Dear Family,
Hey there! Wow! Holy Cow!! Holy Mitzy-flying Lucky-jumping kitties! I´m so happy to hear about everything that´s going on back home! Wow! Sounds like a lot! And with Carson?....that is amazing!!!! Tell him congratulations for me! Man, he is the coolest brother in the whole wide world. He is the coolest best friend I could ever ask for; I´m so grateful for him! Tell him congratulations a million times and that I am sooo proud of him, and that I am very honored to be his brother and that he is the best in the whole world. I hope you all can celebrate or something too! You should go to a yummy restaurant and have a nice family meal together and celebrate his success if you get the time!!
Wow - Elder Reyes, my new companion, rocks! We taught 50 lessons this week, we have 46 new investigators, three with baptismal dates, and we did 177 contacts. Wow! It was a great week! We´re working hard and we´re going to keep working hard, because it feels great and we know that we´re helping the people out with something that they´re going to value the rest of their lives, should they choose to accept it.
We did as you advised, Dad - we visited with a bunch of members the first couple of days, because yeah, it´s been harder to plan and do things like that because I don´t know the area as well. I´m starting to recognize things better now, though, and I´m learning the streets better and yeah I´m improving every day! It rocks. I´m not scared or sad like I was last week - I feel loads better! I´ll try to send a picture of me and Elder Reyes next week - I still need to take one with him and me. He is a rocking guy, though, that´s for sure!
I´m happy to hear that Grandma is back home! I prayed a lot for her that she could be helped back to recovery and back to her more comfortable home - I´m so glad to hear that that is the case! And yes, thank heavens for the priesthood that we have in the home. It is such a tremendous blessing to have! I´m sure glad I have a wonderful Dad who is a fantastic example for me on how I should be with my priesthood. I know I´ll be eternally grateful for the great example that he is and how he´s shown me the great blessings that come from being a worthy priesthood holder. I love you so much Dad! Thanks for all that you do!
Grandma! I´m so happy that you´re home! Definitely keep doing what the doctors say, with drinking enough liquids and all that - I want you to get feeling better! I hope you have lots of good books to read and movies to watch! That´s something I always liked to have when I was sick - it helped me to not think about being sick as much. Plus there´s a bunch of awesome movies like Up that would be the best to watch! Are you happy to be home? I know I would be! Oh and a kitty never hurts to have by your side :) Kitties are the best! Have my mom put another stuffed cat in your house so you can have a little kitty full of love to be with you all the time! I love you grandma!
Hey Marsh! Thanks for your great letter - wow! That is soooo cool! Sounds like you´re tearing it up back home, once again! And yes, I would have to agree with you; all the praying, reading the scriptures, and being righteous is paying off. They are all definitely blessings from the Lord to you, and that is so cool! Make sure to give Heavenly Father lots of thanks for all these blessings - I am extremely happy to hear all the blessings you are receiving. That is the greatest! Thanks for your great letter Carson! I sure love you and miss you a lot, but I´m grateful for the great experiences and all the wonderful things that I´m learning here in the mission. I sure hope you decide to go on a mission too! It is great, and although it is hard at times, all the things that you learn are fantastic, and the people you meet (converts and members) are people and memories that you could never find in any other place. There is no other place I´d rather be right now, without a doubt. Missions rock!
The work is really great - I love Libertad! I´m sure going to miss everyone when it´s time for me to leave, especially the members and the converts - they are all such great people! I love them all very much. Sometimes I think about how it would be nice to be back home when life is a little nicer, but then I remember all the great people I´m meeting and the great experiences I´m having, and man it´s all worth it! I love the mission, and I know the Lord is shaping me into the person I was meant to be. I have my imperfections, but I know He is helping me to grow and that through him I can do anything.
The Church of Jesus Christ has been restored to the Earth again, through the prophet Joseph Smith, and we are all able to enjoy the great blessings that come through Priesthood power and the saving ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ. What a great blessing! I am very grateful for the opportunity I had to hear the gospel as I was growing up, and that I was blessed with the best family ever to teach me how to live the gospel and be truly happy because of it. Thank you all so much for your great examples family - I hope I can be as good of a person as you all are! You really are examples to me and I thank Heavenly Father that He has given me two wonderful parents and the best friend and brother that I could ever hope to receive. I love you all so much! Thanks for all you do, and I hope that you all have a great week and that you have some time to do fun things as a family and celebrate the success of the "Marsh" (like Five Guys or something...yum!)! I love you all very much! Have a fantastic week!
Love,
Elder Nuttall
Monday, January 11, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
Jordan's January 4, 2010 letter
Dear Family,
All right - I´m going to write a speed letter today! Weeeee!
Sorry for writing so late - we had transfers today; that´s the reason why I'm late. I have an awesome new companion named Elder Reyes (spanish for Kings) - he is awesome! However, I´m pretty shocked to be on my own having to direct things right now. I´m scared and sad. This is hard for me to do. I don´t know what to do :(.
Elder Reyes is from Panama City, Panama. He is a rocking guy! He is really excited to work here, and his former companion (Elder Horrocks, cousin of Emily Bingham Horrock's husband) said he really works hard and likes to work. He speaks pretty good English too - it´s obvious he´s been working hard at it. He said he wants to continue to work hard at it and all, so that´s way cool. We´ll be hard-working missionaries!
We went to Ramos Mejía this morning for the Transfer Meeting. It was super! There were great talks given by the President and his wife, and I got more desires to work harder and be a better person and missionary. I am very grateful for the words that were spoken. It was exciting to see who was going to be paired up with who, who was being moved up to leadership positions, etc. It was kind of sad to see Elder Sureda leave. I´m sure I´ll dig Elder Reyes though - he is a super guy and he has 17 months in the mission, and has the same number of people in his family as us (4!!), he is also the oldest, and he loves missionary work. I am excited to work with him! I´m grateful to have him and his positive attitude for the work out here, and it´ll be great to get to know him and be able to learn tons of other great things from him.
