Monday, August 31, 2015

Week 28

Monday, August 31, 2015

Hi mom!

I am very happy to be here in the Philippines today! I am happy to be a missionary here and to be companions with my companion! I spoke way to much English on Friday, so I am back to Taglish.... We have a lot of potential investigators starting this week, so hopefully this new week we will have a lot of new investigators!

My fun activity for P-day was I slept for about an hour and a half, and I washed my clothes..... I made cookies too! Yan lang :D I live an exciting life here in the Philippines!

We had interviews on Friday, with President and Sister Reeder! It was really hard to speak English.... It is really hard to keep a journal here because if I write in my journal it is in English and, after I finish, it is kinda hard to speak Tagalog... Dang it. :) So I met with Sister Reeder first.  Then she asked me about you guys, she asked about each one of you. Then I got a hug from Sister Reeder.... Can I just tell you that it was not Sister Reeder hugging me, but you mom?. She told me that this hug came from you, and It really did feel like your hug. I miss you all, and I know that it was a small tender mercy coming from our Father in Heaven! I love you! How amazing that that happend on Friday, while it was Thursday afternoon your time... :)

Then I went in and I had an interview with President! It was so amazing! I love them both so much! They make me really really happy :D

So I don't remember if I told you last week, but sister Lorna and her husband are not married. so she can't be baptized unless they get married. So sister Lorna said that she would talk to her husband about it.... Well, on Thursday, we went back, and we followed up, and Brother does not want to get married.... He "Isn't ready". They have four kids. He is a very bad word that I am not allowed to say because 1. I am a Mormon, and more importantly 2. I am a missionary..... anyways, back to my calling.... Brother is never home, he has one day off a week, and on his days off, he is at the computer shop all day long.... Sister Lorna told him to get his day off on Sunday and come to Church! There is so much potential for Sister Lorna and her family in this church! I really really really! want to see her baptized... She is one of those Golden investigators... So this Thursday we are going to teach her about fasting, and we will all fast on Sunday. I am so excited!

Then we have this other investigator, brother Denis. He is amazing! A little ruff around he edges, but there is a lot of potential in him! He is philosophical but very willing to listen. He reads all of the pamphlets that we give him... He knows that he is a little philosophical, but we feel that he is willing to listen. It is so amazing! Sister Padilla is amazing! She has this vision for everyone of how they can become! It is amazing as I try to increase my faith and putting my doubts aside, and trying to see them that way too. I can see brother Denis in a white Polo and Tie and being the next bishop and really strengthening this ward! We will have more information about him next week!

So we have this other investigator that is an OYM, and has a special needs little girl! It is really hard for her to have her, her body is perfect, but it is her mind. She cant walk, talk, or anything like that, but she is so amazing! As We taught the Restoration, we told her that it is because of the Restoration that we have the knowledge of the resurrection and being together forever as families. It is so amazing to know that she has a huge potential in this church too! I hope that her husband accepts to listen too! She came to church yesterday. It was amazing!

So we have other investigators and yeah, but these are the most exciting ones this week! I love our area! We asked for a tricee to take us to our far area to maximize our proselyting time, and he some how heard us wrong, and we ended up in a new area that I didnt know existed! We are so excited for Tuesday to go exploring over there! I think that we are meant to find some one over there!

I love you all tons and tons!

Love,

Sister Emma Nelson

Monday, August 24, 2015

Week 27

Sister Nelson and Sister Padilla

Monday, August 24, 2015

Hi mom!

How are you? I am really tired, and I  haven't washed my clothes again... Ahaha shocker! But that is ok! I did more important things earlier! Yay sister Nelson!

I have a year left, in a year I will be home! And we can watch Legally Blonde together! I am very ready.... I was thinking this week, that it has been 6 months since I have been home, and hugged you guys and I was thinking about the airport scene... I miss you all.... I am really excited for that moment. but then my heart started to hurt.... I would miss the Philippines way too much, the simpleness of my life here.... maybe it is because I am a missionary, and no matter where I am at, my life would be simple.... I love being a missionary!

