Christmas Conference :)

What a wonderful week. We had a Christmas conference with the north side of the mission and my favorite part of the whole thing was being able to sing Christmas hymns with all of the missionaries. The spirit just filled the room! I love this time of the year and I am grateful to be a missionary. 

 

I was able to bear my testimony as well, as one of the departing missionaries. I feel like I have changed since I have been out here and I am grateful for the small changes that I have made, but I am also grateful for the desire to continue to change and become better. My mission has given me the understanding and the importance of change. I don't want to remain the same. I want to continue to progress. 

 

Our APs texted me a scripture this last week and it I thought that it was just great! It is found in Moroni 8:3 " I am mindful of you always in my prayers, continually praying unto God the Father in the name of his Holy Child, Jesus, that he, through his infinite goodness and grace, will keep you through the endurance of faith on his name to the end." The end is not going to come with the ending of my mission. I will continue to prepare after, so that continual change will be a habit in my life. 

 

I love you all and I am grateful for your emails. Be safe :) 

 

Love, Sister Alisha Nielsen

Decembre

Seasons greetings my friends :) 

 

I hope that you enjoy this glorious photo with me and my friend James. James is an investigator and he is also dating a less active member. This photo is probably one of the classiest photos you will ever see. We were in this less-actives home and she has a lot of stuff and I saw these classy hats over in the corner and so we took pictures with them and then afterwards we taught James about the Book of Mormon. He committed to reading 3 Nephi chapter 11 and we will be seeing him this Friday. 

 

I was able to go on my last exchange with the STLs and I was with Sister Cottle. We are pretty similar and I am grateful that I have been able to exchange with her a lot. We were probably friends in the premortal existence. One thing that we talked about a lot was the reason why we serve those around us. I was thinking the other day about the Christmas initiative and the reason for all of the advertisement of "He is the Gift." I don't think that the first presidency intended to show the wealth of the church, but to reach out to as many people as possible so that they could discover the true meaning of Christmas.  I know that the leaders of the church are inspired men and women and they probably prayed a lot about this next step to spread the gospel. As I was looking back over the conferences, a new temple has not been announced since I have been on my mission, just the completion of those already being constructed. They probably were inspired to do this awhile ago and so they prepared in advance so that they could go about this new way to share the gospel. I know that our leaders are inspired and that God directs His work. His work won't be frustrated because He wanted everyone to remember the true meaning of Christmas. 

 

I hope that you all have a great week :) Stay safe and warm! 

 

Love, Sister Alisha Nielsen

Thanksgiving!

I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving:)

 

We were challenged by the stake presidency to tell the people around you what you are grateful for, so everyone, these are the things that I am grateful for:

 

I am grateful for the atonement. What an amazing gift that we have been given to better ourselves and to develop a relationship with God, our Savior, and those around us.

 

I am grateful for my family. I get to be with them forever! They are my best friends and I know that they were given to me for a reason.

 

I am grateful for missionary work. I would not be the same if I didn't come on my mission. I know that the principles that we teach to those around us are true.

 

I am grateful for wonderful members who live the standards of the gospel and try to share it with others. I love walking into members homes and feeling like I am in my own! I love feeling the spirit there.

 

Lastly, I am grateful for my companions. All of them! they have taught me things that I will remember for the rest of my life and I am so grateful for the friendships that we have developed out here!!

 

Everyone, life is so good. I couldn't tell you that enough :) I love you all and I hope that you all think of things that you are thankful for :)

 

Love, Sister Alisha Nielsen

Missionary work :)

Hey everyone :) 

 

My companion and I had the chance to speak in church yesterday and I loved it. I still get teary and all that mushy stuff but I felt the spirit really strong. I thought I would kick the whole chin quivering thing on my mission but I guess it is here to stay. We both spoke on missionary work and Sister Robison focused a lot on Charity. Her talk was very good! I got up and spoke about being chosen to be missionaries and how we promise to be representatives of Christ when we are baptized. 

 

A quote that I shared by Sheri Dew, " You were recommended to help run the last leg of the relay that began with Adam and Eve because your premortal spiritual valor indicated you would have the courage and determination to face the world at it's worst, to do combat with the evil one during his heyday, and, in spite of it all to be fearless in building the kingdom of God. You simply must understand this, because you were born to by virtue of who you are, the covenants that you have made, and the fact that you are here in the 11th hour. You were born to lead as mothers and fathers, because nowhere is righteous leadership more crucial that in the family. You were born to lead as priesthood and auxiliary leaders; as head of communities, companies, and even nations. You were born to lead as men and women willing "to stand as witnesses of God at all times, in all things, and in all places," because that is what a true leader does.....His kingdom is being established once and for all, never again to be taken from the earth. This is the last leg of the relay. This is when He needs His strongest runners." 

 

If this quote doesn't pump you up I don't know what will! but honestly though! We are asked to establish His church before He will come again! How important is that! I am so grateful to be a part of that and I will continue to be a part of it even when I get released because I promised that I would. 

 

I love you all! Have a Happy Thanksgiving :) 

 

Love, Sister Alisha Nielsen

Little Kiddos

Hey everyone :) 

 

It snowed yesterday and it was crazy cold! Tis the season :) Yesterday we also had the primary program and they have to be the best thing no matter where you are on earth! Children are the greatest! I was just sitting and watching (mom I really wasn't making any faces this time) and a little girl made eye contact with me and she started doing the Little Rascals wave with putting her hand under her chin and waving at me! and she was on the front row! I couldn't look at her anymore so I put my head down and every time I would look up she would do it again! 

 

Me and Sister Robison will be companions again here in Choctaw! I am so grateful for that because the people that we are teaching are amazing. I am so grateful for our companionship as well because we get along really well!

 

This week we had the chance to go over to Tabatha MeGees and teach Avery a lesson. Avery is her good friend to Sister McGee and she is so great at being a member missionary. She really is a huge example to me! We taught Avery about the Book of Mormon and bore testimony about the effect that it has had on our lives. I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon because I know that it is inspired and written for us today. I was reading about Christ visiting the Americas and He is telling the people of His correct doctrine. One thing that stuck out to me this week was in Ch. 13 vs. 32-33. When we are doing what the Lord commands He promises that He will take care of the rest. I have tried really hard to KNOW this but sometimes it is just a belief. There are things that I am scared of and I forget that God will take care of it. I hope to be able to instill this in my brain and live by it. God provides. 

