The Greatest "Wilderness" Experience

Another week down and what a great one it was!

So Becky, the wonderful woman we committed to baptism met with us again last Thursday. Right after the opening prayer she looked at us and said "You know, after that priesthood blessing I've just felt so happy and even though all my stress and struggles are still in my life, I feel so stress free and I know it's because of that blessing." Oh my goodness! She is so prepared! As we were talking to her we brought up baptism and she said "Yeah! The 16th! I'm so excited!" I have been so excited for her! This is such a huge step and it will change her life forever! She was so excited to come to church this Sunday! So we get to church, we save her a seat, and we wait... and we wait... and we WAIT! Everytime the chapel doors opened my head would jerk in that direction. I've never prayed so hard in my life! But she didn't show up. We called and texted with no answer. We were also supposed to have a lesson at the Smith Farm the next day.. She still didn't show up. My heart was seriously broken. But yesterday after transfer meeting (I'll tell you about my new companion in just a minute) we get this text from Becky saying "Are you girls mad at me?" I was so happy to hear from her and we set up a time to meet. We went to the Hill and she explained that she'd tried texting us and apparently it just never came through. She's still excited for baptism and she's well on her way to being ready for it! She knows that Joseph Smith was a prophet she loves talking about the plan of salvation. 

She kept mentioning that she feels like she's known me and that we've been friends for so long and it was really neat because just a few days ago, I mentioned to Sister Hall during studies that I'd been looking over my setting apart blessing and it talks about how I'll recognize people from the pre-mortal life and I have no doubt she's one of those people:) If not for anything else I'm here for her!

Now onto my new companion!!!:) SISTER LOCHER!!!:) Oh she's so adorable! She came out with me! She's from Switzerland and she's so tiny and she's got the cutest accent and I just adore her! :) And she and Becky really clicked yesterday!:) She's such a good missionary and I'm so excited to be serving with her and we get to go back to the sites!:) So many great things are going to happen this transfer! Sister Locher and I get along really well and we are going to have so much fun together! And, Sister Hall is staying in the ward, she's just taking over one of the elders' areas so we get to be roommates and her companion is Sister Christensen who i've been able to do exchanges with!:) We have the party apartment!:) 

I've decided that my mission is the greatest "wilderness" experience that I've ever had in my life. So many times in the scriptures the Lord leads His people into the wilderness. Into a place that's foreign and different and not always easy! Just in my last week I think I experienced my highest high on my mission but also my lowest low! It's hard and it's not easy and it's a lot of work. But always in the scriptures, if the Lord's people rely on Him, if they do everything He asks of them, He delivers them from their afflictions and they are taken care of. My whole mission has had so many ups and so many downs! But the lessons I've learned from both are irreplaceable! They're priceless and they're going to affect the rest of my life! I'm so grateful that the Lord has blessed me with this wilderness because just like in Ether chapters 2-6 The Lord has to take us through a wilderness and struggles and storms before we can get to the "promised land". I'm eternally grateful for the decision I made to serve the Lord and to serve these people!:)

I hope you all have a great week! I love you!

Love, Sister Nield

 

 

 

 

 

 

NYRM Life

The motto for the NYRM is: The New York Rochester Mission is a baptizing, converting mission where miracles happen on a daily basis. I feel like that's quite fitting for this last week.

Sister Hall and I have been working so hard and this week it was very apparent that the Lord was blessing our efforts! We saw so many miracles! There Lord's hand was really in our work!

To start off, a few weeks ago, we met this really nice man named Don. We showed him the He Lives video and he loved it and invited us to go out to lunch with him and his secretary. So we went to lunch this saturday and were able to talk to him a lot about the gospel! He's been a marriage and family therapist for almost 45 years and was heart broken that his church decided to be accepting of same sex marriage. He really likes the family values of our church. It was so cool to see his view on it all.

