39th Week Oct.28, 2013

Transfer of flat tires

Yep! I did indeed get another flat tire on my bike! luckily, it was super full of slime and we were able to just pump it up and go! But man was i sad when we walked out and my tire was completely flat... Not a good feeling!

So! I have two big exciting stories of the week! Well the ones I find the most interesting at the moment!

First: I did two full days of spanish!!! Ok so to all those that served a foreign mission this doesn't sound exciting.. but let me explain how cool it really was. The first day I did was on tuesday. We had a district meeting so that made it kind of easy. We just did all of our studies and planning in spanish then district meeting is in spanish anyways.. but then began working! Nobody on North Padre speaks spanish... so sister diaz and I would be riding our bikes and yelling back and forth in spanish. (super funny!) then we stopped and talked to people in english, or visited members, (got to speak english for a brief bit!) Then as soon as we walked away, we had to go right back into spanish! I was super proud of myself because I never forgot to go back into speaking spanish and a few times sister diaz would start speaking to me in english and I replied in spanish so she remembered(: It was super cool experience and definitely helped me develope some self control to not be lazy and just speak english. Then we did it again on thursday! That day was a lot harder... I woke up in a bad mood for some reason and kept trying to justify not doing a spanish day even though we already decided it... but my companion reminded me that I wanted to do it in the first place... so I stopped being lazy and we rocked speaking spanish all day long!

That was my personal huge accomplishment for the week!

 

Next funny story! Service with our bike rack! We have this super awesome member that Sister Diaz and I just love. she has a baby about 7 months old that adores sister diaz. so every time we go over she offers to feed us and just is a super awesome member! Well we were driving to try and find someone one night and saw this lady on the side of the rode with a bike and one of those trailer things on the back for a baby and realized it was our member! so we stopped. her bike tire had gone flat and she was a good 2 miles from her house! She had called her home teacher (husband is out of town) and he came to help out. so we put the trailer in his car, and we just so happened to have our bike rack in our car! so we could take the bike back for her(: It was a nice little moment to be able to serve a member who has done soo much service for us already!

 

Ok so i guess I should share some investigator and spiritually awesome things too!

So we had a couple member present lessons this week! We LOVE members! and we ESPECIALLY LOVE when members can come to lessons with us! The lessons were awesome too! We are teaching this 17 year old and he is doing his reading and praying! It rocks and we are super stoked for him! Then we had someone come to church this week. Not just anyone. BUT AN INVESTIGATOR! haha it was Sister Diaz first time with an investigator at church and she just didn't know what to do! But I helped her understand that at church, we step back and let the members do the work! Thats what its really about. The members need to be the ones embracing the people and pulling them into the ward. We just teach them the gospel (: So that was a wonderful little miracle! The best part was, one of the members invited him, not us! Best situation for sure(:

 

Well those are some of our most exciting things this week! We should finally get mail from mcallen this friday! I've had a few people tell me they've sent packages but we haven't gotten anything from mcallen since last month... so i'm excited to see what the elders bring back! Thank you so much for your love and support!

The church is true! Spread the word! :D

Sister Nielson

 

38th Week Oct. 21, 2013

At-One-Ment!

Oh what a week we have had here on North Padre Island!

Thank goodness we had no car issues this week! haha but we did do a lot of bike riding to talk to more people! My bike tire apparently wasn't as fixed as I thought it was when I patched it... we would put air in it at the beginning of the day and by the end it was flat! So my darling elders helped me out and got me a good slime filled tire and by dang... I will not have another flat in my mission! haha

 

Highlight of the week:

This week we had interviews with President Maluenda! To paint you a picture.. he is about 6'4" probably... Chilean and prefers to speak Spanish. I was a bit more than terrified! Being in Corpus(the land of no Spanish!) has not helped my Spanish much and my laziness has definitely contributed to that. So I was super worried about that! But it all went well! Something super amazing about my mission president is that he always tells us that we should pay the most attention to the spirit. whatever the spirit says is the most important thing always. As we were talking, he paused, looked around and sat thinking for a second. Then looked back at me and asked me the exactly question that has been bothering me for a long time. I hadn't mentioned anything. In fact, we had been talking about the fact my brother just got married and this question had NOTHING to do with that. We talked for about an hour and it was exactly what I needed to kind of.. pull myself out of the rut I've been stuck in lately(:

It also gave me a focus for my studies on sunday! The atonement!

