"The Lord keeps His promises!" - 27-5-14

Dear family and friends,

What a week. So I'll start off with last Wednesday. I was getting out of my car to go to a dinner appointment and we got a text from the Assistants to the President saying "Sister Nicholls, we can get the transfer board to you at 7pm this evening" and my stomach DROPPED because I just wasn't prepared for that! Usually we get it on Thursday! So I had two hours to countdown before I knew where I'd be going! I could hardly eat anything at our dinner appointment!  I was so stressed! So I went to meet the Assistants with Sister Hansen the other VCT and they gave us the sheet and I looked and saw myself right away and it says "Sister Nicholls and Sister Rizzo - Little Valley". And I just stared at the paper for like two minutes in silence and then cried and cried. I was just devastated to be leaving the area that I love so much, and my companion that I love so much, and taking over from Elders AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!! The AP's said "How do you feel?" and I just CRIED and was like "I'm white washing, AGAIN? Every area I've been in I've white washed from Elders or reopened. When can I come into an area with a companion who knows what's going on?" and they just smiled and looked really awkward because two crying girls were in front of them. Sister Rizzo is from Alaska and came out with Sister Garcia but has been up north for the whole mission so I have to VC train her and take over the area from Elder Nye and Elder Ball, our District Leader and his companion. I was sad. But I cannot bring myself to complain because this is what Heavenly Father wants for me and who am I to complain against that? So exciting times are ahead!!! Then Thursday morning the AP's texted me to say that there have been some changes in the transfer board so not to start any scheduling yet!! So we went to Sisters Training Meeting with everyone's transfer in my head and couldn't say anything to anyone and didn't trust myself to speak to anyone! But it was a great training meeting because we were just at the Tabernacle having a tour from a Senior Sister. It was so nice to not have to prepare anything but to just take a tour and learn about the history of the building!! We watched "The Windows of Heaven" about Lorenzo Snow saying that if the members paid their tithing they would have rain and then they did! It was really cool!!

Then after that we went to our District Training Meeting! It was our last DTM as our District altogether because Elder Nye is going home, and I already knew in my head that my companion and I, and Sister Schafer and Lipke were all going to be in different Zones. So I carried this heartache with me throughout DTM and it was so sad! We all wore black because it was Elder Nye's "funeral" because he is "dying" and we all wore sunglasses too so it was really dramatic! At the end of the meeting we had asked one of our leaders to bring us Jimmy Johns, it's like Subway but better, and we paid her and told her what each of us wanted ahead of time so it was all good. It was a surprise for Elder Nye as that's his favourite so we surprised him and we'd made a CD for him and he CRIED! Then all of us started crying! We've just all become such great friends this transfer and knowing that it will never be the same again is too sad! But life is made of meetings and partings right? It's been such a spiritual, hard working but fun district and I'm sure we'll have other districts that we love just as much. But this one was the best :) The Zone Leaders knew my transfer call and so did Elder Nye I guess because I am taking his Stake and President had talked to them about the possibility of that, so there was this funny moment at DTM when the Elders were showing us some nice fancy pen that the members had given them and I made some joke about how maybe I should move to Little Valley and get nice stuff and all the Elders looked at me.....and I looked back at them......and we all knew that we all knew, but couldn't say anything!! It was so funny!!

