PRAYER IS A POWERFUL THING

October 5, 2015

HI FAMILY!! Didn't I just write you?? Haha - just kidding! First things first... DIDN'T YOU LOVE CONFERENCE? Holy cow it was sooooo good!! Now, did I watch all of it in English? No.... I mean we were all prepared to and everything... we called president before. And had it all set up! We had bought our guavas... our gatorade... and some popcorn. 

It was like a whole banquet! We even got the comfy wheely chairs going! So once we got our investigators settled we hunkered down in the bunker office and got through the first hymn and half way through Pres. Uchtdorf's talk when there's a knock at the door.... Pres. Rafael.... Uh hermanas... is it working for you? Yeah pres!!! It's great!... Hahaha, ok hermanas, you're taking all the streaming internet juice. Shut it down and come out and help us. Hahaha and lo and behold, when we walked out, we realized we just ruined the first talk for everyone cause the internet fried cause it was working so hard with our English conference streaming. So I hear the first talk was good... but I guess us and the whole branch will have to wait for the revista [magazine - the Ensign or the Liahona]!  BUT on Sunday we went to Comayagua (Which was soooo nice cause I got to see everyone from my first area!!)  My converts were there... the less actives I reactivated and all my favorite people... ah it was sooo nice!! CONFERENCE WAS SOOO GOOD! If you didn't get a chance to watch it I encourage that you do!! from start to finish... But start by making a list of questions. And if you listen attentively, I GUARANTEE that they will be answered :)

So it was an exciting week!! Monday night the power went out and it was out tilTuesday in the night... so dad that headlamp? Best thing ever!

Also I made... and have been professionally trained... to make pupusas. Let's just say on intercambios we made a mountain of them. and I'm just saying they were GOOD! Call me Salvadoreña :)

Also shout out to you dad. Remember all those last night calls of... hey tire blow out... stranded on the side of the road days?  Well they have now officially served me well in the mission. We were super far away and our faithful mototaxi guy came to get us.... well LO AND BEHOLD the second we got it what happened... BLOW OUT. (I mean it was just a puncture... it just sounds more ligit) So what did we do? Hno Paco lifted up the mototaxi... I took off the wheel and Hna Niu put it on. So all that experience did me good. (I took a creeper picture... but I don't think this comp will let me send fotos :(

On Friday we are starting to go on splits a lot with the hermanas de relief society... Do I miss Hna Niu a lot? Yeah, but it was so great! We got to visit all the menos activos [less actives], recent converts and our investigators!! 

So Ana? She came to conference... not just one session but to ALL FOUR SESSIONS!! We love her sooo much. She has been really back and forth these last few days but we KNEW that this conference would make such a difference... and it did. SHE LOVED IT. Saturday morning she wasn't going to come. Actually we were sooo sad. The internet was faulting right and left and she hadn't come yet. Well what's one thing I tell my investigators EVERYDAY? You have to pray. you have to pray sincerely. It wasn't working and Hno Rigoberto was there and I felt like he was kinda getting restless. So I kinda just though ok God.... will you help us? And it didn't work. I mean, of course it didn't cause no where in there was I humble or had faith. So I tried again. "Ok... I know this is Thy will. We really would love if the internet can work so that our investigators can see conference. Also... It's almost 11 and Ana hasn't come yet. If this is her time, she will come... if not, this is a good way to know that maybe she's just not ready." But it IS Gods will. We have to remember that. Sometimes God just wants to know that we are humble and willing to submit to His will. The SECOND I said amen the internet worked... and didn't fault for the rest of the session. Not 30 SECONDS later Ana walks in and takes a seat up front... and then came to every other session after that.

So I can TESTIFY to each one of you. PRAYER IS POWERFUL. It is what keeps us safe. It is what blesses us. It is what shows our Heavenly Father that we LOVE Him. It also shows that we are humble... humble enough to ask Him. So PRAY. Pray with everything you have!! Does he know what you need already? Absolutely. But when we pray with a sincere heart and real intention, we are blessed.

I can also say one thing more. Words are powerful. Good words bring people up and destructive words tear people down. Everything starts with our thoughts and our words... And a mean word can dwell in someone's mind for a long time. Our thought tear us down and we have no idea how big our circle of influence is. So say nice things. Never tear people down or say anything offensive. Be happy and boost people higher than they can be by themselves. And then... and only then will we prosper :)

The Church is true and I love it with all my heart. I love all of you! 

