Called To Know The Richness Of His Blessings!! 30-12-13

Dear Family and Friends, 

What. A. Week! Can I just start out by saying 3 BAPTISMS!!!!!!! But we'll get to that later in the email. 

So Christmas Eve was wonderful! We taught Brandi and Julie in the morning and then we went and made fudge for some of our investigators/members who help us with everything. The Lewis's invited us over to do that with them and it turned into a big group sing a long which was so great! I haven't played the piano like that in ages. It was sight reading to the max, and having people singing along and playing the guitar and the flute! I messed up a few times but we had such a fun time!! The fudge was delicious too! Someone we gave it to said that it tasted as though it were made by "celestial hands" hahaha. Apparently that's a gift of being a missionary, your food is blessed beyond measure and tastes celestial. I'll take it! Then we went to a District Activity where we went and sang to an old people's home. We were taken to the memory loss unit and this old man kept shouting out while we were singing "WHERE'S MY MEAL???" and "ARE YOU DONE YET?" hahahahahah. It kinda didn't fit in with the song "Do you hear what I hear?" cos apparently he didn't and he just wanted a meal. We were told to just tell him it's coming haha! So we did and he was quiet. He was so funny! We sung that, and "O Holy Night" and "O Come O Come Emmanuel". It was such a great experience! Then we went back to a members home and played Apples to Apples and it seriously was like we were all just a group of teenagers again. We laughed til we cried! Then on the way home President Lewis got pulled over by the Police and it was already gone 9:30pm and he said to the Officer that he had to take the missionaries home haha! 

Then Christmas Day was good too! We started out by delivering all our fudge, then went to the Lewis's, then the Sears where I Skyped you, then the Koevens! Then we had a Zone Activity at the Dixie Institute Building and we watched Despicable Me 2! It was SO NICE to just switch off and forget all the stresses of missionary work for an hour and a half and just laugh at Gru being stupid. Alllllllllll week long I've said to Sister Donaldson in a zombie voice "She kisses my bobos. She braids my hair. We love you mums. Everywhere." hahaha. We had to write down 5 things we love about our companions and as a joke I told Sister Donaldson that I was going to write "She kisses my bobos. She braids my hair. We love you companions. Everywhere." haha but I was more mature about it than that ;) It was good to get to know more Elders and Sisters. I think thats the thing I miss most about old life, not the clothes or the sleep or the relaxation or the FB or the boys - I just miss hanging out with people my own age. We're all tucked away in our areas and are around families all day long that we never get to just hang out (Which of course is right and I don't dispute that!) and I didn't realise how much I missed it till we played Apples to Apples and watched Despicable Me! But it was SO GOOD to get back to work on Thursday. It felt so weird Tuesday and Wednesday and I'm sure New Years Eve will be just as weird! Over all Christmas was wonderful, and the best part was Skyping you! I wish we could've talked for longer! 

So the inevitable sad news of every week: our golden investigator from last week cancelled on us. Well, she didn't. Her husband definitely did. We had a feeling he wouldn't want her to learn about the Gospel, so we prayed all week that his heart would be softened, then that phone call that no missionary wants to hear came saying that he'd like to cancel the appointment she made with us. We spoke to the neighbours who are in their Ward and enlisted their help so they took them some bread and introduced themselves and we will see them this coming week to try to set up an appointment now that some members have shown them that Mormons aren't weird and crazy. Well, just crazy. We're pretty weird ;) in a good way.  Oh and we saw this man on his drive as we were walking so we talked to him and he turned out to be a Baptist man that did NOT like Mormons. He told us that we're gonna get to Heaven and Jesus is going to tell us that He never knew us and to depart from Him. It was so sad. He bashed the heck out of us. I wanted to show him scriptures etc but I HATE confrontation and just wanted to run away. But instead I mustered up my courage and bore testimony to him and he told us to beware cos Satan makes us feel good about things and basically I said to him something along the lines of "Listen, we're two 19 year old girls who have left home and families for 18 months to bring hope to people. We're not here for an argument. We have an appointment to be at now, it was nice to meet you!" and we left. 

But after that we went to our appointment that a member had set up for us. It was at his house with his sister's boyfriend who wasn't a member. We taught him and he started crying and said how he was feeling the same thing he felt at this other LDS person's house! IT WAS AMAZING. It went SO WELL!!!! In fact it went so well that he knelt down and prayed at the end of it! And we saw him again that evening in the Visitors' Centre! I am waiting for the blessed day when I don't cry watching 'God's Plan For His Family'! Haha. He loved it and he watched the 'Joseph Smith - Prophet of the Restoration' movie and loved it. He says he loves how the LDS church has the Priesthood and fathers can bless their children and loves how family oriented it is. He believes Joseph Smith's story and that his family is the same as Joseph Smith's family, all going to different Christian denominations and he doesn't know which one is right! So he came to Church yesterday too! We are hopeful for him! His name is D. B stood us up again so we're thinking of leaving him to the Jehovah's witnesses because that is what he wants. We're really just here to separate the wheat from the chaff and not to convince people of anything. J was like "I don't see why ANYONE would be rude to you two! I wish you would move in with me! How can people not see that glow around you?" awwww! 

Her baptism was the best! It went so well! A lot of the ward came to support, they are such a great ward! Some wards do better than others at missionary work and theirs is a wonderful ward. Both J and L cried when they came up out of the water and they were SO happy! They wanted the closing hymn to be "Go Tell It On The Mountain!" hahah so we all sung gospel style ;) it was a great evening.

B's baptism went well too! Her husband H (less active) didn't seem too thrilled. A few people commented that to us afterwards as well. He just sat slumped with his face in his hands the whole time. We don't know what's up with that. We will try to help him though! It was a great weekend to see three of Heavenly Father's daughters come back to Him. 

This week we felt the Spirit testifying through us the things that people need to hear. We ate dinner at someone's home and as usual we shared a thought at the end and I just opened my scriptures and read a verse from 2 Nephi 31 about how we feel the Spirit in our own language and it turned out that the husband has MANY questions about that and he feels that he can't say the church is true because he has never felt the Spirit. It was cool how I just opened it out and that's what he needed. I didn't even do anything special! So we discussed it with him and figured out he needs to read the Book of Mormon for once! We had a cool experience at the Jacobsen's home! It turns out that their grandson is Terral Tyler!!!! WHATTTTT!!! So cool! 

Due to all our investigators getting baptized we now need more people to teach! So we got a lot of referrals from people so it's an exciting time! I've been studying "experience" in the scriptures and it's cool to see how we are here just for experience. We didn't come to earth for fun or for hard times, but just for experience. How the Lord says to Joseph Smith "all these things shall give thee experience and shall be for thy good". We can read of the experiences that Job had and Moses had. We are here on earth for the training ground to become Gods. We need to learn how to react when a child goes wayward, or when our house burns down, or when everything is going great, because we're here learning to do as God does. We are training. And we need all these experiences. God doesn't give us hard trials - we came here knowing we'd experience them but yearned to be as He is so readily accepted! He is teaching us how to be as He is. I loved that! 

Well folks I think that is all for now!! 

I love you all and need your prayers and letters and love! 

Sister Nicholls

This is a snippet of the song "He Sent His Son" performed at the Christmas Concert that Sister Nicholls took part in, at the Tabernacle, with the other LDS missionaries serving in St George, Utah - December 2013.

Merry Christmas! 23-12-13

Merriest of Christmasses to One and All! 

I come bearing glad tidings of great joy! This week was good. Well there were some rough patches too but what's a mission without that? I'll start with the good times!

First things first, remember how I talk about L and T? Well T was worried we were cold so gave us one of L's jackets EACH! hahaha we felt so bad but he was insistent! They're really cute. They're coming to visit us in London. Another great part of the week was Friday evening! We had two appointments booked that both cancelled on us, and so we called up L and J, who are less actives in the 6th branch that we have just reactivated, because they said if we ever have a free evening to call them! So we did call them and they took us out to see "Christmas lights". I say it in speech marks because they actually drove us out to Ivins to the Tuacahn Theatre to show us a live nativity!!!! It was so amazing!! The Tuacahn is the best place EVER. It's an amphitheatre with the red rock as the back drop and the stars above shining down. The nativity was so touching, we all had goosebumps, and not just because it was FREEZING! There were real life camels and sheepies and lambies and we got in for FREE. Maybe it's free anyway? I dont know haha. BUT IT WAS FREE! And they sung the best songs ever like Breath of Heaven and O Holy Night and What Child Is This? SO GOOD!!!! BEST EVENING EVER. We love L and J! L looks like Father Christmas and he even wore a Santa hat haha. When you come and pick me up you need to book to see someonthing there.

