May 26 - I AM TRAINING AGAIN

Dear family and friends,

Hi there! Breaking news: I am being transferred! I will miss the beautiful Napa valley, but I'm excited for the change.

I will be serving in Vallejo in da ghetto. I am PUMPED. Not only that, but I am also with child...again! I will be training a new missionary.
And whitewashing Napa 4th YSA. It's in the Napa Stake, still, but we live and work mostly in Vallejo.

Interesting story about this:
I had prayed to Heavenly Father last Monday evening, and as I was praying, I was thinking about how I feel I need to progress more. And with that, I asked for something I haven't asked for before. I asked for a challenge!

So. Then on Thursday, I got an answer! Sis. Alba called and told me that I am training again, but also whitewashing an area where elders have been serving. So! I have my challenge! Haha God really does answer prayers. I am really nervous to go into an area and train a new missionary when I myself don't know what's going on, but I am excited and looking forward to the challenge. "The greater the struggle, the more glorious the triumph" (The Butterfly Circus).

I am so excited for Sis. Petersen to move on and be amazing, too! She already is, but she is such an incredible missionary and I can't wait to see where she goes on the rest of her mission. She has grown SO much. This last week we have been bickering like an old married couple, though, so it's a healthy thing that we're moving on haha.

Funny story about the bickering:
One day we were driving to Napa and it looked really hazy outside, so I said, "Man, it must be really dusty outside!"
Sis. Petersen said, "Nah, I'm pretty sure it's smoke from the fires in San Diego."
Me: "What?! Those are so far away from here! It must be dust."
Sis. P: "Well, it looks like it does in St. George when fires go on."
Me: "It also looks like Arizona in the summertime when it hasn't rained for a while."
Sis. P: "Pretty sure it's smoke."
Me: "Alright, this is stupid. It's probably a combination of smoke AND dust."
Sis. P: "Yeah, probably."

So funny. It reminds me of when Alicia Ferrin and I used to argue over the dumbest things haha. I sure love Sis. Petersen and will miss her very much.

I've also noticed how much I have grown these past 3 months with Sister Petersen!
1. Grown in patience 2. Grown in love - everyone has worth in the sight of God 3. Grown in selflessness 4. Grown in self-confidence 5. Grown in my ability to lead 6. Grown in positive thoughts 7. Grown in purity 8. Grown in ability to see others through God's eyes 9. Grown in sense of humor 10. Grown in my love for nature 11. Grown in my appreciation for the simple things 12. Grown in my knowledge of the Gospel 13. Grown in my testimony of the Savior and His Atonement.

I love it. I feel so close to God.

I am going to miss our investigators! We had a neat lesson with Nestor this week, and I will miss him, but am so proud of him for the changes he is making in his life. We found out earlier this week that Nestor went to court and turned himself in because he broke his probation, so he was in the Napa County Jail.

Which now makes sense why he wasn't answering his phone or showing up to appointments! So we went to visit him during visiting hours on Wednesday and it was so good to see him! It was also rather heart wrenching. I have never taught anyone in jail before, but it was just like the movie! They brought him out and he was in handcuffs, and the guards chained him to the chair. He picked up the phone and we talked through the plexi-glass on the phone. We taught about faith in Jesus Christ and repentance, and he told us the neatest story of how his faith grew in God when he went to court.

He knew he needed to do what was right, so he went into court, and knew that his officer would try to give him 4 1/2 more months in jail.  He said broke probation before we started teaching him and that he is trying to change, but people just won't let him. :( Sad day. So before he went into court, that day he said 5 prayers asking God to please help him not have to stay in jail that long. Instead of getting 4 1/2 months, he got 30 days of jail time for having good behavior thus far.  He teared up and said he just knows God listens to him. At the end of the lesson he gave the sweetest, most sincere prayer :) Gonna miss him a lot!

I'm going to miss Teresa, too. She is so sweet...well, and sassy! Love her to death :)

One more miracle: we were walking down the street across the road from the high school and a Calistoga Police car pulled up beside us. Sis. Petersen and I were afraid he was going to tell us we couldn't contact people or something, but instead he rolled down his window and said, "Excuse me, do you have any literature I can read?" We gave him a Book of Mormon and briefly introduced it. Then he looked around and asked us, "Can I pull over and talk to you both for a few minutes?"

