Hey, Sister Hay

(Written Monday, July 13, 2105)

Hello wonderful friends and family,

It has been an amazing first week to transfer number 7! I am so happy to be working with Sister Haycock, or as Veronica (one of our 8 year old members) calls her: Sister Hiccup. She's a Georgia peach and lives two hours away from Sister Stark, but didn't know her until they met in the MTC in Mexico (she came in with Sister Stark) she is fun and crazy like me and has a wonderful bubbly personality, we already have crazy jokes and laugh way too much but we are having so much fun doing Heavenly Father's work, I feel so privileged to be able to work with her. We will see many miracles together this transfer :)

Me and sister Haycock this morning

We did all kinds of random things this week:
Monday Sister Stark and I celebrated an end to a beautiful transfer by going to DI and I bought so many things, five shirts and five skirts for 25 bucks. All good things and much needed! (One of the shirts is a t shirt that I won't get to wear as a missionary, but it was too good not to get, it says I want to believe and has a UFO on it...so sweet)
We also went to go say goodbye to some of the people we teach and while we were with Jaime there was a crazy rain storm! (Check the blog for pictures! It was so pretty) I really miss Indiana rainstorms so any time it rains here it's such a treat for me! There was a beautiful rainbow over the chapel just as we got there for another lesson.

This week was 7/11 so we got free slushies, we got chocolate covered strawberries at our dear friend Isabel's Missionary farewell (she'll be serving in Anaheim, California) and we made lots of cookies and ate way too much food so we both probably gained 20 pounds this week, but who cares?

I have always wanted to take a watermelon picture like this
and I finally got to with the Hernandez family and Sister Stark :)

I love the opportunity to serve a mission, I see blessings and miracles every day and I feel so grateful to be able to do this. It goes way too fast and I feel like I'm running to hold on, but it feels so good. Jaime and Pepe will be getting baptized this weekend and we had the miracle of this new family that we are teaching come to church with us, and the dad who was not interested before he came with them for the first time! We had 8 people in total at church today that are learning from us and we felt so happy helping these people feel of the blessings and peace and love that Heavenly Father has for them.

We went to the funeral of the young man who passed away last week and one phrase really stuck with me, one of his brothers said that "the trials come after the preparation is finished" I believe that is true because although it has been hard sometimes, I know I have been prepared to handle the trials that I have passed through. This family's strength has been incredible to me and it reminds me of two scriptures.
Alma 13:28 "...watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be led by the Holy Spirit" I like this scripture because I think we can apply it to say that we won't have trials that we can't bear either.
I think Heavenly Father is helping us so much with everything we go through and it reminds me of this scripture which is one of my favorites in Mosiah 24:14-15 "And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in... 15And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord." 

I love this church. I love the scriptures because they are proven true to us daily and I love being a missionary!
May Heavenly Father bless you this week! Please think on how he has helped you through your trials and you will see that you have never been alone.
Love,
Hermana Alayna Nelson

God's Army

(Written Monday, July 6, 2015)

Hello Everyone!

What a crazy quick week it has been and we are at the end of another transfer! The verdict is that I will be staying here in Los Feliz for another transfer and Sister Stark is moving one area over so I will still see her once a week in meetings, but she will be working in a different area. My next companion's name is Sister Haycock and she came in with Sister Stark, she is super cute and I look forward to working with her! We had a wonderful fourth of July by going to a pancake breakfast with the sisters in our area that day and we tried to go and look at the fireworks on the mountain for a few minutes, it was a crazy party and I really want to come back sometime for the Fourth of July festivities as a regular person! It was so cool to see fireworks all over the valley! I tried to take picture of it but it just didn't do it justice.

4th of July pancake breakfast with the sisters

We didn't end up having any baptisms, but I know that this next transfer we will see so many miracles with people coming into the fold of Jesus Christ. There are so many ready people that we have that are right on the cusp of being ready and I look so forward to all the miracles we are going to have.