 

I hope that everyone is staying warm! I love you all :) 

 

Love, Sister Alisha Nielsen

November 10

This week I was reading about Alma the younger and his accounts to his sons. Normally the one that stands out the most to me is Chapter 36 because the whole thing is about his conversion story and he is bearing his testimony to his son Helaman. Well this time as I was reading I came across something that he said to his son Shiblon that really stood out to me. In verse 4 it talks about the rough times that Shiblon has had but then Alma says, "thou didst bear all things with patience because the Lord was with thee; and now thou knowest that the Lord did deliver thee"

 

This phrase reminded me of a talk that Elder Holland gave about Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail. He talked about how Joseph needed to go through that so that he would have a firmer faith in the Lord and that would lead to him being the leader that the saints needed at that time. His trials were necessary for his progression. Same for us. Our trials are there for us to progress and better rely on the Lord.

 

This morning we were on our way to the library and a man was struggling up the hill on his bike. Me and my companion really felt that we should help him out so we loaded his bike onto our bike rack and then drove him home. Well he let us step in the door and there was a man washing the dishes that we have met before. haha his name is James. He saw us and with his soapy hand came up to us and hugged us and said "my sistas!" haha life is good :)

 

I love you all and I hope that you have a great week :)

 

Love, Sister Nielsen

HEY HEY HEY

On Saturday night we had the coolest lesson of my entire life. We met with Mariah in the church so it was very easy to feel the spirit. We were just getting to know her a little bit better when she basically bore her testimony to us that she knows that what she is doing is the right thing. She spent the summer down in Texas and she started dating a member and hanging out with him and his friends. Well, the seed was planted because she wanted to know why they acted the way that they did and that they didn't need to drink to have a good time. This girl is 19 years old and knows that there is more than just partying in her life. It was the sweetest thing in the world to hear her talk about it. We talked to her about baptism and she accepted the date for November 22nd. Her grandfather is in the hospital with terminal cancer so she is going through a pretty rough time. But with the knowledge of the gospel in our lives, even the hardest trials we have will come with better understanding that we have a Heavenly Father that loves us and wants the best for us and those around us.

It reminds me of when I was in Nevada and my friends would go out and party and drink. Crazy things would happen and they would come up to me the next day and over and over again they would tell me that they needed to hang out with me. haha I love my teammates so much and I miss them like crazy.

The commandments keep us safe. I can have a good time without being under the influence of a substance. Over here we call it #highonlife. haha

Happy birthday grandma Peggy (yesterday) I hope that you have a wonderful day :)

I hope you have a wonderful week and enjoy the fall weather before it is gone :)

Love, Sister Nielsen

SOMEBODY!

Funny story to share. The day after my birthday the Culpeppers had us over for dinner. The Culpeppers live with their daughter Sister Bowers and they are getting up there in age. I think that they are 93. haha but anyways we were eating dinner and they kept asking questions like "what is the big occasion?" because I guess they never eat in their dining room. and Sister Bowers would explain to them that it was my birthday and all the grand stuff. haha but the best part was that they went to sing happy birthday to me and Brother Culpepper was singing the loudest and sang, "happy birthday to.........somebody. happy birthday to you." and then went on to eat his ice cream while all the rest of us were just dying of laughter. Old people are the best :) 

 

This week we were able to visit a less active family that has not been able to make it to the temple yet. It was a huge blessing because as we were eating dinner with them they brought it up. So they invited us back this week so we can help them reach their goal of going to the temple. It was great to see how this is the Lord's works. Missionary work is not always bringing someone new to the gospel but maybe inviting someone back. We are doing the Lord's work and we will do what He wants done :) 

 

I know that what I am doing is where I am supposed to be. Every day my testimony is strengthened and my relationship with the Savior grows stronger. I am grateful for the blessings that I have received all throughout life. I know that when we do what the Lord expects of us, He promised us blessings :) 

 

LOVE YOU ALL!

Love, Sister Nielsen

October miracles :)

We had a wonderful miracle yesterday! We had stake conference and we were just getting ready to leave and an Elder walked up with a girl that I had never seen before. We started to talk to her and found out that she was investigating the church in Texas and is now living with her grandma in Harrah. We are going to meet with her this Wednesday! I think this meant so much to me because these last couple of weeks have been a little tough because the work has been slow. But because of the knowledge that I have gained from experiences that I have had out my mission I know that we can expect miracles as missionaries. Three weeks trying to find people to teach or getting in with formers has been rough but it was all worth it to be able to meet and teach Mariah. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father knows us perfectly and knows exactly what we need to go through in order for us to progress.  

This one is for you family members. One thing that really has stuck out to me a lot from conference is being spiritually self reliant (I bet you know that because I bring it up all the time now!) haha but I want you to figure out what you know about the gospel and why you know it. Then if you just "believe" some things, try to develop that belief into a knowledge. AUSTIN AND EVAN. this will bless you as you grow up. I promise. Sometimes living where we do we sometimes get into a rut of believing things because that is what everyone else believes. I want you to know for yourself :) Be a better teenager than I was! I love you both.

I hope that you all have a wonderful week :) I love you all!

Shout out to my married bff :) HAPPY BIRTHDAY RACHEL :)

Love, Sister Nielsen

Happy (day after) Columbus Day!

Can I let you all know of an experience that I just had? haha well here it is. I am sitting here emailing and there is a young man that smells heavily of cologne, almost to the point where I might be intoxicated by the time that I leave. Well I am sitting here and breathing in the fumes and I move a little bit and get a whiff of my smelly ear. bahaha I don't know what is better. My infected earring hole or young men that are cologne happy! Thought you all would like to know :)

 

This week was wonderful :) I think that I really found joy in the work. Just because of the companionship I am in, I have the opportunity to bear my testimony about my mission frequently and I am so grateful for that. I know that God's hand is in the little things of our lives. Even down to the companionship that I am in :) I am grateful for my time to serve.

 

This time that I have been reading through the Book of Mormon I have tried to notice anytime that the author states what they know. I love to tell people what I know to be true and as I have been reading through 1st and 2nd Nephi it is very powerful the things that him and his family know. Basically I love to read through their testimonies.

 

On fast Sunday, Brother Robar got up to bear his testimony and I loved it because it was about an experience that he and his wife had when they came out teaching with us and I am so glad that he shared it because it helped me to see the light in a rough situation that we had. On Friday, we went to go see two men that were not really interested in hearing the gospel as much as they wanted to tear us down. We were not able to share any of our message but you better believe that we didn't leave that place without bearing testimony about Jesus. Brother Robar brought up the fact that these two men did not testify of Christ but they were too wound up in logic and facts and proving that we were wrong. It was just great to know that the knowledge that I have is far greater than all of the facts you could ever have. I know that Christ lives and loves all of us because of the way that I have seen my life change through seeking His guidance in my life. He is always there but sometimes we don't show up because of the way we choose to live our life. I hope to always live in a way where I constantly want to be closer to my Savior.

