Photo Update

Small and Simple Things

HI! Happy Labor Day weekend right? well last week.. :) We don't get that holiday here ... haha 

But well updates :) We have changes tomorrow... BUT hoping SO hoping that Hermana V and I don't have changes and that we can BOTH stay in the area another change and help the people here that we have. 

Sundays have changed from being my most dreaded days to my most favorite days here in the mission, because our investigators actually show up to church on their own! It is awesome. 

There is a new family we found a couple weeks ago that CAME this Sunday. :) I think they liked it. I will attach the pics :) I told them that we needed to get a picture of their first Sunday.

Here they celebrate Dia de Ninos they call it, its to celebrate the children.  The primary had an activity Saturday, so we invited all our investigators kids and got permission to go and help out to be there with their kids.  It was hilarious! I will attach pics too of the activity! The kids of the new family A, LOVED it :) and we gave the parents a tour of the chapel too.  

I know that blessings and answers to the prayer of our fast last week are being answered.  The F family is growing so much more spiritually and we can see the change in them.  We still have some things to work on, but they are progressing so well.  L told us this week in the lesson that he has been so touched by us, and told us he will always remember us and the help we have given them with his family.  I know that this gospel heals us, and can help us heal families. 

We also fasted that the A  family would be able to come to church and FEEL that they have found the truth.  I know that they felt the spirit there and in the classes.  Our Bishop teaches our gospel priniciples class and it IS so awesome, I am taking notes :) 

Also S, the gaurd totally came again to church this week surprisingly again! :) He told us last week that if he liked it, he would come again.  There he was again this week!  And then the members convinced him to stay another hour, even though he really did need to go back to his work... haha whoops. :) We now have to find when we can teach him! 

We prayed that this week we would be able to find new investigators and a new family, too.  Heavenly Father has helped us in small and simple ways.  We have been teaching a less active lady and her son, and this week we found her husband and her other son!  On Friday, we had a couple apts. fall through and then even though we hadn't planned to go with this lady or her son, we felt like maybe we should go see them.  Even though she works during the day, we thought maybe we would find the son.  As we walked to their house, we contacted a lady the street over and saw a blue car pull up in front of the house of the less active we are teaching (L).  It was totally her husband! After we knocked on the door and talked with the husband and got to teach with the younger son.  L's husband told us that he normally isn't home, and is only home this hour for his hour break in between teaching because he is a teacher.  Super awesome we finally got to meet him.  We only got to teach with the son and the worker there, but we got to know him and talked about coming back another night with the whole family. :) 

Also, super happy because we saw the hermana we found last Monday while getting my haircut, again before writing here in Loarque.  And the RS pres there in Loarque that I called had visited her and later that week got her hair done there too. haha :) But M this hermana told us she didn't go to church! :( We were super sad, but it was becuase she slept in.  But she now does have a pass to go.  We talked with her a little bit more, and she comitted to going to this next Sunday.  She seems pretty awesome, and I wish I was still here in Loarque to teach her haha but we will have the RS Pres here in Loarque go visit her again. :) 

Love you lots, finding out about changes later today. :) Keep you updated next week! 

Love you!

Hermana Nichols 

Elder Nelson Come to Honduras

HELLO family!! :) 

Well this week has been so special and FILLED with some great conferences! To start off with our zone conference, later missionary conference with Elder Nelson with ALL of our mission and the Tegucigalpa mission, and then SUPER lucky because of which area I'm serving in, because he came to speak at our Stake Conference, and only ours.  There is so much I want to share, but I will have to narrow it down... 

Well to start off, when Elder Nelson entered the room, you can just feel his special presence and know that he is a true apostol of the Lord.  We got to shake his hand real quick at the beginning.  I remember the week before I left on my mission, I also got to shake his hand in California. :) The changes they are making in the mission are super inspired of the Lord.  We talked a lot about rescuing in our zone conference with Presidente Ferman, and Elder Nelson touched on a new insight in the mission as well.  Presidente Ferman wants us to  focus more right now on rescuing the less actives and helping recent converts get to the temple and stay active.  These have been more of the problems lately, and I can see that these changes are what the Lord wants right now.  Presidente Ferman's theme that I felt was while we focus on rescuing His children, we will find others who are ready for baptism as well. 

