She's training?

Natalie didn't mention it in her letter this week, but we just received this email...

Dear Brother and Sister Nelson,

Your daughter, Sister Natalie Beth Nelson, has been given the new assignment to 
serve as Trainer of a newly arrived missionary. She has received this assignment 
because of her dedication and unselfish service and because of the confidence 
the Lord has in her. She is a fine missionary.

The position of Trainer is considered the most important assignment in the 
mission, for it is the Trainer who establishes the foundation for her 
companion's success and the ultimate success of the mission. We appreciate her 
willingness to be an exemplary missionary. 

We thank you for your continued support and prayers for your missionary and the 
work in the California Riverside Mission. 

Sincerely,

Paul F. Smart, PresidentCalifornia Riverside Mission

Our duo is officially a trio!

Sister Anderson arrived on Tuesday and I love her so much!! She is ADORABLE and FEARLESS. She is from Utah and just turned 19. We have had so much fun with her :) Besties for life!

Natalie and Sister Anderson

One day Sister Anderson was riding behind us and fell. We turned around and saw her, starting laughing and ran over to get a picture :) She was okay, but this is seriously what she looked like...

We had a very busy week again, but Claudia barely even talked to us...so no baptism. :(

And Arne (our investigator who is supposed to be baptized this Sunday) is drinking again.

But, it's okay! They will get there.

Last week was actually pretty rough now that I think about it. I can't even come up with a good missionary moment...hopefully, we'll have better luck this week! 

We did give out a ton of Harvest Blessings. I loveeeee giving them. So many people this week were very emotional in their blessings and immediately recognized us as TRUE representatives of Jesus Christ. 

Also, we have a lot of follow-ups to do this week which will be fun.

This Sunday we are getting a new bishopbric. WEIRD that we know that right? There was a member of the Stake Presidency there yesterday and his announcement during sacrament was that "everyone should come to church next week because there will be a big change within the bishopric!"

Bishop got up after that and says "Well this is awkward." 

It was funny. I love bishop Rowe and I'm sad that he is being released. He is very missionary focused and he is hilarious. He actually reminds me A LOT of Dad. He even has the "salt-n-pepper" look going on. It's okay though because now he will be perfect for team-ups :)

Natalie and her Dad - May 2012

Did you go to the broadcast yesterday? It was AWESOME! I seriously loved it so much. I think it will really inspire the members to be more missionary focused. I can't remember who said it but, they said that MEMBERS should be the ones reactivating and doing the missionary work. The missionaries are just here to assist them. 

Crazy right? I am so glad though because this week during companion study we have been talking about how important missionary work is and that it's actually part of our baptismal convenant. 

How much happiness does the gospel bring to us? Don't we want our friends and families to have that too? Why are we scared to share the gospel? I know that even as a missionary that I get scared sometimes, but we have been promised that if we truly love them and want to share this happiness with them, that no one will be offended and you won't come off rude. NOW is the time!

So, here is my CHALLENGE...by the time I come home, invite someone to take the discussions and be baptized! It's really not a big deal. I do it 10 times a day. Just invite one person to come closer to Christ by being baptized. It's fun. I promise. :)

Love and miss you all!! 

Sister Nelson

"Sister Todd takes her curls very seriously"

"Our favorite time of the day"

Bold about Baptism

Well this would be the first week that I have ZERO emails from my family! 

No, really it's fine...now I have NOTHING to write back! :(

(Editor's note: Every week I email Nat and then she prints off my email and hand writes a letter back to me answering all my questions and commenting on things I wrote to her. Unfortunately, I was writing my email when she sent hers 2 hours earlier than usual!  The boys and Laurel had also sent her letters in the mail and apparently those hadn't arrived yet.)

It's cool though...I am sure you are really busy or something.

This week was crazy. 

Below is a brief schedule and then a story of the best part of my week...

Tuesday: DDM (District Development Meeting) it happens every week and it takes a big chunk of our day.

