Last letter from Fountainebleau area 4-15-14

The new Ft. Lauderdale Temple

FAMILIA!
Man, you guys sound like you had a stellar week! I loved hearing all the stories about the rat, and the hikes, and just the overall vacation! haha I was dying, while I was reading that story of the rat just chomping through maddies sleeping bag! Dad, I'm not gonna lie it sounds like you're going pretty hard in the paint! 22 miles?? What!? haha I'm not gonna lie the mish is taking a toll on me staying in shape. We just get fed so much grub here! It was good to hear as well that Marla, and Tammy had their babies! You guys are definitely gonna have to go out there! Send me some pics por favor? Gracias!

Well, yes mother you were right transfers are this week that's why I'm emailing today instead of monday. Transfer calls came last night, and the news is. . . . . . . . . .. . Elder Nielsen . . . . . . . . Transferring. Elder Ward. . . . . . Staying. WHAT!!?? haha I thought I was staying for sure, but nope the Lord has something else in mind! I'm not gonna lie I'm pretty sad. Fountainebleau seriously feels like home here. I know almost the whole ward, I've got the area down like the back of my hand, we've got the coolest recent converts, and then Boom. Just like that, I'm gone. It sucks! I'm pumped to get a new companion and a new area but at the same time just thinking about it, it's like worse than leaving home because I really don't know if I'll ever see some of these people again! So yes mom, don't send a package yet, because I will not be here. You can send it to the mission office though. It usually doesn't take that long for them to get it to our apartment.

Other than transfer calls our week here was really good! Highlight of the week though was definitely going to the temple open house!! Whoop whoop we went twice baby! The temple is straight unreal. Holy cow it really is the biggest blessing ever for our mission right now. Then I just found out as well that we have a mission conference this saturday with Elder Quentin L. Cook. It's gonna be unreal, a straight apostle in our mission! Hopefully he's coming to tell us that Cuba is opening up. . . Opening up the area of Havana. . . . Elder Nielsen, and Elder . . . . Ahh I would weep like a small child if that happened!

Sorry anyway back to the temple, we got to go with 2 amazing families from our ward, and some non-members that they knew. It was an amazing experience just to be there and even though it's not dedicated yet to still be able to feel of the incredibly strong spirit that was there! There have been so many miracles in our mission just from the temple. In our tour group, literally every person except the families that we came with were non members. Just people that showed up and decided to go! Super legit! Hopefully I will be able to go again this week, but I don't know with being in a new area and all.

Well as always I love you and miss you as well! I gotta say bye to all my peeps tonight, so hopefully my eyes don't get too sweaty! Keep up the good work, and I know this church is true!
Elder Nielsen

Fountainebleau (Miami) area 4-7-14

FAMILIA!!
You guys are the best! For real I get pumped just from reading all your hilarious, crazy experiences! Alright momma here you go, all the answers to your questions. Yes I remember Jacob Ahmu and that's comedy gold j beck is training him! My stuff is doing fine. My shirts are fine they just wrinkle real easy but I don't care. I may have ripped a hole in one of my pants, but no worries I got a patch and fixed it. Sadly we don't get to do crud at the open house. The sisters work there 2 a week, so basically it's our job just to get people there. We were supposed to go this last week but the investigator and members we had planned bailed. We're going this week for sure though. Maybe twice. Pumped about that I want to see it so bad. I don't need anything else, and have yet to buy a rain jacket. Our past 4 P-days we have just balled super hard. Our zone leaders always come down, and we just ball all day. I wanna go to the glades but it's impossible to find any members that can take us because they're always working during the day. Alright I believe that is everything!

Now pops first off let me say I am digging your emails. Sorry I never have time to reply personally to them but you're the man! Glad to hear that you didn't have to go solo to priesthood though! Little sissys, don't have to much fun in Goblin Valley without me! I was pumped to hear about everybody getting their calls! It's sounds like a lot of excitement! Get the people going about missionary work!

