Week 92: Interviews and Baptisms!!

Buenos Dias a Todos!

This week was a good week full of baptismal interviews and baptisms!

This week our investigator "S" (the younger sister of "K" who got baptized earlier this month) got baptized! It was such a great experience! All of the young women were there to support her and she was so happy. Her mom was there to see her baptism and is now going to investigate the church with more intentions to know if it is true or not. It was a great baptismal service and everything went smoothly (How strange). It was also great because there were lots of baptisms in the zone this weekend. This last weekend we had 5 baptisms in the zone and finished the month with 9 baptisms! It is only the second time in years that Valparaiso Oeste has achieved 9 baptisms!

This week was basically full of preparing "S" for her baptism and doing baptismal interviews for the other investigators. Because of that we didn't have much time to go find other investigators which will be interesting for this week because we have very few investigators now. So this next week will be a good week to look for more to prepare people to be baptized in June.

This week we didn't have many lunches with members so we had to cook a couple times and I must say that I am getting pretty good at cooking spaghetti and rice. But I might have to start trying to cook other stuff :)

This week we have changes and on Friday if I am still a zone leader I will Have leadership Counsel with President Diaz. We will see what happens. I feel like I am going to stay her in Valparaíso Oeste as a zone leader until the end of the mission, but we will see what happens.

This week in my studies I have been reading in 1 Nephi in the chapters of Isaiah. I have been really impressed how Nephi and Isaiah put there confidence in the Lord when they were tired, passing through trials, and trying to help others. It has been a grand example for me because I am so tired, not because I haven't slept well, or because I have climbed lots of hills. I am super tired physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Having to give your all every day all day without a break is really tiring especially because following the spirit requires so much attention to details and whispers, I am exhausted. But I know that I can put my confidence in the Lord and his atonement. Every time I am tired and don't want to climb another hill, contact another person, teach another lesson, correct another elder, give another advice, or fill out another form, I remember Nephi and Isaiah, and how they always remembered their savior and when he was laying face down in the dirt in agony in the garden of Gethsemane. When I remember that I know I can trust that the Lord knows what he is doing when he tells me to just do 1 more. I am going to keep giving it my all and keep going strong until the end, but if you guys could pray that i may be strengthened (like Nephi when he was tied) so that I can continue strong in the work would be great.

That was basically my week! I love you all! Stay Golden!

Love,
Elder Nielson :)

Week 91: Come what may and love it!

Buenos dias a todos!

This was a good week with work and sleep and work and sleep and a little bit of eating :)

Our investigators:
"K" the mom who got baptized last week got confirmed this week and she cried. It was super awesome and the ward is getting to know her a little bit better. I hope that she can keep progressing and prepare to go to the temple.

"S"- Her baptismal date fell through because she didn't go to church. She went to her aunts house and stayed for a day longer than she had planned on so she didn't go to church. That was sad but it was cool to see how people noticed that she wasn't there. The coolest part was that a young woman who is the same age a "S" came up to us and told us that she had a gift for "S" and asked if we could take it to her. When we said yes she took out a brand new triple with a dedication written to "S". It was so cool to see this young woman who was 15 years old take the initiative to help our investigator feel loved.

We found a new investigator this Tuesday named "R". We taught him almost every day this week and he is super awesome. He is super humble, he cant read or write, but loves to hear about the teachings of Christ to be able to follow them. He has depression but always cheers up with the things we teach him. He came to church on Sunday and the ward treated him really well. I think that is what made me so happy this week is that the ward has progressed so much in the way they treat our investigators. It was great and is is going to come again next week. He wants to get baptized but is living with his girlfriend and would have to get married first. But I believe that we can make it happen :)

This week we had interviews with president. It was pretty interesting. Our president seemed tired and a little bit discouraged. He talked about the need to study, to have faith, and have patience if the things don't turn out the way we planned. The interview itself was pretty short and normal but it was great to be able to tell president not to worry about our zone because things are going  well here :) It was also super fun because while my comp was in interviews I got to talk and spend some time with the assistants who are my good friends. It was a blast and it was great to be with them.

