4.23.18

"And it came to pass...... the Mission ended"

 

HOLA TODO!!

  Well this is my last email to y'all as a full-time missionary. To think 18 months is over, is such a bittersweet feeling. I am SO grateful for all the amazing people I met, and all the lives I was able to see change through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Was every moment bliss? No. Was every companion the best? No. But every experience I had out here in the field led me closer to my savior Jesus Christ. I have learned to rely on him for everything, and put my trust in him more. I have loved serving in Brownfield, Eastland, Hereford, and Clovis. Each of these places mean the world to me :)) from cotton to cows, this mission experience has shaped who I am, and I hope to look back on it my entire life. I recommend 100% for anyone thinking about going on a mission to GO! You will never regret serving the Lord. It really is the hardest thing I've ever loved to do! I love y'all so much and I can't wait to see everyone's face on Wednesday!!!!!! See ya in 2 (days)!

con MUCHO amor,

Hermana Neilson

ps. My homecoming talk will be @ 11 am on Sunday the 29th @ 910 S High Bench Rd, Alpine, UT 84004

departing quote: "You can't direct the wind, but you can adjust the gears.... Keep on pedaling folks!"

annieneilson97@gmail.com

 

4.16.18

The FINAL countdown


HOLA TODO!

  So this is my last full week as a missionary and then I will fly home on the 25th! So i still have ONE more p-day ;)) haha but this week was way fun! We had a free garage sale at the church on Saturday morning, so us and the elders set up a booth and we handed out so many pamphlets and flyers and pass-a-long cards, it was such a great finding opportunity! 

  Also on Saturday, we were invited to this ward dinner, and so we went, and after we finished eating we thought we were just going to go back to work, but we needed  ride from the members, and at the end of the meal, the members opened up the gym divider thing, and there was all these games! like minute to win it and jeopardy, and so we ended up staying and playing the games, and our team won. WOOOOOOOOO. haha so it ended up being really fun :))

  Also, on sunday, we were walking in the church after a lesson we just had around like 1 ish, and the elders were in the foyer with this woman and child and the woman was SO high, and they didn't know what to do, and she wanted to go to class in priesthood, but the elders were like "What to do we do?!" so they had the genius idea of taking her to the Relief Society class. Well they took her in there and she sat down with this child, and us and the elders were watching through the window on the relief society door, and the woman started praying and was mentioning all these gang words and everything. Well about 10 minutes passed and we left the church, but then we got a call from the elders on what happened. So the woman went to the bathroom at about 1:30, and she left the child in the bathroom, and a member found the child. Well the members called the police, and they came and got the woman while the elders held everyone on one side of the church. This lady was on drugs and had kidnapped a child! SO CRAZY!!!! Anywho, that's all the excitement this week!

  See y'all soon!!!!!!

Hermana Neilson

4.9.18

My eyes are dehydrated

HOLA TODO!

  Ok so this week went by so fast! But my time is starting to really dwindle down here in the Texas Lubbock Mission, but I'm making the most of it! Like how is there only 16 days left until I can hug my fam?!?! Ok but anywho, this week we went to the temple in Lubbock and it was so fun! And all the sisters from our zone were there as well, so we took a picture all together. But then me and sister pulley went off shopping haha but it was a really neat experience to be in the temple, you just don't get to go as much being a missionary.

  We also had a super successful week out here in Clovis, we met with A LOT of less actives today and worked really hard. We also were able to see all of our investigators (except 1) this week! Miracles!!! 

  So the reason for my email caption, yesterday was fast & testimony meeting day, and so I went to go up to bear my testimony, and I was like "I'd like to bear my testimony today *starts crying* because this is my last testimony meeting as a missionary" and then i just straight cried through my whole testimony. hahaha and then later that night I had like a full on melt down to my companion. I just really like being a missionary and there are so many emotions going through my head about this all ending! So then she started crying and it was just one big cry fest. So then we ate some ritz crackers with cookie butter, and we felt better after that. Food is definitely our love language hahaha

  Anywho, I love you all and here's to another week of "My Plan" and knocking on doors!!!! WOOO!!!!

Hermana Neilson

4.2.18

When you just can't conference anymore & APRIL?!


HOLA TODO!!!!!!!!

  Holy cow it is APRIL! How has time gone so fast and so slow at the same time?! Ok, real talk though, a TEMPLE IN RUSSIA?!??!??!  We watched conference with some members yesterday and when Russell M Nelson announced that all of us were like *gasp* "WHAT!" Literally so mind blowing. Also no home and visiting teaching?! Haha literally dead. And S/O to Utah for another temple hahaha But anywho, yea we were so shook from all the announcements, when Russell M Nelson got up to the pulpit again to close conference we were like "He's going to announce something else, he's going to drop the bomb" and then BAM 7 new temples hahahah one of the members was like "Get him off that pulpit!!" 

