Hello everybody from Paarl!
It has been awesome here so far i know the area very well now and im getting some pretty thick thighs. Elder White wants to be really fit when he goes home and we do everything together out here on mission so i guess im getting fit too, probably just more fit than i already was haha jk. This week we had a baptism and we have a couple more baptismal dates upcoming, its great to see some of our investigators really learning about the restored gospel and seeing for themselves how important it is. I guess of all the things i learned this week its that as missionaries we dont do what people think we do, we dont try and convince people what we say is true we just show them the way to find out for themselves which i really like. I mean we could just go around quoting scriptures and bashing people but that doesnt accomplish anything and it isnt christlike. There are a lot of (white) people here in Paarl who are very prideful and it is really interesting to see their ignorance, maybe they dont see that we are messengers of Jesus Christ and that when they reject or refute the words we say they reject Christ. Im sure a they dont look at it that way but as missionaries of his church that is exactly whats happening, almost everyone goes to church here but their ignorance stands in the way of further knowledge of the true gospel. Anyways thats missionary life, and that is the constant message i am learning out here.
Sounds like everyone is doing great! a lot of things are changing back home and that is good to hear nothing new i guess, i think dad told me that since moving across the country Ariel and I have a lot more experience and ability to adapt to a new situation. I find truth in that because when i got here in Paarl Elder White and myself didnt have a place to stay, we didnt have transportation, and we didnt get those things for a couple days. Once we had a place to stay, we didnt have electricity, dirty water, and it was very dirty and grimy from the previous owners. Once we got our bikes we figured out they were junk and walking was faster anyways. Looking back on that i dont think i complained at all and just took everything one step at a time, i dont think any other missionaries in my transfer would have been able to handle that kind of stress that situation might bring. This week will be the first full week that Elder White and I will be fully functional our bikes are fixed, our flat is clean, we have clean water, we have electricty! It feels like im living large now that we have all those things because a lot of people especially in Chicago dont have them. Its neat to see how those people can be happier than those who have them.
Mom, sorry you had a tough time packing up my room, maybe unpacking them into your new home will be easier. Ok so in my old blue scripture tote i have something that is of great value and would like to have it. My Aaronic Priesthood line is in there i would hate to lose that through the move, also if you could ask Bishop Tanner for a possible Melchezedik Priesthood line that would be awesome. wow you are moving pretty soon it might be a while for you to get my next letter because ill probably just wait until you are in your new residence. I have not yet recieved that package but i expect it to be here this next week, im pretty excited to have another pair of shoes whew these ones are getting stanky haha. The food here is pretty good, South Africans love meat and so do WE (Elder White and I) they also eat a lot of rice, sweet potatoes with cinnamon and various veggies. I have only eaten one thing i didnt like which was beet root.. and my companion dished me up a lot but i got him back by licking his fork at the next dinner appointment haha. I love missionary life it is so much fun especially when you do the right things and work hard, the lord blesses us a lot and in various ways. I feel for E. White because he has to go home at the end of this transfer.
I know everything will go great with the move and you will enjoy your new ward and thats the easy part of moving anyways wards are like extended families. Know that I love you and know that you dont need to worry about me im doing fine and nobody dares to mess with white boys on bikes here in SA. Dad, wow you seem really busy with Reliantz that awesome! I cant believe how quickly you were able to do get it up and running. Thats too bad the vandals lost again. i hope that when i get back they are really good that be cool. keep me updated on how the sid gig works out or if you are leaning more towards staying with the reliantz gig. You seem to have put yourself in a good position for success thats really good to hear. i know that you and mom will be just fine back in Boise, i feel like life has gone full circle all around the US and back to Idaho haha. To me it honestly doesnt matter where i come home to just as long as all my family is there. we always said that Seattle was diverse but South Africa is drastically more diverse than any place i have ever been. I do enjoy it here and i have great experiences here every day. Love ya Dad Thank you all for sending me your addresses i will be writing some letters later tonight in response to your emails, since we have to pay for our time on the internet it will be easier for me to do so, it would be nice to do it all on the computer but stamps are cheaper than Email here. so be expecting letters from me and know that i love you all and i keep you in my prayers.
Love Elder Nielsen
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