Elder Nelson told us at the end of his talk that he wasn't asking for baptisms or converts but for us to TAKE his children to the temple. WOW.. the focus is changing. 

He gave us 10 topics to study in the guide for the scriptures the spanish scriptures have in the back to study.. its kind of like the bible dictionary about the temple.  He told us if we mastered these little paragraphs he gave us about the temple we will be able to help others go.  SO awesome.  Presidente Ferman this last week in my email reminded me that WE are the closest to the temple in our mission, and need to get more people going! wow... so much work to do. 

This is what I loved from Elder Nelson's talk: 

that We are the hope of wives praying for their husbands and youth praying for their parents!  I will try to be brief, but he shared with us of a visitation he told us he had of 2 young girls who had passed away 50 years ago who he had operated on.  He said he knew them and remembered their names.  They came to him and told him they were sad because they were not sealed to anyone.  Wow... 

He said he then later had someone look up their names and find their families to visit them.  He found that only their father and their brother were alive.  And he got their address and went to visit them.  The father was 88 years old, and had been inactive for years.  Elder Nelson told the father of his experience and asked him if he would prepare to enter the temple and be sealed to his children.  His father said yes, and is reactivating in the church to be able to be sealed to his children.  such a cool experience.  

Elder Nelson said that the temple is SUCH a blessing to us.  That WHY wait to have the blessings when we can have them NOW. 

We are the hope of the people on the other side of the veil for sealing ordinances he told us.  

Our focus as missionaries is changing.  Baptism is not just what we do and invite people to do, but we invite them to baptism with the focus that they will after, be able to work to enter into the Holy House of the Lord.  I love it.  I know that not just missionaries are the hope of the people on the other side of the veil, but that ALL of us here on earth have a job to do to help others on the other side as well. 

Elder Nelson had SO many great things to say in his conferences we were able to go to.  In stake conference he ended bearing his testimony in Spanish, and wow really it was the gift of tongues because his Spanish was perfect and I couldn't tell if he was speaking in English or Spanish in my mind... haha :) 

When we were leaving the room, I felt this feeling of sadness in my heart, because I felt this spirit with him leaving as well.  It is so prominent, and I thought this is how the Nephites must have felt when Christ didn't return. Such a testimony to me that he is a true apostol of the Lord Jesus Christ.  

We had a lot of our investigators able to go to the Stake Conference with him, and are exited about verifying with them this week! 

Well there are just a lot more I would love to share, but also since we were with the whole mission, I of course saw all of the sisters :) so I want to send more pictures from the week. 

Lots of work to do, and so little time.  I love Roble Oeste. 

Love you!!!

Hermana Nichols 

Picture Update

Hello to Roble Oeste

HI FAM! :)
Well I have been transferred to......... ROBLE OESTE... which is the area
of the temple! SO SO beautiful to see it everyday! :) It is pretty much the
wealthiest area of the mission, so I feel like I have changed missions
almost.  I never knew HOW much I loved those pueblos and the people there,
until now. haha I feel like I'm in the States almost in my new area... not
exactly, but resembles it.  So I miss the pueblitos, and all the hilarious
things that go down in the pueblos and branches there. :) But well in our
house we live 4 sisters again... and I'm back living with Hermana G!!!
WHOO!! super fun :) Mom I think this week we are going to a place where
they met a chef who makes Saltenas.. I will take more pics and be thinking
of you :) But also I have had more hot showers this week than my entire
mission! :) haha Such a blessing, running water, we are super blessed in
this area.  Well but on the other side, people don't welcome us into their
house every second like in the pueblos.  So finding has been a little bit
more challenging, but we were able to have a little bit of success this
week in contacting a finding.
We have a lot of eternagators as they say... haha people who have been
investigating the church for a long time.  But we had such a great
experience last night.  There is a family that we are working with that the
missionaries have been visiting for over a year.  And before that they had
met with other missionaries less frequently.  But these last couple weeks
Hermana M started coming to church, and the last 3 weeks her husband L has
started coming.  All of their kids are older, and L looks like a little
rough around the edge kind of guy.  We finally were able to put an apt to
teach him and his wife together becuase he travels all week for his job.
Last night when we arrived, M who has told us she wants to get baptized,
and who the hermanas visit frecuently with was sick, so while she rested,
we visited with L her husband.  We started off asking him how he felt in
the church etc, and then the rest he just started talking and telling us
how he had been feeling sincerely.  Nothing like I thought who he would
be.  He told us that as he has been thinking this last week, and seen the
missionaries over time who his wife loves, and coming to church. He likes
the kind of people he sees in our church.  He said he likes service and the
type of genuine love he sees from the people of our church. (mormonas they
all say):)
He talked about when he decides to be mormon he knows that he needs to
commit.  What I was so touched by was that he told us in the end that he
wanted a church that unified his family.  He saw that this church has the
truth, and that all that time he thought he had been in the true church
until now.  He told us how he knew that there were thousands of people like
him who think they have the truth but don't.  It was so crazy to see
someone say this and realize where the truth lies through being in our
church, and in all the meetings, and watching the example of members and
missionaries.  He prayed in the last prayer for us that we would have
success in finding more people who will open their hearts to hear us and
accept our message.  Literally I was stunned from all that Hermana V had
told me about their family, that he was telling us how much he sees that
this gospel is true.  This was our first lesson with him.  But he accepted
to pray about what date he will be baptized and set a goal for end of
August with him.  He leaves to travel this week but is bringing the BoM
with him.  Super crazy.  And we are praying that these next weeks will be
when the F family will prepare for baptism and recieve their answer from
our Heavenaly Father.