 

Now what exactly is the atonement? Well we all know that it involves Christ suffering for our sins... but it has 3 distinct parts. The Garden of Gethsemane, The Cross, and His Resurrection. Something I guess I hadn't thought about is how in depth the suffering in the garden really was...

I know that He understands our pains and can help us with our sins. but as well, Christ felt every temptation, pain, sorrow, happiness, upset, joy, everything. EVERYTHING. He truly understands on a personal level each thing that we pass through. Whether it be great, like the loss of a loved one, or small just as a paper cut! He understands the temptations, the fears, the worries, but also the hopes, the joys, the happiness! How amazing is that?! I know I have definitely had some moments in the mission which I have felt alone... I've felt like I was just walking down the street for no reason. But we are never alone. He always walks beside us because He walked the path first. We need not ever be afraid... because He has overcome these fears...

 

We like to laugh and joke because President Maluenda always says "Disfruten la mission! no las sufren!" Enjoy the Mission! Don't suffer! haha but how true that statement is. We are here to enjoy. to Learn! To grow! In Doctrine and Covenants 19: 17 the Lord tells us "But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I" He went through those pains so that we wouldn't have to. When we choose to rebel and do the things we know we shouldn't... we will feel the sorrow. But it doesn't mean we have to wallow in it and be stuck in that misery. He is reaching out his hand to lift us back up and higher than ever before! How great is the love our Savior has for us!!!

 

I testify to you that our Savior lives and LOVES us. Oh man does he LOVE us sooo much. When we are feeling the most upset and alone, His hand is ever reached out to lift. But we have to make that choice. We have our agency always to act in the way we so choose. wouldn't be easier if we all just chose to be happy? :) I challenge you to look for that happiness in your life. Kneel down before your maker and ask his help to make you stronger and happier. Use the atonement in everyway it is meant to be used! Turn to the Savior that loves you and let that love be felt in your life! He is there. Always there :) and I bear testimony of that in the name of Jesus Christ, amen!

 

-Hermana Nielson

 

37th Week, Oct. 14, 2013

Flat Tires all around!!

 

That's right ladies and gentlemen... i had my first flat tire! Not on my bike mind you... but on my CAR! It was the worst! we were driving the elders home from our pday activity and the warning light for low air pressure came on... sure enough we pulled into the gas station and that baby was FLAT. so the elders changed it for us as I tried not to freak out... and we went to pep boys the next day to get it fixed... then... the next day... my bike tire was flat!

I patched it and it was back in working order! Without getting a single grease spot on my skirt! Pretty impressive if you ask me ;) Sister Diaz and I have been riding the bikes a lot this last week so that we can talk to more people! I've already talked to all the people in our potentials and formers book... so now we need to find some new ones! Its definitely been an adventure! I had another drunk guy ask me if I'd marry him. 

We were talking to this lady and from across the yard this guy yells 'Do you wanna fall in love?' so I just kind of ignored him of course, he had a beer can. Then he walks up... and starts saying all this creepy stuff... "you're really pretty" "you know i need a wife" Talk about weird!! Luckily they weren't interested and we just peddled away VERY quickly! 

I think the best part of this last week was our zone meeting! We had transfers this last week ( sister diaz and i stayed the same since i'm training her and have only been here for one transfer) and we got a new district leader and zone leader. always a fun thing to have a leadership change.

The main emphasis of our training was being excited about the work and just going for it! We have to talk to everyone! Our duty is to invite people to come unto Christ... if we aren't inviting everyone.. well we aren't fulfilling our purpose! So that's the purpose of the bike riding. Its been a huge adventure and man have we been sore lately! But its been worth it to just have the time to talk to everyone. even if people aren't interested, we can return home at the end of the day and maybe feel a little sad for them, but as well we know that we did all we could. That's the most important thing! Putting in your full effort. I don't think i have ever ridden so many miles on a bike! I think my greenie was assuming she'd barely ride her bike in her mission and now she is questioning how sane her companion is.. :) oh well! I have the faith that because we are out there working hard, the Lord is going to provide a way! That's the wonderful thing about the grace of God. We are saved by grace but its not the sense people think... We are saved after all that we can do. We have to follow the example of Christ, be baptized and receive those saving ordinance, we have to share the gospel and love one another, we do all we can, then the Lord takes up the rest and as the Baptist say, "We are saved souls!" We are not saved on our belief allow. Faith without works is just believing, not true faith!