Wednesday: Trainer/Trainee Meeting. I was reunited with my MTC Distict. It was glorious.

Thursday: Weekly Planning. Also happens every week, but it takes 3 hours so it's more significant time lost.

Friday: TEMPLE...it was AWESOME! We attend the Redlands temple. It is small, but sweet. We went with our zone. I absolutely love going to the temple! Every time I go, I dream about all of us being there together one day. I CAN'T wait!

"Our entire zone"

Natalie and Sister Pack

Natalie and Sister Todd

"Sister Haycock and I at the temple. She is one of my favorite people of all time!
We are pretty much the same person."

Saturday: Transfers. 

We had a mission wide meeting/party which was fun because I was able to see Elder McCall for my last time! He got transferred out of the mission. I think he is now in the Carlsbad mission, but I could be wrong. I know he'll do GREAT things wherever he serves.

"Me and Jive Turkey" (AKA Elder McCall)

The meeting was incredible, but VERY emotional.

The opening hymn was "Called to Serve." Singing that with all of the missionaries would alone bring me to tears, but watching President fight back tears as we sang, sent me overboard. 

Then someone spoke about how we are each called where Heavenly Father wants us to be and that this has always been His plan. 

(Just to clarify I was in no way NERVOUS or WORRIED about transfers. I was ONLY crying out of love for President and feeling the spirit.) 

After that, we sang "I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go" which brings me to tears when I'm not a missionary, so singing it right before I am going to find out exactly where Heavenly Father needs me... no bueno. 

Then President spoke. I LOVE him so much. He is AMAZING and has so much love for all of us.  

Then he proceeded with the big announcement... 

I'M STAYING IN EASTVALE 1ST WARD WITH SISTER PACK! We are realllllly excited!

Sister Todd and Sister Gambling are staying too! Here's the catch though...Sister Pack and I have to move to a different home share and our duo is getting turned into a trio! 

We had a mini missionary for a week and it wasn't the best, so we are a tad nervous about it. Sister Pack picks her up tomorrow. I hope she is international. 

"Love me some Packy"

After that we sang "God Be With You Till We Meet Again"...nuff said.

I am so grateful to be here. Honestly, I would have been excited about going anywhere, but staying in Eastvale 1st ward was what I really wanted. :)

This is a nightgown we bought for Nat to 
wear to BED while on her mission. 
Apparently, she gets lots of compliments on it. :)

Okay, now for a story... 

I was beyond BOLD about baptism this week! 

It's about Claudia and her family. I wrote to you about them last week in my letter. Just a reminder her kids are Danny (14), Eric (12), Giselle (10), Sarah (6), Andrea (4). 

Claudia is an investigator that has been taking the discussions for almost a year. She is in her 40's, Hispanic and single with 5 kids. She has had about 5 baptismal dates, but hasn't gone through with any of them. 

We met with her on Wednesday night and normally she rounds all of her kids up to meet with us, but this time she said she was too tired and she doesn't want to force anything on them. 

I was bummed, but it ended up being a good thing because for the next hour she was 100% honest about what has really been holding her back and what her kids have said after we leave each time. 

Satan is smart! He is getting to her through her kids and she knows it. 

So DUMB! 

After about an hour her 3 oldest came home and all sat down without being asked. We then studied 2 Nephi 31 (one of my favorite chapters in the Book of Mormon, Mosiah 4 is high up there too) with them and it was awesome. 

Eric was so in tune with the spirit it was crazy. He had an answer for everything and was even answering his family's questions for us! He is the only kid who has an outspoken interest about the church. 

Everyday he is the one who gathers the family to have scripture study. He LOVES the Book of Mormon and takes it to school with him because it "lifts him up when he is down." 

He'll be an incredible missionary one day. 

We studied with them for an hour and only got halfway through the chapter before we had to leave to get back by curfew.

But then things got intense... 

I called out Claudia for not acting on the answers that she has already received and how it would be better for her to KNOW CHRIST than to deny Him. Luckily, she took it like a champ and then said that her kids were the reason she hasn't been able to follow through with baptism. 