So Little Valley is just the Stake next door to Morningside, but it has just been split because it was getting too big! Little Valley Stake has sent out more misionaries right now into the world than any other Stake in the world! So the members LOVE missionaries and will do anything for them because apparently there are over 200 missionaries out serving from that Stake! It is a very wealthy area, full of young families! So we will see what we can do there! I am excited!!
On Friday morning we had a meeting with the AP's, the Watkins, the Senior Elder over the transportation Elder Sullivan, and President came for a few minutes! They gave us the new and improved version of the transfer board and it was SO DIFFERENT! Mine hadn't changed at all, but other people's had changed SO MUCH!!!! People who were training were not anymore, areas were closing, new ones were opening, different Sisters were coming back from up north etc!! SO it was cool to see how people's whole mission story had just changed before my eyes. President talked to us about it and taught us a little bit about it and talked about how just because one transfer scenario feels right, it doesn't mean that it cannot be changed at all and never feel right! He said there are some missionaries who can serve anywhere with anyone and have it be right! It was really cool, he was like "so tell me Sisters, do you think that there is only one right place for each missionary?" and we got to learn at the feet of the best Mission President in the world! IT WAS COOL! The more time I spend around President Center the more I love him! He is the most Christ-like man in the world! He just looks at you and you feel his and the Saviour's love. So it was a crazy morning seeing all the differences that had happened. But we cracked on with the schedule and got it all done by Saturday night!!!! SUPER QUICK!!!! It's always a thrill to get that done!!

Finally Saturday came and everyone got their transfer calls so I could talk to people openly without fear! We were at Texas Roadhouse with the Christansens celebrating my up and coming birthday when the AP's called to tell Sister Garcia her transfer call! We ran out of the restaurant and they told her - she is moving to Bloomington to be in a trio with Sister Allen and Sister Arnold!! I'm so jealous that she is with Sister Allen :) but she cried and cried. So our Stake is going back to one set of missionaries, still including Sister Schafer! She has been there her WHOLE MISSION1!!!!! 10 AND A HALF MONTHS IN MORNINGSIDE hahaha!!! So we went back in and told the Christiansen's and they weren't happy and no one was happy with it! But they thoroughly embarrassed me at Texas Roadhouse! They MADE me sit on the saddle and sang happy birthday to me. I refused about 10 times but they wouldn't give up! It was so embarrassing but funny! I was like "It's not even my birthday for like two more weeks!" but they weren't having any of it! It was so fun to just be with the Christiansen's!

We went back to the VC and I finished up the schedule and we were finally able to start telling people the news. We texted and called some of our investigators and members and told them that we were both leaving. So many of them were like "I'm calling President right now!" but it's okay, this is what we need to do. It just hurts because it's taken three transfers to get our area where it's at now, with 7 investigators and 5 on date - that has never happened in the history of Morningside and now both of us are leaving. But I trust that Sister Schafer and Sister Sordes are what Morningside and my investigators need now. Little KC and his brother and Mum came to the VC and brought us Litter box cake! It literally looks like a litter box! Because whenever you put anything on the table in the break room the Sisters always eat it, so they made us a litter box cake and we put it on the table and NO ONE touched it hahahahahha!!! So we got the whole cake to ourselves and it was GOOD! It was sponge cake and chocolate cake and oreos and butterfinger and tootsie rolls, it was incredible! I should've taken a picture :) But they all cried when we said goodbye. It was so sad! But I'm pretty sure I can get permission to go to their baptism on Saturday! We have gotten so close with them these last few months! M (the Mum) said herself that when we first came she had her walls completely up but we've managed to break them down. She trusts us completely and now we are leaving! That was Saturday and on Sunday when I was on shift, she burst through the front doors and straight up to me hysterically crying and said:- "We need to talk" and I seriously thought someone had died! But it turned out she went to CHURCH!!! But someone had offended her at church! Really badly. She was so angry she was SHAKING! She left church and didn't know where else to go but to the VC to see us and we talked about it with her for ages and the Senior Elder gave her a blessing and she felt much better. It was just that trust that takes you months and months to build and she finally went to Church and now we're leaving!! It just feels like a pain in my heart, but it's okay! And our black baptist investigator A went to Church too! That is a HUGE deal! Things are really picking up just in time for us to leave :(

