greeting them, taking them places, giving them tours, etc. It is similar to when I was doing my thing with motor coaches before I left for outbound, but on steroids since we can do VIP groups and stuff. I am amazed that President Holmes trusts me do be the face of the Church. They were going to have only Zone Leaders do it but decided to make it a specific assignment and chose us to do it. I guess I am happy or something, because I love holding microphones. We also get CELL PHONES. It gets really hectic when you have 10 buses coming in at once. Also we can trump the schedules from the Zone Leaders and Guest Services. Kind of a big deal! Oh and the BEST part is (drum roll) we get fed lunch everyday at Welfare Square and dinner at the Lion House (if we want) when we take those groups through. We did it last night and the Sister just said, "Put this on Tiffany's tab." Oh, I am living the high life!

I am so excited to be comps with Sister Matau'tuia! She is in her 4th transfer and has had a difficult time with comps because they never work hard. So we have had 1 day together and have decided that this is going to be an awesome transfer. Everyone told her that "Sister Nelson works super hard; you both are going to tear it up!" So my fame precedes me. It feels so GOOD to be back on Temple Square.

We had a huge mission meeting the morning after I returned and everyone ran up and hugged me and it was great. I felt really loved. Even Sister Holmes ran up and gave all of us returning Sisters a hug. But here is the catch, 40 sisters are going outbound! Everyone is leaving!!!! I feel so alone because I don't know a lot of the Sisters anymore. Since the mission meeting we have just been getting ready for General Conference and our mission goal is 7,000 member referrals and we are ready to hit the ground running. Anyway that is my update! Gotta run, I will e-mail Saturdays so look for me then. Enjoy Conference!

Goal #1: Make Conference Ensign.

Karly Sighting in Utica, New York

Dear Bev:

It was so amazing seeing your daughter on Saturday. There were several hundred workers sent to our town to help with the relief effort. I was a team leader and they were going to assign the sister missionaries to me but then assigned them to another person. We worked the morning and then after lunch I informed the organizers of another need at the museum. I said I would take my team there but actually they assigned it to the team with the sisters. So we were working across the street. When we finished we went over to help at the Museum. I was talking to the sisters and asking where they were from and I was like no way, when your daughter said Rancho Cucamonga. Then she asked if I knew Craig and Beverly Nelson. I said, "Sure, they run the bookstore." She was so surprised. We talked about a lot of things and about my son who just got back from Spain. It was really fun. Catha and I were going to take them out to dinner today so Catha went to the Temple and we were going to get together for dinner. When I called them to get a time they said they were leaving early so we would have to do lunch. I asked a friend who works in their area to come with us. So it all worked out. Turns out that Catha gave them a referral. Catha works front desk at the Courtyard Marriott in their area. They visited the young lady and gave her a Book of Mormon. We had a nice visit at lunch. She does know Catha’s sister, Summer, and remembers Jack Morgan. I told her she would have to meet Megan when she returns to Salt Lake. She said she probably would not be able to, but I said she graduated from the Y with a Landscape Management degree and just started working on the Temple Square grounds crew yesterday. She was like, "Sure, I am sure. It will be easy to find her since they are mostly guys." It was so fun to talk to her. When I was the ward mission leader I loved having sister missionaries. I miss not having them now. Tell your daughter I appreciate her service. They can touch hearts that the Elders just cannot reach. I would have told her but my friend talks a lot and kind of takes over conversations. Enjoy the pictures.

Last day in the Utica, New York Mission

We Love Karly Sightings!

This New York photo, taken in mid-September, 2011, shows Karly and her companion with PJ Smith, a former Alta Loma resident many years ago ... before Karly was born ... that long ago! Involved in a Mormon Helping Hands project both members and missionaries were assisting after the significant flooding caused by Hurricane Irene. While conversing PJ and Sister Nelson discovered their common Alta Loma roots. PJ knew us, Karly's parents, from that long ago. PJ's wife is Catha Morgan Smith, sister of Summer Schwendimann. Such a small world in the church!

September 27, 2011

Hi Family!