She wants to be baptized, but wants the support of her family.

Danny (who were are pretty positive is making bad choices and has also told us he has no interest in the church) told her that he will go with her and if she wants to be a member then she should get baptized! 

He was so sincere and supportive of her which is exactly what she needed. He discussed with all of us a new monthly plan about church attendance (it was 3 weeks at Catholic church, 1 week ours). 

My comp continued to talk to her and I had the impression to talk to Eric (he was sitting next to me). 

I turned to him and whispered "Dude, you know you want to be baptized, just do it!" 

He laughed and said that he will pray about it. We had just talked about the gift of the Holy Ghost so I said "you know that having the Holy Ghost with you ALWAYS will be so sweet." 

He just smiled at me and continued to look down in his scriptures.

30 seconds later I said "Not to mention, you can have the Priesthood! I can't even do that." 

He promised that he would pray about it that night. 

Then we started to pick up our stuff to leave and I heard Eric talking to Danny. 

He said "I think I am going to get baptized." 

Danny responded "seriously!?" 

and Eric said "Yeah. There are just so many benefits!" 

Danny then turned to me and said "ERIC JUST SAID HE WANTS TO GET BAPTIZED!" 

Claudia was shocked and Eric comforted her and said "yes mom I really do and we all know you do too. Let's do this together!" 

We were FREAKING out! (Silently, of course.)

She asked when they could get baptized and our team up said they could do it on Saturday. 

But, then I said "you could do it tomorrow!" 

Eric said "Yeah! Let's get baptized tomorrow!" 

We planned for everything. Danny was really excited for them so I turned to him and told him that "he should try and pray about it again, then he could plan for all of this too." 

Danny nodded his head and then said "I can choose whoever I want to baptize me right?" 

I said "yes." 

Then he asked me "could you do it?" 

I was FLATTERED and obviously said no and explained why. 

We continued to plan, but sadly couldn't make it happen with everyones schedules. Hopefully, this weekend it won't fall through. 

Please pray for them.

Have to go! My time is up! Love you all!

Sister B

"Packy being silly while I'm trying to study"

(email received June 17, 2013)

Love you very long time

HI!!!!

This week was great!! 

We had a mini missionary with us for 9 days which was HARD, but I can do hard things and so it was AWESOME!

Mini Missionary, Sister Pack and Natalie

Mini Missionary is 18, just graduated 
and lives in nearby Corona, CA.
She already has her papers done, 
she just needs to meet with her Bishop.

Apparently, they are testing out the idea of mini missions instead of the MTC, but I think it is only for English speaking missionaries going state side.

Hey I was thinking, the boys should go on team-ups with the Elders! They don't have to do a full day of splits, but just tag-a-long for one lesson, I think they would really like it. It's SO MUCH FUN!

That reminds me, HAPPY BIRTHDAY WESSER!! I thought about you all day. You have a letter coming your way. ;)

My favorite experience this week....

You know how each companionship has to get 20 OYMs every day? Well this week Sister Pack and I decided that since we typically get more than that (it's easier on bike) we wanted to get 20 OYMs each for a total of at least 40/day. 

As soon as we set that goal we got VERY busy and had many lessons scheduled. 

One night around 8:10 PM we texted our DL's to tell them we had 32 OYMs (they want us to text them as soon as we get our 20 and then the final number at the end of the night). 

Our appointment had cancelled so I was thinking to myself, if we talk to EVERY single person we see, like we are asked, I bet we could get 100 OYMs in a single day! 

I told Sister Pack that one day before transfers I want to get 100 QUALITY OYMs. She told me I was crazy, but she was willing to try.

After I suggested it, it seemed like EVERYONE was out in their front yard (remember it's 8 PM so it seemed a little odd in the dark.) I told Sister Pack that I wanted to reach 100 in the next 40 minutes. 

