Hey family!

Man those were some fun letters to get this week and hear how good things are goin’ back at the ranch. I'm glad to see that you made it home mom and dad and that you were able to have a good time and have that relationship. That's one big thing I've learned on a mission- that talkin’ time is so important. Even if there's nothin’ bad goin’ on, we have the companionship inventory. Definitely gonna be doing some of that with my wife someday. Haha that was such a sweet pic though with Charley in the back of the truck...and with Mister Tan sitting in the front seat. Lookin good there dad. And that is sweet to hear about the big Lone Peak Knights taking care of business. That's pretty cool that they got all that national publicity stuff goin’ on, I actually heard a guy talkin’ about them on the streets of Samara here. Just kidding. But that is cool, and even better to hear about the mission commitment that they have. I hope that stays that way. But a super big bummer to hear about Coach McGeary, I wouldn't believe any that for sure.  I'm glad you were able to see him though. He's a good guy, pass along to him that I support him and sure respect him for everything he did for me. And also good to hear about the ward doin’ well back at home and the good leaders and people that we have to associate with. We are very blessed with that, I agree with you dad. Anyways, sounds like you’re all getting’ along well and be sure to put your hand over your heart in my honor as you fill out March madness brackets.

Things around these parts have been goin’ super good and it has been a super fun week this week. We had our zone leader council and also brought in all the district leaders for a day to have a similar meeting that we do every other month. It is actually a really good thing. We had a really sweet meeting and then the next day had our meeting with the zone leaders. It all went really well, but my favorite part is that at the end, we get to interview with President Sartori. Man, I am so darn blessed with my mission president. I sure hope you get a chance to meet him in July when they come home, but he is definitely a huge blessing in my life. I have never known how important it is to just love people genuinely the way that he does and when that is combined with the spirit, you got a pretty powerful instrument for the Lord. Anyways, he is such an example of that and how when we combine that pure love with true principles, we can solve any problem in any person and respect their free agency. Of course, this is a lot easier said than done, but that is just something that I have been learning from interacting with him. I sure love him. Also, quick update I can't remember if I said it in the last e mail, but we now know that our new mission president will be President Schwabb from Farmington. Anyways, you should try to get a hold of him. :) We are super excited about that.

We had some sweet stuff this week, mostly with our bro Ryslan that we are working with. Man, the best way to explain him is a bro. He's probably the nicest kid I've met- he works at this shoe store and kinda manages the store (he's only 19) and showed up to a meeting on Tuesday with a pair of shoes for both me and Elder Taylor! He's so rad, I don't really know where he came from. He basically lives on his own- his dad is in prison for life and his mom got remarried and the guy was a jerk, and Ryslan didn't really like that so his mom kicked him outta the house. Pretty crazy stuff. I think a lot of people would be a little sour after that. Anyways, he came with us to an activity on Saturday and then we went and met with him after so we got to chill with him basically all day which was so cool. But, we taught him a little about faith and how it helps us and gave him the commit to pray. We came back on Sunday to him at his store and he explained that he prayed and explained to Heavenly Father that "Taylor and Nielson (nobody calls us "Elder") asked me to pray, so I did" and this and that and ended up praying for like 20 minutes. We were so pumped on that! Man he's so cool, he just said he really didn't feel anything, but I am sure he will have some good things happen because of it. He's so cool, we love that kid and he loves us, so we can get him to do anything- so, we are definitely trying to help him the best way that we can. We have also been working still with this Anna lady who is a way cool gal. We finally got meeting with her last night and were able to teach her the same principle of faith. I think she is kinda finally starting to get it. It is pretty cool to see that somebody that thinks it doesn't matter realize that it does matter. I think we all go through that at one point or another. Anyways, keep those two in prayers, they are some good people and we are so happy to be working with them. They will definitely be getting’ baptized.