We had a very powerful moment this week with a new member of our church, her name is Jackie and her daughter is Veronica. We did an activity where we reminded them how far they had come and how much their testimonies had grown by having them write them down. We played church music and had a bunch of photos of Jesus Christ. It was pretty spiritual as I was writing down what I knew to be 100% true and how much I had learned.

I am so grateful for who I am and who I can become. I know that my Savior loves me. It was so cool being a part of God's Army on the Fourth of July, this will be the one time I will get to say that I got to do that. I wear His son's name on my chest and I am part of the most important army that exists. How cool is that? I read a quote in one of our church magazines this week talking about the importance of Religion and Government working together separately but how they are important together. This quote has quickly become my new favorite because I have seen this come true first hand. An apostle of the lord that was also working on the president's cabinet committee during the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower said
"The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of the people and then they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold people by changing their environment. Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature" --Ezra Taft Benson

I have seen the gospel of Jesus Christ change broken homes with abuse, drugs, alcohol, little or no purpose and bring them into a refuge, with more unity and love and a purpose in this life. I have also realized that this gospel that I was privileged to grow up in has protected me from a world of hurt and sorrow. I know Jesus Christ lives, He knows and loves me and you and he can help us become who we want to be and who HE wants us to be.
Much Love,

Hermana Alayna Nelson

The last of Sister Nelson and Sister Stark

Meet the Missionaries

(Written Monday, June 29, 2015)

Hello everyone,

It was another eventful week! Jaime finally came home from his time in Hawaii and we were able to finish his lessons with him this week and he passed his baptismal interview so he will be getting baptized this Saturday July 4th at 3pm! We can't wait for this to happen! It is going to be so great!

We also took Jaime to the documentary that some people made for our church called Meet the Mormons. This was the second time that I have seen it and it made me so happy and feel the spirit again very strongly. He really liked it!

They also had a photo booth there so as you can see, all us missionaries took the opportunity to get a nice shot together! We are only missing two elders, but the random guy that works for cricket I guess makes up for it ;) where did he come from?

I was kind of battling round two of my illness this weekend, I am feeling a little better at the moment, but I think the heat is just getting to me! I don't really know, so prayers are always good! Don't worry, I am resting lots and trying to take care of myself!

There isn't much else exciting or crazy to report! We just keep on going! I love my mission, even when it is hard! Everyone hang in there! I will have more exciting news next week, it's the last week of the transfer so I'll have exciting news about what's happening with next transfer!

Much love!
Hermana Alayna Nelson

"Hoosier finds Corn in Sin City"

 (Written Monday, June 22, 2015)

Hello Family and Friends,

Hope all is going well, this one won't be too long because I was actually kinda sick this week, so a lot of my time was spent sleeping! I am trying to take care of myself in the best way that I can! But we did have some cool things happen this week!

The first picture is of me with corn! YES I FOUND CORN! Yay! One of our members is a bike vendor, just like in Mexico they ride around and sell things like chips, slushies and corn with mayonnaise and chile and Parmesan cheese, it's really good and I haven't had one since my brother made them a long time ago, so it was great and I felt really authentic to the culture for a little bit ;)

But the biggest thing that happened was our valley wide family history fair! We had a man come down from Salt Lake City that is in charge of Latino and Mexican records and he talked to us about our families and learning about them, which was incredible! My Spanish is getting so good now that I don't really have to think so hard and pay attention, but like English I can just sit and realize oh wow, all this is going in one ear and making sense right away! YES! This is a good place to be! At any rate, he really made me want to do family history research and learn more about my family! He talked about how the most important part isn't the date of birth or the date of death but the dash in the middle that sums up our whole lives and that if we can capture stories and pictures of them, they will continue to live on forever and won't really be gone and we can learn from them so much!

My Recent Converts Gaby and Jorge were there! It was so good to hear that they will be going to do baptism at that temple this Saturday.  The dad an son have the priesthood now and the son went to youth conference in Utah this past week! The parents came to do family history at our fair and they told me that Alejandro has already done so much family history work, this kid is on fire and so elect :) I am so proud of this family! They are doing great things!

