Hola Familia and friends! This week was hard but it ended really well. We had a lot of failed appointments and we got our laps in this week, but at the end Blanca Casteñeda said she wanted to get baptized. So, this Tuesday we will have another baptism this month. We are happy. Tuesday is my comps birthday too, so he is pretty excited. In the district for the month of April as it stands right now we will have more success than any other zone in the mission. Not bad for the less successful district in the history of the mission. I'm pretty stoked. In March we had a great month as well. I'm just enjoying the mission. Well my trunky paper got here. That was a sick joke. I don't want to go home. I think I'm going to ask President Richardson if I can extend for about a year. I hope he says yes. We have full things lined up in April as well so it's going to fly by. I'm worried that my time is coming. I don't want to accept it, but man, that blasted letter made it hard haha. My son Elder Quispe is awesome. He and I get along super well. We are doing some great work over here as well. We are hoping for a good month in April. So, in my area we have what is called "wawki Swag." Wawki is brother in Kichwa, A wawki typically is an older guy that wears a poncho, white pants, sandals and a cool lookin hat and they are the coolest people in the world. I love the people here more than any other in the mission. Well we were at church yesterday and here in Ecuador they use the word "brother" in English as slang for like Bro or to a good friend. They say Hola Mi Brother. Well yesterday a church a wawki said Hola Nukachink Brother. Or Hello our brother. He used all three languages in one sentence haha. I about died laughing when I heard it because it was the wawki that we call Mcjagger. He's got lots of wawki swag haha. It was the coolest thing ever. I doubt you ll appreciate it like I do, but it was funny haha. The Wawki that we call the Black Mamba, he's our secret weapon. Says it a lot as well. I wish you guys could meet this people to appreciate it like I do haha. It's awesome out here. It's going to be hard to walk out of this sector. But for now the work is going forward and the idea is to keep it that way. I love you guys. I'll talk to you next week. Kayakaman!
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Hola familia and friends! This week was interesting. Let's start with what you're waiting for. My last companion (unless something crazy happens my last change) is Elder Quispe from Lima Peru. He is a really good guy. We are getting a long really well. He got baptized 17 months ago so he is still a little bit of a Recent Convert. He worked with the missionaries a lot before coming, so he is very well in some things. I'm just gonna help him out a little, and he is going to be a great missionary! This week we had 2 baptisms as well! Two kids that showed up out of nowhere that didn't have records in the church. We are hoping to have another this week. Blanca is super close so we are praying that it comes to pass. I also baptized Leidy Vannesa Antamba Gualevesi. She is from a different sector, but I got asked to baptize her. That was cool haha. Jesus Ivan Castañeda castañeda and Elsa Maribel Castañeda castañeda were the two baptized in our sector. We still have 5 more that could get baptized soon, so we are gonna keep working hard. It is weird to be one week from counting on two hands what i have left but I'm 'not too worried about it. My zone bullies me haha. It's all good though. There are two other missionaries who also have the time I have in the zone and they get treated a little different haha. I'm at that point where I can say I'm happy about the way I've served. It's been incredible. I want to soak up as much as I can in these last weeks. I cant believe how fast it has gone by haha. It's been awesome. In the district we are looking at a great month in March and a great month in April up to now, so I'm happy. Life is good in Ecuador. That's the update for this week. I love you guys I'll try to send pics! Hola familia and friends!! Well changes came in and my companion went to Quito. I'll meet my new comp Thursday. I'm going to train a new a guy. It'll be my last companion haha. . . This week was alright. We had a decent week, but we are hoping for a better week this week. The good news is this. We have two baptisms scheduled for this week. Monday night we got to a members house and they said two of their kids didn't have records. They'd been lost, so they will get baptized this coming week. We still have a lot of people with a date, but we need a miracle so they can get their answers and get in the water. They all have multiple attendances and know very well what we teach, they just haven't received a set answer yet, so that's the challenge. We are very close though. It has been raining a lot lately in the sector, so it has been a little colder, but things are all good. We are very close to pulling off something pretty awesome in the district, but I still don't want to say what until I'm more sure. For now I'll keep sending names of the people in the district that we are teaching. I'm feeling pretty good about life right now. We in the mission have a saying of missionaries in their "12 weeks." It's for missionaries in their last 2 changes. I never thought the day would get here that I'd be in those, but it got here. It's weird, but all I really want is that the people we are teaching to progress. We have so much potential right now. We just need a miracle and we will have it. We have done everything possible to have it happen, so we are expecting that very soon we see some miracles here. It's pretty awesome out here. I'm enjoying every minute. I love you guys and I'll talk to ya next week.! Ali puncha wawkikuni y panigokuna How ya guys doing? This week was good. We were able to find many new people that are pretty awesome and they went to church which was legit. Things are starting to go really well in the sector. Some people came out of nowhere, and we now have a very busy sector. As a district, I'm in one of the districts most know for not baptizing and we are on the verge of pulling off something very legit, but I won't say what until next Monday if it happens. This change is coming to end this coming Sunday. It flew by. I honestly can't believe it. There is a good chance I'll be training a new guy. We will have to see. Right now in Otavalo everyone and their dog is getting married. There are tons of big parties everywhere. The otavaleños are super peaceful people, but they do like to party haha. It's kind of nice though because in Coca and Esmeraldas nobody gets married, and it makes it super hard to find families that will progress. Here the challenge is getting to those who don't shut their door in your face haha. The view of Lake San Pablo is as good as ever. President Richardson has said various times we have the best view in the mission haha. It's legit. This week we ate less potatoes which is awesome. I don't even think we ate 100. That's like a new record. They like potatoes here hah. We weren't attacked by any farm animals this week. That's a relief. We usually can't say that. It's been a good week. We are hoping for lots of good things in the coming week. I'm hoping to see some serious miracles this week, so you might hear about some next Monday. I certainly hope so. I love the people here. This sector has by far the coolest people in the world. I love the people here so much. They are the most legit people on earth. I wish you guys could meet the members here. They are the most humble, peaceful, legit, happy people on the earth. Wawkigos and panigos are so awesome haha. I hope you guys can come here some day. It's so cool. The culture is amazing. This has probably been my favorite area out of all of them. I'm just hoping the work can keep moving forward. I love you guys and I'll talk to ya next week!