B prayed for the first time in our lessons. We're supposed to have them pray the first lesson but she always refuses but she is getting baptized on SATURDAY so needs to pray! We lovingly explained why we would love to hear her pray and resolved her concerns and she prayed!! Wahoooo!!! It's always the best to hear your investigators talk to God for the first time in their lives. They say the sweetest of all prayers because it's truly from the heart as they haven't recited prayers their whole lives. So B was praying and she felt super awkward because she has never prayed out loud before that she kept stopping and laughing. It was really cute! And I'm pretty sure her eyes were open so I had to keep a straight face or else she'd have thought I was laughing at her prayer which I wasn't'.

We had a great time decorating Book's of Mormon with the C family this week! She said she'd probz read it more if it was pretty on the outside so we remedied that and used our scrapbooking materials that we use to decorate our planners to make covers for their Books of Mormon. It looks pretty now and they've read all this week! YAY! 

Another good part of the week was when we felt prompted to get Dominoes Pizza for lunch. Hahah that was the funniest sentence I ever did write. But we did. So we went and we ran into this woman who we see EVERYWHERE. LITERALLY, EVERYWHERE. Her name is P. She is in the library, she's on the street, she's been in houses we've knocked at hahaha. So we talked to her for ages and it turns out she's NOT A MEMBER! Anyway she didn't want to hear our Christmas message but we felt good about seeing her. And then we ordered our pizza and a woman next to us paid for it! She's not even in our Stake so that was nice! 

Saturday was our miracle day because we needed a new investigator as our three are being baptized this weekend! So we pull out a list (because our appointment with B stood us up) and I felt strongly to visit one of the names. We walked straight there and the woman answered the door and we talked on the doorstep for a few minutes. She invited us in for a drink, which we always accept if it means getting into their homes. We have like five bottles in our bag but we'll always take more if it means we can share a message with them ;) So we share a message and I said the opening prayer and finish praying and look up and she had tears streaming down her face. She was like "I don't know why I'm crying! I'm so sorry!" and so we shared a Christmas scripture then led it into modern day prophets and the Holy Ghost and she LOVED IT. She invited us back for today but we were busy so we're seeing her Thursday!!! Heavenly Father answers our prayers when we are specific! We'd prayed so hard for one new investigator who would invite us in and IT WORKED!!!! She is special. We are excited!! Then we went to the L family for dinner, remember President L of the Stake Presidency who's home we went to for Thanksgiving? Well we are all in love with each other so they invited us over again and we had dinner with them. The most delicious salmon in the world ever. So then afterwards they took us to their friend's house whose not a member and guess who answers the door? P!!!!! From Dominoes!!!!!!! Heavenly Father obviously wants her to accept the Gospel because she is wherever we go!!!!! So she wasn't even the friend that the L's were taking us to see! But she is living there as of the day before for a few weeks! So crazy! She was the only one home so she invited us in and she told the L's that we see each other everywhere and that we just GLOW! She said we are just radiant! We were like BABE ITS THE SPIRIT but not really. We shared a message with her and gave her a Book of Mormon. Heavenly Father really does direct our paths to the second.

The next best part of the week was YESTERDAY! Performing with the missionary choir at the St George Tabernacle is one of those memories you'll never ever forget. Every Prophet except Joseph Smith has stood at that pulpit, and remember the story of how was it Lorenzo Snow that said to them if they pay tithing they'll get rain? That was there! And I've stood there! The L's and the C's came to support us and took pics so I'll get them to send them to you! It went really well and the Spirit was felt by all! Pres Center played guitar for some of them! He's really cool! Me and him joke together and he laughs at his own jokes! WHAT A GUY! I was sitting right next to the big section of Elders and it was so funny because Elders are just funnier than sisters. Cracking all kinds of crazy jokes!

One last thing that'll make Dad happy. I've met 2 Dutch people! And spoken Dutch to one of them! I asked him if he speaks Dutch and how he is hahaha! I couldn't remember any more than that. But I knew you'd be proud of your little girl for giving it a go! Also we were out walking yesterday and there's no pavements in Washington so we walk on the side of the road and this car coming towards us on the opposite side saw us and sped up and swerved towards us like it was trying to get us then slammed the brakes on. We were like what the heck was that!!! And the windows roll down and it was our Elders haha. They were like "Sorry Sisters, you just jumped out into the road from nowhere and we tried to avoid you!" ALL LIES. 

Now for the bad parts of the week! We went up to this house that had a no soliciting sign and wondered if we should knock or not. At length we decided to knock, because every house has one and nothing bad has happened, and we're not even soliciting, what we have is for free! So we knocked and about 10 seconds later this voice comes from the back of the house...I will now write the conversation out for you. "WHAT???........WHAT?????" ..... whispering "is he talking to us?..Hello?"...."GO AWAY!!!! GO EFFIN AWAY!!!" So we start walking away very quickly saying sorry and he comes to the window and shouts "I DONT WANT YOUR EFFIN STUFF. GO EFFIN AWAY!" and comes outside and follows us down his drive shouting "CANT YOU EFFIN READ ENGLISH" and I didn't want him to think we were ignoring him so I turned and quietly mustered up the courage to say "We aren't selling anything..." "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME?" ... "We aren't selling anything!" .. "WELL WHATS IN YOUR BAGS THEN!!" "Err.............my money?...makeup?" "WHY ARE YOU HERE??!?!" "To share a message about Jesus Christ before Christmas!" "WHO EFFIN SENT YOU!!!" "........Jesus Christ..........?" and he looked down and walked back inside. He seriously followed us out onto the street shouting so loudly and swearing and we were so embarrassed! The whole world probably heard it. He was so angry I seriosuly could see him pulling a gun out! It reminded me of that chav in festival leisure park at Luke over the parking. Stupidly angry! So we went home to calm down for a second cos this was close to home and Brother U was there so we told him what happened and he stood up from his desk and said very solemnly "He did WHAT to my girls?" and put his coat on and called Brother S the High Councilman over Missionary Work who is like 6"5 and said "Penn, it's Dale. Some man was rude to the Sisters...........yes, he swore at them..........I know!........I'll be right over." hahaah and he put a big jacket on and got Brother S and went to the house that I told him the address to. Now, I know that the crazy man lives at 383 and one of our investigators lives at 382. I KNOW that. But for some reason, I told him 382 instead of 383. I'm convinced it was the Spirit not wanting him to be contentious! So he went to our investigators house and was all "Were the Sisters bothering you earlier?" and he was like "No Sister Nicholls and Sister D are coming back to teach me in a few days!" and they knew it was the wrong house and changed route and introduced themselves to him haha! I know it was the Spirit not wanting that crazy man to get a bad feeling for the Church because I KNOW everyone's addresses and never do that haha! But Brother U really looks after us. He's building steps in his garden so we dont have to run down his hill in skirts every day haha! 

Apart from that B is being baptized next week and so are J and L! We are so excited! But then we'll be out of  investigators haha! J gives us a speech every time she sees us about how no other missionary could've converted her and how we should teach at that missionary school that they all go to! haha!! We love her a ton! I hope you are picking me up in 15 months so you can meet all these people! 

The next few days will be great, we are going to the L's most of the day tomorrow to make some chocolate fudge and pass it out to our investigators and the members who help us out the most, and then we are having a District Activity in the evening, singing to old people! wooooo! Then we are going to the S family for Christmas! HAPPY DAYZZZZ!!! 

I want to end this email by sharing a poem that someone gave to me this week that I thought would bring some tears to your eyes parents, get a tissue before you read it: 

I skipped the sales after thanksgiving, the thrill just wasn't there, 

No pictures taken with Santa Claus, my decorating has no flair.

Her presents are shoes, skirts and tights, two coats and socks, no fun. 

I've bought her all these clothes because

This year I'm giving Christ my child. 

I've spent more time in the Temple, my testimony stirred. 

I've re-read November's Ensign, felt strength come from His words. 

Our family prays more frequently, My tears are quick to run.

Abraham seems closer because

This year I'm giving Christ my child. 

I wonder how those Lamanite mothers gave their sons to war?

Or how the pioneers chose Zion, their sacrifice was so much more. 

My loss will be her presence, I'll miss her smile a ton, 

For 18 months we'll pray for her

I'm giving Christ my child. 

I stare at her face when she's not looking. I memorize her eyes, their shine,

She's always hungered for that part of her, that makes her soul divine.

The stories and the lessons she's always heard, her choice and mine are one,

I'll put my faith in God's hand this year;

I'm giving Him my child. 

Past gifts have lost their glitter, I think I finally understand

Christ's birth should be celebrated by giving Him a hand.

It's because I know Christ lives and reigns that all the packing's done

My gift has taken years to make;

This year I'm giving Christ my child. 

I know there's one who understands the sacrifice I'm making. 

Who knows the gift I willingly give, the toll it will be taking. 

For He has done it all before, greater love there could be none

For years ago God gave to me, His only begotten Son. 

