11.22.16

Graham Canyon Cheesecake & new pianist

Hola y'all!

  So I just completed my 4th week here at the good ole MTC. Time is (kinda) flying. So on tuesday we had an APOSTLE come and talk to us. Gary A. Stevenson! This was our second apostle so far, we had Russel M. Nelson my first week! Then on Wednesday we got 12 new people in our zone. Most of them are going to Argentina so that's pretty sick. They are in the same classroom as our friends were in, so it's a little bittersweet haha. Oh also me and my companions are straight fire with singing Frank sinatra acapella, just ask our district. 

  Thursday IT SNOWED!! Oh man people were going crazy over it. A lot of the girls in our zone had never seen snow, so it was definitely an experience haha. Also I saw so many people come in the MTC I knew! (Ali Zundell, Claire Mod, Annie Burnham, Katherine Decarett) so fun seeing familiar faces! Also SHOUTOUT to Tiersha for sending me and my companions Lularoe leggings, we had a fashion shoot in them, so pics to follow. 

  Friday when we went to play volleyball we weren't really feeling it, so we decided to spice things up a little bit, and me and my companions pretended to be sports announcers, hahaha pretty sure the whole gym hated us that day, but it was definitely the funnest gym time. And we taught our investigator Mauribel, and gift on tongues light switch was ON! haha I felt like I've improved so much in spanish! I'm so grateful though that me and my companions took spanish before we got here! 

  Saturday when we went to gym time there was around 200 people, so literally volleyball was PACKED. And we got our spanish evaluations back and bahaha I sound so white when speaking spanish. Also it was kind of hilarious to hear myself recorded. We also played piano a ton, which was like such a stress relief. LOVE piano.

  Sunday they made me play piano in sacrament meeting for all the hymns, so don't tell people you play piano lol. And then we sang "God be with you till we meet again" with the leaving district, and of course, we were all crying, more like sobbing. You get so close with these people! Then on our way to the temple we ran into some familiar faces!! Haha what a coincidence Cortney and Sam were there!! Haha so of course we snagged some pictures. Oh also, Cortney brought me a package that was sent to me, and it ended up being all these baby burp cloths. I was SO confused, but we found out that it was supposed to send to TAHNEE. lol so me and my district had a good laugh about that. 

  Monday was just awesome. We taught 2 lessons and they both went way well! We do have a tendency to go over though on time haha OH and all our friends that left the zone last week got to email us!! It was the best thing ever!! Also there was Graham Canyon cheesecake for dessert, so literally couldn't have been a better day. Also my district is doing this new thing where we can only talk in spanish while in the spanish BUILDING. I'm going crazy. So yea it's been fun.

  That's all for this week, I'm pumped for Thanksgiving and such, it honestly will be so fun. And we get FREE TIME!!!! haha with no teachers being here, literally tender mercy. Thanks for all the prayers and love, I can feel it from the MTC! I included some snazzy pictures as well! LOVE Y'ALL!!

con mucho amor,

hermana neilson

11.15.16

"... Or I'll call security AGAIN"

Hola mis amigos y familia!

