Transfer Complete!

Nicole's Letter:

"Season 2 Finale... wait, what?"

February 27, 2017

 So I am getting transferred to Grangeville, Idaho and I am second-training (that means that she has only been out one transfer and is still in training).  My stomach is kind of in knots just thinking about it.  I feel so bad for her, she is getting a trainer that has only been out 4 1/2 months and I have no clue what I am doing.  I was really freaking out (wanted to barf) after President called to ask if I would be willing to train but then this morning I realized that freaking out does nothing in life.  Also, I know that God will strengthen me beyond my own capabilities.  That is probably what I have learned the most this transfer is that the enabling power of the Atonement is real (Elder Bednar has a really good talk about it that everyone should look up- I can't remember the name but he gave it before he was an apostle at a BYU devotional).  I know that I could not have done this transfer on my own and with mine own strength.  God really does lift you up and helps you through the hard times.  I mean there were still some really low lows but I just can't even imagine those lows without God.  In the talk Elder Bednar states that "The Atonement is not just for the sinners but it is for good men to become better".  God gave me strength this transfer and I just have to have faith that He will do that again this next transfer.  I am so scared ahh!

Also, a little bit about Grangeville.  It is in the outerspace of the mission.  We looked it up on the GPS last night and it is 300 miles away from Post Falls.  Three hours away from the mission home in Spokane and it is the largest geographical area in the mission.  I am literally going from the smallest (we can walk the distance of our area in like an hour) to the largest (where it takes hours to drive the distance of the area).  It should be pretty interesting.  

I have to admit I am a bit sad to leave Post Falls and the people.  We said goodbye to some people last night.  But the Elders that are taking over our people are good (well one was just the AP and the other one is a newbie) so that helps.  We went over to Larisa and Dennis's house last night and I love them so much! They are the best!  We taught the gospel and it was actually a really good lesson.  They are living together and afterward Larisa turns to Dennis and just says "We have to get married.  We are living in sin, like just playing house together".  Dennis was like "No we are just roommates" Haha but they both know they need to start acting.  Yesterday after sacrament meeting one of the members (his wife has been taught by the missionaries) told us that his wife has picked a date and she is being baptized on March 18.  She is out of town right now but she finally knows when her mom is able to come up for the baptism.  So that is super exciting!!! They are awesome people, we love them! Sad that I am leaving though.

​Jen and Tom- they are pretty great, I love them! They fed us every Sunday this transfer which was the first for them.  Tom wanted us over every Sunday and Jen was super surprised.  They are so fun.  We meet them the first Sunday of the transfer and before meeting them I was freaking out because the Elders that were teaching Tom told us that Jen hates Sisters and was not happy that she was getting sisters but she likes us :)

Jordan (Dennis's son made us some sweet spray paint art) 

The effects of freezing fog.

​pretty skies after a lesson at the church a couple weeks ago

​Us cooking fish that some old lady gave us.  Sometimes I just laugh at the things that happen on a mission.  We were teaching an old lady-she has let us in once so we just teach at the door.  And one day she was like "do you like fish"  We were like yah and so she was like wait her I have fish for you!  And then she was up fumbling around for ever and I was like "Shirley, we don't need that much"  And she shushed me! So we walked home with a couple of pounds of fish that day!

​My district (minus one elder that just got made AP so he wasn't there for our last district meeting)

​The finish product of our fish, thanks to Shirley for the fish 

​This might be a pointless picture to you but you do not even know how happy this makes me.  I have never loved the sun so much! Had to take a picture since it is a rare sighting to see the sun.

​Then naturally we had to take a picture of us on that sunny day :)

​Us at CDA lake last pday.

​Some sisters in my zone...and yes ponytails are not my thing, I look like I am balding, promise I'm not

​Tom came and dropped off a pie at church for Sister Lake's birthday last week.  He walked into the front of the class with this huge pie box.  He brought his friend as well it was funny.  But the pie was so GOOD!

One more photo of my going away present that Sister Lake drew for me :) 

Here comes the sun. . . Not!

Nicole's Letter:
Feb. 20, 2017
"Here comes the Sun. . . NOT!"

It has been snowy and wet this entire week!!!

One day it was SUNNY and it was the GREATEST!! I have never loved the sun so much in my entire life! This week was good! Well, what else can I say :)

So we are still in Post Falls and nothing is going to happen until the end of the transfer which is next week! Funny thing is that the area that President was talking about that we were going to go to is Post Falls 1st ward which is one of the wards that the Elders in our district have.  So President was right about us already having a place to stay and everything.  It was funny how we found out.  We were in district meeting and were talking about transfers and they were asking us what we think will happen.  I said that I am out of here and then Sister Lake kind of hinted at that something was happening and then they basically called it all.  The Elders were like oh so you are the sisters that President was talking about!

