São João

This week was really good.  We got to go to the temple on Thursday, and I got to buy some more garments.  It was a great session, and it really helped to just relax for a few minutes in the temple.  

Last Monday Juan called us and told us that his grandma (that raised him) had a stroke, and was in a coma.  She lives in São Paulo, and expressed that he felt the need to travel there to be with her.  But he told us that he couldn't do that because God already gave him the chance to be baptized once, and he blew it.  So he stayed here, and his faith grew so much.  By the end of the week, he had certainty that she would leave the hospital, on Saturday.  AND SHE DID!  Before he was even baptized, she went home.  He was confirmed yesterday and has already gone there to be with her for a little.  I learned a lot about faith this week from him.  It's one of those situations where you don't know if God put us in his path to help him, or him in our path to help us.  I am thinking it was a little bit more of the latter.

Also, my package came!  It was a great treat!  Everyone is a little jealous of the team USA jersey. I forgot how cool it actually was.  Thanks for sending it Mom.  I will be able to use everything, except the socks, but I will use them when I can. haha.  Elder Plentz and Elder M. Ferreira will be really excited for the mini christus statues. It was really nice, so thanks again!

But other than this, life is pretty normal here.  I'm 19 now, and tomorrow I'll have 9 months in the mission, so I feel a little older, but I'm doing great! Thanks for all the love and support, and have a great week!

Elder Nielson

Copo do Mundo!

Ola Meus queridos!  

This week, the World Cup started.  So there was a lot more drinking, and it made it a lot more difficult to talk to people in the streets.  But it's pretty cool to see how everyone can focus on one thing.  Yesterday afternoon, Brasil played against Switzerland, and nobody was in the streets.  It was dead.  So we returned home and studied during that time.

J-------- wasn't baptized this week.  By the end of the week, he just said that he didn't have the desire to be baptized.  There isn't too much we can do. We can't force anyone to be baptized, no matter how prepared they are.  He knows everything and is living everything.  He told the elder that did his interview that he will fast to try and receive the desire.  We have fasted for him too, and we are always praying for him.  We know that it's in the Lord's hands now, so we will keep working and trusting in his timing.

Not too much more happened this week..... Oh yeah!  We found a man named J--- in the street, but he actually found us.  I decided to ask him the name of the street that we were on so I could talk about the church with him, and before I could ask, he started talking to me.  He explained that he was baptized in São Paulo, but his company moved him here to Pernambuco before he could be confirmed.  It has been a little while since his baptism, so he will be baptized again.  We already reviewed everything with him, and he remembers it all.  So this Saturday he will be baptized again, and on Sunday he will be confirmed.  It was so cool to see how fast the Lord can bless us after a disappointment.

I was sad to hear about Brother Oviatt passing away.  He always was such a great neighbor, and I always liked him a lot. The story his son told of the hike, his injuries, and his miraculous journey for help really touched me, and really goes along with what President Nelson talked about.  One of his talks was about personal revelation, but with a big emphasis on Ask and Receive.  If we are asking for things that are just, God will help us to do the things we need to do.  But when we ask, we need to ask sincerely.  Elder Bednar said this when he was here, "The real prayer starts when you say 'Amen'."  Meaning that we need to act after our prayers.  Brother Oviatt didn't pray for God to cure his son or move them to an emergency room, but for the strength to act, and carry his son off the mountain to the emergency care he needed.  It is a true principle, that the greater part of our prayers need to be focused on what we can do to make it happen with the Lord's help. 

I love the mission, and everything that I am learning here.  I don't remember where, but someone said that you gain many years of spiritual progression during your 2 years in the mission field.  Meaning that you can mature in 2 years spiritually what would take you many years to gain if you didn't serve.  I don't know if that is true or how you would even measure that, but I do know that you learn so much faster here in the mission field. 

We get to attend the temple this week, which will be great!  We are just chugging along.  I hope you all had a great week too!

Com Amor,

Elder Nielson

P.S.   I didn't include pictures this week because the lan house we are using is in a really sketchy alley way, and I don't want my camera to explode if I connect it to the computer...  So here's an oldie but good. Who doesn't like to see a missionary worry if the monkey is going to use his shoulder as a bathroom?

