This week was crazy!

We had two baptisms!  I will explain.  Wednesday we had divisions with our zone leaders.  We split up so that we could cover more ground here in Jordão.  We had 4 missionaries in one area, and we got so many new contacts.  

 

Our first baptism was D----.  He is 14, and his parents were baptized 4 months ago.  He didn't want to be baptized when we first invited him to be.  His older siblings were telling him that he couldn't have a girlfriend, drink coke, play video games, or eat cake if he was baptized.  It took some work, but after we explained to him that we can do all these things and that we just don't want to do too much of one thing, he was happy.

Our second baptism was D------.  She is 27 years old and has been an investigator for a while.  We taught her all the lessons, and she felt ready, so she was baptized.  Her family are not LDS, but her uncle is, so he baptized her.  It was really cool, and she said that she felt "lighter" after her baptism.

It was really cool to see two people make the decision to be baptized and follow Christ this week.  I know that their lives are going to be better because of it.  Baptisms seem to come relatively easy here. But there is a really high rate of people that fall away soon after baptism.  But I think these two will be great members.  D------ has a lot of friends in the ward, and D---- has his parents to help him.  Now we are going to start working on his other two siblings.  Oh it's exciting!

There are a ton of random churches here.  There is probably 200 or 300 (carrari) churches very near by.  They range from big buildings, to someone putting plastic chairs out in front of their house.  There are a lot that have rock music, so its always fun to walk past those.  They are really just people that have a garage band who have words about God, and people come to listen to them on random days.  Some churches launch fireworks.  I thought they were for soccer games my first week, but no, its other churches lighting them off.  But it really helps that everyone here is crazy religious.  We can talk to anyone in the street about the Bible, and they believe and recite scriptures to us.  It's a really good way to get in to teach these people.

We bought some food, Mom and Dad, so don't worry.  They had Black Friday here, so we went and bought some things to eat for breakfast and dinner (bread, jelly, snacks, and more eggs).  Black Friday for Food! Ha! It's weird that Christmas is in a month because it is so hot here.  It's going to be weird not having any cold for Christmas.  The little stores here have Santas and Olafs set up, so we got some pictures with them.  Its pretty funny.  

There are so many cats here, and my allergies have been so bad the past few days.  Every house we have gone to has had cats.  Last night was really bad.  I had to take a pink pill right when we got home, and it just knocked me out.  

Things are going great here, and I hope that everything is going well in the states.  I love you guys so much!!!

Love,

Elder Nielson 

Second Week in the Field

Oi!!!

This week was awesome!  First, a little more about Recife.  The sun goes down here at around 5:30 pm.  So for three hours we are working in the dark. It's pretty cool.  I'm not sure on when the sun comes up, but I woke up one morning at 4:30 am, and it was light out. We are not far outside of Recife. We can see the city really well from parts of our area. We can get there in 30 minutes. We take a bus and then catch the train.  We actually go to Recife tomorrow for more training.

To send emails, we go to a LAN house (internet cafe). It costs about 3 reals (about $1) for the time to write emails. It is pretty fun. We do laundry at our apartment. We have a little washing machine and dry the clothes on a line. We just hang them up and go to work.  We walk a lot, but its not that bad, it feels really good!  I convinced Elder Carrari to go on a run with me today, and it felt so good!  We do a lot of talking with members and teaching lessons to investigators.  When we aren't doing that and have some free time, we knock doors (clap outside). It's so great!

I maybe worried you a little last week when I said we have no food in the house. We don't, but have no worries!  I have a full tummy always!  The members here are fantastic and keep us fed! They give us lots of treats and goodies that I'm never crazy starving!  The one meal a day thing is definitely a cultural thing.  A lot of people are poor, so if they eat one huge meal in the middle of the day, it avoids having to spend money on two other full meals.  That's also why it is a lot of high carb stuff like rice and beans.  We had hard boiled eggs this week and they tasted sooo good! We just haven't had time to buy food yet, but we are doing that when we get home after this. 