On the Spanish front, I am in 3 Nefi en el libro de Mormon! Super awesome right?! I've got everyone reading with me now. Whenever we are stuck places with the elders i make them pull out their book and read with me. Its been pretty great and helped my understanding a lot! The gospel is so cool. The best part is, even when i don't completely understand what I'm reading, i know what is going on. Not just because I've read it a lot in English, but because the spirit is the same no matter what language it is. I still feel the power of the words and the truthfulness there in. This last week we were reading through the introduction to the book of Mormon with a family and after each paragraph we stopped in talked about what things stood out to them. afterwards we challenged them to get down on their knees and ask again if the book of Mormon is true. because God loves us so much, he is will to make sure we know the truthfulness there of each time we ask. I challenge you to do the same! Read the intro and pray to know. Feel that power again just like the first time(:

Love you all and I wish you the best this week! The church is true, our Savior lives and God loves us!

-Sister Nielson

 

36th Week, October 7, 2013

Conferencia!!!

Oh man! My second general conference in the field!! How weird is that?! One more and I will be on my way home! Yikes!

First some of the funny things of the week!

 

So past sisters got my car rearended... gosh women drivers!(; just kidding. it totally wasn't their fault. but I had to deal with it. so we got a call from the office saying we needed to go get it fixed and arrange things with our zone leader because we probably wouldn't have a car for a few days... Yikes!

So we took the car on Tuesday to the shop early in the morning, did our studies at the church, had our district meeting then had to wait with the bluff elders(we drive them everywhere) for the zone leaders to pick us up and take us home... well we didn't get back to the island until about 5 because they decided they wanted olive garden for lunch/dinner... darn elders!

But when we got home.. we had no car. So we biked! haha oh my dear lanta... my sweet companion is not so great at biking(: But we didn't have a bike accident! So that was wonderful! I love when my companions don't fall off their bikes(: we ended up not having to bike too much because everyone let us in that day! Tender mercy from the Lord. Then Wednesday we got up thinking our car would be done... nope... we biked again! But again, we got into houses so it wasn't so bad. then a member took us in around 3 oclock because our car was done! Sister Diaz was very grateful to not have to bike any more!

 

So that was our main big adventure of the week!

On to conference!!!

 

I love conference as a missionary! Watching it at the church, taking notes and getting answers to questions! I LOVE IT! The funniest part was having my companion ask me what different English words meant. then when Edward Dube started speaking I looked at her and she looked back horrified and said "I cant understand him at all!!!" Ironic that ended up being one of my favorite talks!

I loved how he said "Never look back! Look at what we still have to do!" I think in life we get so focused on wanting recognition for the things we have done that we forget there is still so much to do! still more adventures to be had, still more people to help, still one more door to knock at the end of the day! We can't be afraid to look to the future! There are so many great things in store that our Father in Heaven is just waiting for us to earn and enjoy. I've definitely felt some powerful love from my Heavenly Father during this transfer...

 

Something I also loved from conference is how much they talked about how we must prepare ourselves to share the gospel and such with others. We can't expect the Lord to give us the words we need in the moment we need them if we have not yet studied it out and done our part! President Maluenda challenged us to put away our scriptures of our native language and only read in the mission language. I had already decided I would do that when I got to corpus but its been cool to see the difference... I'm starting to feel the gospel more powerfully because I can't just read over it quickly like I always have before. I have to read deeper and think more about it and instead of reading 5 chapters a day, sometimes I only read 1 or two in the book of Mormon... (well in the Libro de Mormon!) Understand it first, that you might teach it to others.

I am working hard to be a true preach my gospel missionary and know the basics. know exactly what the Lord wants spoken to His beloved children here on North Padre Island. He loves these people just as much as he loves me and my family and friends. so I need to study hard and know His words that they might know of His love as well!

