O Babylon, O Babylon, we bid thee farewell! - 27-8-14

Oh wait, we enter Babylon every day knocking on college dorms!

Dear Loved ones,

This week has been sooo interesting! Lots of fun stories to tell so I'll jump right to it.

Our Zone Leaders are the Spanish Elders of the area, and they were teaching that man named A, remember a few emails back when I told the story of the really awkward eye compliment? Well he comes into the VC every day so we've all become good friends with him. Anyway we got a text saying "Hermana Nicholls, A would like you to give the talk on Baptism at his baptism" so I couldn't say no to that! It was on Sunday morning at 8am and it was ALL in Spanish. It was funny because he asked me to do a talk and Sister Lipke to do a talk. Loads of VC Sisters went, so all the Sisters who went were native Spanish speakers, and then there was us two who couldn't speak a word. Yet we were the two who had to speak. So I just spoke slowly and clearly in the hope that they would magically understand English if I spoke it slowly haha. #typicalignorantbrit But the baptism was BEAUTIFUL! The Spirit was strong and A was so happy afterwards.

We had a great lesson with our new investigator T last Wednesday evening. We taught The Restoration like 10 times last week! But the lesson went really well. These are what make the sweetest moments of missionary work. When you go into someone's home...or dorm....and they are just curious to know more at the start, but throughout the lesson the Spirit touches them and the curiosity turns into a sincere desire to know the truth. There's nothing more fulfilling than entering homes and teaching children of God the truth that their soul once knew but forgot, that they can be together with their families forever, and teaching them how to talk to their Father in Heaven for the first time! So at the start he just wanted to know what Mormons believed in, so we taught the restoration and at the end he said he would be baptized and we all knelt down together and he prayed! In his prayer he said the best thing ever "Thank you for sending the Missionaries to me. Let me know what I need to do to be a Mormon"!!!!!!! Sister Biery and I were like slapping each others arms during the prayer! It was such a great moment, and missions just seem to be filled with those moments that you want to last forever. Sweetest moments of my life have been praying with my investigators. I LOVE being a missionary :))))))

We had a super confusing lesson with this girl from Venezula. She is learning English and she said she was interested, then that she's not, then that she doesn't belive in God, then that she knows her prayers are answered, then that she's Catholic, then that she's not. We were like uuuhhhhhhh okaayyyyy. We just taught and are going to let the Ward fellowship her, specifically some Spanish speaking RMs! Can I just say how scary it is teaching when the members that come with you are fresh back from their missions. And they are all so great that you can guess they were probably the APs and the STLs. Every lesson I teach I get so hot and nervous and sweaty hahaha. I remember being constantly hot and sweaty when teaching in the MTC so I feel like I've gone back in time! Haha. Anyway it's good cos they know what to say and how to say it but I am just battling with so many feelings of inadequacy and stress. The Lord is helping though :) We had a great lesson with this girl named K :) she is from California and she said she'd be baptized and come to Church and to all the activities with all her roommates. Things are going well. We visited N, our investigator who is on the football team. We hadn't met him but we kept trying his house but he was never home because football practise is twice a day. FINALLY a young man opened the door wearing hardly ANYTHING and we were like staring at his face the WHOLE time and he said he was N! It was so great because his roommates were there and we gathered them all to the door, these big guys from the football team all non members, and we quitened them all down and stared at everyones faces only, and shared a scripture about Jesus Christ. When else are we going to do that in our life?! Stand at a boys dorm where all the football players are getting ready to go to practise and talk to them about Jesus?! Haha it was the best! We checked our phone on Friday night and there was this voicemail that went like this "Hi Sisters! This is the former Elder Captain of the Utah St George mission....now Chris Captain. I'm in town this weekend and have some time and need to come teaching with the missionaries. Let me know and I'll come teach with you!" so we were like WHAT ON EARTH!!! haha Elder Captain was the Assistant that just went home a transfer ago, he served in Dixie before he went home so it was SUCH a help. Some of the people we were teaching were people he found! So it was a great experience. But again a very nerve wracking and sweaty experience for the two nervous missionaries. It's always weird seeing missionaries who have gone home come back with their beards and their shorts. But the person we were teaching is from Nigeria and he just loves to debate and has every concern under the sun.

