Peru in 2

These blog posts are the experiences that Elder Joshua Nieman writes about as he serves a two year LDS mission in Lima, Peru. This is one of Elder Nieman's favorite scriptures from the Book of Mormon: "Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever." Alma 26:12

Monday, January 26, 2015

January 26, 2015

Well today is probably my last day in Andahuaylas. I feel excited but then I feel really sad. So many good people are here and yesterday I realized I have grown a strong relationship with all the members and investigators. I heard that leaving the first area is always the hardest but then it gets better after that. I also heard that it goes much faster. I cant believe that I am done with my first area. Also I almost have a half a year. That is really weird to think about cause really I felt like it flew by. Well the thing about the mission is if you are putting all your effort and all you heart into the work it is going to go by so fast. When I talk to people who have 20 months, they tell me that it is so fast and that I need to take this time to work. This time in the mission is sacred and if we waste it, then we are wasting the Lords time. That is not good. haha but a lot of this week I was thinking of the people and the memories I have had in Andahuaylas. I really dont want to leave but that is how it is, haha and I might stay in my area for another transfer but that is really unlikely. But if I do stay then I will be kind of embarrased to write you guys back the next week. I will say oh you know that amazing letter I wrote about my old area. Well.... I am staying in Andahuaylas. hahaha I will laugh super hard. I might not respond to you guys cause I am super embarassed. haha No I will write back. But in this area I have learned so many lessons about life in this area and learned how to become more like a man. So many trials and problems but I pushed through and here I am. I feel stronger and it feels good to feel this way. I also feel like I learned so much about the gospel of Jesus Christ. When I was in Smithfield I didnt realize very well how important this gospel is. I was a bit of a fool. haha but really I have learned so much and I have more time to study and learn much more of this gospel. I love it. Well I want to tell you guys that all the members here are amazing but the best person I have met here in Andahuaylas is Walle. The husband of my pensionista. He has gotten me through so much and I felt like I could tell him anything and he would help me out with anything. Walle has taught me so much and he is one of the people that I am truely grateful to have in this mission. When I leave tomorrow it is going to be so hard cause he is honestly such a great friend and I am going to miss everything that he taught me. He is honestly the reason why I have become stronger. It is amazing to meet a person like him. And who knows I might return and say hello to him when I am done with my mission but wow this place is amazing. But now is the time for change and for me to start teaching and getting to know more people. I cant wait to do amazing things cause I know I will because the lord is with me always. I remember Joni gave me a card that has Jesus on it and it says I am with you always. I have taped that to my book of mormon that I carry always. It gives me comfort and it is great to have. Well I think that is really all that happend this week but I will have to write you next week about my new area or if I stayed. But I love you all and really the gospel is great.

Elder Nieman
Love you all forever

PS Oh yeah it was really crazy because we saw a robber running away from these two fat cops. It was kind of really funny. Oh and by the way mom I am completely safe so dont worry. (:

This is the gym we go to

I feel like I'm chunking up so please just ignore the fatness and look at the pretty sunset. haha!

Monday, January 19, 2015

January 19, 2015

First off this week started off with eating chicken feet and then later cow liver. Haha let me tell yoou liver sucksssss. haha Weirdly I liked the chicken feet even though they were really crunchy. But that was what I ate this week. Wow this week was really fast and it was full of all the emotions a human can feel. But that is really good cause everyday I am learning so much about myself and just how I act around other people. Honestly I feel like my spanish isnt perfect but everyone is telling me that my spanish is really good and I hardly make any errors. That was a really good lift me up. Also it is really weird and really I dont know how it happend but when I listen to people I can understand.... I dont know what some of the words are that they say but I can understand. Every time I hear something that I dont know I always ask to use a different word and really I think that is the best way to learn cause I can freaking understand. hahahaha That makes me so happy cause I thought this day would never come but I really feel like my spanish is here. Of course I am going to study a lot more and not stop studying the language but wow. I remember in the CCM how difficult it was and how I said to myself I am never going to learn this language. I think every missionary thinks that and I really wish that they wouldnt cause wow. I feel a change in my attitude and just talking. When I got here I hardly talked and now I am talking like a mad man. I am the type of person that isnt very good at conversasion but when I am talking with everyone somehow it just goes. Ammamamamazing. hahaha Right now in the mission it is amazing and I love the mission. Especially when I can change people just by my testimony and my teaching. One night we went to this house of a inactive and she had some of her friends over. Her friends were evangilists and they knew the bible like if it was a childs book. Well we started to teach these people and we were talking about the attributes of christ. I was super nervous to talk cause how could I teach someone that knows so much more than me. Well I started to talk and as I was talking I mentioned how it is important to have attributes of Christ when we are down and we have problems in our lives. When I said that one of them stopped me in my words. haha I think I almost peed my pants cause it was so suprising. haha but She started to say to me that she had never heard that before and she started to explain that when I was teaching she felt this peace in her heart that she had never felt before. She then says I want to learn more about this church. I think my face was a little suprised and I was super excited so I started to say yes yes yes yes in english. haha They looked at me weird but that was super cool cause the spirit can change anyone. Right now it is changing that evangilst life and after that I know the spirit will help me become a better person. Truely amazing this gospel and I am so happy to be teaching this gospel. There is no other place I would rather be.... of course in smithfield with you guys but this is the work and his glory and I am so proud to be bringing that to any person in the world. Amazing but that is all I have for this week so I really love you guys. I dont know if you understand that because I put that at the end of every single of my letters. But yeah.... I really do.

