January 27, 2014

HOLA HOLA HOLA!

So this week has been kind of all of the place! Definitely the longest week of my mission so far! It's been super slow! But still good! Sister Williams is getting better, but there are still times that we have to go back to the house cause she's in pain or exhausted, so our schedule is never very set. I've also gone out on splits with english and spanish sisters while she sleeps. Which is good, but I just want to be in my area working with all the people here! Which has also made it hard to keep people progressing cause we haven't been able to see them very much! Sonia hasn't really kept her commitments, and we only got to see her once, so I don't know what's going on there! But her granddaughter has been there and she's SO awesome! She's 12 and she reads the bible all the time and she went to church, and mutual and we just gave her a BOM. So I'm super excited about that! I love her! We have also been visiting Maria, who has been meeting with missionaries off and on for 30 YEARS! Crazy! But I really feel like we have broken through with her! I think she just needed sisters! She's so close! She's come to church a ton! There's just something that's she's not telling us! But yesterday when we visited her, it went sooo good! The Holy Ghost was TOTALLY telling me what to say to her. Oh and ps she's fluent in both spanish and english, so our lessons are in spanglish so I love it :) But oh my goodness! So we had lunch at a members houseyesterday at 2, super good and we were soo stuffed from it, then we went to visit Maria at 4 and she decided to make us dinner? We just look at eachother like oh my heck how are we going to do this! I thought I was going to explode! But of course I ate all of it cause she's our investigator! She's super sweet! But holy cow I thought I was going to blow! HAHA! But I didn't, so it's all good! Oh and Luna is SO awesome and drives us everywhere cause we still don't have a car yet, but hopefully we get one this week! We have a lot of fun though, I'm excited for you guys to meet her one day! She's hilarious and keeps me happy :)

I also realized that I don't know spanish. So that's fun. It's super frusterating and I feel like it will never come. But oh well haha it will! OH MY GOODNESS! So when we were doing OYMS the other day, I went up to talk to this guy, and he was CRAZY! I'm just this nice little pleasant girl and he's just RAGING on me about how the church isn't true, they're brainwashing me, get out while I can, Joseph Smith is an abomination, everyone has so many wives, we don't believe in Christ, just ALL this stuff that I was just standing there while he was just yelling at me for NO reason! Holy cow Satan has hold of that man! I didn't know if I should like cry or just laugh cause he was so crazy! Then Hermana Bomgard came and he was like, "I don't need to be doubled teamed on!" And she's like, "oh sir I'm just here to protect her" and he just yells, "THE ONLY THING SHE NEEDS PROTECTION FROM IS YOU!" we just get in our car and drive away and he's just yelling, "CULT CULT CULT!" HAHAHAHA we were just dying! Every time we think about it we just die laughing! He was crazy! So that was fun! But that's pretty much it! I hope everyone is doing great! Read the BOM everyday! Even if it's just one verse! It seriously is the best thing ever! LOVE IT. Have a good week! 

Hermana Nelson

January 20, 2014 Pictures

2 a.m. the people going to Riverside from the Mexico MTC

Luccion and Dulong

Sister William's and Kylee

January 20, 2014

What a crazy week! Cali is great! I love it here! I'm serving in Perris, in the Tres Lagos ward. My companion is Hermana Williams and she's 6' 1" so I basically look like a midget next to her. I'll send a picture! Everyone thinks it's really funny. She's awesome! She reminds me of a mix of Megan Harmon and Bonnie Reid. It's so funny! I also saw Hermana Luccion, Dulong and Juarez! So that was super fun! We're staying at a home share with a member that is English speaking. Her name is Kristi and she is the sweetest! Her house is like brand new, so it's super nice! I really like it there! Feels more like home and it's really clean so I love it! 

