12/26/16 - Oh Peru, Never Change

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!

This week was really good. It went by soooooooooooo fast because of all the parties we had. We had our mission party because we met our goal for baptisms (1450 for the year!) and it was really fun. It was so great to see my friends and they are all doing really well. I've been very blessed with an amazing President and he is so funny, and there was amazing food, always very important. It's crazy how fast time is moving and that Christmas has come and gone. Skyping with my family yesterday was amazing and yes, I cried. lol 

We were walking to an investigator the other day and this guy pulled over in a truck full of wood and stuff and said get on!! We had a 20 minute walk ahead so we were like "okay sweet" and we jumped on. He started driving really crazy and was kinda swerving, but then again everyone swerves because of the potholes so it wasn't a real big deal. He stopped and told us to go into this house and teach his family the truth and we were like sweet, okay!! It turned out he was wasted wasted drunk and couldn't even stand up straight!!! We go into this house and he leaves and we start talking to his girlfriend/wife. His mom is also there and she's a member of 40 years. Pretty soon he runs in and grabs our heads and does this lion king forehead to forehead greeting and it was the funniest thing. Oh Peru, never change. 

We had a ward party and it was amazing. We sang 2 songs and it was really fun. Church was great and Segundo came! I was sooo happy when he walked in. We had lunch at a members house and it was incredible but I swear the turkey wasn't cooked all the way because it was super super soft. It turns out the grandma who cooked it is blind!!!!!!! I feel fine tho and it's been 24 hours so thank you for your prayers everyone.

Christmas at 12 am was INSANE here. It's like the 4th of July but times 10 because there are 0 laws about fire works because nothing can catch fire! Everyone was just shooting stuff off - it sounded like a war zone!! It was so cool.

I miss home but I am not ready to leave, I am soooo happy here and I am so grateful for this amazing experience. Thank you for everything! 

Love,

Elder Nielsen

12/19/16 - Awesome pictures from the week

Working hard at a service project.

Peruvian dust - Elder Nielsen has been working very hard!

Elder  Nielsen

Elder Nielsen excited about food - what a surprise lol

Elder Nielsen and Abel

12/19/16 - Merry Merry Christmas

Merry Merry Christmas everyonee!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's really hot here which is nice 'cause it doesn't feel like Christmas at all so I'm not homesick. I do miss the cold though. This week was so fast! It's really insane how time is just flying. 

Abel blessed the sacrament this week!!!!! He was so good - it only took him two tries and he kneeled both times. He is the greatest. The joy I feel for him is indescribable. The mission really is the greatest thing in the world. We talked about the sacrament prayer when it says O Dios, Padre Eterno,  He said it was so powerful to him and it's so amazing watching someone feel the spirit and learn. 

We worked again on that house (service project) and besides Elder Barzee putting my camera in the dirt and breaking it for 3 days, it was all in all really good. I have a new respect for miners though -  i was so tired and dirty afterwards. 

We are teaching an investigator named Alejandro. He's a really sweet guy and he really loves our message.  I LOVE how sincerely grateful people are when we give them the Libro de Mormon - they are so sweet and kind. I was talking about the real meaning of Christmas with him and how the Savior died for us and why it's important. I showed him the picture of "Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane" by Harry Anderson and he got emotional. He said he had a dream 2 months ago in which he saw God standing in the doorway. He was overcome with power and love and asked him if he were God, God said "how did you know it's me?" and he woke up. He's been searching for the truth ever since and he's had every church he could find talk to him. He said that picture looked exactly like him. I am so excited to teach him again. He is only available on Saturday's and Sunday's though and next week we can't so in 2 weeks we will have a follow up. He promised to read and I pray he does!!!!

What is the real meaning of Christmas? Sure Christmas is about cookies and trees and presents but it's really about family and Christ. I LOVE LOVE being a missionary because I get to wear HIS name on my chest every day, what an honor and a privilege. I love the scripture in Isaiah 9:6-7. Christ is so powerful and I love the way he is described here. We celebrate the birth of Christ because he is the most important person to ever live, because of what he did for us. The atonement of Jesus Christ is real. I testify of that with every fiber of my being. Only through him can we be saved and live with our family and God again. That's our goal right?? We celebrate his life and his birth and when he rose again Luke 24:5-6 he made it possible for us to as well. I love my Savior and I am forever grateful for him. I am so grateful for all of you that have helped me in my life and I love being a missionary because there is nothing like sharing our Savior's love with people. I LOVE YOU ALL AND MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Love,

Elder Nielsen

12/12/16 - The Words..Came so Easily

This week was really good but honestly, kinda sad. 

One of our best investigators is 18, his name is Elison. He loved our message and had tons and tons of questions. We went over to his house for about the 5th time and his mom came out and BLEW UP at us. She told us to never come back and honestly it broke my heart. Please pray that his mom's heart is softened. I think he will continue to search for the light. 

On a happier note, we are teaching a man who's name is Segundo. We taught him the first lesson and he had tons and tons of questions. One of my favorite parts of being a missionary is giving people their first Libro de Mormon. They are sooooo shocked that its their's and they don't have to pay for it. He thanked us over and over again. We came back 4 days later and he had read the first 21 CHAPTERS!!! He is so excited to keep reading and honestly I can't even describe how happy it makes me. 

Elder Vaca, Miglionico; Tillman and I are singing in sacrament meeting!!! in English!!! hahahaha its going to be really funny.

