Week 74

Monday, July 18, 2016

Hi mom :)

I am good this week :) It has been an interesting week :) very.... I get distracted sometimes with my thoughts as they turn to home, but I use that to push me harder as we work :). It is soooo close!!! on the bright side, I don't feel like I am really coming home that soon... like it is just a dream! so its weird... Moving on :)

This has been an ok week :) We were punted on Tuesday, and it was also a hard day for Oyms... But we did it and pushed through... Thats kinda how our whole week was... hard, but we pushed through... Endure to the End :)

I met some people this week that are very lost without the gospel and I was thinking about the direction that the gospel gives us. I know that the gospel is true! I know that Jesus Christ lives and that he loves us! Our plans for this week are to have some exchanges on Wednesday and to have zone confernce on Friday :). It will be fun to see President and sister Zapanta again this week :). I need some upliftment..

Next week I will have more stories and... Yeah :) I love you all!!!

Love Sister Emma Kate Nelson!

Week 73

Monday, August 11, 2016

Hi mom!!!

Today is a beautiful transfer day, where there is yet again, no transfer, and my companion is still Sister Eteru :D. Wow.... I can testify that a mission prepares you for marriage... patience and learning how to be humble... It works :). I am super excited to really make this transfer our best transfer yet!!! The weather is ok... it is still hot and humid, and is really bad when it rains.... It is the Philippines, and I will miss it sooo bad!!!!

I am feeling just fine, I no longer have a cold or anything like that.. Just being happy. The work is ok... We have an awesome plan to save our area, and make it the best again!!!! In the Naga Mission we believe in leaving our area better than we found it, so we will just make it the best we can, and just kill it with love and work and service!!! We are both really excited that we will both die in Daet... :D We are both sooo strange!!!

Hehehe Sister Annie.... She is the best!!!!!! I love her and I will miss her when I come home... Mom it is sooo crazy!!!!!!! I have my plans, I just have to wait 6 weeks and I will be home... I am going to cry!!!!

This week I realized the truth of Ask and ye shall receive. I know that because God loves us, He will give us most of what we desire if it is in accord with his will!!! I know that to be true because as I have looked back on my mission, He blessed me so much with things that I have asked for, physical and spiritual things. I love him sooo much!!!

I guess that Spencer is going to the Philippines Cebu Mission, or New York City mission :) yan :) Ang galing ko di ba?

I love you all soooo much!!! Thank you for everything!!!

Love Sister Emma Kate Nelson

Pictures. July 2016

Selfie

National Day of Service

This is what an Apostasy looks like.... WALA!!!!!

Blessings!!!!!! Mangos!!!!!!!

Week 72

Monday, July 4, 2016

Hi Mom!!!!

I am good on this beautiful day in the Philippines!!! I am still alive and breathing... As a household we all had a cold this weekend, so it really hasn't been that fun, but we have gotten through it... I feel like it happens when I travel a lot I get sick.... I might die when I come home... :) But I love being a missionary, and so I won't complain....

This last week has been crazy!!!! We were in Pamplona, two and a half hours away from Daet for two days for exchanges, and they were soooo fun!!!!! I love those Sisters and I am sooo happy to be able to serve them :)))))) And then on Friday we came to Naga and met President and Sister Zapanta :D They are the best, and I am so happy to meet them and to serve with them!! Their youngest is three years old and is just full of life and energy!!! I love them and I know that they are called of God to be the mission president and wife here in the Naga Mission. I know that they are what we need here :) I love them :D.

So we really didn't work this week in our area, but I learned so much this week!! I learned just a little bit more of what it means to really serve with all of our heart might mind and strength. I was reading the May Liahonia/ conference Ensign and the Women's meeting. It was sooo amazing to really read and to think that that is what the Savior did and that is what I need to do more to be a better missionary. To serve selflessly and to focus on the people. I was reminded that those who lose themselves in the service of God find themselves, where as those who try to find themselves can never truly be found and that as we serve and put others needs first, we will draw closer to Christ and we will become more whole :). As I realized that, Everything at that time that was hard, suddenly became easier because I realized that its not about me, but about those that I serve and that as I serve them and put their needs first, everything that I desire to change will change, and I will become a better person with God's help than I could without.... something I feel like I should have figured out a really long time ago, but sometimes we need those gentle reminders from Father to help us change :D I love him :DDD

And then last night we taught Tatay Boy, he is really amazing, and was a referral, he is so close to baptism, but the problem is that he has to come to church, and he has a couple of Word of wisdom Problems.... But last night we talked with him and specifically about our life here on earth and our purpose. It was such an amazing lesson!!! He is really ready and accepting of this gospel! We then shared with him 1 Nephi 3:7, we all know this verse, but it was so amazing to share it with him, just after talking about the gospel of Jesus Christ (Faith, repentance, baptism, Holy Ghost, endure to the end) and then to share that with him. As we explained the story about Nephi and what was going on, and after we read the verse, Tatay told us, Wow Nephi really endured to the end, and he did what God commanded him to do, and we told him yes and that God can help him too with his word of wisdom problem, and he was like, ok sisters I will try really hard this week! I think after we finish the Plan of Salvation, we will share with him about fasting... :D He is awesome!!!

I love you!!!! I hope that you all have a wonderful week!!!! You make me soooo happy!!!! Keep staying strong!!!!

Love Sister Emma Kate Nelson!!!

Week 71

Monday, June 27, 2016

Hi Mom!!!!