We had a TON of non members come in the VC on Friday night, there was this seventh day adventist convention in St George and they all came to the VC. They were from all over the world and were attending a conference about science and religion. It was exciting because this huge group of Romanians were there and they really wanted to see inside the church building across the street. We found the key and Sister Biery and I gave them a chapel tour. It was so random! When we were leaving I was like "I never thought my Friday night activities would include being in a chapel in St George with a bunch of Catholic Romanians". But it was a great experience. We resolved some concerns about the Sacrament and about the Book of Mormon. Again I thought about how far I've come with not being so afraid of answering tough questions in the last 11 months! It was just casual and normal and I thought how scared I would be to have done that 10 months ago. I love how the Lord helps you become what you need.

I was on exchanges with Sister Donovan yesterday, and we had one of the biggest miracle moments ever! I was in Morningside with her, and we knocked on this door and a few minutes later this scary looking man who stunk of cigarettes answered the door. He started out by grumpily saying that we had woken him up (at midday) and that we shouldn't waste our time with him. I said to him that we are his missionaries and want him to be able to know us and recognize us and come to us for anything. Turns out he was in the Navy all his life and has lived oversees so I asked him the biggest thing he learned from seeing all the world, and he said that there is GOOD in the world, not just bad. So we started sharing our message about being God's children and there being a Prophet on the earth and he said that he isn't religious but enjoys meditating but that out of all the religions he likes Mormons the best. We invited him to learn more and he declined and said he wasn't interested and we went along on our merry way. As we walked away I just felt so strongly that we needed to go back and give him a Book of Mormon. We were nervous to go back but thought about it and asked ourselves what Jesus would do. So we wrote a note in the front of the Book of Mormon and went back and saw he was sitting in front of his porch smoking and staring into space. I took a deep breath and said that we really wanted to give him this as a gift. He looked at us with such sincerity and said "I am so glad you came back. Since I shut the door I felt this glow in my chest about what you were saying. It was such a good feeling and I saw your aura's and they are such glowing and beautiful auras. I don't know what you girls have done, but you must've done something right in God's eyes." and went on to say that he trusts what we say and that he was for sure going to read the Book of Mormon and that we should go back to his home next week. We promised he would feel the same feeling as he read the Book of Mormon. He started reading right there and then with his cigarette in hand haha. It was one of the most precious moments of my mission.

Lastly, we have been screwed over by this crazy lady. Some Young Single Adults contacted us to say they met someone who wants to be taught, and set up a lesson for us. We went there and taught her and she said she'd be baptized and we made a return appointment for this evening. She went to Church and everything. Then we went to put her number in our phone and it was already saved as "DO NOT ANSWER" so we felt slightly alarmed and called the Elders and asked what they knew and they were like "She has been baptized a few times under different names and tries to get every missionary to teach her" its so weird!! And then I remembered that I'd heard about her when I first arrived in the mission, that we should avoid her because she made false accusations about the Elders when they went to teach her. So President told us all to avoid her. But we'd already been in her home and taught her haha! AND HUGGED HER!!! We were proper played like a pack of cards.

Anywayyyyy that's all my time for now! It's been a week of growing and learning. If repentance just means changing, then I've repented a lot this week. The Lord is showing me the cracks of weakness within myself and I'm using His love and strength to overcome it. I am coming to know Him better through my struggles and I never want to be far away from His spirit. I began the Book of Mormon again this week and learned how Nephi said four times "Let us be faithful in KEEPING the commandments" and he talked a lot about accomplishing the thing which the Lord commands. I learned that it's not enough to just try to keep the commandments, but we must be faithful in accomplishing that. He went back three times to get the plates. It would've been so easy for him to be like "Well we walked all this way and tried and Laban has his agency and chose to not give it to us...oh well, we tried, we did our part." But he didn't! He knew he wasn't keeping the commandments if he didn't accomplish it. So he went back again and again until he'd accomplished it. I thought about how often I blame people's agency for not giving them a tour at the VC or not giving them a BOM at the door. I learned that I need to accomplish what the Lord has asked of me and not just try or give up at the first hurdle!!

I love you all! Thank you for your support and love and encouragement! I pray for you all!

