Q & A

Elder Nielson responded to lots of questions this week but didn't really give a weekly summary. Here are some of the questions we had and answers he provided:

1. What kind of food do you eat in Brazil?

Arroz, feijão, macarrão, galinha.  (rice, beans, noodles, chicken)

2. Is Recife a third-world country or is it pretty modern?

It is pretty modern.  It isn't third world, but it wouldn't be considered first world. They have a lot of people that are really poor, but they have all the necessities for the most part. They have a lot of favelas or ghettos, which is where you see the most necessity.

3. Are the bugs and mosquitoes as bad as you were led to believe?

There are a lot of cockroaches, and mosquitoes, but it isn't as bad as we thought. We were all thinking that it would be like I was in the middle of the jungle. I use bug spray, and it doesn't give me too many problems with mosquitoes. They also have lots of scorpions, but I haven't see too many because we usually live in apartments.

4. What do you love about Brazil?

Everyone is open and happy. The members are excited to help (most of the time), and if you ask for directions, someone will take you where you are going.

5. Do you feel fluent in Portuguese? If so, how long did it take to feel you were fluent?

I feel fluent. Obviously there are little words that I don't know, but I can understand everything and express myself in Portuguese better than I can in English right now. I think that when I left my first area, I was already speaking pretty well. From there until now, it is more about training the accent and growing the vocabulary.

6. Share one spiritual experience that you will always remember. 

I will never forget how quickly the Spirit has gone to work with E------, our recent convert. He did a full 180 and now that he has the gift of the Holy Ghost, he is growing very quickly. He is sharing the gospel with others, and he is trying to bring people back that aren't going to church. Last night he was talking to us about these efforts, and I could feel the Spirit testifying that he will do great things, and that he will be an instrument in the Lord's hands.

I feel the spirit powerfully every time that I open up my patriarchal blessing to read. I am seeing these blessings, and I desire to magnify them in the best way possible. I know that the Spirit is present with me and has guided me in the past. As I am reading the scriptures, I can see Him opening my mind and leaving everything clear.

I recognize that the blessings and gifts of the Spirit aren't automatically given to me, and this makes me think about the parable of the talents.  If God gave me these things, what can I do to strengthen them, and develop them more in my life?  This is where my search has brought me, and I can feel that I am getting closer to where I need to be; that I am becoming who God wants me to be.

7. Do you have lots of persecution because of your religion, or are people fairly accepting?

We only have persecution from the other churches. All of them talk bad about us, so usually when we start to teach someone, we have to break all of the bad ideas that they have about us before we start to teach them.

8. What are the hardest things about your mission?

We walk a lot. But for me, I don't really mind. But the heat is really strong. From 10 am until 5 pm, I am just soaked in sweat.

9. What do you love the most about being a missionary?

I love the opportunity I have to study the scriptures every day. I also love that we can help people gain understanding and peace here on earth and help them resolve their problems.

10. Do you speak in church often?

Yes, we talk in church regularly. Usually when we get to a new area, we are called to talk in church. And when the assigned speakers don't show up, the bishop will grab us and ask us to speak about something we studied this week.

11. Are you staying in your area or being transferred this week? 

I was transferred, and I am going to Recife to an area called Bom Pastor, or Good Shepherd. I will take the place of Elder Jacklin, and I believe I will stay there with his son (junior greenie companion). But they changed how the transfers work, so we won't know who our comp is until we get there, but I am pretty sure it will be Elder C----------. I am pretty excited. I know that he speaks English well. He appears to be a great new missionary, ready to work and magnify his calling!