Love you all
Elder Nieman

Mona is in the middle. She's the one that called me ugly my first day but then said I had beautiful eyes haha! She's really awesome!

Eating pollos a la brasa with my pension and the missionaries

Soccer and BoM does a body good

Monday, January 12, 2015

January 12, 2015

This week was good and just plain horrible. haha but really that is what comes with the mission and I am very thankful for the horrible things... sometimes. But wow this week was my first baptism and it was so cool to see someone we have been teaching be baptized. Brisa was baptized last monday by her uncle. haha It was really scary cause they were taking a while to arrive to the church but they ended up coming. It was really crazy cause her dad is catholic and all of them came in these red and pink dresses. I guess when catholics get baptized they wear those. But really it was so amazing cause every time we taught brisa she seemed like she didnt have a testimony. She is 9 years old and it was super hard to teach her because she wouldnt pay attention and just it was horrible and took a lot of patience. When she was baptized and she stood up and bore her testimony woooooww. The spirit was so strong and I could tell that the spirit was with her. It was super great and I think her testimony made her dad a little interested to listen to our message. Everybodys testimony can change any person. I encoarage all of you to share your testimony with a non member or just anyone cause that testimony can change many lives. Amazing and I cant wait to baptize more people. Well that was the good and the bad of this week was that Alicia wasnt baptized. The night of her interview with the district leader she told him that she wasnt ready and she wasnt prepared. That really hurt and really I never felt so sad before. Ok maybe I have felt more sadness in my life but I had a hard time accepting that she wasnt going to be baptized. She told us that she was going to get baptized but she needed to know more. Which is kind of hard when we have taught her everything but that is just part of this mission. Her new baptismal date is on the 7th of febrero. Which I probably wont be there to see her get baptized cause most likely I will be transfered. That is ok cause I can say when she gets baptized that I taught her and I will be very happy for her. But woow this week has been up and down. But mostly good. It is really good to learn from my mistakes and things that just happen in the mission. I have been having a blast and really I love spanish and teaching people. I wish I could talk better but I am having so much fun learning. I hope you all remember that this is the plan of god and we are here for a purpose. It is glorious and I cant wait to live with all of you and my saviour and my god in heaven forever. It will be great and I cant wait for that day. Everytime we listen to Glorious or We can be together forever someday it just makes me so happy cause this life is only a step. I cant wait for the Celistial Kingdom and cant wait for the days of happiness. So many things are great right now and my testimony is growing every day.
Yeah but I love you all and love all the prayers and letters
les quiero
Chow Elder Nieman

Baptism Day for Brisa. It was so amazing.

Filling up the drinks with Brisa's little sister. haha!

Monday, January 5, 2015

January 5, 2015

Yeah well it is 2015 and it is really weird to say. There isnt a doubt in my mind that this year will be amazing but also the toughest year out of my whole life. When it turned to year 2015 I kind of freaked out. haha Cause that is what I do all the time. I freaked out because that just reminds me I have a bunch of time left. But really is that a problem? I am here serving the lord and helping others and sharing the gospel with others. Why is it so hard. Well I havent really made any true new year goals but this year I have made some goals that I think are going to help me and also just change my work in different kinds of ways. The hardest part of the mission so far is being away from my family and friends. But now I am starting to realize that some of the hardest parts of the mission is seeing people have problems and not seeing your investigators progress. I learned a very strong lesson this week and I will never make this mistake again. I have this inactive man and his family and they have been doing so great on coming to church and just being obedient. Well when I felt like they were ready to go on their own and to not visit them as much that is where the problem came in. I am not going to go into details because of the respect of the family but after that I just felt horrible. I promised myself that this year I was going to try my hardest to become the missionary every one wants me to be. I will never forget about anyone or never stop teaching the gospel. I know through this gospel I can help others feel love, faith, and the truth of this gospel. I know I can get that family back on track and I am going to try my hardest to do so. Always learning in the mission.

Well sorry for the sad and depressing story but I needed to let you guys know because I think this is a turning point in my mission and it will help me throughout my mission. Well anyways for the happy and stuff that brings smiles to peoples faces. We have two baptisms this week and one of them is today. Today we have Brisa. She is 9 years old and her uncle is baptizing her. It is going to be so great to see her fulfill a step in the plan of salvacion. Also Alysia is getting baptized on saturday. I believe I will be the one baptizing her and I am super pumped. It is so awesome to see people progress and that is where I find the greatest happiness in the mission. Well that is all I think that happend this week so I will talk to you guys next week.

Love you all forever

Elder Nieman
Ps You know how they light up so many fireworks on Christmas and I said to you guys that there were so many and it was crazy. Well New years there was so much more and really I thought I was going to die. So many FIREWORKS. But yeah that was really cool to watch.

This is Ti Tako. He is a Peruvian old man that speaks Quacha. The other language in Peru. I am learning some words and he says that a lot of missionaries learn the language on their missions and I want to be one of those.