Then Sunday, Sister Hall and I were trying to find a less active and no one was home, but the neighbors were outside trying to fix a flat tire, so we went over and started talking to them. We were asking them about their neighbors and then brought in the gospel and neither of them had heard of the church before. They both accepted a spanish copy of the Book of Mormon and said we could come back this upcoming Friday. YAY!!:)

Sunday was our fast Sunday and as a stake we fasted for the member missionary work! Adding on to that in my fast, I also added that Sister Hall and I would be able to reach the goal we set of having someone we taught get baptized on May 16. We've been working so hard to accomplish it!

Well Monday one of prayers was answered! I'd fasted for member missionary work to take of in this ward and we were able to teach a couple in a members home last minute! These members were mission president and wife in Provo a couple years back and were so excited to meet this couple that we've been teaching. I've never had a lesson go so well in my whole mission. And sister Hall and I barely spoke! Brother Pitts was able to ask questions that helped us to understand what their concerns were and what we needed to emphasize in the future. One of Lynn's biggest problems was she didn't know who to pray to. Since their church teaches that God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are one, she fumbles over who to pray to. So we got to talk about how they're three seperate beings and how we pray to the Father! She said it was a huge Ah-Ha moment for her and that it all made sense! Huge Miracle!

Yesterday was probably the best day I've had on my whole mission! I don't think I've ever been so happy! But I have to preface the story, because it shows that it's SUCH a miracle! A week before I got to Canandaigua, this lady named Becky went to the Hill Cumorah and asked for the local missionaries contact info. She was in our area so they gave her our number and got her number to give to us. When I got here, we gave her a call and she said she'd be getting surgery the next day so it wasn't a good time. In the weeks following we tried over and over to get ahold of her again with no luck, and no return phone calls.:( Skip forward a few weeks to Monday evening. Sister Hall and I are planning our day for the next day which happened to be a park your car day. Our phone starts ringing and we see Becky's name! We answered and she basically asked if we could meet her at the Visitor's Center the next day. My eyes were the size of grape fruits and my jaw was dragging on the ground! So yesterday we got a ride to the Hill and we met Becky for the first time. She talked to us about how she's going through a really hard time and asked when does God step in? She was crying. I shared a personal experience and I was crying. The member that was with us shared an experience and she was crying. Basically we were in a room full of extremely emotional women. Then Becky asked why there were so many churches! So we taught her the restoration and talked a lot about the priesthood. Then she was asking other questions so we also taught the plan of Salvation. The Spirit was just radiating from this room. We invited her to be baptized and without any hesitation she said yes. We committed her to May 16 and again without hesitation she agreed! What an amazing day! I was on cloud 9 for the rest of the day! I could not believe the miracles God had given to me! 

I've really come to know that He's aware of all of our wants and desires and if our wants and desires are aligned with His will, then everything will work out in His time. All we can do is get on our knees and pray, then get on our feet and work! The Lord helps those who help themselves!

Next week is transfers so I'll most likely be going back to the sites next week!:) So life is good! God Is great!

Love Sister Nield

 

Conference Round 2

Another great week! :)

Last p-day I chopped 5 inches of hair off. It's different to have shorter hair again, but it's still longer than it was when I came out! It grows really fast. 

We've had some really great experiences this last week! Sister Hall and I have had quite a few meetings but the Lord has blessed us for the time that we've had to be out of our area! One of the greatest things about being on a mission is being able to see how much the leadership in the church affects missionary work. We've had correlation meetings with the stake president, we have ward council every week and it's so cool to see how all of those callings impact the work of salvation. 

We were able to have this really great lesson with a couple we're teaching. Their son is a member and lives in Utah and this is the first time that they've looked into the church. Since conference was that weekend we talked a lot about prophets and the Savior's ministry and how He set up His church. It was super neat to be able to talk about it and share my testimony of the prophet and show scriptural references to prophets. As we talked, you could see the lights going off in their heads, but the greatest was when I asked what it would mean for them if there was a prophet today. His eyes got big and he tilted his head a little and said "You know. That's a really good question... I guess that would mean that we'd have to make some changes." The Gospel of Jesus Christ is such a blessing to have in our lives and I can't imagine where my life would be without it.