If you haven't read preach my gospel, Read it!!! This week my personal challenge is to read a christlike attribute every day! Yesterday I focused on diligence and today is virtue! I promise if you will do this as well you will feel Christ directing you more! He can only lead you fully as you come to know him. I know Preach my gospel is free online or probably you can download it! so no one has an excuse not to read!! Chapter 6 Christlike Attributes ! one a day!

 

Christ lives. He is our Savior. He loves us and understands every trial and happiness which we pass through. He is always there(: Doubt not, fear not, simply turn to Him and let His ways be yours as well!

con amor de North Padre Island!

-Sister Nielson

35th Week, September 30, 2013

Surprise!

So I lost a child this last week... It was very sad..

Sister Diaz and I knew we were going to have to go down to McAllen for our 1 Companion Training. But we weren't sure if Sister Petersen was supposed to come too or we should leave her in corpus with another companionship of sisters... so I bugged the elders to find out. Well Tuesday the Assistants called(you'd think I'd figured out by now not to answer them!!!) and told us Sister Petersen would be transferred to Harlingen!

Sister Petersen cried sooo much... it was bad... and I don't know how to deal with crying! So that was an added interesting measure of fun... But we packed her up Tuesday night, left Wednesday morning for our training and she waited in the office, then her new companion came and picked her up. So its just been sister diaz and I since then! Here comes the funny story of the week...

We will call this one...

The Burning Hands Service....

So Sister Diaz and I asked a member in our ward if we could serve her in anyway because her husband had to fly to Idaho suddenly because of his mothers death... well she invited us over and we helped her make salsa!! That was fun. my compy and I chopped all the tomatoes and stuff and we got to mix it and over all it was a fun time! Well. Here is what they don't tell you about making salsa... you know those hot jalapenos and chile Serrano you put in salsa to give them that... yum factor? Well you see... when the juices get on your hands you need to not touch your face right? because it will burn. well we were good and didn't but because we had been handling them so long... the juices had seeped deep into our hands.... we went to our next appointment (which was dinner at the ward mission leaders house) and had pizza and I suddenly was very aware that my skin around my mouth was burning and my hands were burning a little... but I ignored it. That night when we got home I looked at sister diaz and could see she was in a little pain... then began the madness.

Our hands really felt like they were burning. So we tried putting lime on them... then milk.... then I tried toothpaste(don't ask why I thought toothpaste would work it just seemed like a good idea!) and everything we could think of... we called the elders... we called our Sister Training Leaders... No relief. That night we went to bed with our hands still burning and woke up a couple of times in the night in pain... Talk about embarrassing... No good deed goes unpunished my friends!! Our hands continued to burn until about... noon the next day... Then finally it was gone... but still if we wash our hands with hot water, they get the burning sensation back a little... I will never make salsa again. although I must say it was very delicious...

So that was our service excitement of the week!

Next fun story is with the relief society broadcast!! and my birthday!!! I am 20! holy cow!!! I don't feel like I should be able to say I am that old.. but after all these crazy mission experiences, I do feel that old haha. Sooo I woke up Saturday and felt pretty cool... my birthday right? We had studies and what not... Sister Garry got to call me from McAllen to wish me a happy birthday! (being in the APs ward for a while definitely gets you some special privileges haha!) Then that night we went to the broadcast!! I met a friend of Aunt Barb's and she told me about going on a date with my dad! (awkward.... ? haha we had a good laugh about it though!) She bought me a little birthday present and it was a sweet little tender mercy to have someone there that knows my family(: Sister Kreis made me a big candy gram on the back of their whiteboard and we got some pictures with it and then the elders made me a cake! It was delicious too. I am very impressed with the cooking skills of my cute little elders we drive around everywhere! However, they don't have an oven. so I bugged them for the next day about how in the world they made me a cake... finally they confessed. They made a deal with a member that they would come do some yard work if they could use his oven to make a cake(: My elders love me!

I loved the Relief Society Broadcast!! It truly was amazing and soo inspiring. It kind of shocked me at first to have them talking so much about keeping our covenants but the more they did the more I realized something... We are so excited to get people baptized and teach them, but they need to understand the seriousness of these covenants they are making with our Heavenly Father... It isn't something to be taken lightly. It is a seriously matter.