When I was in the MTC I bought one of the key rings that roll up and down so you don't have to unclip your keys and I loved it. Friday night I grabbed for it and it was gone. Yeah I lost the keys and the Elders before us lost all 4 sets of extras and never got a spare made. We had a sleep over with Elder Miglionico and Tillman which was really fun but it made me so mad at myself. We have a man in our ward who served 8 years in the military in Iraq and is the nicest guy. His year is almost here so he will be able to go to the Temple soon with his family and we are working with him on that. Anyway, he called us and told us to come home and he found a lock smith, opened our door and changed our lock before we even knew what was going on. He is so amazing I'm so grateful for Hermano Adrian and his family.

We had a family home evening with everyone that lives in our little area. 32 people came and it was AMAZING. I prayed sooo hard to be able to say what I wanted to say and I spoke and bore my testimony and the words honestly came soo easily. I felt the spirit sooo strongly. Afterwards we played games and Abel lost. The losers had to stand in the middle and dance while everyone clapped. Abel who is 72 just broke out dancing and he was going strong!! The president of the primary was laughing so hard she was crying -  it was so amazing!!! Next week Abel is going to bless the sacrament and he is really nervous. Please pray for him!!!!!!! I love you all! Thank you for all you do!!!!!!!!

Love,

Elder Nielsen

12/5/16 - Pictures of Elder Nielsen and "amazing people"

Elder Nielsen flanked by two "amazing friends" - Elder Stevens and Elder Canfield

Elder Nielsen and Elder Cedeno

Elder Nielsen and fellow missionaries

Elder Vaca and Elder Nielsen

Elder Tillman and Elder Nielsen

Mission logo

12/5/16 - Stepping Stones to Saving Entire Cities

This week has been a really crazy one.

For starters, we went to the mall to take out our money for the month. It was my turn, I was last and it woudn"t print me a receipt and you NEED a receipt. I went to all 3 ATM's and the last one ate my card!!!! Oh well, it was alright because I got the money the next day. Meanwhile we got burgers from this place while we waited for our zone leaders to call us back. I got my burger and it was pretty good but something was kinda off, I opened it up and it had fried bananas on it!!! It wasn't bad but I ate the bananas plain - I loved them. 

We had a multi-zone conference and wow! It was amazing. It made me feel soooo great hearing the new guys speak spanish. It makes me realize how far we have all come. I'm not even close to fluent but yeah, I can speak Spanish and I understand over 90 percent of gospel Spanish which is a huge blessing. Many of our missionary leaders are leaving soon so we are going to have such a different mission here in the next two cambios aka transfers. Elder Cedeño is honestly one of the greatest missonionaries I have ever met. I want to be just like him. In the picture of the two of us he's the short one haha.

Our number 1 investigator Jonathan just moved away. Yep it stinks but I hope the missionaires there care about him too and guide him to the path of happiness. It's crazy how much I care about these people that I just met and can't even understand that well  - but I can feel of their spirits.  

Our logo for the mission is honestly so sick. It's an amazing scripture about who we are as a mission and what we are doing here, and then the scriptures and the tree of healing which is a really big thing here. That's what we are doing as missionaries is healing people and bringing them to the truth. 

-- 

I'm forever grateful to be a missionary and be surrounded by all these amazing people. My friends, Elder Canfield, Elder Stevens, Elder Tillman, my comp, my district leaders, Elder Miglionico -  honestly all so amazing and so much more. Our ward is the best and the families we have here are second to none. I'm so excited to meet even more people. 

I get asked a lot about how my spanish is coming along. People say my pronunciation is really pretty good and I can pretty much have a convo with people in the street, my gospel Spanish is getting really good and I understand pretty much everything. The only thing is I can't express myself how I want to yet and I don't understand stories or when people talk about stuff that I dont recognize the words for. I can read the Book of Mormon and understand it for the most part and I'm just starting to be able to learn from it!! That's a huge step because I understand it enough to learn and then in turn teach what I've learned, all in Spanish. Wow this is so cool. It's been extremely humbling but it really helps that my comp doesn't really know any English. I HAVE to learn it!!

My scripture thought is from the book of Jonah. 

Chapter 1 

The first 3 verses Jonah receives a call. We all recieve calls in our lives, such as to keep the commandmetns, be nice, serve a mission, serve in a calling in church etc.

Jonah runs away because of the trial, we all do that from time to time. Others try to help him, they try to bail the water out and make for the shore but they can't, it's his trial and he has to handle it. 

He gets thrown overboard, he gives up and doesn't want to do it anymore. It's too hard, it's too scary. 

Chapter 2

It's amazing to read how he gives up, he knows he is going to die and he accepts it, however God is sooooo merciful - way more than we deserve and gives him hope. It gives me such joy to compare verses  1:3 and 2:9. He is a completely different person!!! He has humbled himself and he is sorry. He has grown and is changed because of the trial and that gives me so much joy, because with God we can do all things. I know it's hard but I promise you can do it. 

Chapter 3

He receives the call again and this time he goes, and he goes with all of his heart and soul, because he is changed and is converted. He ends up saving an entire city and even the king and the animals repent!!!!!

I love this story so much because if we look at our trials as too hard and impossible and give up we will never grow. We have to view them as stepping stones to saving entire cities.

I love you all! Thank you so much for all you do. Thank you all for your kind emails and all your uplifitng stories. I love you all so much. I really am the luckiest person alive. 

LOVE YOU GUYS 

Matthew 13:45-46

¡Gracias a Dios!

Elder Nielsen