Sister Nicholls

DIXIIEE!!! - 20-8-14

Dear Loved Ones,

I'm going to start out by saying how I was right last week. I am ALWAYS surprised at transfer calls, and this time was no different. So Saturday morning came and I was feeling nervous, anticipating that anything could happen. There was going to be a trio of Sisters this transfer due to an uneven amount of Sisters so I thought that that could be me too. But after hours of painful studies just looking at the phone, we went to work in our area. No ONE answered and our one appointment stood us up, so we decided to do our weekly planning back in our apartment. On the way home, we drove by the mission office. Sister Biery said she needed the bathroom and wanted to check if we had any mail (because they don't send it out on week 6 of the transfer) so we went in and walked through the office to use the bathroom and waved at the AP's making the calls. A few minutes later they followed us out and were walking up the hallway towards us. They asked if we wanted our transfer call and we said YESSS so they said "Sisters, you'll be leaving your area, and staying together as a companionship to open Dixie 1.5" AHHHHH so it's exciting because we share the Stake with them.

They cover a whole bunch of Wards and we cover 5 of them, just in central St George. It's scary because they're GREAT missionaries and get things done, so we are going to work our best to keep up and get things done. There are two Young Single Adult Stakes in St George (not like Provo with it's 50 Stakes haha) and they covered all of it, and now there is the 1st Stake which is covered by us and the AP's and then the 2nd Stake which is covered by another set of Elders. So it's fun to be in a team with cool people. When they told us I screamed so loud that a baby started crying and we hugged and screamed and jumped and were SO excited. It couldn't be more different from Little Valley. There are non members all over the place from all over the world and they actually listen to what you have to say. So it's GREAT!

Sad news for Little Valley. We met up with A in the park the other week and she told us that she had booked her flight home to Boston. She went home on Monday. I've grown so close with her and love her so much. I think I was just there in Little Valley to meet her. She came on the day that I was brought into that area and left on the day that I left. She was Heavenly Father's tender mercy to me and I know we'll be eternity-long bffs. She feeds my soul and I miss her so much. It feels like raising a child and then sending them off into the world, hoping that you did your best for them. I hope she remembers everything we taught her and everything the Spirit taught her and everything she felt. She says she is for sure being baptized but she knows her husband needs to be there. So we are going to continue to teach her on the phone and by email at the VC and help her stay on the straight and narrow. We will get her in touch with her local missionaries and Bishop and Ward. They have no idea that they have the biggest miracle coming their way very soon!

Dad you'd be proud, I took a Dutch family around the VC and they LIKED it. I love the Dutch people because they make me feel closer to you. They are the nicest European groups we ever get. This week has been creeper central in the VC. That polygamist guy I wrote to you last week about? He came back and wouldn't leave me alone and said creepy things to me and the other Sisters said he was looking at me wayyyyyyyy too much so I went and hid in the break room until he left. It was a looonng time to sit there looking at the walls haha. But he was scary!! It's such a shame when that happens because all you want to do is give them a chance at eternal life and all they want is to be creepy #boys BUT now I'm in YSA it's more prominent! We had two boys invite us out to breakfast yesterday and we were like "As long as there's teaching involved...and it's at the Visitor's center....at 3:00pm....we can be there then!" hahhaa

I have to tell you about the best Zone Conference of my entire mission. Remember a few weeks ago we got told that there would be an impromptu Zone Conference so rumours of Jeffrey R Holland were flying around? Well it was better than that. It was a missionary testimony meeting. I wish I could put into words how sacred that meeting was to me. I feel like that about my whole mission though, how can I put it into words? So we first had to drive to the chapel and were instructed to leave our hood and trunk popped with our keys in the front drivers seat and the doors unlocked. It was a sight to behold all these cars in the car park with their hoods and trunks open. CAN YOU IMAGINE THAT IN ESSEX? We came out of the meeting and everyone's cars were still there and the keys were in the ignition after they'd all been checked! I was astounded haha. Everyone's testimonies were so touching. We get to bear our testimonies every day, and the missionaries we work alongside of are our best friends, but we don't really know each other that well. We know each other's strengths, and each other's spirits, but we don't KNOW things about each other - where we came from, our struggles, how Christ has helped us personally. It was a beautiful meeting and I thought that the chapel would be translated at any second because the Spirit was so strong. It was the boost we all needed. I was sitting by a window and saw cars rushing by and everyone running around in the world and I knew that there was nowhere else I'd want to be, and nowhere else I'd ever want to be than in Zion. Have I ever mentioned how much I love my mission? I have 5 transfers left and it sounds like ages but it's gone by soooo fast that I know how fast this will go by. But knowing how short it is left makes me want to work harder, it doesn't make me trunky. I have so much to learn every single day, and it seems like the longer I'm on my mission the more imperfections I find with myself. I am really learning how to use the Atonement and how to use prayer and how to not be hard on myself. I expect way too much of myself compared to what the Saviour expects of me. I am learning that I'm not perfect, but that that is okay. In fact, that's how it is supposed to be. I love it :) I'm leaning on my Saviour for support and He is lifting me up.