The more that I am out here the more I yearn to learn of the Savior.  The more He becomes real to me.  It's like I knew Him before (I did) but I am starting to remember that.  I am starting to remember that He really is my older brother.  He really did suffer and die for me.  He really did live His life perfectly, that I might follow His example.  This is making me search the scriptures more.  I am starting to read the New Testament and I love it.  I can't stop reading it.  The more I want to read about Him and his life.  And the more I read, the more He becomes apart of me.  He is truly our older brother.  He is our Savior and He is the Son of God.

Ward Conference was this week and it was so good! Sundays are the best!! One of our investigators came to church, to the last two hours! It was Sister Lake's birthday so his wife, who is a member, texted him and he brought a cake and his friend to church. It was funny.  They feed us every Sunday which is super nice. Last night we had ribs and stuffed mushrooms.  It was so GOOD!

For Sister Lake's birthday I made heart shaped pancakes, well tried at least and made a post it note sign in the shape of 21 and wrote 21 reasons why I love Sister Lake.  Hopefully it was a good one for her :)  

A lot of people were busy this week but this week is another week.  

LOVING LIFE

SISTER STEVE

It just keeps getting better. . .

Nicole's Letter:

"It Just Keeps Getting Better"

February 13, 2017

This week we had interviews with President and Sister Dymock, we now are going to have them every transfer.  They are seriously the best.  I love them! We found out our area could be changed up and we might be moved out. We will see when that happens.

We had another lesson with Brooklyn, the 13 year old, who's parents are less active.  She really wants to get baptized but she and her brother promised when they were little that they would do it together but now her brother wants nothing to do with it.  So hopefully we will have a lesson with her tonight but her mom is out of town for a week or so.  We are going to go to her dad's house but he has bailed on us so many times since Sister Ireland has left, he loved her.

Then we had two more lessons with Julie.  It was good.  She reads for the Strength of Youth every night to her family.  She loves that book!  

I was reading in the New Testament the other day.  Everyone go look up Matthew 14.  Oh man it hit me.  So just imagine, Jesus Christ just got word that John the Baptist got beheaded, his cousin/friend.  Jesus probably just wants to be alone for a little bit.  He goes away yet the multitude follows him.  And then Jesus has compassion on them.  After all that, I mean I can only imagine the emotions Jesus was feeling.  If it were me, I would have made it a point to me alone, maybe yell at them to go away, something.  Yet, Christ looked outward, even in the midst of hardship.  That is truly being Christlike, when we look outward when we want and probably have all the right to look inward.  It made me want to be better.  No matter how lonely, frustrated, tired, impatient I feel, I want to look outwards.  I know I can with the Savior.  Just a thought from this week.

Love you all!!!

Sis Steve

Winter Isn't Over Yet.

Sister Lake!!

Random photos from last transfer at zone pday. someone really wanted to do a pyramid haha

Here are some pictures from an exchange last transfer with Sister Mathias!! And me inside a huge igloo someone made.  We were on a blitz and we knocked on this guys door.  I was praying so hard because Sister Mathias was freaking out and it was her first house tracting.  So I was just praying he was nice and he was and he let us take a picture inside his igloo.

 

Nicole's Letter: "Yep." 

February 6, 2017

HAPPY MONDAY!! I think this will be the only time in my life where I will look forward to Mondays.  On missions, Sunday night is the greatest, I definitely don't get the Sunday blues anymore :).

So highlights of this week:

1) EXCHANGES!!!! We went on a 24 hour exchange.  I went with Sister Curtis, the STL, and it was 24 hours of heaven! She is the best! I went to her area which is YSA and we got snowed in because it dumped this weekend.  So we updated the area book, etc but mainly just talked which was super good.  She has been in my Zone my entire mission so it was fun.

2) Larissa and Dennis are my favorite people ever!! We went over last night and it was the best.  They probably are the nicest people ever and they are so funny.  They made us a fruit and cheese platter and it was fun. We taught the Plan of Salvation and it was good. We are going over next week! 

3) It snowed A TON!!! AND I"M DRIVING!! Luckily I don't have to drive far expect for P-day, zone activities and mission conferences.  So pray that it is good weather tomorrow, we have interviews in Coeur d'Alene.  We were just seeing a little ground and I got super excited but winter is definitely not over!!

4) There are some really good ward members that are super nice.

5) We had dinner and a lesson with Brooklyn at her mom's house (first time at her mom's home and it was good!) Brooklyn is the daughter of the fighter.  Brooklyn really wants to be baptized we just have to work on the parents following through with it, so we will see what happens because she has been wanting to for a really long time.  She is super cute, 13 year old.  We were leaving and we asked when we could come back and she was like Tomorrow!! Her mom told us next week, so hopefully we can meet with her this week. 

Any advice and letters would be greatly appreciated :) 

Love everyone!