Week 75: Back to Mililani | Merry Christmas 🎅 🎄

 Aloha Talofa and Happy Holidays!

Short story: I have been emergency transferred back to Mililani.

Long story: Elder Anderson (that I shared a pad with in Honolulu) is now able to go to his original assignment in the Marshall Islands/Kiribati mission! President called me Thursday afternoon and told me that I would be taking his place with Elder Mulitalo covering two wards in Mililani. The Samoan ward and a "white people" ward .

I'm staying in the same exact apartment I stayed in over a year ago so it feels like I'm back in training! Elder Clapper (my trainer who is now off his mission) actually came and visited Mililani a week before! Barely missed him. Before I left Moanalua 2nd, Ricky and Tino were baptized! Most of the work was done before I got there but I'm still so proud of them.

Another awesome teaching opportunity came from one of our members Sister Noa. She has a friend named Ina with a daughter Leilani. Ina grew up in Laie going to seminary, being surrounded by members of the church, but never getting baptized! Her daughter however is baptized. We had a super awesome lesson with them in Sister Noas home. We taught a really profound lesson about the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and they were absolutely in live with our message. They seemed so willing to read and pray about the Book of Mormon together  . 

 I really loved serving in Moanalua 2nd ward. It wasn't in the prettiest part of Hawaii but the opportunities of meeting new people and teaching them makes any town feel like a spiritual powerhouse. 

Me and Elder Walker were at a hospital in Honolulu to give someone a blessing when Elder Walker saw that President Sloat had tried to call us. He called me and assigned me to take Elder Andersons place in Mililani. I was really disappointed that I was gonna leave Elder Walker and the area, but when I heard I was going back to my old stomping grounds in Mililani I was so excited.

We had Ricky and Tinos baptism the same night I left for Mililani. Those two boys were so brave and faithful. They are as funny and spunky as they seem and they're only like 10. I'm so proud of their decision to come closer to God through baptism.

My new companion was Elder Mulitalo! He was a past companion of Elder Walker. He's also as funny and cool as Elder Walker made him out to be . But while I was with him, he started getting a cold! So for the remaining week and a half of the transfer, we only got to go fully proselyting for a couple days together. But eventually we still were able to do work.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! This Christmas was awesome! That all started with the amazing zone conference we had at the tabernacle. It was so good to see other missionaries and listen to uplifting Christmas messages and hear music. The heavy theme of what was said was that if there wasn't Easter, there wouldn't be Christmas. I know that the Saviors greatest sacrifice was to be crucified and to atone for our sins. But the way he fulfilled God's will, atoned for us, and overcame death is why we celebrate his birth. My family sent me handwritten letters that brought me to tears. I really miss them on the holidays.

Spending Christmas in Mililani was as fun as I thought it would be. But also very spiritual because it fell on a Sunday. I think the best part of thus Christmas was being able to take the sacrament in church. It really helped think a lot about Jesus and what he did for us. I think it was one of the most Christ-centered Christmas's I've ever had!

We were having dinner with some members in Wahiawa 1st ward when we got transfer news that Elder Mulitalo would be leaving!! I wasn't even with him for two weeks!! And now I'm leading Wahiawa 1st ward and the YSA?!  Well I'm excited but I'm also a but nervous. I was so sad to see Elder Mulitalo leave. I'm with Elder Carlson now and he's a really cool missionary.

Sorry this emails late. I'll try to do better. I hit my 17 months this week which means next month I have 1/4 left of my mission . I hope I make the most of it.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

"I'll be home for Christmas."

Love, Elder Nielsen