Thanks for the package - I got everything fine, and Elder Sureda said to tell you thanks for his package too. After the Transfer meeting, we went to Elder Reyes´ area (it took like an hour and a half to get there), got his stuff, called a taxi, loaded it up, and I had to direct the taxi driver in spanish to the apartment in Libertad. Talk about a little nerve-racking. Then when we got there, we unloaded the stuff, and Elder Sureda happened to be at the apartment so he ended up taking the same taxi. And he left his backpack in the apartment...I´ll have to return it to him somehow. And yeah, then I paid the rent (they give us the money to do it), ate something fast, and now here I am!
I guess it´s mostly that I´m just nerve racked. And I don´t know why I´m sad, but I´m just kinda shocked at how fast things are flying, how much I've got to do on my own now...it´s crazy. I will be praying more than I have in my whole life this week.
New Year´s Day was good - sounds like yours was better, but that´s alright! There were lots of fireworks again, and Elder Sureda and I drank cider. That was about the extent of our partying in the mission field. We also had dinner with the Bishop and his family, so that was cool. He cooked grilled chicken with potatoes and vegetebles, and man it was great!
I was able to write down goals for this year that I want to accomplish - I´m sure excited to be able to start afresh one more time to try and do things as the Savior would do. I want to work really hard this year so that I can feel the joy and happiness that comes from working hard in the mission field.
How was the break? Thanks for your great letters - I always love reading your letters! It´s fun to hear about what you´re all doing back at home. It sounds like it´s a blast! That´s awesome you all went to the McCabes to have a New Year´s celebration. They are great people. And, for Carson, I´m glad that he was able to have a party at the house with friends. That is so cool!
I finished reading "Jesus the Christ" before the new year started, and then two days later I finished "Our Search for Happiness." That was a lot of reading. I basically studied every spare minute I had to be able to do that. I´m going to start reading "True to the Faith" now - I know it´s a study guide, but I figured I could learn some really great doctrine by studying the whole book. I love to study!
I love you all so very much! I´m so grateful for all the love and support you all show me. Things seem harder than ever for me right now - with being the official ¨guide¨ of the area, not being a "master" of the language yet, having basically everything change...it´s kind of tough. But I know that what I´m learning will be so valuable for the future, and for that I am very grateful. I´m definitely being humbled by the Lord - I need His support for all things, without a doubt, and I´ll definitely be praying my socks off as I try to further the missionary work here in Libertad.
I want to thank you all so much for all that you do - I can´t express it in words, that´s for sure. But I want you to know how much I love you and how much I miss you. I love you all very very much and I want the best for all of you, and really that´s a big big part of why I´m on a mission - for my family! Thanks for everything you do for me!
And also, thanks for the picture with Dad - he has rocking glasses! You look awesome Dad! It´ll be great to see you in person with glasses- they are so cool! Thanks for sending me the picture!
Have a fantastic week and I´ll be writing to you all in just one more week! Woohoo! And by the time I write, I´ll be one day away from having 5 months in the mission...wow! That´s crazy! I love you and I´ll write to you then!
Love,
Elder Nuttall
All right - I´m going to write a speed letter today! Weeeee!
Sorry for writing so late - we had transfers today; that´s the reason why I'm late. I have an awesome new companion named Elder Reyes (spanish for Kings) - he is awesome! However, I´m pretty shocked to be on my own having to direct things right now. I´m scared and sad. This is hard for me to do. I don´t know what to do :(.
Elder Reyes is from Panama City, Panama. He is a rocking guy! He is really excited to work here, and his former companion (Elder Horrocks, cousin of Emily Bingham Horrock's husband) said he really works hard and likes to work. He speaks pretty good English too - it´s obvious he´s been working hard at it. He said he wants to continue to work hard at it and all, so that´s way cool. We´ll be hard-working missionaries!
We went to Ramos Mejía this morning for the Transfer Meeting. It was super! There were great talks given by the President and his wife, and I got more desires to work harder and be a better person and missionary. I am very grateful for the words that were spoken. It was exciting to see who was going to be paired up with who, who was being moved up to leadership positions, etc. It was kind of sad to see Elder Sureda leave. I´m sure I´ll dig Elder Reyes though - he is a super guy and he has 17 months in the mission, and has the same number of people in his family as us (4!!), he is also the oldest, and he loves missionary work. I am excited to work with him! I´m grateful to have him and his positive attitude for the work out here, and it´ll be great to get to know him and be able to learn tons of other great things from him.
Thanks for the package - I got everything fine, and Elder Sureda said to tell you thanks for his package too. After the Transfer meeting, we went to Elder Reyes´ area (it took like an hour and a half to get there), got his stuff, called a taxi, loaded it up, and I had to direct the taxi driver in spanish to the apartment in Libertad. Talk about a little nerve-racking. Then when we got there, we unloaded the stuff, and Elder Sureda happened to be at the apartment so he ended up taking the same taxi. And he left his backpack in the apartment...I´ll have to return it to him somehow. And yeah, then I paid the rent (they give us the money to do it), ate something fast, and now here I am!
I guess it´s mostly that I´m just nerve racked. And I don´t know why I´m sad, but I´m just kinda shocked at how fast things are flying, how much I've got to do on my own now...it´s crazy. I will be praying more than I have in my whole life this week.
New Year´s Day was good - sounds like yours was better, but that´s alright! There were lots of fireworks again, and Elder Sureda and I drank cider. That was about the extent of our partying in the mission field. We also had dinner with the Bishop and his family, so that was cool. He cooked grilled chicken with potatoes and vegetebles, and man it was great!
I was able to write down goals for this year that I want to accomplish - I´m sure excited to be able to start afresh one more time to try and do things as the Savior would do. I want to work really hard this year so that I can feel the joy and happiness that comes from working hard in the mission field.
How was the break? Thanks for your great letters - I always love reading your letters! It´s fun to hear about what you´re all doing back at home. It sounds like it´s a blast! That´s awesome you all went to the McCabes to have a New Year´s celebration. They are great people. And, for Carson, I´m glad that he was able to have a party at the house with friends. That is so cool!
I finished reading "Jesus the Christ" before the new year started, and then two days later I finished "Our Search for Happiness." That was a lot of reading. I basically studied every spare minute I had to be able to do that. I´m going to start reading "True to the Faith" now - I know it´s a study guide, but I figured I could learn some really great doctrine by studying the whole book. I love to study!
