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