Reflection

Here's Nicole's LAST email home! As in, 

SHE'S COMING HOME NEXT WEEK!!

When Nicole gets home, I'm sure she'll want to post one last blog entry.

This week she reflected on things she's learned on her mission. 

Check them out below:

"Hello Everyone!!! 

      I left my camera at home, so there will be no pictures this week, despite the many I took....sorry!!!!

      I can't believe it's been 18 months already. This time next week I'll be on an airplane... I wanted to take the time today to share 18 lessons I've learned the past 18 months. As I pondered and wrote all these down in advance, I was amazed at how naturally and fast they came to me. I am so grateful for all that I've learned and will be forever thankful to my Heavenly Father for teaching me so much. This will probably be super long, but it's what I felt prompted to share, so her it goes!!! Please excuse any spelling errors, I'm typing through tear-filled eyes :') 

1. God's plan is always perfect. Always...no ands, ifs, buts, ors about it. His plan is perfect....even all the trials we go through are perfectly placed for our benefit.
   
2. I can do hard things. We really can do "all things through Christ which strengthens [us]". Nothing is too hard to handle with Him.
   
3. The Atonement covers EVERYTHING!! There is absolutely nothing that Christ can't fit. All that is wrong is righted in Him. I could talk for forever on this precious gift!
   
4. Love. He loves us infinitely and we can never be taken from that love. He loves each of us and I'm so grateful I've been able to feel of His love for other people...that's the greatest thing...to feel God's love for someone else.
   
5. Patience....it's a virtue...a very hard virtue sometimes! Patience helps us to better understand others and, as a result, helps us to become more like Christ. We need to be patient with everyone, us included, because God is so patient with us despite all of our weaknesses.
   
6. Perspective is vital!!! If we will but open our eyes to see the bigger picture, we can make it through anything. Having an eternal perspective brings peace, comfort, hope, joy, etc.
   
7. Doing the small things (Church, Pray, Read- CPR)  are SO IMPORTANT!!! Another topic I could talk about for forever on!!! These really are the tools we need to stay spiritually alive. We can't live in Christ without doing them.
   
8. Missionary work is a calling to everyone...not just missionaries. Members play a VITAL role!!!
   
9. Being a child of God means so much more than it ever has before. Knowing who we are (LITERAL children of God) helps us know who we can become with His help. It helps us better understand His commandments, His plan, and the experiences we go through. We are destined to become something greater than we could ever know (Romans 8:16-17)
   
10. Humility is so important. I am useless without Him and will always be. I need Him so desperately every moment of my life....we all need Him. The sooner we figure that out, the better off we'll be.....I still have a long ways to go before I'm where I want to be when it comes to being humble, but I'm a lot closer than when I started.
    
11. The Holy Ghost is our greatest friend. He has taught me SO much, especially lately. All the miracles we've seen lately have been results of promptings from the Spirit. He tells us and shows us what we need to do. We are never alone if we're listening to Him. He helps us on our way and that has been a huge blessing!! I'm so thankful for His guidance!!!
    
12. Whom the Lord calls, He qualifies. He calls imperfect people to do His work...He always has and He always will. Even though we may feel so inadequate, He helps us see we are more than capable of doing great things. Again, His plan is perfect.
    
13. Gratitude. There is so much we have to be grateful for. Oh my heck, I had no idea how blessed I was until I left my Frisco bubble. We have so much to thank our Heavenly Father for and I will always be thankful for Him and His many blessings He gives to us. Don't take anything for granted!
    
14. Joy. I now understand what the people in the Book of Mormon were talking about when they said their joy is full. I can't think of a more joyful moment in my entire life than my mission.
    
15. Temples!!!! We went to the Temple this past week and it was amazing!!! They are the House of God and we learn so much about His perfect plan while in the Temples!!! I love them more than words can tell!
    
16. Everyone needs the Gospel, whether they know it or not. The Gospel meets every need possible and it's the only source of never ending peace, joy, hope, etc.We all need it....period.
    
17. The organization of Christ's church is so important. We need a prophet and 12 apostles and other church leaders.We need their guidance and their love and their prayers, etc. We have them as a benefit to us!
    
18. Finally, after all has been said and done, I am my most important convert. I've been more converted to the Gospel than I think anyone else I've taught. I came out to help convert others, never imagining that my life would have done a complete 180 in the process. I'm so thankful for the changes Heavenly Father has made in me to help me become more like Him.

It will be very bittersweet to leave my home for the past 18 months, but I know that it's all part of God's plan. I love being a missionary. I love these people. And, I love my Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. 

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!!

Sister Wilson"

"Sister Lake had a photo on her camera!! This was from

our Sacrament Meeting with all the cadets yesterday.....

Love them way too much!!! :)"

God's Blessings are Greater than Any Sacrifice We Make to Receive Them

Here's Nicole's April 25th email:

"Happy Monday!!

    We're going to the Temple on Thursday but because we live 3 hours away, we wouldn't have time to finish everything and got permission to do our shopping and emailing today still :) I just want to say how excited I am for the Temple...it will be a much much needed trip!

