Monday, August 31, 2015
Here's my message to my mission president!
We had exchanges. I have to say that all of my sister training leaders have been really, really great examples to me of hard work and dedicated, Christlike service. But I was SO impressed with Sister Johnson as we had the opportunity to serve together in my area. Because she worked so hard with me, because she gave me such loving advice, because she is so on-purpose in everything she does, it's been so easy for me to make the necessary changes in my own missionary service. It has given me the courage to counsel with my companion about the things we can work on. I am so grateful for my leaders and that we can be open in counseling with them as well. We have been trying so hard as a companionship to stay focused on our missions and on our purpose, to find joy in the journey, even if that means to find joy in going home. Or to find joy in putting yourself in a super awkward situation to talk to everyone you see. I'm grateful that the doctrine of Christ helps us improve and be better missionaries.
We recently took both of our on-date (for baptism) investigators off-date. We talked to you yesterday about Lilian (we haven't been able to get ahold of her). We planned out some things to text her during weekly planning, so we've been texting her scriptures and reading assignments. Hopefully she's getting them. We haven't met with Stephanie, Vonna, and Lee since they came to church last week. We met with Stephanie once, but apparently she's out of town. Last we heard about Vonna and Lee, they'd gotten into an argument about something— hopefully not church!— so we're hoping to see them soon.
One cool story from this week: We had the impression to go to Pioneer Park a couple of nights ago. As we parked, we saw a couple sitting on the table next to our car. We had a really great conversation with Jose, but Gina didn't seem too interested. We were able to teach him some basic Restoration principles and he accepted a Book of Mormon! He wasn't too interested to set up a return appointment, unfortunately. But he was open enough to pray with us, so that was good. :)
Afterward (and I'm so glad that we stopped and talked to Jose and Gina, or else we would've never had this experience), we came across a kid with a couple of large backpacks and a suitcase. He looked pretty raggedy, but we didn't really notice at first. I made a comment about his suitcases, and we found out that he'd been homeless and was on his way, with all that he owned, to live with his friend on the other side of town. Alex told us more about all the hard things he'd been going through, and how at 16, he's been sober from a meth addiction for a year and a half. We testified that we knew we were there at the park to meet him and help him, and we taught a good portion of the Restoration. He was so open to listen and really loved what we had to say. By the end of our conversation, he accepted a Book of Mormon and was quite excited to get started reading it. After we'd finished giving him our information, we found out he was going to be walking a really long way, and it was already getting quite dark. We called our ward mission leader and were able to get him a ride. It was such a cool experience. I know he was prepared for us to meet him!
This truly is the Lord's work. Love you all!
~Sister Nielsen
Monday, August 31, 2015
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Doom and Gloom: Blame the Smoke
From an email to Lisa. She didn't necessarily want this on the blog, but I think it's important to remember the hard weeks, too. Helps to look back and see how you overcame when Satan was trying to get you down.
Monday, August 24, 2015
Here's what I wrote the mission president.
Hi, President!
Things are doing all right over here. Hard. Mostly hard. Wednesday was a bad day. For some reason I just felt like the weight of the world/work was crushing me. My companion was kind enough to recognize that I just needed to not go out and work that day. We tried to make up for it the rest of the week, but things kept coming up, and we had to give a pretty pathetic report last night, and all the guilt set in. I'm trying so hard to work hard. I'm trying so hard to make my family and my Heavenly Father proud and to make it all worth it. I feel like I'm still adjusting and still struggling to adapt and be unified with my companion, but we had a really good companionship inventory last night, and I'm trying. She's trying. The promise in Ether 12:27 is real! The harder and harder you try to come unto the Lord, the more he helps you recognize that you can't even start to do it alone. I never realized how much pride I actually have until I came out and tried to do HIS work.
Sorry so "doom and gloom" up here. Maybe it's all the smoke. ;)
Like I said, I feel like a lot of good things have been happening that don't show up on the key indicators. Even though one of our (mostly) solid investigators, Lilian, is possibly— but hopefully not— avoiding us, we had the family we found at the park— Stephanie, Lee, and Vonna— come on a church tour, and they really loved it! They're excited to come to church and get a feel for our church. They love reading the Book of Mormon and have told us so many times how much peace they've felt since we've started meeting. The only thing now is getting Lee and Vonna (Stephanie's parents) comfortable enough to accept visits from the elders that actually cover where they live. They've been really good to come and support Stephanie at our meetings, since she's so shy, and sometimes it feels like they're the ones most interested to meet and learn more. They definitely all are loving it, though. It's so awesome to see. It just brings me a lot of comfort to think about something that Jeffrey R. Holland teaches. I can't quote it, but he basically says that more happens in our investigators' hearts than we think, and to take courage. The Lord is preparing each of these people in unique ways. The trick is remembering that and not letting yourself get discouraged by the people who don't want to listen, or by the weaknesses you have.
