Week 35: Happiness Bomb and The Mission Heist

Hola Buenos Dias!!! :)

This week was a good one personally, and a pretty good one for the work :) This week I learned how to be happy and how to be myself. It really is a decision, sometimes a hard decision, but a decision nonetheless, And I choose to be happy :)

This week I learned to be Happy and it all started with an interchange with the Zone Leaders :) I was with Elder G who is from Mexico. He is super animated and happy all the time which was a real example to me. He works hard and if he is rejected doesn't even care and continues the conversation we were having before the contact. In the contacts (Talking with people in the street) he is overly happy. Not too overly happy but very happy, and that makes other people happy and makes them more willing to talk. I like to be happy and talk with people but Sometimes people in the street scare me, but I learned that if you are overly happy no one is going to be too mean (Just kinda mean). After that I decided to be happy in the street and in contacts. Every since I started doing that I have encountered more people who are willing to talk and the rejection doesn't phase me as much :) I have finally found a way to be happy and to work hard :)

In the interchange I also learned that it is hard to speak English. We ran into 3 people who could speak English and we talked with them. Every time I caught Myself speaking in Spanish, and when I tried to say things in English they didn't come out right ha ha. Speaking in Spanish 24/7 really affects your mind ha ha :) Well thinking and speaking and dreaming in Spanish :)

This week The investigators are doing pretty well! :)

M got confirmed on Sunday and is now a member of the church :)

P came to church by himself and the went to watch a baptism with us :) If everything works out he will be baptized this Sunday :)

V.... Yeah V is no longer an Investigator. We went to teach her with the Zone Leader (Elder G) and she told us she didn't have time for a lesson but wanted to talk really quick. She then told us that she wouldn't be baptized and didn't want to share with us anymore because she was offended that we didn't know Padre Nuestro (The lords prayer from the bible). We had a lesson about Prayer and about revelation, but she still said no. It was kind of sad because she was so desirous to learn but something like not knowing padre nuestro is going to stop her from achieving salvation. 

We are on the search, passing for every contact that we can. Hopefully we find some more soon! :)

This week I felt like I was in a heist movie :) After going to watch the baptism with P we returned to the apartment and realized I HAD LEFT THE KEYS IN THE APARTMENT! Normally that would be bad but each companion has a copy of the keys so I asked my companion for his keys. "Elder, I lost my keys a couple weeks ago, I don't have them." After that I didn't know what to do. It was already night time and we didn't have any keys. To get into our apartment we had to break in :) We used a plastic bottle and scissors and managed to open the locked door and get inside :) So now I am pretty much a pro at breaking into apartments ;)

Stay Golden, I love you all!

Love,

Elder Nielson :)

 

Week 34: Decision to be Happy

Buenos Dias!

This week was a rough week. After setting lots of appointments we didn't have any of them show up. It was frustrating and we walked a lot. But I decided that I have to stop being so stressed and have to start being happy. So all of my goals this week are about happiness and smiling :) The mission is hard, so many demands and so much stress, but it is my goal and destiny to find more happiness and to take more pictures :) 

This week nothing special really happened :) We worked hard, had some lessons, taught some people, and did our missionary thing. The best success of the week was on Sunday. None of our investigators came to church but we managed to help a less active woman come to church and that was a great success! It was a success because the bishop in my first week here said that she was never going to come to church and that if she came to church he would personally pay to build a statue on the church grounds of the missionaries. Well she came to church!!! :) So we will see if we get our statue :)

Our investigators right now:

P- baptismal for the 3rd of May

V- Baptismal date for the 26th of April, but they need alot of work

Hopefully this next week is more exciting!!

I love you all,

Elder Nielson :)

 

 

 

Week 33: Short and Sweet because had a Zone Activity

Bueno Dias!!!

This week was a great one!! We had a baptism which was wonderful!! I have been working and praying so hard to achieve this baptism! :)

This week we baptized M the 9 (now 10) year old. He is super happy and the baptism went super smoothly :) I am so glad to have had the opportunity to share with him :)

I don't have tons of time so some highlights of the week :)

The bad contact:

Ne were doing contacts and started a contact with an old man. He started with "I hate you guys" and after listening to him scream at us about North America and them using missionaries to destroy Chile and the economy I didn't want to fight with him so I offered my hand and said see you later. He slapped my hand and screamed that he couldn't talk with people like us.

