Hollywood Area 2-3-2015

The "Dying" missionaries

FAMILIA!!

Man, you all said there wasn't much that happened this past week, but it still sounded like there was a ton going on!! Dance recitals, young womens night, BYU basketball, Super Bowl, school and everything else! Our week here was super crazy too. But before I get to that I want to praise my little sisters for a second and say that it sounds like we have some future cougarettes in the family! :) No joke it sounds like you all are doing amazing so keep up the good work! Dad, I'm also glad to hear that your shoulder is recovering, because you better be 100% by the time I get back so that I can whoop you in 1 on 1. ;)

So, as always this week is transfers and so we had a pros- monday yesterday, and then transfer meeting tomorrow. So the transfer call came last night where the assistants tell us whether we're staying or transferring. Obviously I'm staying because my companion is dying, but lets just say there were some BIG changes that went down in our zone. 6 areas in our zone are getting white-washed. Which just means that both missionaries in the area are leaving and 2 new ones come in. It doesn't happen that often just because it can be kind of crazy having 2 missionaries in an area that know no one and have no idea what's going on. But I felt like this was what was going to happen, and I know President is inspired so it's gonna be sweet!

This week went by so fast again!! I felt like I would just blink and our days were gone. We had district trainings again in the beginning of the week which always take up a good chunk of time. Basically our only progressing people right now is this crazy haitian family!! haha they have 6 kids all under the age 7! So whenever we go over to their house we literally get attacked by haitian kids. I laugh so hard everytime we go over there, because we actually have a rule as missionaries that we're not allowed to pick up or hold kids. So we sit down on the couch and they come up and just start climbing on us, and we do our best to like try and keep them off of us but it just doesn't work. And then the parents just look at us like, "What's your problem? Just pick up the kid or do something!" haha it's great though, I love it.  Then on Friday we had like the greatest day ever because we got to go to the temple!! Whooop whoop!! We got special permission to go with a recent convert in our ward. His name is Bro. Kevin Tinny. He is one of the greatest men I've ever met. He got baptized 1 year ago to the day he went through the temple. He is a 71 year old guy, but it would be impossible for you to tell that if he wasn't losing his hair. He comes out with us every single week on Wednesdays for like 6 hours. So I'm sure in the future you will be hearing about plenty of experiences we have with him. We were so blessed to go through the temple with him, and I felt like it was as much for him, as it was for us! I felt the spirit so strong, and I was so edified and i received a lot of answers from Heavenly Father to a lot of questions I had. So it was amazing!!!

I'm so grateful for the Gospel, and for the happiness that it has brought me in my life! I know that God lives, and that He loves each and every one of us, and wants to help us have a fulness of joy in this life and in the life to come! Keep working hard back home, and share the good news with everyone! 

Love,
Elder Nielsen