We started working in our new area yesterday. I am thrilled to still have Sister Biery because she helps me to be better. We nervously walked to the dorms that we cover and began knocking. It's scary because there's been such a legacy of great missionaries there that they all still remember and love and it's easy to feel inadequate and terrified. But there have been so many tender mercies already.We fasted together to be placed in the right places to find the elect, and as we were fasting a woman approached us and told us she is a landlord for an apartment complex we cover and that 3 non members moved in and so did one of the Elders who served here who has gone home. He is attending DSU now and lives there with them! So that was cool! Then yesterday we just knocked and knocked and we have 7 return appointments with non members, and taught two of them right there and then. YSA seem to be great for letting us in. We just say we are here to teach about Jesus and that it will help them be happier. We are being really bold and telling them that there's a Prophet on the earth and he's called us to come to them and tell them that Christ's true church has been restored. They usually listen to that and invite us in straight away! It blows me away every time. No one was rude to us, and non members made return appointments. When does that ever happen in Little Valley?! We texted our 21 year old RM Ward Mission leaders and they have coordinated for other students to be at our appointments. It's so great! It's a walking area so we walk everywhere. I am reminded of the Washington ache, where I was being trained in that walking area and got aches and muscles in places I didn't know existed. SO I LOVE walking. And we don't have dinner appointments because they are all students so I'm losing weight and it's the best.

Pray for me please, new areas are always scary. It's my third time re-opening and I feel like President Center must think I haven't quite gotten it right yet so I need to keep doing it again and again. It's scary but I love a challenge, it always brings me to my knees and helps me learn more about the Saviour.

I adore you all
Sister Nicholls

Will this be the last week in Little Valley? - 12-8-14

Dear Friends and Family, 

Lots to type this week so I'll try and get it done! Firstly, this is week 6 of the transfer so we get transfer calls on Saturday! This is the first time I've had to wait for the Assistants to call on the Saturday morning for about 4 transfers so I'm nervous!! President has made a few outbound jokes to me recently so maybe I'll be packing my bags and getting on the transfer van for a few hours. I'm fine with whatever happens, but I always seem to be surprised so I have no guesses as to what is going on! 

The highlight of my week was seeing the Herbertson family!!!

It was a miracle that we even saw each other because I wasn't on shift, but we had an appointment at the VC and so we went and before I could walk in, Sister Garcia ran out and told me to shut my eyes and took my hands to lead me in. I was so scared and said "IS MY MUM HERE?" as a joke and as I said it I heard this British voice say "Ello Sister Nicholls!" and I knew it was Nathan and I might've jumped and screamed (but all very professionally because I'm a missionary) and then hugged Julie for about 10 minutes. There was NO ONE in the VC so all the Sisters were staring haha but I didn’t care, it was great! We'd just been stood up four times that day for appointments so I was more than thrilled to see smoeone who liked us haha. We talked and LAUGHED and hugged and took pictures. It was so weird to see Nathan because I feel like we were just at the Olympics together and I was nervous to go to BYU and he was nervous for his mission and then now it's all over! It was more weird to hear them say my name. They said “Let’s pose like this for Charlotte's camera" and I hardly recognize my first name anymore! But it was sooooo nice to see them! But yeah EVERYONE stood us up again this week. I got the lowest numbers I've ever gotten. I got the same as I got when I reopened an area on the first week :o but its okay because we're learning patience and gratitude and we strengthen each other!