So! Not only did we get doubled in, but we also opened up a brand new area! Which apparently is super hard, but I don't really know any different, so it's been good! We literally had to start from scratch! We had a brand new area book, a new phone with no contacts, it was crazy! So for the first couple days we were just trying to figure things out. But we've been teaching people and it's been so good! We have like 5 investigators now? The first time we taught Sonia I could tell right away that she is so ready to have the gospel in her life. I invited her to be baptized the second lesson and she said yes! WOO WOO! We set her date for Feb. 9th, so we're just working to prepare her for that! My spanish is.. coming haha but everyone just thinks I'm really cute cause I'm so little and just stare at them confused. So they love me ;) 

And oh my goodness, the members here are AWESOME! We get fed every night! They're so nice! And Luna has been helping us so much with finding people, introducing us to people in the ward, and feeding us. She's so awesome! I love her so much! And she speaks more English then Spanish, so we can actually talk! She cracks me up. 

Oh thanks for the packages! So great! I dyed maaa herrrr so it looks a lot better. I'm cutting Hermana Williams hair today, so I'm excited :) Just make sure when you send future packages send it using USPS so they can just forward it to wherever I'm living. Send all letters and packages to this address:

Hermana Kylee Marie Nelson

California Riverside Mission

5900 Grand Avenue

Riverside, CA 92504

Also make sure you put my first name cause there's another sister Nelson here! 

Also! The family knows this, but everyone else doesn't, so we got in a car accident yesterday! Pretty crazy stuff! First car accident, and first ambulance ride! So that was fun! We were having a recent convert follow us to stake conference, then we had to make a U-turn cause we were going the wrong way, so we pull off to the side (Sister Williams was driving) go to flip around, I yell, "CAR!" And BAM. They hit the drivers door going about 40 miles an hour. It was the weirdest feeling ever cause I knew it was going to happen, but there was nothing I could do about it. It was crazy! We just sat there for a minute collecting ourselves and I couldn't breathe it was so weird! Finally I realized we needed to get working on things, so I took the "what to do if you're in an accident" packet and got out and started getting people's info. Our zone and district leaders came, and so did a bunch of other Elders. So they took care of everything while the ambulance took us to the hospital. President Smart came and Luna came. We were there for like 5 hours? Sister Williams broke her clavicle, so she has a brace on and I have to basically do everything for her now. I have to dress her, do her hair, seat belt her in, carry her stuff, etc etc. Great service opportunity right?? I'm good though! I can't remember exactly what happened or what I hit, but I'm pretty sore today, I have a few bruises, but I'm just taking meds for the pain. ALL IS WELL! But hey, at least I got to call the fam! It was so nice to talk to everyone! 

But anyway! Quite the exciting week! Nothing is ever boring with me around thought right? ;) I love being a missionary though! It's seriously the best! And once I get spanish done, it will be even better! Hope everyone is doing great! 

Hermana Nelson

Pictures - January 13, 2014

Some of the Missionaries in Kylee's Zone

Hermana Tyler that Kylee Played Soccer With 

The Hermanas in Kylee's Zone with Elder Barlow Creepin' in the Back

Kylee's Zone

Kylee's District with the Branch Presidency  

Kylee Walking Back with the Elder's for a Last Time

January 13, 2014

They actually let us email the day before we leave! So I'm still in Mexico, and I don't know if I i get to email when I get there or not, but next Monday will be my pday! Thanks for sending all that stuff! Much needed! I said goodbye to Hermana Hamlin this Morning and it was so sad! She's in the Ventura mission! So I've just been passed around with different companions today. Hope ya had some fun in Texas! My layover is in Dallas so I'll be there when you are! Pretty funny! I don't have a lot of time, but I'll talk to you next week!

Love,

Hermana Nelson

Pictures - January 9, 2014

Mexico City 

Mexico City Temple Visitor's Center

Mexico City Temple Visitor's Center

January 9, 2014

LAST P DAY IN THE CCM! Oh my goodness I can't even believe it! So crazy! We said goodbye to Hermana Hyde and Westover this week and it was so sad! Crazy how close you can come to people in such a short amount of time! I can't even imagine saying goodbye to Hermana Hamlin and our district! Hamlin leaves Monday and I leave Tuesday, so I'll have to be with someone else for a little while.

