3/27/17 - Pictures of the Week

Elder Nielsen's area

The small headed, big bodied, fastest dog Elder Nielsen has ever seen.

Elder Nielsen and his new district

3/27/17-The Promised Land

Change change change.

We had chambios and I'm out of ProLima! I'm only 20 minutes north though so it's all good. I love it so much - it's so fantastic. The people here are so receptive and the work is exploding. We had 14 new investigators in 1 week!  It's great. The only downside is the hills - think about the steepest hill around my house and then it's wayy longer than that and way steeper because it never ever rains or snows so they don't worry about it. I'm going to loose more weight I guess! Our pension (cook) lives in the apartment beneath us and it's fantastic- it's the best food I've had here and I think her drinks are to die for. 

My comp is Elder Chavez. He has 3 months in the mission so I'm the senior comp which is great. I think we work well as a team and we are teaching a lot and finding families. It is so amazing. 

Funny stories- we had baptisms in our district so we were waiting for the bus and a car drove past selling watermelons for 3 soles, less than 1 dollar. I was like ehh por que no, why not? and bought one. I shoved it in my bag and it was like the third Jurassic Park movie when he steals the raptor eggs hahahaha Word spread fast that Elder Nielsen had a watermelon. It was so funny. Another funny thing is one of the fastest dogs I've ever seen! He lives above us. I just die laughing because his head is sooo tiny compared to his body - it's so big! I sent a picture but it really doesn't do him justice.

We brought a recent convert who has been a member for about a year to our lesson. He is 20 and was a Jehovah's Witness before and knows the Bible like crazy. He read the intro to the Book of Mormon and prayed about it and was baptized. Anyway, we took him to a lesson about the dia de reposos (day of rest), like keeping the Sabbath holy is a commandment, take the sacrament, go to church etc. and he ends up talking about the ancient Israelites and sacrifices of animals from Adam through Moses and idols for like 10 minutes hahahaha Never again!!! 

General Conference is this week and honestly I've never been so excited. Our president promised us that if we come with a question and pray to hear the answer, through the Spirit we will receive it. I invite all of you to do that. Don't tell anyone your question, just your heavenly Father, and you will get an answer. As a representative of Jesus Christ I promise you will receive an answer. 

All in all I am so happy - our work is going great, we have so many new investigators and this area really is the promised land. I love you all and I'm praying for you. 

Love,

Elder Nielsen

3/20/17-Pictures of the week

Elder Nielsen and Gian Franco

Gian Franco, Elder Nielsen, Elder Limachi

Coolest guys around!

Elder Nielsen with Gian Franco's uniform and moto taxi

Elder Nielsen's area

Elder Nielsen's favorite Peruvian food

Elder Nielsen and the ward missionaries at his "farewell" party

3/20/17-I Am Here Because of Angels

This week was honestly so great!! We worked really hard and the work is really coming along. We are finding more and teaching more and I am the happiest when I'm teaching the restored gospel of Christ. 

Word spread through our ward like wildfire that transfers are here. I have 6 months in this area, wow time flies, so everyone is saying I'm gone. They threw me a party with the ward missionaries and honestly it was so great. I love all of them so much. I'm going to miss them. The faith here in Peru is what makes the church so amazing. They just want to help people and bring more people to Christ - it's fantastic.

We had stake conference and there were a lot of really great talks. The best however was given by (surprise surprise) President Stauffer, our mission president. He talked about angels and how people can be angels. He talked about a young man whose parents were completely inactive but a young men's leader started bringing him to the activities, then to church and so on. Then a bishop started holding the lessons in his room if he didn't get up in time for church so he would still hear the lessons. He then talked about how the ward got behind him and got him on his mission, he returned and was married in the temple, had 5 kids who all were married in the temple. One of his kids is now a mission president. It was the father of President. This talk is so so powerful to me because I am here because of angels. Without the angels in my life I would not be here. Without my young men's leader, my parents, Dahlia, my Bishops, my trek family and so on I would not be here. Without my immediate and extended family and all of these angel's prayers I would not be here. I thank you, all of you, for being my angels and I am doing all I can to repay that debt. I am starting to learn that nothing on earth brings greater peace and real profound joy than sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, nothing. That brings up the question "how can I be an angel to someone else?" I have a powerful testimony that by small and simple things great things come to pass - it's a smile or a phone call to someone, it's a hug or a thank you card. Pray and ask your Father in Heaven to help you be a light to someone today and I promise you He will help. We are His children and nos ama (He loves us.) 

We are spending a lot of time with Gian Franco, he is 23 and was baptized 5 months ago. We teach with him all the time and he works in a moto taxi which are everywhere here. He's preparing for his mission and he is just an all around amazing person. 

I love this work and I love all of you. Thank you again and God be with you until we meet again.

Love,

Elder Nielsen 

3/13/17- Pictures

Elder Nielsen and Elder Smith

Elder Nielsen with some people from his zone and district

3/13/17-My Spanish Has Come Light Years!