We spent some time making cookies and handing them out to people to make them like us more! We went back up the massive hill to give them to a non member family and it was hilarious because we discovered that there was a wasps nest up there and they began chasing us - nice move non members ;) way to keep the missionaries away. It was worse than Colchester Zoo with Luke and Perry hahaha. We RAN and RAN and RAN down that hill and wasps were chasing us and we jumped in the car and drove and then there was a WASP in the car!!!!! I have never feared for my life so much! Those were the wasps of Satan for sure. We met some great people giving out cookies though. This one Baptist preacher and his family really like us now, so we are working with their neighbours to do a FHE with them. We met a new Catholic family that just moved in and she was so cute! She looked at my nametag and said "Sister Nicholas....can I just call you Nicky?" hahaha she thought it was my first name and I just said sure thing. Everyone calls me Sister Nicholas!

I had a tragedy in the VC this week! We were about to leave to go to Church on Sunday morning at 11am and I'd been in the VC since 9am and hadn’t eaten breakfast but we'd had a nutella milkshake dropped off to us the day before and I wanted it and so I drunk most of it and there was ONE mouthful left, and in keeping with life it’s when you do the final lap or the last second or the last mouhtful that everything goes wrong. Can I mention I was wearing a white skirt and the brand new top you sent me mum. I took the last mouthful overzealously and overshot and overestimated the swig and it went ALLLLLLLL DOWN MEEEEE!!! It went down my chest into my shirt and down my skirt and into my SHOEEEEEE!!! And we had 2 minutes until Church started! We both just stood in the kitchen in SHOCKED SILENCE and I dared not look at what monstrosity I had just created. And I broke the silence with my laughter! It was EVERYWHERE! I didn’t have time to change or I'd have missed Church so instead we just wiped some of it off and ran to church! I had to sit through 1hr and a half of Sacrament Meeting smelling like chocolate milk and being freezing cold and sticky. My shoes were stuck to my wet milky feet and my arms were sticky and I just felt miserable but it was hilarious! We ran home afterwards and I washed it all today and it's all come out so crisis over! 

We had our Zone Meeting this week and it was more like a Zone party. We have the Mesquite missionaries in our Zone now so they were there and when we had to return and report our numbers for each area of new investigators we're all like “We had 3 new investigators this month" or “We had 2 new investigators" then the Mesquite Elders stand up and say “We had 28 new investigators last month" and everyone’s mouths dropped open! #mostcovetedareaofthemission - haha - but the Zone Leaders provided a classy break time treat for us. There was bottle after bottle of Martinelli's apple cider and plates and plates of different cheeses from all over the world and home made bread and brownies and lots of different cheesecakes hahah. It was SO FUN! We were popping those bottles like nobody's business. It was so fun! Also we discovered that Sister Pearson and I were at the same New Years Eve party in 2012 in London! Fun fact :) but it was such a great Zone meeting.

In the VC things are going well! We have a brand new art work exhibit by Al Rounds. It's entitled "Sacred Places" and it goes through all the Church history significant places, like the Sacred Grove, Joseph Smith's house, Hill Cumorah, Martin Harris farm, Kirtland, Nauvoo, Liberty and Carthage jails, PRESTON ENGLAND, St George, Salt Lake, Hawn's Mill, Adam ondi ahman etc. It is so beautiful!! I love it and I love giving tours of it. I've taken some pics of it and will use it for my next planner art work! I had a great experience giving a tour in the VC this last week. A Sister came to get me because there were three British women in the back who wanted a tour. It always works out best when their own nationality greet them so she came to get me and it turns out they're from Luton! Haha it was a delight to hear my own accent for once. They know where the LDS Church in Luton is. One of the three women was soooo interested. They were here to golf and have been here before and will come next year. She said that the people here are just such nice people and are beautiful inside and out, and it just intruiged her as to why. We talked a lot about the Temple and about the Book of Mormon, and they told me that they had been to Deseret Book and bought a book called something like 100 questions answered about Mormons. She thought it was so interesting and when I picked up the English Book of Mormon from the big Book of Mormon table and said we could give her one she just snatched it out of my hand and said thanks! Hahaha she REALLY wanted THAT Book of Mormon! So I had to find another one to replace the one on the table. But she asked such great questions and she gave me her contact details so I will continue to teach her online. She gave me her email address and said "I shall be disappointed if you do not contact me." and just loved everything we talked about. I love the VC for reasons like that, that you get to meet people from all over the world who you can see have been prepared for that experience for a long time. 