 

I love all ya'll! haha have a blessed day :)

 

Love, Sister Nielsen

"Go to work"

Hey Hey Hey! 

 

Conference was wonderful! I hope that you all got to watch some of it. As I was listening to the Saturday morning session I really noticed the topic of being spiritually self reliant. I loved that, because as the days get a little bit more trying we are going to need to know where we stand and why. I am so grateful for the chance I have had to learn why I believe different aspects of the gospel, because that has helped me with my overall testimony that I know that this is the church of Jesus Christ. I know my Savior a little bit better because I have had to learn who He is to me instead of who He is to those around me. Elder Christoffersen said "Go to work," when he was talking about spiritual independence. We need to prepare now so that we can be strong enough to help those around us gain an understanding of where they should be firmly planted when the Savior will come. 

 

My favorite talk was by Elder Robbins, and how he talked about the way that we face. Do we face the Lord or do we face the world. Then he talked about how some try to bend themselves against the Lord's standards - that won't work. When we raise our standards to the Lord's standards, that is when we build our own testimonies and have the chance to really improve instead of being satisfied and comfortable. Sometimes satisfied and comfortable causes us to coast with little to no improvement. 

 

This week was wonderful, along with watching conference we also got to see "Meet the Mormons." What a wonderful missionary tool! Hopefully you all get the chance to see it too! 

 

I hope that October is treating you well :)

 

Love you!

 

Sister Nielsen

TREKKIN'

HELLO :)

 

I have finished the Old Testament and I have almost finished the book of Luke. I also finished the Book of Mormon this week and I am working on the Doctrine and Covenants! I am so grateful for the chance that I have had to read and study! I am so grateful for the scriptures that we have know to read and learn from so that we can better understand God's will for us. I know that as we read we can better understand the example of Jesus Christ and how we can better follow Him.

 

I know that I have a Heavenly Father that loves me and wants the best for me. I feel like a better understanding of this has helped me with how I have changed the way that I view myself. I have really struggled (who doesn't) with some negative thoughts about myself but I can tell you that I am stronger now than I ever have been and that is because I know my Heavenly Father a little bit better than I used to. I know that He has given me my life to help me return to live with Him again. We all go through our individual trials and challenges, but He is trying to transform us into something that we couldn't be on our own.

 

We ran out of miles about on Friday. haha don't worry that was all me because I am the driver! haha so we walked to district meeting and it was the greatest thing in the world. The chapel is six miles away so we wore tennis shoes with our skirts and started along our trek! It took us about 2 hours to get there but it went by really fast because me and Sister Robison talked to whole time and that makes the journey a lot more enjoyable! haha but that night it was really funny to watch us trying to walk up the steps of our apartment! how weak could ya get! #sistermissionarylife

 

I love you all and I hope that you know God loves you too :)

 

Love, Sister Nielsen

"Forget not to be happy now."

Hello from Oklahoma :)

 

We have had a wonderful week! We got a referral for a family that lives is the very south most part of our area and so we needed a ride to get down there. Good thing there are wonderful members everywhere, because we were able to visit this family and invite them to church! They ended up coming yesterday and they are probably some of the coolest people I have ever met. Both of them belong to a biker gang, but they have certain standards that go along with that! They go around doing charity events and they are hard core! haha

 

This week I was studying and I wanted to read a talk that has helped me a lot these last few days. I am not good at this myself and I have to remind myself all the time to live in the moment and not in the past or the future. Elder Utchdorf gave a talk about the forget me not flower and this was one of his five points. "Forget not to be happy now." I have had so many great opportunities in life and I have been so blessed! I mean look at my rockin' awesome family :) haha but some times I live on my past mistakes or the weaknesses that I have now or about fears in the future. This line in the talk really stuck out to me and I want to apply it better this upcoming week :) I have all of the reasons in the world to be happy now :)

 

Yesterday we were blessed with another wonderful member to come out with us. We were invited over to a mans house and there were three men there. We were going to talk about the restoration of the church, but we didn't get a word out. One of the men really didn't want to hear what we had to say, so he proceeded to argue about the teachings of the gospel. We didn't give him any information but he was spitting stuff out like crazy. We left without saying much but we did bear our testimonies. The member that came with us really had our backs. She didn't bash, but she let the man know what she believed. I know that she came with us for a reason. The purpose of this man was to probably shake us in our faith or question what we believe, but every single time I run into people that dispute the church I come away feeling more sure about what I believe.

 

I love you guys :)

 

Love, Sister Nielsen

Fall Weather :)

HELLO!

 

This last week has been more learning the area and the families in Harrah. It has been great because I have been able to get to know the people we teach and the members a little bit better. I am grateful that the spirit is the same no matter where you go. You can still feel the spirit when you testify of Jesus Christ out here in Harrah as much as you can feel it in Moore. I am so grateful for the chance to identify the spirit in my life and I want to live in a way where it can always stay with me. Last night we had the chance to talk with the Relief Society President, Sister Schrupp, about the ladies in the ward. Well her husband got home and we chatted for a little bit about our missions and the experiences that we have faced. It was a huge testimony builder as I was able to identify when the spirit was super strong throughout my mission and then situations that had the spirit sucked out of them. (Stories for home :) ) I am so very grateful that I have been able to feel that spirit.

 

I have been blessed to be able to see some of my growth as I have been out on a mission. I have changed the way that I view myself and others and I know that is because of the better understanding that I have of the atonement of Jesus Christ. I don't understand it perfectly.....who does? But I have been able to better understand and apply how my Heavenly Father views me and how He also views those around me. What a wonderful gift we have been given! Sometimes I want to yell "THE CHURCH IS TRUE!" at the top of my lungs. hahaha (kind of like when I would yell I LOVE YOU-mom) haha I used to only get an overwhelming sense of love when I talked about my family, like my heart could explode. This feeling is there because I love them so much and I know that they love me too, they show me that all the time :) But know I have had the chance to feel that same feeling when I talk about our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and how much they love us! It is such a neat experience. I am awful at getting my feelings out over email but I will just tell you that I know that we really do have a Father in Heaven that loves us, and that is why He sent His son to help us get back to Him. I know that! Because I have felt that love in my life and I understand it a little bit better.

 

The weather has been wonderful because we have been able to actually walk around outside and not have sweat dropping down our backs! haha I love this time of the year!

