Missionary Sighting/3rd Transfer

Sister Cook is awesome! She tracked down our recently transferred missionary son and his new companion. From what we understand Scott now resides in White Bear Lake, MN, which is a suburb of St. Paul.

Here is what Sister Cook said:
"I met Elder Nelson and his companion at the corner Subway. We enjoyed a lunch meeting and talk, just catching up on things. Scott's doing great, looks great, and seems happy. You can see the two pictures attached.

"His companion is Elder Hansen from Utah, out six weeks-I believe he said. Seems great and Scott really likes him. Scott said they changed his P-day this week to Fri for Christmas, so not to worry that you haven't gotten an email from him. He is excited to talk with you guys on Friday. We enjoyed a popcorn ball after our lunch today, so thank you. Scott was happy to receive those.

"I'm bringing a couple of things home for him, I'll get in contact with you about them when I get home. Hope you are well, good to see Scott. He is a fine young man who is serving the Lord and doing the things he knows are right. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Talk to you soon."

Sister Cook

Thankful Four

This Thanksgiving Elder Nelson is thankful for:

1. First, Jesus Christ and his willingness to follow Heavenly Father’s plan.

2. Next one is for family. I really, really love my family.

3. Third is the restored gospel.

4. Last, but not least, is the great examples in my life: Dad, Mom, Jason, Nat, Cynthia, Grandpa and both Grandmas-Nelson and Truman. These are just a few of the wonderful examples in my life.

Friendly Baptists

It never ceases to amaze me how kind the people in MN are to the missionaries!

It's Snowing!

The video says it all!

Elder Nelson reassures me he has plenty of warm winter clothing. He actually said, "O yeah, and to answer your question about winter clothes. You asked if I needed more, and my answer to that is NO! I have enough from last year to clothe an entire army. Thanks for asking though; it really helps to know that I have love and support from home." He's getting something warm anyway. The mom in me can't help it! Any suggestions?

Service

What do Elder Nelson and Elder Daley do for service in their community?

They clean those beautiful autumn leaves out of rain gutters. Hard for us desert rats to imagine!

Autumn

Beautiful fall colors!

Even red!

Elders serve by raking leaves. What is he thinking?


Who would have guessed?!

Elder Nelson is enjoying autumn! In a recent letter he said, "So the weather up here is not hot at all, but it is really humid. The mornings have been really cold the past few days. It's starting to look more and more like fall. I'm a little scared for winter, but only one more left."

Baptism

"Our ward had a baptism. The other two Elders that serve in our ward baptized three brothers they had been teaching. They were baptized last Saturday, and their names are Dan, YZ, and Curlin. They are from Thailand. A year ago, almost to this day, their older brothers Zaw Zaw was baptized in Dinky Town, so now I have been to all of the brother's baptisms. The cool thing is that the other two Elders asked me to baptize the 9-year-old, Curlin, because I knew the family a long time ago. It was such a cool experience!"

Hump Day

Elder Nelson has hit the half way mark in his mission! The ward sent a wonderful, and much appreciated, package to mark the occasion. Thanks for your continued support!

New Comp...Elder Daley

Elder Nelson has now been in North St. Paul 6 weeks. Elder Beohmer has been transferred to Pine City, MN. Elder Nelson is waiting to meet his new companion, Elder Daley.

St. Paul Temple

"Today we went to the St. Paul temple. It was amazing! It has been 10 months since I have been able to attend the temple, and I really needed it."

Brief but Beautiful

Lots of Water

"Amazing trees and greenery"

Summer in Minnesota doesn't last long, so it is appreciated and enjoyed!

Little Books of Inspiration

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who contributed spiritual thoughts, quotes, jokes, riddles, and messages to Elder Nelson's Little Books of Inspiration! He totally loved this birthday gift! What I envised being one book of 3 X 5 cards, turned into four separate books. Elder Nelson will have a personal message from someone special in his life everyday until the end of his mission. It was a project that would not have been possible without all of your help. THANK YOU!!!

The Big 2-0

Happy 20th birthday Elder Nelson! This is an exciting day:) Ray & I no longer have any teenagers. Yahoo!!! Scott's birthday conveniently fell on his "p-day." Patriarch and Sister Thatcher were visiting the St. Paul area. They took Elder Nelson and Elder Beohmer out for a special birthday breakfast. Elder Nelson "was able to chill and play soccer." He received lots of packages and cards. He said, "everything was great and thank you so much!"

