All in all, it was a pretty great week

Eh, Me Duckies!

I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas! It is an amazing time of the year! What a week it has been. Like always, things are crazy here in Atlantic Canada. I actually brought my planner with me this time, so I might be able to remember something that we did, haha.

Monday: It was a pretty average Pday. Nothing too special. We took a nap, and cleaned our apartment. After the pday festivities, we went over to a members home for supper. It is strange having to get used to all new members again. Its like being green all over again. But it's all fun, and great getting to know new people! After supper we went and visited a recent convert. Great guy. Overall it was a pretty average day, nothing overly exciting.

Tuesday: It was interesting on Tuesday. I ended up doing a lot of area book work in the morning. In that area book work, I called a former investigator and asked if they would still be interested in meeting with missionaries. Her answer? "Well, yeah... I'm getting baptised tonight..." The sisters had a baptism that night, and nobody told me... Awkward situation... But I got to go to a baptism, and be one of the witnesses, so that was fun. It ended up being a pretty great day!

Wednesday: I gave my first ever district training on Wednesday! That was interesting... I hope it comes with time, or else this district leader thing is going to be uber awkward... But, I survived and made it through the day. That evening we went out to Liverpool to visit some members and had a great time. They cooked up some muscles, and we forced some of the missionaries who hate seafood to try them. It was fantastic! We went back to Bridgewater and had supper with our Landlords. They are the sweetest couple you will ever meet. After supper they recruited us to go carolling with them, because it was something that they had been doing with their children for over 35 years, and they didn't want to give it up now just because nobody was home for Christmas. It was so much fun! It was a fantastic way to close out the night.

Thursday: CHRISTMAS! It was a pretty good Christmas here. It was +15C and pouring rain, so just for the information of you back home, it is possible, even in Canada, not to have a white Christmas. We ended up going around to a lot of members homes for Christmas. There are families here who have had the missionaries every year for Christmas, and weren't about to give that up just because someone else had them scheduled. We ate so much food! But that is the best part of the Holidays, eating until you want to explode! (The missionaries in Sackville forgot to bring my parcels, when they came down for district meeting, so I'm hoping I get to have my Christmas on New Years :D)

Friday: It was a rough day. Weekly planning. We visited a less-active family in the evening.... that's about it....

Saturday: Our plans got all out of whack on Saturday, so I don't actually know what we did... I just know it isn't what I wrote in my planner.... Sorry guys....

Sunday: It was a pretty good Sunday. We were doing a fast with the whole Zone, so not a ton of food was consumed. Church was pretty great. I had to stand up in Sacrament meeting and introduce myself to the ward. I am still awful at getting up an speaking without having anything planned. I haven't developed that magical missionary skill yet. It was probably the most undignified I have been in public in a long time. I ended my introduction with a thumbs up... It was pretty bad... But, hey, I'm not going to be forgotten any time soon, so there's that.

All in all, it was a pretty great week. Sorry it wasn't too long of a letter this time, I'll try harder next week to make it a good one.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas, and remembered to #ShareTheGift. You are all incredible and I love you!

Hockey hockey, Moose moose, Maple Leaf, Sorry about that, eh?

Elder Nielsen

Well, here we are again.

Hello!

Elder Hansen and I when we were mini Golfing

Well, here we are again. Wow.... It has been quite the past couple of days.... Changes are really weird. I prefer staying put. But that is the life of a missionary, I guess. I actually forgot to bring my old planner, so I don't have all of the details for what I did this week, so here is what what I remember from this week....

Monday: We had a pretty great Pday. WE did all of the usual missionary things, and then actually went out and had some fun. We went Mini Golfing with the Halifax Sisters, and it was so much fun! After we finished, we went out to Hammonds Plains to meet with one of our investigators. He is officially on date for January 10! I am so excited for him! (Every time I talk to the missionaries in Sackville they tell me that he is doing great, and is progressing more and more every day)

Tuesday: We met with a lot of people on Tuesday. I got to have a lesson and say goodbye to all of the less-active members that I had been working with. It is really hard having to say goodbye when you have become so attached to the people. It was a pretty hard day. I can't remember anything else that we did... I wish I had my planner with me...

