Hola, well I have a surprise. This is my last letter as a full time missionary. Next week with trainings and things I will only have limited time and I doubt I'll be writing a big letter since I'll see everyone the next day. So this is the last letter. Though this is my last week it appears the fun may not be over. As of last Wednesday we have had our emergency evacuation plan sitting on the go button. There has been some recent earthquake activity and there is fear that the gran finale of earthquakes is yet to come. I hope not, but there is a possibility. Last Wednesday at 3 am there was an earthqauke of 6.8 in Esmeraldas that we felt fairly strong. It's still a worry but I doubt anything is going to happen. It's been a fun two years though. It's hard to believe all that's happened. I've been rained on by the ash of an erupting volcano, lived on the shores of flooding rivers, and seen the devastation that a 7.8 earthquake has had on a country that has been left in peices, broken and bleeding. I have been apart of baptisms everywhere from the waterfalls of the jungle in Ecuador to inflatable pools in the dirt floor of a living room where a mother dying of cancer didn't want to miss the baptism of her daughter. I have eaten Pirhanna, giant worms, beetles, armadillo, guinea pig and much more and I have found myself at gun point and knife point of many different robbers, but time after time we escaped without harm. I have gotten to know some of the coolest cultures that exist, and I'm incredibly grateful for everything I've been apart of. I never imagined that I'd experience all that I've experienced in these two years. Though I've had many temporal experiences I've had many more experiences that have helped my testimony grow over these last two years. One of the which I had just yesterday. When Jeffrey R Holland spoke to the Otavalo Stake he stated that the Otavaleñan people have "A Legendary Faith." I learned about an experience that the members had when they were building the chapel that I go to. The members have built four of the chapels in Otavalo. While they were building this chapel, they were often stoned and spit on and much more. There was a lot of opposition in building this chapel. One of the men that threw the rocks and stones and sticks at the faithful members building their church had is house burn down completely and he had nowhere to go. The very first people the came to his aid were the very people that he had stoned and rejected and reviled. They were the faithful members of the church that suffered so much to build that chapel. Yesterday I met one of the very members that was stoned by that man and later went to rebuild his house. For 38 years he has been doing things like this and he is not alone. I believe that that is what Elder Holland meant when he said this people has a "Legendary Faith." This member, in Kichwa we had a translator, began to tell us about the first member in Otavalo who died last year. All the members looked at him almost like a father because he led the rise of the church here for most of his life. When he died, he said that he couldn't believe what he'd seen and what had happened in such a short amount of time. He was the fist patriarch in the city of Otavalo, and he, according to what his family members and the members here in Otavalo tell me, was a visionary man. I talked a little about this in the call, but his closest friends and family have told us that the first member in the city of Otavalo had some divine help from some of the very prophets of old with the which God covenanted to take the gospel to the Lamanites. Yesterday we heard that he had certain experiences with Moroni and Nephi in the which he was guided in helping many of the members here in Otavalo. Right now I am working among the purest descendants of Lamanites that walk the Americas and whether or not the experiences that I've heard from these people are all true, I testify that God is fulfilling the covenant that he made with his prophets of old. I have taken the Book of Mormon to the very people it was written to and I have seen with my own eyes how God is bringing this people to the truth. For two years I have had a front row seat in watching these things come to pass in our day, and I know without any doubt that the Book of Mormon is true and that God and his angels continue to work in our day. Over the last two years I have learned that there really isn't anything nor anybody that can keep us from achieving what we wish to achieve in mission work. I love this work so much. I have had the opportunity to pass through some hard sectors in these last two years but I have seen that as the opposition grows so does the miracle that's just around the corner. This last one as definitely strengthened my testimony of that. There had been 3 baptism in 3 years according the ward records here and everytime
I have thought that my sector is hard, I can't help but consider the sector of Jesus Christ. His sector was pretty hard too. We can all read about much of the opposition that he faced, but what I most like about the story is what he said before he was sent. He simply said, "Here am I, send me." He did it not for recognition nor for pride, but because he trully loved everyone. Thinking about that has always strengthened me in the hardest moments. I know that he lives and loves us. I know that he suffered for the sins of everyone, so that we have a chance to achieve everlasting happiness. This last week I had my second to last interview with Pres Richardson. He was in Otavalo. It was a cool interview. We got to the end and fighting emotions I thanked him for being a mission manual mission president because though there were a lot of things that other missions don't apply, it was those small things that helped me grow the most. He then replied and it was his turn to fight the emotions, "Elder Nielson, I want you to know that if Christ himself were here, he'd put his arm around you and say well done thou good and faithful servant." I look back on these last two years knowing I gave it all and I was definitely happy to hear those words. Being a missionary has been the greatest experience of my life, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I know this is the only true church and that Jospeh Smith was a prophet. I know the Book of Mormon is true and that it continues to change lives today. I love you guys and I'll see you all next tuesday!
Elder Nielson
I have thought that my sector is hard, I can't help but consider the sector of Jesus Christ. His sector was pretty hard too. We can all read about much of the opposition that he faced, but what I most like about the story is what he said before he was sent. He simply said, "Here am I, send me." He did it not for recognition nor for pride, but because he trully loved everyone. Thinking about that has always strengthened me in the hardest moments. I know that he lives and loves us. I know that he suffered for the sins of everyone, so that we have a chance to achieve everlasting happiness. This last week I had my second to last interview with Pres Richardson. He was in Otavalo. It was a cool interview. We got to the end and fighting emotions I thanked him for being a mission manual mission president because though there were a lot of things that other missions don't apply, it was those small things that helped me grow the most. He then replied and it was his turn to fight the emotions, "Elder Nielson, I want you to know that if Christ himself were here, he'd put his arm around you and say well done thou good and faithful servant." I look back on these last two years knowing I gave it all and I was definitely happy to hear those words. Being a missionary has been the greatest experience of my life, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I know this is the only true church and that Jospeh Smith was a prophet. I know the Book of Mormon is true and that it continues to change lives today. I love you guys and I'll see you all next tuesday!
Elder Nielson