Escondidas

Oiga!

This week was great! We are finding people left and right. It is very exciting to find new investigators. One we set a soft baptism date with for the 23rd of April. We met him as we were driving and my companion said she heard Spanish music. So we looked to the car next to us at the stop light and there was a Hispanic man. So we passed him a pass along card through the window and he called us! He turned out to be a very serious investigator.

Another person we are so excited about is named S-----. We met him in Walmart because a member had sent us to buy a gallon of milk last minute right before the Women's Broadcast. We were en route to get the milk when we noticed a man struggling past us with 7 little kids. We thought we heard them speaking Chinese, but we thought we see if we could help anyways! They spoke Spanish, and he has been searching for a church. We feel like he is ready to recieve the gospel. We had a amazing lesson with him last night. We had just started into the htbt pre-teaching and the Spirit filled the room. He was so touched when one of our amazing members offered to help him with his children whenever he needs it. *member appreciation moment*  Members are so awesome and can bless the lives of our investigators so much. Our branch is very close knit and have known each other for a long time. Most of them helped one another come into the church, and they just understand missionary work and live it.

We found a really cool new investigator this last week for the elders. We had had a long morning of people dropping us and appointments falling through. Our list of possible back up people had been exhausted. So we had two hours before dinner and decided to knock some doors. My companion offered a beautiful prayer pleading for guidance and as we were thinking about it, she opened the scriptures and we started reading in Alma 43. We got to a part talking about how there were people hiding south of the river Sidon. We looked at our map and there was a large river about half a mile away so we went there and started knocking the street. First, we knocked into a English member and tried to refer her to the elders but she was already a member. Then we met a lot of people who weren't interested and told us there would be no Spanish-speaking people on this street. But we kept knocking and when we got to the closest house south of the river, we met a man named S------  who spoke Spanish! Well, he spoke five languages but was most comfortable with English. He was so interested in the Restoration. He understood it and asked so many questions. We are so excited for the elders to teach him.

We also had the chance to go to the temple this last week! I love the temple and the peace and guidance it brings. You just can't be sad in the temple.

I watched the women's broadcast in all Spanish. It was awesome! It took a lot of focus because they use really big words, but it was such a fun experience. And then on Sunday I gave an all Spanish talk for like 15 minutes. I was really nervous, but it went fine. I am just living the Spanish life here!

It has been a incredibly blessed week.  I am really excited for General Conference this week! We are truly loving Buena Vista!

Con amor,
Hermana Nielson







P.S. - We lost our phone this week and did our weekly planning from the church with a church phone. Don't worry - we found it.

By the Grace of God

Hey Y'all!

I am back in Tennessee! Nine months later I made it back to Buena Vista! It has been a wonderfully crazy week. We spent the first week becoming re-acquainted with the area. I had some previous knowledge which has been a huge blessing. The members have received us with open arms and have been so willing to help us this week! We have been so incredibly tired! It has been a week of adventures, that's for sure!

We have a couple of really strong investigators. One is named L---! He lives with a member, but we did not realize this because neither of us have ever met either of them. The member invites us in and starts to tell us that she is a Jehovah's Witness and that she would love to know why we believe the Mormons are true. We were like.... oh great, but in the end she was a member, and we had a great lesson with L--- about the Restoration. He came to church.

E---- is another great investigator. She has just started reading the Book of Mormon from the beginning. She has so many great questions and in our lesson this week, she said, "Well it doesn't really matter what you say or what I think. It really just matters how I feel." Her heart is totally in the right place, and we know that she will feel the Spirit as she reads the Book of Mormon and puts in her effort.

The members here have been awesome! There hasn't been a day this week we haven't been fed by a member. Our branch mission leader was in horror that no one had signed up to feed us yesterday, but then later at church three families invited us to dinner. We had to turn down people who wanted to feed us. Where does that happen? My companion turned to me and said, "Wow. I feel like the best fed missionary in the mission."

Buena Vista is an awesome little branch in our mission on the outskirts of Nashville, and we have a decent amount of Spanish people around here to teach! Most of the members remember me since the last time I was here. A couple have made the comment about how much my Spanish has improved. This was appreciated by me because Spanish has improved a lot as I couldn't hardly hold a conversation back then. Now I can, so there is progress there!

I don't know if y'all remember A-----. She was one of my very first investigators I met in my first area. She had two little boys and found out she was pregnant while we were teaching her. She was a solid investigator who knew everything. A couple of months ago, I asked a missionary now serving there if they are still teaching her. They didn't even really know who she was which made me sad that she had fallen away. Well, she came to church in Buena Vista! She blessed her baby last week in the branch and is working toward marrying her less active boyfriend so that she can be baptized. Almost a year later, when she seemed like she had fallen of the gospel path, she had just taken here own way there and is still progressing. It's not how you would normally think it should be done, but in the Lord's time, more that one year later.


So we had a pretty great week!

Love ya Lots,
Hermana Nielson

"Jesus is My Happy Surprise!"

The title comes from a little nugget our investigator Luke bestowed upon us.

This week was awesome! We set a baptism date with our investigator Luke! His older brother just got baptized on Christmas Eve, and just received the priesthood is going to baptize him. We are so excited for him.

We also found a really solid new family to teach. They invited us back one night when we were tracting. We went back and shared more with them. It's a nice couple with three kids. We were talking about the Book of Mormon, and we shared Helaman 5:12. The wife said that's not nearly as weird as I thought it might be, and the husband said that's a nice verse but those aren't our beliefs. And the wife joins our side and starts to say to her husband. "Are you telling me you don't believe in building your life on Christ? Cause if that's what you believe, get out of my house! Yes, we believe that, sisters!"

We also went to a amazing Zone Conference in Hopkinsville and did service at one of our member's bed and breakfast!

Also, really big news!

I am getting transferred after only 6 short weeks in Paducah! And I am going back to Buena Vista, which is in Mt. Juliet, TN! If you are keeping up with the Hermana Nielson news, this was the area I was in right after I left my first area!  And if you can believe it, I am WHITEWASHING with HERMANA SEGURA! Ya, so that happened! It will be really exciting!

Hope your week is great!

Con amor,
Hermana Nielson

P.S. I am really proud because I completed the burrito challenge. That is 3 burritos the size of Betos burritos in 30 minutes...no puking.

P.P.S. Raygen and Matt and Camden, I love them!

P.P.S. Lots of leaving pictures, and we wore capes at the bed and break
fast!

The Tracy's and Luke, best southern family.

Throw Me a Smile!

Hey y'all!

This week has been pretty great! I don't have a lot time today because we had to take our car down to Nashville today to get it repaired. So between drive time and repair time, we have a very short time to write. I am trying to type this out right before we take the 3 hour ride back to Paducah.

We had a crazy tornado roll through Tuesday night and things got a little wild, but in the end we were all okay!

We had a great lesson with a less active named M------ who was a serious lost sheep but who was recently found and is coming back!

We had a good week and had a lot of time to find new investigators! We had a great lesson with our investigator M------ who is really growing in her relationship with God. The P-----s are doing great! Their niece, who is 15, recently came from  Guatemala. She has recently decided to start taking he lessons, so we are really excited!

Hope y'all had a great week!

Love,
Sister Nielson

P.S. Here is a tree that got ripped up in the tornado.