Monday, June 17, 2013
June 17, 2013
Alright. Well, im alive so that's good! hah thanks for all the letters this week. it was a better week, probably just because i got a week under my belt. just had to adjust.
Well theres a guy here named pinky dread who was baptized last december. his whole family is now baptized except for his wife, francilia. yesterday we had an awesome lesson with her and invited her to be baptized. she accepted and is praying about july 6th. she is battling some serious weed and alcohol addictions. pray for her. she comes to church every week, she knows its true, she just has to overcome that..
The branch here is really awesome actually. All the students are only a few years older than we are so its been easy to connect with them and get them to trust us. Our ward mission leader, steven, is way awesonme too. he helps us a lot. we anticipate to have at least 2 more baptismal dates this week. Keep dominica in your prayers!
hah yeah we figured it out. we're definitely not eating much, but we're not starving. everything is ridiculously expensive here. we spent 53 US dollars on almost nothing the other day.. i saw a bat last night, it was pretty huge. here we worry about cockroaches and crabs. big ol land crabs that live all over here
there were elder here but they didnt do anything. they were both super trunky. the members didnt like them much. they love us though, and we love them
nah, i dont feel sick, i just always have crazy headaches from the sun. im losing weight too. i've lost almost 15 pounds in the last 2 weeks.
oh, and i read the whole book of mormon in 11 days. im ashamed to say it, but thats the first time i've ever read it all the way through, cover to cover. better late than never i guess
I hope yesterday was an awesome fathers day for you dad. You deserve it. i missed you like crazy during church yesterday when everyone was talking about their own dads. they kept saying that their dad was the best dad ever, but they were totally wrong. they obviously havent ever met you.
June 16, 2013
He wakes up bright and early
each and every morning,
after having spaz attacks
at night when he stops snoring
He poops for about 25 minutes
laces up his orange Nike shoes,
walks like 57 miles
then comes home and eats some nasty medifast brownie goo
I know it isnt easy
i've done it once before
medifast isnt for the faint of heart
it always leaves you wanting more
he's stickin to it though
he does it without complaint
looks like it's been worth it too
he's lookin svelte and quaint
the mission is a good diet too
you cant just stuff your face
but the nourishment lacking physically?
spiritual food takes its place
when we were little, i remember,
he would hug us like a bear
now that we're older, greg and I
are jealous of his freakin legit facial hair
he puts up with a lot of crap at work
in his own words "puts up with douches"
he does it because he loves us though
so we can wear our Nike swooshes
sometimes hes a sneaky one
moves around quickly like a lizard
sometimes it really freaks me out
my gosh, i swear hes a wizard
hes not very good at xbox
the playstation or the wii
but he's always down to shut you up
in Risk or Monopoly
he comes to every football game
basketball and softball tournament
he always cheers real loudly
much to my moms embarrassment
he play the violin quite well
and sings like a total stud
when the ward finds out and asks him to perform
all he thinks is "ah crud."
he thinks hes cool and cheers for utah
i know, it makes no sense
luckily for all of us
we're given the gift of repentance
one time we saw a Chrysler
he swore it was a bentley
i called him a big ol dork
and laughed at him, and not gently
we watched weird shows on tv
like ax men and ice road truckers
when a new season come out he becomes
so happy his rear end puckers
and the toilet paper thing?
ah, dont even get him started
if you forget this simple act
you'd think world war III had just started
he leads his family faithfully
he hearkens to the spirit
he taught me how to live worthy of it
he taught me how to hear it
i wasnt always honest with him
for that i have regret
im super lucky though
he knows how to forgive and forget
i always thought i knew more than him
though "he doesnt know what hes talking about"
when my "wisdom" got me into trouble though
he was always there to bail me out
he taught me to respect my mother
always esteem her as #1
this is a lesson i took to heart
and will one day teach my son
20 years ago and today the same
Puerto Rico san juan was the word
this great blessing we have in common
we were both called to serve
he wrote me a letter at the mtc
one i'll never forget
he told me he was proud of me;
i teared up a little bit
my life is still beginning
i've got lots to do before its done
but no matter what i do in life
i always want to be worthy of the the phrase "i'm proud to call you my son"
we dont get to talk on fathers day
i think its a bunch of baloney
i think we should be able to skype
or at least talk on the phone-y
because a father is a special gift
one that should always be cherished
i'll build a good relationship now
that'll continue after we've perished
i miss you dad, but dont you worry
im being good, not naughty
i'll be home in about 21 months
and say "I'M HOME DAWWWWWWWY!"
