Hola familia and friends! This week was awesome! As a zone we are straight up goin beast mode in the jungle! To start the week we had the mission council meeting and for the first time in the history of the Ecuador Quito North mission the Zone Oriente Norte came out on top. This week we will also break the record for most baptisms and rescues that the zone has ever had in a month. I know we don't work to compete but crazy things are happening out here in the jungle. It's been incredible to see how things have lined up and how the Lord has prepared the way for so many blessings and miracles. Also, I know for a fact the God moves mountains. I saw one moved yesterday in the night. We had organized a training on the plan we are trying to put into practice with the members. Up to now there had not been much participation or support, and it was kind of like our last stab at success with the plan that we prepared and fasted and prayed for. Unbelievably they all showed up. The training went really well, and they are committed to use the folders we made and to complete with the familiy history plan we have. They left excited and ready to work and our branch council was very effective, We hope to see results very soon. We still lack a little, but we are very close now. For me, it was a mountain moved because I knew this plan would and can work, but there were times when I was the only one who stuck with it. Every part of the plan came from the area presidency and what they are asking so I knew it was right. I held on my way and last night we threw all the cards on the table and went all in and it appears we are going to come out on top so I'm excited. This week I also had the opportunity to baptize in a river. It was super cool. Lucresia and Alberto got baptized and it was a great service. We were very happy. Today we were able to Eat some giant worms and watch some monkeys play in a tree. It was pretty awesome. I love it here in Coca. It's the coolest place ever. There are so many things that are just awesome and the work is really starting to look up and we are happy about that. I love you guys and I'll send some pics today. I'll talk to ya next week.
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Hola Familia and friends! This week was good. We are starting from the bottom with our less actives, but we found a ton this week, so we are happy about that. I finally met my comp. Cristian Arrieta from Lima, Peru, He is the first Peruano that I get along with super well, that is super humble, and super obedient, and hardworking. He's a beast and he is helping me out a ton. This week we were working super hard. We didn't have any trips to Quito which was good and I was happy. The other day we spent the whole day trying to find new investigators through recent converts and less actives and we didn't find anything. We got to our last appointment and as we were leaving, they stopped us and said, " could you guys visit our neighbor? He's passing through a ton of challenges and he is basically all alone. We went right in that moment to visit him and his name is Bryan Rodriguez. He is 15 years old and the coolest guy ever. We got there and he just said. I have no friends, but I know you guys will be my friends. The doors to my house are always open for you and he committed to go to church and everything. It was awesome. Things are progressing as well with our plan with the branch. We have training and activities planned that are going to help us out a lot. We are still crankin out some good stuff here in Coca. We tied the record for baptisms in the history of the zone this month and we are on track to shatter it in November and then Shatter it even more in December. I'm super excited to see what happens. There is a ton of potential out here. I'll send pics next week when I'm back in the jungle. I love you guys and I'll talk to ya next week. Hasta luego
Hola familia and friends! Well here is this week's update from the jungles of Ecuador. We had a good week. We headed to Quito for the last time on Tuesday and got things taken care of with my comp and his wisdom teeth. We came back and did everything we could in the few days we had, and we turned out a decent week. We had a baptism on Saturday and it was awesome. We were happy about that. We had a good solid attendance in the church and we have people progressing toward baptism. In the night we recieved changes. Elder Vargas got transferred to Otavalo and Elder Herrera went back to his sector. A beast of a DL got sent to me so I was thrilled for that. He is going to help me a lot. His name Elder Barnes. I know him super well, and he will help me a ton. My new companion is Elder Arrieta from Lima Peru. He has around 7 months in the mission, so he is pretty new. I really don't know much about him and I've never met him, so it should be a fun week getting to know him. I can't believe we are in November. That is blowing my mind right now. I feel like I blinked my eyes in January and I just opened them again on November 1st. It's been nuts. I love it here in the jungle. The people are great and there is a lot of work to be done here. I hope I'm here for awhile because there are a lot of things I'd like to do. I love you guys and I'll try to send pics..Talk to ya next week! Hasta luego.