The Atonement is a real power, and I know it can help me change and improve. I've seen it work miracles countless times. I know he has all power and all wisdom. I know he can help me be more unified with my companion. I know he can help me love her in spite of my pride. I know he can help me overcome all opposition. I'll be better this week, President. Thank you for everything you do for us.
~Sister Nielsen
*****
Email convo between Lisa and Melanie...
Monday, August 24, 2015
Here's what I wrote the mission president.
Hi, President!
Things are doing all right over here. Hard. Mostly hard. Wednesday was a bad day. For some reason I just felt like the weight of the world/work was crushing me. My companion was kind enough to recognize that I just needed to not go out and work that day. We tried to make up for it the rest of the week, but things kept coming up, and we had to give a pretty pathetic report last night, and all the guilt set in. I'm trying so hard to work hard. I'm trying so hard to make my family and my Heavenly Father proud and to make it all worth it. I feel like I'm still adjusting and still struggling to adapt and be unified with my companion, but we had a really good companionship inventory last night, and I'm trying. She's trying. The promise in Ether 12:27 is real! The harder and harder you try to come unto the Lord, the more he helps you recognize that you can't even start to do it alone. I never realized how much pride I actually have until I came out and tried to do HIS work.
Sorry so "doom and gloom" up here. Maybe it's all the smoke. ;)
Like I said, I feel like a lot of good things have been happening that don't show up on the key indicators. Even though one of our (mostly) solid investigators, Lilian, is possibly— but hopefully not— avoiding us, we had the family we found at the park— Stephanie, Lee, and Vonna— come on a church tour, and they really loved it! They're excited to come to church and get a feel for our church. They love reading the Book of Mormon and have told us so many times how much peace they've felt since we've started meeting. The only thing now is getting Lee and Vonna (Stephanie's parents) comfortable enough to accept visits from the elders that actually cover where they live. They've been really good to come and support Stephanie at our meetings, since she's so shy, and sometimes it feels like they're the ones most interested to meet and learn more. They definitely all are loving it, though. It's so awesome to see. It just brings me a lot of comfort to think about something that Jeffrey R. Holland teaches. I can't quote it, but he basically says that more happens in our investigators' hearts than we think, and to take courage. The Lord is preparing each of these people in unique ways. The trick is remembering that and not letting yourself get discouraged by the people who don't want to listen, or by the weaknesses you have.
The Atonement is a real power, and I know it can help me change and improve. I've seen it work miracles countless times. I know he has all power and all wisdom. I know he can help me be more unified with my companion. I know he can help me love her in spite of my pride. I know he can help me overcome all opposition. I'll be better this week, President. Thank you for everything you do for us.
~Sister Nielsen
*****
Email convo between Lisa and Melanie...
Lisa: I understand that you've had a problem with smoke lately. Let me clarify for you which fire is causing smoke where, and which parts of the state are on fire and which are not. You're welcome. :)
Credit: Eric Strate via Facebook
Melanie: LOL. So... all of it. Just as I suspected. ;)
(And then later) That picture is hilarious. My companion and I laugh about it every time we see it. #itsfunnybecauseitstrue #refinersfireredefined #punsfordays
Repentance is Truly Bliss :)
Monday, August 17, 2015
I'm grateful for the way repentance works. I remember being with my last companion and noticing the way she was always apologizing to the Lord for what seemed like everything. I thought it was quite unusual. I think I've had an understanding of repentance before, but I guess I never really thought about doing it every day for so many little things. But it is so amazing. Repentance really is so important for qualifying for the impressions of the Spirit, which are so vital to the work. The struggle with that right now is being patient with myself because I am always falling short, and always making mistakes. It's easy for me to be really hard on myself about it, but I'm learning.
I can't say this enough: I am so grateful for the Spirit in this work. This week my companion and I have been working so hard at our goals (one of them being "If you're going to set a goal, get it; if not, repent and sleep well"). One goal in particular is to be better with our timeliness and sticking to the schedule we've set. We've already seen the miracles from keeping that goal. We'd made a plan to do some finding at one of the many parks we have in our area. When we arrived there at the time we had scheduled, there weren't but maybe two cars parked there, where we had expected there to be a few more people. Our first thought was, "Eh, maybe we ought to go somewhere else." But then we noticed a guy sitting in his car in the corner of the parking lot. As soon as we saw him, the Spirit automatically told us to go talk to him. After fighting past my doubts, we prayed, and made our way over to talk to him. The Spirit guided us through our conversation and helped us bear witness of the importance of the Restoration and the power of the Book of Mormon. I think we came right when he needed us because when we asked him if we could teach him more, he gladly accepted, and we're meeting with him on Thursday. So many times I talk myself out of situations like that, and it was so amazing to see the reward from our faith.