 

I love you all a ton :) have a great week! #homiesforlife haha

 

Love, Sister Nielsen

Hello from Harah-(dise)

Hello my friends and family!

 

Saying goodbye to the people in Moore was super tough. I am so grateful for the relationships that were built in the last 6 months that I served there :)

 

The first day in Choctaw was a little rough. The change always makes my anxiety skyrocket through the roof. haha but that is nothing new, but what is new is that I have learned how to control my thoughts and quickly get the worries out of my head. Wednesday night me and my companion were discussing the area and how both of us don't know a lot of people and the area very well. Sister Robison's last companion was sick a lot of the time so they spent a lot of time in the apartment and so the area was affected by that. As she was explaining all of this I quickly felt that the situation was hopeless (thank you anxiety) but soon after I remembered that I had done this before and that I have seen areas that have struggled, but also how I knew that if we work hard as a companionship and include the Lord in our efforts then we can and will see miracles. The anxiety that I felt didn't stand a chance to the spirit letting me know that me and my companion could do hard things through Jesus Christ. I surprised myself when I felt that way! haha I have changed a little bit and I know that everything and anything is possible when we work hard and rely on Jesus Christ.

 

Already we have seen miracles as we show the members that we want to work hard and help them out as a ward. We went to visit a part member family that lives out in the boonies and their gate was open! (I guess their gate is never open so we couldn't visit) We got to meet them and talk to them about the Book of Mormon. The husband has been reading! Miracle :) We set up an appointment to go see them this Friday!

 

I think that you are wonderful :) keep being strong!

 

Love, Sister Nielsen

Leaving Eden

Oh family and friends-

I have been called to serve in Choctaw, Oklahoma. I am leaving Moore and all of the people that I love here :) I am so grateful for the relationships that I have been able to build here. I am so lucky that the Lord sent me here and kept me here for 6 months. Saying goodbye to some of these families last night let me see that the Lord sent me here for a reason to meet specific people :) I am so blessed. 

I had the chance to bear my testimony last night to a couple families. I read my favorite scripture to them which happens to be Alma 32:27, it was so wonderful for me to see that when I first read that scripture it meant a whole lot to me because I felt like I only "believed" and that was ok, because the Lord could help me turn that belief into a knowledge. I made the connection that I can now say that I "know" that this church is true and all of the teachings that comes with it. I know that we have a Father in Heaven that truly cares about us individually. I know that we can change through the atonement of Jesus Christ and I know that because I have seen it take place in my life. Not only have I seen the change in others around me but I have seen it in myself. I want to be more like Jesus Christ and I know that is possible if I follow Him. 

I love you all. You are all pretty cool :) have a great week :) 

Love, Sister Nielsen

No correlation between the "Leaving Eden" title of the post and the snake that she is holding. ;)

Midnight Snack

Hello Everyone!

Saturday night I woke up around 1:37 not feeling too good but I laid in bed for a little bit! I was on fire and I felt like something was eating me alive. I ended up getting out of bed and filling out the rest of the area book and catching up on writing in my journal. I stayed up till 4 because I was scared that there was a monster in my bed...haha but I got too tired to care. I woke up in the morning with bite marks all over my neck and arms. I went to ward council and I talked to the Relief Society President about if she knew what kind of bug bites they were, she thought spider. I thought "yes, I am so glad that I am sharing a bed with a spider." haha we went home and I pulled back the covers to beat that spider for affecting my sleep. But I didn't see a spider, instead I saw little baby red fire ants. I was a midnight snack to some fire ants, but they are no longer taking residence in my bed :) Sorry little baby red fire ants! 

This week I had the chance to have an interview with my seven foot tall mission president. Good thing the interview takes place sitting down because I think that my neck would be sore if I had to stand.... haha I took a lot away from the interview and I feel like my whole mission has been changed. President talked to me about how my view has changed since I have been here and how we need to constantly strive to change the way we view everything. Do we see the way that Christ sees? I have never though of that before so when I heard this insight from President Walkenhorst it really made me want to see more like Christ sees.  

I mean think about it, if we learned to look at things the way that Christ looks at things then we would have a greater appreciation for things, a greater love for those around us, and a better knowledge of who we are and who we can become. 

I want to change and grow in a way that I can understand who I am and what my potential is, because with that you can accomplish anything. I know that I am a daughter of God and that I can live with Him and my family again. But I also have the potential to be like Him. I hope to grow so that I have a stronger and firmer knowledge of this that can be with me always, not just when I am writing in my journal or reading my scriptures or bearing my testimony, because that is easy to know then. I want to be able to go through hard things and then have a reassurance of what I can become and that everything that I go through was given to me to help me get there. 

I love you all dearly and I hope that you don't have any encounters with red fire ants this week :) 

Love, Sister Nielsen 

Rotten smells and shirtless men

About around the middle of the week I started to get a whiff of sweaty boy and I kept thinking that I needed to apply more deodorant or spray more body spray or something but the smell would come and go. I bathe daily as directed in the white handbook and I wash my clothes frequently because I don't like to smell like a sweaty boy! Well I kept smelling the stink periodically and then I figured out what it was. My ear is infected. hahaha it smells rotten. So I am not wearing earrings for a little bit so that it can heal and start smelling normal. I feel bad for all of the people that I have hugged and they have gotten a whiff of my infected ear. haha I even made my companions smell my ears. I will include the picture! haha they put up with a lot :)

We have seen a lot of miracles this last week. It started off with dropped appointments but the Lord needed us elsewhere and so we would go to our back up plans and they were who we needed to see that day! Planning has a purpose :) One of the miracles we saw was yesterday when one of appointments fell through with a recent convert, we decided to go check on a referral and we found their address and as we were coming down the road I could see a man with his shirt off standing there with his wife, both smoking cigarettes, secretly I was hoping that we weren't being referred to their home so that we could avoid that awkwardness but they were the people we were supposed to see. We got out of the car and I asked "are you Tom and Frita?" they replied and said yes and I told them "We were told to come give you all a visit" they laughed and told us that they had just taken a break from packing up their home and how we had just caught them in the act of smoking. They welcomed us into their home and we talked about our beliefs and their beliefs. The spirit was there so strong as they told us about how they lost their daughter in February but how they believe that she is in a better place. They agreed to have us come back and teach them about the plan of happiness :) cool moments like this that seem so awkward that turn out to be so wonderful are the things that keep me going :) tender mercy!

I love the opportunities that I have been given to serve in Oklahoma :) The Lord knows what I need and so He is there to help me along the way :) I love you all and I hope that you have a good week :) 

Love, Sister Nielsen 

8-11-14

Hello everyone!