Well this week was a hard week. I'm not going to lie. We started out going to Quito. . . again. We were there until Friday so we had Saturday and Sunday to work. We get to go back tomorrow as well. . . It was a long trip but my comp got his wisdom teeth out. Then we came back and Saturday was good. We had a super cool baptism in the cleanest river I've ever seen in my life. It was awesome. We saw monkeys on the way and we were in the jungle haha. Sunday was alright. I had to lead all the hynms, give a 15-20 min talk, help teach the second class, get a folder that I had made handed out to every organization in ward council, train them on how to use them and much more. I'm busy in this branch haha. In the afternoon my two companions turned completely against me and shot me up one side and down the other with all kinds of things, so I had to fix that and the mission president helped me out a lot. This sector has been a completely new challenge. I have given every minute possible to this branch, zone and sector. In doing that, I have constantly been rejected and shut down by people, missionaries and my own companions. It has been so hard sometimes because they don't understand what I'm doing. I was in my studies this morning and praying super hard and the impression came to mind,"It is hard and it will be hard because the reward and the affect will be great." Satan is doing everything he can to stop this, I don't know why, i just know it means that if all my work comes out to be successful, which it will, the blessings will be great. That's what I'm trusting in. Nobody will ever see or know what I have done and suffered in this sector except for God and myself, but I dont care. I'm in it for the benefit of the people in Coca. I know what I'm doing will bless this branch immensely, and bless the sectors around. Even if people don't understand around me, I know what potential it has. I love the people here. I love the missionaries that are around me, even though they have come against me several times I will see this project through because it will bless them. I love the very people that have rejected me. I work for the love I have for them. I have given almost every one of my mornings and nights for them and the project I'm working on. I've missed breakfast so many times just to keep working on this. I'll continue to give every minute of my 16 hour day to see this through. In my mind, it isn't "if it will happen," it is "when it will happen." I made the decision. It is getting done. Things will improve here. I don't care what has to be done because I will do it. I made the decision and I will come through by the end of time here. It's been hard, but I do feel like I'm understanding more about the life of Christ who died for the sins of those who rejected him and caused him to suffer. I do know these things are true. I have a firm hope that things are about to get better. Little by little things are going to change and become better and the blessing will come. I love you guys and I hope life is going good back home. I'll talk to ya next week. I'll send pics. hasta luego. Hola Familia! This week was a good one. We worked like crazy and we are progressing a lot. We have a few people that are really progressing a lot and we are super happy about that. This week we got hit by a Gnarly rainstorm. We were walking in the sun and we blinked our eyes and we were swimming in the flood. We weren't actually swimming but we had to navigate around the ponds that formed in the roads and the fields and everything. It was crazy, we were super soaked too. There was a baptism this week and it was done in the Rio Coca! I'll send pics. It was super cool. We will have one this coming Saturday too and it will be in a super cool place. Yesterday there were changes in the zone as well. We weren't expecting them but my DL got shipped out to Quito and his comp is now with us and I have to train the new DL. It will be fun, a little different but it will be good. We have a lot of good things going, so he should get to start in a good position. This coming week we will have to go to Quito because my comp is getting his wisdom teeth pulled out. This week is going to be fried completely but the next should be good. The next is changes as well so I have no idea what will happen in two weeks. I love my sector. I love the people here and the work is going forward in the jungle! I like the scripture in D&C 78:18-19. It says, "he that receives all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious, and the things of the earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea more." I love that scripture, it makes me remember Jens Nielson and the Hole in the Rock. At the top of the hill one of the pioneers wrote in the rock, "we thank thee O god" I love that. Its a lot like how the brother of Jared and his small people could travel 362 days across the ocean in boats totally enclosed and praise the Lord the whole way. If we do it our reward will be great. I love you guys and ill talk to ya next week. Hasta luego
Am I living in such way that I know with surety that the Lord has to bless me with what I need?10/12/2015 Hola familia q`mas? Whats going on back home? Well this week was a tester. We had to go to Quito from Monday to Thursday for two meetings that we had. It was good, but it about killed me. We got out of the last meeting on Thursday and got headed toward the jungle at about 6 pm. Oh yeah, the bus ride is almost 8 hours. Well we get in at about 1:30 AM Friday morning and after 4 hours of sleep we were back up and before we knew it we had to give 4 trainings in the zone meeting, no planning, nothing. Not to mention the other ZL isn't even my comp, so we hardly know one another. Well we got through it alright. It went surprisingly well and the missionaries left excited to work which was the goal. Here in the jungle success has been really hard to come by in the past. There are only a handful of missionaries, but we are very excited because we feel like our plans are going to help us. We are on track to achieve what has never been achieved and then some here and we are super excited because of it. Things are going really well right now with my comp and with the zone. Today we also went to the Zoo and that was cool. We saw a giant Anaconda. It was a beast; it was so cool. We saw a cool monkey that was following us as well. I'll send pics. There was a MASSIVE beatle as well. It was three times the size of any tank in the us military. It was crazy. Mother, i just want you to know that the Lord is taking care of your son. You guys noticed my shoes were biting the bullet a little. Well in Quito I was working in one of my old sectors, in la luz, and we visited the relief society president who I got along with really well. Without me even knowing, she called another missionary got my shoe size and the next day brought me new shoes and took my other ones to get them fixed. I was blown away. It was awesome though. I love the scripture in D C 82:10 where it says, " I the Lords am bound when ye do what I say, but when you do not what I say ye have no promise." I love it because of the simplicity but I was talking to an elder and he asked a question I really liked a lot. He said, are we living in such a way the Lord is obligated to bless us. I loved that. Am I living in such way that I know with surety that the Lord has to bless me with what I need? If I'm not, something needs to change but it's something we need to always remember. Blessings come from every commandment. If we live the commandments the Lord has to bless us. We just need to try him and try the promise. I love you guys and I'll talk to ya later. Hasta luego.