Well, I believe that is about it for things that have been going on around here. A lot of good things and a lot of reasons to be very happy in my mission. I am sure grateful that I can do this, I am grateful for the changes that have and will take place in my life because of my mission and the gospel of Jesus Christ. What's cool is that this is something that can be taken home with me and have for the rest of my life. Anyways, sure love you all and hope you have a good week!

Love,

Elder Nielson

Hello Family!

Well I can't believe we are already back to Monday, I just keep on pulling the pages off of my doggy calendar. Thanks for that dad, everybody loves the pictures. Those were a ton of super fun emails to get this week, I guess we all feel the same that pictures are so darn fun to get and to just see what's goin on. We stay pretty busy around here, so it doesn't bother me too much if you’re worried about that dad. I'll let you know if it does. It looks like you had some sweet snow there, your beating us out here it looks like! It's been a rather "boring" winter here it sounds like, there have been some super cold days, but all the Russians just freak out whenever we say that it's not too bad and say that it's always colder and this and that. It's so funny. Or we just act like we're freezing and they get all serious and say "oh son, you haven't seen anything yet." Anyways, just a funny little snapshot of our funny Russian friends. That was a hilarious picture of charley, she was a blur flying across the snow. It cracked me up. And mom and dad you got some sick style in those goggles, that is some good lookin’ clear air and mountains behind you. That was a sweet picture. And it looks like grandma and grandpa are doin’ well also, hi grandma and grandpa!

Around these parts, it's been quite the past week. I think I have succumbed to the fact that most every day Elder Taylor and look at eachother and say "that was the craziest day of my life." It is always a good time. We spent a lot of time getting things together for the transfer that is going on right now and making sure things are where they should be. We just had a group of 8 missionaries take off this morning and I gotta say, that was one of the weirdest feelings I've had. Since they had a larger group, they came back and stayed at our apartment rather than down at the mission home and so we got to see the whole movement of missionaries leaving. It was super weird, my companion and I have been too busy to talk about it, but man it brought a lot of reality to the mission, that is the fact that it ends. This is the first time that I have known any missionaries well that have gone home and man, it was a lil’ tough. Of course, one of them was my last companion Elder Broekhuijsen which I forgot to get which ward he is from, so you will have to find him somehow and go see him when he speaks. That would be cool. There were a couple that I had a really good friendship with, I think that was something that I had no idea about was the friendships and times that you have not only with Russian people, but companions and other missionaries in the mission. It was kinda like all my high school football buddies at the end of a season, but even a little bit different- anyways it was a weird weekend.

As I said, the whole dismissing these missionaries really brought a reality to my mission and I guess made me very grateful for my mission. I was able to take a second and just look back on all the different people I have been able to associate with and also just the different situations I have been able to be in that pretty much only me and my companion understand that have made my mission what it is. A lot of these things I am trying to explain, but I don't really know how to. I guess anybody that has been on a mission can relate to those kinds of feelings. I have loved my mission. Amidst all of this, each of these missionaries that came into our place have companions, so we had about 16 missionaries sleeping at our apartment the other night and going to church with us which made for some good coordinating and running around to get mattresses and different things to accommodate that. Good times on the mission.

We also had quite the experience this week, as I have said on Tuesday we had our meeting with president. In the middle of the meeting, he had an interview with a member that needed some help from the church and this and that but hadn't gotten it so got super offended and is now not active. He has a good testimony and things, but was just being a little immature. Anyways, president had both me and Elder Taylor sit in to translate and it was super interesting to watch how he handled a situation that I probably would have just said, "listen man, you gotta get over yourself and get a job." But rather, he handled the situation so lovingly but in a way that laid down the law to make this man do something. His aim was clearly not to simply help the guy or to make him work like we want, but rather have him grow in faith to the point that he can accomplish those things. Anyways, it was one of my favorite moments to learn from on my mission. As President Sartori always says, "teach true principles and let them govern themselves." I hope to keep that for the rest of my life. Well, we will probably just keep on truckin’ this week and it will be a good one! Hope you all have a good week, sure love you all and I'll be looking forward to hearing from you!

