IT IS COLD IN CEDAR CITY. IT HASN'T STOPPED SNOWING FOR TWO DAYS.
Now I've gotten that out of my system I can write about more positive things:
We have had a WONDERFUL week!
First off last Pday we went to St George with the Halladays and the Pitts and the Shelys. The Shely's are so close to being baptized, they just need to make that final step. While I was praying for them I thought "They need to see Gods Plan" but we are in Cedar not St George....so we got it figured out that we could take them. It definitely ate into our Pday, as in we did nothing but email, but we thought it was for a righteous cause so hopefully our apartment and car will clean themselves and food will magically appear in our fridge. Haha the latter did happen - the Halladay's left groceries on our doorstep very late Monday night which was soooooo kind of them! And we cleaned our apartment this morning while we waited for it to stop snowing and for the roads to be kind of cleared so that we can avoid death by icy roads. Anyway in St George last week it was so warm and it was like coming home. I was nervous that I'd feel homesick leaving it again but I felt fine! We ate in one of my favourite restaurants for lunch and it was so nice to just get to know everyone better. It was a really great Pday. It felt so natural being back in the VC and seeing all the Sisters. As we parked the car and got out and walked across the road, the VC doors opened and Sister Garcia and Sister Biery ran out and we hugged and cried. It'd only been a week and a half but when you see each other EVERY DAY for YOUR WHOLE MISSION it feels like ages! Haha it was a great day.
That evening we taught this couple, who are about in their fifties, with the Bishop of that Ward. We met them last Friday and they said they want to be together forever and they want a stronger relationship with God and they subscribed to the Mormon channel and enjoy what they watch. So we taught them and they agreed to pray about the Book of Mormon. We were supposed to go back on Friday night to teach them the plan of Salvation at 6pm, but at 5pm they called us to say that they had watched some videos on youtube about Joseph Smith and have decided to discontinue their learning as they don't want to be associated with a Church that has a leader like him. He also said he'd prayed and felt to stay where he's at. So we were super sad, and then had to go to a dinner appointment with a smile on our face and be sociable like missionaries always have to do. It still hurts so deeply when people reject the Gospel. I thought it would get easier the longer I've been out, but honestly I'm glad that it still hurts because it means that I'm not past feeling for these children of God. It's not just a "job" I do, and I don't just "leave my work in the office", this is eternal life and I want all of Heavenly Father's children to accept it. Now I only have three weeks left to do this great work I feel a sense of urgency to speak to EVERYONE and to boldly invite all to listen.
At the dinner appointment they gave us a referral so we went straight over to contact them now that our other appointment had dropped us, and she was this old CAT woman with 22 cats and cat blankets and cat cushions everywhere. She invited us in and then proceeded to bash everything we believe in. She told us horrible things about Joseph Smith and Brigham Young and testimonies and prayer and God and scriptures. We just sat there listening and testifying and finally after about 40 minutes of listening to her telling us that I finally said "We have an appointment to get to, but thank you for your time" and left. She said "Don't worry, you wont be seeing me at your Church". I don't mind being rejected but there's a way you speak to human beings and that wasn't it. I felt bad for her because she was so confused about everything, and her own theories didn't make sense nor were they historically accurate. If she did some research on Joseph Smith she'd see he wasn't a genius who smoked pot but in fact a young farm boy with no education who had never read the Bible the whole way through.
So we were feeling pretty low and sad and then had an appointment with Bishop Smith to teach a part member family he home-teaches. As always, he carries the Spirit of Christ with him which balmed my soul that evening. We sat in this home and testified and the Spirit was so strong. The message was about testimony and conversion and how to gain both and how Missionaries see it happening etc. Bishop asked me to discuss how I'd seen people gain testimonies and how it had strengthened my own testimony. I couldn't even speak for the tears flowing down my cheeks as I pondered on the beautiful children of God that He had brought into my life and the miracles I had seen in them gaining testimonies. Every one of those people are the people I love more in this world than anyone except my own family. Their stories are tender and precious to me and I couldn't talk for the love I feel for those experiences. I was able to stutter out some things about these people gaining testimonies and how my own testimony has grown because of it. It is so hard to talk about leaving all of this. But that evening Bishop Smith was a balm to my soul and exactly what we needed to calm us after a day of horribleness.
