Week 20: Peanuts Grow Where?

Hello my beautiful people!

This week has been great :)

We had a mission-wide conference so we could all meet the new stake that got moved from the Georgia Atlanta mission to us here in the Ganm. They are awesome! We are so excited to have them :) and the conference was great! The senior sister training leaders gave a great training on being master teachers like Christ. We are excited to apply their suggestions. 

We have been out tracting a lot this week, but not many people are home or answer their doors. We did have a funny experience. We had set up a lesson time with a guy we had met a little while ago who we referred to the elders since he wasn't YSA, but there was an emergency transfer at the beginning of the transfer, so there has only been one elder in the area so he is with other elders in their areas most of the time. So he hasn't had time to stop by or get a hold of him. So we were all ready for the lesson, but he wasn't home and was saying he was. We realized somehow contacts had been swapped and we were contacting a branch member with the same name. So that was a little embarrassing and we laughed all the way home. So now we make sure the number is correct haha

We had another meeting down at the mission office in Lilburn called 4 week follow up. It's for the trainers and trainees. It was my first time driving and we are ok! Haha. But getting closer to Atlanta is crazy. As a seventy once described, its LA traffic full of Utah drivers. Pretty crazy. But we are okay and I didn't get any bad marks haha. We went on exchanges with the senior stl's and it was amazing. They are so cool. I loved watching how they contact and interact with people. And they are such hard workers but they also work smart. So it's cool to get to follow their example. 

We also had a nasty bug problem! Maggots all over our kitchen floor. Which was weird because we keep it very clean. We did figure out they were coming from under the washer and dryer and we can't clean back there, but we got it all taken care of so we are all good now.

Also I was moving some things around my wallet and I found some gift cards!! Sadly most of them are for places not around here, but when I get back they'll be nice to college. And there is something exciting about food or any gift cards for that matter even if you can't use them soon.

What I learned about peanuts. So they grow in bushels underground!!! They grow underground like potatoes! Who knew! I don't know how I thought they grew but maybe on a bush. But I was straight shock and in shock. Couldn't believe it, but I am now educated haha :) still have yet to try boiled peanuts though

Anyways, this is going to be a crazy awesome week so stay updated! :D

Love you all!

Sister Nielson :D

Week 19: Happy Independance Day!

Hello all!

This week has had many ups and downs. We have seen some of our friends and those who were baptized recently struggling, and that is always hard and sad to see. But we are helping them the best we can. But, we have seen some miracles this week too. There is a girl named Shania that we met on campus last week that we met with this week. She is so sweet! And we were talking about faith and she said the most solid part of her faith she never struggles with is that she knows God loves her and wants to get her back to Him. We are so excited she understands this so well! We are excited to show her how that can help strengthen other parts of her testimony. 

We also had a cool experience while we were out tracting. We had the option to stay out or head over and stop by the roommates we had met last week. We decided to pray, and we felt like we needed to stay. Two doors later we met Kara. She let us in and we talked for an hour before we had to go. But we exchanged numbers and she wants to get lunch and talk more this week! It was awesome to know that the Lord will lead us to those who are prepared for the gospel and need help if we are just willing to ask and listen. 

The fourth of July started out pretty rough. No one was home or answering their doors and the buses weren't running, which we did not expect. They must've cancelled classes for the holiday. So we were out in the heat for quite a few hours just walking around not getting to talk to anyone. But that night the Athens first sisters invited us to go to a little town in their area called Crawford. And there was the cutest celebration going on. There were bouncy castles and a little tractor pulling a couple train cars, booths, and lots of families and kids running around having fun. So we got to talk with a lot of people and pass out glowsticks :) it was a ton of fun.

We met a lot of very interesting people this week too. There was one guy who answered the door dripping wet and shirtless. And then we realized he was only in a towel! Who does that?! Another guy did that too, but he was just poking his head out and told us why and just took a card. But for reals! Apparently lots of people will answer the door straight from the shower. There was another person who went by chay-tanya? And he was talking about not liking labels because it divides everything and had never met sister missionaries before and had actually been writing a couple books on that and kinda talked about reasons we might have only had boy missionaries, so we opened his eyes to that. He was nice, but quite interesting. And we've seen him out walking with his hair up and jean skirt a few times since we knocked on his door haha 

But the last cool thing to happen this week was on Saturday we got a call from some elders in the area who had a member call them saying he had been inactive but wants to come back to church. So we set up rides for him to come to our ysa branch. And he came! So that is exciting! His name is Patrick and it's awesome that he reached out to us. 

Anyways, I hope y'all have a fabulous week and can see how God is working in our lives and we just need to be receptive to the promptings of the Spirit that entice us to do good, serve others, and draw closer to God.

Love, 

Sister Nielson :D

Week 18: Hello My Beautiful People

Hello my beautiful people! This has been a very wonderful week.