Yesterday we spent our last evening in Morningside with each other as companions. It was SO SAD! We went to the Lund's for dinner, they are the ones who have the little 8 year old girl we taught that Elder Nye baptized a few weeks ago. We have gotten close to them so it was fitting that they were our last meal in our area. It was sad but it was fun! We laughed and laughed with each other. On the way from their house to our last teaching appointment this song played from Sister Garcia's cd about how no one else understands the pain we carry but the Saviour, and how He is there at every situation in our life that brings us pain or happiness and how He knows when no one else does. It was the perfect song to explain the sadness that both of us are carrying. It's the end of an era! When you've been with someone for 18 weeks straight, you form a bond that cannot be replicated anywhere else. You see each other through the hard times and the best times, you work together, you play together, you study together, you learn together, you pray together, you find together, you teach together, you cry together and you grow together. Sister Garcia and I have become best friends, and it's a deep friendship. We can tell each other how we're feeling and understand each other and we support one another in all things and we are devastated to be leaving each other. We can just look at each other and know what we're thinking and we say the same things at the same time and HAVE SO MANY JOKES with each other that we just laugh all the time but work so hard together. It's going to be strange her not being there. It broke my heart to do the schedule and have to schedule us on different shifts.

So we went to L and G's as our last appointment here. We followed up with how it went when they prayed to know if Heavenly Father wanted them to be married sooner than 2016. Remember I promised them in the name of Jesus Christ that if they were married and followed that commandment, the law of chastity, that the Lord would provide for their needs and they would find the money they'd need. They said they would pray. We asked them what happened and they were like "Guess what?? After we prayed we got mail that told us we were entitled to this much money each month even if we got married." So that was a MIRACLE!!!!!!!!! IT WAS PERFECT!!! THE LORD KEEPS HIS PROMISES!! So the best thing in the world happened and they are being married in August and baptized right afterwards! We were THRILLED! Then we told them we are leaving and it was really sad!!! But we watched Together Forever with them, and I can't even describe how it was one of the most tender moments of my mission! We were sitting on the sofa and they were on the floor in front of us. There was L, holding baby J, then T, then G holding baby W.  They were all mesmerized by the screen and the Spirit was so strong as the words "We can be together forever someday!" were sung, and everyone was silent and just seeing that picture before my eyes was one of the most tender moments. Seeing a family committing to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ after months and months of persistence and working with them and growing to love one another. Seeing them contentedly sitting together watching how they can be a forever family one day and feeling the Spirit knowing the Lord has sent you to that Stake for them specifically. You can't describe it. Then, baby J turned her head from her Mum to stare at me straight in the eyes and she lifted her hand to her mouth and then out like she was blowing a kiss and I heard so clearly the words "Thank you". So clearly! I just BURST into tears and Sister Garcia did too because she heard the same thing. Then the movie ended and we were ALL in tears!!! G even had his t-shirt over his face because he was crying so much and we all knelt in prayer together and held one another as we cried. They are a family that I know I was sent to St George for. They said that no other missionaries have been able to bring their family closer. L said that before we came they all had their different beliefs but now they are all one in the Gospel and promised that they would be married in the Temple in a year from August and that we need to be there. It's those moments on your mission that make it, and you forget all the doors you've knocked and all the rude people and all the heartache. I will go to Little Valley and rely on the Lord to find more families like theirs to teach.

So today we have P-day and then at 6pm we are splitting and I am getting my new companion and thus begins my sixth transfer as a missionary in St George! It feels surreal! I'm nervous but I'm excited too! Pray for me please, lots and lots! I need it. I love you all. I'm ever grateful for my Saviour's strength. He builds me up and carries me so I can do hard things. In eternity, all that will matter will be the relationships we've formed and the person we have become. He is helping me to become more like Him and I readily accept His help.

I love you all
Sister Nicholls

Lots Of New Experiences - 20-5-14

Dear Family and Friends, 

So to begin the week with last p-day we had the best p-day ever! We went to the Children's Museum and got to pretend to work at Smiths, Zions Bank, the Farm, the Radio Station, a Castle, Obama's office etc. It was SO FUN!! Funniest moment was when these women came up to us and they were like “Is today your p-day?" and we were like "Yes! Tuesday is our p-day because we are in the VC" and she was like "Oh cool! I wasn't sure if you just were taking a break from missionary work!" hahaha. Only in Utah! You have to be so obedient in the Utah missions because everyone knows the rules! But we laughed SO MUCH! It was so relaxing and so fun!

