December 29, 2014

Hola hooooola :) It was super fun talking to you guys on Christmas! I'm glad you had a fun day and finally got some snow! We're definitely wishing that we could go sledding! But we have the sun instead ;) I'm glad you liked my cat story too hahhaha I really liked your story too! That's hilarious! Dulong and I were reading it here in the library and just cracking up! You need to tell me more of your mission stories! 

Our Christmas here was really good! Christmas Eve we spent with a couple of families, had a devotional with a few different zones, and then played sports at the church with elders. It was really weird basically having two days in a row off! But it was nice and relaxing! It was a really special Christmas to really focus on the Savior as we were just there in our little apartment and as we were sharing it with other families. It's the best when we can brighten people's days and bring the spirit into their homes.

This was a pretty good week! It was kind of hard to meet with people because of Christmas and all, but we were able to find some new people! We also dropped some people too though. Finding the elect! We found the Flores family this week, Grandpa Jorge, Gustavo, Gabriela and their 3 kids ages 1, 2, and 3. As you can imagine, our lessons with them are a little crazy at times, but really good. We were able to have a really powerful lesson with Jorge about the atonement and coming to church. They're all been looking for a church and really wanted to come. We actually had a lot of people this week telling us that they were going to come, so we were super pumped then the day came, and nothing :( so all of sacrament meeting we were pretty bummed. Then we taught primary, and as we were putting the chalk back afterwards, we turn around and see Jorge!!!! We were SHOCKED! He said he was a little late but that he sat in the back and just got finished with the 1st class! I have no idea how we missed him coming in! But he loved it! Oh man I can't even explain how excited we were! After church he said he really liked it and is planning on coming next week and bringing the whole family! WOO! I'm really excited about him! 

Alexandra (the Torres's daughter) is actually getting baptized this week! Yay! She's super cute! Yesterday at church she pulled out her Book of Mormon and said that she had been reading it. So awesome :) We also found Esmerelda who is a young mom that is moving here this week and said she's looking for a church and wants her kids to know God. uhh... PERFECT! So we're going to help her move in this week and they'll come to church Sunday! The area is still a little slow, but I think it's starting to pick up a little! Blessings from on high! :) Well hope you have a great week! Love you! 

Hermana Nelson :) 

Oh and I have a lot of pics today!  

Christmas Eve Devotional Dinner

PJs From Hermana Barraza

Kylee's Stocking

Christmas Morning!

Shirts From Luna

Christmas Lunch

December 22, 2014

FELIZ NAVIDAD! Woo woo! haha I'm glad you liked the Christmas card! We had a pretty fun time with it ;) Right?? Dulong and I still have moments when we're like, "wait, we're together again??" It's been really good though! This area doesn't have a whole lot going on right now, but we're going to work really hard and get things going again! Yeah I know the Elders will take care of them! I talked to the elders last night and they said they're doing well and is on date for baptism in January! So excited for them :) So we'll be skyping at 3pm your time on Christmas! YAY! I'm so excited :) 

So we have a couple of people here that we're working with. First Veronica, she was on date for the end of the month, but told us that she's not ready and isn't sure about things anymore. She also might be going to Mexico soon... so we're not really sure what's going to happen there! 

Eziquiel is pretty new, we haven't really taught him anything yet cause he keeps cancelling our appointments, but he came to the Christmas party on Friday and loved it! (yes I got to go to another Christmas party!) All the members were great with him, we had a church tour with him and you could just tell he loved every bit of it! He told us he just really wanted to come to the services on Sunday to see what it was all about! We thought for sure he was coming, but he didn't :( and we have no idea why! So hopefully things will pick up with him this week! 

One of the members brought a friend with them to the Christmas party, and so we're starting to teach him! His name is Jesus and he's really cool! He was taught by missionaries before, but has a bad drinking problem, so hopefully we can have a miracle with that! And he came to church Sunday! yay! But unfortunately he's out of town all week for Christmas so we can't see him :( but he said he'll be coming to church again!