I love you all so very much! I´m so grateful for all the love and support you all show me. Things seem harder than ever for me right now - with being the official ¨guide¨ of the area, not being a "master" of the language yet, having basically everything change...it´s kind of tough. But I know that what I´m learning will be so valuable for the future, and for that I am very grateful. I´m definitely being humbled by the Lord - I need His support for all things, without a doubt, and I´ll definitely be praying my socks off as I try to further the missionary work here in Libertad.
I want to thank you all so much for all that you do - I can´t express it in words, that´s for sure. But I want you to know how much I love you and how much I miss you. I love you all very very much and I want the best for all of you, and really that´s a big big part of why I´m on a mission - for my family! Thanks for everything you do for me!
And also, thanks for the picture with Dad - he has rocking glasses! You look awesome Dad! It´ll be great to see you in person with glasses- they are so cool! Thanks for sending me the picture!
Have a fantastic week and I´ll be writing to you all in just one more week! Woohoo! And by the time I write, I´ll be one day away from having 5 months in the mission...wow! That´s crazy! I love you and I´ll write to you then!
Love,
Elder Nuttall
Monday, December 28, 2009
Baptism
Baptism of Maria, Silvio, and Carla December 26, 2009.
The local ward's Bishop far left and Jord far right.
Jordan's December 28, 2009 letter
Dear Family,
Hey there! Woo! Another great P-Day in Argentina! I was so happy to call you guys on Christmas - thanks for the great phone call! It was the best! I love you all so very much, and I was really happy to be able to call you on Christmas day and tell you about everything that´s going on here in Argentina with Christmas and everything else. You guys are the best family ever!
I´ll tell you about my Christmas. It was good! Christmas here revolves around the night of the 24th up to 1200am - when it hits 12, there´s a bunch of fireworks that the people let off for a long time, people will put these fire thingies inside balloons that float up in the air and light up parts of the sky, there´s a load of drunk people (Brother Turner wasn´t lying when he said Christmas here is drunk people and fireworks except for the Mormons!), and yeah! It was great! We ate dinner with the Bishop´s family the night of the 24th, and it was great. The Bishop is so cool! We talked about music we liked forever, and he said he likes Joe Satriani and Van Halen and some other music that´s from the 80´s too. He also played in a bunch of bands when he was younger and said it was way fun. Man, the Bishop rocks!
I woke up Christmas morning, the 25th, to open up my presents. Thanks for the garments Mom! That´s what I needed, and with the goodies and other stuff that I got, man it was perfect! I had a great Christmas, and I definitely realized that the happiness doesn´t come with the presents, but from spending time with people and having fun and remembering our Savior, Jesus Christ. It was really sweet, and I loved it.
After waking up, we went to Merlo to spend the whole morning with our Zone. It was awesome! We ate some food, played ping-pong (Elder Sureda won out of everyone), and played soccer. It was a rocking time. And there was like nobody outside the morning of the 25th, because everyone was sleeping. It was crazy, but crazy good! Especially being able to talk to my family! And I delivered Crepes to Patricia Luna (she is single with five kids) to give them a yummy dinner. I bought caramel to put inside the crepes and a thing of cider that they could drink. I felt really good, and all the kids were happy. Patricia doesn´t like crepes, but she said that her kids loved them. Yay!
We had 3 baptisms on Saturday! Woohoo! And GUESS WHAT? I got to baptize for the first time in my whole life! The Bishop baptized Maria and Silvio, and I baptized Carla. It was so awesome! I have pictures and I´ll be sure to send them to you all. I felt so good! It was a great day and they were all really happy, and I also brought crepes to serve as snacks for afterwards, and guess what? They were a hit! Everyone was amazed and asked me for the recipe, and Carla (who is an amazing cook) said that I make them better than she can! Not to be proud, but it was a pretty awesome moment - thanks Mom for showing me the ways of the crepes! I´ve been able to share the yumminess with the people here, thanks to you and the wonderful little book you made me of recipes.
Elder Sureda has some pretty rocking Christmas songs that come from the Mission Playlist, and guess what some of those are? We have Feliz Navidad (the version Dad likes), drum boy or whatever it´s called, joy to the world (a version that David Archiletta sings), and a song by Michael Buble (it´s called my Christmas list or something like that). It´s pretty awesome. I´ve had fun listening to them. Maybe later in the future I might save up money and buy an MP4 - they have them here for about 250 pesos, and I could put the mission cd on it and have some great music to listen to throughout my mission. We´ll see on that though - it woudn´t be for a while, that´s for sure!
Thanks for telling me about everything that´s going on back home - I´m so thankful for your letters and all the information that you´re giving me! But I don´t know Dad´s calling yet - what is it? I´m excited to hear it!
Today I bought myself an alarm clock that rocks and has batteries, and dictionary that´s got tons of words. I´m excited to use them!
Oh, and I must tell you about the kitties. There are two that I really love. One is named Luly, and she is a calico kitten that lives with Maria, Carla, and Silvio. She is so sweet! She likes to play with me, and man she purrs so loud! She is like a motor boat! She likes to play bite, but she´s starting to get bigger and therefore it hurts more sometimes, but it´s okay. Luly is so cool!
The other is named Olivia, and she lives with Damian, the kid we thought we´d baptize (it will happen...someday...hopefully with me!) She is older than Mitzy - I think she´s like 20 years old is what I heard. But she´s always really happy to see me! I think it´s because no one else at the house ever gives her loves, but when we get to their house she runs up to me and meows a lot and I pet her. She looks like a mix between Muffins (the old cat that lived with Grandma Gammon) and Mitzy - she is so awesome!
Thanks for the Superfly Monkey - I play with him lots in the apartment!
