I'm Willing To Do Whatever It Takes

We got another email today! Her P-Day was moved

to today because of Memorial Day being yesterday. Check

out her latest email and pictures below:

"Howdy! 

 

    Hey everyone!!! This week went much better :) 

    Monday, my district and I went fishing!!! Well, the elders went fishing and Sister Kulcsar and I just enjoyed the lake....well looking at it since we can't go in. Haha, but we did do a little fishing at the end.....it was fun :) I really love the elders I get to serve with. They're great examples of what a leader should be like and they're so patient with us. I feel so extremely blessed to serve with these wonderful sons of God :) 

    Tuesday we had Zone Conference...it was quite interesting. We all got black boxes put in our car (they tract your speed and "dangerous driving" and lots of other stuff). It talks to you when you're speeding and doing other things we shouldn't do. We also found out we're getting i-pads when our new mission president gets here in July. Not so sure how I feel about that.....but it will be fun. I know the Lord is providing many ways for us to share the gospel and I look forward to seeing how the i-pads will help move His work forward! 

    Our biggest miracle happened on Sunday. We taught Beth after church and we taught her the Word of Wisdom (a commandment to help our bodies be clean and healthy...it prohibits the consumption of alcohol, tea/coffee, illegal drugs, marijuana, harmful substances, tobacco products). The only problem she had with it was she drank tea. Herbal tea is okay for us to drink, but her tea was questionable. We told her we'd ask our leaders if it was approved. Then we asked her if she'd be willing to give it up to be baptized if it wasn't. Her response filled my heart with so much joy. She said, "Yep. I'm willing to do whatever it takes. I know this is what I need to do and I'll give up whatever I need to". SHE'S SO AWESOME!!!!!!! Oh my gosh, I can't believe I was blessed to meet her!! She's the greatest...I have nothing more to say about her than that :)

      Yesterday, we all went to Canada for the day! All the missionaries went to Canada (it was a Blitz) to help the Canadian sisters find more people to teach. It was so great! We talked to a LOT of people and it made me super excited to talk to that many people in my own area. The church up there is SUPER small. There's not even a church building there. There are like 12 members (meaning Jaxon has a lot of work to do:) Go kill it in Canada Jax!)  On the plus side, they're all strong in the gospel :) 

       I am so grateful for my Heavenly Father. I have seen and felt His hand in my life a lot this week and am so grateful for all He has done for me! I'm grateful to hear about all my friends at home who are leaving for their missions....it shows that His work is moving forward!! How wonderful it is to be part of that!! I love you all and I love my Savior Jesus Christ...I want nothing more in the world than to be like Him!! Hope you all have a great week!!! Oh, and by the way, transfer calls are Sunday so if you are sending any letters, send them to the mission office address: 

820 S Pines Rd. Suite 101 

Spokane Valley, WA 99206 

LOVE YOU!! 

Sister Wilson"

The Spirit is the Best Motivator

Here's Nicole's email from this week! She has definitely

been keeping busy in her new area. Enjoy!!

"Howdy everyone!! 

     This week was a little better. Still challenging, but we saw MANY miracles :) 

      So we taught Beth again on Wednesday (they have us over every week for dinner and a lesson..super awesome). We taught her about The Gospel of Jesus Christ (Faith, Repentance, Baptism by the proper authority, the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End) and at the end, we invited her to be baptized again. Her response? "I'D LOVE TO!!!!!!!!!!" (caps and exclamation points added). AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH she's on date to be baptized for June 13. What got her to say yes? She went to church 2 Sundays ago (which reminds me, I hope you all went yesterday) and felt the Spirit super strongly. She said her uncle passed away the day before and that she could feel his presence during Sacrament meeting during the hymns and talks. It was such an amazing experience for her, and it strengthens my testimony on the role of the Spirit. The Spirit is the best motivator. It also strengthened my testimony on Family History Work. Our ancestors are just waiting for their work to be done and are prompting us to do it! They want us to make these promises with God so that we can help them do the same....so grateful!!!! 

