"I love the Temple. It's so pretty."

9/27/16 - It's Time To Teach Real People

Hola!

I have my TRAVEL PLANS!!!!!!!!!!! 

I will be leaving at 4 am next Tuesday and its crazy. It's finally here!! Everyone is so excited to go - it's time to teach real people. My Spanish compared to the new missionaries makes me so grateful for the gift of tongues. I'm nervous but I am about half as nervous to go to Peru as I was going into the MTC. Time is flying. It feels like I blinked and it's P-day again. My teachers and some of the workers here say time moves slowest in the MTC - I hope time doesn't go too fast in Peru! 

I hope you all get to watch General Conference this weekend, especially the Saturday afternoon session. I am so excited to sing in the choir. I will be in the back because I'm tall, but they promised they would show every missionary at least once and since you can't lie in the MTC  (it's extra extra bad) it must be true. We are so blessed to have modern day prophets and apostles. 

Read Helaman 5. It's amazing. They are the kind of missionaries I want to be. Alma and Alma the younger are some of my biggest heroes. I love the Book of Mormon. I've never had so much fun reading a book. The coolest part is every time I read it I learn something that I can then use in a lesson or help me with a problem or question. It's fantastic!! It is truly inspired. When I get to the next life it will be so great meeting all the amazing people I'm reading about. 

There's snow on the top of the mountains!! We are all jumping for joy. I'm going to really miss the snow but the weather in Peru will be just fine. I hope you all are doing great. I miss you all! 

Love,

Elder Nielsen

Elder Nielsen and his Zone Leaders that just left for the field. "They are great people!"

9/20/16 - Nothing Short of Amazing

Hello everyone!!

This week was nothing short of amazing. We had Elder Cook talk last Tuesday night and I will never forget it. That makes 3 Apostles in a row - Elder Christopherson, Elder Ballard and Elder Cook. I was talking to a volunteer and she said she has never seen that before.  When an apostle comes they broadcast it to all of the other MTC's around the world. When we were waiting for it to start they were playing soft music. The pianist started playing “Army of Helaman” and everyone started humming it. The spirit was electric. All of a sudden everyone stood up and it went silent. You can feel the moment an Apostle enters a room – it’s amazing. He talked about the 4 loves of a mission. 1 love your companion, 2 love the mission president, 3 love the people 4 love the Lord. He started talking about how a lot of people share all of their really spiritual experiences but that you really should keep them for your really close loved ones and yourself.  He started bearing his testimony and paused, he then said "I know the Savior’s voice, I know his face. Jesus Christ lives." The spirit testified that what he was saying was true. He closed and we sang the closing hymn and the prayer and we stood up as he walked out. Everyone just stood there for a solid minute not talking or moving. It was unbelievable. I know that they are prophets, seers, and revelators. Elder Ballard was in Provo last Sunday and had the impression he needed to speak at the MTC. He called and said I’ll be there in an hour -  I need to talk. I am so grateful that we have the General Authorities who can receive revelation to help us.

There is an MTC choir for General Conference and IM IN IT!!!!!!!! There are over 2,000 missionaries here right now and they selected a little over 300. I am so lucky. My companion didn’t make it and he was really sad. I cannot wait to sing in the Conference Center! Since we sang in the Tabernacle for Stake Conference that means I will have sung in both the Tabernacle and the Conference Center in less than 4 months!!

 I’m learning so much Spanish it’s insane. We are teaching our TRC (an investigator we teach 3 times a week and it’s like the real deal. no English. no help) and the first lesson when I got here I said probably 5 words. Yesterday I talked probably about 40% of the 30 minutes and only had to look down for scriptures. My Spanish has come that far.  We are doing another activity with our district where we all role play as someone we know and then we trade off teaching them. You are all by yourself and the lesson is 45 minutes. I taught about the commandments and asked her to pray in the middle of the lesson if what I was teaching was true. (This is our 4th lesson btw) and the spirit was so strong. I asked her if she would follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized. She said yes!! It made me so happy.