This week was solid. We had some funny moments and it's been good. My comp and I get along fantastic. I'm really going to miss him. I think the hardest thing right now is that we are working so hard and working so well together and the success just is not coming. We are finding and teaching but the people just don't want it. It's been hard. I've been praying really hard to get the feeling that I got in the MTC, the feeling that I need to be here at this time in this area. We were sitting in a less active's house teaching and I had the most overwhelming deja vu I've ever had.  I almost started crying it was so overwhelming. The Spirit testified to me that this isn't about me and to stop worrying. I need to be here and help these people and honestly it has been such an answer to my prayers. I love my mission and I'm so lucky to be here. 

My Spanish has come light years! I had the funniest experience the other day. We were walking and we stopped to talk to this little old man.  He's from the mountains and my companion Elder Limachi asked him where he was from and what his name was and he said "I don't understand" and looked for me for help!! I repeated it and he understood and turned his back to Limachi hahahaha Someone here thinks my Spanish is better than someone from Bolivia.  We were dying with laughter afterwards. 

We went to Abel's house and taught him and his family because they are having a really hard time right now. Please pray for them. Anyway, his wife was a member for 3 years before he took the discussions and I came in 2 weeks after the first lesson with him. He bore his testimony to us the other day and it turns out that he couldn't read and hadn't been able to for years and years because of poor eyesight, even with glasses his eyes were too bad for him to read. His wife gave him the Book of Mormon and when he started to read he could see just fine. Now he can read the tiny print of a tiny tiny Bible he has without glasses and it's because of the miracle he received because of the Book of Mormon!!! I baptized a "Miracle" and I didn't even know about it until now!!!!! or maybe I did and just didn't understand what they were saying hahaha but anyways- it's amazing!!!!!! I love the mission!!!!! 

We had our multi zonas, which means that 3 zones or like 60 missionaries have a day of training with President and his wife and assistants. They are always amazing but I especially loved this one. He talked about the 3 big days. 1 The atonement of Jesus Christ. The most important and crucial day in the history of the world. The day our Savior gave his life for us. It's so humbling to know that He died for me and I am trying to do everything I can to repay that unpayable debt. 2 The day Joseph Smith saw God the Father and his son Jesus Christ. Because of that day we have prophets and temples and priesthood (shout out to my little brother Michael who received the Aaronic priesthood last week!) and so much more. The church of Christ is back on the earth. 3 was our call. Just because you don't have a name tag on doesn't mean you aren't a missionary. In fact you need to be more of one because you live in the real world! Shine so that through you people can see Him. President Stauffer is honestly one of the most amazing people I have ever met. I am so lucky to have him and learn from him. He's a man of great power and he knows so much but he teaches with such love and kindness. He really is called from God to help the people of Lima come to their Savior. 

I love you all so much! Keep the faith!!! 

Love,

Elder Nielsen

3/6/17- Pictures of the Week

"I love my district!"

"For those keeping track at home, I didn't bring a grey suit jacket. However an Elder who ended his mission three transfers ago left in the the closet and no one took it so I did."

Elder Nielsen and Elder Aranas- "He is from Columbia and is a baller."

Elder Nielsen and Gian Franco

Ahhhh Peru

3/6/17-We Can Help You With That!

This week was solid and nothing crazy happened. The work has slowed down a lot which is so frustrating but I'm learning a lot. Even if our numbers aren't showing it we are doing really well - we are working hard and learning a lot. My comp is honestly amazing. He has been an answer to my prayers - he is an angel. His name is Elder Limachi and he is from La Paz, Bolivia. He has had an incredibly hard mission including last Christmas when his dad died of a heart attack on Christmas day and he was only 7 months in the mission. He is so humble and works hard and likes to teach and I like to learn so it goes hand in hand.

We are doing our very very best to be exactly obedient and honestly it's amazing. Obedience is so important, but there's a difference between being obedient and striving in all you do to follow the rules. It brings blessings and I love it.

Family Saccsa wants nothing to do with us and honestly it's breaking my heart. It just hurts to see someone testify that it's true and then walk away. Being a missionary is like being a parent and it hurts to see someone you love taste the best fruit there is and then get lost. Please pray for them. I have learned in my life from my own personal experiences to never ever give up on people. If people gave up on me I wouldn't be here and I am forever thankful for them. 

There is a recent convert from our sister ward (meets in same building but different hours) and his name is Gian Franco. He works in a moto so we see him a lot and he sticks his head out the window and yells at the top of his lungs "Elders!!!!" It brings me so much joy to see him. We have been talking a lot about him serving a mission and at first he wanted nothing to do with it, but he was praying about it and got his answer! He's going!! He has to wait 7 months because he's only been a member for 5, but he's amazing. He's going to kill it. 

We have a new investigator named Evelin and she is great. She loved our lesson and came to church! She always works in a moto so bringing her to church is a lot easier. She has a 6 year old daughter and she just wants to be a better person and find Christ. She came to the right place! We can help you with that!! 

It's really hot here, but thankfully not miserable. The food is great and I love my district and zone. I've lost over 25 pounds since coming here to the land of dirt and dogs aka Lima hahaha I love it here.

Love,

Elder Nielsen