I´m pretty sure that´s the bulk of things...I love you all so much! Thanks for a wonderful Christmas, and I´m glad that you all had a great Christmas too! I prayed for you all a ton all Christmas Day - my biggest wish is that my family could have the best Christmas ever, and if that was the case, I would be happy. I´m glad to hear that things went well and that you had a great time together. I know Heavenly Father answers our prayers, and I know He listens to us and wants us to be happy. Prayer is something that is so simple but so powerful. I am learning to pray more and more out here in the mission field, and I really know He answers me, loves me, and is helping you all out right now. Keep praying to Him, as a family and individually, and I know you´ll all be blessed. I will continue praying like a madman for you all, because I love you all so much! Merry Christmas once again, and this week it´ll be a Happy New Year! Make sure to make individual goals and, if you can, goals as a family too - it´ll help you all to measure your success throughout the year and have things to aim for throughout the year. You are the best family I could have ever asked for! I love you and I can´t wait to hear from you!
Love,
Elder Nuttall(and Superfly Monkey!)
Hey there! Woo! Another great P-Day in Argentina! I was so happy to call you guys on Christmas - thanks for the great phone call! It was the best! I love you all so very much, and I was really happy to be able to call you on Christmas day and tell you about everything that´s going on here in Argentina with Christmas and everything else. You guys are the best family ever!
I´ll tell you about my Christmas. It was good! Christmas here revolves around the night of the 24th up to 1200am - when it hits 12, there´s a bunch of fireworks that the people let off for a long time, people will put these fire thingies inside balloons that float up in the air and light up parts of the sky, there´s a load of drunk people (Brother Turner wasn´t lying when he said Christmas here is drunk people and fireworks except for the Mormons!), and yeah! It was great! We ate dinner with the Bishop´s family the night of the 24th, and it was great. The Bishop is so cool! We talked about music we liked forever, and he said he likes Joe Satriani and Van Halen and some other music that´s from the 80´s too. He also played in a bunch of bands when he was younger and said it was way fun. Man, the Bishop rocks!
I woke up Christmas morning, the 25th, to open up my presents. Thanks for the garments Mom! That´s what I needed, and with the goodies and other stuff that I got, man it was perfect! I had a great Christmas, and I definitely realized that the happiness doesn´t come with the presents, but from spending time with people and having fun and remembering our Savior, Jesus Christ. It was really sweet, and I loved it.
After waking up, we went to Merlo to spend the whole morning with our Zone. It was awesome! We ate some food, played ping-pong (Elder Sureda won out of everyone), and played soccer. It was a rocking time. And there was like nobody outside the morning of the 25th, because everyone was sleeping. It was crazy, but crazy good! Especially being able to talk to my family! And I delivered Crepes to Patricia Luna (she is single with five kids) to give them a yummy dinner. I bought caramel to put inside the crepes and a thing of cider that they could drink. I felt really good, and all the kids were happy. Patricia doesn´t like crepes, but she said that her kids loved them. Yay!
We had 3 baptisms on Saturday! Woohoo! And GUESS WHAT? I got to baptize for the first time in my whole life! The Bishop baptized Maria and Silvio, and I baptized Carla. It was so awesome! I have pictures and I´ll be sure to send them to you all. I felt so good! It was a great day and they were all really happy, and I also brought crepes to serve as snacks for afterwards, and guess what? They were a hit! Everyone was amazed and asked me for the recipe, and Carla (who is an amazing cook) said that I make them better than she can! Not to be proud, but it was a pretty awesome moment - thanks Mom for showing me the ways of the crepes! I´ve been able to share the yumminess with the people here, thanks to you and the wonderful little book you made me of recipes.
Elder Sureda has some pretty rocking Christmas songs that come from the Mission Playlist, and guess what some of those are? We have Feliz Navidad (the version Dad likes), drum boy or whatever it´s called, joy to the world (a version that David Archiletta sings), and a song by Michael Buble (it´s called my Christmas list or something like that). It´s pretty awesome. I´ve had fun listening to them. Maybe later in the future I might save up money and buy an MP4 - they have them here for about 250 pesos, and I could put the mission cd on it and have some great music to listen to throughout my mission. We´ll see on that though - it woudn´t be for a while, that´s for sure!
Thanks for telling me about everything that´s going on back home - I´m so thankful for your letters and all the information that you´re giving me! But I don´t know Dad´s calling yet - what is it? I´m excited to hear it!
Today I bought myself an alarm clock that rocks and has batteries, and dictionary that´s got tons of words. I´m excited to use them!
Oh, and I must tell you about the kitties. There are two that I really love. One is named Luly, and she is a calico kitten that lives with Maria, Carla, and Silvio. She is so sweet! She likes to play with me, and man she purrs so loud! She is like a motor boat! She likes to play bite, but she´s starting to get bigger and therefore it hurts more sometimes, but it´s okay. Luly is so cool!
The other is named Olivia, and she lives with Damian, the kid we thought we´d baptize (it will happen...someday...hopefully with me!) She is older than Mitzy - I think she´s like 20 years old is what I heard. But she´s always really happy to see me! I think it´s because no one else at the house ever gives her loves, but when we get to their house she runs up to me and meows a lot and I pet her. She looks like a mix between Muffins (the old cat that lived with Grandma Gammon) and Mitzy - she is so awesome!
Thanks for the Superfly Monkey - I play with him lots in the apartment!
I´m pretty sure that´s the bulk of things...I love you all so much! Thanks for a wonderful Christmas, and I´m glad that you all had a great Christmas too! I prayed for you all a ton all Christmas Day - my biggest wish is that my family could have the best Christmas ever, and if that was the case, I would be happy. I´m glad to hear that things went well and that you had a great time together. I know Heavenly Father answers our prayers, and I know He listens to us and wants us to be happy. Prayer is something that is so simple but so powerful. I am learning to pray more and more out here in the mission field, and I really know He answers me, loves me, and is helping you all out right now. Keep praying to Him, as a family and individually, and I know you´ll all be blessed. I will continue praying like a madman for you all, because I love you all so much! Merry Christmas once again, and this week it´ll be a Happy New Year! Make sure to make individual goals and, if you can, goals as a family too - it´ll help you all to measure your success throughout the year and have things to aim for throughout the year. You are the best family I could have ever asked for! I love you and I can´t wait to hear from you!
Love,
Elder Nuttall(and Superfly Monkey!)