I love you guys tons and know that the Lord is mindful of you. Have a great week! Elder Nielson
Sunday, June 16, 2013
June 10, 2013
Hey family,
It is great to hear from you today. I'm glad that everyone is doing so well. Im sorry that I dont have time to respond individually to everyone, but know that I appreciate the letters and love to read about your guys' adventures. Keep up all your good work.
Well guess what? im not in Puerto Rico anymore! They kicked me out. Im in Dominica (pronounced Dom-ih-knee-cah) now! It's a little island out in the Caribbean Sea. Elder Fournier is still my companion too. Here they speak English, so it's going to be tougher to work on spanish here. I practice with Elder Fournier but it's not the same. But yeah, i have some serious mixed feeling about the Island. It's absolutely beautiful. My front porch is like 30 feet from the Caribbean Sea. Like our house in california, where the dirt lot was across the street, thats all water. There are a lot of places where they filmed the Pirates of the Caribbean here. Check it out online, pretty cool stuff. Our apt is in Portsmouth, but im doing emails from roseau. for reference to how small the island is, portmouth to roseau is about an hour in car. Oh and if you thought Puerto rico was hot dad, HAH! Its way worse here. i almost passed out on saturday from walking around. Crazy hot. Super sunburned. We're the only missionaries here on the island. Tons of weed here too. Everyone smokes it here. Its not illegal. everyone here is Rasta. They think that jesus is black and has dreads.. Im like permanently high. Feel like i'm hanging out with jake rye constantly haha hey greg, remember that air freshener in his car? hahah classic. Love you zach. you'll learn.. anyways, so yeah thats all good, but at the same time it has been the hardest week of my life here. People here are racist against white people. We've gotten some more threats here. Plus, it's like a 3rd world country here. everyone is super poor. EVERYONE asks us for money. They assume that since we're dressed nicely that we are tourist with a lot of money. They are aggressive too. Everyday we have people begging for money, up in our faces. It's really hard. anyways, ive only been here since wednesday. its super weird teaching in english now. im like the senior comp almost now cause my comp learned english a few months ago, but hes still working on it. i gotta take the reigns. only been here for 6 weeks. you know me, i was never stressed before my mission. i feel overwhelmed here almost everyday. its hard to get up and keep goin in the morning. super hard. but im doin my best. i feel acceptance from the lord at the end of the day so i guess thats all that matters. Yesterday during sacrament meeting i straight up broke down in tears. it all hit me at once. It's been a really tough week. I dont want to complain or be all woe is me, but keep us and dominica in your prayers. We're gunna need some divine help here. Plus, since we had that assault experience in guaynabo, we both have some fears of talking to people, and now its ever harder because we're in a 3rd world place. People here are massive too, like freakin jacked. Thats scary in and of itself. Before my mission I never once felt stress. College, sports, family, nothing. I was always calm and collected. This week I have been feeling feelings of stress and tension. It's a little weird just because I've never had to deal with that before. I think that I am feeling this way because I know that the work that I am doing it so important and I sometimes feel like I can never amount up to what I need to be. We always say that we are follwing the example of the Savior and that we need to be like Him, and when I think of that it scares me a little. I know that I will never be able to measure up to the Savior, but I do know that I am trying my hardest. It's easy to say that the Lord gives us trials and struggles to make us stronger and that we need to be patient through them and put our trust in Him, but when we are in the heat of the battle, it can be hard sometimes. I feel like Elder Fournier and I have been going through so many trials together and it seems like they will never end. When I pray, though, I always feel the Lord saying "Just trust me." I