Week 2 in Texas

Hello everyone, well I'm really not sure what to tell you. Oh, I got two flat tires this week, both times in the back. Did Rollin order me the thorn resistant tubes? Cause I've mostly been on the pavement and I got a flat. The first was an actual hole, and the second time it was in the seam.

Well, my companion actually only got here about a week and a half before I did, so we are whitewashing here, and we actually don't have any investigators.

We are working with a recent convert, Lisa, who has special needs. She's about 27 but she has the mentality of about an 8-12 yr old. We decided to try and help her by having her do personal progress because she is to the point where she needs to understand modesty and her value, and we're also trying to help her read. She's at a kindergarten level I think, she knows her letters and can sometimes get the right sounds and she can read basic words, I think she just didn't get enough practice when she was learning to retain it all.

We did find some investigators the first week, but they didn't go to church and we had a really hard time ever getting a hold of them ever again. Althoug with one, I think I told you about her, Evette, her family just wouldn't let her go.

We are teaching an 8 yr old, Karen. Her family was less active and she needs the missionary lessons before she can be baptised.

We're also teaching the lessons to a 9 yr old girl named Kaylee, her grandma is a member, but Kaylee's parents are catholic and though they allow her to take the lessons and go to church, they haven't let her be baptised because they want her to make a decission later in life I guess.

Speaking of Kaylee! Where's your call? How are things going? I haven't gotten an e-mail from you. You should have your call by now shouldn't you? I guess General Conference might've backed it up a lot but you should have it now no?

Okay, I 'm not sure what else to say. I love you all!

--Hermana Nielson

"I'm in Texas!"

Hey everyone! well I'm in Texas! the Edinburg Central area. It is amazing! Yes it is very hot, but it's great when we walk in the house and realize how cool it is. We just kind of get used to the heat and humidity and don't realize how bad it really is until we have the cool house to contrast.

Well, mi companera is Hermana Stevenson, she is samoan though she gets a lot of people thinking she's mexican cause she's short for a samoan.

Okay. I'm not sure what all to say other than I'm here. I had a whole list of things but I forgot. Oh yeah! I'm not on a spanish speaking mission. . . yup nope. I have actually been called to a bilingual mission. I speak english and . . . ha no not spanish, it's tex-mex. where you parkar su trucko. Ask Aldo if he's ever heard of it before. Here everybody knows a bit of both languages and there's actually a bunch that use both mingled in so much that you have no idea which language they're speaking when.

Okay, and if you look up Edinburg, its not a small town. But there are two wards here, Edinburg 1 and 2. And we have an entire zone in Edinburg. My area, central is the center part of Edinburg and we figure it's about 30 square miles. about the size of Manti isn't it? Well, as far as navigation, I can't do it so I'm very grateful that my companion gets to drive. Although we have decided that we are going to be on bikes more than using the car, cause we bought bikes, and because our area is relatively small and dense because it is the central part.

Oh, but yes, on sunday we kind of go to three wards, sorta. We have the english ward, the spanish ward and the ysa branch. It's kinda fun that we have three wards that all cover the same area. But we actually don't have a hard time finding people. The hard part is finding people who actually come to church.

We did find a young mother who really does want to come, but her family won't let her. Evette is super tiny, shaking her hand it feels like there's only bone and skin. But we've only met her twice and feel like she is very sincere and ready, but we think she's in a super bad and abusive situation where her family doesn't want her to join another religion. Her family is christian, we guess she lives with her siblings, and we actually saw two of her sisters who were kinda chunky. And Hermana Stevenson said she could smell marijuana. She is also very timid and quiet, but she especially wants to take her three kids to church and have them grow up with God in their lives. I wish I could give her a place to stay and completely shelter her from her family, but there's only so much we can do. I'm hoping we'll be able to find a member family like how Aldo was able to rent a room from them, and she can clean and work to earn her keep. But I'm not sure how that's gonna work out. There was also another guy we were working with that actually quit drinking, but he had a trial and we're not sure when he gets back. We've been hoping that he doesn't end up in jail when his baptismal date comes around.

Okay, I have a little bit of a story. We contacted a woman named Estel and her two daughters on the street and they were spanish speaking so Hermana Stevenson was taking the lead, and I heard her mention baptism and then she stopped and looked at me, apparently it was my que to invite them to be baptised, and its what I thought it was but I wasn't sure so it ended up that the lady was laughing when I said I was lost and we got three baptism comittments while I hardly knew what was going on. we invited them to church that sunday, but they didn't show up and they didn't answer the door when we went to check up on them and find out why.

Thank you for the package! I got it, it was great! But mom, I'd like to make a request, I need more slips. The black one likes to hike up and the white one, since it is hot and we ride bikes quite a bit, it needs to be washed more often because I sweat just as bad if not worse than a guy.

And if there is anyway that you could send me a copy of the november ensign when it comes out, it'd be great. Thank you!

Something I've started to learn is that there are so many things that help in different ways. The gospel helps everyone regardless of their situation, it only depends on how you apply it. Different experiences and viewpoints bring about a whole new variety of understanding and insight.

(Hermana Nielson with her Mission President, his wife and the new missionaries)

Update

Natalie didn't send an email this past week but called after arriving in Texas saying she had arrived!

Last week in the MTC

Well this is the picture with our whole district at last, and of course the elders aren´t standing in any kind of order or next to their companions, but they´re all there in this one.

Well, I really don´t know what to tell you. This is my last week here, I leave monday, and its gone way too fast. All I know to say is that this week has been absolutely wonderful like the rest of the weeks have been.

I do have a dumb story that actually happened today, this morning. We were on the bus on the way to the temple and guess what . . .

Well Hermana Pratt says she loves driving in Mexico City cause it gives you an adrenaline rush, and Salt lake is just boring in comparison.

Yup, we got e-mails printed off this morning so I was trying to read them on the way over, and I got motion sickness. :P yup it was dumb, luckily I was in the isle and didn´t get it on anyone but myself and it was minimal. And my poor district was very understanding and considerate somewhat. But they didn´t get symathetically sick like what would have happened at home. At first mi compañera didn´t even notice, the only one who did notice at first was my district leader, Elder Fondren who was sitting across the isle. He watched to make sure it didn´t get on him and then decided he couldn´t do anything to help so didn´t. So I was there for a minute before anyone found and started handing me tissues. But it was alright.

What next to type? I really truly don´t know so I love you!

--Hermana Nielson