We talked to SO many people and left MULTIPLE blessings, placed TWO copies of The Book of Mormon, and passed out a TON of pass along cards. At the end of the night we had 66 OYMs! 

We didn't meet our goal, but it was pretty impressive that we were able to double our OYMs in 40 minutes. 

We texted in our numbers to our DL's and they responded with "are you sure your numbers are right? 66 OYMs?" 

and we responded with "Yep, that's right. 66." 

The next text said "daaaaaaannnggggg! Way to go sisters! Keep up the great work!"

We now have MULTIPLE new investigators from that one night! I know that Heavenly Father was mindful of us and blessed us because of our faith and our hard work. 

I am so glad I made the choice to be here. It is the best decision I have ever made. In six weeks I haven't only helped bring others closer to Christ, I have come closer myself. 

I have been really studying the Book of Mormon and the Atonement this past week and it's changed my life! I think that those two, along with the Holy Ghost, are the GREATEST gifts ever given to man. 

Please study the Atonement. It is so important. 

Jesus Christ chose to come to earth not only to suffer for our sins, but also our pains and heartbreaks. He truly knows exactly how we feel and because of the Atonement, He knows us better than we know ourselves. Through it, we are able to receive exactly what we need because Christ has been there and done that. He suffered for EVERYTHING that EVERYONE has, is and will go through.

We need to be using the Atonement DAILY. If not, we are wasting the greatest sacrifice and gift given to man.

I read Bruce R. McConkie's talk "The Purifying Power of Gethsemane." Read it my people! It's awesome. 

I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came to earth and suffered for all of us, even those that He knew would never use His Atonement. 

I know that He did that out of the unconditional love for us and He is reaching out His hand to help us in these latter days. 

I cannot comprehend what He went through, but I am so grateful for it because it is the only way I am able to return to my Heavenly Father and live with my family for eternity.

I love you all so much! Your letters come to me EXACTLY when I need them so please keep writing!

The is the only true gospel and the only way we can fulfill our divine purpose. Don't take it for granted!

Love you very longtime,

(I love the Asian members in my ward...they are starting to rub off on me.)

Sister Nelson

Ps. Every Monday is "Masala House Monday" it's an Indian place with delicious chicken tiki masala! On Mondays you can get a happy meal for $2. It's the best! 

There are lots of Indians here mom, you would loveeee it. :)

(email received June 10, 2013)

It's getting pretty dang hot over here!

HOLA!

Okay so I am going to put pictures on this email and it takes FOREVER on the library computer so my letter this week is going to be short. 

So sorry. Please forgive me.

"Why thank you...don't mind if I do!"

We picked up a new investigator this week! Her name is Marna. She is from Jamaica and has only been living here for a few years.

When we were walking down the street she called us over (which NEVER happens) and wanted to know what we were all about. We told her, invited her to church and she has come the past two weeks!!

She actually when to an LDS church 3 times in Jamaica and when she called us over she thought "if they ask me to go to church, I will." The spirit is REAL my people.

Anyways, we haven't been able to actually teach her a formal lesson yet, but she is reading the Book of Mormon on her own. She said "I love this book! I think that every minister in the world should have it." 

We are so EXCITED about her.

Every time we bring up baptism though she changes the subject really quick and tells us that she doesn't practice religion and that she goes to church no matter who invites her. 

She is getting baptized. She just doesn't know it yet.

It's getting pretty dang HOT over here! I am dripping sweat all day long. It's cool though. I love being on bike. 

Sweaty, yet happy!

I meet with the President on Friday and I am very excited about it.

You know how I was telling you I mastered riding my bike with no hands? Yeah...well, I CRASHED. 

It's WAY worse than it looks. 

It happened over a week ago and is still bruised and swollen. 

I like it. I look intense. 

Sister Pack was laughing so hard when it happened she couldn't even ask me if I was okay. :)

I love and miss you all so much!! I pray for you every day. 

