Better late than never!! An email of answers!

This letter may be a bit random - I am simply answering everyone's questions in one letter!!

Mom - you asked about what I would like in a birthday package. Well, as long as there is Bulls Eye BBQ Sauce and some beef jerky I will be a happy boy. Woot, BBQ sauce here sucks.

My area is huge. I am in Batangas Ward 1 so it takes hours sometimes to get from one end to the other. Sounds like we will be getting a baptism in the next couple weeks maybe more then one which is super cool. The investigator's name is Beverly.

My apartment has a kitchen, but I only have a gross fridge, a toaster oven, and a stove top burner, nothing fancy like a microwave or a normal toaster :(. I do almost all of the cooking, but I like to. I am always trying new things, especially Filipino dishes. Yesterday I had exchanges with a Filippino elder who is an incredible cook who taught me a bunch of cool tricks and dishes. Things like how to prepare fresh crab or prawns. Whenever I go to the market we always buy new things. Like I fried Tilapia a couple times, the whole thing, - with the fish head and everything! I cleaned it and fried it.

The fruit here is amazing. We have a papaya tree in the back yard and it gives a lot of fruit. There is nothing like a fresh mango or a mango milkshake. The Filipinos have a phrase to explain how good it is. They say it is so good that you forgot your name.

The city has a McDonalds and a few more restaurants but I hardly eat there. Normally I just cook and I try my best to make good meals. Elder Richards thinks I am super cheap, I think. I am the only missionary who records every single dime I spend. Right now I am living off of almost half of what they give me each month and all the missionaries I know dip into their personal funds each month, but I don't want to do that.

Tell Dad that if he wants new uniforms for the school in 2 years to tell me. Elder Richards, the elders down stairs and I can get hand made NBA quality jerseys and matching shorts for less then $20. We ordered Chicago Bulls jerseys but changed the name to Batangas ( p.s. we are getting the words and symbols embroidered instead of that sticker crap).

Well life here is really good and I am still dead serious about Dad coming out here picking me up and touring at the end of my mission, I really want to go to the rice terraces in Bagio.

One last thing, tell Dad to check Sister Waldrum's blog because she might do a shout out to him this week ha-ha. It is super cool to know that other people are reading my blog too. I hope it turns into a good missionary tool one day.

Well, I love you all and miss you a bunch, but don't worry - I am safe and not home sick at all, nor do I plan to ever get home sick.

Elder Nielson

I wrote this really fast so sorry about the spelling :) I also sent a bunch of pictures (some of the MTC and some of the Philippines!). Be patient - my mom is working on getting them on the website!! :)