 I got to host the other day, meaning I got to meet a new Elder at the curbside when they were dropped off and escort them in. It was so great! As I was walking over I heard "Elder Nielsen!!!" and it was our relatives, the Browns!! I ran over and got to walk Elder Brown in- it was super cool. He got his flight plans though so he left that afternoon for the Philippine MTC, but it was super great to see and talk to him. I am making a lot of friends here and I really have been blessed with such an amazing zone and district and companion. Our zone leaders left yesterday and it was really sad. I look up to Elder Morgan and Elder Hollstrum immensely. They are gonna kill it in Texas.

We have an unofficial slogan in our district and even our teacher is starting to say it. I started saying  "__(fill in the blank)___ es muy importante para su salvacion" and now everyone says it.  Sometimes they say something funny, other times serious, whatever they fill the blank in with “ is very important to your salvation.” For example, you can put “reading the Book of Mormon” in front of it or “praying” or “getting a drink” or “going outside”-  it’s very versatile.  Every time my teacher says it by accident she gives me a high five – it’s so funny. Btw I got to say the prayer after the devotional yesterday and I ended it in Spanish and everyone started laughing!!!  I didn’t mean it as a joke, I just said it without thinking. I think that’s a really fantastic sign :)  I look forward to devotionals so much. I can’t wait for General Conference.  I have found that if I take notes I pay wayyyy better attention to everything. I guess I’m learning how to learn. 

Until next week… I love and miss you all. Thanks for everything.

Love,

Elder Nielsen

"Elder Christensen got a ping pong set that clips on to a table. It's so cool! Keeps us sane but it's so hard with such a tiny table."

"This is my friend Elder Hamblin and he left Monday for Texas. I gave him a blessing the night before he left and the Spirit was so strong. He's going to be a great missionary."

9/13/16 - I've Learned Sooo Much

Hello everyone! I hope all is well!!

This week has been crazy - time is really starting to pick up. We are half way here at the MTC and I’m both happy and sad about it. The MTC is such an amazing place but I’m ready to go out and teach the people of Peru. However, my Spanish isn’t anywhere near where it needs to be and it’s kind of frustrating. The gift of tongues is real though. I gave a 20 minute lesson all by myself yesterday in only Spanish and I only spaced a few words. It’s amazing how much we are learning.

In the last 7 days we had 2 Apostles come and speak to us!!! Elder D. Todd Christopherson and Elder M. Russell Ballard!!!!! 2 of the 15 people in the entire world that are closest to God came to speak to us and their talks and testimonies where sooo powerful. They both talked a lot about missionary work and how much it means to the church and to them.  Elder Christopherson also spoke about repentance and about the atonement. It was really great and we are so lucky to hear from them. When Elder Ballard talked about the importance of missionary work, he said he wishes he could go again knowing what he knows now. "I’d be dynamite!” he said.  “I would give out referrals everywhere I went.”  He’s such an amazing person.  He talked about how we are helping build the kingdom of God and how we are the greatest generation of missionaries in the history of the world. Sorry dad but if an Apostle says it, well then, it must be true.

I invite you all to watch the video “Praise to the Man” on YouTube. It uses clips of the Joseph Smith video in the background and it is incredible.  It’s only about 6 or so minutes long and I promise it's well worth your time. The spirit was so strong when we watched it.  Joseph Smith really is the tool the Lord used to usher in this dispensation and bring us the Book of Mormon. Speaking of the Book of Mormon, I’m already almost half way through Alma. I love reading it- I’ve learned sooo much.

 It turns out our Branch President is Paul Nolan Hyde. He is one of the most knowledgeable people in the entire would about JR Tolkien - think “Lord of the Rings.” He has written over 30 books and when he was still working he could speak over 30 kinds of elf-ish languages fluently. He is such an awesome guy. It took us a while to get his background out of him because he says we shouldn’t talk about that stuff here but once he was going he was on!  

We got new zone leaders and they are totally awesome. Elder Morgan is from Montana and he played football. He’s a really spiritual guy and is just all around really fun to be around. Unfortunately he leaves in a week to go to Texas but he is ready and is going to be so great. His comp is one of the funniest guys I’ve ever met. He sings "It’s beginning to look a lot like P-day" to the tune of “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas” on Monday night and does this little dance and heel click. It’s getting pretty famous here at the MTC and it always makes me laugh.  

I love and miss you all! Thank you for all your letters and well wishes. I’m so excited to serve!  Until next week…

Love,

Elder Nielsen

Elder Nielsen and Elder Mackay

Lima Peru missionaries

Elder Nielsen and his companion

9/6/16 - I Am So Happy

Hola mi amigos!!!

