The Mission Life is the Life for Me

Well the song "Forever Young" is playing in our Cyber right now and it's describing how I feel right now hahaha I want to be forever young aka 19 years old so I can be a missionary foreverrrrrrrrrrrrr because I am so happy!!! 

This week was a little crazy, we didn't have a lot of time to work because strep throat, interviews with President, traveling, and just crazy. But when we did get to work it was so great! I used to be stressed about having high numbers every week when our district leader called us but I stopped worrying about that and I worry a lot more about people and it's literally changed my whole mission, I enjoy it so. much. more.

We had to drop a few of our investigators this week and that is always way sad :( We dropped a girl named Viviana this week...actually her Catholic Gma dropped us jajaja she doesn't like the Mormons so that was sad. Then we dropped another investigator Marcelo that was seriously so close to being baptized, he came to church a couple times and was really progressing but he got offended by our mission rules and that we can't visit men alone without another woman and now he wants nothing to do with the church....both way sad but I am not discouraged! My perspective this week has been really changed! We have to drop people sometimes but there are always more waiting for us, and so so many miracles :) :) 

I had a really cool experience this week, we did divisions with some of our Hermanas and one of them was a local missionary from my second area. I was with her for the day and at night she really opened up to me and talked to me about how she was deciding whether she should go on a mission or not. I told her to really talk to the Lord about it but I also obviously told her how incredible the mission is and that if she can she should! We talked a lot and then I didn't really think a lot about it after. But I saw her this week at an activity here for the youth and she told me that she is starting her papers now!!!!!!!!!!! I am so happy for her! Idk, she just feels like a sister to me and her family really took care of me and it's just small things like that that bring the biggest joys here!

I've just been so happy this week! I feel so good having the spirit and being able to have such a clear vision about who I am and my purpose in life. In my interview with my President this week he talked to me about using the mission to receive as much personal revelation as I could. He told me the mission is like the temple and it's the best place to receive revelation about things right now and my life after the mission. It seems so far away but I know that it's coming and I used this week to think a lot about what I want to do and who I want to be. Not in a trunky "I want to come home" way but to really receive guidance and it has been such an incredible week for me!

I love being a missionary and I love having the spirit with me so much all the time! I always feel good! So do what you can every day to have the Spirit with you!

Ponderize: Alma 30:44

LOVE, Hermana Nielsen 

Just gonna send pics

What a great week! Thanks for everything! I love everybody reading this email jajaja!!

District Activity!!!

Temple! 

What a Life.

This week was so good! 

First of all, LUIS GOT BAPTIZED!!!!!!

Whoooo! We visited him the night before his baptism and he was like "I just want to follow Christ, that's why I'm getting baptized" And we were like well then, you are on the right path!!! His baptism was so humble. He has really changed and just has sincere desires to follow Christ, it's so cool to see people change!!!!!!

As you can see by our clothes, it has been way cold this week! Okay, only like 50 degrees but I have worn like 3 jackets every day jajaja and tights and scarves and everything because it's only be 100 degrees since I got here! I don't want to know what Utah is going to do to me during the winter. #NeverComingHome 

This week I also lost our cellphone jajaja I put it in my pocket and like 2 blocks later I realized it was gone so we went back and looked but it was already gone. But this random man was helping us look for it and then we left and passed him later that night and he asked if we wanted his number and I was like ummmmm we're missionaries.....and he was like "so, do you want my number or no?" Hahahaha I was like "we'll send some elders your way" jajajajaj. Good times, good times.

We're just real pumped about life down here in South America. The people here are so great, they all really love Christ and I love that about the culture. They just lack desires to act on their faith/beliefs but there are always the golden ones waiting for us like Luis and we're gonna find them!!!!

Also we're going to the temple tomorrow and celebrating 5 de Mayo this week and Skyping our families so I'm on could 9!!!!!!!! 

I hope your week is as good as mine! 

Ponderize: Alma 4:13-14 Latter Day SAINTS!

LOVE, Hermana Nielsen!

Us with Luis and his family that aren't members that came!!!

Us with Nestor who is the coolest homie ever that baptized/confirmed Luis!

Intercambios/sleepover in our apartment with the other Hnas in San Lorenzo!

What´s Your Perfect Date?

Hey! It´s April 25...it´s not too hot and it´s not too cold, all you need is a light jacket. Jajaja I hope you all got that joke. And my title. 

And por suerte today it's raining so much and that is a good thing because it's Pday and that means that it's not 100 degrees! yay! 

This week has been great! We have been working our buns off and traveling a lot! I love it. But it makes the time go faster and I don´t love that. 

Funny story:

This week we left with a member named Rita. She's literally the coolest person I know. She's so so so funny and she's basically a missionary. So we were walking down a street and my comp was hungry so she bought and empanada from a lady that sells them on the side of the road. I was like hey I'll pay and I gave her my bag of money. We left and taught some lessons and everything was chill. We started walking back down this street and I had a feeling that there was somebody we needed to talk to on this street so I was just looking and waiting to know....I saw the lady that was selling the empanadas and I was like yeah let's talk to her again. My comp was like cool, I'll buy another empanada. So I start talking to her about the gospel and everything and my companion and Rita started laughing...I was like what the heck I am trying to share the gospel with this woman ya know? So I look over and my comp is bright red and she had my money bag in her hand....she left my money there from the first time she bought an empanada jajaja!!! So we start laughing with the lady and she tells us she's Catholic and to go away and what not but it was a funny story! And I'm glad that I listened to the spirit! 

