Rollercoasters

Hello People:)

 

I just want to let you know that life is hard and wonderful at the same time. And then it is magnified to a million percent when you are on your mission. The ups are clear and the heck up there and you feel like you are on top of the world! But there is opposition in all things and as high as those ups are there are going to be lows to match them. Congrats Sister Nielsen! Welcome to Oklahoma! haha Who signed me up for this?? I am just kidding around because I know how much I have grown out here and I have seen the difference in myself but I guess I didn't realize the amount of hard work it would take. And it is non stop. I am grateful for everything I have learned and I know that I am supposed to be here because it has made me stronger than I was before.

 

This week had its highs and lows! The highs were great so let me just share this skyscraper with ya! We were on exchanges and I was with Hermana Mitchell, we were over at the Torres' home and Bishop Poling came with us. He was the right man for the job because he is so kind hearted and right away he let the (father) know how much he cares about him and offered him a job! Amazing. The kids were crazy and the lesson was all over the place. We didnt teach really anything...haha but the spirit was there. We talked about his experiences that he has had and how he wants to be a good father. I asked him if he would be baptized and he was holding a baby in his arms and didn't even look at me. The other kids were going crazy but the spirit was so strong as he told us that he would be baptized. Never have I felt the spirit so strong in a lesson. And it was in the middle of complete chaos. The spirit testifies of truth and if this gospel wasn't true then there is no way that the spirit would have been present in all that mess!

 

I am grateful to be here :) I need to learn a whole lot more before I leave and that is why I am blessed to serve a whole 18 months:)

 

Love you all :)

 

Love, Alisha

As the days go by...

(Sister Nielsen was not able to get online yesterday because the library was closed for MLK day)

Hello Everyone :)

 

This week has gone by really fast! We have been biking like crazy and I think that helps a lot. I love biking. I want to bike forever. The world is my canvas...haha just kidding but I honestly love looking like a goob with a skirt on and riding a bike! It is the best!

 

This week we were able to meet with Beth again and the lesson went really well and she has been reading, but she made a comment that she loves learning about other peoples beliefs and then next time we come over she will share some of hers...wooohooo haha hopefully when she is reading this week she will be changed in a twinkling of an eye and want to be baptized. haha but I love that woman. she makes me laugh every time we go over to her house.

 

One of our wonderful members set up a time to teach one of her co-workers and this member is the best. Her husband died a little over a year ago and she is going to be sealed to him this Saturday. She has said that this year has been really rough for her but it has really increased because of her sharing the gospel. She has prayed for those moments and they have been given to her. Such a wonderful lady and the lesson went so well! The co-worker does not live in our area but we will be pleased to give different missionaries a solid referral :)

 

This week I finished 3 Nephi and it has to be one of my favorite books. One thing really stuck out to me was that "endure" is an action word. I would think about endure and think about sitting in a chair while your little brother is poking you...haha nope, that is not what enduring really means. We are supposed to act in faith and that helps us endure, we all have trials and our patience will be tested but we need to make sure that we have the means to endure those trails and that is where our faith and strong testimonies come in :)

 

Have a great week:) I love you all:)

 

Love, Alisha

January in Oklahoma

Hello!

 

This week we were blessed with miracles upon miracles! We have been really busy and this next week is promising! I am excited for the people that we have appointments with!

 

Yesterday we had ward conference and it was so good! It was really focused on the goals that the stake has for 2014! They are getting down to business! In the last hour we talked about how we must first convert ourselves before we can convert others and then it was open to people to tell about things that have been really hard for them in their lives and how they have overcome it through faith and how they are blessed. One man stood up and told us that Jesus went through a lot so we are going to go through a lot. I think Elder Holland talked about "going through our own Gethsemanes" I believe that 100%. No one is going to make it through their life without their faith being tested!

 

GRAND NEWS!! Remember Ardecia from my first area?? Well, she has a baptismal date on my 7 month mark!! She is wanting to get baptised next Sunday! I am so happy for her so please include that in your prayers! She is such a cool lady!!

 

I love you all and I hope that your week is filled with blessings that you notice :) My new years goal was to account for a miracle everyday and I can't even tell you how much happier I have been :) He loves us!!

 

Have a great week :)

 

Love, Alisha

First week of 2014 :)

Hello Everybody!

 

This week was kind of crazy. Sister Neff hurt her back on P-day so she couldn't sit or stand for very long. It was very hard for me because being in the apartment makes me go crazy! haha I can't even explain the feeling! I just get stir crazy! haha whatever that means! But instead of staying inside we went on splits and Sister Neff went to an older single lady's while another member came out with me to do missionary work. This happened for two days and I am so grateful for wonderful members that will help out with missionary work :) Also staying in the apartment we made calls like crazy and we have a lot of set appointments this week and I am really excited!! The Lord provides, my friends.

 

We had the glorious opportunity to go to the temple on Friday for an STM (specialized training meeting). We got special permission from President because the temple is in our area and he let us go! Oh goodness I am grateful for the peace that you feel in the temple. You can't feel it anywhere else and I am grateful that we have those places on this earth that we can go to to seek comfort. :)

 

Also, at this STM meeting I was picked to bear my testimony about my conversion and I was very grateful for the opportunity because I love bearing my testimony. It just scares me in front of a whole lot of people! haha But I was happy to tell them what I believe and why I feel that way :) I was born into this gospel but I still have my own conversion story and so do all of you! So this week think about that! When did you come to know that this church was true??

 

I love you all stay safe and warm. :)

 

Funny thing real fast!! We went to dinner and the oldest boy (who happens to be 9) says "hey, look it's the prophets and the girls!" haha

 

Love, Alisha