The hands I washed, the hands I held, the hands I taught to pray

Now knock on doors to find the ones who will listen to what she'll say,

Because I know Christ needs her until all the gathering's done, 

My gift has taken years to make;

This year, I'm giving Christ my child. 

Thank you for giving me to Him for these 18 months. I couldn't do it without your support. I need your love and letters every week. It's a thrill to represent Him at all times, and to teach what He would teach. I couldn't do all of this without you by my side. So thank you. 

I love you so much, 

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!! I cant wait to see your faces! 

Sister Nicholls

Week 10 - Double Digits!! 16-12-13

Dear Family, 

We're officially in double digits! I had to check to see what number last week's was because I'm starting to forget! That's a good sign :) We got new missionaries in our mission on transfers day last Wednesday so I'm officially not the youngest anymore! I felt so seasoned and experienced when they turned up to the zone meeting ;) haha that was me six weeks ago!

Last week we had a really touching experience. So weeks and weeks ago we visited this old woman who is dying of cancer any week now, and her daughters are all less active. She is about 80 something I'd guess. We spent time with her and prayed with her and then when we went back this last week she remembered us and all her daughters were like "You're the sisters that came over weeks ago??? Mum hasn't stopped talking about you! She was so touched with your visit, thank you so so much for visiting." and it was way touching. So we visited her and talked and prayed again and Sis D said the most beautiful prayer, kinda like a blessing of release haha and the Spirit was strong and we were mostly in tears and she was just so grateful for us being there. It's moments like that that make it all worth it. 

I want to thank everyone who has written a card or who has put a note in the other advent calendar. I LOVE THEM! I open them before I go to sleep at night, and I seriously look forward to it every day. I'm probably going to cry on Dec 25th when there's no more to open ;) The messages are perfect for what I need every day, so thank you everyone for being inspired! 

Best news of the week was when we went to J's house and her DAUGHTER WANTS TO GET BAPTISED TOO! Did I tell you that last week? I think that happened this week? Haha I have no idea. But anyway they're both getting baptised on the same day and we all just LOVE EACH OTHER SO MUCH! They went and got a brand new quadruple set of scriptures and had their names engraved on them! They told the people at Deseret Book that they are getting baptised and apparently they all rejoiced! So cute! Also we asked J to read the intro to the Book of Mormon and the next day (we see her most days to help stop her from smoking!) she was like So I just couldn't put it down!" and she'd read ALL THE WAY THROUGH MOSIAH!!!! Like HALF THE BOOK!!! Haha she is hungering for it and is just radiant. Her countenance has changed. She said that smoking is just repulsive to her now and that she cannot stand the smell and that she hasn't felt the need for one at all! I love her so much!! She makes it all worth it! I cannot wait for the two of them to get baptised. They just soak up everything we tell them. 

The best part about having 7 wards is 7 Christmas parties. Five of them happened within like 15 hours of one another! 3 on Friday night and 2 on Saturday morning! Haha so much food and merry-making. Wherever we go people want to feed us so it was fun. Except the retirement branch that we are over (the 6th branch) had their Christmas party cancelled because of a funeral. I'm sorry for their loss. 

This week we had exchanges. My Sister Training Leader, Sister S from Southern France came and stayed with me in Washington and Sis D went to Washington Fields with Sister D from Peru but really Provo. It started Wednesday night and went until Thursday night and in the middle of the night on Wednesday she woke me up because she was talking REALLY LOUDLY in French haha. I just thought how much Sam Shelley would've loved it haha. She was proper chattering away in French in her sleep! We just had a great time and Dad you've met her cos she was Sis D's last companion.

A woman tried to unconvert us this week! She whipped out the theory about Joseph Smith being epileptic and I felt like saying "Come on, even the anti mormons have left that theory alone because its so ridiculous." haha but I didn't. I just bore testimony and tried to find a way to get out of her house! She is an excommunicated member with many twisted ideas. I felt bad for her because she's gonna get a nasty shock when she dies. I'm definitely getting stronger which is good! I can hold my own. We taught another man who is meeting with the Jehovah's Witnesses and he likes evidence for everything so I don't know how much he enjoyed our visit but he invited us back! He said he lives there with his sister and then his person came out who could've been a boy or a girl so I said "Hi! Are you the sister?" and the person said "I'm a guy. I'm his nephew" HAHAHHAAH AWWWWKKKWARDDDDDDDD!! What can you even say to save that haha. The most awkward moments are in Walmart when the Polygamists are there and its just them and the Sister Missionaries in one aisle and you cheerily say hello to them and they just look at you! Haha like I was going to baptise them with my eyes!! We got new standards of excellence again, President Center is trying to make them good. But he has changed the definition of a lesson. It used to be if we talked about one or more gospel principle with ANYONE, including door contacts or on the street it would count. So we got like 37 lessons a week. Now it's a legit appointment that starts and ends with prayer and is an investigator who is seriously investigating the church and invites us back time and time again. So now we have to get 20 appointments with real investigators and real less actives every week!!!! Super hard but the 7 ward mission leaders are helping us! 

I am so excited because we are in a missionary choir that is performing it's program at the St George Tabernacle on Sunday evening (at 7pm if you want to come ;)) The songs are beautiful and I sit at the top with the sopranos! All my missionary Mums and Dads (ie the Bishops and their wives and the Stake Presidency and wives) said they'd come! We are singing many songs including Still Still Still, Christ the Lord is Born Today and Hark the Herald Angels sing. My singing has gotten a lot better as I'm learning to control my voice and get the higher notes a lot better. I've made some awesome friends here. One Sister in my district from Tonga and I just LAUGH ALL THE TIME! Oh and I saw Sister Allen in the choir practise too!

We ate dinner with a really really less active family last night. They have tattoos everywhere and piercing everywhere but I LOVE THEM! They are so funny and the woman was talking to me about how whenever she goes anywhere that is Churchy everyone looks at her like she shouldn't be there and she started crying!! She is such a good hearted lady and she cried at our spiritual thought too. We are taking them to the Visitors' Centre Friday! Lastly B didn't make it to Church cos she was sick so that baptism is being pushed back to the 28th! A
nd the S family still have no progression there but he wore a tie on Sunday that I made for him and he just made it bigger and put it around his neck and made it shorter so it fit around his neck haha.  The Temple was great today!!! St George is the best temple ever!! 

LOVE YOU LONG TIME

Sister Nicholls

Snow in St George!! 9-12-13

Dear Family,

This week has been COOOLLLLLLDDDDDDD. We were up in Cedar City for the
zone conference with Elder Arnold on Tuesday and the leaders kept checking their

phones and abandoned the meeting at 3pm to tell us to DRIVE HOME FAST as a

storm was a-brewing. We drove home with the other Sisters and were fine but

it was very cloudy then we woke up Wednesday morning to snow covering all

of St George! It has been about 7 degrees farenheight and due to my lack of

adequate winter clothing it has been chilly to say the least. Usually it

snows and melts like a minute later but this time everyone was shock-ed and

amaz-ed that it stayed and continues to reign with horror. Saturday it

started snowing and never stopped, and it was blizzarding all in our faces

and hair which was wet and frozen but we continued to walk. I couldnt feel

my face or my hands or feet but I kept reciting a snow version of the Standard of Truth in my

head to keep me going, the words "no unhallowed SNOW can stop the work from

progressing; blizzards may rage, snowballs may combine, snowmen may

assemble, ice may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly

and independently until it has penetrated every house in WASHINGTON!" and

somehow we kept walking. Honestly I just felt so close to Heavenly Father

and I really felt his gratitude to us for not stopping finding His precious

children despite how uncomfortable it was and how much more we'd rather be

warm inside. I felt His love really strongly. I've learned a lot this week

about how I need to align my will with His and be happy with whatever it is

that He asks me to do. Yesterday Church was cancelled because of the snow,

and Washington City asked everyone to stay inside cos it was just thick

sheet ice EVERYWHERE and so we went upstairs to be with the people we live with (an empty nester couple who are about late fifties,

their last daughter just went on her mission) and we baked cookies for our

7 Bishops.  It was a GREAT day cos then we delivered all the

cookies! Saturday night when the snow was starting we walked to L and

T's house for J and P's recent convert lessons and they were

outside and it turned into a massive snowball fight. Is that even allowed?