I know the Lord prepares His children in His own time.  And that as
missionaries we must be patient and always trust in the timing of the Lord
in all things.

My new comp is awesome! I knew her in La Paz, and she is from Bakersfield!
Hermana V.  She is Mexican too.  Super fun, and we are loving it here in
Roble, even though we miss our pueblos...:)
Here are some pics too.  We started off in a trio this week because one
sister was waiting for a mini missionary to go with her to her area, I
guess there are an odd number of sisters.  So here are some pics of the
trio tambien for the first couple days this last week :) with Hermana C
from Ecuador.

Also in our house is where the sisters who are leaving the mish stay.  Said
goodbyes to Hermana G.  I love her, and was so sad to say goodbye. So fun
to be able communicate so MUCH better this time. :)  Also in changes saw
Hermana M. LOVE seeing her! :) She is doing So awesome!


Love you all!
Hermana Nichols

Blessings in Roble

Hello fam! :) 

Well it is a lot hotter here than it was in Zambrano... haha we are feeling the heat, but I imagine all of you are feeling it worse right now. 

Well the time here in the mission just keeps getting better, and shorter sadly.  I just more and more realize how IMPORTANT missionary work is for everyone who is a member of the Church. 

Hermana V is awesome, she has 9 months in the mission but has taught me so much.  We really have been focusing on finding and teaching according to our investigators needs.  That is what they teach you from the beginning in the CCM... but I have felt this change we really are doing it.  We have felt the spirit SO strongly in some of our lessons because I really do know that what we taught them and felt strongly impressed to tell them was from the Spirit.  

One of our investigators B, who is 17 and works for the Family F and lives with them said in her prayer that she was grateful for the sisters who teach her and asked if Heavenly Father could help her put the things she is learning in practice.  Sometimes when we teach her, she doesn't answer us right away, or at all 

when we ask her questions or try to get feedback... sometimes I wonder if she understands us or what we are teaching.  We have figured out ways to teach simply, but by the way she looks at us when we are teaching, and the prayers she says afterwards we know that the Spirit is helping testify to her of the truth. 

We have started teaching with M's daughter too... who is named M who is 20. :) They love to keep the names in the family. 

And she at first did NOT want to listen to us she told her mom.  But as we started to teach with her, we really felt like we should teach and talk about Our divine potential as Children of God.  It was super powerful our lesson as we felt the spirit so strongly.  We talked about Pres. Uchtdorf's talk from last conference LIve the gospel joyfully.  We talked about with how as daughters of God, Heavenly Father loves us already as we are, and how he loves even though we have imperfections.  But as daughters of a Heavenly King we have to live a higher law and be obedient to return home to Him.  In our other lesson we watched with her my FAVORITE Mormon message video Earthly Father Heavenly Father.  I love how this video helps us understand better our relationship with our Heavenly Father.  She said afterwards she loved the video, and that we cleared up a lot of doubts she had had.  She had gone to her pastor that week to talk to him about some of her study plans for the year in her univeristy.  She had wanted her pastor to look them over and ask God if that's what she should do.  Her pastor told her she was sick and should come back another day.  She left sad she told us.  But she now understood that SHE could ask Heavenly Father directly about her questions and doubts.  Many people do not understand our divine reationship we can have with our Heavenly Father.  That to have a relationship with Him we also have to put in our time by reading the scriptures, praying and LISTENING to him.  I know that the relationship we have with Heavenly Father is the most important one we can have.  And our actions will reflect how our relationship with Him really is. 