We were so surprised! That NEVER happens in Calistoga haha. He got out and ended up asking is SO many questions about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. What we believed about smoking and drinking, tattoos, etc. He also asked us what parts of the Book of Mormon were good for people to read when they go through troubled times, because as a police officer, work is very demanding and sad at times. He told us he wants to go to church, too! We found out he lives in Middletown, so we got a solid referral for the sisters.

We taught him about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ right there and he was stoked! He told us his grandpa was a member and had recently passed away. He has been praying to God to find the right church and now he keeps running into LDS missionaries or members of the Church! His name is Mark, and it was such a privilege to talk to him :) He has a wife and 2 kids - a 17-year-old son and a 10-month-old surprise baby daughter. I am excited to see what happens there. He seems so ready for the Gospel. Miracles happen :)

And to end my e-mail this week, I wanted to share a song Sis. Petersen and I wrote! It's called, for lack of a more creative title, "The Yountville Song."

We wrote a song! It was so cool. We were driving home from Yountville last week and I just had these lyrics from the chorus pop into my head! It's an original tune...so...sorry you won't know how it goes, but here are the lyrics:

Yountville Song

Verse 1:
Woke up this morning and there was no milk Hopped in the shower, the hot water broke Walk down the street, and people just stare Fill me with self doubt, loathing, despair

I look up above me, see the birds flying high Yell to the birdies, I want to try

Chorus 1:
Oh
Birdy in the sky-y-y
How do you fly-y-y
Cuz I just wanna be up there
Where I can feel the wind in my hair
Oh
Birdy in the sky-y-y
Can you hear my cry-y-y
Cuz I need someone to listen
Everyone else feels distant

Verse 2:
I continue through my day, things still look real gray They ask me paper or plastic, the paper bags rip My groceries spill out all over the floor I gather them quickly and head out the door

I look up above me, see the birds flying high Yell to the birdies, I want to try

Chorus 2:
Oh
Birdy in the sky-y-y
How do you fly-y-y
Cuz I just wanna be up there
Where I can feel the wind in my hair
Oh
Birdy in the sky-y-y
Why can't I fly-y-y
I feel stuck on the ground now
Glued to the floor and I don't know how

Verse 3:
Got home this evening, choose to do a good deed Make a homeless man dinner, pull my neighbor's weeds Smile at someone who looks even more sad And slowly my day didn't seem all too bad

I look up above me see the stars in the sky Smile to the heavens, I want to try

Chorus 3:
Oh
Daddy in the sky-y-y
I'm glad I didn't die-e-e
Today was hard but it's okay
Cuz tomorrow will be a better day
Oh
Daddy in the sky-y-y
Please help me to fly-y-y
All things are possible with you
Oh Daddy how I lo-o-ove you
Oh Daddy how I lo-o-ove you

Let me know what you think!

Well, I love you fambam and amigos! Choose the right this week and remember that life isn't so much about the number of breaths you take, but the moments that take your breath away. :)

Love,

Sister Kolee Decker

May 19th - I'm 20!

Dear family and friends,

On Saturday, I exited my teenage years!  I am now a 20-year-old!  Thanks for the birthday package, family!  I love it all - Sister Petersen especially loves the "flicken chicken" things haha. She always attacks everyone with them.

One favor to ask of mi madre: could you send me my 4-generation pedigree chart?  Thank you!

As for this week, it went great!   The work was a little slow this week in our area - appointment after appointment fell through.  But we were able to put in some solid online work, including work in our own area, and that was really great. 

My studies have been especially awesome.  I read into pleasure vs. happiness in Jesus the Christ (it's one of the notes at the end of ch.17) and it really hit me how God works versus Satan.  God's ways are higher, better, stronger, more fulfilling, lasting, eternal, blissful, innocent, pure.  Whereas Satan's are slippery, momentary, in-the-moment, regret-filled, shameful, sinful.  I already knew that, of course, but it just stood out to me even more :) 

Zone conference was also a highlight!  President Alba showed us this AMAZING video called "The Butterfly Circus" about our potential.  If you haven't seen it before, WATCH IT!  It's on YouTube.  It is amazing.  Also, the conference helped me renew the reason I'm out here.  One of the Assistants to the President, Elder Greenwood, asked us, "What are your motives for being here?"  I really started thinking about that and it just hit me again why I am out here:  I love Jesus Christ.  I have felt Him make me clean, and I want EVERYONE to have that feeling.  No matter what they think, they have limitless potential.  We ALL have limitless potential.

