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

Rainy Season

HELLO family! :) 

How is everyone?? Well hope everything is better in Texas with the weather and all.  Here the rain is beginning to come again.  It is a little chilly after it rains here so that is nice :) 

Well this week we got to go to the temple with Pres. Fortuna and Hermana Fortuna with the leadership council of the mission.  SUPER AWESOME!  It was a cool experience to go with them... perks for sure! :) 

And we had our last leadership council with them :( Super sad. I will miss them for sure. 

I always love sharing what he said :) 

We should be transparent, always striving to have the Spirit with us at all times. We should be the same person in our house as we are out in the streets.  We should be the same person we are with him as we are with our companions.  That we shouldnt try to please him, but CONVINCE the Lord in all things.  

He also talked about how we need to set priorities in our lives.  We can't do it all. But we need to learn HOW to set priorities. We should put our priorities in what the Lord wants us to do, and not what we want.  Nefi was always trying to Please the Lord, while we see that Laman and Lemuel were not ALWAYS putting their priorities in what that Lord wanted of them.  In the mission we are not only learning principles here but habits for life.  

Super great, so sad they are leaving soon :( 

Also this week we are still working with R and N who came to church this week! YAY!! They have had some hard times in their marriage and life is difficult, but I'm so grateful for the Atonement that allows us to have second chances and hope during those hard times.  We are working with them to get married and then baptized on the 27th! Whoo! Its a whole complicated process here in Honduras, but we are working on it :)  I love them! and their kids who are members are the bomb! Always making tortillas, super humble, and so obedient! 

Well I'm good here! Can't believe I'm hitting the year mark! YIKES! So much to do still! Love you all! 

xoxo

Hermana Nichols 

Familia Rodriquez

Hey fam! 

How are you all doing?  So sad to hear about Elder L. Tom Perry. :(  Also so crazy about all the crazy weather in Houston! Glad to hear Kare and Kev are okay! It is still super hot here... :) haha 

Well this week my favorite parts were again the multi zone conference Hermana Queme and I went to, and the temple trip with our investigators the R family.  Right now Hermana Queme and I are working hard with 2 families. :) They both need to get married and have problems getting to church.  So we are working on that.  We were super sad that our one family L and L didn't come to church this Sunday, and missionaries have been working with them before I got here. :( But we know that with a little more patience and teaching they will come. 

Later that day, we had a special conference with the zones in the city and Presidente Fortuna with our investiagators.  And the R family who we have been teaching this last week all came!  Most of all the kids in the family are baptized by a different Elder almost a year ago, but the parents never got baptized.  So now, we are working with the parents.  Oh they are so cute, and so humble!  It was the first time Hermano N had been to see the temple!!! Perks of being the in city, is that our conferences with the investigators are where the temple is! :) Outside of the city, its too far to travel :( But he loved it! We took a bunch of photos there in front of them, and talked about how this is the GOAL! He said afterwards that when we go again, to let him know. haha They invited us in afterwards to eat, and there was just a strong spirit I could feel in their house.  Hermana Queme and I didn't want to leave, haha We want so badly to help them prepare for baptism so they can enter the temple as a family.  They just need to get married, and also find a way to come to church.  They make tortillas for a living, so they work EVERY day, and the kids take turns going to church so some can go and the others stay and make the tortillas.  But well, we are trying to explain to them to have faith and trust in the blessings of keeping the Sabbath day holy.  Keep R and N in your prayers that they will prepare for baptism. 

Also what I loved from President's talk this week was he talked about goals.  He talked about how our goals in life should not be the end.  For example baptism is NOT the goal for our investigators.  We do not simply just want to baptize them, but we want them in the end to be able to go to the temple!  Baptism is simply just a step to reach the goal.  Goals should never be the end.  When our goal is to go to the temple it is not simply to just go to the temple and ya finished, but then it is to keep your covenants and with your spouse make it to exaltation.  Our goals help us achieve so much more in life.  Wow, right :) haha 

He also talked about how success in life is faith and exhorting yourself A LOT. working hard and believing that you can achieve.  This is how we can achive our goals.  In Alma 8:11 Alma really wanted to baptized the people, but was having a hard time because of their inquity.  We need to show the LORD we want to have success and demonstrate to him we are willing to do it all, and sacrifice.  

Well I miss you all! Can't believe it has been almost a year!! yikes! 

Love you all,

Hermana Nichols