MeRrY ChRiStMaS

Love you!!! :) good to see you all!! Happy New years to you too!!!!

Love sister Nielsen

opening presents

Celebrating Jen's birthday

MELE KALIKIMAKA 🎶

Hope all is well over in the freezing tundra haha. 

This week has been really good and lots of tender mercies from God and working with our investigators. Unfortunately I don't feel like this Christmas spirit is really opening many people up, they'd rather just have us visit after the holidays (which is the end of the transfer -_-) but luckily there are many people everywhere we go and pretty much no one has the gospel that will make their season bright :) 

Okay one little lesson learned-the hard way- but we have tried to be as obedient as we can and we see the fruits of it. But it's easy to forget the difference that makes. Saturday we had many appointments set and guess what. We accidentally slept in :o And guess what. Almost all of them cancelled-which is pretty unusual. I just have to say, there is a big difference in our lives when we are obedient. Some blessings you see right away and some not as much, but when we aren't obedient and lost those blessings, we can be quick to repent and God will always help us to have those blessings again. BE OBEDIENT haha :)

Also, I really love this area.there are such great people, Heavenly Father definitely put me here for a reason. Even through mean people, and scary dogs, there are so many humble people waiting to learn the gospel. I have learned a lot and as I come closer to my year mark, I look back and feel like I'm not even close to the same person I was. I can't believe the experiences, but I am so glad that i am here on a mission. It's not easy, still isn't easy, but what better time to really find yourself and to help others come unto Christ. Everyone should serve a mission... ;) 

Also, even though this is the first Christmas away from home, and no snow or anything like that, I am so happy and GRATEFUL to be here in Honolulu at this time. I love my companion, I love this area, and I love Heavenly Father for giving me all these blessings and allowing me to be an instrument to help others as well. I'm not a perfect missionary, but I'm trying my best to be worthy of all that God can do through me. Small means are great things brought to pass <3

Love you alll!!!!

Be good and pay attention to the shephards in the story of Christ's birth :)

Sister NIelsen

Merry Christmas from Sister Nielsen

Aloha Aloha Aloha Aloha Aloha Aloha :)

Happy 11th month

Hi!!

This week has been so good. I am so shocked it's already emailing day. I feel like the longer I'm out, the more I just feel like i'll tell stories when I get home. :))))

I am loving this holiday season. It is so warm and lovely (sometimes rainy) but pretty wonderful weather here and also people, especially the military people decorate all out, so it's fun to get best of both worlds. This morning we were listening to Christmas music with AC full blast trying to get the feel hahah it's a little different, but nothing better as a missionary :) Also some families have different Christmas trees-like fake palm trees or something. Fun. 

But I am so grateful. We have been trying to work hard and be obedient, and of course we have improvements still, but we have already seen fruit from the efforts. We have many investigators and I feel like we get to meet many potentials too. Luckily we are surrounded by filapinos, who are so much more open then everyone else. So at least we have a chance to share the gospel. I know other areas here are really difficult to find. But also, being military is different because we can't find on our own. But it's great because it reminds me back of BYUH days where we relied so much on members, and finding new ideas how to work with these members here. I also have grown a greater appreciation for those who serve our country. What a sacrifice! To them and their families. 

We had one of our wards Christmas parties. It was a blast. I have really come to learn the importance of members in missionary work. I hope and pray anyone reading this will make a bigger effort to reach out to those they don't know at church functions or other events, because that can be a big moment for that person in feeling loved and welcomed. Never ignore those promptings to talk to someone else :) 

I really love my companion as well. We work really well together and are laughing a lot as well, which makes me happy :) I am glad to see how being humble and patient can lead to more charity and also more happiness :) 

I'm so grateful for the emails, letters, ward poster haha, packages, and all the prayers. It doesn't make me trunky at all, actually, it just makes me smile! I am glad to have this Christmas here. It's so fun and I miss you all, but it'll be great to see your faces on Christmas! Plus I get to experience other families traditions and spirit. I'm pumped :) Love you all so much.

