Email from 01.26.10

I saw snow here for like 5 seconds, it was crazy it was when we were having that cold spell and it got to like 30 degrees, and we were Tracting. It was pretty cool. For some reason no houses around here have heater guess they assumed they wouldn’t need one.

We had three baptisms last week on Saturday. 3 kids Miguel, who is 9, Helen who is 10, and Raphael who is 12. Yes, they mostly speak English lol. I got to finally speak to the uncle of these kids after weeks of avoiding me, but eventually I got to talk to him and we started getting along really well. His name is Roger and he is 15 years old. so any ways I talked to him for a while just getting to know him then I taught him the lesson of the restoration invited him to be baptized if he receives an answer that this is the true church of Jesus Christ and he said he would so next week if all things go as planned he will be baptized, cool huh.

Well the kids are fellowshipped by the members now; the missionaries will still see them because they have to teach all the lessons over again, to make sure they know the basic doctrines of the church.

I’m still sick so that’s fantastic. My arm is fine, just stiff and a little sore when I wake up. Other than that I’m good.

I’m being transferred again. I’m not sure where but probably with an English speaking missionary. If everything goes to what pres said.

My studying is great. I don’t know if I ever told you guys but whenever a thought comes to me or I something really hits me in the scriptures, I write it down in a small book I carry around in my shirt pocket. I call it my book of revelations. I write down the thing that felt important or moved me or struck me in a way as to be important for me to know, then I write how I can apply it in my life usually. sometimes like when I write down a scripture I don’t write down how I can apply. But just something kind of cool, I think you all should do it, if I didn’t have this thing I wouldn’t remember half of the impression I have received from the Lord/Spirit.

Well, I have had some spiritual experiences lately something that came to me a little bit ago last week, when I was reading a talk. When it said "keep your eye single to the glory of God". That kind of struck me, so I studied it and prayed about it, and I feel that I can have my eye more "single to His glory" and not of mine. I wrote it down in my book of revelations so sometime I will write it down and you guys can see what kind of book it is, or I will make a little movie on the camera and show you, i am going to send it today. So be on the look for it.

We have about 8 in the teaching pool we dropped some people and some others baptized so we were going to go Tracting but today I will be packing instead.

I haven’t really taught in Spanish for a couple of days I don’t think, but the English is going good lol. Ya, I still kind of attract the English speaking, but it’s alright I have been actually looking at it as a gift lately so if I can help those I can’t help in Spanish, yet. So ya, it’s a big blessing so I can fulfill my purpose.

I love you all so much thank you for your prayers and letters I really do appreciate them all. Well, until next time, I will talk to you this coming Monday.

Email from 01.19.10

So we are baptizing 3 kids this weekend, named Rapheal, Miguel and Helen. They prefer English, so I taught them a lot. They are excited so that’s good. We have a man that will be baptized next week he is about 50 and has colon cancer. He is being very strong in his desire to know the truth. Then the week after that we should be baptizing 2 guys in their 30's named Marcos and Mario. They are brothers. Marcos was drinking a lot and on the day we contacted him he was kind of, well, he was drunk but he remembers the lesson lol. So after the first lesson we also taught the word of wisdom. And after that he hasn’t drunk since, so that’s pretty cool. He has a desire to be baptized in the church of Jesus Christ. Kind of cool, huh?

I’m pretty sick right now. I went to the store yesterday and bought Afrin, vitamins, and a lot of other cold and flu stuff. But, I’m doing ok.

I’m probably going to be transferred. My PPI was really good and kind of funny.