We also had a cool little miracle yesterday! The Elders in the ward had a baptism yesterday, so after when we left, we got a call from Bishop asking us where we were and to come back because the daughter in Torres family wants to get baptized next week! So of course we rushed over and talked to them about it! The Torres family has been less-active for a while and has just started coming back the last couple of months, then they came to the baptism and the daughter decided she wants to be baptized too! But she's 8 1/2 so it's still a stake baptism, but we're still going to teach her since she doesn't really know much since they've been less active. So we're teaching her everything this week and she's getting baptized this Sunday! So that was super cool! We're really excited to be apart of this little miracle :) 

Also, funny little story for the week: we were at a potential investigators house, we knocked on the door and they didn't answer, but everyone here has like storm doors that are really hard to see through, but they are hard to knock on, so usually you try and open it and then knock on the real door. So anyway, Sis. Dulong goes to open the storm door, and turns out the real door was open too, so she just opens the door and right then out of no where a cat runs in their house!!! HAHAHA I was DYING! So just hurries and closes the door! Not kidding it happened all in like 3 seconds! So then they came and answered the door cause a cat was just chillin in their house! hahah it was hilarious! Well hope you have a great Christmas! Excited to talk to you this week! Love you :) 

Hermana Nelson

Saying Goodbye to Hermana Graham!

Kylee's Little Tree

December 15, 2014

Happy transfer weekend! Oh goodness it's been so crazy lately! We were effected big time. I got a call from President Mullen Saturday morning. I'm going to be a sister training leader in Riverside! So that's crazy! I'm really nervous! And if you think that's crazy enough, guess who my comp is? Hermana Dulong! We're so pumped! That takes a HUGE stress off! I'm really excited to be with her again and serving in Riverside! But, I'm soo sad to be leaving Corona! I love it here! AND! Our area is closing :( Hna. Glenn is going to Hemet and Elders are taking over our area. Well actually we split our area in half with the elders. 

It was really hard saying goodbye to everyone yesterday! So bittersweet! Our area is finally doing better, and now both of us are leaving :( we did not expect that! And! Oh man the worst part was saying goodbye to the Silvestre family last night! We were all crying, and they're just confused! They came to church again and are really progressing! This family seriously has my heart! It was the worst last night! But I told them that I'm going to come back from their baptism and when they go through the temple and they said, "well of course!" The Elders taking over will be really good, but it's still scary! On the way home, Raul (the dad) called us and said that Omar (the 8 year old) was crying, and if we could talk to him on the phone for a second. Holy cow! He was bawling and saying how much he is going to miss us and how much he loves us. :'( Sooo sad. But we told him we're going to write letters back and forth and he has to beat the Elders in basketball, so he liked those ideas. 

This week I've really been trying to be led by the spirit, and teach with power& authority. I had a cool experience where I was led to this guy, we started talking, and he said he could just see and feel the difference of something and he didn't know what it was. He said that he has had the worst day and he was praying asking where God was, then we walked up. He said he just felt calm and better when we were there and wants to know what it is and how he can get it. He's really cool! He's coming to church, and unfortunately didn't end up being in our area, but the Elders are teaching him! It still blows my mind all the time on how the spirit works. I love it! We also did a service project this week where we did tours and sold ornaments at basically a "Festival of Trees" type thing. It was really fun! And it was such the opposite of what I've been in lately! We were in this huge mansion, all these fancy trees everyone, and everyone there is just so rich! I just started thinking about all my cute little spanish friends that don't even have a Christmas tree and it just made me so sad! I've had a couple of little kids tell me that they think they're just not celebrating Christmas this year, but it's okay, cause sometimes that happens. SO SAD! We are all so fortunate in all we have! I think all of us can do a little more, give a little more, and be a little bit better. So that's my challenge this week! Help someone out :)  Well have a great week! Love you :) 

Hermana Nelson :) 

December 8, 2014

Heey! :) I'm glad you guys liked the pictures, I have a bunch more to send out today too! Haha no worries we haven't had transfers yet! This week! So we will see! I'm guessing I'm leaving, but that's what I thought last time, so who knows! Anything could happen! Yes I did get the package, thanks so much! We're excited to start opening everything! 