I hope your Light the World challenge is still going. The gospel really is all about loving others and service. it's through the teachings of Jesus Christ that we can return back to God, but how to uplift others along the way. It's the best. 

Love sister Nielsen 🌸

Concrete Jungle

Not quite as beautiful as North Shore!!

GUESS WHAT!!! It's so fun that it's december!!! Basically feels like it always does, except people are starting to decorate and also Christmas music playing through the streets :) (that's just where all the houses are so close that you can always hear everyone's music haha) 

I feel like we have had such great experiences finding new investigators and doing service for many who really need it. I'm grateful when others let them serve us. I think military wives tend to be very independent. So when they let us help out in any way, i think it's a miracle! There's one family we have been able to spend a lot of time serving and it's true, when you serve someone, you grow in so much love for them!!! And I know I always hear it, but even when i get a little bothered by my companion, if I immediately look for ways to serve her, I grow even a little bit more love for her :). 

I think almost everyone we are teaching right now is filipino! They are very nice. I think it's partially just their culture to be so kind and listen, but hopefully they will feel the spirit and let it change them! The hard thing about one of our wards is it's half local/half military, and almost all the locals are less active :( I hope we can find ways to change that. it's interesting dynamic, but we have great members that are willing to help us, which I really appreciate :)

Oh but one of the new investigators we have doesn't speak super good english, but the one thing he kept saying clearly "I love Mormons" haha so cute :) Plus he wasn't even who we had originally gone to see in that house. It's cool to see how God will put us where we need to be to meet who will accept the message!

I'm going blank on what else to share (sorry! haha I just woke up from a nap)

But I love you all. I love the Christmas card haha. I hope you send me a copy :D 

Love Sister Nielsen

Honolulu

Aloha Ohana :) 


I have got to say, time goes sooo fast, but this week has been so long haha! Not in a bad way at all but I never realized how changing seriously everything up could be such an adjustment! 

It is similar in the idea of missionary work haha but pretty much way different!! We cover a lot of military housing and on base, so we cannot tract. But even the "small" amounts of local area that we can tract is bigger than my whole hauula area hahah. It's good :) I love having the opportunity to talk to nonmembers alllll over and also to experience such a different culture. I have got to say the military group of people is almost opposite of the hawaiian culture haha. I get a nervous not knowing the culture (ex: to make people love you you eat tooons of food, but here I don't necessarily think that's true haha they probably will think I'm rude if I eat a ton!) 

But I really love my companion! Sister Makihele.

So in the car on the way to the apartment when we first got put together, we were just talking and I made a comment how it was funny because my twin sister drove on the wrong side of the road during her driving test and still passed (lol jamie). And she freaked out about me having a twin (which is normal) but then she said "I have a twin too! ...and she also drove on the wrong side of the road her first time driving" haha I died. So funny. We are both twins in a 9 person family. cool beans. We also meet so many twins. It's so fun. We actually have so much in common in our twinship. I'm her second companion, but she's been out for about 4-5 months! We are doing good together and I am grateful to have such an easy going comp. She's tongan but from alaska and fits in a lot with the military culture, but i really like it! 

The investigators in the area all sort of dropped so we have been trying to find new investigators! It's pretty amazing how we get placed in the right places to meet these people. Like I said, it's a pretty different culture working with military people, also with the Caucasians. It really is quite different. But good experience nonetheless :)

I do miss seeing the temple every day and wearing muumuus haha. It is sooo different not having a million sisters around and not doing vc/online. But crazy thing. I sent a referral from the online system to this area.... and now I am the one contacting her!! how cool :) haha. Seriously, online referrals are so exciting for us when we get them!! :)

Oh for thanksgiving we got lots of food. I've never been more tired after eating turkey haha but the people are so generous. We ate at all american houses/parties, so definitely a traditional meal :) Lots of mashed potatoes :):):) 

Many of the people we invited to come to church actually came! But they didn't stay, one even left half way through the meeting.... so we will have to see how we can help there. 

But yeah. I'm soooo excited. We have a lot of potentials and some people that are beginning to investigate. It's so great to be able to help others. 

