From irmã to 姐妹

Olá beautiful people! This week has been a marvelous work and a wonder. So many changes, so many lessons and even one baptism! Last Wednesday morning President Cutler (president of the Wisconsin Milwaukee Mission) called me to inform me I had missed my 8am flight to SLC neither of us knew about! He than informed me that my next flight was leaving the following morning at 9am. This gave me just enough time to say goodbyes:


 Alex (the sisters recent convert)


the elders  in my district

Sister Training leaders (Hurst & Zebly)

packed my belongings, do some good old fashion door knocking and mall contacting, part from my companion sadly and hop on a plane. It was so quick, that day and serving in Wisconsin. I am so greaetful for all that I learned and experienced there. I learned from the best missionaries I know in the world (believe me I know, this was my 3rd mission people!). I also learned to rely completely on the Lord, the spirit and my companion. I feel blessed to have that experience. King Benjamin can explain it much better than I can:

"as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have ^atasted of his love, and have received a ^bremission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own ^cnothingness, and his^dgoodness and long-suffering towards you and humble yourselves even in the depths of ^ehumility, ^fcalling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing ^gsteadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel."

-Mosiah 4:11

I really feel it was necessary for me to be humbled and rely on Jesus Christ more fully not only in this service but also in my life. I am also greateful for the many people I met and even though I may have only taught them once or had brief contact with them I know both sides were effected.

Well when I got off the plane I was greeted by sister Garrick! It was a joyous reunion! (we served together in the mission office 6 months ago.) And seeing many other sisters I have missed. Walking back to the Square from the apartments I felt at home and peace. Not only have I grasped my purpose as a missionary ( To invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.) but now I have the knowledge of how to do that here on Temple Square. 

 
After a long day we got a well deserved milk shake at chick-fil-a! It had been too long :)
  

This week I had some interesting lessons over the phone and on the square with Sister Barros (from Brazil in her 3rd transfer. She is one of the most soft spoken yet powerful missionaries I have ever met, she has taught me so much in this little time we have had together). We called one of our chat investigators (anna from the UK) from the summer and recieved the lovely news she had been baptized that past sunday! She is so sweet and it took awhile for her to know the church was Christ's true church today restored, but once she started to actually read the Book of Mormon she knew. Every single conversion I have heard always has to do with the Book of Mormon. Once we actually read the book, think about it and pray to ask Heavenly Father about the teachings in it we are more converted. Its that simple and its that true!

On thursday after relief society I recieved a text from the Assistants that they want to see us. THey than asked me if I would go back to the office for 2 weeks while Sister brock recoveres from being sick. So back to the office I go! I am happy to help, I have an amazing Companion there and I will be back to regular missionary work in 2 weeks. So that is why I am emailing on friday now! another zone has a different p-day!

 Sister Yeung is from Hong Kong! Yeah! back to the Asian life for me! We had an investigator lesson with Zhu Yue (PHD student at U of U) from Taiwan. She struggles with comparing Budhism to the doctrines of the church but when we explained she can gain wisdom from the Holy Ghost by praying and studying the scriptures she became more convicted in her faith in Jesus Christ which is HUGE!

Love you all! 再见 (bye!)

February 10th 2014

Miracle Day for the WIN!!

No pain no gain right? We are frrrrreeezing but we had a neat experience right before debbie's appointment. We were driving to her house and I felt prompted to stop at certain complex of apartments. Sister reed and I felt strongly a miracle was going to be there waiting for us! We prayed that we would be able to have the spirit to help us recognize it and be given the words to say when it did. We knocked the WHOLE thing and nothing! So disappointed we headed back to the car. As we were getting in we heard a young man calling us back saying, "did you know on my door?". We ran back to the door and started teaching him. As we did sister reed connected right away with some of the issues he was currently struggling with and I was prompted to share the account of Jesus praying for the children in 3 Nephi 17. Christian, standing in his shorts and a T-shirt almost freezing to death stayed outside adn talked with us for at least 20 mins. After we said a prayer with him and were about to leave he tld us that he took awhile to get to the door because he was nervous to answer it. When we knocked he had been praying to God that if he really wanted to help him that he would send a miracle to his front door. WOW. We told him of how we ended up knocking on this apartment building. The spirit was very strong as we bore witness to him of his worth and How Heavenly Father really did love him and that's why he sent us, to share with him the restored Gospel! IT was by far one of the coolest experiences I have had while serving. The church is true! Christian is heavily involved with his church right now so we are doing what we can to meet with him and teach him.