So last week I told you about the MEP who came in and offered an internship, and this week someone else came in and offered us internships. It was this incredibly interesting woman who goes undercover into Colorado City and helps save the people there. She saves women and children from abuse and she has set up a school and buys clothes from DI for the kids to wear to this school and she was just telling us all about her job and we were all captivated by it. She said she needs volunteers and interns and gave us all her business card! Ever since I got here I can’t even describe the feelings I have for the polygamists but I just feel drawn to helping them and when she came in and talked to us about what she does it was incredible. It's definitely an option to consider :) Yesterday I gave a tour to a lost boy who broke away from the polygamists a few years ago. He said he had taken the missionary discussions twice but never felt like he could be baptized. But he came in because he was in desperate need of feeling the Spirit and he has nowhere to live right now. It was heart breaking. It was really cool because in the morning during companionship study we listen to the Spirit and prepare something for the VC that we feel inspried to prepare. That morning it was the Family Proclamation. As I was giving him the tour, we ended up at the Family Proclamation and I taught about our Apostles and Prophets and their role in strengthening families, and he got all tearful and shared some horrific stories about how he was disowned and what has happened to his family. I put him in the Modern Prophets booth and put on President Monson's testimony from Special Witnesses and at the end he was all tearful and said he has made his decision - he needs to take that step and be baptized! He gave me his details and wants to be taught. It was such a great experience and we just clicked. His stories just break my heart and I can’t describe how I feel about them. It was one of those experiences I'll never forget at the VC. We had a French bus break down outside he VC the other day so there were 30 French people STUCK in the VC with no way out. We preached and preached til every one of them wanted to be baptized ;) 

Lastly, the exercise is going well!! I've only thrown up one more time after exercising so I'm taking it easier and not drinking as much haha. We've started playing soccer in the mornings too. It's funny because none of the other Sisters get as in to it as myself and Sister Lipke, the Sister from Germany, get SO into it and we tackle and sprint and kick and love it and the other Sisters are like “Of course the two European Sisters are the ones that actually enjoy this" hahha. They were like “Have you played soccer before?" and we're like “We're European, its in our blood. This is what we do." hahahaha but we get all intense and everyone else just watches. We make sure we get to the field before the Elders take it! hahaha! It's all fun! 

I gotta go now! I loovveeee being a missionary and serving the Lord and the people of Little Valley!

Keep me in your prayers and I'll keep you in mine.

Sister Nicholls

"Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly!" - 5-8-14

Dear Loved Ones, 

What a week! Missions definitely are filled with the highest highs and lowest lows. The highest high was definitely S being baptized!!!!!!!!!!!!! We just love him so much and are so proud of him that he made it!  He's been taught since October, and wanted to be baptized so badly but just couldn’t quit smoking. I can't claim that we did anything different than the Elders did with him at all - I just think it was the right time for him! He has come from a rough background and a hard life, and I can't tell you the change I've seen come over him in just the few months I've known him. He was positively radiant on his baptismal night and his confirmation morning. He was prepared and ready and he did it for the right reasons. When the man who baptized him bore his testimony he said "Just like with everything, it takes some Sisters to get the job done." and we all cracked up. But in seriousness the Elders did a great job - he talks so highly of them and we couldn't have gotten this far with him without their influence too. So we're grateful for all involved. It was a beautiful baptism, and our Zone Leaders came with their investigator. They are Spanish speaking so the man was Mexican and he was so sincere. He loved it and has since accepted a baptismal date. It was the most awkward moment of the week with him though: so both the Elders and I and Sister Biery were standing with him talking about the baptism and I asked him where he is from and he said Mexico. He didn’t look Mexican because he was white with green eyes and Elder Castellanos said “Can’t you tell he's Mexican with his white skin and green eyes?!" and then the man said to me "Green eyes just like yours....no, blue.....Beautiful blue eyes…Beautiful." and I felt so awkward and thought my face was going to explode and die because the mantle of missionary awkwardness has definitely found place within me. I couldn’t say anything and just looked at the floor and muttered “Thank you" and there was about 7 seconds of the most heavy awkward silence ever. Sister Biery had to walk away she felt so awkward hahahahahaha. It was horrible!!!!!! The Elders didn’t know what to do and neither did we! After we left they texted us saying "That awkward moment when Sister Nicholls can't take an eye compliment" Hahahha I feel like I'll never be able to speak to a man or hear a compliment ever again in my life without feeling like I'm going to die of awkwardness. Missionary life is so much easier ;) 