  So this past week we had zone conference and I gave my departing testimony, and I cried so hard haha I have loved my time being a missionary, and it made me so sad to think it's almost done! So I said a ton of goodbyes, and cried lots, and then we went on exchanges! I went with Sister Montgomery again. Sister Pulley got her car stuck in the mud, and so we went to go rescue them and this man had pulled over to come get them out and mud went EVERYWHERE! So that was pretty funny. 

  Anywho, that was basically our week. Nothing too exciting, but this week we are actually going to the Lubbock temple on Thursday! And we get to go shopping in Lubbock *tears* I love y'all mucho though! Keep spreading the gospel and reading your scriptures :))

Hermana Neilson

 

3.26.18

I am 16 going on 17 (months)


HOLA TODO!

   So today I hit my 17 month mark as a missionary! Aka I come home in 30 days, WHAT?! But luckily the work has just been booming, so it's a nice distraction from the "trunkiness". 

  Ok so remember the Jehovah Witness we were teaching? Kristina? Well we're still teaching her, and every single time she prays, she always says "Dear God Jehovah". Well this past week we had a lesson on reading the scriptures and prayer, and when she went to say the closing prayer for the lesson , and she said "Dear Heavenly Father" !!!!!!!!!!! It was an easter miracle!!!!! haha so that was definitely a highlight. 

  Something else that happened this week was we walked our 9 year old investigator Lucius to church this sunday. His family didn't want to come but he did, so we parked our car and walked the 2-3 blocks with him to church. He was pretty bored during sacrament meeting, so i whipped out my planner and we played tic-tac-toe and dots to keep him busy. On wednesday we had a lesson with him, and he said that we were his favorite missionaries. So i guess you could say i can return home with honor now. We also started bribing him with chocolate. So each time he reads the commitment we gave him he gets 2 pieces of chocolate, or whenever he says the closing prayer. It's going SO good hahaha

  Also, our ward is like a military ward, so a lot of the time the husbands are always gone/deployed. And this past sunday, i kid you not, literally every cchild was crying and screaming, and all the moms had to keep going out into the hallway and all these kids were running everywhere, and the bishop got up to the pulpit and said "I just want to thank all the mothers out there for all that they do, they really are something amazing" it was so sweet. But yea it was a sacrament meeting to remember for sure ! ;))

  Ok well this week we have zone conference and exchanges, so i'll give my departing testimony then and say a ton of goodbyes. It's so crazy! but i love y'all mucho and i love being a missionary!

Hermana Neilson

 

3.19.18

The REAL Windy City= Clovis New Mexico


HOLA TODO!

  Ok, real talk. So this week the winds were in the 40-50 mph winds ALL WEEK. On bike day I gave up so hard. We started biking and it was on the way to service so we were in jeans (thank goodness) but on the way back we were wearing skirts and we would pedal one foot and the wind would push us back 2 feet. And our skirts were going everywhere, it was just miserable. So then we stopped to take a break cause we literally couldn't move our legs, and i parked my bike, and then this huge gust of wind comes and blows over my bike, helmet, bag, and everything just goes everywhere. Ok i dont know if this is apostate or not, but i will never miss riding my bike on my mission. 

  My new comp is SO awesome. Her name is Sister Pulley and we get along SO WELL. We were like companions from birth or something. But everyone calls us the tall companionship, so that's great. But we both like food, we can share clothes, and we've both been out awhile so it's like even more awesome. Such a good way to finish the mission :)) 

  Ok so we're teaching this 9 year old named Lucius, and we came over for our lesson on Saturday and he was seriously SO sad. His older brother was being so mean to him, so our entire lesson he was like on the verge of tears, and so once we said the closing prayer, we told him to wait for like 10 minutes. So then we got in the car and drove to bahama bucks and got that kid a snocone. No one messes with our 9 year old!!!!!!!!!! So I think it made his day a little better :)) 

  Anywho, that's all for now, time is going crazy fast, and we just got texts saying we have interviews with president tonight, so that should be fun! but i love y'all mucho! byeeeeeeeeeeee

hermana neilson

ps. yes i crocheted that

 

3.12.18

LAST TRANSFER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


HOLA TODO!!!!

First off. CONGRATS ON TIERSHA HAVING HER BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'M AN AUNT 4.0 NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Next. Ok you heard it, I am on my LAST transfer as a missionary! AHHHH. I'm so excited/ nervous/anxious/ i dont even know!!! But time is seriously going so quick! I will be staying in Clovis New Mexico and my new companion is Sister Pulley! SHE IS TALL!!!!! I'm so excited!!! So this transfer is going to be great.

Also, we got together with the entire district on Monday and we were going to go to the lake to do a BBQ and the lake ended up having a burn ban, so instead we  had a BBQ at the church. WOO. haha it was great.

