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