February 25 - Great week!

Dear family and friends,

Well, I had some good stuff written to you! but just as I was ending the computer shut down and I lost it all! Boo hoo. So, instead you get the letter I wrote to President Alba this week! I'll write more next week - love y'-all!

"Thank you so much for talking with me this week and giving me a blessing - I have been refocused, renewed, reenergized, and refreshed.  (I was feeling not worthy and it was really bringing me down...he came by and gave me a blessing then told me: "Sister Decker, you have been pronounced clean by your bishop and stake president, then went through the temple and were pronounced clean by the LORD. What right do you have, then, to say you are not?" I broke down crying and immediately felt peace and healing and love. I finally let the savior take it all away. I know the Atonement is so real).

This week we have been finding. A LOT. But it's been great! We picked up 3 new investigators this week! Nielli and Teresa, a 12-year-old daughter and her mom, and Jeff Cudeje, a 7th Day Adventist who is interesting in learning more about our church.

Teresa actually works at the veteran's home in Yountville but lives in St. Helena - the Spanish sisters contacted into her in St. Helena and recognized her, and Teresa wanted us to come over! We taught them the first half of the Restoration this week and are planning on finishing it on Thursday when we meet with them again. Nielli also wants to come to Mutual on Tuesday night! We're going to stay in contact with her and invite her to come.

We tracted into Jeff when we drove to Pope Valley this weekend and tried people out there. His wife, Maria, answered the door, and invited us in right away. It was a little warm that day so they gave us cold water and we said a prayer with them - we ended up also talking with them about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith! He has lots of random questions that are kind of hard. He says he calls Jesus "Jeshua" because that's the name He really would have gone by, since Jesus spoke Hebrew. He also went off and told us that the name "Jesus" is the Greek version (which I already knew from the Bible Dictionary and "Jesus the Christ") of Jeshua, and is a "pagan" name. The Greeks called Him Jesus because it was a break off of "Zeus." ...I wasn't convinced. Jeff didn't really cite his sources, and plus, I was thinking and studying about it this weekend. English comes from Greek and Latin roots, so naturally the English translation would not say "Jeshua." Also, it really doesn't matter the specific name we call Him - we can call Him Savior, Redeemer, Mediator, Creator, God of Abraham, Jesus Christ, Jeshua - when we truly KNOW Him, we don't need to worry about the nitty gritty things like Jesus versus Jeshua. I think that's what gets people so wrapped up and lost. I think of 2 Nephi 9:28: "When they are learned they think they are wise...supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not." What do you think, President Alba?

Jeff said something to us though that's been ringing with me this weekend: "The truth undergoes scrutiny." And I think of the Book of Mormon and how much scrutiny and picking apart it's gone through, and how it still stands true, and it helps reassure me that it IS true, that Joseph Smith was and is a prophet and that he restored the Church of Jesus Christ to the Earth once again, and that Jesus Christ truly is my Savior and Redeemer.

I've really been trying to understand the Isaiah chapters in 2 Nephi, and it's taken me a little bit to get through them, but I feel so much more enlightened - I pulled MUCH more out than I normally do when reading those chapters. I'm so grateful for Nephi.

I also feel CLEAN. President Alba, thank you so much for talking with me. It helped me realize that Satan really is trying to get at me, and I was letting him. But no more. And I also have been running harder in the morning - running really does help me to feel energetic and focused throughout the day. Sis. Harston and I also tightened our belts and are truly, truly striving to be exactly obedient in every way, and live this culture of high expectations.

Stake Conference was AMAZING! Saturday night on the way home, I read Sister Harston Alma 56-57 in the car, and something incredible stuck out to me that proved the Book of Mormon truly is written for our day.  It's in Alma 57:20-21 (excerpts of the two verses): "...behold, those two thousand and sixty were firm and undaunted. Yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them; and I did remember the words which they said unto me that their mothers had taught them." I had this realization and made an awesome parallel: they had 2,060. We have 260. They were firm and undaunted. We are firm and undaunted. They had success and beat the Lamanites because they "observed to perform every word of command with exactness." We have these hastening tools and are increasing in our success because we are the most obedient mission in the world. They were blessed according to their faith. As we pray for increased faith to find, we are seeing more miracles. They had that faith because of what their mothers had taught them. We would not be out here if it were not for the good example and teaching of our mothers.

Lightbulb.

Crazy, huh?!

I love the scriptures. My testimony of the Book of Mormon has increased so much this week, as well as my faith.

And the temple was so wonderful this week. I went in with a question that wasn't quite answered yet, but I just felt such peace, even more so than I have before. I know the temple is the house of God, and I want EVERYONE to be able to taste of the sweetness that comes by being worthy to go through the temple. We went through for our branch president's wife's family. She ended up being one of the workers in the session we went to! Sister Garate is her name. She was crying during the session and I was wondering why. Then while I was sitting in the Celestial Room, she came up to Sisters Kaiser, Chavez, Harston, and I and said that we were simply glowing, out of all the people in that room, and that she knew that they had accepted the Gospel and were present in that room. It was incredible - no wonder I felt so amazing!

I know this Gospel is true - I know it with all my heart. I love my Savior, and I am so grateful for Him. This week I finally got over this hill of regrets and doubts. I finally let the Savior take complete care of me. I gave it all to Him. And I feel so clean, and ready to go out and work even harder to bring my brothers and sisters back to Father.

I love you so much President Alba! I loved your talk yesterday in stake conference - especially about consecrating all of our time, energy, purpose, and even life to building up the kingdom of God. You are such a great example to me - you and Sister Alba together, too. I don't think I've ever seen anything so sweet as when you and Sister Alba met in the Celestial Room in the temple - I was sitting across the room and looked up just as you sat down. It brought tears to my eyes and I felt the Spirit testify to me that THAT is how a celestial marriage should be. Thank you."

Love you all! Remember that I love and pray for you often.

Love,

Sister Kolee Decker