We have the best members here.  Every night when we are walking around, we have anywhere from 1-7 members walking with us.  When we need a member to come to a house with us, they are always ready.  We ran out of phone minutes this week and could only accept quick calls from non-missionary numbers, and they would call us to see if we needed them!  They always give us snacks and random treats, and we have lunch in one members house every day!

This week we marked two people for baptism.  One could be baptized Saturday, but we have to get permission because she has been attending a ward that isn't in our area.  But she is ready, and she started filling out a membership record.  The other is a man named R--- that wasn't too excited when we first challenged him, because he didn't know if it was true. We promised him that if he read and really sincerely asked God before and after reading, he would receive an answer. And he did! He read 1 Nephi 6: 2-4, and received his answer.  He understood that Nephi could have written more about his interesting lineage, but he instead he wrote the things God needed us to know.  That's so cool, and it was really a miracle.  He is living with a less active member, so they are going to get married, and then we are ready to baptize him!

Elder Carrari is a great trainer. I'm learning a lot from him. He will randomly turn to me during FHE, and say, "You have a scripture, right?" So I have to make something up on the spot, but I have found those impromptu messages are some of my better messages.  He likes to make fun of the dogs here, and twice this week two HUGE dogs stuck there heads over the fence and scared us really bad.  It was so funny!  

I feel good with the language right now, I still have a lot of work to go with it, but I can communicate with the members when I need to, and I am speaking more clearly in lessons.  The Lord truly helps us, and I see it every day! We had 6 investigators at church on Sunday, which was great!  

There were a couple of days this week that were tough because I didn't understand any of the people, and they always talk about me to Elder Carrari.  But Sunday was awesome!  We went to two wards, and they were both primary programs.  They sing the same music as they do in Utah, and I really felt the Spirit!  And that really helped me during our lessons that night.  I was more confident, and the people I was talking to could understand me.  I can talk with the members as we are talking, and it feels so good!  I am feeling really good right now.  

Oh, and we had Lasagna twice yesterday!  Its good, but different.  They always use ham, and it is interesting.  Still not as good as you make it though Mom!!!

The Lord really helps us when we put our faith in him.  We still have difficulties, but he will never let them get the best of us!

I love you guys so much, and all you have done for me, and I hope this email finds you all well!

Love,

Elder Nielson

Eu Estou Aqui!

Oi!

I've got a lot to write about; its been a crazy two weeks!  We will go in order.

I will not be wearing my Garmin, because apparently here in Brasil it is worth $1,000...  Plus Recife is one of the most dangerous cities in Brasil, so I will not be using it.  Don't worry, though. I am safe. That is just a problem in the big city part of Recife.  We are pretty safe here in Jordão.  

Last Monday, a member of our MTC group informed us that he was going home.  It was really rough because we were all planning on going to Recife together, and it felt really empty not having him with us. We are all pretty close, so it was tough.  But the next day, we all arrived in Recife.  We were sleeping in a little hotel the first night, and we heard a horse outside of our window.  We are in the middle of a city with 6 million people and a horse is right there.  It's really crazy.  

The next day, we got assigned to our trainers.  My trainer is Elder Carrari. He is from Argentina, and he is awesome!  He speaks some English, and I have to keep reminding him to speak Portuguese for me.  Our area is Jordão.  It is just south of Recife, and it has a bunch of little houses and the airport.  The mission doesn't use the airport, but there are lots of members here.  We had Stake Conference yesterday, and there were probably 300 people. We have been teaching every day, and its a little rough because I understand almost nothing.  They talk so fast, and I just pick up a few words at a time.  But I'm getting better.  Slowly, but I am getting better.

Our apartment is this little thing above the stake patriarch's home.  We have him under us and a family of members right next to us.  We don't lock our door, because we just twist the vent and can reach in to open it.  But don't worry, there is a gate down the stairs from us that locks.  There are lots of bugs, and our toilet is pretty sketch, but there are people here living a lot worse than us.  We don't have any food in our fridge.  We don't really eat breakfast or dinner... I'm not sure why.  We have lunch every day with members.  