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Jordan's December 14, 2009 letter
December 14, 2009
Dear Mom, Dad, Carson, and the Cats (and Grandma Nuttall!),
Hey there! I´m in the sweet internet place we went to last week - this place rocks! There is air conditioning, lots of computers, it´s way nicer and actually cheaper than the other place, and I never have to worry about it logging me off like the other place did a lot. It´s further away, but man it´s worth the walk! Yay good internet place!
Thanks for all the updates with Grandma, the Christmas tree, with everything Carson and my cats are up to, and with Dad´s work. I´m glad to hear your work is going well Dad! That´s good to hear, especially around the Christmas season. It´s hard when work is bad around the holidays, because it´s harder to enjoy them when you have lots of stress. Hopefully it´ll stay that way! I keep praying for you all during the whole day every day, so I´m glad that my prayers are being heard!
That´s great news about Grandma Nuttall - I am very thankful that she is doing better. I did a lot this last week to ask Heavenly Father to bless her and help her out and comfort her, and obviously my prayers (and all of yours) were answered! What a great knowledge we have, that we have a loving Heavenly Father who really does answer our prayers and blesses us in our times of need. I know He really does live and love us, and that He wants us to be happy and feeling better. I´m glad to hear you´re doing better Grandma! And I bet you´re happy that you can start eating something other than ice soon! :)
Speaking of feeling better, I got sick this past week! :( It´s not fun. Elder Sureda was puking, and luckily all that I got was basically a bad head cold. I still feel pretty bad right now, but I bought a load of Halls to suck on during the day and I try to go to bed right on time or a little early every night to get my strength back up. I´m doing alright though :) I just hope I get feeling better soon!
It is starting to get HOT!! The summer here begins officially the 21st of December...I thought the weather here was summer already, but apparently it´s going to get worse. Dang it! That´s okay. These next few days are going to stink though because I only have long-sleeved shirts right now (the short-sleeved ones are being cleaned). Double dang it! But that´s okay, all is well! Holy cow!! Home is so much different than here! Right now it´s really sunny and really hot, with lots of humidity and mosquitoes.
There´s Christmas trees here and lights - maybe I´ll buy some lights before we head back to our apartment. Christmas stuff is the same here (more or less) as it is there, except not nearly as many people decorate here. I miss playing my Christmas bells! I hope you´re enjoying the bells music over there!
A bunch of people have been saying that I´m losing weight - yay! Double yay! I´m trying to eat better (healthier and less food), and obviously it´s been paying off. Also the summer should help me to shed some pounds too, because I want to look good and also feel better. It´s hard to walk around all day with more weight than I need. And Mom, I´m eating vegetables- yay! Usually just a couple or three times a week, but I´m doing it. I have a question for that - does creamed corn count as a vegetable? I have mostly corn right now and I hope it counts.
Other details...this place is pretty different than the United States, that´s for sure! Definitely a lot less money and such here. There are definitely rich people here, with nice big houses, but I saw lots more in the US than I do here. Most people live moderately or poorly.
The streets here are different too - there´s more pavement in the more money-money part of our area, but down below it´s all dirt roads. There´s lots of rocks and trash everywhere, and there´s "gutters" that have really nasty water that´s swimming with trash. And there´s dogs everywhere - I stepped in a pile-of-fun from a dog yesterday, and I vowed that I will never own a dog; only kitties…at least for now. I hate that, having to clean my shoes and all. There are millions of dogs it seems, and luckily I haven´t had any bad encounters for a while. That´s really good.
The apartment is like any other apartment - the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen is basically all we have. We don´t have a microwave, so if we have to heat something up we use the oven. And everything is gas-lit, so we use matches a lot to cook stuff. Not as nice as ours at home, where all you have to do is turn the dial. But it works!
I´ve been eating crepes, pasta, apples, food that the members give us, soda, and stuff like that. I haven´t eaten anything horrible yet. The worst thing I´ve had was what appeared to be a sausage, but apparently wasn´t. That was pretty gross. Other than that, everything is really yummy here! They don´t have loads of chocolate here (like plain chocolate bars), but they have candies and such that you can eat. It´s pretty yummy. It´d be easy to pack on pounds with that stuff, because it tastes good and is generally cheap. Oh and I started eating tuna and I still have the Nutella I bought a while back (I´m going to buy another one tomorrow probably). I think that´s about it with what we eat.
I really dislike the youngsters here - there´s lots who try to talk to me and make fun of me because I´m the "Yankee". Usually the only phrases I hear are "hello", "how are you", and "are you gay." I just think, wow, you really learned some useful vocabulary. The first two might seem harmless, but I can tell the way they say it they´re just trying to bug me. Sometimes they´ll just call me names in Spanish too, but I try to ignore them. I don´t want to get upset or anything.
I bought a towel today as another Christmas gift - yay! I know I have two, but it usually ends up that I use one for a whole week and use the other while the used one gets washed, so now that I have another I´ll be able to use it too. But I´m going to put it under the Christmas tree so I can have something to open on Christmas.
With my Christmas tree, only like five of the lights work - is there a way to fix them?
My piano playing is getting better - I´m almost to the point where I don´t have to use the simplified version! Woohoo! I played pretty good yesterday, so I was happy. The piano rocks - I want to continue to learn when I get home from my mission.
Our three star investigators are doing fantastic! They are progressing really well (Maria, Carla, and Silvio). They all went to church yesterday and they are all firm in their date to be baptized the 26th of December. Woohoo! They are the first people of my mission that I consider "star investigators" - the rest of our investigators are "too busy", or are never home, or don´t want to talk, etc. I´m really grateful for them, and man, the Atonement is real. I can see it working them over and helping them become better people. When we first met them, everything was pretty chaotic, but now they are all very calm and peaceful, and continue being this way! It´s a testimony to me that this gospel really is true and that the Atonement really can help us out with whatever problem we might have.
A recent convert had her baby this past week, but the baby is really small and she has to stay in the hospital while her mom is at home. The mom is called Cyntia, and she is really sad because she can´t be with her baby :(. We´re praying for her that her baby can be okay and that she can be reunited with her girl soon.
We´re going to be doing a special musical number this upcoming week on Sunday where I have to play the piano - I´ll do my best! It´s some arrangement, so hopefully it´s not too difficult. I´m learning to simplify music on the fly really well out here on the mission, so if I have to do that to make it sound good, I will.
