Today is the independence day for Peru, and I'M SUPER EXCITED! we are having a fiesta in the church with the whole stake and all our zone! Its from 10am- until late late in the night, but we wont be staying the whole time. But they are gonna have all the Peruvian dances that they have been practicing for months, I'M SUPER STOKED! VIVA PERU!

So for last Pday we made TACOS! since hermana jimenez is from Mexico. it was super fun. hna Jimenez and I went shopping with the zone leaders to buy all the stuff, then we met at the church and we taught all the elders how to cook, haha. THEY WERE SO GOOD! Mmm.. Then we also had Peruvian hot dogs. which is a normal hotdog just covered in every type of sauce and avacado. Mmm Mmmm. Oh and to answer your question, masamora is made from the purple corn. The drink that Marlene made for us Its called Chicha. Which I've also learned to love. :) Hey do you know what part of Peru Marlene and her family are from?

Oh hey i think mom  asked me this a few weeks ago, but ITS COLD HERE! I dont know who made me think that peru was gonna be some super hot humid paradise, but no its freezing! Well not like Elko freezing its just constantly raining but its just like mist so we are always wet and freezing. Thank you mom for making me bring that big ole coat! ´Mother knows best´ Its been put to use :)

SO we had a MIRACLE MIÉRCOLES this week! President came to talk to our zone and afterwards my companion asked for a blessing, i had no idea why so we went into the other room and he talked to us, and it was just for strength to keep going she said. I didn't mention this last week but we had a poopy week, everything just fell to the ground, we have been here for 2 months and haven't had anything happen. no one has progressed, and we fell back down to where we were when we first started this area with nothing. so he gave us a little pep talk and it helped a ton. Then he gave hna Jimenez the blessing she asked for, then asked if i wanted one too. So i got one, and it was sooo incredible, he said and promised me so many things that i didn't even know i was struggling with but as soon as it came out of his mouth everything just made more sense and what i needed to be doing better and just everything, afterwards all i could say was just wow.. and he laughed and said yeah i felt impressed that you needed to have one too. I LOVE PRESIDENT!

Then that night we had a great lesson with a new investigator that we have been trying to contact for months now! and he came to church and things are loooking good for him!

THEN! we had a lesson with Jaime who we have been teaching for a while, and we taught the Sabbath day and he told us from this day one he would not miss a day of coming to church, we were in total shock! and he kept his word and was there EARLY for church! YAYAYAYAY! 

Thats all i have time for LOOOOVE YA¨LL!!! 

Hermana Nielsen

I find myself becoming more and more latina or peruvian everyday. First because I saw Hna GALO this week! I was so suprised! (oh i forgot to mention, i was told that hna galo was deported to another mission because something happened with all the hondurous visas) Turns out because her passport was stolen ( when we were together) she gets to be here for 2 or more transfers and maybe even the rest of her mission. Everything really does happen for a reason. ha! But it was great, we talked for about 40 minutes nonstop, and i was able to rattle on about everything! She has been with 3 other gringos since were been together and before she left told me that i was still her best baby and that my spanish was way better then all her other gringos. so that made me really happy ;) Next because yesterday I decided that hna jimenez and I would say our night prayers in English so she could practice. It was my turn, and it was SOOO hard, i litterally had to stop and think and all my words were jumbled, and my english sounded like the latinos when they pray in english because i now translate my spanish to english so all my sentences are backwards or just sound awkward. It was so weird. A couple words i couldnt remember what they were in Enlgish so I had to say them in spanish haha. My companion thought that was funny. And finally because i now love masamora. Its like purple snot and i couldnt stand it my first couple months, but now its grown  on  me and i eat it like a real peruvian! haha.

LOVE YA´LL! 

Hermana Nielsen

so before i say anything more... THE FAMILIA GALLEGOS SE BAUTIZO!!!!!!!!!!!!! I got the best letter ive ever recieved last week that they were married and baptized the 28  of June, and even though I wasnt able to be there with them it was the best news ever and I am sooo happy. ALso... I promised them id be there for when they get sealed as a family in the temple. So we might be making a trip to peru after i get home.Kind of like amber, its only fair right? But yeah im so stinkin happy! POR FIN! :)

Alright so i decided I would talk and explain who were teaching because for some reason i never really explain them by name. Right now we are teaching Erica and she is golden! She wants the gospel in her life to raise her kids and loves all the things we teach her but.... Her husband is totally against it. He lets us teach her and lets her go to church but doesnt like the idea of baptism. We invite him to listen to our lessons but he acts like a teenage boy and wont. She is our only investo with a fecha.

