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---!

Remember...

Dear Family!

This week was really great! What else can I say...every day in the mission field is a blessing. We had a super special sacrament meeting. President Stone came and spoke to our branch! It was so awesome (even though we needed a translator). It was so wonderful. He pumped up the members to talk with at least one person a day about the gospel. He shared some really great experiences from across our mission. It was really awesome to have him here.

Y--- is doing so awesome! She has changed so much since we met her. She is loving the Book of Mormon and everything we teach. She is so excited for her baptism this Saturday!

We had a really awesome miracle this week. We have been working with one of our members to give us referrals. She is super great. A random person called her to ask about a room she rents out and she struck up a conversation with her. Anyway, they became really good friends over the phone and decided to meet in person, and when they did, our member introduced her to the gospel. The lady brought her nephew with her that day. Her nephew is named Kevin and he was taking the missionary lessons before he had to move here suddenly. We met him about 2 months ago but lost contact. Anyway, long story short, the Lord has led him into our path twice in miraculous ways, so we are really excited to meet with him tomorrow!

Another exciting highlight: I went inside a YMCA this week! We participated in a family history event at the YMCA, so we get free entrance because we are missionaries. While there, we met some guys who were walking from Tennessee to Colorado. We were walking to teach a lesson, and they were passing through our area. So we had a great walking lesson and were able to teach the restoration while we walked several miles to our appointment. We gave them pamphlets and explained to them how to find missionaries where ever they ended up. One of them had already read half the Book of Mormon.

Today for P-day we played a big basketball tournament with the missionaries and some members from the 1st Ward. It was super fun and I got so red in the face.

Helaman 5:12 - Remember to take the time to focus your life on Jesus Christ without him we can't achieve anything; with him we can achieve all things.

That's it. I will have more news next week! Transfers come in this weekend, but I think we aren't going anywhere!

Love y'all,
Hermana Nielson

P.S. Today is Memorial Day. Take a couple minutes to remember your favorite missionary! ;) 👇

P.P.S. Photos!
Our young member made us special shakes!

Something cutesy my comp did

Hna Ortiz loves selfies

I found a bear bigger than big fuzzy tip over bear

Opryland

Hey y'all!

This week was so special! It was so wonderful, we saw so many miracles!

We were asking for lots of referrals from everyone we met and on Tuesday, we received a great referral from some random guy on the street. When we arrived at the address he provided, we met a really nice family from Mexico who at first wasn't very interested but later really opened up as talked about families.

On Wednesday, we were able to have a really good lesson with some really hard to get in contact with less active members. A couple of days later, we had a member lined up to come out with us. We had set an appointment with an investigator. Another former investigator we had made contact with (who had a reputation of rejecting missionaries) set an appointment with us for the same evening. A couple days before that, a member had called us and asked if there was a time in the next couple weeks she could come out with us, and she was available at that time. So we invited her to come to that appointment. Long story short, they were best friends and we didn't know it. And what most likely would've ended in rejection ended in a really awesome teaching opportunity for a family that is prepared for the gospel! The member bore her testimony of how she had been trying to know how to share the gospel with this friend. We have a appointment with her this week.

Y--- is doing awesome! She is progressing magnificently toward her baptism! We were
working on her family history with her yesterday. She is going to be baptized on June 3rd.

We had an awesome Stake Conference this week. One of my favorite parts was when a recent convert bore his testimony. It was so sweet. He told his conversion story and it was just another testimony of how the Lord prepares people for his gospel.

This week has been wonderful! I love the gospel. My testimony grows more everyday and I love helping others feel this way about their Savior.

Sincerely,
Hermana Nielson

P.S. We went to the Grand Old Opry today!

Puchica ✨✨✨✨

☝️This is a word from Honduras that means "oh my goodness!"

Hello!

This week was fantastic!

There was a lot of opposition this week. We got dropped a couple of times and had to do some dropping. A lot of people are just very confused about religion, God, and just a million other things. One investigator has alot of doubts because he has a lot of faith in the Virgin Mary. The Catholic virgins have been causing us a lot of problems this week! An investigator preached to us from a standing position for a long time. We talked about the whole state of Jalisco. They weren't interested. A lot of really crazy stuff happened in the end it was great.

A member texted us on Saturday and invited us to their home to teach their friend. This friend had come to church on Sunday, and we had invited her to meet with us and she turned us down. But she had been asking her friend a lot of questions, and then he explained to her what it is that we do. She was actually very interested in meeting with us. She is 23 and is from Cuba. There aren't many religions there because, ya know, dictatorship. She has a spiritual background and is so receptive to the gospel. She understands and is so prepared. Her friend and his family are so funny. You can count on them to make the Restoration lesson to have the most laughs and stories about drugs ever. Yesterday we taught her how to pray, and she is loving it.

We had 3 investigators at church! It was so awesome! Two girls and one boy and everyone opened their arms so wide to them. It was great.

We have been focused this week in strengthening our faith. We have faith, but we want to have exceeding faith. Alma 13:3 tells us as we work at excercising our faith, it grows stronger. Many people from the scriptures had exceeding faith that helped them to do the miracles of the Lord. It's a very interesting study topic and is very applicable.

I love the gospel, I love being a missionary, and I love this work!

Hope y'all had a great week! Les amo muchísimo!

Con amor,
Hermana Nielson

P.S. Me and Hermana Ortiz

P.S.S. Watermelon the size of my head

P.S.S.S. I tripped...