M is so sweet!  We are praying that her husband can get back from his work this next Friday in time to go to the marriage discussion from Elder NELSON! YAY! Elder Nelson is coming this next Friday-Sunday!!!! SOOOO EXCITED! missionaries from alll our mission AND Tegucigalpa are meeting with him Satuday.  Do not know how we are ALL going to fit.  But we are praying that he will get back in time to go together. 

We fasted with our other investigator N who is in the hot chocolate pics... haha and SHE CAME TO CHURCH for the first time this Sunday. :) She has been visiting with the sisters for 6 months, but because her husband doesn't approve of her going hasn't gone.  But well we fasted with her and with C the member who has been helping us with her, that her husband's heart would be softened and would go with her to church.  He didn't come, but she finally decided that she would.  We hope she liked it.  We stayed in Primary with her little girl to help her, and P (her daughter) liked the Book of Mormon story song that they sang. :)  

The Lord is so blessing us here in Roble.  Some afternoons seem long because this week not a lot of people were in their house, or didn't want to open their doors, but the many spiritual moments that we have had this week make up for all the rest. :) wish I had more time to type about everything.  But I love and miss you all :) and hope everything is well.  Hope the move went well Kare and Kev! 

Love,

Hermana Nichols

Farewell to Zambrano

HEY!!! :)

Well cannot believe that July has gone, and starting Aug.  But this week in Zambrano, my companion got a call from Pres Ferman, and will be training this next change! YAY! :) She has told me that she has been waiting for this! Super cool that I had the same feeling that she was going to train here earlier that week for some reason. 

Well, this means.... I'm probably leaving Zambrano tomorrow for another área. :( Super bummed... but well we are still waiting for our District Leader to call us and give us the for sure of who stays and who leaves, because for sure we have changes, but don't know who leaves.  Most likely I will be the one who leaves :( But super happy for Hermana H!  When Pres. called she wanted me to listen with her on the phone :) haha and one of the things he told her was that she was going to be a teacher, an instructor in all things.  And was going to teach by example.  He told her she would be a great teacher, and congratulated her and then told her to congratulate me for being a teacher and instructor for her.  I was so touched by his words.  This change has been one of my favorites.  Hermana H and I, I feel, have learned a lot from each other.  

This week also we have had some experiences where I know the Holy Spirit guided us.  Hermana H has been sick this week, but we were still able to leave the house a little bit. I have been worried about if I leave the area "how will I leave it?".  But I know He Heard our prayers.  After visiting one of our investiagators who wasn't home, we started walking and Hermana H said that there was an old investigator who the sisters before her were working with but could never find her, who lived where we were passing by.  We felt like we should pass by and see if we could find her this time.  F was in her house, and we were able to teach a small lesson with her.  She accepted to prepare for baptism once again with us! 

Later this week, Sunday mornings before church are always a little stressful trying to get investigators there, trying to get in contact with them etc... After feeling a little discouraged that the people we had visited that week weren't going to be able to come, or weren't answering phones, we were thinking if there was ANYONE else we could possibly invite or pass by.  We thought maybe we should pass by for M's mom and sister even though M (our recent convert) told us he wasn't going to be able to go to church this Sunday for a graduation.  Well we decided to go pass by his house and invite his Mom and sister.  When we got there, his Mom was at the neighbor's house, so we went looking for her there.  When we called her name, and she came out we invited her to accompany us to church.  She told us that her family was visiting today and wouldn't be able to make it, but that she had decided last night that she was leaving her boyfriend, who she had been living with for 9 years, and wanted to get baptized.  Whoa... She said that there had been problems and he hadn't been loyal, and she wanted to start over and be baptized.  Later that night when we visited M and J for an fhe with some of the other youth, we talked with her and she told us that she was ready to prepare for baptism!  She has recieved the missionaries over 20 years 3 different times in preparing for baptism, but never got baptized, but now that she is seperated from her boyfriend, could now complete the requisites to be baptized!  When she told M that she was going to prepare for baptism, we told him also now that he has the priesthood he could be the one to perform the ordinance! He was a little in shock. haha I know that we were guided to speak with M, his mom, because maybe it wasn't for the purpose that she was going to come with us to church that Sunday, but was for something bigger.  