I am so sorry to those I haven't written back.  I am so busy, but I PROMISE that your letters are much appreciated!! Please keep writing me and send your address so I can write back...sometime. :)

Love,

Sister Nelson

PS. I LOVED YOUR PACKAGE!!! Seriously, it was PERFECT!

Sister Pack and I came home for lunch and everyone had letters except me. I was super bummed because I wasn't feeling good that day. :(

So, I went to the bathroom and wanted to cry. BUT, I remembered that Heavenly Father is mindful of me and I just need to have faith and be happy.

When I walked out, there was my package!!! I seriously got a little teary-eyed. Thank you so much mom. I love you.

PSS. The reenactment looked SWEET!! So jealous I couldn't be there. I have the pictures hanging on my wall. We should make it a family tradition or something. ;)

Eli's WWII reenactment at the Hansen's cabin May 2013

(email received June 3, 2013)

Painting, Flower and tattoos

Hello familia!

I am sorry that I didn't email you yesterday. Since it was a holiday the library was closed, but we still managed to have a fun day.

This is what mission fun looks like...
the sisters unclogging their pores

This past week has been awesome!! I have had so many AMAZING experiences, but only have time to write about one particular day.

On Saturday I was able to do exchanges with Sister Fankhouser (she is the sister I bought my bike from and is also the Sister Training Leader for the mission). It was FANTASTIC! 

Friday night I drove to Jurupa (her area) and we stayed up late Friday night talking...we got along really well. :) 

We woke up Saturday and had an hour of personal study and then we went to Lisa's house (a less active member) to help her paint her walls. We were only supposed to be there for an hour, but we ended up staying for 3! 

Lisa is older and has been married 3 times. Her youngest daughter is 21 and just had a baby out of wedlock. Lisa has been struggling for the past 20 years and she knows that it's because she has not been going to church. 

She told us her whole life story and it's pretty INCREDIBLE. She is very much into food storage and has actually written two books about it. 

Unfortunately, through a messy divorce with her second husband she fell away from the church. Now that she is older and is happily married and sees how her children are now raising her grandchildren, she feels guilty for leaving the church and not teaching her children gospel principles. 

Sister Fankhouser and I listened and testified to her about temples, the plan of happiness and the atonement. It was great. She had some personal questions and met with the Relief Society President right after we left. 

She couldn't come to church this week, but I think she will go next Sunday. The spirit was so strong...she couldn't deny it.

After that we went to the ghetto (I was in HEAVEN :)) to go get our OYMs. We pulled up to an apartment complex that Sister Fankhouser and her companion had been to a few days earlier where they had left a Harvest Blessing with a woman named Flower. 

I guess after the blessing, Flower asked what church exactly they were from and they said "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, sometimes known as Mormons."

Flower said "Mormons? I was baptized Mormon once." 

So, we wanted to go back and check up on her and commit her to taking the lessons and invite her to church. 

When we got out of the car there was a man waving at me like he knew me. I waved back with a big smile, but out of the corner of my mouth I said to Sister Fankhouser "please tell me you know that man?" 

She said "Uhh I think that's Flower's husband?" 

We walked up the steps and he was so nice and insisted we come in. 

Just so you can get a better picture, this apartment was very OLD and pretty BARE except for a black Ikea couch and a really big flat screen tv.  

Gregory, Flower's husband, is Hispanic and a larger man with a lot of tattoos. He would probably scare Sister Pack, but those are my FAVORITE people to talk to. :) 

He was limping around because he has back pain and was actually going to go to the hospital that night for surgery. (We later found out that his back pain is from a bullet that is stuck in his spine.)

Flower is Hispanic with really thick drawn on eyebrows, a piercing between her chin and lower lip with BIG hoop earrings. 

So, as we continue talking with them, Gregory is telling Sister Fankhouser about the other night when they had chatted, but she couldn't remember what he was talking about. She looked all through her planner to jog her memory and finally everything had made sense. 

A few days ago when she and her companion were tracting the complex, they had talked to Gregory and Flower on the side of the road. They agreed to a blessing and then gave the sisters their address.  