  So to start off this week... Trump is the new president! So this kind of effected some things haha We had an appointment with our investigator Mauribel, and the whole lesson she was bawling to us about how Trump won the presidential election, and how her whole family was so scared, me being 19 years old didn't know what to say, so I offered to say a prayer of comfort, and the lesson went a lot better after that, but it was rough for the first 30 minutes of our lesson.
  OH. So my companion Hermana Cancienne was trying to do this magic trick/joke, and it's where she tricks you to think you have a quarter stuck on your forehead and you have to shake your head to get it off, so this won elder fell for it (elder derzon) and it took him like 5 whole minutes to realize it wasn't there anymore, oh my word I was dying haha. Also when I came into my classroom that day there was a note from my coworker Tico left on the board, and then about 45 minutes later a close family friend walked in the classroom (S/O to Michael and Courtney) and she took a picture and sent it to my mom and companion's mothers!
  Friday was rough cause the other districts in our zone had in field orientation cause they were leaving soon, so gym time was like empty, and basically all the classrooms were empty in the building, so it was kind of just depressing haha Also we got ice cream cookie sandwiches that night to cheer us up haha ice cream makes everything better ;)
  Saturday is kind of the day when everyone starts to lose it, and by saturday night, we could not sit still haha, so we had class outside. Also our zone made a group on Relative Finder to see how we're all related AND I found my FIFTH cousin!! haha such a small world. Then that night we went and talked to some Russian missionaries and they taught us some russian, and then we got a ton of pamphlets in different languages, so know we can say "Plan of Salvation" in english, spanish, french, russian, and tagalog! I'm basically going to know every language by the time I leave here lol.
  Sunday. Oh my word. Sooo we were like way good friends with a ton of people in our zone, and there was 2 districts leaving this week, so they leaving districts had a musical number, and WOW I cried through the whole thing, and then at the end of the sacrament meeting we sang "God be with you Till We Meet Again" and I was straight up sobbing the WHOLE song. Literally so many amazing people we had to say bye to, and we were so close with them. Also, there was a total mess up at the pulpit and I accidentally may have been called out, but then the 2nd counselor corrected himself, and yea haha everyone was just laughing hysterically. We went on our temple walk that afternoon and I ran into Caden and Abby from sports camps, and yea it's just good to see people from the outside world haha.
  OH. ok this is gold. So we had a devotional on Sunday night, and this girl started the devotional with a SEVEN minute long OPERA song. So then Richard Heaton the speaker asked if someone would come up to the pulpit who's less than a 14 month convert, and instead of ONE girl, there was FOUR. so the devotional went 35 minutes over cause girls are just chatty cathy's haha But we could not stop laughing watching this herd of girls go up to the pulpit.
  Monday... well this was definitely the worst day of the MTC. We're like best friends with one of the trios from our zone (Baker, Ferrin, and Streckfuss), and they left for argentina this past Monday, so we got the opportunity to say bye to them at the bus stop, and WOW I cried harder watching them leave then I did when I left home. We probably shook hands with them like 9 times, and it was so hard to say bye, they were like our volleyball squad and everything. So then after that horrible goodbye we just went and cried in our rooms for like ever, and then we had class. But for dinner that night we had Taco Bell, which was such a bonus, but like I kept crying through out the day, literally these people become your best friends and then they're just ripped away from you. So then we had the left over elders and sisters over last night for FHE and we played Octopus 8 (hermana cancienne's game) and that was so fun! Then we said some more goodbyes and we finally ended the night. BUT apparently we were being "too loud" last night, and this girl slipped a note under the door saying "Please be quiet or I'll call Security AGAIN -thx you" haha we've had security called on us twice cause of this girl, so I attached a picture cause it's HILARIOUS.
  Anyways, I can't believe I finished my third week here! Literally time is flying when you're not in spanish class (ha jokes) but really, I'm so grateful to have such amazing companions, they have helped me so much and have always been there. Thanks to everyone for the letters and mom for the packages, there is NOTHING BETTER than mail. So love you all and thanks for the prayers :)))

con mucho amor,
hermana neilson

11.8.16

Chick fil a is bae

Hello everyone!!

  WOW happy election day! Someone please inform me who is winning haha I have no clue here in the MTC... So fun fact. The temple serves breakfast, so on our P-day we got to break out of the walls and eat breakfast there!!! AHH it was so good. ALSO we had service on thursday, and we were the first companionship to ever clean all 4 bathrooms in the gym, humble brag, but i think that's how amazing our companionship is lol. Also my companions were feeling sick all day, so we went and got them tested for strep, and LUCKILY they don't have it, but one elder in our district has pink eye... haha so no one is going near him.. Also, me and my companions started pranking eachother when we go to the bathroom, so now I fear for my life anytime I have to go hahah.
  So our district wasn't really having it one day, so I decided to make a JEOPARDY ESPANOL game. I honestly think I need to be a TV host, it was honestly so fun. Also our fake investigator is getting baptized on christmas. HOLLA. The next morning me and some friends went to go play volleyball and me and another elder ended up recruiting 4 more other people to join our front line, so I guess you could say I'm ready for the olympics now.
  OH. this is gold. So on friday we had a class and all of us ended up crying because we were stressed and we all bore our testimonies haha so me and my companions went out in the hall to freshen up (aka keep crying) and then elder baker and elder latu saw us, and we were like psychotic, we couldn't stop laugh crying. and the elders thought it was so funny haha so yea we probably have a reputation of the hermanas who cry a lot. but it was so funny. Oh also, we found a narnia hole in our room. It's like a hole where old missionaries will put things and its like a time capsule. Sadly none of the previous missionaries left anything hahah.
  OH. Sunday. Ok this sunday was fast sunday. Literally in the MTC food is on lock down on fast sundays haha so I was kind of nervous about the whole thing, but I made it to dinner! HOLLA. And the dinner was disgusting but wow it was so good at the same time haha. Also when we were walking to the temple I saw so many familiar faces, it's like little tender mercies. Oh Dallin H. Oak's daughter (the violinist who caught on fire at BYU stadium of fire) came and did our devotional. Shes so good!!
  We had our first REAL investigator, and she excepted to be baptized. So that's good. She's actually from my mission haha. But she also is already endowed, but it was still a great lesson! That night when we had class I was on one haha I had so much candy and I could NOT stay focused for the life of me. I keep having dreams that I'm getting married soon, so that's depressing lol. Everyone in the MTC loves to bring up the pg.33 in the missionary handbook (no flirting). Its the life.
  So the gift of tongues is like an on/off switch. Sometimes it's on, sometimes it's off, and sometimes it's a strobe light. So yea, learning to use that gift of tongues has been a great experience :)))) I included a ton of pictures. Our favorite district in our zone is leaving *tears* so were pretty sad about that haha. Also, me and my companions are thinking about starting an acapella group. Our voices are straight fire.
  The MTC is good. Its weird to think I start week 3 tomorrow... I feel like I have been in here forever, but at the same time I feel like I got here yesterday... I hope all is well at home, everyone's pictures to me make me cry and laugh, but like a good cry and laugh. Love you all and miss you all!!

