HELLO :)

HELLO :)

This week was full of service which is always a nice little change from walking around trying to find people. We were able to help clean out a couple garages and storage units. It was super dusty and super hot but a lot of fun. Plus I needed the arm workout. win win.

On Tuesday we had zone conference. We gave a quick training on preparing people for their baptismal service...specifically the fact that they will be going all the way under water. I guess my mission president had an experience back home where he was walking to the font with someone he was going to baptize and the girl had no idea she would be going in water and apparently she had a huge fear of water so it didn't end to well. It was a funny little training. Lots of the missionaries down in El Paso are going home next week so everyone is getting super antsy for transfer new. The 17 trainers have already been called (Sister Hazen and Sister Vasquez are training) and my Zone leader Elder Duncan got called up to ABQ to be an assistant to the president. I personally think Sister Olson could stay with me for a third transfer but we shall see what happens.

JJ's family is doing awesome. We had family home evening with them on Monday and we watched the Restoration. The boys always ask really good questions and have gotten into the habit of praying every night! Her husband Alan still isn't meeting with us yet but he came to our stakes pioneer celebration and really enjoyed it so we are just waiting for him to want to learn. Yesterday JJ and the boys came to church and holy molly it was a good meeting! JJ kept nodding her head to everything the speakers were saying. The young men's president spoke on faith and how instead of asking Heavenly Father to bring the investigators and less actives to church that we need to be praying for the strength and desire to go visit them and bring them with us. He said Heavenly Father doesn't just sprinkle fairy dust on the less actives that makes them come but we need to put our faith to action and do all we can to get them there.

After church JJ texted us and told us that she had talked to her neighbor about the Mormons and later that night she told us that she started teaching Alan and his friend. She said she was feeling super pumped and wanted to get baptized even soon!!

Sister Olson and I taught the young women on the important of keeping temple covenants. We started out by talking about the plan of salvation and how important the doctrine of Christ is to us and those that have passed on. As we talked to them about their ancestors that are waiting for their work to be done and I was getting super excited for this weekend. Sister Olson and I get to go up to Albuquerque to do proxy baptism with the youth and some recent converts. I have missed the temple so much and I cannot wait to go back!!

Well I love you all so much!!!! I hope you all have a great week! You're all in my prayers!!

Love,

Sister Nye

 ​JJ looking like a model at church and Jazon eating a cake pop I made the day before;)

classic Sister Nye and cat picture

Zone Conference with sister Olson

Happy Pioneer Day!

Happy Pioneer Day! No one knows what that is down here! haha. It blows Sister Olson's mind since she is from Utah where Pioneer Day is the biggest holiday! Yesterday there were some pretty amazing talks given on the pioneers and they made me so grateful for their sacrifice. Those early saints were amazing. I cannot comprehend all the trials they went through to make Zion but they gave their all for this gospel and it motivates me to work harder everyday!

This week was insane. Two of my sisters went home this week for health reasons and it was hard. I miss them so much but I have already heard from both of them and they are doing really good so that makes me feel a lot better. I serve around the most amazing missionaries and they are so inspiring. The companions they left are now together and are ready to kill it. 

We got a referral from the Hermanas for a guy named Mark who walked up to them at their mailbox and wanted to learn more about the church. We went by his apartment and holy molly he is so prepared. I guess his boss is LDS and Mark really likes the way he lives so he got interested in what we believe. He asked for a Book of Mormon and a website where he could learn more before our next visit. It just really showed me that there are people out there that are ready to receive this message and just like we are lead to them, they are also led to us. 

This weekend was probably one of the best of my mission! We spent a ton of time with JJ and her family and THEY CAME TO CHURCH FOR THE FIRST TIME YESTERDAY! It was the best Sunday ever. The ward did such a good job fellow shipping them and the boys loved primary. On Saturday AJ(the 6 year old) had a loose tooth and I tried all night to convince him to pull it out but he was to scared but then yesterday in sacrament meeting he got it out. I'm calling that a miracle! He was so excited. The member behind us told them this would be the most memorable sacrament meetings of their lives. JJ was also super involved and participated in every class! The ward was super impressed by her. The boys walked out of primary with their green CTR rings and all I could think about was how much the gospel has and will bless their family! I will be there when they all get sealed in the temple!!!

I love you all so much!!! I hope you have a great week!

Love,

Sister Nye

July Seventeenth Twenty-Seventeen

Hello everyone!!!! 

This week was insane!! I went on exchanges in a Spanish area that only rides bikes and first off my bike was very very broken. Two, a flippin' monsoon hit  and the water was up to mid calf and 3 I was wearing a giant black garbage bag. Not going to lie I looked pretty homeless. I wish I had gotten a picture of it but we didn't have time :( It was a lot of fun though. I was laughing the whole time and we had some pretty sweet lessons with investigators. We actually went to a trailer park and taught a lesson on the Book of Mormon and the peoples kids(didn't speak as good of Spanish) came home right at the time so I got to use my English skills and they got new investigators and then after we left the Hermana realized that was the wrong trailer and those weren't even the people we were supposed to teach. hahaha we are just assuming the spirit led us there. 