So, so many things happened this week! The spirit was so amazing! I love weeks like this! So on Tuesday, it was my six month mark, and it made me happy/sad that I made it one third of my mission. Happy because that's six months! That is impressive! sad because I can't get that time back to serve with all my heart! We also had exchanges! It was amazing! I have grown so much as a person! I am so grateful to our Father in Heaven for letting me come here. Anyways! Exchanges... so I worked in my area, and I love the people that live here... :)

Wednesday was so stressful because we were punted and just stressful, for both of us, because a lot of people didn't really want to listen, so a discouraging day...

So on Thursday, we had planed to teach Lorna The Gospel of Jesus Christ! So we introduce it, and we showed the picture of Jesus Christ being baptized, and she said, my parents were baptized like that, I don't remember the name of the Church, but they were baptized like that, and then she said I might have been too... but she doesn't remember because that was like 20 years ago.... So we might have a recently found member!!!! I love her! The spirit is always so strong in those lessons! Then Sister Lorna shared her testimony. Oh my Gosh! She said that the Elders visited her before, but she didn't really listen. But when Sister Gregorio and I came, She said that she would listen, and make time for God in her life. Then she really grew attached to us! Then she bore her testimony, and said thank you and that she tried to look up sister Gregorio but couldnt find her. Sister Lorna said that she knows it is true and is so excited to be baptized! I love her so much! She makes everything worth it!

Then we had went to a different investigator and then her brother came in and we taught him the restoration! It was so amazing the spirit there! Sister Saua and I had OYMed him, but we hadn't followed up yet, so this was a perfect opportunity! He has so many questions, sometimes Denis is philosophical, but it is ok, because he seems to accept our answers to his questions. It was so amazing! He is really truly awesome!

Then Friday. We worked with two ward missionaries. One is waiting for her mission call, and the other just needs to have her interviews and then her papers are off to Salt Lake! It was amazing! Sister Padilla is amazing in getting the ward involved! So we followed up on another OYM, and her name is Angel, and has a special needs 5 year old daughter! All I could think of was Brinley and Jennifer, and how we are so blessed in America for the help that we can have with amazing children like that! I love them! They make me happy! She was so interested and said that she would come to church and that her husband would come because of their daughter. They didn't, but hopefully next week! :) They are so amazing!

I am amazed as we continue to have faith and find and teach our unique message to the world, how the people respond! Days like Thursday and Friday make days like Wednesday worth it!

Thank you for your thought! I love it!

I love you all!

Love Sister Emma Nelson

Monday, August 17, 2015

Week 26

Monday, August 17, 2015

Hi mom!!!!

It is soo hot here in the Philippines! I am really starting to miss winter... even though it isn't winter there yet! I will really miss being cold, and the snow and the fall.

So my new companion is awesome!!!!!! Sister Padilla! She is 21 years old, from the south in the Philippines, they don't have foreigners there, and she is the only active one in her family! She has aunts that are members and have served missions, but, she is the first in her family, and soooooo sweet! She remindes me so much of my first kabahay, Sister Caubatuan! She sooooo short and little!!!! I love it! All the ward members are like, you had a really big companion, and now a really short companion. Then they were like, how long have you been here? how much longer? This was my conversation with everyone yesterday at church! AHAHA Yeah..... I will be here 7 months! YAYAYAYA Sister Nelson! I love my companion though! She has such a strong testimony! I love feeling the power that it has on me and on others!

It was so humbling on Wednesday when we were assigned our companions. I was in the front and she was in the back, and the AP was like, Sister Padilla meet your new companion, Sister Nelson! I at first didn't recognize my name, and so it took me a split second to be like oh thats me! And I looked around, and sister Padilla started to cry, So she comes and sit by me, I am so happy that she is a Philippina like you really have no idea, and yeah, then she tells me "I am so happy" It made me happy :) Then we got on the bus, and then she started to OYM, this is one of the reasons that I am happy that she is a philippina. and then she told me that she wanted a foreigner companion. YAYAYAYAYA!!!!! hopefully she continues wanting a foreigner companion these next couple weeks.... :)

So she has an amazing testimony, and is a very normal missionary, she misses her family, and the MTC, I understand this so much, so everything is ok now. It is a hard adjustment to make, hopefully everything will be ok!