Also that night we were able to put a baptismal date with one of the families we had visited before.  They didn't come to church, but accepted a date for baptism if they recieve their answer that this is the true Church.  I know that prayer and ayuno is powerful and that Heavenly Father always answers them when we do our part.  

I know that the Holy Spirit speaks to us and guides us.  I have learned that He grants us our wishes helps fulfill the desires of our hearts especially if they are for OTHER people.  Presidente Ferman told us in a letter last week that the Still small voice is a voice we FEEL more often than we hear.  I know that is SO true, and more and more I am grateful for the experiences where I better recognize and follow these promptings in better serving and blessing our brothers and sisters. :) 

Well I will let you know next Mondaywhere I am! Also super fun this week to see Hermana G and Hermana N from Talanga in the trainers meeting... our comps are training so I saw them! I am now racking up the áreas... haha 

Love you,

Hermana Nichols

Pioneer Day

Hey fam! 

Well this week was full of mini miracles.  I know that Heavenly Father is aware of us, and our needs, and our desires.  I know He helps us acccomplish our just and righteous desires. :) 

Well to start off J got baptized this Saturday! WHOO! He is the friend of our other baptism here of M.  He is 18 years old, and awesome.  He was waiting for his baptism he told us.  He stopped drinking coffee, and we are still working with him reminding him about breaking the addiction because it is still hard for him.  M recieved the priesthood this last Sunday, and they are both going to the temple this Saturday! :) We found ties and the ward and the elders gave us white shirts to give them!  He and M were so prepared by the Lord in this time, Hermana H and I are so happy for them.  

The day of his baptism there was some confusion in the zone that if someone was 18 years old and lived with their parents, they still needed their signature on their bapstismal registry.  Well his parents are Catholic and even though earlier we had met with his Mom to try to get her permission verbally, they were not going to sign his baptismal registry.  I was SO sad because he was so prepared and was waiting for this day.  But after talking with the APs they told us that this rule had changed and that they he didn't need his parents signature because he was 18.  I look up to J in this way that even though his parents were not in favor of him getting baptized and didn't want him to, he told us he knew that this is what he wanted to do.  We heard him talking on the phone with his Dad trying to get permission, and I know that J has received a testimony of the the truth.  He too had been prepared by missionaries earlier, who had been in his house to teach his brother and other friends.  Even though the missionaries never taught him, he had listened in on their discussions.  He had when we started teaching with him ALL of the paphlets of the lessons.  He told us that missionaries one day were giving out pamphlets and he recieved all of them... haha He and M, I know will do great things in this gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Well we also this week had our Pioneer activity.  Well we are still working on getting more of the members and investigators to show up, but for the youth that were there after seminary (they have seminary at night) they liked it! :) Attached is one of the members that showed up to help us give her story of the "pioneer trek". Dad sent me a sweet quote from Pres Uchtdorf's talk in the Ensign and it was awesome! I'm so grateful for our pioneer ancestors, and it was interesting teaching about the pioneers here.  A lot of the youth didn't even know what a pioneer was and why they were important to us!  Their example in our lives and their spirit of optismism and hard work is what we now can demonstrate too! Especially here in the mish :) 

Well the Lord is helping us here in Zambrano. Right now we are struggling with helping people progress, but I know that Heavenly Father is helping us, and we just have to be patient. 

Love you all! 

Hermana Nichols 

Updates from Zambrano

HI! 

Well I hope everyone had a great week, and that your lesson went well Mom. I know it did! :) 

This week we are still working with M who is prepping for the priesthood, and working with his friend who keeps telling us he is waiting for his baptismal date! YAY! Its awesome seeing them both progress and seeing them learn more about this gospel.  The office finally got us our triples for them, because they are excited to have The Doctrine and Covenants, because on Sundays in classes they didn't have one to look up the other scriptures.  H is getting baptized this Saturday, but we are worried because he is working on cutting out the coffee.  Its a big addiction here in Honduras.  So if all goes well, this Saturday will be his baptism! :) 

Mom, if you could send me some more white shirts, size small and medium Mens that would be great.  There is no where here to buy.  We have some that we rounded up from the elders haha.