I don't even know where to start about this week. . . Conference was super stellar though! We watched all the sessions at our chapel here. Yes mom I know it's hard to believe but I was able to sit through 10 hours of conference! haha, maybe I had to go take a break in the kitchen during halftime hymns and pound some grub but other than that I was fine! Learned a flipping ton! Sorry I don't really feel like going into super details about what I learned but it was legendary.

"T"told me to tell you guys not to worry about me here because she's our Madre. She literally calls us her hijos. haha cuban abuelitas man so funny! She cooked for us twice this week as well! All our recent converts came to conference except "A". He's super busy cause basically all his family is here from cuba cause his mom isn't supposed to last too much longer. . . Other than that we were also able to get some investigators to conference as well! our investigator named "A" came. She's an older lady from Nicaragua. Actually that lady who we dumped out her beer! She has the desire to be baptized but just has never been able to come to church. This week we had dropped her, and didn't visit her once. But then in between sessions of conference on saturday we were close to her house so we decided we would go stop by and invite her to come to the next session. We explained to here everything about it, and how we would be hearing from a Prophet of the Lord. She then says to us, "When does it start?" We tell her, "In 15 minutes. Will you come with us?" She says Yes! Just let me go change! She goes and changes and was able to come with the member we were with! She loved conference and were hoping to baptize her next sunday!

I learned this week about how your mission can have some of your most joyful moments as well as some of your most disappointing. In other words agency sucks sometimes. After coming off a huge high from 2 baptisms we were pumped to get back on the streets and keep finding and teaching! We had some really cool people that we had already been teaching that dropped us during the week though. I literally had a guy say to my face this week, "I don't want salvation." It was really sad because we thought he was legit. People have their agency though, it makes me sad when people make decisions like that but at the same time I've realized that there is literally nothing I can do about it.

Anyways sorry I feel like this email is forever long, and my fingers hurt, but on a more joyful note I just want to say that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is real! We are blessed to live in a time with living prophets and apostles! We have the fulness of the gospel in our lives, and The Church of Jesus Christ is here on the earth today! It doesn't get any better than that! I love you all and am so grateful to have such an amazing familia! You guys are the best!
Byecito,
Elder Nielsen

We may have celebrated "B" birthday with a little Blue bell!:)

Fountainebleau (Miami) area 3-31-14

FAMILIA!
So good to hear all about your week! It really does sound like you guys are keeping super busy with everything thats going on! Springs in Utah area always busy! It was also good to hear all of your family experiences of going to the conference center and just spending time together! We also had a super busy week here in good ol' Florida!

This week started off with probably one of the most memorable experiences of my mission. Last week we met a guy Benjamin who I wasn't even able to write about last week. he's a 35 year old guy from Nicaragua. Super humble, and just wanted to do what was right, and change his life. Anyways of course we invited him to church and he came!  On monday night he told us an incredible story. The day before on Sunday he rode his bike to church, and on the way there decided to stop and grab some coffee, as he was waiting in line he said he felt something tell him to just get a soda instead. He didn't think much about it, but then just a few moments later in sacrament meeting 2 talks were given all about the Word of Wisdom. He had never heard it before, but that Monday night after he told us that story we didn't even have to commit him to live it! He already said he would! It was so awesome to just hear him tell that story and me and Elder Ward we're just smiling at each other both thinking, "Holy cow, this man is elect!" We have seen him everyday since we met him. He progressed faster than anyone I've known so far. Teaching him everyday was so fun! He would come prepared having read the chapters from the Book of Mormon we left him the day before. He then would pull out his note cards, and tell us everything he learned and everything he had questions about. I honestly cannot tell you enough about this man, he has the most humble, and righteous desires to follow God of anyone I have ever met. He was a little hesitant to be baptized this sunday, but by Friday he had his interview and passed with flying colors and was super excited for his baptism on Sunday. I had the privilege of baptizing him and it was amazing!

