The little things.

This was an awesome week. There were some struggles, but they're all working out. We had another zone blitz this past Thursday. That is where all of the missionaries in our zone go work in one area for the day. It was pretty awesome, and we were able to see some good things. We ended up knocking on doors for about 4 1/2 hours, and that was pretty fun. We had a cool experience knocking on this one lady's door. She started talking to us and she told us she was from Italy; I liked her instantly from that moment. She told us some of the struggles that she's going through. We have offered to share our message with her and we promised that it would bless her life. She said her husband wouldn't be willing to let us come over. We talked to her for a little while and said a prayer with her on her doorstep. She was really touched, and as we walked away she just kept saying goodbye on the doorstep. It was awesome to see how the little things we do can bless others lives.

I also went on exchanges in Auburn this past week. We weren't able to see tons of people during the day because we were helping out with service in the morning and afternoon, but we were able to see some people in the evening. The last people we ended up seeing were very friendly. They told us some of the family struggles that they are going through right now, and we were able to share a message that applied to them. The mother was crying and you could definitely tell that they felt the spirit. They thanked us for coming over, and we headed back home. It was an awesome experience. I am grateful for the simple little experiences that I have had that have helped me to more fully appreciate my mission. I know God has a plan for each of us, and he is working in our lives every single day.

I love you all very much, and I hope you have an awesome week!

Elder Nielsen

Week 6 of 7

So this is our really long transfer of 7 weeks. This is week 6, so it is kind of weird!

We are seeing a lot of progress with a couple of our investigators this past week. Teresa says she is a lot more confident that she is going to be baptized soon. She is currently just praying to know when she should be baptized.

We had a really funny dinner last night. We are eating with the family, and the table we were at was large and full of people! They had a microfiber tablecloth, so whenever liquid spilled on it it would just bead up instead of soak into the tablecloth. It turns out that I knocked over my glass, and the water ran in between all of the plates on the table and landed in the lap of the girl across from me! It was so hilarious and terrible at the same time. That kind of thing would never happen again if I were to try 1,000 times.

I found a really great quote a bit ago. President Boyd K. Packer said "The Atonement has practical, personal, everyday value; apply it in your life. It can be activated with so simple a beginning  as prayer." I love that because it shows how infinite the Atonement really is. The Atonement is meant for the mountains that we cannot overcome completely without Christ, and it is also for the everyday things that stretch us just a tiny bit further then our comfort zone. I am trying to remember that the Atonement isn't just for the end of the day accounting before Heavenly Father where I ask for forgiveness for wrongdoings, but it can be used throughout the day to strengthen me as well.

I love you all, and I hope you have a great week!

Elder Nielsen

Elder Nielsen got a haircut today.

20 means maturity...

Hey everybody!

This last week was awesome. Richie, one of our investigators, came to church this past week. He is such an awesome guy. He set up an activity for the ward to go on a hike, and tons of people are planning on going! It sounds like he is getting a lot of good fellowship, and he is already helping out with the ward! He is planning on being baptized on January 31st and he announced it during Elder's Quorom on Sunday. I am so glad we have the opportunity to work with him.

So I turned 20, so I am officially no longer a teenager! It feels pretty good now, except everybody is still going to think that I am really young. Every comments on how young I look, and then they ask how old I really am. 20 sounds a lot older than 19, so it might surprise them even more now!

Things are going well here, and time is going by so fast. It is crazy that we are almost halfway through January already.

There was an awesome sunset the other day, so we decided to snag a picture of it.

Love you all! Have a great week!

Elder Nielsen