A Red Bank Christmas!

Great News! Elder Nielsen will be staying in Red Bank for another 6 weeks with his awesome companion Elder Dove. We are thrilled. That means for Christmas he stays close to people he loves in a town he loves! It also means that I can send him packages straight to his apartment and not worry about them not being there when he gets back from a long day serving. We are so happy. Here is the latest "goings on" with our cute missionary guy;

This week, like every week, was full of miracles.
Last week we went up to Keyport with the English sisters. After we spent a long time visiting people we got back together and the sisters told us that they had gone to see their investigator Sandy, who is the sassy black woman who lives next to a former woman who said "You speak Mexican??" one of the times we were there. Super funny. Anyway, She apparently has been really sick. And her home situation is a disaster. But like she couldn't get out of bed. So we offered to go give her a blessing and they called Sandy and she was like "sure" so off we went. We got there and she has the funniest dog I've ever seen. (But that's not the point of this story I just love dogs.) Anyway. So we talk for a while and explain to her what a priesthood blessing is. Elder Dove anointed and I sealed. (Mark 6:13)  So we get a call this week from the sisters who are like "yeah I've never seen her so healthy." So we go to visit her and she's literally beaming. She was like "Y'all said it would be according to my faith and now look at me!" And I asked to her if she would come to church on Sunday and she said yes and she went around saying "they Elders laid hands on me and now I'm healed!" and now she's on date for baptism this next month. Small and simple thing but it just affected me deeply.

We had this super cool lesson with Rosalina and Nelson yesterday. We recovered the restoration and whatnot and Nelson is freaking golden. We ended up talking about the Plan of Salvation a little and he was like "that's probably what Jesus Christ was doing when he was dead for three days. Preaching to the people who didn't hear his Gospel while they were alive." And I literally laughed because who just knows that. Nelson is so tight. And Rosalina is super nice and makes us arroz on leche. They both agreed to be baptized December 31st. Super happy. Happy happy happy.

I went on ANOTHER exchange with elder Covington this week. I love that guy. But funny story. So we were at the library where we do service and we were talking to my girlfriend Donna who is 65. Anyway so I was showing her my pedigree chart and how cool the application is that the church has. She was literally amazed. We were looking at all of my ancestors and then we saw a guy with the last name of Covington. We were like "oh that's funny we're probably related" but then we looked at him and he and I are literally related. Like the guy we're related to founded Washington the state and stuff. It's not even like a ridiculous relation, it's like blood. Super funny and now we call each other cousin.

So Thanksgiving was super fun. We had a turkey bowl with like three of the zones in Princeton, which is where the first American football game ever took place fun fact. We still had to proselyte Thursday but we had until 12 to play sports and stuff. We played basketball from like 8-10 and football from 10-12. But here's the story. Ok, so we were playing on the Princeton University football field. Super fun. But also apparently we were trespassing. So this really nice British guy comes to kick us off at like 11:30 but my team was at the far end of the field and I was quarter back and I had just thrown a pass to ElderJensen. Elder Jenson catches it but doesn't stop running and literally slams into a metal bench. So he's on the ground and might be dead and the first thing I say when I get to him is "man that was cool as flip." Because I'm tactless. But he had the wind knocked out of him and eventually he can breathe but says that his leg hurts. So I pull up his sweats and LITERALLY I CAN SEE HIS BONE. He hit the bench so hard that it split his shin open. So I carry him over to the bench and the zone leaders make all the missionaries leave except for me and them and I have the nice British guy (who is super worried) get me a first aid kit. I made sure nothing was broken and I bandaged it up. And then after, elder Jensen went to instacare to get stitched up and apparently he passed out because he saw his leg and also hadn't eaten anything all day so they took him to the hospital! But now elder Jensen is totally fine. Blessing. Also fun fact, he went to Layton high! I'm two years older than him but he knew me apparently. He lives right next to the Van Uiterts. He's in my district and he and I are good friends.  It anyway. Funny story.

After we played sports we went home and got ready and had an appointment at 3:30 with the Flores. I love them. Their whole family was there. Like there were so many people in that small house. And literally (literally) 9 different kinds of pasta. Like why? So many pastas. So I ate my weight in pasta and also had turkey but I know it wasn't nearly as good as Dad's so it was kind of a disappointment turkey. But we talked for a while and it was really nice. So it was a really nice turkey day. And Red Bank is getting all ready for Christmas and I'm SO EXCITED. Red Bank is the place to be for Christmas. Like it's going to be so pretty and super fun. I actually had an email typed up to send president asking if I could stay in Red Bank but I decided not to send it because I'll go wherever I need to but I ended up just staying anyway! Blessings!

So that's what he's up to. Thanks for your love and prayers in his behalf. Have a happy week. -K.

Oh...and here is a cute little video I got from him today. I love this kid.