Hello Everyone!

Well....drum-roll please...I have been transferred! I am now emailing you all from a city called Cuautla which is in the state of Morelos. I want you all to try to pronounce the name of my area. My area is called, Coahuixtla. And my new companion is Elder Ramos and he is the District Leader here. He is actually from the same city as Elder Miguel and they were companions before so he was able to tell me a little bit about him before I came. From what I have heard he is a really hard worker so I am excited! Transfers are super interesting to me. So, I found out Saturday at 7:00 p.m. that I needed to be on a bus, Monday at 7:00 a.m. to a completely different area. That means packing, saying goodbye, and going to the appointments we had, in less than two days. I am going to miss our converts David, Cinthia, and Susy and some of the members a lot. I did not think that it was possible to develop such strong relationships with people in such a short amount of time, but it is. But now I am off on another adventure and I am very excited.

My new area: It is probably about 20 degrees cooler hear than Iguala. The area is actually famous for being very cool. Praise the Almighty. Elder Ramos told me that we have a lot of work to do here because the assistance at church is pretty low and the members have lost faith in the missionaries because of previous Elders that did not want to work. But I am up for the challenge! On the bus ride here, I was completely struck at how beautiful Mexico really is. Dense, green forests, the whole way here. It was nice. And, the most important part, my new toilet flushes like a regular toilet! Once again, praise the Almighty.

Only one impression of Mexico this week that I thought was really funny. So we were walking back to our apartment at night and we got stopped by this man riding a bike that had, well, been having some fun at the bar that day. He kept saying that he wanted us to teach him but that he already knew a lot more than us because he is "King Solomon".

Now I am going to answer a few questions that I have received.

Who does your laundry?  

With Elder Miguel, we took our clothes to a Lavanderia. But it was a little pricy. I think in this area that we will be washing them ourselves. I have seen people outside their houses scrubbing them themselves and I have also seen others with their own washing machine and drier. Who knows how it will be.

How many meals do you eat?

One big meal everyday at 3:00 p.m. with the members. The rest is on your own. I have found that I have a few little snacks during the day and chow down at 3. Everyone has told me that I have a lost a lot of weight. I think they are telling the truth because my clothes are starting to get really baggy.

What time do you start your day?

Because I was in training, we started our day at 12:00 p.m. After four hours of studying. One hour of personal study. 2 of companionship, and 1 of language. But now we will be starting at 11:00 a.m. because we take away one of the hours of companionship study!

Are the seasons in Mexico about like they are here in California?

I cannot speak for all of Mexico. But at least were I am...there are no seasons. It just transfers from being really hot to slightly hot and back to really hot again. But I have high hopes for this area.

Do any of the missionaries ride bicycles?  

No. We all walk. Everyone besides the mission president and the assistants. If we really need to get somewhere quickly we take a taxi or a bus.

If you have anymore questions, email them to me!

Anyway, I want you all to know that I am very happy. I am happy because I learn everyday how important I am to my Savior and my Heavenly Father. And how perfect their wisdom really is. I found myself a lot in my first area asking Why are things this way? But I have learned the importance of not asking why and instead asking How? Saying to Heavenly Father...This is the situation you want me to be in, how can I face the challenges that I have and do what you want me to do here. As we humble ourselves and tell him, you know better than I, we are going to find happiness. I know this from experience. It is freeing. And as we try to draw closer to him everyday through our actions, he will show us even greater love in return. This life is hard. But it is also so beautiful. I am of the firm belief that it will all be worth it. I want to leave Mexico knowing that I did all I could do. And have no regrets. And I want to feel the same way about my life as well. God is in control. And Jesus Christ lives, loves us, and is the Savior of our souls. All of you need to read 3 Nephi 9:13-22. Those verses were really impactful to me this week. As always, apply them to yourselves! 

I love you all very much. I think about you often. And I pray for you. Pray for me and we will both be edified together.

Elder Nielsen