Ps Mormon was 10 years old when he was called sober in heart and commissioned to find the plates of Nephi when he turned 24 and at the age of 15 "was ^{visited of the Lord, and tasted and knew of the goodness of Jesus." (Mormon 1:15) If he can do it than we can do it now as 20 year olds! YEEEHAWWW church is true!}

 ^{Fun facts:}

•  I have learned to love salads so much that i have 1 or 2 everyday!!!! I even crave them!
• It was colder in Wisconsin than the arctic a couple of weeks ago!
• We found a bird while tracting that was sitting in our path not moving. We thought it was injured and were worried for it. As we tried to pick it up to move it out of the snow and to a warmer place it just flew away. It was bazaar and we know that there is someone on the planet lazier than me! haah

Love you fam and friends!

February 3rd 2014

Chello Family and friends!

                                                                  Milwaukee District 1

This week completely turned around. Through diligence and obedience miracles are a reality. On Saturday we realized that our weekly goals were not going to be met unless we did something about it. We decided to contact at the mall ( yes we walk around and approuch people before or after shopping but we have to, people only go outside for a few reasons here. 1. alcohol 2. Custard 4. foot ball 3. get there shop on) for 5 hrs. Although there were many times we became discouraged we pressed forward. Heavenly Father put many people in our paths we had met before but had not led to anything (Caitlyn the 20 something makeup artist who was excited to learn and become more spiritual along with her mother), other investigators that we had not had contact with in awhile (we helped Melonie and her daughters prepare for her daughters play. We ran into them at Chipotle ate with them and helped the youngest apply her stage makeup because the mom was clueless) or members who were preparing others for meeting with us (the berry family has a close friend who has been reading from the book of Mormon and want those same strong family ties she sees in the berry family). All in all we were able to teach 9 other lessons, receive 3 new investigators (Adam the manager at 5 guys who is really funny and open to learn more, and Michelle the hyper but sweat manager at a bedding store who has been trying a variety of ways to find peace in her life but has yet to try learning about and conecting with God and Jesus Christ, and Dan a friend of another investigator we have), teach 1 less active family, receive many potential investigators and speak to over 28 people (our goal for the day) about the gospel. Wow! We are so grateful for our father in heaven who hears and answers our prayers.

"Think of that one person's posterity - they are cheering for you, eagerly waiting for you to help baptize that one person so they can be born in the Covenant and go on to serve missions where they will baptize many, many people." (-quote from fellow missionary)

This is soo true as we were talking with one person (maria the devout catholic who had gotta be at least 102 years old haha) I was going to give up, I felt it was not going any where.Than I thought of her beloved husband, who passed away a couple of years ago. I knew he was being taught on the other side of the veil. I than was filled with more desire to reunite these two people through the covenants that are essential. As she went on about how the boy who shovels her side walk had tried to scam her out of more money, I asked her how that made her feel in the end. Through this random tangent we were able to teach her how to utilize the atonement to repent and feel refreshed and full of love towards all men. Right than and there I asked her to try it to pray and repent. She said I could ahahaha. So I prayed and repented for her ahhaaha. Not exactly how its done but she did feel the spirit and committed to continue to try this for herself. THis is great I figure she already has immense faith in Jesus Christ, she is now repenting the next step in the gospel is baptism right? hahaha or I can somehow take a picture of her birth certificate and get baptized for her, I would just have to wait a couple years or sooo......hey! it worked for repentance! ahhahaah

Love you all! KEEP CALM & READ  BOOK OF MORMON

LOVE SISTER NELSON :)

                                                     1 YEAR wiser and colder too!