2nd Transfer

Official City logo of N. St. Paul

After serving over 6 months in the Farmington area, which he loved, Elder Nelson has been transferred. He is now serving in North St. Paul. His new companion is Elder Beohmer (pronounced Beemer). According to Scott, N. St. Paul is extremely different from Farmington. The Elders live with members, ride bikes and have lots of teaching opportunities-thanks to referrals. Scott is excited about his new area! Scott's 20th birthday is in just a little over 2 weeks, July 27th. I'm sure he'd love to hear from you:) His mission address is at the right.

Happy 4th!

Elder Nelson and Elder Lindholm

They really know how to celebrate, and include the missionaries, on the Fourth of July in Farmington! Elder Nelson and Elder Lindholm spent the day tracting in the rain before attending Christopher Kirchmann's Eagle court of honor and eating a delicious prime rib dinner with the Kirchmann family. We first met the Kirchmann's in Las Vegas in 1996. They lived in our ward. Brother Kirchmann served as a counselor in our Bishopric. When the Kirchmann's moved from Las Vegas, we didn't know where their family had gone. It's sure a small world! Scott was surprised at how much he remembered about their family, considering he was only 7 when they lived here. Thanks Kirchmann's (and everyone else in Farmington for feeding our Elder every night)!

God's Army

There are times when I look at the pictures Scott sends home and can only guess what they are depicting. I have decided, so it must be true, that these pictures are depicting God's army. Our Saviour and Redeemer is the Commander-in-Chief and our missionaries are His army. What do you think?

New District Leader

Today we received our weekly email from Scott. We thought there was a strong possibility he would be transferred. He had been serving in the Farmington area with Elder Hadfield for 12 weeks. We were surprised to receive the following information:

"No I did not get transferred, but there was a change, but not with elder Hadfield either. We got a call. I’m the new district leader. I was really really shocked. I'm kind of young.
Yes, there is still snow. My goals for this month are to help the Africans and anyone else that come into my path, and to be the best DL I can, and to follow the rules."

I don't know why I thought the "I'm kind of young" comment was humorous. Scott is the same age as most Elders. We were excited for his new opportunity and to know that he will continue to serve in Farmington with Elder Hadfield. They love the ward, the Bishop, their investigators, and they are working well together.

Please continue to keep them, and all of our missionaries, in your prayers!

Bump Day

Missionaries have lots of interesting traditions. This short clip was taken to celebrate Scott's sixth month of service. Hmmm, I can't figure out how to download a video, so until I can a picture will have to do for now.

Valentine's Day

Most Elders want treats in their packages. Not Scott! Scott has requested that Ray pick all of the items that go into his monthly packages. Scott must be homesick because he said in his last letter "I really want one thing right now, but I can’t have it. I really want a hug from Dad. I miss Dad so much! He has always been a great friend to me, and I just need a father figure and a hug." Well, Valentine Man went into action, and this is the hug Scott got from Ray (probably not quite what he had in mind, but the best Ray could do at this point in time). I sent a pound of See's candy. I just can't help myself!

Minnesota Weather

Friends and family ask us how Scott is coping with the winter weather in Minnesota. It's such a drastic change from the winter weather he is used to in Las Vegas. This is what he said in his last letter, "The weather is not really getting me down. It’s really not that hard to live in, well if you’re smart about it." Hopefully both Elder Nelson and Elder Hadfield are "smart about it!"

Well, it looks like the Elders continue to drive in the cold. I hope they are careful!

It also looks like the snow provides service opportunities.

And opportunities for fun. Gosh, I wonder what Scott's reminiscing about?
Only his father would know the answer to that question!

Well, maybe his brother, brother-in-laws, close friends would have a pretty good idea, too.

Happy New Year

Do you ever wonder what missionaries do on New Year's Eve?

This is Scott's description of his New Year's Eve celebration. "I did go to bed at my normal time, but I spent my New Year's Eve differently. Elder Hadfield and I went to an old folks home and played bingo with them. It was so much fun! We play bingo with them once a week for service. I love to talk with them and hear all their stories. They always make us feel so welcome there, so it's nice. "