How Great Reason Have We

Hello again! Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Turkey Day! Happy Gratitude Day!

Thanksgiving is one of my most favorite holidays because #1: it inspires people to be more grateful. #2: it's a great way to kick of the Christmas season, which is my favorite. #3: it's socially acceptable to eat lots of food. #4: it gives me a day, set apart, to count my many blessings. 

As I've thought a lot about thanksgiving this week and what I'm grateful for, there are many, many, many things that make the list, and among the most important are:

A Heavenly Father who loves us. As missionaries the very first principle that we teach is that "God is our loving Heavenly Father". He knows us. He wants us to be happy. He wants us to return to Him, so He sent His Son to allow us to return to Him. 

A Savior who understands me. One of my favorite scriptures of all time is Alma 7:11-12. Not only was our Savior prepared for His call to perform the atonement, but he was WILLING. As He suffered, bled from every pore, died on the cross, and rose the third day, He didn't do it for ALL OF US as a whole. He did it for me, He did it for YOU. He did it on such a personal, individual basis, so as to be able to PERFECTLY and FULLY understand EXACTLY how to succor (give aid to) every single one of us with our diverse pains, sicknesses, temptations, weaknesses, sorrows, and sins. He understands. 

The Restored Gospel. Man, this is so broad. This includes, but is not limited to, the temple, the priesthood, prophets, apostles, the sacrament, the Book of Mormon, personal revelation, forever families, the plan of salvation, etc. I could go on and on. I've thought a lot this week about what life would be like without the hope of the restored gospel. Imagine a life without prophets. Imagine a life without knowing you'll see your loved ones again. Imagine a life not knowing that God is your Father and that EVERYTHING He does is to bless us and bring us back to Him. I'm so grateful for the hope that the gospel brings. 

Family and Friends who mean the world to me. You, each of you, has in some way or another blessed my life. I am so blessed to have the people in my life that I do. I have a family who loves me and supports me through everything. I have friends who have helped me to become who I am. All in all, you've had an influence that has changed my life. THANK YOU!!! 

Alma 26:35--- Now have we not reason to rejoice? Yea, I say unto you, there never were men that had so great reason to rejoice as we, since the world began; --- we are so blessed for the things that we have in our lives. I just want to challenge you to keep that spirit of thanks giving in your life every day!!

I love you all and hope you have a great week! Let the Holidays begin!!!☃

Love Sister Nield

Partake of His Salvation

Hello Friends and Family!

I'm still a little in Shock at the date and the fact that I'm now officially in my last transfer! Transfers are SOOO bitter-sweet! Sister Davis got transferred to the Canandaigua Ward! When we got transfer calls we both just cried and cried! I'm super excited for her though! I LOVED the Canandaigua ward! So she'll love it! My new companion is Sister Hunter, which is super great, because she was my MTC companion!:) We spent our first 3 weeks together and we'll spend our last 4 weeks together! We've already been having way too much fun! I'm so glad that I'll be staying here in Farmington/Palmyra! I Can't even begin to describe how much I love these people here!!! They have been such a huge blessing in my life!

A lot has happened since last Monday! We've seen a few miracles!

Last Thursday I went on exchanges with Sister Johnson, who also came out with me. By the end of the exchange it all of a sudden became so real that I will be coming home so soon! When Sister Davis and I came back together, she could tell I was worried about something and after telling her a little about how nervous I was, she asked if I'd like to get a blessing from one of the senior elders the next day. I told her that would be a great idea but I wanted Elder Selvage to do it. He and His wife are from Hyde Park and I just have a great relationship with them! We went to our shift at the Grandin the next day and SURPRISE! The Selvages were the senior couple we were serving with. When I asked Elder Selvage to give the blessing he jokingly said that we'd better start off the shift with that just in case it got "busy" haha. Well, we did the blessing. Without telling him ANYTHING, he said EXACTLY what I needed and within just about an hour, some sisters got sick and asked if we would go and cover at the Hill Cumorah. The Lord is SO aware of me! Even in my times when I'm probably being a little more dramatic than I need to be, He is still able and willing to provide for me!:)

Monday night, Sister Davis and I were driving home from an appointment with a less active at about 5:30 for a dinner appointment. Now, by 5:30 it's pitch black, and as we were driving down the streets I noticed that EVERYONE's lights were off. It was so dark! Then I realized the street lights were out too. ALL of the village and even part of the town of Palmyra was out of power. We showed up to our dinner appointment and asked how we could help her since the power went out right in the middle of her making dinner. Instead of what she was making we made salads and had her extra sugar cookies. YUM!:) haha As we talked with her, she talked a lot about the chaos that's going on in the world right now and I am just SO grateful for the knowledge that I have that Thomas S Monson and All of the apostles are called of God! They speak for God and as we listen and give heed to their counsel, we will be blessed! 

