Jesus Want Me For a Suuuuuuun BEAM! To shine for Him each day! 24 Sept 2012

Alooooooooooha Nielsen Ohana!

Things are going good, this last week we had a lot of cancelled appts, which is a bummer. Everyone been sick, including myself. I don't get sick very often at all, but last week I had like a head cold. Runny nose, and just pressure in my sinuses. It wasn't all the fun, but I'm getting over it so it's all good! Someone told me it might because of the vog (volcanic fog) that was coming over from the Big Island. Soo.. Idk! I may have just been sick too.

Erin's going to homecoming! Yayee! Sometimes I worry about da girl. ;) How is she going to answer ol' A.J?

Just so you can answer people I am in the Honolulu-West Stake, and in the Aliamanu Ward. And we have a car. President takes care of his sisters really well, the only sisters who wont have a car are  some of the VC and they have bikes and are super duper close. Here's a little Hawaiian lesson for y'all.. There only letters in the Hawaiian alphebet are A, E, H, I, K, L, M, N, O, P. U, W. And the vowels pernounced. a-ah, e-eh, i-ee, o-oh, u-oo, and if they are next to each other its repeated. oo- ohoh. Well with oo's... I'm still struggling with it. S. Wright corrects me all the time. But this is what in on a sticky note in my planner.

Dinner appts. Everybody wants to feed us. We always have dinner appts, it kinda annoys me actually. I love members, but 5/6pm is prime time! People are usually home! And we have a dinner appt.. Idk. I'll get used to it I'm sure. And I've only had real Hawaiian plate twice. But it's so hard to get used to when you're not eating it all the time. I ate raw fish this past week. Mmm. Yep. It's called poke. But we talk to some of the Elders and they say that they only have dinner appts like.. 3 times a week. Oops.. People just love Sisters. :)  

Fetch Cody! SURGERY!? Ohh boy. I hope everything goes well and you recover fast. Are you getting the surgery done in Elko? (Fetch is BIG in this mission, kinda like flip in the best two years.. If you can imagine chinese, and koren elders saying fetch all the time. It's really funny, but I've kind of picked it up. Mission lingo. :) )

Mom.. I LOVE that you are checking/noticing people with kyphosis now! I laughed really hard when I read that.. I do it ALL the time! Kinesiology changes you whole view on life! Even if I didn't get a super good grade in it, I learned so much! Btw mom. Tiffani's wedding in Nov. 30. And reception on the 1st. Ahhh.. I better be a cardboard cut out!

Yes! We get to watch the RS broadcast. We are trying to invite all of our women investos and less actives. I am sooo pumped for conference! It's like a missionaries super bowl. We are all so excited! And S. Wright and I are trying to ask members if they will open their home and invite some of our investos to watch with a session them. We need members to fellowships. I had no idea how much we missionaries NEED members to just be friends with them! I am definitely going to be a completely different ward member when I get home.

Dang.. I'm sad I'm missing Carly's baptism! Gosh.. Send me pictures! The only picture I have of anyone is the goober face Erin took on my new camera right before I left. Soo that's what I've been having to show people.

Dad.. You're a nursery leader!! Hahah. I am so excited for you! And you get to be with Adelaide. That's SO FUN! We have tons of little girls in our ward who are about Adelaide's age and all I can think is how more advanced she is compared to these other kids.. She just knows what's going on. I miss that girl! 

Ahhh I feel like I've just learned so much this week. And I don't know why, my perspective has just changed on so many different levels. I really feel like my mission is helping me prepare of different callings I'm going to have later in life, in the church and also being a mother. I'm already making lists of how I want to do things and my different ideas, and who and what I want to become. I am so happy to be on a mission. Do me a favor.. I want you to write down the blessing you have seen from me being on a mission. It will be good for you to recognize the Lord's hand in your life and also I would really like to read it when I get home. It's just good to hear that all my efforts are helping and doing something. So start a journal. For me. :)

I love you all sooooooo much! And I love getting and reading your emails! But tell Cody that I think Ben Neff is beating him in most dedicated writer. ;) He's got competition.