I know! We really built that relationship with Monica, and we had another really good lesson with her this week, but she didn't come to church again! When she said that she was! So we don't know... we think we might be dropping her, cause she hasn't really been reading either :( but this week was actually the best week of the transfer! We finally have a teaching pool, even though we're not sure how solid everyone is yet! We picked up a lot of new people, and had a lot of great lessons! AND! Guess what! It rained for pretty much 2 days straight! It was crazy! At first we were thinking it was going to be awful, but it was actually so great! We just had our little boots and jacket on with our umbrellas :) And since everyone here in California considers this basically a blizzard, everyone stays home, so everyone was home and let us in! It was awesome! I loved it! 

Time for the miracle: THE SILVESTRE FAMILY CAME TO CHURCH!!!!! Ah it was the best thing ever! All 5 of them! It went so great! The ward did awesome! Everyone was coming up, talking to them, and inviting them to all this stuff. AND! They already knew like 4 different members there! So that was awesome! The kids really liked primary and young womens, and the parents liked it as well! I'm really excited for them! They're still very fragile, cause they're SO catholic, but they came, and they liked it, so hopefully they'll just keep coming, praying and reading! For sure keep them in your prayers! They're such a cute family and totally act like they're already members. 

Another cool thing that happened this week: we were trying to see a former, and they didn't live there, but we felt like we still needed to be on that street for some reason, so we were looking around and decided to try this orange house (yes i know, orange haha) and the lady there let us come back, we had a really good lesson with her, and we put her on date! Super cool! Her name is Adriana, and unfortunately she couldn't come to church this week, but she should be coming this week! 

Hope everything is going well at home :) Love you mucho! 

Hermana Nelson 

ps what in the world I've been out a whole year! Where does the time go??

Decorating For Christmas!

Rainy Day!

Rainy Day!

December 1, 2014

Heyyyy! Sounds like you guys had a great Thanksgiving! We did as well, but you're right, I did miss my banana cream pie ;) Gloria invited us over for lunch, but when we got there was not done! So basically we cooked it because she still had to shower and get ready haha Hna. Glenn and I realized we know more about cooking then we thought we did! So we ended up being there for like 3 hours... and then it ended up being more like dinner. But it was really good. It made Gloria's day! Her family is a little crazy, so it was basically just us! However, right after that we had dinner with the Ortiz family. Oh my goodness. I thought I was going to die. I was already full, and I had to do it again! There were moments when I was like, "oh man, I'm not going to make it" haha but luckily I kept it all down! Hna. Glenn and I got in the car after and just wanted to die haha SO MUCH FOOD! But it was all really good! Then all the missionaries in Corona went to the Stake center for the night and we played soccer! I had to sit out the first game til my stomach settled though haha but it was a really good day!

Thanks for the Thanksgiving package! We ended up making the cookies with Monica and her kids and they loved it! I'll send a picture! They're so cute! It was fun, and then we were able to teach their whole family. But they didn't come to church again :( We were super sad! If they don't start really progressing soon, then we might have to drop them. Same with Gloria. She is the hardest person to teach! I love her to death, but she just gets so distracted and doesn't understand anything. She did come to church though! This transfer has just been so hard investigator wise. We are trying sooo hard and nothing is really coming from it. I know there are people ready here, it's just a matter of finding them! So we're just going to keep trying our best!

I am really excited about the new little video the church came out with for Christmas! If you haven't seen it yet, go see it! "He is the Gift"christmas.mormon.org and share it all over sociall media and with everyone! It's super good! I love it! We had a training on it with President Mullen this week on using it with everyone, so I think it will help us find some good people! The church is putting a lot into it! It's going to be on Time Square, it's going to be on the youtube home page, it's going everywhere! In the Ensigns it has 9 cards with the website on it, so make sure you pass them out to people :) It's a great way to feel the true meaning of Christmas. This is the special time of year that we can really focus on the Savior and give and serve to others as he would do. That's so awesome that you are studying the Gospels! Right? It's crazy how much more we can learn from it! You'll have to share with me some of your insights :) Well hope you have a great week! Love you: )

Hermana Nelson

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

Making the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Mom Sent!

November 24, 2014

Feliz dia de accion de gracias! :)

Yay! Thanks we're excited to get them :) We still don't really know what we're doing for Thanksgiving, we've had some people offer to have us come over, so we just have to figure out timing cause we'll probably be having like 3 dinners haha we're going to be stuffed! But I don't really know if it's Thanksgiving food or what, we'll see!