So quick e-mail since we have a lot to do today. We got the call Saturday that our area is closing. With the death of one Sister and two more going home for medical reasons, there are not enough Sisters to keep our area open. Plus we are the only ward in the mission with two sets of missionaries. But this week was amazing and, wow, it went by so fast! It started with a trip to the Palmyra Temple and seeing all the church history sites around the area. It was fun to be taken on a tour from visitor center Sisters as well. I could take a step back and say, "Hmm, yeah I do that.... bad idea gotta change that. " or "I love how they did that!" Yeah so I am all pumped and ready to go back to Temple Square, seeing a visitor center got me all jittery to get back.

We also got to spend an hour ALONE in the sacred grove. It was amazing. It was just me, the Lord and 1 billion mosquitoes. The First Vision couldn't have been made up, because only God and Jesus Christ could have made all those mosquitoes go away for Joseph Smith to stay in that grove. But on a more spiritual note the feeling inside that grove was definitely close to being inside the Temple. To think that this grove was where the restoration all got started and that by small things great things are brought to pass. As missionaries and members of the Church everything we do is a small and simple thing that has great and lasting impressions on us and the lives of others. Let's not allow a moment to pass us by without remembering why we are here and what this life is all about. It’s not about the money or the material objects but our families and our Heavenly Father. Life may be hard sometimes but the Lord understands more than we do. Joseph Smith never had it easy but we look up to him, not just because he restored the Church but because he conquered his trials and came out on top. That is a promise that we all have from our Heavenly Father, rely on Him, do what is right, and we will be blessed in some way or another.

But we did service in Owego on Saturday! We helped a man demolish his walls (so awesome) and take out all of his trash. We got to even wear the Mormon Helping Hands t-shirts!! Dream #75843 accomplished. Later we got to clean the Tioga County Museum's collection pieces that were under 5 feet of water. It was so sad but a neat experience to clean eye glasses and ribbons from the 1800s. We had to throw away a lot as well, but we also picked up a new investigator who is seriously GOLDEN! He was a guy that we met on the bus (when everyone got in a religious debate a few weeks ago) and he asked for a baptismal date! Too bad we both won’t be here for it. That is ok. We found him and set him up with the Elders. He will do well.

Ok, enough writing. We have an entire apartment to clean and drive two hours to the mission home before 9 p.m. tonight. Call ya tomorrow!

Visiting the Sacred Grove and Temple in Palmyra, NY

Library where we EMAIL home!

September 19, 2011

Hello!

So this week was a whirlwind of faith and trust. We started the week on a high with a district meeting where our mission president gave training on "answering hard questions". I totally felt prepared because that is my mission at Temple Square, so I gave my two cents every once in a while and felt it was a great refresher for going back to Temple Square next week. After being on that spiritual high we got a phone call from some members in the ward that their dog had died and due to their health problems they couldn't dig a grave for it. So we busted out their shovels, sang songs from Holes, quoted Hamlet, and just had a fun time trying to dig a two foot grave for this dog. I am not sure they appreciated our happy nature at the moment but hey, the dog is a lot happier so they should be too.

Come Thursday during our weekly planning we decided that we had been hanging onto our investigators too long so we ended up dropping four of them. I was so sad because we have worked so hard in this area and I wanted to leave it better than when I got here (which having just two investigators would be better than when I got here but still, it's a [Christ-like] pride thing) But I have experienced it many times. When you drop people the Lord gives you more people. The day we dropped all of them, people started coming up to us and asking to meet with us. We would start talking to people and they were interested in learning what we were all about. One of our potentials even called us and asked for a ride to church!! Can life get better? I will drop someone everyday if this is what happens! As we put our trust in Him, He will follow through. Wow, we are more of a hindrance to the work than the people who don't have the gospel. Good thing Heavenly Father is patient with us.

With all of the flooding we were given permission to do service around the area on Saturday. Next Saturday we can go to Owego and help. We heard that the church even came with all of their Mormon Helping Hands t-shirts just like after Hurricane Katrina. We helped a lady clean out her basement and in the process we found a Book of Mormon! We asked her about it and her brother is a member. She said she would be more than happy to have us stop back and teach her more. So Sunday we stopped by and as we were teaching, her boyfriend sat in, then another friend stopped by and sat in on the lesson too! We walked out with 3 new investigators! So needless to say I felt much better about leaving this area strong. We already have completely planned the entire week (literally) so it is going to go by fast. Tomorrow I am going to the Palmyra Temple and visit the Sacred Grove as well. I am so excited, I didn't realize how much I missed seeing a temple every day. I am so grateful for my experiences here but I am so excited to go back to Temple Square and get back to bearing my testimony every 5 minutes- can't beat that! Until next week!