In the Jungle the mighty jungle Elder Nielson sleeps tonight! Hola familia and friends. I received transfers this last week to the jungle. I was on a bus for 10 hours so I couldn’t write. My sector is super cool. There is part where it’s more city, and a part where it’s more jungle so it’s pretty awesome. I live right next to the river Napo. It is really really really hot and humid where I’m at right now. It’s a little bit of a killer but it’s all good. I’m in a small branch right now but there are getting close to being a ward which is good. My companion is Elder Jonny Vargas from Guayaquil Ecuador. He has just finished his training so he’s a pretty new guy but he’s cool. I live in a small apartment by the bank of the river and I have some pretty awesome views ha-ha. We had a baptism this last week. It was a girl named Yamilia. She was the only not baptized in her family so we got the job done yesterday. The people are super awesome and a lot of them are really humble. It’s been a really hard transition but little by little I’m getting there. I’m pretty excited for the chance to get to know this sector and I’m sure in a little time things will be going all sorts of good. I was pretty sad to leave my last sector. I had a lot of fun there but with every new sector come new adventures. That’s about all I’ve got this week, I’ll send some pictures to you guys right now. I love you guys and I’ll talk to you guys next week. I actually don’t know, I have to go to Quito on Monday so I don’t know what time will be given to me. I guess we will see haha. Love you guys. No word from Easton today so we suspect he has been transferred. Not sure if any word will come before next week. Hola familia! This week was awesome. Well kind of. First of all we had to move to a different house and that was a project considering we were living on the 5th floor of our old house. Now I don't know if any of you have ever taken a fridge down 5 floors, but it was not fun. Moving just about killed us but we mad it in, and our new house is awesome. It even has carpet which is amazing. The shower is really good, and it is just an awesome house. But I do love the carpet. That was the first win. Then with our investigator Jonathan Valdivieso. He is the one that went to the temple and came back and wanted to get baptized. He will be getting baptized this week and we are super excited for that reason. Also, we have another family that will be getting baptized in the future when they get married on the 31st of Decemeber. It's still far away but it's a success. As a zone, we had a fantastic week. We had 15 people with a date last week and that was about the average for many weeks before that. This week we shot up to 41! and 30 of those 41 have gone to church a lot so we are stoked for that. This week I had a pretty cool experience as well. I was on divisions with an Elder that is really struggling right now and he wants to go home but president refuses to send him until he completes his training. Well, he had a meeting with president and he told me that president had promised him in his interview that in that same week he'd be able to help somebody. He came to my sector on Thursday and he helped one of our recent converts out a lot and he was super excited. It was a cool experience. President Richardson is pretty much the man as well. I love my president so much. My companion and I are getting along very well and Life is good in the neighboorhood. An update on the Volcanos is that Cotopaxi is expected to have a full on blow the roof of the house eruption in less than 6 months and there is talk that it may have been the reason for the recent reactivation of the mega volcano Pululahua which is right on the border of my zone. But who knows what happened or what will happen. All I know is I don't want to be in Ecuador when all these volcanos erupt. It will be a baptism by fire haha. Quito is up the wrong creek right now. That's for sure haha. My week was pretty good. That's about all that happened and I'm doing good. I love you guys, I'll talk to ya later and see ya next week. Hola Familia! This week was a good one. We are still trying to get moved over to our other house and there are a few things that are really difficult right now, but we should be there this week. In two weeks we will be having a baptism which is super cool. We went to the middle of the world today, Not to the momument but the museum. It was fun. The Cotopaxi is still blowing out ash and I have some awesome pics from my house. This week we also had to get a few things strtaight with our DL´s, that was fun. Our shirts got done. They are pretty legit as well. We tried and worked like cray this week but the work is a little slow right now. Wer haven't found anybody for quite a while now, and it is a little frustrating, but we are still giving it everything we have. It's all a process. The zone improved quite a bit which was good to see. We were happy. It was a really fast week and it tired the daylights out of me so this letter is kind of lame. Hopefully this next week will be better. I love you guys. I'll talk to ya next week. |
AuthorThis blog is dedicated to Easton Nielson's mission to Ecuador Quito North Mission. Archives
March 2016
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