con mucho amor,
hermana neilson

11.1.16

I'm a missionary now?!?!?!?

Hola y'all!!

  I am a missionary now!!! AHHH crazy! haha ok let me just say though, it has been incredible. So when I got dropped off curb side I was a MESS. haha I could not stop crying and wow bless my host because I was just straight sobbing haha. But I got my name tag and literally I asked my host if I could have some alone time and she was like "Sister you can't be alone!" so haha. dang. So then she took me straight to the classroom and the teacher was speaking STRAIGHT SPANISH to me, and I could NOT understand anything, bless her heart haha. Then they informed me I'm in an ADVANCED spanish class. Um yea ok Bye. So I just say "Si" to everything haha. I am in a trio companionship with 2 girls that are BOTH 5'2"!! haha it is so hilarious, but they're awesome and amazing at spanish (hermana cancienne and hermana runyan). Also my cousin(?) hermana spencer is in my district haha tender mercy.
  An elder made me play what are the odds on my first day and I ended up having to eat paper, oh the things you do to make friends.. haha Also no one in my district is going to my mish *tears* they're all going to foreign countries (bless their hearts for not having chick fil a in their mission). Thursday was just straight up 11 hours of class. WOOOOOO.
  FRIDAY was the best because we FINALLY had gym time haha  so of course I played volleyball with all the tongan elders and now I'm "SISTER VOLLEYBALL". Also wow I've seen so many people I know (Elder Nate Baker, Chase Simonsen, Alyssa Johnson, Ashley Spencer, Cole Mcuen, and like a MILLION people from provo and alpine) small world in the MTC, I've known like 6 spanish teachers so far haha.
  To give you a hint on how bad my spanish is my investigator asked "De donde eres?" which is "Where are you from?" and I answered "Me gusta jeugo volleyball". So that's how my MTC experience has been so far haha. Also bless cause there was pizza night. Also SHOUTOUT to Tahnee and Tiersha for sending me some packages, me and the hermanas in my district enjoyed the cinnamon rolls.
  Ok wait this is way funny. So I accidentally said in spanish to my investigator "Did you read the book of Lehi?" and he looked at me confused "What book of lehi?" HAHAHAH ok so lost that investigator haha it was the funniest thing, but I honestly think he is so confused now. Also I've had a couple sisters say they followed me on instagram so that's a bit creepy... haha but also small world again.
  Also BLESS UP to my mom for coming in clutch with the Dr. Pepper and swig cookies, literally blessings from above. They wonder why missionaries go crazy in the MTC, they don't give us caffeine!! haha so my and my companeras definitely enjoyed those galletas. Also, wow my district is amazing. Literally i love them and it's only been a week haha so I'm definitely going to be heart broken when we all part our ways. We always have a hard time concentrating when our teacher leaves, and we usually end up playing hang man with spanish words for like an hour.... haha but they're the best, and literally it's true. Your sense of humor goes way up when you're disconnected from everything, so we're literally laughing all the time.
  Friday I cried, A LOT. haha bless my companions cause they're the best and helped me through it haha but I was such a wreck. and then hermana cancienne offered a prayer, and the spirit was so strong and I just felt like a million times better since that, and I've just been going since then. Today we went to the Provo temple, and it was fire! Literallly best thing ever, except everyone was falling asleep cause we're all SO tired. hahahhaha so it was kinda funny.
  Well that's all for this email, I included a TON of pictures, so hopefully you all enjoy haha I miss everyone so much and all your emails make me cry/ laugh, but I'm so happy where I am and there's no place I'd rather be than here. I can't wait to get to Lubbock and teach all those country people haha I love being a missionary!!! LOVE YOU ALL!! La iglesia y el libro de mormon son verdaderas!!

con mucho amor,
hermana neilson

Ps. here's my address for all who want to send letters/ packages/ dearelders BLESS YOU.
Sister Annie Neilson
DEC05 TX-LUBK
2005 N. 900 E.
Provo, UT 84604

Pss. enjoys some pics​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​