Next we have Jorge, he is the son of a family that was baptised last december, everyone was baptised in his family but him, he is 21. His family is AWESOME! The FAmily lopez, kelly lopez the mom is relief society president. But their son is soo hard to teach. He believes in god but we think he is scared to get an answer so when he prays and reads he avoids the answers he could be getting. 

Everytime i teach him though i just get this overwhelming pressure to help him and this feeling of so much love for him even though he drives me nuts cause he wont open up. And the thought always comes to mind this is my brother. Idk he is really special and i want to help him soo bad.It could be because i love his family so much and so I want them to have their son forever, but our lessons are so powerful. Ive never prayed and pleaded so hard.  

Next is Flor! SHe is our in-active/investo. She was baptized at 14 and then never had anything to do with the church since. She is 44, never been married and no kids.No clue why because she is a doctor and just super cute! We knocked on her door one night and it was so cute, we were all super happy and enthustiastic and introduced ourselves and were so happy to meet her and she just had her head in the door, kind of scared of us and said i dont know what im suppose to do, because she literally knew nothin about the church or had any contact with it since her baptism. So we just said well first let us in and well share a message and help you out. SHe then said a little confused i dont know if i want this, then we just pounced and said give us a chance! haha idk it was a funny experience for me. But she is awesome she has come to church the past 2 weeks, and we are started from scratch with her but she is opening alot! 

Well dang thats all i have time for... Hope you all have a wonderful week!!

I LOVE YOU ALL SO STINKIN MUCH! ANd I love love love being a missionary!

lOVE,

Hermana Nielsen

The hastening work just got bumped up a notch, not only personally for me but as a mission. President Douglas is a fireball and things are about to get crazy. We had a mutlizone meeting and interviews with president this week, and I know I've been lacking and have so much more I need to be giving, and the guilt from that has really changed my priorities and I'm feeling a change of heart. Showing emotions is hard for me and I've struggled to know if I'm really giving it all my heart. I had a great interview and am ready to change to really become that 4th missionary. and president has given us a ton of work to do to give us no choice but to do it. 

OKay stories,

last Sunday we ran into a member of the ward and he asked us to come talk his wife into coming to church, they had been having problems and when we got there they were just yelling at each other back and forth, and wanting us to defend and take a side, we just sat there and watched in shock. my companion tried talking to them but they just kept saying but this or that, he did this, it was embarrassing to watch.

I was getting really uncomfortable, and the spirit that we have as missionaries was gone, and that empty feeling of not having the spirit that I hadn't felt in a long time, I couldn't stand to be there any second longer, I felt,like Joseph smith listening to those men talk about the church in the prison and finally it just over took me and I cut them off with my hands and said stop, then I read the scripture about the spirit of contention and I was like shaking as I read it and almost couldn't even talk I was so overwhelmed with, I don't even know how to describe it. and then said that this contention was the spirit of the devil that they were allowing into there homes, and that I couldn't stand to be in a place where that spirit was, so we were going to leave. I asked if we could leave them with a prayer. The husband said it and as we were leaving was bawling. I just couldn't stand to be there, not having the spirit was the worst feeling. Even if they needed help.

Guess what?! I got robbed!!! How exciting is that right? But wanna hear the best part, he returned my money to me! THE CHURCH IS TRUE! so here's what happen we were in a combi, its a van and a man was standing because there wasn't room then more people came on so we had to squeeze so he was kind of leaning over me cause I was sitting and my bag was on my lap and im not sure how but he got in there and got my wallet because I had just pulled it out to pay so he knew it was there. then when more seats were available he sat down and sat in the back next to my companion, she started talking to him and told him we were missionaries and a little about our message, he then tapped my shoulder and told me I had dropped my wallet and gave it back I looked down and my bag was open and I knew I had closed it and afterwards my companion said that he pulled it out of his pocket and returned it after she told him we were representatives of Jesus Christ, BAM! miracles and blessing of being a missionary!

But other people aren't as fortunate as me... 2 Elders in our area got robbed at gun point, they pulled up jumped out, put guns to their heads and took there whole bag, scriptures and all. Poor elder was a gringo and had only been in the field 4 days, haha WELCOME TO LIMA :) 

I love you guys so much! I still have tons to tell you but all this took my whole 40 minutes.. and this keyboards stinks...  Have a great week!!

LOVE

Hermana Nielsen

Questions! Who was our first ansestor to join the church? Do we know? Also we have those my family books and I want to fill mine out but dont know anything can you send me names and birthdays and if we have them photos. i want to use mine as an example.