Who knows. But the Bishop across the street got involved too. It was great:

We were all wet and frozen afterward and just sat intheir house and

talked and laughed for ages and ages because it wasn't safe to go outside

and do anything, plus it was like evening so all our appointments had

cancelled on us. But it was great, I love the relationships you form on

your mission. L and T got married in March and just found out

they're having a baby girl next year! They are going to come and visit me

in London in summer 2015 because they've always wanted to come. They are

super cute and I want to have a marriage like them! Another good point of

the week was when we went out with one of the RS Presidents to visit some

lost souls and they didnt' open the door and it was 8pm so we would've just

gone back to our apartment and she got us in the car and said LETS GO TO

DAIRY QUEEN so we went to Hurricane for Dairy Queen. It's just

been a weird week with how everything falls through but we can't replace it

because of the warnings from Pres Center to NOT DRIVE ANYWHERE. All

missionaries were told not to drive anywhere yesterday until further notice which

came today. We still have to be careful though.

Because of the snow everyone cancelled their appointments with us due to

sickness or being stuck
out of town and so in this, the coldest week St

George has seen in all of the history of time, we spent most of our time

knocking doors. It was pretty successful one day, we got like three new

investigators!! Door after door after door listened to us and invited us

back, but then the next day NO ONE answered their door ALL DAY except one

person who didn't want us. And that set the tone for the whole week, nobody

answered their door. One of the days we were tracting and this little 8

year old boy saw us and biked over to us and joined us for like an hour

haha! He stood at the doors with us and came into one home with us, this

man who was already a member whose wife died and he lives all alone and its

heartbreaking! D came in with us and testified that "heaven is really

cool. Its like mine craft cos you can make your own rollercoasters"

hahahahah best member present lesson ever ;) he was so cute! biking around

us as we walked and bearing testimony when needed.

We've met quite a few heartbreakingly sad old people this week. One of them

invited us over for dinner and did another Thanksgiving dinner and it was

cos she was all alone on Thanksgiving and waited for her Thanksgiving til

we could come for dinner :(((((( soooo sad! and it was her birthday

too!!!!!! oh why do people have to get old and be alone. I wish I could

hug every old person but I cant hug every old person. (name that youtube

video). Then the other was a woman whose husband had died a month before

and she kept crying all throughout the evening until we were all crying

with her. Even when we sat down at the table she started crying because her

husband always picked who should say the opening prayer. Why must my heart

be crushed by so many old people this week?!

The highlight of the week was Zone Conference. It was exactly what I

needed! And I did see Elder Nolan :) we Brits stick together.! Elder Arnold of the 70 instructed us.
He was a bit scary because he would just pick on

you and made me come up to the front and do a role play in which my knees

were literally knocking together because I was so nervous. But he was nice

over all. I learned a lot of ways in which I need to improve so that my

investigators have a better chance of feeling the Spirit and wanting to

come unto Christ. A LOT of ways haha. But his wife spoke to us and uplifted

us which was nice! She reminded me of Julie Herbertson.  I love Julie and miss her so it made me

feel good to meet Sister Arnold! I told Sister Center about my dog bite

still hurting and she told me to put a warm flannel on it a few times a day

after calling the doctor to ask what she should tell me. So its all good.

Now it's snowing and I wear boots the crazy dogs can't bite my ankle anymore!

I have officially survived my first transfer as a missionary! We got

transfer calls this week and Elder the AP said is this Sister Nicholls?

And I said yes! And he said we have exciting news for you Sister Nicholls!

We are expanding the mission, we now have Provo in our mission and we are

sending you up there to work in the BYU YSA wards 1-3. How does that sound?

And I laughed and said "that sounds like a big fat lie Elder N!" haha and

he was like you're right, you're staying in Washington with Sister

D! Hahah those AP's sure are cheeky little missionaries.

Yesterday as Church was cancelled the only time we got out of the house was

to go to the First Presidency Christmas Devotional! It was good! We walked

in a few minutes late cos we were finishing dinner with a member and had to

drive slowly on the roads of certain death, and we walked in and saw none

other than J in the back row by himself!!!! He had come all alone

and sat by himself! It was so sweet! So we went and sat with him and looked

like the happiest missoinaries in the world. We loved Elder Nelson's talk.

J was engrossed with it all! President K of the Stake Presidency

asked J about himself and J said "im a new convert" haha awwwwww it

was so cute! He probz thinks just cos he agrees with it all that he's a

convert! Then we taught him and his family afterwards and he said how he

just is hungry for the Book of Mormon. He goes to work but the whole time

he's there he's thinking about it and just wants to be at home reading it! Then his biggest concern was - he doesn't knowhow to tie a tie. So we got his tie and I taught him how to do it, THANK

YOU BEAUCHAMPS HIGH SCHOOL! It was so funny and sweet. We just love them. I

need to learn Spanish so I can talk to his wife better because she only

speaks a little English. I need to learn Spanish just because everyone here

who isn't English is Spanish and it's so hard trying to talk to them. We have

Spanish Elders close by that we refer them on to but I was talking with one

from El Salvador called J about Joseph Smith and church and was trying

to tell him about the good feelings from church. I was able to say what

Sister P taught me back at home how to introduce myself in Spanish and talk about

the Book of Mormon but then I was lost for words and was able to crack out

something about the bueno feelings from the l'eglesia hahaha.

We took the S family to the Visitors' Center too and it turned into a discussion

about Priesthood authority. We always need a member present with us because

I know nothing about the Priesthood except that it is true. Haha but the

men always know what to say, like Dad does, so we try to always have one

with us.

Sister C's brother and his family now live with them and we saw them

when we went by and he isn't a member! So we taught him and he loved it! He

was excited to read the Book of Mormon and soaked it all in. He was

engrossed in the First Vision story and as usual when we get to the crucial

part about a pillar of light appearing, his kid played up and wanted candy

and I could just see Satan holding some candy enticing the kid to moan for

candy so that his Dad would be distracted. Nice one Satan but we got his

attention back. It always happens! We are so excited for him and his

family.

In conclusion, I am learning a lot and loving life. I love praying and I

love serving my Father. Every time I tell someone about Joseph Smith and

recite the first vision to someone who has never heard of him before, I

rejoice that I am helping to bring about the promise "millions shall know

brother Joseph again".

All my love,

Sister Nicholls

Thanksgiving Week! 2-12-13

Dear Family,

Can you believe it's already been 8 weeks since you dropped me off at the

MTC foyer? Crazyness! It feels like it's been FOREVER. Let me tell you some

stories from this week:

We found an old man to teach but he seems pretty wary of us. He is a

Lutheran and was all set to bash us down at his doorstep but we shared a

message about Christ, and spoke of Christ and our love for Him and he

changed and decided he would like to hear more. But he wanted to bring a

friend from his church along with him, so he is still wary of us.. So we went back a few days later for our appointment and he was all "Didn't you get my message? I asked if we could do it another time?" and honestly we didn't, so we told him that and he let us in anyway! Didn't get too much gospel talking done because he is an old widower and likes to talk a LOT. But it was okay. We'll probably see him again in a few weeks.

We are teaching J still! We finally managed to get a lesson with her

this last Tuesday and we taught her the restoration! So we shared the Joseph Smith story and right away she said "I know he is a prophet of God!" so we committed her to baptism and she said yes, but she has to give up smoking! So we set out a plan for her and are trying to visit her most days to help her give up. She is SO excited to be baptized, we just need lots of prayers that she'll make it three weeks without smoking. She is about 50 and has been smoking her whole life.  So we answered all her questions and she understood and LOVED IT!!! Then at the next lesson  she said she didn't agree that there is more than one heaven and asked that we show her in the Bible where it mentions three degrees of glory. So we say we can show her that and flip it open to 1 Corinthians 15 and there's her answer. It talks about baptism for the dead and about celestial, terrestrial and telestial bodies! She was so impressed that we were able to answer her and clear up her confusion.

We took B and H to the Visitors' Centre to go through the God's Plan for His Family exhibit and Bro and Sister K the fellowshippers brought two of their children, (both adults, one is 30 and one is 20). We went through the exhibition and the Spirit was SO STRONG. By the end when the movie finished all the girls were just in tears and we talked about families together. B was crying so much and was like "I don't know why I'm crying!!!" and we were like WE DO! Haha that's the best thing a missionary wants to hear! We taught her the whole plan of salvation in a teaching room in the VC and she liked it and

we committed her to a date. So now we have two investigators on date to be baptized. It's the best feeling ever when they say they will be baptized! Then we looked at the lights around the Temple and the Nativity that has Mormon Tabernacle songs coming from it and a President Monson message! It was a great evening. Then we went back to their house for cookies and milk. It was a good evening! I love being at the VC and the Temple, the Spirit is so strong there and I can't wait until I get there to serve!