This week I decided that I have to be happier. All my happiness was based on the progress and change of the investigators that made my mood very roller coaster like. I would be happy and sad, excited and bummed, stoked and lazy. I read a talk that talked about the need to be happy and put more hope and faith in the Lord. If we do that it wont matter what happens in the moment, but what happens in the end. That helped me be a lot happier. After church this week, even though lots of sad things happened that weren't planned, I felt so happy and calm that I knew that in  the end everything would be okay.

WARNING!!!! IMMATURE CONTENT!!! DO NOT READ IF YOU BELIEVE THAT ELDER NIELSON IS AN ADULT!!!

This week we ate something that gave us a ton of gas. But my comp had the gas earlier than I did. He was suffering from bad gas during the day and I made fun of him. Then at night I started suffering from it. While we were planning he was tired and a little bored so he started poking me and messing with me. I told him to knock it off. He asked what I would do if he didn't. I told him that I would hit him. So he poked me again. I told him to knock it off. He then asked again what I would do if he didn't knock it off. I told him I would do something to make him suffer. He didn't believe me so he poked me again. I then let out one of the stinkiest gases of my life!! His eyes started watering and he started coughing. He ran around the apartment opening up every window and door that was possible. Needless to say, he stopped poking me :)

That was basically my week! This week we will keep working, laughing, being happy, and testifying of Jesus Christ.

I love you all! Stay Golden!

Love,
Elder Nielson

Week 90: Baptism!!!!!

Buenos Dias a Todos!

This was a great week full of excitement, adrenaline, bad singing, and baptisms!!

On Sunday we had a BAPTISM! We baptized "K" who is the mom of the little boys that got baptized last month. She has made so many changes in her life and she was so happy! It was a great baptism because her kids, her mom, and her sister (our investigator who is 14 that hasn't gone to church before) went to all of church to be there for her baptism. John, a recent convert who got baptized in February (right before I got to this sector) baptized her and that was also a great experience.

Our investigator "S", the little sister of the lady who got baptized, loved church and young women's. This week we went to her house with one of the counselors of the young women's who is 24 and single who is still really perky and she helped "S" get excited to go to mutual and to church. On Friday "S" went to mutual and loved it and on Sunday went to church on Sunday and loved it as well! She loved the baptism and is super excited to get baptized and to go to church now.

"E" our investigator that hopefully will get baptized this weekend has his interview this week and we will see if he can get baptized this weekend! It will be a series of 3 weeks of baptizing! :)

This week in church it was reaffirmed that I am a horrible singer. Every time we were singing a hymn I would look and my companion and he would be snickering. Wondering what was funny I would look around and see at least 5 people looking at me while I was singing! When I made eye contact with all of them they would look down and keep singing. This happened more than 10 times (because we sang 4 hymns in sacrament meeting). So it is official, even in Spanish I am a bad singer. Another moment was when we were in a taxi going to the center when a song came on in English. (I'm on the hunt I'm after you, and I'm hungry like the wolf) I started singing along quietly to the song. The moment I started singing the lady next to me stopped the taxi and got out saying "Actually this is where I want to get off". I don't know if it is coincidence or if it was my singing, but based on what happened at church I think it is my singing.

This week was a week of close calls. Again while we were walking on a different street at night somebody threw rocks at us or shot a BB Gun at us. We aren't sure but we were walking and there was a tin fence next to us when in the distance we hear some people talking and laughing when all of a sudden we hear the sound of rocks or metal hitting the tin fence right next to us. We ran booking it for a good 7 minutes until we got to the house.

We also had a scary experience when someone was trying to jump us. Without details a lady was trying to make us walk slow and stop to talk while 2 cars were following us. When we didn't fall in the trap and started running she said "Be careful/Watch out, someone is coming!" It was super scary but nothing happened because a bus came just in time and we got on the bus and nobody saw us get on the bus. Anyways we now have to enter the apartment an hour early every night to be careful.

This week the little girl that got baptized last month said one of the funniest prayers that I think I have heard. She had a sore throat and her mom didn't want her to say the prayer but she begged and begged so she said it. She said something along the lines of
"God, please bless my throat so that it gets better................... Actually I take that back, I dont want to go to school tomorrow so don't make me get better until Saturday or Sunday so that I can go to church."  It was so funny that everyone was trying not to laugh during the prayer. When the prayer ended we all died laughing!

