Week 53: Happy Birthday to me! And Ghetto Basketball :)

Buenos Dias! 

This week was a good week! Lots of walking, talking, and sweating! The heat has started and so has the application of sunscreen!

This week I got to know my comp a little bit better and his history, and holy wow it is super crazy! He had a crazy past life and made me realised how sheltered I really was ha ha :) But it is always interesting to see how people can change their lives :) 

This week we had English class! English class is pretty good! We have 10 students, all less actives and recent converts, but it is still good :) We have a competition with the sisters in our ward because they are teaching Portuguese classes and we are always trying to have more students than them, and as of now we have 10 and they have 1, so we are winning by a little bit ;) But the spirit is strong even when we cant communicate very well with people. We taught everyone how to bare their testimonies in Spanish and English, and even though they couldn't speak very well we could all feel the spirit :)

But before English class we were waiting for people to show up and wanted to play basketball. We didn't have a basketball with us so we made one out of a sack full of trash and a rock, and the sad thing is I played the best basketball I have ever played in my life. I don't think I missed a shot! Now we know that if I want to win I just have to bring a sketchy garbage bag with rock basketball :) It was a fun moment :)

This week we had a good lesson with some investigators, but they all have something pretty big preventing them from being baptised. They are progressing and doing what we tell them to do, but it will take some miracles for them to be able to overcome their challenges. 

This week I finished a year in the mission! Crazy right? Ha ha I didn't really do anything to celebrate. I made myself some oatmeal with yogurt and put a candle in it ha ha. Nothing too big, but it doesn't feel like a year has already passed by! The time just flies by :) 

This week I had a small spiritual experience that I loved. It was nothing big, but I love being guided by the spirit, it is probably my favorite thing in the mission. We were having a lesson with an inactive and we were talking about the importance of praying. We were about to finish the lesson but I had a prompting to ask a simple question. When I did the inactive shared an incredible experience that he had had the first time that he prayed and it really invited the spirit into the lesson. It also helped him realize that he knew that we receive blessings by praying and that it isn't just something that the missionaries were saying. I loved that moment because it was something so simple, but the spirit knew that it would make a big difference in the lesson :) Always follow the spirit and you will NEVER fail :)

Pablo is doing good and so is the G Family. It is great to see them progressing. It is kind of sad that the G Family cant progress to be sealed in the temple because the dad doesn't want to go to church, but we are working with them doing all that we can to help him receive the blessings as a family :)

That was basically my week! I hope that everyone of you has a great week and can make an effort to follow the spirit more this week to see if it makes a difference.

I love you all!ª Stay Golden!

Love,

Elder Nielson :)

Week 52: Im a poop head! (Dirty bird one to Dirty bird 2)

Buenos Dias!

This week was a good week, not tons of work, but lots of memorable moments!

This week the drama in the district was still going on and escalated to the point where the assistants to the mission president had to get involved. It was kinda rough because they basically told me that they didn't know what to do to fix it and that I had to do it, but that I had their support ha ha. That's basically how the leadership in the mission works "We don't know what to do, but we support you and call us to let us know how it goes" That is kinda frustrating but it has given me lots of opportunities to grow. Anyways I decided to do an interchange with an elder to try and improve the relationship I have with him in order to start fixing the situation. I was praying to have an opportunity to serve him. After a day of work and a good nights sleep I woke up and made him breakfast and was hoping that he would be grateful for the service but he came out and told me that he wasn't going to eat because he didn't feel the best. I was thinking "Fetch, what service can I do that he will accept??" but I just went with it. After a little bit he was feeling even more sick so I sent him to the bed to rest. After 5 minutes of talking to him in bed and giving him a blessing he got up and threw up all over the floor a couple times in different spots. That is when I had my opportunity to serve. While he rested in bed I cleaned up all the dirty nasty from off the floor. It was pretty gross, but I feel like he felt my love. The situation is getting better and I hope it keeps going that way. But God answers prayers, I asked for an opportunity to serve and he gave it to me. Remember he will always answer your prayers, maybe not in the way you want, but he will always answer.

This week we found some new investigators. One was a reference and she seems pretty good. She is 24 and is interested in the religion but doesn't like the commandments because they are rules and don't make sense (like not drinking tea). But we will see how it goes. I am pretty sure that we can help her understand. This week we also found a young couple who have a young girl who is 2 years old. The wife is looking for a religion where she feels the spirit and can get closer to God, and her husband wants to follow God but had a bad experience in the evangelic church. I think they are really good and understand the importance of the Book of Mormon. We will see how it goes this week :) 

This week we celebrated the birthday of one of the sister missionaries in our ward. Hna N (turned 21 and we had a great party. We ate pizza and cupcakes and had some good laughs :) It was nice to relax a little and get to know the Sisters a little better with the members. I have some pictures that I will send :) 

This week I learned that I am a poop head... And it wasn't pleasant.

Picture this... An attractive young man is walking somewhere in his suit, because he is running a little late to something important. While he is walking his friend, who is also in a suit is talking to him and says " You are so buff and strong and attractive, every girl wants to marry you." The young man laughs to act humble but really knows it is true. Then suddenly a bunch of attractive girls surround him and start kissing him and telling him that he is the best. Well this week I was that attractive young man in a suit... Except after that part  of the story... the story is fake.  I was walking in my suit on the way to church when my companion says "Bro you got a  booger on your face. I don't believe him but wipe my face anyway. He said "No its on your forehead" So I wipe and there is something there. We smell it and... it was bird crap. On the way to church a bird crapped on my face! It was nasty and I didn't even feel it! Normally it falls on your head or on your suit, but it fell on my face! Luckily I had some tissues and hand sanitizer so I was able to clean it off before walking into church. But yeah I learned that I was a poop head ;) Definitely a journal moment ha ha.