This week was pretty good! We had multi zones which is always super good! But holy cow I Sis. Glenn and I got asked to do part of the training so we were nervous all week, but I think it went pretty good! The main focus on the meeting was being more personable, with everyone and getting more referrals from people. It was all really good and I can still feel how the work is switching over. It's exciting, but sometimes it's a hard transition! We aren't supposed to just walk up to people and introduce ourselves anymore, we have to have a normal conversation with them first, tie it into the gospel, and then we can. Sometimes it's kind of hard, but it's a lot better! I had a really awkward one though with this guy that was getting in his car and I had nothing to go off of by what he was wearing, kids, or any other clues, the only thing was his car had a picture of him on it cause he's a realtor, so I asked him it it was him and then just started talking about houses and he thought I wanted to see the house haha little awkward. We were dying laughing after. But I'm sure we'll get better at it! Hopefully! Haha!

Investiagtor wise it's still pretty slow. I don't know why it's just been so dead lately. Sometime the days just kind of drag. But we're working hard we know it will pay off! We ended up dropping Jessica yesterday. She's been ignoring us. We know they're home and they don't answer. We haven't had a lesson with them in 2 weeks. We have no idea what happened! Super sad.

But! Luckily Monica said she did like it! Sometimes she's kind of hard to read though, so hopefully that was true! But they didn't come to church :( we don't know why either cause we stopped by and had a lesson before church and said they were coming, so we'll see!

Gloria did come to church though! So that was good! She's so hard to teach though! She gets very distracted and her level of understanding is very low, so it will take a lot of work! We did get to help her with her Christmas decorations though and set up her christmas tree! So that was fun!

Hope you have a great Thanksgiving and remember how much we have been blessed with! We really have it soooooooooo good! I am so so grateful for the life I have been given, that I've grown up in this gospel and that I have the priviledge to share it with others! Something that I've been doing as well is keeping a gratitude journal and it's incredible! And on the days that it's harder to be grateful, I go back through and read it and it makes me really all the many blessings I have! Have fun eatin some Turkey, but don't forget to recognize who all our blessings are from! Love you!

Hermana Nelson :)

November 17, 2014

Hiiiii! :) haha I'm glad you liked last weeks letter, today's might not be as exciting. It was kind of a slower week. We picked up some people this week, and they dropped us before the week was over ha so that was fun! Everyone else we were having a harder time seeing.  

We weren't able to see Gloria this week because she had surgery, so she also wasn't able to come to church, but she called us to see if we could give her a ride to the bank, and obviously we can't cause it's the mission call, but we found someone to take her from the ward which was really good! She thought it was the best thing ever and always calls us her little angels haha.But we should be going over this week to help her and teach her. Thanks so much! Keep praying for her! And now that she will get better so she can come to church! 

We weren't able to have a lesson with Jessica all week, but we finally talked to her saturday and they were all set for coming to church, we got a ride fore them and everything and they weren't there! So we have no idea what happened! We were super bummed! Hopefully this week they will come!

BUT! We had an awesome lesson of the Plan of Salvation with Monica, really focusing on where her husband is and that she can be with her family forever. She loved it! Which was good cause we also found out that she has been studying with Jehova witnesses... but she asked us if we celebrated Christmas and we said yes, so I think she picked us ;) haha just kidding. It was totally the Plan of Salvation! The spirit was really strong! And she came to church! YAY :) With the less active member that lives with her! So that was good! But holy cow. Hopefully she liked it. It was a really weird Sunday for an investigator to come to. Things just kept happening. Sis. Glenn and I were dying the whole time. I'm just thinking, "what is Monica thinking right now?" So hopefully she'll come back.. ha. That's pretty much all of our investigators right now. We're still doing a lot of finding, going through the potentials that we have. But I know we will find the elect as we keep working hard :) 

It's been snowing? Daaang. That's crazy! I can't even imagine anymore. I'm so cold here all the time and it hasn't dropped below the 60's. I'm a wimp for sure haha  

Something that President Mullen challenged us to do before Christmas is to read the 4 gospels, and as I've been doing it, it's been amazing! I've read through the New Testament before, but as I have really been studying it, and really focusing on the character of Christ I feel more and more like I know him. So I'm extending that challenge to you and the family to read them before Christmas too! It's like 4ish pages a day! Not bad at all! I know as we read about the Savior's life, ministry and teachings, we will become more like him :) Have a great week! Love you! :) 

