Dear Loved Ones
So Monday after p-day we went straight on exchanges and I was with my babychica Sister Garcia, and we were in my area.
We taught a really powerful lesson in Gods Plan for His Family at the VC to our new investigator who is named E. He has been in prison since he was 17 and now he is 24 so he is wanting to reform his life. He is really sincere and great. He said he doesn't want to commit to baptism because he is so imperfect and wants his family to be here for it etc etc all the usual concerns and I feel like after 15 months of hearing these concerns I finally just said to him "E, it all just comes down to whether or not the Church is true. If it's true you need to get baptised." and he got all quiet and looked at us all sincerely and said "Sisters.....I know it's true. I feel it. I always come and walk around this Temple and come in this VC and I just feel something different. I know it's true". It was one of those BEAUTIFUL missionary moments that you'll never ever forget and that make every single door slammed in your face worth it.
Then the next day we were still on exchanges and we went to this really cute old lady's house for dinner. She was really poor and gave us everything she had. But for the rest of my life, I think I will always taste that meal in creases of my arteries. It was the worst thing I've ever had pass my lips in my life. It was a layer of cabbage, and a layer of beet root, and a layer of carrots and a layer of onions. But wait, thats not all. It was swimming in this brown juice stuff. I said "What is this brown sauce it's in?" and she said "Oh dear, that is just it's own juices. I've let it ferment for about four weeks". Ahh even writing this my stomach is turning. I politely smiled and Sister Garcia and I made eye contact and you could tell it was a "Good luck" kind of a look! On the side she had juiced us a drink of beetroot and carrots. OH MY GOSH IT WAS DISGUSTING. She had put her money together to buy us a roll each for the meal so I just had to down the roll after every bite or drink. It was so disgusting but I kept thinking "You're a missionary, just eat it!". Afterwards we share a spiritual thought and she cried and was all lonesome and her house was cold because she can't afford to heat it all. She was really cute. Anyway my stomach HURT afterwards but we kept working and went to the VC for a three hour shift.
Well we exchanged back and I was with Sister Lipke again and we went to bed and I awoke at 4:30am on New Years Eve morning and the vomiting begun. And so it continued for the next 20 hours. Every five minutes. Oh. My. Goodness. I have never wanted to die so much as I have then. After an hour or so of running to the bathroom to be violently sick I had no energy left and was just laying crying on the bathroom floor. Sister Lipke woke up and called Elder Watkins and he came and gave me a blessing but I could hardly sit up for it because I had no energy. She called Sister Center as well who told her to call the doctor because I was getting dehydrated. I tell you the cold porcelain of the toilet has never felt so good before. I was hot and cold and shaky and delirious and spent a long time crying for my Mum! I've never felt so rough in my life. I remember Sister Lipke kept trying to feed me liquids but it didn't work. At 10am Abby Ekins (who we spent last New Years with from Little Valley) came and picked me up and took me to her families house. She took me to her bedroom that had a memory-foam double bed and like 8 blankets. Because it was New Years Eve I could watch the approved movies so I watched 17 Miracles and went in and out of the bathroom to throw up and sleep for a few minutes then repeat. And repeat and repeat and repeat until midnight that night. At around 7pm I wasn't sick until like every hour so I went upstairs and we watched Tangled and FInding Nemo together with Abby and her mum. I love them both so much!!! It started snowing outside and they had a BEAUTIFUL huge window overlooking Little Valley and we watched the snow fall while I sucked on ice because I still couldn't hold any liquids down. They called Sister Center and had permission for me to stay there the night cos I was too sick to be moved. They went and picked SIster Lipke up from the Zone Activity that we had planned with the Zone Leaders and the Assistants since like Thanksgiving. They played Mr and Mrs but as companionships and it was HILARIOUS apparently. Sister Lipke took a video of it so I could see some of the laughs an they all said HI SISTER NICHOLLS on the video so that was nice! The last time I threw up was at exactly midnight so when it turned 2015 I wished myself a Happy New Year. I went to sleep until 9:30am. It was so weird to wake up and see the light coming through the windows and to feel rested and to wake up alone because Sister Lipke was upstairs doing companion study by herself. But the rest of the week went by in a blur. I was too weak and couldn't hold anything down still until Sunday morning so I was off sick on Sister Center's orders until Sunday. I trie working in the VC cos I thought I was better on Friday morning but I was way too weak to stand and ended up making myself sick again so went back to bed until Sunday morning. I am eating little bits and pieces now but my stomach still hurts. I think I will get better soon! One of our faithful EQPs heard I was sick and asked what I wanted and I just said toast so he brought us this array of like five star toast with with two loaves of bread and raspberry jam and coconut oil instead of butter because it's healthier haha. So sweet! Everyone has been so kind and I can't thank Heavenly Father enough for looking after me. I read like the whole standard works and finished Preach My Gospel again and begun it again!
On the bright side I lost a lot of mission weight this week ;) hahaha. It's hard to stay in bed when you're a missionary. Anyway back to work yesterday and E texted us trying to drop us, such is YSA life. I was like OH HECK NO and texted him back saying how great he is doing and how much Heavenly Father loves him etc. We will give him a few days space them go and get him again. Then we found a new investigator called I who faithfully attends his Evangelical Church. He is a really sly Bible basher because he's really nice wit it. Haha he invited us in and gave Sister Lipke hot chocolate and when he would bash he would do so like this "So Sisters, what do you think about this verse in the Bible?" and show us a verse that contradicts something that we teach haha, He will be interesting. I believe in mriacles though! Remember my story last week about the woman who couldn't even go into the room with the Christus she was so overcome with the Spirit? Her friend who wouldn't let her talk much called and asked to speak to the British Sister so they came and got me and she said that she is the woman's counsellor and the woman is scared to leave her house so she hasn't left for a very long time and that was her first time out and she had heard horrible things about the VC from all her Christian friends and so she was terrified but she wanted to say how impressed she was with the tour and how I handled it and what a great time he friend had and how she wanted to tell the Mission President about the experience and she asked when I'm in again so she can bring her back! It was nice to understand why she was being all weird and I'm happy to get a good phone call. Usually people just call to chastise us so I'm happy!
I set my 2015 goal! It is to make Christ my main personality. I want to just lose myself in Him. My 2014 goal was to work, to love and to change, and so this goes along with that. I am determined to spend these next 2 months of missionary service being the best that I can be, rather than slowing down because I'm getting tired, I'm speeding up because it's ending soon. I'm going to put together everything I have learned and work harder and be more obedient than ever before. President has asked us to read the four gospels in the Bible and highlight what Christ says and his questions. My favourite question so far was "What shall it benefit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?" and goes on to say that we will find ourselves if we lose ourselves in Him. I love that. This is going to be a great year. I am so excited for it.
I love you all so much and rely on your prayers. Thank you for your care. Please continue to pray for us, we are doing a training at Missionary Leadership Council this week and then Zone Training Meeting and many exchanges and still no students.
I LOVE YOU SO MUCH
Sister Nicholls
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