Cómo si fuera un sueño

Hola Yall!

This will be my last email because sadly my time as a missionary is coming to a end. (And honestly it would just be weird if i still wrote a weekly email).

Wow we had a incredible week. K---- got baptized on Tuesday. He is so solid. His mom got to come to his baptism and now has asked for Sundays off of work so that she can come to church. They are such awesome people who have testimonies of the gospel. Kevin wants to be a missionary and he started carrying a side bag like the elders wear. He is carrying around pamphlets with him everywhere. He is great.

This week has been truly amazing. We have done some great finding and found some awesome families to teach. We saw so many miracles this week. I love being a missionary!

I'll keep this short and sweet. My mission means the world to me. It really has been indescribable. I know I am not the same person I was 18 months ago. It's weird - the days seemed long and trying, but the time was short and sweet. I have honestly learned so much about the scriptures, the gospel, following the Spirit, loving the people. Just way too much to explain in a, email, but I have loved every moment of my mission. I can't imagine what my life would've been like if I hadn't decided to serve. I am eternally grateful. I have learned so many things and met so many wonderful people. I have seen so many miracles. I know that all these things are going to help me become the person my Heavenly Father wants me to be.

I want to bear my testimony I know the gospel is true. I know missionary work is the work of salvation. I know my Savior lives, and it is through His grace and mercy we can live again. I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I know faith in Jesus Christ results in miracles and that the Church of Jesus Chirst of Latter-day Saints is true. Joesph Smith saw God, the Father and Jesus Christ. The gospel was restored. Hallelujah.
Of this I testify, Amen.

Love you all so much!
See y'all soon!

Hermana Nielson

P.S. K----!

My funeral

We found a turtle helping a less active with yardwork

Hermana M-----

Familia L----

Vámonos, Come On! Todos Vamos Allá!

Dear Family and Friends!

Wow, this has been a crazy week. It's been a crazy week, but I feel like I say that about every week. It's been a good one. We've had certain struggles as a companionship, but everything always works out. The Lord has been good to us. Hermana C------- is doing great and is getting more confident in her Spanish and missionary skills.

K---- is getting baptized on Tuesday. He has received so much opposition in his process of knowing the gospel is true and especially this last week before his baptism. If anything, he knows how to face opposition and how to receive answers to prayers. He has so much faith. We were maybe going to change his baptism date so his mom would be able to be there because she had to work. But he told us no. He wants to get baptized on his date, and just last night he texted us and told his mom got work off and was going to be able to come! We are very excited.

There were a lot of good things happening this week. Everything is going so good. It will be so hard to leave, but we are really going to make this week count. We had some awesome, amazing church tours this week. You really can feel the Spirit so strong, especially in the chapel. Things are starting to get real, but we are still working hard, squeezing every last bit out of our days and week.

We met some amazing new wonderful people to teach this week. It has been such an adventure! I'm sure this will be the best week of my mission!

Love y'all tons,

Hermana Nielson

P.S. Today we went to Nashville for P-day and did a lot of stuff and took a lot of pictures!

Look Up!

Hola!

It's been a exciting week. Things are getting kinda crazy around here. K---- is still on date for baptism on he 11th of July! He is doing so great and really is so brave for making the decisions he is. It's been a good week of teaching. We have two other investigators on date for the 22nd of July. They are doing great.

Time sure has been flying around here. Everyday seems to be going faster! We had a great church tour this week and V-------- and K---- came to church! A----- came to church too and brought dessert for the Relief Society, and it was a challenge to resist it.

On Friday, we had a fun experience. We were to eat dinner with Hna Moreno, and as we arrived we realized there was a different face at the dinner table. It was a man she had met just minutes earlier. She kinda has a way with people. But the fun part was he was a preacher. He was also slightly bilingual, so we had quite the dinner conversation. That's the story of how a Spanglish Bible basher, who was taught by an 85 year old blind man, came to obtain and begin to read the Book of Mormon. He was very nice.

It's been really a good solid week. This morning we were sitting in our house and it starting pouring rain. So we rain outside and danced in the rain.  Got to love it!

Happy first and fourth of July!
Have a great week!

Con amor,
Hermana Nielson

P.S. I found my twin

Hna Ortega scared us

Rain rain rain

Perfect Love!

This week has been very good! Everything is going well here. We have some great investigators who are progressing spectacularly. K---- is just getting pulled in and loved so much by the members. The work is going really well.

One of our investigators, R------ who has been great, came to church yesterday, he is repenting so much. We hadn't made it all the way through the Restoration lesson when he asked us for a Book of Mormon. He's been to church twice and that man is awesome. He even turned down a job opportunity yesterday because he committed to come to church. I think that is a huge step to changing his life!

We are excited for several other people we are working with. One of them is named D----, and she is awesome! A little confused but so willing to help us. Yesterday she couldn't recieve us in her house, so she walked with us for an hour introducing us to all the latinos people that she knows or has seen. It was really awesome.

The ward is doing great missionary work. We are receiving referrals from lots of members. The elders have been giving great Spanish-speaking referrals lately. Yesterday they invited us to a lesson with a Spanish-speaking man they had met and set up this appointment using Spanglish. We thought we were going to do a smooth teaching handoff. Well, we got to his house with our missionary force, and he was not home. So the elders called him. They were struggling with the language barrier, so we get on the phone and he start to tell us about how he needs the elders' address to powerwash their house! So that was the story of how the English elders hired a man for us to teach, but it turned out he wasn't actually interested in the gospel.

