August 25, 2014 - The Arkansas State Bird

Wow, what a week! Saying goodbye to my cute ASL family at the MTC was rough, but I love it here! It is nothing like the other ASL missions I have heard of. Most of the other ASL missions have deaf wards or branches, but here there are three ASL areas and my area has two deaf members (just baptized this summer) and two deaf investigators. So, as you can guess, we teach hearing people too. But our deaf members are awesome! One is Ronika, she has a 5 year old son and her husband is deaf and will hopefully get baptized once he stops drinking coffee. The other deaf member is Sylvia. Since she is 16, deaf, and black, she is about as sassy as they come. She is hard to understand, but she loves church and it was great to interpret for her yesterday. So, at church between me, Sister Grindstaff, and two members, we interpret Sacrament Meeting, two Sunday Schools, Relief Society, Young Women's, and Priesthood. Then after church we teach an ASL class. The members are super into it. It is great that they want to help out our deaf members.

      So, my companion is Sister Grindstaff, and once she is done training me she is done with her mission. She is short and super cute, and her sign name is Sister Eyelashes. She is very sarcastic and bold; she teaches very seriously. And she thinks I am hilarious, so we get along pretty well.

     About Arkansas: It is the hottest it has been all summer. Super humid, I sweat ALL THE TIME. People say y'all and you can say anything about anyone as long as you say "bless her heart." And the state bird is a mosquito, I swear. I have never had so many bites in my life. I look diseased. I have bites as big as my face and some have blisters and now that they are healing they have bruises. BUT, it is so worth it! I was so happy to be on our investigator Ray's front porch, saying a prayer while we all held hands, even though I was being eaten alive. He loves the Book of Mormon and wishes he had had the truth his whole life. And most of the people I have met here know they love Jesus but also know they don't have the full truth. Our message makes complete sense to them. The key is finding the people who are ready to give up alcohol and smoking and tradition, and willing to accept the Gospel. The church is true. I love you guys!

 

Sister Nielsen 

 

P.S. Our address is 1530 Parham Pointe Dr.,  Little Rock, AR 72204. I am super excited for Cody, he is the best.



My leg. This isn't even the worst it has looked.

Our investigator Bernice's side walk.

My cute companion, Sister Grindstaff.

 

August 19, 2014 - I'm in Arkansas!

Hey y'all, I am here safe. See? What did I tell you!? Love you all, the church is true.
Sister Nielsen

August 14, 2014 - Last Letter from MTC

Hello y'all!

I am so excited to get to the mission field Tuesday! This week has gone by fast!

Last week we met the cutest deaf couple ever. The husband learned ASL on his mission (that happens to deaf people more than you expect). The wife was Elder Betts' ASL teacher in high school. He says the husband brings her flowers everyday. They were so cute!

Funnies: This week Elder McCarl told us, "If my wife wants to shop, that's fine. I'll be a rich man so she can shop. But I'll say, 'First, make me 12 kids.'" Everyone that knows him knows it is his life ambition to have 12 kids. He's a character. 

Also funny, Sister Mertens hid Sister Abeling's Reese's. She went on a rampage looking for it. She has a serious addiction. She was saying the peanut butter would dry out and we just couldn't let that happen. 

This week at the devotional Elder Clair and I interpreted when the choir sang "Nearer my God to Thee." That was neat. 

The gift of tongues is real. Or the gift of thumbs as Brother Peterson calls  it. Oh man, oh man, it's real. On Sunday nights we are supposed to watch a video or movie. We have been trying to watch a talk by Elder Bednar for weeks, but we haven't had closed captioning or an interpreter. This week we were disappointed again, so Sister Abeling decided to interpret. She has the most skills because she went to Gallaudett, the deaf university, for 2 years. So Sister Abeling interpreted the entire thing. An hour and 15 minutes! Interpreting is a lot more work than you think. You are only supposed to go for 15 or 20 minutes without a break. I can do about 10 before I need a nap. But she did the whole thing and her arms didn't even hurt. And she interpreted so well! It was amazing. The Spirit definitely helped her interpret. Elder Jackson was in tears by the end. It was beautiful. God will help you with whatever language He calls you to, I promise!

Well, love you all, have a good week!

Sister Nielsen

Who wore it better? And yes, we already had these shirts.

Elder Oh! I am very upset about the photo bombers.

Twin day! Smile off!

Elder Clair making fun of Elder Crockett.

Smile off with Elder Clegg and Christensen.

Sister Brown's b-day!

Sister Bangs - August 8. 2014

Hello family and friends!

This week I got my name sign from Bro Peterson! It is pretty much "Sister Bangs." You make the letter n and sweep it across you forehead in the shape of my bangs. I am excited to finally have a sign name!