I hope you also have the chance to look at the mormon.org video and 25 service days!!! Really take the challenge. We are also trying to look for more service because we know that is what Jesus would do! :) 

Hiking

Its windy today!

I love you all so much! Fun that I get to skype you in less than a month!!! yay!! 

Reach out this Christmas season :) There's all kinds of excuses to serve and share the gospel :)

Love Sister Nielsen

Transfer to Honolulu!!!

Aloha!!! 

The Smiths

well guess what!!! I am getting transferred out of here for a few transfers (most likely) to... Honolulu West (which i don't really know where that is hahah but sounds like it is city and part of my area is a military base, so all kinds of people from all over!! One of the VC sisters served in the same area, so i've been getting all kinds of tips. I guess there is a Target over there (which to most people is big news haha i don't know how much it'll change things for me) but my companion will be Sister Makihele. Her name sounds Poly, but I heard she's from Alaska! We will see how it goes! I really hope to love it! It'll be lots of holidays while I'm gone, which is a little sad because the VC is beautiful with trees and festivities, but I think being away also might make it fun for me. 

The only thing I'm sad about is I'll be gone for the last little bit of the Smiths, Sister Weygandt, Lee and Miao. Oh well. Everyone goes to BYU or BYUI it seems like hahha. I'll see everyone again I think :) 

This week went fast )only a few days since last email haha) So i'm not really sure what to share! I am excited to change, but this last week has been fun. We bought a large print BOM for an investigtor Sister -which she almost rejected hahaha We practically begged her to take it, so she did. I hope she will read it! Also Sister Pluim is also leaving Hauula, but they are putting Sister Obrien back in there, so hopefully that's enough common faces to keep the trust we have built!! Makes me nervous to have so often of changes there, because people stop working with us. 

But We did get to go to the temple. I love seeing that everyday! So special. 

Well I hope you have a great Thanksgiving! I don't know what mine will be like. It sounds like I will be eating a lot. :) 

This week we had great opportunities to meet many people we didn't know, as we put ourselves out there, even to try to visit others, God will lead us to people that will listen and talk and hopefully plant a seed in their hearts each time :) I love those moments! But Something in Sacrament meeting really stood out to me, if the best spiritual experiences in your life are just from your mission or long ago, then change! Because you can have those as often as you are willing :) Ask God to make you an instrument and do all you can to live worthy of the Spirit so that it can lead you to those that need it :)

Love you all!! 

Love Sister Nielsen

Baked potatoes for the girls from Idaho

Aloha!!!!

Aloha!!!!!                               

Time is so fast! I mean so much happens but then it just feels like I wrote! But next week is transfer week, so our schedule is messed up, so my pday will be Monday!! So don't forget ;D Plus it'll be the week before Thanksgiving!!!! 

Things have been going good. I of course love the people and my area and sister Pluim is great. She says "awesome" a lot, but probably because there are many awesome things going on haha.  But I can't believe how fast time goes. 

We had another fun guest here at the VC, Sister Sheri Dew! I love her, she is a very likable lady. She has her trials, but I love how she uses them to help others and also how she allows others to help lighten her burden. Our baptism covenant is to help lighten each others' burdens, and it order to do that, we have to be willing to let others know what our trials may be. But also something that stuck out to me was being willing to have that spiritual wrestle with God (like Enos or other people in the BOM) which I think I needed to hear. 

Things are going in Hau'ula, still just one investigator and she "isn't going to change" but sadly for her, she just lost her best friend of MANY years, and so she was willing to let us really teach her the plan of salvation, where we came from, why we are here, and what happens to us after we die. I really am grateful to know that there is a bigger picture that just the right here and now. Our choices really matter, and God will help us to return to him! It's really a hopeful message! Always share that with others :)

I am starting to love calling people about their requests for the Bible, people are so interesting! And i love that each person has such uniqueness you really never know what to expect. It's like working at the call center but i can say whatever i want and i get to have a three way call and have a companion haha. It's pretty great! yesterday we got to talk to a guy on the phone that was deaf! honestly i had no idea. that translator was so good!!!! But also, it's so fun to get to call and follow up with them and hear how excited some of them are to keep leraning from the missionaries!!! I hope the Lord keeps sharing the gospel. I don't regularlly have baptisms from online, but it's so amazing that as a visitors' center, we get to spend so much time in our meeting talking and sharing the stories of many baptisms each week from people that either came VC or online (usually online). It's so amazing!!! 

