Feb. 17, 2014
Dear family and friends,
Hello! I'm sorry but I don't have much time today - since it's President's Day, we have to use a member's computer instead of the library, and the members have to head out soon. I'm going to copy and paste what I wrote President Alba for this week:
This week felt slower than usual. Sister Harston and I worked just as hard, maybe even harder, but things just weren't working out.
Things are going well, though. We ended up dropping this sweet lady, Radiyah Coffey...when we taught her the Book of Mormon, she refused to read it. She said she would never become a Mormon, and doesn't really like organized religions at all because of the "patriarchal order" of it all. It was sad.
But tender mercy of the Lord: after dinner that same day we dropped Radiyah, we picked up a family! Their names are Kathy and Nicoli Harbor, and they have a darling 3-year-old son named Arian. He is seriously the cutest. We knocked on their door (they were potentials we hadn't visited yet) and the husband, Nicoli, answered the door. He said hello and invited us in right away! We sat down and they started asking us so many questions about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. Right then and there we ended up sharing the first lesson with them! We recited the First Vision from memory like we were encouraged to do at zone conference, and the Spirit was definitely present. They accepted the invitation to read the Book of Mormon and pray to know it is true - we're going back on Thursday, this time with a young couple in the branch, Brother and Sister Roney. I can't wait!
Sister Harston and I are both really just trying to stay positive and work hard. We pray in every prayer to have the increased faith to find the elect, to have Heavenly Father open the windows of heaven upon the California Santa Rosa mission and pour out blessings, to help us as a companionship and as individuals to make living high expectation our first priority, and to give Kathy, Nicoli, Ray, Jim, and Ed the desire to come to sacrament meeting and to be baptized. It's working :) We had a bit of an off-week, but we are doing our best to ensure we have at least 1 lesson every day, contact at least 20 new people every day, and extend a baptismal invitation. We definitely can do better extending baptismal invitations, especially in the street.
I have really been working on making my studies very sacred time, and have found so many amazing insights! I'm currently in 2 Nephi and for the first time, I am really starting to decipher and understand the "Isaiah" chapters! It's so amazing to see how Isaiah truly prophecied of the latter-days. There's a section in particular that talks about the proud being brought to humility at the last day that really stuck out to me. It's in 2 Nephi 12:11-12: "And it shall come to pass that the lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the Lord of Hosts soon cometh upon all nations, yea, upon every one; yea, upon the proud and lofty, and upon every one who is lifted up, and he shall be brought low." I couldn't help but think of the Napa Valley area we're serving in...there are so many people here who are simply so proud and lofty.
There was another scripture in the Book of Mormon that I thought was so relevant for this area, too. 2 Nephi 9:28 (excerpt from it): "When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not."
I feel like the missionaries in the Book of Mormon. I yearn and pray and desire for the people's hearts to be softened so I can invite them to come unto Christ. That's also been in my prayers often this week - praying for the people in the St. Helena area to have softened hearts. And I'll tell you what, President Alba! My testimony of prayer has grown more in the past week than it has in my entire lifetime! Instead of people turning us away before we even get a chance to speak, they have been more open and willing to talk with us. I noticed it especially on Valentine's Day, when people were filled with love. I think that's why Heavenly Father's first and great commandment is to love Him, and why His second is to love our neighbors. If we truly love our neighbors, we care for one another, and will listen and help uplift each other.
That was made manifest on Valentine's Day, but also in so many other ways. We talked to amazing people this week. We may not have gotten numbers or addresses from them, but my prayers are being answered: the people's hearts here in St. Helena are being softened. I see that with our branch members as well. They are trying to step up. It's been neat, to say the least.
Things are going well, though. We ended up dropping this sweet lady, Radiyah Coffey...when we taught her the Book of Mormon, she refused to read it. She said she would never become a Mormon, and doesn't really like organized religions at all because of the "patriarchal order" of it all. It was sad.
But tender mercy of the Lord: after dinner that same day we dropped Radiyah, we picked up a family! Their names are Kathy and Nicoli Harbor, and they have a darling 3-year-old son named Arian. He is seriously the cutest. We knocked on their door (they were potentials we hadn't visited yet) and the husband, Nicoli, answered the door. He said hello and invited us in right away! We sat down and they started asking us so many questions about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. Right then and there we ended up sharing the first lesson with them! We recited the First Vision from memory like we were encouraged to do at zone conference, and the Spirit was definitely present. They accepted the invitation to read the Book of Mormon and pray to know it is true - we're going back on Thursday, this time with a young couple in the branch, Brother and Sister Roney. I can't wait!
Sister Harston and I are both really just trying to stay positive and work hard. We pray in every prayer to have the increased faith to find the elect, to have Heavenly Father open the windows of heaven upon the California Santa Rosa mission and pour out blessings, to help us as a companionship and as individuals to make living high expectation our first priority, and to give Kathy, Nicoli, Ray, Jim, and Ed the desire to come to sacrament meeting and to be baptized. It's working :) We had a bit of an off-week, but we are doing our best to ensure we have at least 1 lesson every day, contact at least 20 new people every day, and extend a baptismal invitation. We definitely can do better extending baptismal invitations, especially in the street.
I have really been working on making my studies very sacred time, and have found so many amazing insights! I'm currently in 2 Nephi and for the first time, I am really starting to decipher and understand the "Isaiah" chapters! It's so amazing to see how Isaiah truly prophecied of the latter-days. There's a section in particular that talks about the proud being brought to humility at the last day that really stuck out to me. It's in 2 Nephi 12:11-12: "And it shall come to pass that the lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the Lord of Hosts soon cometh upon all nations, yea, upon every one; yea, upon the proud and lofty, and upon every one who is lifted up, and he shall be brought low." I couldn't help but think of the Napa Valley area we're serving in...there are so many people here who are simply so proud and lofty.
There was another scripture in the Book of Mormon that I thought was so relevant for this area, too. 2 Nephi 9:28 (excerpt from it): "When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not."
I feel like the missionaries in the Book of Mormon. I yearn and pray and desire for the people's hearts to be softened so I can invite them to come unto Christ. That's also been in my prayers often this week - praying for the people in the St. Helena area to have softened hearts. And I'll tell you what, President Alba! My testimony of prayer has grown more in the past week than it has in my entire lifetime! Instead of people turning us away before we even get a chance to speak, they have been more open and willing to talk with us. I noticed it especially on Valentine's Day, when people were filled with love. I think that's why Heavenly Father's first and great commandment is to love Him, and why His second is to love our neighbors. If we truly love our neighbors, we care for one another, and will listen and help uplift each other.
That was made manifest on Valentine's Day, but also in so many other ways. We talked to amazing people this week. We may not have gotten numbers or addresses from them, but my prayers are being answered: the people's hearts here in St. Helena are being softened. I see that with our branch members as well. They are trying to step up. It's been neat, to say the least.
I know this church truly is Jesus Christ's church back on the Earth once again, and I know that because I read the Book of Mormon and prayed to know if the Book of Mormon was true. When I received a witness from the Holy Ghost telling me it is true, I then felt that Joseph Smith was a prophet, because He translate that book. I also knew that Jesus Christ was real, because the Book of Mormon testifies of Jesus Christ, just as the Bible does. It goes to prove that "by the mouths of two shall my gospel be made manifest" (
And thus, I knew that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was Jesus Christ's church back on the Earth, because Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and they told him that just as in times past, Joseph was being called as a prophet in these last days to restore the true Gospel back to the Earth once again.
I love you all and hope you had a marvelous week!
Love,
Sister Nikole Decker
P.S. Thanks to all who sent me a Valentine's Day card/gift :) I loved them!
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