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"

Miracles are Happening in Orofino

Here's Nicole's email from last week (11th)! 

Our sweet missionary will be home before we know it!

"Hey everyone!!! 

       Tuesday I was in Spokane ALL DAY for MLC (Missionary Leadership Council). It was a meeting for all the mission leaders. It was really good but boy was I exhausted by the time we got home! I'm very thankful for our leaders, though, and all that they do and teach me! 

     Wednesday we saw Donna! It went so well! The session of conference we watched with her was Saturday morning and President Monson didn't speak then. When we went over, she told us "I kept thinking about this the past few days that I never got to hear the prophet speak. So, I went and looked up his talk!" How awesome is that!!! The Lord is working on her and helping her to come to know that we do have a prophet today called of God! We then taught her about the Plan of Salvation and she said she has a desire to have an eternal family. We asked her what she thinks she needs to do to reach that goal....her answer came from conference (: She said, "well, Elder Nelson told a story in his talk about a man who lost some loved ones. Later he learned about and wanted to have an eternal family. He needed to be baptized by the priesthood authority before he could get sealed and have an eternal family". Can I just take a moment to say, I LOVE GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!!!!!!! It was incredible!! She's seriously thinking about what she's willing to do to have that forever family.....miracles are happening in Orofino! That evening we met a less active, part member family named the Sobrevillas. The husband, Martine, is not a member (yet), but is up to learning more. He doesn't really care either way, but we're hopeful, and prayerful, that as we teach him, the Spirit will testify to him and will help him see the importance to our message!! We also saw Sister Burt and taught her the Restoration. Her desire to become more involved in the church is very inspiring :)

      Thursday we saw Perk and set up a time to take him on a church tour this week! We can't wait!!! Church tours are so very powerful! I encourage everyone, member or not, to go on a church tour with the local missionaries, if available!! It is a very powerful experience and you will grow closer to your Savior, Jesus Christ!  I'm so stoked!!! 

      Friday we had Zone training. Haha, Sister Lake and I are the only sisters in our zone and it was a really weird realization at first. I just want to say how much I love learning from them. Part of the training included talking about the Temple and the sacred ordinances we do there. The sacred and respectful way the elders went about discussing it was very powerful. The Spirit that accompanies the Temple is incredible. My testimony was firmly strengthened on the importance of the Temple and gratitude towards God for blessing us with them! I love the Temple so much!! We also met Jerry Hosley, who is also from a part-member family. His wife isn't active in the church but he has a desire to learn more. He said he's been looking for truth for a while and hasn't found it yet. He has a very strong desire to read the Book of Mormon and to learn more. As we taught him the Restoration, he said it makes sense and has never seen the gospel from that perspective, but he likes it!! I can't wait to teach him again!! He's very open and willing! 

     Saturday I got to meet the Collier family. They lived in Utah for a time and went to church for the longest time there. Then they moved to Kamiah and went to church until their house burnt down and had to move to Orofino. This family has a lot of potential and hopefully as we teach them, they will have that desire to act on the teachings of Jesus Christ! Saturday we also got to have a picnic...in the back of our car :) Because the Colliers live in a small town an hour away, we packed a lunch, pulled off to the side of the road, opened up the trunk, and ate food :) It was really fun! The weather here has been so beautiful and I feel truly truly blessed! 

      Yesterday we partook of the sacrament, which is always one of my favorite parts of the entire week :) So thankful for my Savior and His sacrifice!! 

       That sums up my week. I know it's a super long email this time, but I am truly grateful for all that the Lord has blessed me with. I love Him so much. I love this gospel so much and I love my calling more than anything. I pray everyone will have a wonderful week and will go watch conference if you haven't already. If you have, I encourage you to pick a talk and read it again or study it more in depth.....what a blessing it is to have modern day prophets and apostles...don't take them for granted!! 

With Love,

Sister Wilson"

 Car Picnic

 Car Picnic

 Gorgeousness

Gorgeousness

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a Gospel of Action

Here's Nicole's email from April 4th!

It's crazy to think she'll be home in a month!

"Hello everyone!!! 

    This week has been crazy, as all first weeks of a new transfer are. It's been good, though, and I've learned a lot so far and have been made very humble :) 

     Monday we had one last lesson with Katrina and her family. It was very bittersweet. I love this family so much and am so very grateful for the time I had to know them and work with them :) Lots of pictures of them included! 

     Tuesday we had transfers and I got my new companion, Sister Lake. She is such a cutie! She's from North Ogden Utah and has been out 6 months. She's a sweetie and I've learned so much from her already! She knows the area well and loves the people and it gets me excited to work hard too! 