Annnnnnnnnnd.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARLY!!!! I love you beautiful girl!! I am so happy you are being baptized!!!

Love, S. Nielsen 

Week 4?? Say What!? 17 Sept 2012

Hey Hey Fam!

Well.. This last week was.. SO GOOD! We found 8 new investigators!! Which is super good! Annnnnnnnnnnnd. Tai has a date for baptism!!! November 3rd!! I'm so excited! It's so awesome to see the progression and his faith building. Gah. I love it! He's gone for three weeks to the big island, so hopefully nothing gets in his head. But S. Wright and I were so excited. She says she hasn't had a week like this in her whole mission. Our numbers were pretty good. So we just gotta keep it going!

K. I wanna talk about this one guy we met with. His name is Alex. He's 33. S. Wright and I were walking out of a dinner appt and he was about ready to go running, so obviously I started talking to him, asked about how far he was going to run and stuff. Then we asked him about God and told him about us and what we do as missionaries. We got his number and Wahoo OYM! (Open Your Mouth) (You have to get an address or phone number) We called him about a week later and tired to set up an appt. We asked to come over to his house and he said that that wasn't a good idea, since he's still living with his parents. He offered to meet us at starbucks on Sunday morning. Uhhh. Two missionaries, at starbucks, teaching the gospel, on a sunday. Sketch. We then compromised and met him at a park. So yesterday we go to the park, and he comes! Neither of us had ever been to this park before and there were no benches anywhere.. There was a baseball diamond, so we went into the dug out. We then talked to him, got to know him better and he told us alot. He was very open. He's just recently started going to a church, New hope or something, but mostly because he had a twin brother, who's died in Iraq. And that since then he's just decided that he wants to change, so he's started going to church and wants to know God better. He's so prepared for the gospel! Just from everything he was telling us just kept thinking. 'You are so prepared.' We then taught him the Restoration and gave him a Book of Mormon, he's committed to read it and meet with us again. And we'll probably find a different park, or maybe even a members home. That's probably be best. He's busy with week and going on a retreat with this other church, but we'll see him again next week. Oh man. So stinkin sweet. He just needs this gospel! He was one of our new investos.

Let's see.. We also met this girl referred to us from elders in a different ward. Her name is Cara, she's taken the lessons and basically knows everything. She took a BOM class from BYUH, read half the BOM. And she knows it's true. The only problem is she's living with her RM boyfriend.. So, we're going to have to work on that. Idk how all of that even makes sense.

Idk if you guys even like hearing about all my investigators. But this is what I do everyday! And they are what I try to focus on and think about, so.. Idk what else I'd tell you!

Interview with president was good! He had a questionaire thing that he just filled out since I was a new missionary. You get interviewed by both Sister Dalton and President Dalton. It's funny because Sister Dalton asked if I was homesick and I told her no. (Sorry, I love ya, but.. I'm just not homesick. :) Don't take offense.) And then President asked me how are ya? And then chringed his face, and I said I was fine, I'm doing good. I think maybe he was expecting me to break down crying or something being a new missionary and all. (S. Wright told me that's how her first interview was. Haha). He also asked me if this is what I expected, and I said.. Well yeah. That I didn't have a lot of expectations, but for the most part yeah. I didn't notice that they were suprised, but they both mentioned to S. Wright in her interviews with them that they were shocked. So.. I think I'm doing good! I'm not crying. Nielsens are just rocks I guess. :)

I can't believe I'm starting week 4!! Freak I'm almost done with my first planner!! That's just so crazy! I love my planner by the way, I'm so lost without it. I'm thinking I wanna use it after my mission too. Probably dorky, but they are so helpful! But friday marks my one month in Hawaii! Yikes! Sooo crazy. But I really love it here. I'm getting used to the humidity and I love seeing all thee incredible rainbows.

I love y'all!

Looooove, S. Nielsen

Crazy Beautiful Week! 11 Sept 2012

Aloha Ohana!