This week has flown by and just like that it’s P day again. It’s weird how it works because the days are so long and hard but you blink and the week is gone. I am really making friends and it’s so cool to hear where everyone is serving and their backstory.  

Chad Lewis, the former BYU and  NFL tight end came and spoke to us and it was fantastic. He attributes his family, his wife, his 9 year NFL career to one event - his mission to Taiwan.  I am so happy and even though I miss you all very much I can’t wait to get to Peru. I am supposed to be here and thankfully I’ve had multiple experiences telling me this is where I need to be. Spanish is coming along and even though I am worried I have full faith everything will work out. We have the Tuesday night devotional tonight and I’m really excited. I never understood growing up why people were excited to hear a Seventy speak, but I get it now. Elder Richard Maynes spoke last time and he is truly called of God. His talk was centered around how the worth of one soul is great in the sight of God and that oh how great the joy if we bring more to him. I cannot wait to teach people about this gospel and that Jesus came to THEIR ancestors. We watched “The Testaments” Sunday night and I can’t wait to show it to people - it’s such a great movie.

Sister Hannah Quinn (a friend from Chicago) is here in the MTC too! She’s only here for 3 weeks, but it’s crazy how small the world is. I’m excited for Elder Cole Mackay (a family friend).  He is beyond pumped to get out and teach and he has been a really great example to me about hard work and always having a great attitude. I’m to page 200 already in the Book of Mormon and it’s truly an amazing book. I am so excited to meet Ammon and Mosiah and King Benjamin and Nephi. They were such amazing men and they really did live! I hope all is well back in Salt Lake and I’m guessing everyone is getting really pumped for the U/BYU game. It’s so cool being on the BYU campus - I can see the Y and the stadium. I love it down here. I love you all so much and thank you to all who have written me!!  (FYI Elder Nielsen’s email address is chris.nielsen@myldsmail.net) May God be with you till we meet again.

Love,

Elder Nielsen

Pictures

Elder Stevens and Elder Nielsen - "We're going to be friends for a long time. We laugh constantly."

Elder Nielsen, his companion Elder Canfield and his district leader. Love the matching ties!

8/30/16 - The First Week of the MTC has Come and Gone

Hola Mi Amigos!!

The first week of the MTC has come and gone and honestly it went faster than I thought it would. Everyone says that the days are really long but the weeks fly by and I can already tell that’s true. First and foremost I would just like to say being a missionary is one of the best things I’ve ever done. It’s super hard and it’s amazingly frustrating not being able to speak my mind or understand half the stuff in Spanish but the gift of tongues is real. I’ve learned more Spanish in 6 days than I did in 2 years of school. Your mind is just like on overdrive- it’s really amazing.

I saw Elder Mackay and he’s doing fantastic. He’s a really great dude and he always lights up my day when I see him. I’ve been really blessed with an awesome companion, Elder Canfield. He’s from Alpine and is playing soccer at BYU. His Spanish is head and shoulders above everyone else and I’ve learned a lot from him. I have made some really great friends already and our district is super amazing. We all get along great and there are more than half of us with the same Spanish knowledge as me which helps a ton. I can see why people rag on the food here, but I really can’t complain - most of it is pretty good and I’ve already gained weight haha.

I’ve had so many spiritual experiences and I feel like the MTC is really like a temple of sorts. We are singing in the choir tonight and even at practice the power of 3000 missionaries singing about serving and spreading the gospel took my breath away. Our zone is really funny. We have tons of guys who played high school sports and so we have some really funny games. When we go to our dorms at night there’s always something new and it helps with those headaches you get. We have 3 sets in our room and last night I laughed harder than I think I ever have. I fell out of my bed and landed on the floor and couldn’t breathe I was laughing so hard. It’s so cool how we are from all over with such different backgrounds but in the grand scheme of things we are all here for the same reason.

Look up “Character of Christ” – it’s a clip of Elder Bednar’s MTC talk a while ago. It’s FANTASTIC. I’m already getting excited for Peru. I can’t wait to get down there and tell people what we know. I love you all and I will talk to you next week.

May God be with you till we meet again. 

Love,

Elder Nielsen