I hope you have a great week!

Love you

Love Sister Nielsen

ALO (to share) HA (the breathe of life) ;)

Aloha family. how are you???                                Sounds like all is well over there haha. But it's going by quick over here. I feel like I just emailed last week. This transfer has been a little strange, even though it's the same area, all the people I spent time working with and serving in the past have all been busy or out of town, so it's been really difficult to find new people to teach or to try to help reactivate. It is so sad to see how many less actives there are. Moroni 6:4 explains how we are supposed to basically keep strengthening each other after baptism, and it's really sad to see many fall off the path and end up unhappy or feeling lost. I really hope everyone can do better to reach out to those brothers and sisters that even already made the promises to God and help them to come back. Because that is our responsibility :)

But i love the people here. They sure are great. We had the chance to meet this family that is usually just turning away missionaries but we prayed with them and the spirit touched the mom's heart that she invited us in to eat, so of course we went in and were able to really get to know them and talk to them. It was a little miracle, but so grateful because now they've told us we can come any time and even if they aren't home, we know where the food is haha. But also, I know that the gospel can help them to overcome their addictions and to find more peace and happiness in their family. 

In the visitors' center we met this sweet lady, who we felt inspired to talk about family with her (not just generally about the temple and what we do there). It was really neat to see how that was exactly what she was going through-loss of mom and sister recently and the idea that families can be together again reallllly interested her and knowing how the gospel can bless her family even now also. I am grateful that we have the short tram tours where even in that short amount of time, we are able to help serve people so that God can have an opportunity to help others to be happy and come closer to him. Even if it's 15-20 minutes of their Hawaii vacation :)

Also online Sister Pluim and I hadn't been very successful, but we really set our minds to it, and I feel like there have been many neat experiences and opportunities to help others learn more about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Some of the people we talk to remind me of friends from back home, and I hope that they will someday check out mormon.org chat, because it's great! haha :) 

And teaching together over the phone is really fun. We have no idea what the people look like or their circumstances, but all we know is their concern and can do our best to allow the spirit to touch their hearts. It's amazing and quite a unique setting :) 

The  only thing I could wish for my mission is to speak more than just English (which i am trying haha) but there are so many people that I just have to point and smile and hope they get a general idea haha. The language of the spirit is universal at least :) 

ALSO I AM SO EXCITED BECAUSE WE ARE GETTING TRAINED FOR THE NEW CHRISTMAS VIDEO FOR THIS YEAR> let me tell you, it is so good. :D I will go where ever i am sent of course, but i have a little fear to go "full pros" during christmas time-which has got to be amazing at the visitors' center. haha I shouldn't even think about that yet. But If you want to send me Christmas hymns/music that would be really fun. If not, i'll mooch off the other sisters... 

Love you Love Sister Nielsen

ps i have never been fed so many potatoes in my whole mission until this transfer hahaha people love that we are both from idaho.... oh these Hawaiians.... :D

Visitors

Byrams and Sims

  

It was so fun to see the Sims and Byrams yesterday. Haha I completely forgot and then just was so smilie and glad they stopped by. Haha and the packages cracked me up. Thanks sooooo much!!!!!

goodies

Aloha OHanaaaaa

It's been a good week :) We have put a big emphasis on working with members. It goes slower, but definitely more effective :) I love seeing members happiness when they share the gospel/reach out in friendship to their neighbors.

Oh so cool, we are going to be able to teach this really strong Catholic lady (not really strong in the religion just that she is a catholic) but she is interested to know what her son (who is a member) and us believe. She loves to have us over and it really means a lot to hear her and her husband say how welcome we are anytime, but especially to hear them say they are willing to have us teach them the lessons, even though right now, "she doesn't want to change" :) Yay for miracles!