Church History in My Area...

*** Church history in my area:

Martin Harris baptized 100 people in the Susquehanna River when returning from his mission to the east in 1832;

The area was originally named Chenango Point;

M. Grant (an apostle) was born here;

Josiah Stonewall was born in a city nearby (sorry, who is that?)

September 12, 2011

Hello, Hello!

Well, if any of you have watched the news you will know that Upstate New York, and more specifically my area of Binghamton and Endicott, are under water. Preaching the gospel to every creature including the fishes is a little hard but hey the scriptures do say to preach the gospel to every creature. Just kidding, BUT we did have massive flooding here. The Susquehanna River swelled to a depth of 40 feet (14' is flood stage) and many homes were destroyed. Thankfully we were ok - no power outage or leakage. But we were protected by the nearby high school which is right next to the river; the water came up to the 5th highest row in the stadium and all you could see were two poles, which are the goal posts and a roof of the equipment shed. It was awesome. We almost had to evacuate but the fire department never stopped by. All of the schools were cancelled until further notice, though today they are back in session. Church was composed of three units: us, the Owego Ward and the Susquehanna Branch. Many of those cities are still under water too.

Wednesday when it was raining we were trying to get out to Binghamton to see a member but as we were sitting at the bus junction and we listened to the radio screaming, "We can't get through this road. It is closed!" or "The freeway just flooded!" We looked at each other and had a strong feeling to get off the bus and go back home. We ran into the Elders in our area and they gave us a look of "Slackers, it is just rain" when we told them we were heading back. Later we found out that the bridges were flooded and if we had gone we wouldn't have been able to return home till Saturday. We felt like the Lord was looking out for us.

So we were more or less stuck in Endicott for the entire week with no way to get out. But we made the most of it and found a few more people to teach. All of this is a great conversation starter. It is amazing how disasters bring people together, but at the same time what is most important to people comes out. We saw many people at the grocery stores buying essentials but many more buying cases of beer to help take the edge off. There are lots of service projects ahead of us but we are fine and safe. Plus I have awesome pictures to help visualize what happened. But when it comes to investigators... yeah we didn't get much done this week for obvious reasons, but that's okay. They all know that we are concerned for them. Stay dry in the rest of the country!

** Pictures: The high school, K-mart and the clean up. Did you call the mission at all? Or see it on the news?

Utica New York Flood September 9, 2011

Utica New York Flood September 9, 2011

This has been the worst flood in over a 100 years the Susquehanna river crested 6 feet higher than normal. The whole area is devastated.

September 6, 2011

Hi Family!

Sorry for the late e-mail but all the libraries were closed yesterday due to Labor Day. Holidays are terrible ideas during missions by the way. They totally interfere with our p-days, besides the point, anyway back on topic. This week was full of ups and downs (but that is typical for missionaries). I can't remember if I mentioned that we picked up our old former investigator, Norma, who moved.. then moved back. But we did! We taught her and her mother-in-law was there as well, so we taught her too. Then Norma asked for a baptismal date so we set it for Sept 24, then we turned and asked her mother-in-law if that date worked for her as well, and it did! We were so excited. But at the end of the week the two had a MAJOR fight and Norma decided to leave and move back home. We have lost contact with her mother-in-law as well. Once again the reality of an opposing force is evident. Even though things didn't work out the way we wanted it, I feel we did our part in following the spirit and at least inviting them to come closer to Christ.

We are teaching a few kids right now; I really enjoy it. I could never be an elementary school teacher but we have lots of fun making creative lessons. One girl we are teaching, Emily, is awesome. She is 10 and loves reading so we gave her a Book of Mormon to add to her study. We watched the Restoration DVD with her and later asked if she thought there could be a prophet today. She said, "I am 75% sure that it could happen." Love kids. So honest.