Well this last week has been SOOO GOOOOOOOD!! We went to pearl harbor to clean and polished some brass on the USS Missouri, and then got a tour which was super sweet. I love missionary work, but it's fun to see all the cool stuff here. I'm sending pictures. :)

The work has picked up a TON! I was praying for more teaching opportunities just cause I feel like I haven't had much real life practice yet, and on Sunday we had 15 scheduled appts for this week. Which is CHOKE good! (Choke is pigeon.. Look at me becoming a native. :) ) Serious answer to my pray. So now we just have to make sure none of them fall through. We taught two lessons yesterday and it was sooooo goood! They were both first lessons so we got 4 new investigators! And should get atleast 2 more this week if all of our appts for well. Let me tell you about some of my investos.

Piper family- Nyah is 11 and filled out an information card at the pcc and vc. She was being taught by the elders before we got here, but she's one of the people we taught yesterday and the rest of her family sat in and listened! Meko-20 and is living at home going to school at UH. The Mom is a school teacher and the Dad is in the army. Doing tons of crazy stuff, he leaves soon for the marshall islands or something. But they are black, and from the south, and SOOO funny! I love them but they like to talk. So it's hard to start the lesson and get it going. But it was really good yesterday, Meko is really prepared and has had alot of mormon friends.

Erika and Kenny- Both native and Erika has been less active for a while, but has been coming back to church and reading the scriptures. They are not married, but have a son named. Ocshon. (Ocean) He's taken lessons before, but I think it's been awhile. He has a lot of questions which is awesome. We came in contact with them my first week here, I was backing S. Wright and Erika came up to me and said that he husband had taken lessons before and they were wondering if we could teach him again, and when the closest church building was since they just moved there. Stinkin sweet. They were our other lesson yesterday, kenny is awesome. He's an alcoholic, but wants to change. And he knows he wants to be with his family forever.

Tai Tyrell- His wife is a member, and they just got married in July. But she has a firm goal to get sealed in the temple. And he's solid. She helps him understand things, he knows it true. But has a hard time setting a date. He was also one the elders left for us. But our goal is to have him baptized in October. :)

Well there's just a little bit. I'll continue more next week. We got a referral this week for a family of 13! Which is awesome! We haven't met them yet, we're trying to figure out the right way to approach them. But we are so excited for that.

Ok.. What is up with everyone hurting their knees? Erin and Cody, get better! I wanna hear about your wins! Not injuries. Booooo.

Dad, I looooooooooove your email from last week about Grandpa and everything, it was so uplifting and I am so happy to be filled in. It's interesting that you had read gpa's patriarchical blessing, because I had recently read mine and realized that there was a whole paragraph about my mission that I'd never seen before! And it just made me wonder about at the end of my life, am I going to be able to check off everything in it? Recieved all the blessing Heavenly Fathers promised and wants to give me? Oh boy, I sure hope so and am trying. So wondered about what gpas said, and all the things he would do. Anyways.. That was super cool to hear about.

I looooooooooved the temple this morning! I guess it's the only temple with bench seats, (for hawaiian people.) And that's the most I've ever moved around in a session! It was just so good, I feel so reenergized and ready to go. Although S.Wright is feeling sick today, so hopefully she'll just rest today and be better tomorrow. I really don't want to cancel any of our appts.

Interviews with president tomorrow! Oh another thing about him. He ran prop 8. He RAN it. Crazy.

Well I better go but I love you! And I love hearing from y'all! I hope you have a fantastic week!

S. Nielsen

Only Up and Up! 04 Sept 2012

Aloooooooha!

"Havin fun isn't hard.. When you got a library card!" Woo! Name it! S. Wright and I like to sing that when were headed to email. :)

I'm so glad to hear that grandpa's funeral went well. Dad I haven't been able to read through your whole email yet, I'm afraid I'll run out of time.. But I printed it off! So we're golden. Thank you so much for it too. I know I will enjoy all of it! I wrote a letter to Grandma yesterday (Yesterday was Pday, but also labor day. So the Library was closed.) I hope she's doing ok. Change is always hard.