Yesterday we met with this man named Jorge. He has been taught by missionaries before but for some reason stopped progressing. He was awesome though. His Book of Mormon is super marked up and he told us he loved how it supported the bible and vice versa. We were able to bear testimony of the Book of Mormon and the spirit was so strong. Side note: the live action Book of Mormon Videos are coming out next fall and you can see pictures of it on lds.org. You're welcome.

Katherine received the Holy Ghost yesterday and she was glowing. A few of the members told us after church that they could see a difference in her. She looks so happy. 

The last two weeks we have been teaching sharing time and I love it. The kids are crazy and there aren't enough of them to split it into 2 hours so everyone was together. Last week we taught about honesty and at the beginning of sharing time yesterday we asked them if they remembered what we learned about in the previous week and the cute little sunbeams said "Jesus" and "Heavenly Father"... really good guesses... ahh they were so cute.

Oh and yesterday I was sitting at my desk studying and I felt water drops hit my arm. I looked up at the ceiling and there is a huge water spot and something was leaking. We quickly moved all of our stuff and called maintenance... they came while we were at church and I am 100% sure they did not fix anything. haha... So unfortunate and now we are leaving town so hopefully the ceiling doesn't cave in. 

This entire week has been an emotional roller coaster but there is nowhere else I would rather be than here in El Paso. I notice I was stress eating again haha. I was sitting in the van eating my bag of Hot Cheetos and cheese as quick as possible before a lesson and today I could not stop myself from buying a pack of Oreo's. Someone send me a health guide. This is a really bad place to live if you want to lose weight. I have no control when it comes to Mexican food. 

Sorry this email is all over the place. I promise to make it better next week.

 I love you all so much! 

Love Sister Nye

HELLLOOOO!

Katherine is BAPTIZED!!! WOOHOO! We are so happy for her! We were teaching her this week about temples and how she could be baptized for her ancestors who didn't have the chance and she got so excited and instantly knew who she needed to do the work for. There was such a special spirit that night. There have been a few of my RC's where you can just tell their family is on the other side of the veil just hoping and praying that they will come to the church so that they can do the work for them! 

On the 4th of July we had a blast! We went to the stakes flag raising and then the parade! We were with the Spanish ward missionaries all the day so after the parade we split and started talking to everyone. It was awesome! We got a few referrals and gave out a lot of pass along cards! That night all of us went to a couple parks and started chalking the Plan of Salvation on the side walks. It was so fun and a lot of people stopped to look at it and ask questions. The only down side was the evil mutant mosquitoes. They are huge and they attack in swarms. 

We did a lot of walking and driving this week. It has been really hard to find because of the heat. No one is outside(they are smart). We are really trying to work through the members and find service opportunities! Hopefully this week we will see miracles and find a family to teach!

This week one of the hermanas was having a hard time while we were on exchanges so we read Chapter 3 from The teachings of President Hinckley(if you haven't read it stop whatever you are doing and go read it!) I love President Hinckleys attitude towards life. I have tried my whole mission to follow his example and share that light and optimism. There was one paragraph that really stuck out to me. He said,

"There never was a greater time in the history of the world to live upon the earth than this. How grateful everyone of us ought to feel for being alive in this wonderful time with all the marvelous blessings we have."

I am so thankful I get to be apart of the work at this time! We are so blessed to have this gospel and a Heavenly Father who loves us so much!!! 

I love you all!

Love,

 

Happy 4th of July!!!

Hello Loved Ones!!

Happy 4th of July Everyone!! I opened my mission call exactly one year ago! I cannot believe a year has gone by!!! It is so weird to think how much has happened in a year. I will never get over the fact that I live in Texas.... oh boy...this place.

We had transfers this week and of course I am staying in El Paso but I got to go pick up the new sisters which meant I got to see my little Vasquez before they sent her up North to Albuquerque! I felt like I hadn't seen her in forever but it had only been 6 weeks.. so weird. The new Sister and Hermana that came into our zone are awesome! They are so ready to work. The new Hermana and her trainer are on bikes/walking. We don't know how they are doing it in this heat but they are finding and teaching like crazy! I look up to them so much! 

Last night we felt like we needed to go by a media referral from last transfer that told us she didn't want missionaries to come. She thought the free bible would be delivered in the mail so she was a little confused why we would come... we decided to go by anyways. It was perfect timing. She was outside with her dad talking. We gave her the Bible and she was really nice. We asked her how her week had been going and she broke down into tears. She told us that her friend had passed away the day before and her cousin was in the hospital. We were able to share a quick message on the plan of salvation and make a return appointment to teach the rest tonight. She told us she knew we were supposed to be there and that the Bible and Book of Mormon would help her. I cannot wait to go back and see her!

Katherine is getting baptized on Sunday!! We are so excited for her! She has been so fun to teach just because she was so prepared. No matter what the lesson or topic she would listen and take everything in. She always told us it just made sense. What a super star! 

I also just got an email from my recent convert Grecia and ahhhh it was so good. She went to a temple open house with the YSA ward and started temple prep. She is so excited and her whole email was about how much she loves the gospel. I love my mission. I love that I get to help some of Gods children here in El Paso find happiness!! It is the best feeling ever!!!

I love you all so much!!! 

love,

Sister Nye

My Little Vasquez!  

Last photo with Elder Richins...Goodbye district leader

The Fort Bliss service Crew

 Taking an important call during lunch