Hermanita Nelson :) 

November 10, 2014

Hooooola :) So since you guys asked about Sis. Glenn, sorry last week when we emailed I literally had been with her for like a half hour so I didn't know her at all haha but she's super awesome and I'm really excited for this transfer together! She's from Kansas, Missouri, she just barely turned 20, we actually celebrated her birthday this week! She went to BYU for a semester before the mission... I don't really know what else you want to know? haha But she's really great, we have a lot of fun :)

This week was pretty good! Unfortunately our numbers just didn't show it. No one came to church again :( So sad. We picked up some cool people this week too that we were so excited for them to come and then they didn't :( but this week is the week!

One of them is Jessica, who is a young mom with 4 kids and her husband got deported to Mexico, so she's here by herself. Super sad! I don't know how she does it! But we've had a few good lessons with her this week and I loved something she told us. She said she notices when we come, she can feel peace and tranquilidad, then when we leave it stays for a minute, then it goes. It's so cool how people can recognize the spirit! So we explained what that was and that she can have the gift of the Holy Ghost after she's baptized, and put her on date for baptism. Unfortunately she didn't come to church because she had a tutor for her kids Sundays right when church started and she doesn't have a phone to call the tutor, but once she came, she switched it for a different day so that she can come to church! So we're really excited about her :)

We've picked up a couple of other people, and legitamently our whole teaching pool is a mom with kids without the husband in the pictures. It's so weird! So I guess that's our mission right now to help all these cute little moms! We just want all of them to be friends and fellowship eachother haha

Right? I'm sill mind blown I'm still here. This whole week I've just been thinking what the reason could be for, just searching for it and praying for it. All week I was just thinking about Gloria. When we were teaching her I totally had a confirmation that I was supposed to be teaching her, then when she dropped us it was sooo hard! So I called her to see if we could eat dinner with her on Sunday since we didn't have a dinner (she's awesome and I knew she would say yes- and she did!) So all Sunday I was just thinking what we could do at the dinner and just praying that we would know if she's ready or not.

We had the dinner with her and it was so fun seeing her again! I love her! She's all taking pictures of us haha she's so funny. Then at the end we decided to sing her a hymn, "How Great Thou Art" and the spirit was so strong. She started crying. It's incredible how powerful music can be. She said that she got a call from Hermana Hernandez (member), and a text from Elder Perez, and then the call from me all this week and I just simply told her that it was no coincidence and she just starting crying more. She said she has been thinking about going back to church, but she just has so many projects around the house that she has to do, and her family doesn't help her, so she doesn't have time, but she wants to have time to come to church and read in the BOM without having to be stressed and thinking about all the other things that she needs to be doing. So we told her that we would love to come and help her so that she could. So we're going over 2-3 times a week to give her service then to teach her after!!! We're so excited :) THEN! Remember how she said she didn't like Alex's baptism? The real concern finally came out! She said that you have to bend backwards and she can't do that cause of her neck and we told her that it doesn't matter how you are baptized, it just has to be by immersion. "OHHH!" haha so that was a really good moment! I'm so excited :) So keep her in your prayers :)

Well this email turned out a lot longer then intended haha but just goes to show that there are always miralces :) I love mish life so much! It's the best! Find a way to share the gospel this week :) Have a good one! Love you :)

Hermana Nelson :)

November 3, 2014

HEY! Happy late Halloween! Hope you had some fun! We actually got to! We watched the best 2 years and played games with all the missionaries in Corona, so it was fun! :) Thanks so much for the Halloween package! We all enjoyed it :) 

So I'm sure you're wondering about transfers! Oh goodness! So all week we were telling everyone that I was probably leaving, I started saying my goodbyes, then once we got the call, I'M STAYING IN CORONA! We shocked! Still am really! I will be here longer then I was in Perris, because of the 7 week transfer I had here! So crazy! By the time I hit my year mark, I would have only been in 2 areas! Sooo weird! So Hna. Carlson and I are adjusting to the news! But I guess there's still someone here in Corona I need to find, so I'm going to do it! 