This week as I've been ponderizing and reading in Preach My Gospel about the importance of the book of Mormon, I've thought a lot about how I've come to know my Savior and what He means to me! The first part of my Ponderizing scripture (Omni 1:26) Says "come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of His salvation." Our Heavenly Father loves us so much that He sent us His Son. His Son, Jesus Christ, loves us so much that He was WILLING to suffer more pain that we'll ever understand, to help us to overcome our sins, temptations, weaknesses, sicknesses, pains, sorrows, etc. ANYTHING negative that we have ever and will ever face, He's been there and experienced it on our level so that as we turn to Him, we can move forward and progress! But it takes our own actions and commitments to UTILIZE that atonement in our lives! We choose!

I've also been thinking a lot about what I've learned on my mission. One of the biggest things that I've learned is that this life is not about Perfection. That's something that I struggle with sometimes, being a perfectionist. It's not about Perfection, it's about Progression, which really just being better today than we were yesterday. And better tomorrow than we were today!:) I've never liked change, but I've grown to love it on my mission, because change is the only way to progression. There is no growth in the comfort zone!:) 

So I invite you all to read the talk "What lack I yet?" from conference and take the challenge he gives us, and then to ACT on whatever answer you get from the Lord! There is power in change.

I love you all!

Have a great week!

Love Sister Nield

 

#FaithFilledFarmington

I'm actually really glad that I didn't send a weekly email last pday because not a ton has happened in the last 4 days!

Thursday we had Zone Meeting and Interviews. Sister Davis and I gave a training during Zone meeting, but we were also at the church all day doing a training+ipad checks for interviews for our Zone. Later that night we had a Stake Correlation meeting. So Thursday was JAM PACKED in meetings. 

Friday was Mission Leadership Council. That took the Majority of the day and then we had weekly planning. 

Saturday we had a stake relief society conference that we took a less active to and then we served at the Hill.

Then Yesterday consisted of church, serving at the Hill, and studies.
So since I didn't write an email last week I can fill you in on the tender mercies of the week before! We met this awesome lady that we've started teaching! I felt like I was in Rochester again!:):) She's the sweetest african-american lady and she just has so much spunk, except the difference is that she can actually stay focused on our lesson!:) Her Name is Stacey and she's honestly one of my most favorite people EVER! Every time her phone rings during a lesson, she'll pick it up and say "I can't talk right now, I'm studying with the mormons." Or she'll say "Hey I'm learning about Joseph Smith. I gotta go." The last time we were at her house, we were teaching the plan of salvation which was perfect because a couple years ago her daughter was killed, but then her phone starts ringing and it's her son who's in prison, so of course she picks it up and tells him she'll have to talk to him later cause she's meeting with the mormons. Sister Davis and I giggled a little and you can hear him on the other end saying "Are they girls?" and Stacey just died!! She was like "These are good girls! They don't wanna date YOU!" When she hung up the phone she was like "Man! He's White girl CRAZY!" Hhahaha every time we're there, we just have such a good time!:)

Dennis is also progressing pretty well now! He wouldn't read from the Book of Mormon. He wouldn't come to church, but one day we got him to come to the Hill Cumorah and we showed him the Restoration and talked about how we have a prophet on the earth and by the end of the lesson he said "You know... You've sparked an interest. I HAVE to read this book!" What an answer to my prayers! 

Then one of my favorite stories from the sites last week. I was serving at the Smith Farm and this young family comes in. Mom, Dad, two little kids. So I asked the little boy what his name was. "E-L-I. Eli." "How old are you Eli?" "I just turned 5" His mom told him to tell me when his birthday was and guess what? October 28!:) We became INSTANT BFFs:) We went out to the Log home and talked about Joseph and the first vision and Moroni. Then we went to start walking to the Frame home and he challenged me to a race. So he and I raced to a couple different benches along the way and he beat me each time (I guess our 3 mile run every morning isn't doing too much for me). Then, my favorite, we went into the frame home and talked about how Joseph buried the plates under the fire place and he gets down on his knees on the fire place and starts touching all of the bricks, he grabbs one and pulls it up and says "Heavenly Father protected the plates huh?" and I said yes He did. He looked at me with the cutest little questioning face and said "Well... are you going to show them to me or what? I'm waiting..." hahaha what a sweet child! But he knew the Lord kept His promise with Joseph, He knew the Lord would do the same for us! Such a great tour! I love kids!:)
I don't know how much longer I'll get to be serving in the different sites since it's slowing down quite a bit, but I'm so grateful for the peace that comes from these places! I've had some time, in the quite moments to really feel the spirit for ME! That's been such a comfort! I love the scripture that says "Be still and know that I am God." (D&C 101:16) It's in those moments when we can be still that we really come to know and feel God. Those are the most tender moments on my mission. When I've had those moments or when I've seen others experience those moments for the first time or for the first time in a long time. 

I love you all and hope you're all doing well!

Transfer calls come next monday so I don't know what will be happening for me last transfer since it'll be a shortened transfer, but I'll let you all know!:)

Love Sister Nield