What a week! Up and Down, but mostly up! I hope yournzez week is mostly up, too.
First, I have to apoloqize for the mis-quote in last week's email. I quoted a scripture that's in Alma 41:10 and said that it's in Ether. Sorry about that. I realized what I had done as soon as I left the library and it's been bugging me all week.
Second, I finally got my glasses. I can see! I don't have to re-glue my glasses every night!
Third, Sister Ralph and I are staying in Corbin for another transfer! I've been dying thinking that I might get transferred, but thankfully, I get to stay here for at least another 5 weeks.
This week I really wish you all could have been the group of flies on the wall and ceiling and floor that surround every house around here. (The heat and humidity brings them out.) I would have loved to have you all be able to see the things that I saw this week.
He told us that he and his wife were hoping to be given the chance to postpone their mission for a year to get his business affairs in order. President Ballard offered them the option to postpone a year and when he went to accept the offer, he was counfounded and couldn't. The Spirit told them they shouldn't put it off. He told us that he and his wife knew that NOW is the time and the GKLM is the place and they hope that the missionaries here know the same thing. I do know the same thing: Now IS the time and the GKLM is definitely the place! President bore his testimony about how he knows that the story of Jesus and of Joseph Smith are stories that are too good to be true, but they ARE true. It was great. President told me that Uncle Max was his seminary teacher and that he probably couldn't believe it when he found out that President Woodbury was called to be a mission president. I LOVE the Woodbury's.
On Thursday, Sister Ralph and I got to go to a meeting that is held in the apartment complex of a man in our ward. Brother Mink has been trying to get missionaries to attend it for a while now and Sister Ralph and I finally said we'd go. It's a group that meets weekly and is led by a preacher-type man who isn't technically a preacher. It's a non-denominational gathering that has Baptists, Pentacostals and who knows what else that all meet together and sing and then preach and hire preachers to come in and guest speak. It reminded me a lot of Faith Lutheran. I think Sister Ralph was pretty uncomfortable in there because she's never been around people who "worship" the way they did. Brother Mink wants us to preach in there as one of the guests. We thought about it, but not very many people liked that we showed up to observe and they're all pretty set in their ways. If they asked us to, we would, but we're not volunteering any time soon. The people there are all great and all love the Lord, but the only way they can feel the Spirit is by singing rock songs and shouting "Amen!" every once in a while. I did feel the Spirit sometimes, but not the way I do when we have church in an LDS building. I wish those people, who are so dedicated and good-hearted WOULD listen to us. Sherry Taylor lives in the complex and we were teaching her the other day and she found out we were going to go to the meeting and she pointed to our tags and asked if we were going to wear them in there. We told her we weren't ashamed of where we come from or who we are. She smiled and puffed herself up and said she wasn't ashamed either, haha. We got her a large Book of Mormon and hopefully she'll be able to start reading it now. The preacher-guy was very welcoming to us and called us special guests, but I think that if we come back, we'll have worn our welcome. It was cool though. I liked singing some of the songs they sang and watching them close their eyes and raise their arms. It reminded me of the Crabb singers and made me hope that I'll meet them while I'm out here.
On our way home from the meeting, which was in Barbourville, we got out to take a picture something at a gas station and when we got back in the car it wouldn't stop. We were 15 minutes outside of Corbin so we called Brother Claiborne Williams and he came and helped us get home. Our alternator and battery went out so our car has been in the shop since Friday morning and we won't get it back till tomorrow or Wednesday. It's hard to not have a car here. It's definitely made us grateful for the Church for providing a car for us.
Willard is my new best friend since Michael, Brynn, Carly, Book Club and my sisses ne'er write me. We've had another crazy week with him, of course, but only because Satan is working so hard on him. He's stayed strong though. On Tuesday we went to see him and he wasn't there. There's a man named Jim who lives a street before Willard's that we always pass on our way to the lessons. Willard stayed with Jim last weekend when his roommates kicked him out last week because of the changes he's making in his life. The landlord kicked his roommates out and let Willard move back in. (They're drug addicts and use Willard for his disability check. All they do is steal money and his pain pills from him. It's ridiculous. They'll be mean to him until the first of the month when they guilt him into paying the rent because they have an infant that he doesn't want to kick out on the street. Don't worry, everything is settled now, but it's been a big headache for the last three months that we've known Willard to watch them manipulate him the way they do.)
ANYWAYS, we were on our way to Willard's when Jim told us he saw Willard leave with his old roommates the night before and he hadn't come back yet. We went over anyways and Willard wasn't there. I was a mess. The girl that he used to live with was trying to get Willard to run away with her and "leave" her boyfriend and marry Willard instead and Willard at one point had asked her to marry him and she had said no. Anyways, it is a long mess and I was thinking that she had seduced him even though he had told her no several times. She's just pretending she wants him because she can see that he realized that people shouldn't treat him the way they have been and that he was going to stop letting them walk all over him. We left a note on the door asking him to call us and that we loved him. I was a mess the whole day until he called and asked us to come over.