Hola familia and friends! This week was full of some pretty awesome stuff. I'll start with the obvious. Elder Holland visited the mission Ecuador Quito Norte this last week and it was awesome! He talked in a fireside on Tuesday night with all of Otavalo and then Wednesday with just missionaries from our mission. We started out by shaking his hands. His eyes are blue with a tiny bit of green. You bet I looked him the eye when I shook his hand haha! When we were all set down, he said "We as apostles know you like to shake our hands and that's alright but more than you wanting to shake our hands we want to shake your hands. . . To interview everyone of you. I can see your soul. . ." It was legit but he said we passed, so that was a relief haha. He just talked about how even though missionaries are not apostles that we are apostolic in the two years we are here in the form of, we dedicate every second of everyday to one person and doing what that person would do, saying what he'd say and being who he'd be in our place. It was awesome. I will say this, I have no doubt at all that he is an apostle called by God because you could not shake his hand and look him in the eye and possibly doubt it. It's true; we are in the true church everyone. To add to that this week I talked to the Patriarch of Otavalo for like an hour. He was the second member in the city of Otavalo. His brother was the first. The reason why that was so cool is because of this. I want everyone to think of when God covenanted with Enos and Nephi and Jacob and Moroni to bring the gospel to the Lamanites in the last days. This Patriarch is he who translated the Book of Mormon into their language who translated the Temple Ordanzas to their language and who has been one of God's biggest instruments in bringing to pass this promise. To hear him testify with surety and gratitude that those prophets of old wrote that book for him and his people was incredible. It has been quite a great experience to be in this sector where the fulfillment of that promise is coming to pass right before my eyes. I even get to be a part of it. It was a testimony builder, and it is one evidence more for me that the book of Mormon is true, that every detail and teaching is nothing but true. I'm walking among the purest Lamanites in the Americas and every time I walk out of my house it is one more day that I watch that promise come to pass. I know it's true because I've seen and I'm watching it everyday. There is no doubt in my mind because of that which I have felt and seen. I would invite all to build their testimony of that book because it is true. It just is. This was one week that strengthened my testimony of the restoration a lot. There are prophets and apostles and the Book of Mormon is true. We can't let it be just the key to our religion but make it the key to our lives as well or we are missing out big time. I have read this book almost 1 time for every year of life that I have and I know it's true because of what it has done for me, because of what I have felt and because what I have seen walking among the very people it was written for the last 20 months. Things are looking good in the district. We have a chance to put up record numbers in March so we are working hard for that. I love you guys. I'll talk to ya next week.! Well this week was alright. In the beginning of the week there was a lot of Carnaval and we got it hard. We were soaked with buckets of water several times. My companions planner got destroyed from water damage haha. They gave it too us 37 times! We were counting. Last year I got it 1 time. Compania was a war zone on Tuesday haha. This week Jeffrey R Holland is in Otavalo and in Quito. Our investigators are going to see an apostle of the Lord. That's a pretty legit experience. I'm super excited to hear and meet him haha. We are trying to build the sector up. It's been a little hard lately, but we have some potential so we are trying to work with what we have and find more! This week we almost got trampled by a bull and we got yelled at by a legit donkey. It was funny. It's a funny sector. The people are the coolest people on earth. I absolutely love the people here. They are so cool. The culture and their way to be is so funny haha. I love it so much. I love seeing 80 yr old men and women walking their bulls on a leash haha. It's hilarious. The Kichwa is pretty legit. The work is good too. It's hard but that just means good things are coming. By the way, on Saturday I ate 25 potatoes for lunch. Turns out they like potatoes here haha. That and Rice. Got a love it haha. Well I will have more next week. I love you guys, I'm going to send pics right now. This is the letter for the week!