We taught a Seminary class this week too! It's the end of the year so our Ward Mission Leader brother Barney (who is the teacher) invited us to come and speak about how the Book of Mormon has changed people's lives. My companion was really nervous standing up in front of the big group of cliquey teenagers but I've gotten used to it from doing Sisters Training Meeting each week ;) OOoooo just kidding but really. It went well and there were some non members there. It was cool to see a Seminary class that big. As soon as we reached the campus the bell rang and students started pouring out from every door! Music was playing and there was flirting everywhere and we felt SO out of place. Two little missionaries walking along in the 100 degree heat trying to find the Seminary building hahah! It was an experience never to forget! 

Another unforgettable moment this week was teaching the Law of Chastity to L and G. They live together and have three kiddies but are not married. She is a member and he is our investigator. It was too perfect because we were sitting out on their grass with L and then G came out joined us and there were no kiddies so I pulled out two pamphlets, one of them being chastity. We looked at each and confirmed by our eyes in a way that you can only do when you've been companions with someone for 18 weeks straight and put the other pamphlet away and introduced sexual purity to the both of them. It was SO AWKWARD because they kept cracking jokes and we went red because we all know they aren't living it but we were serious with them and invited them to pray about being married sooner than 2015. They said if they receive an answer that they should be married now that they would! So over all it was great! It was just awkward because they mentioned many awkward things. But thankfully we'd prepared the lesson before by role playing with President Center all those weeks ago, remember? hahaha! 

We're not sure what's going on with A and C because she always says she is coming to Church but it's so frustrating when we arrange members to pick them up and we remind them all week and call them Sunday morning to wake them up and then they just stand up the members who go to pick them up. We don't know if we should just drop them and move on or if we should continue visiting and hope that something will click sooner or later. It's so frustrating. We left Church to go and visit everyone who said they WERE coming but were not there in Sacrament Meeting. We picked them up and had them come to the next Sacrament Meeting (same morning). You can do that in Utah ;) haha. The same thing is happening with J, she just isn’t coming to Church and isn't sure if she wants to be baptized. It's just so hard when you try your best and people reject Christ. 

So the laundry room in our apartment complex has died so for the next few months we will have to do laundry at members homes. Which is great because my clothes never smelled clean from that laundry place! So this morning we went to the Bishop's home and did our laundry while studying. The Bishop and his wife had to leave but they told us to get cereal from their cupboard and eat anything we wanted! Haha and they have a really nice house and a black marble grand piano! We had a good time ;) I promise we did study. I LOVE Bishop Jones and his family. You'd all be friends I think so I can’t wait for you to meet them!

On Sunday we went to our Eagles Landing Ward and I sat with Sister Bristol, remember she took us out for dinner a few times and her son was in my EFY group in 2009? Well we love her a ton and we were sitting with her in Sacrament Meeting and the youth all spoke who were graduating High School and then the Bishop stood up and said “And now we'd like to hear from our Sister Missionaries" and so we were like....WHAT!!! hahahahahha and we went up to the stand and I started off my talk by saying "I love giving surprise talks!" and everyone lolled! I spoke about Doctrine and Covenants 97:8-9 and how as I've sacrificed my will throughout my mission I have seen miracles, specifically being in the right place at the right time! The Spirit did all the talking because I had nothing prepared haha. I used those scriptures because we had interviews with President this week and he asked us all about what we are sacrificing for our missions and what we can sacrifice every day. Then we read those verses together and he actually asked me to write a paper on it. I felt like I was at BYU again as I studied it these mornings and tried to write about it. Then I typed it up at the VC before handing it in to him. I was freaking out and I said to Sister Garcia that I wished there would be TA Lab I could visit and show it to them and they could look it over and tell me if that’s what President wanted haha. It was way more stressful than having to write any paper for BYU ever. Papers for Mission Presidents on certain scriptures are scary. But it was funny because we told our District Leader that I have to write a paper on a scripture and he was like, can I ask what scripture President assigned you? So we decided to have some fun and I told him it was Helaman 7:17 and 22 and asked him to find it and read it and he read it on the phone to us and tried to keep a straight face and say “Well…I’m sure that President just felt-" and we burst out laughing. I was like “What do you think that means?!" hahah. You should look up that scripture! 