This week was great! My added stress with the extra area has gone down a bit because I realized that Sister Nielsen is not the best at relying on the Lord. So I tried to do better this week. I stopped worrying about the little things and tried harder to listen to the spirit. I rely on the arm of the flesh a ton, and I think that I needed this added stress of an additional area to let me see that weakness because I can't do it on my own. The Lord gives us stumbling blocks but in all honesty if I can better rely on the Lord this will help me throughout my whole life! I was very grateful to notice that and see this as a chance for me to improve rather than be stressed out all of the time! We are given opportunities to grow so that we can one day be strong enough to live with God again :) 

Yesterday in Sunday school we were discussing the question of if there is a God and how we knew that. I thought about it for a little bit and we were asked to write it down on a piece of paper. I wrote it in my journal so I wouldn't forget. I know that there is a God because I am different from every other person on this planet. But He knows me and He knows what is best for me and most of the time I can only see that when I am looking back at the trials that I have faced. I am so grateful that I have a Father in Heaven that wants me to reach my fullest potential.

We are  teaching and preaching every day! We have a lot of appointments but it is a huge blessing :) One lady that we are teaching is Lisa C. We shared a Mormon message with her, "The Hope of Gods Light." If you haven't seen that one, it is very great and Lisa loved it too. She told us that her life has been really rough for 10 years and that she is tired. Every time she does something right a million other things go wrong. This message was super great for her and we listen to the spirit to adapt to her needs. God doesn't always answer our prayers when we want them to be answered but the answer does come. Peace does come! We just have to keep hoping for it and noticing it along the way :) 

Keep up the good work :) I love you all! 

I would love to make a shout out to my wonderful pops. He is turning the big 51 tomorrow! I love you Dad! 

-Love, Sister Nielsen 

August!

I am probably the most uninformative email writer there has ever been on the planet. I am sorry, but just to let you all know. I type probably 20 words a minute. (how and I going to survive in this technological world?) So I will just tell you that I am a lazy email writer. Forgive me :) 

Running the two areas has worn me thin. I mean I could be thinner :) haha I have had the chance to teach a whole lot of lessons and I have never been so spiritually tired in my life. I am grateful for that, though, because I love to testify and the spirit that comes when we speak of truth. Inviting someone to be baptized is probably my all time favorite thing and we have had the chance to do it twice so far this transfer. I don't think I fully understand what it means to be a representative of Jesus Christ, but when you ask people to change and come unto Christ the spirit that is in the room or even in your heart has to be one of my favorite feelings. I am so grateful that I have the chance to experience that every single day. I don't want that to ever leave. 

We are teaching about 9 people right now and they are all progressing. Talk about miracles. I have seen the Lord's hand so much in these last couple of weeks because we were asked to work a little bit harder. The Lord provides; I just need to trust in Him a whole lot more. If we are doing all that we can, the Lord will bless us. We will not be cut short of the blessings that we will receive. I know that Heavenly Father wants to bless us as much as He can. 

A quote that I read this week just really got me. Sometimes I expect to go throughout life and have it easy and then expect to be exalted on top of that. "How can you and I expect to glide through life as if to say "Lord, give me experience, but not grief, but not sorrow, not pain, not opposition, not betrayal, and certainly not to be forsaken. Keep from me, Lord, all those experiences which made Thee what Thou art! Then let me come and dwell with Thee and fully share thy joy."" -Neil A. Maxwell. We are given experiences that will "condition" us for the Celestial Kingdom. My mission has been a lot of spiritual conditioning and I am so grateful for that because I want to live comfortably with my Father in Heaven again. 

I hope that you will all be able to see the Lord's hand in your life this week :) 

Love, Sister Nielsen

Moore 1st! North and East!

"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do; not that the nature of the thing is changed but that our power to do is increased." 

I know that we can change through the atonement of Jesus Christ. We are allowed to change through grace and through that we can become more like our Father in Heaven. This change makes us stronger. I was thinking about this the other day and how as our faith increases in our Savior's atonement for us then we acquire a knowledge or a hope to pull us through. When we truly know what we can become then that knowledge will help us push through and keep going. "our power to do is increased" 

We have been able to teach many lessons and it is a really cool thing to be so busy. I love to meet new people and find out more about them and their beliefs and how we can best help them. And that is by inviting them to strengthen their relationship with Jesus Christ so that they can also overcome the hard things in life and experience joy. 

I love you guys and hope you have a good week! 

Love, Alisha 

Holding down two areas in a trio!

Transfer news came and I didn't expect to see a lot of changes but, dang I was caught off guard! Our mission is becoming 50% Elders and 50% Sisters but since more sisters are going home than are coming this transfer, crazy things need to happen! So the 3 sets of missionaries in the Moore 1st ward are down to 2, just for this transfer. We will be in a trio with one of the other sisters in our ward so it won't be another shotgunning experience! Let's just say that things are going to be so busy for the next 6 weeks! I am excited! 

I had the chance to study the apostasy this week and I feel like I am only skimming the surface. It blows my mind and it has to be one of my favorite topics to study. I think the reason why I love it so much is because in order to have the fullness of the gospel on the earth, the truth had to be restored. The truth was lost and the more I learn about how ordinances were changed and how corrupt the doctrines became the more my testimony is strengthened about the restoration of the gospel through the prophet Joseph Smith. We claim that divine authority because there is nowhere else you can find it. I have felt of God's love in my life and I know that He loves us enough to return to live with Him. Restoring the gospel to the earth was the only way. We are able to perform ordinances that are essential for exaltation only through the priesthood authority found in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 

That was my studies for the week folks. I love you all a ton and I know that the church is true :) 

Love, Alisha!

Things are okay in OK

Hello Hello Hello!!! 

This week has been so busy! We are having a hard time getting everything done but it is ok! haha We had the chance to be a part of a baptism this Saturday! Jordan B. got baptized and then her family came to church to be confirmed. Oh man, talk about an elect child. Jordan is 10 years old and the reason that she wanted to be baptized is, "it will help me get closer to God" I mean isn't that the coolest thing ever. Out of all of the lessons that we taught I am so grateful that was the reason that she got baptized. She was so excited for the whole thing! When she got confirmed she was just beaming! Oh, I am grateful for the whole experience of teaching her and her family :) 

Another miracle that we saw this week was a less active family in church. The McCarthy's have been a tough situation the whole time that I have been here but just recently we have seen a change in their hearts. We were in a lesson with them and usually it is very crazy and kids are yelling and on their phones but I just had to let them know how I was feeling about coming over and teaching them. I told them that we are trying our best to help them but we don't notice anything happening on their part. Towards the end I bore my testimony and I was pretty dang bold. I told them that they weren't happy and that the only way they could be happy is if they had the gospel in their lives. A few tears were shed through my gritted teeth. haha but I guess that is what they needed. I needed it too. 

