Happy spring break, st. patricks day, Rollin's birthday and Kaylee to the MTC (March 17th)

Well, this was an interesting week. There was a lot of traffic because for spring break in Texas everyone decides to go to the island and party like they shouldn't, but they do anyway. So traffic has been super crazy. Mostly on Saturday. Although on Monday night there was music playing on the island and we could hear it plain and clear all the way across the 1-2 mile wide lagoon. Then on Saturday night it actually kept us from sleeping well even though we couldn't actually hear the music but our brains could feel the vibrations or something. And it took an hour to ride the bus from Laguna Heights to Port Isabel on Saturday, which usually only takes 15-20 minutes. We really could walk and get around faster than any cars.

Oh and there were all kind of famous people on the island. Selina Gomez, Neo, Justin Beiber, and a whole bunch more. Who I don't know. And some of them had concerts while others just went to party. But it was interesting. The island was like the strip in Vegas. (that's what Sister Bettinson said, I wouldn't know cause I haven't been there).

But yup, that was the exciting crazy week.

So, did you already have your spring break? How was it? what did you do? Or is it the same week as Easter? What are the plans?

 

Okay, well transfers are next week. And I don't feel like I've spent the same amount of time here as I spent in Edinburg. The theory is that Sister Bettinson is gonna leave and I'm gonna stay this transfer, but then the theory two transfers ago was that Sister Stevenson was gonna go and I was gonna stay, so we see how that worked out. But I really feel like Sister Bettinson and I should both stay, even more strongly than I felt there shouldn't be a change two transfers ago. I'm actually really stressed about this. Last transfer we knew we wouldn't change because we had just had Sister Hunt ET'd away. So we felt that assurance that we weren't gonna get changed. But now there's the worry. A lot of it for me. I think I have a lot more to learn from Sister Bettinson.

 

Well as far as people, Christina and George are getting married the 28th. . . . after transfers. : / And she'll be baptized two days later on the 30th.

The Lopez Family, the dad went back up to Houston for work and we don't feel like they're gonna progress a lot without their dad.

They all did come to church, with Christina I feel like it went well. But with the Lopez Family. . . well the two year old boy, Randy, is a bit of a stink head. Actually a lot of one. He hasn't ever been away from his mom. So he won't go to nursery and he is a spoiled little stink head! We brought a lot of things to entertain him, crayons, paper, stuffed animal, car from the nursery, and cereal. And I was able to get him to play with me some what consistently during sunday school, but he was a real stink head during Relief Society, he made his mom go out with him in the hall, and he didn't want anything, he just wanted to be out there.

He is cute, but I wish I could put him in a straight jacket with duct tape over his mouth. Just so he'll sit still and quiet.

 

We have a new investigator named Shell. Can you imagine what she's like? She has braids, you know a cute young girl, very sweet. Hmm, yup actually no. She does have braids, but she's a bit rougher around the edges. She has no filter. Everything she thinks comes right out of her mouth. She is also kinda racist, and she lives in Laguna Heights, which is where it's really weird to see anyone white. Actually she's not necessarily racist but just bitter against anyone who isn't legal because she has a hard time getting help paying for her medical things, etc. But in reality she just doesn't understand their situation. She's really interesting. I like her, the only thing that bugs me is her attitude against people. I'll tell you more next week.

I love you all!

Hermana NJ Nielson

(March 10th)

Okay, well hello everyone. I don't know what to tell you. I don't remember what's happened this week. Mostly just practicing. Do you remember me talking about the new method of teaching that they taught us? Well we're still trying to figure it out. they said it would take 20 hrs to be competent in it. So I know we got at least 5 hrs of practicing it outside of comp study with other missionaries (that was a commitment from our district leader) but we got more practice with people on the street. But I'm gonna need a lot more than 20 hrs to figure it out, cause I'm all switched around. But what would actually really help is if I had everything that I remember getting from Brother Bingham in how to teach people to teach themselves, mostly the inspired questions. So if Rachel has any that she can share. . . or Rollin. . .  or if you can find my things of m soul from seminary, it would be awesome. If it's in that box where you found my books that I asked for you to send, it would be great if I could get them. Something. There is a specific hand out with a bunch of different question beginings that Bro. Bingham actually handed out at mission prep, so if Rachel has that, I'd really like to have a copy.