Love,

Elder Nielson

Pay Day

Hey family!

Woo that was a super fun round of e-mails and pictures coming through, there is never too much to have a little fun to see what's goin’ on and things. It sounds like you all are doin’ pretty well and hopefully I will try to answer questions and things from those...that's my favorite way to do it. So thanks for all the fun notes. Sounds like your doin’ well there lil’ Tanner with all the ballin’ going on and everything, Way to do it. Those are fun to get all your updates about the games and things. And what's the deal with big Lone Peak bein’ number one in the nation? Kinda cool...I know this much that their fan club is just tryin’ to get back to the glory days! haha Thanks for sending that picture dad. And well would you look at that...my sister is all growin’ up and things. Lookin good there, and it looks like you and Kristen decided to go to the dance together instead of you and Tieler. Pretty funny, but way to go hope you had a fun time. And way to be workin’ the algebra, all the babes know algebra really good. And thanks Emily for the letter, that sounds like good times with everything goin’ on and sounds like your doin’ well, especially riding in the elevator with Jerry. Tell him I say hi. And thanks momma for the update top ten style letter. I am liking the theme that is going on around here with the top ten's. All the pictures were super fun that you sent and it looks like dad and Tanner are doin’ well on that rocket there. Well done on the practice performance there lil’ Tanner, get those 10 in baby!

And as far as Ryslan goes, he is about 40 but a pretty spunky guy so he seems about 30 to us. Pretty fun. and I'm not gonna lie, every now and then some kinda comment comes out that has to do with Lake Powell when we have our meetings with president. Whenever we meet with him we first have an office meeting with the office staff that we translate for and then meet for a bit with president and head up to their apartment for some lunch. That's a little on the down low, but it's pretty fun to have a second to talk about stuff with him, and every now and then a little Lake Powell sneaks in. I think they do still have a share on a houseboat, so Elder Taylor and I have a plan to call him up one day in a few years and have everything packed up for him to just come hop in the car and head down to the lake with us. Those conversations are only on p day....

And by the way, that is fun news to hear about running into Coach McGeary, he's such a good guy. I'll be sure to get that done at some point here and send that to ya. and also that is a classic picture with Andrew and I- who would’ve thought those two jokers are on missions now? How's he doing by the way? That was fun, we got a good family.

As far as things go here, it is all super good. We were able to meet with our two new converts this week and they are just doing well. That is super good because it just seems like we are holding this fragile piece of glass and if we do something wrong we'll break it. Maybe that's just a lack of faith, but we really want the fruits to stay that's for sure. We had a good meeting with president and we're getting everything set up for the transfer which will be fun to do and also starting to look at stuff up until he leaves. He's still got some time, they'll be here till July 1st like always, but once that new mission president comes it's gonna be a party that's for sure. Talk about some shock for him and his wife. Anyways, its kinda fun to look ahead at everything. We then had our other zone leaders come in from Tol'yatti for exchanges this week which was way fun. We are kinda in rebuilding process to get some new people to work with, so we had a bunch of knocking and contacting involved. The cold has kinda come back and so it makes for a good time to do the "dirty" work of contacting and finding people. Our second day was a super good day in my mission...I got to work with Elder Glavatski- I've probably talked about him before- he's from Ukraine and just the happiest guy. He is pretty humble and it is always fun to be around him. But we had a really cool evening that proved to me how much it really is Heavenly Father in charge of the work. For the most part, (which I would assume this is standard for everywhere in the world) knocking goes like this: we get a stairwell with about 40 apartments in it, and usually you can expect to get a couple return appointments outta that or at least somebody to take a Book of Mormon. However, it just seemed a little different with Elder Glavatski that he just had this kinda humble faith in him and we were blessed with one of the first apartments we knocked on to open up and talk to us. It seemed from there, we just kinda had this big ball of faith that kept growing with each floor. We'd go down the stairs to the next floor and pray each time and then there was always somebody on each floor that opened the door and talked to us and took a book and wanted a return appointment. I learned a lot that evening from Elder Glavatski, I really want to develop that kind of faith and humility. And it showed me a lot about how when we have real faith and act, we see results. Then our faith gets bigger. Then our results happen more frequently, which grows our faith, and soon we just have this ball of faith that makes us instruments to do anything the Lord may ask of us. I want to bring that home- meaning I do my home teaching because I have faith it'll help. I read my scriptures and I see a blessing, and that faith grows, etc. As this cycle continues, the process of sanctification and everything grows. It is really cool the things you learn on a mission, and especially from all the cool missionaries we have in our mission, there are a lot of good buddies here. Heavenly Father has definitely taught me a lot and I still got a lot to learn. The rest of the week, we actually did a lot of knocking and contacting which is kinda the first time that we've had time to do that, so it was actually a really good time. We have a ton of people now to work with and so we are way excited for this upcoming week to get meeting with all of them. Good times.