P.S.S. My comp made me papaya juice, half delicious half tastes like vomita

P.S. She is prepared in style for the rain

"You have angel wings -- I just can't see them."

This week was really crazy! A start of a new transfer always brings a lot of craziness!

My new companion her name is Hermana Ortiz, and she is awesome! She is from the Dominican Republic and is such a amazing missionary. My Spanish skills have definitely been put to the test this week as Hermana Ortiz speaks little to no English. She is learning and doing so great, but sometimes I forget and just start speaking English. She just stares at me, blinks a few times,  and tells me kindly she doesn't understand. Fun fact about my companion - she has served in three different missions!

The work has been going really good this week! We set our investigator a baptismal date for the 3rd of June. He is trying really hard to find an answer and said he will be baptized on that day if he has his answer by that day. We are excited for him.

We have just seen a mountain of miracles this week. We received a less-active referral, and we were able to teach her. She and our less-active friend came to church yesterday. We also found a new family when we were out knocking doors on a really hot day. This family who just recently moved from Mexico. We are excited to teach them.

We walked a lot this week. And faced some opposition like a less-active member explaining to his investigator friend how Joseph Smith was his favorite Saint but the Mormons taught him not to ask to many favors of him and it's better to pray to God. It was a very interesting week to say the least. We have a lot of faith, and we are excited for what this transfer will hold!

Con amor,
Hermana Nielson

P.S. Presenting Hermana Ortiz

P.P.S. Any time is a good time for a Book of Mormon pic!

God People

Hey Y'all!

This week has truly been amazing! It was Hermana Segura's last week, and we were definitely blessed. We are fixing to send Hermana Segura home tomorrow! I am going to miss her so much. She has been the companion I have had the longest. We have been through a lot together. I love her so much! I will be sad to see her go, but I'm going forward!

Transfers are tommorow! I am staying in Buena Vista, and I am getting a new companion! Her name is Hermana Ortiz. She is from the Dominican Republic and that's all I know about her! I am excited to meet her and for what this next transfer will
bring!

We have been looking for service opportunities, trying to follow the examples Of the missionaries from the Book of Mormon. We got the opportunity to pay service to our investigator S-----! We helped a member cook up a meal and take it over and helped him with a couple of other things. It was a wonderful experience and being with him and his kids was such a special moment. I love that family.

We also started teaching a man named J-- and his 9 year old son. The 9 year old is really so funny. We extended a commitment to them and the son accepted whole heartedly and the dad kind of soft accepted it. And the son said to his dad,"Dad, don't say you will do it if you really aren't going to do it, because if you lie to the God people, you lie to God!" So we testified that what the son said was true and that these things we asked him to do come from God.

Another fun experience came as we were contacting a new investigator we had lost touch with. We went to his house and knocked on his door. His wife and his "father" who was visiting from out of town invited us in. They said, we were just about to read the Bible. It ended up being a very different experience, and I became a little more acquainted with what people mean when they talk about speaking in tongues. But in the end they were very open, and we will go back to teach them once the father of their Christian church leaves.

Another highlight of this week was when I surprised my companion by Skyping her into the baptism of her special friend in Mexico. I'm not sure if there is a language proficiency level in Spanish that is called "planned a secret baptism broadcast between members and people who live in Mexico and don't speak any English" but if there is, I reached that level this week! It was awesome!

Some other sweet experiences from this week -- Two people came to church who had never come before! Yesterday, we also had some great lessons, and we got to teach and help two people to pray who had never prayed before! It touched my heart. Isn't being a missionary the best?!

Hope y'all had a good one!
Hermana Nielson

P.S. The death of Hermana Segura. Going to miss her.

P.P.S. The baptism of Brandon, live from Mexico.

P.P.P.S. District basketball P-Day

Semana Santa

Oiga!

This week was a big week for Spanish people. We celebrate Easter one day; they celebrate it the whole week. It was pretty low key here , but it was cool.

We had Zone Conference this week. We talked about how we can get grit. The power to keep going when things are hard. He expanded about how Our hope in Jesus Christ helps us maintain our grit, and with grit how we can achieve success. It's the power to never give up. It was also awesome because Hermana Segura and Hermana Elliot gave their departing testimonies (my longest companion and my trainer). It will be sad to see them go. We also are really busy today preparing Hermana Segura to leave in a little more than a week back to Mexico. Transfer calls come in this weekend!

We were blessed with miracles on Easter. We had two amazing lesson with two investigators who have kind of been floundering. The lessons set them entirely back on track in their progression. I have a testimony that the right fellowshipper makes all the difference. We learned this yesterday with our investigator S-----. We have taken lots of members with us.  He is passing through a rough time right now. All our members have been so kind, offering to help. They always say this phrase,"Let us know if there is anything we can do to help." Some even gave him their numbers. But really he won't call them because he is shy. A different member came with us
yesterday, saw his situation, and she had passed through a time almost exactly the same as his and was able to understand what he really needs. She jumped right in and made plans to help. He was touched. That is not something me and my companion would've ever thought of or could've done. Members are the BEST.

Hope you all had a great Easter!
Con amor,
Hermana Nielson

P.S. - Zone conference with my "mission family" and Hna Segura

P.P.S. A big highlight of this week is that we went to a member run Mexican rodeo! Hispanics galore!!!!

P.P.P.S. My companion wanted to take cute typical sister missionary pictures, and it went really good until I rebelled and started re-enacting the civil war!