While I'm requesting things, mom, my white undershirts are wearing out. they're getting threadbare and some of them stained, just at the top of course, where I actually need it. And I have been craving jerky, and not store bought kind, cause that's weird to me. Thanks :D

Okay, so with this change in the way we're teaching, I don't know if it's a world wide change in missions, or if it's only here. It could be a test it out thing or could be like the ipads and just starting it out slowly. But either way, I'm pretty sure it'll get to be a world wide thing. So Rachel, now that you're getting all pumped to go on a mission and you've got all kinds of advice to gather a bunch of ideas. Simplify. Cause now it's teaching the lesson in 7 min. so there's not room for stories, analogies and object lessons, and they're not allowed anymore anyway. And now we teach with the pamphlets. So if you have access to them, start reading them. Maybe when I get around to sending the package I'm gonna send home I can send you some. We still use Preach My Gospel, we are actually following what it says more, just ignore some things like the 45 min lesson plan, yeah, that's not supposed to happen. (we struggle keeping lessons short, but they should be no more than 20 min including the "hey how ya doin?"

Hmm, This keyboard reminds me of a laptop so I'm kinda liking it, but at the same time I'm having issues with it, or maybe I just forgo how to spell. Don't know.

Okay I'll try not to do any venting or whatnot. I have a hard time when it comes time to e-mail. Sorry.

Oh yeah, here we go, guess what? I have now for the first time eaten shrimp . . .  ha ha yup we even had shrimp in our house but I was too chicken to eat it then even though dad was trying to get me to. But I also had crab legs! woo hoo! that was fun. And guess what? I like it. it's just a lot of work to get the meat out, and it's like fish so it shreds up really easily. So just imagine trying to pull cooked fish out of a long narrow shell. It just falls apart, but if you get good at it you can kinds suck it out. but I'm not good at it so it was difficult. But yup I've now had shrimp, crab legs, caviar, mussels, and the little squids. The one I like the least is the shrimp actually, although that might be partly because of the sauce it was in.

I remember I started updating you on the people we are teaching. Well it's kinda fallen down to only Christina, (George's fiance) and the Lopez family. But we actually haven't seen either for a while. This week has been crazy weird and slightly frustrating. Cause it was hard to catch people, and we got lots of practicing the new teaching method with people on the street, but most of them didn't really go anywhere at all.

But life is great, I love being a missionary!!

Con Amor, Hermana NJ Nielson

"Ok i've got some more time so..."

Well, I told you about Jacob, he's new as of yesterday actually. We did meet him a few weeks ago on a Saturday morning at a park playing basketball but it just took us a while to actually get over to his house.

I told you about George and Christina, yeah? They came to church yesterday. Last week we finally went back to visit them (we had stopped for a while cause they didn't want to do anything) and they said they were gonna go back to church, get married and Christina was gonna be baptised! YES! Woo Hoo!

Okay. Then I think I told about a group of people who we met that were staying in the same house, and some of them had only been in the states for a few days when we'd met them, well we call them the Clan. And they (three of them) have only made it to church once because they work the problem is that their focus is work and it takes precedence especially since a lot of people came here looking for a job so there's a hard time finding jobs. But they like us, and they've been coming to the FHE that we have every week at a member's house, they enjoy it, we just gotta get them to act.

And next week I'll tell you about the familia Lopez.

Love you!

 ...

 

Or maybe now :D

The Lopez family came to church last week, and were gonna come this week, but then things didn't work out with the rides. So we were super bummed about it. But they still have that desire, we don't quite have the BD with them, but we're getting there.

 

Hello :D (March 3rd)

Okay, so this weekend was an interesting one. Friday night during follow ups our district leader told us that they went to an unexpected training that day and they learned all kinds of new things which will "change the mission" It's a change mission wide, but I think everywhere as well. But anyway he said that we were gonna have a zone meeting the next day to teach us everything and he said that we need to be ready to forget everything that we ever learned about missionary work. BAHHHHH! I was kinda freaking out. Understand that I am not against it, I know that it is for the best and the way it should be, but I just don't understand it.

The basic things they told us is that every lesson is now only 20 min (of course we're still all working on getting it that short). Actually the visit in total is 20 min, the lesson is in 7 min. because we do all of the "how ya doin'" and the opening prayer and things like that before and after is asking for refferals, return appointment, invitation to be baptized and closing prayer. (not in that order) but all of it in 20 min. And it needs to be the whole restoration, using the pamphlet, and everyone gets a pamphlet, so we're running out of pamphlets super fast now. Then the second lesson is about the book of Mormon, and the third is a church tour. And we can't do any object lessons or analogies. No more circles for the plan of salvation, and prayer is not a sandwich. So yup so far that's what they've told us. They have a strict structure for every lesson. And I understand that it'll speed things up but I'm worried about it going into robot mode and then the people are just kinda forgotten about. And I especially don't want people to feel like we just came to shove a bunch of stuff down their throats and then plunge them underwater. I want them to feel loved, helped and the power. So I just need to understand it more before I can actually get it down. But I'm trying. Oh and DyC 88:46 I think it's 46, but it says that the Lord will hasten His work in it's time. Well we have been told that it is no longer accurate. This scripture should now read. "I am hastening my work, it is time."

It's a wonderful time to be a missionary!!!! and I am super excited.