Well not much too new.  Finding new people to work with, and trying to help them commit to baptism, even though many do not like the word commit.. or compromiso here.  I am grateful for the scriptures and for this gospel.  I know my understanding of the simple principles we teach is what has helped me to try to be a better person. This week we had a lot of lessons with new people about the Restoration and specifically Joseph Smith.  We bore testimony about him being a true prophet and that he was the instument in restoring the gospel.  Even though after we explain, many people just can't get over that God restored his gospel through a prophet and think we don't believe in Christ.  Well after all we have tried to explain and testify, my testimony grows stronger that through Joseph Smith we have the gospel restored on earth today.  There are so MANY churches here and the more I hear about their doctrines I KNOW that the Book of Mormon was inpired of God to help us in these confusing times to know which church is true. 

This week for our weekly missionary activity in the church,  we are celebrating the anniversay of the Pioneers! :) We are asking 3 or 4 members to dress up in pioneer clothing and be one of the pioneers and explain about their life on journey. :) haha hoping more people show up this time! :) Super excited. 

Miss you and love you all! :) 

Hermana Nichols 

Meeting Presidente Ferman and Family

Hey, well this week we met with Presidente Ferman and his family.  They are
great!  And their kids are all older, but their youngest who is 17 is with
them.  She is super cute, and applying to BYU.  We got to meet him in a
reunion this week, and later had interviews with him.  It was super awesome
to get to know him a little bit in interviews, and I could feel the spirit
SO strong with him.  A little weird without the Fortunas, I miss them, but
the Fermans also are really great.
He talked a lot about the Retention of converts.  I think that will be one
of our big focuses which is really good, because I feel like that is what
we lack a little bit of.

Also this week we had a baptism! WHOO HOO! M who is 20 got baptized this
Saturday.  He is super awesome, and was super prepared.  He got his answer
from Heavenly Father that Joseph Smith was a true prophet and that the Book
of Mormon is true pretty fast, but we are now teaching with his friend who
is going to get baptized this month, too.  Super awesome, I know the Lord
is preparing hearts here. I was wondering how was it that M was so prepared
to accept the gospel, but later he told us that a year ago he had gone to
church and had met with the missionaries before.  That definitely made more
sense.  I know that the Lord prepares his children in his own due time, and
that none of our efforts in sharing the gospel is wasted.  I know that over
time he was prepared to now accept the gospel in his life.  We had an
awesome lesson with him and his friend and his family Sunday with some of
the youth who helped us give parts of the lesson.  The spirit was strong
and the youth shared with these 2 other young men how faith, repentance,
and enduring to the end has helped shape their lives.


Miss you all!! Zambrano is great!

Love,
Hermana Nichols

in this first pic I'm with Hermana Ferman and their daughter B :)
Presidente Ferman is on the ground with the elders... haha cracking me up.

Updates from Zambrano

HEY! :) I hope everyone had an awesome 4th of July! I kinda forgot that it was 4th of July, until I saw the date in my agenda... haha but I hope you all had a great one, eating that awesome cake with blueberries and strawberries! Super yum :) 

Well last week we said goodbye to Presidente and Hermana Fortuna in changes briefly. :( He didn't want a party or anything to take away from our time working, so I was actually super grateful that I had changes so I could say goodbye to them briefly, before we all got on our busses with the suitcases.  But I will always be super grateful for Presidente and Hermana Fortuna, who always looked after us, and led us.  Presidente Fortuna with his last words told us to build our foundation on Christ, try to be a better person every day, and that the goal is for all of us to meet again in this next life together.  Super nice, everyone was crying.  

But with Presidente Ferman, I hear he is awesome, too.  I hear he is pretty funny, and super cool that he is a convert, so he never served a mission.  We get to meet him in an activity Tuesday! Whoo hoo !