The address Gregory gave was actually his brothers address and since it's in a different area, the sisters had referred them to some other missionaries. 

Later that night when they decided to knock on doors, the first one they knocked on was Flowers! Gregory wasn't home and they didn't recognize her from earlier that day so they gave her the blessing. 

When Gregory found out, he thought that his brother gave them the correct address, which wasn't the case. (I know this is confusing...I hope you are following me.)  :)

As we sat there and clarified the situation with him, we told him that this whole experience was NOT coincidence. He agreed and then told us his life story and said that everywhere he has moved the missionaries have found him. 

There was even one time where he saw some missionaries coming down the street so he hopped a fence so that he didn't have to talk with them, but there was ANOTHER pair on the other side! 

He said that he has never really committed to them because he was getting in trouble, was in and out of jail and knew that it wasn't the right time for him. But, now that he has a child, he wants to change his life and knows that we were sent to help him do that. 

We asked him what his religious beliefs were and let me tell you...Heavenly Father truly does PREPARE people to hear the gospel!

He testified about being a child of God, about Christ's Atonement, that he can live with his family forever and that everyone needs to be baptized to take on Christ's name. 

Seriously! We talked with him for a while and he even said the closing prayer. He has committed to take the lessons and get baptized if that is the answer he receives from Heavenly Father.

He even got after Flower for not going to church and told her that she needs to get back on it.

I have so much love for the both of them. As we were sitting there the spirit was so strong and I felt the love that Heavenly Father has for them. 

I could clearly see them in white clothing and I know that Gregory will be baptized and their family will be sealed for eternity. I am so sad that they aren't in my area, but am praying I get transferred there in a few weeks. 

If that is the ONLY spiritual experience I have while I am here, it will be WORTH the 18 months of service. Miracles really do happen everyday, you just have to look for them.

I LOVE this gospel and never want to leave the mission. There are definitely hard times, but they are nothing compared to the joy it gives me when bringing others to the gospel. 

I love you all so much and I am so grateful for all of your letters!! They mean the world to me.

Mucho grande love,

Sister Nelson

(email received May 28, 2013)

First week in Riverside!

Natalie's letter is below, but here are a few things she told us when we spoke with her last week on the phone:

• She loves her companion, Sister Pack. She is 21, from Idaho and she has only been out 6 weeks!  They don't have enough trainers with the surge of sister missionaries so they are learning together.

Natalie and Sister Pack at the Mission Home

• They live in a pool house with another sister companionship that includes Sister Todd, her companion from the MTC.  Nat loved her so this was a wonderful surprise.  Sister Todd's trainer, Sister Gambling is also from Idaho and she too has only been out 6 weeks.

Where they live

Their backyard...oh the temptations :(

Lizards are everywhere!

• She is in Eastvale, CA which is about 20 minutes west of Riverside.

• The ward is half Chinese so once/mo Natalie and her companion have to wear headsets.

• They also have mandarin speaking Elders in her ward.

• She's on a bike and loves it, but with the weather near 100 degrees, she said she's never been so exhausted and has never slept so good. :)

• She is super happy and absolutely loves being a missionary!

Hello, HI!!!!!

To be honest, I don't like emailing. It's STRESSFUL. There is so much to say, but no time to say it. I hope that you aren't disappointed...

This week was good, but a tad rough. So many people make appointments with us and then cancel or just aren't home.  

My favorite is when we knock on the door, they look through their window and we make eye contact, but then they NEVER open up. It's cool though...I am just trying to save them, NBD. (No big deal.)

Harvest Blessings are the GREATEST thing! You should ask the missionaries in the ward if they do them. If so, get one. It invites the spirit and you can feel Heavenly Father's love so strong! 

People love them here. After we give the blessing we always ask how they feel and then we explain that what they're feeling is the spirit. 

We testify to them that we know that they are children of God and that He loves them and sent His son, Jesus Christ, to earth so that they can be comforted through their trials. 