We went to an RS Enrichment Activity about missionary work and did role plays with the sisters. It was great! I felt like I was at home at an RS activity again. It made me feel a little bit homesick for Basildon Ward! 

In other news I have an ear infection or something because I've had an ear ache for a few days so I'm seeing a doctor today at 3pm and hopefully that'll be sorted out. Well thats all for this week! Sorry not a ton has happened! It's transfers this week so I don’t know when my p-day will be next week yet :( Sorry! Don’t think I’m dead! And pray that I won't freak out about whatever the transfer call is. I'll find out Thursday or Friday from the Assistants and have to keep it in til the weekend! CRAZY! Me and Sister Garcia definitely think we'll be split up because we've been together for three transfers! I'm fine with whatever happens, honestly. 

I love you all

Sister Nicholls

An INCREDIBLE Week! - 13-5-14

Dear Family and Friends, 

We have had an INCREDIBLE week! Let me start with last P-Day!

Sister Garcia and I decided to go into "downtown" St George haha, I say "downtown" because it's like two streets and hardly merits being called downtown! But anyway it's full of cute little shops with cute little antiques and little cafes. So we walked around and looked in some shops, and we found a Book of Mormon from the 1800s that was a few hundred dollars! We wanted it! Preaching the gospel with that would be way more powerful right? We ate in the Pizza Factory together, and found a statue of Brigham Young which we made lots of use of :) haha! It was just a really nice relaxed p-day going round the cute little shops.

On Wednesday we worked SOOOOOOOOOOO hard in the VC and in our area. We had 5 hours in our area after our shift at the VC and we taught 7 lessons and put 4 people on date for baptism in May and found 1 new investigator. It was filled with miracles! We followed the Spirit to know what to say to the people to help them accept a baptismal date! It was just so wonderful seeing the Spirit working in their hearts. We were exhausted after that! At the VC a Russian bus came and I took the tour with them and the tour guide translated what I would say into Russian. We have no idea if they translate it right but he was nice so I trust him! The Russians all came up to me afterwards with questions and they took 25 Book of Mormons in Russian! They were asking GREAT questions and I just love being here able to plant those seeds so that my friends in Russia serving their missions might find them and nourish the seed. 

On Thursday we had our District Training Meeting as usual and it was great! We had Sisters Training Meeting beforehand and it went great too!!! The Spirit was so strong at both that many of us shed tears. I said the closing prayer at DTM and we were all kneeling together in a circle and I focused on what I would say to Heavenly Father on behalf of our district right there and then if He was with us. It was a really powerful spiritual experience and tears were shed by more than just one of us. When we stood up after the prayer no one said anything for a few minutes. When you feel the Spirit like that you just don't want to break it for anything! After DTM we had one hour to work between that and starting our VC shift so we went and taught THREE LESSONS in one hour! We worked so hard! M is having a hard time in life and isn’t reading the scriptures so every day we go to her house and read one verse from the Book of Mormon with her. Who knows if it helps because she doesn’t say anything but we are trying our best. The Elders met with us to talk about our area and how it's going and what they can do to help. They were so happy with how it's all going. The Lord is pouring out His work and we are so grateful to be His servants. 