      On Saturday, Sister Kulcsar and I got to do some service. We raked pine needles.....a lot of them. It was so much fun! I know the picture shows us in our missionary attire, but we did the service in pants....we just didn't get a picture while actually doing it so we took one afterwards :) I just love serving others....it brings great joy...and I get to wear pants :) 

      The biggest lesson I learned this week was on obedience. When the scriptures say you'll be blessed when you're obedient to the Lord's commandments...they mean it. There were a couple of nights this past week when we got home LATE. It was an AWFUL feeling that I hope to never feel again. Knowing we could have put more effort into preventing it was just awful. I'm so grateful for repentance and for the opportunity I have to do better and to change to become more like my Savior Jesus Christ...I want nothing more in the world than to be like Him. Be obedient...always! It will BLESS you!!! 

        Next week, my pday will be Tuesday due to memorial day...just a heads up! I love ya'll and hope this week is full of joy and happiness. I challenge you to be more obedient this week, and I can promise you that you'll see more blessings and miracles and will be filled with even more joy! The Lord loves each of you and is very mindful of all that you're going through! I'm grateful for Jesus Christ and for all that He has done for me. I'm blessed to have this short time to be His representative 24/7 for 18 months....greatest gift and calling I could have been given. I love this Gospel!! This is my testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. Love you all!

Love, 

Sister Wilson"

If God Had a Refrigerator, Your Picture Would Be On It

This past weekend, we got to Skype with Nicole for Mother's Day. She's doing very well!

She was so happy and bubbly, like always. She was so incredibly excited to tell us that

the first yard she's ever had to mow in her entire life was done in CANADA!

She hated the mowing part, but loved that she experienced it in another country. :)

She even told us about how "weird" Canada is, because they measure temperature

in Celsius and distance in kilometers. When we told her we were the

weird ones, she just couldn't believe it! Then on Monday,

she sent us the following email, complete with pictures:

"Hey everyone!! 

    So...this week was personally super duper tough. I struggled a lot in every way. But, it taught me the importance of enduring to the end (staying faithful ALWAYS even when life gets hard). As I spent a lot of time in sincere prayer and made sure to read from the Book of Mormon every day, I was finally able to come out of my "slump" at the end of the week. I wouldn't have made it through this week if it weren't for the Atonement, or sacrifice, of Jesus Christ! I'M SO GRATEFUL!!! Despite the hardness of the week, I saw so many miracles, blessings, and tender mercies! As we turn to God and do our very best all the time, He will help us and we will be greatly blessed!! I didn't enjoy my trials, but I'm very grateful for the lesson I've been able to learn from them :) 

     This week we did some service for a less active who's moving. We helped her clean her house. On the way there, we passed by a church with a funny sign that said "If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it" hahahahaha. I thought it was so funny! It's true though (: God loves each of us and knows us personally and we would totally be on his fridge :) 

       We're teaching this lady named Beth. She's living with a member who is coming back to church (she's been less active for a while). This less active, Sister Woehmeyer, is GREAT!!! She's the best fellowship ever for Beth! Beth has had questions and doubts about some things we've taught her, especially Joseph Smith. As we've committed her to pray more and read from the Book of Mormon, she's coming around. We got a text from Sister Woehmeyer the other day that said Beth told her "I think I found what I've been looking for with the Mormons"!!! She's mentioned being baptized to her and she stays up late reading the Book of Mormon! She's been to church twice and LOVES it!!!! AHHHHHH!!!! I can't wait for our next lesson with her on Wednesday!! She's so awesome! She's even invited her friend to the lessons...she's already a missionary :') 

      Another exciting thing that happened to me.....I WENT TO CANADA!!!!!!! We had exchanges and I got to go with Sister Larsen to Canada...I was way excited!! The Canadians say "ay" a lot, which is so funny, and their temperature is in celsius. We got to do some service for this lady, and she was talking about how hot it gets. She said "it gets to 40 degrees!" I was like "40? That's winter in Texas!!" Then she started laughing at me as I realized the difference.....oops :) Another fun part, was I got to mow my first lawn..in Canada!! How many people can say they mowed their first lawn in Canada? Not many :) It was a good exchange :) 

      One last thing before I close my letter. This weekend, my stake is doing an "invite a friend to church" Sunday. Now, we should invite people every week, but this week the talks will be special. I know this probably isn't happening everywhere, but I would invite all to attend the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints this Sunday. It will be a very uplifting experience that will help you feel God's spirit and love for you. It will change your life...it changed mine. 