Elder V is doing well. He only has 3 weeks of training left but everything is going well with our work.

This week we had interviews with president and I was super nervous ('cuz last time I ended up crying) but this time interviews were awesome. President said he was surprised and proud of the work that I had accomplished. That made me feel super good. Then I asked him for a blessing to help me with the language. Part of the blessing said "And in the end of your mission you will speak perfectly" I am now waiting patiently with faith and working hard to achieve it.

The baptism Sunday went super smoothly and was super awesome!! :) M is awesome and is happy with the decision he made :)

I love you all! Stay golden! And next week my letter will be a lot better :)

Love,

Elder Nielson :)

 

 

Week 32: General Conference, Ice Cream, and Apples Light

Buenos Dias!!

This week was a good week and a frustrating week all at the same time ha ha :) We worked hard Tuesday and Wednesday and had some good success. But after that basically every one of our investigators went out of town for the week. Wednesday and Thursday I think we had 1 or 2 lessons in total and we were in the street a lot. 

But it was a great week because of General Conference (The semi annual opportunity to listen to a Prophet of God and the 12 Apostles speak to us to give us the guide and answers we need). It was great for 2 reasons: 

1. We got to receive revelation and answers from the Servant of God

2. We got to sit down for 10 hours :)

I really did love conference. I wrote 4 questions and killed a spider crawling on my notes before conference started. In the sessions of conference all 4 of my questions were answered thoroughly. It was a great testimony builder that God is listening to my prayers and doing everything to answer my questions. 

Some of my Highlights from Conference:

1 Kevin W. Pearson

"To hang in there isn't a gospel principle." 

This life is to be enjoyed, not endured. We must persevere to the end, we must enjoy the journey, we must change where we are and follow the path to the end. If we "Hang in there" We aren't going to move, our situation isn't going to change, and we aren't going to become happier 

"#Greatandspaciousbuilding4knowledge isn't the correct source of information"

If we really want to learn gods will, and how to be happy the pride of the world is not the place to look. The humility in the lord will truly lead us and our families to true everlasting Joy.

2 Pale G Renlund

"Twas I, Tis not I"

It doesn't matter who we were, It matters who we are and who we are becoming. Every person in the world will make a mistake, but if you have the true desire to change and act on that desire God will forget, and it doesn't matter, who you were before.

"A saint is a sinner who keeps on trying."

No matter how many times we fall, if we keep pushing forward and keep giving our best effort to improve we are just as much as a saint as anyone else.

3. Wilford W. Anderson

"I can teach you to dance, but you have to hear the music"

In our lives we can follow the routine and do what is required of us, but if we don't hear the music or recognize the blessings or benefit of what we are doing we will not enjoy the actions and will feel silly.

4. Boyd K. Packer

"A cookie and a kiss is the key to a happy marriage"

The small and simple things in life to show love will help a marriage and any other relationship grow. The small daily services will make stronger bonds than large infrequent demonstrations of love or service.

I learned so much from conference and it made a big impact on me. I testify that the prophet is called of God to guide us in these difficult times. I know that he will never lead us stray and that if we follow his council the difficulties will never get the best of us.

This week I ate alot of Cake to celebrate my birthday so I gained a little bit... okay a lot a bit of stomach line. So this week we had lunch that a member gave us and in the lunch it had light yogurt. I made the Joke that they were trying to say something... but all the other missionaries in my district agreed that they were saying something. So we decided that I am only allowed to eat things that say "Light" on the container in order to lose weight. So after that I ate my Apple (Light) Pear (Light) and then received a small candy. I wanted to eat it so I used my pen to write "Light" On the wrapper. Maybe I should start following the advice ha ha :) 

Status of Investigators:

1. M- Baptismal Interview today, If he passes he will be baptized this Sunday

2. P- Baptismal date: 19th of April if he attends church

3. J. Baptismal date 26th of April

4. V: No baptismal date but has attended church 1 or 2 times and has received lessons 1 and 2. We are going to try and place a baptismal date this Tuesday.

That is how the sector is doing.

I love you all and invite you to watch conference if you didn't have the opportunity to do so.

Stay Golden!!

Love you all,

Elder Nielson :)