The gospel is the only way to be happy. Like true happiness and peace, not the fake stuff that is temporary. My testimony was strengthened! It was cool and they came to church.

I love you guys! have a good week! 

Love, Alisha 

"GOD BLESS AMERICA"

Greatest week ever. On the 4th of July our ward got together and played a slow pitch game. Oh my heart aches for softball, but its ok and I will get over it. I was so grateful to play and to relieve some stress. I got to take batting practice after and then some grounders too! The members were just so sweet and they cared so much about me and my love for softball. I could just feel it! That was a huge blessing. 

Earlier this week we were teaching the Blair family about the Restoration we were talking about how Christ set up the church upon the earth and He went forth blessing and healing people. Well Bobbie just added, "I wish that I lived in Christ's time so that He could heal me." (in my head I started to scream for joy) we told her that the message of the restoration is that we now have that same priesthood power on the earth to heal and to bless and to perform miracles just like Christ did. She was shocked and asked how she could find it. We told her that a worthy male could come give her and blessing and that is what happened the next day! The elders came over and explained a little bit more of the priesthood and then they gave her a blessing. I am grateful for the priesthood because as soon as the blessing was over Bobbie explained that way she felt as if Christ was in the room! It was a miracle. I was sitting behind her so she couldn't see me, but there were definitely some fist bumps in the air. haha It was such a neat experience:) 

I was reading Alma 29 this morning and Alma talks about his joy in preaching the gospel and the "fruits" that come from it. I was pondering the fruits that I have seen on my mission and they are not all from seeing investigators change, but many of how we are invited into the homes of members and how happy they are to see us. There have been some members that I will just love forever because of the influence that our testimonies have had on each other! That is one of my favorite fruits! bahaha cheesy missionary humor:) 

Love you all! 

Love, Alisha :) 

"Onward EVER Onward"

Yesterday we had an awesome sacrament meeting. A new member in our ward named Brother Harprie gave a talk about "Are you sleeping through the Restoration" by President Utchdorf. Well first off Brother and Sister Harprie just moved from Provo, but second their last name is the coolest ever. They could get away with naming their son Champ Harprie and he would probably be the coolest athlete around. haha 

Back to his talk. I haven't had the chance to read over this talk yet but I think that President Utchdorf is very inspired. He says, "In reality, the restoration is an ongoing process; we are living it right now. It included 'all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal,' and the 'many great and important things' that 'He will yet reveal.' Brethren, the exciting developments of today are part of that long-foretold period of preparation that will culminate in the glorious Second Coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ."  The Restoration of the Gospel is happening right now! So many Prophets saw this time and now it is our turn to make it happen. We were called and prepared for this time!!! We are already on the team it is just up to us if we are going to put the jersey on and play. 

I just love this because it makes me realize that the Gospel is so important, more important to me than it was a year ago and I want to do everything I can to do my part. Brother Harprie talked about the hymn, "Called to Serve." In the chorus when it says "onward ever onward" it means onward [always pressing] onward. It does not mean onward [when we feel like it] onward. It will happen no matter what, we can either be a part of it or not. It is our choice. 

"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's the same shall find it" Mark 8:34-35

Love you crazies! Peace

Love, Alisha :)

Sister Hamm & Sister Nielsen

"Courage brethren and on; ON TO THE VICTORY."

I ate a piece of squirrel last night. haha Check that one off the list. 

Everyone, remember Paul? Hopefully you do, because I don't know what I tell you all about certain things. Because I kind of get lazy at writing emails. 

Paul. He is no longer being taught by us because it would go against what his wife wants. But the killer part is that he knows that the church is true. He studies out of the Book of Mormon and has read the first 19 sections of the Doctrine and Covenants. It kills me that we can't go over anymore and talk to him. I basically poured my heart out to this man and he changed. He is actually a person that I have seen change before my eyes. I am grateful for this experience though because it makes me realize that this can happen and hearts can really change. I was just bearing my simple testimony and he actually listened. Not many people do, and he took it to heart. One day he will get the chance to be baptized and I hope I hear about it in the future. Bro. Ruick is still staying in contact with him and being a wonderful fellow shipper. 

The Gospel is true it has the power to change hearts. Even stubborn ones like mine. haha  God allows us the opportunity to love. But with that comes heartache. It makes me wonder if His heart ever hurts for us down here. I am sure it does because we are a little senseless sometimes and choose to disobey. That would be rough. I think Pres. Uchtdorf mentioned one time that God works with toddlers. haha or something along those lines. That is us. But even though we cause Him some great heartache He still loves us completely. I am not even close to comprehending this love but I have been able to recognize it more in my life. Blessings of a mission. When I don't want to do it anymore (oh it happens more than you know), He strengthens me and helps me push through until the end of the day. I can do all things through Him. 

The Church is true. It can change your life but only if you let it. God loves you, but only if you accept that love will you start to realize it. 

Love you all :) 

Love, Alisha 

Sweaty, but not shaken

Wow, sometimes it feels like it was yesterday that I was emailing and then sometimes it feels like I haven't been on a computer for decades...haha weird how that all works! 

This week I got my new companion! Her name is Sister Hamm and she is from Ogden, Utah. She has been out for 3 months and she just got done training, so we will get some great insights on how we can help our area. 

We have been biking a lot and I turn into a sweaty monster so it is kind of funny! But the people don't seem to mind. We had the opportunity to have dinner with a less-active family and it was a really cool experience because we were able to talk to them about why they don't attend church. It was a neat experience for me because I have been studying a lot about conversion and how we need to get to a point in our testimonies where others can't shake us. Kind of like Jacob when Korihor came along and he said "I could not be shaken," I think that we all need to get to that point. I think that is a major reason why Heavenly Father wanted me to serve a mission. So I could figure that out, or at least gain more understanding than I had before. 

I hope you all have a great week and I hope that you are doing all you can to strengthen your testimonies every day. 

Love, Alisha 

Moore Miracles :)

I get the chance to stay in Moore for another transfer! Yeah! Sister Swensen will be going down to Texas and I will be getting Sister Hamm! 