Yikes! School is starting.. That's so crazy, time is flying. I can't believe I'm a month old! And I've been in Hawaii for two whole weeks! That's just nuts.

Thanks for Cela's # mom! I'll be sure to call that today! Referal. Received and contacted. :)

I don't have anything to compare to, but I feel like the work is going slow right now. Our numbers are down, we're both new to the area (whitewashing) and trying to get appts and meet lots of people in the ward and well as.. well everywhere. So we can only go up from here! We tract and hour everyday. Sometimes it doesn't happen because we have to visit other people, but we tract! And.. It's rough! No one is really open to listening to us, we've met everyone from budist to baptists to samoan aventists.. something crazy. We are doing something call the "prayer approach". It was a piolet program in california or something, but you knock on the door and offer to give them a prayer, to bless and ask for any concerns they might have, any struggles going on in there lives that they might want a prayer for help for. So far, I've seen it been successful once. But it was SO GOOD! They let us in and wrote down their names and asked for each persons concerns and what they needed help with. Their names were Ashlyn, Joel, and Hene. All between the ages of 17-21. But I was able to offer the prayer and just prayed normally but specifically praying for them and there needs. It was so cool. And I know they felt the spirit! We got there number, but wont call them until either today or tomorrow because they went to maui for vacation for the weekend.

We have a lot of women in our ward who's husbands are deployed. And most of the time the husband isn't a member. But I feel like everybody we talk to, especially in the ward, they like to give us their whole life stories.. We just sit there and listen most of the time. Which is so werid to me.. because whenever we had the missionaries over, it was always about THEM! Or we'd talk story back and forth. But we really just sit there.  It's just odd to me, maybe that's another reason why missionaries like to come over to our house. Ask them questions, it's nice.

Alright, you'll be so proud of me. I've eaten everything that's been on my plate! And.. So of it is werid! I've had hawaiian food, and phillipino food. Oh! Which I told them the one phrase that Dad likes to tell people and they all busted up laughing. Thanks Dad, we got a good icebreaker. :) But anyways.. Lots of rice and noodles. Noodles I guess symbolize a long life, so it's a big part of the culture.

Hawaiian wildlife: There are no snakes on any of the islands, but poisonous frogs. And they're big! Not super big, but bigger than the kind we'd catch and grandma Crofts. Also cocroches. We found one in our sink the other day. But I washed him down and turned on the food disposal. Mmm. And lizards and geckos. I see a lizard everyday. And people like to have geckos in there houses because they eat the bugs I guess. And everyone has a dog. I don't know why but EVERYONE has a dog. I feel like I'm in a hundred and one dalmations sometimes in the beginning where everyone looks like there dog. Yes it's like that here too.

Anywho. Things are going good. I love S. Wright. We get along really well and laugh a ton! And! She knows kid history, so we have a lot of fun quoting sometimes. :)

I can't believe Tiffani is engaged!! AHH! I'm excited but so mad at the same time! I'm missing it! But I am SO excited for her. I'm so glad she's happy.  Help out with her wedding and planning for me!

Thanks for the prayers and support. I love it! We're going to pearl harbor tomorrow to do service and I'm so excited! So I'll take lots of pictures and send them next week. Also, I'll be emailing you on Tuesday next week because we get to go do a session at the la'ie temple! So normally pday is on monday, but next week it's switched. And then interviews with president on Wednesday. I haven't been around president much. But he kind of reminds me of an Elder Holland. Very good at chastising. So it should be good. :) Our mission is on fire right now btw. We're destroying our high water marks! It's a really fun time to be in the mission, everyone is pumped about the work.

I better get going. But I love you! I hope things are going great! CDs! Make sure they are motab, efy, hymns or classical music over 100 years old. That's all we can listen to. But we're desperate for some music. You'd be the best!

Amber's last time with Grandpa Nielsen 

Loooooooooove! S. Nielsen