Also had exchanges and I got to go with the lovely Sister Wu. She was so kind and loving and I learned so much for her. I really look up to my sister training leaders (we have 4 of them haha) and they are all so Christlike and happy and have such a light in their eyes. I want to be more like that myself. Grateful for them :)

Oh we had a surprise visit on Sunday by........ Elder Neil L Andersen! haha perks of having the Swintons. It was really nice. I loved to hear from him and Elder Clark-former byui president. 

Elder Andersen and Elder Clark

We also have several potential investigators that I really think might go somewhere! That's not so common so we are excited :) 

VC has been slow, but I am glad we have the PCC tram tours or it would be sooo much slower. I love meetin great people that I know feel the spirit at the temple grounds :). And how interested people are in reading the Book of Mormon. They will love it :)

Halloween here is pretty big. Especially because Laie is sooo safe so everyone brings their kids here. People go all out. I wish I would've taken pictures. Its like tents outside and food and candy and music and cool lights and stuff. And no winter coats ;) We all hung out in the VC and watched some pioneer videos and Elder Swinton gave us some testimony and insights. It was interesting Halloween but a good one :).

I am happy and healthy and excited to take a little nap :) haha.

Love you all!!! I know that God will answer your prayers, so don't forget to pray :)

Love, Sister Nielsen. LOVE YOUUUU

Alohaaaa

Polynesian Cultural Center

Thanks for all the emails and support <3

This week has been good! We spent a lot of time working with members in our area. It's been really fun to try to do missionary work in this new way, but this is what I have heard the missionaries do in Utah and they find a lot of success. It makes sense, because if members aren't REALLY involved, converts seem to go less active pretty quick. That's a sad pattern we are seeing in this ward and we don't want Kayla or Josh to do that!!!!! They deserve to stay in the path and happiness! So yeah, that's basically what we've been up to. We have seen great experiences as members call us to share how great of an experience they had even just introducing themselves and becoming great friends with their neighbors. it's so fun to get them involved so they can also feel the joy of loving and serving others.

In the VC, we had a lot of Vietnamese people and I always tell them my cousin went to Texas and spoke Vietnamese hahah they are the cutest people. I am a giant, I can't imagine how Alex (or Ed I can't remember) felt haha. there are little tender mercies everywhere. In Ether 6, the people were sailing across the sea in a ship and I can't imagine how horrible that would be, but they gave thanks and they recognized the tender mercies of the Lord. Such a great story and hopefully we all can try to be even more grateful in our different trials and struggles we are facing! 

Sorry it's short, but I love you :)

Love sister Nielsen

ALOHA ALOHA ALOHA :D

It's been a while haha. 

Soooo, I have my new companion, Sister Pluim from Idaho. She's real nice and a REALLY big fan of Idaho lol. I have never met anyone that would fight for our state as passionately as her haha. She's cute, and friendly. I hope we will keep becoming better friends. She pretty much spent her first transfer in the VC all the time, so this is the first time she's had an area, so I get to teach her all that which is honestly taking patience (this is my first time not being the younger comp in mission) but Through the enabling power of the Atonement i have really developed a great love for her and patience with her. it's real people. Even if we can't do it on our own, God doesn't ask us to :) Take advantage of the gift of the Atonement for YOU. 

It's lovely being back in H3 :) No progressing investigators right now but the ward and people were so kind welcoming me back. I was so happy to see Kayla and Seth (who are married now :o) and also Josh and Maile :) I love them all so much!!! And good to see them progressing. We are still working with the same people as before, but I hope we will be able to know how to work with members more to find more people that God has prepared to receive the gospel. We only get 1-3 hours a day in our area which is hard but I believe we will find whoever God needs us to visit and teach. 

 

I hope you are all doing more to help spread the gospel. Whether it is giving someone a copy of the BOM or just even being a friend to a NM and opening the door to feel more of God's love. There are many ways to share the gift of the gospel.  I don't know why but I am blanking of all the stories of this week haha. Sorry!!!  Love sister Nielsen!

