Attitude Lesson Learned!

Yay for service! Sisters and Elders working together to clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere! Clean up, clean up, everybody do their share! Yes!

Something Spiritual: Well this week has been great, I have really seen the hand of the Lord in my life. A few days ago..I lost my name tag, I have two original ones and my goal was to keep both of them together and not lose them, so I could bring home the ones I received from the MTC. We had dinner with the Woolstenhulme's and when we got home I realized my name tag was gone...So of course I was freaking out because I did NOT want to lose it...so I texted Sister Woolstenhulme about it and she told me she would look to see if I had left it there. While I was a little bummed I had lost it, I said a prayer to Heavenly Father asking him to help me find this little name tag, because He knows how much they mean to me. Sister Woolstenhulme told me she couldn't find it...so I keep praying...(please Heavenly Father just help me out) and a little bit later she finds it!! I know it might seem silly, but to me Heavenly Father heard me. He really helped me out. I am thankful for the knowledge of prayer. We pray a lot here, but I have come to love praying, because Prayer. It works. :) I know you are all thinking - she probably lost it recklessly riding that rocking horse!

And in case you are wondering why we have party cups on our heads and party costumes and riding the rocking horse, here's why! Happy 4th birthday, Mark Woolstenhulme! This boy is a great kid and he belongs to a great family. And yes, he does look like a little surfer boy - but we ARE living next to the beach! So thanks and love to Sister Woolstenhulme! She is my Sister! This week we have been sharing a quote of Gratitude to our investigators, less actives and members, "True Gratitude is an expression of hope and testimony. It comes from acknowledging that we do not always understand the trials of life, but trusting that one day we will." - President Dieter F. Uchtdorf. I love this quote, I ask myself a lot, am I really grateful? Do I really thank Heavenly Father for my trials..? Mmmm not so much, but I need to! I am thankful for this month of Thanksgiving, so thankful to my Savior for letting me learn lessons He wants me to learn, so thankful for the chance to be serving a mission, oh how grateful I am. So grateful for my family and all the love they share, so grateful for the people in the GB area, how much I care and love them. So thankful for the Gospel, the amazing truth it provides. A few moments of good this week: Paul and Paula want to learn more and more about the church! They have opened their hearts and minds..so awesome!

The Cooper family committed to come to church next week!! Yes!! We had an awesome lesson with Joyce about how the Book of Mormon can answer "Questions of the Soul" (Thank you PMG!) So many tender mercies that have turned into something Spiritual. :) This is me with this very special lady, Joyce Cooper.

And here I am with handsome Camden Cooper. What a good, sweet, smart boy he is. He really get's it! It is so awesome for Sister Kinghorn and I to be teaching him.

And here is our sweet Abby Cooper - we helped her celebrate her birthday! Love this girl! She is progressing so beautifully in learning the gospel! And look - she is glowing with happiness! That's what love from the Sister Missionaries and the Gospel of Jesus Christ does for ya! Something Funny/Good: Funny story...So because of the mold issue, we have had to throw pretty much EVERYTHING away...including our area book...which we kinda do need...so before we threw it away, we decided to copy it. So sweet Sister Wight came and got us and we headed to the church to make copies! Well, being forgetful missionaries...it went over our heads that we needed a key to get into the media center..ha. Thank goodness Bishop was there! So we knock on his door, he comes out...and guess what...he shuts his office door...and boom. Bishop's office is locked...So we are all standing outside his office trying to call people who might have a key to get back into his office...haha so great! All his keys are in his office, so we couldn't really do anything! But we are never left stranded! There is a key box outside the church with a spare key...and we are all hoping that the key will work for his office...if so it would be called a "skeleton key." So Bishop gets the key and guess what!! The key WORKS..even to his office. Hahaha! I was trying not to laugh while this was going on, but it really was funny. Lesson learned: Do not knock on the Bishop's door. :)

Here is our new STL, Sister Trainer Leader, Sister Willis! This is her apartment with our area map on the wall behind us.

Something Good: We are moved into our new apartment!! MOLD FREE! Yay!!! We think we have the nicest apartment in the mission because everything we have is brand new!! Super happy to be able to breathe normal and having more energy! The work can go on!! :)

Something Learned: Well everyone..I learned how to put a table together...with a rachet. I think that is what it is called...the L shaped tool...I am so not a guy. Ha. Anyways Saturday we moved into our new apartment and we got a new table...Brother Woolstenhulme gave me the job to learn how to put this table together...if y'all know me, this is NOT something Sister Nielson would normally do. (This is what my brothers would do.) ;) But hey! I did it! We put the table up and guess what...it did NOT fall or collapse..so that is good!:)

Something Spiritual learned. Attitude. If you're going to have a crap attitude, you are going to have a crap mission." - Some Wise Elder...Well I have learned attitude a lot lately, I see it two ways, I could have a bad attitude, or I could have a good one...Well these past two weeks with moving and mold and everything, my attitude has not been the best...and I really wanted to change it so I could feel better and so that the Spirit could be with us. I was praying a lot about attitude..."Heavenly Father please change my attitude. I know I am being super annoying, and I want to change, so please help me..." Well did he help me with this? Uh, no. Why? Well, I wasn't making the effort to change my attitude...so why would Heavenly Father help me if I wasn't doing my part!? So yes. I have learned that I need to do my part first, then He will help me. Every day since this realization hit me, I strive to be better, to look to change first to do my part. I am thankful for all these lessons I am learning. Some are hard to learn, others not too bad. But really, I have come to realize that Heavenly Father needs me to learn. :) Overall this week has been great! We are been SO blessed and so cared for. I am so thankful to my Savior, Christ who helps me become better, who knows me, who cares for me, and who helps me change. I love this work with all my heart, ever since being on a mission, my heart is happy. I love this Gospel. It is the Good News to the world. I am so thankful to have to opportunity to share it in the Lord's Vineyard in Gulf Breeze, Florida. :) #FTMFORLIFE Sister Nielson :)