The food is way better here.  We still have a lot of rice and beans, but they have more flavor.  Their food here can have a little spice, but not a ton.  This is the only place in Brasil that has spicy food.  I love it.  We don'

t really eat bread.  Last night we were at a member's home, and her husband works at a bakery, so she gave us bread there and some to take home with us.  It was so good.  I never thought bread could taste so good, but it was amazing.  

We had a service activity, and we literally helped people build a roof.  We both got really sunburned, so we are definitely going to be using more sun screen.  

I love you all.  It's really different here.  Its tough at times, but I'm learning so much, and I know that the Lord is helping me through so many things.  I can't even begin to describe how I see his hand in my life. One day we had a lesson fall through, so we just stopped at a random house, and this lady named Edna started talking to us about how here son is addicted to drugs, and he was passed out on the bed, and he beats her.  We shared the Book of Mormon with her, and she was so accepting.  We are stopping by again today to check in on her.  

The Lord really helps us when we try to do what is right!  Love you all!

Elder Nielson

Arriving in Recife, Brazil

Elder Nielson left the MTC in Sao Paulo and arrived in Recife, Brazil yesterday. He will meet his new companion and trainer today and leave for his assigned area. So it is getting real! I'm not sure we will get a letter from him until next P-day, so I thought I'd share the letter and pictures we received from his mission parents, President and Sister Houseman.

----------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to the Missão Brasil Recife family!

We were delighted to welcome your missionary to the Brazil Recife Mission today. After their plane landed, we loaded the new missionaries and their luggage onto a bus and visited a historic part of the city named Recife Antigo that was settled by the Portuguese in the 16th century. There we took a group photo and discussed the significance of Marco Zero which marks the point where Recife was born. From this spot, the entire city of Recife and the state of Pernambuco were measured. We discussed with the missionaries that just as Recife began in this very spot, so does their missionary service in the Brazil Recife Mission. We asked the new missionaries to decide what direction they will take in their missionary service and what kind of missionary they will work to become as we compared the beginning of their mission to the simple starting point of such a great city and state. We then went to the mission office where they received training regarding matters of health, safety, finances and daily missionary life and work. We spent some time with each missionary individually to get to know them better and to discuss any personal or medical needs that they might have. When all of this was completed at the office, we went to the mission home for dinner. They are spending the night in Recife and tomorrow morning they will attend the temple and meet their trainers at lunch. After that, they will be on their way to their new areas!

We like to see our new missionaries often so we can discuss in person with them how well they are adjusting to their new surroundings and to mission life. In two weeks, the new missionaries and their trainers will return to the mission office for a day of follow-up training. A week or two after that training, we will see them again at zone conference. At some point during the two weeks following zone conferences, they will have a personal interview. This guarantees that we will see each new missionary at least three times during their first six weeks in the mission. If they are serving in Recife, we will most likely see them more than that.

We have been serving in the Brazil Recife Mission since July 1 so we are adjusting to many of the same things that every new missionary experiences. We love Brazil! The missionaries and members here are wonderful! We have three children who came to Brazil with us - a 17 year old son, a 13 year old son and a 10 year old daughter. We have three other children who live in the United States - a married daughter who lives in Provo, Utah and teaches first grade, a married daughter who lives in Vancouver, Washington and a 20 year old son who returned from serving a mission in the Italy Rome Mission this summer who lives in Provo, Utah and attends school there.

The best place to send letters and packages to your missionary is the mission office. Someone is at the office Monday through Saturday from 8:00am until 6:00pm so the mail is immediately brought into the office. We do our best to get mail to the missionaries as often as possible. However, if they are serving in areas far from Recife, it might be a week or two before someone travels to their area. Since the time that your missionary received their mission call and packet, the mission office has moved. The new mailing address that you should use is:

Elder/Sister __________
Missão Brasil Recife
Rua João Fernandes Vieira, 80
Soledade, Recife - Pernambuco
50050-215
BRAZIL

We have a private Facebook group called Missão Brasil Recife - Presidente e Sister Houseman (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1879988122246250/?ref=group_header). You will need to submit a request to join the group in order to view what is posted. We use this page to post announcements, information and pictures. However, any important information will also be emailed to you.

