August 8th, 2010

8 August 2010

Dear Family and loved ones,
We are back! (regular Sunday emails that is) We have had a wonderful week with Corey, Kristi and their family. It was great to have our little apartment filled with the wonderful sounds of children. What a delight to have Emma Lynn, James, Elise, Caleb & Will be here with us for a week. We enjoyed every moment.
It’s pretty warm here these days so we had to plan our activities accordingly. Rather than visit a zoo we went to the Glen Rose Wild Animal Park. Here you stay in your vehicle (we doubled up a bit so we could all fit in one) and drive through the park and the animals come up to your vehicle to visit, or rather to eat lunch with you. We bought some grain for them. It was so fun to have ostriches, deer (of all varieties and sorts), elk, zebras and giraffes sticking there heads in your window and eating out of your hand. I think everyone enjoyed it from the oldest to the youngest. Even Emma Lynn was bouncing up and down with excitement.
One day Corey, Kristi and Jack went to the Dallas Temple. I was very happy to stay home with the kids and play. (I have a renewed appreciation for Mom’s with 5 kids.) Another day we visited the Fort Worth Stock Exchange, or Stock Yards (I think I would rather put my trust in the Fort Worth version rather than the New York version.) We saw the long horn cattle drive, the older kids went through the maze – they all made it out! While they were doing that James and I spent our time at the petting zoo – more critters slobbering on your hand. We did a little shopping and all found a souvenir of Texas to take back with them. Afterwards we had a picnic at the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens. The kids were able to see many turtles at the turtle pond but it was too hot to stay very long. It’s actually of course not as hot as Logandale but it a very sticky heat – both kinds are uncomfortable to be out in for very long.
We also visited the Chase Bank in downtown Dallas. You can go up to the (near) highest floor and they have an observation area that you can look out over the area. It’s a great view of the city – no mountains for as far as the eye can see.
We stopped for a brief visit at Farmer’s Branch Historical Village.
We were happy to take them all by the Center and introduce them to all of our friends, co-workers and missionaries. We are so grateful they were good about our taking time to be with our family this week.
At church last week Corey met a fellow scouter, he told him about the National Cub Scout Museum in Dallas. So all the boys went there, they said it was great fun, lots of activities to participate in and many displays. While they were there we girls took Elise to have her hair trimmed and then ice cream.
After each days activities we were so ready to cool off in the pool here at the apartment building. We had a great time swimming and splashing.
Kristi and Corey had a motel room that they stayed in each night with Emma Lynn. The first several nights we had all four of the other kids stay with us. After 3 nights James was ready to stay with Mom and Dad again. The other 3 switched back and forth a bit, except for Will, he stayed with us every night.
Several mornings Jack went to the Center and worked while the rest of us got things up and going. Wednesday evening there was a webinar and Julie asked Jack to spend 30 minutes or so discussing the companies and employer side of the web site. I’ve heard good reports about how he did. Many found out a lot more information about this aspect of the employment site.
We are ready to get back to full time missionary work this week. We have much of our regular work to do of course but also a few extras added in this week.
Today we visited the Plano 4th Ward and then went out to Fort Worth to the
Park Glen 1st & 2nd Wards. We were able to meet the Ward Employment Specialists there. Like job seekers, they all come in different sizes, colors and shapes. Some wear blue collars, white collars and many other colors. This one happened to have his PHD and was a leader in a pharmaceutical company. A very kind, good man, still fairly young. (all relative,right)
This weekend, Friday/Saturday we have been asked to do a 10 hour Career Workshop in the Hurst Stake. Brother Van Cott, the Stake Employment Specialist is a great on the ball guy who has everything all organized and will be there to do set-up. Elder Nelson and I will give the presentation, activities etc. Below is the information in the handout. It’s always good to see one of these ahead of time so we can see what they are expecting to learn about. Our free time this week will be spent preparing for this. We have the information, it’s just a matter of organizing it and putting it all together.

Career Workshop
Conducted by the LDS Employment Resource Center (ERC)
(Designed for unemployed or underemployed individuals)

Where: Hurst Texas Stake Center,
4401 East Loop 820 North,
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
North Richland Hills, TX 76180.
(saves you driving all the way to the ERC in Carrollton !)
(offered just once a year in our own Stake ! )

When: Friday, August 13, 2010 - 6 pm to 9 pm
& Saturday, August 14, 2010 - 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
(come at 8:15 am Saturday for light breakfast.)