 

Our teaching is becoming so much better! We don't have to write down a bunch of spanish things anymore and we teach with more unity! Right when we have to say goodbye to eachother! We taught Willy for the last time yesterday. So weird! But it will be so awesome to teach people that we can actually see their lives change and their baptism!

 

So I'm improving a lot of my skills here! Elder Kay and Elder Stewart both ripped their pants.. in multiple places... don't know how, but they don't know how to sew at all, so I sewed their pants, their ties, I'm like the sewing lady here which is weird cause I don't even like sewing. They gave me 5 packages of Chokis though (cholocate chip cookies filled with chocolate-VERY good) so it made it worth it! I also have been juggling the soccerball a lot cause I'm getting sick of playing volleyball all the time, so I got my high score in juggling! I practice more here then I ever did at home! Kind of funny! Oh my goodness. The FUNNIEST thing happened the other day, so I went to the bathroom in the room next to ours, and literally got locked into the bathroom! Don't know how! So I was just laughing and had to knock on the inside of the door to Hermana Hamlin. I thought I was going to have to jump out of the window. It was so funny! Probably one of those "had to be there moments" but we were dying.

 

OH! Guess who's here! Kaden Bramall! So weird seeing him! It was like a piece of home was here in Mexico and felt out of place! But fun to see him! This morning we went to the visitors center at the temple because the temple is closed now for 18 MONTHS! But I'm glad we at least got to go once!

 

Have a great week! Next time I'll be in Cali! WOO WOO! And I'll probably email when I get there? But I'm not sure how everything is going to work, but then my P days will be Mondays! Love you!

 

Hermana Nelson

January 2, 2014

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I can't even believe it's 2014! Crazy! What did you guys do for New Years Eve? We just had a regular day, but there were sooooo many fireworks and blasting music in the city, so it sounded like they had fun! That's funny you know him! I'll have to ask him about Dr. Inouye! We see them a lot and everytime we do they talk to us forever. That sounds like it will be really fun tradition! Way good idea! Where do you get it from?

 

Not too many exciting things this week. Our friends Hermana McRae, Baker, and Juarez left this week. I'll send the picture next week of us, and then our best friends here Hermana Westover and Hyde leave next week, so that will be a bummer! We're with them allll the time.

 

I talked in Sacrament meeting AGAIN. I don't know why I talk all the time, but I guess I'm getting pretty good at it! I wasn't nearly as nervous this time. Spanish is still coming! Hermana Hamlin and I had our best lesson a couple of days ago. It was seriously the best feeling ever! We both knew everything that he said, we knew what to say through the Holy Ghost, and we taught with UNITY. I didn't have to do like the whole thing! So it was waaaaay good! So proud of her :) And I memorized the first vision in spanish, and said it during the lesson, and the spirit was so strong! Aw it was awesome!

 

Our Tuesday devotional was Bednar again, but it was a recorded one that happened a couple of years ago, but it was probably my favorite devtional/talk I've ever heard! He talked about the Character of Christ and how all Christ did was "turn out" instead of "turning in". It was because of the Character of Christ that made the Atonement possible. Then he gave a lot of examples in the scriptures. And talked about true conversion, and trying our faith. He pointed out something really cool that I've never thought of before. The Brother of Jared, when the Lord touched the stones to make them light up, he touched them one by one, He could have just lit all of them at once, but didn't. Then, I've always thought that the brother of Jared saw the Lord's finger while He was touching them, but if you read the verses, it has a period, then says that he saw His finger. So kind of cool! You'll have to go look at it!

 

One other thing that I want to try is a challenge that he gave:

1. get a new copy of the Book of Mormon

2. think of a question or doctrine of the Gospel you want to know more about

3. read it form front to back

4. mark the book in relation to your question

5. when you finish, ponder about it, and pray about it

6. write a half page summary about what you have learned

 

Then years later, you will have hundreds of copies of the Book of Mormon on a book shelf of quesions of your life and treasures from your heart that you have learned. You're own little library! Cool right? I'm going to do it!