The S family have done well this week. We had what started out as a horrible

lesson with them Tuesday. They thought we were trying to make them get

baptized by reading 3 Nephi 11 with them but really we chose that chapter

because it's the first one where Christ appears! They took it the wrong way

and told us that they don't think the Mormon church is true etc and Wilford

Woodruff was a DISGRACE and I wanted to be sick etc etc haha. But then

something happened as we addressed his concerns, and the Spirit touched him and he said "But you know....Jospeh Smith did say that the gospel would be preached to every nation...our church didn't do that but yours is...and he did say there would be temples...and that it would never leave the earth

but ours has.....is it enough to get baptized by faith alone or do you have to know its true?" and we were like what on earth just happened hahah and we were like of course you can be baptized just by faith and he wanted to go to watch a baptism first "because we might be doing that ourselves soon!"

haha it was crazy to witness it!!! Then we've seen them twice since then and no more results other than that he hasn't received an answer yet. He went to church with his family and LOVED IT! He said he's never felt the Spirit so strong and that the organization of it was impeccible and he agrees with everything that was taught. I was so happy.  My tesitmony of the Prophet has had to grow a lot this week so that I can testify with a surety that President Monson truly is a prophet of God! And so I asked him to read his talk "I will not fail thee nor forsake thee" and pray to know if he is a prophet of God. He said he would. I'm nervous for his answer but we just have faith that he will recognize what God is trying to tell him. I tried to point out the fact that he felt the Spirit so much at church might be God trying to answer it for him already but he wasn't having any of it! So we'll see.

Thanksgiving was good. We did half an hour of prayers of thanksgiving on our

own in the morning and it's amazing how fast it goes. I was just getting

into it. The biggest things I was thankful for was each of my family

members and my Saviour. Everything else is great but that is what it comes

down to for me. Then we watched Special Witnesses of Christ and then we

went to a family for dinner and the afternoon then to another family for

dessert in the evening. We had a great time and just laughed and talked and

relaxed. It was a great holiday.

The highlight of the week was Jayden and Payton's baptism. They are so

sweet and I'm sad that we can't teach them much more but it's always

beautiful to see someone you love entering the waters of baptism to be

eternally united with their Heavenly Father.

Yesterday a British couple fed us shepherd's pie and trifle!! It was good!! 

This is all my news for this week! Keep me in your prayers and I'll keep

you in mine ;)

Lots of love from St George

Sister Nicholls

An Exciting Week!! 25-11-13

Dearest Family and Friends, 

I LOVE being a Visitors' Centre SISTER!!!!! We finally got to utilize our training as VC Sisters this week by taking a less active family we're working with through the VC. We had FHE with them the day before, and invited them to come to the VC. We took them through God's plan for His Family, and the Spirit was SOOO STRONGGGGG!!!!! That exhibit was designed to "pierce to the very heart" and that it did! We all just sat there crying and we invited them to prepare to go to the Temple to be sealed as a family. We took them to the Savior of the World room and cried at the Gethsemane picture etc etc and it was great. It was the family who sent you that email Mum. Their little girl is 7 and she wants to be a Sister Missionary and her Mom said that she had a vision of her daughter as a Sister Missionary so they need to work to get to the Temple! She told us that her daughter begged her to let her dress like us that evening so she was wearing a skirt with a top tucked in haha! SO CUTE!! We love them so much! It's just amazing to feel the Lord using you to benefit people's lives for the rest of eternity and forever and beyond. 

Exciting news of the week was that we received a referral from church headquarters which means that the person contacted mormon.org or went into a VC and filled out the guest card. We went by expecting it to be just one man because all we had was one name but it turned out to be a whole FAMILY! The best part is that they have broken away from the polygamists in Mexico. He is from the Church of the Firstborn in the Fulness of Times. It was so interesting hearing about that church. They broke away when polygamy was done away and formed their own church in Mexico and there's only three families there really. They teach all the same stuff as us, except for ONE MASSIVE DIFFERENCE Haha. So they broke away, he just has the one wife but he has 32 brothers and sisters and doesn't believe in polygamy and doesn't believe that one church has the true authority - we can work on that ;) and then he knew he needed to get back to church and contacted the missionaries - ie, US! We live like one block from them and visit a family in the house next door and we never knew they were there! Heavenly Father has been preparing them. He said he used to turn the other missionaries away when they'd knock and tell them that they don't have the authority but that his church did, but now his heart has been softened and he is so ready!  There is a wife and 5 children, 3 of baptismal age!!! They want to come to church really badly cos all they've done on Sundays is sit and read the Bible for 7 hours! It's interesting because we are trained in a way that if someone reads the Book of Mormon and gains a testimony that Joseph was a Prophet then that can clear up all problems with any other commandment or claim to authority because if Joseph was a Prophet then the Book of Mormon must be true and the Church really is true etc etc but he has a testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon already, he just needs a testimony of this church. And that's something that is new to both of us so we're just hoping that as we're there the Spirit will be felt and he'll know we are true representatives of Jesus Christ etc. 

Next exciting thing was when I INVITED B TO BE BAPTIZED!!! She is the 21 yr old that is married to a member. It was the best! We taught the first lesson, the restoration. She kept getting teary eyed and when it was time for me to extend the committment I felt SICK and wondered if it would ruin everything but I calmly proceeded to make the baptismal invitation and she said .... YESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!! IT WAS THE BEST FEELING EVER! Better than getting 10,000 facebook inboxes or being invited to Prom by 15 different boys or getting a Topshop voucher for £100. Inviting someone to be baptised and having them say yes beats everything. When the conversation proceeded with Sister D and B and the member present, B's husband H made eye contact with me and just smiled the biggest smile in the world, pure happiness! We just sat there smiling at each other for like 4 seconds, it was the best! We are taking them through the VC on Saturday and will teach the plan of salvation in one of the teaching rooms there. Then we are looking at the lights at the Temple and then going back to theirs for eggnog and cookies! 

The white Christmas idea is really taking off. The Stake President wrote a letter to be read in Sacrament Meeting yesterday and so all the members are fasting with us next week. It's all official now :) The Stake keeps telling us how much they love us. They're all "the Elders were great but you Sisters are magnificent!" haha we feel bad for the Elders. But not really. Haha.  It was kinda sad because the other Catholic family we were teaching told us that her husband doesn't feel comfortable with us being there and that she's not sure where the discussions will be going. So we are sending the Ward members over there to befriend them in hope he feels more comfortable. It was honestly heart breaking to hear that. But it will all be okay :) Its rained a TON in the last few days. We had to break out the winter coats and umbrellas and boots and tights. We walked everywhere in the rain. You'd have hated it Mum, walking in the rain and talking to strangers - everything you dislike haha. It was great though. People still didn't really let us in though haha. But lots of members pulled over and tried to give us a ride. One interesting man answered the door and we gave the speil and he said he wasn't interested and I said "As missionaries we're not just here to share a message about Christ but we're also here to serve in any way we can. Is there anything we can help you with?" and he looked at me and said "how about a kiss?" and I kept a perfectly straight face and said "I'm probably going to say no to that." How blunt are some people?!?! I'M WEARING A NAMETAG haha! A sweet sister in our Ward has taken my pencil skirt to sew up the split so I can finally wear it. We had dinner at her house and she was talking about her sewing projects so she has my skirt and my coat cos a button popped off and Sister D's blazer that has a tear!

We are doing a lot of service. We painted a less active's house the other day and Sis D got white paint ALL UP HER SIDE cos she slipped and fell against the freshly painted cupboard hahahahaha! Not that I found it funny ;) We also are cleaning up another less active's house and she's really fun so it's not too bad. She let us rearrange her whole house which was cool. She gave us bacon in return haha. We took freshly baked bread that a member gave us to a less active house and left it on their door cos they didnt answer! It was such a Sister missionary thing to do, Elders just dont think of stuff like that ;) it's just a single boy who is a few years older than us. He called us up the next day and was soooo grateful for it and now he wants to see us!! Serving DOES work :) We also knocked this door and this Mexican man answered and he wasn't interested and told us he was Catholic and believes in Christ and doesn't believe in other churches etc and we agreed that we believe in Christ etc and I shared the scripture in 2 Nephi 25:26 about "We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ" etc etc and it was AMAZING!! His whole countance changed, something touched him to the very heart and he just was so accepting and we might be seeing him Wednesday. Turns out he already has a Book of Mormon and needs help understanding it! WOOOTTTT! We met Jayden and Payton's parents this week. My first baptism is on Saturday at 10am if all goes to plan!

We're working a lot with the old people in the 6th branch and they're super sweet. One older lady we've been meeting with has gotten her temple recommend after years and years of inactivity and is going back to the Temple for the first time in December and she just LOVES US AND WE JUST LOVE HER.. I nearly cried of happiness when she told us that! 

Also I know I told people not to email me but now I've figured out how to print stuff off it's fine, so go ahead and email again :) 

I have to get going but I love you all so much and pray for you all every day! It's Thanksgiving this week!!!! 

Love 

Sister Nicholls

Sister Nicholls with her trainer, her trainer's trainer, and her trainer's trainer's trainer!!

