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

3-28-16

Well this last week felt like 1 day so that´s cool. NOT! I hate how fast time goes on the mission. But here´s what´s up:

-I have not had diahrrea since Easters, I have had it since last June.

-We finished Hermana Ovejero's training this week!!! These have been the fastest 3 months of my mission, I can't believe it! She already came to the mission pre trained and she actually taught me more than I taught her jajaja but igual no más!

-This week was really special because we got to celebrate the Savior alllll week! I love the way the Paraguayans celebrate Semana Santa. It's really special and I really focused on the Savior and the specific events that happened in His life. 

-We have an investigator named Cecilia and she came to church again yesterday!! Yay!!!!! We are planning on having her baptism the 9th of April! She's excited to come to General Conference and she loves Personal Progress! (she's 13!) She's so so so great. Please just pray for her and that everything goes well. I am so happy!

-Okay so this week it rained for a few days and they happened to be holidays so it was really hard to find people to teach. BUT we have an investigator named Carolina. She is by far the hardest investigator I have had in the sense of doctrinal questions up the wazooooooo!!!! But it's been fun to teach her. She just needs some faith ya know? But it was raining all day Friday and I was like crap. Who we gonna teach. And we had an appointment with her so I was like alright Hna Ovejero, let's go. I always get a little nervous before lessons with her because she is kinda hard to teach and it takes a lot to get the spirit there and without the spirit I literally don't know what to teach her. So we go to her house and she was chill and let us in and HOLY COW!!!!!!! We had the most POWERFUL lesson with her! Right before, my comp and I both felt that we needed to teach the Book of Mormon. We focused on that the whole time and the Spirit was so strong. Carolina started opening up to us and felt more comfortable and we were definitely seeing progress. It was so cool. It was one of those lessons where you're like "Wow, this needs to be on the District" (my fellow missionaries will understand lol) Lessons like that are the reason we get up and study and then leave for hours every day. So worth it. I love being a missionary. 

We are doing so good here! We have transfers this week but I don't feel like I'm leaving, we'll see! Have a happy week!

Ponderize: 2 Nephi 16:10 "be converted and be healed."

LOVE, Hermana Nielsen 

Pascua!!!!

Hola! How´s everybody´s start to SEMANA SANTA!!!! Yeahhhhh!!!!! I've heard about this week for my whole mission and it's finally here. Everybody in Paraguay celebrates Easter for the whole week and makes a ton of chipa (cheese bread?) and I've been told that as missionaries we eat it allllll week. Bring it.

This week we had a conference with and Area 70, Elder Urre and his wife. His wife talked about how great people need resilience and how we have to have hard things to help us grow, I was like alright this is for me 110%! It was really fun too because I got to see some of my bff's in the mission!

This week the heat came back and my body was like "nope." But with about 700 gallons of water every day we are surviving! Not really, I am enjoying the heck out of my mission. It's the best thing ever!

I don't really have a lot to say this week. I can't remember what happened jajaja. But every day is an adventure and it's really fun! I really don't know what else to say right now.....enjoy this week and think of the Savior and why we celebrate Easter! I'm going to miss Easter candy a lot but we've got cheese bread to make up for that right? I'm sorry, my mind is blank hahahaha have a great week!

Love, Hermana Nielsen 

Ponderize: Luke 24:5-6

Hermana Ball, Hermana Badger and I!

Hermana Ball and I with our trainees!

I learned how to make chipa!

Overwhelmed

Yes, the title of my email is how I feel right now jajaja. Overwhelmed with SO MANY EMOTIONS! So much is happening in Utah but I´m in Paraguay entonces....voy a disfrutar 100% Paraguay!

Since the day we hit March 1st the weather has cooled down by like 15 degreessssss!! YAYAYAYA!!! I don´t have to use my sweat rag anymore! And I have had a cold because the weather has been 80 degrees and my body is not used to that right now jajaja. We don´t even sleep with the AC anymore because it´s cooolllddd!! I don`t think I can ever come back to Utah.

Also, I guess the news is out...I hit my 9 month mark this week...that is really why I am so overwhelmed! I can´t believe it. I still feel so new in the mission. I feel like I have 4 months or something. I don´t know how I feel about it. Time is going by way to fast and that makes me really sad. I love Paraguay so so much. 

Hey go watch this Mormon Message:

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2010-07-14-forgiveness-my-burden-was-made-light?lang=eng

Every time I watch it I cry. It is so amazing. I think I have watched it every day this week in Spanish and English hahahah. But my favorite part is at the end when he says that he's glad we have trials because they help us to love. That is what I have learned here in Ypacarai. I have learned to love so much more. I have never been rejected more, made fun of, had to deal with creepy men, or had my patience tried so much in my life. I was wondering this past week if I have grown or changed in this area and I asked the Lord if He would show me how. Boy did he ever. I realized that I am not the same person at all. My capacity to love others under cualquier circumstance has grown so much. I love this place. I love these people. This has been the hardest part of my mission so far but I cried yesterday when I started talking to an hermana in our branch because I already know how much I'm going to miss her and everybody else. I love this place so so so much. I'm grateful too for the trials that God gives us because they really do help us to learn and grown and love so much more. And love is so great!

Anyways, I'm really happy down here. 

Can't send pics because you already know...

Have a great week!

love, Hermana Nielsen

Ponderize: Look for a scripture about love :) 

Libro de Mormón

Seriously I am so sorry if my letters bore you all to tears....I am trying to be better at remembering and writing good stuff!

This week some interesting things happened:

We had to go to Asuncion so my companion could do migrations and stuff and so she went with another girl from her group and I left with her companion, Hermana Ball to do proselyting. I TALKED IN ENGLISH AND IT WAS AWKWARD!!!! Do you know how happy that makes me?!?!

Hermana Ball is one of my best friends in the mission and we were talking and she was like "You're English is so good right now" Jajajajaja I was trying to talk normal but it's so weird. I didn't realize but I hadn't spoken in English since the middle of January! I love Spanish and sometimes I hate it at the same time because it's hard but I am really grateful to be learning a new language!

We had our interviews with our Mission President this week and they were so good! He gave me so much advice and comfort with our area. He really understands missionary work and that it's not about numbers, it's about people. I really appreciated that so much. He told me that he knows we're working hard and he understands our area really well. It just felt like the Lord was really talking to me and telling me that He's knows me and He's happy with me. :)

We're seeing a lot of progression in a less active family that we are working with! Familia Patiño!! They have goals to go to the temple in April and little miracles are happening! The mom said that in church last Sunday she felt like she should start dressing more modestly (which is real hard to do in Paraguay). She came to church the next week with a way modest dress and she just looked so much better and like a mom, it was so cool to see the Spirit working with her in little ways that are preparing their family to go to the temple! 

This week I finish the Book of Mormon and I've never had a better experience reading The Book of Mormon than in this go around. I received revelation every.single.day. And on hard days so many words of comfort and peace popped out to me. I hope that you're all readin the Book of Mormon every day, it is what will save us spiritually. #TeamBookofMormon!!!

I love you all! Again, I'm really sorry if this is boring...............

Ponderize: Moroni 10:3-5

Love, Hermana Nielsen

Here's a pic of me and my comp on our way to email today jajaja