Hau'ula 3rd

Well big news!! I really did think and hope I would stay in ysa actually, but God has other plans. I guess I'll be going back to Hau'ula 3rd ward with another sister from Idaho. There are 7 new sisters coming in this transfer (usually like 1-2) but I'm glad i won't be stressed about training them haha my new comp, Sister Pluim, is awesome. Technically I'm her second trainer but she's pretty much got it all down, so I think we will have a good time. It's weird to imagine being in Hau'ula again, especially with another Haule. haha who knew. She’s from Meridian. 

Sis Pluim and Nielsen

I have really come to love this area, and right now we actually have 3 investigators, so it's hard for me to leave, especially since i was taking care of almost everything relating to our area, so I hope sister De Leon will be able to manage it all! But good news, we have been teaching a Japanese girl, and a Japanese sister will be taking my place. :). Yay!

This week was my half way mark. weird! And also that means 4 sisters will be leaving on Wednesday (that's why i'm emailing today, Wednesday is transfer day, also IDK what day will be my pday so be prepared ;)) But i'm sad. Sister Penales, Kim, Leng, and Ting. It'll be different without them for sure! 

 

I had some cool missionary moments, teaching this cute Chinese lady how to pray :), meeting wonderful people from around the world, and there was one filipino who everything we said agreed with and said he's been looking for the church that has what he feels in his heart the church of Jesus Christ would have, and is excited to learn more. I love little moments like that :) 

Sorry it's pretty short, but I just emailed only a few days ago haha. I'll try to send pictures. I'm excited to see the letters from the boys!!

Love Sister Nielsen

Aloha!!

 This last week was filled with so many great spiritual things, but I'm having a hard time separating where all the different things I've learned are from. But I feel like the main thing I learned is that the greatest blessing of the Restoration is that we know God's Plan of Salvation for us, which because  of Jesus Christ we can all find hope and second chances. That is how we find JOY :). I have really been changing how I talk to people in the visitors' center and teaching more about that plan. People are more open and think more about it rather than feeling defensive. It really does bring anyone more direction and purpose, and who doesn't want that? I've met such wonderful people and I'm glad Heavenly Father let me be the one to talk to them.    

In our area we are starting to get more appointments set up (finally haha) and being able to feel like we are helping the less actives and nonmembers. I guess this is a struggle of white washing 5 wards while covering a VC. But I will be really shocked if I get moved from this area. Transfer news will be Saturday, so Monday will be my pday and then Wednesday will be the transfers! So I'm excited to see what God wants for me! 

Gen Conf breakfast

We have been working with many people that are not even Christian. I feel like this is no coincidence, seeing that my faith in Jesus Christ maybe wasn't as strong as I need it to be. But really focusing on Him and the blessings that come because of His Atonement, I have been increasing in faith and ability to feel the peace and spirit in my daily life. They do say faith is a choice, but sometimes it's not an easy choice to have faith. but I'm grateful that through learning and action, we can grow in it. 

General Conference was awesome of course :) Our investigator watched it with us. "very interesting" was her comment lol who knows what she really was thinking, but it will be a great resource in teaching her about prophets and apostles haha. Also we will be starting to teach this Japanese girl, unless we have to pass her to Japanese speakers. But teaching a Malay girl and japanese is about as Buddhist as you can get haha. But such a great opportunity! That's one of the things I love about BYU, it's so diverse that the people we work with have such different beliefs and culture. We are still figuring out the best way to teach, but I have a feeling good things can come if we are obedient and diligent! (and humble, patient, charitable, etc lol)

Riding the Tram

Anyways, I'm glad you had a good conference! I hope you don't just think about it and remember how you felt, but really apply it and put it into your life :) 

Spread the gospel! it will bring the world the true Joy :)

New Muumuus

Love Sister Nielsen 

Aloha Ohana!!