We're just working really hard here in San Lorenzo! It's weird because I'm not here to work every day of the week so I get confused with investigators and members and stuff but I'm getting the hang of it! Our President changed things a little bit this transfer. Usually if there are two companionships that share a ward or branch they split the area and the companionships work in different parts but now we just share everything. It's so weird but I like it! So this week we have a baptism, Luis!!!!!!!!! The other hermanas have been working with him more than us but because we share an area it's all together. He's like an old man that's really chill and wants to follow Jesus, I like him. We'll let you know how it goes next Monday! 

Ponderize this week: Mosiah 16:7-8

This is one of my favorite scriptures because there is so much HOPE that the gospel brings us! 

LOVE, Hermana Nielsen 

El Buen Pastor nos llama!

Haha well I´m lame and I forgot my planner and all of my plans of what I was going to write you guys so......patience please.

This week flew by so fast. I feel like all the sudden I´m just going a million miles an hour and it´s so crazy and fun and hot and I love it!

Wednesday-Saturday morning we are traveling to different areas and stuff and doing splits? divisions? I don´t knkow which word to use. And so by the time we get back home on Saturday we are wayyyyyyyyyyy tired.

And this last Saturday was SO HOT. Every day here is hot but Saturday was infierno. So we finished our studies and we were going to leave and I was just a liiiiitle bit grumpy...jajaja I know you have all seen me grumpy so you know how I was.....and we left and we walked for like 30 seconds and I was like I´m sick of this. I´m a missionary, I don´t have time to be grumpy! So I literally forced myself to smile. It made me mad at first but I was seriously just walking with the biggest smile ever on my face and then it made me laugh and then I started walking faster and then I wanted to skip! Hahahaha it changed my whole attitude about the day it ended up being a really incredible day! So my advice from this is to smile when you´re not happy and find a way to laugh because life is dumb when we´re not happy! 

Right now we´re trying really hard to find new investigators and people to teach and it´s so much fun, seriously I can´t tell you guys how happy I am to be here! I look forward to coming home so tired and just letting my head hit the pillow and feeling so satisfied from a hard day’s work. I´m really happy I´m a missionary! I´m changing so much and I have such a clearer perspective on life, at least here in Paraguay....I don´t know about the U.S. but I´m happy because I get to talk about Jesus alllllllll day every day and who doesn´t want to do that?!?!

I love you guys! Have a fun week! 

Ponderize: Alma 5:38

LOVE, Hermana Nielsen 

This week has been SO BUSY!!!!!!!

I got to go do an intercambio (splits?) in my first area with an hermana and that was so cool! I never thought I´d see that place again and it made me so happy! But we´re just trying really hard to get to know our area and sometimes I get really frustrated and then I remember that we have only been here for like 2 weeks and that I´m 19 years old and I don´t need to know everything! We left the other day and forgot our map so we could literally do nothing so we took a bunch of names to a members house and she drew us maps and helped us and then she gave us food last night and the members here have already offered to give us lunch every single day during the week and they all are helping us so much! They are incredible people and they are making me feel so at home! I already never want to leave this area, I love it so much! But we´re doing so good! The Lord is helping me so much to become so much better and he is fitting my abilities to my tasks, I feel so blessed every day! Have a great week!

LOVE, Hermana Nielsen

Ponderize: Joseph Smith History 1:25

My life is NUTZ

HAHAHAHA this week. It felt like I did as much these past 4 days that a normal person would do in a year jajajaja!!! But it also flew by. 

So we went to our district meeting on Tuesday and I was really chill because I didn´t think that I was going to leave my area, ya know? Then our district leader leaves to get the transfers and came back and was like, "I TOLD YOU HERMANA NIELSEN" He told me I was leaving. What. Then he told me that I was leaving to San Lorenzo to be and hermana leader and that my new comp would be Hermana Andreasen....WHAAAATTTTT. I was really cool about it and all and then we rode the colectivo home and I had 30 minutes to think and I was like ah crap. I have heard about what happens with hermana leaders jajaja they are just tired all the time and have to travel a lot and be responsible adults and stuff. So that's cool. And Hermana Andreasen and I got her in a "white wash." It's when the two missionaries that were in an area leave and two new ones come in. Luckily San Lorenzo was my stake center when I first got here so I know it a little bit but really only the church hahahaha. My life is gooooood! 

So anyways, Hermana Andreasen is my new companion and she is from Queen Creek Arizona!! Yeah! She is so cool and we are already bff's! we get along so well and we had to plan everything we were going to do for this transfer on Thursday and we are both just really on the same page and we are so excited to work with and help the other hermanas! Neither of us have been hermana leaders so we are just trying to wing it all with the spirit! 

We have a companionship of two American hermanas so on April Fool's day we went to their house and Christmas Caroled and then did a study with them and it was really fun! We are just jumping right into all of this business! And the members here have already started to give us lunch everyday so we are actually doing really well hahahaha!

General Conference was amazing. As usual! I loved all of the talks and I got answers to all of my questions! It's really incredible what the church is doing and how we are able to help so many people around the world. I only know a little bit about what's going on but from what I know, it's our time to step up and really help others. Also President Uchdorf is really tender. 

I love you guys! Have a great week! Pray that I will be able to figure out how to do all of this jajaja

Ponderize: 1 Nephi 3:7 Whatever the Lord told you to do at conference, DO IT. And he will provide a way.

LOVE, Hermana Nielsen 

We got to watch Conference in English again with the Elders in another room #blessed