As we teach and testify, they frequently mention that they feel like they are being reminded of something they were taught a long time ago...BINGO! 

I know that as I have exercised my faith and listened to the promptings of the spirit that Heavenly Father is guiding me to those who have been prepared for the gospel.

I only have 8 more minutes. I am so sorry. Let me tell you about one specific experience we had this week...

It feels like we will have one really bad day where NO ONE wants to talk to us and EVERYONE cancels, but then we are blessed the next day with just about EVERYONE and THEIR DOG wanting to hear our message. 

One day wasn't going too well which was a little frustrating because the day before was really bad. I kept telling Sister Pack that Heavenly Father is aware of us and we are here for a reason...it's just all in the right timing. 

After dinner we just had a few more OYM's (open your mouth if you forgot) to get on our way home. We went down a street which we soon realized was a dead end, but instead of turning around we decided to go all the way down to see if anyone was outside. 

There were 2 HUGE families. JACKPOT! 

Sister Pack and I split up so we could offer both families Harvest Blessings and both families wanted them! It was so great. 

My family was very young, but the wife was having back problems and when I told her who we were she said "YES! I have been waiting for you!" 

Sister Pack's family was Mexican and they said the same thing! It was such a blessing.

I know that Heavenly Father is mindful of all of us and as long as we are faithful and endure to the end we will be blessed.

LOVE AND MISS YOU ALL!!

Sister Nelson

(email received May 20, 2013)

I don't know who I am anymore

Hola family!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PACKAGE MOM!!!!! 

It was seriously the best thing. I was so excited, but I should probably let you know you didn't finish writing in the card! 

Hahaha you were saying something about something and then it said "with"...and then nothing. 

It was funny though...my roommates got a REAL kick out of it.

That's what the MTC does to you...the DUMBEST things turn into the FUNNIEST things you've ever heard! I don't even know who I am anymore. :)

Okay, let me answer some of your questions...

I can't remember exactly what I didn't tell you about my companion, but she is 19, from Idaho and she is going to Riverside too. 

Actually, my entire district is going to Riverside! We all leave together on Tuesday. We report to the travel office at 7:30 AM. 

TOTES excited.

Yes, there is yoga here, but it's not what you want it to be. I tried it then quickly realized I HATE yoga. 

I now play four square on the daily. To be honest, I think I'm quite good. :) 

It's about the only thing we can do with the elders that is competitive enough to meet my needs. We don't get gym time today and I am super bummed.

Yes, I brought my contacts...no, I did not bring solution. I wear my glasses practically every day. I have to take them off every once in a while because they give me a headache from all of the studying and crying and lack of sleep. It's no bueno.

Is the bed comfy? No. I mean, it's FINE. I am so tired at night that it doesn't matter. At least I have the bottom bunk :) 

The MTC is our mission field. Outside of the gates, the mission includes the field in front of the temple and temple grounds. So no, I can't go to the creamery or on campus. That's probably a good thing because I would be on the lookout for everyone I know.

I do seriously love it here. Missionary work is not easy at all and we haven't really even started yet. Because we are only here for 12 days they give it to you really fast. 

I am getting it, but it's a bit SCARY to think that I only have a few more days until the real thing. 

Some experiences I've had...

We started TRC on Monday. We are handed a referral slip with some information about a possible investigator who we need to go meet. Then we prepare a lesson for them and go knock on their door (just a room in the MTC) and go from there. 

We practice with progressing investigators (who are just our teachers playing the role of an investigator.) When you see your TRC investigator, even outside of the room, you need to treat them like an investigator. 

So, we received both of our slips on Saturday and needed to be prepared for Monday afternoon. 

An hour before we were supposed to teach, one of the teachers tells us that we will no longer be teaching "Rachel" and instead we need to prepare for "Lawana." 

It was TERRIFYING. 

We met Lawana on the first day we were here. She is a large black woman with a BIG attitude and she is not easy to teach. She makes it more of a debate and she runs the show. 

She is VERY intimidating. 