      Wednesday we had a lesson with an investigator named Donna. We met her briefly on Tuesday too. She's a sweet lady who knows the Book of Mormon is true. She said she found out it was true a couple years ago, but has never acted on that knowledge. We helped her understand a little more about what the answer means and what she should do with it. Hopefully we can get her to act on it. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of action and we need to be acting on the knowledge God gives us and be CHANGING. The Atonement was performed to help us change and become more like Him. I hope Donna will use the Atonement to change. 

      Thursday I met Perk. He's an 89 year old man who knows the Book of Mormon is true but doesn't want to be baptized because it will offend his friend. Again with action. We're trying to get him to do the small things, read every day, pray (which he does), and go to church. His friend gets mad if Perk wants to go to church but hopefully we can get him to attend one Sunday or go on a church tour! He did agree to watch conference though :)

     Friday I had a meeting all day to train me on how to be an STL....I learned a lot about being a leader and how I can best magnify my calling! 

     Saturday we watched the first session of Conference with Donna. She LOVED it!! She knows the leaders who spoke were inspired by God! Again, we just need to turn that knowledge into action. 

      Sunday we watched the first session of Conference with Perk! He liked it too and found it very interesting. He also agreed to come on a church tour!!!!! YAYYYY!!!! We are sincerely praying that we'll be able to help him have a positive, spiritual experience in the building to help him come to church! Yesterday we also went to the Academy. I don't know too much about it, but from my understanding, the Academy is for youth about 15-17,18ish. It's is a school to help youth get their GED (which is suppose to equal a high school diploma). It's all military structure and they learn military principles and skills as well. Missionaries go there every week to administer the sacrament to them and teach them a Sunday school lesson. It was very humbling. These kids are away from home for 6 months to attend here. There's about 10ish kids that attend our sacrament meeting and lesson, and it's really cool. They're making it a priority all on their own. It's a choice, and they have truly chosen Christ. It made me very thankful, because I'm not sure I would have done the same being in their shoes at their age. They bring their scriptures and participate every week. I truly truly love those cadets already :) 

      Well, if anyone didn't watch General Conference, I would exhort you to do so. There were many wonderful talks and they all pulled me closer to my Savior. I know God still speaks to us through individual revelation and also through a living day prophet, Thomas S. Monson. Listen to him. The only way you will know if he is called of God is to listen to him and his counselors. I'm so thankful for this past weekends....Conference is truly my favorite weekends all year long. I love my Savior. I love His called prophets and apostles and leaders. I know Christ lives! I hope everyone will continually use His Sacrifice to change and become more like Him! 

Love,

Sister Wilson"

 Cole Family

 Cole Family

 Cole Family

 Cole Family

 Sister Taylor

Transfers

Rain is Nothing More than Liquid Sunshine :)

Here's Nicole's email from the week of Easter.

Enjoy!!

"Happy Belated Easter!

    This week was pretty great!! We got our transfer calls and I am going to Orofino! I will also be a Sister Training Leader, which means I have the responsibility for the other sister missionaries around me and for giving trainings. I am not prepared to be an STL, but I know God is helping me to work hard to the end. It's very bittersweet! I love Nine Mile, but I'm very excited to serve in Idaho for the first time my whole mission :) Because I'm getting transferred, there will be a few photos of some of my favorite families this week and next week :) 

      Tuesday this week we found 2 new investigators! They were a member referral and Sister Blackwell and I had tried them around Christmas and they weren't very interested. Our member told us to go back and show the Easter video so that's what we tried to do. We knocked and the wife, Stacey, answered and said they weren't interested in watching the video. She was about to have us go when her husband ,Chris, in a nearby room (we didn't see him) said something to her that caused her to invite us in. We went into their living room and they had us sit down. Chris said he didn't want to watch the video, but that he "had a lot of blanks that need to be filled". He started asking us questions and at first it seemed like he was going to try to "Bible Bash" us (when people try using the Bible to prove us "wrong"). That got us a little antsy, but a few minutes into it he said, "I've been searching for so long and haven't found what I'm looking for yet. I've never felt like my faith was complete and I want to know what you have. I'm open and I want to know how you can help me". He's willing to do the things we ask him to and he asked us to come back the very next day!! Unfortunately, because of sickness, we haven't seen him again yet, but he said he's definitely looking forward to us coming by again. There are people out there and ready for the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. If we will just open our mouths and testify of His divinity, we will find them!! I'm very excited to see where Sister Foo and her new companion will take Chris and Stacey. 