Malachi 4:6 is a prophesy that we can fulfill today "and he shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers."  If we turn to them and knit our hearts with theirs, we can learn and grow so much! My invitation to you this week is to visit the church's free website (for anyone in the world to use, not just members of our church ) www.familysearch.org and start learning about your family! One thing the man said was that if we don't record the stories, they die with the person, but if we talk to our grandparents now, we can preserve pieces of them here with us forever :) The biggest question I am dying to know is how my grandpa met and married my grandma! I wish I had time to do family history work right now, so you'll have to do it for me and tell me what you learn this week! I promise it will bind you to them and it will bind you to your savior! David Archuleta has a really cool song that came out about Family History, it's in Spanish and called Nunca Pense.  Get excited about learning about your families by listening! It's wonderful!

Much love,
Hermana Alayna Nelson

Cereal, Folklorico, Rainstorms, Peaches & Umbrellas

(Written Monday, June 15, 2015)

So in case you didn't sense the randomness of this week from the title, it was nuts!

Among many things, we had the exodus of the cereal into the back of our car from a member! We got so much from a member that it fed all the missionaries in this area!

I stole a peach from someone's tree because they didn't answer the door.

I rang another doorbell with an umbrella which required much skill because I had to reach through the gate.

And I took a picture with a TV in the middle of the desert.

We met a lot of wild animals this week and got caught in a rainstorm (which started as a windstorm that felt like a tornado and blew stuff in our eyes). But then I took the opportunity to dance in the rain since it never happens here.

We went to a church party that was a cultural night and they had Mexican decorations and dancing in the traditional dresses called Folklorico. I took videos, but I guess they are too long to send, so one day you will see them! Our bishop got up and sang the song that he used to propose to his wife to her again called "Eres Tu" :) It was so cute! Spanish music literally sings to my soul these days, how did I never know! I LOVE IT!

It's starting to get really hot here, but exciting things are happening when we listen to the spirit. This week we had an appointment to show a lady around our temple but she canceled, normally we would follow our back up plan, but I had a small feeling that we should go walk around the temple and that someone would be there for us to talk to. So we drove there, prayed and said we would walk around the temple once and go back to our other plan. We did so and didn't see anyone, but as we were walking back to our car, I saw a little boy and thought very strongly "go back" as we did, we ran into a Spanish Speaking man and his 10 year old son. They also spoke perfect English, but the dad wasn't a member. We were able to take them into the lobby of the temple and answer some questions for them, it was just so neat to meet them. They told us they were being taught by other missionaries and went to a different building of our church because his wife and ten year old son are members, but we haven't been able to figure out who's teaching them! It was incredible to see that when we listen to the smallest of thoughts, that God uses us as his instruments.

That same day we knocked on a door and I felt as though we should walk further up the street, we knocked on an unplanned door and no one answered, but we were able to talk to another kid outside that was so friendly and has a bunch of Mormon friends and we were able to answer some of his questions about the church too!

Miracles are happening here and this week there will be so many more! I love my Savior, My Brother and My Friend Jesus Christ. He is the reason I am here, because I want others to know of him and love him too in a way so personal that will change their lives! Keep going and be believing!

Much Love,
Hermana Alayna Nelson

Pictures: Literally in the windstorm, so many things were blowing in our eyes!

I found my perfect car! I love Hello Kitty way too much!

Us with the wonderful young women that did the Folklorico dances :)

Check the blog, there are so many more photos on there, I did a good job to make up for last week!

A Trip to Hawaii

(Written Monday, June 8, 2015)

Hello World,

Another week has passed, how, I don't know! It seriously feels like it was just P-day so I hardly took any photos this week! Sorry about that!