feel like there is obviously something really important that Elder Fournier and I have to do because we are running into so much opposition. I am trying to "bear with patience our afflictions." I have been studying the doctrine of Christ and faith is obviously the first principle. I think that sometimes we think that faith is the easiest part. Faith, to me, can sometimes be the hardest part! We have to walk in faith, not knowing what is going to happen or where we are going to end up. The only thing we know is that the Lord looks at us and says "Just trust me." I am striving for perfect obedience and worthiness to have the Spirit to help me out, but sometimes I feel like my efforts are all for naught. Faith is action. Without action, faith is dead. I love the story in the bible about the people taking the ark of the covenant across the river. The Lord tells them to go stand in the water, and THEN he will part the waters. How scary that must have been, to go stand in a river with the ark on your back. they did it though and they were blessed. The Lord promises us that when we are obedience and do what is asked of us he is bound to his word. The hardest part is to put our feet into the water and trust that he will provide a way. I see my family's testimonies growing and I see all of my friends on missions saying that they are having all of this success, that they arent having struggles, and that everything is just fine. Then I look at my experince on my mission so far and see things differently. These last 7 weeks have been the toughest weeks of my life. I feel overwhelmed with adversity. I keep going back to my patriarchal blessing though. The Lord gave me a short one because he trusts me and knows that I will do what is right. I feel like the Lord is giving me so many trials and afflictions now because he trusts me and knows that I will be able to handle it. I know that I lived with him before I came to this earth. I know that I accepted the challenges that were ahead of me before I was born. I must have been such a valiant person before this life. I feel like the Lord trusts me so much and that I have such an important purpose to accomplish while I am here, not only just on my mission, but in life. This is why I sometimes feel like I dont quite measure up to what I should. I dont want to disappoint my Father, i want him to look at me and tell me that he is proud of me. I want him to be proud to call me his son. I want to be the most dedicated follower of the Savior I can be. I dont want to have any regrets. I know he'll provide a way. "I feel my Savior's love, in all the world around me. His spirit warms my soul, in everything thing I see. He knows i will follow Him, give all my life to him. I feel my Savior's love, the love he freely gives me."
Keep doing what you're doing, the Lord is blessing you. Be grateful for what you have. Like seriously grateful. Food for example. I havent eaten anything since saturday morning. When I was at home i was upset if we didnt have granola bars every 5 minutes. Now i'm just grateful to find something to eat. I lost 4 pounds since friday. Be sincere with people. Dont take anything for granted. You are loved by your heavenly father, and even though its not california, kansas is the promised land. seriously. Give more time to the Savior. He's given you so much, more than we can even comprehend.
Don't worry about me, we'll be fine. I dont want you guys (mom) to be all stressed out about me. The Lord knows what's up, whatever happens is part of the plan. we accepted it before we came here. Just trust in the lord. Faith. Faith. Faith. You guys keep me going, stay strong for me. I feel your prayers. Dont send any packages because i wont get them. they'll just be kept in the office in puerto rico until i get back.
I love you guys more than anything in the world, i hope you know that. I talk about you all the time and you're always in the back of my mind.
Trust Him.
Elder Nielson
June 3, 2013
Buenas muchachos
My debit card got here this morning, so if you could activate it pronto that would be legit. Gracias. Also, my new bike should be here tomorrow so i'll have to pay for that soon, so if you could just make sure theres enough dinero in my checkings account for that I would appreciate that.
