Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!! - 23-2-15

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

"The Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld His glory and I am eternally encircled about in the arms of His love." - 16-2-15

Dear Family and Friends, 

We have had a good week over all. I am working hard to make every single minute count of these last few weeks of my mission. I cannot BELIEVE I only have four weeks left. When did that even happen? About 17 times a day I tell Sister Wilson to use every single minute wisely and that I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY haha. We had some missionary miracles this week. 

We have been trying to contact this part member family for the whole week and a half we've been here. FINALLY they opened the door and it was the husband who is a member. He immediately looked thrilled to see us (which hardly EVER happens haha) and invited us in. He had us sit down and began to tell us his WHOLE LIFE STORY! Haha but we listened and made noises of approval at the correct moments, and then after telling us about how his ex wife cheated on him and now he is remarried to a non member who he is trying to share the gospel with, said wife came into the room and sat down to join the conversation. She proceeded to ask us 10,0000 questions about everything. Mostly the word of wisdom and temple marriage and the Book of Mormon. She asked us how it would go if we came to teach her so we told her we would see her a few times a week and would invite her to do certain things and would set a date for baptism! She was like "Have you taught people in our situation before?" and I said yes many times and she said “Do they usually get baptized?" and I said “Yes every time" haha so she looked satisfied with that. Her husband, who has been less active for a while because of work but loves the Gospel very much, kept piping up and bringing up things that no one should ever bring up in a first lesson haha. I'll tell you what it was when I see you ;)  But anyway we managed to take control of the situation but they kept talking and talking and talking so about between 1hr 1/2 to 2 hours later we left with a  new family to teach! She has been prepared and I am excited to see where it goes! We came away very very happy with that. We let our Ward Mission Leaders know every time we have a success and they are all like "YOU SISTERS ARE AMAZING!! THE LORD IS BLESSING THE AREA BECAUSE YOU ARE HERE” haha!!

We spent time on Friday afternoon making Valentines treats for everyone at Elder and Sister Nelson’s house. We got heart lollipops and m&ms in the bag and put Jesus stickers on them and heart confetti. We put the scripture from Lehi where he says "I am eternally encircled about in the arms of His love" on the label and went around handing them out to every non member we were aware of. When we finished them and stepped back to look at our creation we laughed because it was such a Sister Missionary thing to do! No Elder in the history of time has made heart confetti with Jesus pictures on it haha. But it was very well received. Everyone we gave them to seemed to be very pleased with it. We spoke to some Jews and some Baptists and some atheists haha. We meet all sorts every day here :) It softened lots of hearts and got us into lots of doors and lots of gospel conversations. We are just tilling the ground right now. There are so many part member families here that I can’t wait to see how this area will be in a few transfers once it has all picked up again! It should be very productive! 

We had my last ever Zone Meeting this week :(((( It’s my last because next month we actually have MISSION CONFERENCE because we are getting IPADS!! TEN DAYS BEFORE I LEAVE #mylife #wewould anyway I'm not even bitter. But I'm excited because my posterity Sister Babygirl Wilson will be able to use one every day and it will help so much! Also I'm excited because I'll get to see all my nearest and dearest friends from my mission, no matter where they are serving now right, before I go home!! I cannot wait! Anyway the last ever Zone Meeting was sad. Two days before, the Zone Leaders asked me to do a training on our purpose as missionaries. I cracked out some scriptures and some experiences and was prepared! I stood up to give the training and looked out onto this new Zone, the Cedar Zone, and knew like ONE person haha. And then President and Sister Center were there also, and President and Sister Cornelius. So it was strange to be at my last Zone Meeting and not know anyone. Looking back at me were just a bunch of Elders who I'd never met! I might've shed some tears giving my closing testimony. I've seen missionary after missionary bear testimony as they are leaving and I never thought that time would come when I would have to do it. But it was a great meeting but I felt like I was betraying the St George Central Zone, my home of 11 transfers, being there ;)