Well in Zambrano, even though everyone loves to tell us that they can't listen to us because they already have their religion, the Lord still helps us find people with broken hearts and contrite spirits. :) 

Hermana H and I were so blessed this last Sunday.  We went with a member Saturday to visit some investigators who live SUPER far.. and we usually take a mototaxi to get there because it is really far.  Well thankfully we went with a member there who pretty much all of her long distant cousins live there, so that helped us out big time.  I was thinking that this would be our last time going to this neighborhood because it is super far, and it takes a lot of time just to get there, and a lot of money to go in mototaxi, but I know now that the Lord has answered our prayers.  We met the member's sister-in-law who just moved to Zambrano from Tegucigalpa, who is a member and who is having a hard time adjusting in a new place.  But she told us she would help us bring our investigators to church this Sunday.  Last Sunday when we went to get everyone not one person who had said they would come, came.  My companion was SUPER SAD. but well this week this member walked with our investigators from El Espino (where they live) to church with them.  IT is one hour and a half walking to the church! WOW, we were super grateful for her and her help, and am super impressed for our investigators who sacrificed! Not one of them complained, either.   I know that Heavenly Father answered our prayers this week, becuause we didn't know if it was worth it to keep working in this area, but I know now that we stil have work to do there :) 

Time is almost up and I want to send pics... 

But I love you all! And hope you can keep in your prayers S and D and Sa.  They are who we will be working with to accept a date for baptism who walked so far. 

Love you! 

Hermana Nichols

Hello Zambrano

I have returned back to the pueblos! :) Well, I asked my companion if this was called a pueblo, Zambrano, and she told me that it is actually called an Aldea... haha which is smaller than a pueblo.  :) 

I am with Hermana H, who is from El Salvador, and we knew/lived togehter in Talanga! She is super cute. 

Zambrano is like 45 minutes from Tegucigalpa... and is on the way to La Paz.  It is still like an hour away from La Paz, but the roads and busses are almost the same as we took when I was in La Paz, so I'm having flashbacks :) 

 I'm so sad that I don't have my camera cord to send more pics... but I am going to go try to buy one after we write :) 

Highlight of the week was that I got to go back to Loarque to be at the baptism with the R family!! :) So awesome, and Hermana Q also got permission! It was super weird being back, and staying in our old house again... but I am so grateful that Presidente gave us permission to go to their baptism because normally he doesn't!  

Even though when I left Loarque, I was so sad, I know that this is where I need to be right now.  I know that our Heavenly Father knows us better than we do ourselves, and am grateful He answers our prayers in ways we cannot imagine.  

Love you! 

Hermana Nichols  

Third Time's a Charm

HI! :) Well first off, HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY KAREN AND KEVIN! I hope it was awesome, and I hope you get my cards soon! Baby J is looking cute as ever! I show all the missionaries here pics of my cute nephews and neices :) Also, HAPPY EARLY birthday MOM! I hope it is great this week, and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Mom and Dad! So fun you guys are all going to be together soon :) Love you all. 

also, Kare asked me about more or less when the missionares go home... and Im pretty sure its a Thursday.  But around Dec 9th. But super far away! :) I still have LOTS to do! 

Well to start off, R and N are getting married this Friday and baptized at night!!! WHOOOO! :) SO SO HAPPY! soon to attach pictures :) 

What an adventure.  So we finally got all their papers etc. that they needed and asked for permission to go to the alcaldia.... which is like city hall (more or less) haha and MIRACLE, along with the missionaries who have helped other couples get married, gave us some names of peeps who work there who could help us out.  Normally you have to go 15 days before to schedule a date of when you can get married there, but we with the help of the Lord, we got a date within exactly a week of when we went! :) When we got there, because there was an error with ONE letter of R's name on the birth certificate of one of her sons, we weren't going to be able to get a date for them to get married and the guy there was telling us it was going to take a month or two to have this fixed on the document! Ugh, we were stressed! But luckily on the other birth certificates of her kids, her name was spelled correctly and we were able to get them the date! :):) We ended up leaving, going back, to the alcaldia 3 different times that day to get everything arranged.... haha but in the end it all worked out! :) I'm super hapy for this family because it has been a year since the missionaries first met with them.  It just wasn't their time.  Through the example of their kids who got baptized, they are now so ready, and seeing the blessings of praying together and reading together the scriptures.  N came to chruch last Sunday, but R was sick and couldn't make it.  But I know that as a missionary lots of times I'm hoping and wanting conversions on my own time table so I can be a part of it! But I have learned that we cannot rush conversions but simply help Heavenly Father's children experiment and identify the blessings of being part of this gospel.   I'm grateful for the Elders who worked hard with this family, and were patient with them, they gave us this reference and Elder W even after he left continued to keep in contact with them writing letters and encouraging them to work to get baptized.  And that's where we came in! :) and when R and N began to take the lessons and listen to us! :) 