Alright, week 12. This week was pretty good. I didnt get robbed, so that was nice. I did, however, have a ton of problems with my "new" bike this week. they gave me some crappy loaner bike and the tire wouldnt stay inflated so I had to get a new one. that one also sucked. I went through 4 loaner bikes his week because they kept breaking. It was ridiculous. I cant wait to just get my new bike and be done with the problems. It was pretty frustrating have to walk my bike around all day since Guaynabo is huge. Either that or I would have to call me zone leaders and bug them about it. Hah goodness, they hate me. But also, they're awesome. Elder Gardner shreds the piano like no other and elder caballero is from panama, so thats cool too. Speaking of piano, I have been learning some new hymns when i have a couple minutes to sit down at a piano at the church. I can totally play like 7 hymns now. Nearer my god to thee, sweet hour of prayer, let the holy spirit guide, how gentle gods commands, Be still my soul, come follow me, and he is risen. ahh yeah. if i had a keyboard in my apt i think that i might be able to get pretty good at the piano. Greg and zach, learn how to play. I was the first one to say, "nah, thats lame." but now i wish i could play so bad. i'm for sure going to practice when i get home. kinda late now though. if you can play for your mission it would be legit. i hate having to say it, but mom was right...
speaking of music, people here just blare/blair (i have no idea how to spell that) music super loud here and i've been hearing some new songs. theres one that im sure is on the radio there. not sure what its called, but the chorus says "when you want it come and get it.." i dont know. i feel like i would hate it if i were at home but everytime its on here i start bumpin to it haha. also, some new song by fun with a girl singing too, i think its pink? idk. i dont like it, but i hear it a lot. also, greg, look up tommy torres. hes a puerto rican guy and hes way good. its in spanish oviously but his stuff is cool, i think you'd like it. his best songs are "tarde o temprano" and "desde hoy".. also, could you burn me a couple cds with the music from https://www.lds.org/
what else. well. jorge wasnt baptized last night because he still hasnt separated wiht his "girlfriend." He is still trying to find a place to move to. however, i learned that if you help teach an investigator and they get baptized then it counts as a baptism for you, so that means I have two! Yadiel and José got baptized this week. Yadiel is 9 and josé is like 45 ish. they were the AP's investigators but while they were over at the islands for a week, we took over their stuff and taught them. They're super cool. We got to go to Yadiels baptism, but not José's. he got baptized in Ponce, because his girlfriend Wanda lives there. But yeah, whoo hoo!
I'm way glad to hear that you guys are having scripture study together. Little things like that can make a difference. I LOVE the scriptures now. before, i knew they were true and were important and all that jazz, but now i have a craving to read the book of mormon. The book of alma is so legit. its such an awesome story. Alma and Amulek, total bosses. Alma 14 is so sick. Sons of mosiah, especially Ammon, total bosses. Captain moroni? oh my gosh, captain moroni was literally the most legit person to ever walk the earth. I get so pumped when i read aboput him. Keep reading together. use your real scriptures too, and mark important verses to you. they're way more meaningful than on your ipods. tell me about what you learn throughout the week too, it helps you remember what you learn if you teach someone else about it. I want to hear about it!
Anyways, im outta time. Did greg go to pitt state, like in Philadelphia? Have greg send me the details. i wanna hear all about it. Whit too, let me know how softball is going. zach, keep talking back to everyone. it's funny.
Love you all!
Elder Nielson
May 27, 2013
Hey Family!!
Well, what a week. It was a mixture of the all time worst week of my life and one of the greatest weekends ever. But first, im not sure what to tell you about my stuff. I am going to have to buy a new bike, but I got a new backpack, scriptures, hymn book, and that stuff. But with my cards. They are ordering me a new debit card, but it's going to take 2 or 3 weeks to get here is what the guy at the office told me. He gave me $100 cash, so i've gotta make that last, and it definitely isn't going to hah. i'll be fine though. But yeah, just whenever you can get me that cyprus card that would be awesome. I dont think that loan paper had my SSN on it, so no worries.