       I love you all! I know that my Redeemer, Jesus Christ lives. He loves each of us and is waiting to help us...we just have to ask Him. I love you all and hope everyone has a fun, safe week! 

Love, 

Sister Wilson"

I'm a Wicken

Here's Nicole's latest email home! It sounds like

she had a great and productive week:     

     "Hey Everyone! Not much has changed since Wednesday, but it's been a much better past few days! 

     Thursday and Saturday we had the opportunity to do some service for a couple different people in the wards. I love being able to serve people...it's so great! On Friday, we got 2 new investigators, 1 in each ward!! So exciting!! One's name is Andrea. We found her at a park with her kids and we went up and started talking to her. She was so great! She asked for a "statement of Faith" so we gave her 13....we gave her an articles of faith card (which is simply 13 statements about our beliefs). She said she would love to talk to us, but couldn't at the time. Then SHE asked if there was a time we could meet....what the? It was so great!!!!! We set up a time and then we invited her to be baptized when she comes to know our message was true. She's been baptized twice already, but said she'd do it again...NO ONE says that! She is totally prepared and we're excited to start teaching her:) The second is name Wanda. She's lives in the Clayton ward and she's been taught by missionaries before and is open to learning more. Her husband passed away not too long ago and he was a member. She wants to learn more about what he believed! 

      Yesterday was fast and testimony meeting....it was soooooo great!! I love hearing the experiences other members of the church have with the gospel of Jesus Christ! I have to tell you about an awesome experience from yesterday. There's this dumb girl (dumb as in can't speak at all except for a few words) in Clayton ward. Her name is Sharon and I've never met her before yesterday. She and another woman walked up to the stand to bare testimony. The friend explained that Sharon's been wanting to share her testimony for a really long time, but they never knew how to go about it. After fasting and praying, they came up with a good idea! They typed it!!!! The friend read Sharon's testimony while Sharon stood there looking at everyone! It was the most beautiful, touching testimony I have ever heard. In the testimony she said, "I love this gospel and I'm going to testify of it always!" How beautiful that is!! This lady who can't speak but a few words is proudly going to testify of the Restored gospel of Jesus Christ in every way that she knows how. It made me analyze my missionary efforts and realize that I could do a MUCH better job. At the end of the testimony, Sharon was able to close it "in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen". I bawled! It was such a testimony builder to me that everyone has a part to play in the spreading of the gospel and we all need to play that part. We have been blessed with many gifts and talents that we need to use to help others feel of God's Spirit....Sharon did just that! 

      After church we went out to see people..we met a lot of people so that was great! We walked up to this couple and they immediately shewed us away. The lady exclaimed "I'm a Wicken!! I'm a Wicken! I don't want to hear religion!" I asked Sister Kulcsar what that was and she said it's like a witch....this is the second witch I've encountered on my mission....I met a lady who said she was a witch in Belle Terre. It's very interesting.... 

       So Deer Park is great(: It pushes me to be a better missionary and a better person. I love my companion. I love the 2 wards I serve in. I love the Gilson, the cute older couple I live with...they are so great! I just love living with older people! Sister Francis (the member I previously lived with) was the funniest lady ever! The Gilsons are just like her! So sweet, funny, and loving! I have been so blessed with my living arrangements! I'm so grateful for all that my Father has given me! I would invite everyone to pay more attention to all the blessings you have. We are so blessed and it would be a sin not to acknowledge Heavenly Father for everything. I love you all and pray you're doing well! To all the mothers out there, HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!!! You women are amazing and we love and appreciate you dearly! Love you!! 