    This week was pretty good. We found 2 new investigators! The first, is Michelle. She lives next to a less active family,the Sobrevillas. Michelle talked with missionaries in the past and is very interested in learning more. We taught her the Restoration and she has lots of good questions. She already believes the God the Father and Jesus Christ are 2 separate beings with bodies of flesh and bone, which is awesome!!! It's such a simple thing that a lot of people don't see being so important. As long as we believe in God, that's all that matters...it doesn't matter if He has a body or if He's just a Spirit....that's the typical belief. But, it matters a lot more than realized. Knowing who God truly is and His nature helps us see who we can become. It makes our relationship with Him more personal and gives us hope. I'm super excited to teach Michelle some more and to help her come to accept this restored Gospel!!! 

     The second investigator goes by the name of "Cookie". Her husband is a less active member who doesn't really care either way when it comes to religion. Cookie is strong in her baptist beliefs, but is open and willing to read the Book of Mormon and has agreed to let us come over and read with her. She says she's not going to change but is interested in learning more about our beliefs and how her husband was raised. She said she's open to the idea that the Book of Mormon could be the word of God, even though she doesn't necessarily see the need for it. I know that if she sincerely reads and prays about the Book of Mormon, like she says she will, the Spirit will testify to her of the truthfulness of it. The Book of Mormon is evidence of the Restoration. It has changed my life and continues to do so every day. I invite everyone to read the Book of Mormon whether or not you've already read and no matter how many times you've read it. It will change your life and it will bring you closer to Jesus Christ. I'm excited to go back and read with Cookie!! 

       We saw the Colliers again this week! They're such a sweet family! They're basically Mormon already and just need to be baptized. We're focusing on their daughter, Jasmine. She opened up a little more and talked about how she wants to change and be better. We hope and pray she'll sincerely consider baptism.....it will do just that!!! It will provide that new start that she's looking for. Her dad wants her to be baptized to and we're going to tell him next time he has to set that example first! 

       Friday we had a district meeting with President and Sister Dymock...it was a lot of fun and I can't wait to go to the Temple with all the elders!!! Pictures included :)

      Yesterday, we went to the youth academy again! I love going there! Those cadets make me so happy. The way they put church as a priority at such a young age is incredible! They are wonderful missionaries too, always bringing someone new to our meeting!! I love those cadets so much! Next Sunday will be my last with them and it's very bittersweet....the few short weeks we've had with them has impacted me for the rest of my life! 

      Now for a funny story of the week!!! Saturday morning while we were doing exercise, I decided to do some wall sits. I went up to one of our trailer doors that we never use (it's always closed and locked) and started my wall sit....next thing I know, the door swings open and I'm falling backwards out of the trailer. Haha, my first thought was "how?", then "hahahahaha", then "ow!!" I painfully hit my head on the railing, but all is well!!! Nothing major happened! It just amazed me how that always seems to happen to me...one moment I'm up and doing something, the next I'm on the ground in pain...haha. It was pretty funny and kept the day interesting :) 

      I love my calling...I love every aspect of it. I know missionary work brings the greatest amount of joy and I have cherished every second of the last 18 months.....I can't thank my Father in Heaven enough for these experiences!! I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week!! 

Love,

Sister Wilson"

Kamiah District

Change is Progression

Here's Nicole's email from April 18th:

"Hey everyone!!! 

 

    This week, not a whole lot happened. As a result, I'll just share a couple learning experiences and testimony strengtheners :) 

     Thursday we had an all day meeting where we were trained by other missionaries. It was very uplifting and I learned a lot about how I can change and improve. I've learned a lot about change the past 18 months. Change is not always easy, fun, desirable, or convenient. But, change (when made through Jesus Christ) ALWAYS leads us to become more like Him. Change is progression. God's whole plan is for us to come to earth and to progress to become more like Him. Therefore, we have to be changing constantly. We have to be laying aside the things of the world and all of our worldly desires. We should be consistently trying to put off the natural man. God loves us. He is rooting for us and He will help us make the changes necessary to becoming the person He wants us to be. This type of change will always lead us to pure joy.

      At the end of the meeting on Thursday, President Dymock asked all the missionaries who will be leaving this transfer to come share their testimony. There were a total of 4 of us who had that privilege. I love being able to testify of Christ and to represent Him. I'm grateful He chose me to represent Him, even though I'm so imperfect. I love the strength He gives me to be able to do so. No greater joy have I felt than when I'm testifying. With that being said, I would like to share my testimony with all of you in conclusion of this email :)

     I know with all my heart, might, mind, and strength that Jesus is our Savior. He loves us. He has a body of flesh and bone that is glorified and perfected. He desires for us to become like Him. He desires for us to come unto Him so that He can heal us, comfort us, guide us, strengthen us and everything else that we need. It doesn't matter what we're in need of, because He'll meet that need. In essence, He's our only need. If we turn to Him, everything else will fall into place and we'll have everything we need. I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is lead by Christ himself, through His chosen prophet Thomas S. Monson. The Church is true. The Book of Mormon is true. It has changed my life and has helped me become more like our Savior (even though I still have a long ways to go). I love Him. I love love love love love love love love love love love LOVE my calling as a missionary and wouldn't change it for the world! I love all of you and hope that you can feel that! I hope your weeks are filled with light and that you can feel His hand in your daily lives. This is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Love,

Sister Wilson"