 

In other news, I broke my companion. Well, almost. We were teaching our investigator that has no language, and I was drawing some pictures on the chalk board for him. Sister Backus came up behind me and I accidentally elbowed her in the ribs. She's been telling people I'm abusive, and I've been telling people I have a voodoo doll of her somewhere. We ended up going to the doctor because she hurt so bad. He took an x-ray. Her ribs aren't cracked, but I bruised her cartilage pretty good, and the doctor said she'll hurt for a few weeks. The medicine she got makes her super crazy, so she just has to go to bed. She slept all day and all night. I feel pretty bad. 

Other things: Sister Backus and I love to have smile-offs, Jimmy Fallon style. Our teachers think we are freaks. We just think we're hilaritous. We also really like the group of missionaries from Tonga in our hall. They are very friendly and they have no personal space bubble. They are so cute and funny. One of  the sisters the other day took off her shoes and was showing us how soft and clean her feet were after only one week in America. She says in Tonga they only wear shoes for church! She is just so cute, we love running into her. 

 

Well, that's about all! I can't get pics to work, but hopefully next week I can show you our epic twin day! 

The church is true! Love you guys!

Sister Nielsen

Sister Backus caught taking a nap.

MTC Hump Day - August 1, 2014

Hello Ladies and Gents, Family and Friends!

I am half way done with the MTC! For our hump day we celebrated with a few sips of apple cider and about 5 skittles from Sister Abeling's mom. 

 

Funnies: Elder Christensen always whines about being color blind. Sister Brown says, "Oh, then you can't see me." "Sister Abeling, where is you companion? I can't see her!"

Elder Jackson had some cake at dinner and Sister Abeling asked where he got it. "It's gluten free...I mean, it's only for deaf people." Later he asked her where she got the garlic bread and she said, "Over there, but it is only for hearing people." So funny. 

We found out this week that Sister Abeling's life dream is to interpret a Macklemore concert. Just so you all know.

 

Advantages of ASL: You can talk with you mouth full, pray with your eyes open, and talk across the cafeteria with out yelling.

The ASL Book of Mormon: Took 14 years to make, is 60 hours long, the lady had to start wearing a wig, and she was pregnant 2 or 3 times during filming. Wow!

 

Exciting: Our teacher, Brother Peterson, who is deaf, played the piano for us. It was excellent! He plays very well, but he has no idea if he messes up. The best part was he played "True to the Faith" and looked over at us and sang "Noooooooooo." It was the only time we've heard his voice.

 

Very exciting: This week for the devotional, Brother Groberg came . He is the missionary from the move "The Other Side of Heaven." I have never seen it , but I wish I had. He talked about how important bearing testimony is. He said six important ways to bear testimony: what we say, what we do, what we sing, how we pray, what we write, and who we are. His wife talked before him and very simply bore her testimony. That really showed me how powerful testimony is. It allows the spirit to testify to people's hearts. All the ASL missionaries discussed it afterwards, and the best was Elder Jackson saying how much he loved the closing song, "I know that My Redeemer lives." He said he doesn't really like when we sing, but those lyrics are very powerful on their own.

 

     I want to write my testimony to you all. I know that my Savior lives and that through Him, all of us can be made whole. I know that this is His work and He is supporting and watching over us. I know this is where I am meant to be. I know Joseph Smith saw the Father and the Son. I know the Book of Mormon is true and that people can feel the Spirit and know the Gospel is true when they read it, or watch it, or look at the pictures, because the Spirit is in all of that. President Monson truly talks to God. The Atonement can always change lives and applies to everyone. The Church is true. I am a representative of Jesus Christ and His name has more power than any other. I love Him. I say these things in His name, amen. 

 

I love you all!

Sister Nielsen

Vanhin (Elder) Wilson, going to Finland. He was one of Payton's roommates. 

Sister Malone from marching band

Sister Lundberg, such a brave soul! She left this week, I love her!

We dressed up like Power Rangers

Week 3 - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - MTC Edition

Hello family and friends!

Welcome to the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, MTC edition.

 

The Good: We had Graham Canyon ice cream on Sunday. That is my favorite ice cream ever. We also had green beans with bacon. They weren't near as good as Mom's, but still tasty.  

The Bad: ASL makes your eyebrows hurt. You have to raise them up or down depending on what kind of question you are asking. Elder Clair has a really hard time, but he is getting better at it. 

The Ugly: Having to ask the branch president to give the elders a modesty talk and they still don't get why they can't sit a certain way or wear gym shorts made for a 10 year old. Also, one of our ASL districts ate an entire tower of cereal one night for dinner. They had to eat like 7 bowls each and the tops of their mouths were bleeding. They also got in trouble because it's disruptive, so y'all remember that when you come to the MTC. 

The Scary: We sisters played volley ball with some elders from Samoa and Tonga. Sister Abeling almost got decapitated several times. 

