Rápido

I swear that our weeks here in San Lorenzo just keep getting crazier.

Hahahahaha funny story. A random inactive member came to church last Sunday so this week we went and found her house so we could help her ya know? And I guess the members here call her Juana the prophet because she always sees things and they come true or something I don't know. But she's wayyyyy confused about religion and gets the church way mixed up with the Catholic church. But we went to visit her and she asked if we wanted and snack and we were like sure......she brought us out a WHOLE CUP OF BLACK HONEY. We died. She put some peanuts on top but the rest was just straight honey. We ate as much as we could and I swear I was going to die. I thought of my mom because she hates honey and I don't think she'd expect me to drink all of it so I didn't jajajajja but when we left we realized that it turned our teeth black so we had to go home and brush our teeth hahahahaha it was such a weird experience!!

We found such a miracle this week! We found a part of our area that we have never worked in....it was so weird that we had never been in it, I think it's because we don't know any members that live there. But we just contacted a ton for hours this week and we've been finding so many people!!! It's so much fun! Our week has been so so so busy, we've had so much going on this transfer but we have seen so many miracles. Our recent converts are struggling. We work with the ones that have been baptized in the last 2 years and there are so many that are inactive now :( BUT Bruno and Edith are doing SO GOOD!!!!! We taught Edith in English this week and it was SO WEIRD!!! I tried to talk about prophets and it was so bad but so much fun! And she was like "hermana put your foot up" and she just gave me a solid foot massage so that was GR8!!!

It's still way cold here and our shower is broken so I cry every time I have to use cold water but we good. Our trials will be but a small moment, right? 

We are working a ton with all of our hermanas and it's really cool to watch them learn and grow so much as the transfers go on! I feel like their mom. Or aunt. All of the people here call us "tia" (aunt) idk why but all of the moms tell their kids that we are their tias and I feel like that with our Hermanas! The Lord is giving us strength physically and spiritually when we don't have it and I always feel so rejuvinated!

Thanks for loving and supporting me! I'm so deep in the work and I've never felt better in my life!

Tengan la mejor semana de sus vidas!

Con amor, 

hermana Nielsen

Ponderize: Ether12:4,9

Crazy Days

This week was so crazy, I don´t even know what to write! Time just flew by so fast.

We are only in charge of 4 companionships of Hermanas now because there aren´t very many Hermanas in our mission and we saw all 4 companionships this week. So. Much. Traveling. Some days it´s a little rough because by Saturday we are dead tired because we get up earlier and ride in buses for a few hours but we just try our best to be way positive with the Hermanas and help them keep the vision of the mission!

Something that I´ve really learned is that the Lord qualifies who he calls. Like there´s no way I´ve been able to do what we do without his help. Getting over the tiredness is fine but helping the Hermanas is where I´ve really seen the Lord´s hand. Sometimes we´ll be trying to solve a problem or teach the Hermanas something and I feel the Spirit just take over and I am able to help them or give them advice and my Spanish comes out so much smoother. It´s seriously just the coolest thing.

We don´t really have any idea what we are going into when we go on divisions with them or do studies and the spirit´s just like "Hey, no worries I know Spanish and the gospel perfectly and what this hermana/investigator/member/companion needs and I'll help you." Seriously guys, the best thing ever. 

On Saturday we found Luis who got baptized in May. He's been really struggling. He lives here and works and his wife and kids live in Buenos Aires. He went to visit them for like 2 weeks and he came back and told us that he's getting divorced :( He just looked so sad and discouraged. That was hard, I just felt so much compassion for him and we were able to talk a lot about the Atonement with him. 

Edith is doing so good! She always has questions about the Book of Mormon! Her last question was about Nefi and his brothers and why they fight and she read and read and read to found out why hahahaha she reads every single day with her daughters and she loves the Book of Mormon so much! She is so converted and she loves learning about the Restoration! I haven’t seen a conversion like hers and it's the most humbling, happiest thing to be a part of!

Bruno is doing good! He's just a 21 year old punk that loves the gospel hahahaha he was going to get the Priesthood yesterday but was sick so next week we'll get 'em jaja But he's just way smart and loves to learn the gospel so in depth! We taught him about The Plan of Salvation again after his baptism a little more profoundly (I can't remember if that's a word HAHAHA sorry) and he was like "um the Elders didn't teach me this" he was just soaking it all up, it was so great!