After Zone Meeting President and Sister Center took myself and Sister Wilson out for lunch and we talked about the area and our investigators. President gave us some great advice that we are trying to implement and Sister Center actually came out with us after lunch for some missionary fun. When we got to the restaurant that we ate in, Sister Center said to the person taking our order “Now, we are all LDS missionaries so you will be getting talked to a lot ok?" and he said “ That's okay, I like talking!" so after ordering our food at the counter we went and sat down but before sitting down, Sister WIlson and I were talking to a waiter, then Sister Center was talking to a man and a baby, and President Center was talking to an elderly couple. It was so funny how we all just dispersed to divide and conquer! Our man was actually not LDS so we had a good chat. Missionaries are never off duty ;) It was such a treat to spend time with them. Before we got out of their car, President went around and opened our doors because we're all ladies. I need to marry someone like him ;) 

We were having quite a discouraging day, knocking on everyone's doors and no one answering and it felt cold and two people had come to their door, looked out their window at us, and turned off the lights and walked away. So we kept going and working and finally a door opened and it was this whole non member family. She said they'd met with missionaries before and that they want to be baptized!!!! We were like “We can do that!" haha. She told us how they lost a little girl and they want to be a family forever. They gave us a return appointment, so we will see how it goes. I remember right at the beginning of my mission I felt like I would find a family who lost a child who needed to know they would be together again. I feel like I finally found that family. It's just another confirmation that this is where I'm supposed to be, even for just six weeks. I love how Heavenly Father sometimes gives us glimpses of His plan for us and for all His children. If I've learned anything at all on my mission, it has been that He cares for EVERY one of His children and has a plan for their happiness. There is nothing more joyful or nothing I love more than sharing with families that they can be together forever and that God has a plan for them. What am I supposed to do not doing that every day?!?!?!?

We had some funny stories from this week. We had an appointment at 6 and it was in the "back of beyond" area of our Stake. It’s a bigger area than I've ever covered before and it goes right out into farm land behind Cedar City, where you travel for miles between houses and there are NO LIGHTS ANYWHERE so you get super lost. Well............after 45 minutes and 25 miles later, we finally found where we were going. The man had to just come and meet us on the highway! It was so confusing that we would never have found it. This city girl cannot navigate through farm lands haha.  Someone made us elk meat for dinner as well!! Hahah! Also we got home the other night at around 9:15pm and pulled up onto our driveway and Sister Wilson exclaimed "LOOK" and I looked and beheld THREE DEER in our garden! They saw our lights and just stopped and looked, mesmerized. I freaked out that there were deer really close to us because I just assumed they would attack us haha. But they just looked at us and galloped away. They were crowded round by the door to our apartment because it’s round the back of the house thorugh the garden so we knocked on the front door and the family let us walk through to our apartment the indoor way and laughed because deer are more scared of us than we are of them! 

We were knocking around in another farmy part of the area and came across this couple who had met with the Elders a few times before. It was a really positive meeting because they said they want a stronger relationship with Christ and they want to be together forever. They gave us a return appointment for tonight so we will go and see what we can do. We knocked around the area and found this trailer with this little boy who told us he is atheist and investigated every religion and he was so smart alecky and proud and told us that the Book of Mormon is holding up his kitchen table leg right now. He thought he would make us all angry and rebuke him but we just smiled and bore testimony, we asked him how old he was and he said he is 16. It cracked us up that little 16 year old boys think they know everything. After we left we laughed so much about him! 

Well it's time to go! We are off to St George to get some of our eternal investigators a spiritual experience at the Visitors' Center. President gave us permission to take them so we will teach them today at the VC on our p-day! I'm excited to go back but nervous that it'll be hard to leave again. We are praying for some miracle baptisms with them. They've attended church since August, they just need to make the commitment. 

I love you all. Please keep me in your prayers. I pray for you daily! 

Sister Nicholls  

I'll Cast On Him My Every Care and Wait For Thee, Sweet Hour of Prayer - 9-2-15

Dear Beloved Everyone, 

First off, CEDAR CITY IS SO WINDY!!!! I've never Marilyn Monroe'd so many times in my life. Our skirts are like parachutes. Remind me to never ever do my hair ever again!!! We run to our car and our hair is stuck up like a lions mane. It cracks us up though! 

I have so much to tell you this week and it's all so exciting. 