This week we had interchanges and I was with an Elder that is from Brazil. In the nighttime we were cleaning the apartment because we have interviews with president this week. While we were cleaning we found a box of clothes and starting going through it and you will never guess what I found! I found a pair of skinny jeans that fit me perfectly! After trying them on we finished cleaning and I decide that I am all set to have an activity in street clothes so that I can use my skinny jeans :)

All in all that was my week!

I love you all! Stay Golden!

Love,

Elder Nielson :)

Week 89: Thats not fair! They've got rocks! All we've got are stinking machine guns! (Duddly Do Right)

Hola Buenos Dias a Todos!

This week was a good week! We worked and taught and ran down hills in the pitch black to avoid bad guys with rocks and talked to our families on Sunday! What a great week!

Our investigators are pretty good! "K" has plans to get baptized this Sunday! We have to verify how her commitments to live the commandments are going and if all is well she will get baptized this Sunday!! :) "E" has all the lessons so we are going to keep preparing him to stay active and he has plans to be baptized on the 22 of May! :) If you could pray that  "S"goes to church. She is 14 and is nervous to go to church because kids in school are already making fun of her for listening to the Mormon missionaries, but I know if she meets the young women that she will be happy and have good friends.

This week we had an instance when we were guided by the holy ghost and protected just like Samuel the Lamanite.

We were walking in a street at night that was dark. As we continued walking we heard someone yell "Hey, there they are!" I got kind of worried but imagined that they were talking about someone else. All of a sudden we hear a couple of people following us and yelling at us. I imagined that they were probably drunk so we just kept walking and didn't listen to what they were saying. All of a sudden the people behind us started running and I heard rocks whizzing by my head and hitting the street near us. We started walking really fast and turned a corner and started running like crazy. We ran down a muddy dirt trail down a hill in the pitch black. I don't know how we didn't die running or falling in a creek or anything, but we made it to the bottom and the people didn't follow us and stopped throwing rocks at us! I know that we were protected and that nothing can happen to us while we are obedient and work hard in the work of the lord.

Talking to my family this week was awesome! It was great to see them and hear their voices. It was crazy to listen to my sister talk because she sounds so much older! I have only been gone a year and 9 months and she already sounds more grown up ha ha :)

That was my week!

I love you all!

Stay Golden! :)

Love,

Elder Nielson :)

Week 88: The Falling Week!

Buenos Dias a Todos!

This week was a good week! It was really standard of working, teaching, testifying, walking, talking, and FALLING! Ever since falling in poop last week I haven't been able to keep my feet firm! I have fallen every day, so I think I am a walking safety hazard.

This week we have been preparing our investigators "E", "K", "S", and "D" so that they can be baptized this week. We taught them a lot this week and saw lots of progress but also learned of all the obstacles that we are going to have to overcome. "K" is the only one who came to church because "E" didn't wake up, "S" was in another city, and "D" wasn't home either. It was kind of a bummer after teaching so much that they didn't go to church, but we have this next week to prepare it :) They all have such different needs but this last week we were trying to teach them all in the same house and it worked but wasn't as effective as it could have been. This week we have plans to teach them all separately so we should be teaching more, more powerfully, and with more focus on their personal needs :)

This week as we were leaving the house of "S" they told me to be careful with the stairs because it was dark. As a joke (Because my companion knew that it wasn't true) I said "Don't worry, I never fall." After leaving the house we started going down the stairs and what happened? That's right, I fell. I fell backwards and while I was trying to catch my balance I stepped wrong and fell forward onto my face. A little bit embarrassed I laughed knowing that it was okay because the family hadn't seen me fall. I turned around to look for my companion to help me up but he wasn't there. Confused for a second I heard a knock on the door, the door open, and my companion laughing and talking to the family. My companion instead of helping me up decided to run, knock on the door, and laughingly tell the family that the missionary that "Never falls" fell down on his face. The whole family came out laughing but worried at the same time and every single member of the family helped me down the stairs. ¡Que Verguenza!

I would really love to send an awesome letter, but that's about it for this week. It was really pretty typical.

But next week will be pretty normal too because you will hear about everything this next Sunday! :)

I love you all,
Stay Golden!

Love,
Elder Nielson :)