This morning we had to go to Asuncion to the mission office because Hermana Andreasen had her final interview with President Wilson :( idk what I'm going to do without her, we've had so much time together and it's so weird thinking that I'll have a new comp! I hope she's Latina. But we've still got a good 3 weeks together so we're just living it up like crazy!

I got to talk to President Wilson for a few minutes about some things and he just shows us always how great the work is, I love him so much! Probably I'm going to move to Uruguay to be his neighbor.

aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh also we had the best 4th of July ever! We went allllllllll the way to the temple and they were like, "we don't need you." What.

So we took a pic outside and then we got permission to eat at domino's and we felt so American jajaja it was a way good day! I just love my area so much and the mission and I am so happy here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I've decided to extend for the rest of my life. 

Have a great week!!!

Ponderize: 2 Nefi 2:6-8

Love, Hermana Nielsen 

Let Freedom Ring

Hey! This week has been so great! It flew by and I think it´s because we are a fulllll with cosas and we´re so busy but seriously it´s so much fun!!! So many Catholics so little time. Miracles. Keeping the long sleeves rule is the hardest thing of my life. It´s starting to warm up again. Crazy hermanas. All of the good mission things ya know?

So this weeeeeekkkkkk.....BRUNO GOT BAPTIZED!!!!

Whoooo!!! And confirmed yesterday!!!!! He was so so so so so happy! What the heck I can´t believe that he was athiest. I don´t think that´s real, I think people just say that because they´re too lazy to go to any church BUT Bruno has progressed and he was just beaming at his baptism!!! He´s so happy! We´re trying to keep him way pumped and happy. He lives with his older sister and she HATES the church. She´s way Catholic. But she let him get baptized without kicking him out so we are so excited! It´s seriously so amazing to see people go through the conversion process! 

We had some crazy "taking care of business" intercambios n' stuff this week and those always make the days go by fast. Just don't ever forget that OBEDIENCIA ES EL PRIMER LEY DEBAJO DEL CIELO. I live by that. I am crazy. 

I think I'm writing kind of crazy today because we are going to clean the temple right after this and I. AM. SO. EXCITED. I'll let you know how it goes next week jajaja

We had a way cool Zone Conference this week at the mission office and those are always so fun because we get to see so many missionaries and I get to see all of my Latino bff's that I won't get to see after the mission....my time is getting shorter and shorter so I really appreciate the times I get to see all of the people I love so much. I LOVE THE MISSION!!!!!

I also got to see my daughter aka trainee Hermana Ovejero and she already has 6 MONTHS IN THE MISSION!!! WHAT?!?!?!?! Time flew by. She started with me and she has grown so much! It was so incredible to see her! I missed her so much, she really is like my child. She is doing so good and so happy and I love her so much and I am going to Argentina after my mission to visit her sí o sí. 

There´s a guy sitting next to my comp and I playing the guitar right now and singing jajajajaja hahahaha dying

So today´s the 4th of July! What! I remember my last one in the mission, it's seriously such a good day to reflect on what we have. I am so lucky to be able to preach the gospel in a country without having to worry about going to jail or anything like that. I can just go up to anybody and talk to them about Christ and that is such a privilege. Really it's a miracle. I've never felt more blessed or lucky to have been born into the church in a country that let me worship freely and how I want. We are so so so so so so so lucky.

So tonight while you're all watching the fireworks, just remember how blessed we are! 

That's about it for the week! Just keep praying for the missionaries and then acting on your prayers and helping us spread the gospel with anybody and everybody. Everybody needs it. 

Love you all!!

Nos vemos!

Hermana Nielsen 

Intercambios! The Hermana next to my comp was Ella's comp for a week in Chicago because she was a local missionary!!

Hermana Ovejerito and I! Apparently I didn't teach her how to smile.

 PONDERIZE 3 Nephi 22:8

Miracles upon Miracles upon heaps of Miracles

As you can see by the title, there were a lot of miracles that happened this week:

Miracle #1: On Friday night all of our plans fell through and we were walking and deciding what to do and we happened to walk past the church and there were a lot of members outside playing and watching soccer so we decided to say hi real quick. There were some young women selling hot dogs and coke so we bought some and while we were waiting for them to bring it to us some random guy from the stake that was playing soccer came up to us and said "Hermanas I have something for you" and then he proceeded to pull out two Jiff Whips Peanut Butter thingys from his backpack and then Slim Jims and gave them all to us jajajajaja we were like whaaaaaaaaattttttttttttttttttt. And I was so happy and crying tears of joy and wow. For realz such a miracle! I don't know who that man is but he is my favorite person. 