We also had another investigator go down this week named Marjorie! She is incredible as well! She's one of Terre's friends. Good night I cannot talk enough about Terre either! Holy cow she's got the fire! Haha I'm going to be honest, Marjorie wasn't our baptism, she was Terre's! She literally did everything for us! She brought her to church she set up the teaching appointments, and she was the one who invited her to be baptized this sunday! And then she was! Me and Elder Ward just try and thank Terre, and all she says is, "no, gracias a ustedes por traerme la felicidad!" She just loves church and loved her baptism so now she wants everyone to have the same!

Sorry I only wrote mostly about our baptisms this week but that's all I can really think of as I look back on our week. I just feel so grateful to be here. I feel so blessed to be here. I think about it, and God has truly given us an amazing privilege as missionaries. We have the privilege of bringing His sons and daughters back to Him! It truly is amazing and I'm so grateful to have been given this opportunity. If there is one thing that I know it's that God lives, and that He is a God of miracles. I have already seen so many in my mission! I love you all and hope and pray that all is well! Keep up the good work, and don't worry too much about me!

Elder Nielsen

Fountainebleau(Miami) area 3-24-14

FAMILIA!
Whats up whats up!? I was pumped to read all your letters as usual! Haha I can not stop laughing thinking about that stinky waffle story! Man I was dying! It was awesome to hear about the soccer games! Maddie and Kenz that's what I'm talking about! Scoring goals fer days! I was pumped to hear about Mitchell's farewell as well! It's so awesome to think that all 11 of us are on missions and it makes me happy, happy, happy! ;)

Man, I do not know where to start for this week. First off let me say it feels like yesterday that I last wrote! good night the days are flying by! I feel like we worked hard again this week and it's always good to be able to look back on the week and feel good about what weve done! We also had some hilarious experiences this week!

So first funny experience was with our abuelita Terre. We went to go visit her and teach her more about the sacrament and make sure she's still doing alright cause it's literally only been 3 weeks since she was baptized. So we show up and she opens up the door and just goes, I need you guys to meet someone. So we just start following her over to her neighbors house, and you can just tell she's on a mission! She walks up and knocks this door and goes here they are! and just points at us! we're both just like what is going on. . . Turns out the lady her name is Evey. And she's straight legit! We had an awesome member present lesson right there with Terre and it was awesome! Afterwards me and Elder Ward were just laughing so hard because Terre is just this sweet little old lady and in the lesson she literally said, "If you want to change your life you have to listen to this boys!" She's straight bold! I don't want to go in to all the details but Evey has had a rough life, and were looking forward to helping her change her life around!

Second funny experience was on thursday, were biking down the road and this guys is standing out of his car trying to push it through the intersection while trying to steer. And this is a really busy road. 6 lane road! So obviously we ditch our bikes and go start helping this guys push his car! We start pushing and he just says I don't leave to much further. So me and Elder Ward just put our heads down and kick it in to gear! He was straight lying though. He lived so far away! I was another 3 blocks down so here we are in the heat of the day just pushing this car in the middle of traffic and it took upwards of 15 20 mins to get to his house! hahaha I was straight sweating bullets! Then we sprint back and grab our bikes and come back to his house. The guys was way chill and he kept asking if he could repay us, and all we said was come to church! haha kinda bad I know, but he said he would for sure! He didn't show up though so were gonna go stop by tonight and see what's up.

Alright real quick last story,  we helped a drunk guy who passed out in the middle of an intersection. We didn't know he was drunk we just saw him with his wife crossing the intersection and then he passed out. We carried him over to some benches while his wife is crying. She's freaking out so my comp checks his pulse and he's got a heartbeat so he's still fine. She starts calling 911 while we try to wake him up. We're shaking him then he lets out a little belch and then just straight vodka stench comes out his mouth! That's when we realized he was drunk out of his mind. Nonetheless we got all his info and his wife wants us to come help him find Jesus is what she said! So were going over this week for sure!