Onward Ever Onward in Washington City! 18-11-13

Dear Family and Friends, 

It feels like I just emailed you yesterday!! I couldn't think of anything to write because it's only been a day and then I remember that it's been 6 days and I could write essays about everything that has happened in the last 6 days! 

First I should tell you about Jayden and Payten. They are the two little girls who we're teaching that are getting baptized on Nov 30th. They are just perfect! They're so sweet and they drew us a picture of us holding their hands and walking into the sunset haha and our nametags definitely say "Elder Nicholls and Elder Donaldson" hahahaha! Because the Elders found them and taught them twice and now they're OURS! Haha we love them so much though and they love us! The relationships you form here on your mission are priceless. They are 11 and 9. So we're teaching the girls and we all just love each other. We're like family cos we see them a few times a week. The girls are just so into the gospel and soak up everything and it reminds me of how we need to be like children. With Jayden I can just see the potential that Heavenly Father sees within her. She said she wants to go on a mission and I can just see her doing great things in her life. Payten's a bit younger so it's harder to see but she's still AWESOME! I will definitely be in contact with them after my mission! 

My companion and I were walking the streets of Washington to get to our dinner appointment in time and there was a man walking towads us on the other side of the street. The Spirit said strongly to both of us "talk to him!" so we looked at each and gave the nod and crossed the road to be in his path as only missionaries are so skillled at doing haha. We approached him and talked with him. He was all muscly and tattooed with a funky beard that was shaved in like stripes haha and had jewellery and a bandana I think, and yet us two 19 year old girls approached him and shared a message about Christ with him. He got all serious and was like "I'm a member of the church but have done some bad stuff but recently have felt like I need to come back" and it turns out he'd been divorced and gotten into bad stuff and felt too bad to go back, especially to a family ward where everyone is with someone. So we got his details and found the local mid-singles ward and passed them on to him! It was cool how we just weren't scared of him. He thanked us at the end and said how it touched him because most people cross the road to get away from him but he saw that we crossed the road to SPEAK to him! It broke my heart to hear that. 

We've met lots of good people this week and we're really hopeful for a high number of baptisms in December! We were planning for our week and saw that we are teaching about 13 investigators. We have set a goal for 10 baptisms in December - it's a crazy big goal but we are fasting and praying for miracles.  I need your prayers and your fasts if possible. It's a miracle we need. If we don't get 10 then whatever we get will be more than they've had in a long time! We taught a woman who just married a member. They are 21  and she saw General Conference and is interested in learning more about the church. So we went by their house with a member couple last night and had a really spiritual lesson about Heavenly Father and faith and prayer. The Spirit was just so strong! She looked pretty teary at parts but seemed kinda wary too, I think its because her family all grew up here but weren't members so taught her to watch out for the Mormons and now she's actually investigating it's hard to give that up. But we're hoping for some good things in December with her! We're gonna take her through the Visitors' Centre and give her the 'God has a plan for his family tour'! We also tracted into this family, the woman answered the door and said some boy missionaries had come by a few weeks/months ago and given her some "reading material" and she has a lot of questions and is interested in learning about the Mormons. Her husband is in the Marines and is a Recruiter so they're stationed here for a while. I believe that Heavenly Father has sent them here for a reason. They're a good Catholic family from LA but disagree with a lot of the Catholic teachings. She asked us a lot of questions about womanhood and if God likes women and whether it's okay to ask questions and how we are forgiven of our sins because she disagrees wtih telling the priests all your sins as it should be between you and God and she believes that God loves women too and hates how the Priests dont listen to her and tell her to stop asking questions! hahah! We found a perfect fellowshipper for her, she is from Lanzarote (I told her we went to Puerto del Carmen and she knows it!) and used to be Catholic and is the same bubbly personality as this woman so we're excited for this family! Keep praying for miracles please! 

We tracted this woman who is a Christian of some denomination and we talked with her for a while and when we brought up those threatening words "The Book Of Mormon" she actually BLESSED HERSELF hahaha! It just cracked me up that she felt she had to cross herself because of those very words haha. Needless to say she didn't invite us back again. We were walking from church house to church house yesterday for our meetings (something you can't do in England because it would be hours of walking) and this car pulls up beside us with this Hispanic gangsta with tattoos and jewellery leaning out the window and he goes "hey girls you want a ride to church?" and I didn't even have to take a second to listen to the Spirit's advice because I just said "no we're fine thanks" haha it was one of those instances where Heavenly Father is like you can make this decision all by yourself I think you're clever enough. Haha so we said no thank you and he said "you look beautiful today" and so I did what any self respecting Sister missionary can do and turned away and shouted back "thanks!" haha. If you want to get rid of a missionary just tell her she's beautiful haha. So I walked away and said thanks so I wasnt rude but AINT NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT.  We got soulz to save.!  I'm pretty sure he didn't want to take us to church haha. 

We went to a less active members' home to ask if we can do a FHE for them. We've met the wife twice and the husband once, it was her birthday so we took her the dvd about the temple. Anyway we just felt like seeing them that evening and as we talked on the doorstep about gospel stuff she said how she feels like she's known us forever! It was amazing because that's what we were actually talking about on the doorstep, those kindred spirits that you feel you've always known, then she said yeah after last time you came I said to my son that I just feel like I've seen you somewhere before. It was so cool and she was so touched.  We have a LOT of lessons booked.  Hardly any time for door knocking, I actually like door knocking though! Meet a lot of cool people. There are so many little experiences I could share with you from door knocking, where I'll say something and the woman was like "my mum who passed away last year would always say that to me.." !!! and one painfully awkward one where it was silent for like a solid 8 seconds hahaha. And one where we were lost and prayed that we'd find someone we need to find and this family pull up in the house we were standing in front of trying to see our map in the dark and after talking to them for ages it turns out they're a less active family who we had a referrral to visit with! So many little miracles! 

We spoke in Sacrament Meeting yesterday about who is my neighbour? It went well I think. We are speaking in the 3rd ward next week. Speaking every week! Making our rounds and we can't even give the same talk every time cos they give us different topics haha! It's all good experience. We have four invites for Thanksgiving thus far! 

Keep praying for me, I need all the help I can get haha! 

I love you so much! 

I pray for you all the time! 

Sister Nicholls

Crazy Dogs & Generous Ladies - 12-11-13

Dearest Family, 

I GOT BIT BY A DOG!!!!!! I know the correct grammar is "bitten" but it sounds way more dramatic when you write BIT! Here's the story. We were walking to a house and went past this house that has what looks like a cage type fence around it and this CRAZY DOG ran up to the fence at 90mph and looked like he was going to jump the fence and eat me. He was so fierce! I stopped in my tracks but he didn't jump over the fence, just barked from a distance. Then the next day we contacted a referral and IT WAS THE CRAZY DOG HOUSE!!!! We went up to the gate, and crazy dog was nowhere to be seen. All that was there was the cutest puppy in the world - now we know that the puppy is just a seductive luring trap! We gingerly opened the gate and went into the property, calling out for crazy dog but he was nowhere to be seen. If he was out there, he'd have come by now. We walked the path and reached the door, pressed the ringer and hear the loudest bark. It was echoing, so we knew it was inside. Suddenly, my heart leapt into my mouth because the echoing stopped and I knew the dog was in the back garden, making its way to the front. The vicious snarling got closer and I surveyed the scene, knowing that there was NO WAY I'd make it to the gate in time. I felt SICK. We were literally trapped in a cage with this beast. He jumped over the hill with the crazed intensity in his eyes, as Sister D RAN! She was closer to the gate than I was, and I knew if I ran he'd have me from behind. So I stayed calm, and spoke nicely and walked very slowly. The dog was RUNNING towards me and it was SO SCARY MUM!! I walked slowly to the gate as the dog grabbed my leg from behind and sunk his fangs into the flesh above my ankle on my left leg. I screamed out in pain but no one came to the rescue, so I kicked out my leg and slapped it with my hand. It was the loudest and highest pitch scream ever haha. Sister D was impressed. When the crazed beast pulled his gnashers from my leg I pulled the gate open and recovered as he snarled at me from the other side. It didn't bleed for some reason, but my finger did. There's just two big purple lumps at the bottom of my leg, it hurt so much and walking has really hurt this week but onward ever onward! I tried not to complain about it at all and have soldiered on as missionaries do. It was a journal experience for sure. CRAZY DOG! 