Another great experience we had from the Spirit came to us yesterday, as we were TRYING to follow our schedule. As we were on our way, the Spirit prompted us to go visit Lilian, and since she lives out of our area, it's not always easy to just drive over on a whim. After we talked about it, we prayed and the Spirit came so strongly and told us to go. After we texted our district leader and got his response, we went to Lilian's house. We got there and knocked... nothing. Knocked again... nothing still. In my head, I said, "Nuh-uh. We did not get a prompting like that for no reason. We are here for something." So I had the thought to ring the doorbell, which we don't usually do, and after a little while, she came. We had a great conversation! She was really able to open up to us about her experiences, and the Spirit bore powerful testimony through us of the Savior's ability to make those impossible things possible and heal every hurt. We invited her to say the prayer, and she thanked Heavenly Father that we came and helped her. What a tender mercy. Heavenly Father is truly aware of each of his children.
I know he blesses us as we strive to be obedient— exactly, even when it doesn't make sense. I'm so grateful that he knows best.
~Sister Nielsen
PICTURES!
We met this family at one of the parks in our area. (This is Stephanie and her parents, for those who are following along.) They wanted to take a picture with us, so we decided to get our cameras out, too. Also, there's Lee being all creepy and stuff. :D
Strike a pose, lil squirrel. Strike a pose.
Walla Walla is really pretty. So is my companion. A selfie resulted.
Going through the reasons people are former investigators: "Not interested." "Moved." "Not interested; try back soon." "Not ready." "In Prison." ...oh. :)
I'm grateful for the way repentance works. I remember being with my last companion and noticing the way she was always apologizing to the Lord for what seemed like everything. I thought it was quite unusual. I think I've had an understanding of repentance before, but I guess I never really thought about doing it every day for so many little things. But it is so amazing. Repentance really is so important for qualifying for the impressions of the Spirit, which are so vital to the work. The struggle with that right now is being patient with myself because I am always falling short, and always making mistakes. It's easy for me to be really hard on myself about it, but I'm learning.
I can't say this enough: I am so grateful for the Spirit in this work. This week my companion and I have been working so hard at our goals (one of them being "If you're going to set a goal, get it; if not, repent and sleep well"). One goal in particular is to be better with our timeliness and sticking to the schedule we've set. We've already seen the miracles from keeping that goal. We'd made a plan to do some finding at one of the many parks we have in our area. When we arrived there at the time we had scheduled, there weren't but maybe two cars parked there, where we had expected there to be a few more people. Our first thought was, "Eh, maybe we ought to go somewhere else." But then we noticed a guy sitting in his car in the corner of the parking lot. As soon as we saw him, the Spirit automatically told us to go talk to him. After fighting past my doubts, we prayed, and made our way over to talk to him. The Spirit guided us through our conversation and helped us bear witness of the importance of the Restoration and the power of the Book of Mormon. I think we came right when he needed us because when we asked him if we could teach him more, he gladly accepted, and we're meeting with him on Thursday. So many times I talk myself out of situations like that, and it was so amazing to see the reward from our faith.
Another great experience we had from the Spirit came to us yesterday, as we were TRYING to follow our schedule. As we were on our way, the Spirit prompted us to go visit Lilian, and since she lives out of our area, it's not always easy to just drive over on a whim. After we talked about it, we prayed and the Spirit came so strongly and told us to go. After we texted our district leader and got his response, we went to Lilian's house. We got there and knocked... nothing. Knocked again... nothing still. In my head, I said, "Nuh-uh. We did not get a prompting like that for no reason. We are here for something." So I had the thought to ring the doorbell, which we don't usually do, and after a little while, she came. We had a great conversation! She was really able to open up to us about her experiences, and the Spirit bore powerful testimony through us of the Savior's ability to make those impossible things possible and heal every hurt. We invited her to say the prayer, and she thanked Heavenly Father that we came and helped her. What a tender mercy. Heavenly Father is truly aware of each of his children.
I know he blesses us as we strive to be obedient— exactly, even when it doesn't make sense. I'm so grateful that he knows best.
~Sister Nielsen
PICTURES!
We met this family at one of the parks in our area. (This is Stephanie and her parents, for those who are following along.) They wanted to take a picture with us, so we decided to get our cameras out, too. Also, there's Lee being all creepy and stuff. :D
Strike a pose, lil squirrel. Strike a pose.