The greatest experience happened this week! I think I have told you all about Paul? We found him knocking. We have seen his heart change and it has been so wonderful to see. He knew that transfers were coming up so he offered to take me and Sister Swensen to Red Lobster (deal, man!) haha and so that is what we did on Tuesday! It was such a cool thing because he just thanked us over and over again for putting his life back on course and how he is going to try harder in his marriage! He has been studying everyday and He can tell that his relationship with God has been strengthened! At the end he shook our hands and told us that we have saved his life. Such a cool man. I am grateful for the chance to meet him because I know that every contact doesn't turn out at baptism but that doesn't mean that it was unsuccessful. Paul will not get baptized because his wife doesn't agree with that, and he wants to make her happy. But he has changed, and that is what is important! Baptism can come later :) 

I love you all and I hope that you have a great week :) 

Love, Alisha

The District

"Let Us All Press On"

Hello! 

This week we had a couple of hard times, as we have recently have had a drought in our teaching pool. haha We have seen so many first contact miracles and then they fizzle out. How do you prevent this? No clue. If you know, help a sister out and spit some advice this way :) But anyway, after waking up in the morning after a rough day of work, "Let us all press on" was stuck in my head. What a tender mercy :) I had to write the first verse in my journal just to explain how happy it made me feel! haha and then I almost yelled "courage, for the Lord is on our side," but I thought writing it down would be a better form or expression at 6:30 in the morning!

Another miracle! We have been seeing a less active named Abby, recently she has had a huge change of heart and she has decided to come back to church. She has been there the last two weeks! Abby has just made a huge impact on my heart. She is a single mother to two autistic children, and every time I have been in her home and something arises she is so quick to respond with love to her kids. She talks to them with love and she talks to them about their Heavenly Father and how He would want them to treat themselves and others. I wish you all could see what an amazing lady she is. This realization just got stronger as I was sitting by them in sacrament and they were fussy and so I was doing the best I could to have them draw in my notebook or play with my Plan of Salvation cut out pieces. Life as a mother is rough but super rewarding; and I am not even there yet! haha 

Later on this week we had someone approach us with Anti information and at first it was scary and I doubted some things but right there the thought "Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith" popped into my head then the spirit just confirmed to me that I had not been led astray as this person had thought. I have had so many spiritual confirmations that I know that God would not confuse me like that, or anyone for that matter. I just thought that was a really neat experience and I am grateful that it happened. We didn't try to convince this person of anything, but I just bore my testimony about how I have come to find happiness and that is through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I hope that you all have a great week :) thank you for your prayers :)

Love, Sister Nielsen 

Happy Summer :)

Hello Everyone! 

This week was a little hard because we have decided to drop people and then we have been dropped by people that we would never want to drop. haha missionary work :) 

This week I have had some pretty great studies and honestly I think that studies could be one of my many favorite things about a mission! haha So this week I studied about our purpose, not just our purpose as missionaries but also as members of the church. I was reading Moses 1:39 "For behold, this is my work and my glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." That is His purpose so He provided a way to get back to Him through the atonement. Christ was sent to "do His Father's will" and we are asked to follow Christ! We all have the same purpose, just different jobs :) Many of you probably knew that but Sister Nielsen over here, some times needs a little time to have things sink in :) Do missionary work people, haha or temple work! 2 Nephi 2:30 "I have none other object save it be the everlasting welfare of your souls." 

Have a great week everyone :) I love ya! 

Sister Nielsen

"All you need is love"

hello! 

This week was great! I had the chance to speak in sacrament meeting yesterday and it is still really hard for me. But I always feel like I get a lot out of speaking, so I am pretty grateful for it but don't sign me up for a little while :) 

This week was pretty great and we had the chance to experience many miracles! The best (not to compare miracles here) was when we went over to a less-active's house named Abby. Such a cool lady and she is super smart because she is a licensed counselor and all that jazz, so she gives us a lot of advice. The reason that she is less active is because she has two autistic children which makes church difficult. Well we went over this last Saturday and we were sitting on her patio and she just came out and said that she will be going to church next week!! WHAT?!?! haha she was offended a little while back and so she didn't show signs of coming back but she recently had surgery on her throat and through some experiences she and her ex husband want to come to church! oh man, it was the coolest thing ever because that is all we talked about! Her change of heart. 

So my talk this week was given on President Monson's talk on Love- the essence of the Gospel. It was great because honestly this is my whole testimony. The Gospel is based on LOVE. Love is the driving force behind the Gospel because Heavenly Father loved and still loves us so much that He provided us a way to return to Him and He is continuing to provide a way! I am grateful that He loves us enough that He has given us the fullness of truth here on earth today! WE ARE BLESSED! 

I hope you all have a great week! I LOVE you all! Stay classy. 

Sister Alisha Nielsen 

I have the greatest family ever.

Hey there. 

Happy Mother's Day. 

I was graced to be able to chat with the coolest family on the planet, which happens to be my family haha it was great to talk to you fellas and especially to my homie Elder Ethan Nielsen. haha really, though. I am grateful for my opportunity to be able to be with my family forever :) Mom, I hope that you had a great Mother's Day! 

This week was full of service and it was so great! We were able to help BB and her family (investigators) sand a room and we will be painting it this week. Oh my, is sanding hard work! haha I thought that my arms were going to fall off. But I was grateful for the chance to serve! Bobbie and her family are so great we have only been able to teach them a little bit but when we do teach them they have a desire to learn. We committed them to read from the Book of Mormon last week and hopefully we will be able to set up a church tour to help them get to church next week! They are really great! 

Yesterday I was studying about motherhood. Mothers day celebrated as a missionary by studying motherhood. I was studying and the first thing that came to my mind was the Stripling Warriors and their mothers. They had faith in the Lord because their mothers taught them to. I mean think about it, if you were to have children that did not doubt that they were children of God and that He can provide and protect them, wouldn't that be the greatest blessing of all? I think so. To see that your children are "firm in the faith" and they are supported by their testimonies and nothing in the world will shake them. I think that would be a parent's greatest joy....but I am not parent, I just studied about motherhood. :) haha 

Good tidings to all of you. I love you guys! 

Love, Sister Nielsen! 

GOOD. BETTER. BEST.