Wednesday: We were all over the place on Wednesday. There was so much that we had to do before I left. We met with our investigator again, and he was doing awesome! We finished up all of the lessons with him, so he is ready to go! That night we had the Bridgewater Elders come and stay with us so that they could get to the transfer van by 6:30 the next morning, so I got my companion a day early.


The sisters made me a #SACKVEGAS shirt for a going away present

Thursday: Transfer day. We dropped one of the Elders off at the mission home early in the morning and then spent the rest of the day working in Sackville. We ended up getting a ton done through the day, so it was pretty fantastic. We got to go to the Missionary Session at the temple, so that was pretty exciting. My new companion was sick, so he didn't go through, he just sat out in the front room and waited for us to come out. There was a vehicle that needed to be taken down to Bridgewater, so we got permission to drive separate vehicles down. Most glorious hour and a half of my life! I forgot how great it is to be alone! We finally got back to our apartment just in time to plan our next day and for me to conduct my first missionary Call-Night. Good stuff!

Friday: We had quite the day on Friday. We had weekly planning, which went a lot faster than I am used to because we don't have any investigators right now. Not a lot to plan for when you aren't actually working with anyone. Later on we went out to Lunnenberg for a supper appointment with a family. It's great getting to know the members a little bit better.



Elder Hansen and I with one of the members. Fantastic Lady!

Saturday: We started the day by going out and giving a member a blessing. She was such a sweet old lady, I wish we could have stuck around longer to talk to her. We spent the rest of the day working on an event that a family runs here in Bridgewater called "A Night in Bethlehem". It is a church sponsored Live Nativity, with all sorts of fun things going on around it. All sorts of shops and games and animals. It was pretty great! That event took up our whole day!

Sunday: The Sunday before Christmas is a lot of fun around here. We received a ton of gifts and goodies from the ward members, they are all so sweet. I got drafted into the Ward Choir that was performing that night, and ended up singing a solo version of "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" at the Christmas concert that night. It was a fantastic day full of music and getting ready! We had a supper appointment with a family, and they were great! They people out here are so funny!

Well, that is all for my week. I don't think I have any more news to give, and if I forgot anything I will let you know next week!

I hope that everyone is have a good week.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!! Here comes the cheesy missionary Christmas Testimony:

I know that this time of year is really fun, but it is also a time to remember the amazing gift that the savior Jesus Christ is to the world. There is so much that he did for us, that it is impossible to put into words!

 

Romans 8 35-37:
 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
HAve an amazing Christmas, and know that the Lord Loves you, and so do I!
Hockey hockey, Moose moose, Maple leaf, Sorry about that, eh?
Elder Nielsen
PS. My new address is 105 Darius Wile RD. Wileville, NS B4V 5L4

A BAPTISM IS COMING! ...... and a transfer........

Hello!

Me rocking my Sackville pride (and it's a hockey jersey, so what is more Canadian than that?)

What a week it has been! I can honestly say this has been one of the more crazy weeks of the mission so far! I have a lot of stories to tell this week :P

Monday: It was probably the most sane day of the week. We did all the normal P-day things, went shopping, and shopped at some thrift stores. Later we had Family Home Evening and only one person showed up. Even the Sisters didn't come. So we had a nice FHE with just myself, Elder Hansen, and a less-active member. It was a pretty good night. The sisters had prepared the lesson, so we didn't end up having one... we just played a game and had fun. 

Tuesday: The rain started. We went out street contacting. The rain continued. We had a great visit with a less-active member, and got a lot of things worked out with her. It kept raining. We had supper with an awesome family, they are such great member missionaries! Still raining. We finally made it out to go sing at the Seniors Home again, and they loved it! I missed singing for them! The rain kept on coming down.  Biggest storm of the year so far. 