But I do have some exciting news! Someone is going to Hawaii! And it's not me haha Jaime, our investigator is going to Hawaii for some special military training on their base. He will be there for about a week and a half and this is why this story is cool. Jaime had a smoking problem and we hoped that wouldn't mess up teaching him, but as we taught him about God's plan of health for him and how he can receive so many blessings, he quit smoking that day and has only had one since and hasn't bought more or had more. He is doing incredible! He said that he came to realize that it was a temporary solution to his problems and that he didn't need them! It was so cool to hear! We also told him we were going to give up things with him too to help him feel like he was on a team, so I gave up naps, which I have been taking nearly every day during lunch for like the past month so it was a big deal, but I wanted to do something hard and feel how he felt and pray for help and also, I wanted to finally get caught up on my journal. Sister Stark gave up candy and sweets and we did it! I have to say, my first few days, I went through withdrawals and it was so hard, but as I prayed for strength and prayed that Jaime would have strength, it became a little easier. Towards the end of this week though, I have felt like I am coming down with some sort of cold/sore throat thing and the sudafed my mom sent me was only working a little bit. It was exhausting me to no end, so sadly, I had to break my streak and start napping during lunch to get a little extra rest and strength so we wouldn't have to take time out of doing other important things. But I rationalized that sometimes naps are healthy and necessary but that cigarettes will never be healthy or necessary, also, Sister Stark had to break hers because of dinner appointments where members give us candies and such, but it's okay, we are recommitting and the important thing is that Jaime is still going strong.

But the cool thing is that we took Jaime on a tour of the temple and he said that he just felt joyful there which was so cool to hear! He said he wanted to come back and he was going to make it a goal to get married there and do baptisms for his family members! He loved it! Then a brilliant idea popped into my head to tell him to visit the Hawaii temple while he is down there. It is only an hour away from his base and he was looking up directions and photos and getting so excited! He's not sure he will be able to go, but last night he asked us to pray with him that he would be able to go somehow! We know that Heavenly Father will make it happen somehow because it is a worthy cause!

So that was my week! Exciting things are on the horizon, it is so amazing to see the gospel change people's lives and excite them for everything that Heavenly Father has in store for them! I know this church is true! My invitation to you this week is to pick something that you rely heavily on and try to let it go for a bit and pray for help from God. I promise you that your relationship with your Heavenly Father will grow and you will be more productive!

Love, Hermana Alayna Nelson

PS: These are the only two photos I have for you this week.

This is Pepe, the one we teach that has been learning from missionaries for nearly 15 years and he bought us sombreros so that we don't have to walk in the sun, He's such a cute man.

And then of course a picture of me today so you know I am happy and alive and also because I didn't send more pictures. much love

Prayers in my Sleep

(Written Monday, June 1, 2015)

Hello Family and friends!

Lots of pictures are going on the blog today!

Nothing too crazy happened this week, I'm still steadily sleep talking at night by saying prayers in Spanish for my investigators... it's kinda funny actually.

This week we had a big conference for all of the congregations close by and I learned so much from the president of it! They even had a youth session in the evening where us missionaries got to sing for the youth and then share our testimonies about why we are missionaries and what we have learned! I am learning so much and it's still not nearly as much as I want to learn, but I will just keep going and setting goals and trying to work hard!

I hope all of you are making steps in one way or another to move forward and increase your faith and relationship with Jesus Christ! It's such a rewarding feeling and one that is hard to express in words.

I love this mission, it's crazy to think that in July I will be halfway done! I don't want that to happen! So just keep praying that I learn a lot and that people give me water in the streets because it is getting hot.

The picture I attached of me and Sister Stark is from today and my hair will probably continue to only be done up in a ponytail until this heat leaves (so like for the next three months, this is the hairstyle I'm looking at) I'm ready to continue to see miracles!

I'm sorry I don't have too much time or much more to share, my investigators are moving along really well! They are special souls given me to serve from Heavenly Father! I love this work, I know it is true and directed by God!

Have a great week!
Hermana Alayna Nelson