Mateo 13:44

-This is me at our car inspections checking our tire pressure... and I'm laughing because Sister Chesnut wanted to take a picture of me checking our tire pressure

So about Wednesday of last week I got a really bad cough/ cold or something. Then by Saturday I started getting allergies on top of that... so I've just had a great several days coughing, sneezing, and hardly being able to speak. (and of course for some reason I get called on to say all of the prayers in church) Poor Hermana Eardley had to do almost all of the translating yesterday. 

But apart from not feeling great, it's been a good week! I got to do an exchange with Hermana Adams here in Tahoe! I just love her, and I miss being her companion! We also had zone conference this week, which is always a blast!

We started teaching Delia, who was one of the member referrals that we got last week. She is so sweet, and she is excited to learn, which means that we are excited to teach her. 

I'm starting to really study the new testament, and I love it! I love the one-verse parable in Matthew 13:44. This gospel is so valuable, that we should really be happy to give up all that we have, because we know that what we will receive is better! Any "sacrifice" is hardly a sacrifice... it's more like a really smart investment. It's almost like someone is offering to sell us a $100 bill for $1. Yet some people just really love that one dollar that they have. "I was born with this dollar!" or "Don't you ever wonder what the $1 bill life is like?! Don't you want to just try it?" Although, in light of this analogy, if someone literally tried to sell me a $100 bill for $1, I would definitely believe that it was a scam. It makes it even harder because people can't even really see the $100 until they give up their own dollar, which is what makes it such a leap of faith. It's a shame, being in a position where I get to see so much spiritual poverty, and so few willing investors. 

-- Hermana Nielsen

Pictures:

-Exchanges :)

-Morning jog to the pier!

-Looking for number 227. Thank you very much, that narrows down our search a TON haha

Mormon 9:19

It's been another great week in the mission field, we found 5 new investigators this week, all within walking distance of our house! (Which probably has to do with the fact that we are running really low on miles haha)

Here are some phone calls we got this week:

"Hi sisters! I just talked to one of my neighbors, and she is going through a rough time, she said that she would like to meet with you! When should I invite her over to my house?"

"Hi sisters! We have a man coming to work on our house today who only speaks Spanish... we were thinking that you could just "happen" to show up and give him a Book of Mormon."

"Hi sisters! One of my friends wants to meet with you and study the scriptures, when can we go see her?"

This is why I am so grateful to be serving in the North Lake Tahoe ward!!! We really have the best ward in the whole mission, I love it! If you want to make a missionary's day... pick up the phone and give them a referral! If you don't have one to give... then talk to your friends about the gospel! Just ask!

-- Hermana Nielsen

Pictures:

*Driving to go e-mail* Oh shoot, I didn't take any pictures this week, and my mom just told me to take more pictures. Quick, compa, take a picture of me! Look mom, I'm alive! Oh that's pretty, let's pull over and get a picture of the lake. I guess we can take a selfie too. 

Sorry, mom, I'll do better this week XD

2 Nephi 29:3

So transfers are this week... and Hermana Eardley and I get to stay here together! That hasn't happened to me since my first transfer! I am so thankful that I get to stay in beautiful Tahoe for another transfer, although it will probably be my last. 

This week we got to go to the temple! I got to go through for someone from San Luis Potosi, Mexico. I bet she is thankful that I was actually able to pronounce her name! 

We also had the opportunity to attend Jose Silva's baptism in Reno! It wasn't "our" baptism, but we had some investigators go, so we were able to attend. It was a huge blessing for me to be able to be there, because when I was in Reno, Hermana Martinez and I were the ones who started teaching Jose! It was so special to be able to go, and I was able to see a bunch of members that I LOVE, including the Familia Coto! I probably enjoyed it more than any of "my" baptisms, haha. 