Hermana Nelson

BIG WEEK!!!

September 28, 2015

OK!! Hi again! I feel like I wrote y'all yesterday!

This week we got to go to Jesus de Otoro to do Divisions and then to Sigua to do intercambios!! It was so much fun! Do you remember that family that I mentioned algunas semanas atrás [some weeks ago]? The hermanas over there are teaching such a golden family and when I went there on intercambios [exchanges] this last time it was like I knew them!! It was the craziest thing! Well WE went back this week!!! They are doing so good! They were supposed to be baptized this Saturday but something went wrong with their papers so they have to wait til the 24 of Oct! But we went there with the zone leaders to watch the restauración [restoration] movie!! The hermano was begging to see it and it was SUCH an awesome experience. The TV was turned off and we all just looked at him and he had tears in his eyes. And he said, "I know without a doubt that Joseph Smith was a prophet". And then he was like.¨¨ "Man I can do anything. He went through all of that... and I think I'm going through a hard time just without work".¨¨ So really we can do all things. The Lord will always provide.

So this last week we have had to decide that we love all of our investigators so much that we have to realize that maybe right now just isn't their time. Sometimes you just gotta plant the seed and then in about 5 years someone else will come sow it! Now we just gotta go find those other planted seeds!! But the good news is we found 2 really awesome families this week!! Hahaha Even one of them came down the mountain to find us while we were contacting another person and just pointed at their house... "Ök hermana vamos por alla!" [Okay, Sisters, let's go over there] y cuando llegamos [and when we got there] they were just sitting there with 2 chairs waiting for us to sit down. They are the cutest old couple so we will see how it goes!!!

So I know you are all wondering how Sister missionaries look in the rain... well, refer to the picture below. Mom you gotta be so proud. We are so prepared when we face that rain! I mean our shoes are never really dry.... we gotta start microwaving our books to keep them dry. Pobrecita hna Niu tiene que comprar [Poor Hermana Niu has to buy] another hymn book! But let's be honest. Rain is my favorite :)

And last thing! We are teaching un hermana se llama [a sister named] Ana! She is the ex mayor of Flores and she is so awesome! We got to know her cause she really just wanted to have someone help her son with his homework... and it went from there! You should have SEEN her face when we started talking about the 3 kingdoms of glory!! Her mouth just dropped. She had here little note pad and was talking notes of everything that we said. And she is SO EXCITED for conference. She has been talking about it for weeks! We love her a whole lot!

So this Tuesday morning I was just minding my own businesses getting ready for the day when ALL THE SUDDEN my companion just STARTS SCREAMING and whacking me with the brush. So I start screaming and jumping up and down and running around having NO idea what was going on. I think we woke up ALL of our neighbors. We all know my fear of bugs (dad you'll be proud... little ones I can deal with now.) but this one wasn't little. THERE WAS A TARANTULA CRAWLING UP MY BACK. I just about died. Blessing of the week? My comp killed it. We love her, too!

RAIN RAIN GO AWAY!

September 21, 2015

Hi fam!! Sorry if I gave you a scare!! I am here safe and happy!! We're writing super late today cause well.... long story.

BASICALLY were starting this new thing. Since all the girls that we are over live super far away were starting to spend p-days with them and then stay the night and do divisions! So ya know... first time for everything, we are here in Jesus de Otoro. But we decided to go to Esperanza with their district for an activity. Well long story short - we didn't know that the last bus left at 4:30... but we love nice members. He took us ALL the way back... like almost an hour in his car... for just 50 (aka just over 2 bucks) limps! So we are here safe and sound!! 

BUT FIRST THINGS FIRST!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!! So everyone... he's turning a 25 years YOUNG so wish him a happy birthday for me, will ya?? LOVE YOU DADDY!!!

This week has been SO GOOD. But really God has been so good to us. So turns out that we didn't have changes!!! So besides my mom and my daughter, Hna Niu will be the first that I stay with for 2 changes... But we've got some big things in store and were super excited!

But sorry this is going to be really short... It's raining so hard that it's hard to hear myself think. And I'm scared the power will go out before I get this to you!

We rock that baleada making.... I'm learning slowly but surely the art of making tortillas

We rock that baleada making.... I'm learning slowly but surely the art of making tortillas

our activity that made us late :)

our activity that made us late :)