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.

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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

Week 4!!!

Olá!

It's so crazy that I have been in Brazil for a month!  It's been 4 weeks!  That time felt like it flew by.  The days individually can feel long, but the combined time is going way too fast.  We got our new Brazilians, they are Elders D-- S----- and D-----.  They are both way cool! One of them works out like crazy because he is going to go into the military here.  Its fun to jump in and do some stuff with him once in a while.  Neither of them speak English.  I like not having them speak English because it forces me to use and try and understand Portuguese.  Its crazy how much I can communicate with all of these people.  I would not have been able to learn this much in a month any other way than through the spirit.

One of the new elders was giving haircuts in the bathroom, and he was really good.  Our whole district has pretty much gotten a cut from him, and we are all looking good.  We listened to an old MTC devotional with Elder Holland, and it was so good!  It was all about missionary work, and he got in our faces like he does, and I learned a lot because of it!  

One of Haley's best friends left Tuesday, so I got a picture with her (as awkward as you would expect).  She said she would get it to her and tell her to send it to you, Mom, so hopefully you get that picture.  This week had great music.  Elder R---- and H----- played their piano duet that they have been working on for a couple of weeks, and it was awesome!  They played Battle Hymn of the Republic!  It was so cool!  

Yesterday President Grahl knocked Elder R-----'s tray out of his hand on accident, and it was really funny because we all pretend like it was his fault.  But over all, this was a pretty good week.  I got a new companion for splits, and I am learning so much from him.  I think it's crazy how much Portuguese I can kind of speak... its truly a blessing from the Lord.  We have felt the Spirit so many times throughout the week, and I love it!

Thanks for everything you guys have done for me, and everything you are continuing to do.  I love you all!

Love,

Elder Nielson

WOW!

Olá!!!

First off, I found my wallet!  Last night I was moving all my stuff to a different closet because we were getting new Brazilians, and as I was cleaning out the safe, I took another deep look into.  I checked the bottom, sides, under the carpet in the bottom, the top.  I had checked the top so many times before.  I stuck my head in this time, and something was stuck to the top of it.  I reached up, and pulled it right out!  Its crazy!  The magnet in my wallet had stuck it to the top somehow.  The weirdest thing is that I felt around up there so many times!  God answers our prayers!  I don't know why he needed me to lose my wallet for a week, but I am sure there is a reason for it.

Our Brazilians left, and it was really sad to see them go. We really do love those guys.  Elder M------ gave us his address, so we can contact his parents when we get to Recife.  They aren't active at all, but he really believes one of the five of us going there can help them get back into it.  We will be getting new Brazilians today.  They are probably here already, but they are busy, so we wont see them until tonight.  I'm excited.  Having M------ and S---- really helped our Portuguese, so I can't wait to see how these new guys help us.  

The language is coming.  It is slow at times, but it is awesome at times also.  Monday I was starting to feel frustrated with the language, and we were doing TRC (where we talk to members) next.  So I said a prayer and asked for comfort and the Spirit, and TRC went awesome! We had two lessons that night, and they both went amazing!  That is another example of prayers being answered this week.

We were watching the MTC devotional, and I saw Haden in the choir.  That was really cool, and D. Todd Christopherson, gave a great message about the Book of Mormon.  

I don''t think I have mentioned the Caju Juice yet... Every night we get snacks, and for the past couple of weeks, the juice boxes they have given us have been Caju flavored.  Yes, a nut flavored juice... They are disgusting, so we have made a district stock pile of them.  There are probably 30 or so right now...

One of our instructors is named R------ P----, and he is prepping to try out for Real Salt Lake.  Keep an eye out for him, he is pretty good.  He was on the Haiti national team but broke his arm.  He is really cool!

Things are great down here. We are having so much fun, and learning so much!  I love you all! 

Love, 

Elder Nielson

Included are some pictures from last P-Day.  It was raining really hard, and there was probably 50 cent piece sized hail.  The lady standing with us us Irmã F-------.  She is cool and comes in to help us while we prep for our lessons.

Week 2!

Olá!

This week was awesome!  Robert D Hales funeral was really good. I got a lot out of it and definitely felt the Spirit.  Things are still going well, and the best thing about this week was that we got activiad de fisica every day!  Just kidding, but it was nice having physical activity every day.  We run for a little bit and then go play basketball.  It is pretty fun to play with the Brazilians because they are either naturally good or really bad.  The non-Brazilian elders differ in skill level also. After physical activity, everyone on our floor hits the showers.  And while we are showering, everyone sings as loud as we can. It's actually pretty fun.  

We started TRC this week, which is where we meet with an instructor like they are a member, and we just talk with them for 20 minutes or so, and then leave them a short message.  I thought it was going to be terrible.  But Elder J------- wasnt saying anything, so i started talking, and what i was saying seemed to make sense.  There were still awkward pauses, but overall, it went really well!  I was understanding her really well, and she could understand me!  That made this week really good, just experiencing an actual conversation in the language that I could partake in.  

One of the elders shared with me that he only planned on being out for 2 months and then he planned to go home. So I've been talking with him every night, and he has totally changed that view.  He told me last night that he is for sure staying the two years.  He may lose a girlfriend he left at home, but it will make his life so much easier on the mission not to have that pressure.

