Hey!
so yeah, this week was awesome! it has gone by so fast!!
so first off, we had exchanges on friday in Alang-Alang!! which was my second area, i was there for 6 months, and probably is one of my favorite  areas..i just LOVE the members there! so some of the members knew that i was coming back, so one of the sisters in the branch cooked lunch for us. she is a really good cook! her name is sister michelle cerdon. she actually served in this mission with Nate peters! she is really nice and will do anything for anyone...i'll just say that her mansion in heaven will be right next to Jesus Christ's cuz she serves people so much!
so a couple awesome things happened. in alang alang, i got to work with one of our converts! he is working on his mission papers! it made me really happy to see that he is still active and now preparing for a mission. so he worked with us. and i got to see a lot of the members that i visited! it was awesome to see them again. i would love to be assigned there again!! and then i got to visit the Branch president. he is doing awesome. he said that since i left, 3 families have been sealed and they are increasing in Mel. Priesthood! so that made me so happy to see that the area is progressing. the area presidency expects Alang Alang to become a stake in the future...that would be awesome! so yeah, it was really awesome to go to one of my previous areas again and see the members again. also, i saw the Branch President of my 1st area, i miss my first area too. so that was cool, i saw two previous Branch Presidents in one day! awesome! i have become really close to all the Branch Presidents in my areas. thats the first place you start to gain trust of the members.

so i want to tell you about one of our investigators..so this week, we have been teaching this investigator named Ephraim Medeja. and he is what you would call a Golden Investigator! he is only 17 and soon to be 18. he was the one who actually found us. and everytime we teach him, he just soaks it in and we are just amazed at some of his comments and questions that he has for us. i've never met a 17 year old that is so willing to serve God. i would even say he is at a higher level than i was when i was 17..spiritual wise. so his parents are Catholic, and they actually don't want him to be baptized. they have signed him up in seminary to become a catholic Priest. so thats the struggle right now, is getting his parents permission and getting him out of the catholic seminar school thing. but he really is awesome. like we taught him about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and he said,"i want to give my whole self to the Lord, i want to share this with other people"..do you know any 17 year old that says things like that?? awesome huh? we were like blown away when we heard that. and then he asked," can i be baptized even tho my parents don't want me to"?? unfortunately no, so he might have to wait till he is 18. but thats in October, so its not to far away. if it were up to us, he could be baptized now...or even earlier. like he is just so ready..it seems like it to us any ways. we asked him why he listens to us, and why he wants to be baptized and he said "this is where i feel the spirit of the Lord, and where ever the spirit is that is where i will be." and then he asked, "how do i find out my spiritual calling"?... amazing questions huh? he has like 20 written down questions just like these..like deep sincere questions. we are just blown away that he is only 17, and he is taking everything in. progressing so fast! has come to church 2 times now, and he even WORKED with us! amazing huh! in our first lesson, Elder Cypers(my Batch) and i were on exchanges and we taught him the Message of the Restoration, and compared the apostasy like a house (christ church) and then a storm came and house fell, and all the people grabbed all the peices of the house and made their own house (their own church). and compared it to why we have so many churches today. and that just clicked for him. he says that he has been going to all the churches, looking for the whole truth. and we testified that all the truths of the gospel has been restored and the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day saints is the Lords Restored church and has the fulness of the Gospel.. and he says that he knows that it is the truth. and he cares so much about everyone that he just wants to share this with everyone! its awesome! i can go on and on about him! cool how his name is Ephraim huh? so thats some of our success that we have been having in our area..so like i said earlier, our challenge right now is getting his parents to let him get baptized. if he gets baptized, which he really wants, he will probably get dis owned from his family. and so his parents are making him go to seminary in the Catholic church to become a priest. so if you could keep him in your prayers, that his family's hearts may be softened and that he can be baptized, that would really help. and that he can get out of the catholic crap, i mean class..haha so yeah, thats Ephraim.

so the mission right now...is doing Great!! i love it! absolutely love it! and next week elder Cook is comming! i cant wait! i have prepared some questions for him. do any of you have any questions that i should ask him?? i am so excited! my companion and i are doing great! we get a long like...cookies and milk! i really love our companionship, and hope no one transfers! which is next Week!! time is going so fast!
hope all is well, have a great week. you are all in my prayers! I love you all!
Love Elder Nelson

ps, idk if you saw on the news, manila is flooded, but not my mission. we are fine and safe..no calamities..yet. we did have an earthquake like two weeks ago, but that was really fast and was only for like 1 second. so we are safe..no worries!