Dear Family,
First off, starting with after we talked on Friday by email I was SO happy and on such a high! Then of course I went to class and was back in the real world of learning how to be a missionary and might've cried again haha. But the teacher Bro Kendall is sooooooooo kind and sweet and he took me outside and we talked and he just made me feel so much better about myself. So that was nice. Then the Elders in our district offered us all blessings and the Spirit was so sweet because of the companionship and love we all feel for one another. There were no adults there supervising and a group of 7 18/19 year olds get down on their knees and pray together and sing together and give blessings to one another. Where else would you find that? I love those Elders so much and they are like my brothers, I feel like I've known them forever. One in particular, Elder Forson, CRACKS ME UP LIKE NOTHING ELSE!! He is SO funny and the majority of our time together we just laugh and laugh. I can't wait till we're all off our missions and can hang out. Anyway then on Saturday we taught our first TRC investigator which is like an actor OR it could be a real non member and they are in an office here and they act like it's their home and you go in and there are cameras and microphones in the room so people are watching you. Anyway it was a rough lesson, the lesson itself was great but she is so forthright in what she believes and she let us know! I actually thought I might throw up at one point in the lesson hahhaha because she was like, wait you want to teach me?! Do you think you're better than me?! hahah thankfully my companions saved the situation and it all ended well.
Then Sunday was the best day! My companions and I were called as Sister Training Leaders and had a LOT of meetings to go to! A man said that the definition of a Mormon is a person who is either on his way home from a meeting or on his way to his meeting. So true! Then for RS we got to watch Music and the Spoken Word as the whole campus of Sisters in one big room, and then Sister Bonnie Oscarson of the Young Women General Presidency came and spoke to us and taught the lesson. It was so cool to be so close to her! She is sweet. Then we got to go to a Devotional in the afternoon from Brother Heaton from the MTC and then watched a David A. Bednar Devotional called the Character of Christ. It was life changing. Everyone tells us to watch it. Luke did you watch it? You can only ever see it in the MTC because it's only for missionaries so parents put in your mission papers just so you can see this Devotional! It was all about how Christ turned outward rather than inward at every moment of His life. There were so many points illustrating it. David A. Bednar is a lot like Elder Holland in all the Devotionals we've watched of him here. He is so forthright. There's this one where he's like talking about how to know if the Spirit is telling you something or if it's you and he simply says "Quit fussing, quit worrying, quit stewing about it. Just be a good girl or a good boy, keep your covenants and I promise you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that the Spirit will be telling you what to do. You got the answer?!'" haha. Seen that so many times. Anyway that Devotional was perfect for me because I was worrying a lot about some stuff. Anyway so the Character of Christ was perfect because Monday morning I was given a different companion just to love and nourish for a few days only. - She's struggling a LOT and really wants to go home. She has diabetes and it's all going wrong and Satan wont leave her alone. President Washburn said he wanted us two to be together and so she was given to me and I just want to say that I LOVE SISTER ------. She was an answer to so many prayers. We just fell in love with each other. We both had very similar experiences in life and she said that when she sees me her soul is just happy! I learned a lot about love with her too. I had a cool experience, so she actually was seeing a counsellor and got given a pass to call her Mum because they felt it was for the best. I had to accompany her to everything, and she has to go a lot of places because of her condition so I have to trail around behind her and have no free time at all to do anything I want to do. So I was really excited to see the new Elders from England who got here Tuesday and eat dinner with them on Tuesday night but my companion needed to leave so I didn't have time to eat much (happens EVERY MEAL! I'm actually losing weight I think!) and had to run with her so I could sit in a secretary room by myself with my scriptures for an hour while she talked on the phone. Also I heard that Elder Oaks was giving the Devotional that night and I wanted to be early to that to get a good seat but I couldn't cos I was waiting for rmy companion and I was just thinking thoughts like, why is it always me who has to do all the selfless stuff and why does my food never come out the vending machine haha those sort of thoughts and I knew that I was looking inward but needed to continue looking outward no matter the cost to myself. Then I just bowed my head and prayed and felt this voice in my mind say "you are about my work now, not your own work, and right now your work is to love Sister ------ and be there for her no matter what the cost". And it was really cool cos I felt like Heavenly Father appreciated all the sacrifices I was making and I felt validated in my work. I felt so happy that immediately my attitude and countenance changed and it was a pleasure to wait for her. I ended up SEEING ELDER OAKS because he came in the doors you dropped me off at and he made eye contact with me!!! He knows I exist!!!! haha . Then President and Sister Nally the MTC president and wife saw my name tag and said., are you the famous Sister Nicholls?!?! haha and I was like...errr maybe?! haha and they said that they wanted a picture with me because they'd been Skyping Belinda Henderson the night before because they used to live in Australia and she said about me and then they saw me! You should see if Belinda has the photo. It was so cool! It was so many blessings all just for being obedient and sacrificing what I wanted to do. As a Sister Training Leader it is my responsibility to love and lead all the girls towards their Saviour. After my companion came out she was SO grateful for me and we just had a heart to heart and talked about everything and we just love each other. I wish she was my real companion forever. So then Elder Oaks gave the Devotional and we got really good seats, another blessing for being obedient, and it was a great talk! My prayers for answers were answered in the first sentence that his wife spoke. She wasn't a natural speaker so I appreciated her effort to talk to us, she looked really scared. Then Elder Oaks talked about.......missionary work DUM DUM DUMMMMM! didn't see that one coming ;) haha it was good though! And we've had gym time each day too so it was great to actually not sit in a chair all day! In the gym there are big windows looking out onto the BYU campus and Y mountain, it made me a bit homesick :) Sister Pearson and I got up early Monday morning (5.45) and went to the Sisters only gym class. It was step aerobics and we thought we were going to be sick hahha! She worked us hard. I'm still a bit sore! Then we've worked out every day since. It feels good. I'm really bonding with Sister Pearson, we have a laugh together and are getting to know each other better. I like her a LOT.
