Stories

Nicole's Letter:
Story: Changes

Where do I even begin....this week has been crazy.

Well, I will start with the biggest news. And saddest.

Saturday we were in Clarkston again exchanging back from exchanges and apparently President called the other sisters and said that he needed to talk to everyone when we got back.  So we called him and he said that he is losing a lot of sisters and not getting a lot at all so they will be having to put elders in three areas that originally have sisters.  So Sister Packer and I thought it would be Clarkston because Grangeville has only had sisters for 4 transfers.  But President said "So the only sisters in the Zone will be Clarkston".  Sister Packer and I did not really register that until a couple seconds later and then it was total freak out.... Since I honestly just got swept from an area (Post Falls-which was actually starting to pick up a ton) and now Grangeville. Sister Packer was talking to President getting some details and he asked how many on-dates we had.  We have 2 which is pretty good since it is Grangeville. I think that kind of shocked President.  Then he asked to speak to me.  So I got on the phone and he was like Sister Stevenson "You will be sweeping an area in Spokane with someone that you came out with".  He also was like "Sister Stevenson, you count those on-dates as yours, okay.  They definitely are yours". He probably just felt really bad because it was like a repeat of last transfer when he asked me about progressing and we had 5 and he was like "wait, really? Oh that is a lot" and then I got pulled.  So yah that was super sad. 

The story doesn't end there though....

Literally 5 minutes later he called back.

He got on and was kind of chuckling (well mission president chuckle) and said "Lord's timing is very funny".  He said that he just got a call with new information that changes things and the information that we gave him as well.  He also said that the AP's and him prayed about it and decided that I would be staying in Grangeville.  He was like "Sister Stevenson, you baptize those two on-dates, okay" so that was another twist in the plot. Sadly, Sister Packer is still leaving me.  I am so sad.  I was not expecting either of us to get transferred.  And things were just starting to SLIGHTLY pick up here.  So that was not the funnest call to get.  And I was hoping that my break companion would be two transfers.  So I was freaking out to know who my new companion is because Sister Packer has been so fun and nice to be with. 

So, Sister Packer is going to Newman Lake/East Valley with Sister Matzen, who is amazing!! Everyone loves her.  Sister Lake actually was just there with Sister Matzen.  I'm starting to question if I am the hard companion and everyone needs a break after me, so they send them to an AMAZING area (literally it is probably one of the best right now in the mission) and send them to Sister Matzen.  

And I am staying here just buying my time until next transfer until they swept us out.  This mission thing definitely gives you the ups and downs (okay maybe just me).  My new companion is Sister Norman.

Stories Part 2

I will just do multiple emails so you all don't get overwhelmed.

Also, warning: I did not re read these so they might not even make sense

Story 2: Is he even real?

So about a month ago we got a call from a random guy named Tyler Johnson.  He said that he was moving to Grangeville and interested in looking into our church and was wondering if there was a website he could go to.  We told him Mormon.org.  He also told us to call him back in a week so we could set up a time to meet when he moved to Grangeville.  So we have been calling him every week and every week he says that he is still making his way up here and to call him back in a week.  Well, this week we called him and he said that he watched all 5 sessions of conference and that he prayed and he knows this is all true.  At the end of the call he said "Call I just tell you something? I just know this is true".  He then said that he was coming to Grangeville on Saturday and he would call us.....

So I mean I will keep you all posted on the reality of Tyler.  

Story 3: Lesson Learned- Street contacting

So this week our goal was to talk to more people on the street.  The first day of this goal was a little rough, not because I didn't accomplish the goal but because of the outcome.  No one was interested and it was just tiring talking to so many people who would say the exact same thing.  So it was towards the end of the day and these two people were walking on the other side of the street.  A teenage girl and a guy in his 40s/50s and I was just like "Heavenly Father, I really don't want to talk to these people, I am tired, the are going to say the same thing. what is the point.  

But I was like fine I will talk to them.  So I said hello and started to bring up family history.  I was super abrupt and not smooth at all but I didn't even care.  He said that family history is kind of hard in his broken up family but then he was like "wait are you the mormons?" "Yah"  He then was like "I am Brandon Kelly".  Back story on Brandon Kelly...He is a former investigator who we have been looking for forever.  He also is on parole too.  And we literally street contacted into him.  So I was like "Okay, Heavenly Father. Learned my lesson"  It was funny.  He was like "Man, I know that the church is true. People say that they are a cult and crazy but whatever that stuff doesn't matter anymore because I know it to be true."  He was super hurt though because he couldn't be baptized because he is on parole.  He was like "Yah, I stopped going because I was hurt.  He was like yah now I am just going to a little Church on the Rock and I know it isn't even true.  I mean everything has truth but you have the fullness".  So we are meeting with him tonight hopefully.

Story 4: Chasing Bulls

We went over to the Joslins last night.  They live in Whitebird which is literally a town of maybe 90 people off the side of the highway in a caynon.  So we were sitting down and then apparently a bull got out and so everyone got up.  Cassidy (the 16 year old) got on her boots and Ryan and his friend went outside.  We were just sitting there on the couch with Sister Joslin and we were just like what is even happening.  Then the friend, Quentin came in and was like you can come watch on the porch if you would like"  So we went outside and Cassidy is on this super steep hill with the bull and her dog trying to chase it down the hill.  Quentin then decides to climb up the hill but the bull turns and starts coming towards him, so that was scary.  And then Sister Joslin made Ryan go up in his pickup and try to help them.  The bull came down before Ryan got there.  Then apparently the bull broke the fence so they just fixed it right there and then.  Then everyone came back inside and I was just like where even am I.  I love the Joslins though.  They really are amazing people.  It is sad that Sister Packer is leaving because everyone loves us :)