I want to start off by saying how much I love my BELOVED DAUGHTER!! Her name is Sister Wilson and she is from Prosper, Texas which is north of Dallas. She looks like she could be my daughter in real life. Well more than my last little Hispanic daughter haha. I really like her a lot, we get on really well and laugh a lot together!

Well Tuesday was a whirlwind, I was getting more and more nervous as the day went on. Finally I got a blessing on Tuesday night from Elder Cleverly, the new Visitors' Center Director and it was so inspired. It was exactly what I needed to hear and more. It truly has given me strength this week. President never gives me easy transfer calls, it's always white-washing or reopening along with training or what have you. Well this week was no different! Wednesday morning I sat in the VC for the last time until I go home. I soaked it in and just did my favourite thing. I sat in front of the Christus and listened to Deep River by the Mormon Tabernacle and read my scriptures. Afterwards Sister Biery and I watched John Tanner and then it was time to depart! I felt calm and ready! We drove away from the VC and my family there and I just felt excited! We went to the Mission Office for the trainers meeting, which is where President and the AP's talk to us for three hours about how to be a good trainer, then we go into a room where all the greenies are and President calls out your name and your greenie's name and there you have it - you got yourself a baby! After a few hugs with Sister Center and some pep talking, we got on the transfer van and drove away with St George in the rearview mirror. It's the first time I've been on the transfer van for my whole mission! I've sent so many companions away on it and finally it was my turn! I managed to pack my stuff into two cases, a duffel, and three boxes ;) travelling light! But no fear, I'll throw away EVERYTHING in five weeks time! I felt very calm and could really feel the power of everyone's prayers. I think it's times like this, where you know that this is completely out of your comfort zone and completely pushing you and stretching you to your limits when you know that you are simply living from the Saviour's strength. I can't tell you how many times that strength has kept me going this week. 

We arrived in Cedar City, got off the van, and the Elders had to get all our luggage off for us because it's WAY heavy! We found our car, which coincidentally was parked right outside that little Subway we ate at when you came down to St George the week before I went into the MTC! It was a nice little tender mercy to see that place and not feel so unfamiliar and far away from home! The Elders drove us to our home so that we didn't get hopelessly lost. By then it was about 4:30 so they brought our bags into our house and left and we introduced ourselves to the members we live with. I had spent time calling Ward Mission Leaders and Bishops the night before so we'd have SOMETHING to do. We had a dinner appointment with a Bishop and he said he would meet us at our house so we could follow him to his, or else we would get VERY lost. So we had a few minutes while we waited so I took my greenie knocking on doors so that she knows we use every single minute available. We went to the house next door to ours, and knocked and waited. FInally this man came to the door, saw us, and said "I'm not interested" and shut the door. HAHAHA of course that was her first door contact EVER! I felt so horrible for her. I remember saying the same thing to Sister Garcia this time last year "He didn't reject us. He rejected the Saviour. We'll pray for him tonight!" haha poor thing. We went to the Bishop's for dinner and then to a Ward Mission Leader's house and then to another Ward Mission Leader's house! There's a LOT of part member families in this area, more than I've ever seen before. And none of them are investigators. So, we went to work!! One of the Ward Mission Leaders is called Brother Ashdown and his ancestors are from Kent so we're probably related? They're from Pratts Bottom in Kent.

On the Thursday we just spent the whole day with our Senior Couple Elder and Sister Nelson. It was really effective because they know the area as they've lived here forever and they took us to visit some investigators etc. We are so pleased to have them here. Then on Friday we tried to do weekly planning but didn't really know anyone so that was weird too.

Anyway..... I want to share some uplifting stories from the week. 