We were in East Bernstadt at the time so we rushed home after our apppointment and he told us how she had come by and tried everything she could to get him to marry her (so she can get his check every month) and he had said no and so she told him she needed money for food for her baby and he didn't believe her so he told her he would go with her to the store to get the food himself and she refused to drive him home once he was in the car and she took him out to Williamsburg and tried to get him to spend the night with her. He refused and asked her to take him home but she wouldn't. He doesn't have a phone or he would have called a ride. Instead, he slept on the couch. Long story, short, she robbed him, took his check for the month and left him there in Williamsburg. He started walking back to Corbin and after 5 miles (keep in mind he's crippled and uses a cane to walk) someone picked him up and brought him home. He locks the doors to the house that he now has, but she broke a back window and came in and stole stuff anyway. Ridiculous stuff like his deodorant and toothpaste. She even stole his Book of Mormon. He's so frustrated and sad. BUT, he hasn't given in or given up yet.
Today Sister Ralph and I went over and moved out all of her furniture that she has refused to move out so that she can have a reason to come back and see Willard again. We moved it all out to the garage so she won't have an excuse to come in. Bishop has helped Willard with everything else and the house is now in his name so he can call the cops if she comes back. I know all that stuff sounds pretty sketchy, but Bishop, Sister Ralph all feel very strongly that he is a good man and that he truly has been taken advantage of. His baptism was WONDERFUL. He was holding his chest half of the time because he thought his heart was going to pound right out of his body. Claiborne baptized him and it was his first time baptizing. Willard is crippled on one side so he couldn't hold on to Clay because he needed his good hand to cover his nose. Bishop, Sister Ralph and I wanted another person in the font with them but they insisted that they had worked out how to do it and they were fine.
So, we had Steven Rodriguez stand near the font stairs just in case. Clay had been rehearsing the words over and over that day. Bishop made sure they were in the water before we opened the font doors. But, I guess no one told Clay to wait till the doors were open so the witnesses could see because as the doors were opening, Clay was finishing the words. We thought he was just practicing but then he dropped Willard down into the water and slipped. Willard started flailing around with his hair all in his eyes and his teeth almost falling out and Steven started jumping into the font, but also slipped and we were all freaking out because it all happened as the doors opened. Willard finally got back on his feet and he and Clay were smiling proudly when Bishop told them they had to do it again. HAHa. We were DYING. It was so funny. They did it a little better this time, but Clay still slipped and Willard still flailed. All that mattered though was that Willard got baptized, and he did. It was AWESOME.
The next day, his ride showed up to church and said that Willard wasn't outside waiting, but his door was open. They didn't want to get out and knock so they left him. I turned his ride right back around and told them to go get him because Willard HAD to be there to get the Holy Ghost. Willard limped in just as the Sacrament hymn was starting. He was given the Holy Ghost and it was wonderful. After he was welcomed into the ward by the uplifted hand, Brother Potter said that he had been interviewed and found worthy to be given the Aaronic priesthood and be ordained to the office of a Priest! What a wonderful surprise! He was ordained later that day and was given yet another beautiful blessing. He was again told that through his faith he could be healed and that he will be a light and a teacher to other people who need answers in the gospel! He's so excited and humbled to have the priesthood! It's amazing! Clay was in there for it and after the ordination, he told Willard to stand up instead of shake his hand and they hugged each other and both cried. It was the cutest thing ever to see two, old, hardened men cry together and rejoice in the gospel! Willard's roommate came by last night to harass him again and she said that there was something noticeably different about him and she couldn't put her finger on it. I can! He's a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and he's a Priest in that Church! He was really sad that she had taken his Book of Mormon but we gave him another one and as soon as he saw it he was able to calm down. As we were leaving he said that he hopes that she'll be smart enough to read that book that she stole because it will change her life the way it changed his if she does read it. He's SO awesome! Brother Cox! No wonder Satan has worked so hard on him! He's going to bring others to the gospel!
ANYWAYS, we were on our way to Willard's when Jim told us he saw Willard leave with his old roommates the night before and he hadn't come back yet. We went over anyways and Willard wasn't there. I was a mess. The girl that he used to live with was trying to get Willard to run away with her and "leave" her boyfriend and marry Willard instead and Willard at one point had asked her to marry him and she had said no. Anyways, it is a long mess and I was thinking that she had seduced him even though he had told her no several times. She's just pretending she wants him because she can see that he realized that people shouldn't treat him the way they have been and that he was going to stop letting them walk all over him. We left a note on the door asking him to call us and that we loved him. I was a mess the whole day until he called and asked us to come over.