So reallly really REALLY! cool experience this week! We were visiting Lorna, and we were talking, and she said that she will cry when I leave, because she cried when Sister Saua left, and she said this because we are her friends! I love this sister! I remember Sister Gregorio's last lesson with her, I was thinking, I would be ok to stay here in Goa if I got to see sister Lorna be baptized! well my thought has come true! She has a date for September 19! Anyways, back to the story of this week! So we were talking about the Plan of Salvation, spirit world, resurrection, kingdoms of glory, and as we read about the celestial kingdom Lorna read that Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father live here, and she asked "How can I get here? I want to live with them." and sister Padilla said, through baptism, and Sister Lorna said "When? When can I be baptized?" We reminded her of September 19, and the look on her face was so happy! like she knew it was right for her to be baptized, and that this was true! so we continued to testify of the truth of the plan of Salvation, and, then we asked about the book of Mormon, and if she had read it, she said yes! So normally for my investigators, if there is no reading assignment, they don't read, so I really was not expecting her to be in 1 Nephi 10. I about died I was so happy! We had just told her to read the book of Mormon, but I was so happy. It showed me that I need to be more diligent in pushing the book of Mormon as a commitment, rather than what I have been doing. This is such a powerful book, and it can bless the lives of so many! I love it so much I love the strength I get as I read it every day, and have all my studies, it is centered on The Book of Mormon! If we truly want a testimony of this gospel, we need to read the Book of Mormon. Anyways, yeah, I am really going to work on that now, because that is how the people will become converted, through reading The Book of Mormon. Anyways...

Than last night we were contacting referrals.... Yay..... so we found one, and it was really good! We shared with him the Restoration, and then we asked him  like how he was feeling, and he said, I feel really happy or something to that extent, and so we extended to him a baptismal date! October 17! I had a really good feeling in the lesson, and we committed him to pray. Sister Araja said that we really need to make sure that he has a testimony of the restoration before we move on to the Plan of Salvation. I am excited! I am trying not to doubt that he won't make it, and that he really will come to church!  I love that feeling of the spirit, and that he felt it too! I love being a missionary!

so..... Crazy right!!!!! I have a year left! I actually have a year and 8 days left but who is counting right? I love Sister Bonds emails! I am excited to hear that she is going to BYU-I in a year! That makes me happy :) She is a forever friend and I miss her tons! I am so happy to read her emails! They make me happy!

I miss all our friends in Georgia! I am so happy that we are apart of the Church because it makes the world really really small. I am so happy that there is a thing called Facebook and the people here have Facebook, because I get to have the opportunity to stay in touch with these wonderful people that I meet here everyday! I know that this church is true! I know that we have a living prophet and that he holds the priesthood! I know that they all love us!

I love you all tons and tons! have an awesome week!

Love Sister Emma Nelson


P.S  We should be proud of me today. I finally did my laundry, I have only really washed the things I have needed these last 6 weeks, so I finally just did it.... I am so pathetic, if I could just have a day where I did laundry, the days are never long enough to do anything! sad....  but yes let us take 10 seconds and be proud that I finally have more than just tomorrows outfit washed!




Sunday, August 16, 2015

Week 25

Monday, August 10, 2015

Hi Mom!

So This has been a crazy last week.... Like I have grown so much in one week, that it is crazy, well, I have recognized the growth at least!

I am not in Naga today, I am in Goa, and I will be here until November 2. Because..... drum roll please!!!!!! I am training a new missionary.....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cried a good 30 minutes about it this morning.... before and after the phone call.... I am petrified. Like, no words to describe how I feel. Because, there are a lot of foreigners in this batch, and yeah..... I think sister Araja and Sister Balasta were trying to make me feel better, but that only made me more worried... Ok lang yan. The Lord qualifies those who he calls, and he called me.... I got this these next two transfers!