On Wednesday night as I laid in bed, all week I'd been afraid that I would just want to cry and feel really homesick and nervous. But I laid there and just felt so calm and so peaceful and so not alone. It really is in those moments when you know that the atonement is carrying you. All I have to do is pray and feel this sweet peace and assurance that we are in the right place and that I can do this. I remember on Friday morning I woke up feeling so homesick for St George and so alone and so inadequate to build this area back up and train at the same time that I felt like I just wanted to lay in bed all day and cry. But of course I got out of bed and acted like nothing was wrong. I wanted nothing more than to call Sister Center and just cry to her but felt like I should just wait and everything would be okay. I prayed to Heavenly Father and asked Him to give me something that would uplift me, and during studies a miracle happened. SISTER CENTER JUST CALLED US!!! We spoke with her and it uplifted me so much!!!!!!!!!!!!! She told us that Jesus walks beside us and that we are awesome and can do this and even gave us a referral for someone who wants the Sister Missionaries and called the Mission President because that was the only number he had haha!!!!!! It was a huge miracle!!!! From that I know that Heavenly Father hears all the thoughts and intents of our hearts and will openly bless us when we willingly and cheerfully have an eye single to His glory and His will. I love Him SO MUCH and have never felt His pwoer and His strength this strong before. I just feel like everything will be okay. I remember last week leaving Dixie I didn't get to say goodbye to A and then while sitting in front of the Christus Wednesday morning, I looked outside and saw A walking past the VC! I ran out and said goodbye! This week has just been filled with tender mercies like that. I know the Lord is aware of us and what is hard for us, and he showers down little blessings when we cheerfully submit. 

So - awkward funny story, we got a referral to visit this polygamist family. We think the Dad is still actively polygamist because he is gone for half the week every week haha. So we pulled up across the street and walked up their drive and while we walked a huge polygamist van filled with kids and wives came towards us, indicating to get onto the drive, saw us walking up their drive and rapidly turned the indicator off and kept driving straight hahahahah!!! Sister Wilson and I were like "...Was that them?!?!? Did they REALLY just see us and keep driving?!" So we knocked in case someone was home. As we were walking back up the drive towards our car they pulled up AGAIN and this time just put their heads down and ignored us. WE FELT SO AWKWARD!! Part of me wanted to stand there until they acknolwedged my existence! We laughed so much about it though! Cool story too, Del Parson the artist who painted everything ever is a Ward Missionary and lives a few houses away from us. The Ward Mission Leader of that Ward is out of town for a while so we hooked up with Del to get the work progressing. He took us out for lunch and then we went to a teaching appointment with him, which was actually the Stake President's mother who is not a member!! She is old but really cool. Anyway Del is HILARIOUS!!!!!! He is not what I was expecting at all! He has this curly almost shoulder length hair and is really eccentric and all over the place. He was sitting on a bouncy exercise ball during the lesson and just cracking jokes the whole time. We love him so much!!!!! It was one of those surreal moments when you stop and think "What just happened?" haaha we were in this old woman's cluttered house, with Del Parson the artist sitting on a bouncy ball, singing O My Father to an old woman haha. When does that ever happen?! 

We found 3 new investigators this week, which is apparently more than the last Elders found in a few months. We are just contacting everyone and working hard and trying to use time wisely. We can see that the Lord has prepared specific people for us. One is a 17 year old girl whose mother just got baptized. We just clicked with her and will help her progress. The other is this less active family with an upbaptized little boy. We are more concerned with helping the family get back to Church than baptizing the little boy. But again we just clicked with the family and I just love them so much already. We have a lot of work ahead of us but are ready and willing to give it our all. I want to go out strong, working harder than ever before. 

We were invited to the Stake High Council Meeting yesterday morning at 7:30 in which we discussed missionary plans for the Stake and have a great plan ahead. There was also a missionary returning home who reported to the High Council and I silently wept some tears down my cheeks as I thought that that is me in five weeks time. I cannot express how much I love my mission and how sacred this time is to me. The whole Stake knows that I am going home this transfer and they bring it up a lot and I cry every time I think about leaving this place. 

We have a good long week of hard work ahead of us. Please keep us in your prayers. 

I love you all so much and can feel the power of your prayers. 

Sister Nicholls

We bid thee farewell, we're going to mountains of CEDAR CITY to dwell! - 2-2-15

SO MUCH TO TELL YOU THIS WEEK! I am going to type like crazy!

