RETURNING. TO. PETROLINA.

Hey Everybody,

Well this week was kinda hard for us here. We had a baptism marked and it fell through at the last minute.   So we were sad about that. 

Found out that for my last six weeks I will be returning to Petrolina! I will be in a different area and will be Zone Leader now. Sad that I am leaving here but cool to try new things. 

My new companion will be Elder Almeida and I already lived with him before.  He is really cool!!!

Well, I don't have much time today. I still have to finish packing my bags and will head to my new area.  

Got my plane tickets last week and I will be home August 26th. Time will pass very fast. Glad I still have six weeks to serve out Savior. Hope you guys are all doing well. 

Talk to you guys later.

Love, 
Elder Nickerson

MORE. MIRACLES.

Hey Everybody!!

Well this week has been a very good week!!!

First off, Rosa was baptized!!! How everything happened with her sure was a miracle. She has been searching for a church for 3 or 4 years. She said when she would walk in front of our church, she wouldn't even look at the church from all the lies she heard about it. 

But through a member she was invited and was able to visit our church and we started teaching her.  She received her answer very fast. Her brothers are pastors of different churches. When they found out she was getting baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ, they all told her she needs to rethink everything that she was thinking.  But because of the answer she received, she stayed strong and was able to get baptised and confirmed. 

Sure was a cool experience. We have been teaching English here and have started a new program called mini MTC and we are helping prepare the youth here for missions. I have another week in this transfer and think I will leave here and finish the last 6 weeks of my mission in another area. 

Also this week I received my paperwork for my flight home and release date. I can't believe it!!  I will arrive August 26th at 12:18pm. It will be a bitter sweet day.

But that's about it for the week. Hope all is well with you guys, talk to you guys later.

Com Amor´, 
Elder Nickerson

SAO. JOAO.

Hey Everybody!!

Well, this week has been a hard week for missionary work. This past week here in Brasil there has been a holiday called São João. It lasted for 4 days. It is tradition for everybody to build big fires in front of their houses and set off fireworks all night long.

It was very hard to sleep with all the noise and all the smoke in the city. And the streets were all filled with loud music and a lot of people drinking, so it made it hard to find people to talk to. This holiday was bigger then the Carnival that happens here. It is also tradition that on the fires they roast corn and eat peanuts. It is a cool holiday, just not for missionary work.

The weather has changed now and has started raining a lot and it has cooled down a lot here. This week we have been able to have two people accept baptism dates and should be baptised this Saturday. Sure do hope they follow through and will be baptised in this transfer. There are only 2 more weeks and the transfer will end. I will have one more companion before I go home. I can't believe it.  

That's it for the week. Hope you all are well. Talk to you guys later.

Com Amor, 
Elder Nickerson

THE. MIRACLES. NEVER. STOP. IN. OUR. LIVES.

Hey Everybody!!

Well, this week has been a good week for us! First off, we did a split and I stayed here.  We taught a few of our investigators and were able to find a couple new people to start teaching. These past couple weeks we have been having a hard time finding people interested in hearing our message. But we have been very blessed this week. We have been able to find 4 new people and all four of them already have baptism dates set.  All four of them were in the church on Sunday and are liking it a lot. They should be baptized soon. We pray they will be.

We also have been teaching an English class trying to get more people to come to church. And it has been working very well. One of the ladies we are teaching told us for about a year she has been praying to find a church that she would be able to join.  When she would pass our church she said she wouldn't even look at the church because of all the things that she heard bad about our church. But she was invited by a member and entered the church and realized that it was different then what everybody had told her.  We have only taught her 2 times and before we could even ask her about being baptized she asked us if she could be!!!!   Sure am grateful for the true gospel in our lives! Wish that everybody had the true gospel in their lives. Grateful to be here....sad it is all starting to come to an end already.

That's about it for the week.  Hope you all are doing well. I am excited for Landon and his family!!  What a great week for them.  It won't be much longer till that is me.  

Talk to you guys later.

Com Amor, Elder Nickerson

I. LOVE. THE. LORD. WITH. ALL. MY. HEART.

Hey everyone!

This week was a slower week.  We are always working, teaching, and praying hard.  All we can do is put our heads down and go to work.  We have families that we are teaching and we hope to have baptism dates set soon. 

I love this gospel with all my heart and want to make the most of the time I have left here.  I can't believe that in 10 short weeks I will be home.  This has been the best experience and I have learned so much.  I am grateful I have 10 more weeks to devote to the Lord. 

I have gained an endearing testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Through Him, and only through Him can we be saved and return to live with our families again.  I have a strong testimony of the Atonement, of all the sacrifices the Lord went through for us.  I know he would have done that for just me.  I love the Lord with all my heart and I want to share the gospel with as many people as I can while I am still here.  

The gospel is the same no matter where we live. The gospel is available to all those that will open their hearts and minds to His teachings and trust in His ways.  It isn't always easy giving up habits or ways of the world, but it is the only way.  The most important thing we can do in this life is follow the Lord and listen to His spirit.  When we are in tune with the Spirit, he will guide us in the best possible direction in our life, even if at the time it doesn't seem so.  The Lord's way is always the best way.  

I hope to share the light and love of Christ with as many people as I can.  I love the people here and it is going to be a bitter sweet day when I come home.  I can't wait to see my family, but I will sure miss the people of Brazil.  

I love the Lord with all my heart.  I am grateful to serve Him and spread His gospel.  I hope that everyone has a great week.  

With all the love, 

Elder Nickerson

UPS. AND. DOWNS.

Hey everybody!!

Well this week has had its ups and downs!!

 

First off the baptism we had marked for this week didn't work out.  He ended up traveling.  But hopefully they will be baptized soon. A family we have been teaching left a little while ago and should arrive any minute now, so I am excited for them to return.

We have a few other people that are starting to progress, so hopefully they keep progressing. I love this gospel with all my heart and am so grateful for the opportunity I have to share the knowledge with others.  I know this is the Lord's work and I am happy to be a part of it each and every day. 

That's about it for the week. Here are a few pictures a service project we were able to with!! Hope you guys are all doing well. My time is getting close to coming to an end.  It is a bitter sweet feeling.  I'mm sad and excited.. T

I will talk to you guys soon. Have a good week.

Com Amor, Elder Nickerson

RAINING. SEASON. HAS. ARRIVED.

Hey Everybody!! 

Well, not a lot has changed this week. First off, we found out that my companion and I will be staying here for another transfer together.  I am excited about that!! 

This last week our chapel got broken into. The guy didn't steal much just curtains, a phone, and a few wall cameras. They already found out who did it. The day after he robbed the church, he stopped my companion and I in the street asking for help. He is addicted to drugs and can't stop using drugs. It's not the first or second time that he has robbed the church. 

This week our baptisms we had marked didn't work out. We had to remark them again, but soon they should be baptized. 

Well, that's about it for the week. Can't believe in 3 months I will be home. Time is passing faster and faster. Have a good week. Talk to you guys later. 

Com Amor, Élder Nickerson