Topics covered: Career/employment goals, career guidance, resume writing, interviewing skills, job seeking skills, networking.
This workshop will also be particularly helpful for women who need to enter or return to the workforce. Work at home and self-employment opportunities will be discussed.
Returned missionaries, young adults, youth who have dropped out of school, high school seniors, and recent graduates will also find this workshop helpful.

Ideally - All participants should plan to attend both sessions, be on time, and stay until it concludes. BUT - please come for any time you can - even a little bit will help you!

What to bring:
Copies of your resume or a list of employment and volunteer experience and skills.

What will be provided:
70 pg Career Workbook, handouts, snacks, light breakfast & lunch Saturday, and water.

Registration:
Please notify your ward employment specialist if you would like to attend. Or, notify the Stake Employment Specialist, Mark Van Cott, 817-673-8928, mlvancott@gmail.com.

Church membership not required, open to all. No children, please. Smoking prohibited on church property, both inside & outside the building. Please dress in modest and appropriate attire.
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We expect between 20-40 people to attend. I’ll report next week and let you know if we really did accomplish all of those things.
This week Sister Groch and I are going to visit a couple of universities. She is over helping candidates who want to further their education and giving them guidance accordingly. I have responsibility for Career Exploration, which the universities always have a similar department. So we have appointments made and will go together to learn more about what they offer.
We are grateful to be serving here in Texas together. We are having many wonderful experiences and meeting many wonderful people. We feel the Lord’s hand as we participate in His work and that is truly a blessing in our lives. Sometimes its big things but most often its little things. Like the other day when I got looking at an email that some had sent in. They had asked that someone review their resume for them. (With so many checking the emails that come in, sometimes its hard to know if those that come in not addressed to a specific person are actually taken care of.) I decided that first thing that morning I would review over it and call this person back with some suggestions. About an hour later I was in our office and I heard a Sister at the front desk answer the phone, by the conversation I could tell that it was someone wanting help with their resume. She put the call on hold but the call was dropped. I just felt like it was this lady so I decided to give her a call. Sure enough it was her and we were able to have a discussion.
Or maybe it’s the Monday morning that you are looking at your list of candidates and you decide that you should give this one particular person a call and see how their job search is going. When they answer and I tell them why I am calling and they say, “I was just working on the ldsjobs site yesterday and was having some problems and had some questions about how it all worked.’ So many little things that keep you aware that you are involved in the Lord’s work.
One of the difficult things is not being able to assist and fix all of the problems that people are dealing with. Especially the nonmembers. Members have access to assistance from their Bishops and therefore the Bishop’s Storehouse etc. Sometimes you want to be able to give people some extra money to help pay this month’s rent or buy some food but one can easily see that there would be no end for us to do that individually. We remember that we are called to help with employment needs and we can really try to go to work for them and pray for them that their needs will be taken care of. We also direct them to other available resources.
It is amazing how everyone in the entire complex tries to help everyone. We had a lady call in, not a member of the church, but she had some friends who had moved and a man and young men had come and helped them move. They had told them when they were ready to move again to call them and they would come and help again. It was time for the move but she had lost his name and phone number. All she knew was that his name was Scott O. and that he lived in Flower Mound – a city of several hundred thousand. I took her name and phone number but I’m thinking there is now way I can find Scott in Flower Mound. But Carolyn in the Bishop’s Storehouse went to work for her. She called the agent Bishop in that Stake and gave him the information and who knows but what some Young Men and their leader went and helped them move. His name was probably not Scott O. but there are so many people out there ready and willing to help.

You know, sometimes it seems odd for me to writing home about some of these things that were so not a part of my world at home, but indeed we can say that the Lord blesses us and qualifies us if we are just willing. We were discussing that we put in our papers and trusted in the Lord that he knew us and knew the needs out there and we should be sent to the right place. We would have never chosen this mission, but we are so glad we trusted in Him because now we feel like this mission, both WHERE we are and WHAT we are doing is just so perfect for us. We are learning so much and are having so many opportunities to serve.
Nine months ago today we left Nevada and headed for the MTC. Today we have been missionaries for 9 months – that’s 9 out of 18. Looking back, time has gone by so quickly. During this time we have had so many wonderful experiences and blessings. We have learned and served much during this time. I’m sure the next half will go by quickly as we count down the months. We are definitely not wishing the time away but there is ‘no place like home.’

We pray the Lord will keep you in his loving and protecting care, today and always,
Dad & Mom, Grandpa & Grandma
Jack & Gaye
Elder & Sister Nelson

PS Tag, you’re ‘it.’ How has your week been?

--- One way that I’ve noticed Texans and Nevadans are different --
Texans take cover when it rains….
Nevadans dance in the rain…..

Jack n Gaye