Walla Walla is really pretty. So is my companion. A selfie resulted.
Going through the reasons people are former investigators: "Not interested." "Moved." "Not interested; try back soon." "Not ready." "In Prison." ...oh. :)
This Week in Walla Walla
Monday, August 10, 2015
Hey, all! Here's my week!
I would say this week has been a week for applying the Doctrine of Christ. (Not that every week isn't like that.) It's felt like I'm still adjusting to being here. I really should give myself more credit because it's only been two weeks, and not even that yet. I'm still getting used to a new area and a new companion and to not training anymore. I have a lot of confidence in my ability to adjust with time and the Lord's hand. I keep praying that my weaknesses won't get in the way, even when my companion and I seem to have the same weaknesses.
As I'm writing, I am just thinking about my week and how much I've hoped to not be the companion that builds us up and how much I so wish I didn't have to be the outgoing and driven one— especially when I get so scared sometimes that I don't want to be outgoing or driven. But the Spirit is whispering to me, "You don't have to be the senior companion. Leave it up to me." I want to use my time wisely. I want to work hard and exhaust myself in His service.
I do have to say, though, we picked up four new investigators, and were able to put two on date— Lilian and a lady we met at the park named Stephanie. We have an appointment with both of them today, but Lilian cancelled and told us she was in the hospital! (What in the world?!) She hasn't told us why yet. She said she would come to church this weekend. Meeting Stephanie was a really cool experience, too! We have been in love with the park we found her at ever since we thought to go there one night and met someone we referred to the 2nd Ward elders. Stephanie was there with her parents, and I was having a hard time letting myself go talk to them, but thank goodness my companion bucked up the courage to go over and talk to her. She and her parents were so open to talk to us, and even though we had an appointment we had to run to, they were so willing to let us come back to the park when we were done to talk to them some more. We taught them the whole Restoration pamphlet when we came back, and she was open and interested to learn more! And she accepted the invitation to be baptized on Sept. 5! We're excited to meet with her at 7:00 today.
Another great experience we had was being able to run into Sandra and Jose yesterday while we were trying by some former investigators from the area book. We saw them outside and went to go see how they were, since they'd told us that their best friend and his girlfriend were killed this last week. But it was a great conversation as she told us how much peace and comfort being a member of the church has helped her have, in spite of all she's going through. They pray together and are taking confidence in the Lord's ability to guide them through their hard time. Isn't the Gospel such a blessing?! We asked our Elders Quorum president, Brother Shiffler (who is fellowshipping them) if he'd find a way to go over today to give their house a blessing. We'll need to follow up and see how things went.
In spite of my insecurities about my weaknesses and the awkwardness of adjusting, I'd say things are going well. The greatest miracle of all is that we have people that we're focusing on, in spite of baptizing everyone in our teaching pool recently. The Lord is working miracles in spite of my weaknesses. I hope that I can strive to live each day without regrets, but I know that the Lord can take those from me, too, and make everything work for the best.
I love this work.
~Sister Nielsen
Pictures!
When you're going to try by the families the bishop told you to, and the directions someone gave you put you in the middle of nowhere. (Thankfully some dogs came out from the house we were going to and showed us the way back.)
#missionaryhumor
Hey, all! Here's my week!
I would say this week has been a week for applying the Doctrine of Christ. (Not that every week isn't like that.) It's felt like I'm still adjusting to being here. I really should give myself more credit because it's only been two weeks, and not even that yet. I'm still getting used to a new area and a new companion and to not training anymore. I have a lot of confidence in my ability to adjust with time and the Lord's hand. I keep praying that my weaknesses won't get in the way, even when my companion and I seem to have the same weaknesses.
As I'm writing, I am just thinking about my week and how much I've hoped to not be the companion that builds us up and how much I so wish I didn't have to be the outgoing and driven one— especially when I get so scared sometimes that I don't want to be outgoing or driven. But the Spirit is whispering to me, "You don't have to be the senior companion. Leave it up to me." I want to use my time wisely. I want to work hard and exhaust myself in His service.
I do have to say, though, we picked up four new investigators, and were able to put two on date— Lilian and a lady we met at the park named Stephanie. We have an appointment with both of them today, but Lilian cancelled and told us she was in the hospital! (What in the world?!) She hasn't told us why yet. She said she would come to church this weekend. Meeting Stephanie was a really cool experience, too! We have been in love with the park we found her at ever since we thought to go there one night and met someone we referred to the 2nd Ward elders. Stephanie was there with her parents, and I was having a hard time letting myself go talk to them, but thank goodness my companion bucked up the courage to go over and talk to her. She and her parents were so open to talk to us, and even though we had an appointment we had to run to, they were so willing to let us come back to the park when we were done to talk to them some more. We taught them the whole Restoration pamphlet when we came back, and she was open and interested to learn more! And she accepted the invitation to be baptized on Sept. 5! We're excited to meet with her at 7:00 today.