Miracle #2: On Saturday morning our plans fell through again and we took a weird route through the city idk I think sometimes the spirit just guides us and we don't even realize it because WE RAN INTO RAUL!!!!!!!!!!!! He's the convert that got married and baptized in November!! I hadn't heard from them and the missionaries in Reducto told me that they were having a hard time finding him and I was really worried. Turns out, him and his wife just moved to another city! But they told me that they are still super active and that they still have plans to go to the temple in November and get sealed :) :) :) That was seriously such a miracle!! I was so happy to see them, we literally ran into them at the perfect time! 

Miracle #3: Okay so I am way bad at writing you and telling you about the people we are teaching and stuff but we have been teaching a guy named Bruno with the Elders. Bruno is 21 and when we started teaching him he was atheist. But he's been reading the Book of Mormon like crazy and coming to church every week and progressing a ton! We taught him last week about how he's changed in the last month and he said he's a lot happier now and feels the presence of God in his life, it was seriously just like woah. He's getting baptized this Saturday and we are so excited for him!!! 

Miracle #4: Okay so Edith is incredible. She just keeps progressing more and more and more! We taught her about prophets on Saturday night and showed her the pic of the prophet, apostles, and 70 that come in the General Conference magazine and she loved it! Literally every time we have taught her something she hasn't had any doubts, she just knows that it's all true. On Sunday in Gospel Principles class, she volunteered to say the closing prayer and she prayed for President Monson! It was so cool. She hasn't even heard or read one of his talks yet but she knows that he's God's prophet on the earth right now and it seriously is the coolest thing. She is so converted to the gospel!

This week has been super great! We are just working our buns off and talking to everybody and seeing so many miracles! I love San Lorenzo so much and I am so happy here!! Our house hasn't had water since yesterday so we have to use a bucket full of water to flush the toilet and stuff but igual I am so happy and so grateful to be here! 

Ponderize this week: 3 Nephi 18:24

LOVE, Hermana Nielsen! 

Edith!!!

Okay, wow! What a semana. What a life.

We had a super busy week and it was so fun and flew by and ahhhhh but the good news is that Hna Andreasen and I are staying together for another transfer!!!! Our district leader called us this morning and told us we are staying together!!! It is Hna. Andreasens last transfer before she goes home #blessed

Sooooooo on Thursday we got permission to go to a hospital out of our area to visit a member that has cancer and that was super random and fun and weird jajaja but she was happy that we could visit her and she´s the only member in her family so hopefully it helps her family because they are way hard core Catholics.

On Friday I hit my year mark in the mission and that was a weird feeling, it feels good though because I´m at the point where I feel like I know what´s going on and how to handle situations and work my way around and I love it so much! We celebrated (not really) by going to Yaguarón because some of our Hnas were having some way bad problems so we had to go help them jajaja we got back at like 7 that night and our bff member Rita called us and surprised us with pizza! Tender mercy..

SATURDAY WAS THE BEST DAY EVER.

Edith got baptized :) :) :)

She has a fear of water and doesn´t know how to swim so she was struggling when she got in the font but then she did it and after she shared her testimony with everybody and it was so powerful. She knows that the church is true and she is already counting down the days when she can go to the temple with her family! Sunday she got confirmed and it was all so spirtual! She has been progressing so much and so so fast and we are so happy for her! She has been so prepared, all we just needed to do was find her. 

My birthday was good, I´m sad that I´m not a teenager anymore jajaja but I still act like one so that´s okay!! We had lunch with the Familia Cabrera and they were so nice and sang to me and then another member Wanilda called us and she made me a cake and it was huge so we took it to the baptism and shared with everybody! After all of the baptism madness another member Pablo called me into the secretary room and showed me the video of all of my fam saying happy bday to me ahhhhhh that was the cherry on top of the cake! It was such a good day, mostly because of Edith but i felt a lot of love from a lot of people!

It´s so fun and so cool to see people progress and grow on the mission, including myself. I am so happy for the new challenges and experiences every day, it´s so hard sometimes but so much fun too and I´ve never felt more like I´m where I should be.

Have the best week and enjoy summmmmmer because it´s cold here jajaja!!