Ok funny story for the week. So we went out knocking on thursday, and we were on our bikes. Well I've really been trying to work on talking to EVERYONE. So I saw this man and i got off my bike and ran up to him and starting talking. Well we gave him a pass a long card, and right when we were leaving we saw this dog running down the street and this family chasing after him. Well I had this bright idea to help the family so then i ran into the middle of the street and started chasing the dog too (since i was a little closer than they were) well..... The dog sees me and stops for a second and does that thing football players do when they like go to the left and then the right and then run to the left, and so he just BOLTS down the road and i'm trying to grab him. Nevermind i'm in a skirt and my helmet is still on my head and my companion is like running after me haha. It just looked so bad. So yea, there was our knocking experience. 

Ok well that's all for this week. I go to pick up my new companion tomorrow, and I am so excited! Stay tuned to hear more adventures for the next 6 weeks. I love y'all mucho and i love being a missionary. It's the best :)) ok byeeeeeeeeeeee

hermana neilson

 

3.5.18

Why the temple are Disneyland are connected.


Hola todo!

  Ok, so to explain my email caption. So this week we were able to take my companion's recent convert to the temple. Well the past 5 days in Clovis, it's been like above 75 degrees with no clouds in the sky! So we were planning on leaving around 10 am to drive to Lubbock (it's about 2 hours away). Well when we were getting ready I was getting dressed, and then I was like "Hey hermana do you have your recommend?" and she did, and then we got snacks for the drive there and everything and then got our bags ready. Well, it felt like I was going to Disneyland because you need your recommend (aka your disneyland pass), and snacks for the day (cause disney is too pricey) and then it was gorgeous weather outside! Just like California always is, so when i walked out the door with sister goodmansen, i was like "It feels like we're going to Disneyland today!" hahahha I miss that place. BUT the temple was GREAT! It's fun to see people go for their first time, and just seeing how excited they are. (kind of like disneyland... ok i'm done now ;)) )

   ALSO DRUM ROLLLLLLLLLLLLL, WE BEAT THE ELDERS IN THE BIKING CHALLENGE BY 30 MILES!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We ended with a total of 157.6. So they will happily purchase a snocone for each of us from bahama bucks. 

  ALSO. Ok breaking news 2.0. Our Jehovah Witness, Kristina, CAME TO CHURCH!!!! She sat in the back and a member texted us and said she was there! So after they said "amen" to the closing prayer, we rushed to the back and she said she loved it! AH so exciting!!! It was funny cause in our first lesson, she was like "don't expect me to come to your church" but she said on Sunday that she wants to bring her kids next time! WOOO. I seriously love being a missionary. 

  Ok, and this less active lady we visited yesterday, looked down at my feet, and she was like "you have big feet" (lol) and then she proceeded to tell me about a shoe store in South Dakota that i need to go to because they specialize in "big girl shoes" hahahhaha so shopping trip when i get home!!!

  Well, this is week 6, so we will be getting transfer calls on Sunday! I think I am staying in Clovis another transfer! I hope I can finish my mission here, i can't believe this is the last transfer call :(( But I'm excited to see who my last companion will be to finish me off ;)) I also start "My Plan" next week, so that's pretty weird! AH but i love being a missionary. Time goes too fast though :((((

  Ok well tengan una buena semana mis amigos!!!!!!!!!! BYEEEEEEEEE

Hermana Neilson

ps. I attached a video of me playing the organ !!!​

 

2.26.18

We get to be PERSECUTED today!


Hola todo!!!

  Well President Ballard came to Lubbock TX this week, and it was so awesome! We all got to meet him and he gave a super good talk about missionary work and how he's so proud of us! Haha something he said that was pretty cool was, "You are the best teachers in the time of the Restoration" because our biggest trial right now is social media. There's a ton of anti about the mormon church on social media and he talked about how we have to fight through that to have converts. Elder Clayton also talked about how we like Paul, can be persecuted in rough terrains. (aka like windy days, snow, rain, hail, 100 degree days) and how we should look out at the window that day and look to our companion and say "We get to be persecuted today!" hahaha

  So on that note, on Saturday we were planning on biking. Well we got dressed and looked outside and the wind was up to 28 mph !!!! And so everyone and their dog knows that wind is no fun to bike in unless it's pushing you the way you're traveling. Well it was pushing us the opposite way from where we needed to go the WHOLE way there. So finally after biking 5 miles, we got to the senior center the same time the elders got there, and when we all pulled up, my hair was covering my face and i was sweating from head to toe, and completely out of breath and i said "WE GET TO BE PERSECUTED TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" bahahaha it made the bike ride worth it. 

  We also got to go to a baptism this week! Sister Goodmansen started teaching this mom and her son, and right when i came to Clovis they had to pass them off to the elders because they were in the other ward. But we got to attend and we get to go with them to the temple this Saturday! So that will be fun :))

  Also, does anyone remember the game Heads Up? Like the iPhone App? that ellen made? Well there's this 10 year old spanish boy in our ward, and he wanted to play Heads Up LDS version, so he made flash cards and they had us (the missionaries) go first, and i knew almost every answer! It was cool because like 16 months ago i could not do that haha. 

  Anywho, thanks for everything! I love y'all mucho and pray for a lot of y'all daily!!!!!!!!!! PEACE AND BLESSINGS!!!!

hermana neilson