Thanksgiving.. Already!? Again!? 26 Nov 2013

Aloha my wonderful family,

Well I'm glad to hear that Cody had a good birthday! I cannot believe your 17. I guess as a missionary you just think that everything back home stays still. But it doesn't and then it's weird to comprehend..

Well transfers came and went! So last week was a little crazy for us. We worked all day Tuesday and then drove to Kona that night. One of the sisters there was being transferred and the other needed a companion for the wait time in the morning before her new companion came in. So Sister Lauhingoa and I slept on the floor and got all that transfer stuff done. We were able to make it back to Kohala around 1 and then worked the rest of the day. But exhausted for not having a very good sleep.

Thursday we had our baptismal interviews for Joshua and Arianna. And they both passed! Thank goodness! That always makes me a little nervous, because I would hate to be that missionary who's baptisee didn't pass their interview. Just would mean that the missionaries didn't prepare them as well as they should have. They are both so awesome and were so ready! 

The rest of the week we were squeezing in lessons along with trying to prepare for their baptism on Saturday. I think I forgot how much time and preparation goes into having a baptism service. I kept forgetting so many things! But in the end Heavenly Father smooths everything over and it went so well! My favorite sound is listening to the water fill up the baptism font. It's the best!

Both of their nonmembers families came to the baptism. We knew Arianna's mom would come. She's been so sweet with helping us teach Arianna. But Joshua's family hasn't shown really any support. So we were really excited to see that his mom brought him to the baptism and she and his two little sisters attended. He looked so good! One of the members bought him a white shirt and tie with dress pants. :) Sister Lauhingoa talked on Baptism and I talked on the Holy Ghost. I love the spirit at baptisms, there is something powerful with watching the priesthood in action and witnessing an ordinance. After they were baptized I kept watching Joshua's little sisters and I saw the older one, (she's about 12 or so..) turn to her mom and say, "Mom, can I be baptized?" :)

On Sunday Joshua's two sisters attended church. Josh was confirmed a member of the church, we were waiting for Arianna but she never came. We didn't really know what happened, but we stopped by after church and she was sick with a sore stomach. So she will just have to be confirmed next Sunday. 

Yesterday was MLC so I'm sure you figured that out since I'm emailing you on Tuesday. :) I flew to O'ahu bright and early with my zone leaders. It was really good. It's crazy how much the mission has changed since I first started my mission. I was the oldest person in the room who had attend MLC the longest. There may have been 1 other elder. But still I'm one of the old grandmas now.

I cannot believe it's already Thanksgiving week!! That's so crazy. My second round of holidays are comin up. I feel so grateful for so many things. My life is so blessed. I love being a missionary. And pretty soon our family will get to have 2 missionaries! 

I love you all so so much! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! I am grateful for the amazing family that I have. :) 

Love,

Sister Nielsen

21 Lessons and Full of Miracles! 18 Nov 2013

Aloha my Nielsen Ohana,

This week has been SO BUSY! And I LOVE it. We have worked so hard and saw so many miracles!

As of right now we have 6 with date! Yes your heard me 6! I don't think I've ever had 6 with date my whole mission! But Heavenly Father just blessed us and they came. I don't even know what we really did to deserve them. We're just working I guess and being effective! On average Kohala usually teaches about 10 lessons a week on average. But I know that Elder Perry has made a promise that if you teach 20 lessons a week you'll baptize.. or something like that. So our goal this week was to teach that many lessons. And we did it! We were so busy but we've been so blessed!

Joshua and Arianna will have a combined baptism this Saturday. There is a funeral that day so we're not quite sure of the time and things yet. But they are both so ready! It's amazing to see how Heavenly Father has prepared them so much. One thing I really want to start with this ward is having the member teach the after baptism lessons. I've never had a ward do that before. We'll see how that goes.

We were able to teach a family Tuesday and it was amazing! We've talked to the husband before Miki and he isn't a member.The mother is Less Active and the rest of the family isn't members. We had a member come with us who lives 2 houses above them. We taught the plan of Salvation and the spirit was so strong. You can see how it has been working on them and preparing them for the gospel and for this woman to come back to church. I love lessons like that.

Wednesday was the craziest day of my life and we didn't even have time to eat lunch! But it was so good. We taught 7 lessons total. And committed 3 more people to be baptized. Kaya was a part of the primary program last week and her auntie came up to us and said she wanted to be baptized. We taught her and she will be ready by Dec. 7th! We also popped by a girl named Brianna, she was taught by the senior missionaries before the Rapiers. They had a baptismal record filled out and everything and then something happen and she wasn't baptized. We'd stopped there once and when we came back she said that she did want to be baptized! she too will be baptized on Dec. 7th. The last people who has been added to our with dates is Alexis. The Rapiers were teaching her and she was suppose to be baptized before they left, but she had a little word of wisdom problem and they didn't feel good about it. But we taught her the gospel of Jesus Christ and committed her to be baptized on December 14th. She said she will prepare for that day. It was so amazing! I was so exhausted, but the spirit somehow gives us strength.