Well, besides that as always, we're just up for another good week on the mission. We have had many good things and I really am very blessed to be serving and to have all your support. Hope you all have a good week and we'll see ya’ next week!

Love,

Elder Nielson

Stocks are through the roof!!

Hey there everybody!

Well it's been just another good week this week. First things first... we baptized somebody!  We baptized Ryslan and Tatyana!  Oh man that was a pretty cool experience, Iwas able to perform the baptism for Ryslan and it was all good.  We hope he stays just as solid and keeps everything in order, he's got a couple funny ideas in the head, but is very solid in the doctrine and has read just about everything.  Elder Broekhuijsen was able to Baptize tatyana because he served here forever and so she loves him.  It was a good evening...so there you go.  Good times.

As far as other things go, I am glad that the last weeks e mail was appreciated, and the little references for making the top 10 list with that, those remarks were very much appreciated.  I guess I gotta write 9 more of those to make it a legit list of 10.  Anyways, it sounds like everybody is just having their own good time back at the ranch.  Crazy to think how much time has passed by since we even just talked on skype and just everything that is going on.  Even the lone peak knights are moving on with out me.  Haha I was also able to get a letter this week from Kim Jensen and had a ton of fun looking at those pictures.  Good heck, I think Preston could eat me if he wanted....gosh I was laughin so hard at those pictures.  Preston's side of the truck is about rubbin the ground and Tanner's havin to hang on so that he didn't get thrown into the air!  Haha and cal looks really pumped to be on the railroad tracks.  Haha I love it.   I hope tanner is havin a good time, it sounds like he is getting a run for his money down there in Brazil.  That's way awesome to hear about him.  Also got a fun letter from Aunt Tana, thank you!  Anyways, just a few fun random things...as far as weather goes its strangly warm, it snowed a bunch and then yesterday the snow turned into rain.  So that was really fun to trudge around in, but it sounds like tomorrow we'll wake up to some chillier stuff.  Just a lil update.  Just another random thing, that perhaps was my last visa trip of that type because they have come out with three year visa's.  However, there is a migration card that we have in the visa that has to get renewed every 6 months and so we might just have a quick jaunt outta the country that doesn't require a second passport every 6 months.  But there are a whole bunch of complications that are surfacing right now with that, so we will see.  Anyways, kinda interesting.  I will also keep a keen eye peeled for a package coming in, thanks for taking care of me!

