I'm in Hawaii!!! 27 Aug 2012

Aloha Ohana! (I can finally say!)

Well.. I'M HERE! Hawaii is.. THE BEST! I love it so much better here than the MTC. Don't get me wrong, I love the MTC.. But now I get to be a real life missionary.

I am serving the the Aliamanu Area in the Hon-West Zone. Soo.. I'm on the western side in Honolulu. Right next to the airport and pearl harbor. I didn't travel far from when I landed. Haha.

We flew into Hawaii and the mission president picked us up. We then went straight to a baptism in La'ie! It was so great, and fun to have 14 greenies in the back. We then went to a "refreshment" afterwards and ohhh boy. I. Am. Doomed. It was like a pot luck gone wild! SOO much food! And we'd all just eated dinner. Some crazy tongan stuff. I was just thrown into the culture. The average weight gain in this mission is 40lbs. Mmmm. Ok.

My trainer's name is Sister Wright. And she is SOO great! I love her. We get along really well. She's from Utah and likes to sing. Check it!

Chelsea's 2 sisters! Both in the MTC!

Chelsea sent me her blog that G. Nielsen died. That makes me sad but also very much relieved. I'm glad he doesn't have to suffer anymore. Can you get me grandma's address? I'd like to send her a letter. I hope she's doing ok. How's the family taking it? If there is one thing I've learned is that Heavenly Father's plan is SO perfect.

I don't have any mail yet so I couldn't get a library card today. So I'm just using the last tid bit of time from my comps card. Hopefully pictures make up for all that I don't have time to tell you.

But PLEASE PLEASE send me CDs and Pictures! I cant show anyone what my family looks like! Also.. I am right next to the army base. Give me Cela's address and I wanna look her up or refer her to the elders in her area.

I love you all!!

Sister Nielsen

Ohh Life As A Missionary. 18 Aug 2012

FAMILY!!

I love all your dearelders! Thanks so much! They are sooo great! But Monday is your last day to send them cause Tuesday I'm going to HAWAII!!! Ahhh! So crazy to think about. But I am SO excited! As much as I love the MTC, I'm ready to go. Ready to teach REAL people about the restored gospel. I'm just.. tired of role plays, even though I know they won't end after I leave the MTC, I just wanna get out there! But I am going to miss all the incredible people I've met here, and being around them everyday. It's no coincidence we were put together. Ohh! So be ready for a phone call Tuesday sometime between 8am-11:55am. (Mountain time.) <-- that's what time my plane leaves. Y'all better be home!

Hahaha sorry about that bankgeek, I'll be better!

Oh Pdays we ususally go to the temple, do laundry, and write letters. Yep. That's about it. Last week we still had a class after dinner, but today I think they are giving us time to pack.

I found that $40 that I thought I lost for my phone bill, it was in my scriptures. Hah how fortunate! Do you want me to send it to you?

That would be so stinkin sweet if Erin went to and played at BYU-H! I can totally see her doing that and then working at the PCC! Ahh! That would be so cool! Get after it girl!

Also, I LOVED Carly's drawing of me! I showed it off to everyone and it's definitely going to be hung up everywhere I go! She's such a doll. Love you Carly!

Ok so, one of my favorite days probably was last sunday. For Relief Society we had Sister Rosemary Wixon (General Primary President) talk to all us sisters. Best. Relief Society. EVER! I loved it! I'd been thinking a lot about how I am going ot relate to people. Almost everyone in my district has gone though that defining trial or circumstance that's shaped and refined their testimonies. Death of a parent, divorce, convert, less active, adoption. It's made me realize how bless I truely am! The Lord loves me so much. But how am I going to relate to people in their hard times? I've gone through trials, but nothing that is going to be comparable. Sister Wixon has us sing some primary songs. We sang, "I hope they call me on a mission" and emphasized that we all sang this back when we were in primary! that the Lord has been preparing us since then. We also sang "I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ" and to listen with our new missionary ears. 'I belong to the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I know who I am, I know God's plan, I'll follow him in Fatih, I believe in the Savior Jesus Christ, I'll honor his name, I'll do what is right, I'll fowllow his light, his truth I will proclaim.' And it just hit me so hard. I've been singing this since PRIMARY! that is a simple testimony that I have been singin since I was a child. And I know it's true. And it is my exact words today as a missionary, and why I have chosen to serve. I've known this forever. And now I get to proclaim the world his truth! There are people that have been prepared for ME to teach. How blessed am I!? I love this gospel. And I love being a missionary.