Wednesday: More Rain. CHRISTMAS ZONE CONFERENCE! It was pretty great! We got to watch Meet the Mormons, and had a silly talent show, and a white elephant gift exchange. For lunch, President took us out to Swiss Chalet and we were aloud to order either the 1/4 chicken or the 1/2 chicken.  (They literally just cut a whole chicken in half and bring it out to you.) It was a pretty great night. At the end of the conference we found out that the Highway had flooded and we had to stay in Halifax for a while. We went to the Stake Choir rehearsal because it was held in Halifax, and thanks to my handy-dandy GPS, at the end of the night we were able to find some back roads back to Bedford to drop the sisters off, and make it back to Sackville safely.

Thursday: We had a lot of stuff planned for Thursday, but at about 10:00 in the morning we got a phone call from one of our investigators saying that a house he was working on had completely flooded overnight and he needed our help bailing it out. So we spent the rest of the day in the basement of a house with a Water-Vac taking Gallons and Gallons of water out of this house. It was pretty sad. We did our best, but in the end we weren't able to save the carpeting, so it all had to be taken out. After we left the house we showered off and were just about to head out the door to do work when we got a call from the Halifax Sisters saying that they needed help with a service project that they were doing.  So, we jumped in the car and drove back out to Halifax to the rescue. We spent the whole day doing service. We did make it back in time to meet with a less-active member, so we did end up doing at least a little bit of missionary work :P finally we got back to the apartment, and it started to rain again.

Friday: We were supposed to have weekly planning, but we got another phone call. It rained all night and we had to go back and help with the house again. It was terrible. The entire floor had rotted. There was even Black Mold starting to grow. We scraped all the staples out of the floor so it could be treated, and finished taking the carpet out of all the rooms. We had another full day of cleaning out this sad little house. We got home late in the evening, and were just about to sit down for weekly planning when we got a call from a ward member asking if we could come help set up for the Ward Christmas Party. So, we spent a majority of the night setting up tables and putting up lights and getting ready for a party. We were able to find a little bit of time at the end of the night for weekly planning, so it all worked out in the end.

Saturday: Saturday was a little more calm, but also really exciting! We did a normal day of contacting, and had a great meeting with a less-active member. That night we had the Ward Christmas party. We thought that we would be able to just go and mingle and talk with people, but we came in and they put us right to work. We ended up not being able to go to the party at all because we were stuck in the kitchen serving food! It was really fun though. After the party was over, our investigator that came to the party came up to Elder Hansen and I and told us that he is ready to be baptized! We are meeting with him today (Monday December 15) to work out all the details! I'm so excited for him!

Sunday: It was a pretty interesting Sunday.... We got transfer letters first thing in the morning. I'm being transferred down to Bridgewater to be the District Leader for the district that I'm in right now... That's pretty exciting! I spoke during sacrament, and lost most of my talk, so it ended up being really short, and I'm hoping that it was okay... And then we finished out the night by performing in a Musical fireside put on by the stake with the Stake Choir that we had been rehearsing with. I Ended up having a Solo in "Oh Holy Night", and that was pretty fun. It was a beautiful night of music! I loved it! 

So yeah... that was my week. It was pretty great. Lot's of stuff going on! 

I hope everyone is having a good week, I will have to get you my new address when I get down to Bridgewater! Have a great week, and don't forget to #sharthegift ! Merry Chirstmas! 

Hockey hockey, Moose moose, Maple leaf, Sorry about that, eh?

Elder Nielsen

 

Real Malls are CRAZY!

Well Hello There!

So, here we are again. Another Monday. Already the middle of December. Almost the end of the transfer already.... Things are getting crazy around here! So, here is the rundown for the week:

Monday: P-Day. We ended up going out to Dartmouth and going to the mall. Man... Real malls are crazy! Our little St. George mall is nothing compared to the Mic Mack Mall in Dartmouth. So big. While wandering the depths of the mall, we found the Holy Grail... Taco Bell! Just so you know, it is just as good here as it is back in the States, plus they have Taco Poutine! Everything is better when you have Poutine! We ended up not having Family Home Evening because all of our regulars got sick and couldn't make it, so we ended up going home and doing some good old fashioned Area Book work. Good times. 