Well, as far as other things that went on around here, there isn't a ton of craziness to report on besides the baptism.  We were able to do exchanges with the zone leaders here in Samara (both my old companions- Elders broekhuijsen and my trainer Elder Christensen) which was a good time as always.  Probably my favorite parts of mission work are the exchanges.  Anyways, I was able to go with Elder Christensen on a lesson to good ol' Natasha and Masha in our old area and that was super fun.  They made geneology trees at school, and so Masha made "Chris Nilson" a geneology tree.  pretty cute.  That will definitely go in the "mission stuff" box when I'm back home.  We have been super blessed with a bunch of other lessons and things going through and a bunch of new investigators we have been finding.  It's funny, we are busy with different administrative stuff and things that just interfere with doing normal missionary work (transfer schedules, visa trips, any other problems, etc.) but it's been the most amount of lessons that actually go through, and even as I said, my first baptism.  Pretty cool how Heavenly Father helps us out, and it goes to show that it definitely isn't us who makes it happen, it's Heavenly Father.  Good Stuff.  The baptism was a very gratifying experience, at the end we were able to have a few minutes for testimonies and both Tatyana and Ryslan just said how grateful they were for the missionaries and for the chance to be in the church and things. it is good to see how the gospel can take root and help to change and bless any person's life, regardless of the circumstances.  We are pretty blessed to have had that for our entire lives to impact us in all aspect of life.  Pretty humbling.

Other than that, I am drawing a blank on other things that we had happen this week, but it was a good one.  We are super blessed with such a great mission president and Elder Taylor and I have such a good opportunity to work with him.  Like I said, we have that office meeting once a week and then we meet just us two and president to discuss different things.  This week, we were finalizing this next transfer and he just took a minute to pour out some wisdom on us at the end.  He is a very inspired man, he is definitely one of my role models.  It will be a different place when they go home in July.  We are in good hands here.

Well I think that does it for my rambling on of random thoughts this week.  Hope you all have a good week and that you are able to keep the spirit in everything you do.  Sure love you, see ya next week!

love,

Elder Nielson

Good morning to you all back at home!

Man those were a lot of fun letters I was able to get from all of you this week, sorry I wasn't able to get too many replies back, but I will definitely take care of those the next couple weeks. But just so you know I really appreciate those. Also, just so you know, I got the nice Christmas cards and envelope. Thanks so much! Those were some sick cards and good to hear from Megan. It sounds like your all doin’ well, just keep on keepin on! And thanks for the pictures, it gave me a good guilt trip to get some sent to you. :) So here you go. This is in front of some cool graffiti we found last night, so I couldn't resist. We also got me and Elder Taylor and Broekhuijsen and Langston, they are my buddies out here. And then we got us chillin’ on Christmas morning! And last we had to take a picture of our streets here in Samara! Right behind that is a big walking street and we live on the right and the office is down the hill to the left. Anyways just thought you might want an idea. Enjoy!

As far as things go here, it is just all good. We had a fun visa trip week with keepin’ track of groups coming in and out and then flyin’ out myself. There really isn't too much with that, we had some good time in the airport, just kinda chillin’ and goin’ to the next flight. We can't go to the temple anymore, the winter flights just don't line up right and plus some missionaries were dumb in Kiev and so the Area Presidency said no to the temple for now. But it's all good, it's pretty much getting up at two in the morning and then there are 4 flights to Moscow, Kiev, and then back at about midnight. It's a good time.

As far as other things go, we are just workin’ round here. We are actually going to get there with Ryslan and he is just a miracle man that's for sure. They had him stand in priesthood and say why he was getting baptized and he stood and just said, "well I have found answers here that I couldn't find anywhere else. In the name of Jesus Christ amen." It was a pretty cool thing. I'm super excited for him. Tatyana, we will see what goes down with her. She loves the missionaries that served here with her and we are honestly just trying to just push for her to be baptized in a regular font when we have Ryslan's service. Pretty lame details, but there will be a better report next week on that!