Alright, so tuesday. It was raining suuuuper hard all day and we couldnt even go out to work. We finally left around5:30 to go to our investigator Jorge who has a baptismal date. we talked to him for a while and he gave us some food. oh tell grandpa, make ASOPAO and BACALAITO. Asopao is a soup thing and bacalaito is a delicious fried bread thing. but anyways, we went to walgreens and i bought a flashdrive and elder fournier printed off about 10 pictures. It was going to take about 30 mins for the pics to be ready so we decided we'd go visit a less active real fast and then come back. we were going towards her house and because of the rain, the electricity went out, street lights and all. It was bien obscuro. we decided to leave because it was so dark, it felt weird. so we were on our way back to walgreens and we met these two young guys, probably 17 or 18. they were kind of drunk too. they were strugglin. they asked if the could use our phone to call someone to pick them up. we said that we couldnt because it isnt ours, its the churches. then they asked for a ride on our bikes. we said we couldnt because its a rule. they finally asked if we could help them get home because we have lights on our bikes. there wasnt a sidewalk, just a dark, dangerous road. we told them of course we'll help you. they would've been run over by a car if we didnt. right when we got to the corner, we decided that was far enough. we started to turn around and at that point juan (they told us there names were juan and pedro) got all up in my companions face. I couldnt see the knife, because i was on the other side of the road and it was super dark. to be honest I thought he was trying to make a move on Elder Fournier because they were acting pretty gay haha. but yeah, i was like dude this is weird, lets dip. But then i realized what was going on. They took our phone and elder fourniers backpack. I was standing in the middle of the road and was getting super pumped. Like pre football game pumped. I was waiting for Fournier to make a move and then I was gunna jump in and back my boy up. but he was being really calm about the whole thing. Pedro came over and took my backpack off of me and freakin frisked me in the middle of the road. A car came by, by didnt stop or anything. They took everything, bikes, backpacks, wallets, our name tags, everything. except our helmets. I thought it was funny when dad asked me if they took them. we totally walked back to the mission home with out helmets on. but yeah, i felt more embarrased than anything. I've alwasy been bigger than everyone and thought no one would mess with me. then we had to go to 3 different police stations and finally got a report submitted. then wednesday and thursday we didnt have bikes. we didnt get anything done. I was so mad all the time. i couldnt get the situation out of my head. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday were really tough days. I felt like I didn't have the Spirit with me at all. I kept thinking about what happened and I couldn't just move on. On Friday night, I said one of the most sincere prayers I have ever said in my entire life. I poured out my entire soul to the Lord. I felt like I had been obedient, I had been doing everything that was asked of me, working hard, but nothing was going my way. I felt like I couldn't catch a break. I asked the Lord to help me know why all these things were happening to me. I asked what i needed to do. I felt the most overwhelming feeling of peace and comfort. It felt like the Lord was there with me, giving me a big hug. I felt completely content. I didn't any more feelings of anger or sadness or stress about the situation anymore. When i asked what I needed to learn from this, I heard a voice tell me "you already know what you need to do." The next morning I opened up my scriptures and read the story of when Ammon went and got his brothers out of prison. It said that they were smiten with thirst, hunger, and fatigue, nevertheless the were patient in their afflictions. Right after, they took courage and went forth proclaiming the gospel and the lord blessed them and they became an instrument in his hands for the salvation of many souls. I realized that the answer was simple. I don't need to know why I pass through my trials in life, I just need to be patient through my trials. It doesn't matter why trials come, it matters what you do after they come. I love D&C 24:8 that says be patient in your trials, for they WILL come; nevertheless, i am with you until the end. I know that is true. The Lord was with us that night. He protected us, I know that without a doubt. He was there. It was one of the strangest feelings I've ever had in my life. It was a mixture of fear, excitement, anticipation, and calm peace. I learned a great lesson this week. One of my favorite scriptures is 2 Ne 2:2 where Lehi tells Jacob "thou knowest the greatness of god; he will consecrate thine afflictions and they will be for thy good." This week was a humbling experience for me and I know that we will be blessed if we just keep going forward in the faith. The adversary doesn't want us to succeed and he will put roadblocks in our way. The last part of the doctrine of Christ is Enduring to the end. It isn't enough to just be baptized and receive the holy ghost. We must endure to the end, through blessings and trials. Elder Fournier and my motto this week was "You can't see a rainbow without first seeing rain." I know it's true. The son of man has descended below it all, are we better than He? (D&C122)
anyways, i feel great actually. I feel super pumped to be a servant of the Lord. I dont have any bad feelings at all. When i tell people what happened they are amazed that im not super mad. It's awesome how the atonement works. Alma 24 is my new favorite chapter. the anti nephi lehies (converted lamanites) bury their weapons and covenant not to fight againts the other lamanites. 1005 of them are slain because they dont resist. because of this, thousands of other lamanites were converted. one verse says "and thus we see that the Lord works in mysterious ways to bring salvation to the souls of the children of men." It's true. Lord works in mysterious ways. we cant question him.