Tuesday: Probably the most crazy day of our week. It was pretty draining. We planned in too many RCLA visits... That's really all I can say about that... they were draining.... We had supper with a great family, and got to watch President Eyrings talk at the Vatican. It was pretty great. The Apostals of our church know how to lay down the law, and how to share the Gospel like none other, it's almost like they are inspired men or something :P

Wednesday: District meeting. I spent most of the day driving down and back from Bridgewater (I'm the designated driver now, so I get to do that kind of stuff), which was just too much fun! We rocked out to MoTab Christmas music and just had a jolly good time! Later that night we had a meeting with our awesome investigator! He is doing so great! We talked about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and he took it very well. We invited him to be baptized, and he said yes, but because of a long story that unfolded after that, we weren't able to set up a date with him yet. But, it is going to happen, and I really hope that I survive this transfer to see it happen next transfer!

Thursday: President came to Sackville and did a training with us and the Sisters about how to best use facebook... It was pretty intense. President goes pretty hard on his training. Luckily we survived, and made it out in pretty much one piece. A couple of damaged ego's, but nothing that cant be salvaged. We stopped by a potential that we had knocked into, and we ended up standing in his doorway for over an hour while he talked at us about the book that he is writing... We are not going to be teaching him, he just likes having someone to talk at... 

Friday: We got up early in the morning to go to Seminary at the church, but ended up not going... I just wasn't having it that morning. We had a companionship study with the Bridgewater Elders over skype, and that was super fun, and totally productive... Right after that we sped home and did our Weekly Planning, my favorite part of the week (Insert Sarcasm). After our planning session, we went out and met with an member. I love meeting with her, she is great. Friday night we went over the church and helped set up for a baby shower. I really wish I had thought to take pictures in the moment, because we are master decorators. I was pretty impressed.

Saturday: There was a French temple session on Saturday, so we got to take care of one of the Elders from Moncton who didn't speak French while his companions were in the session. That was weird. I really hope I never serve in a Trio... It is just awkward. We had an lesson fall through on us, so that was pretty disappointing, but we got to go over and see the recent convert that we never get to see because we never have a third person to go with us, so that was really great. Other than that it was a pretty normal day.

Sunday: It was a great day! We had our investigator come to church for the second time, and he really loved it. It was Fast and Testimony meeting, and the testimonies were just perfect! He stayed for all of church, and even gave some great input during Gospel Principals and Priesthood! After the meeting he told us that we had "Made a believer out of him" and he cried a little bit. It was incredible! I'm so excited for his progress! We went out to Halifax for Stake Choir practice that night... Believe it or not, I ended up getting coerced into singing a Solo for one of the songs... No matter how hard I try to lay low, I always end up performing for things out here.... 

I guess that is the end of my week. It was pretty great as you can see. I hope everyone is having a great week, and an awesome kick-off to the Christmas season! I love y'all!

Don't do drugs!

Hockey hockey, Moose moose, Maple leaf, Sorry about that, eh?

Elder Nielsen

So much food.... So many Kilometers

Hello!

I am trying to figure out a way to start my letters that doesn't sound exactly like every other letter that I have written, because I'm pretty sure people would probably be getting sick of reading the same stuff over and over again. I'm just boring like that, sorry. (Haha, already apologizing like a Canadian) So, here we go, I'll see if I can dig us some interesting stories for yous guys (Adding S's to the end of words is a Nova Scotia thing... It makes me crazy)

Monday: Great P-day. We took a long nap. Naps are great. If you are in the place to take a nap, you take that nap, and enjoy it. Seriously one of the best decisions to make on a P-day. After our super eventful day, we went and did Family Home Evening at the church. We had only planned for an hour, but one of the people who came started talking about conversion stories, and we ended up having a great conversation, and staying way past the hour we had planned. Needless to say, we didn't get any finding time in, but we got to know a couple members of the ward a little better, so it was totally worth it. 