Your missionary will be provided with enough funds to provide for their needs. There might be times where they will need to pay for expenses such as prescriptions and extra transportation but they will always be reimbursed once they submit their receipt. They should not need additional funds during their mission except for personal purchases such as souvenirs. If your missionary requests that you supplement their monthly mission allotment, please let us know so we can see how we can review their financial situation with them.

You will probably receive requests on social media from members who live in the areas where your missionary will serve. You are more than welcome to accept these requests if you would like but please do not ask the local members for information about and/or photos of your missionary and please do not ask them to deliver messages to your missionary. It makes it hard for missionaries to stay focused when they receive messages through the members. Please share messages and pictures with your missionary in your emails with them. Also, please help them to follow the rules by encouraging them to not pass messages or pictures to you through members on social media. Encourage them to send their messages and pictures to you in their weekly emails each Monday.

If you share your missionary's emails and photos with others, please be sensitive with the information you receive from them. Before forwarding or posting emails, please make sure that no information in the email or comments about photos, etc. would be upsetting for the local members or the people mentioned in the emails if they were to read it themselves. You would be surprised at how easy it is for an email to be forwarded a few times or how fast an online post can go viral. Also, please do the same when posting photos that your missionary sends to you.

You are always welcome to contact us with any questions or concerns that you might have by email, phone, iMessage (using our phone numbers) or Facebook messenger:

We are grateful for your efforts to prepare your missionary. We are excited for the opportunity to serve as missionaries with them. We love them already and we know that love will continue to grow!

With love,
President and Sister Houseman
Missão Brasil Recife

My Last Week in the CTM!

Hey !

It's so crazy that this is my last week here.  Next Wednesday, I will be in Recife!  Its crazy!  Last Wednesday, we got Burger King.  We gave our instructors money, and they went out and got it for us.  It was so good, tasted just like in the states.  I didn't love Burger King at home, but it was so good here!  Our Instructors are amazing, and they do so much for us!  T--------- messaged you,  mom and dad! He is the kindest person you will ever meet!  He is like a puppy!  He speaks very little English and was assigned to teach a lesson to new missionaries on dress and grooming in English. He was so nervous, so we helped prep in for it.  Our other instructor is R-------. When I call at Christmas, remind me to tell you about him. He has a really interesting life, that I cant even start to explain here.  He speaks 6 languages, and is learning a 7th.  

I got my scriptures today, and I am super excited.

One day an Irmã that helps us prep for lessons promised us that if we spoke nothing but Portuguese for 3 days, we would be fluent.  So we decided as a district to test her out.  I spoke nothing but Portuguese for 3 days... I prayed in Portuguese, talked to Americans, it was crazy!  I can get most things across, I just have to word it differently than I would in English.  We are not fluent, but it definitely helped us learn more Portuguese.  

We had Postlighting in downtown Sao Paulo again on Saturday.  This one was awesome!  For the first 30 mins, we didn't get any references.  Then, in the last 45 minutes, we got 6!  That is the first time we got references the whole time.  We did more in 45 mins than we did in an hour and a half two weeks ago.  Its incredible to see all the help that the Lord gives us.

One thing that I realized is that I haven't been taking seasonal allergy pills, and I have been fine!  Plus it's their spring time, so that's cool. I hope they do this good in Recife.  

We did celebrate Halloween.  All the Americans bought candy last P-day, and we went around and traded before bed, but it was weird not having it be a big deal.  No one mentioned it.  We did teach the Brazilians to say trick or treat, and then we would give them candy. It was really funny!  

We are working on a musical number as a district to sing on Sunday, so that's going to be fun.  Its Savior Redeemer of My Soul.  It is not going to be super good, but its going to be a lot of fun.  

Last week before Burger King, we went to this bakery, and there was a butterfly on a can of soda we picked up. So we were holding it and getting pictures.  It was really fun.  There was this one lady who was really scared of it, that was trying to get past us.  Turns out that Irmão R------- went back this week and gave her a Book of Mormon.  It will be cool to hear how that goes.  

Anyways,  It was a really awesome week, and I learned so much!  Thanks for all the support, and I love you guys!

Elder Nielson