ALMA 17:11
Love you guys, be safe!
Elder Nielson
May 20, 2013
"...and needless to say, Greg was hungry." hahah so classic. I'm hungry too man, hang in there.
I'm glad to hear that you got there safely! I wish I could watch some lightning storms. that would be sick. Yeah, there totally is some huge tropical storm coming this way. good thing they forced us to spend all of our food money on a 96 hour kit! if it gets windy and the power goes out i'll have some deicious salchichas (vienna sausages) to eat. mmmmmm....
This week was awesome. one of our investigators, Jorge Terrero form the Domincan Republic, came to church with us yesterday. He was crying the whole time we were there. At the end of sacrament meeting her looked over to us and said "necesito hacer esto. Yo me quiero bautizar." Whoo! June 2nd he is going to be baptized. The craziest part is seeing how the Lord helps out in all of this. So when we met Jorge 3 weeks ago he told us that he owns a strip club. we were like awesome. next... but he has closed it! He is also living with a woman but he has made plans to move out because he doesnt want to marry her. So crazy. Hopefuly he keeps progressing and will be baptized on june second.
We also found a bunch of new people to teach. These first few weeks were hard because we didnt know the are or know anybody because we were both new, but know things are starting to move. We have planned to set 3 more baptismal dates this week, hopefully everything goes as planned. Our Zone Leaders told us this morning that this last week was the 2nd best week they've seen number wise since they've been here (
6 months). The thing is, we felt that our numbers could totally be better. Our numbers have been low but we are working our tail off. I learned in my studies today that we dont earn success ourselves, success is given to us by the Lord. (Alma 26:27)
We started this thing on friday called the 40 day fast. (calm down greg, let me explain..) We fast on the first day and make a list of things that pokes at our spirit or drives the spirit away, such as not keeping mission rules, telling inappropriate jokes, that kind of stuff. For 40 days we covenant not to do these things on our list. If we mess up one day, we tell the lord in our prayers at night (accountability D&C 58:43) and try to figure out why it happened. the next morning we pray again and try our best to not do those things. After the 40 days, our desires and habits will be changed and we will be able to have the spirit with us as our constant companion. We started on friday and I can already tell a difference. This weekend we had more success than we have had in the last little bit. We can feel the spirit with us more, and it's only day 4! It's pretty hard, because it seems like we have a lot more temptation now to do those things, but we're trying our best.
So my freaking bike broke again. gosh, i go too hard. The screw that holds the derailer on snapped in half so I've been borrowing Elder Duclos' bike, which is a royal piece of crap haha. gosh, i want my bike back. my bike is actually super nice. I still havent fallen yet, but I have been extremely close plenty of times. With all this weight i've been losing, and my natural athletic agility, i always land on my feet. one time my handle bars hit a fence post and i flew over my handle bars and landed on my feet. nothing happened at all. it was sick haha
So a couple crazy things. First, an elder that was serving in the islands came back to PR and has been staying in our apt for this last week. His name is Elder Taylor. We were talking and he mentioned that he was from colorado. PARKER colorado. he went to Chaparral high school (yeah greg, i totally cringed when I heard that name again..) and that he was friends with ALL of my friends. He said that the Stonegate ward still sucks (obviously) and that in parker now there are 2 stakes (5500 members there). Our old building where we went (right across from chap) is now one of the stake centers. The other stake center is the one across from Ponderose High School. Crazy!