It started with a short preparation day last Monday. We got caught in a rainstorm while we were walking home. So we ended up running home haha

We had exchanges this week so after our district council we exchanged companions for the day with the Sister Training Leaders. So sister Ferris went to their area with sister Olson and sister Hoffman came here with me. I showed her campus and we talked with some people and there was one really nice girl named Shania who wants to keep talking with us, so we are meeting her tomorrow. The next day before lunch we exchanged back to our regular companions. It was a good exchange and they always bring miracles. 

We get to do family history for a couple hours every week, and I love it. The spirit of Elijah is real. I used to not be interested in family history, but learning their stories is actually amazing because you can see qualities in them that you have. And even just finding records for people becomes so interesting. If you haven't ever done family history or want to learn more talk with someone who can help you like the family history consultant in the ward or my dad (love you!) We also got to go to the temple to do an endowment session for someone who has passed on. It is always such a beautiful, learning, and peaceful experience vicariously making covenants with God for those who died without the chance. 

Our friend Hunter that we've been meeting with has been doing the things we ask him and has been asking us some really good questions. I'm really hoping and excited for him to start feeling and understanding the truth and importance of what we teach.

I know that God has a perfect plan and we are only able to see a small picture of it. We were going to a fourth of July thing downtown, but there weren't really any college kids so we decided to go out knocking doors. The places we went to we found out the elders had been a couple weeks ago, so we headed for home and decided to stop by some girls we had talked with a couple weeks ago. We caught them at home and they invited us in to talk. The timing was so perfect and they really loved meeting with us and want us to come back. God truly helped guide us there at that time. 

I know that God is real and in the details of our lives. He loves us and is blessing us more than we know and if we slow down and open our eyes to the small things we can start to notice Him more in our lives around us all the time. So take the time this week to see His light in something and share that with a friend or neighbor. 

Love y'all!

Stay poppin' my party people 

Sista Nielson 😎

 

 

week 17: Long rides and short hair

Howdy y'all! I'll mix Idaho and Georgia together for everyone haha

This week has been a hot one, but good as always. I got my haircut this week. Took it down to my collarbones. I love it! It's so cute and easier to deal with. I made sure it was still long enough to put in a ponytail, but now there's less hair to get tangled and gross and sweaty :)

This week we've had some great phone lessons. Some of our recent converts and those we are teaching are on trips or home for the summer, but through the blessing of technology we can continue to support and work with them! Such a miracle :) we've also been able to help some of the branch members a lot. We are helping them to identify God in their lives and to better understand Christ's gospel and what is asked of us. I know this church is God's church on the earth. It is directed by Him and operates under His power. I've been touched in my life and am only able to do what I do to help others through His Holy Ghost. I am not perfect, nor do I have any power of myself, but I have been able to become more like Christ as I've been able to serve, help, and teach as He did. His Atonement is real! I've experienced it in my life. I have been able to overcome sins and weaknesses, I have received peace and strength, and have had my heart molded and changed to better desire to follow Jesus Christ. This is such a blessing and privilege to serve God.

This week we've done lots of biking and walking. And man, the hills are everywhere! You don't notice them as much until you are biking up hill haha. We also got to go to Athfest which was a little music festival thing downtown where people put up booths and sold art and jewelry and there was a kid area with bounce houses. I had enough self control to not get in them 😜 

The guy we met last week was excited when we stopped by again. We gave him a Book of Mormon and explained what it was. He was so excited to read it. I'm excited for him to strengthen his relationship with Christ and God. 

It's been another one for the books :)

Love y'all!

Sister Nielson :D

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Week 16: Training the Sequel

I'm training!!! President Marsh decided I needed extra help in being trained so he made me a trainer so I can go through the 12 week training again. Jk! I'm loving being a trainer! My new companion is Sister Ferris. She is so cute! I love her :) she ran cross country and played tennis. She likes card games and movies, especially marvel. So we are basically automatic best friends :) 

This week has been awesome! We had transfer meeting where I said goodbye to sister Bronson and got sister Ferris. We got to help a newly wed couple move out and it'll be sad to see them go, but they are moving right around the temple in Atlanta so it's still good. 

We've had lots of awesome lessons with the branch members and recent converts. They are all doing really well. It's so awesome! 

We've been out biking up and down all the hills here having great contacts with people and hearing their stories of how Jesus helps them :) it's great, but very hot haha. Also, my southern is starting to come in. Some words have more of the drawl and I can tell the accent is starting to creep in sometimes

Between sister Ferris and I we have all types of sunscreen- lotion, spray, stick, and powder. Hopefully we won't be lobsters all summer haha. Weather wise it's starting to heat up again and the humidity is coming back up to be around 50-60s so it's all starting to come back slowly. Everyone is saying that May was like June or July weather and this weather has been like May. So I'm hoping July is only what June is usually since we already dealt with may haha. But it rains all throughout the Summer. Sometimes light, sometimes all day, sometimes it dumps, sometimes it's just for a few hours and then it's fine. It just kinda decides what it wants to do for that hour. Georgia has attitude. Even back home it would do crazy things and switch between days or have sun, snow, rain, etc in one day. But it just kinda felt like it is what it is and it's just what happens. Here it seriously feels like Georgia is just a moody teenager sometimes happy sometimes not.

