THE NELSONS...A BIG IMPACT

This week went well.  We are in Moyobamba right now.  We were in Tarapoto friday and saturday.  Sunday today and tomoro we are here in moyobamba  and wednesday well be headed back to iquitos.  But our two days in tarapoto were super awesome.  In the mission we have a pair of adult missionaries.  They are the Nelsons from salt lake city utah.  This is their 3rd mission in the last 6 years.  They served one mission in the north of lima in 2010.  then in 2013 they opened up the branch in Nauta.  and this last year and a half they have served in Tarapoto.  They help a ton with family history and getting to the temple.  The people here seriously love them.  its funny because elder nelson hasnt learned spanish very well at all but sister nelson is just the bomb.  she speaks super well and everyone goes to her for help.  it was cool about a year a ago while i was serving in nueva cajamarca i asked elder nelson why he chose three times to serve in peru if he doesnt know spanish.  he told me "sister nelson is happy when she speaks spanish.  and if sister nelson is happy, im happy"  that one stuck with me.  i thought that was super cool.  Anyways in their farewell elder nelson in his broken spanish and with tears in his eyes spoke about how he was a temple worker in the salt lake temple.  He said that everyone always comes up to him and says that its the "best" calling in the church.  but when they do he corrects them and says "no es el segundo mejor. el numero uno es misionero" I was really impacted by that as well.  This next weekend, for there last sunday here in peru there going to go back to nauta.  As i said before they opened up that branch 4 or five years ago.  elder nelson was the first branch president and he had misionaries as his councilors.  But its grown so fast in the last few years that theyre opening up a building out there in Nauta.  A big awesome legit chapel.  Theyre going for its dedication and man are the people of Nauta going to be stoked to see them.  Well i guess i wrote a lot about the nelsons but this week they had a big impact on me.  They are a great example of dedicated service in the Lords vinyard.  Hope all is well back home

un abrazo

Elder Smith