We had an interesting experience this past week with an investigator, her name is Anya. We actually met with her in McDonalds (there is one in the center of the city here and it is probably the nicest thing in the city). That is the place that just all the young people just flood and love to just hang there. It wasn't my favorite atmosphere, but we met with her and she just started rattling off all these problems she had because of...well sin. She just kept talking circles around herself and just didn't want anything that the Gospel had to offer and then would just start talking again about how she could make herself feel better. Anyways, in the end she wouldn't take a Book of Mormon and just wouldn't hear anything from us, just wanted to come up with some solution on her own. It was a really weird feeling walking out of there, my testimony was very strengthened by the effects that I could see the gospel has had in life and how perfect of an example that was of somebody that doesn't keep the commandments. We are just sad when we don't. She was a young, smiley girl, but was really so sad and wouldn't take what would really cure her problems. And the whole place was just full of that kind of those people, we were able to talk to one of them. Everybody trying to find happiness in some kind of healing by spending whatever little rubles they have at pleasure island. I was brought back to many times that perhaps I wasn't deeply sinning, but how immersed in that kind of nonsense in life. It was almost a joke how sad of a scene that was going on. We were a couple of flys on the wall of the great and spacious building. I am so grateful for the perspective the Gospel gives to us because I think of how much I have been saved from that down spiraling path to nowhere. I hope that we can all recognize that because as we read in the Book of Mormon, there really is no other way. I really want our family to remember that and it sounds like you are doing a good job of that. Anyways, just one of those good mission experiences.

Well besides that, I would like to close out with dad's questions! I think those were really fun, and a good way to end up on a higher note!

1) What "fun" stuff do you do on P-Day? Do you ever play any ball? Do you get to see much of the Russian sites?

P day is a little more different than I thought we usually have spent the rest of my mission searching for somewhere to write home, then the last hour or so to chill or cook up something in mass size. It saves the rest of the week. People here in Russia just aren't ballers, so that has been a dark part of my heart. As far as sites go, there isn't too much at least in Samara. We have the scenic area, so as we go we see some cool stuff.

2) What do you do for personal study time? Do you focus mainly on the Book of Mormon or something else? In English or Russian?

Personal Study is pretty much Book of Mormon and PMG. I have been reading through the Book of Mormon in Russian, and sometimes get switched up depending on what lessons we have and things. It's a good time, I'm in Mosiah right now. :)

3) Do you do "service" as missionaries? Like are there many opportunities to do community or personal or church service projects?

We don't have a ton of opportunities in the community to do service. The Russian community doesn't quite have the organization, so any service we do is random helping a member with this or that. I haven't been able to do any for a while....

4) Besides your family, of course, who else faithfully writes you?

Writing other people hasn't exactly been a forte of mine. I've gotten a few letters from friends, but we are only able to write on p day and I honestly just haven't had time to write much. So, it's a two lane road. I've gotten a couple from Tanner J, Brayden, Megan, Natalie, and lil’ Jess. I haven't helped myself out with that too much and time goes so fast, I honestly forget about that.

5) How are your clothes, shoes, supplies holding up?

All my stuff is holding up really well. I have a real good coat and bear hat and other jacket. My other clothes are doing well. Garments are going to need some looking over by the end. If you sent another package, another set of black suit pants wouldn't be the worst thing ever.

6) You don't say much about getting down or frustrated. Yet in the MTC, it seems like you mentioned you experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Do you ever get down or frustrated or discouraged?

To be honest, there is honestly some hard stuff, but I haven't had too hard a time for a while. My last cycle down in Saratov got a little tough because I started understanding what people were saying and I think the rejection gets a little old sometimes. And having the ability to reply back and understand doesn't help. I think everyone goes through that, but to be honest there hasn't been too much.

7) I get better looking each day. How is that working out for you?

That must be hereditary.

9) Are the Russians superstitious too? See how I skipped #8? In Spain, it seemed like none of the elevators went to floor 13 or something like that.

Yes they are outta control superstitious. That to them is their religion. They don't whistle, shake hands through the door way, drink cold beverages, eat "chemicals" (anything that's not natural) and just have a bunch of other funny things. It is a crack up.

10) Can I get rid of Charley yet? Ok, ok, just a joke.....taking good care of the crazy dog.

Thank you I appreciate it. I gotta have at least one girl when I get home.

Anyways, hope those are answered well, those were fun for me. Hope you all have a fun week! Love you all! Have fun at the dance Sarah!

Love

Elder Nielson

Hey there Family!

Can't believe we're already back to another week of writing home, it just goes faster each time.  If you were wondering, it is actually Christmas today here in Russia, for some reason the Orthodox Christmas is celebrated on January 7th, so Merry Christmas again.  Sorry mom, can't call home again. 