 

Anyway, that's pretty much it! I hope everyone is doing well! I can't believe I only have one more Pday here! Oh ps don't send any more letters here cause they won't get here. It takes 3 weeks to get them. I just got Grandma and Pams Christmas card a few days ago. Have a great week! Love you!

 

Hermana Nelson

Christmas Pictures at the CCM

Christmas Tree at the CCM

Service Project

Nativity Outside the Comedor

December 26, 2013

HOLA HOLA!

 

Surprisingly, I actually kind of missed the snow! Just for Christmas though! But Christmas was seriously soo good! They treated us really well! We had a Devtional that was trasmitted from Provo with Elder Bednar speaking. It was amazing! He just had people ask him questions by texting and emailing them in, so missionaries from everywhere could ask! It was so good! His answers seriously blew me away! We sang sooo much yesterdaythough that by the end of the night we were all so sick of the Christmas songs. It was fun though! It sounds like you guys had fun! Good to hear! But nothing is ever as fun if I'm not there ;)

 

So lets see, my spanish is really coming along! The Lord has TOTALLY blessed me with the gift of tongues. Hermana Hamlin is still struggling, but is improving! We're getting there! Hopefully soon, she will be able to participate more in our lessons. We got a new investigator and hes a lot harder to understand then the other ones we've had. And he talks really fast. So I really  have to concentrate, but I get most of what he's saying.

 

Oh I just randomly thought ot this, cause I've been meaning to say this, but they have nutella here!! haha! So you know what I have a lot! Es muy bueno :)

 

Anyway! So the only other thing that happened this past week was that I got sick... ha... I'm not telling you this to worry you, cause I'm totally fine! But just to share what I learned! So we were just all super confused cause I'm taking really good care of myself, I eat really good, I take my pills and vitamins everyday, which is a confirmation that all of this just happened because the Lord wanted me to learn a few things! So don't worry, I was in the Lord's hands this entire time, so I'm good :)

 

So Friday I was having stomach pains, felt really sick, so I finally gave in and went to the clinic here: The doctor was a doctor in Gunnison named Dr. Christensen, did you ever call on him Dad? He's super nice and so is his wife, so now they're my buds haha. So he gave me some medicine, but it just made me feel worse. Saturday the elders in my district gave me a blessing. They're seriously the best. The whole time they were so worried about me and helped me so much. I went to the clinic again, gave me more medicine, made me worse. We just stayed at the casa while I was super sick. It was awful. I kept getting worse, so we went back again and he ended up giving me and IV which helped so much! Sunday we stayed home still, but I was improving. The branch Pres and Elder Taylor and Mora brought us the sacrament. The elders fasted for me ALL day Sunday. They're crazy. But so nice! By Monday I was better and now I'm totally fine! So don't worry!

 

But this is what I learned from all that: He's really taking away my stubborness! You know I hate relying on others, but I just had to give in and ask for help from others, and from Him. There was a moment when I realized, wow, he felt this. And if it wasn't easy for him, it's not going to be easy for me! Then on Friday I started getting a little better, I thought, wow this great, then got sicker, and I was so hurt and confused: Then I learned something I've never thought f before. What if that's how the Savior feels when we make the same mistakes again. He already suffered for it once for us, then you make him do it again. And trust me, it doesn't feel good. It really changed my perspective of the atonement and becoming more like God.

 

God blesses His missionaries, in a way, more then others who aren't set apart to be a missionary, but he still allows things to happen because he can see the big picture and knows that it will benefit them. Looking back on really everything in my life when something hard has happened, I've learned something from them. Something that I couldn't have possibly learned any other way. And that's exactly what this earth life is all about! So for that reason, I'm grateful. And I'm grateful that through it all, the Lord never left my side.

 

So anyway! All is well again and the Lord is just refinging me to the person He wants me to become :) I hope everyone is doing great and had a great Christmas! Love you all!