Our district is really musical.  Two of the elders are crazy good at the piano, and a bunch of us sing well and can harmonize. There are maybe two that aren't great singers, but they aren't terrible.  We might be doing a special musical number during a devotional soon.  Sister W--------, who is in charge of music, said she would get back to us.  

Out instructors are Irmão T--------- and R------.  If you get a follow request or something don't just leave them.  They are cool.  R------ just took pictures with us that we are able to send you.  So I will include those.  

We went to the police station, so I can stay in Brazil!  Thanks for all your emails, I love you guys so much!

Elder Nielson 

Your Missionary's Arrival At the Brazil MTC

Dear Parents,

Sister Grahl and I are very happy to let you know that your missionary has arrived safely at the Brazil Missionary Training Center. What a great joy and privilege it is to greet each missionary as they begin their missionary experiences with us! We will surely take good care of your missionary.                                                                                                   
The missionaries now have companions and are settled into their rooms.  They are assigned to a district with capable and caring instructors for language and lesson study.  Their branch presidents and wives will meet them this Sunday.  These wonderful couples are richly blessed as they work with, motivate, and interview the missionaries assigned to their branch.

The MTC has a physician to care for their health needs. We are also happy to report that the MTC food is plentiful, healthy and very good.

Your missionary will be able to e-mail home on Preparation Day after a morning at the Temple.  This will be either Wednesday or Friday, depending on individual assignments.

Your missionary is about to make an eternal difference in the lives of many others. President Lorenzo Snow said: “There is no mortal man that is as interested in the success of an elder when he is preaching the Gospel as is the Lord who sent him to preach to the people who are the Lord's children."  We love these missionaries as if they were our own.  We will watch over them carefully to ensure they are ready for a wonderful missionary experience after the rewarding time they will have in the MTC.

We thank you for preparing such a wonderful representative of the Lord.

Pres. Paulo R. Grahl and Sister Zuleika M. Grahl

First P-Day

The CTM in Sao Paulo is awesome! The people in my district are great, and we are trying to push ourselves to learn the language.  It is really difficult, but we have faith that with hard work the gift of tongues can make up the rest. We have two Brazilian roommates, and they are awesome! Elder M------ speaks English and has been very open with us. We had the opportunity to stand in on a blessing for him.  It was in Portuguese, so that's pretty cool.  And Elder S---- speaks very little Portuguese or English.  The Americans and Brazilians are all super close now.  Its weird how close you can get with people in one week.  

We went to the Sao Paulo temple today, and it was beautiful. There were several of the Brazilians on our floor that we are close to that went through for themselves today because they were unable to before they came out. Sao Paulo is a MASSIVEEEEEEE city. You probably wouldn't be able to drive across it in under three hours. It's like the third or fourth largest city in the world, and I believe it! It is crazy!!

Its nice here. We get up at 6:30am, and there is a lot of studying, mostly studying actually.  We have taught 3 lessons in Portuguese, and they were rough. Whenever we feel bad, we think about how little time we have been here, and how much we have learned in that time. The beds are comfy. They do provide us with bug spray.

I actually really like the food.  It's a lot of beans and rice and meat.  I did ask about peanuts but couldn't fully understand, but now I'm pretty sure there are no peanuts. I am still very careful and my district knows too. We eat ham and cheese sandwiches every morning for breakfast.  I repeat, every morning! But they are actually really good. The scale here said that i was 164 all week, so it's either off or I gained some weight. We started a diet though, and I was back under 150 this morning. We can play basketball or run for exercise when it's not raining. When it's raining, we go to a very little gym and can do pull ups, ride stationary bikes, or play ping pong.  

I really love it here, and I love everyone that I've met. The people from Brazil are awesome! They are so fun loving and really seem to enjoy hanging out with us.  It's crazy that we cant fully communicate, yet we can understand each other. I love the Brazilians that hang out with us all the time. I am kind of the connection between the Brazilians and the Americans. I don't know why, but the Brazilians like me. They are so funny and fun loving.  But they can be really spiritual at the same time. I have so much respect for all of these guys. Some of them have tattoos and stuff, and they are converts, but they are out here and have super strong faith. I love the people here, and the CTM is awesome!

I love you guys so much! (Please send this to who it needs to get to. We only get 45 mins to email.)

Elder Nielson

(Yes, Elder is Elder in Portuguese.)

P.P.S., I should have brought my hammock!  In Recife it is normal for people to have a hammock in their houses, so ... yeah.  I think I can get one here, so I will probably do that.

P.P.P.S. I should invest in a nice set of Portuguese scriptures. They gave us a paper version, and they are already getting battered. They are like 30 - 50 U.S. dollars here at the Distribution Center by the temple, so that's pretty good. I'm sorry I cant send pictures, and my typing is bad.  I gave one of my Brazilian roommates a BYU shirt because he wants to go to BYU when he gets home.  He gave me a tie this morning to show his gratitude for the gesture, and it was really cool and nice of him. I tried to explain that it is a cheap t-shirt, but he forced me to take it.  That's Elder M------, who speaks English.