We had a cool experience where we decided to go out biking and we ended up missing where we had originally planned because we didn't have the directions in front of us. So we ended up just going until I saw a little street I felt like we should go check out. It was a lot of family homes, and no one answered really. The one door that did answer saw us and immediately closed it. So it was kinda weird that we were over there. But as we were going to bike to somewhere new I saw a house right at the entrance, and it seemed like it could have ysa living there. I decided we needed to knock, prompting or just not wanting to regret not knocking on it. And no one answered. But as we went to bike sister Ferris' back tire wasn't working. We took about 20ish min trying to fix it and a ysa guy came home right before we figured it out. He didn't come out to help us, but we were going to make every opportunity to talk to him. So we went and asked for paper towels to wipe the grease off of our hands. So we gave him a card and talked for a second. Hopefully the spirit moves him to action. But it was kinda a cool experience I wanted to share

I

Week 15: Another week in the books!

Hey Y'all!

It's another for the books. It's been great as always here in Athens Georgia.

I got new shoes so my feet are very happy about that :)

We've been out tracting and contacting lots this week. We've been trying to get back with some of the people we talked to last week who were interested. It's been kinda hard because everyone is working and has been so busy. So hopefully this week we can get in touch with them. 

We had one girl try to avoid us. We were stopping by when she drove up, and so she just kept driving by when she saw us. So we started walking home because we got the picture haha. But she ended up turning down the road where we live to get away. So she ended up running into us a few times which was hilarious! She finally had to drive by us to get back home and tried to act casual. So we smiled and waved really big so she had to acknowledge us. She smiled and waved back and she finally went back home so we didn't run into her on our way home again. We were dying laughing!

We also got to go to the temple with Anderson for her first time. It was so amazing and she loved it. It is just so special and has the most amazing spirit. I'm so glad we got to share that experience with her and that her dad got to come as well. 

We also found out that I will be training a new missionary this transfer! I'm so excited :) we had a meeting for all the new trainers to go to at the mission office and it was good. It was fun to see who is training. And tomorrow we get to meet the new missionaries coming in and find out who we are training! It's going to be amazing! And I'll be staying here at UGA to train her :) I love it here!

We also get pounded by a nice thunderstorm this weekend. We had to walk and then bike to a lesson and were so soaked. Luckily as missionaries we are able to just laugh about it the whole time. And smile at the people in the cars laughing at two soaking girls in dresses biking in the downpour haha. 

So it's been great and about to be another crazy and amazing week! Stay awesome and dry y'all!

Sister Nielson :D

Week 14: Happy New Year

Hey Y'all!

This week has been a week of sacrifice and miracles!! 

We went through our area book and contacted some people who had said they were interested or met with missionaries from before. Lots were interested but are home for the summer but excited to meet in August when they get back for school. One guy actually was in town and wanted to meet that same day. So we set up a time. He had a lot of questions, but wouldn't really listen to any answers given and wasn't open to letting the spirit confirm truths through feelings. I don't think he meant to be mean, but he kinda bashed us the whole lesson. So that was my first experience with that. But after that we ended up running into Ross again! He was the guy we had tracked into and he wanted us to come back but never was home. We thought he had maybe left for the summer, but turns out he just moved. So we got his number and he seemed really excited to see us again. So we are hoping to be able to meet with him this week. 

The rest of the week we've been tracting a ton. Sister Bronson and I have been working on inspired finding. We found out that our Mission President has asked all the missionaries to use half their miles allotted. Since we are on bikes it didn't affect us at all, so we've decided to have our own sacrifice to get the Lord's power and help here in finding. I am sacrificing my morning nap. We have some time to get ready, but I dont take all the time, so I've been using what I don't use to nap. But in the last few days we have already seen so many blessings. We've found three people who are really interested and we got their numbers to set up times around their busy schedules. 

We also stopped by Hunter who we had found last week. He hadn't been home a few times, but yesterday he was home. He was feeling a little bit under the weather so we asked if there was a better time, but he was down to talk then. So we had a great lesson talking about the plan of Salvation and what we know about life after this world. And he agreed to read the Book of Mormon. I'm so excited for him. He is going to love it. 

One day when we were knocking, we talked with an older gentleman who wasn't all there. When we were leaving he told us, Happy New Year! So happy new year y'all in the middle of summer :)

Love Y'all! Stay Awesome:)