We had a French bus come the other day and I was standing in the back to help them out with time keeping and handing out Le Livre De Mormon and I was about to leave to go to the front when I felt like I should stop and stay there. So I stopped walking away and stood awkwardly at the back surrounded by French people. I stood there and then this French woman was walking past but stopped and looked at me and looked like she had something to say so I opened my mouth and spoke some French words to her and she spoke back in French and I knew what she was saying. She told me that she was feeling very calm and very peaceful in this building and wanted to know why! I asked her if she believed in God and she said that she does, and I told her it was the Holy Spirit telling her that what we are telling her is true. She was clutching a Book of Mormon and I told her if she reads that every day that no matter the problems her family are facing that she will feel this same feeling every day. This never happens with French buses! EVER! So I tried, and I asked her if she would mind giving me her contact details and I will contact her and teach her some more. She said that she would and I said that I would give it to a French Sister who could speak in French to her and she said "No! You!! No!!" so I was like......okkkaayyyy then we will try to do this in English and French! So that was a HUGE miracle! Usually the buses just come and go but the Spirit directed me to be in the right place at the right time to connect with that one French woman! I also took an Italian bus tour the other day which was fun! They were all Catholic but took Book of Mormons! 

On Friday we had 5 hours in our area again after our VC shift! We were determined to reach the Standards of Exellence again so we determined that we had to find one more investigator and teach 8 more lessons. We prayed SO hard and we initiated the help of all our Ward Mission Leaders, telling them that they need to give us names of people to visit who might want to learn more or members who might know people. Bro Christiansen gave us the name of a member family who know non members, so we visited them and we went to the referrals house and there were two older ladies outside on the drive. We talked for a while and I asked if they were members and they said they are! I asked if everyone in the household were members and they said they are not! So we asked if they would be interested in learning more and she said “My granddaughter has actually said she would like to be baptized!". We were like "Well!! We can help with that!" and she went inside and got her! We taught her right then on the driveway, and got a return appointment! We had reached our goal!!!! We walked away from that driveway ecstatic and prayed on the street to say thank you to Heavenly Father. I remember before my mission I was always nervous to pray on the street for anything but now we do it like 67 times a day. Also, S (the granddaughter) is SOOOO elect. She has a strong testimony of Christ and she shares it powerfully with us. We learn so much from her! We went the next day to her house to teach her and they were having a yard sale and we were sat at a table and chairs that were for sale. There were so many people all around us and we were using our pamphlet to teach the Restoration. There was a mirror behind S so we could see ourselves teaching and holding the Pamphlet and S's countenance change as she understood. It really was a beautiful sight to see the message of the restoration being taught. It's those moments that you don’t even have words to describe how it feels. I just LOVE being a missionary so much! Then we were driving down the street and saw a potential investigator L walking. We pulled over immediately and jumped out and taught her right there and got a return appointment so we EXCEEDED our goal! We were SOOOOO thrilled! We were SOOOO blessed! 

We have been exercising really well this week! We get up at 6 and run to the Dixie Stadium and run round the track there and run up and down the bleachers until we can’t walk anymore then have to run home. It’s like 12 blocks to go there and back, then plus the exercise we do there it's KILLER!!! We go in a big group of Sisters so it's really nice. We got there one day and there was a big group of Elders playing football on the field. It was so awkward. None of us spoke to each other and we just pretended it never happened haha. But it is so nice to work out. It's so hot and light at 6am! We sweat and sweat. Its just going to get worse! 

Mother’s Day was SO GREAT! Seeing you was incredible. I cried a lot but it was okay. It was hard for the rest of the day. I think that’s why we only Skype like three times our whole mission! Haha! But for the evening we went to the Davis's house and they made Shepherds pie and Victoria Sponge cake!  

It was so nice to be with a nice family on Mother's Day. We visited some of the women we love, the Bishop's wife and the RS President etc. While we drove to the RS President's house there was a beautiful view so we stopped and looked at it. We wanted to take a pic and there were these two Asian 20 year old, or so, looking young men. We wanted to share the Gospel with them so we got out of our car and made awkward moves towards them even though we had the WHOLE hill to take pictures on hahaha. We approached them as only misionaries can and it turns out they are from China and are only in St George for one night. We gave them Book of Mormons and my personal mormon.org card and taught them what it meant etc. They appreciated it and said that they would read it and gave us their email addresses so we could stay in touch via the teaching centre at the VC! It was great to see how the Lord placed us in each other's paths! I just LOVE being a missionary! Also one of them was called Wong, WHAATTT!!! I was so happy! For Church we went to the Ward opposite the VC for Sacrament Meeting while we were on shift and we saw a car just like B’s who is the man who hit us with his car! We asked the Bishop if they have someone called B… H... in their ward and he pointed us in the direction of him and told us his wife is in hospital right now. He is so old and frail and can barely walk. We approached him and shook his hand and wished his wife better. He didn’t know who we were at all but it was so nice to just meet him and speak with him regardless!

