June 27, 2016

Well this week was absoulutly wonderful and I just love how the ward is improving little by little. I feel really good in this area and I feel like we are helping so many people. Well this week we were able to rescue two less actives and it was super great because they just seem like a couple super strong in the church. Their names are Ricardo and Angela. They are super awesome and they have been through so much in these last couple of weeks. They have so many plans and I just love that they are willing to do what ever it takes to have an eternal family. I love teaching them too because they have a lot of crazy questions. But wow I have realized that I have really grown in this time knowing the scriptures. I love the scriptures and there are so many blessings that i can get from them. I love them but wow Ricardo and Angela are really pumped to prepare to be sealed in the temple. I am pretty sure they could get sealed in these next months. But wow it just makes me so happy to see happiness in others. It motivates me to be better and to accomplish the things that I need to do. Well that was something really great that happend this week. Also wow when these members know that a missionary is ending his mission, they sure know how to rub it in. hahahhaha It is so funny sometimes because they just love to joke around and have fun. haha but we were in a family home evening last night and we started to teach and I dont know why but I just wanted to share my testimony in that moment. So I said it and everyone was like ohh Elder Nieman you havent finished yet. hahahahaha it was funny but I just love the work and we are finding new people to teach and we are going to be working super hard in these next weeks. Wow I have got to go hard in these last couple weeks. I can see so many things happening in these next couple weeks. I am just going to try my hardest and work my butt off. Ohhh and it is my companions birthday today and we are going to eat a lot of cake. haha also something happend this week that is going to change my life in these next couple weeks the heater to the shower broke and now I dont have hot water. noooooooooooooooo hahaha it kind of hurts to shower, haha but it is super cold here in Lima. The humidity is super crazy and I am freezing here. brrrrrrr. ha I always put on my poncho when we study in the morning and hey that thing is really warm. That was a great purchase. hahaha but wow that is all that happend this week and wow I am so happy for Joni and Hayden with their new baby boy. Now you just got to name your baby Joshua because that is one of the best names. Or you could name him Robert or Bob. Either one is good with me. haha but wow I am excited to see you guys soon but wow I still have a bunch of time left but I love you all and I will talk to you guys next week.
Elder Nieman

June 20, 2016

Well just to start off, I am staying in Los Sauces and this is going to be my last area. Elder Martin is so ready to kill me. hahaha but it is going to be the best and this transfer we are looking to improve a lot of things in the ward and to help this people come to Christ. It is so amazing how every transfer has been inspired by God and I just feel really grateful to stay in this area. We are going to explode. Wooooo There are some problems but I just love the challenge. It makes me improve so much in so many things and I am just pumped to finish my mission here. Super crazy. Wow but everything is pretty swell and I had a training this week. The training was helping us be more auto sufficient or self reliant. hahaha but it was really weird because we had to start to plan for a job, our studies and how we are going to find our wife. hahahaha ooooohhhh it was so weird. I am still in the mission but it made me think a lot in many things but I just loved it because the guy that taught the class was super cool. When he was talking he reminded me of Elder Bednar. He was just really humble and sincere. He really helped us out and answered so many questions. But that training was like all day and it was so much fun and gave me a good thought of how things are going to be when I get home. haha Super crazy but that is something that happend this week that has been on my mind. haha but it was great to see all my district there from the MTC. I took a picture and I just started to look at that picture and the other picture in the MTC. and wow we have changed a bunch. haha I have no idea how but it was fun to see the difference. Well we talked a bunch about our missions and it was so cool to tell stories of what has happend in the two years because some of them I havent talked to in my whole mission but was great to talk a bit. In the training there was a quote that I really liked and it goes something like this, When we put God first, all things fall into place and also fall out of place. or something like that. haha It made me think a lot that it is so easy to trust in God but sometimes we think too much in the things of this world. Sometimes when we put that trust in God all the good things fall into place and also the bad habits and bad things fall out of our lives. I think that is something that is going to help me out so much when I get back because there is going to be so many things that are going to happen and most likely is that I will have so many challenges. I just have to remember that I have to put my trust in God and everything will be ok. Really I cant wait for that to happen and I just love the principal of faith. It is something that is going to change my life forever and I am going to see so many blessings in my life. Well this letter is all about home but I dont want you guys to think that I am not focused but that was something big that happend this week. Also this week happy birthday mama, I am sorry I didnt say that last week but happy birthday and hope it was a good one. haha also happy fathers day dad. Gosh I am just really lacking lately hahaha. but I love you both and you guys are the best parents ever. Well that is all that happend for this week and I hope the next goes great. Well I know it will go good. Also Joni, It is a boy. I know,,, I prayed. haha
Love you all
Elder Nieman