ALSO on Sunday I went to a Sister Training Leader meeting by a man named President Lindahl - BECCA ANDERSON'S MISSION PRESIDENT! He was really interesting and talked about Mendoza a lot and said how as a Mission President you see the new missionaries at the airport on their first day and he just knew by looking into their eyes in the first second what sort of missionary each of them would be. He said he'd think in his head "That one will be my AP in a few months. That one will have a rough time. There's my next Sister Training Leader." etc etc. Then afterwards I went up to him to see if he knew Sister Becca Anderson and he said "Sister Anderson was the finest Sister Missionary in the Mendoza mission. There was nothing she couldn't do. Her living conditions were awful but she was amazing. And I can tell that you are a missionary just like Sister Anderson" I WAS SOOOOO TOUCHED BY THAT!!!! I seriously don't think I'm any different from anyone and all this reassurance just lifts me up again! Every time he sees me in the corridor now he shakes my hand and sees how I'm doing! Everyone here just loves us so much!!
I want to shout out to everyone who has written to me!!! It was so overwhelming! I got 12 letters in one day on Friday haha. I get about 3 a day and a package every other day. It seriously fills my heart with such love and peace, thank you for your support everyone. Thank you Sam, Sarah Headman, Kendra, Amrit, Debbie Simpson, Janis Bull, , Hughes family, all of my family, Spencer Ballard, Anthony Viglione, Kiley Cash, Wesley, and anyone who I've forgotten because I'm in a massive massive rush - thank you for everything! It makes my day! THANK YOU Sister Young for the package with the flip-flops and the treats! I love them and thank you! Every day the District Leader gets the mail and before he leaves he's like, Okay I'm off to get Sister Nicholls her letters haha. They're always like WHY DO YOU GET SO MUCH MAIL!!! And because there are so many BYU people here my companions are like HOW DO YOU KNOW EVERYONE!!! haha I love it. Okay so last week I said there's less flirting than EFY. Turns out I'm wrong! Yesterday this Elder and his companion were talking to us three sisters and we were walking back to our dorms and one Elder stopped at the stairs because that's the direction they were walking but his companion just followed me and was all "hey maybe I could get your contact details and we could stay in touch" and I felt super uncomfortable so just laughed. Then today he found me in the laundry room and they were all trying to get me to give my email address so I gave it to one of them but have no intention of writing to boys who don't keep the mission rules. I'm like are we in high school again or are we representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ?!
I'm learning a LOT being here and I just LOVE THE MTC. Yesterday when I had to give a talk to the new missionaries I talked about the things I learned in my first week, and the biggest thing is the strength through prayer. It's real! Everyday I am upheld by His righteous omnipotent hand! I FEEL the strength that comes from the Atonement holding me up every day and honestly I am a different person than I was a week ago. I wish everyone could have the MTC experience. I know a mission isn't for everyone and I fully support that but there is nothing like the MTC! It just pulls out all the bad things about you and refines you if you get on your knees and beg and plead with the Lord for strength. He loves us SO MUCH and every day I'm showered with blessings and love beyond my own deserving. I can't wait to teach real people. I'm terrified but so excited. I know I can do this. The Spirit here in the MTC makes it feel like home. Yesterday we had in field training and so there was this really funny cheesy play with one of the Elders from The District dvds who is home now. It was so cheesy but so funny! I love being a Missionary. I love being called Sister Nicholls. There is absolutely nothing else I'd rather be doing. Even when we come out of a lesson that's gone horribly I just love it still and going home has never crossed my mind. Oh I forgot to say, when Elder Oaks entered the room we all stood up and were singing Come Come Ye Saints and it was one of the most spiritual moments of my life being surrounded my 4000 Missionaries and an Apostle of the Lord while all singing "come come ye saints, no toil nor labour fear, but with joy wend your way! though hard to you this journey (MISSIONARY WORK!) may appear, grace shall be as your day!" and when we all sung all is well, all is well, all really was well! Life was perfect! Then we sung Praise To The Man and it was amazing to be sitting before a future Prophet of the Lord singing "millions shall know brother Joseph again!" knowing that that is my calling right now for 18 months to help a few of those millions of people to know brother Joseph again. He truly was a prophet. I've memorized The First Vision and every time I give it in a lesson it's just as powerful as the first time of hearing it. It never wears off.
OK I think I'm done for now!
I love you SO MUCH and miss you a lot and pray for you a lot! Please keep praying for me! As the Les Miserables lyrics say "Pray for your Marius, he prays for you!" but replace Marius with Sister Missionary and thats how I feel :)
ALL MY LOVE
SISTER NICHOLLS
ps HAPPIEST OF BIRTHDAYS TO GRANDAD FOR LAST WEEK AND DAD FOR THIS WEEK! Love you both so so so so so so so so so so so so so much.
pps The gym has General Conference and Mormon Messages playing on big tvs and you plug headphones in and listen while you work out! Pretty awesome. What's more inspiring to work out to than Jeffrey R Holland saying NEVER EVER CHECK YOUR RELIGION AT THE DOOR!
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