Second: Lacy is getting married on July 19th! What the trash. To Tyler (greg knows, that guy is awesome. He's the guy who's neighbor's freaking pet wolf bit me in the butt). That blows my mind. By the time we get back from our missions shes going to have a little 2 yr old toddler named garret running around. my heavens. Better yet, I just told Elder Duclos (because he's from pleasant grove, like tyler) and elder duclos knows him. Crazy how small this world is. Oh, speaking of that, one of the senior missionaries today asked me if i was related to Nielsons in Utah. She knows Judy and her son JD. I cant remember all of those guys names but I said I was related to them, so hopefully I am and I'm not a liar haha. Her name is Sister Stoddard. She said someone named Nielson is in her home ward in Utah. Grandma Nielson might know a little more about that? idk, interesting...
Alright, so you've totally got to look up why logartijas (lizards) do push ups. It's bugging me so bad. I want to know why they do that haha. every single lizard here does it, it's ridiculous. Also, yesterday I saw a giant iguana the size of zach running through the trees. it ran like 50 mph. it was one of the scariest things i've ever seen haha.
Well, hopefully i dont drown in the storm this week! Have an awesome week and I will talk you you next week! oh, and I got the pretzels this morning. Thanks!
Sean felices y tengan fe!
Elder Nielson
oh, and i mailed that loan form this morning. hopefully it gets there soon. oh and always remember, rock chalk gay hawk!
May 13, 2013
My debit card says that is expires in April, so im not sure.. I used it the other day though and it worked. But yeah, this week will be fine. I will mail that paper back you you next monday.
It was totally awesome to get to talk to you yesterday. I dont have much to say today since we said it all yesterday hah. Be safe this week getting to Kansas. I'm always thinking of you and love you tons.
Also, i saw a guy today that looked exactly like a puerto rican austin dyer.
Love ya!
Elder Nielson
Yeah we try to keep a happy attitude because it would be absolutely miserable is we were wet and mad at the same time hah. Everytime something bad happens, elder Fournier says "you know how this is called? Missionary work." haha. it's so true. it's just part of it.
"Tengo gozo in mi alma hoy.." that's the hymn we always sing.
Love you tons Dad
Jeff
May 6, 2013
still sweating. still dying. i'm literally melting. i've gone from the first notch in my belt to the fourth just this week. I wake up at night feeling like i'm drowing. i cant breath when i riding my bike because my mouth is so dry. i get sunburned everytime i walk out of the apt. but hey, if christ could atone for our sins and be crucified, i can tough it out here in the PR.
Love you a lot Dad, I hope you know that. You're the greatest example I could ask for
Elder Nielson
Random Flag Above Bed
Fungal Infection
May 6, 2013
Ahh awesome. I haven't had a chance to go to the office yet to pick up mail but i'm sure it's there. Thanks!
I can't believe Emilee told you about freeway running haha. That was a experience, that's for sure. I'll have to tell you the whole story later, but because of that I didnt want to be friends with garret. That was right when we moved there and I was like "who does this fool think he is, wanting me to run across the freeway.. I'm gunna stay away from that guy.." haha so classic.
Well, thsi is the last ime i'll talk to you in California huh.. Well enjoy your last week! Kansas will be sick. also, for this weekend. I dont know dads skype name so I cant call him. also, i dont know what time or anything this is going to go down. I got an email that said that it can be anytime on sunday, but i dont know when we are planning on doing it. Just be alert all day on sunday. our church is from 9 to 12 here, so probably after then. We'll figure it out though, worst comes to worst i'll just have to talk to you on the phone.
Dad was in Guaynabo? Awesome! That's where i'm at now. The mission home is here and President Alvarado is actually in my ward. yeah, crazy.