 

Hermana Nelson

Kylee building a snowman on Christmas Day

December 25, 2013

MERRY CHRISTMAS! They´re giving us just a half hour to email today!
But better then nothing! I still have p day tomorrow, so I'll email
everyone back then when I have more time! I just wanted to wish
everyone a Merry Christmas and hope you guys have had a fun Christmas!
This morning as we were reading in Luke 2 with our district I thought
Grandpa probably read it last night with everyone! So good to remember
the real meaning of Christmas! Which is pretty much the only meaning
we have out here, so it's good! If you get a chance, you should also
read 1 Nephi 11 and Mosiah 15-16. I love that since we always teach
that the Bible and the Book of Mormon compliment eachother, that the
BOM also has the story of Christ's birth as well. This Christmas I
realized something that didn't really click before. Christmas we
celebrate Christ's birth, but we are also celebrating His life and His
atonement.  Last night in our Devotional Elder Evans said that the
best way to celebrate is birth and His life is to do His work. Which
is exactly what I'm doing and I couldn't be happier! This Christmas
has been great so far, and it will probably just keep getting better,
it's just a kind of Christmas that I've never had before. We did a
service project just barely, putting together baby kits for families
in need. It was seriously so fun! I love being a missionary, I love
this gospel and I love this Christmas season where we can really focus
on the Savior. (This paragraph is so long because the computer won't
let me return.. haha) Anyway, just one last thought! I love this quote
from Elder Tad R. Callister, "The objective of the Atonement is not
just to cleanse us, but to so transform our lives and our way of
thinking and acting that we become like God." Use the Atonement
everyday to not just be cleansed, but to become like God! Yo se que la
iglesia es verdadera y el evangelio ayundarnos en nuestra vida si
nosotros venimos a Cristo. Yo se que el Libro de Mormon es las
palabras de Dios. Si nosotros estudiamos las escripturas nosotros
podemos recibir reveleccion. En nombre de Jesucristo, amen. (grammar
might be wrong, but hey, it's coming!) Til tomorrow! Hermana Nelson

December 19, 2013

Hola familia! I didn't know Cori and them were coming to town! That's awesome! By the time I see them again they will be huge! Oh Weenie! That little rascal! He only likes me :) Next time I email will be after Christmas so FELIZ NAVIDAD! I still can't believe it's Christmas! Having it sunny here makes it seem like it's not. And I'm getting tan lines already! Jealous? ;)

Things are going great here though! They surprised us with a special Christmas devotional/performance on Saturday. We serioulsy had a blast! They had people come and dance and stuff! They had a piñata and gave us candy, and had fireworks! INSIDE! Scared us to death but it was soooooo fun!

Sunday's are the best to take a break from the language and to just be spiritually fed. Each Sunday we get to watch a video at night and this week we got to watch the John Tanner movie. So good! I remember seeing it before, but it was a good refresher! He is one of the best examples of giving everything to the Lord and His church.

Not much else went on this week. We have the same schedule pretty much everyday. Just a lot of classes and studying, but it's good! Our district makes it fun! We play pictionary to learn vocab so it gets pretty funny. Spanish is coming really well! I'm the one that's helping people... which is scary. But the grammar is still super frusterating!

We started two new investigators this week and so far so good! Hermana Hamlin and I are teaching together better now. Sometimes she still doesn't know what I say, or the investigator, but she's getting a lot better and talking more so it's coming!

Hmm... I think that's about it! The days are starting to go by pretty fast! Can't believe this next week will be my half way mark at the MTC! I hope everyone is doing well! Don't forget the beautiful true meaning of Christmas! Watch the Navitity video! It's the best! So grateful to be a representative of my Savior! Love you all and Merry Christmas!

Hermana Nelson

December 12, 2013

HEEEEY! So I´m going to write this email about the week and then reply to emails! It´s a little overwhelming with all of them! But super fun so I hope I can write everyone back! I don´t even know where to begin!! 