We just still don't have ipads like the rest of the missions that I've heard about. We are a bit slow. But they've been saying since I got here that they'll be coming soon. So who knows. Oh, and you remember George? yup, he likes rubbing it in that he's got "the app" anytime we use any book or physical anything, he says something, "you know there's an app for that" "no that's okay, I got the app" "you really need the app" So yup its great fun. And! his fiancé has a baptismal date, finally! they're gonna get married on the 17th, (happy birthday Rollin) and then she'll be baptized on the 23rd! And we also found a senior in high School the other day- Jacob, and he's got a BD too! Lots of fun! I love it here!

Maybe I'll write some more in a bit, but I love you all!

Con Amor,

Hermana NJ Nielson

Feb 24th

Hey everybody! Well, okay. I really don't know what to tell you. I love you all and The End. he he. just kidding. But this week went by super fast! I don't know what to do with myself sometimes. Sometimes it feels like the next day is forever away and everything is happening so slow, but then each time we hit a mark it seems like the time in between was hardly there.

Okay, well yesterday I gave a talk in the spanish ward. I gave my talk and Sister Bettinson gave hers, and that was the whole program. kinda weird. I'm not sure how much of my talk people understood especially because I was trying to tell stories and my past tense isn't very good at all. But we had a family at church!!!!!! and that helped take the stress off of talking in church by a lot. But it was a very stressful sunday. First time I've ever had a family, so it was different trying to find all the diferent classes and worring about all the different places, if things are going well and if they're enjoying it etc. But it was super great!!

The family we actually found from knocking. We went to contact a lady that lived in an apt complex and then we decided to knock a few of the doors. And Sister Bettinson said that she wanted a knocking miracle so we were gonna knock one more door and we found the Lopez family! The dad is gone a lot working, and he comes back for a week about every two months. So there's the mom, and then the oldest child is the 13 yr old daughter, then 11 boy, 8 boy, 6 girl and 2 little boy. Everyone but the dad came to church yesterday, cause the dad was gone. The oldest girl is actually the most interested. When we first met them she actually took us aside to confide in us. She expressed some of the worries and struggles that she's dealing with right now and how she wants to turn to God more to help her out and she wants to change and be good. It was really cool! The fun thing about this mission, particularly this area, is that quite a bit of the families are very much bilingual. Usually the parents don't know any or very little english, but the kids, particularly the teenagers prefer english, so always talk to us in english, and the younger kids, particularly under six, speak spanish. Some of them may know or understand english but they prefer spanish. So it's pretty interesting. The problem is that it's super hard to not just fall into english. When someone talks to me in english my instinct is to respond in english, but we do our best to keep it in the language that everybody understands. So lessons are always super interesting. There is never only one language that goes on down here. You just use both.

But yup. That is really all I can think of. Well, we have more investigators now than I've ever had before, (which of course isn't hard to beat) but because of that I think I can sympathize with mom's excuse, that when there's so many people you're in charge of you forget things. So that's my excuse. There is so much that happens that's so fast that I can't remember any one thing ever.

So I'll just tell you whatever pops into my head.

We meet lots of interesting people here. And I have learned the smell of beer, it's disgusting. There are a bunch of crazy guys in our area that like to talk to us. There's one guy that showed us his "condo" that consisted of a couch underneath a tarp tied to a boat sitting in front of an apartment complex. And we see him quite a bit sitting in a chair somewhere along the main road, and he asks us why we don't come to see him.

We also get Mexico stories. And I have resolved that I don't want to cross the border on land, at any point in my life unless there is dramatic improvements in Mexico. I'll still definately go back to Mexico City, but not anywhere near the border. We also hear border crossing stories, it's pretty cool. And it's super expensive to cross the border.

Well, I can't think of any other random things.

I love you !

Hermana NJ Nielson

10 Feb. 2014

Okay, well, I don't think very well when it's time to write.

Well once upon a time I got a cough (I don't know how to spell it, I think its tos in spanish) but it was pretty dumb and so then it just kept going on and on and so every time we visit someone they notice that of course that I have a pretty bad cough. But The awesome spanish sisters like taking care of us. and I've now been given medicine 3 times there on the spot and been sent home with some three times and twice been given instructions to make an herbal tea. So no worries, I won't die of sickness here. :D
oh yes, and you don't complement them on anything they can give away or you'll get it. Earings, pencils etc. and if you mention anything about walking in the cold or wishing that you had more warm clothes, you'll get a ride home (especially if it's dark, and they'll make sure you go in your appartment) and coats and gloves etc.

Well the big thing in this area that we're stressing about is getting people to church because the majority of the people here don't have cars and we spend probably 50 miles each sunday going to church. We can usually use between 10 and 20 miles on a daily basis but sundays are always 60 to 70. So yeah, brownsville, where the english ward meets is 20 miles one way. and then Los Fresnos, for the spanish isn't quite as far, but it doesn't really matter cause it's still too far to walk. And members are willing to drive the extra out and back to give rides, but not every single week, it adds up. And we don't have enough members with cars to give everyone rides. There's not enough members with cars to give all of the members rides least of all investigators.

