I can't believe it's been a week already!

Hello everyone, I am alive! My P Day is on Thursdays, so from now on I will be emailing then.

The first week at the MTC has been such a flood of knowledge, blessings, and language. From day 1 our teacher has spoken almost entirely Swedish to us, and it has been so much to take in! It has been slow in coming, but it definitely has been coming. So much knowledge is trying to get crammed into my head all the time, and so far only a little has stuck. But it's better than nothing! On the first day I learned that I was going to be in a trio (so I have 2 companions instead of 1) and I was really excited. My companions are Elder Fronk from San Diego and Elder Young from Pleasant Grove. They are both really cool, and we have so much fun together. It's been pretty constant laughing and language learning for us.

On Friday of the first week we got to teach our first lesson to an investigator in Swedish. It was a scary thought! I felt like I knew basically no Swedish, so the idea of having to teach someone, understand questions, and respond to them was terrifying. But we did our best to prepare and then taught. And it actually went ok! We understood a good amount and were able to address her questions. We have now had four lessons, and have been able to teach about the Restoration and the Plan of Salvation. When we are teaching I can feel the spirit so strong, and it has been such a blessing. After we taught her about the Atonement and what Christ has done for us, I felt impressed to share another scripture. I asked her to read Alma 7:14 (I think). It was all about how through baptism we follow Christ. And then I asked if she would follow the example of Christ and be baptised. There was a tense moment, but the Spirit was there so strongly. She said she would because she felt it was right. It was amazing to see how powerful the Spirit can be in affecting people. It was more of a verbal commitment to baptised planneddate or anything. She said that if she continued to feel what we were teaching was right, she would. It was an amazing blessing.

Our zone and district is lots of fun. We are constantly joking around and laughing together. We have already grown really close after only one week. Besides that, I want to say that the Spirit is so strong here at the MTC. If you are acting in a way so the Spirit can be there, it is. What a blessing! Elder Oaks of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles came and spoke to the MTC on Tuesday, and the Spirit that was there reaffirmed my testimony that the Prophet and the Apostles are called of God.

I would like to end with a brief testimony. I know that Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father love us and are looking for opportunities to bless us and help us grow. The Gospel is such a simple and beautiful thing. It is a way be which we can return to God, and all it really takes is to turn to God and follow Christ. I love this Gospel and this opportunity I have to serve the Lord.

Elder Nelson