This has been a really good week. Alot of miracles :) it all started with exchanges in Labo :) I worked with one of my favorite sisters in the Mission!!!!! And she is from Utah, and as we talked, I was totaly using Taglish... I think my favorite one of the day was the time we were walking around in what was like the middle of nowhere, and then there was a house, and I said "Oh my gosh, there's a BAHAY!!!!" She died laughing at me... and then I just did that for the rest of the day... I couldn't speak English, and I couldn't speak Tagalog, just Taglish... It was extreamly entertaining.. :D So thats how I am going to talk when I come home... Just Taglish... :DDD

There were other things that happened too, but I forgot that I haven't writen President Reeder my last email to him, so Ima do that!!! I love you all thank you for your Prayers and love!!!! I will be home sooner than we think!!!

Love Sister Emma Nelson

Week 70

Monday, June 20, 2016

Hi Mom!

Well this has been one of those weeks where it have been so long but soooo  crazy too!!! Like just so many things that happened!

On Monday we cleaned our house, like it looked like a new house after we were done and this week we have just maintained the house :) It was awesome :) and then I washed like a ton of things... my hands hurt... a lot. but I hope I can maintain my laundry like we do the house... :)

AND THEN!!!! Last Monday! We were planning for exchanges, the sisters area is about three hours away, and it was close to 10 PM, and then another one of the sisters calls and is like my companion is crying and she has some sharp pains in her stomach. She asked what she should do and I said Pray... And then we went to Mercedes, it is about 10-15 minutes away by jeep... so we went, at night... and then we went to the hospital... and we didn't go home until around 2... The next morning we were up at 6:30 and left at 7, and didn't come home until 3 :) It was an awesome day :)

On Thursday, the Sister left the hosplital, don't worry, she only had constipation... and they are safe and sound now in Mercedes :)

Tatay Jaymie is ok.. We have an apointment with him this week... The last time I saw him he smelled of ciggaretts... It makes me sad.... But we will talk with him this week. :) Please pray for him... Did I tell you why he stopped progressing? It is because the Decon skipped him during the sacrement, and he was like I know that I have sinned because I haven't gone to church, but I am offended because I didn't get to partake of the holy water,,, It was bad.... Question... Is it ok for investigators to partake of the sacrament even though they havent been bptized? Help....

um... We have a bunch of potential investigators and this other one!!! Her name is Desaree, we talked with her husband a couple weeks ago and did some service and then we found out that his oldest child died and he really really misses her, and then we found his wife, and she is amazing!!!! She knows that it is true and just wow!!!! She wants her husband to change, and she wants them to be happy, and her story is just amazing and so is her faith!!!!! She is an investigators, and the other day we were there and we saw her and her girls and we were both like, we miss being home, and right before we left she gave each of us a hug, and I thought of you and I missed you, and thought... 9 more weeks :DDD.

I love reading about home and I love you guys sooo much!!! I hope that you have an awesome week!!!

Love Sister Emma Kate Nelson!!

Week 69

Monday, June 13, 2016

Hi mom!!!!

Sorry this might be a really short email.... Sorry again....

So this has been an ok week, MLC was cool :) We talked and discussed somethings to help the mission and it was awesome. It was also President Reeders last MLC so they bore their testimonies. It was so awesome to hear their testimonies. President Reeder shared what he has learned as a mission President, and it was so cool to hear!!!! I also had a thought of what I have heard a lot of RMs say about the spirit.... it is always with us, and it guides us, but as missionaries, it is different, and how after you are released, it is different.... like it is always there, but it is different... I hope you get what I cannot fully explain.... :D. But it makes me sad, and want to have it all the time like this... I was reading Kenny's letter and like I will miss the spirit of discernment the way that I have it now..... :) I love being a missionary :)

SOOO!!!!! A huge miracle happened yesterday!!!!! I finally saw Tatay Jaymie!!!!! He has been working about 40 minutes away because he needs money... so he has been harvesting veggies and rice I think... I forgot, but!!!! We saw him!!!! The sad part is is that he smelled of cigarette smoke..... But he said that next week h will be here again in Daet, and we will be able to teach him again!

um.... I forgot what I wanted to share with you.... I might remember this week..... I think that I just need to re read my email last week in order to remember, but I am just a little too lazy... Sorry... BUT!!!!!!! We totally cleaned our house today!!!! Like it looks brand new until you look at our desks.... but it still looks sooo good :) It makes me happy :)

I totally freaked out about Spencer and his mission papers!!!!!! I have been thinking a lot about where he is going, and when he will get them and what if he speaks a language and what if it is Tagalog so then I have a friend to share all my secrets with when he gets home:) and then Megan said that the other day when you guys saw each other in Charming Charlies, she said he looked like a missionary, and it is true he does, and he looks a lot better with that hair cut rather than the long cut... #MASGWAPO.... :DDDDDD

I literally have no brain today... I just have LOST IT!!!!!!! And I am always tired, I dont think it matters what time I go to bed, if I exercise or not, or if I eat healthy or not I am just tired..... I think I am close to going home... :)

I love you all sooooo much!!!! I hope that you have an awesome week!!!! Next week I have a goal to email you all (mom, dad, Spencer, Andrew, Esther)... I will try my very hardest!!! And this week will be a much cooler week than last :DDDD

I will also try to keep my head working.... so I am not sooo crazy next week ^.^

Love Sister Emma Kate Nelson :D