"Sacrifice is giving up something good for something better"

This quote was said at our adult session of stake conference this last week and it really stuck with me. Giving up something good for something better sounds like it would be pretty easy right? I mean if you think about it, of course you would want to do the better thing! If you wanted a single scoop ice cream cone that would be good, but a double scoop dipped in chocolate with nuts and a cherry on top would be better. (Not better for you, but better nonetheless) 

So I was thinking about this and wondering how we can become 'Better" and then voila! the Doctrine of Christ allows this in our life. Let's give an example of Sister Nielsen praying every single night. That is good and wonderful but maybe she just goes through the motions and checks things off a list when she prays? It is still good, but what would be better? If Sister Nielsen sincerely talked to Heavenly Father and let Him know of her desires and concerns and then she gave Him the chance to reply. This is just an example, but what good things are we holding back that could be better? I have a ton of things. So this week I have been working on my prayers. :) 

"It doesn't matter the speed, but the direction" It might take my whole mortal life to become better, (It for sure will, and then some), but it doesnt matter how fast I become better but it matters what direction I am going. Because if it was a race or about speed, we all know that I would lose because I am dang slow. :) 

I love you all. I hope that you have a great week :) Happy 2 years to Erika and Trevor :) and Happy 12th birthday to Evan :) 

"The church is not a museum of perfect saints, but a laboratory for learning saints" 

Love, Alisha 

Moore and Moore

Hey ya crazies! haha 

I am staying in Moore! ya man. It is pretty great here! I have it good :) 

So this week... well, we have been doing so much finding that I wouldn't mind if I never knocked on a door again. haha Optimistic over here. I am just kidding though, because finding people is the best! And we have been blessed with miracles! The zone leaders gave us a referral on Friday and we went to go visit them. His name is Hector. I call him Hector Zaroni, even though that is not his name. :) Anywho, we went over to his home and him and his wife were out on their front porch and we talked to them and Hector has been reading the Book of Mormon, so we invited him to keep reading. :) 

Another cool porch story, we were knocking and a man named Paul Gray answered the door and refused to pray with us. He thinks that religion is the reason why the world is going downhill because everyone is fighting all the time. He told us that when Christ set up the gospel everyone was the same but now people are lost....thanks to inspired questions about the truth being restored, he invited us back to teach him! MIRACLE

Last porch story. We found Kim knocking a little while back and we gave her a Book of Mormon. We had set up an appointment, but she had to cancel. We went to go check on her Saturday night and she has read 7 chapters!! We are meeting with her on wednesday:) 

Cool miracles huh? All on porches. Next step is getting inside:) 

I learned a lot about obedience this last week and something that really stuck out to me was the reason why we are obedient. I mean, ask yourself - why you are obedient? It was honestly hard for me to answer. But the most ideal motivation behind obedience would be because you love the Lord and want to serve him! I just like the blessings I get....which isn't bad but that makes me sounds like a big ol jerk. haha so I will working on changing that:) 

Love you all, keep it real. Be safe. 

LOVE, Alisha 

Two Cool Things

HEY!!!

Guess what?! It was Easter yesterday. haha surprise! The coolest thing in the world happened on Saturday (two cool things) So Bobbie is an investigator that we have and she found out that we weren't really doing anything for Easter because we don't have our families here and she invited us over to hide Easter eggs and to have dinner with their family. Well, we get there and they were so excited when we showed up. Bobbie has a husband and two children and then she also had her parents over! It was so cool because they totally welcomed us to the family. Bobbie's mother also gave us a picture of a cross with a scripture at the bottom. Oh man, we just felt so loved. We normally get that from members, but to have an investigator treat us that way was so special. When we had to leave they were super sad. They told us to come back anytime :) Oh man I love nice people! 

The second coolest thing! The Torres family got baptized and they asked me to give a talk! That was way nice of them and I am grateful that I got to go back and see them and that ordinance performed. Baptism is so cool and if you read about it in the Bible Dictionary it talks about how is it not an option if you want the fulness of salvation! Just plain and simple as that. 

I was reading in 3 Nephi how Christ comes again and the people just want him to stay (I would want Him to stay too) but He calls apostles and gives them the authority to baptize. I mean, He saw that they wanted Him to stay with them, so the best way to comfort them was to give them the opportunity to be baptized and get the Holy Ghost. I thought that was super powerful. He did that for us as well, when the Gospel was Restored to the Earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith! 

Baptism is a blessing:) I love you all! 

Love, Alisha 

April freezes bring May sneezes

It is snowing!!

Happy Easter! 

We moved. 

2 tornado warnings. 

I had to unclog a bathtub the other day. And it wasn't even my hair that was in the drain. I almost lost it, so I just ended up buying Drain-O. Thank you, inventor of Drain-O. 

This week was great! We got to teach a lady named Marie and she is just the greatest thing ever! I am so grateful that the spirit lead us to her house. She was supposed to come to church but she got really sick and couldn't make it but wants us to go back tomorrow to see her. She told us over the phone how much her life has improved since we found her and prayed with her. That makes missionary work worth it. She told us that she has been thinking a lot about baptism too :) I will update you all next week with how she is doing! 

Toward the end of the week was a real struggle. But last night I had a really cool experience when I got to receive a blessing. So I have had a lot of blessings in my life and they all have been really important to me, but since I have been out on my mission I have learned a little bit more about priesthood blessings and so this one was different!! You have to have faith, or they won't work. It was so cool to receive this blessing and just have confidence that what he was saying was true and that it could happen. I can't remember the blessing word for word but I just remember the confidence that I felt. The Gospel brings confidence. He told me that I would finish my whole mission...YOU BETTER BELIEVE I WILL. haha I am grateful for the priesthood :) 

I love you all and I hope that you have a wonderful and blessed week :)

Love, Alisha 

Rolling into April in Moore, Oklahoma

HELLO!

 

Conference was so great! I have to say that Saturday morning session was so great! And a few shout outs to Oklahoma just added to it! The Sorrel family that Elder Rasband talked about is in our ward and even in our area! I have personally knocked on their door a few times....hahah

 

Ok my favorite talk was Russell M. Nelson's. I thought that is was so powerful and it is a subject that I have been thinking about a lot as a missionary. He spoke about how sometimes we separate our lives into different categories such as work, religion, sports, etc. I mean if you had a strong belief in something wouldn't that be a part of your character? It should be and that is what I got from his talk. I think that some times we care so much about what others think about us that it affects the way we act or the things we say. It reminds me of wicked King Noah and Abinadi; King Noah was going to let Abinadi go!! But the influence of the high priests rekindled Noah's anger and that influenced his eternal salvation! And he suffered death by fire because of the influence of the high priests. Then it made me think of Linda S. Reeves talk (powerful) about how the greatest filter we can have is conversion. Personal conversion, not conversion in others. When we have a strong foundation ourselves, then no one can influence us. All my thoughts in a letter is hard for me to do! haha I hope that you know that I loved conference.

 

I love you all and I hope that you have a great week:)

peace and blessings

Ethan got to experience a tornado before me. its fine.

 

Love, Alisha

Also, please pray for our investigators. We've got a family scheduled for baptism and they could use your prayers!

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