Ponderize: D&C 50:16

Con amor, Hermana Nielsen 

Whooooo

Hhhhheeeeeyyyyyyyyyy

Here´s a lil update on Paraguay:

It´s still cold. Somebody told us that yesterday and Saturday were like 2 degrees. (celcius of course) And it was just so dang cold! But luckily we are allowed to study at night now because once the sun goes down it is freezing and NOBODY is outside. Unless they are drunk men watching a partido. 

There´s always some type of fruit growing here and right now we are in the season of oranges, mandarine oranges, pomegranite, grapefruit and bananas whooo! We can just pick all of these fruits off the trees while we´re walking everyday and everybody loves to make us fruit juice and  it´s the best ever! It makes me not want to ever leave here. 

So Edith is getting baptized this Saturady! whoooooo!!!! We are so excited for her. Yesterday she came to church with her two little girls and while we were in the Gospel Principles class she bore her testimony and told us that she knows that this is the true church of Jesus Christ and that what we teach her is true because she always feels the spirit and feels so good! We were learning about gifts of the spirit and one of the gifts is to believe in others testimonies. She talked about how she has that gift right now and the spirit is helping her believe in what we teach her and ahhhhhh it was so cool! It has been so incredible to see so much light come into her life! She´s already got some metas to go to the temple and be sealed to her family in a year!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so so so grateful to be here right now doing what I am doing!

Our mission president started a new goal this week of talking to at least 20 new people a day about the gospel and it has been so fun! Hna Andreasen and I have already had some goals to talk to everybody but now we are really pushing ourselves and it´s so crazy how many people we talk to and what happens in every conversation. I love talking about the gospel in Spanish so much! 

Keep doing what you´re doing (unless it´s bad jajajja) and finding ways to share the gospel with those around you! 

Ponderize: Heleman 8:15

Con amor, Hermana Nielsen 

My Best Friend Rita

Rita tried to take a pic of me and this was when I realized it was in front of a Catholic church jajajaja

Hello

Woahhhh this week flew by. Also it´s June and I never thought this month would come. Also I am SO TIRED. And cold. Who would have thought it´d be cold in Paraguay? But I am SO HAPPY too!

Anyways, this week was a little cray cray. We just did the normal traveling to different areas to do divisions and studies with Hermanas and it´s always way fun but it makes the weeks go by faster and I h8 that. 

So on Thursday we went to Yaguarón to do divisions with some hermanas and as we were walking up the street to their house two of them were walking out and two others came out running (four of them live together). They were all just talking and freaking out and saying that they had to pay the light bill because somebody was coming to fix the lights and a bunch of random stuff and so I just went in the house and ate some breakfast because I was confused jajajaja when they came back it was 9 so we had to start all of our studies an hour late and do 3 hours of weekly planning together and eat lunch and so by the time Hermana Andreasen was going to leave with one of the Hermanas it was going to be like 3 and it takes an hour to get back to our area so they weren´t going to have a lot of time to work together and do what they needed to do, so we decided to stay....mistake #1. We just did divisions with them both in their area and we were just going to leave at 7 and come back next week, right? Wrong.

Hna Andreasen and I went and got all of our stuff and waited an hour for a bus to take us home and noooooothinggggg. We called the Hnas and asked if another one would come because they usually pass like every 10 mintues and ALL 4 OF THEM FORGOT TO TELL US THAT THEY STOP COMING AT 6. HOW DO 4 MISSIONARIES FORGET THAT. So we had to sleep there. And I will just tell you it was like camping and it was cold and uncomfortable and so much funn too!! We had 6 hermanas having a sleepover so it was actually way fun and I think we all needed it!

This week has been so good. We have been making so many goals and trying so hard to reach them and this week we saw a lot of success and we gave out SO MANY Books of Mormon! I love love love doing that! And just being able to walk up to anybody on the street and talk to them, it´s so much fun! And I love my area so much. It´s one of those areas in the mission that has a bad reputation for success and stuff but I seriously love it so much. The members here are great and the people and I have still grown and learned so so much!

Ponderize¨Heleman 3:34-35

Con amor, Hermana Nielsen

We can wear jeans!!! Jajaja jk. It was our district activity.

Edith´s daughters that are the cutest ever!

San Lorenzo!!

Sleepover fun :)))

The ward threw a 15 for a member who´s family literally has nothing. Somebody gave her the dress to wear and the women helped her do her hair and makeup and it was so much fun!! Yay for Latinos that have the best birthday parties!!