Oye amigos, Como estàis?
We met someone this week we speaks Spain Spanish, so don't mind me practicing my vosotros form, which is incredibly appropriate cause it's the Spanish equivalent of "y'all".
Any who, this week was pretty normal! We knocked, and taught all about repentance. We found 9 new investigators! It's not to hard to find people who are interested in listening and setting a return appointment. The hard part is converting those people into holding their return appointments and converting them into real investigators. Nevertheless, we have been having pretty good success. We have found a lot of success with less actives, teaching them and their nonmember families! Our little group is so awesome. They want to help so much.
There are so many good people here in Bowling Green! We hit most of our goals this week, except for baptism dates set and investigators at church, but it wasn't for lack of trying. We invited A LOT of people and a lot of people said they would come to church, but when it came down to it, nobody showed except some less actives. They just need more encouragement and help in their repentance process!
Have I mentioned how amazing my comp is? She told me to tell y'all she is left handed, loves chamoy (tastes like spicy dirt btw), and can beat any elder in basketball. (Truth, they don't let us be on the same team.) She is from Monclova, Coahuila, Mexico. Our lives are one continuous stream of google translate. We both pretty much speak each others' language, but we lack a lot of vocabulary for things that come up when you are together 24/7. She has 11 months in the mission but only about 8 in the states.
Yesterday, we had walked really far for an appointment that fell through. We knocked around that same area with no success. We found one Spanish speaker who was not interested. We talked to some other people who said they knew one other Hispanic who was not going to receive us. We tried anyway, and he let us in to talk with his cute little family with the cutest little Cuban kids.
Spiritual thought: "God cares a lot more about who we are and about who we are becoming, than about who we once were." - Elder Dale G. Renlund
I love this quote because it is so true. If we repent, that is all God really cares about. He see us as we can be, not as we used to be. He is absolutely willing to accept us if we are willing to accept Him and His will.
Encanta la vida como misionera!Tengáis un buen semana!
Sincerely,
Hermana Nielson P.S. - My comp wanted to take fall pictures on our walk.
Dear family!
This week was definitely different.... hit my 9 month mark this last week. That was beyond strange. When did this happen? I feel like I just started my mission, but almost don't remember what it was like to not be a missionary. It's a very strange time, but I've past my mid-mission crisis.
In other news, we had a very crazy week. Wednesday was exchanges. I stayed in the area. We had a awesome lesson with a man named H-----. He had read the whole pamphlet we left him previously, and then some, and he came with some very intense questions. We taught a lot, and it was a little slower than we are used to, but I received two very nice compliments -- 1. "that we looked to good for the hood", and 2. "that it sounds like I learned Spanish on the streets and not in school." I was excited about that.
Thursday we did a lot of service. Friday was Zone Conference, and we took the journey all the way to Nashville. We didn't get home until very late that night. ZC's are always so great, and we learn so much!
This weekend we got a lot of opposition from a large Hispanic church in town. La Luz del Mundo. It felt like everyone we met was from that church. One of our most excited investigator we found out was an undercover member from that church. It's a very strange copycat church. We took a visit to the church, and let them know we meant business, kindly and respectively.
We had two investigators and like 40 members at church. Then we get to the third hour and had one man and one woman leave. So we are gong to work on that. Overall, we had an amazing and busy week!
Hope everything is amazing and wonderful with y'all. We are working hard and have big plans for this next week!
Spiritual thought- Diligence is the key, but love is the motivation.Love,Hermana NielsonP.S. PD is how you say PS in Spanish
P.P.D. Madizone!
P.P.P.D. The Walboms are leaving
Hola! Buenos Dias!
I don't have a ton of time today! The work is going well. We have people to teach who show some interest. We have had more success with less active, part member family work. They are our really promising people! There has been some opposition, but we are getting close.
I have a renewed faith in goals. We had been trying to tract down a less active man. We got to the house and the person living there said he had moved to a trailer park across town. We set a goal to find which trailer out of 400 he lived in. We started knocking, tracting for people, but also looking for "C-----". After several disheartening hours, my inspired companion decided to sit down on the front steps of this trailer. We didn't knock; we just sat. After some time, someone came out and talked with us about why we were sitting on his porch. We taught him, set a return appointment, then, as we went to leave, we decided to ask if he knew C-----. Long story short, his dad was C-----!!! It was a crazy miracle!
We also went to the temple this week! The temple is a amazing blessing, and I don't have words to describe how amazing it is!
We will keep having the faith to achieve miracles!
Con amor,Hermana Nielson
P.S. My legit companion told me I was the "the most real gringa" she had ever met!
P.P.S. We found coco piña jumex
P.P.P.S. TEMPLE!!
Dearly Beloved,
Has it only been a week? Ugh so much craziness??
First, can I just say how much I LOVE Hermana S-----! Demasiado! She is a powerhouse from Coahuila, Mexico! She is amazing, she is learning English on the fly and is so strong! I am loving being back to Spanish full time and staying in Bowling Green! Other big news -- we got another companionship of sisters here, which is so much fun! That are 11 missionaries now in Bowling Green, which is kind of near the river Styx!
In an effort to open our area, we started out with one pre-existing investigator and some referrals from the elders. We knocked and knocked and knocked the whole week. We knocked on glass, plastic, wood, stucco, you name it - we knocked it. I am pleased to announce that we have people filling the pages of our area book. One day in specific we had been knocking the whole day, and we hadn't had any success. We had a big talk about having more faith. The next house didn't really have a door, so we considered not knocking. But then we decided to anyways, so we just kind of knocked on the side of the house. A great lady came out invited us in to teach and meet her family. So it really is all about faith.
I have figured out the key to the hearts of the Hispanic people is to have a Hispanic companion. They love her!
Today for P-day, we played basketball with the elders and some other fun games.
Conference was absolutely wonderful! I loved every last second of it! *Proud Missionary Moment* - C---- watched all 5 sessions of conference and even came to the church for two of them! He is growing so much, and the new sisters will be so good for him!
There were so many miracles this week! It has been hard but joyful! That was a huge theme in conference. Everything was about joy! I know that is true. I feel it in my life; the difference in happiness and joy! I can honestly say I have joy! My favorite talk was by Elder Bednar! The will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father and coming to know the Father and the Son. I am so grateful for living prophets and to be able to learn more directly from the mouthpieces of God!
I will try to remember what happened better next week! Go do something that will bring you joy today!
Love,
Hermana Nielson
P.S. Hermana S----- is the best!
P.P.S - Conference half time, Bowling Green time!
