Let me start out the email with a funny story that happened on Tuesday. We get up at 6:23 each morning so that we are out and ready by 6:30 to get a full half hour to work out. We made it 6:23 because then we are allowed to be up at 6 to work out but thats way too early and when we get up at 6:20 we are tired all day but for some reason those extra 3 minutes make ALLLLL the difference! Plus who even needs 10 minutes to get ready to go out? 7 is plenty! haha So we got up and got bundled up to go running to the stadium. Running to the stadium includes running past the hospital, which is on a downward slope. It's very dark still, and Sister West and I were describing our dreams to each other as is necessary on a morning run. One second I was running downhill past the hospital doors and the next second the floor was coming at my face and I exclaimed, in a very non missionary kind of way, "CRAP!!" and face-planted the floor. I couldn't have been more horizontal than I was. It hurt so much! Haha I skidded a little bit but with all the adrenaline of the moment I JUMPED straight back up and carried on running. A nurse who was leaving the hospital saw what happened and was like "Are you okay?" and I limped/ran on and we went to the stadium and played soccer and it was hard but I put on a brave face and when we got home I checked it out and my elbows, hip and knees were BROKEN haha. All scraped up and bruised. It's been nearly a week and they are HURTING still. We went on an exchange with some Sisters the next day and I felt like I had whiplash, my neck and back hurt so much! I pounded that pavement. Since then I've hit my knee on things and it feels like I'll throw up it hurts so much! But it's bruising nicely and is quite swollen so I'm just hoping it'll get better. I couldn't bend it on Saturday night and I was in so much pain so I just prayed so hard that Heavenly Father would heal it in the night and I woke up and could move it and walk and it was GREAT!!!!!!! Prayers are always answered when it's His will and we pray in faith.
Well it's been a rough week in our area. It's finals week so everyone is NOT HOME but is in the library or taking tests. Also we've got such a small area that by this point we know everyone and it's now a case of softening the hearts of the people we've already met. Also everyone got baptized and everyone is leaving and everyone else are flakes so we dropped everyone except N this week. We taught K and she cried again at how much she loves her church and how it's true to her so we congratulated her on her faith and didn't set up a return appointment. She said if this is the truth then it will find her again, which I thought was cool! She is so nice though, we love her and pray for her still. We got the ultimate bashing by a CHINESE BAPTIST!!! Since when were Chinese people even Baptists?!?! He saw us at his door and said "Let me go and get my Bible" and left and we thought we should've just left at that point but that would've been rude. He returned and told us everything that "we believe" in which wasn't even true and preached at us and after he was done and we told him, yeah we believe in the same thing you do about that and he was like "No you don't! I've studied it." and I said "Well I've lived it for 20 years so ....... " and he invited us in to share with us everything he has found out from his studies and I said "You know, we're two 20 year old girls who just want to talk about Jesus Christ, and I do not appreciate the way you are trying to diminish our faith." and he said he was doing it out of love because we are following Satan and he was simply declaring his beliefs. I just think it's sad how people are so comfortable declaring their beliefs to us but we are simply not allowed to declare our beliefs. People are funny.
D and B have for sure been dropped because they have avoided us all week and when we knocked at their door, their roommate answered and went to see if they were in. He returned and said none of them were in, and as he did that I saw D come out of his room and glance our way looking scared as he ran to the bathroom. It was hilarious because he looked right at me as he ran! I thought he'd better just try and own it and stay in the bathroom but no he tried to run back without me seeing him haha. I definitely saw both times! #dropped Everyone is dropped or gone and so we have one investigator right now who knows it's true and gets himself to Church and reads and prays every day but wants to tell us when he's ready for baptism. So we are starting from the beginning. There are going to be lots of new people in January moving in around the 10th so we just have one month of nothing and no one. Idk what we'll do but we have lots of room for miracles at this point haha.
We went to our High Councillors house for our coordination meeting this week, and it was so fun! We had pasta and bread and salad for the fourth time in a row this week, I can never eat italian food again for at least a week! But it was so fun to just be with our Ward Mission Leaders and have a fun chat rather than be business all the time. It was a special Christmas treat.
So we begun our choir practise for the St George Mission choir, it's obligatory that all missionaries are there! It was on Saturday morning which was crazy because of transfer calls! Everyone was waiting to hear their call and I was avoiding everyones eyes because they all seemed to know my transfer call except me. I had an idea because I walked in and a certain Sister missionary looked at me with the most joy I've ever seen! I couldn't concentrate on singing at all!! We were in the tabernacle again and it was crazy because it was a whole year ago but I was sitting in my same place next to the same missionary and it was just like de ja vu. But I've been in the St George Central Zone the whole time. Everyone else has come and gone but iI'm still here! So anyway after practise I couldn't take it any more so went and asked President "Do I get a transfer call too?" cos everyone else knew theirs and he said "Well.....you are staying in the area...." and I said "do I get a companion?" and he said "No we thought you could just do it yourself...jk you will be with Sister Lipke!" and I screamed and jumped and was like I AM SO HAPPY and he said " We thought you would be!" hahaha!!! So we are staying in Dixie, but together. The choir was good, we are singing O Holy Night and it sounds beautiful! I am a soprano in a quartet of missionaries singing Away In A Manger. I love it :)
So today I was reading in the Book of Mormon about Mormon being like "O ye fair ones!! Why have ye rejected that Jesus who stood with open arms to receive you?" and I felt as though I could somewhat relate for the first time. I thought about all the people who have chosen to reject the Gospel and how I had very similar feelings to Mormon. I've reached that point where I just LOVE them all SO MUCH that I feel like I just want to beg them to listen. It's so hard! But it was comforting to see I'm not the only one who feels that way. We try our best and we go on. Shall we not go on in so great a cause?
I love where the Lord is leading me and who He is helping me to become. I have two transfers left, and it fills me with fear to leave all this behind but I know progression is a part of eternity and I embrace whatever the Lord has in store for me. Sometimes the hardest times in life have us on our knees crying out for help. and they are some of the most precious and sacred times of my mission where I have truly felt the Lord lifting me higher. I love Him and strive to show Him that through my actions.
All my love to everyone,
Sister Nicholls
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