I love you all so much and thank you as always for writing me! I feel so blessed to be here and am so grateful for all of your prayers! Momma I did get your letter as well! Thank you so much it was incredible! :) Keep up the good work everyone and never forget that you all have a loving Heavenly Father who knows you and wants to hear from you. So keep praying! Love ya and miss ya!
Elder Nielsen

Fountainebleau (Miami) area 3-17-2014

The big man himself ladies and gentlemen. Angel! a.k.a. my cuban brotha!

 FAMILIA!

Sounds like you're all doing work back in the big O-town! I'm glad you all had a great week and are enjoying the spring weather! I can't wait to get your letter momma I'm seriously stoked out of my mind! Pops, thank you so much for your letter you're the man! I'm gonna be honest I love all the sports updates. Good night, the baseball updates get me going! I can't believe they lost to mm again! Gah, every time I read about it, it just brings back a flood of memories! No worries though I'm staying focused!

This week was super fun though! It was also stressful beyond belief! Good night, it seemed like everyday was just go go go go go, then before we knew it was time to head home and we're just straight dead! I guess that's a good thing though. I'd rather be running from place to place then not knowing what to do. Count your blessings! I thought I worked hard before the mission but now I've realized it doesn't even compare to the mission! Fountainebleau is the bomb though! It seriously feels like home here!

Probably the most stressful thing this week though was Angel's baptism. Yes he finally did it! haha about time! Holy cow it was stressful though! I kid you not that man has probably taken away 5 years of my life expectancy! But I love him to death! So I don't have a whole lot of time to give all the details about what happened but pretty much his baptism was on and then off like 3 times! Originally it was gonna be on Tuesday but then his mom had something happen. Then it was going down on Wednesday, but there was a huge activity at the church so we couldn't do it. Then on Thursday it was straight madness. We called him like 5 times during the day. What happened was that he had some heart problems, and he had an irregular heart beat and couldn't get out of bed. So a rescue team like came to his house or something, I'm not exactly sure, and they did all kinds of tests on his heart! But it doesn't matter now because he went down and after his baptism he said he's never felt so calm before in his life! It was a very spiritual baptism and I was so blessed to be able to baptize him! He straight up calls me his brother now. He says we're like spiritual brothers because I baptized him. He's hilarious though I love him!

Sorry I don't have a whole lot more time and I'm gonna send some pics that will explain more of the funny stuff that happened this week! I love you all so much and I know that this is Christ's church! I'm so grateful to be here serving a mission! I've already learned so much, and it's a privilege to be able to tell people everyday that we're representatives of Jesus Christ! I love you all and miss you so much!
Elder Nielsen

This is one of our legit members. He goes out with us every week in what he calls, "the camion de Dios!" A little blasphemous but hilarious!

We may have had to take a beer from an investigator. . .I was straight ticked at her because she was supposed to be baptized this next week! (Love the mad face!)

Fountainebleau (miami) area 3-10-2014

FAMILIA!
Whoop whoop another week has flown by in the mission! Holy cow this week disappeared! We had a good week as always here in Fountainebleau! I'm not gonna say it was easy but it's been good. I don't really know where to start though. . . This week Teresa our abuelita made us some increible Ropa Vieja! It's a cuban meat that was straight delicioso! But then for desert we had this papaya jello stuff with some weird type of cheese. I have no idea what it was but boy was it tough to put down! Haha we were eating outside and so I asked her for a drink of water and as soon as she goes inside me and Elder Ward just start chucking this stuff off into the grass! Then we share a short message with her and out of nowhere like 20 ducks just show up and are hunting through the grass for the stuff we just threw! She said, "That's weird I wonder what they're looking for?", We just say, "Yeah, we have no idea. . .", afterwards we were dying!