That rocks that you both are going to have glasses! That´ll be tight to see Dad with glasses - you rock Dad! And Mom! I´ve wished at times that I could have glasses (kind of a weird wish, but oh well :), but nope, not yet! I´ll be excited to hear about and see you two both with glasses when I get home!
Elder Sureda´s full name is Elder Cristian Sureda (for the package) - he says thanks a million for doing this for him!
Umm...thinking...missionary work rocks! I´m starting to get into it more and be sad less. The language is coming along - tell Braden thanks for the advice and that I´m definitely looking forward to the moment when I can understand and speak without difficulty. I´m doing loads better - I don´t have to think too much, but there´s still phrases and things people say that at times confuse me, but I´m studying and praying hard that I can overcome that all soon.
I love you all very much! And I love you Grandma Nuttall! And I hope you get feeling better soon, because I want you to be happy! I hope you all have a great week and I´m sure excited to talk to you on Christmas Day! Have a great week family!
Love,
Elder Nuttall
Dear Mom, Dad, Carson, and the Cats (and Grandma Nuttall!),
Hey there! I´m in the sweet internet place we went to last week - this place rocks! There is air conditioning, lots of computers, it´s way nicer and actually cheaper than the other place, and I never have to worry about it logging me off like the other place did a lot. It´s further away, but man it´s worth the walk! Yay good internet place!
Thanks for all the updates with Grandma, the Christmas tree, with everything Carson and my cats are up to, and with Dad´s work. I´m glad to hear your work is going well Dad! That´s good to hear, especially around the Christmas season. It´s hard when work is bad around the holidays, because it´s harder to enjoy them when you have lots of stress. Hopefully it´ll stay that way! I keep praying for you all during the whole day every day, so I´m glad that my prayers are being heard!
That´s great news about Grandma Nuttall - I am very thankful that she is doing better. I did a lot this last week to ask Heavenly Father to bless her and help her out and comfort her, and obviously my prayers (and all of yours) were answered! What a great knowledge we have, that we have a loving Heavenly Father who really does answer our prayers and blesses us in our times of need. I know He really does live and love us, and that He wants us to be happy and feeling better. I´m glad to hear you´re doing better Grandma! And I bet you´re happy that you can start eating something other than ice soon! :)
Speaking of feeling better, I got sick this past week! :( It´s not fun. Elder Sureda was puking, and luckily all that I got was basically a bad head cold. I still feel pretty bad right now, but I bought a load of Halls to suck on during the day and I try to go to bed right on time or a little early every night to get my strength back up. I´m doing alright though :) I just hope I get feeling better soon!
It is starting to get HOT!! The summer here begins officially the 21st of December...I thought the weather here was summer already, but apparently it´s going to get worse. Dang it! That´s okay. These next few days are going to stink though because I only have long-sleeved shirts right now (the short-sleeved ones are being cleaned). Double dang it! But that´s okay, all is well! Holy cow!! Home is so much different than here! Right now it´s really sunny and really hot, with lots of humidity and mosquitoes.
There´s Christmas trees here and lights - maybe I´ll buy some lights before we head back to our apartment. Christmas stuff is the same here (more or less) as it is there, except not nearly as many people decorate here. I miss playing my Christmas bells! I hope you´re enjoying the bells music over there!
A bunch of people have been saying that I´m losing weight - yay! Double yay! I´m trying to eat better (healthier and less food), and obviously it´s been paying off. Also the summer should help me to shed some pounds too, because I want to look good and also feel better. It´s hard to walk around all day with more weight than I need. And Mom, I´m eating vegetables- yay! Usually just a couple or three times a week, but I´m doing it. I have a question for that - does creamed corn count as a vegetable? I have mostly corn right now and I hope it counts.
Other details...this place is pretty different than the United States, that´s for sure! Definitely a lot less money and such here. There are definitely rich people here, with nice big houses, but I saw lots more in the US than I do here. Most people live moderately or poorly.
The streets here are different too - there´s more pavement in the more money-money part of our area, but down below it´s all dirt roads. There´s lots of rocks and trash everywhere, and there´s "gutters" that have really nasty water that´s swimming with trash. And there´s dogs everywhere - I stepped in a pile-of-fun from a dog yesterday, and I vowed that I will never own a dog; only kitties…at least for now. I hate that, having to clean my shoes and all. There are millions of dogs it seems, and luckily I haven´t had any bad encounters for a while. That´s really good.
The apartment is like any other apartment - the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen is basically all we have. We don´t have a microwave, so if we have to heat something up we use the oven. And everything is gas-lit, so we use matches a lot to cook stuff. Not as nice as ours at home, where all you have to do is turn the dial. But it works!
I´ve been eating crepes, pasta, apples, food that the members give us, soda, and stuff like that. I haven´t eaten anything horrible yet. The worst thing I´ve had was what appeared to be a sausage, but apparently wasn´t. That was pretty gross. Other than that, everything is really yummy here! They don´t have loads of chocolate here (like plain chocolate bars), but they have candies and such that you can eat. It´s pretty yummy. It´d be easy to pack on pounds with that stuff, because it tastes good and is generally cheap. Oh and I started eating tuna and I still have the Nutella I bought a while back (I´m going to buy another one tomorrow probably). I think that´s about it with what we eat.
I really dislike the youngsters here - there´s lots who try to talk to me and make fun of me because I´m the "Yankee". Usually the only phrases I hear are "hello", "how are you", and "are you gay." I just think, wow, you really learned some useful vocabulary. The first two might seem harmless, but I can tell the way they say it they´re just trying to bug me. Sometimes they´ll just call me names in Spanish too, but I try to ignore them. I don´t want to get upset or anything.
I bought a towel today as another Christmas gift - yay! I know I have two, but it usually ends up that I use one for a whole week and use the other while the used one gets washed, so now that I have another I´ll be able to use it too. But I´m going to put it under the Christmas tree so I can have something to open on Christmas.
With my Christmas tree, only like five of the lights work - is there a way to fix them?