 Man it sounds like you have all had a cool week and have had the traditional Christmas skiing and chillin’.  Way to go, that sure sounds like a good time.   As for these parts, it's been quite the week that's for sure.  We kicked off the week with some crazy new year parties.  Ya baby!  Actually as I said we spent the rest of p day inside the apartment.  We scrubbed that place clean and she is lookin’ pretty good now.  We didn't get a chance to see any of the fireworks, but our neck of the woods was a little more quiet.  The next day was New Years, and so we got to have the day inside as well.  We actually got to break out of jail and came down here to the office for a meeting with President Sartori to start doin’ stuff as far as transfers go and other things.  So that was pretty fun that we got to get a little bit of fresh air to ride down here in a taxi and back.   It's interesting, our mission didn't seem like it was going to get too impacted by the whole age change because of members and registration and everything, but we are going to be going from about 50 a few months ago to 80 by May.  It's gonna be some fun planning that's for sure.  Bring it on.  Just some fun stuff for ya.  We got to come home and finish up all our cleaning projects at home and get a couple other things done.  Kinda a weird day that's for sure.  

Wednesday was pretty cool- so we have this miracle man (named Ryslan) that is probably actually going to work out!  I don't know if I told you the story, basically he called us my second day here and wanted to meet.  We have met a few times now and he's come to church for two weeks, he told us how a long time ago he got a Book of Mormon and then woke up the other day a few weeks ago and just wanted to read, walked over to his shelf, and read the Book of Mormon.  Anyways, he is pretty set that this is his thing and stuff, so we are totally game for that.  He is pretty rad.  He cracks me up to, we had a member on one of the lessons that was trying to give some kind of explanation about how it's so important to know all these details about God and things when praying, and Ryslan just turns back to him and says, "I don't care about that, the most important is that I can just pray to him and he hears it!"  It was so cool, I hope he stays strong and just solid.  

There is another lady here named Tatyana that has been meeting with missionaries forever and loves my old companion Elder Broekhuijsen (who is coming home on Feb 4, you'll have to find him, he lives just up the road) and decided she wants to get baptized on the 19 in the Volga and that Elder Broekhuijsen should baptize her.  Crazy.  But hey, we'll take it.  That'll be so sweet, he will have a nice wake up that day. Good times.  The rest of the week flew by, we had our zone leader council and actually had a special one where we invited all the sisters (we have 15 now) in for a day and to do some training because they are all super young on the mission.  That was some fun plans and riding in taxis to make sure everybody had mattress pads and everything for the sisters, but it turned out really well.   One of the cool things was that after the zone leader council, when we just had us and the zone leaders, president let us go around and bear our testimonies.  At the end, Elders Broekhuijsen and Langston (just a good buddy fellow missionary) got to bear testimony because this would be their last zone council meeting.  Man- I don't know if it's seeing someone at the end, but I was filled with so much appreciation for my mission being able to hear some veterans bear testimony.  It is cool to look back and see how much I have been blessed to come to know the Savior in my time here on a mission.  That is something that I think I never would have gotten at home, and I even tried to be a pretty good guy.  I have had to learn a lot of what it means to repent, and what it really means to be a holder of the priesthood.  I am so grateful that these things have been restored on the earth by a loving Heavenly Father.  I have thought a lot about how I would be without the gospel and without my mission.  I have grown to see how these two things mean everything to me, because it has been here on my mission that I have made the gospel a part of who I am, not just something every now and then.  It truly is the only way that we get happiness in this life, and what's even better is that I can at some point come home and live it.  That was a comment made on the council- I am excited to live the gospel for the rest of my life.  I love my mission.

Anyways, I hope you all have a good week.  We'll have a good time around here, got the ol' visa trips back around and so got the quick jaunt to Kiev on Friday.  I'll wave from the airplane.  Sure love you all. LoveElder Nielson

Hey there family!