So im sorry these are super short, but i have like no time to write. plus I have to write a letter to president first so all my time goes there. then i have to read all the emails and then try to respond. I'm doing my best, but i'm just a man haha
Thanks for everything though and keep strengthening your testimonies! I can feel your prayers. Also, apparently i am supposed to ask you to send me information on some boat compass thing, idk. I dont even know what it's called. my comp keeps saying it in spanish and I have no idea what he's saying so yeah. im just pretending to ask you now...
Read Mosiah 1-5 as a family, it's king benjamins speech. It's way awesome.
Happy Birthday shout out to whitney!
Talk to you sunday!
Elder Nielson
April 29, 2013
Indian Springs Running Waters ward? HAHAHAHA That's so classic. I'm sorry, Greg. D&C 121:7-8
Anyways, buenas from Puerto Rico! I am sitting in some random library in Bayamón. The library by our apt is closed so we're way out here. I'll get to all of that in a minute though. First, a recap since i've last emailed you...
So, my last friday in the MTC I went out with the Elders in santo domingo again. I got paired up with Reyes and Ogando for the second straight week. I love those guys. Anyways, it was super hot and I was sweating super bad. I had to fart and when I did, poop started coming out. I was able to stop it, but damage had already been done. This was at about 4:30 in the afternoon. When we got back to the MTC at 8:30, i had to go up and clean. I took the most PAINFUL shower of my life, oh my gosh. I was like raw. Ouch. Elder Foote (Sister gill knows him) saved the day though and hooked me up with some anti monkey butt powder. I had to retire my shorts too. Yikes. The funniest part though was that everyone I told congratulated me haha. they said that you're not a real missionary until you work so hard that you poop your pants. Felicidades! they all said. I was flattered. glad i got that outta the way early on in my mission...
Sunday we watched the restoration again. have you guys watched it yet? Ahh it's so good. Not the 20 minute missionary one, but the hour long one. WATCH IT. I get so pumped everytime I do.
Tuesday was the big day. We left for the airport at 9 am and got to PR at like 1 ish. we went to the San Juan Stake center and got our new companions. Mine is named Elder Fornier. I liked him from the beginning because he said its pronounced For-nee-er, not for-nee-aye like the french would say. YES. French people are the worst. Anyways, he's from here in Toa Alta, PR. We went out and worked right away. Our area is called Guaynabo. We're both new to the area and dont know anything about it. It's a slow process but we're working on it.
wednesday was orientation and then we went to the mission home for lunch and interviews. my interview was awesome. I wrote down what he told me, but im running out of time so i cant write it all. I wrote it in my journal though, so you'll be able to read that when I fill it up..
Anyways, I'll write more next week. Couple things though:
1. i forgot to bring my patriarchal blessing. It's buried away deep in one of my totes. Can you request a copy of it and mail it to me? Also, President told me to have dad send me a copy of his. After i told him about Dad being here, he told me that he was supposed to be here for longer and that If I read his PB I would see the blessings of a mission in it. Can you do that? i know it's kind of a weird request but I would really appreciate it.
2. My spanish is still really limited, it's frustrating. I'm working hard though. I like that mom talked a lot about diligence. I had to give a sunday school lesson on that my last sunday at the MTC. Mosiah 4:27 is my favorite verse about it. Win the Prize.
3. I studied Charity yesterday during personal study. Look up 1 Corinthians 13 and moroni 7:45-48. without charity, we are nothing.
4. Dad, will you send me EVERYTHING you remember about your mission? Areas you served, people you remember, misison president, everything. President was really interested and told me that my homework was to find out as much as I can about your mission. And get your patriarchal blessing. AND memorize d&c 121:34-46. Yeah, 13 verses. I'm about half way done.
5. read the book of mormon every day. Just do it. everyone says we should, i know, and i know its hard, but find some time to read it. Im at the point now where I am craving it. I want to read it so bad all the time, but here i dont have enough time. It's so awesome. every single verse is important. you're going to be amazed when you see my scriptures when i get back. they look awesome.
Anyways, love you guys and keep the faith! Good luck with everything! oh, mom send stuff to the "Urb. Jardines de..." address. thats the office. thanks!
Cuídense,
Elder Nielson
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