Another great experience we had was being able to run into Sandra and Jose yesterday while we were trying by some former investigators from the area book. We saw them outside and went to go see how they were, since they'd told us that their best friend and his girlfriend were killed this last week. But it was a great conversation as she told us how much peace and comfort being a member of the church has helped her have, in spite of all she's going through. They pray together and are taking confidence in the Lord's ability to guide them through their hard time. Isn't the Gospel such a blessing?! We asked our Elders Quorum president, Brother Shiffler (who is fellowshipping them) if he'd find a way to go over today to give their house a blessing. We'll need to follow up and see how things went.
In spite of my insecurities about my weaknesses and the awkwardness of adjusting, I'd say things are going well. The greatest miracle of all is that we have people that we're focusing on, in spite of baptizing everyone in our teaching pool recently. The Lord is working miracles in spite of my weaknesses. I hope that I can strive to live each day without regrets, but I know that the Lord can take those from me, too, and make everything work for the best.
I love this work.
~Sister Nielsen
Pictures!
When you're going to try by the families the bishop told you to, and the directions someone gave you put you in the middle of nowhere. (Thankfully some dogs came out from the house we were going to and showed us the way back.)
#missionaryhumor
Welcome to Walla Walla, Washington!
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Hey, all!
Sorry it's been a few weeks! It's been a crazy couple of weeks! I just got transferred to a new area— Walla Walla, Washington ("The place so good they named it twice.") It's been an incredible week. I'm short on time, so I'll send you my letter to my mission president. Love you all!
This week has been a roller coaster of emotions! Adjusting to Walla Walla has been a struggle, but going to the temple today was exactly what I needed! The Lord poured down revelation during the session and in the celestial room. I know I can always count on the way that I feel in the temple in the midst of all the emotions of my weeks.
Truthfully, I love Walla Walla. I loved it so much from the moment I got here. It really has been such a blessing of an area. It's been truly a testimony and a strength to come into the area where the sisters worked so hard to prepare Sandra, Jose, and Rebecca to be baptized, and to watch their faith strengthened through making that decision has made me ponder so much the depth and reality of the blessings the Lord promises as we make and keep covenants with him. This is THE path. This is THE way. Wow! How great is our calling!
I've also really enjoyed being able to get out of the house before noon, now that I'm not training anymore! It's amazing how much more you catch the fire in the work as you spend even more time doing it. My companion is such a sweetheart. We love to work hard and we know when to have fun. I'm so grateful I can be open with her, and I pray she'll feel that she can be open with me. We said a companionship prayer in the celestial room, and I think that was something that really made her day. (Or maybe just the temple in general!) I so much appreciate the way she's able to teach doctrine simply, and she helps me overcome my fears and reach my goals. I know that she and I will be able to work through the things we're going through in a smooth way. She's such a blessing. And we only get to be together for a transfer! :(
How do you share one miracle in a week full of them?
~Sister Nielsen
PICTURES!
A picture with the Frederick family in Pasco before the transfer. Love those guys!
When your investigator has a pet pig, you'd better get on taking a picture with it. Just saying.
At the mission home with Sister Tuigamala! :( It's hard to believe the mission ends sometimes, but I know she'll be the best RM yet. #companionlove
When you send your companion home, so you get to be in a trio until your transfer. :)
When Gary came to church! YAAY!
Welcome to Walla Walla!
My new companion and me at the temple today!
My new district!
The temple! ❤
Sandra and Jose at their baptism this weekend
Our district from last transfer #pasconorthzone #districtzone
#beststreet #WallaWallaRepresent
It's like this town knows me.
The next few are from an airshow a couple weeks ago (when I was still in Tri-Cities) and I thought of my BIL Bradley, of course! Hopefully these are some good pictures! I tried.
Hey, all!
Sorry it's been a few weeks! It's been a crazy couple of weeks! I just got transferred to a new area— Walla Walla, Washington ("The place so good they named it twice.") It's been an incredible week. I'm short on time, so I'll send you my letter to my mission president. Love you all!
This week has been a roller coaster of emotions! Adjusting to Walla Walla has been a struggle, but going to the temple today was exactly what I needed! The Lord poured down revelation during the session and in the celestial room. I know I can always count on the way that I feel in the temple in the midst of all the emotions of my weeks.