Of course exchanges are another great part of the work. I got to go with Sister Petersen to PalMac (Palmyra, Macedon) on monday and it was such a great day and it amazes me to see how much we've both grown in the last 10 months. We were kind of step-companions my first 2 transfers since our trainers were sister training leaders and would have exchanges and meetings all the time, so we'd be together a lot. She is such a great missionary and she taught me a lot about charity!:) She is the most loving person I've ever met! I'm really hoping we can be real companions before the end of our missions!:)

Then there's conference!:) There's nothing quite like hearing from the Prophet and apostles. Poor President Monson didn't look too healthy... But WOW! There were so many powerful talks! A couple of my favorite quotes were "I can teach you to dance, but you have to hear the music." We can be taught how to read our scriptures, how to go to church, how to pray, but in the end WE have to decide if we allow the spirit to bring us the happiness and joy from doing those things. Dancing is pretty awkward if we don't hear any music. Another quote I liked was "A saint is a sinner who keeps on trying." None of us are perfect. None of us will ever achieve perfection in this life. But we can all utilize the Atonement in our lives and try again and again and again to be the best we can be. We can keep trying to reach the potential that our Heavenly Father sees. I was talking to a friend about how a mission is the hardest thing I've ever done, but it's hard because I've learned to see these people the way our Heavenly Father sees them. I've learned to love them in a more Christlike way. And my love is only a tiny fraction of a fraction of what our Heavenly Father feels. I know that He loves us. He knows us perfectly and because of that He knows what we need better than we do! So keep trying and rely on Him ALWAYS!:) Only Happiness and joy will come from it!

I love you all!:) Have a great week!:)
Love Sister Nield

Go Go Go

Well, This last week has been so crazy! Finally, both Sister Hall and I are completely healthy and able to do some work! But it feels like it's been forever since we've been able to do work together.

Last Thursday was Zone Conference! I love zone conferences because we get to spend the day with President, and this was a combined zone conference so we got to spend the day with both Palmyra North and Palmyra South zones! I love getting the trainings from President Francis and his wife! They're both so wonderful! I really believe that we're sent to a mission president, just as much as we're sent to a mission. I can't imagine anyone else being my mission president. The AP's gave a training and a set of Zone Leaders gave a training and then Sister Hall and I had to give a training at zone conference as well. That morning I started getting a fever and feeling pretty sick and by the time we were supposed to be training, I was sweating like crazy, but as soon as we started our training, I felt fine! It's amazing how the Lord blesses us in the smallest ways but they're such a big deal to us! Right after the training, though, I started to feel pretty sick again so I had President Francis give me a blessing and what a huge help that was! The priesthood is such an amazing gift that we have and I'm so grateful to have it so accessible as a missionary.

Then we went on exchanges with both Seneca Falls and Newark! It's so much fun to be able to spend time with the sisters and learn from them! That's my favorite part of being an STL! All the sisters are so great and teach me so much! It was a lot of fun to go to Newark with Sister Hirschi! Newark is where Sister Andrus and I stayed last year for pageant so I was feeling pretty nostalgic. It was fun to think back on pageant which seems like forever ago and at the same time feels like it was just yesterday! haha Sister Andrus and I had some good times and I can't believe that pageant time is coming up sooner than I realize! 

Yesterday we got to go to the temple!! There is no happier place on earth! It was nice to feel the peace and calm that comes from being in the Lord's house. Also, it's early spring, which means this is the time of year Joseph would've had the first vision so we stopped by the Smith Farm to take some pictures!:) There really is no better mission than this one. sorry to all my missionary friends, but it doesn't get any better than this...:)

Last P-day we got to go visit one of the less active families in the ward and we read Ether 12 with them! Ether 12 is one of my favorite chapters in the Book of Mormon on Faith. We were reading with them and as we read the last verse it really stuck out to me, "And now, I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever. Amen." I asked them what it meant to them to "seek this Jesus" and they gave the typical answers of read your scriptures, say your prayers, go to church, etc. Seek is a verb. It's an action word. That means in order to seek Jesus, we have to DO something. It could be different for each of us. We all have different things to work on. Easter time is here, believe it or not, which means we get to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We get to celebrate what He DID for us. This Easter, and as we listen to the prophets and apostles speak to us this weekend, I want each of you to listen to the Spirit to see what He wants you to DO to SEEK HIM. Also, go to helives.mormon.org and watch the video.