Well I have to get running! But we made Standards of Excellence and we are working HARD! We have interviews with President Center this week too! We are doing the training at the District Training Meeting, the Sisters Training Meeting, and are teaching a Seminary class this week! So it's crazy! Pray for us please! We need it! 

I love you all SO MUCH! 

Sister Nicholls

Celebrity Missionaries and Sinister Cats - 6-5-14

Dear Family and Friends, 

We had a great week this week!! And I'm so excited that it's Mothers Day on Sunday and I can Skype you! I'm going to leave the VC with a French Sister who also needs to Skype in the morning cos of the time difference and will Skype you from a Senior Couple's house! It'll be between 10 - 10:30am OK? I am so excited to see your faces! Sister Clark added you yesterday Mum so you should accept her on Skype!! 

I don’t remember if I told you or not but the Bishop asked us to teach this less active family who was recently returning to activity so we have been teaching their 8yr old daughter before she gets baptized. The Dad couldn't baptize her and she wanted Elders to baptize her because her Mum is a convert and she has heard her stories of missionaries teaching her so we taught with the Elders and the Elders baptized her. It was so sweet because she is such a cute little girl. So spiritual and so pure. It was so nice to get to know the family, we're all good friends now. The baptism was beautiful too. And they gave us lots of the food so it's always great. Now I know how the missionaries feel when theWard gives them all the food after the activities. It's a good feeling :) hahah! 

We had an exciting moment the other night when the doors of the VC opened and in walked Elder Rheis from the Preach My Gospel DVD's!! I've seen his face on our dvd player for 24 weeks straight doing the 12 week training myself and then for Sister Garcia and so when he walked in I gasped and then everyone saw him and surrounded him haha!! We had a picture and took him on a tour!! It was so great! 

Remember last week we were wondering about whether we should drop all of our investigators because two have fallen off date and two just stand us up and don't agree with what we teach? Well it's all back on track again! We have been able to see them all and teach them all! The lessons went so well! We went over to T's house to teach her the new member lessons and G was there and actually sat down for the lesson, so of course we taught the Restoration! It went really well, the Spirit was really strong and I love it when the Spirit just takes over because we asked great questions and he really thought about the answers and looked really happy and said so many times “This makes so much sense!" so we invited him to be baptized and he said YES OF COURSE but he needs to be married to L cos they live together, and stop smoking! So we invited him to pray about what he should do because he wants to marry her in 2016 and he kept saying that is what he wants and he wants to give her a big wedding, or he wants to take her on a honeymoon etc and I was like "Have you asked Heavenly Father what he wants?" and he got all quiet and thoughtful and was like “Wow, I think you're right. I should do that!" so we are praying and fasting for him to make his decision. 

Also we saw A with Anne Marie as she is our go-to whenever lessons get tough! She came with us and we taught the Plan of Salvation and it went really well! She agreed with it and told us how she has been raised a Baptist and is almost 60 years old so will take some time to get used to what we believe. She just asked for time, but she told us how much she appreciates us and loves us visiting because she feels closer to God when we do. It is so nice to be able to do that for people. This really is the most fulfilling work I've ever done :) Sometimes it is SO hard, but that's when the Lord takes over and we make the memories we'll never forget. 