Truthfully, I love Walla Walla. I loved it so much from the moment I got here. It really has been such a blessing of an area. It's been truly a testimony and a strength to come into the area where the sisters worked so hard to prepare Sandra, Jose, and Rebecca to be baptized, and to watch their faith strengthened through making that decision has made me ponder so much the depth and reality of the blessings the Lord promises as we make and keep covenants with him. This is THE path. This is THE way. Wow! How great is our calling!
I've also really enjoyed being able to get out of the house before noon, now that I'm not training anymore! It's amazing how much more you catch the fire in the work as you spend even more time doing it. My companion is such a sweetheart. We love to work hard and we know when to have fun. I'm so grateful I can be open with her, and I pray she'll feel that she can be open with me. We said a companionship prayer in the celestial room, and I think that was something that really made her day. (Or maybe just the temple in general!) I so much appreciate the way she's able to teach doctrine simply, and she helps me overcome my fears and reach my goals. I know that she and I will be able to work through the things we're going through in a smooth way. She's such a blessing. And we only get to be together for a transfer! :(
How do you share one miracle in a week full of them?
- Our first day tracting together, we knocked into a lady named Debra. It was such a surreal experience talking to her and watching her be so receptive and willing to listen. She was excited for us to come back, but said she'd be busy until October. (We're hoping to get in with her sooner than that.)
- Three baptisms in one day! I said it earlier, but I'm so grateful I got to come into an area where the Lord had prepared these people and strengthened their testimonies to where they felt ready to make this commitment to the Lord. It had me thinking so much about the Doctrine of Christ and how important faith, repentance, baptism— or renewing our covenant through the sacrament— and the Holy Ghost really are. When I talked to Sandra and Rebecca about how they felt after their baptism, they said things like, "Awesome!" and "Clean!" Can you imagine that? To feel clean? And we get an opportunity to feel just that every week as we renew our covenants through the sacrament. What a blessing! What a miracle! It was so much motivation to me, to really not take that important meeting for granted each week.
~Sister Nielsen
PICTURES!
A picture with the Frederick family in Pasco before the transfer. Love those guys!
When your investigator has a pet pig, you'd better get on taking a picture with it. Just saying.
At the mission home with Sister Tuigamala! :( It's hard to believe the mission ends sometimes, but I know she'll be the best RM yet. #companionlove
When you send your companion home, so you get to be in a trio until your transfer. :)
When Gary came to church! YAAY!
Welcome to Walla Walla!
My new companion and me at the temple today!
My new district!
The temple! ❤
Sandra and Jose at their baptism this weekend
Our district from last transfer #pasconorthzone #districtzone
#beststreet #WallaWallaRepresent
It's like this town knows me.
The next few are from an airshow a couple weeks ago (when I was still in Tri-Cities) and I thought of my BIL Bradley, of course! Hopefully these are some good pictures! I tried.
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
I Can Do Hard Things
Monday, July 20, 2015
Email to Lisa
Whoa! Bradley's the bishop!! That is so crazy! And you're the bishop's wife! That is just super cool. I'm so happy for y'all! Give Bradley my best and my congratulations! ❤
Things have improved since last week, or maybe it's just my perspective. :) Our mission president sent us a letter last week, asking us to start a 40-day fast from distractions and to talk with everyone we see, no matter how awkward or inconvenient. That's given us a little more courage. I'm doing my best to do what the Lord prompts and nudges me to do, no matter the sacrifice and no matter how hard.
Something significant I've learned recently out on my mission is more of a confirmation really that God truly is our loving Heavenly Father. He gives us commandments for our benefit. He gives us hard things because we'll grow from them and become the people we're trying to become in the first place. Sometimes I feel like a little kid with my relationship with Heavenly Father— I.E., "Daddy doesn't love me because he did this to me." Not that I've ever truly doubted his love, but it's really resonated with me that he asks hard things because he loves us. He truly, truly does. Be still. Know that I am God. Everything works out for the best when we trust him.
One other thing is how important it is to keep the Spirit and how sensitive it really is. My companion pointed this out in a lesson, and she mentioned how we as missionaries repent a lot. :) And it's because the Spirit really is so crucial and so vital in the work that we can't afford to go a minute without it. I keep thinking about how important the Spirit is for non-missionaries— for obvious reasons, though. But I'd never really thought about what an important role repentance plays. I've heard that you really ought to be repenting every day, and it's stood out to me now, more than ever, how important that is. The Spirit is what helps us become who the Lord wants us to be, and ultimately who we're striving to become anyway. We are not perfect, but repentance is a real power, and the Spirit that comes from it is crucial for survival in mortality and especially the world we live in today.
