I love my new companion! Sister Biery helps me to work harder and be better. We laugh a ton together and we are coming to know each other really well. I am so grateful for her, she is exactly what I need at this point in my mission. Some of the sisters who served at the VC but went home recently came back this weekend to visit and they asked me how I am and I responded that I just feel tired and they said that that's normal and you get through it :) so there's hope that the exhaustion will stop soon. You know you're becoming accustomed to st george weather when you get in the car and it says 90F and you're like "why is it so cold today?" haha. We had the worst experience ever on Sunday! We were fasting and we wanted to contact some referrals that were all on the same street, so we parked the car and walked and honestly I've never felt like I was walking through the desert more than I have that day. It was such a struggle to put one foot infront of the other, and we were drenched in sweat. We dragged ourselves to each door and prayed that one of them would open and not one of them did. We kept walking and made it to a members house and begged them for water. We looked at the thermometer and it was 111F! No wonder we were dying!! I've never felt so drained! It's exhausting!! I dont know if it's the 9month exhaustion point or if it is the heat but I've started sleeping at the most innappropriate times! Haha I fell asleep when Sister Biery was saying a really long prayer the other day. I dreamed and everything, and when she said amen, I said amen and jumped up and had a huge red mark on my forehead from my hands! Haha we were watching a movie with Lauren our investigator and I slept through most of it haha! Lukcily we've seen them all 1000 times so the ending notes woke me up and I was just like "So how did you feel when _______ " hahaha. BAD TIMES!! I always fall asleep in church too! I feel like my parents ;) BUT cool thing from Church, I was wearing my nametag with my british flag and I met Elder Tautfest's parents. They go to the ward across the street from the VC! They are really nice. They said he really liked basildon! They remembered that you were the Bishop, Dad. He's coming back home in August so maybe I'll meet someone who has seen my parents since I have :) It was definitely a tender mercy of the Lord!
It seems like Little Valley is the place for active members in any denomination. The only people who are not members of the LDS church are the ministers and preachers of the other denominations. Most of them are really nice! We were invited into this female Methodist Minister's home and she was really nice. She told us that Joseph Smith used to be Methodist and we agreed whole heartedly. She knew her stuff. She isn't interested in learning more because she doesn't understand why the Lord would allow Methoidst women the Priesthood but why the Mormon women are not allowed. She thinks the Lord told the excommunicated woman yes to the Priesthood and thats why she keeps pursuing it. There wasnt much we could say back to that! Apart from that we've met with Baptist preachers, non denominational worship-leaders etc. I'm just working hard so that the power and authority of our calling from God can be manifest to the soft hearted. It's definitely a new experience compared to coming from Basildon where God just isn't a thing.
We met with a less active woman yesterday who we first met on Sunday and she invited us back for Monday. It reminded me a lot of my first area, Washington, because she lives in what is probably the only run down bungalow looking apartment stuck on the side of a house. It felt like home to be back in an apartment like that :) not because our home is like that, but because the first 8 months of my mission was in places like that. Anyway she was married in the temple then got divorced and doesnt come to church ever. She's been to all the churches and thinks that there is truth in everything, and we agreed with that and talked about how each church is made from elements of truth and inspired people, but that there is a Church that contains the WHOLE truth and a Prophet called of God. It was pretty bold but we did it lovingly. Then one of the sweetest moments of my mission occurred. I asked her what prompted her to invite us back and she looked very thoughtful and stared at us for a while and said "Because of the light that is around you. I always invite the missionaries back because of the light that shines and radiates from them. You carry this bright light that nobody else has, and I just want to bask in it all day." it was powerful and so touching. You never realize the authority of your calling when you're the one marinating in it all day! When we said goodbye she hugged me tight and whispered "you have the most beautiful bright light shining from you". It was incredibly humbling and touching. Send me back to the humble poor people!
Gina, our investigator who is afraid of baptismal committment tried to get herself off of date for August 16th. We let her off for a week then prayed so hard and went into the lesson and worked our best and the Lord sent the Spirit to guide us. Her concern is that she needs to be perfect after her baptism and I was like "Have you ever MET ME?? I've been baptized and I am NOWHERE near perfect!" hahaha. But we put her back on date forAUGUST 2nd so we got to move it forward!!! We are excited! Apart from that, Lauren is still doing good. She had a rough past, she's an orphan and went from foster home to foster home and did a lot of things she shouldnt have but she's ready to leave that all behind. She's just embracing the Gospel! Shane smokes and smokes and then feels bad and quits then goes back in the circle. ANy ideas for how to get people off of that circle would be greatly appreciated. Amy's husband came into town from Boston but they went out of town with each other for the whole week so no baptism :( We think we will give her a btpsimal date and invite her to invite him to come back into town for that day!
My Teaching Center investigator's are going good! I LOVE teaching over the phone. it defintiely takes some getting used to but once you've accustomed to not seeing the person's facial expressions or body language it gets better. I LOVE IT. One of them said the best thing I've ever heard! We were talking about 1 Nephi 1: 9-10 and countenances and radiances, and I asked him "what do you think is something you can do to make sure that you have that radiance about you?" and he thought about it for a few seconds and said "..................be mormon......." hahaha I was like YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT!!!"
Since we were invited to deactivate our facebook accounts and stop listening to music other than mormon tabernacle choir I've been praying a lot about what more I can sacrifice. The Lord definitely shows us what we need to do. It's often painful and difficult, but along with sacrificing whatever the Lord wants comes the sacrifice of our pride. As we hand over to him the things that we've been carrying with us for so long, the attributes that are not Christ-like, or the vices we haven't buried deep in the earth, we are ultimately handing over our pride and our will. I've been drawn to studying D&C88:119 but changing the words so it says : 119 Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a mission, even a mission of prayer, a mission of fasting, a mission of faith, a mission of learning, a mission of glory, a mission of order, a mission of God;
It's my greatest desire to make my mission a mission of God. Not my own, not anyone elses, but His. Consecration really is the only surrender which is ultimately a victory! My mission is teaching me so much, and I cant believe that I only have 8 months left! I need to learn everything I can while I still have time. I love you all and need your prayers and strength.
Sister Nicholls
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