Also sacrement meeting is done a little differently, we meet together as a zone. But they give us a topic and we all have to prepare a talk to give. And then in the meeting our branch president chooses 4 missionaries to speak. Our topic last week was on the Book of Mormon. Before the meeting started I was sitting there, reviewing my notes of what I would say if I got called. And after doing that I knew, yep I'll be speaking today. Sure enough it happen. I decided to talk about my experiences with the BOM. I talked about **Ms. Smith and how I tried to give her a BOM and but how she yelled at me saying, "how dare you" and was so offended that I would do such a thing. How this really scared me for a while to want to share the gospel with others around me. I don't usually tell that story, I don't really like talking and remembering it. But I really felt like I needed to, that maybe someone needed to hear it. I loved seeing all the missionaries faces so engaged and listening. It's so cool when you figure out how and when the spirit talks to you to know what to say and at the right time. It's something I'm still learning, but I love it when I'm able to recognize that it wasn't me.

Funny story. So wednesday morning we were doing service cleaning bathrooms and this darling tiny brazillian girl comes us to me and points at her face and says in broken english "What is this!?". It was a zit, and obviously she noticed I have plenty and am experienced in this area. I then tried to explain to her what it was and that they are normal and just come. By this time my roommates and companion are by me and try to help. One says "it's puss" another "Like an infection" she understood that and her eyes got really big. We reassured here that it will go away in a couple of days. She then said, "I don't like. I've never had one before." We all kind of looked at each other and laughed. How to do you explain to a foreginer what a zit it? Haha. She as going to temple square and kinda followed me around the rest of the time having me help here with some English words. I think I said "faith" a million times so she could repeat it back to me. She was so sweet though. I run into her in the cafeteria and hse just gets so excited to see me and says hi.

Well I have so much to say! And I wish I could tell you everything! But know that I love you. And I am SO happy that going on a mission was part of Heavenly Father's plan for me. I can't imagine being home or doing anything better with my life. No worries, I will represent my name tag well. Nielsen and Jesus Christ.

Love you!!

Sister Nielsen

First Email. Yayee!! 10 Aug 2012

Hello my darling family!

I'm so glad you guys got my letter, and I loved all the dearelders! They make me laugh so much to hear all the exciting commotion back home.

Alright here we go. THE MTC: I love it here. I really do! I honestly cannot believe how blessed I am. My district is AMAZING!! We are soooo close it's kind of ridiculous. There are ten people in my district. 2 sister companions and 3 elders. And I seriously love them all! Everyone of those little 19 year olds. We've definitely been able to grow together mentally and spiritually.

Here's a little bit of the run down of how my days sometimes go.. 6:30 up and at it. Get ready. 7:00 breakfast. 7:30 personal study time. 8:30 classroom instruction. 11:30 lunch. 12:15.. Gym! 2 TRC (Sometimes.. only twice a week.) (Oh! That stands for Training Resources Center. They have paid actors and actresses that we go in and teach. Some are members, some aren't. I'll tell you more about this place later.) 3-4:30 Study time. 4:30 dinner! 5:15 Classroom instruction. 8:15 Zone teaching. 9 or 9:30 head home. In bed by 10:30. That's.. Probably really off. It changes everyday, but something like that!

Note to self: Get home off mission, and marry an MTC teacher. My teachers are seriously incredible! I've learned sooo much! and yet I know I still have much to learn! It's so weird to me too, because I graduated the same year as them, but I've never met guys my age who are that spiritually mature. It really is incredible how they bring the spirit into our classroom and how they teach with the spirit. I am just very impressed. No wonder it's such a long application process to get a job here.

I have 4 investigators that I am teaching. Casey, Erik, Cody, and Sarah. They are not "real" but we pretend they are. During about an hour of our classroom time we take turns teaching our teacher, but he's playing the role of one of the investigators that they taught on their missions, and with all their struggles and concerns. But they do such a good job getting into character that they really are not our teachers anymore. Their entire countance changes when they go their roles. In the TRC we also are teaching, but they are paid and some are members and some are not, they have rooms set up that have couchs in them to make it feel like their home. It's so good, but it also stresses me out. This is no relief society lesson in here! But I am really trying to learn that nothing is going to be me, I need to just rely and focus on what the spirit wants me to say. I have definitely had my taste of humble pie. But I am learning so it's all good!

I've fasted 3 times now being here. Fast sunday. Just me and my comp and because 3 people and our district have gotten sick. So I've seen two blessings, and ohh how I love the priesthood! It's just so great.

Anyways.. I am running out of time and I'm trying to type so fast! Ahhh! I love you all!

Sister Nielsen