I'm so grateful for those things that invite the Spirit. Prayer is powerful. The scriptures are wonderful! Church is so important for helping us to feel the Spirit, renew our promises, and learn how we can be better. The Spirit is so important, and being worthy of it is even more important! I'm continually praying to be worthy of it, here in my work.
Maren is looking SO CUTE as always! Give her a big hug! Tell her to stop growing so quickly!
Love you!
Sister Nielsen
Email to Lisa
Whoa! Bradley's the bishop!! That is so crazy! And you're the bishop's wife! That is just super cool. I'm so happy for y'all! Give Bradley my best and my congratulations! ❤
Things have improved since last week, or maybe it's just my perspective. :) Our mission president sent us a letter last week, asking us to start a 40-day fast from distractions and to talk with everyone we see, no matter how awkward or inconvenient. That's given us a little more courage. I'm doing my best to do what the Lord prompts and nudges me to do, no matter the sacrifice and no matter how hard.
Something significant I've learned recently out on my mission is more of a confirmation really that God truly is our loving Heavenly Father. He gives us commandments for our benefit. He gives us hard things because we'll grow from them and become the people we're trying to become in the first place. Sometimes I feel like a little kid with my relationship with Heavenly Father— I.E., "Daddy doesn't love me because he did this to me." Not that I've ever truly doubted his love, but it's really resonated with me that he asks hard things because he loves us. He truly, truly does. Be still. Know that I am God. Everything works out for the best when we trust him.
One other thing is how important it is to keep the Spirit and how sensitive it really is. My companion pointed this out in a lesson, and she mentioned how we as missionaries repent a lot. :) And it's because the Spirit really is so crucial and so vital in the work that we can't afford to go a minute without it. I keep thinking about how important the Spirit is for non-missionaries— for obvious reasons, though. But I'd never really thought about what an important role repentance plays. I've heard that you really ought to be repenting every day, and it's stood out to me now, more than ever, how important that is. The Spirit is what helps us become who the Lord wants us to be, and ultimately who we're striving to become anyway. We are not perfect, but repentance is a real power, and the Spirit that comes from it is crucial for survival in mortality and especially the world we live in today.
I'm so grateful for those things that invite the Spirit. Prayer is powerful. The scriptures are wonderful! Church is so important for helping us to feel the Spirit, renew our promises, and learn how we can be better. The Spirit is so important, and being worthy of it is even more important! I'm continually praying to be worthy of it, here in my work.
Maren is looking SO CUTE as always! Give her a big hug! Tell her to stop growing so quickly!
Love you!
Sister Nielsen
Somewhere He Opens A Window... Eventually
Monday, July 13, 2015
Hey, all! Sorry I don't have a lot of time today. We have a lot to do for P-day and not a lot of time. I know y'all hate it when I do this, but I wanted to send you an update. It'll be copy/pasted (and mildly edited) from my letter to my mission president.
President Ware,
Admittedly, I've been pretty discouraged the last couple of days. I know that success isn't measured outwardly, but sometimes it's hard when you feel like you're giving it your all and the key indicators don't show it. I couldn't have a better companion, though. Seriously, my companion is the most awesome companion, President. When we were emailing at the library earlier, she was teaching the girl sitting next to us, just because you told us in the letter to talk to everyone! Who would think to do that, you know? Just strike up a conversation with the girl! She trusts that obedience will bring blessings, and she automatically wants to do anything she's counseled to do by our leaders. She is the most incredible example to me.
The other day we were having a really hard time and everything had fallen through and no one wanted to give us two seconds, and it was so hot. But my companion turns to me and says, "Hey. Let's play a game. It's called 'What I love about being a missionary.' You ready?" And, as you can imagine, the Spirit was strong as we listed off the best parts about the work. To transition from being soooo discouraged to feeling so good about what I was doing almost brought me to tears. She really does so much for me and my faith, and she's always good to point out the positives.
I feel like the last two transfers have been really great. We work hard. I am not perfect, though, and I see that more and more every day, but I know what with the Lord, I can do hard things. I would say, though, that in spite of my discouragement, things are going well. It's hard to see practically every person we're teaching drop us or avoid us, but there are little miracles here and there.
Yesterday my companion and I had dinner at this family's home where their oldest son has been struggling with his testimony, but as we started to share our testimonies at dinner, he gave us this look like maybe he had felt something and maybe he believed what we were saying! It was so wonderful to see, President. I love that we take such priority in making our dinners a spiritual experience. I'm grateful for my companion, who is always so quick to share a scripture or talk to someone.
