Dear friends and family,
Hi there from the ghetto: Vallejo! Haha but really. It is the poorest area in the mission, but the apartment complex we live in is in a nice part of town and I feel very safe.
I'll tell you about my week in a nutshell and then give some fun facts at the end!
So my last couple days with Sis. Petersen were great - we worked super hard and found a couple new investigators in St. Helena. And then, it was sad....I had to leave her! I will miss her soooo much! We have become very close and we teach well together and get along so great.
Tuesday night, the trainers met the new missionaries and did a few practices with them, and it was really fun! The new sisters were very quiet this transfer, so I was a little nervous about who I would be with, since I am (as you all know) not very quiet and like to talk haha.
But Wednesday morning, I found out who I was with and so far it has been a crazy, weird, intense, stressful, fun, awesome time thus far! I am with Sis. Rebecca Harmer, and she is so much fun! She is from South Jordan, UT (4/5 companions have been from Utah so far haha). She is so sincere and is a great teacher. She also isn't afraid to talk to people on the street, and that has made contacting really fun. She also wears the cutest outfits! We haven't taken any pictures yet, but I'll send some next week.
It has been a psycho adventure, this whole whitewashing ordeal!
When we got in on Wednesday evening, we didn't have ANY food in our apartment! Or condiments, or salt and pepper, or ice...yup. It looked like the Grinch who stole Christmas had come into our apartment. Since we whitewashed in, the elders moved out of their old apartment (now
ours) and took all the food with them...
So, we went shopping and had to eat out for dinner...which, the elders didn't give us our dinner calendar until Saturday so we missed a couple dinners. We literally have been surviving on PB&J's and Frosted Mini Wheats and grapes for the past 5 days haha. However, we shopped HARD today and got lots of little things and big things we need for our apartment and food-wise. Many members in our ward also signed up to feed us, so we're excited about that, too! No more PB&J's for lunch AND dinner!
Also, the apartment was not the cleanest...yeah. We scrubbed that and the car the elders gave us down today haha.
I have been a little discouraged, but Sis. Harmer's positive attitude to moving the work along has really helped me keep my faith!
Everything is just so new! New area I don't know my way around, new companion who is also a new missionary, new apartment, new elders and sisters to serve around....it has been rather overwhelming for me.
However, I have been relying very heavily upon The Lord and I have confidence that He will guide us and help us to turn this area around!
When we first came to the church, we synced our area book and our calendar had a couple of finding hours, but lots of space in between...I tried not to let Sis. Harmer know I was freaking out, so I told her that normally, our planner should be filled, and when Friday came we'd really fill the next week with useful, good activities. So we had to wing it for the past 5 days, but we feel good because next week is all planned.
As the week progressed, it got better, though. Thursday we met with the ward mission leader and talked over specific plans and goals. The ward hasn't come up with a ward mission plan, but the bishop and his counselor, Bro. Bosch, and the ward mission leader are excited for the newness of having sisters be in their ward and want some real work to start happening, so they said that they will come up with one and share it with us.
Friday we were able to really plan for the coming week, and I feel confident about it and happy with the plans we have made.
Saturday we taught this amazing recent convert in the ward, Reuben Bosch! We did a little get-to-know each other and he told us his conversion story! He said that he was overcoming his last addiction to nicotine and had two days left on the patch. It was a Sunday, and for some reason he felt prompted to not use the patch that day. He went to church that day at the Napa 3rd ward to see what our church was all about. Later that night, he was having withdrawals from not being on the nicotine patch and he prayed to his "God" he made up for his 12-step program, and the pain wouldn't go away. Then he thought that he would pray like we did, and he said a prayer and IMMEDIATELY he felt the urge go away and was filled with warmth. He felt better right away! He said that sparked the desire to learn more. He got baptized a month later! :) So cool! He has just finished the standard works (Bible, BoM, D&C, and the Pearl of Great Price). He is just EATING information up.
Sunday was perfect, because before then I felt like I was treading in deep water just barely keeping above the surface. But Sunday, The bishop gave us a list of names of people to go see, and his wife helped us fill the dinner calendar, and his counselor Bro. Bosch is incredibly gung-ho about missionary work. Tender mercies!
The ward is focusing a lot on reactivation, which I think is a great idea. We only have 10 people on average come to church every week with a member list of 57. It's pretty daunting, but I know we can definitely help and especially help the members step up to invite our inactive brothers and sisters back.
OH! Here is my new address for the next 12 weeks, at least:
223 Cadloni Lane #C
Vallejo, CA 94591
I'll end with some fun Vallejo facts:
1. There are lots of hills! Our runs in the morning definitely get my heart rate going.
Golden rolling hills with this pretty grass on them.
2. I think I've seen a total of 6 white people out here thus far.
3. Hilarious conversation with a grocery store worker on Wednesday:
Me: "How are you doing?"
Sassy African American lady: "Girl, look at mah face. *Makes fishy
lips* I've been done working too hard."
Lol. Love black people.
4. I have only heard 1 gunshot thus far (and it was late at night)!
Everyone was saying we'd hear them all the time, but so far so good!
I am so excited for this upcoming week! I have trust in God that He will help us move this area forward and upward :) Remember that the worth of every soul is great in the sight of God (D&C 18:10, 15-16).
God loves you!!!
Love,
Sister Nikole Decker
P.S. This is from my studies this morning. I just are up the Book of Mormon today! Well, are up one verse in the Book of Mormon. I studied the history of Zedekiah at that time - here's some great references I
found:
1 Nephi 1:4 with ALL cross-references.
2 Kgs. 24:18, 17:13 (13-15).
2 Chr. 36:10, 15 (15-16). 2 Chr. 15:9.
1 Chr. 9:3
Jer. 37:1, 44:30, 49:34, 52:3 (3-5), 7:25. Jer. 26:18, 20 (17-19)
No comments:
Post a Comment