Also this week Hermana Q and I saw the fruits of our labors this last week together.  We had worked hard this change, and even though we didn't have any baptisms this change, it has been one of the most rewarding changes I have had.  Familia R is getting baptized this Friday.  Other R who we found contacting 2 weeks ago, showed up at church and accepted a baptismal date for the 18th of July.  We recieved a reference Sunday of a family who came to church last Sunday and whose friends have been working with them! We also had some AWESOME lessons with some young adult girls who we have been trying to get hold of.  And they are SO prepared! The lessons were great, and even though they haven't accepted a date exactly, we can see that they are ready!  We have been so blessed to teach, find and be a part of this journey with our investigators who are AWESOME!... 

What I have learned this end of the change is to trust in the Lord.  We were able to go to a baptism of one investigator who got baptized, that Hermana Q found and started teaching in one of her old areas. Super cool.  And Pres. Fortuna was who baptized her.  Well after the baptism he told Hermana Q that she had changes, and that I did too. 

Devestated! I literally have cried these last few days, because I just have come to love our investigators and being in this ward. :(  I was sad thinking like was there more that I could've done, or told Presidente to try to keep our area open?  But I know that we did everything we could here in this change.  We were thinking that other hermanas were going to come, but because there are less missionaries coming than are leaving this change they have to close 7 areas.  :(  And because there are 3 pairs of missionaries in our ward, and where we are there have been less baptisms in the last 6 months, they are going to close our area.  Super bummed becuase I was here such a short time, but I just try to remember that like every time we moved to another place, I was super sad, but with time began to love it.  So I know that I need to trust in the Lord, that all will be okay with our investigators.  Presidente always said to leave your area better than you found it... and well I just didn't think it would be so sad.  And that we would have to give all our investigators to the elders :( but I'm good, and I know that the Lord needs us somewhere else.  Please keep in your prayers the R family, that all will go well with their baptism, too this week.  If I'm close I can get permission to go! :) 

I have learned to trust in the Lord, because he knows what is best in the end. :) 

I will let you know next Monday where I am :) 

Love you all, 

Hermana Nichols 

Donut Land

Hello FAM!

Well I have learned that the Hondurans LOVE donuts! haha Me too... but they
are definitely a hit.  So a big shoutout to the B family who are a young
couple, and the wife reminds me of you, Karen and Kristine. Super
hilarious! They bought at Price mart 10 boxes of donuts for us to sell for
the R family, so they could raise money to take out their marriage papers.
It's a weird process here, no wonder there are TONS here who aren't
married! But well it was a hit! We sold a box, the elders all sold a box,
and their family sold the rest.  It should be enough to take out all their
papers.  YAY! I was super nervous how we were going to get everything done,
and sell them, becuase we had a reunion we needed to go to while they
needed to sell the donuts, but everything worked out great :)

This week has been a little different and a little less crazy without a
cell phone. haha Our cell phone got stolen on the bus out of my companion's
backpack :(  She was coming back from interchanges on the bus with another
Hermana, and the man behind her stole our phone and her money... but we
didn't realize until they got to the house.  So we still are waiting for
our phone... haha But we were just happy that was all that happened.

It has been RAINING like crazy here lately! Almost every day.  My
scriptures got soaked! So I have broken out the blowdryer these last few
days to dry them out. haha

Time is flying this change as always.  We are still working with R and N
who are doing great.  N is still in D (other place) getting his papers
because that is where he was born.  But because of the rain, he hasn't been
able to come back because busses aren't passing right now.  But we pray
that he will be able to come back soon. Keep them in your prayers as it
gets closer to their baptism that everything will go smoothly.  Plans are
that they get married the 26th, and baptized the 27th! :)

Miss you all! And can't believe I hit the YEAR mark... whoa! Seems like
just yesterday Mom and and Dad, you guys dropped me off!
xoxo
Hermana Nichols