Transfers!!!

Hello everyone!

Today we received our transfers.  I will be moving to a new area called Paulista.  Sounds like the area is really big. That means a lot of walking, so I'm excited.  But it is in the city, so I am not super excited for that.  Just kidding, it will be great. I just want some nature to see. haha!  

And my new companion will be Elder Plentz. I am super excited!  He was in one of my districts when I was in Jordão.  And he is a great missionary.  He is from  Rio Grande Do Sul.  He will be a great comp, and we can be way productive. He has about 6 months in the mission, so I will be the senior comp there, but I am super excited.  We will be able to get some good work done together.

It should be fun trying to lug three big bags all the way to Paulista.  It is a little far from here.  I leave tomorrow morning.  So we will have a bar-b-que this week (it didn't end up happening last week) and tonight I will be up late packing my bags with Elder Barreto (who was transferred to the interior). 

Elder Phipps will stay here with Elder Graça.  I don't know too much about him, but it should be good.  The last two transfers were pretty good, but I still had issues to deal with that were difficult to understand and were outside my control. It was frustrating at times, but I feel I did my best. I will have to admit that it will be nice to have a change.  Elder Phipps is a good man, and he and Elder Graça should do well together here.

We don't have pictures this week, because we are in the really sketch lan house again, so we should have lots of photos next week.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Elder Nielson

P.S.  France won the World Cup, and so everything should calm down a bit.  But everyone thinks that we are from Belgium because they beat Brasil in the World Cup.

P.S.S. A couple of older pictures from Zone Conference. We got our birthday treats!

Conferência de Zona

OOOOLLLLAAAAA!

This week we had Zone Conference, and it was pretty great!  I got to see lots of old friends from other areas and districts.  Elder Jacklin, Elder Gomes, Elder Jacobsen (my mtc comp).  So I included some pictures for you all.

President gave a talk with a  really cool principle. He talked about his job when he was 12 years old.  They would cut down a forest, and his job was to plant 1,000 little trees every day.  He talked about how annoying it was to kneel down a thousand times every day, the pain that it gave him, and how a lot of people gave up and went home.  But he stayed for 3 months and finished the job.  He planted 90,000 new trees.  But when he looked over the area he worked, he felt sad because the trees were all really little, and it didn't even look like he had done anything all summer.

But years later, he went to his parent's house, and grabbed a four-wheeler, and he and his son went riding.  At a certain point he stopped, and they were in the middle of thousands of really big, strong trees.  He realized that this was the same area that he had planted 30 years earlier.  He realized that at the time he couldn't see the success, but 30 years later, he could, and he finally felt successful.

He likened it to missionary work, and how we are going to have lots of situations where we plant a seed or a sprout, but can't always stay around to see the fruits. It was really cool to see and hear, and I am starting to look at missionary work in a whole new way. "Am I really planting new trees everywhere that I go?"  So some new goals will be set so that I can always be planting, and not just focus on reaping the benefits.  

But other than this, this week was pretty normal.  Brasil lost in the world cup, so things should be back to normal now. It was a fun experience. We would work in our apartments when games were going on, and we could tell what was happening just from the roar of the people outside. We could sense what was going on the whole time. And they would shoot off fireworks when a goal was scored. It was cool to experience.

I hope that everyone has a great week!

Elder Nielson

P.S. The beach picture was the view from one member's house the other day. Pretty nice.

Semana boa

This week was pretty great. 

I'll start with last Monday.  We went to our family night, and it was a family night normal.  Everyone came late, and we started at about 8:15p.  They gave the message really fast, and we were surprised.  They called everyone into the kitchen to have the "snack".  And they explained that they knew it was my birthday, so they marked the family night on Monday instead of Sunday.  They sang "parabens" to me and cut a piece of the corn cake and gave it to me.  They were all talking, and I heard one person say that I needed to give the cake to someone.  I was confused, so I turned and pretended to give the cake to Elder Phipps.  Everyone laughed and said no no no.  So when he pretended to take a bite, I pulled it away and took a bite.  Everyone stopped and looked at me.  So I got even more confused.  They then explained that the tradition here is that you receive the first piece of cake and give it to someone that you think is a great person.  So I gave it to Irmã Valeria (that lady that was trying to kiss my head when I skyped home).  Because she always pulls us in off the street and sits us down and feeds us.  She is really great!  So I took a picture of the first piece of cake they gave me that I ate....

We also made hamburgers for lunch one day, and they turned out pretty good.  You'd be proud of me mom and dad, haha.  But other than this, this week was pretty normal.  We had interviews with president on Thursday, and the work is just going forward like normal.  

I hope that you all have a great day and a great week.  Brasil is going to play in the world cup today, so it will be a P-day in house.  We will probably cook up something to eat and relax today.  Maybe I can grab some more reading in Jesus the Christ.  

Chau 

Elder Nielson

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 ;)