We knocked on one door (we actually don't knock many random doors, but we were looking for someone) and we met a man named Carlos. He proceeded to tell us all the reasons why we shouldn't worship Joseph Smith, and why the Book of Mormon isn't scripture, and there is only one God, and we are just little girls and we don't know what we are talking about... the interesting thing is that, other than the fact that he doesn't believe the Book of Mormon is true, I don't think we disagreed on any other doctrines. He just kept rambling on and on... we tried to end the conversation many times, but he just kept going. I tried to share my testimony with him but he just kept talking over me the entire time and he was clearly not interested in listening, or learning. He heard the words we said just enough to be able to respond and make his own opinion quite clear. I was getting quite frustrated with the whole thing... but then at one point I told him "Se que tenemos debilidades para que seamos humildes, y basta la gracia de Cristo a todos los hombres que se humillan ante el, porque si se humillan ante el, y tienen fe en el, entonces hara que las cosas debiles sean fuertes para nosotros. (Basically Ether 12:27) and he just responded "Amen!" so from that point on, I just quoted as many scriptures from the Book of Mormon as I could think of, without telling Carlos what I was doing. And he agreed with everything that I said! So from that point on, I wasn't even upset anymore, I was just having a great time laughing inside. It was so funny to me that he could be so sure that the Book of Mormon wasn't scripture... but when he heard it, he could feel the spirit and recognize it as scripture.

That incident isn't an isolated one... for some reason, this week we have had SO many people trying to convince us that the Book of Mormon isn't scripture... some of them haven't even tried to read it before, and some of them have (which scares me even more) but for some reason they just think they have everything figured out. It is sad to see, but it just makes me appreciate the Book of Mormon more and more every day. The more I read it, the more I feel sorry for people who believe that they can only study the Bible. Interestingly, this Sunday a member gave us a cool outline of the chiasmus in Alma chapter 36, which provides even more intellectual evidence that the Book of Mormon is true! I wish everyone could see the Book of Mormon like we do! It's not just another novel, it's not something made up, and it's definitely not from the devil! (which someone actually tried to tell us) I'm thankful for the Book of Mormon! If you aren't reading it every day... DO IT!

-- Hermana Nielsen

-District pic!

-Jose Silva got baptized!

  

Mosiah 2:17

-This is what we looked like after walking outside for 5 minutes... yes, it was SNOWING, a LOT, in MAY!

On Saturday morning, we accidentally woke up one of our investigators (as missionaries, the concepts of "weekends" and "sleeping in" don't really exist. So she came to the door in her PJ's and still half asleep... and she invited us in and offered to make us food! Wow, I think she is more Christ-like than I am... We didn't take her up on the offer, but insisted that she go back to sleep, but wow, she is so nice! 

One of our investigators, Linda, is really lonely and she REALLY wants a cat. We told our awesome ward mission leader, and he offered to take her to go buy one! He is awesome!

This week I got to go on exchanges with Hermana Sherwood in Reno! We saw Jose (see picture), a less active who is SO funny. Apparently he has been to church a couple times recently, which is a huge miracle!

We have seen a lot of miracles this week, many of which just required us to be in the right place at the right time. I love seeing those tender mercies, having lessons with people that we never see, and finding people who are prepared for the gospel!

-- Hermana Nielsen

Pictures:

-Beautiful Truckee!

-The STL's at MLC :)

-We found a box that just said "free"... so we got some new dishes

-Exchanges!

2 Nephi 32:3

Fun moments this week:

-"Hermanas! Pasense!" (Come in!) This really nice (but really Catholic) family that I met once saw us walking by, invited us into their home, and then gave us each a huge slice of cake and gelatina. Hermana Eardley had never met them before so she was super confused. So that is how we accidentally ended up celebrating someone's First Communion haha but at least they let us share a scripture with them. 

-We set up an appointment with a less active woman... but apparently she thought that we asked to have dinner with her... so a couple hours after eating one dinner, we had to eat tostadas as fast as we could to get home on time.

-Another less active member gave us a jar of soup and some rolls to take home.

Basically everyone likes to give us food. I'm going to miss this when I'm back at college, haha!

Last Monday we had our first lesson with a less active member and her two kids (ages 11 and 14). Halfway through the lesson, we found out that neither of her kids have been baptized. So that is how we found two new investigators that both want to get baptized! AND they came to church yesterday! We are so excited to teach them, they are such a sweet family!

-- Hermana Nielsen