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