Sunday! I spoke in church!! about missionary work! My favorite thing in the world! I was really nervous about this talk. Not because of the speaking in front of people, but I wanted to tell the ward exactly what they needed to hear. Elder Dance(one of my cute little short elders I drive everyone because they don't have a car) and I spoke. We joked before hand that I would show the ward the love and then he would get after them and "jack them" for not doing missionary work. That kind of is how it turned out!

I tried to follow the spirit and what the spirit wanted them to know is that missionary work is a work of love. If we love our friends, family, neighbors, we will share the gospel with them. We need to love them enough to say something and help them come closer to their father in heaven. God loved us enough to send His son to us stop our suffering and help us find the way, do we love our friends enough to help stop their suffering? Do we love them enough to show them the way they can have their family for eternity and feel the peace and joy the gospel brings? If I didn't love my brothers and sisters I would have gone home along time ago(: Its by pushing ourselves outside of our bubble and bringing others to Him that we find really happiness and others do too. I love you all! I hope you know your Savior loves you too. He is there for us. I realized this last week more than ever that he truly is there. When we find ourselves on our knees and all we can do is cry and plead for help, He is doing all he can to comfort us and provide a way through others to help us find the light. We must be that light ourselves for those people that are suffering. Someone is on their knees crying out for your help right now. Be prepared to help them! I know that God lives and loves us and providing ways through us to bring back his lost sheep. I testify to you that He is working miracles right now in our lifes without us even realizing it. Let those miracles work through you and be a blessing to other person! I leave this testimony with you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, amen!

This week is conference! Don't forget to write down your questions of the soul and seek out the answer in the words of God's mouthpiece on the earth! I love conference! The church is true and there are people who need you!!

Sister Courtenae Nielson

 

34th Week, September

Week Fun Times!!

Well this life in the mission field is definitely exciting...

We finally got the a/c fixed! Then it started leaking again! Haha so we are stilling leaking! I'm still on the couch but its downstairs... so when we have to turn the a/c off at night to prevent flooding, i have my own fan and its cooler(: So I see the couch as a pretty good thing actually! haha!

My dear greenies and I have definitely had some interesting experiences this last week! Thursday was zone conference!!! I love zone conference! For those that know him, I got a picture with elder bertrand and he is doing well haha! One of the main things President Maluenda focused on during our zone conference is that we need to be obedient and enjoy our time in the mission. It really is so short! Its blowing my mind that next week I will hit EIGHT MONTHS of being a missionary! The end of october will be my half way mark and I need to burn something! I haven't figured out if it should be a tie or not but something will be burnt in honor of tradition!

Also... in case anyone forgot, my birthday is friday! How crazy is that?! I am going to be 20 years old. No longer a teenager! But I definitely don't quite feel like an adult yet. I have to apologize for this shortness of this letter because I spent most of my time trying to email some pictures home... hopefully those worked and a few will be forwarded on. This adventure really has been crazy this week.

 

Probably the funniest thing about this week is the fact it has rained sooo much. Mosquitos apparently reproduce like crazy on the island when it rains... so we were talking to these two families in their drive way one night and suddenly I could just feel myself getting bit all over. I looked down... OH YES. THERE WERE AT LEAST 20 MOSQUITOS ON MY LEGS. So of course I very calmly started jumping around and trying to write the church address on a pass along card for each of the families so they could come worship with us sometimes. all their kids were justing laughing as the sisters and I were jumping around trying to kill all the mosquitos on us. Then we went to pick the elders up on the bluff one day (we live on the island and the other missionaries in our ward are the elders on the bluff) and they came running out of their apartment swatting at all the bugs and jumped in the car. They of course let a bunch of mosquitos in and one of the elders started yelling 'MATA LO MATA LO!" (kill it kill it!!) as the bugs swarmed around the car... it was bad haha. I don't think I have ever had so many bites on me in my life! and one of my greenies is allergic to mosquito bites... so thats been an interesting adventure as well! ah man, the Lord... He definitely has a sense of humor(: Thats what I know and believe with all my heart! But He sure does love me to send me all these things to teach me. I'm working on not being as selfish right now and focusing solely on the needs of my companions. Its been fun!