Saturday we got everything all ready for Johnny's baptism. We went to the church and cleaned the font, got a little carried away with taking pictures but hey it got done! And Sunday came and everything went perfectly. The talks and everything were perfect. When he got baptized they said the prayer and they were about to put him in the water and he freaked out. He wasn't sure where to put his hands or to plug his nose. The thought came, "Oh...maybe we should have demonstrated how to be baptized" kinda crucial. Oh well, he went all the way down and got the Holy Ghost during church. The spirit was so strong and we were proud of him. Last night as a celebration we made the whole family gluten free macaroni and cheese. The kids thought they had died and gone to heaven.

I feel so honored to be able to see a baptism while I am in New York. It was a good reminder of why we do this and how it can truly bless others. It was funny to realize that I wasn't feeling what I expected to feel at a baptism. I guess I expected to feel: Yeah! Put a one in our numbers and check it off the list. But I felt peace and the realization that this is only the beginning and we have to be there every step of the way. The journey doesn't end at baptism; it just begins. Now is the test to prove to our Heavenly Father that we really are willing to do what it takes to follow Him. We are so lucky to have this in our lives and I hope that I never forget the people and the miracles that we saw.

September 5, 2011.. note from President Bulloch

Dear Elders and Sisters,

We all know there are times in our life when we need an increased endowment of the Spirit to help us faithfully and successfully endure some of the more serious difficulties and challenges we face. This week has been such a time. In these circumstances I have found the promise given to the Prophet Joseph Smith true for each of us personally. The Lord has promised that if we are “faithful” He will be “with [us] in every time of trouble” (DC 3:7). It is not a promise that our difficulties will go away, but rather a promise that His presence with us will sustain us through our challenges. As you know, this past week we have experienced a great tragedy. One of our missionaries, Sister Bentley, was killed in a serious automobile accident, and her companion, Sister Love sustained serious enough injuries to requires her to return home for healing for an estimated 6 to 8 weeks. It has been a difficult time, yet the promise has been fulfilled again—the Lord has been with us in this time of trouble. There will be an appropriate time for me to share with you some of the evidence of our Heavenly Father’s love and influence in regard to this experience in the days to come. For now I invite us to unite in faith and prayer in behalf of Sister Bentley’s family, and Sister Love and her family. There will be difficult days ahead. I hope a paragraph from a letter I wrote to Sister Bentley’s parents is appropriate to share. It said, “It is with great sadness that we mourn her loss, yet our grief is ‘swallowed up in Christ,’ knowing the ‘sting of death’ is only temporary (Mosiah 16:8). Life is eternal—and so are relationships. That is a message of hope that Sister Bentley has been sharing with the people of New York with great conviction. It is a message that was deep in her heart, and one that I know she would want you to know and feel from her personally… It is my conviction and witness that your daughter has reason to rejoice, having graduated early, and with honors, from this mortal probation.” I know Sister Bentley is fine. Those that are left behind will need our love and support. (Cards and letters may be sent to the following addresses: Brother and Sister Bentley, 8726 E 28^th Street, Tucson, AZ 85710. Sister Love, 733 Brisbane Street, Hemet, CA 92545.)

As a show of support to Sister Bentley and our mission, President Roger Killpack, the President of the Arizona Tucson Mission (and father of our own Elder Killpack), has informed me “as a show of respect, support and brotherhood, we will have our missionaries in the greater Tucson area, about 80-90 of them, in attendance to the funeral. We plan on sitting together in the back to show honor and pay tribute. It is our hope that we can represent the missionaries of your mission by doing so.” The funeral will be held at 10:00 a.m. (1:00 p.m. New York time) on Tuesday, September 6^th. As appropriate, we invite each of you to take a moment in prayer and reflection.

Sometimes it is hard to understand why things happen the way they do. What a blessing it is to have the knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ! “It is a singularly marvelous blessing to have faith in the Savior and a testimony of His teachings. So few in the world have that brilliant light to guide them. The fulness of the restored gospel gives perspective, purpose, and understanding. It allows us to face what otherwise appear to be unjust, unfair, unreasonable challenges in life” (Elder Scott, CR, Oct 1995).

May the Lord bless each of you with the peace and comfort of the Spirit.

We congratulate the following on their baptism this week: Johnny Hillman in Binghamton, taught by Sisters Nelson and Duncan; and Jarod Mowrer in Carthage, taught by Elders Nielson, Stanton and Daniels-Brown.

President Bulloch