We were in East Bernstadt at the time so we rushed home after our apppointment and he told us how she had come by and tried everything she could to get him to marry her (so she can get his check every month) and he had said no and so she told him she needed money for food for her baby and he didn't believe her so he told her he would go with her to the store to get the food himself and she refused to drive him home once he was in the car and she took him out to Williamsburg and tried to get him to spend the night with her. He refused and asked her to take him home but she wouldn't. He doesn't have a phone or he would have called a ride. Instead, he slept on the couch. Long story, short, she robbed him, took his check for the month and left him there in Williamsburg. He started walking back to Corbin and after 5 miles (keep in mind he's crippled and uses a cane to walk) someone picked him up and brought him home. He locks the doors to the house that he now has, but she broke a back window and came in and stole stuff anyway. Ridiculous stuff like his deodorant and toothpaste. She even stole his Book of Mormon. He's so frustrated and sad. BUT, he hasn't given in or given up yet.
Today Sister Ralph and I went over and moved out all of her furniture that she has refused to move out so that she can have a reason to come back and see Willard again. We moved it all out to the garage so she won't have an excuse to come in. Bishop has helped Willard with everything else and the house is now in his name so he can call the cops if she comes back. I know all that stuff sounds pretty sketchy, but Bishop, Sister Ralph all feel very strongly that he is a good man and that he truly has been taken advantage of. His baptism was WONDERFUL. He was holding his chest half of the time because he thought his heart was going to pound right out of his body. Claiborne baptized him and it was his first time baptizing. Willard is crippled on one side so he couldn't hold on to Clay because he needed his good hand to cover his nose. Bishop, Sister Ralph and I wanted another person in the font with them but they insisted that they had worked out how to do it and they were fine.
So, we had Steven Rodriguez stand near the font stairs just in case. Clay had been rehearsing the words over and over that day. Bishop made sure they were in the water before we opened the font doors. But, I guess no one told Clay to wait till the doors were open so the witnesses could see because as the doors were opening, Clay was finishing the words. We thought he was just practicing but then he dropped Willard down into the water and slipped. Willard started flailing around with his hair all in his eyes and his teeth almost falling out and Steven started jumping into the font, but also slipped and we were all freaking out because it all happened as the doors opened. Willard finally got back on his feet and he and Clay were smiling proudly when Bishop told them they had to do it again. HAHa. We were DYING. It was so funny. They did it a little better this time, but Clay still slipped and Willard still flailed. All that mattered though was that Willard got baptized, and he did. It was AWESOME.
The next day, his ride showed up to church and said that Willard wasn't outside waiting, but his door was open. They didn't want to get out and knock so they left him. I turned his ride right back around and told them to go get him because Willard HAD to be there to get the Holy Ghost. Willard limped in just as the Sacrament hymn was starting. He was given the Holy Ghost and it was wonderful. After he was welcomed into the ward by the uplifted hand, Brother Potter said that he had been interviewed and found worthy to be given the Aaronic priesthood and be ordained to the office of a Priest! What a wonderful surprise! He was ordained later that day and was given yet another beautiful blessing. He was again told that through his faith he could be healed and that he will be a light and a teacher to other people who need answers in the gospel! He's so excited and humbled to have the priesthood! It's amazing! Clay was in there for it and after the ordination, he told Willard to stand up instead of shake his hand and they hugged each other and both cried. It was the cutest thing ever to see two, old, hardened men cry together and rejoice in the gospel! Willard's roommate came by last night to harass him again and she said that there was something noticeably different about him and she couldn't put her finger on it. I can! He's a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and he's a Priest in that Church! He was really sad that she had taken his Book of Mormon but we gave him another one and as soon as he saw it he was able to calm down. As we were leaving he said that he hopes that she'll be smart enough to read that book that she stole because it will change her life the way it changed his if she does read it. He's SO awesome! Brother Cox! No wonder Satan has worked so hard on him! He's going to bring others to the gospel!
One of my pairs of shoes has already been worn out pretty badly and when I walk, they squeak, almost like a suction cup. Each foot does it. I sound like Squidward. I've stopped wearing them because it's so embarrassing to sound like that. It's more embarassing than my broken glasses were. Willard calls Sister Ralph "Snowflake" because she's so pure. When he was baptized we told him he's a snowflake now, too. He smiled and said that he wants to stay that way. I like to pretend like Sister Ralph is mean to me because she's so nice and docile. The other day I told Willard that she won't let me talk when we're home and if I do she hurts me. He's VERY protective of me and even though he knew I was joking, he turned to her and said, "Snowflake, if you're being mean to her, I'll melt you! And all you'll be is a drop of rain." Haha. It's cute. Everytime we get into our car he looks Sister Ralph straight in the eye and points over to me and says, "Drive carefully. If Sister Nelson gets hurt, I'll never forgive you." Haha. He's so mean and so sweet. I love him.
I love being a missionary!
Extra Blessings: Grandpa Rex, Sister Gossett, Paige & Kiki's car full
Word of the Week: Hear'd. Rhymes with "beard". Not a homophone of "herd". Claiborne Williams hear'd the harmony Sister Ralph and I were doing and got goosepimples. I never hear'd nothing like it. Have you hear'd? The Gospel has been restored!
I love you all and hope you're having a wonderful time traveling and moving and not dying in the southern heat and humidity! I know I am! But I don't care! Missions are the best!
The Church is TRUE! Share it!
LOVE, Sis Nelson
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