A New Week!

It's that time again! Nicole had a MUCH better week

this week. Here's her latest email home, complete with pictures:

"Hey everyone! 

    So, as I said, this week was MUCH better! I'm so grateful!! God is so good and through His Son, Jesus Christ, I was able to have a much better week! 

     Monday was pday. It was a hard p-day for whatever reason. Our pday ends at 6 pm then we have to get back to work. Well, come 6 last week, I had NO desire to go out and work. I was so emotionally upset ( I don't even know why) and I just didn't want to do anything. Nonetheless, I DO NOT want to go home wishing I would have worked harder. I only have 14 short months left, and I do NOT intend on wasting a second of it. So, I told myself "Nicole, you are going to go out, and work hard. Just 3 more hours and you're done for the day...you can do this" I then got this "random" thought in my head (the Spirit totally told me this) that if I were to give it my all, I would see miracles tonight....and I did!!! We finally got a hold of Shane (he's INSANELY hard to get in touch with) and taught him a lesson. Then we went to see Leslie and she told us that even though Church was way over her head, she has felt at peace ever since she's been to our church. This is HUGE!! A little background on Leslie: she is convinced that she's being haunted by evil spirits and now they have found a way to posses her. She's been fighting these evil spirits for a few years and it gets her really depressed and said and all she wants in her life is peace. So, needless to say, this was a VERY big deal for her! She said she thinks it's God's Spirit telling her this is where she belongs....AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! Then our member, Ed, had a great day at work and an AMAZING experience with prayer! MIRACLES!!!!!!!!! I am so grateful for all the miracles I've seen, big and small! I know that as I, and YOU, try your hardest to push on in the hard times, YOU WILL BE BLESSED!!! God loves you and all of us way too much to let us suffer, if only we will turn to Him! How grateful I was to have this lesson learned again! 

       Wednesday, I got to see Sister Gosdis! That's the first picture in the email! She had her temple trip that day and she stopped to say hi(: It was such a joyful moment! Happy me(: 

        Friday, we had to drop Leslie...she's not fully committed so we need to give her some time...it was so sad!!! I love her so much and really want her to progress! But, as I looked back on my experience with missionaries, I realized I was dropped a THOUSAND times before finally joining the church. So, this is probably really good for her. God will work on her until the next set of missionaries run into her!

       Saturday, we had exchanges..that's the second picture (at least, this is the order I'm hoping the pictures are in). I went to Pines area with Sister Norcross...she's from the Navajo Reservation by 4 corners in Arizona...way cool! Anyways, we had a very weird morning. We were doing companionship study and we get this weird call from someone named Sister Sally (I changed the name). Neither of us knew who she was but she called and was really frantic and talked fast and said she needs us to meet her at the ER asap. She was going to the ER to get checked out and she didn't want to do it alone. She wanted us to go help and comfort and support her. It was really strange. We called the Zone Leaders and asked for permission and they said we could go as long as we had a member with us (again, we had no idea who she was). We went to the hospital, met her, and sat in the room with her for a little bit....it was so weird! Supposedly she's a member but hasn't been in 4 months. She wouldn't tell us where she lived or much of anything personal because it was all confidential....really strange. It was very strange.....anyways, the rest of the exchange went normal and it was fun! It was really cool because we visited some members in Pines' ward and it was INCREDIBLE! Exchanges are always inspired and I thought we were inspired to go where we need to because we need to teach another missionary something and learn something from them or to touch one of their investigator's lives. Well, I learned they're so much more than that. I knew I had to go to Pines that day because I needed Pines members! They said things that touched my life and helped me feel comforted, loved, and reaffirmed to me that I'm where I need to be at this time in my life! God works in mysterious ways!! 

       Sunday was great! I love fasting and feeling the Spirit at church and partaking of the sacrament. My favorite part about yesterday, though, was going to dinner with the Criddles (3rd and 4th picture). These awesome people are my family away from family and they make me so happy! The brunette's name is Savannah (she's 16 and preparing for her own mission!) and the blonde is Malia! They are so great! Last night was the first time I have laughed so hard in so long! It was such a joyous time! I'm so grateful for the awesome people I get to meet and all the members I get to work with out here! It truly is a blessing! I am so grateful for these awesome people! The love and support I receive from them is indescribable! 

       Now, for the miracle today, we went to the dollar store and ran into this member, whom neither of us know. As we were in line, she was behind us, and she paid for us! We didn't have much stuff, but we really appreciated her! WE ARE SO BLESSED!!!!! 

      This last week was pretty good, and this week is going to be just as good, if not better! I'm so grateful for my calling!!! I can't wait to work my tail off this week and to find new people to teach! The opportunities that are available for us as we follow Christ are numberless! I hope you all have a wonderful week and take advantage of the possibilities ahead of you! I love you all and appreciate all the prayers and support! 

Love, 

Sister Wilson"