Redding, CA

So, I am now in the great city of Redding, CA! I am really enjoying it here so far. We have a truck for our mode of transportation, and it is so awesome! I am kind of out of practice with driving, since I have been riding a bike most every day for about a year. We cover the Redding 5th ward, as well as the Shasta YSA. We cover 2 stakes worth of area overall, but we usually just stay in the city of Redding.

We don't have a whole lot of investigators to work with right now, but I am looking forward to doing what we can to find the people who have been prepared for us to find them. We are helping people become reactivated mostly right now, and the ward is helping a number of people in that area. I am really enjoying how the ward is working together in this ward. They are very unified, and the members of the ward understand their purpose to reach out and bless others.

I was asked to give a talk in sacrament meeting this past week. I didn't end up giving it because the speakers before me went long, but I am going to speak next week instead. I was asked to speak on how we show our love for God. I pretty much boiled my talk down to the topic of service, and I really enjoyed preparing for it. I was really able to increase my understanding of what the Gospel has done for me, and what it can continue to do for me.

One of the biggest things I got out of preparing the talk is how the way we treat others really is the essence of the Gospel. I see that one of the main purposes of the Gospel is to help us become more like our Savior and to treat others how he treated them. It really made me think how I have treated others in the past, and how I want to treat others in the future. I want to say that I gave my life in helping others feel better about themselves, just like the Savior did. I know
I am not there yet, but I am going to use a quote that I have loved for years to help me.

"You become who you want to be by

consistently being who you want to

become each day."

I choose to be like the Savior!

Love you guys! Have a great week!

Keeping it real in Redding,
Elder Nielsen

Transfers

So we got transfer calls last night, and I found out that I am leaving Red Bluff this time around. I am getting transferred up to Redding, which is the northernmost zone in the mission. I am gonna be Zone Leader up there, so it should be fun! I am nervous about it, but I am looking forward to it as well. I'm sure I will be able to learn a lot with all the new experiences in store!

We were biking about 20 minutes outside the city this past week to go visit a family. It turns out that while we were biking to their house we saw them drive the other way, so it kind of put a damper on that plan! We had already biked a good ways, so we found the nearest neighborhood and started knocking on some doors. We were able to see a couple neat miracles. In about 7 houses we gave 2 people a copy of the Book of Mormon and set up to come back another time. The Lord definitely knows what he is doing, and I know he had a perfect plan for that situation that day!

I am so grateful for the chance that I have been able to serve in Red Bluff. It was an amazing experience. I have realized how short the mission really is, so I am planning to work even harder throughout the rest of my mission. I am so grateful for all the people I had the chance to meet here. The mission really has changed my life, and I hope it will continue to make me a better person!

Love you guys!

Elder Nielsen

P.S. We taught the Plan of Salvation using some chalk this past week to one of our investigators. She is 9, and it was a blast! Here's a picture of us (you can kind of see the sidewalk drawings in the background).

Huey & James's baptism!

Hey everybody!

This week ended well with Huey and James getting baptized! I am so happy for them, and for the changes they have made. They have told us how much happier they have been since the have been progressing to this point, and they are both excited to continue on in the Gospel and prepare to enter the Temple. We are trying to get them a lot of fellowship in the ward right now. They have met a lot of people and made a lot of friends, and so we are just trying to keep the ball rolling. They are both excited to receive a calling and serve others, so it will be neat to see them be able to do that soon.

This could be my last week in Red Bluff, so I am going to enjoy it while I can. I don't know if I am going to stay another one here, but I would love to. Red Bluff has been amazing so far, so I would be totally fine with staying another transfer.

This past week I was studying the topic of "Knowing God." Not in the sense of actually having seen him, but just having a personal and close relationship with him. There is a definite difference between knowing God and knowing of God. I feel like I have come to know God so much more as I have served him, and there is still a lot of room for improvement. I can honestly say that I love my Heavenly Father, and I know He has a perfect plan for ALL of us. I know that as long as we follow Christ as best we can then everything will work out he way it is supposed to. I hope to continue to strengthen my relationship with my Father in Heaven.

Love you all!

Elder Nielsen

P.S. Huey is the one on the left, and James is on the right. If it has been too long that you can't recognize me then I am the one sporting the TIE FROM ITALY!!! Thanks Erika and mom. You guys are the best.

"I ain't afraid of no ghosts"

Sister Nielsen and I had another competition this week. We were having a meeting at our ward mission leader's house, and he brought out the ghost peppers. Sister Nielsen hadn't had her "initiation" into the ward yet, so I was going to eat one pepper with her. It turned into a competition to see who could eat more, and we ended up eating 10 each. It felt alright for a little bit, but then my stomach started killing and my body started tingling. The rest of the day my stomach felt like it was burning it's way through my body. The pain didn't end up going away until I puked about 8 hours after the competition. Note for anyone one who is thinking of it; never have a ghost pepper eating competition.

Huey and James are both preparing to be baptized this Saturday. It is so exciting to see heir desire to follow and to grow closer to Christ. I am so happy for them. On another note, we are still handing out a Book of Mormon during part of church in order to get the ward more excited to do missionary work. We were waiting for a minute, because no one was raising their hand to take the Book of Mormon. All of a sudden Huey volunteered to take a Book of Mormon! It is so cool to see how he wants to share the Gospel with his friends and neighbors already.

Recently I have been pondering on how important our time in this life really is. This life is so small compared to eternity, so we need to use every day to improve to become more like Jesus Christ. I know this Gospel is true, and our Father in Heaven will help us as we do our best to overcome weakness and to come unto Christ.

Love you guys.

Elder Nielsen

Ghost pepper competition between Elder Nielsen and Sister Nielsen.