Also, we get transfer doctrine this Friday!  So next Monday I'll let you know if I'm moving or not :)

Remember this week: do not judge.  "Judge not, that ye be not judged" (somewhere in Matthew...can't think of the exact reference right now and I'm running low on time...so...sorry)

Also, pray together as a family this week!  Jesus commands us to, actually, in 3 Nephi 18:21: "Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed."  I promise that you will grow closer together and have an even better week :)

Love you all!  Remember, that one day to God is 1000 years to us, so if you live to be 100 you are only 2.4 hours old in God's eyes.  No wonder He says "thine afflictions shall be but a small moment."  Enduring to the end really isn't too bad, then, huh? (Which makes my mission only 2.16 minutes long in God's eyes)

Choose the right!  And please please PLEASE remember: "You are magnificent" (The Butterfly Circus).

Love,

Sister Nikole Decker

May 12 - Nestor didn't go to Jail!

Dear family and friends,

Hello! All is going super well here in St. Helena.

And it was great to see you, fambam, yesterday!! See you at Christmas!
Time will fly, I'm sure of it.

We went to the temple as a zone on Thursday and it was great. I love the temple - all my concerns go away and I just feel at peace.
Everything makes sense. I know this Church truly is Jesus Christ's church on the Earth today. I KNOW it.

So.

Good news! Nestor didn't go to jail!! Huzzah! We taught him last night, and he said the sweetest prayer. He was holding his little sister in his arms as he said the prayer and he said, "I'm grateful for my sister Monce, even though she's a little monkey." Haha it was so cute. He is a good older brother to that sweet girl. He told us yesterday that since he has been praying and reading the Book of Mormon and Bible, his relationship with his family has improved.

I think we simultaneously scared and impressed a member on Wednesday.
She and her son fed us and later that night she came to an appointment with us. The appointment fell through, so we asked if she could go to a potential investigator's house with us, and she agreed. Walking over, however, there were five men standing around and talking, so we started talking to them. Sis. Morgan was sooo scared to talk to them!
She hid behind a car while we taught them about eternal families and faith in Jesus Christ. Finally, I asked, "Sis. Morgan, could you please bear your testimony on how the Gospel has helped your family be closer to one another?" She looked really nervous, but bore a sweet, simple testimony. Then she relaxed and was talking with them and teaching them as well! She did great! As we walked away after getting their contact information to teach them more, she let out a sigh and said, "Oh man, that is SCARY. But it's exciting too!"

We also found out some amazing news: Teresa, one of our investigators, quit her job so that she can come to church!!! It was so exciting to hear :) She hasn't been able to come to church, but she should be able to come, now. I can't wait for her to enter into the waters of baptism. She has such a sweet spirit and is so genuine and kind. At first when we taught her, she was super sassy, but the longer we've been teaching her the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, the softer her heart has become. It is so true that the Gospel makes bad men good and good men better.

Whew, I will say this week I have eaten more fried food than my entire life together. On Friday, a less-active member, Conrad, fed us lunch at the veteran's home. He fed us French fries, fried scallops, and fried shrimp. Later that day, Sis. Taylor fed us and made us fried chicken! Whew.  I felt like I had grease coming out of my face by the end of the day, but it made for one interesting experience ha. Oh goodness. I also remembered how much I dislike scallops. I bit into one and it spurted out this greasy slimey goop...whew. Rough. I felt so sick after.

Funny moments of the week:
1. Sis. Petersen ran smack into a wet tree branch  and then got the deathly hiccups. We've realized the hiccups only occur after we suddenly die laughing about something.

2. Luke: "He is half monkey half man. You see him at the pool and are scarred for life."
Sis. Morgan: "Man, A Midnight Summer's Dream...he was flouncing around with a loincloth...it was scary."
Talking about the elementary school principal. Haha.

Love you all! Choose the right this week, and remember God loves you!

Love,

Sister Kolee Decker

Pic: what the vineyards look like right now. It has suddenly taken a turn of HEAT and is in the 90's.