Uma Semana Bom

Ola todo mundo!

This week was good.  We just kept working, and working.  The only problem is that we only have 1 person with a baptismal date marked for this week.  J--------!  He is the brother of J-------- that we baptized 2 weeks ago.  He is really good, but he has a lot of worries about entering the church and falling away. But he is really prepared to be baptized.  We asked if he knew the meaning of chastity, and he said "purity."  So that should tell you how long he has been frequenting the church.  Put him in your prayers.  We have been praying and fasting for him and have faith that he will be baptized this week!

This week started a holiday called São João.  I don't really know too much about this holiday.  But from what I have gathered, they eat a ton of corn, dance, and have bonfires.  Oh yeah, and drink...  They try and find any excuse to drink. haha.  But they do a ton of different types of corn made a ton of different ways, so it's kind of cool.

The World Cup also starts this week, so we put a flag of Brazil out side of our window at home.  Sadly we won't be able to watch the world cup.  Maybe if Brasil is in the championship, because literally nobody is in the street when Brasil is playing....  It's pretty crazy.  But we will see how it goes.

Oh yeah.  Some guy in the street stopped us and started talking about the NBA Finals, and how Kevin Durant is destroying everyone!  Why has nobody been keeping me updated on this???  This is important stuff! haha.  

But this week was good, and I hope you all have a great one!  Love ya'll!

Elder Nielson

Não Tivemos Transferência

Hello eveyone!

We didnt have a transfer, so Elder Phipps and I will be sticking around Massangana for another transfer.

This week was pretty normal.  We are trying to find a new base of investigators that we can start working with, but we had a lot of rejection.  Every person that we tried to talk with denied us, and the people that let us in, just wanted to argue that what we are teaching is wrong.  We did find one man that is really kind and really has a desire to learn about our church so he can decide if our church is true or if his is true.  So we are definitely working with him.  

We also marked J--------'s brother J-------- for baptism.  He is really cool and already knows a ton about the church. It is just a matter of responding to his questions.  He will be baptized June 16th.

J------ asked me to baptizes her.  The Sr. companion doesn't get to chose who will do the baptizing. We let the investigators decide, and the goal is to have a member baptize them so that they feel a little more connected in the ward.  It wasn't my first time performing the baptism.  In Jordão, I baptized another girl named P--------.  But it is always an interesting experience.    

But other than this, it is a pretty normal time here.  I am going to the mission office in Recife to start the renewal process of my visa.  Yesterday we had stake conference, and Elder Basset came.  It was really cool, and we learned a ton.  

It's weird to think that here in 3 or 4 months I will have a year in the mission.  Time is flying by, and as Elder Gomes counseled yesterday night, we have to always be thinking about whether or not the Lord would be pleased with our work if the mission ended today.

I'm excited to continue, and I hope that you guys are all doing well!  Love you!

Elder Nielson

P.S. We had two shark attacks at the beach here yesterday.  Don't think too much about this as you prep for your Hawwaii trip ;)

Yes, We Have a Trucking Strike!

Hello everyone!

I saw the subject of Dad's email, and it sounds like you guys have already heard about the strike.  The truckers are angry that they have to pay a lot for their gas, so they are doing a strike.  It is starting to shut down everything.  But where I am isn't too bad.  We still have a couple of gas stations open and cars and buses in the streets.  But more in the interior is where it's a big problem.  They receive food in the stores every day by semi, so they are already without food.  We heard about one dupla of sisters that was without food.  So elders in the area closest bought a ton of food and walked to their area to give it to them.  Where they are, it is a big trek to travel between areas.  Our zone conferences are canceled for this week.  But everything is going to  be fine.  We already bought some food because President Houseman told us all too, and when we leave the lan house we will buy a little more.  

We had two baptisms this week!  Everything went well with J------ and J--------.  They are super excited, and will be great.  We had a conference with Elder Clayton of the 70, and he focused on teaching our investigators after baptism, and helping them get to the temple with a family name in under 2 months.  We we will be helping them to do this.  It is especially cool for J------ because her mom died when she was really little, so she will be able to be baptized for her mom here in a couple of weeks!  So cool!