Well it was good to hear from you once again, it feels like we never even got to talk!  But it sounds like you had a good Christmas and that you all were able to enjoy a good time and keep up the good skiin traditions and everything...you'll have to pass along a little hello to Troy for me.  It was was good to talk to all of you and see each of you, your all a lil different and things but your all the exact same.  I woulda thought that I was talkin to you from the sweet dorm room out in Virginia.  Crazy how fast time is flyin by.  I can't believe it.  And that 40 minutes was way too fast, but I agree with ya dad, it was good to have us all together. It sounds like things are goin well back at home. I appreciated your testimony about goin to church momma and it sounds like the ward back home is doin well.  You'll have to tell everybody hi.  That is cool that Janet and Brother Mcgill got my letter and I can't remember if I told you that we wrote Tyler a letter, but it turns out that Elder Broekhuijsen and I had a common friend, so we thought that would have been funny to send him.  And that is a sweet lookin structure with the temple being put together, that sounds like a fun thing to watch there at work dad.  Pretty cool stuff.  Let's just transport that on over to samara here! 

As far as the week goes, mine has got to be up there with probably the most crazy of my mission weeks.  we had a lot of way good things happen and just a lot goin on.  So after we talked on Tuesday, we had the next day on Wedensday getting all in for zone conference and for interviews.  That made for a good day of makin sure people were getting in on time and everything to make sure that all had time to interview with president.  He is such a good guy to take the time and interview with everybody.  We then had the big conference the next day here in samara!  it was a really good day and I learned a lot, besides the fact that the two dummies that had to order food (me and Elder Taylor) somehow undercounted and sent us sprinting out the door into the falling snow once lunch started to go find something for a couple of missionaries that we had missed.  Ya baby.  It then came time to get a couple of missionaries out the door, and so we had to step out and order them a taxi.  there is really sparatic traffic and things here especially with snow, and russian customer service doesn't exactly get five stars, so with that we went to get them a taxi and all taxi services and any friend taxi drivers we have here would say "no we're not taking orders" or "we don't have anybody going to that area".  So we got to spend the last couple of hours gettin that figured out, but hey people made their trains and it was a good conference.  Phew.  The next day we had a guy come meet us here in the office that had called up Elder Taylor and had been reading the Book of Mormon.  Turns out, he's read pretty much the whole book and was pretty down for everything.  He showed up to church yesterday and after the meeting we finished up the restoration and set a baptismal date with him!  Sweet!  Heavenly Father is lookin out for us.  But after that meeting on Friday we ran out and went to catch a train down to Saratov.  We made it and rolled on down to Saratov.  The trains are definitely going to be a good memory for a long time.  It was so darn fun to come rolling into Saratov as well, I haven't been back to a place I've served before and that was so fun.  I felt like I was comin back home.  We got in about midnight and then got up for round two of zone conference in Saratov.  This one went a lot smoother and required a lot less logistics.  and we were back in the ol Zavodskoy branch which made it even better.  After the conference, we did a lil clean up and then I got to call my old buddy Sergei!  He's doin good but his buddy Ivan, not so much.  It  turns out that just his last week the police from another city called up Sergei and wanted Ivan.  He had done some crime in that city and basically ran outta there and has been basically not being honest to anybody.  so, they came and picked him up from that member's house and took him to da clank.  That was a little bit of a bummer to hear.  But, it sounds like Sergei is doin well and actually progressing to baptism.  Elder Taylor and I actually had some time to run by and drop by that member's house- Sergei's "mom" Galina.  It was so good to see her and we just talked for a bit and prayed with her.  It was really cool I love that place so darn much.  We then ran outta there to catch our train back home to samara to get up and go to church and have a good day yesterday!  Ya baby.  So if you were wondering, that's what happened this week.

Well I sure love you all and again had such a good time seeing you all.  It definitely motivates me to be a little bit better seeing what we can give somebody else.  Have a good week and we will see you next week!

Love

Elder Nielson