This site is dedicated to following the mission days of Easton Nielson who is serving a mission in Ecuador, Quito North Mission for the Church Jesus Christ of Latter-day  Saints.
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First full week in Ecuador:  I miss you guys a lot and it's hard!  Anyone for a cold-sponge bath?

8/4/2014

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Second Companion is Elder Anderson Mamani from Peru.
Hey everyone! whats up. I hope you all enjoyed nice warm showers today. I enjoyed one with a bucket and 6 liters of water haha! Not warm water either. My companion is Elder Mamani from Peru. Hes super cool and im glad I've had the chance to work with him tho sometimes I feel we could work harder but I've addressed that and we're doing good. He's a great trainer. He has 1 younger brother in Peru. I live in the most dangerous area in the mission so I'm grateful for all the prayers! My ward is good. Almost everyone bore their testimonies yesterday including myself. It was good. I also helped teach a lesson which was alright. I had to anoint some oil for a blessing and didnt have the prayer memorized in Spanish at an investigators house so I had help from my companion but it was ok I guess. Im starting to learn how I can do better and contribute to our companionshp. Im definietly missing you guys. Ive had a very very hard 3-4 days in adjusting here. I can talk pretty well in the language, but I cant understand well because the dialect is different than that of the MTC. I traveled six hours from quito to la costa, the coast, my area. Ecaudor is very, very green and lush. It's like nothing you've ever seen.  However if you come pick me up dont even ask to come to the coast because I will not bring you guys to the coast. It's dangerous. I love the coast but ill be happy to get out. The standard of excellence is super hard to hit here and no one has ever really hit it completely so I told my comp wed be the first by the end of our twelve weeks. I hope so but It will be super hard. The food is pretty good, you just have to be supèr careful. I never accept water from investigators and am hesitant to wash my hands in water other than what I see go through my filter. the pricesare supercheap here. I can probably pik up some shoes here, their cheap. But there is definitley no doctor pepper on the coast and I could use one right now haha! We had a baptismal service Saturday and 1 of the girls didn't want to go completely under so it took a solid half hour to baptize her. Her dad had to say the prayer at least ten times and my comp had to help pretty much force her under cause she was afraid I guess. She went face first into the water which I've never seen before but I was just happy to get it done. My health is still great. The food hasnt got me yet but i'm sure it will. I have to carry money to give away if I get robbed and other money in my sock as a back up if I get robbed. Unless I need something I never carry more than three dollars.  I never carry my camera unless its p day so I only have pics of my house. I'm too afraid to take pics outside. Im learning to love it all though and it is starting to get better. Im glad I have some gringos in my district because its nice to just talk to them in a language I can understand haha.  Next p-day my district has a bbq and futbol game scheduled so i'm so excited for that. I do push ups every morning for excersize because that's all I really can do haha. It's getting better though.  I'm picking up the language a little. The understanding is just very difficult for me. I've done well in the lessons and when I speak in front of the whole district they feel my spanish is pretty incredible but idk. I want to understand so I can talk to people. The one time I understood everything, a guy was arguing with my comp and member about prophets and if the b of m is necessary and I shut him down big time. My comp even commented on it after. I showed him a couple of scriptures and bore my testimony and he had nothing to say. It was great. We say vacanisimo here, idk if that's the right spelling but if something is great its vacanisimo. I haven't slept with a blanket in about a week. It's hot here. I put a fan right my bed or where I'm studying to cool me down. I'll send some pics here in a second. That's about whats happening right now. One big adjustment but I hope it will get better. I'll send some pics now. Hasta luego familia!

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Green and Beautiful!
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Here are some answers to some questions mom and I asked him in a personal email. 

Its hard out here, I miss you guys a lot.
 

How's life?
 Its getting better than it was at first. I've had a really rough first few days. A little bit homesick but its getting better. Im just trying to work all the time and keep my mind off of America or even Quito.


Where did you get placed?
I'm in the coast which is the most dangerous area so if you guys want to come pick me up dont even ask to go to the coast becuase we are definitely not.


How's the language?
I can't understand as muh as I speak.  I'm having a hard time loving the people as a whole and not fearing them. It's getting better, just a bit of a culture shock. My comp is good but I wonder sometimes if we can work harder and do more. All I want to do is work and study but idk. Hes a good trainer. He's a native.


What's your house like?
My house is in a poor apartment building, and we have no water at all. we have to be creative with some things.
I shower with a bucket and we have water to use to flush the toilet. We sometimes get running water for 10-15 minutes so we fill up our jugs but that's about it.
I'll send pics but I'll only send pics of my house because Im too afraid to take my camera out outside the house.


How's your mission President?
My mission president is the best. I love my mission pres and his wife. She taught me a ton of easy recipes so I usually make breakfast because I want to try to eat healthy to stay healthy. My president told me he has a lot of trust in me and I think that's partially why I inherited a hard area with a hard situation.


How's the church down there?
My ward is great. The bishop is cool the secretary is probably my favorite. Hermano guito. Hes the man. Ya I've met  most the members but I'm still learning and trying to gain their trust and everything.

 Where do you get food and water?
I have a water bottle with a filter I use. I drink mostly juice though. It tastes better and hidrates me.  We have about 20 6 liter water jugs.  Theres a local tienda right outside our house we hit up for some stuff. They have this orange juice that is amazing! Oh ya for food other than lunch. I usually buy a loaf of bread in the morning and then during study at night I just eat piece after piece. I eat about a loaf of bread a day.



 




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1 Comment
Marci Bothwell
8/4/2014 09:07:31

I seriously can't imagine. I didn't know how large his area was so I figured Quito wouldn't be so poor but I never imagined 6 hours from there. No running water at all! That's crazy. I hope his spirits get better As he gets more used to his area and the language. Count our blessings for being born in America.

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    This blog is dedicated to Easton Nielson's mission to Ecuador Quito North Mission. 


    • Timeline Events:
      Mission call March 8, 2014
      Mission farewell   June 15, 2014
      Arrive @ Mexico CCM June 18, 2014  
    • Elder Landon Spencer, West Jordan Utah                  
    •  Arrive @ Quito July 29th, 2014 
    • Served in Esmeraldas with
    • Elder Anderson Mamani , Peru
    • Elder Carlos Nogales Chile
    • Elder Edwin Valverde, Peru
    • Elder Brian Leong, Lehi, Utah
      Transfer to Quito JAN 8, 2015
      Elder Trevor Nielsen Parma, Idaho
      Elder Julio Andronaire, Peru 
      Transferred to Quito May 17, 2015
      Elder Cody Green, Safford Arizona 

      Elder Briggs Dalton American Fork, Utah
    • Moved to Calderon 8/11/15
    • Elder Wyatt Agnew Chandler, Arizona
    • Transferred to Coca Sept 21
    • Elder Jonny Vargas Guayaquil Ecudaor
    • Elder Cristian Arrieta Lima, Peru
    • Moved to Otavalo
    • Elder Draper Ogden, Utah
    • Elder Thomas Quispe, Lima Peru




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