My piano playing is getting better - I´m almost to the point where I don´t have to use the simplified version! Woohoo! I played pretty good yesterday, so I was happy. The piano rocks - I want to continue to learn when I get home from my mission.
Our three star investigators are doing fantastic! They are progressing really well (Maria, Carla, and Silvio). They all went to church yesterday and they are all firm in their date to be baptized the 26th of December. Woohoo! They are the first people of my mission that I consider "star investigators" - the rest of our investigators are "too busy", or are never home, or don´t want to talk, etc. I´m really grateful for them, and man, the Atonement is real. I can see it working them over and helping them become better people. When we first met them, everything was pretty chaotic, but now they are all very calm and peaceful, and continue being this way! It´s a testimony to me that this gospel really is true and that the Atonement really can help us out with whatever problem we might have.
A recent convert had her baby this past week, but the baby is really small and she has to stay in the hospital while her mom is at home. The mom is called Cyntia, and she is really sad because she can´t be with her baby :(. We´re praying for her that her baby can be okay and that she can be reunited with her girl soon.
We´re going to be doing a special musical number this upcoming week on Sunday where I have to play the piano - I´ll do my best! It´s some arrangement, so hopefully it´s not too difficult. I´m learning to simplify music on the fly really well out here on the mission, so if I have to do that to make it sound good, I will.
That rocks that you both are going to have glasses! That´ll be tight to see Dad with glasses - you rock Dad! And Mom! I´ve wished at times that I could have glasses (kind of a weird wish, but oh well :), but nope, not yet! I´ll be excited to hear about and see you two both with glasses when I get home!
Elder Sureda´s full name is Elder Cristian Sureda (for the package) - he says thanks a million for doing this for him!
Umm...thinking...missionary work rocks! I´m starting to get into it more and be sad less. The language is coming along - tell Braden thanks for the advice and that I´m definitely looking forward to the moment when I can understand and speak without difficulty. I´m doing loads better - I don´t have to think too much, but there´s still phrases and things people say that at times confuse me, but I´m studying and praying hard that I can overcome that all soon.
I love you all very much! And I love you Grandma Nuttall! And I hope you get feeling better soon, because I want you to be happy! I hope you all have a great week and I´m sure excited to talk to you on Christmas Day! Have a great week family!
Love,
Elder Nuttall
Monday, December 7, 2009
Jordan's December 7, 2009 letter
December 7, 2009
Dear Family,
I am sad to hear about Grandma - I miss her so much! She will be getting a letter for sure, don´t worry about that :) I love you Grandma!
The work is going pretty good. This week was harder - we didn´t teach as much as I would´ve liked to, but guess what? We had three people come to church, and all three of them now have baptismal dates for the 26th of December! Woohoo! I am really excited for them! Their names are Maria, Carla, and Silvio - Maria is the mom, and Carla and Silvio are two of the kids. Maria has twelve kids - holy guacamole! That´s a lot of kids - ginormous you might say! And check this - Silvio is 38 years old...when I heard that, I thought wow he´s almost the same age as Dad! It was insane. They are all really cool though! I love them very much and am excited for the steps they are starting to take - they loved the church service and are excited for everything. We gave them the challenge to pray about their baptismal date and to start/keep reading the Book of Mormon. I hope they all follow through with everything, because I would just love to see them make changes in their life that truly bring happiness that lasts forever! Oh and they have a kitten that is way fun to play with, and they feed us a lot of food when we go over...yikes! They are way cool though :).
Those three are the only ones I really have hopes for right now - everyone else either isn´t home, doesn´t want to talk to us, or just keeps on bailing on us. Hugo and Veva (Hugo is the Argentine Troy) left for the holidays, and man we wanted to see them get baptized this transfer but it´s not going to happen. That´s okay - I´ll see if there still interested when they get back. They were progressing really well and loved the church, so hopefully they don´t change over the holidays!
So some cool stuff! There is a guy in this mission that went to Orem High and he´s in my zone! His name is Elder Holst and he did marching band the year of “Way of the Warrior.” Cool, huh? He couldn´t remember me for a while but eventually he remembered.
Also, THIS PART IS FOR GAVIN!!! Do you know an elder Moody? I met him at a zone conference, and he said he knows who you are and that you are a rocking drummer! I told him that we played in a band while I was at BYU and that you (Gavin) are continuing to shred the drums and all percussion at the maximum. I thought that was pretty cool stuff - another guy who knows the legend of Gavin Ryan!!!
IMPORTANT FOR MOM AND FAMILY: you need to make a list of questions for me for when I call on Christmas so we can make the best of the time that we have to talk! I´m going to do the same. I think it´s a good idea, and boy am I excited! I hope my card works here, but I´m going to buy one here too just in case - it´s only ten pesos. But yeah, if you could do that that´d be great!
I love missionary work! At times I get really frustrated and at times I feel like I just want to go home, but I´m pressing on and doing my best. I sure miss my family, my cats, and my videogames, but man I don´t want to be anywhere else right now! I know this is the Lord´s church. He truly is the captain of our salvation, and he directs this church, and it is the only true church of Jesus Christ on all the earth. I hope all my family, immediate and extended, can come to know this. It is the truth! And this gospel solves all questions about life and helps us through all problems that we have, no matter how big or small - because the gospel of Jesus Christ is so perfect! It is perfect and beautiful, and it provides the hope that we all need.
I also know that my Savior lives, that He died for us, and as Alma teaches us (Alma 7:11-13) the Lord knows how to succor us also in our infirmities and our afflictions, and all things that are hard to endure. Why? Because, he has already borne all these things! I know that He suffered and died for us because He loves us, and He wants us to be happy. He paid the price, and if we have faith in Him and believe in Him, He will be with us always and help lift us up when times are hard. I know this is true. I know He is our Savior, and that nothing is impossible for Him.