We also made pancakes last P-day. (Mom, the syrup didn't go too great, and Elder Gomes told me to apologize...)  But they were pretty good.  We also found a soda called Guaraná Jesus.  It was really good!

You are probably wondering why  J------ and J-------- were taught and baptized by 2 tomatoes.  The Elders of Piadade asked us to help in a quick service project.  Moving sand.  We forgot to apply sun screen.  When we finished 4 hours later, we were a little burnt.  But we moved the entire mountain of sand.  This is what the Lord means when he says by our faith we can move mountains.

It was a good week, and we are excited for another!  Remain calm, we arent dying here or anything because of the strike.  Things are a little worse in São Paulo, but here they are much calmer.

Love you guys!

Elder Nielson

Transferência????????

Hello,

This week was interesting. Tuesday night the elders in Piadade were doing a split, and we were just sitting down to eat some pizza when we got a call.  Elder D. Sousa looked at the caller ID, and it was President Houseman. He got all nervous, and everyone told him to answer.  He answered and went into the other room to talk.  When he came out, he had a face that was in shock, and he handed me the phone. President asked how I was doing, and said, "Nos temos um transferência especial. Elder Sousa vai ser transferido, e você vai se-tornar senhor."  Translation: "We have a special transfer for you guys. Elder Sousa will be transferred, and you will be a new senior companion."

We were all really surprised, because it came out of no where.  But in the morning Elder D. Sousa left, and Elder Phipps came to Massangana.  He is another American from Utah that has 6 months in the mission.  One transfer less than me. He is cool.  He knows a lot about the scriptures, and the history, and I think it will be really good!

We will have the baptism for J------ this Saturday.  And also, do you guys remember J-------- from my first week in this area?  Her mom will let her be baptized this Saturday too!  It's crazy to see how God works. The mom had a fight with the family, and it left her ready to let her daughter be baptized. We are really excited for them!

But this week has been pretty normal. We are just working and keeping at it. It will be weird to have someone that speaks English with me because he wants to speak English a lot.  But I am trying my best to speak Portuguese, so my language can be better, and his too!

It was kind of a crazy week, but it went well!  Hope that all is well back home!  Love you guys so much!

Elder Nielson

Ola De Novo!!!

Hello Everyone!

Well, since our Skype call yesterday, not too much has happened. This dear sister was trying to kiss my head...  I resisted, and she was a little angry, but I couldn't just let her kiss my head and have you guys thinking it was something she always does, because its not! haha.  Elder D. Sousa just let her kiss him. haha.  She is really funny and sweet, and I let them all know that I was grateful, and that you guys were grateful for letting us use their computer and internet.  They help us so much!

Fun fact about Brasil.  Two times a year, at Christmas and Mothers Day, they release all of the prisoners from jail, so that they can go visit their families (sound familiar?). I had no Idea, but they say that the released prisoners just start going after the people that snitched on them, and they have a lot of deaths around those dates. But its a real thing. We joked that the prisoners have more rights than the missionaries because they at least get to hug their moms twice a year! haha.

This past week was kind of an emotional roller coaster.  One investigator was going to move, but then told us she was just moving down the street and would stay in our area.  But then she finally decided to move away. So that was kind of tough.  But we have one family that is progressing and is super excited, and one of them might move too.  So we are praying and fasting for these people!

But it was great to see everyone on Skype!

The only new update since yesterday is that this morning we went to the bakery by our house to grab something to eat.  We have one lady that works there that is our friend. She is always joking with us. I told her that I saw someone using a hat with the emblem of the bakery on it, and I asked, "Where can I get one of those hats?" She said, "You want one? One second. I will go get one." And she brought one for all of us. So it was pretty sweet! I would send a picture, but the internet in the lan house is super bad right now. Next week I will send the picture of this cool hat I got from the bakery by our house!

I hope all is well!  Have a great week, and I love you guys!

Elder Nielson