I love you all and hope you have a great week!:) 

Love, 

Sister Nield

 

 

 

I've Learned...

Spring... Spring is here. It's also as bipolar here as it is in Logan, but it's here! The tree across the street from our apartment is budding and I can't tell you the joy it brings to my heart to see that! If we get anymore snow that sticks to the ground I may pull my hair out.

This week has kind of had two parts. 

 

Part #1: Exchanges

This week we got to do exchanges with the Farmington Sisters. Their area is actually in Palmyra so it was fun for me to go with Sister Christensen who's on her second transfer and be able to spend some time in Palmyra. I'm super jealous. Those sisters and the PalMac sisters live right up the street from the temple and the smith Farm. What a great place to live!

We had so much fun together! There was a less active member that we were going to see after she was done at work (Palmyra Inn) but as we got there, she still had the Honeymoon sweet to decorate. So we volunteered to help her out! Haha we had a ton of fun learning how to make swans out of towels and putting rose petals on the beds. We're pretty much professional is what I'm saying. haha Most awkward form of service I've ever done...

We went out tracting which is always so interesting in Palmyra. Everyone has met missionaries before. Everyone things they know everything about the church. It's a pretty hard area, but we were determined that we were going to find someone who would talk to us. So we knocked on a door and out comes this cute little old man. He starts talking to us and telling us that his wife isn't home so he can't talk to us and I noticed that he had an accent so I asked him where he was from. He was from Hungary, so I talked to him for a minute about how I have a good friend serving in Hungary and how there are missionaries like us all over the world. We got to talking to him and he was telling us about how when he moved here, he went and saw the pageant and he was so angry with the people who were protesting. He was telling us how mormons are such great people. So we talked to him about the Book of Mormon and he said that the sisters could go back and talk to he and his wife. Tender mercies happen when you're on the Lord's errand. 

 

Part #2: The Apartment

I learned this week that I'm going to have a really hard time coming home if I don't have a job, and school, or ANYTHING to fill my time... Saturday night after we got home, Sister Hall got really sick. I don't know if it was food poisoning or the flu, all I know is that she was REALLY sick, and I didn't get it. Poor thing. I wish there was more that I could've done to help her, but needless to say we stayed in Sunday... and Monday... and most of Tuesday. Sleep has really been helping her but she just hasn't been able to recover until today! She's such a champ! You can tell she's just so ready to get back out to do the work, but her body won't let her. 

I've never looked at the same four walls for so long. As she slept, I would study, get bored, do some pushups and situps and jumping jacks and ANYTHING that could get me moving, then I'd get bored with that so I'd study again, and get bored and go stare out the window and watch as it would turn from blizzarding to sunshine. Haha not the most thrilling few days but if that's what it takes to get Sister Hall's health back, then so be it!

I had a lot of time to sit and think and I thought a lot about my mission and the things that it's taught me and I got a list of things written up in my head of what I've learned:

• I've learned that the Savior's Atonement can help ANYONE who allows it to work in their lives.
• I've learned that I can do hard things.
• I've learned that no matter how different I am from someone, we can still be best friends.
• I've learned that acquiring patience... takes patience.
• I've learned that no matter how much I teach someone, no matter how many times I invite them, no matter how many times they feel the spirit, they still have their agency to accept or reject the gospel.
• I've learned that miracles happen on a daily basis.
• I've learned that the Lord's plan for me isn't anything like what I've planned on, but it's MUCH better than anything I could've planned for myself.
• I've learned that serving people is the best way to get through a hard time.
• I've learned that the Lord trusts us enough to give us hard things so we can learn and grow.
• I've learned that no matter what circumstances someone may be in, our Heavenly Father knows THEM and what THEY need.
• I've learned that God will speak to us in ways that WE understand.
• I've learned that the more we act on spiritual promptings, the more we receive them.
• I've learned that feeling the power of the Spirit can do more for someone's conversion than any miracle.
• I've learned that the little, daily habits make the biggest difference. 
• I've learned that the best way to be happy is to CHOOSE to be happy.
• I've learned that the only way to do things successfully is to do things the Lord's way.
• I've learned that all things are possible with His help.
• I've learned that a single prayer can change the world.

