March has come and gone!

Hello Everyone,

 

This week we have been trying to find like crazy! It has been hard, but hopefully our efforts have been noticed. I have not seen a whole lot of success in tracting but you have to do it to keep working hard. But something that I have seen is how the Lord provides when you are working hard. So like I said I haven't seen a whole lot from knocking doors, but the Lord provides another way for us to teach people. We have been knocking like crazy and we have received two referrals that have been such a tender mercy for us.

 

Joe and Becky recently moved from the city. Joe just got out of jail and is now on probation. The zone leaders found them walking in the park and right before they met them, Joe and Becky were talking about how they had to pray about their situation. Well the ZLs came along and prayed with them and then referred them to us. We were able to teach Becky and take Joe on a church tour. They didn't make it to church but we did everything we could to HELP them get there. We found them a ride but something else came up.

 

We had a zone conference this week and we talked about our purpose and how we need to HELP our investigators fulfill their committments instead of just have HOPE that they will. I really enjoyed that training and it changed the way that I go about missionary work. Helping investigators come unto Christ. Pray, read, baptism, church, etc. any of them. A step towards Christ is a step in the right direction. And we are here to HELP :)

 

I love you all! have a good week :)

 

LOVE, Alisha :)

P.S. our new apartments were hit in last years tornado.....haha

Sister Nielsen and Sister Swensen

Moore 1st East

HEY EVERYONE

Practical Joke Level: 100 - Telling me that I am going to Norman (OU) and then calling me on Tuesday (day before transfers) and telling me that I am opening an area instead...who just does that? haha

So we are opening an area in Moore, OK!! WOOO! We have been really trying to see as many members as we can in the area and then we knock around their houses. So we have been knocking for a good portion of the time that we have been here! But the work will pick up as we grow a relationship with the members! We have a lot of people that were greatly affected by the tornado and almost every house we knock on will tell us a story about how their house is still standing or their experience in the tornado. It is so cool to see their faith. Oh goodness we will see miracles in this area and I am so excited to serve here, especially during the upcoming tornado season!

I learned something about charity this week. I think that a fruit of charity is respect. I think about how we are compared to the dust of the earth and this ALL POWERFUL BEING loves us more than we can even understand but still sometimes we treat our fellow "dust of the earth" friends poorly. Think about that?? haha just dust particles fighting down here! haha It was a cool thing I thought about this week.

I hope you are all being safe. Love you:)

"R-E-S-P-E-C-T tell you what it means to me"

Peace and blessings

LOVE Alisha:)

SOONER!

Transfer calls came and I am going to the OU campus in Norman....

There has to be some comedy in this because OU has a very very good softball team, and it just so happens to be around that time of the year when the lovely sport is played. haha - Not to mention that is where the Nationals take place...haha

This ward is so great and I am so sad to leave the people that I have met here! I can't even believe it! I have been here for 6 months and then I am leaving in 2 days! Saying goodbye is going to be tough. I cant believe how much this ward has changed since I got here! This area has grown so much and we have seen so many miracles. Our investigators are wonderful and I wouldn't have wanted to serve anywhere else for 4 transfers!

This week I learned a lot about agency. The choices that we make every single day affect us later on. Our Sunday school teacher is amazing and he was talking about how bad decisions sometimes have a quicker affect than the good decisions. For example, our choices in what we eat - a bad choice would be to eat something satisfying and unhealthy and the outcome is that we have that immediate satisfaction, but the consequence is not so great....haha I am not a good example, but this just made a lot of sense to me! The good decision would be to eat something healthy to fuel your body and yes, it might not be as satisfying but the consequence is much better and healthier! He gave this example and a few more like alcohol and drugs etc. and it made me think how Satan has gotten really good at deceiving us! Satan tricks us to think that we are justified in bad choices and then after we have made them, we feel bad about ourselves. It is a cycle of misery. Satan is a tricky one.

Patience with good choices is the point I think I am trying to make. Isn't that the point of long-suffering or enduring to the end?? Sometimes I get down because I don't see a dramatic result, but as long as I am facing the right way, then that's all I need, right?

CTR everything (actions, thoughts, food, toilet paper, etc.)

  

Love, ALISHA DAYLE NIELSEN!

Subjects are the pits...

I spend more time figuring out what I want to title my email than the time I take to actually write my email...true story.

 

This week I was challenged to study gratitude because Sister Nielsen needs to start getting grateful:)

 

I was reading over a talk by Elder Uchtdorf "Forget Me Not" and there was a certain part of the talk that went over being grateful every single day! He tells the story of Willy Wonka and how the people were so busy trying to find a golden ticket that they missed the chocolate!!! Sometimes we have huge and worthy goals in life and we think that we will be happy when we achieve them. Well, that day will never come because there is always going to be another goal. We need to find "Joy in the Journey;" I love that. Sometimes I think "I will be happy when my mission is all over," haha and I will be, but the point is that there is chocolate in every single day and I love chocolate!

 

"The happiest people I know are not those who find their golden ticket, they are those who, while in pursuit of worthy goals, discover the treasure and beauty and sweetness of the everyday moments. They are the ones who, thread by thread, weave a tapestry of gratitude and wonder throughout their lives. These are they who are TRULY HAPPY" -Pres. Utchdorf

 

Have a good week :) Love ya :) Be grateful!

 

Love, Sister Nielsen

SNOW!!

Hello Everyone!!

This week here in Oklahoma I received a lot of insight and answers that I had questions to. I didn't necessarily know that I had these questions but when the answers came it was very powerful. I have read many talks about how we have to change our character to become "fit for the kingdom of God" well I thought I was lagging behind big time until someone explained it to me in terms that I would understand. :)

I was sitting in a room explaining to someone why I thought that I wasn't going to the celestial kingdom...haha he continued to ask questions and then asked me to explain the three kingdoms and the qualifications of each of the three. So I went down the list: Telestial, not willing to accept the Atonement and didn't live a very good life. Terrestial, not willing to accpet the Atonement and lived a pretty good life. Celestial, willing to take upon us the Atoning blood of Christ and used the Atonement to change your life. He then asked me where I would go. I responded sarcastically and we laughed for a second but then he went on to explain the following and this is what I got out of it:

If we are trying to progress towards being Christ-like then that is all we need. Crazy huh? It doesn't matter where you are on the scale of progression. The Atonement = Infinity. Well, if you take President Monsons 300 + infinity = it equals infinity. If you take Sister Nieslen -7 + infinity = ready for this....... IT STILL EQUALS INFINITY. Jesus Christ is on top of a skyscraper and we are all blades of grass, it doesn't matter if I am an inch behind the rest because I am still trying to grow.

The snow came and they canceled church...haha. The Torres family was going to go but they will have to wait another week. We talked to Martin and he told us that he wants to attend church 5 times before he is baptized and then he wants to baptize his children the following week. He is such a good dad and I hope that I am here to see them be baptized in April. :)

I love you all! Have a safe and warm week. :) Peace and blessings :)

Love, Alisha