This week was a little frustrating because it felt like we were in a straight fist fight with Satan! So I've told you about Angel before I believe. 60 something year old retired guy who lives alone and now he's passed his interview and just needs to get into the water! So originally he was going to go down on Friday. Thursday night he calls us at like 1. We can't answer but we call him the next morning and he explains to us this super long story about how his like 100 year old mom almost died the night before so he had to stay all day in the hospital with her. We ended up seeing him though late that friday night at like 830 right before we have to be home, and he says he can be baptized on Saturday at like 3. We plan it all get it all set up, then we get another call from him telling us that he just got back from the doctor and he got surgery on some ingrown toenail that he had and so now he can't get it wet! This was like an hour before the baptism as well! We're just like what in the world is happening! So now he's got a cut up foot, his mom's on her death bed and he still wants to be baptized this week before his interview expires on sunday! Don't worry though he will this week I'm sure of it! Haha another funny story real quick about him, he's puro cubano so his english is terrible and he cannot say Elder Nielsen for the life of him, so now he just calls me Rubio, which in spanish means blonde!

I also got to go on exchanges this week with the zone leaders, which was way fun. Not a whole lot happened on exchanges though, pretty much we just knocked doors all night because all our appointments fell through but no worries! Well familia I love you all so much, and I miss you as well! This week was a lucha for sure but next week is looking up! I know this church is true! The more I study the gospel the more it makes perfect sense to me and the more my faith and testimony grows! I know the book of mormon is true! It's amazing because anyone who wants to know if it's true can know for themselves! Keep up the good work!

Fountainebleau (miami) area 3-4-2014

T! Sweetest lady ever.

I don't if you can tell from the picture but we were stoked for the gemelas bautismo! :)

FAMILIA!
Well momma your hope came true! This week was incredible! First off i'm just gonna throw out that I'm a little jealous of the Maui trip but no worries! I'll just go take it out on the lake today and reel in some large mouths!;) In other news as well, both me and Elder Ward are staying here in Fountainebleau. The joke this whole week in our apartment leading up to transfers was that we were gonna stay together and it actually happened! We're stoked! haha I'm so happy because I was scared out of my mind that I was gonna leave and it would have been like leaving home all over again! By the end we'll have been together for 4 and a half months which is a long time for a companionship, but we're straight homies so we don't mind!

I honestly don't even know where to start for this week! The beginning of the week was kinda rough but then the past 5 days have flown by! First off I want to talk about our newest member here in fountainebleau. a.k.a. our abuelita Teresa! She was baptized this sunday and it was incredible! She seriously reminds me so much of grandma nielsen! Just the sweetest lady who loves all her family and taking care of little ninos! She's awesome though and we're super happy!

Also this week we found a super cool family of 3! On thursday night It seemed like every single appointment we had that night fell through so we ended up just harvesting til the end of the night. Usually that's not the most fruitful time for harvesting, but as we were knocking doors, we knocked a door 3 times and nobody came so we started to walk away, then as we're walking away we hear it start to open, and this super nice lady opens up and let's us in to pray with her and her family. Her whole family loved the prayer and after they all accepted baptism! As well as this sunday they all came to church and stayed for all 3 hours! It was a straight miracle! They're now preparing to be baptized this sunday! They're basically the reason why I didn't want to leave so bad!

Being in florida is the bomb! Latin people are so funny to be around! The funniest thing every sunday are the hymns. Our ward has a bunch of sweet little old ladies who like to sing really loud but who don't have the greatest voices. haha it's so hard for me not to laugh because it seriously is so bad!

Last thing real quick was that last night Osmar a.k.a. our homie baptized his gemelas (twins) last night! I'll send you all the pics but it was awesome! He was so nervous so he messed up on the prayer like 4 times but his sweet little daughter didn't mind getting dunked twice! ;)

I love you all so much, and know without a doubt that this truly is the Lord's work! I'm so grateful to be having so much success right now because I know it's not always gonna be this way! I'm so blessed to have been born into the knowledge of this gospel and the least I can do is try to share this joy with everyone I meet! I was thinking about how many people there are on the earth without any knowledge of our savior Jesus Christ and His Atonement and it really made me feel so blessed for having been born, and raised up into a righteous family. I don't know what we did in the pre earth life to deserve this but I'm just so grateful to be here! I love you all so much and hope you never forget who you are, and what you can become!
Elder Nielsen