What I wish I'd known before my mission as a member is that members have a lot of responsibility in missionary work, more than I thought. I thought it was to give referals and then serve a mission when my time came. But what I wish every member here would do is invite us over to their house to teach their friends and family. Because the work missionaries are supposed to be doing is preparing people for baptism, not running around finding the people who aren't too busy. So I want to leave with you this challenge. To invite the missionaries over for dinner and a lesson with friends/neighbors/family or someone there to listen as well. I know it's kinda a different situation there at home than here. But an example of what I could have done is have my friends come over, Kate, Kaylee, Kelsie, maybe some other friends. But of course the first one. And then we would eat, the missionaries would teach a lesson and then the missionaries go on their way and we go watch a movie or play night games or something like that. You can do a barbque in the back yard, or hay stacks or something. Night games would be perfect afterwards, have a lesson till it's dark enough and all the kids can invite their friends, especially nonmember but members too, just make sure that everyone is going to be paying attention. Just warn the missionaries so that they can come up with an interactive object lesson, or a movie. You can bring in the computer to watch a movie in the front room, etc.

Another thing tell the missionaries that they can bring their investigators for an FHE. This is a commitment. So you need to promise to do it! I know that the instant thought is that there isn't enough time. I know that life is busy. But I also know that being a part of missionary work is neccesary for salvation. :D Ha! that's a guilt tripper, but It's true and I got a quote to prove it as well, it's in PMG. I'll have to tell you next time though. But I also know that just like when you make the time to go to the temple and to read your scriptures you not only find enough time for everything else, but everything else works out better and you're just happier all around!

The commitment is that if you don't do it this week you have to at least make the plans and have them set to do next week. So I'll be expecting a report next monday.

I love you all so very much!

Hermana NJ Nielson

Feb. 1st

Hello everyone! How's it going? Aviana was confirmed yesterday, so that was great! And we had investigators all planned out to come to church, but things didn't work out. Entonces, si. And. . . I don't remember what else happened this week. I ate squid. And. .  I don't know. Both my companion and I were super tired this week. I don't know why, I'm tired all the time but this week was particularly hard. Y, well we created a super great member plan, we haven't got it going completely, but got it started. Remember that Alma and Amulek story? Yeah, did I tell you about how Elder Martino (I think) presented that story? I don't remember. But the moral of the story is that missionaries can try their hardest and be obedient and good and all that and people will still reject them and then the missionaries get super desanimados--don't remember that word-- and then they find a member that likes them and then when the member helps them they can teach the people because the member opens their hearts. Yes, well mi companera y yo are tired of contacting, we don't really like talking to people. That's all we do all day. But we do like teaching people, and talking to members cause they already like us. So our plan is to invite every member to invite a friend--non member or less active-- over to their house for a lesson with us. I think it's great fun. And we want to do it with some of the less actives tambien, depending on where they're at. And, what else. This week, well I don't remember if I told you about Elena, well she went back to Mexico, but her daughter Edna is still here and we're still teaching her. The hard thing is that it's hard to set times with her cause she's not there but when we just show up, she is there. Which is alright except that we want to have members there. But we have spent quite a bit of time the last few weeks with her teaching the first three lessons, and not the commandments yet, particularly the word of wisdom and law of chastity because we felt like she needed a strong testimony of something in one of the first three lessons and even her BD was kinda shaky. But we taught her those two commandments yesterday and she was good with them! ready to change to fix them! It's super great! She has strong desires, and maybe still not a strong testimony of what we're teaching her, but she does the reading and has the desires. We just need to get her to church.

Okay, and did I tell you about Yair? Well we lost him again. I think it's funny considering his name, but at the same time I want to tie the kid up to a pole so he doesn't wander off. We'll find him and hopefully he'll have a phone by then.

I don't remember what else happened. Oh, I feel like an icky wrestler. Once upon a time I was in Southern Texas and the mosquitos decide to pop out everyother day when it's not cold and eat me to pieces. So I was scratching a bit at the thousands of bites on my leg and then looked down and saw that it was red and puffy. So I took extra precaution to not scratch it anymore, but then as the days went on and the mosquito bites stop itching, I notice that the mark is still there. There's actually two, red circles with a red dot in the middle. Dumb! So I feel super yucky, and don't know quite what to do with them other than put antifungal creme on it.

Ha, okay. Sorry. When I e-mail I don't ever know what to tell you so I just write whatever comes to my head. So sorry about that. I guess you can keep track of how sane I am. :D

But I love you!

Con Amor

Hermana NJ Nielson