So serving BYU YSA has been tricky for us. We have tried some new ideas to try to help others, one of the ways is by going around visiting other members with the girls preparing for their missions. That has been fun so that we have an excuse to share a message with them so they don't feel like we are singling them out... I am really loving being around others my age. It is fun and pretty much everyone struggles with scripture study. Something that I got out of the Women's Session of General Conference (https://www.lds.org/general-conference?cid=HP_SA_24-9-2016_dPFD_fLHNA_xLIDyL1-C_&lang=eng) was that this is perilous times - and the fullness of times - so even members of the church really need to strengthen their testimonies or they will fall. We learn in Lehi's vision of the Tree of Life that it was those who continually held fast to the iron rod (aka word of God) that didn't easily fall away. I hope you're all making time for scripture study. As individuals and as a family. It is so important, and worth the struggle or time it takes!!! 

watching the women's meeting

I was so happy, Josh Dang came in the VC so I got to see him and it was so great. I really am so glad that he is so happy. He got to speak at a missionary fireside the stake held, and he was awesome. I am glad that the gospel has brought him so much happiness and direction. No his life isn't perfect, but he knows how to find peace and how to get through hard times. It was such a great opportunity to see him only a few weeks later, still growing in the gospel :) 

Good news, we finally have an investigator :) Michelle from Malaysia. We basically start teaching tomorrow, so it will be interesting as she doesn't really have any religious background. Pray for her!:) 

Sis Nielsen and Deleon

I have been so impressed by some of the people I have met here that show their love for God. One girl is putting God before love, which I really admire, because I can't imagine being homosexual here where it is so accepted, yet she knows it is bringing her away from God. Her testimony is so strong. I really admire her. 

 Also we had zone conference and it was so fun to see some of the sisters I came out to my mission with! So cute. I love the Bekkers, they are so awesome. I am lucky to have had 2 great mission presidents that do so much to help me with the struggles I have. Grateful to be in the one and only "aloha mission" :) 

Love and miss ya, Keep doing your scripture reading ;)

Love sister Nielsen

ALOHA :) 🌸

This week has been a little rollercoaster for me... but what week isn't haha. 

I got to talk to a lot of people with different religious beliefs and it's really amazing to me to see so much similarities amongst different religions.. I spent a while talking to this Jewish man. He was so kind. And interesting, a big reason he stays Jewish is because of what his ancestors went through as Jews (with the Holocaust and everything). But even though it does help me to see what my ancestors were willing do to for the church, i'm glad that we are encouraged to find out for ourselves and not just rely on others testimonies. Also that our church has misisonaries, i feel like that in itsself says a lot because if we really believe it, then we should want others to have that same happiness and blessings. So I'm grateful to be born with this as my religion. 

We had a training for VCs and they showed us the new Christmas initiative video. Yall are gonna love it. it's so good. Also they showed us this new movie of the restoration of the priesthood. also really good. I'm grateful for opportunities like that to strengthen my testimony of those things (Jesus Christ and the restoration). 

We are still slowly working with our area. It's kind of hard working with YSA but fun that we get to try to help all these girls preparing for missions. And so many RMs that want to help too. Even though we cover 5 wards, i feel really confident in the efforts of the members. We might have a NI soon, hopefully she will have felt the spirit being at school here. For some of these nonmembers, they don't even believe in God, so if they could leave their time at BYU even believing in God, that would be wonderful. 

We were going to do this great environmental service with the YSA and got out to this beach that was literally mountains of sand... so we had to get driven back into Laie to help clean the school because we can't go on the sand lol so sad. It's been fun getting to help people around my age :)

I also had a whole day that I got to spend online, it was great. I had a 5 hour chat, it was really a rare experience to get to spend so much time answering someones questions and teaching them over the internet. usually we are only on for like an hour or two. But her name was Jennifer so naturally i had to ;). It's been a good week. I have a greater love for my companion. We are starting to have a lot of fun together. Like everyone served in the philipines, so pretty much i don't understand many of the conversations, but it's good, because in English, Sis DeLeon doesn't follow the conversation very well sometimes. It equals out :) She's a cute girl. Makes me feel like a giant haah. 

It's already week 4 which is crazy. 

I hope youre all doing well. I love and miss you. I am missing the seasons but it's nice to only really be cold in AC :) 

haha 

I love ya!