Another miracle that happen is I found my planner! Thank goodness. It's been lost for about 2 weeks and one of our members said that her brother in law's ex wife found it. Coconut wire went a little slow this time around. But I was able to retrieve it and no harm was done. Such a blessing!

Last night we started our 1st member missionary class. We had a few people show up. I felt really scatterbrained walking in there because we had had such a busy week. But hopefully the spirit took over and we were able to help our members understand there part. We taught the first principle of member missionary work. We succeed when we invite. We talked about what keeps people from sharing the gospel and how this class is to help overcome all these things. Fear of rejection is overcome by knowing that our success is in the invitation. I'm really excited about this class, the next 2 classes really hit the bullzye of member missionary work. Hopefully they all got something out of it.

Ahh.. I wish I could tell you everything and every experience that happened this week. It was so good. It reminded me of working in Aliamanu. How grateful I am for my companion who is willing to work! And who isn't afraid to committ people to be baptized. I feel like we both have the same purpose and the work is just going!

I am so grateful to be a misisonary. Today I start my 2nd to last transfer. (Yes I'm staying in Kohala with Sister Lauhingoa. We're training.) Lately I am been thinking about how my life would be if I didn't serve a mission and come to Hawaii. I think I probably wouldn't know a thing about the gospel! This has been the best experience of my life. What a privilage it's been to be a representative of Jesus Christ. I will forever cherish this time. I am SO happy too that it's not over yet! I still have 2 transfers to do the Lord's work. :)

I love you all so much. God is so good. He gives us mountains to climb, but it's such a great view from the top. And from on top we'll be more in perspective of Heavenly Father's wonderful plan he has for each of us. Come what may and love it.

Ofa atu! and Aloha!

Sister Nielsen

Tai and Eileen temple pictures!‏

Member Missionary Class! 12 Nov 2013

My Dear Nielsen Ohana,

I am so sad to hear about grandma passing away. That really was unexpected for me. I thought she would be alive when I got home. But everything is in Heavenly Father's timing. I'm happy everyone is taking it well too, and that she did go peacefully. Now we got the Nielsen couple on the other side doing work! What a tender mercy. How was the funeral and burial? 

Well this last week was really really good! We are seeing miracles left and right! We now have 3 with date! Chee-hoo!

Arianna our just barely turned 8 year old will be baptized on Nov. 23rd. She wasn't able to come to church on Sunday and we need her to come one more time in order for her to be baptized. So her date has been pushed a week. But it's still happenening! Satan has been really trying to play his game to make it not happen. Arianna was really sick at the beginning of the week. She went to Kohala hospital, they referred her to Waimea and then to Kona. They said they think she had mumps.. She wouldn't move her head very much because she has some lump or something on her neck that her. We were suppose to have a lesson on Tuesday and Sister Udell, her grandma, came with. Sister Udell really wanted her to get a blessing so she drove up the street to get the stake patriarch. He came down and gave her a blessing by himself. It was such a powerful blessing! In the blessing he said.. "I dispell the adversary out of you." I didn't really think that the adversary could take the form of a disease of sickness but he did! That was a way he could stop the baptism from happening. That was such a crazy experience. It blew my mind!

Joshua now has a baptism date for Nov. 23rd as well! We taught him the Word of Wisdom and Law of Chasity and he said that both will be easy to live. Phew! He's doing so good! He comes to church every week and is reading from the BOM.

Ainsley is committed for Nov. 30th! We went over on Wednesday and were planning on teaching him the Word of Wisdom. Then right before I turned to my companion and changed it to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We started with the Robles Temple DVD and when the family was getting baptized he started feeling the sprit and was freaking out a little bit. "What is this!? Ahh I have chicken skin. This is the same feeling I had that one time. Ahh man!" Haha. We explained the spirit and told him that the things he was seeing are true. He really wants to be baptized. So then we said "in order to be baptized there are some things we need to prepare before had, one of those is living the word of wisdom."  Funny how the spirit works and sometimes just changes the lesson right in the middle. I thought he would have a problem with smoking. But he doesn't! He said that sometime he will roll his own, but he never buys them and that he would definitely live the Word of Wistodm. MIRACLE! He didn't come to church last week like he said he was going to. So we decided to give him a church tour. It went really well and I think it helped calm his nerves with coming to a foregin church.

He came to church on Sunday and LOVED it. It was the primary program and his son, Racin, was involved. He even participated in the discussion in Gospel Principles! Our next lesson is the Law of Chasity. He is living with his girlfriend.. So we're going to need to plan a wedaptism. But he is committed to be baptized on Nov. 30th! :)

We are really trying to focus on getting our ward more missionary minded and trying to bring them out with us more. With this we are starting a member missionary class this Sunday! I'm really excited about it. It's a 3 week outline from Elder Clayton Christiansen of the Seventy. And we'll rotate active members in the ward to all attend it. This is something Ewa Beach was doing and it was so great! Our ward mission leader taught it. But I want to start doing it here.