In TRC she has been known to throw missionaries out of her "house." (Some of the TRC investigators are members and some are not...we are never told.)

So, we went to teach Lawana and it was awful. We wanted to teach her about the Plan of Salvation and that she is a child of God who loves her, but she wasn't having any of it. 

Maybe 5 minutes into the lesson she says "Hold up! How do you know that He wants Lawana to do that? You don't know me. You don't know my life!" 

We tried to bear testimony and read scripture, but it was not what she wanted to hear. 

She probably said "You don't know Lawana" a thousand times.

The only thing we had going for us was that we were funny and she knew that we loved her (OBVIOUSLY I love her, I want to be her best friend!) 

Finally, as we asked her questions (we asked about a hundred) she started to break down and cry and said that she knew Jesus Christ had sent us and that she's missing something in her life. 

HALLELUJAH! 

She committed to pray and invited us back on Wednesday. We were so happy when we left. It truly felt like an accomplishment.

Wednesday we go meet with her again and she completely forgot what she said on Monday! 

Again, we couldn't answer anything right. When we tried to remind her why she invited us back she said she only let us come because her friend asked her to meet with us. :( 

We tried everything we knew and we were still not getting anywhere and I was seriously about to cry when she went silent for a very long time.  

Eventually, she said "I am probably going to get in big trouble for this, but..." and then she stopped being an investigator and told us her conversion story. 

It was sweet and very humbling. After she was done, I hugged her goodbye and thanked her before we left. 

We went WAY over time and we were late for our next appointment. 

I actually wish we didn't go to the next appointment because neither Sister Todd or I wanted to be there and we were still all worked up over Lawana so I can't even tell you how it went because I don't remember.

When we got back to the classroom Sister Todd broke down and cried, but wouldn't talk about it. I kept telling her that things like that are going to happen in the mission field all the time, but you can't take it personally. You have to take what you can learn from it, improve, and move on. 

She didn't want to hear it. 

It was really AWKWARD for the next 4 hours because she wouldn't let it go and even WORSE she wouldn't talk to me about it. 

She kept saying "Sister, I don't want to talk about it." It was a real test of my patience. 

After a while I had to go to the bathroom (which was awkward because we hadn't talked and we have to go together) and when I walked out of the stall she was sitting in the corner on the bathroom floor. 

DISGUSTING. 

So, I tried to help her and tell her that everything happens for a reason, but she snapped at me and said "Sister, do not talk about it anymore." 

Really? You are calling attention to yourself by sitting on the bathroom floor and when someone tries to help you, you shut them down? 

I couldn't take it anymore. 

I said "Okay, I don't mean to sound rude, but you look PATHETIC. So stand up, get over it and let's move on shall we?" :) 

Luckily, she did just that. 

I had a meeting with the new districts in our zone right after, but when I got home we had a very loving talk and everything is good again. That was by far the hardest thing these past couple of days.

I love it here though! I have learned so much and my testimony is STRONGER than ever. 

Heavenly Father loves all of His children and truly knows us better than we know ourselves. 

We need to have faith and put our trust in Him. If we do that and work hard, everything will work out and we will be blessed.

I love and miss you all so much!!!! 

I wish I could write more, but I am completely out of time. 

Tell the boys they should be receiving a letter soon :)

Love,

Sister Nelson

PS. My calling has been keeping me SUPER busy. I am the only sister in my district who hasn't gotten a blessing.

Five sisters are sick (myself included) and one of them has bronchitis. 

I have brought two of the sisters to get blessings in the middle of the night and everyone is dealing with feeling inadequate or homesick. 

Life is good. 

THE CHURCH IS TRUE!

(email received May 4, 2013) 

After a long day in the MTC Nat came home to find her door decorated by some of the sisters in her district.

The lovely sisters responsible for her door decorations.

Sisters Lasson and Hadley.  These are the new 
Sister Training Leaders that Natalie trained.

Elders Cowley and Rainey.  Nat's Zone Leaders in MTC 
(ASL missionaries)