That was basically my Week! I hope that you all are awesome and that you guys just love life.

I love you all! Stay Golden!

Love,

Elder Nielson :)

Week 51: Just Keep Swimming!!

Buenos dias a todos! :)

This week was a good week of good old work :) We spent lots of time making appointments going to appointments, the people not being there so we do contacts, going to their house the next day, making another appointment and so on and so forth. We have found some good future investigators and some good references, but we dont really have anyone progressing right now, just a couple first lessons with some people :) 

This week we had a small zone meeting which was fun to see some of the missionaries in the zone. We watched part of Finding Nemo and applied it to following the spirit to find the people looking for the gospel. It was entertaining and interesting to see how even disney movies can apply to the gospel haha :) 

This week Pablo got Confirmed and is now a member of the church! It is going to be great to see him keep progressing and growing in testimony. Next week he sould get the priesthood and be able to pass the sacrament and things that are similar. 

Besides that we really didnt have much go down this week. We are still working and laughing and enjoying life. Sometimes I think I bug my companion or that there is something that he doesnt like but he doesnt tell me that there is anything. We will see how it goes, but he is good :) 

I am kinda sick so prayers for health would be nice, but besides that I am all good :) 

Well a picture speaks louder than words so I will just send alot of pictures this week :)

I love you all! Stay Golden!

Love,

Elder Nielson

Week 50: Baptism!! Trash Bags!

Buenos Dias!

This week was a cold rainy week! But it ended with a baptism which made it all better! :)

This weekend Pablo got baptised! It was a great baptism and the spirit was super strong. In the end when Pablo bore his testimony about the book of Mormon and feeling the spirit while he read the spirit was stronger than ever. Not only was it spiritual but also funny :) When P was getting baptised his arm (elbow) was sticking out of the water and he wasn't putting it down, so my companion basically pile drove him so that he went all the way under the water. Right afterwards everyone started laughing. But at the same time the spirit was there so it was a good mix :)

This week I had interchanges with my zone leaders. At the end of Interchanges your leaders always make goals with you to help you get better and to improve something. In the end of the interchange I received what could possibly be the hardest goal I have had... To not use "Po." The Chileans after lots of words or answers say "Po" like if you asked them if they liked lunch they don't say "Si (Yes)" they say "Si po". Anyways because I am in a sector that is pretty poor and flaite they say "Po" all the time and I have started saying it, and I cant stop. Supposedly as missionaries we shouldn't use po, but i cant stop saying it. So my goal is to stop using "Po."

This week it has rained hard all week which made the mission work hard, cold, and wet. Because My raincoat got robbed I decided to make my own raincoat out of trash bags. It was pretty sweet, I Cut it and sealed it with the iron and even made a hood. I used it for a day, but then I decided it wasn't worth it. But then I found out that my big coat is waterproof, so we are all good :) But the storm has been so strong that some peoples houses got blown off. We were walking down the street and the 3rd story of someones house got blown off and it landed in the street. Luckily we got there after it had already happened, but it has been a crazy storm. 

This week we had English class and it was awesome and hilarious. There are some gringos that live in our sector that can barely speak Spanish even though they have lived here for a year. We teach them Spanish at the same time that we teach some people English. It is great because they can practice together and the class is fun, but the gringos are kind of weird and have no shame so they say the funniest things and we always die laughing. 

My comp is awesome. We laugh and make jokes in the street, in the apartment, and we get along really well.  :) 

That was my week! I have tons of pictures to send, but when I went to plug in my camera I realized I left the cord in the apartment, so I will have to send them all next week! 

But I love you all! Stay golden!

Love,

Elder Nielson :)

Week 49: Changes!!!

Hola Buenos Dias a Todos!

This week was a great week full of lots of changes and good tidings of great joy :) 

This week on Wednesday we had changes! I am still district leader in Quebrada verde but I have a new companion and some of my district is new. but to start:

My Companion: My companion is Elder F, he was born in Argentina but moved to Canada when he was 7. He has been in Chile for 4 and a half months and is a great missionary.  He is awesome and we are going to have a good change together.  He also has a very strong Argentinean accent which is sticking, so its most likely that I will finish the mission with an Argentinean accent ha ha. But it is helping me a lot with my Spanish. He is fun which is definitely a plus :) I really believe that we are going to have a great change together.

My new District: I still have the sisters Hna S (California) and Hna A (Peru). But they are in a different sector. They are good sisters but are a little bit shy with people and are a little bit discouraged, but my companion and I made a plan to help the district get more pumped. But the big change is that the zone leaders aren't in my district and I have another pair of elders. That means that I get to do interchanges every week! I have to go to their sector or they come to my sector for one day a week to work. This last week I had an interchange with Elder M who is from Londrina Brazil and my companion was with Elder R in their sector. It was fun to meet another elder and work with him. He is awesome and we had a good time and worked hard. It is weird because it made me feel like an older missionary ha ha, but I feel like I just started ha ha :) 

Our investigators are doing well! We have P who is going to get baptized this Sunday! :) And this last Sunday we found a family of 3. The dad is Chilean, the mom is from Colombia, and the child is 8. C, E, and A. They are awesome. The dad doesn't have a strong belief in religion or God or Jesus, but the mom believes in them. But the dad is interested in learning and knowing if it is true. We will see how they progress!

I love you all and hope you have a fantastic week! Stay Golden! :)

Love,

Elder Nielson :)