My MTC district

June 13, 2016

Well this week was amazing and just to start off by saying that I know that we have a prophet and 12 apostels today. It was so cool to talk with Elder Rasband. haha I even got to go shake his hand. After I shook his hand I felt power. hahahahah no but it was super awesome and we talked for so long and I got to know him a lot more. So I will tell you what happend when I went to shake his hand. So I start to stretch out my hand and I look Elder Rasband in the eyes and say hello, and then he said hello to me and that was our conversation. wooooo I talked with an apostel. But it was super great and he really is a witness of our saviour Jesus Christ. Throughout the whole thing he was just smiling and just talking with everyone. We talked a lot about our callings and how divine it was and then he started to talk about our converts. Really I have never realized how special this time is and never realized of all the people that I am meeting and converting. I love it because those relationships are going to last a lifetime and an eternity. He compared our converts to his missionaries that he had in his mission of New York. He sees so many missionaries that have been blessed by their missions and so many converts that are absoulutly living better and he sees that they have happiness in their lives. It made me think of the people that were baptized and I can see so many blessings that they have received from the gospel. Just barely today I got an email from Bryan and he is starting to preach the gospel and really it seems like he is super happy. He sent me some photos and it looks like he is enjoying it so much. I am so happy for him and I cant wait to see in the future where he is going to be. The mission is going to help him so much and I am just super happy right now. He talked a lot about the mission and just a lot about life. I absolutly loved it and I cant believe I have seen 2 apostels in the mission. I sure am lucky and I am very grateful for that. Also this week we had stake conference, we had two big things happen this week. But it was super great and I just love listening to the talks. I liked the talk by President Boswell because he talked a bunch about doing the same things that you did in the mission. His message was directed to the returned missionaries and also to the elders in the zone that were ending. hahaha It was super great and I sure am planning on doing the same things that I am doing here in the mission. I love the mission and I bet I am going to miss it so much. hahaha but I cant wait to come home and see the difference and to feel weird for a while. haha but it will be super great. Well that is all that happend in this past week but I love you all and I hope that your week is super great this week. Oh and just to let you guys know, I am working out super hard to get back my beach boy abs. hahahahaha I dont know why I said that but it was funny.
love you all
Elder Nieman

 All the missionaries in the Peru, Lima East Mission

Josh is on the far left, second row back :)

This is Bryan who Josh baptized in March of 2015

Bryan is now serving a full time mission.

June 6, 2016

Woooow the biggest thing that is going to happen this week is... Elder Rasband. wooooooo how crazy is that, I am going to see 2 apostels in my mission. It is going to be super crazy. He might burn us hahaha but I dont care because he is an apostel. Well I cant believe I have this oppurtunity to talk with my buddy Elder Rasband. I am sure that he is going to help us out so much and it is going to be an experience to remember. Wow there has been so much that has been going on this week but the biggest thing was that we went to the temple. But the sad part is that it probably was the last time going to the temple in the mission. I think it might be closed when you come mom and dad so I am not sure if we will be able to go. For sure we will have to stop by. But wow I dont know there are so many things that one can learn in the temple but the biggest thing for me was that every time I went, I learned something new. I love learning about the plan of god and there are so many things that we still dont know. But I just love learning and having hope every day. It just really helps you focus on the things that are most important. I love the temple so much and I have said that countless times. I feel very lucky because the temple is in our mission. We get to do so many things there but it is super crazy too because Lima is going to have 2 temples. I am just happy for this country that they have the oppurtunity to make more covenants with our heavenly father. It really makes me think a lot and I just love it. Also when we went to the temple I saw some of my buddies but I also realized that I dont know anyone in the mission. hahaha Everybody is new and I have never seen them before. hahaha It is really weird but hey like dad said I wont have to worry about that in 8 weeks. hahahah oh dad I love you. hahaha but I love the mission and I just love doing family home evenings here. It gives me a chance to get to know investigators but also the members. I feel like little by little we are helping this ward have more unity. I really love everyone here and family home evenings are so fun. hahaa Oh wow but this week was good to talk with some new people. Sometimes it is just super funny because the people think that we arent Christians. hahaha We knocked a door and a small old lady came out and told us that she believed in Christ and she didnt want to hear anything because we dont believe in Christ. But I pull out a card that has a picture of Jesus and I just say well we believe in Christ too and we want to share a message with you about him. hahaha When I said that she just looks at me for like 2 minutes trying to decide if we believe in Christ or not. ha I have no idea what she was thinking because we had a picture of Christ and our plaques say Christ but I have no idea what she was thinking. Finally she says ohhh you guys believe in Christ. Very good. haha so we start talking more and we finally made an appointment. ohhh it was funny but it was super great. So many things happen here but I just love everything that happens. haha but that is all the happend for this week and really I am going to finish so hard. I love the gospel and I love you all. Talk to you guys next week.

Elder Nieman

 The Zone at the temple

I made OJ and Papaya Juice. It was so gross!