This week has been so awesome!! Happy New Years everyone!!!

On Monday, we always have the best time and this past Monday was no different! We get all that we needed to done and then we have dinner at a members home and usually tract the rest of the night! But Monday is also great because we get packages from the mission home that day! 

I got a b-e-a-u-tiful blanket from Julie Howald!! She hand made it!! It is so perfect, thank you so much! And I also got a sweet package from Pegisis and it was full of some much needed necessities and some candy and then, my personal favorite, a gnome!! She is so silly. Thank you Peggy!! For dinner we had it at the bishop's home and he is such a nice fella. He and his wife have some very talented kids too! They played their cellos and violins for us while we waited for dinner to be finished and it was so neat! They are incredible.

A beautiful blanket made by Julie! Thank you!

Gnomes, my favorite! Peggy knows me too well!  Ha, ha, ha!

Tuesday was a good day too! Not quite as eventful as the last... but I'm not complainin' ;) We were running short on miles for the month (that we are allowed to use in our car) so we need to walk to places that day and one of the places we went was to dinner! We had about a 2 mile walk and so to entertain ourselves I told a very, very lengthy story about a prince and a princess! (Of course it was related to missionary work!) ((That is to eternal marriage;)) So we walked and I talked.  The walk seemed much shorter that I thought it would be haha!  Once we got there we sat on the couch trying to warm up because we were little popsicles (because when the sun goes down here it gets SO cold so fast).   So after we warmed up we went with that family to our investigator,  Michael's,  home for dinner! His home is so cute! And he had bought KFC and fed us on fancy plates, it was so fun! After dinner we taught the last lesson to him before his baptism! It was great. The Wright family were with us and they are just the greatest people! The spirit is so strong when any one of them speak. Michael is so lucky to have some great members to look up to!

Wednesday.... HAPPY MARRIAGE DAY JER AND AMIE!! My mission president was so nice, he gave me permission to call Jeremy and wish him congrats! So on Wednesday morning at 8 am I was able to call! I am so happy for them! That is just so exciting!  I hope all is well in Rexburg, you lovebirds! We practiced music so much that day! Sister Borup sings so well (If you didn't know that ;) and so we have been asked to do a couple musical things and had lots of practicing to do. It was so fun! My fingers were frozen little ice cubes by then end of the couple of hours though! haha. That night, Michael had his baptismal interview at the new church building he'll be going to and it went great! He is such a great guy, so prepared too! Our night was so busy though because we were running all over the place! We had gone to the mission nurse a couple of times for some stuff, one of which was an ear infection,  so we ran to Walmart and were trying to find what kind of medicine you get when you get an ear ache.  I was getting frustrated and told Sister Borup that I had no idea because my mom always got it and always bought it and so I just didn't know.  When we finally found it (thank you helpful Walmart people) we went up to the front and bought it and out of no where Sister Borup swipes her card and pays for it! And I was like, "Sister Borup! What are you doing?!" And she said, "Well, you said your mom always bought it and since I'm training you I am technically your mom so it's my responsibility to buy it!" I am seriously so grateful to have such a great companion. Even when I am frustrated and not feeling well she is always trying to help me! I am so blessed!!

Thursday was a good day... Man, you know how I said we usually get mail on Mondays?? Well I got two surprise packages from Ashley and Cheyenne!! You all are SO nice! I am so grateful for all of the blankets, I am always cold here! And Chey made the cutest dang picture book that has cute captions and pictures of us in it! I love it!! Pictures are the best. Thanks again! So much!! 

Presents from Ash and Chey.  I feel loved!

We also had a mission-wide conference that day and it was awesome! All of the missionaries of the Colorado Denver North Mission met at one building and had a meeting on the New Year and the goals we have! One thing I really liked was to focus on the small miracles because God is already working on or already accomplished the big ones! It was such an eye opener for me! I have a little journal that I write down the small miracles I see and they seriously can be so small, but still be a miracle!! Like my companion making my bed for me while I ate breakfast. Or someone from the ward asking to give us a ride somewhere when we're walking and freezing cold. Heavenly Father is always blessing us! We just have to have open eyes to be able to see them! It is just so great. 

We were able to preform at the conference for all the missionaries! It was so cool :) I played and a pair of Sisters and a pair of Elders sang "Do You Have Room?" I love being able to play!!

Mission-Wide conference!  Wow, that's a lot of missionaries!

Second shot, in case anyone had their eyes closed.

And if you think it couldn't get better than that... Michael got baptized today!! Friday, was the best day ever! We got up and got ready and headed over to the church.  We practiced a new song a couple of times and then got the programs and took some pictures! (Sorry I don't have any, next week I will!) The baptism was perfect.  So many members came to support him and it was so great. Our mission president even came and gave a talk! It was so cool. After that lesson we had had in our Misison President's home,  Michael wanted nothing less! It was really sweet of him to come because he is seriously a busy guy. 

At the baptism Sister Borup, sweet Aubrey Wright and I sang a song and played! It was "Come Thou Font of Every Blessing." I even sang! Which is crazy because usually I just play,  but it was so cool, and turned out really well! Who would've known I could! Man, Heavenly Father is just blessing me so much. Afterwards we went out to the best place ever with Michael and the Wrights, Kneaders! It's like Panera, a sandwich kinda place. And was so good! Then we went home and realized we had lots of work to do! We want another baptism like that!!

So with that being said, we got to work on Saturday! We tracted A LOT! We went to many homes, with not so much success-but we felt good about it! "The key to missionary work is work!" And we have lots to do :) There was a sealing that day too so we stopped by the Scotts home to congratulate them and another miracle occurred! One of Brother Scotts friends came by and HE wanted a Book of Mormon! We were able to give him one and set up a time to go and see him this coming week!! What a blessing!! His name is Big Mike and he is definitely Big Mike! You can hear him talking from a mile away! haha We are so excited!

And so finish off/begin the week our church time has changed! Now we have it at 9 am which allows for a lot more tracting in the afternoon, which is a blessing because that's exactly what we need! It was such a good Sunday too. We taught the lesson in Sunday School and it was so fun! I love teaching. That night we had had dinner at the cutest family, the McGary's, and they are so nice! They have two adorable children that are totally off the walls sometimes! It is so great :) They invited us over to Sister McGary's parent's home afterwards for birthday cake and it was perfect because her dad isn't a member so we totally got to talk with him a bit! 

Man, it was such a good week. We are so blessed! I know that as we look around for the small miracles in our lives that we'll see them. God's hand is in our lives every moment of every day! And how fortunate we are that that is the case :) I love you all and appreciate all that you have done for me!

Love, no matter what

-Sister Nelson