Hna. Carlson is going to Menifee and Perris! So I was super excited about that and we are actually just switching comps with the ones there, so I got to drive down and see the old area and my old room and everything! Suuuuper weird! But Really fun! I'm excited for Hna. Carlson to be there! And! My new comp is Hna. Glenn! We actually came out together and were in the MTC together, we were just in different districts! So it's going to be fun! I'm excited :) 

So as far as our people.. 5 people dropped us Sunday morning. Little depressing. Carmen was the only one that came to church, but she's moving this week :( she's so sweet though! She'll get baptized one day I know it! And now I have someone to visit in Venezuela! So Hna. Glenn and I are going to have a lot of finding to do! To find that person that apparently still needs me here! So it will be good! Everyone else isn't super solid right now. So pray for some miracles for us! We're kind of starting over with things here, nice fresh start :) 

But! That's about it! I have a bunch of pics again though! Hope you have a great week! Love you! :) 

Hermana Nelson 

Pumpkin Carving 

Pumpkin Carving

Matching on Halloween!

Halloween!

Shout Out Face Masks Hailey Sent to Kylee

Saying Goodbye to Carmen

October 27, 2014

Buenos dias! Thanks so much for the birthday wishes and the package :) It was perfect! We had a lot of fun! I'll attach some pictures :) Hna. Carlson was trying to do a big surprise for me, but since you guys sent a cake, I was going to make it, and then she confessed that she already had the Elders buy one for me and they were going to bring it over while I was in the shower, so instead we pulled a little prank on the Elders and I opened the door when they brought it over. So funny! We recorded it, so I guess I'll show it to you in like 8 months haha but it was super funny. We had a little party during lunch and then the rest of the day we had lessons that all went really well :) Right? It's crazy how fast time flies. I can't believe it. I feel like I'm the one that's 17, not Connor! 

This week was pretty good! Our investigators are all kind of in the same boat. No one is super duper solid, but they all have desires to do learn. So we're working with those desires to get them to grow! Esmerelda is still coming to church, and we were shocked yesterday when her sister Nancy came too! So we're excited to see how that all happened! Pray that Esmerelda still wants to wait to be baptized til she's older. So pray that she has a change of heart with that! 

WE FOUND VERONICA! She's been MIA for a week! Turns out all this crazy stuff has been happening, that now she's moving and changing her phone number and everything. I won't go into details, but we may have protected her when we showed up at her house the other night! So keep her in your prayers too! She's so awesome and really wants to get baptized, Satan is just trying SOO hard right now. 

We also are having and interesting little situation! So a Sister in the english ward is having her mom and her aunt visiting from Venezuela, and wanted her aunt to be taught again. Her name is Carmen and she was taught 30 years ago, and was about to be baptized, but because a missionary was disobedient it completely turned her off! So we've been working with her this week, and she's really cool! But the weird thing is that she's going to Texas in a week, then moving back to Venezuela after that. So we're getting the process starting and somehow she's going to be taught in Texas and Venezuela. I wish she was her longer so we could keep working with her, but she's really opened up and I'm sure one day she will be baptized :) I'll have to keep in touch with them to find out ;) 

We've also been working a lot with less-actives, and 3 of them came to church! I feel like a lot of the times missionaries don't pay much attention to less-actives since they don't count as numbers or baptisms, but it's really the exact same thing teaching them, and rekindling that fire that was once there! It's part of our purpose to help others to endure to the end. So I've grown a bigger testimony this week on working with people that you don't really get to see the fruits of your labors (Carmen and less-actives) Which made me also think of how I can do missionary work when I get home since obviously it's mostly members in Utah it's harder to do the baptizing of missionary work, but less-active work is just as important! When it talks about bringing souls to Christ, it doesn't say just through baptism, but helping people return and herding in the lost sheep. So I challenge you and everyone to do some more less-active work as missionary work and strengthening the people around you :) When I get home I'm going to print off a less-active sheet and start visiting all of them to keep fulfilling my missionary responsibilities :) I love this gospel and I love sharing it with others! Hope you have a great week :) Sure do love you! 

Con mucho amor, 

Hermana Nelson 

Birthday Decorations

The Birthday Girl

Kylee's Cake!