Hello from Elko

Hello Sister Nielsen,
 
It was great to get your email last week and to hear how well you and your comp. are doing.  18 lessons, 11 w/ members and 8 investigators in church, that is awesome!!!!!  Keep up the great work.  Elder Sanft said, 8 investigators in church in Hawaii is awesome.  You two will be setting the bar for others to follow if you continue.  I hope the 10 year old boy was able to get baptized and if not last week, then this week.  Elder Sanft got transferred yesterday on an emergency transfer.  He was made a zone leader in Sparks and he has only been out 10 months.  He came by the house at 9:30 Friday night to say good bye as Cody and I were out deer hunting.  Friday was Nevada day and the ward had their harvest festival so the girls and mom were in goofy costumes, Cody was in the shower and he got out and had his bath robe on and I was all beat up and bloody from the deer hunt.  I am sure we looked like the Adams family or a bunch of wackos.  His family will not know what to think about us.  Erin's soccer team beat Spring Creek last week, and they start regionals this week here in Elko.  They will be ranked #1 going into regionals.  Codys JV team went undefeated again this year in football and all 3 teams beat Spring Creek in Football on Thursday.  So that was good.
 
On Friday, Cody, Clancy and I went deer hunting up in the Ruby Mountains.  We went on the back side of the mountain from Ruby valley.  We hiked and hunted all day long.  It snowed the previous 2 days here and on Thurs. the high was in the low 40's and low was around 13 degrees.  So on Friday, we were seeing deer all over the mountain. We would go after a couple of bucks and then see more and go after them.  Well we had hiked a long ways back in there almost to the top (I think about at least 6 miles).  I shot me a 3x4 deer about 3:15 pm, and I told Cody and Clancy to go try and get Cody's deer but to be back by 5:00 as it starts to get dark at 6:00 while I take care of my buck.  I don't know if I told you, but a week ago thursday, I got hit by an elbow and I think I broke my ribs.  I have been in alot of pain.  But my buck had a huge body and I could not even hardly budge him with my ribs.  But I heard Cody shooting and he was getting further and further away every time he shot.  The last shots were about 1.5 miles away and it was 5:20.  Mom had made us a lunch but we left it in the truck.  So I was thinking, they do not have any food or water, and I am going to have to go look for them. I did not want to climb the mtn which they went over as it was straight up.  Any way eventually I saw them coming back over the hill and Cody had shot a real nice 4x4 , but it was about a 700 yard shot according to cody and they did not have time to go look at it.  He said they watched it for 20 minutes and it was still alive but could not move.  So they came back to me.  Any way, we took my hind quarters and packed it back to the truck and decided to come back and pack the rest out on Sat.  We did not get back to the truck until about 8:00 and we were starving.  So we got home about 9:30 and we were beat.  Clancy decided after all that hiking that he was busy on Sat. and could not help us pack it out, so we recruited Erin as our "pack mule".

 

So Sat morning, we do the same thing, eat a bowl of cereal and head out to pack out our deer.  Mom made us a lunch and we left it at home.  So day 2 on the mountain hiking through snow up to our waist, no food, and we are tired.  Erin said, this is alot better than the trek, as we were starving, snow up to our waist, wind blowing, Erins and Codys feet and toes were frozen and they were complaining the entire time.  This is more like what the pioneers went through.  Any way we got them back down but we were hiking and packing for 10 hours.  Erin said, I should count this as my 10 hour service project.

 

Every muscle in my body hurt on Sunday.  We were glad for a day of rest.

 

Well I better let you go for now.  We love you and pray for you daily.  Erin called mom on the phone last Friday from her dance and Adelaide answered it and she gave the phone to Mom and mom asked who is it?  And Adelaide said, I think it is Amber Lee.  So she still remembers your voice as you two sound alot alike.  We got a good laugh over that.

 

I hope you have a super week with lots of success.  We listened to Hollands conf talk again last night for FHE and we will have to review alma 5 and 6 and give you our report.

 

Dad

 

Every thing else is going well.

Addie had a Birthday

Hello Sister Nielsen,
 
I did not get a chance to write you last week as it was the 15th of October and I had to complete a bunch of taxes and we ended up going over to SLC for Cody's ortho appointment.  We went over Sunday afternoon and came back monday around 3.  Grandma Nielsen wanted to see all the kids.  But Erin stayed home and did the papers and fed Chica.  Erin's soccer team is doing pretty well.  I believe they are 20 and 3 this year.  They play spring creek on Thurs. for the last game of the season.  If they win that, they will go into the region ranked #1.  But I guess there has been alot of jealousy on the team.  Michelle Ygoa and Kattie Kump wanted or thought that they should be captains on the team and the captains are Erin, Morgan canapa and Mac Jenkins.  So the 2 that are not captains, kind of bad mouth Erin, etc.  Girl sports politics.  I hope they get it all cleared up before state so that they can win state.
 