I love being a missionary! This is the best! I am so happy that Sister Lauhingoa and I are WORKING! And unified! This is an answer to my prayers. All I want to do is work these last few months.

I recieved an email from Sister Wright and she's been talking to Tai and Eileen. (My first baptism a year ago!) They are going to the Washington temple to be sealed this weekend! I am so excited for them. What a blessing it's been to be such a small part of watching their growth in the gospel!

I love you! Have a fabulous week. :)

Much Aloha,

Sister Nielsen

Lost Planner.. 4 Nov 2013

Dear Nielsen Family,

Well as you can see in the title I lost my planner. :( I haven't seen it since Friday and I am really sad about it! That's almost like my journal where I know what happened everyday. I'm praying that I'll find it. It's probably lost, alone, and wet! Hopefully I'll find it soon.

Well this last week was good! We went to the temple on Tuesday morning, it was wonderful as always! Then we had a zone exchange and I brought Sister Kim to Kohala. She's a VC sister and she goes home in January. It was so different to be with a missionary the same age as me. Us older sisters, there's not much of us left! But we had a lot of fun together. I went on exchange with her before when I was in Hon-West.

We had an awesome trunk or treat on Thursday evening. I really cannot believe Halloween has come and gone! It might have something to do with not having seasons here though.. It just always feels like Hawaii!  We had a lot of nonmember and less actives come to the activity! And I got to see the Jensens! She's right, I didn't recognize them at first! Haha, but it has been years in my defense! It was so nice of them to stop by. :)

Our investigators are doing well! Ainsley has read almost the whole book of Moroni! We taught him the Plan of Salvation on Wednesday and it went really well. He was suppose to come to our Trunk or Treat and church on Sunday, but Idk what happen. He didn't come. Daisy said that that wasn't his thing. But we're hoping this next week to see him and resolve some of his concerns! Maybe a church tour so he's not so afraid of church.

Arianna was sick this last week so we weren't able to teach her and she didn't come to church either. :/ This is probably the only thing that will keep her from being baptized on November 16th. The trial before the smooth sailing. But she wants it! So I'm not too worried about it.

Joshua is doing really well too! We had a really good lesson with him about how to pray with purpose and with real intent. I think he's starting to understand and feel the spirit more. He did come to trunk or treat and church! He's a quiet kid with not many words, but his actions are loud. :)

We dropped Patrick, he has kind of taken a nose dive. Doesn't want to read or pray or come to church. It was a nice little last chat we had and I will be forever grateful to have met him. He's an awesome kid. I know Heavenly Father will take care of him. :)

We found a few new investigators this week too! We were out tracting and this truck honked at us and kept going, then he wheels on back in reverse and starts talking to us. I thought he was a member at first but just less active. Turns out he just wanted to stop and thank God's people for spreading the good word. I think he was a little drunk, but he was Tongan and when him and Sister Lauhingoa made that connection they just rabbled on and on in Tongan, and I just stood there for a little while. We ended up praying with him and he agreed we could come to his home. We went over on Sunday and his wife is the one who was more interested than him. They both sat in and we shared the Restoration. I think his wife, Kimi, is going through a lot of struggles right now. She was crying off and on through out the lesson and said that she was been praying really hard lately. I know that we're the answer! I'm not sure if she knows that yet, but we will get there. What even more interesting is that we had a referral for that home to talk to her dad! So in some way, Heavenly Father knew we needed to come to this home. It's so interesting how amazing his work is! Definitely not a coincidence. Heavenly Father is blessing us so much!

Well.. Sister Lauhingoa and I are doing well. I think she's been a little bit homesick the past 2 days. She's never been away from home before and she keeps mentioning that she misses Tongan food. Last night the new senior couple fed us.. Southern food! We had a cheese potato soup and it was delicious! I haven't had anything like that since I've been here. Sister Lauhingoa ate it, but later told me she didn't like it. I don't think she's ever had anything like that before. But I'm just trying to love her. All will be well. :) She really is such a wonderful girl.

Well I love you all so much. I love being a missionary. I've been trying really hard not to think about time and to just work. Last week the office called and asked what airport I want to fly into. It's crazy how little things like that get to you! I do not want to be trunky and only serve a 15 month mission. How lame would that be! But I now understand how hard it really is. I feel like I am truly learning the principle of Enduring to the End. I love everything about Hawaii. But everything has it's time and a season. Time will come and go faster than I know. I'm just trying to love every second and be the best missionary I can be. 

Thanks so much for everything! I have the best family in the world. :)

Love and aloha,

Sister Nielsen