Hola familia. It was a good week out here in the mountains. We have some good things going in the sector and the district. I'm enjoying the daylights out of this sector. We are working with tons of Lamanites! I can't say that this is the easiest sector I've been in but I know I'm here because God has a ton of work for me. This sector has beat the faith of a lot of missionaries in the past but its winning streak is over haha. We have about 4 to 5 families that are doing well and the doorstep of baptism. We started working pretty hard with them this week and we are seeing a lot of progress. This week we have been under fire the whole time for Carnaval. I have been drilled by water balloons, foam, buckets of water, water guns and much more. It's nuts in my sector. We are having fun with it though. Some kids destroyed us hard core the other day. It was rough but we made it through. My Kichwa is still improving. I can now pray and bear my testimony, so little by little I'm getting better. Today I bought a super legit poncho in the plaza of ponchos. It's super famous in our mission. It's a cool place. Things are going well in every aspect. I'm happy out here. The work is going forward. Ñuka testificani Libro de mormonda cierto pacha mikan. Tesifcani Jesucristuta causanmi. Ñuka tesitificani la iglesia cierto pacha mikan. I love you guys. I'll talk to ya next week. Alli puncha panigokuna y waukigokuna, Ñuka kani Elder Nielson, Nukanikani Estados unidos llacta manda, kani 20 añuta charini, villa chikuna kani yios pashi mita. That's kichwa. I'm learning a ton here in compania seeing how that's what they speak here. There isn't a whole ton of Spanish here. There are many who speak it, but the dominant language is Kichwa. I'm determined to learn it in my time here. I presented myself in Kichwa in one of our wards yesterday. That was cool. We work in two wards here so it's a little complicated, but it is super cool here. Otavalo is super legit. I'm literally working with the very same descendants of the Lamanites. It's so cool! This is the very people of the B of M. They are the coolest people ever. They are the most peaceful people ever haha. This week we got attacked by two ducks. They charged us and I was a little confused at first because I'd never seen a duck charge somebody but then they started trying to bite us so my comp and I took off running with two ducks hot on our tail haha. We escaped though. It was good. I live right by the lake San Pablo. It's so blue and behind us we have a big volcano named the volcano Imbabura. The volcano is cool because it has a heart carved into it. I'll send a pic. There is a hole in the shape of a heart right on the side of the mountain. It's cool. The weather is pretty cool here. It's nice. We have the best house in the mission pretty much. We have a super hot gas shower with so much water pressure that it feels like jets. It's so nice. We have a washer and dryer that the owner let's us use free. She is a member. We have the best view in the mission of lake San Pablo. At like seven the sun sets over the lake and a mountain right behind and it's like pink. It looks like a painting, It's the coolest thing ever. My sector is so cool. It is a sector that hasn't had an investigator progressing for 6 months. But this last Sunday we broke that streak and we are looking to build up the sector hard. This is my last sector so I get to put into practice all that the last 19 months have taught me. It should fun. I'm super excited. Everything is so cool here. I'm also glad to be a DL instead of a ZL. I'm going to train a new elder in my last changes. It should be fun. My comp and I get along well. We are doing well. He is a little newer, but we are doing great work out here. He's a super good guy. It will be a great change. I'm super happy about everything. I'll send pics. I love you guys. Kayakaman!!
Hey everybody, well I got transferred to the land of the Lamanites. Im headed to Otavalo. I'm no longer a ZL which I'm super happy about it. I'm DL Compañia with Elder Draper from Ogden, Utah. I'm super excited. It was hard to leave Coca, but I fought hard down there. It took a lot out of me. I've never been tried so hard in my life but it was a good experience for me. I'm not going to write a letter to long today. I'm short on time but I'm in Otavalo and life is good in the neighborhood. We are gonna go hard on the Lamanites now. I love you guys talk to ya next week.!
Hola Familia Nielson hoy me gustaria hablar solamente en español! jaja no, bromeo nomàs! This week was pretty legit. I was in Quito the entire week with meetings with Elder Godoy and it was awesome. I even got to go to Otavalo. The meetings were awesome. Elder Godoy is an awesome guy, and he had a lot of great things to say. One of the things that got me and basically all of the leaders of the mission was when, in the mission council, he said "I say this as a General Authority and a father but you really are the missionaries your parents think you are." It was a pretty powerful moment. All the meetings were really cool. But speaking of meetings with General Authorities, on the 17th of February a guy named Jeffrey R Holland is coming to la mision Ecuador Quito Norte! You might have heard him. I'm super excited for that. This week will most likely be my last week in Coca. it's been an unbelievable experience. Sometimes I still find myself asking what more could I have done, but there have been lots of blessings. We had great achievments and had fun. We grew as missionaries and did everything we could to further work here. I'm at peace turning the branch over to God. I know he's in control of things and this branch will be taken care of one way or another. If this is my last week, I hope it's a good one. I'm just happy that I was able to come here. This week once again I don't have pictures, but i'm hoping I can get some pics pretty soon. On Hma Richardsons facebook there will be some pics of the meetings, but I love you guys, and i'll talk to ya next week. Hasta luego.
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AuthorThis blog is dedicated to Easton Nielson's mission to Ecuador Quito North Mission. Archives
March 2016
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