Cody's Jv football team is still undefeated, and they play spring creek this week.  They moved Jason Wilson and Jordan another sophomore up to varsity a couple weeks ago to play on varsity.  Jason had 5 touchdowns last week and 3 a couple weeks ago. But Elko is out of the playoffs, so now they are just playing for pride against Spring Creek.  Cody has not played since the 1st couple weeks, but wants to play against Spring Creek.  We don't want him to re-injure his bruised knee.  The meniscus is fine, but the dr said if it swells up again, he will put him on crutches for 6 weeks.  Klekas said what is more important, a jv game or a state championship in bball. He does not want him to play.
 
I'm enjoying nursery with Adelaide.  She loves books and has me reading books most of the time.  She talks about her friends all the time. "My friends gave me this" etc.  She also talks about going to achievement days as summer and carly go.  she said I got these boots at achievement days, but I dont think she has ever gone.
 
Grnma Nielsen had her 85 bday on Friday.  She is doing pretty well except for her high blood pressure doesn't make her feel well.  Trevor Daniels got home off his mission on Tuesday.  I guess when he met with president shumway on tuesday he was going on 60 hrs with no sleep. 
 
Summer started pal bball and I and helping coach her.  We need to work on her game skills quit a bit.  I assumed she knew more, but she has never played before.  Her 1st game is saturday.  Cody and I went out deer hunting on sat.  My hunt ends this sunday and i have only been out 1 day.
 
It will be getting colder here this week.  Highs in the 40's.  So winter is coming.  We have not had any snow on the valley floor yet.

 

We are grateful to hear that you are doing so well.  Don't get discouraged if you investigators don't come to church or don't always keep their committments.  This is all still new for them (the gospel) and sometimes they have to make baby steps towards changing their lives for the better.  We just have to look at them and remember that all this is for their eternal benefit, so it is better for them to decide to change their lives and make those changes and continue with the blessing of the gospel when they fill they can live up to those committments.  I am sure that everything you two teach them sounds good and pleasing to them, but it is another thing to want to change their lives and live those committments.

 

We love you and always pray for you.  The other day Adelaide said she is going on a mission.  I hope so.

 

Love you,

 Dad

Mom's facinatingly fun family letter

Aloha Sister Nielsen,
 
Well, you better have a good excuse for not writing last week.  We went all week waiting for your letter, and it never came.  I did not hear of any hurricanes or Tsunamis last week in your area.  But we will be glad to hear from you this week.  Adelaide has been potty trained since last Monday.  She has not had a single accident.  Which is great.  We all knew she could do it when she wanted to do it.  Yesterday between sessions of conference, mom said we better check on Adelaide.  She was outside and had locked herself in the dog pen and was trying to climb out.  When I went out there, she was sitting on top of the chain link with one leg on each side and was getting teary eyed.  She said, that was scarry.  I guess it scarred her a bit.  The fence is 6 feet high.
 
Sara, Charlene's daughter had twin girls on Charlene's birthday. Oct. 1st.  So that is nice, but I guess they are not breathing or eating on their own yet.
 
Grandma Nielsen is doing well, but she has high blood pressure all the time she does not feel well.  Her blood pressure is 190 over 107 and that is bad.  But it gives her a head ache and makes her hot and she said she can't think very well.
 
I am still working on taxes.  I have until next Monday to get them all out.  I will be glad to get that worry off my mind.  Then Cody and I can go deer hunting.  Hernold had a big horn sheep tag that opens next Monday, but I have to teach my class that night.  Perhaps I could join him on Tuesday to pay him back for all his help with you kids.
 
The weather has been nice here still, but it is starting to get frosty in the mornings.  I love the fall weather.  Cool at nights and warm during the day.
 
We were wondering if you got transferred last week.  I hope all your investigators are doing well and that they were able to listen to conference.
 
We loved conference and we are excited about the new missionary ages.  That means Erin could be on a mission before you get home and Cody could be leaving 4 months after you get home.  Pretty crazy, but fun and exciting times.  The church needs more missionaries and I think this will help get many more sister missionaries.
 
Well we hope to hear from you today.  We look forward to your emails, and remember it is a misison rule to write your family every week.
 
We love you and pray for your success continually.  I hope you have a great day and a super week.  By listening to conference, it always makes me want to be a better person and live a better life.  The gospel is the greatest thing on this earth and by living it, we can find true happiness. 
 
Love Dad

NEWS FROM HOME!

Hey Amber Lee,
 
I have been trying to find time to write you all day and I'm running out of time.  I have my accounting class tonight and I am being evaluated on my teaching performance, so I better spend some time preparing for the class.  But we love you and pray for your success.
 
Every thing here is about the same.  Carly's baptism was nice.  Adelaide says she is going to be baptized now.  In nursery there were some kids playing with a doll house and had two little people in the tub, and one kid said "hey, they are in the bath tub",  Adelaide said, "no, they are getting baptized".  So she has baptism on the brain.
 
I hope you are feeling better from the Vog. and that everything is goin well.
 
Love,
 
Dad