We had a beautiful miracle the next day. One that I will be telling my grandchildren about for years to come. We went with Bishop Shumway's wife "out into the trees" as they call it. It's this area in our Stake that is literally in the middle of nowhere!!! There are like coyote carcasses and you can't see any homes because you're just in the trees. It's the weirdest thing if you're from London haha. Anyway she said she knew that there is an Australian family living with a member in one of the houses so we went to their house. They immediately invited us in and had us sit down. They told us that they moved here to Utah because one day they woke up and God told them that they needed to move to Utah and they didn't know why. They quoted the Book of Mormon without even knowing it and said "So we left our home and our possessions and the land of our inheritance" haha we were just thinking about Lehi the whole time! He told us he had read the BOM and that it had brought him closer to Christ, and then asked us to share our testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Then our testimony of who Christ is. Then how we know of Christ's goodness. Then about the second coming. Then about the commandments. We were there for a long time! They had this glow about them and such a firm conviction of Christ. The wife said that she had a very personal sacred experience with Christ and shared it with the people in her Baptist church in Australia and they kicked her out because God doesn't speak to us anymore so it must've been deception. So now she is afraid of churches and sharing things like that. We told her about Joseph Smith and how our testimonies are based on personal revlation. We asked for a return appointment and they told us that they would love to have us come back and talk about Christ with them but that they have no set schedule for anything, they just go day by day doing what God wants them to do. They said that that morning they were planning on going out for the day but that they felt this heaviness when they planned to do so, and so decided that they needed to stay home for some reason, and then we showed up and now they know why. So they said if it's what God wants then the next time we decide to come they will know and will be there. It was so awesome! If nothing else happens with them, I have learned so much from them about purity and following the Spirit and devoting your life to God. They were so spiritual and trusted God so much. I loved them instantly.
Another miracle was that we had five minutes before our next appointment so we knocked on a door and this cute old man came. He was Catholic and invited us in but we couldn't go in because we had no one else with us. So, we talked on the doorstep in the snow and he told us his wife had died and we shared that he will see her again and he said that we can come back and tell him more on Wednesday! I was so happy!! I am excited for him! Also anothe little miracle, we were assigned to speak in the Hillcrest Ward about the Atonement and being Missionaries with a homecoming of a Missionary from that ward. While sitting on the stand before the meeting begun A from Dixie who got baptized in October walked in and sat down! I was so happy! It was a tender mercy to see him, and now I know why we were assigned to speak in that Ward! If we hadn't, then we wouldn't have gone to that Ward and I wouldn't have seen him! It made me so happy to hear that he is going to mission prep :)))))))
We also went with a Relief Society President to visit this part member family and she immediately invited us in and talked with us and we talked about the Family Proclamation and invited her to take the missionary lessons and she said yes!! It was such a miracle because her husband is excommunicated and her kids have all been baptised but she never was interested and now she is. I truly can see why I am here, because Heavenly Father has prepared so many people for us. We have been kept so busy this week and it has been a pleasure to serve here. I am just so happy here, happy with my companion and happy with what we are accomplishing. We went on exchanges and it was so good to see the Sisters from St George! It was such a happy week.
I can't believe that Sam Shelley is getting endowed this week. I remember her first lesson with the missionaries! I remember all her questions and the first time she read the Book of Mormon and her trying to explain how she felt etc. And now she is going through the Temple. More than anything I wish I could be there but I will be thinking about her alllllllllll day and praying that everything is great!
Also thank you to everyone for the emails you sent me this week! I don't think I've ever gotten so many emails on my whole mission! IT TOOK the first hour just to go through the 50 in my inbox, all from England friends, BYU friends, Dixie friends, former areas, former investigators, former companions, MTC friends and family etc etc. Please keep it up! It's great to hear from everybody!
I am determined to work harder than ever and make these last three weeks the best of my mission.
I love you all dearly
Sister Nicholls
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