#70

Hello family! Great to hear from you all again! It honestly seems like I was doing this same thing a day ago! But, really it was a week ago! Where does the time go? I seriously cannot believe how fast it goes!

Well, this week has been another normal week! Or, in other words, a busy one! It seems like we always have work to do, and it reminds me of how the lord is hastening his work.

The mission work in our sector is going great! It is hard because the sector is a little dangerous and we have to avoid a lot of parts, but the people are great! We are teaching a few families now, and they are on the verge of progressing. The people here take a little more time to accept the gospel then what I am used to, but I am really excited for what is to come. My companion and I have been talking, and we know in about a month we are going to have a lot of success, and we are both ready for our hard work to pay off! It always takes about a month or two or three to fix up sectors that were beaten up by other missionaries. but, we know the time will come when we got the sector up and running again! I absolutely love my companion! He is such a cool guy! We get along really well, and we hope we can stick together for a few changes! 

Well, something interesting that happened this week was that I broke a bus door...The buses here in riobamba go from one side of the city to the other, and so they are always jammed packed. We were going to visit a companionship of elders one day, and so I was using my hand to stabalize myself in the bus (we were standing up) When the bus stopped to drop a few people off, my thumb got caught in the part of the door that opens, and so it started to pinch my thumb. It hurt, and so with my other hand i punched the door hard to get it to stop opening, and it broke the hydralic part that opens the door. I suppose it was a little weak to begin with, and when i punched it, it gave up the ghost! I felt kind of bad for breaking it, but, I still have my thumb intact! It was numb for a few days, but all was well! It was funny watching people having to squeeze through the one half of the door that wasnt broken to get in and out, and we headed off the bus before I had to pay for the door.

We had a way fun pday today! We went as a zone to visit Chimborazo! That mountain I told you about last week? We rented a bus and a tour guide and made our way up to the halfway point of the mountain. When we got out of the bus, we could sure feel the cold! I bet it was about 20 degrees. Colder then I have felt in a really long time! There was snow on the ground, and we had some pretty fun snowfights! But, we were so high up in the air, that we could run for about 30 seconds and then we would be dead tired! It was crazy to feel the altitude! It was also great to feel some snow once again! We climbed a ways up the mountain for thirty minutes with the guide, and we were all super tired! About every five minutes we had to take breaks because there was just no air! It is funny to feel the difference of being home, and being here! We are definitely pretty high up! We saw quite a few llamas, and also a fox! It was a great P-day and a great way to relax for the day. It was also great because I contracted the guide and bus, which costed about $110. Ït was a great experiance being able to make plans and work with the bus business and the tour guide to get everything set up. I learned a lot! I would send pictures of the activity, but the internet cyber we are in now is really trashy, and so I am sure there are tons of viruses, and I dont want to ruin my memory card, so I will send them this Friday! 

Well family, that has been my week! All is well, I am super happy, working hard, and trying not to count down the time. I hit the seven-months-left mark soon. Wow. Time is flying, and I am loving every minute of it! I am growing and learning so much. The Lord is shaping me into what I need to be. It is such a blessing to place my life in his hands for two years. I love the Lord, and I love his work! 

I am always praying for you all, and hope you have an excellent week! Be safe! 

Love,

Elder Nielson