So here's how I got my transfer call: 

We got a heart stopping text from President Center on Tuesday night saying: "Sisters, can you come to the mission office for a meeting Friday at midday?" and we were like OH GREAT! WHAT DID WE DO? trying to think of anything disobedient we might've done that he got called about haha. We tried to find a mature way of asking him what the meeting was about so we said: "Is there anything you would like us to prepare for or think about before the meeting?" And instead of saying back "Think about your actions" haha (WHICH WOULD MEAN NOTHING BECAUSE I PROMISE WE DID NOTHING BAD) he said "It's in preparation for the area wide Missionary Council meeting on Sunday!" So we went to the mission office Friday at midday and it was just us and three of the Zone Leaders and the Assistants and President ran through with us his proposals for the meeting and asked us for our input, we were like a little committee for President, it was really cool. (Side note, I was REALLY SICK with a cold. Idk why I get sick all the time on my mission, I think it's shaking everyone's hands and being in strangers homes haha). So I was sneezing non stop and my nose and eyes were streaming so President put me in a corner cos "I had the plague" apparently haha :) Anyway at the conclusion of the meeting the Elders left and before we could leave his office he shut the door (and we thought, oh great we'll probably get told off for something or other haha jkjkjk) and said "Sisters, can I give you your transfer calls?" and I said "YES PLEASE President!" So instead of just telling us he goes over to the transfer board and opened it and said "Find yourselves!!!" IT WAS THE BEST GAME EVERRRRRRRRRR :)))))) I found myself in the Cross Hollows Stake of Cedar City, so I am FINALLY leaving the St George Central Zone after 11 transfers!!! I think there will be a minute silence at the next Zone Meeting because it's the first time that I won't be there since October 2013 haha!!! Anyway I saw a little Greenie (new missionary) from Texas with blonde hair next to me :) So I will become a trainer again for the second time.  But it's a rich area that has been dead for about 6 months so it needs some reviving. I'm really not being allowed to finish easily, it's going to be a challenge but we'll set it alight. The hardest part was my last shift at the VC, knowing I'll never ever sit reading my scriptures looking at the Christus or the Temple ever again. 

So now for some stories from the week: 

On Tuesday we hadn't seen E for about 5 days so we were worried about him, so we did what any self respecting missionary would do and hunted him down, not just at his house, but also at his work place. We got together a group of the Ward Mission Leader, an investigator, a recent convert, and two fellowshippers, and we went to the restaurant that we knew he was working at haha!! Not stalkers.....just missionaries. Anyway we went there and asked for E and he came out and looked happy to see us! He texted us afterwards thanking us for coming and that he always feels better with us around. I LOVE E! It was such a fun lunch as well hahah!!! 

We went on a mini exchange with some Sisters who are struggling in their area, and I brought the Greenie into my area so she could see what a normal area is like haha. We went out tracting with the Ward Mission Leader and it was going unsuccessfully until just as we were leaving this girl came up on the driveway on her long board and was just returning home. We spoke to her and she was interested in what we have to say so set up a return appointment with us. It was one of the tender little miracles where you know that God puts you in the right place at the right moment. When we walked away we all marvelled :) We had a really powerful lesson with a girl named Maria that night. She had avoided us for a while but we visited her at her house and asked questions about her beliefs and what she wants out of life and ended up teaching The Restoration based upon the answers of our questions and the next questions we'd ask. It was really cool. We came out of the lesson like "Woah! What was that?" I love it when the Spirit completely directs the lesson. These are the things I will miss about being a missionary. And miracle of miracles she came to Church on Sunday! It was incredible because her only drawback was that she is Catholic and MUST go to Catholic church every week, BUT SHE CAME! And nobody even picked her up. It was cool! We went to one of the FHE's of the 2nd Ward and just as we entered the doors they were coming up the corridor to leave, and we got ABSOLUTELY mobbed. It turned out they were doing a scavenger hunt and one of the things they had to get a picture of was a photo with a missoinary haha!! So we entered the doors and they all RAN TOWARDS US shouting "SISTERS!!!!" and I nearly ran back out of the doors it was so abrupt and intimidating having a huge group of YSA running towards you! hahahaha it was hilarious though! 