That's my boy!

Tuesday: Haha, Tuesday was so crazy. We did the normal missionary thing in the morning, knocking on doors and what not. While we were out knocking, the sisters called us and told us that they had someone sign up on the wrong dinner calendar, and their supper appointment was actually for us. The only issue was that we already had a supper appointment for that night, and it was on the exact opposite side of the area. So what did we do? We went to both appointments. So much food.... So many Kilometers... But it was worth it! That night we were supposed to go to the seniors home to sing, but both us and the sisters were going to be late, so it got cancelled. I was pretty bummed about that. But hey, sometimes those things happen, what can you do?

Wednesday: District meeting. It was a pretty good meeting. Our DL is new, and still getting the hang of things, but he is doing really well. The Zone Leaders were there, so that stressed everyone out, but it ended up being really good. Wednesday night we went out to Hammond Plains and met with our investigator (He's the only one we have left...) He is doing great. We had to do a lot of clean up because his wife had tried to explain the Kingdoms of Glory to him before we got there, and he was so confused, but we finally got it almost worked out. He said that he doesn't understand how it works, but he can accept that it is true. I'm really excited for him! We ended up missing our Family History class because our appointment with him went really long, but the sisters were there to save the day. After Family history we had correlation with the Ward Missionaries, and great things are going to be happening here in Sackville :D

He is sad because one of them fell out.

Thursday: AMERICAN THANKSGIVING! Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I wished everyone here a Happy Thanksgiving, and they just looked at me like I was a crazy person and stuck in October. So it is great to say it to people who will just think I'm a little late. We had an awesome American Thanksgiving supper at the Bishops house with all the Americans in the ward. So much fun. It was great getting to know some of the members, and to just kick back and be American for a minute, haha. We did have to duck out from the supper a little early because we had an appointment with a Less-Active member, but it was still a great time!

Friday: Weekly planning. We spent a lot of time in the apartment working on an assignment from bishop. We had a whole list of Less-Active single adults that we needed to call and confirm all of their information. Awkward... Old ladies just laugh at you when you ask them if they are still single. It's pretty great. We went knocking out in Bedford, and found some beautiful houses. Nobody was interested, but we didn't even care because for once we weren't knocking in a sketchy part of town. (We usually knock the sketch areas and let the sisters have the nice ones... We are just nice like that.) Not a ton else actually happened on Friday...

Saturday: Saturday was cold. The morning was just bitter cold. We still went out street contacting, but it was so cold. Bright, sunny, and -4C with 90% humidity. It was fantastic. We met with a couple of Less-Active members, and then went back to that really nice neighborhood and knocked again. We aren't leaving it until we are done!  

Sunday: I was supposed to speak in church on Sunday, but the other two speakers went way over their time limit, so they rescheduled me to speak in two weeks... on a different topic... So I spent all week preparing a talk, just to have it thrown away and have to speak on something else later... I was pretty upset. Our investigator got really sick, so he wasn't able to make it to church, but they committed to come next week.  We went knocking out in the boonies in a little area near where we had a supper appointment, and we actually found a potential investigator. He was really nice, and it kinda surprised both of us. People don't usually say yes...We had supper with a fantastic member family. They are so much fun! We finished out the night by going to Halifax to practice for the Stake Choir thing that they have going on. (It's run by other missionaries, so that makes it really hard to say no...) That was pretty much our entire Sunday.

And that brings us back to now. It was quite the week. 

I do have something else to say that doesn't really fit into any of the days... I have a Tim Hortons addiction... Their Hot Chocolate it just too good.... It's pretty bad. I am becoming more and more Canadian as the days go on. :D

Gotta Have My Tim's

I hope everyone is having a great week! I love all of you! And I hope I will have some good stuff to report on next week.

Hockey hockey, Moose moose, Maple Leaf, Sorry about that, eh?

Elder Nielsen