Love, 

Sister Wilson"

Deer Park

Sorry I'm behind in updating y'all! This is Nicole's

email home from last week. Her P-Day was on Wednesday

instead of Monday, and it usually takes a couple of

days before I'm able to update. Read about her

crazy first week in Deer Park below:

     "Hey everyone!! We went to the Temple today, so that's why my pday is so much later. Anyways, it's been an insanely crazy first week in Deer Park! 

     Before I left Belle Terre, we had a miracle!! The picture with me and those fabulous children of God in front of the Temple was from last Monday. That evening, we took our less active, Sonja ( she's the one on my left in the sweatshirt) on a church tour. We worked with her for FOREVER to get her to come to church and she never would. She was so stubborn. Nonetheless, she was slowly progressing. It was so amazing to watch her grow and you could start to really see the Spirit working through her. The last time we invited her to church, the Spirit placed an idea in her mind that she should go visit the church again first to re-familiarize herself with the building before she goes back (it's been a super long time since she's been). So....we took her on a church tour! Our recent convert Erin, on my right and Ed (the greatest missionary in the whole entire world) were there too for fellowship. As we walked around the church, we helped her remember her baptism (she's a convert who joined a few years ago). When we got into the chapel, she started crying. The Spirit was so strong and she felt at home...it was AMAZING!!! Of course I was bawling too....when you don't have any investigators to work with, you spend a lot of time with less actives (which are just people who are members, but don't attend). It was incredible. The chapel was the last part of our church tour, so as we were leaving, Sonja asked if we could walk around the Temple..you know because it's right across the street(: It was soooo great! We all walked around the House of God and she exclaims "I'm going inside someday. I'm going to do it" Of course I'm bawling the whole time. She has a goal to go to the Temple to make promises with God and to feel the peace that comes from this Holy Place. None of these 3 amazing people have been to the Temple yet, so it was so great to walk and talk with them!!! This picture is one of my favorite moments captured on my mission and I am so very grateful and blessed to have had the opportunity to serve with them! 

      Tuesday morning, I said my final goodbyes to Sonja, she wanted to see me one last time....meaning, I had one last time to push her to go to church on Sunday(: I also said goodbye to my awesome companion. I learned so much from her and I love her dearly(: But, my new hungarian companion is so awesome! Her name is Sister Kulcsar (Cole-ch-are). She is so sweet and really funny!! I love serving with her! 

      Serving in Deer Park is wayyyyy different. I actually cover 2 wards...Deer Park and Clayton. We share Clayton with a pair of Elders though, so that makes it fun...and interesting haha. This area is HUGE!!!! I could bike from one end of Belle Terre to the other in 15 minutes. Now it takes 40 minutes to drive to our dinner appointment. Some of our appointments are an hour away...it's so crazy! But, it's fun and really beautiful! Supposedly we get free bowling on p days(: The ward members are very nice, though Sundays are very long. With the 2 wards and the meetings for both wards, I'm at church from 7:30 am to 5 pm every Sunday, so that's a little different haha! Along with the few extra hours of church, I get an extra hour of study in the morning. Normally we have 2 hours (1 for personal study and 1 for companion study), but now we get 3 for Sister Kulcsar to do language study. At first I didn't want an extra hour, but I LOVE it now! I learn so much as we take it slower and really try to understand what the scriptures mean. 

      To sum it up, it's been a very tough week (like all first weeks of new transfers), but a very blessed week. It will take time for me to fully get use to all the changes, but I'm grateful for this new opportunity and I know I'll grow A LOT while working in this area with these people and with my new companion. I hope all is going well with everyone!! I sure do love and pray for you all daily! Have a wonderful rest of the week and I'll write again on Monday!! 

Love, 

Sister Wilson

Ps. my new address is:

32304 N Spotted Rd

Deer Park WA 99006  

We live with the nicest old people...I'll tell more next week!"