The Spiritual: Guess what I did this week? Taught an investigator that has no language. Well, it was one of our teachers pretending to be him, but it is a real person he met on his mission. Apparently it is common for ASL missionaries to meet such people. He is deaf, doesn't know ASL, and doesn't read except for a tiny bit of Spanish. How do you teach him? A combination of charades and pictionary. I will be excellent at both when I get back. But the most important ingredient is the Spirit! There is no way we could teach without it. Not to be cliche, but the Spirit is the universal language. Our teacher Brother Peterson was also explaining to us that everyone can feel the Spirit, not just Mormons. And he was explaining to us times when other people can feel the Spirit. He says he feels the Spirit when Madea talks about church. He says as a deaf person he connects with her and those Baptist choirs because they are very expressive. So, Madea aside, we can all feel the Spirit. We can feel the Spirit when we listen to music. Think of when for band we play those really slow and powerful songs, like "Sleep." We all felt so good! That's one way to feel the Spirit. So I would like to challenge all of you to try to listen for the Spirit more. Listen to some good music or just turn off the TV and sit in quiet to think. Read something inspiring. I've haven't ever watched Madea, so I can't endorse that... but do what ever it is that will help you feel the Spirit and come closer to God.

 

Have a good week everyone! Love you! The Gospel is true! 

 

Sister Nielsen

 

P.S.  Bailey is here! And she is leaving Tuesday already. One morning at breakfast I got to talk to her and Katie. She is so cute, but I think she is having a hard time. She was crying when she saw me because quote "your cute little motherly voice." Ah man, I love my roomies! 

 

Elder McCarl, just a little ray of sunshine! 

An almost good picture of the ASL sisters



Sunday Temple Walk

An almost good picture of my district

 

 

Week 2

Alrighty everyone, buckle up for some fast typing!

This week has been great, being here is great. I can't wait until I am actually in the field. This week we have been teaching an investigator Hilary on the video phone. We knew she was an actor, but we were totally convinced she was deaf! She was an excellent actor. The most important thing we learned is that you have to testify. One of our lessons didn't go well, and we figured out that is was because we needed to testify, and the next lesson was much better.

 

     I hope that my grammar is ok, when I write in my journal, I have totally noticed that I write in ASL grammar.

 

     Here at the MTC we do service twice a week. We clean the buildings. It is EXACTLY like working at library, except I don't have to wake up quite so early. 

 

     Some funny stories: The other day Sister Backus was wearing a skirt and blazer her grandma made her. In the middle of class, she noticed that the jacket still had pins in the hem! They were sewn in, she had to tear them out! It was hilarious. Our teacher said, "Oh cute grandma cute." THEN the skirt (which was a wrap around skirt) totally came undone and everyone could see her slip. The teacher signed SO fast "You need leave fix that now?!?!?!" So funny. 

 

     So many of our funny stories have to do with Elder McCarl. I wish so bad I had a picture to show you! He is just a tiny little blonde kid with cochlear implants. He has the sweetest spirit and devotionals always make him cry and he is so concerned about everyone. Sister Backus always says she wants to put him in her pocket. One day he put her magnet from her badge on his implant at the dinner table. Then he told us how when he was in 8th grade science, he hooked up a light bulb and wires to his implant. It lit up for a second, and then it shocked him! He went to the audiologist, who said to NEVER do that again. And the other day, one of the elders told him,  "Your deacon is showing," meaning his tie was sticking out of his collar. Elder McCarl didn't get it. He's like "I've been trying to learn English for the past 14 years and that's not one of my vocab words." So sassy. And he knows everyone loves him. Sister Backus said he was her favorite. He looked at his companion and said, "See, I told you."

 

       Alright, something else spiritual. WWJF-what would Jesus feel? If we don't feel charity, we can't teach people. In 1 Corinthians 13, it says with out charity, we are like a tinkling cymbal. All you band nerds know what it sounds like when all you have is a cymbal! It is no bueno. We need charity to help people come closer to Christ!

 

Love you all, I'll try to send pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Sister Nielsen

 

Ok, so I have had some more time because we are all sharing the card reader. So I will write a little more while I wait my turn. Trying to write everything is so stressful. I don't even know what to say. Did I tell you Sister Backus is going to Anaheim? There a ton of elders going to New York and a few sisters going to Washington. No one else is going to Arkansas. 

 

I love the sisters in my room. We all talk SO much at night because we can't talk all day. It's bad. 

Our teachers are awesome. The language is great. I LOVE praying in ASL. It is beautiful and I never even pray in English any more. ASL is much more spiritual. 

 

Oh another quick thing, everyone. Sister Backus got her name sign this week. Our teacher gave it to her (only a deaf person can give you a name sign). Her sign name is pretty much "Sister Watch," with "u" where the watch goes for BackUs. He couldn't do "BS" or "BA." Hahaha. She always is looking at her watch during class. 

 

The sisters in my room

District Selfie

The beautiful Katie McCloud

Sister Backus

Our welcome to the MTC sign actually says MNC