Love sister Nielsen

YSA

Aloha                                   

It's fun to see Joe without braces haha what a cool cat. best feeling ever. 

This week has been good, hard but good. Neither my companion or I really know what we are doing and how to work with the members. It has been a really slow work in progress, but it's fun to serve YSA. There are definitely a lot of struggling people my age... and it can be enjoyable teaching them... or really awkward haha but I have liked it. And I love married student wards haha they are so cute and love to feed us and it's fun to hear all their stories. Plus it seems like they are also having their struggles with so many new things in their lives, so it's good to be able to serve and try to uplift them. 

We still don't have any "investigators' but we do have a lot of less actives, like out of 114 girls in the ward, only about 50-60 come, so they need some help :) I hope we will be able to implement some of our ideas.

It has been a little hard with Sis DeLeon because her english isn't the best, so i don't think she always understands what people say, so I feel like i am very alone in teachings and conversing with people,.. and even when it's just us. But I am trying to learn humility and patience, there are so many things i lack.  Oh well, we try to spend more time online, which can be really good too.

I hope you all have a great week. 

Love you! 

love sister nielsen

ALOHA. 😘

This week has been pretty good! YSA is sooo different but of course I already knew that haha. But on campus YSA is even more different.. I like it so far, but we haven't really had much of a chance to meet any of the nonmembers. There are like 8 NM within the 5 wards, so actual potentials!! (crazy that that's a lot, huh? haha) But it's fun to get to talk to the freshmen because i know how hard that first semester can be, and also the RMs because they are so into missionary work. It's good. And Sister De Leon is so cute. Our personalities and pride don't always match up, but for the most part we enjoy each other lol. She's so giving, but pretty quiet. We still need to figure out how to teach together. 

My last day in H3 was awesome. I really love that ward and I'm so grateful it was able to end so perfect. I got to see Jojo, the Lessarys, the Bishops family(beattys), and Maile and Josh. <3. I am so grateful for those last 2 transfers. Maile gave me a thankyou note "from Liko" the 2 year old since we gave him a little birthday present. And the note said something like "thank you for teaching the gospel to my mom and dad. Now they are happy. We love you" and it really made me soo happy to leave knowing they are doing good.

In the visitor's center, i swear everyone I talk to is either from Utah, or from a random country (brazil, italy, armania, germany, turkey, etc) It is such a great experience to teach allll of God's children. One of my favorites was this couple from Turkey. I was showing them the Book of Mormons in different languages and the lady opened the Book and the rest of the time couldn't stop reading it. It turns out there was only one more Turkish BOM left, so it was such a blessing that we were able to give her one. I loved how much she was into it and that we could give it to her in her language!

We will get the chance to teach a recent convert from the Middle East. His wife is a RM and they are shooting for the temple, but he is slow in his conversion! So that'll be fun if we are able to help him!

I've really enjoyed reading about the church history. Sometimes I think of "strengthening my testimony of the restoration" as just reading the first vision and what not. But as i've read the Our Heritage book, I've learned so much and it's helping me understand more about the early church. I

wish I could study more about my ancestors haha.

Anyways, We survived the hurricane........... hahaha. I even bought extra water just in case. Everyone was saying it was a level 4 and then eventually turned into a 1, whatever that means. So it was never bad. Just windy which i loved cause it wasn't so hot!! But Friday we actually had a whole training from Red Cross so we could help at shelters if we needed to. I'm glad it never actually happened haha.

Also a funny experience, there was a wealthy bus of chinese, and then 4 of them started singing Hallelujiah, so we couldn't help laughing, but they kept singing like Silent Night and stuff, so I asked Sis Swinton if we could record them! And they loved being videoed of course haha but then the one guy (like 80 years old) pulled out this photo album. I guess he was this famous chinese actor throughout his years.... the pictures were him in different costume with these other famous people. All of us americans didn't know, but a few of the Asians recognized him lol. It was so funny. I can't even describe. I'll try to send the video sometime hahah.

But I love you all! I'm grateful for such a great family.

Go to the temple grounds, they're so peaceful and great! I would know haha

Love Sister Nielsen