So, here is what happened at my PPI with Pres. Hale. I sat down, Pres looked at me and I looked at Pres. He then asked me how my teaching was going I told him great, for some reason I teach a lot of English, the people must follow me around. He kind of laughed and said that’s interesting, because Elder Sepulveda said he hasn’t seen so many English people until you came here. Then Pres said Elder Sepulveda also said you are a great teacher in English, and how he just likes to sit back and watch you teach. Pres Hale kind of looked at me for a sec. then said you know I think I am getting confirmation on something, I have been thinking about for a while. I really want you to see one more area before you settle in, and I’m going to put you in the salt and pepper program that I have been doing for a while. Pres Hale said, what I think I’m going to do is put you in another area, and put you with an English Elder, and you be the Spanish Elder, that way when you contact you can speak to both the English and Spanish. I’m thinking, “ o crap this may not be fantastic.” Then pres. began again, that way we will be able to utilize your teaching abilities in English. He asked me what I thought. And I told him that, I would do whatever the Lord wanted me to do. I just feel bad that I kind of failed him in Spanish. He then said, Elder Nisson, this is not a white flag of defeat on Spanish you will still have your language study every day, and in the future you will continue to speak Spanish, but you’re a missionary for FL FTL not a missionary for Spanish. At this moment I feel that my thoughts have been confirmed with the Spirit, with putting you with an English elder. I felt good about that and told him thank you. We talked a little bit more and then we ended with a prayer. So, after that I didn’t feel too much like a failure. I told him, “President I know my purpose, I know I am supposed to invite others to be baptized, there are very few lessons where I don’t invite the investigator in the first lesson to be baptized.” He just kind of smiled and said I think you will do great. Of course he didn’t tell me where I’m going. He then said that the situation could change, depending on what the Lord wants but he felt like his thoughts had been confirmed and at this moment I will probably be visiting another place in Florida.

So it was a very good meeting and I felt really good about it.

Well, this was a fun p-day talk. I think I needed it. Well, I love you guys so much, you are always in my prayers and I love to look at the pics. I show them to everyone, they all tell me I have a huge family.

Mom Dad, love ya and I will talk to you later. I hope you have a great week, talk to you next Tuesday, and we will find out if I am staying or leaving. Love you guys so much.

(This week we heard from him on Tuesday because yesterday was Martin Luther King day and the libraries were closed so he couldn't write to us. Next week are transfers so we won't hear from him until Tuesday as well)

Email from 01.11.10

Well my wrist is fine I went to the doctors in West Palm Beach and took an x-ray, and he said the screw might be coming out because of the way it is healing...figures lol. But he said in 6 weeks come back with a cat scan of my wrist so he can look at it. He also said I can do pushups and stuff now.

Ya we have some new investigators, we found these two kids that have a real interest in the church. And yes they speak English lol. And we have some new Spanish investigators, and it was so funny one of the girls in this family who is 30 called me baby face lol, and apparently the 24 year old in the family kind of likes me lol.

Well, I ran out of time. Hey could you send some talks or that really cheap iPod with a whole bunch of talks on it? I kind of would like to listen to something else then my music sometimes.

Well I love you Guys your awesome I will pray for Pam (for her job loss) and everyone. Don’t worry too much about the Spanish stuff, things will work out I’m sure.

Well I love you I will talk to you later.

Email from 01.04.10

He didn’t write much. There were some problems with the email program, either at our end or at his. Because he wrote his email and we didn’t get it until 10-15 later. So, we only got this one email from him, plus the picture of the family he baptized. The blonde Elder in the picture is Elder Barrett who was the former companion with Elder Sepulveda.

Well hey dad, it’s me Sterling; I just got on.

Besides being constantly tired I'm doing ok, but I am making a appointment for that surgeon guy again because something weird is happening inside my hand right below my thumb, not exactly something weird but something painful. but other than that things are going fantastic.

We had Mary's clan baptized and another guy named Jose. I baptized the two daughters of Mary, and one of her sons, and elder Sepulveda did the other four. Below is a picture of us.

I'm not good at discerning stuff for others but I do receive some revelations for myself ever so often now. So that’s cool. I actually did tell the Joseph Smith story for the first time yesterday and the Lord really helped me out and I said it pretty good. So I really thanked Him for that in my prayers that night.

I’m not sure what is my favorite thing in the mission, I certainly love the knowledge God is blessing me with. I wish some of that knowledge was for Spanish though lol.