So I had to tell everyone that I'm leaving and it was so sad! I'm so attached to everyone here at Dixie State University cos I've been here since they moved in to their apartments in August!! Seriously it's such a small area that I know like everyone in all the rooms at this point. Sad note, one of the boys fell off his scooter and got hit by a car and died last Tuesday. It's really sad and everyone is in mourning. It helps us to teach about the Plan of Salvation. Anyway so CJ wanted us over for dinner so in classic YSA style he (he's the Ward Mission Leader) invited his girlfriend to his apartment so we could go inside and we had pizza and root beer floats haha. I thought "I bet this will never happen in my next area haha". Then the next day E wanted to take us out to lunch to say goodbye and it was the cutest thing because we taught him at the VC about the atonement of Christ and Prophets and he just cried. It was so powerful. When I look into his eyes I just know that I've known him forever. So he has a car but we couldn't ride with just him so he walked with us all the way to get lunch and he just opened right up to us about prison life and growing up and his family and it was just such a sad story. It makes me more and more sure that when I grow up I want to be a prison counsellor and counsel prisoners to help them have the motivation to change their lives. I've met so many ex prisoners here and I just love them so much. The lunch was a huge success just to help him get to know us better and trust us more. I can't wait for you to meet him in six weeks. I told him we'll probz take him out for dinner!!! 

In the evening after the lunch with E, we went to the Bishop of the 2nd Ward's house and had all of our investigators in the Second Ward come and have dinner. It was SUCH A SUCCESS!! We had such a random group of people; the star of the DSU football team, an Asian, a boy from Burundi, a Latino boy, two orphans from California and a Nigerian girl. Then the Ward Mission Leader Colton and us! Hahahaha it was soooooo random but worked so well!!! We taught The Restoration at the end and the two orphan boys (we didn't know them but Colton brought them with him) agreed to learn more and will pray about baptism and came to Church the next day. We had more people at Church on Sunday than I have ever had my whole time at Dixie!! WE GOT 7 INVESTIGATORS AND 2 LESS ACTIVES AT CHURCH!!! 

At Church the Bishop of the 3rd Ward stood at the pulpit and announced that I was leaving because the Mission President found out that I had developed a crush on him and so I was being emergency transferred!! It was the funniest thing ever and everyone was cracking up. He is SO inappropriate but probably my best friend!!! We had this huge Area Meeting on Sunday about more effective Ward Councils and using Members and Missionaries together. It was with all the Stakes in St George and all the Ward Mission leaders and High Councillors and Missionaries. It was really long and really hot haha but it was funny because everyone else was really old, then surrounding us, the St George YSA 1st Stake, there were just these little teenage boys as Ward Mission leaders haha. You could tell where the YSA Stake was sitting haha!!! 

Last random story before signing out: The Morningside Sisters received a referral for a homeless woman who lives in a bush behind Harmons the grocery store and they asked us to go with them to contact her because they were scared. I laughed for about 5 minutes before agreeing and we went with them to find a bush behind Harmons with a woman living in it! Hahah we haven't found her yet but we wont give up until we do! We call her bush woman and one day she will be baptised. 

My heart is so heavy to be leaving St George and the VC and all my Sisters. I don't know where Cross Hollows even is, but I am excited for the challenge that lays ahead. I need to be pushed and stretched and this will do it. I looked around me at Church yesterday and had the sweet assurance that I have done my work there and there is nothing more for me to accomplish. I felt peace that I had finished my time there and that I was passing the baton to someone else. It was a good feeling. I will work tirelessly for six more weeks so I can feel that way about my whole mission. It was such a tender mercy to have all those people at Church so that I could see the lives that had changed and the people that were there at Church who were not there six weeks ago. It's sooooo hard to say goodbye to people that you love so much, but I know I"ll see them again one day. They will always have a place in my heart. I need your prayers this week to keep me strong. I know I'll be homesick for a week or two, homesick for St George and for my YSA buddies. It feels like my heart is being ripped out again. But I'll get through it!!!! My mission has taught me that if nothing else, I can do hard things with the Saviour by my side. With Him, I can do all things. This time next week I'll tell you all about Cross Hollows and my new baby girl from Texas!!!!!!! 

I LOVE YOU ALLLLLLL SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!! 

Sister Nicholls

PS The glitter pit last week was SO FUN!! We got lost so many times and were about to turn back then we turned the corner and found a huge glittering pile of glitter. It was fun!!! Today's p-day is trying to pack everything because I've lived in that apartment since January 2014. I haven't packed for 13 months!!!! I'll be sending a huge package home today!
LOVE YOU <3