Everything is sooo great! I seriously love it here! I have made so many friends and everyone is sooo friendly! It´s so nice and pretty on the CCM grounds! Everywhere else is kind of sketch. But the weather is AWESOME! Love it! Never have to wear a jacket! Have fun in the snow ;) So late the night we got here, our second companion came! I didn{t even know we were going to be a threesome, but then the next day Hermana Juarez actually switched districts since she's so good at spanish she will be leaving next week! Crazy! Lucky her! So my comp now is Hermana Hamlin. She's from New Mexico and we get a long great! She's going to the California Ventura mission!!! (MADDIE AND AUSTIN) So watch out for her! I told her about ya guys! She likes sports too so we play the speed a lot with the guys in our district a lot. The first time was priceless! We kick their butts! HAHA! It's so fun! Our district is awesome! We have the perfect balance of working hard, being spiritual and having fun. Hermana Hamlin and I are the only sisters in our district. Elder Taylor is going to Riverside with me! That will be fun!

I SAW PAIGE! (Gentry's friend) I've seen her a lot actually! She's super nice and gave me good advice! I got a picture with her so I'll send that! I have a lot of pictures, but I don't really know how, so I'll try and figure it out after and put all the pictures in the same email. Anyway! Classes are good, sometimes a little frusterating cause there is just SO much information! But my spanish has actually improved a lot! Soooo glad I took it in school, otherwise I would be SO lost. I help other people! HA! (mom I know you hate it when peole say haha, but it's just so hard to, cause that's what happens ;))

YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHO IS HERE!!!! I was talking to an Elder from Lehi and we figured out he's Paige Raab's friend, then he said there's a Hermana Boley here that knows her too. I was so excited!!! Seriously right after that at lunch I saw her! I about died! SARA BOLEY! We were freaking out! So fun to talk to her! She leaves next week, and I haven't gotten a picture with her yet, but hopefully we can before she leaves! I love that she's here!

So we taught our first investigator IN SPANISH last Friday! So yeah I was freaking out! So scared! But oh my word Heavenly Father blessed me with the gift of tongues! He helped me remember things that I learned in school that I haven't thought of in forever! Such a blessing! I was able to get what I wanted across even though the grammar was awful! Hermama Hamlin only took one year, so I'm helping her. So in every lesson I pretty much take the reigns. We've taught him four times now, his name is Jonathan, and every time gets better and better. And guess what!!! Last nightwe commited him to BAPTISM! WOOO! Such a good feeling! We teach him one last time tonight!

Oh! And I gave talk in SPANISH on Sunday! They told me Saturday. I was dying. So stressed and scared, but it actually went really well! But guess what else! President Pratt and Sister Pratt just happened to be in our branch that day. OF ALL THE DAYS! But they said I did good, so oh well! Hahaha Sunday Hermana Hamlin and I also got called to Sister Training Leaders in our zone. Okay, we've been here like 3 days... we don't really know what we're doing, but we'll figure it out! Sunday was very spiritual, but it seemed kind of long cause we had like meetings and devotionals alllll day long! They were super good though! And we got to watch the Christmas devotional! Weird to see Salt Lake on the screen! Everyone says to just make it to Sunday, but serioulsy I thought the first few days were awesome! Heavenly Father has really answered my prayers, cause I haven't really been homesick! But I miss everyone a lot!

Tuesday night we had a devotional that Quentin L. Cook and his wife spoke at SO GOOD! Made me realize how awesome it is to be in the mission field at this time! It was at the Provo MTC, so I actually saw Kaylee Snow in the audience! Kind of funny! Oh a weird thing, that I have no idea what it really is, but like bomb/gun shots/fireworks are going off every two seconds here. So weird! And SO loud! Everyone in our district just says we're in the hunger games and someone just died... hahaha. So we make a lot of hunger games jokes here, it's pretty funny.

This morning we got to go to the temple! So awesome! I love the the gospel is the same everywhere we go! It's so comforting! BUT. It was in spanish... so that made things interesting! Let's just say I'm very grateful for temple workers! Anyway! Sorry this email was so long! I just feel like there was so much to say, and you know I can't hold back on any stories! All is well :) Miss and love everyone so much! Have an awesome week!

Love,

Hermana Nelson