Last Monday night we were out tracting and always the only doors we knock on are always the ones who turn out to need us! We don't just knock on every door because most are members, but we come to a house and check how each other is feeling. Both of us know when we need to knock at that house, so we knock and it's always someone who turns out to need us! It's amazing and never gets old. So it was about 7:30/8pm and was really dark and I just got a really bad feeling. We wanted to go up one more street but there was something stopping me from walking, I physically couldn't take a step in that direction. There was this creepy looking car up there with just the headlights on and a man sitting there. So anwyay we turned around and these creepy noises started and we walked faster and faster and then Sis D said she felt like we had to GET OUTTA THERE and it was so scary! I don't know what it was, but the Spirit was just telling us to RUN! So we walked faster and then called the Bishop who lives up the road and he JUMPED in his car and was there minutes later. We jumped in and he drove us home and watched us walk in the door. We don't know what would've happened if we didn't follow that prompting. Sis D felt like someone was following us. But I don't tell you that story to scare you, I tell you it to show you how much we are looked after by the members here. In the car the Bishop said to us to NEVER hesitate to call him no matter the time of day or night if we need him. He reminded me of you Dad!  Oh my gosh the loveliest member in the world took us to Walmart on p-day and she BOUGHT ALL OUR SHOPPING!!! We needed lots of stuff for our apartment like a CHAIR haha the Elders just used one so we'd take it in turns to sit during meals haha. And a mirror, and a hair dryer, and hand towels and washing up liquid and soap! So we had to buy a lot of stuff and she bought it all for us, and lunch! It came to like $250 all in all and she got everything. I felt so bad but she was so nice! I have her details if you want to call her and thank her. 

We taught a woman and her non-member husband yesterday. During dinner I just compeltely forgot the WHOLE FHE lesson we'd planned and I was like, OH NO what are we going to do?!?!?!!??! It just vanished from my head! Then a voice in my mind said you need to talk about Joseph Smith. And I was like but WHAT about Joseph Smith!??! I'm sure his wife has told him about Joseph Smith many many times! Then so clear and distinct it said to talk about the way his family were prepared for the things he would accomplish. So I just prayed that Sis D would accept that our FHE plans had changed and as it turned out, she'd completely forgotten what we'd planned too! SO I know it was the Spirit. And it turned out sooooo spiriptual! As the woman dropped us off she thanked us for the FHE saying that just days before her husband had read her missionary journals and said that she had accomplished a lot in her life! So it was great! The Spirit was so strong. 

We were tracting in the dark the other day and there was like one house with lights on, so we were approaching that house and suddenly all the lights went off and a man was peeping through the blinds at us hahahha! We got the message, but I so wanted to just wave at him to let him know we could easily see him watching us! Perfect missionary moment.  I love teaching the Restoration on the door step! The Spirit is so strong every single time. We have only found like two people who have never heard of Joseph Smith before and both have Book of Mormon's of their own now and are reading them. I'm excited for them. One other awkward moment was when we went to this door and we thought people were in but then there was this really sensuous Adele song being played REALLY LOUDLY, so loudly that they couldn't hear us knocking if we tried. We knew something not missionary appropriate was going on behind that door so we just laughed so hard and left. We laugh a LOT together. It makes every day fun! There's this dog that we are trying to get a pic of that lives next door to us who is a little chihuahua looking dog with LONG hair that has been shaved all except for a tuft on its tail and around its neck and IT LOOKS LIKE A MINIATURE LION!!! We call him lion dog, he is so funny! 

We were walking down the road one time and the Spirit told us to talk to this young man on his drive by his car. We looked at each other and nodded and started talking to him. We could tell he was higher than life haha, and they always are around that certain house. We think a drug dealer lives there because all of them say they're there to get their van's done or their van's brakes fixed etc always car excuses but we know they're all high! So anyway we were talking to him and it turns out he's a 21 year old member who is less active and turned to drugs because of family problems. I can't tell you the love I felt for him, I just bore testimony to him of the love Christ has for Him and how He is just waiting for him to come back, and how there is something special he needs to fulfill but needs to reach his potential to get there. He started crying and felt the Spirit really strong and said he's been trying to get off drugs and come back but it's hard cos all his friends are druggies but that he would like to serve a mission but needs to get off drugs etc. It was soooooo touching and amazing to stand there crying with him. We have all his details (he lives out of our area so we referred him on to the other Sisters) and will follow up with him. I love experiences like that.

Our weekly planning takes about 3 hours on a Friday morning, and we ordered a pizza because it makes it more fun! I felt like the YM at Mutual haha. We had Zone Meeting in the morning and it was all about not racing our investigators through the sacred grove, but taking them by the hand and guiding and walking them through it. It was so spiritual! I love my Sister Training Leader's and Zone Leaders. President and Sister Center were there too! I wouldn't want to teach with them listening haha! We taught Mutual the other night, just got a call asking us to come so we hadn't prepared anything but it turned out good. It was just the young men, and the young woman who prayed in opening exercises said "Please bless that the young men will enjoy the Sister Missionaries" hahahaha! It cracked us up. We talked at Stake Conference, the Saturday Evening adult session, it went well. I was so nervous because lots of people were there, but the Spirit led it and it went really well! President Lewis the counsellor on the Presidency who we just LOVE because he loves us, came up to us at the end and sincerely complimented and thanked us. I love him! He's invited us over for thanksgiving dinner so we're excited! You'd like him and his family, they're so wonderful. He just emulates Christ at all times. We had this delicious dessert that you would've loved that was like Tres Leches cake but a pumpkin version, it was SO GOOD! The members feed us so well! Every day we have appointments, sometimes too many in one day and too much food haha. We were walking on the street and a car pulled over and I was ready to punch someone in the face for trying to kidnap us but it was this sweet old woman who wanted to give us $20!!!! We used it to pay for pizza for our planning! They get offended if you don't take it. 

We've spent a lot of time cleaning our apartment from the Elders who last lived in it. It was gross but it's getting better. I bought the grossest blanket in the world from Walmart, it's got a wolf howling at the moon on it, I LOVE IT haha. It's so thick and warm. I got two new blankets. I boughrt your Christmas presents from Deseret Book yesterday. I hope you don't have them already! I napped yesterday too, it was so good. We accidentally slept in the other day because we forgot to put the alarm on, but I woke up at 7am and woke Sis D up. That's the second time that's happened cos it happened once at the MTC. I think that must be my natural time to wake up because both times I've woken up at 7 and feel so refreshed and wonderful. I feel awful at 6:30am and it's exhausting struggling every day to get out of bed and take myself into the cold dark outside to run. The stars are super bright though cos there's no street lights out here. I'm always in bed at around 10pm because I don't take long to get ready for bed and I'm asleep STRAIGHT AWAY. It cracks Sis D up because I'm asleep SO soon. She takes longer than me to get ready for bed so the light is always on and she's not in bed but I'm just out of it in seconds of getting into bed. She has insomnia so she lays there for ages and is awake in the night and she just listens to me enjoying sleep haha. It's been so hot these last few days in the day time, I have tan lines on my feet and on my watch and my hair is really blonde. It's cold today - I had to put a cardigan on ;) 

I've just fallen in love with the Psalm of Nephi! I read it at the perfect time that I needed it and it was just beautiful. I want to read it every day haha. My testimony of prayer has grown so much in the last 5 weeks since we said goodbye. I rely on it so much and when I feel like I can't put another dog bitten foot in front of the other I get down on my knees and plead and have this renewed sense of encouragement and LOVE MISSIONARY WORK! I honestly love being a missionary. I can't remember not being one. 

Okay I think that this is all of my news for this week! I can't think of anything else to put! I love you all so much and think about you first thing in the morning and last thing at night! I hope you do too :) I got Luke's package from BYU bookstore but it was couriered so I had to go up to St George to get it. Thanks for sending it though because I've lived in the clothes when I work out, it's perfect thank you! And the shampoo and cleanser etc was perfect so thank you! 

I love you all!!! 

Sister Nicholls 

First Email from the Mission Field - 4-11-13.

Dear Family, 

I've been a missionary for FIVE WEEKS NOW, but have been doing missionary work for four so whatever. I have so much to tell you that I don't even know where to begin. So I'll start with the last few days of the MTC. The Temple Square experience was interesting. One cool part was going into the Tabernacle and doing the acoustic demonstration - so I've stood up on that part behind the barriers where the Tabernacle Choir sing, and pressed some buttons, I felt super cool. haha Then we walked in the tunnels underground! I met a boy from BYU singers who sung last year in London!  At the Provo Temple last Friday who was there on the session with us but JOHN HILTON!! I heard someone whisper "Sister Nicholls!" and I opened my eyes and there he was! He makes me so happy, I love seeing him! His wife was with him too! Great family. Then the last few classes were good, but I spent time in the Provo Hospital with Sister Pearson as she had a colonoscopy! I wrote some letters for a few hours til she was done. Then we got up at 2am Wednesday morning and flew to St George!! We handed out pass along cards to all the passengers on the tiniest plane in the world with us! There were about 12 missionaries and about 20 people on the plane hahah. It was way short and Sister Pearson and I just slept. It was needed! We met President Center and his wife at the airport and they are just so friendly and not scary at all, they just crack jokes all the time! We had interviews with President and it wasn't too long, just a short interview and then we met our trainers! I am with……...