The list could go on and on! I've learned so much from my mission and I now understand why people say this is the best 2 years (18 months) of their lives. I will eternally be grateful that I made the decision to serve the Lord and to bring His gospel to His children.

 

I hope you all have a great week! Jesus Christ loves you!

Love Sister Nield

 

 

Power of Parents

Well. Week #1 in Canandaigua = WONDERFUL! All the great things that I've heard about it are absolutely 100% true! The ward is amazing, the people are amazing. Change is always pretty scary for me, but it turns out to always be a good thing. I miss Amherst with all of my heart, but I also love Canandaigua!

Sister Hall and I work really well together! We both have a great desire to work hard and see the miracles that come from that! This last week was full of meeting lots of new people! This has been the first time that I've been new to an area that my companion isn't new. Sister Hall got transferred in the transfer before me, so she's been able to help me to get to know the people and members!

We got to meet with one of the less active families in the ward, the Labombards. Oh my goodness, I LOVE that family! There are 4 kids in the home and 2 of them are the strength of the family! Patrick is a senior in high school and he's planning on going on a mission after he graduates this year. Thank goodness for the other young men in the ward who've been great friends to him and helped motivate him to go to seminary every morning. Then there's Elizabeth. She's a freshman in high school right now and I had the chance to sit down and talk with her and get to know her better. She decided recently that she also wants to go on a mission. Sister Labombard amazes me. She hasn't been to church in awhile, but she wants the church for her kids. She wants them to have the happiness that comes from the gospel, and it's been amazing for her kids to recognize that in her. 2 of the 4 kids have responded pretty well to her desire for them to have the gospel.

It got me thinking this week about the influence that parents have on their children. Parents typically see the influence (good or bad) that their children's friends have on their lives, but rarely see the influence (good or bad) that THEY have on their children's lives. Yes, I will agree that friends play a huge role in the attitudes and behaviors of kids, but I will argue that the biggest influence is in the home. Friends come and go throughout the years, but, in most situations, parents remain the same! 

I thought about the stripling warriors in the Book of Mormon and how impacted Helaman was by the influence that these young men's parents, especially mothers, had on them. He said: "Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers new it." I am so grateful for my parents and the things they've taught me. For helping me to know the importance of the Gospel and for helping me to understand the role of the Savior in my life! I don't know what it's like to be a parent, but I've seen, especially on my mission, the affect that a parent can have on their children without even realizing it. If you're a parent, never underestimate the influence you have. Even if you're not a parent, never underestimate the influence you have.

"Nothing will bring greater joy and success than to live according to the teachings of the gospel. Be an example; be an influence for good." --N. Eldon Tanner

I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Love, Sister Nield

P.S. I'll be off Facebook for a couple months, so keep me updated on what's going on!:)

 

Surprise!!

Surprise! New area=new p-day! My p-day will now be on Wednesdays not Mondays so don't freak out when I don't email on Mondays anymore!

 

I'm all settled in Canandaigua! I'm super excited for the work that Sister Hall and I are going to do together! I'm excited to get to know the area and the people! It's been a crazy couple of days but I'm super excited for what's ahead!

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that my pday has changed! I don't have anything new to tell you about, besides the fact that my new companion is awesome!:) She's from Arizona, her parents are mission president & wife in San Fernando, California, she goes to BYU! We'll be seeing lots of miracles together! That's for sure!

Love y'all! Have a superb week!:)