I love my companions! Hermana Ortiz and I were talking and sometimes we just wish we could encapsulate what we have learned in our missions thus far and just spoon feed it to other missionaries because we just feel like if we could've started our missions with the knowledge we have now, we could have had so much more the advantage. But some things only can come from experience. I love my mission!

We also went on exchanges this week. We went to Murfreesboro, and I got to fulfill my dream of being a YSA missionary for a day!  Hermana Campbell also crashed on her bike. It was a little bit traumatic for all of us.

The scripture I am memorizing this week is 1 John 4:18 - There is no ​​​fear​ in ​​​love​, but perfect ​​​love​ casteth out fear, because fear hath ​​​torment​. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

I love y'all bunches!

Con amor,
Hermana Nielson

P.S. Avocado Popsicle

Ok this was a $180 cake our member shared with us and needless to say it was heavenly.

Diana and us

Us

Como es su fue?

Bueno!

What a great week! It's starting to get hot and a little humid!

Two of our investigators are preparing for baptism! K---- is on date for the 11th of July. He is doing really awesome! He is a really awesome 14 year old. He is basically going at it alone. He has received such a strong testimony of the gospel. The family he lives with are Jehovah's Witness, but he knows the church is true. When we invited him to be baptized, he almost cried he was so happy. Man, that kid is a giant miracle.

So I wrote a couple of weeks back about a investigator we had met my first week here in the area in a really miraculous way. Then he disappeared without giving us his info. Then, through a series of other miracles, we re-found him. Anyway, since that day we lost him again because some of his family are Jehovah's Witnesses, but through diligence, we have re-re-found him. The work is going really well. He wants to be a missionary some day! C---- is doing great too. They both were at church today. C---- is a little bit slow of learning, but if he continues going as he has been, he will be prepared for his date on the 8th of July.

I just feel like the Lord is blessing us so much! This week we had Zone Conference, and, yep, it was my last Zone Conference. At a missionaries last Zone Conference, we have to bear our last testimonies. It was a little rough, but I made it through. Then, I had my final interview with President Stone with lots of advice and life after the mission and how to continue sharing the gospel. Its been a good week all in all!

Things are going really well, we are meeting lots of new investigators. It's really fun to be in a trio again. It's like the all access pass to missionary work.

I want to share my testimony. I know the Church is true and that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and the tool we have to help people gain a conversion unto Christ.

I love y'all!
Hermana Nielson

P.S. Here is K----

Trio Life!

Hey y'all!

This week has definitely been one for the books!

On Tuesday we went to transfers to have a bunch of meetings. Then on Wednesday we picked up Hermana Campbell! She is so cute! She is from Vancouver, Washington...just across the river from Portland, Oregon. She is so fun and such a hard worker! She came speaking really great Spanish. Being in a trio is such a blessing. We are getting so much work done.

We had three investigators at church on Sunday for their first time. K---- came and he loved Young Mens! Then two men came who we met two weeks ago, C---- and R------. C---- is so excited to learn and is always taking notes and was ready to accept the Book of Mormon and leave behind the Bible. We had to tell him they are both important. R------ was a suprise. Lots of people we give cards to and invite to church say they will come and the majority never do. But R------ did! He also told us he doesn't believe a lot in
God and doesn't know too much. The Gospel Principles lesson was on the gathering of the 12 tribes of Israel and he sure knew a ton about the 12 tribes of Israel.

Y--- went out to a lesson this week, and she did so great! She is preparing to go to the temple to do baptisms soon!

It was a week of a lot of firsts and it has been awesome! We are loving the work!

Here is a quote from Neal A. Maxwell: "We can distinguish more clearly between divine discontent and the devil’s dissonance, between dissatisfaction with self and disdain for self. We need the first and must shun the second, remembering that when conscience calls to us from the next ridge, it is not solely to scold but also to beckon."

Hope your week is great!

Con amor,
Hermana Nielson

P.S. Hermana Campbell's first day

Y---

Hey y'all!

This week was a little crazy! We faced a little bit of opposition his week but, in the end, it turned out great!

We had the baptism of Y--- on Saturday. She is so special, I have been so impressed with how this girl has embraced the gospel. She is so awesome. Her baptism was really nice, and she got confirmed on Sunday! Guys, this is what it's all about - helping people come to Christ!

Other than that, we did a lot of finding and a lot of dropping people. It was really great. We are looking for prepared people to teach. So if you know anyone who speaks Spanish who lives in Hermitage or Mt Juliet, TN, tell them we are looking for them!

We've had a lot of fun this week! We found a new investigator who, within the first 3 minutes of knowing us gave us Baliadas. Hermana Ortiz about did a back flip, seeing as she served a part of her mission in Honduras. She loves this giant taco of cream, beans, cheese, and eggs y avocado. They were really delicious. And we have a return appointment to teach her this week!

Yesterday it was pouring rain as we were knocking doors. It was a little inconvenient, but we made the best out of it. We were running from door to door, and it was black as night and most people were a little surprised to see two dripping wet missionaries on their porch. One woman said, "What are you guys doing out in the dark in the rain?" We said, "Sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ!" She was intrigued. We offered her a damp pamphlet. It didn't matter how wet we were, we had to keep going and keep sharing.

Transfer calls came in this week. Transfers are crazy as always. We are staying together in Buena Vista! Plot twist: We are receiving a new missionary, and we are going to be in a trio for 6 weeks! We are so excited!

That's about it for this week! Thanks for being great! Love y'all!

Con amor,
Hermana Nielson

P.S. District pictures. We carefully planned this to all be the same height.

We happened upon a barn.

Baptism of Y---!