Sister DONALDSON!!! haha Why do coincidences always happen to me?! I love it! Heavenly Father just loves giving me all these little coincidences! We are full proselyting Sisters for my first 12 weeks, so I am out in the Washington Stake! It's about 30 minutes from St George, and we are over 8 wards. It's a small area so we are walking with no bikes or cars, and live in the basement of a member Family. It's a really big basement but really basic and really white, the walls, the floor, the cupboards, the doors, everything is white. It gets really cold in the morning and evening. It's really safe though, I don't worry about it at all. They came to introduce themselves to us as we have our own door to go in round the back and they knocked on the door and we answered and they introduced themselves as Jehovah's Witnesses haha. I felt a little homesick the first night and shed a few tears but all was well. I just needed to work and it went. So the first day we just did a ton of tracting, and it's really hot in the day time! I thought I was going to burn! IT'S NOVEMBER!!! I'm scared for the summer. I love tracting! You meet so many cool people. We met one woman from a polygamist family who wasn't exactly interested in our message haha. Then we knocked on another door and the man answered topless and immediately the strongest smell of weed burned my nostrils and I thought I'd get high just standing there. He was a character! We laughed so much with him, he wasn't interested either. We just got rejected over and over and over again and I began to realise what Luke felt like for TWO YEARS haha. Except mine was just two days of that, and they reject you SO nicely haha, they're all "thank you for coming, I appreciate the visit and the good people that you are but I'm not interested in your religion, can I give you a bottle of water?" haha. So it wasn't really how Luke felt. Because the members here are SO NICE too!!!! Whenever we're out walking we just have everyone bib and wave at us and people stop and offer us rides and get out and give us money and food! We were at Church yesterday and an old man just got like $10 out of his wallet and gave it to us and would've been offended if we didn't take it! We have too many dinner appointments and when we can't make the appointment they deliver it to our house and we end up with more food than we would've had if we went to their house cos they bring everything to us! We've had two deliveries so far and it's a FEAST EVERY TIME! So much dessert and a full pan of roast vegetables and potatoes. We went to Walmart the first day to get some food and get me a blanket and pillow cos I forgot to pick one up at the mission home and we saw proper polygamists, they have french plaits in their hair so we can't do that to our hair in case people think we're them. We knocked at a door and this woman answered who was super receptive to our message (We went there because I felt impressed to choose this door over a whole list of doors and it was definitely someone who needed and wanted us there!) and she said "oh my old roommate was a Mormon, but then she got married and moved out. She was the third wife." hahahahahh and we were like, that ISN'T our church! hahahahha. She took a BOM and said she'd read it etc. I loved it! 

I already had two packages waiting for me at the mission home. One from you THANKS IT WAS THE BEST, and one from Sister Lynne Baker! Can you tell her thank you so much and that it was so so so kind and thoughtful of her! I loved everything in that package!!!! It was great because it helped with the homesickness. So on Friday night I felt pretty low again but I got down on my knees and asked for added strength and peace and just poured my heart out to Him. I told Him my sincere desire to find people to teach and to be led by the Spirit. I felt a lot better after that and then SATURDAY HAPPENED!!! SATURDAY WAS THE BEST DAY EVER!!!!! We were led by the Spirit morning til evening! We tracted ALL DAY! Sister Donaldson let me pick the places we went and the houses we visited. We have lists of all the non members and less actives in our area (they're not too long hahaha there are so many members!) and I just had this name in my head that I couldn't get out. So I said we needed to visit him. So we walked for about an hour and a half cos we kept getting lost, we passed this young man dressed like a gangsta and the Spirit said to both of us at the same time that we NEEDED to speak to him, and just as we were told that, the young man crossed the street towards us and stopped on the corner we were heading to. Naturally as only young Sister missionaries can we CORNERED him and started talking to him. We used this door approach that I came up with that morning because obviously what we'd been doing hadn't been working. I said we should just say to them "Hey we're the new missionaries in the area and we're trying to get to know everyone, we have a question for you" then insert question like, what is most important to you, or what is your purpose in life, or how do you find peace and happiness, then link it all in with the Gospel and bear testimony and ask if we can continue this conversation another time. IT WORKEDDDDD!!! He gave us his number and it turns out he's just less active. He said he'd come to Church with us but he didn't, but it was still great anyway. Nobody is receptive when you just knock on their door and say do you want to learn about Christ, of course they'd say no. You need to let them have an experience of what it would be like if they let us teach them, then don't make it super formal, just say can we come back and talk more about this? IT WORKS!!! Anyway so we were on our way to this house I felt we should go to and we passed two young teenage girls working out and said hey and kept walking, and we got almost to this house and one of the girls was walking behind us. I whispered to Sister Donaldson that it could be awkward if this was her house but we kept walking and got to the drive and the girl behind us said "excuse me, that's my house!" and so we turned and introduced ourselves and did the door approach and you know what she said?! "Oh, my sisters are meeting with the Elders and I really want to learn! Can I be taught too?" HAHAHA AND WE WERE LIKE OF COURSE YOU CAN!!!! So the Spirit told us to go to that house, not because of the name that was on the list but because of his daughter! And we had to be there at that specific moment so that SOMEONE would be home cos she was the only one home. It was so amazing to see how Heavenly Father is so aware and orchestrates everything perfectly. He knew she wanted to be taught and He led us there at the perfect moment. If we'd been one minute earlier no one would've been in. It was amazing. We're hoping to teach the whole family but we'll see. Her sisters were being taught by the Elders and are on date to be baptized on Nov 30th - the Elders left and we replaced them so now we are teaching her sisters too! So we have our first baptisms in a few weeks. We taught them yesterday about the plan of salvation and they just love the Gospel! They are 9 and 12 and don't live at the home we were at. The family situation is confusing, I think they're half siblings. But yeah it was awesome! Nothing more fulfilling than just being an instrument in His hands all day every day. Oh also we tracted into a family who know the Christensens in Oak City. He is best friends with Jessica's husband. It was a fun coincidence! 

We ate at a members home (surprise surprise it happens every day!) on Thursday night and it was Mitt Romney's cousin! Haha so cool. They live in this gated community up on the hill called Bella Vista or Buena Vista or something. It's GORGEOUS. The view is amazing and the homes are SO NICE. You should seriously consider moving there when you're retired. It's so you Mum! The people are so nice! 

My first Sunday was good! We went to as many wards as we could so we were at church from 8:45-5:15pm. I will never complain about three hours of church again. I was refreshed though cos daylight savings happened on Saturday night so I got 9 hours sleep! So needed, it's so exhausting every day. I know now what Luke meant when he said you're just tired for 2 years straight. Testimony meeting after testimony meeting was fun. I miss Basildon Ward testimony meetings! We didn't bear our testimonies because we were teaching the Elder's Quorum haha, and we're speaking in Sacrament Meeting in two weeks and in Stake Conference in one week. We taught Elders Quorum and it went SO WELL.. I've never taught the Elders but it was so different, they crack jokes and all want to talk so it was really different to Relief Society. I liked it a lot. The Bishop and Stake President counsellor was in there and I just felt the Spirit talking through me. I was fully aware that most of them were RM's and I humbly acknowledged that fact, cos we were teaching about missionary work surprise surprise! The brother whose house we live in spoke to me this morning and said that he has heard good things about our lesson (he's not in the Ward we taught at) and that President Lewis said we hit the nail on the head but in humility and with a British accent so it was perfect haha. It just felt wonderful to know that the Lord has answered my prayer about wanting it to come across humbly and not preachy or boring. 

I opened the scriptures and said in my mind, Heavenly Father, speak to me. And I opened it out to D&C 101:14-16 which was perfect for me at that moment that I read it. He knows us, He loves us, He orchestrates our lives down to the very minute if we'll let Him. I'm learning that more and more every day! We were out tracting at night, well like 7pm but it was dark and it was kinda scary but I just felt so safe and peaceful and Sister Donaldson was telling me this story about two sisters who tracted at a man's house and it turned out he was a serial rapist who was later convicted. When asked why he didn't attack the two young girls who went to his house he replied "Well I wasn't going to try anything with those two burly men standing behind them!" and they asked for a description of the men and he said that they were Aztec looking young native American men - STRIPLING WARRIORS! So I felt super safe knowing that the stripling warriors and the 6000 angels were around me. It was the best feeling ever! We've only been wolf whistled at from the car while we're walking twice haha. St George is absolutely beautiful. The mountains are gorgeous and whenever we're tracting I just feel like the luckiest missionary in the world to be here. The support from everyone and the beauty of the area is immense. I love it here. 

OK I love you a TON and I miss you soooo much! I cant wait to see you in 17 months! It'll be all the sweeter. I pray for you all the time. 

Sister Nicholls