     Wednesday we had an all day meeting and a lesson with the Fagers. They have agreed to come on a church tour this week, which is huge for them!! I know when they step into the church building, the Spirit will work on them and help them to feel and come to know of the truthfulness of this message!!! Miracles are happening in Nine Mile!! 

      Friday we saw Katrina and her family again. I don't think I can talk about how much I love this family and how much they have changed me. They will definitely be my hardest goodbye but one of the most joyous reunions when I see them again!! 

     Saturday we went to the Women's General Broadcast. A fun thing happened there...I ran into Cristie Hendrix (doubt I spelled that right) from Texas!! It was so weird to see someone I knew, but so fun! Haha, small world :) Anyways, the broadcast was amazing! If you haven't watched it yet, go to lds.org and do so!! It's so great and there was a very obvious theme: service. Serve others. People love service and hearts are softened. Christ was the perfect example of service...all He did was serve others. I challenge you to be more Christlike this week and to reach out and serve those around you. Also, don't miss General Conference this weekend!! Our prophet, apostles and other church leaders will be speaking to us and giving direction and counsel. I know that we have a prophet today, Thomas S. Monson. He has been called of God. He is inspired and we are blessed as we listen to him and follow his counsel...after all, it's really Christ's counsel to us. 

      Yesterday we had wonderful Sunday services that had me in tears. I'm thankful for this season to be able to remember that Christ lives today! One of the speakers said something I loved, "rain is nothing more than liquid sunshine". Yes, it was very rainy yesterday, but this quote reminded me that we can always find something to be happy about or grateful for even in the rains. Rainbows only come after the rain and we end up being grateful for the rain, knowing that it's only because of the rain that we could enjoy something so beautiful. 

       I know this Church is true. I know God and Jesus Christ live. They love us. They will be speaking to us, through prophets, this weekend and I invite all to watch it. I love my Savior. I love this calling. I'm thankful for my time here and for all the miracles that we've seen!! I pray everyone will have a wonderful week!!

Love

Sister Wilson"

 Blindfolded Marshmallow Dodgeball

 Blindfolded Marshmallow Dodgeball

 Cristie

 Merrills

 Sad to leave 9 Mile

 Westermans

Westermans

7 Weeks

Here's Nicole's email from March 21st.

It's crazy to think she has only 7 weeks left!

"Hello everyone!!! 

    This week is week 7 of the transfer (our transfer got extended one week!) and is also the 7 more weeks mark before I return home....man time goes by way too fast :'( 

     This past week, though, was good! We're getting more referrals from our members of people to go see, which is very exciting! We've also been able to show the new Easter video and it's amazing the Spirit that it brings. If you haven't seen it yet, I would invite you to go tofollowhim.mormon.org and watch it! I'm sure you can find 2:14 to watch a short video (: It's powerful. It testifies of truth. It helps us remember our Savior and all He has done for us. It will touch your heart. I've seen the video many times and my testimony grows each time. Watch it! 

     The biggest miracle that happened this week was Thursday. While we were doing our weekly planning, we got a phone call from an unknown number. A lady, Betty, called us and asked if we could help her move. She got our number from a doctor she sees from another ward. He didn't tell her who we were, he just said to call the number and she'd find help, haha. So she did and we were able to set up a time to help her get things packed and ready to go. Yesterday, we went to her house to officially meet her and her husband, and to see how big of a job it is and if we needed to get other members involved. They were so sweet!! As we talked with them, we invited them to learn more about the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and they said yes! We gave them a Book of Mormon and before we left, Betty was already looking through it! We're so excited to go back and serve them and share this life-changing message with them. Even though they're moving in a week, we're excited to help them start their journey to learning more about our Savior. I love Him. I'm grateful for Him and I know He lives today and is at the head of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. How grateful I am for the testimony I have gained over the years, and, most importantly, over the last 17 months. 

     Yesterday, we helped out with a primary lesson! We got to share with 7-8 year old kids how they can be missionaries too! Haha, they all got their own little name tags...so cute! Missionary work is so easy, even the little primary kids can do it. Members.....DO MISSIONARY WORK!! It's not just the missionaries job! Those who aren't members of the church, I would invite you to come and see what we're all about. I promise, you won't be disappointed! 

     The rest of the week we spent trying to find new investigators. It's been a very humbling experience working in this ward for as long as I have. I pray, if it be God's will, that I'll be able to finish my mission here! 

     I hope everyone has a wonderful week. Reflect on our Savior this Easter and think about all that He has done for you and all He will do for you! Christ has risen. He lives and is mindful of each of us. #Hallelujah 

Love, 

Sister Wilson"

 Mini Missionaries!!

 Sister Foo Fun!

More Sister Foo Fun!