I am in love with the family we're working with called the M family! They came to Church as a family and stayed the whole 3 hours. They were suited and booted and looked great as all Little Valley people do! They cried from the Spirit and said how they needed to change their life and have this all the time. We went to Gospel Principles with them and our Ward Mission Leader Brother Slade was teaching. He is a counsellor and the whole class was on parenting techniques taught in the scriptures. It was great!!! Then we went to Relief Society and Brother Slade's heavily pregnant wife was supposed to teach but asked him to do it, so he taught again about communication between couples. So I got 2 hours of free therapy! Can I just say, every time I go to Relief Society I hear those great words that every missionary wants to hear "Today, Relief Society Sisters, we will be learning about eternal marriage" and me and Sister Biery look at each other and know it's going to be a looooonnnggg lesson! And it seems to be all we've learned about in RS for the last few weeks! Anyway Sis M loved it and after Church we taught them a lesson and they shared with us what they learned at Church and it was very positive. Also something very exciting! They are getting a mummy and a baby LLAMAAAAA!!!!! MY FAVOURITE ANIMALS!!! And I said what are you going to call the baby? and their little girl  said "We are thinking either Fiona or Charlotte!" and I nearly spat out my water hahahaha they had no idea that was my name haha!! I told them and they said "Well then we MUST call it Charlotte"  hahaha. I now have a baby llama with my own name #whatanhonor 

We had exchanges this week, and I was with Sister Potter who is from Florida. It was a really great exchange and we had a lot of fun! I love her a lot. We contacted this Philippino family who were so nice! The Dad said that he was 6 days away from being baptized when he was in Indiana but he didn’t make it but he loved Church and took his kids. The wife didn’t go because she's Catholic and she looked at us with daggers in her eyes. It always hurts my heart that because of my name tag people are terrified of me or despise me. So we are making cookies with Sister Pack to soften the hearts of the people in the surrounding areas. It’s been fun because it's rained a lot this week and it feels like we've had thunder storms every night. We go home for planning and then it starts raining and after planning we all go outside and run around and dance and take pictures. It's a lot of fun :) 

I had two cool things happen in the VC this week! One, I found a note in my cubby hole that says: "Sister Nicholls! Hey, you may not remember me but back in February you took my 3 friends and I around the VC. We watched God's Plan and talked. I wanted to tell you that our experience got us talking about our missions. It was a turning point in my friend's life and I wanted to thank you for the love, light and spirit you brought. Much love, Whitney" 

Try as I might I cannot remember this tour at all! But I trust that it did happen haha. So they came in and I wasn’t there so they just wrote that for me! It showed me how you never know how your words can help someone, even if you’re just simply doing your job. There's a verse in the D&C that I love about every man performing the duty to which he has been called with all diligence, and I've studied it a lot recently. I love it! 

Lastly, a man came into the VC who is from Wales and represents UKIP in the European Parliament. I excitedly told him all about my A Level in Government and Politics and he told me some horror stories about how corrupt the EP is and the hard life of an MEP. It was scary! He likened it all to Ether in the Book of Mormon and he said that when I go home in March I am to contact him and he will get me an internship for the summer!! So that's exciting! It's all making sense why I took politics now ;) haha we'll see! It was so cool talking to him though! 

Today we are going to Mesquite with Sister Pack for lunch! It's in our Zone so we're allowed :) hahahah! We are THRILLED because its the first time I've been out of St George in 10 months! I've been in this city for 10 months, going to the same grocery store and the same email place and the same houses every day for 10 months. I'm SO EXCITED to enter Arizona then Nevada!! I’M LEAVING UTAH FOR A SHORT WHILE! 

I LOVE YOU ALL

Sister Nicholls