We had another cool experience with something that my companion also initiated. It was kind of a bummer at first because we had gone to contact a new investigator, and she didn't act very interested. But on our way back to the car, we saw someone going out to their car. For me, I didn't really think to go talk to him— and I want to improve on that. But my companion went right over and started talking to him. After awhile, we got to know that he had a strong, strong faith in Jesus Christ. He also related to us an experience he had where he was taken up, in a vision, and the Savior offered him a cup to drink from and offered some counsel that he couldn't understand. As he drank from the cup, he awoke from his vision. Then he told us, "I've made it my life's mission to find out what Jesus said to me, and I feel like it's something I need to share with the world."
The Spirit was so strong, and I felt a distinct impression to bear witness of the restored gospel. I opened my mouth and words flowed. I bore witness that our message would help him find out what the Savior had said to him, and that he would not be disappointed. The Spirit softened his heart so much, and he gladly accepted a restoration pamphlet and Book of Mormon. Then we referred him over to the Pasco 3rd and 8th sisters because we were doing some YSA work in that area, and he is married. I feel like a lot of our work turns out to be for other missionaries, but... same team, right?
I'm trying really hard to do my best out here, President. I hope I'm not letting the Lord down. Thank you for the wise counsel you always give us to help us be the best missionaries we can be.
--
"The Gospel's True, Folks!"
Sister Melanie Nielsen
Hey, all! Sorry I don't have a lot of time today. We have a lot to do for P-day and not a lot of time. I know y'all hate it when I do this, but I wanted to send you an update. It'll be copy/pasted (and mildly edited) from my letter to my mission president.
President Ware,
Admittedly, I've been pretty discouraged the last couple of days. I know that success isn't measured outwardly, but sometimes it's hard when you feel like you're giving it your all and the key indicators don't show it. I couldn't have a better companion, though. Seriously, my companion is the most awesome companion, President. When we were emailing at the library earlier, she was teaching the girl sitting next to us, just because you told us in the letter to talk to everyone! Who would think to do that, you know? Just strike up a conversation with the girl! She trusts that obedience will bring blessings, and she automatically wants to do anything she's counseled to do by our leaders. She is the most incredible example to me.
The other day we were having a really hard time and everything had fallen through and no one wanted to give us two seconds, and it was so hot. But my companion turns to me and says, "Hey. Let's play a game. It's called 'What I love about being a missionary.' You ready?" And, as you can imagine, the Spirit was strong as we listed off the best parts about the work. To transition from being soooo discouraged to feeling so good about what I was doing almost brought me to tears. She really does so much for me and my faith, and she's always good to point out the positives.
I feel like the last two transfers have been really great. We work hard. I am not perfect, though, and I see that more and more every day, but I know what with the Lord, I can do hard things. I would say, though, that in spite of my discouragement, things are going well. It's hard to see practically every person we're teaching drop us or avoid us, but there are little miracles here and there.
Yesterday my companion and I had dinner at this family's home where their oldest son has been struggling with his testimony, but as we started to share our testimonies at dinner, he gave us this look like maybe he had felt something and maybe he believed what we were saying! It was so wonderful to see, President. I love that we take such priority in making our dinners a spiritual experience. I'm grateful for my companion, who is always so quick to share a scripture or talk to someone.
We had another cool experience with something that my companion also initiated. It was kind of a bummer at first because we had gone to contact a new investigator, and she didn't act very interested. But on our way back to the car, we saw someone going out to their car. For me, I didn't really think to go talk to him— and I want to improve on that. But my companion went right over and started talking to him. After awhile, we got to know that he had a strong, strong faith in Jesus Christ. He also related to us an experience he had where he was taken up, in a vision, and the Savior offered him a cup to drink from and offered some counsel that he couldn't understand. As he drank from the cup, he awoke from his vision. Then he told us, "I've made it my life's mission to find out what Jesus said to me, and I feel like it's something I need to share with the world."
The Spirit was so strong, and I felt a distinct impression to bear witness of the restored gospel. I opened my mouth and words flowed. I bore witness that our message would help him find out what the Savior had said to him, and that he would not be disappointed. The Spirit softened his heart so much, and he gladly accepted a restoration pamphlet and Book of Mormon. Then we referred him over to the Pasco 3rd and 8th sisters because we were doing some YSA work in that area, and he is married. I feel like a lot of our work turns out to be for other missionaries, but... same team, right?
I'm trying really hard to do my best out here, President. I hope I'm not letting the Lord down. Thank you for the wise counsel you always give us to help us be the best missionaries we can be.
--
"The Gospel's True, Folks!"
Sister Melanie Nielsen
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