 

Well unfortunately I am out of time! so i hope all is well! If you'd like to send me a card this week, send it over to

Sister Nielson

14825 Windward Dr #211

Corpus Christi, TX 78418

 

THE CHURCH IS TRUE! I LOVE YOU!!

Sister Nielson

 

33rd Week, September 16, 2013

Una Hija! Y una Hijastra!

Sooo because I am finishing Sister Petersen's training, she is my step daughter. and I am STARTING Sister Diaz, she is my daughter! My first born in the Wilderness! My "jacob" you might say! Mission lingo is super funny and a little bit weird sometimes!

 

So when we left off last week, I told you all that we were driving to Mcallen that night! Yup. It really did happen! Sister Petersen and I took the GPS and I drove to Mcallen to pick up my second trainee! Crazy right?! Sister Diaz is from Guatamala! The office lied to me and said Ecuador! But nope! She is chapina! (guatamalan) aaand just as my mother in the mission was 27 years old, so is my child! Crazy right? But super fun! We are having a blast so far!

Tuesday we drove back from Mcallen in the morning to make it just in time for our zone meeting! Yay for zone meetings. I love when we get all the missionaries together because we can bounce ideas off one another on different stuff... and I get to see more missionaries that just my companions! I love them dearly but... living on an island 20 minutes from the nearest missionaries is kind of a bummer sometimes!

 

We convinced the Elders that Sister Diaz only knows spanish... (: She in reality knows spanish, english and french fluently! Pretty cool right? So we convinced them she didn't know english and it was adorable to see how patiently they re-explained they jokes they made in english to her in spanish! Oh man i was dying laughing. It was great. Then we finally told our district on wednesday she knows english and they were so mad at us. but they laughed too so it was fun! I can definitely feel my spanish improving immensely speaking it so much with her! We have had a few moments where she has to explain a word to me and I have to explain some english words to her. Its been super fun though!

 

Our apartment has sprung a leak! On sunday we got a call saying that a tropical storm is headed in and we need to have our stuff ready to leave at a moments notice if we need to evacuate... not scary at all right? Haha no we aren't really worried because the hurricane is going down into mexico. we are just having awesome rain. So because our apartment is so small, I moved to the couch so my baby could have a bed, well the leak is right above my couch... and now my sheets are wet! haha! so fun right? ah well. That's mission life. I realized that we think mission life is so fun and perfect and missionary work all the time, but man... we have real life problems we have to deal with in the mission! Who forgot to tell me that??

 

We were also talking on sunday and I realized a few others things. I know Dad has been saying this all along, but the mission really is meant to convert you unto the Lord as well.. I was looking through my pictures so far in the mission with sister Diaz and she pointed out how much I've changed. I haven't really felt like I was changing too much... but when I looked at the picture I realized I don't really look like I'm 16 any more... In 12 days I'm actually going to be 20! TWENTY YEARS OLD.  I officially made it out of my teenage years without getting married or pregnant! The mission has taught me so much so far and now training is making my testimony of faith so much stronger... It really is scary each day thinking, "oh man.. is my companion gonna insult someone... or are we gonna find a family today?" I was so selfish before just worrying about myself and now worrying about others has really made me open my eyes a lot.. I'm not sure if any of this makes sense to anyone else.. but I thought I'd share my profound moment.

 

I was telling one of the elders in my district how nervous I am about this adventure and he said that when he started training it was scary too but he realized he could use the atonement at any moment to help him out. So that is my goal. In the moments I'm the most confused or afraid and really don't know what to do. I will lean on my Savior. He knows right?

Another thing one of the elders said to me really hit me hard... He told me that the first thing his trainer told him was "I am not perfect. I'm not a perfect missionary and I don't know everything. But I do know what I'm doing. I know how to be a missionary and I am asking you to trust me. I promise to trust you as well because we both receive revelation for this area. I will trust and respect you as long as you do the same" and he said I have to trust my companions enough to do things I know wont work. I'm working on trusting them a lot right now because I know they trust me. We have to work as a team though!

 

This church is so true and amazing. I'm grateful to be out here in corpus learning all these things even if I am a little stressed, smelly, and tired. Its worth every moment! I testify that our Savior loves us and lives. He died for us and now He lives for us that we might return to Him!

Love you all!

 

Sister Courtenae Nielson