Garry was baptized on Saturday, and it was amazing! He was baptized with a member of the ward, and so there were many members there, and the sisters had an investigator there, and so they were there, and it was so pretty! Garry's dad was even there! He is a less active, and hasn't come to church in so long! Then, Yesterday at church, Garry wasn't there to be confirmed before the sacrament, but, he came late, first he came, then his brother who is 7, then Brother Edgar came! Even though he walked in during the sacrament, he came! I wanted to go outside and jump for joy! I thought that it was going to be a really bad sacrament meeting with attendance at least, but it was amazing right at that point! Bishops face was so happy when he saw brother Edgar! So Garry was baptized and confirmed this week!

Julie Ann and Tatay are amazing! They are still active and every time we go see them, we always are fed Buko juice, and santtol, and other masarap food! I love them so much! I hope that they continue to stay active the rest of their lives!

So yesterday, Sunday, like I said I was worried about the attendance of Less-Actives and Investigators. Well, Brother Edgar made up for a lot of it! but!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After the sacrament, Sister Lorna and her neighbor walked in with their children! OH MY GOSH!!!! I wanted to go dance and celebrate how happy I was that they came to Church again! Sister Saua spoke yesterday, and said that sister Lorna looked so happy as she sat there in church! I know with all my heart that this church is true and that we have a loving Father in Heaven that has the greatest desire for all of us His children to be happy here in earth while we are away from Him for a short time, and through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we can have the happiness that He desires for us! He knows us inside and out, and He knows what we need when we need it, and He is ready to give it to us when we allow him into our lives! He love us!

So this week has been a trying week for my faith.... I have felt so...... worried that I didnt make any progress in the language this transfer, and in anything.... Like there was no change or hope for this next transfer. Like last Sunday to yesterday morning. I have prayed more this week than I ever had in my life.... Because I felt like I had failed myself and my heavenly Father, but no one knew this is how I felt but me and Him. I prayed for strength, and I prayed for forgiveness, and I thanked Him for every little blessing that happened that day, that minute, for the strength that I felt after I read my scriptures and studied Chapter 6 in Preach my Gospel (Cool story on that latter...)

So I have just been holding on to the hope and faith that everything will be ok and that it is all in His hands as I really try to do my best this last week of sister Saua! Well, I knew that the phone call I got this morning was coming, I knew that the 28th of July, But during the transfer I lost hope, and doubted that thought. Then, last Sunday, the Zone Leader was talking to me and he was like, are you ready to train? And I was like... I don't really know. So that tipped me off, that there was a huge chance for me to train, because that Tuesday they was Missionary Leadership council, and interviews with president and then all the other more experienced missionaries are being transferred, because they just finished with their akis, so yeah! I then got the phone call this morning, and Yeah. I am soooooo worried, but like I said up above the Lord qualifies those who he calls and He has called me here to the Philippines to be his missionary, and to train right now! AYAYAYAYA

So on Friday we had Zone Training, and that was fun! The Zone Leaders said that President wants the faith of the missionaries to become stronger, he has asked that the first 15 minutes of our personal study be focused on chapter 6 of Preach My Gospel: Christ Like Attributes. President said hat no one can read that chapter and not have their faith strengthened. It is so true! I know that is how it works. I have tried it these last couple days and it is amazing how much he loves us and how much room we have for faith.

Well, I love you all tons and tons! I love being a missionary, and being the daughter of a king! We are all children of God! He loves us more than we can understand! I love you all! Have an amazing week!

Love Sister Emma Nelson!

Week 24

August 3, 2015

Hi Mom!!!!!

I am very hot this beautiful hot Philippines summer day. Like it is really, really hot. Ewww. We had district activity this morning at 6, and we went to the ocean! I cannot wait to come back and actually be able to go swim! The water was soooo warm! I love it here!!!! We just played a bunch of games and then we had district breakfast! That was fun!

Mom, I cannot believe that it has been 24 weeks! It has gone by tooo fast! I want to stay forever, but I also kinda want to go home! The joys of being a missionary!

