October 1 - Week....3...and a 1/2?

Hello family and friends!!

I only have about 15 minutes to write you this week...:(  I have to write my mission president first and that took some time since SO much happened this week!  But then again, when doesn't so much happen every week? I'll include what I wrote to him at the end so you can see other snippets of stuff going on in my mission life.

I also have no idea what week I'm on...I think I'm almost finished with my 4th week...so I've been out 3 and a half weeks on my mission?  Oh goodness who knows.  Time's a flying - that's all I can say haha.  So only 76 weeks left!  Wow time's slipping by.

Don't hate me...but I forgot my camera cord that connects to the computer...so no pictures this week....I'm sorry!  It's hard to remember...but just know that my companion is so awesome and pretty and fun and that I also never do my hair...I let it be the way it wants to be haha.  Sometimes I straighten or curl it but it just takes too long!

So I'll give you a quick synopsis of my week: first off - I still LOVE it here.  It's been rainy this week and the rain is so odd here - it's like a consistent mist.  Never any raindrops, just a mist of wet.  I also learned this week that anytime it smells like a skunk outside, it's actually weed (marijuana).  Yup.  Northern California is FULL of weed-smokers.  It's okay, though, we just give them Word of Wisdom pamphlets and convert them!  Haha totally kidding...or am I? ;)

We had a member of the 70 talk to us: Elder Aidukaitis.  He gave us missionaries a kick in our booties this week and said we need to find more quickly and more effectively and to teach shorter lessons...so we've been doing that and guess what?!  We now have 3 baptisms for the month of October!  One is Ray, this awesome kid with a really hard life in and out of abusive foster homes.  But he told us at the last lesson we taught that one time this kid kept hitting him with a screwdriver, so he prayed to God, "God, get me out of here! Get me out of here!"  And literally, later that night, the police came and took him to the hospital and to a new home.  God HEARS our prayers, and He loves us.  I know that he just ACHES when His children are being hurt, because being a representative of Jesus Christ, I can feel Christ's love for them and how much He wants them to come unto him and be healed. We're also teaching a young guy named Anthony and another named Jacob.  Anthony struggles with lots of things, but he's been keeping all his commitments and really trying hard to come unto Christ and repent.  And Jacob is AWESOME!  He came to a baptism with us yesterday and we asked him how he felt and he said, "I feel so happy."  We explained the Holy Ghost to him and he also said that he feels the Holy Ghost has been helping him quit smoking (he smokes almost a pack a day but is really trying to quit).

I have to go, but I want to leave you all with this: God loves you.  He loves EVERYONE.  Also, follow your promptings!  The Spirit uses our knowledge to inspire us, so if we have a common sense thought that's in our head, then it's of the Spirit!  Anything that's good comes from God, I can promise you that.  Also, promises are NOT free.  You have to act in order to receive the promise (See D&C 82:10).  But when you do, the Lord is "bound."  I can testify of that.

And here are some scriptures to look up:

Mark 10:27

Moses 6:32
John 14:15

Malachi 3:8-12

I love you all!  I hope you have a wonderful week - know that you're all in my prayers!  Love you!!!

With love,

Sister Nikole Decker


P.S. Write me!! Address: 3717 Sonoma Avenue

                       Santa Rosa, CA 95405