6/26/17 - Pictures of the Week

Elder Nielsen and his companion with Moises and family

Elder Nielsen, companion, and Moises - baptism day!

Sudi - Elder Nielsen ate this!

Sudi

6/26/17 - Goal Celebrations

This week was really so fantastic!!! We baptized Moises and it was honestly one of my favorites for many reasons. His grandfather is a high priest but fell away for 20 years. We started teaching his family and his son, his son's wife, and grandson all want to be baptized. This work is so amazing!!! Moises is 14 years old and is one of the shyest people I know, but he loves us and I love him. His testimony was honestly wonderful and his grandfather was glowing - it was sooo special to see. I love this work and he's already starting to pass the sacrament and learning how to index names. I love this church.

My comp and I get along great. He played semi pro soccer in Bolivia and he balls on people. We played today and we had so much fun - we won both times and I'm getting soooo good at my goal celebrations. We also ate sudi!! It's a giant grub from the rain forest and it tasted like chewy slimy fish oil. Yeah we ate it raw and alive and yeah it squirms and moves around. It's so funny. Peru is the maxmio.

We are going to baptize hermana Marina this Saturday. Please pray for her to feel good Saturday. She is blind and it was so cute having her hold our arms walking her into church. She's 80 and has 8 kids and is from the rain forest. (She's the one who told us all about sudi and how amazing it is, so of course we had to try it!!) She has the coolest accent - it's like Portuguese almost. It's great. 

Please pray for Anna Maria Consila and her son - they are great. Family Consila was going to be baptized, but the dad kept fighting it. It turns out he was lying to us the whole time and yeah, it's getting fun now that the assistants and president are involved. Pray for her and Leonardo, they are some of the best people I have ever met in my whole life. 

Moises' dad is having a hard time- please please please please please please pray for him to be able to be baptized. He's wonderful and he wants to be baptized so badly. 

I think a microwave in the middle of the Sahara desert has a better internet connection than I do right now so I can't upload the video of me eating the sudi but next week I promise you I'll send it. Thanks for all your emails. I love you all!!

Love,

Elder Nielsen

6/19/17 - Pictures of the Week

Elder Nielsen and "the boys"

Elder Nielsen and his new compnaion

Elder Nielsen's zone

Elder Nielsen's district

Pablo's baptism

Elder Nielsen in his birthday hat he received in his birthday package (his birthday is next month)

Cute "almost" birthday boy

6/19/17 - I Love It So Much

This week was fantastic!!! We had transfers and I'm still here thankfully. I got a new comp and his name is Elder Imana and he's from Bolivia (like all my comps besides 1) and has 3 months in the mission. I'm also District Leader which is fun and should be a very great experience to grow and learn more about my Savior. 

I bought a huge pineapple out of the back of a truck for 2 soles which is less than a dollar and it changed my life. Never change Peru.

We baptized Pablo this week!! It was so incredible! He was all smiles the entire time and his testimony was so powerful. He held up his Book of Mormon and was like "I know this is true, I know Christ lives and this is His church." There is honestly nothing like hearing a convert testify of the very things you know are true. 

Time is flying here in Zapallal - the mission in general is flying by so quickly. I love it so much. It's so hard but it's so great. A funny story this week was we taught this old man from the mountains. He was like "I love church because I love to sing. Wait right here." He ran into his back room and came back with a himno book and started to sing. He then burst into tears while singing but kept right at it so he's just crying and singing and his eyes are closed and honestly, it really was so sweet and I feel blessed to have been there.

We have 2 more baptisms this Saturday. Please pray for Moises and Jesus. Also Eddy Conisla. Thanks for everything!!!

Love,

Elder Nielsen

6/12/17 - Pics of the Week

Lima at night

Elder  Nielsen and his companion, Elder Chavez

Elder Chavez, soon to be Elder Valasquez, and Elder Nielsen

Elder Tillman and his companion, Elder Nielsen and his companion, with soon to be Elder Valasquez

6/12/17 - Never Ever Change, Lima

This week was insane!!!! We had Elder Godoy and Elder Christensen of the Seventy come and talk to us and it was incredible. Elder Godoy shared how he was baptized as the only member of his family at 16. He lost contact with the sister missionaries who taught him. He ended up going on a mission, then being a mission president, then a Seventy. He ran into one of the sister missionaries who taught him while he was in Utah at a conference and he ended up sealing her child in the Temple. Now that's a conversion story. This work is so much bigger than us and it's so humbling and absolutely so wonderful. They both talked about how we need to read the Book of Mormon and how important it is -  it's really so important. I'm starting it again and I'm so excited!!!

Crazy story of the week- I woke up to drunk guys fighting in the street. It was 6 in the morning on Sunday. One of them had a rock and wanted to hurt the other and there was a lot of yelling and so on. Our neighbor, whose name is Chino and is one of, if not the craziest, person I've ever met runs out and pushes the drunk shirtless guy down and then runs inside. 5 seconds later he runs back out with a 9 inch knife and his brother had a 3 foot metal pipe, He runs right up to the drunk guy and barely misses stabbing him before his other friend half tripped and half tackled him. He went after them again but it was like 4 on 1 so they got it out of his hands. He then runs back inside and they all take off. I almost watched someone get murdered from the comfort of my own bed before church. Never ever change, Lima. 

A member in our ward had to come home from his mission early for health reasons and he's going back out after 8 months and he is going to be so great. Pray for Elder Valaszquez. 

Chambios are today. I don't think I'm leaving but vamos saber. I love you all! Please pray for Cesar Preciado and Eddy Consila - thank you!!!!

Love,

Elder Nielsen

6/5/15 - Pictures of the Week

Elder Nielsen's district

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6/5/17 - Fingers Crossed!!!

This week was really solid. Time is flying and it's getting cold- I love it. I miss the snow, but it's all good. 

We have been working and working with this family Consila. They are the best. They are so funny and so excited to learn. I hope everything goes good because they are supposed to be baptized this Saturday. Fingers crossed!!!! Please pray for them- Eddy and Anna Maria Consila. 

Marina didn't leave!!! We passed by her house and we knocked and she opened the door and when we said her name her face lit up like a Christmas tree!!! She's blind btw so she just kind of feels her way around. She came to church and it was so nice to see her there. She has a neightbor who is her friend and they came together and she just loves the church so much. Please pray for her!!

I finished the Book of Mormon again and all I can say is WOW. It's incredible. I learned so much the second time it's almost like it changed meaning or something. I invite all of you to pray and ask to receive personal answers and repuestas to your questions about life, God, or any other thing and it will come to you. I second the statement from our dear prophet, if you're not reading the Book or Mormon every day, DO IT!!!!!!!!!!! That's a commandment people. Come on, you even have it on your phone- it's so easy. If you want to read something cool read Alma 32, 34 and Ether 12. Some fantastic chapters. 

Please pray for Cesar Preciado. He's having such a hard time, but we know we can do this. I love you all so much!!

Elder Godoy and Elder Christensen of the Seventy are coming Wednesday! I'm so excited! We are so blessed to have prophets today!!!!

Love,

Elder Nielsen