Grandma! This part is especially for you! I want you to know that I love you so very much - I was really sad to hear about all the physical problems that you´ve been going through lately. It doesn´t sound like it´s fun at all! I want you to know that I love you so very much, and more importantly that your Heavenly Father loves you. I know He wants you to be happy and wants you to return back to Him and live together forever in happiness. I imagine that you probably don´t feel very good right now, but I know that you can receive miracles, blessings, and the love and support you need to endure these trials through praying to your Heavenly Father. I have prayed to Him a lot about you, and I will continue to do so. I know He loves you, because I have felt it. And I know that He will take care of you :). I hope you get feeling better so that you can be happier! Know that I´m praying for you and thinking about you! Also maybe my mom can bring you one of my old kitties so that you can have a friend with you all the time...kitties always help me to be happy! Yay kitties! I love you Grandma! I hope you get feeling better soon!
Well that´s about it for now - everything is going great. Sometimes people make fun of me because I don´t speak Spanish the best or because I can´t understand all the time, but I´m praying for strength and the help of the Lord, because I know He will help me. Overall though, the Spanish is going really well! The church is true! And the Book of Mormon is the word of God - we all need to be reading that book daily, because it provides strength and comfort that can´t be found anywhere else.
I hope you all have a great week! I´m excited to hear back from you in a week to read about everything that´s going on! Hopefully it doesn´t snow too much, huh? At least you have the chance of having a white Christmas! It´s going be a really hot one for me! Have a great week and I love you all very much! I love you all!
Love,
Elder Nuttall
Dear Family,
I am sad to hear about Grandma - I miss her so much! She will be getting a letter for sure, don´t worry about that :) I love you Grandma!
The work is going pretty good. This week was harder - we didn´t teach as much as I would´ve liked to, but guess what? We had three people come to church, and all three of them now have baptismal dates for the 26th of December! Woohoo! I am really excited for them! Their names are Maria, Carla, and Silvio - Maria is the mom, and Carla and Silvio are two of the kids. Maria has twelve kids - holy guacamole! That´s a lot of kids - ginormous you might say! And check this - Silvio is 38 years old...when I heard that, I thought wow he´s almost the same age as Dad! It was insane. They are all really cool though! I love them very much and am excited for the steps they are starting to take - they loved the church service and are excited for everything. We gave them the challenge to pray about their baptismal date and to start/keep reading the Book of Mormon. I hope they all follow through with everything, because I would just love to see them make changes in their life that truly bring happiness that lasts forever! Oh and they have a kitten that is way fun to play with, and they feed us a lot of food when we go over...yikes! They are way cool though :).
Those three are the only ones I really have hopes for right now - everyone else either isn´t home, doesn´t want to talk to us, or just keeps on bailing on us. Hugo and Veva (Hugo is the Argentine Troy) left for the holidays, and man we wanted to see them get baptized this transfer but it´s not going to happen. That´s okay - I´ll see if there still interested when they get back. They were progressing really well and loved the church, so hopefully they don´t change over the holidays!
So some cool stuff! There is a guy in this mission that went to Orem High and he´s in my zone! His name is Elder Holst and he did marching band the year of “Way of the Warrior.” Cool, huh? He couldn´t remember me for a while but eventually he remembered.
Also, THIS PART IS FOR GAVIN!!! Do you know an elder Moody? I met him at a zone conference, and he said he knows who you are and that you are a rocking drummer! I told him that we played in a band while I was at BYU and that you (Gavin) are continuing to shred the drums and all percussion at the maximum. I thought that was pretty cool stuff - another guy who knows the legend of Gavin Ryan!!!
IMPORTANT FOR MOM AND FAMILY: you need to make a list of questions for me for when I call on Christmas so we can make the best of the time that we have to talk! I´m going to do the same. I think it´s a good idea, and boy am I excited! I hope my card works here, but I´m going to buy one here too just in case - it´s only ten pesos. But yeah, if you could do that that´d be great!
I love missionary work! At times I get really frustrated and at times I feel like I just want to go home, but I´m pressing on and doing my best. I sure miss my family, my cats, and my videogames, but man I don´t want to be anywhere else right now! I know this is the Lord´s church. He truly is the captain of our salvation, and he directs this church, and it is the only true church of Jesus Christ on all the earth. I hope all my family, immediate and extended, can come to know this. It is the truth! And this gospel solves all questions about life and helps us through all problems that we have, no matter how big or small - because the gospel of Jesus Christ is so perfect! It is perfect and beautiful, and it provides the hope that we all need.
I also know that my Savior lives, that He died for us, and as Alma teaches us (Alma 7:11-13) the Lord knows how to succor us also in our infirmities and our afflictions, and all things that are hard to endure. Why? Because, he has already borne all these things! I know that He suffered and died for us because He loves us, and He wants us to be happy. He paid the price, and if we have faith in Him and believe in Him, He will be with us always and help lift us up when times are hard. I know this is true. I know He is our Savior, and that nothing is impossible for Him.
Grandma! This part is especially for you! I want you to know that I love you so very much - I was really sad to hear about all the physical problems that you´ve been going through lately. It doesn´t sound like it´s fun at all! I want you to know that I love you so very much, and more importantly that your Heavenly Father loves you. I know He wants you to be happy and wants you to return back to Him and live together forever in happiness. I imagine that you probably don´t feel very good right now, but I know that you can receive miracles, blessings, and the love and support you need to endure these trials through praying to your Heavenly Father. I have prayed to Him a lot about you, and I will continue to do so. I know He loves you, because I have felt it. And I know that He will take care of you :). I hope you get feeling better so that you can be happier! Know that I´m praying for you and thinking about you! Also maybe my mom can bring you one of my old kitties so that you can have a friend with you all the time...kitties always help me to be happy! Yay kitties! I love you Grandma! I hope you get feeling better soon!
Well that´s about it for now - everything is going great. Sometimes people make fun of me because I don´t speak Spanish the best or because I can´t understand all the time, but I´m praying for strength and the help of the Lord, because I know He will help me. Overall though, the Spanish is going really well! The church is true! And the Book of Mormon is the word of God - we all need to be reading that book daily, because it provides strength and comfort that can´t be found anywhere else.
I hope you all have a great week! I´m excited to hear back from you in a week to read about everything that´s going on! Hopefully it doesn´t snow too much, huh? At least you have the chance of having a white Christmas! It´s going be a really hot one for me! Have a great week and I love you all very much! I love you all!
Love,
Elder Nuttall
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