Speaking of those joys! I had the thought a couple weeks ago, how strange missionaries are! We are a bunch of youth, all away from our families, some of us in a different country, some of us speaking a different language, doing some of the hardest, but most important work ever, and we are sooo happy! There are hard times, and there are many tears, but nothing beats the happiness of seeing the people that we have grown to love, understand the plan of happiness our Father in Heaven has for us! It is truly amazing, and I am so happy to be a part of that strange group of people!

Sister Saua is good! I don't feel like it is the end of the transfer, and she hasn't even started packing yet.... like at all. That will be me in about 12 months.... We are very happy and because of the Elders, we have a dinner appointment almost every night this week..... so thats cool ;)

Garry is good! He passed his interview! He will be baptized this Saturday or Sunday, we are not quite sure.... We are excited for him! And we hope that he continues to come to church, and stay active! I love that kid and his brother! They are some stinkers sometimes, but I love them! It was so awesome! We had just finished teaching a lesson, and they were both being really loud, but we were talking to their dad, and He was in the house, and he was singing " When ever I hear the song of a bird or walk by a Lilac tree," And I thought of what he is and what he can become, He is a child of our Father in Heaven, and he can become a missionary, and can help his family come back to church by setting an example, and then by serving a mission himself!!!! It was really cool. I keep having the same thoughts for sister Julie Ann, she was baptized last Sunday. There are so many missionaries in the ward right now that are working on their papers, and the experience that she is having now with us, and the chance that she has to serve as well! It has been really cool! I hope that they stay active all their lives, these people, these youth are the future of the church!!!! It is really amazing to feel the love of our Savior for these people!!!!

Sister Lorna came to church on Sunday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! On Saturday, we had CSP and we helped her wash her clothes! I still have rub marks on my hands, because they were whites, and we used clorox, and I washed them with my hands, and sister Saua used the board. Basta, it was all worth it when we saw her at church!!!!! It made us so happy! We were a little late last Sunday, 8:55, and so we sat on the back row, and then a member of the bishopric comes down and is like you have an investigator here, and we looked, and it was sister Lorna and we both gasped and grabbed everything and sat by her! It made everything great! Then a bunch of youth were like I am preparing for a mission and working on my papers now! It made me soooo happy!

No interview really, next transfer we will have interviews. We had zone conference this month, and it was on baptism qualifications and other informative stuff. It was really good! Then at the end of that, President saw me, and he was like how are you sister Nelson, and I was like Ayos lang po, I mean I am good., and he was like are you making sure that sister Saua sprints to the end? I and I was like, of course, and that was the end of that conversation.... but next month, we will have interviews.....

The pictures don't really bother me.... I love seeing all of you! Was it just the Casey family? or where there all of the cousins and everyone? I love the paintings! You all sound so busy!!!!! I love it!  I cannot believe that you are getting ready for school again! And only Esther will be home this next year for half of the week! I am sooooooo excited to go camping again! I am excited to be in the mountains and to be really cold, and dry! I miss the mountains like none other!

I am really kinda worried for next week, there are not a lot of sisters in the mission that are not training, I know of one companionship that isn't training, and then there is me.... and then there are all the missionary sisters that are done with training, and so they need to be transfer, and it is just so crazy! I am worried for next monday... Also, last night, the zone leader was like, are you ready to train sister Nelson.... Zone leaders are sneaky, they know more than they let on. Also next monday I will be going to Naga, again with sister Saua, to drop her off at the mission home, because I have killed her, and I need a temporary companion, and yeah.....

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! drum roll please! I ate crab, and I ate Balut. We Should be proud more of the balut than anything.... Sister Baird got sick after she ate hers, but I am happy as can be that I can say, I ate, and now move on with my life and never try it again! I have pictures and a video that is about 15 minutes long that we can all watch in 12 ish months! YYAYAYAY

I love you all tons and tons!!! I will send pictures next week! I am too lazy to do it this week.... I love you all! Have an amazing week!

Love Sister Emma Nelson