I've been teaching D every day on the phone in the Teaching Center at the VC. She is so incredible. She's the one I met at the VC the other day and invited to be baptized. She is coming back to the VC this evening to meet with her assigned missionaries in her local area! She is just doing so well! We read the Book of Mormon together on the phone. We actually recieved great training on that the other day from the Head Director of Visitors' Centers at our Sisters Training Meeting. He taught us how to show the investigators how to read the Book of Mormon, rather than just asking them to read it we need to show them how and do it with them. It was such a necessary training and I've really tried to implement it with all my investigators and we are seeing miracles. G LOVES it and has raced ahead on his reading but can tell us all about what he has read and how he feels about it all. Dana loves it too!!! 

We've had great progress with KC our 10 yr old investigator who should've been baptized by now but his parents keep putting it off. We met with just his Mum by herself and got to the root of her problem with the Church and it was all just about being offended by someone 10 years ago! We talked for a while and actually helped her to see it was time to come back. We were at Church on Sunday and she WALKED IN with her sons!!!!! WE WERE THRILLED!! We sat with her in RS and we all laughed together a lot and she has invited us over for dinner on Wednesday! I can’t tell you how much of a change that is. Theirs was always the most awkward house to go into because of how uncomfortable we all were around each other and now we're all besties! Miraclesmiraclesmiracles!! 

Funniest story of the week was when we were walking home from KC's house with all these oranges and bananas in a big bag that they'd given us because they'd been given a ton and couldn’t eat it all. We were walking past the other Sisters' apartments to our apartment and this black cat just emerged from the bush meowing. It looked so sinister because it only has one eye! Sister Garcia is TERRIFIED of cats because she's allergic to them. I swear this cat knew that because it ran at her and she swung the massive bag of oranges at the cat and this just encouraged the cat and it wouldn't give up and was determined to brush itself around her legs!!! It ran at her again and she screamed and I grabbed the cat and she ran to the door but I had the keys so I had to release the cat and unlock the door and so the cat ran at her with its creepy eye and meow and she screamed and ran in and we slammed the door before the cat could enter! For the next 3 minutes we heard it sitting outside our door meowing sinisterly and I looked at it out of the peep hole and I swear it looked back at me hahaha. So creepy! We went out to run in the morning at 6am and it emerged from the bush again and she screamed again! It was SOOOOO FUNNY!!!! We haven't seen it for a few days so I think it's gone! Until midnight tonight, we'll probably hear some meowing at our window and I'll open the blinds and it will be staring back at us with one eye hahahahahah!!! 

I had a cool experience the other night. I wasn't asleep or awake but I had this dream that I was at someone's house shining some light but they were in darkness and couldn't see the light because their curtains were not open. There was nothing I could do but bring the light to their house and wait for them to open the curtain. Eventually after a while they opened the curtains and the light was able to shine through. After they opened their curtains, their next door neighbour opened theirs, and then the other neighbour opened theirs until every house had their curtains opened to recieve the light! It helped me to really understand what Nephi says about the Spirit carrying it "unto the hearts" because I've always questioned why, if the Spirit is so powerful for some, can it not just penetrate the heart and allow everyone to feel it? I've asked that question so many times but now I've seen for myself how people have to open their curtains to allow the light in. The light can be right outside but we need to do our part to let the light in. It was powerful. I knew Heavenly Father was answering my prayer of years ago with that experience. It helps me when we have tough days to look back on that and know I'm called to bring the light to their house and wait for them to open the curtain!!! 

Another cool experience was when we were out tracting and the Elders texted us to ask where we were. We told them and they turned up a few minutes later with Kneaders smoothies for us!! It was 93 degrees so it was greatly appreciated!!!! We have the best District Leaders haha!! 

I've seen many miracles this week!! This work is soooo hard and requires constant consecration and dilligence, but it is so fulfilling. I need your prayers and love and support. One last thing - our Mission President has told us it is against church policy for us to have visitors at the VC and if we get visitors to avoid them and if we cannot avoid them to just say hello and goodbye. So please don't come and visit me anyone, and if you do, please don't be offended if I cannot speak to you or hide. I just need to be obedient! 10 more months!!! 

I love you all, and Mum and Dad I can’t wait to see you Sunday! 

Love Sister Nicholls